#am i gonna stop over-analysing

[little-miss-dilf-lover]

hi, i hope you're doing okay!

so look i know your requests are closed but i just had an ✨insight✨while reorganizing my room today and i couldn't stop thinking about it, so i decided to write it down here cause either i'd forget it like tomorrow. you don't need to do it, obviously, but if you will, take your time.

so. fem!reader and bucky, established relationship (maybe married) and she's pregnant but she doesn't know cause it's like, super early, she didn't even have morning sickness yet. and mr. super-soldier-enhanced-hearing can hear the baby's heart as soon as it starts beating and he's like confused at first but when he realizes what it is he starts crying and hugging her waist and she's like "buck? you okay love?" and he says "you're pregnant honey, we're having a baby!" bucky's super emotional and thrilled and beyond happy he starts laughing through the tears. he gets super protective of her and her belly but like always pampering her making sure she's drinking enough water and eating and going out at three am to but something shes craving and he's like, super excited to shout to the world he got his girl pregnant with his baby. and he starts sleeping with his head on her belly just listening to the baby's heartbeat as a lullaby.

(he's gonna be the best dad i just know it <3)

hii angel!! love it!! I did change some things, hope that’s okay. thanks for requesting and hope you like it💌

>requests now open<

EXTRA GRILLED CHEESE.

bucky barnes x fem!reader

word count. 1066

summary. bucky has suspicions that you might be pregnant

For the last week, Bucky had an expression you struggled to place - his face often pulled together with intrigue, brows quizically furrowed when around your company. At first, it seemed normal to you - his infamous resting bitch face, but the more he wore it around you, the more you started to worry. 

You often felt as though you were bothering him with your talking, the features on his face unusually hard and rigid as he listened to you. It was a silly thought, really - he's your husband. He'd tell you if he needed a minute of quiet. 

But the harder you looked, the more you began to realise his face wasn't that of judgment, but instead inspection - like he was analysing you.

Elbows resting on the kitchen island, you lean over the countertop, getting closer to Bucky sitting on the other side.

"Another one?" you ask, reaching for his empty plate.

He wryly smiles. "Only if you are."

"One is never enough," you chuckle sweetly, pulling the ingredients back out of the fridge - collecting everything you need for grilled cheese. "Might do a few more— been really hungry lately. That cool with you?"

Bucky hums softly, head tilted to the side as he watches you - completely smitten. That confusing expression long gone. 

"I got it," he stands, moving around the island to you on the other side. "I got the rest. You sit, honey."

You smile cutely, stepping aside and sitting on the countertop - allowing your husband's help. "What do you want to do tonight? Movie and snacks?"

He places the sandwiches in the pan and moves to stand between your legs - slotting his lower half between. Giving you a chaste kiss, he smiles, eyes soft as he looks over you. "Sounds good. Will have to go to the store though— don't have enough in."

"We can go after this?" you offer.

He hums, kissing you sweetly. He pulls back, eyes darting over you. "We'll stop past the pharmacy first. Gotta pick something up."

⎯ ☆ ⎯

Back within the comfort of home, you and Bucky begin to put away the items from the store - bags open on the worktop as you rummage through them, standing side by side. 

Bucky stills and turns to face you, reaching into his pocket. "I uh..." he pauses and clears his throat. "I picked this up while you were looking at things in the pharmacy," he starts, pulling out a small rectangular box. "Feels stupid, I don't know," he shrugs, not confident with the direction of his proposal. 

Your eyes flicker from the box in his hand and up to his face, looking over him inquisitively. "A pregnancy test?" you ask, taking it from his light hold.

"Feels like I'm insulting you," he chuckles bashfully, stepping closer to you. "It's just... I have this feeling," he says softly, extending his hands to rest on either side of your face. "You don't have to take it."

"No— no, I do— I think. I want to. It's just that..." you exhale faintly. "We haven't really spoken about this for a while. What if it's not the result we want? What if we don't like what we see on the test?" you ask anxiously, fiddling with the box.

Bucky pauses, a soft smile on his face as he tilts your face back up - making you look up at him again. "We have time," he says sweetly. "If we don't like what we see, there are changes— there's other options," he solidifies his reassurance with a kiss. "I'll be happy with either result."

"Should I do it now?" you ask, looking down at the box.

"You do it when you're ready, honey. Doesn't have to be now, doesn't have to be today."

Briefly reading over the writing, you feel a slight swell in your heart. It all felt so daunting. You knew this was something you'd both eventually want, but the idea of it beginning now was enough to make you feel queasy. Everything was going so well in your lives, and this was such a big step in your marriage - you were just scared of what the result would do to you both.

With a deep inhale, you shrug sweetly, feigning bravado. "Piece of cake."

"Piece of cake," he repeats, kissing your temple. 

Stepping aside, you walk into the bathroom - box clutched in hand as you read through the directions. The heavy thumping in your ears distracting you from understanding it all. 

After following the instructions, you place the stick aside on some toilet paper and call in your husband, moving to sit on the edge of the bath. Without missing a beat, Bucky steps into the small room, eyes focused on yours as he walks to sit beside you - slipping his hand into yours assuringly. His large hand enveloping yours. 

You sit in uneasy quiet for what feels like an hour, each of your brains whirling with thoughts and ideas and questions - the noise far too loud in your minds. 

Then, finally, after a while, your timer goes off, the obnoxious sound interrupting you both from your fazed-out states.

"You look."

"Are you sure?" he asks, holding your hand as you both stand.

You hum anxiously, nodding at him.

With one hand tightly in yours, the other reaches for the little stick - fingers loosely wrapping around it. Bucky stills, the features on his face slowly softening.

"What does it say?"

He nods faintly, his brows curving up in the middle. "Positive," he murmurs, the shock evident in the way his tone wavers. "It's positive."

"Positive?" you repeat, your expression widening.

He hums, enveloping you in a tight embrace - pressing kisses into your cheek. 

"We're having a baby," you mutter, voice cracking slightly.

"Yeah," he nods, pulling back to look over your face - checking you were okay with it all as he is. "We're having a baby," he echos you, cupping your cheeks.

"You're okay with this?" you ask, focus blurring from a few stray tears.

He nods firmly. "Of course," he chuckles, his tearline slowly filling. "Are you?"

"Yeah," you laugh lightly, nodding - the gentle grip of his hands moving with the soft motion of your head.

"I'll give you everything you want. Everything you need— I'll get you it all."

You already had everything you wanted.

#request #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x fem!reader #bucky barnes fluff #bucky barnes x you #bucky x reader #bucky x female reader #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes oneshot

[elsweetheart]

tear you apart.

🎀 based off an ask that got deleted— ellie being intimidating from this ⬇️ position when you’ve been bad 🤭 n yes the title is based off the song title

her face is stony, steel, you know deep in your heart she’s unlikely to budge but your brain is hazed over and your bottom lip is wobbling. from your knelt position on the floor you plead up at her with big doe eyes, wet cheeks in just her tshirt and your panties. she’s fully clothed, of course. her arms are crossed as she steps towards you, not quite staring but analysing, refusing to acknowledge the tears.

“ellie j’st— just wanted your attention! please’ve been so good i didn’t mean to!” you hiccup, going to reach to tug at the leg of jeans and stopping yourself, cradling your hand because you don’t want to make things worse. as you speak, she lowers herself into a squat infront of you.

“shh, shh, shh.” she silences you. she’s watching you, the way you crumble in front of her. so needy that you’ve brought yourself to tears and she’s just so calm. “i’m gonna need you to use some big girl words’n tell me what you want.”

“can’t. m’in trouble. you’re mad at me.” your bottom lip wobbles, more tears falling.

“not mad. i just think you need to be reminded of who’s in charge here. i know who it is. do you know?” her voice is quiet, gravelling barely above a whisper.

“y—yes.” you swallow down your shudders.

“who is it? tell me.” her hand very gently clasps around your jaw, keeping your eyes on hers. there’s a line between her brows from where she’s frowning and you struggle to hold her eye contact due to how intimidating she is.

“s’you. it’s you ellie.” you whine pathetically and she nods slowly, watching you for a moment.

“its me. that’s right.” she whispers. your heart pounds and you just want her to touch you. you turn your head slightly in her grasp and open your mouth, catching her thumb. she lets you have it and you suck on it greedily, pacified for the moment as you stare at her with your glossy eyes. she sighs out her nose, eyes softening ever so slightly for a moment. “what am i gonna do with you, hm?” she was just so bad at staying stern with you.

#ellie williams smut #ellie williams x reader #ellie tlou2 smut #ellie williams blurb #ellie williams prompt

[081314]

Welcome to Tsumsted Wonderland 2 – Part 2

Following is part 2 of my translation of the Welcome to Tsumsted Wonderland 2 event. This part contains Chapter 3 (Ortho and his tsum), Chapter 4 (Lilia and his tsum), and Chapter 5 (Jade and his tsum).

Spoilers after the cut!

Chapter 3

Ortho: Big brother, big brotheeer. It’s morning already.

Idia: Uuugh… It’s too early to wake up….. Just gimme two more hours. Please, Ortho….

Ortho: That new computer you were working on last night is still just a pile of parts and pieces. I thought you said were going to go to bed after you finished setting it up.

Idia: Okay so, I was playing this game last night and thought I’d just stop when I reached a good point and then work on that PC, right… But I… uh…. Ended up gaming all night…

Ortho: Good grief…. What am I going to do with you.

(Tsum!Ortho starts bouncing around)

Ortho: Tsum, what’s the matter? You keep bouncing around in front of that speaker… Ah, wait a second. Do you want me to play something on it? I got it. I’ll choose just the right thing to wake up big brother….

(The theme song to “Star Rogue” starts playing)

Idia: Ah! This is… This the theme song from my oshi game….! That exhilarating melody can rouse anyone from even the deepest stupor….!

Ortho: Ah, you’re up. That was a nice idea, tsum. Could you please get big brother a glass of water next?

(Tsum!Ortho bounces away and comes back with some water)

Idia: Woah, you’re actually pretty darn nimble…. Thanks, little guy.

(Idia drinks some of the water)

Idia: Ahhh…… You know, looking closely at it, this thing has a lot more in common with you than I’d thought, Ortho.

Ortho: Yeah. It’s kind of strange, isn’t it? That an organism that resembles me just fell out of the sky like that.

Idia: Isn’t there anything about ‘em online? Info about the tsums, I mean.

Ortho: I tried utilizing a wide variety of search queries, but I didn’t get a single hit. And regarding the reason why they all resemble us students… Is it simply camouflage? Is it an example of convergent evolution? Or do they just happen to look that way? ….It might be something that’s just not ascertainable to us. But I do intend to continue my investigation into the tsums, regardless. Do you have any plans for today, big brother?

Idia: Yeah, I think I’m gonna finish working on that PC.

Ortho: Gotcha. C’mon, tsum. We don’t want to disturb big brother while he’s working, so let’s relocate to the dorm lounge. ….Tsum? Ah, are you interested in the computer?

(Tsum!Ortho goes up to the computer parts)

Idia: What the- Wait, tsum! Please don’t go near the motherboard! It’ll get fried if you aren’t grounded..! And all the other parts connected to it will go up in smoke, too….!

Ortho: Please don’t be alarmed, big brother. After running some analyses last night, I confirmed that the tsum’s body surface does not conduct static electricity.

Idia: Wait, really? …..But isn’t that kinda unusual though? Does it just like, discharge static electricity through its feet instead of grounding itself or something?

Ortho: I’m not sure about the reason for it, either. When I analyzed a sample obtained from its body surface, I was not able to determine what exactly its body is comprised of…. My scan of its internal structure was also repelled by something or other and failed. I do intend to try it again later, though.

Idia: What the heck… Don’t you think these things are kinda sus? Ah, I mean, as long as I don’t have to worry about my stuff getting fried, it’s fine with me if you guys stay here while I work. It’s a lot fluffier than you are, but it’s like having a mini-Ortho around. It’s got like a charm to it.

Ortho: Fufu. Thank you, big brother. Then I’ll go ahead and continue with my investigation and analyses. Come over here, tsum.

Ortho: It’s just as I thought, my internal scan keeps getting repelled. I’ll recalibrate my sensor and try one more time…

(Tsum!Ortho jumps up to Ortho)

Ortho: Waah! How many times must I tell you, tsum? If you get too close to my feet, my attitude control system will malfunction and you might get hurt.

Idia: Phew, that takes care of setting up the OS.... Whatcha doing, Ortho?

Ortho: Ah, big brother. The tsum has been fixating on my feet for some reason. It appears to be interested in my anti-gravity unit. But why?

(Tsum!Ortho starts jumping around and wriggling)

Ortho: It’s waving its limbs around and jumping into the air… Could it be, you also wish to soar through the skies, tsum?

(Tsum!Ortho jumps up excitedly)

Idia: Gotcha. Then how about making some flying gear it can wear?

Ortho: Gear that it can wear…. Yeah, if I attach a miniature jetpack to its body, then the tsum will be able to fly, too! I can simply adapt the attitude control algorithm utilized in my own system, and I’ll just have to search my archives for the old blueprints…. Alright, I think it just might work. Tsum, do you want me to make you some flying gear?

(Tsum!Ortho leaps for joy)

Ortho: …It appears to be elated! Could you maybe help me out with this, big brother?

Idia: Sure thing. Not like I can turn down any of your requests. We’ll go all out!

Ortho: Hooray! First things first, we’ll need to determine the optimum design to use, considering the aerodynamics of the tsum….

Chapter 4

Sebek: To think, those tsum creatures have appeared yet again at school…

Silver: Yeah. But it doesn’t look like any of the ones that showed up this time resemble any Diasomnia students.

Sebek: That does seem to be the case. I’ve not heard news of any Diasomnia-esque tsums making an appearance, nor has there been much clamor at our dorm as of late-

(Tsum!Lilia drops onto Sebek)

Sebek: !! W-What is this? Something’s fallen upon my shoulder!? You miscreant, you’re a… a tsum!!!!

???: Kufufufu….

Silver: Ah, I know that laughter…

(Lilia and Tsum!Lilia high-five each other)

Lilia: Yay! Operation “Stupefy Sebek” was a big success!

Silver / Sebek: Father! / Sir Lilia!

Silver: I was wondering where you’d disappeared to. You’ve been gone since the tsums fell out of that hole in the sky over Ramshackle Dorm last night…. Now I understand. You must’ve been out with your tsum this whole time.

Lilia: That’s right! So what do you boys think? My tsum’s super-duper cute, right? Just like me! Here, tsum. Why don’t you go introduce yourself to Silver and Sebek?

Silver: It’s strange… It feels like I’m looking at a miniaturized version of father. But it certainly is adorable. Nice to meet you, tsum. My name is Silver.

Sebek: And my name is Sebek Zigvolt, not that you’ve any need to memorize it! More importantly, there is something else I must tell you. Listen to me, you little- Wait, I mean… My good…sir? At any rate, you best not disturb Sir Lilia… Ah, pardon me…. I mean, please?? Do not do anything that might bother Sir Lilia???

Lilia: What’s the matter, Sebek? Why’re you talking all funny like that?

Silver: He seems to be conflicted on how to address the tsum, father.

Sebek: S-Silence, Silver! I have no need for your gratuitous remarks!

Lilia: Oh, you certainly are a funny one, Sebek. You were huffing and puffing without abandon at your own tsum, weren’t you?

Silver: …Hm? Father, wasn’t the tsum on your shoulder just a moment ago? Where did it run off to….

Lilia: Oh, it’s probably…

(Tsum!Lilia falls on Sebek again)

Sebek: !! You fiend-!!! I mean, my good sir! Cease with your tricks at once- …Ah, pardon me. I mean, could you please be so kind… as to remove yourself from my head?

Silver: The tsum is bouncing around in delight. I wonder if it enjoys surprising Sebek?

Lilia: Mm. At any rate, the tsum does appear to like surprising people. And it certainly enjoys Sebek’s reactions. Well then. I’ve introduced the tsum to my two disciples, and now…. I’ll need to show all the other students just how cute this little fellow is. Come along, tsum! It’s high time we gave everyone a surprise they won’t soon forget!

Silver: Father, please don’t cause too much trouble for the other students-

(Lilia and the tsum disappear in a flash)

Silver: …Huh?

Sebek: He vanished in the blink of an eye….!? As expected of Sir Lilia!!

Silver: …I just hope he doesn’t go cause a ruckus.

Sebek: Hmph! What have you to worry about, Silver? You dare suggest that Sir Lilia would go embroil himself in any tomfoolery? Well… It’s not beyond the realm of possibility.

Silver: ….You want to tail after them? Just to be sure.

Sebek: ….Yes, let us do that.

Lilia: And here’s the main school building. Kufufu. It’s bustling with droves of students, as always. So what do you think? We should be able to have plenty of fun here, no?

(Tsum!Lilia jumps up excitedly)

Lilia: I see, I see. You’re happy, aren’t you? I’m glad I decided to take you out of the dorm. Now then, how do you plan on making your grand appearance?

(Tsum!Lilia gestures towards a student)

Lilia: …Ah, you’ve got your eye on that student by the vending machines. Alright, tsum. It’s time for you to show me what you’ve got!

Chapter 5

Floyd: Ahhahaha! It looks just like you. So this is the tsum you found, Jade?

Jade: Indeed. I encountered it last night when I was with Azul. …Ah, that reminds me. Thank you for going to check on the dorm for us.

Floyd: ‘Sfine. Was a total letdown though. When you said somethin’ weird was goin’ on, I thought somebody’s room had gotten smashed to pieces or whatever.

Jade: It doesn’t surprise me you’d think that. Well, then. Shall we be off now, tsum-san?  

Floyd: What, you guys goin’ mountain climbing or something? It’s still so early out.

Jade: We will just be taking a stroll through the schoolgrounds. I’d like to deepen my friendship with tsum-san while showing it around the different facilities. I’m considering having it assist us in the Monstro Lounge before it must depart home…. And I find there’s no more effective way to get to know your colleagues better than by taking a walk together.

Floyd: If you say so. I’m gonna take a nap.

(Floyd departs)

Jade: And with that… Allow me to once again say that it’s my pleasure to meet you, tsum-san.

(At the school's botanical garden)

Jade: We have arrived. So what do you think, tsum-san?

(tsum!Jade bounces around)

Jade: Fufu. I’m truly delighted that you appear to be so pleased. As you resemble me so much… I’d suspected you’d also find yourself drawn to environs reminiscent of the mountainside. Furthermore…. I’ve been wanting to show you this here. These are mushrooms that I’ve been raising in the botanical garden.

What do you think? With their splendid size and their umbrella-like forms, they look absolutely delicious, do they not? For them to grow so large and so beautiful, it has been quite the laborious effort. One must select the proper timber for a substrate, ensure that pest control measures are maintained, monitor the humidity levels, and etc... Here, would you care to try one of the mushrooms, tsum-san? As a symbol of our acquaintanceship, I would be happy to prepare you a simple dish-

(Tsum!Jade leaps up and smushes the mushroom)

Jade: What?

Jade: ….Tsum-san, whatever are you doing? I’ve poured my blood, sweat, and tears into cultivating these fungi, and yet you’ve crushed them. Oh, the poor things…

???: Would ya shut up already? People are tryna sleep here.

Jade: …Oh, my. That voice is….

Leona: Huh? Oh, it’s you. Azul lackey #1. You’ve been making such a racket grumbling to yourself I thought a parakeet got lost in here or somethin’.

Jade: So you were here as well, Leona-san. I apologize for the disturbance. At any rate, might I ask why you were napping there in the corner of the gardens? One typically sees you in sunnier locations.

Leona: The guys from my dorm are lookin’ for me and I don’t wanna get dragged into whatever pain in the ass it is that’s goin’ on this time.

Jade: I see, and so that’s why you’ve selected a novel location….

Leona: Uh-huh. I’m goin’ back to sleep now, so take that armadillo with ya and piss off already.

Jade: Armadillo…. Are you referring to tsum-san? Certainly, one must admit there is a resemblance. Regardless, you needn’t worry. We have no intention to disturb your rest, Leona-san. …Right, tsum-san?

(Tsum!Jade jumps onto Leona)

Jade: Oh, my. Tsum-san has clambered atop Leona-san…. You truly are so very thoughtful.

Leona: Oi… The hell is this thing doin’? Didn’t I tell ya’ll to piss off?

Jade: Yes, I am aware. As soon as tsum-san reaches a good stopping point in your massage, we shall depart.

(Tsum!Jade starts massaging Leona)

Leona: A… massage?

Jade: Indeed. As you are about to lie down and rest, this massage will ensure you will be able to enjoy the finest quality of sleep possible.

Leona: Tsch…. You guys better keep your yaps shut this time.

Jade: Worry not, for tsum-san is a discriminating individual. Besides… It possesses the most splendid ability to dislodge knots in such a precise manner. At our dorm, it has already attained great notoriety for its skills.

(Leona falls asleep)

Leona: ……….

Jade (whispering): ….Good night, Leona-san.

(Tsum!Jade drapes something over Leona)

Jade (whispering): You even draped a blanket over Leona-san…. Your work certainly is laudable – or should I say – thorough. ……Actually, is that one of the covers we use for the plants? I’m not quite sure you should use that as a blanket… More importantly, I’m astonished you trod into Leona’s territory like that without a moment’s hesitation. That’s no easy feat. Perhaps that charming form of yours helped relax his guard. Tsum-san… You certainly are a terrifying person… No - a terrifying creature, aren’t you.  

Part 1

Part 3

Part 4

#twisted wonderland #jade leech #floyd leech #lilia vanrouge #idia shroud #ortho shroud #leona kingscholar #sebek zigvolt #twst silver #twst #twst spoilers #tsumsted wonderland

[blissfullyabsurd]

*sigh* i can’t stop thinking about satosugu. satosugu calling eachother every second they’re not with the other. talking for hours. falling asleep to each others voices. memorising the others vending machine order. geto getting extra sweets for gojo. casual touches. leaning onto the other, no questions asked. nightly walks after a particularly rough mission. gojo comforting geto after having to absorb a nasty curse. geto soothing gojos thoughts whenever the pressure gets too much. the first time one of them stays over night in the others room. the awkwardness of the days after that, neither of them knowing the source. their first kiss after a long night of talking and joking around. soft lips on lips. the taste of giddy excitement. how everything is different and just like it used to be both at the same time. they don’t have to explain themselves. to anyone. they’re geto and gojo. nothing else to it.

geto staring at rikos unmoving body and realising the meaning of this sight. having no time to mourn his best friend. fight after fight. gojo is alive but geto can’t escape the inevitable. their time together is limited. constant solo missions. never seeing the other. day after day. month after month. he doesn’t sleep. the vermin in his body is messing with his head. he feels unclean. rotten.

the icy dread running through gojos body when he first hears about what geto did. how did he not see the signs? analysing every single mannerism. going over their last conversation over and over in his head. what went wrong? they had been perfect. the disillusionment hitting him like bricks. it’s his fault. he could have done something. he should have done something.

shoko having to mourn both of her best friends. after geto left, gojo was never the same. watching the other man force his smiles. how is he? seeing those blue eyes widen in surprise. of course she knew. the random disappearances. the higher ups asking question, but what were they gonna do? he’s the strongest. sitting outside at 3 am. the smell of cigarettes filling the cold nightly air. gojo catching her up. holding each other close. crying. mourning.

then it’s there. what they both had been dreading. gojo enters her room. bloody and wrecked. he breaks down. she does her best to heal his wounds. the physical ones, at least. geto was not the only one to die that day.

#oops this turned into a lil one shot ig??? #idk man this is just how i see them #just…. satosugu being on borrowed time….. makes me…… kajfkdkgksk #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #gojo satoru #geto suguru #satosugu #ieiri shoko #shoko ieri #sashisu #angst #fluff #? #satosugu oneshot #absurd rambles #drabble

[inkblackorchid]

What the hell happened with Crow: an autopsy (Part 3)

Trying my absolute damnedest to finish this one and part four sooner now that I've finally covered the Pearson backstory. *Ehem* Hello again! I hope you're ready for more yelling about a certain spiky-haired Blackbird aficionado, because I sure am.

To get some things out of the way first, though, here come the usual disclaimers:

This is part three of a series of posts about hpw Crow's character was handled during 5Ds' whole run. You can find part one here and part two here. Reading them technically isn't required, but things sure will make a whole lot more sense if you do. (Bring snacks, they're long.)

This post isn't meant as a Crow hate post, nor is it meant to convince people who didn't vibe with his character to change their mind. This is my very long winded-attempt to analyse the writing decisions surrounding his character as best I can, without too much bias. That said, full disclosure, I do personally like Crow, so there's a good chance that will shine through whether I want it to or not. But also, I'm trying to have fun here, so please cut me some slack.

In case you haven't read my previous Crow posts (no shade there) and/or still believe the many, many production rumours that have been haunting the 5Ds fandom since the show's original run, please let me burst your bubble(s) with some insanely comprehensive research by someone over on Reddit (thanks again to @mbg159, who's also here on tumblr): No, Crow was not meant to be a dark signer, or the final boss of season 1, and his spike in screentime has nothing to do with his cards. And also, No, Aki didn't get less presence in the narrative because her VA got pregnant. What if you don't have the time to read either of those long posts? In that case, please take away this simple, very easy rebuttal of why the above theories are bullshit: Their would-be "key points" don't line up with the 5Ds production timeline. At all. Not even vaguely. So please, ditch them, let them die, seeing them still talked about makes me feel like I'm gonna break out in hives. And for the love of god, don't use this post or in fact anything else I post to pit Aki and Crow against each other. Both characters have their strengths and their reasons to love them. I am not the least bit interested in starting any character discourse. So please, spare my sanity. Ok? Thank you.

And now, we can get to the good part at last. In my previous post in this series, I stopped my analysis at episode 95, a.k.a. part two of the Pearson backstory. In this post, I will thus be picking up right after, at the very start of the WRGP—with the Team Unicorn match. The goal for this post is to analyse Crow's part in this particular arc, then provide some food for thought/ideas on how things that rubbed some people the wrong way could have been improved.

More below the readmore, and I give you not just my usual warning, but an extra warning, too: The universe will not let me write short things, so tread with caution, stay hydrated, and expect a veritable dissertation below, because this post feels long even to me, who has long since lost her sense of length when it comes to text. (But I'm well aware this is the result of me refusing to split the WRGP part into two separate posts, so I take full responsibility for that.)

Since we left off right after I chewed through all the issues with Crow's rather belated backstory and especially Black-Winged Dragon last time, we jump right into the thick of things now, with episodes 96 and 97, which serve as the preamble to Team 5Ds' first WRGP duel against Team Unicorn. Crow only gets two major things to do during this short stretch of episodes, the first being that he's Team Unicorn's gateway into roping Yusei into a duel during practice, which helps them set up a ruse that baits the 5Ds gang into sending Jack as their first wheeler because they think Jack's deck is best suited to countering Andre's—which, as it later turns out, it is not.

(Arguably the screenshot where Crow gives off the strongest Youngest Sibling Vibes during the entire show. Look at him, all chastised.)

Crow's second role is an odd one that I argue only he out of the main three guys could fulfill at this point: He's the one to get injured right before the Team Unicorn match, rendering him unable to compete, which leads to Aki offering to take his place for that particular match.

(Pictured: Bird Boy regretting all his life choices up until that point simultaneously.)

Here's the first moment I have to talk about in greater detail. See, the thing is, I don't know what the fandom consensus on Crow getting injured here is, but I argue that this moment was a (rare) strategic decision made by the writers at this point. Crow's injury accomplished several things: 1. It sets up the mystery of why his back wheel locked up out of nowhere, which is later paid off through Team Catastrophe's shenanigans. 2. It organically allows Aki to take his spot without introducing any argument about which of them is "worthier" of having that third spot. 3. Through this, it also allows him to actually bounce off Aki for once (a point I will come back to below, during the Team Catastrophe section). And 4. It allows the show to (TECHNICALLY) pay off the setup they did in letting Aki get her turbo duelling license and train with the boys. (Generally, Crow's and Aki's character writing intersects a bit during the pre-Diablo incident WRGP section, something I'll touch on below.)

Moreover, I think this is also the only match where they could have done something like this, and the reason for it is very simple: Team Unicorn are one-off opponents whose presence in the narrative is only relevant as far as it concerns the WRGP, and they are also one of the first teams the 5Ds gang faces. If we think about the opponents Team 5Ds has after this, it becomes very obvious why Crow could only be injured during this duel: If they had tried pulling this stunt later, it would have forced the writers to pull Aki centre stage during a much more plot-relevant duel than this one (which they were apparently allergic to, but let's not go there), not to speak of the fact that it would have forced them to sideline someone they were definitely trying to sell as the third portion of their protagonist trifecta, which would have probably been awkward. (If not for the fact that they literally did this to Crow later in the show, but I'll get there. Yes, I know there's a lot already that I'll still be "getting to".)

The thing is, whether or not it feels like an awkward writing choice to make so early in the big tournament of this arc (you be the judge of that), Crow's injury finally allows him to have a few interesting character moments for once. For one, there is his immediate disappointment about being forced to stay on the sidelines. Aside from the fact that this is a human and relatable reaction to his injury, it stings even more for the character than it does for us as the audience, because Crow got a moment where the Satellite orphans he previously took care of cheer him on for the tournament literally within the same two Team Unicorn preamble episodes.

(Say what you will, this is just stupid cute.)

So when Aki eventually offers to take his place during the match, he's understandably apprehensive—and again, this is human. It may seem mean in the moment, but from a character writing standpoint, it's a natural response. Plus, it's certainly more interesting to watch the group have a bit of conflict among themselves, rather than everyone immediately jumping straight to acceptance. It introduces tension, and, for however brief a moment, raises the question of whether Crow might refuse to let Aki take his spot. This is also the point where Aki and Crow's character writing officially intertwines, at least for the stretch of episodes between the Team Unicorn duel and the Team Catastrophe duel. And you know what? Say what you will, but I think it does a world of good for both of them. The 5Ds cast, as lovely as it is, doesn't get a lot of room to bounce off one another where it concerns personal matters anymore, once the WRGP starts. Arguably, they get little time to bounce off one another outside of plot-related discussions at all once this portion of the show comes around. The characters are treated as "fully developed", and thus, the writing largely doesn't take the time to show us how the group naturally interacts with one another anymore, especially not with how many side characters (chiefly Bruno and Sherry), antagonists, and duels the show now has to juggle. So Aki and Crow getting even a smidgen of personal conflict here is honestly a breath of fresh air. The interaction kicked off by Crow's injury isn't completely plot-irrelevant, like most character interactions during the pre-WRGP were, but it's not something that feels like it's only there to explain the machinations of the antagonists to the audience, either.

Let me go through this in a little more detail to illustrate my point.

So, episode 97. Crow storms off after Aki offers to take his spot, while Aki heads out to prepare her runner, intent on helping her team. The personal motivations here are already very nice and reflective of these characters as we've gotten to know them up until this point: Crow's angry and disappointed (mostly at himself, which is noteworthy!) because he can't compete. And specifically, he's angry because not being able to compete in the first match means he can't show the kids his duelling like he wanted to. Then there's Aki, whose offer to take Crow's place is every bit as much of a strategic suggestion as it is a bid for acceptance from her. Acceptance, which is the thing she's been all about ever since she was introduced, basically. So she pleads with her friends to accept her, see her as an equal, and allow her to duel for the team, which they do. And Crow initially throws a fit, but then...

(Listen. You have no idea how much Crow and Aki getting to actually be friends means to me.)

He comes around to the idea and not only gives Aki his express permission to take his spot, he even coaches her a bit right before the match. Moreover, as his text states above, he literally entrusts her with the kids' hopes, as well as his own. This quickly brings both of them full circle: Crow, who already has a theme of legacy attached to him, passes the torch to Aki for this match, and in so doing, offers her the acceptance she asked her teammates for. (Frankly, stuff like this makes me wonder why on earth people were so eager to pit these two against each other, when their shared moments are actually some of the best-written during the often rocky WRGP arc.) So, though this injury pulls Crow out of the duel, it, funnily enough, ties him better into the story and to the other characters.

From there, we then dive into the Team Unicorn match proper. And well, being injured as he is, Crow doesn't exactly get a whole lot to do there. However, since we're in the portion where his and Aki's writing overlaps a bit, I do need to go on a quick tangent about what Aki's portion of this duel means for Crow.

(Sigh. Okay, buckle up for a quick and rough detour.)

First, something I need to get out of the way and off my chest: I have made no secret out of the fact that I hate Aki's portion of this duel, save for the moment where she summons Stardust. Hell, this duel segment is pretty much universally hated by anone who has even a smidgen of sympathy for Aki. It's regarded by many as the very moment the writers axed Aki's character, and for good reason: After all the buildup surrounding her getting her turbo duelling license, the supposed "payoff" of it all is that she gets to duel against Andre for a depressing four turns before being defeated immediately, which leads into Yusei's frustrating portion of this duel, which, to my knowledge, isn't regarded any more kindly by fans than Aki's segment. It's a massive let-down, simply put. But the thing is, it's not just a let-down for Aki. After all, the brief character conflict she had with Crow about taking his spot here can and should be regarded as part of the setup for this moment, and as such, it can also be considered to be wasted the second Aki leaves the track after barely making an impact whatsoever.

However, I do need to mention that I have a theory on why this segment was handled the way it was, mostly because I feel like Crow's later interaction with Aki, shortly after she's out of the duel, underlines it (mind that this is just my personal theory, though, after having watched the show perhaps more times than can be considered sane): I think there is a cultural aspect to this duel. See, the word ganbaru, which anime subtitles often like to translate with "do your best" or something along the lines, has a greater significance than the translation implies. Though it's not inaccurate per se, there's more than just the idea of doing your best behind ganbaru, because it's something like an umbrella term not just for doing your best and succeeding, it's also the idea that you have to keep trying, even if you don't succeed. It's related to tenacity, to persistence, even in the face of terrible odds. And make no mistake, I don't mean the Japanese equivalent of "if at first you don't succeed, try again" here. I genuinely do mean "you have to keep trying, even if you fail". There is no guarantee of success here. And for that reason, the idea behind ganbaru is also that it's not simply the success that has value, but the effort made in the attempt to attain it, regardless of the result. (Side note: I tried to scrounge up a resource I could link to that nicely explains this concept, but unfortunately, all the promising articles were paywalled and the ones I learned it from require institutional access to lecture materials.) And this is where I will posit the tentative theory that this is exactly what the 5Ds writers were going for with Aki's segment of the duel—it was very much meant to be the payoff for her turbo duelling license setup and her plea to take Crow's place, but it wasn't so much her success that was meant to be valued, as the effort she (and by extension, Crow) made for and during this duel. And this is where Crow's little pep-talk with Aki after she's out of the duel comes in, because it feels like it supports exactly this interpretation:

(This is essentially the whole sequence. Note how Crow, despite so fervently entrusting Aki with his and his kids' hopes prior, doesn't admonish her for making a bad showing in the slightest.)

I don't think it gets any clearer than it is here. During this sequence, Aki is painfully aware of how poor her performance was against Andre, especially after she was so insistent on duelling at first, and despite having been entrusted with Stardust by Yusei, to boot. Yet, Crow doesn't have a single word of criticism to offer her. Instead, he even tells her she did well and that nobody's perfect. It very much reads as valuing Aki's effort over the result she achieved to me, and thus seems perfectly in line with the idea behind ganbaru.

However, if we assume I'm correct about the intentions behind this writing choice, we come back to why Aki's segment of the duel is so hotly debated and why it may have arguably been a disservice not just to her, but to Crow, too, character-wise. Because the majority of non-Japanese watchers of the show culturally don't have a 1:1 applicable concept like ganbaru, this writing choice was more likely to fall flat for them, because to someone who wasn't raised to understand the idea behind it, Aki's portion of the duel doesn't register as a payoff; it registers as a massive disappointment, because it feels like the writers, who had so much setup already done for her, let her fail on purpose, just to later let Yusei attain his arguably dumbest victory of the entire show. Thus, they also essentially waste the conflict she had with Crow about whether she would be allowed to take his spot in the first place, because with how little she achieved during the duel, she may as well not have gotten on the track. (Figuratively speaking. Please Do Not take this to mean I would prefer a version where Aki hadn't duelled at all. That would be worse. It would be infinitely worse.)

(Also, side note: If this post reaches anyone who's actually Japanese and still remembers this duel, I would genuinely love your input on whether my interpretation is feasible or just wishful thinking. Did you interpret Aki's part of the duel the way I did here? Or did it fall flat for you, too? If what I'm saying here feels like an absolute reach, please tell me. I'm honestly just trying my best to make things make sense here and remembered this concept from some classes I took in Japanese studies at uni.)

With all that in mind, it doesn't come as a surprise that some people were just as frustrated with the way Crow was barred from duelling here as they were with Aki's segment or Yusei's later victory. But it is what it is—the Unicorn duel concludes the way we all know it to, and with that, the show begins setting up the following duel with Team Catastrophe.

The only other, non duel-related, noteworthy thing that happens between the Unicorn and the Catastrophe match is a brief appearance at the Poppo Time by Sherry, who admonishes the signers for celebrating their victory early and warns them about Iliaster. Why do I bring this up? Because it's one of less than five times that Crow is in the same room with Sherry. Remember, Sherry. The girl he later, during the finale, talks out of working for the big bad evil guy because he suddenly seems to have such a deep understanding of her motivations and character that he can accurately deduce what argument will make her understand that working with Z-ONE won't give her what she's looking for. So, does Crow get a meaningful interaction with her during this scene, then? Nope. Not even in the slightest. Crow says exactly one sentence that is aimed at Sherry during her appearance, and that sentence is this:

(What a meaningful conversation!)

And yes, I will come back to Crow and Sherry's dynamic in particular. But we'll save that for the Ark Cradle arc post. For now, just keep it in mind as we move along to the other WRGP duels.

So. Team Catasrophe.

During the duel against this team, which was previously only hinted at ominously, the writing for Crow and Aki overlaps again, and this starts with the writers essentially doing a complete switcheroo of what came before: Instead of Crow getting injured and being unable to compete, it's Aki who crashes, ends up in the hospital, and is thus forced to give up her spot during the duel. (This also goes hand in hand with her suddenly losing her powers, which we are given absolutely zero explanation for, but let's not talk about that clusterfuck here. If you're interested in my opinions about that particular trainwreck, I have a rant for you.) Additionally, it's during this stretch of episodes (103-105, which is a whopping four episodes less than Team Unicorn got) that we find out that not only Aki's crash, but Crow's previous one, too, were both sabotage, caused by the rather unscrupulous Team Catastrophe by way of a special card that can cause real damage even when there is no psychic duellist present. (A card we also find out was given to them by Placido/Primo, but this is irrelevant for both Aki and Crow.) Crow's reaction to this piece of information, particularly once Aki gets injured due to the same thing, is where things get interesting for him again, because he gets pissed, to say the least.

(A moment I imagine firebirdshippers must have been positively delighted about.)

Here, I have to reiterate an earlier point: Think what you will of Team Catastrophe, of Aki's crash, and of the sequence where her powers suddenly don't work, but this moment here, where Crow gets angry on her behalf and swears to duel Team Catastrophe into submission—not because he wants his kids to cheer for him, or because he wants to prove himself, but as revenge for his friend—is one of sadly only a handful of moments the writers use to show the strengthened relationships between the individual members of Team 5Ds after the dark signers arc. It's one of the precious few scenes that actually shows, rather than tells us or lets us search for scraps in the subtext, that the signers, and the members of Team 5Ds as a whole, care for each other outside of revolving around Yusei like planets around the sun. Even if it's laughably small, it's at least a hint that there are individual friendships between the other signers, too, that they all stick around one another for reasons beyond gravitating towards Yusei for one reason or another. And for that alone, I'm grateful that they put this here, even if Team Catastrophe was otherwise so ridiculous and made such a bad showing at their actual match that they could barely be taken seriously as antagonists at all.

Speaking of which. The actual meat of the matter. The Team Catastrophe match. What does Crow do here? Well, he duels! Even though he wasn't supposed to, for injury-related reasons. What both his participation as well as the actual duel accomplish, though, are that they not only showcase previously established character traits of Crow's again, but they also make a (possibly unintended) callback to a previous, major duel Crow took part in: His dark signer duel against Bommer/Greiger. Where and how? Let's see.

Firstly, Crow's participation. The reactions of the other characters to this make it very evident that Team 5Ds did not plan for this, with Yusei and Jack even going as far as to say they "had no choice" but to let Crow duel, because he insisted. This is perfectly in line with the stubbornness we already know from him at this point—a stubbornness that was also a major reason for why he took Bommer on and later continued his duel with said man, despite Yusei showing up and telling him he shouldn't be duelling a dark signer.

Secondly, there's the manoeuvring thing, and here's where I can call attention to a fun tidbit: The WRGP isn't what introduces the concept of manual mode during turbo duels to the audience. It's Crow. During his duel with Bommer. Being crafty and a bit shrewd as he is, Crow, during said duel in the DS arc, purposefully switches to manual mode when he duels Bommer, because he figures that attacks that can deal real damage can probably be evaded if you actually have control over your runner and aren't stuck in autopilot.

(Don't believe me? Here it is. And frankly, it is somewhat hilarious, yet also very fitting that Crow is the only one who thinks to do this during a duel with a dark signer.)

The reason this particular bit is relevant during the Team Catastrophe duel is because Crow essentially repeats this trick here. Of course, it's a bit less impactful now, given that manual mode is standard for WRGP duels, but still: Due to Hook, the Hidden Knight, Crow is forced to pay attention to the track and manually evade the monster's attempts to make his back wheel lock up during the duel, mirroring how he thought to manually evade Bommer's attacks during the DS arc.

Thirdly, there's the revenge angle, and this one is a particularly juicy callback. Remember, Crow's major reason for taking on Team Catastrophe, despite being injured, is that he wants to get revenge for Aki. This directly parallels how his major reason for duelling Bommer during the DS arc was that he wanted revenge for his kids, whom he believed to be dead at that point in time. (It also, interestingly, establishes a bit of a connection to his deck, which boasts a fair amount of revenge effects, but I'll not get into that here, seeing as I've talked about Crow's cards a bit before.)

Keep in mind, despite all the things listed above that this duel accomplishes, it's also by far the shortest WRGP duel. It lasts a whole six turns, total, which is ludicrous compared to the likes of 27-turn Team Unicorn, 26-turn Team Taiyou, or 25-turn Team Ragnarok. And I don't think it's controversial to say that the Catastrophe guys are probably the most forgettable WRGP Team, too. Yet, somehow, despite all its shortcomings in terms of memorable antagonists and plot relevance, this is one of the best duels of the WRGP where Crow's character writing is concerned. Now, I'll be perfectly candid: Coming into this post, I did not expect the Team Catastrophe duel, of all things, to end up being as good at actually showcasing Crow's character and his ties to other characters (who aren't Yusei) as it was, but here we are. And we had better hold on to the good the Team Unicorn - Catastrophe segment did for Crow, because the next thing that's coming up is a harsh break from the WRGP, starting with the sudden appearance of Placido's home-engineered army of killer duel robots. And what does Crow get to do during this part?

Uh. Well.

(Pictured: Bird Boy being demoted to benchwarmer while the city's being ransacked by murder duel robots.)

Nothing. A whole lot of nothing, is what.

During the duel robot invasion, we only ever flash back to Crow to ascertain that he is, in fact, useless during this part of the show, something he shares in common with Ruka, Rua, and Aki here, because all of them get pretty much nothing to do while Yusei finally gets the hang of accel synchro. Granted, Aki gets to save a little girl at the hospital, but in comparison to Yusei's lengthy, plot-heavy duel with Placido, this feels like a consolation prize. And for once, Jack is only marginally better off, too, because sure, he gets to beat up a couple of robots, but that's it, really.

Where Crow is concerned, his plot relevance doesn't actually resume once the Placido duel finishes, though. (And neither does Rua's, Ruka's, or Aki's, while we're at it.) Because wouldn't you know it, the next big thing directly after the duel robot invasion are the Red Nova episodes, where three out of five signers (Crow, Aki, and Ruka, unsurprisingly) are removed from the screen almost in their entirety again while Jack gets his much-needed dragon upgrade so he can keep up with Yusei, in order to uphold his status as a classic, almost-evenly-matched yugioh rival.

Speaking of upgrades and dragons, let's make a quick detour while our protag and rival duo take their express vacation to the Nazca plains. It is, of course, no secret that no signer outside of Yusei and Jack ever got a dragon upgrade within the anime. (No, I'm not forgetting about Life Stream Dragon. But that one, unlike Shooting Star Dragon and Red Nova Dragon, was a.) teased all the way back in the DS arc and b.) didn't have a unique summoning method or some other gimmick that made it an "elevated" synchro. So I'm discounting Life Stream as a "proper" dragon upgrade on purpose.) Is this the point where I start arguing that Crow should have gotten one, then? Well, not quite. Not with the writing the show canonically gave us, at least—after all, with how late Black-Winged Dragon was introduced, it would have been bonkers to upgrade him here already, if even at all. However, I do argue that the way the show hands only Yusei and Jack upgrades seems a bit... off. Now, I know why only those two get upgrades, or at least I think I do. After all, they're the central protag/rival duo, and within the framework of the character archetypes the larger yugioh canon has created for itself, this would have always made them the first, if not the only candidates for dragon upgrades. What feels a bit off to me, though, is that specifically the 5Ds cast feels like it... chafes a bit against those character archetypes, for lack of a better word. The problem is this: The signers, as far as the first two arcs are concerned, are sold to us as equals who all have very powerful ace monsters. Yes, Jack and Yusei are still undoubtedly the best duellists among them, but not on account of having uber-powerful extra special monsters that were acquired through supernatural means that are categorically inaccessible to the other signers. However, with the appearance of Shooting Star and Red Nova, this changes. While Yusei and Jack were previously and would have always been the two guys who had a Special dynamic with a capital "S" on account of their character archetypes, their acquisition of the dragon upgrades—and even more so, the lack of upgrades their fellow signers receive—now decidedly puts them in a different power bracket and skews the balance between previous, supposedly "equal" characters. (Which, unfortunately, is yet another thing that makes everyone else easier to sideline.)

Why do I bring all this up in a post dedicated to Crow? Because this new power imbalance arguably impacts him more than the other signers—because he's Team 5Ds' second wheeler and doesn't miss another WRGP match from here on out. Thus, that power imbalance is felt in the upcoming duels, where Yusei and Jack bust out Shooting Star and Red Nova like it's nothing, while Crow is left manoeuvring with the somewhat underpowered Black-Winged Dragon and whatever else he can come up with. This is also why I claimed that the show did sideline Crow in some aspects further above. Because while some parts of his writing go to great pains to establish him as part of a protagonist trifecta that is now supposed to take centre stage before the other characters, he also permanently lives in Jack and Yusei's shadow, ultimately barred not just from reaching equal status as a signer (due to his late and rocky introduction and dragon acquisition), but also barred from becoming the equal of his foster brothers as a duellist. Frankly, I'm surprised the show didn't make this a plot point, because the first thing my mind jumps to when I think about this is whether Crow felt left behind after his brothers acquired such immensely powerful, special cards. But more on my personal writing ideas later. For now, let's just put a pin in the power-imbalance thing.

So, when is Crow back on screen in any meaningful role, then? (Note that I mean this as literally as possible. As per my discussion about "screentime" and my gripes about it in part two, I gloss over the parts where Crow is on screen, but could be traded for any other signer or even a lamppost without affecting the scene at all.)

Well, the next thing Crow gets to do isn't exactly glorious, but it sure is funny.

(I want you all to remember that he has to wear this costume and play this part in Team 5Ds' absurd plan to capture Yaeger/Lazar because he lost at rock-paper-scissors. This will never not be funny to me.)

Ignoring the hilarious outfit and Crow playing the bait at a fabricated cup ramen promo event meant to lure Yaeger in, bird boy does actually get something that's not just for funsies to do during the two episodes where Team 5Ds is trying to get more information about Iliaster: He gets to have a duel revanche against Yaeger, who, if we remember the DS arc, ditched him the last time they squared off. Much like the Team Catastrophe duel, this one, too, calls back to previous duels Crow has had: For one, it's the obvious conclusion to his unfinished, first duel with Yaeger. And for two, Crow repeats a "trick" (for lack of a better term) here that is also unique to him: losing on purpose, which we remember from his duel with Lyndon.

(Identical-looking clown family jumpscare be upon ye.)

And again, much like getting injured for the Team Unicorn duel, I argue that this story beat here is something that could also only have been accomplished with Crow. Because he's the only one who has previously duelled Yaeger, firstly, because not wanting to make a child cry by beating their dad in a duel makes sense for him as a character due to him being a family-oriented person who loves children, secondly, and because losing on purpose in this scenario is a tactic that would seem out of character from anyone else, thirdly. (We recall, the only times Jack and Yusei, respectively, ever consider/offer to lose on purpose is when the lives of people close to them are on the line, in the shape of Carly/Rally. As for the others, aside from not being present, Aki, Rua, and Ruka are so heavily sidelined at this point that they would have never been an option for this. And if his writing is anything to go by, Bruno is mostly purposefully forbidden from accomplishing Plot Things, especially through duels, while he's Bruno.) But hey, due to the way this episode is set up, losing on purpose works out for Crow, because it convinces Yaeger to stop hiding and actually share his knowledge about Iliaster. This, by the way, is the second scene where Crow gets to be in a room with Sherry for a longer stretch of time. And look, him joking that Sherry might kill Yaeger if he doesn't spill the beans about Iliaster soon is fun and all, but in light of the Ark Cradle duel later, I have to point out that he, again, doesn't get to have so much as a shred of a meaningful conversation with Sherry here. Again. But moving on. The scene with Yaeger at the Poppo Time then leads us first to the small sequence in the arcade where the gang has to win a simulated duel to get Yaeger's encoded intel, then to episode 116—the Moment Express episode, where, due to this being a Yusei, Sherry, and Bruno-focussed episode, Crow gets nothing to do again. (And also doesn't get to interact with Sherry again.)

Congrats! We've survived the WRGP break. This leaves us with three more WRGP duels before shit hits the fan and the Ark Cradle arc commences. And full disclosure, I'll be doing a bit of a quick-fire round of those three duels. Why? Because despite them all having their merits in their own rights (they're the better liked duels of the WRGP for a reason), there honestly isn't that much focus on Crow during them. He duels, yes, and I've seen people point this out over and over again as the supposed smoking gun that shows how Crow had so much more relevance and screentime than Aki and yadda, yadda. We've been there. And it's not that I can't see where this argument is coming from—I'll be the first to tell you that it's a travesty that Aki never got to duel in the WRGP again outside of the Unicorn match. But I want to use the final three matches to dig into how the way these matches—and especially the opponents to go with them—were set up made it nearly impossible for Aki to replace Crow again during any point of the WRGP finals.

First, episode 118. This is the only preamble episode we get for the first two WRGP finals teams, and here, our group is split in two: Yusei, Bruno, and Rua introduce us to Team Taiyou, while Jack, Aki, and Crow introduce us to Team Ragnarok. There isn't much to say here, because the only thing this episode does for Crow is a shallow repeat of what the Team Catastrophe duel did: By putting him in a group with Aki and Jack, and letting them decide among themselves, independently, to check out the exhibition match, it implies that he voluntarily spends time with signers who aren't Yusei. Thumbs up. Gold star. You made an effort (I guess). Then, the real fun starts.

Round one. Team Taiyou.

(Pictured: The sweetest country bumpkins to ever grace this earth. Yes, I'm biased.)

So here's the deal with Team Taiyou, from a narrative standpoint, as best as I can grasp it: They are a callback to Team 5Ds' roots. Specifically, to the boys' Satellite roots. The Taiyou boys come from humble origins, have only one, mostly home-engineered duel runner, and play using old cards that are widely considered shitty, as 5Ds canon tells us. They are essentially the non-signer, countryside version of what Jack, Crow, and Yusei once were, which is why this is the first duel where the duellist constellation on Team 5Ds' end couldn't possibly have been altered. Team Taiyou is there to remind us where our boys started, so it has to be our boys duelling them. This also goes for Crow, even though this duel otherwise doesn't accomplish much for him, character-wise. Instead, it's more of a narrative wink at the audience, as well as providing a breather between otherwise extremely tense, plot-focussed duels. But yeah, Crow's part in this match isn't much to write home about; he doesn't get any verbal interactions that are very meaningful to his character, can't get so much as a scratch in on Zushin, even with Black-Winged Dragon, and is defeated so Yusei can take out the legendary giant.

Round two. Team Ragnarok.

(Behold the pizzazz of at least two contenders for Haircuts With The Most Spikes in the show.)

Though this duel is framed as being even more so aimed towards bolstering Jack's character writing than Crow's, given the inclusion of Dragan's personal history with Jack, Team Ragnarok gets significantly more interesting for Crow again than Team Taiyou did. This is, of course, mainly because of Brave/Broder. Where Team Taiyou were a callback to the 5Ds boys' roots, Team Ragnarok are their narrative foils. Dragan is the duellist who lost his pride to contrast Jack, who's brimming with pride at all times, and Harald/Halldor is essentially the rich, "destiny isn't bullshit, actually" version of Yusei. Meanwhile, unlike the first two, who highlight our 5Ds boys' characteristics by contrasting them, Brave acts as Crow's mirror. Through Team Ragnarok's flashbacks, we see that he gets almost exactly the same, lovable-rogue-type backstory that Crow did during the DS arc, just in a different setting. The only, major difference between them is that while Crow is more down-to-earth, Brave likes to be pretty flashy.

(Keep in mind that he's doing this on a runner. Is there such a thing as courses on how to do acrobatics on your runner? Like there are courses for vaulting on horseback irl? I'm overthinking this again.)

Unsurprisingly, the duel thus ends up addressing the similarities between Crow and Brave, mostly through two things: One, the duel essentially becomes a contest of who can out-trickster who, culminating in the famous, ridiculous-in-the-good-way sequence where Crow activates a trap from his graveyard, to the shock of pretty much everyone present. And two, despite being on opposite sides, the two bond over their concern for the children they took care of and their concern for children in general, which is expressed most clearly in the scene where Crow's kids, in an attempt to hold the poster they made for him higher, very nearly fall over the barricade in the WRGP stands. Despite the hefty length of the full duel, these are pretty much the only things actually related to Crow's character that come up, though. They're good, don't get me wrong, but in a duel that is otherwise this dense with plot, Aesir shenanigans, and Iliaster foreshadowing, it's no surprise that the duel doesn't add that much to Crow's character, outside of giving him someone he can bounce off very well and relate to. Again, though, we are faced with the same situation as with Team Taiyou: Due to the way the members of Team Ragnarok are written, meant to contrast/parallel one male duellist each from Team 5Ds, nobody other than Crow could have taken the third spot here, either. It would have felt awkward from a narrative standpoint (as much as I would have loved to see Aki duel more).

Now, finally. Round three. Team New World.

(Welp. Here come the robots.)

I had to check to make sure I wasn't misremembering this, but due to the way this duel was set up so José/Jakob could bust out Meklord Emperor Granel with a ridiculous amount of attack points, Crow gets a resounding four turns total in this duel. (Gee, I wonder which other character got this treatment during a WRGP duel.) During those four turns, there are only two things he accomplishes: One, leaving behind two combo pieces Yusei later uses, and two, showcasing the shrewd tactics that earned him the label of "trickster" during the Ragnarok duel by bringing out a non-synchro monster that can take advantage of a synchro monster's attack points and effects—Aurora the Northern Lights. And arguably, this is a very smart play, moreover, it's the only time anyone in the show has the bright idea to not use synchro monsters against the known and feared synchro-killer Meklords. Unfortunately, as smart as it is, the narrative doesn't reward Crow for this play—José all but shrugs what could have been a turning point in the duel off, then proceeds to steamroll Crow the next turn, leaving Yusei to score the win, as usual. To get back to the "Crow got so much more screentime than Aki during the WRGP" thing for a second, of all the duels in the WRGP finals, this is arguably the one where Aki could still most easily have taken Crow's spot again, because here, it doesn't matter whether it's him or someone else, as this duel isn't tied to his character in any way. Unfortunately, due to the Granel-steamroller-strategy, this is also the duel where letting Aki take his spot again would have been the biggest shot in the foot, because unless they had changed Team New World's strategy, Aki would have gotten brutally guillotined here, same as Crow—something I can't imagine anyone, not even people who hate Crow, being happy about.

With that, though, we've finally made it through the WRGP. So, what's the bottom line here? Frankly, speaking from my own interpretation, Crow occupies an... odd spot during this tournament, to say the least. Though he does get to duel the majority of the time, few of the duels actually cater to his character in any way. Moreover, he only gets to be the star of the show in a WRGP duel once, during the by far most forgettable match against Team Catastrophe. And mind that I use the term "star of the show" very loosely here, because the problem the WRGP arc as a whole has, in my opinion, is that the rather lame Team Catastrophe duel is the only one in the whole tournament that isn't won by Yusei, which categorically means that any of the other character's big moments are usually undermined by the fact that they ultimately still need him to save the day. Thus, moments like Aki summoning Stardust Dragon and Crow using an anti-synchro-killer strategy that for once actually forgoes synchros are somewhat cheapened by the fact that they're not actually the turning-point moments they're initially painted as, because ultimately, Yusei always has to be the one to save the day. What's worse is that this almost feels like a bit of a non-issue that could have easily been fixed—given that the show tells us that teams can shuffle around their line-up for a match any time. But unfortunately, the writing never interacts with this as a possible strategic element, nor does it ever seem to consider letting Yusei lose, or forcing him to give up his spot for a match. I feel the need to say that I don't put the blame at Yusei's feet here, though: This strongly feels like an oversight by the writers, and perhaps a disproportionate need to have a nigh-infallible protagonist (on the duelling side of things) that their audience would never run the risk of calling "lame". For Crow, though, this chiefly means one thing: In any duel other than the Catastrophe one, it was always clear that even if he partook, he would never finish the match. And yes, this is technically an issue Jack has, too. But this is where the character writing outside of the duels comes into play, too.

Unlike Jack, who actually gets to do something during the Diablo invasion (albeit very little), who gets his very own dragon upgrade and who gets a very personal, pre-duel plot with Dragan, the show's writing doesn't bother giving Crow a lot of plot- or character-relevant things to do, once the WRGP starts. This is also why I was so surprised at how much the Unicorn and Catastrophe duels embrace his interactions with Aki—compared to the later duels in the finals, this portion still makes Crow feel genuinely relevant and interwoven with the other characters. Meanwhile, out of the three final duels, only the Ragnarok one actually tries to establish a connection to his characterisation, through Brave. The Taiyou duel only sets itself up in such a way that Aki partaking instead of him would have been awkward. Meanwhile, the New World duel just has him being treated like a floormat in a sad parallel to Aki during the Unicorn duel, seeing as they both get a nice moment where it looks like they might turn the duel around (Aki summoning Stardust Dragon and Black Rose Dragon onto the field at the same time; Crow summoning Aurora the Northern Lights, which couldn't be absorbed by the Meklords), only to have their hopes dashed as they're mercilessly cleared off the track. Outside of the duels, many scenes sadly give the impression that they may as well not have included Crow, though—he often gets so little to contribute to a moment or even to say at all that substituting him with a cardboard box seems like it would not have impacted the scene in any way. And that's without addressing his non-existent connection to Sherry, which feels extra glaring, given his later interactions with her on the Ark Cradle.

All in all, the WRGP feels like a very mixed bag, where Crow's character writing is concerned. His belated backstory, which I talked about in part two, is front-loaded and asks as many questions as it answers. Then the tournament commences, gives him some actually decent character interplay with Aki for once (at the cost of letting her succeed in the tournament, it seems), only for him to be basically irrelevant during the WRGP pause again. And once the whole thing resumes, it becomes this hot-and-cold thing where some duel aspects seem tailored to him, while others treat him as completely expendable. The end result is an arc where I'm left wondering why exactly the writers felt the need to make it seem like Crow made up one portion of a protagonist trifecta, if they never actually bothered treating him as equal to the other two. (The answer, I believe, lies somewhere between the fumbled setup they did for him during the Fortune Cup and DS arc, and the way yugioh in general treats its character archetypes. But that's just speculation on my part.) The one, saving grace the WRGP (outside of the Pearson backstory) has for Crow is that it at least doesn't introduce any new character- and/or timeline inconsistencies. In fact, his character stays remarkably true to form once the tournament begins.

Okay, onto the final bit, then. As I've done in both previous posts, let me delve into completely subjective territory and offer some ideas on how this arc could have been handled to make it seem a little less all over the place with Crow. And since his writing here canonically intersects with Aki's several times, let me try to do it while offering the best of both worlds to both characters, if I can.

As far as Crow's backstory is concerned, I've already offered my solutions to that in part two. Now, to stay consistent with my own suggestions, I'll try to branch off what I wrote in the last post. This means that, as per my previous two analyses, we're dealing with two scenarios again: One, Crow stays a signer and we try to touch canon as little as possible. Two, Crow isn't a signer and we adjust canon in whatever way we need to to make him feel interesting and necessary despite/because of that.

First, though, let's get two adjustments I personally would have made in both versions out of the way:

The way the WRGP is structured puts every character that isn't Yusei at a massive disadvantage, where character moments in duels are concerned. Thus, I propose an overhaul. Among the changes I think could have benefitted the characters (yes, all of them) are: One - Aki actually getting to accomplish something during the Unicorn duel (she can and should still have her moments with Crow, but maybe let her portion of the duel end in her thanking him for coaching her, creating a more upbeat scene that strengthens their friendship, which could double as good setup for their later double-duel against Sherry). Two - letting the Team Catastrophe duel actually play out properly (as in, they become more meaningful as opponents by having a better strategy, for example, and Crow could stick it out longer against them, in order to make this more so his win than Jack's. Also, why not let Aki actually see him get back at Team Catastrophe for her?). Three - giving Crow an actual character moment during the Taiyou duel (what if one of the country boys had played a card or two of the ones he learned to read from? It could have helped drive the parallel between the two teams home.) Four - letting Crow's anti-Meklord strategy get at least a little payoff, if only for two turns (show us at least proof of concept, damn it!). Yes, the Ragnarok duel is the only one I wouldn't rewrite (unless special circumstances are introduced, see below). Additionally, let Team 5Ds alter their line-up more than once, damn it. Let them actually strategise about the duels, let them take into consideration who should go first when and whose deck might be better suited to which scenario. Also, remove Yusei from at least one duel. Doesn't matter how, just let him not partake once. Perfect setup to let Aki duel again, and would also allow for spicy character interactions. (Arguably the best duels where this could have been done would have been any of the final duels, though it would have also required rewriting the antagonists somewhat in any case.)

For the love of god, give Sherry and Crow some setup. Let them actually interact, let them introduce their philosophies to one another, just do something, anything to make Crow understanding and talking sense into her during the finale seem earned. A few chance meetings, or maybe even a tiny side-plot could have done so much here. And if you can't let them interact outright, at least let Aki and Crow talk about Sherry! Double whammy! The two characters who end up duelling against her are made to seem even more like a team, and Crow actually gets to find out what Sherry's deal is on-screen. Just. Set. it. up. I beg you.

There we go. Now, onto the two branches.

Option A: Crow stays a signer and obtained Black-Winged Dragon.

Seeing as Crow's signer status, funnily enough, isn't all that relevant during the tournament itself (save for two notable exceptions), there aren't that many fixes to be made here. Crow can still get injured, miss out on the Unicorn duel and be the star of the Catastrophe duel. But giving him something to do during the duel robot invasion that isn't standing around and hoping Yusei will fix everything would also be nice. It's fine if he can't drive out there and duel, but why not let him do something else? He's a crafty guy, why not let him find, say, a way to fry the Diablos' runners, taking a few of them out even from a semi-stationary position without duelling them? He could at least get as much of a consolation prize scene as Aki got with her saving that child. Then there's Team Taiyou, which, save for what I proposed above, is a duel that doesn't feel like it needs changes. Crow does his thing here. That's it. The same goes for Team Ragnarok, especially given that they're specifically written to oppose an all-signers Team 5Ds. Finally, there's Team New World, which, if I'm being completely candid, I would personally overhaul to change the cyborgs' strategy entirely in order to actually let all three members of Team 5Ds shine. But this is the version where I touch canon as little as possible, so... Aside from what I wrote above, no changes needed. Just make Crow seem a little more relevant, make his strategy have at least a little payoff, even if Granel's back out and menacing literally two turns later.

Option B: Crow, as per my previous posts, isn't a signer and doesn't have Black-Winged Dragon.

This is the version that would categorically require heavier changes, though they honestly don't arrive until the break in the tournament. Unicorn and Catastrophe stay the same, I would still propose that Crow gets to be a little more useful during the Diablo invasion. But! In this version, seeing as he never acquired BWD, the break in the WRGP would be an excellent spot to let Crow acquire an upgrade for his beefy Blackwing ace monster of choice. Give him a little side-plot, too, something to do, something where he proves himself. Maybe let him run into Iliaster here, or maybe call back to Pearson again and introduce the new Blackwing upgrade as a treasure Pearson stashed away before he died (maybe this could have even been the card Bolger was actually after; the world is our oyster here). Then he's beefed up, too, and actually feels a little more on the same level as Jack and Yusei. The tournament recommences and again, the Taiyou duel could stay mostly the same, I think. Ragnarok and New World are where it gets really interesting, though. The way I see it, Ragnarok could go two ways with Crow not being a signer: Either he partakes as he did in canon and his non-signer status is called out as a peculiarity by our Swedish boys who happen to be obsessed with fate (which would make his performance against Brave seem all the more impressive), or, due to this being a duel all about destiny and celestial pissing contests, Crow's spot is given to Aki again for this duel due to her signer status (this would, obviously, require rewriting Brave, perhaps even switching him out for a Ragnarok lady instead). As for Team New World, this duel would honestly be a lot more juicy with a non-signer Crow, because much like he was for the dark signers, a non-signer Crow would essentially be an unknown in their plan for the cyborgs. He would be the guy who's Not Supposed To Be Here. Granted, he would still be beaten, but he could still get an excellent moment where his out-of-left-field anti-Meklord strategy genuinely seems to turn the tables for a bit, angering José and providing even stronger setup for Yusei to win later.

Aaaaand that's that. Somehow, I get the feeling the WRGP had the least things that needed fixing because it also had the least actual character writing. But that might just be me. It's late and I have been writing for A While. But hey, I got out part three faster than part two! I consider that an achievement.

Now, while I get my talking points in order for part four, I hope you'll have fun chewing on this one. See you in the grand finale to my Bird Boy dissertation.

#yugioh 5ds #crow hogan #ygo 5ds #5ds #yugioh meta #team unicorn #team catastrophe #team taiyou #team ragnarok #team new world #holy shit my brain is smoking #so. much. stuff to talk about. #the irony that I'm posting an analysis of this length about crow #on a blog with an aki theme is not lost on me #listen I love them both. they are so good. #and tbh I think I made it abundantly clear that I do here #they are friends. they don't need to fight. #also again if anyone wants to use my fix suggestions as fic premises #please do and tag me if you publish it #anyway *yeets this out into the wild* take it

[pauking5]

Addicting Taste Chapter 3

Synopsis: Enishi Yukishiro was on a mission to execute his piece de la resistance. A plan to avenge his beloved sister. Until you showed up. Will you be a part of his downfall or will you try to save him?

Pairing: Enishi Yukishiro x reader

Genre: strangers to lovers, sunshine and sunshine protector, comedic relief, slow burn, a lot of fluff, occasional smut

Words: 8k+

A/N: Chapter 3 is finally here! It is more of a filler to give you more of a back story on our lovely oc. Things will start picking up speed soon :)

Powered by Mackenyu’s outstanding portrayal of Enishi’s character in Rurouni Kenshin: The Final, I hereby present you a story ripped from the figments of my mind. I hope you’ll love their story as much as I do. Enjoy lovelies, Paula.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Next Chapter 5 Bonus Chapter 6

“You’re the boss of the Shanghai mafia.” “You’ve been saying that for the past five minutes.”

This was too much for your brain to process.

He’s a mafia boss? He was the person in command of the gang with some of the best mercenaries in the whole continent? And you just so happened to get involved with his kind?

You hated his kind. They took everything from you and left you with nothing. You were on a mission to wipe them out no matter what. But your confidence was currently faltering and you couldn't stop the trembling that overtook your hands.

You sat down on the couch in front of the desk he was leaning on, feeling too overwhelmed. The embroidered plush seat offered you some comfort, providing relief to your aching back and tense muscles.

You couldn’t comprehend this situation at all. Nothing about it made sense. You stared into the nothingness in front of you, trying to find some sort of clarity. All kinds of thoughts swarmed around your mind, ranging from worse to well, much worse.

Enishi observed you from his spot against the mahogany desk. He looked worried, which was a first. Your sudden quietness was like a bad omen. The moment you stopped smiling was the moment light disappeared from the room. The paleness of your face and the way your hands trembled told him something was very wrong.

He felt that squeeze in his chest again, wanting to hear you beaming and chatting eagerly again. He didn't know what made him react like this whenever he was around you but it drove him insane. He wanted to say something, anything to bring back your smile, but he couldn’t exactly find the right words. So he settled on a distraction. The reason he brought you over to his mansion.

“You can stay here for the night. I owe you that much,” he said. He wanted you to react, to say something, anything.

You turned your head in his direction, eyes lost in a spiraling abyss. Stay here? I can’t stay here.

But where am I supposed to go? I’m not exactly able to find another place to stay, especially around here. And it’s pretty late already.

What’s gonna happen if I spend one night here? He will eat me. Or send me to the woods as wolf bait. I could make friends with the wolves though. They might not eat me.

He watched as you thought his proposal through. You tilted your head on all sides, analysing all possible scenarios whilst anxiously bouncing your leg. Then finally, your small voice broke through the room, barely audible to anyone else but the both of you.

“I… I don’t want to be a bother.”

“Nonsense. You took me in and you didn’t have to after everything. Please stay… for tonight?” he pushed, unsure of how else to plead with you. He couldn’t believe that he was begging for a stranger to stay the night.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” he asks, surprised that you accepted his offer.

You nodded shyly to show him your certainty and he felt relieved. He didn’t know why he needed you to accept so bad. All he knew was that he wanted you here for as long as he could have you.

Your bright aura somehow mingled with his dark one and they couldn’t be separated anymore. It was like you were magnets, unknowingly attracting each other.

“Come with me,” he said as he took your hand and pulled you off the couch. His grip on your hand was even softer than the first time he grabbed it when you escaped the precinct. It gave you goosebumps again.

He led you out of his office, taking a left down a long corridor. The tall walls were decked with even more paintings. They were all so captivating, landscapes and silhouettes mingling into one as you flew by. But one in particular caught your attention. Pale orange and green bled to make a sunset, cresting over the steep hills of a valley. There was something about the way the green from the bottom morphed into a dark blue the more your eyes went up the slopes and the sky got darker. It strangely reminded you of Enishi’s eyes, the same dark blue hue gracing the outline of his irises. The hills sat strong and reliable, guarding a tiny village down in the valley. They were letting just enough sunlight in to shine down on its crops. It was beautiful. You wished you could look at it for longer but the hand holding yours was itching to get somewhere.

The wooden floors creaked under your steps the more pressure you put on them. The mansion may have looked like a new building from the outside, but the interior seemed lived in for decades prior to your visit. Tapered walls curled in some corners as if they were afraid that standing straight would be too painful. White silk curtains flowed by the windows in a ghostly dance, twisting and twirling against each other and resisting the close pull of the wind. They would push and pull until one of them kicked the other out in the cold even if they didn’t mean to.

You were yanked back to reality by Enishi’s feet coming to a halt in front of a pair of oak double doors. Pushing them open with a creak, he walked you in, his hand still holding yours.

A gasp got stuck in your throat as you took in the sight before you. A beige princess-like aesthetic dominated the whole room, from the queen-sized bed to the vanity in the corner. The wooden floors decorated with floral carpets contrasted perfectly with the style. A few more paintings hung off the walls to add some colour to the space. It was almost identical to your old bedroom back home.

He watched as you marveled at the room’s interior. Your cheeks gained back their blush came and you looked like your normal self again. Looking down at your interlocked hands he noticed that your hand stopped trembling too. It was only then he saw how well your small hand fit in his. It looked protected from any possible danger that could ever threaten you. He kind of liked the feeling.

“It’s beautiful,” you said as you snapped him back to the present.

“I hope it’s gonna be to your liking. In case you want to… stay longer than just for tonight.”

You turned back to him. It was a tempting offer. You didn’t have a place waiting for you or anything urgent to tend to. But you needed some time to mull it over, starting with everything that happened in the last 24 hours.

“I’ll think about it,” you said, trying to not get his hopes up too much.

You weren’t sure why he wanted you to stay. You were strangers after all. You weren’t useful to him in any way and you weren’t really planning to be.

“I’ll leave you to it. There should be towels in the bathroom. If there’s anything else you need please let me know.”

He was awfully hospitable to you and you found yourself a little unable to refuse him. Those eyes of his started charming you to accept anything he could ask of you. They looked so doe and warm whenever he looked at you. It made you wonder if he's ever looked at anyone else like that.

“Thank you,” you said shyly.

Nodding to you he headed towards the door. You didn’t even realise he was still holding your hand this whole time until he let go. You were kind of getting used to his cold fingers lacing with your warm ones. With his hand on the door handle, he threw one more look your way to see if you’re okay and he left for his office.

You walked further into the room and sat down on the bed. Feeling the golden patterns sawn on the duvet on top you sighed. You felt nothing but drained. All you wanted to do was to lay down and sleep. But after taking a whiff of your blouse you thought a shower would do you better first. You couldn't roll around in these expensive sheets smelling like a pig.

If the room impressed you, the bathroom left you even more in awe. The gold and white aesthetic seemed to whirl around in here too. Your family was somewhat well off from the tailoring business and your house was nice, but this was next level rich. The tiles on the floor were sparkling clean and a floral design spread across the walls from corner to corner. The sink surface was marble and the cabinets had golden handles with all kinds of drawings resembling birds. A deep bathtub in the corner had brass designs on the feet supporting it and they were like an artwork in itself. The whole bathroom screamed comfort and relaxation. You were pretty sure that if heaven existed this was it.

“Maybe I don’t have to leave this place so soon... IS THAT BUBBLE SHAMPOO?!”

—————————————————————————

After a long shower you were dressed in clean clothes and ready for bed. Diving under the big duvet and setting your head on the soft pillows, you sighed and closed your eyes waiting for sleep to take you. A few minutes turned to a few hours and you couldn’t fall sleep. You tossed and turned around until the whole bed was thrashed.

Flopping on your back you huffed an exasperated sigh and sat up. Thinking of what could do the trick and lull you to sleep somehow you remembered tea was always a go to solution. Tea it is.

Kicking back the duvet you let your feet pad onto the wooden floors and out of your room. You didn’t know the place so getting to the kitchen was an adventure. You circled the mansion multiple times before you found it… three doors down from your own. Well, you had to admit your sense of direction wasn’t the greatest.

Pushing the doors open, your feet met the cold tiled floor. The kitchen was more of a green and beige cottage style making it look so cozy. A big kitchen island entered your vision, furnished in the same marble the bathroom sink in your room had.

Your room. Huh. You could get used to that actually.

The island stretched in the middle of the cooking area, with a few stools around the side. Sliding your palm along its smooth top you couldn’t help but wonder how rich this man actually was. Like sure, arms trades were hugely profitable in these times, but that couldn’t be a big source of income.

Turning to the shelving you noticed there were a lot of them. You scourged every single cabinet until you found a mug and what looked like a tiny satchel of herbs. Holding it to your nose you smelled it to discover it was hibiscus tea.

Is this a joke? Of all the teas I could find, it’s my favourite. The one I used to drink a lot as a kid. A soft smile took over your lips as you scanned the tiny satchel.

You couldn’t help but relish in the small moment as you were brewing your tea. You haven’t had a warm cup in a long time and it got you excited. Letting the herb mix sit for a few minutes, you took the teapot and slowly poured it into the cup. You got lost in the rosy colour of the liquid and filled the cup to the top on accident.

“Oh, crap,” you said as you leaned down to slurp the drink so it wouldn’t overflow.

Just as you leaned back up a deep voice spoke to you from the door of the kitchen.

“What are you doing here?”

The sudden disturbance made you jump, knocking the cup to the floor in the process. The tiny porcelain smashed to the floor and broke into dozens of small pieces. Your eyes widened and you quickly scrambled to the floor to pick them up muttering curses.

“Shit. I’m… I was just… the tea…”

You didn’t even realise he was crouching next to you until his hand latched onto yours, stopping you from reaching for a sharp piece.

“You’re gonna get hurt.”

As you looked up your eyes met his. They looked troubled, sailing in stormy waters and his words sounded like a warning of something far worse than a ceramic cut on your finger. He wasn’t telling you off for breaking the cup. He was telling you off for being clumsy. Was he worried?

The way his eyes peered into you made your insides flutter. You felt your cheeks getting warm and your throat got dry the more you continued with this staring contest. So before you could crumple your pride and throw it to the bin you pulled your hand away from his and sat up straight. He seemed to snap out of a similar trance as he coughed and shook his head.

You leaned back on the counter and watched as he picked up the rest of the broken china. When he finished inspecting the tiles for any stray bits he got back up and dropped the contents in his hand in the bin.

Then he turned to you and he had that look again. The same one he had in that alley as he took your breath away. He took you in, from your wet hair to the bathrobe that sat secure over your nightgown. He took slow steps towards you, making you push farther into the island counter. Coming close enough that your noses almost touched, he put his hands on the counter top on each of your sides. He caged you between his body and the marble island and you felt your heartbeat rising to an all time high. Leaning even closer to your face he stopped at a distance you could feel his breath fan your lips.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“W-what question?” you stuttered. Why am I stuttering?! I need to get a grip.

“What are you doing here?” he asked again, this time with a teasing smirk playing on his lips. He loved how initiating the smallest proximity between you was enough to make you cave. If he could have you like this every day he would.

“I couldn’t sleep,” you admitted dropping your head to the ground to avoid his prying eyes. When you lowered your head he was hit with your fresh rosy scent. It drove him wild.

Trying to muster up some courage you pushed a question his way too.

“What mafia member drinks hibiscus tea?”

“I do.”

“You do?” you replied a little surprised. Last time you checked hibiscus was too girly for men.

“Yeah. It’s the only tea I like.”

You’ve got to be shitting me. The boss of the powerful Shanghai mafia likes hibiscus tea. You tried to keep your giggles to yourself but failed.

“Hey! Why are you laughing?”

“Nothing. I just… this is too good. The leader of one of the most feared mafias in the world drinks hibiscus tea! Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?“

You continued laughing until your stomach hurt. He shook his head at your antics and stepped away from you, freeing you from his hold.

“I’ll make you another one.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Just shut up and sit down.”

You obeyed and took a seat on the other side of the island. Watching as he made quick work of the teapot with his back turned to you, you couldn’t help but wonder how muscly he was underneath that blouse. You smacked your cheeks lightly to make these thoughts disappear from your head just as Enishi turned around with a freshly brewed cup of tea. He walked around the island and placed it down in front of you, taking a seat by your side.

“Why are you up this late?”

“I told you, I couldn’t sleep. Figured a tea wouldn’t hurt,” you said as you scratched the back of your neck. “Why are you up this late?”

“I don’t really sleep that much.”

You could tell from his sunken eyes and the bags pooling around his orbits that he lacked sleep. What was he working on so hard in the middle of the night?

“Do you want to talk about it? Or we could talk about something else. Like the fact that you’re really good with those guns.” He was deflecting but you let him off this time.

“I’m not. It’s just something that helped me survive in the long-run. My father used to teach me how to shoot in our garden, whenever mom went down to the market. The pistols I use were his,” you said with a small smile recalling all the times your mother caught the two of you and scolded your dad.

Enishi noticed how relaxed you got whenever you talked about your family. It seemed you were brought up in a really loving one. He’s always wondered how that felt like.

“What happened to them?”

“That’s a story for another time. But after that… I had to leave and try to survive on my own. I joined a few fighting rings in Edo and I learned a thing or two about combat and shooting.”

“Wait. Fighting rings all the way in Edo?”

“Yeah. It was the only place I could make some money and have a roof above my head. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world but it was decent. I did that for a few years until my reputation got the best of me.”

“What do you mean by reputation?”

“I was known for leaving my opponents in a pool of their own blood whenever they underestimated me,” you said as you sipped on your tea.

“Wait,” his brain seemed to shortcircuit as it recalled a few memories. It all suddenly clicked in his head. “ You’re Barairo?!”

“At your service,” you smiled.

Flashback

Rounding the corner, Enishi continued following a man he caught sight of on the street. He heard him talking about a fighting ring down in the suburbs and the exclusive fight happening tonight.

He’s been constantly hearing about this fighter called Barairo. There was no way they could be that good that the whole city would talk about them. So he went to see it for himself.

Sneaking behind the man he got inside an underground tunnel and continued following him. The closer he got to the end of the tunnel the louder the yelling got.

Coming out of the tunnel he saw a bunch of people gathered around the mouth of a pit. They were chanting as two fighters took center stage. He stepped closer to the barrier to take a look.

“In the corner we have the big and bulky fury. All the way from Osaka, please welcome the shadow of night, Yanokage.”

He raised his axe in the air and hit his fist on his chest in a show of power but people didn’t really cheer for him. It seemed like they were waiting eagerly for the other opponent to make their presence known.

“In this corner we have our pride. Representing Edo, please welcome our crimson rose, Barairo.” Cheers erupted from all sides. Seems like they all came for… her? Barairo is a girl? She doesn’t even look much older than me.

As she stepped closer to the middle of the pit, he got a better look at her. Her clothes were torn on all sides and her hair was long, cascading down her shoulders. Her hands were holding two pistols in a death grip. Her eyes were screaming crimson red, just like her nickname, and they had a murderous glint. As if all it took was a wrong breath in her direction and she would skewer you with her guns without even pulling the trigger.

“Let the fight begin!”

“A girl is the famous Barairo? Ha ha ha! A girl. This is ridiculous,” Yanokage said as he was twirling his axe around.

His laugh was enough to make her look his way. A sickening grin took over her features. Oh, this guy was fucked.

She let him bask in the moment. But he was just a little fish that didn’t know it was caged with the biggest shark. Testing the territory of his predator was going to cost him dearly.

Seeing his hesitation in attacking she took the reins and with one swift kick to his ankles he was sprawled on the ground. She straddled his middle, dragging her pistols down his neck as she watched him struggle. How she managed to pin him to the floor when he was twice her size was beyond me.

Yanokage got annoyed by her antics so he threw her off to the side with a grunt and got back to his feet.

“I’m going to enjoy killing you, little girl.”

He launched himself at her but she was quick to dodge his attacks. When he got tired of swinging his axe she started digging punches everywhere she saw a spot left unprotected. The force of her moves pushed him back making him stumble on his feet. With one swing of her leg she got high enough to hit his face. A few teeth flew out of his mouth onto the floor.

He was pissed and he wanted to end her. But before he could take a step in her direction she pulled the trigger. Not just once or twice, but multiple times. He didn’t even get a chance to block the fire, his body getting churned by all the bullets she fired his way. What was scarier was that she was smiling. She was enjoying this in a sick way and the crowd loved it.

The cheers intensified as the bulky man crumbled to the floor of the pit. The girl took her guns and headed towards her corner to exit stage. Before she went inside she turned to the gray dot in her peripheral vision. A gray mop of hair was staring down at her from the end of the railing. She stared back at him and he noticed a change in her eyes. They were sad and filled with regret, a total contrast to the sadistic look she had a few moments ago. One blink and she was gone from his sight.

After that, he went to a few of her next fights and studied her combat style. She moved on impulse and trusted her gut but she was lacking the force to execute them. Her small stature allowed her to lead her enemies into a trap, waiting ready to kill them in cold blood. That was the last he’s seen of you before he left Edo. Until now.

————

You looked different now. The energy around you was changed. Your smile didn’t hold that much murderous intent. It brimmed with calm and peace. It was like Barairo didn’t even exist.

“Why did you stop?”

“I was good. But it was only an outlet for frustration. I couldn’t control her anymore. She consumed me to the point everything I did felt empty,” you said with a heavy sigh.

“Barairo is in the past. She was angry and upset at the world. The best thing I could do for her is let her go. For both my peace and hers.”

“After that, some rich people hired me to get rid of their trash. Bureau officials, clan members stepping wrong, their spouses’ secret lovers. It wasn’t much better but it’s the only job I could do,” you said as you rolled the remaining tea in the cup.

He listened intently as you told him about your past, a part of it at least. He knew you had your limits. You weren’t Barairo anymore. You were Miyu now. And he was the only one to meet both of you.

“You know, the men that work for me are all skilled in steel weapons, like knives or swords. But I don’t have anyone who can shoot a gun on my team.”

He knew what he asked of you was way over the border. What he asked of you was commitment. A long term job. Something you’ve done before that left you asking yourself if anything you were doing was worth it.

“Enishi…”

“I could pay you. Anything. You’d have a roof over your head and… warm tea every night.”

“But I’m not trained in combat properly and I don’t know how to use other weapons. And you saw how my stamina is the worst part about me.”

“I could train you. We could make it become the best thing about you.”

We. He really wanted you here. The truth was that he didn’t want you to wake up tomorrow and go out the door knowing he might never see you again when he finally found you again after all these years.

“You don’t have to give me an answer right now. Just sleep on it and tell me what you decide in the morning,” he said as a small smile graced his lips.

Were you dreaming? Enishi was actually smiling? A real genuine smile that wasn’t his usual cocky grin? Maybe you needed to get to bed first before doing any rational thinking.

“Okay. I’ll think about it,” you say as you got up to put your cup in the sink, heading towards the door. Before you walked off you turned back to Enishi to find him looking right back at you.

“Thank you. For the tea… and everything,” you said, smiling.

With that you quickly spun on your feet and made your way back to your room. Enishi was left in a daze staring at the spot you were at mere seconds ago. He felt his heart squeeze again and punched the feeling away with his fist. Was he getting sick or something?

You got in bed and felt sleep take you as soon as you slipped under the covers. You kind of made up your mind regarding what Enishi asked you. Smiling to yourself you drifted off to sleep.

————————————————————————

You woke up pretty early. The room was still pretty dark with the October mornings keeping the world in slumber for a few more hours. You sat up with a stretch and went over to your bag to pick an outfit for today. Most of your clothes needed serious washing. Going for a clean shirt with silk strings laced up at the front and a pair of practical pants you changed and made your way to the kitchen.

You thought of reviving your cooking skills by making some food for everyone, to repay the hospitality. Counting about ten men you saw around the mansion, including Enishi, you went looking through the cupboards again. Unfortunately, you came to the conclusion that there weren’t enough supplies to make anything.

Just as you were recalculating your plan you caught sight of a figure leaning on the doors that went from the kitchen to the outside terrace. Checking to see who it was, you found the monnocle guy from last night.

“Good morning madame,” he saluted you, rather enthusiastically at the ass crack of dawn.

“Good morning…”

“Wu Heixing, madame!”

“Good morning, Wu. You don’t have to call me madame.”

“It’s to show my respect to you as you’re a guest of Master Enishi.” The members of this mafia surprised you one by one.

“Do you happen to know if there’s a market nearby? I want to cook something for you all.”

“There is one in the village down in the valley. You have to go through the meadow though.”

“Thank you.”

“With pleasure, madame.”

You found a shopping basket laying around and got your coin pouch, leaving for the meadow to try and find the village. Just as you reached it, the sun started rising up in the sky. The light made it easier to notice the busying merchants and all their carts already set all around the small square.

Your stomach was growling at the sight before you. Vegetables, fruits, cured meat, pastries. Your mouth watered at all the delicacies. As you were browsing the vendors you spotted the farmer that gave you a ride yesterday. He was in charge of a cart full of fruits. He recognised you right away and sent you a polite smile.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning, miss.”

“Thank you again for the ride yesterday.”

“It was no problem. I’m always glad to help Master Enishi considering all that he does for us.”

He was helping out the villagers? Huh. It seemed like he had more layers to him than you thought. You wanted to find out more.

“What does he help out with?”

“He helps us with the crops every once in a while. He’s also our main customer and always comes here on Sundays to get food for his family.”

Ah, so the villagers don’t know the mafia lives close by and that Enishi is the boss. Or they do, but they’re too charmed by him to question it.

“Is there anything I could get for you, miss?”

“Yes! Give me all the fresh produce you’ve got.”

You went around shopping for everything you needed to prepare a hearty lunch and to have some food around. With your basket full to the brim you checked your coin satchel. You had only one left. Everything you had left from your jobs was spent on all the food you balanced on your arms.

“I spent them well. This was for a good cause,” you thought to yourself, shedding a small tear as you walked back to the mansion.

—————————————————————————

The kitchen smelled absolutely divine. The scent of different flavors danced around in the air, reaching all the way to Enishi’s office. He was fast asleep on the chair after working on plans all night.

Something tingled his nose and made him wake up. A few quick whiffs of the scent made his stomach grumble. The pronounced aroma of a pork roast and the distinctive spices of a vegetable soup put him in a trance.

He was on autopilot as he made a beeline towards the kitchen, debating whom could it be that cooked food this divine. Wu couldn’t stir a soup to save his life. The rest of his goons were not kitchen staff material either. That left only… you.

Pushing open the double doors to the kitchen, the smell was so intense it hit him like a train. He closed his eyes in silent appreciation and just took in the tang of spices sitting in the air.

Opening them he took sight of the whole kitchen. The oven was set on the roast while busy hands worked on stirring the soup on the stove. The island was filled with all different kinds of specialties already prepared. Fruit platters, fried rice, boiled eggs, trays of steamed dumplings, even salads. There was enough to feed a whole army. You definitely thought of everyone around the villa.

Creeping closer he saw you sway around humming a tune foreign to his ears. An orange apron hugged your body and looked adorable on you. You had a small smile on your face as you stirred the contents in the pot and he couldn’t help but smile at you.

An evil idea crossed his mind as he sneaked up behind you and put his hands on your waist. You jumped at the sudden contact and were ready to smack whoever sneaked up on you with the wooden spoon. That was until a familiar chuckle came from behind and you relaxed in the hold.

“I almost had a heart attack,” you say turning around and smacking him on the chest. “Don’t ever sneak up on me like that again.”

“Okay, okay. I won’t. I promise.”

“You better,” you say still smiling.

You stayed like that for a few more moments until the smell of the pork roast getting a little too roasted alerted you it needed to be pulled out of the oven. Breaking away from him, you spun around to the oven and got it out, placing it on the stove to check it. Cutting a small piece you blew air on it and held it to Enishi’s mouth. He hesitated at first, but the rumble of his stomach made him take a bite.

The more he chewed on it the more his insides melted at the amazing taste. He hasn’t had this kind of tasty cooking since his sister. He does cook for his gang members but it could never come close to the magic you made.

“It tastes amazing, Miyu.”

“Thank you,” you say with a smile.

He was melting inside again but he couldn’t tell if it was because of the food or your smile.

“Can I help with anything?”

“Yes! You can call everyone to the table outside and take some of the food out there.”

With a nod he picked up a few trays and headed outside. He was surprised to see the table wiped clean with cutlery and dishes already arranged for everyone.

As soon as the soup was done cooking, you served the food to everyone and went back inside to put everything back to its place. By the time you were done, everyone was done, leaving only you and Enishi at the table.

“Come sit and eat with me.”

“You didn’t eat with everyone?”

“I was waiting for you.”

Despite his stomach protesting at the lack of contents inside he decided to wait for you as you surely didn’t eat anything either.

“Well I’m here now so let’s dig in.”

You piled two plates up high with everything you cooked and dove straight in. The way you were gobbling up food in a very wild manner made Enishi stop mid-way from slurping his bowl of soup to look at you. Despite your lack of table manners, he thought you looked absolutely adorable. Sensing him staring you looked at him and stopped chewing.

“What?” you said with a mouth full of food.

“You have something on your face.”

“I do? Where?”

“Here,” he said as he raised a hand to your lips to get the hanging piece of salad away.

“Thank you.”

The only sounds in the air were of you enjoying the lunch together. The silence made your mind wander back to his question last night.

Did he still want you to stay? What if he changed his mind? What if you made up your mind for nothing? Deciding to get it over with you swallowed the food and took a breath.

“I need to talk to you about something. It’s about what you asked me last night.”

“Go on.”

Taking a chug of water from your glass you braced your throat to tell him your answer.

“I decided… to stay. I’ll join you.”

“Wait. Really?”

“Yes. I don’t really have anything else to do and I could use something to work on for the time being,” you say taking another sip of water.

“Great. Then we can start training tomorrow.” You spit out the water you were drinking.

“TOMORROW?! So soon?”

“I don’t have time to waste especially with the failed plan that got me in the precinct a few nights ago. We need to get going.”

You nodded sinking back into your chair as you ate a little slower. You had no idea what awaited tomorrow you, but it should be quite an enjoyable experience to receive training from someone like Enishi.

————————————————————————

There was nothing enjoyable about this shit. Instructor Enishi was a total asshole. You could barely hold your own and he threw you straight into combat with his goons. Something about ‘building character through practice’. You defended all their attacks but you couldn’t get absolutely none in.

“If you’re going to keep defending you will tire out faster than your opponent.” He was watching you from the side as five of his men ambushed you.

“It’s kind of impossible to attack when I don’t know how,” you strained as you defended a few more punches thrown your way. You lost your footing for a second and a punch was dug into your side so harshly that it threw you to the other side of the garden. You groaned as you hit the ground face-down, tasting some grass in your mouth. A pair of feet came into view as you lifted your head up off the ground to see a familiar mop of hair towering over you.

“Giving up already?” he teased as he crouched down next to you.

You weren’t going to give him the satisfaction. No, you were going to prove a point. That you belonged here.

So grabbing a fistful of grass you sat up and dusted your clothes of the dirt. Huffing out a breath you ran into the circle of men and went at it again. And again. And again. You only got a few kicks and punches in each time before you were thrown back to the ground.

“Enough. You’re dismissed.”

You leaned against a nearby tree and took a breather. Your face was covered in dirt and dust pricked at your eyes. You were nothing short of frustrated with yourself. Staring at your hands you tried to visualise the attacks she used to do. You couldn’t bring that fight instinct back no matter how hard you tried and it drove you up the fucking wall.

Shooting wasn’t a problem, but combat was essential. You had to rewire those instincts back into you somehow, but you were lost on where to even begin.

Enishi walked over and sat down in front of you. He saw the look in your eyes as you scanned your hands. He could tell you were afraid. You couldn’t let Barairo back in without losing yourself in the process and he had to find a way to help you.

“I saw you fighting back then.” Your eyes snapped up at him as he spoke. “I was amazed at how a small teenage girl could manhandle all those beasts. I snuck in a few of your fights and studied the way you moved a lot.”

“If you can’t remember the way I’ll teach it to you. We can start at the beginning and work our way up again.”

There was that word again. We. He was so adamant on training you the best he could. But he couldn’t do it if you weren’t willing to. It’s not that you didn’t want to. You just couldn’t.

“What if I’m a total waste of time?”

“If you were,” he got up and dusted his pants, “I wouldn’t have asked you to join me.”

That was enough to drive you back to your hopeful self. Maybe you could do this. Maybe you could become good without bringing that monster back. You just needed to try.

—————————————————————————

The next few days were spent running over the basics. Increasing your stamina was the first goal on the list. It looked easy in your head. That was until Enishi turned full commando on you.

You were hiking the hills and the trails around the village at least twice a day. He increased the pace every time you went there. You took short breaks every half an hour only to do sit ups or climb a tree to strengthen your muscles. He always chose the most difficult trees and it felt like it was on purpose at times.

You were currently sat in one of the trees about three meters from the ground, hugging its trunk like a koala as you sat on a branch. You were exhausted out of your mind.

“Come on, Miyu.”

“Can I stay here for five minutes?”

“We’re only halfway through the hike. If you’re not coming down I’m leaving you here.”

“WAIT!”

Despite all the difficulties of training there was one part of it you really enjoyed. The sight of Enishi in a tank top as he walked in front of you. It was the highlight of your day.

You came out of the woods to a clearing, a river running through the dunes and down to the village. Enishi went closer to get some water, gathering it in his hands. After sipping on it he gathered a bit more and swept it back over his face and hair. Droplets of water were shamelessly running down his arms, making his veins sparkle. Some of it was going down his chest soaking his tank top and letting you see a little more of the hidden goodies.

You were sure you were drooling as your trance blurred all of your surroundings. Taking a step forward you failed to see the rocks on the ground, slipping and falling into a grass patch to the side. Enishi’s head snapped to you.

“You good?”

“I’m good,” you say, giving him a thumbs up from your spot on the ground.

You continued on your trail until you reached the last tree line to the top of the hill. Your lungs were heaving and your breath was anything but normal. If I just let myself fall would I reach the bottom faster? Looking behind you to see the distance to the bottom you shook your head to get rid of the thought.

The tree line ended and you came to a big opening. You made it to the top of the hill. So the training was proving a little useful.

You pushed your aching limbs to where Enishi was standing. Reaching him you stood up and stretched your body. You saw him looking off into the distance and you followed his eyes to see what he was looking at that had him so captivated.

The minute you laid eyes on the view you fell in love. The hill you hiked was overlooking the village down in the valley and the other hills that were protecting it away from the world. Wait… This was the same as the painting back at the mansion.

You made a habit out of stopping by it before you went to sleep every day. Each time you stood in front of it you noticed other little details hidden inside. The way the trees covered each other, creating a bird shelter for the night. Or the way the hills looked as if they were silently whispering to each other. They couldn’t move to embrace each other but the slopes they laid on together seemed to be enough for them.

Someone was watching you every time you stopped by, unbeknownst to you. Leaning on a wall further behind you, he analysed your face to try and make out your reaction. He was taken aback when all he found was admiration and curiosity, wonder dancing in your eyes as you took in each detail. He got a little confused every time you leaned in closer and quirked your eyebrow at it, only to let out a breath of relief when you sat back and had a grin on your face.

“The painting back at the mansion… the orange and green landscape. Did you paint that?”

He only chuckled in response and went to sit down on the grass, as you followed suit. You both mimicked each other’s position, spreading your limbs on the grass, arms supporting your upper bodies.

“I thought you’d figure it out faster.”

You pushed his shoulder at that remark, ripping another chuckle from him.

“The painting is beautiful. So detailed and intricate in technique. But it does not compare to the real thing. This view is pure art.”

He looked at you as you elaborated on everything you loved about the painting. You seemed to know a lot about the arts. It was nice to have something new in common with you, besides your love for hibiscus tea.

“I’m glad you like it. If you wait just a second… there it is.”

The sky bled orange meeting the green mounds of earth, exactly like the painting. Your breath got caught in your throat as the sunset became more prominent. It was the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen.

Enishi wasn’t focusing on the sunset over the hills. He was watching another sunset happening right beside him. Your cheeks were flushed pink from the effort you put into hiking. The light breeze was brushing your hair with every wave in the air and your clothes were sticking to you uncomfortably. But you looked absolutely serene. He wished he could paint this view instead of any landscape in the world.

—————————————————————————

You got back to the mansion just before it got dark. Grabbing an apple you ate it and quickly dashed to the bathroom to get out of your sweaty clothes and enjoy a bath. You made the mistake of sitting on your bed before actually getting to the bathroom, laying down on top of the duvet.

“I’ll just close my eyes for five minutes.”

Those five minutes turned into a few hours. Enishi was looking for you to ask if you’ve eaten anything. As he came to your room he noticed the door was open halfway. Knocing on it he called your name but got no response. Pushing it open he took in the sight of you sprawled on your bed still in your training clothes. His heart warmed up so much he thought it would burst. You must’ve been so tired.

Coming closer to your bed he sat down on the edge. Your head was sitting uncomfortably on the duvet so he gently put a hand under your head and lifted it to place a pillow under it. Laying your head back down he let his hand card through your hair to let it loose. You sighed in your sleep at the action, a smile tugging on your lips.

He smoothed a hand from your temple down to your cheek and you took him by surprise turning on your side, curling into him. Your hand grabbed at his shirt and he was locked into place with no way to escape.

His heart started beating rapidly as he looked at you. You had his shirt into a death grip as if you were holding an anchor that could bring you back from dreamland to the real world. He found himself smiling again. It started coming out more naturally the more he was with you.

He folded his big hand over your small one and stroked it lightly to get you to loosen your hold. Your fist unclenched and you let him free. He slowly got up from the bed careful not to wake you. Finding a spare blanket he draped it over you so you wouldn’t get cold. He smoothed your hair once more to get some stray hairs away from your face and went out the door, softly closing it behind him. He couldn’t stop smiling.

—————————————————————————

Thank you for reading! As always, comments, notes and reblogs are welcome :)

#Addicting Taste #enishi yukishiro #rurouni kenshin #enishi yukishiro fanfiction #enishi yukishiro x reader #enishi yukishiro x you

[player1064]

pretty sure i’m just gonna keep spamming you with drabbles asks now 😅 based off that double date w/ jill and shelly any chance for carraville double dating w/ posh and becks, like slightly awkward becks trying to be supportive and posh and carra in the corner laughing it up lol

oh my god I have Got to stop writing drabbles that are like a thousand words long like honestly at what point do they stop being drabbles!!! Anyway! Enjoyed this one a lot (have enjoyed all of them a lot, I LOVE writing these two idiots being idiots about each other)

---

Most of the time, Gary can’t even keep track of what continent David is on, never mind what city he’s in, so it’s a pleasant surprise when he gets to Salford one day to find him sat in the VIP suite, chatting to Nicky.

It’s rare for David to come all the way up to Manchester, rarer still that he has time to check in and watch a game at the lesser of the two football clubs he owns, so thank fucking Christ they actually win this one, else that would’ve been embarrassing.

Not embarrassing for Gary, of course, because he’s got nothing to do with any of it.

When the full time whistle blows, David turns to Gary with a smile and asks “Dinner? Victoria wanted to meet me at some place in town,” and Gary had already had plans but again: seeing David is rare, of course he says yes.

They end up in some posh restaurant that Gary’s not got around to trying yet, mainly because you have to book a few months in advance and he can barely keep track of what he’s meant to be doing on a day to day basis. David doesn’t seem to have a booking, but he walks in and gives the hostess a smile, and after that the best table in the house miraculously frees up.

Victoria sweeps in a moment later, dipping down to give Gary a kiss on the cheek in greeting (which definitely does not make him blush, thank you very much), before taking her seat next to David.

“Sorry to make you wait, babe,” she says to David, “had to drop my things at the hotel and then traffic was a nightmare. How was the game, did your guys win?”

“’Course they did, they’re good lads. We’ve not ordered drinks yet, so do you –”

“Oh, yeah, I’ll just have a –” she’d been rummaging in her bag for something, but she looks up for a second and pauses, frowning at the other side of the table. “Oh. Sorry,” she says, looking between Gary and David with her head tilted in question, “I thought it was gonna be just us three?”

Gary looks to his right and huffs an exasperated sigh. “It was, this one just won’t stop followin’ me around everywhere. Like a lost puppy, really. Becks said we should take pity on ‘im.”

David nudges their leg together, just gently, and rolls his eyes. “This is Jamie, babe,” he says, leaning in closer to Victoria as he speaks, one arm draping across the back of her chair. “Gary’s partner.”

Both Gary and Jamie respond with an “ugh,” at the same time. Gary glances to his right again, smirking when Jamie meets his eyes.

“Partner, honestly, you’re makin’ me sound like a lawyer or somethin’,” Jamie says, holding out a hand for Victoria to shake. “I prefer ‘long-suffering martyr’, if we ‘ave to put a label on it.”

“I’ll show you long-suffering, you twat.”

David clears his throat. “Yeah, uh, he was at the match with us earlier. Gaz wanted to send him home, but I thought – y’know, Jamie’s a nice guy,” (“is he fuck,” Gary mutters under his breath,) “and it’s been a while now, right? So maybe it’s time to sort of – bring him in to the fold, I s’pose.”

Victoria gives Jamie an analysing once-over. “How long’s a while, then?”

“’bout five years now, in’t it?” Jamie replies, looking at Gary in question.

Gary kicks him.

“Oi! Oh my god, how many times’ve I gotta tell you, I am not counting from the time we –”

“Can’t you ever just let the grown-ups talk without havin’ to open your ugly mouth –“

“Five, Gary?” David asks, looking between Gary and Jamie with an expression caught between amused and puzzled. “You told me at the World Cup it was still new, an’ that was only what, a year and a bit ago?”

“Well – well, it was new. In a way.”

“Oh my god, Gary, we’d been livin’ together two years before the World Cup, how’s that new?”

“I didn’t wanna just throw him – sorry, Becks, it were weird enough bein’, like, ‘oh by the way I’m gay’, without havin’ to add a – a proper, like, partner – yes I’m saying partner you idiot because in case y’hadn’t noticed that is actually what we are – into all that as well.”

“No, no, it’s fine Gaz, y’don’t have to apologise, I know it can’t’ve been – easy, for you to –”

Victoria cuts him off with a hum, her brow creased. “But he already knew you were gay?”

Jamie, who’d been about to take a sip of water, barks an abrupt laugh and turns to Gary with a twinkle in his eye. “Did he now?”

Gary kicks him again, just because he’s there and he can.

“Oh, yeah,” Victoria says airily, like she’s not just shattered Gary’s entire worldview with a few simple words. “I remember he said to me, when we first started dating, he goes ‘Gary doesn’t like talking about the gay thing, makes him feel awkward, so we just try not to mention it around him.’”

Jamie is positively beaming at this little anecdote.

“Right, well,” Gary announces, making a big show of pretending to get up from his seat, “I’ll just be off to kill meself then. Victoria, lovely to see you again, give my love to the kids.”

It’s David who grabs Gary’s arm and tugs him back into his seat, mostly because Jamie’s too busy informing Gary that he’ll be playing You’ll Never Walk Alone at his funeral.

“Gaz, it wasn’t – we weren’t making fun of you, we just – figured you’d talk about it when you were ready.”

Wait.

“We?” Gary screeches. “Wha’d’you mean, we?”

“Um,” David says.

Jamie claps Gary on the back as he doubles over in laughter.

#thank you for the prompt!!!! you're right I think jamie and victoria would get on great bc both of their love language is bullying #carraville #drabbles

[lexicals]

System collapse notes made as I read:

(Spoilers, obvs, mostly out of context)

Amazing opening page as usual. This feels like coming home I'm so happy

Side note, "one of you" - like, is this being delivered to an actual audience, or does mb just like to pretend it is? I know it's just an in-universe excuse for the conceit but either option is so good

ART canon tax fraud?? ART canon embezzlement???

ART @ BE ship: "people die in car crashes all the time. I just thought that was interesting :)"

The note about iris having grown up alongside ART is so funny. And the note about her being ART's ratthi is so sweet from both sides of that comparison

I adore Three so much. The fucking baby deer comparison killed me this poor construct

I could be misremembering but it feels like secunit's narration has more colloquialisms than before, which is fun if I'm right

Love than mb and mensah have the exact same reaction to the extra settlement lmao. Handshake meme

ARGUCUSSION

SECUNIT YOUR BOUNDARIES. YOUR NEEDS. PLEASE STOP TELLING PEOPLE YOU'RE FINE

"Fun stuff like space battles and rescuing people and space monsters and throwing asteroids at planets" this bot loves its cheesy tv so much I'm gonna cry

WHY DO YOU KEEP REDACTING THINGS SECUNIT PLS THIS IS STRESSFUL. I can't tell if this is it editing out trauma discussion or something else

Mb casually using ART as a dictionary lmao

Oh god is it hurting over 2.0 specifically. Oh man of course it is. God this poor bot I'm so 😭

Mb and ART working as a team so fluidly.... best friends......

Ratthi can tell secunit is busy thinking/working just by glancing at it.... FRIENDS.....

"SENTIENCE SUCKS" LMAO. YEAH OKAY WE'VE ALL FELT THAT

MB JUST HAS THE VIDEO FILE OF RATTHI ALMOST GETTING EATEN BY A WORM ON HAND. AMAZING

Mb and pin-lee bonding over watching scifi car crash videos. Incredible

SECUNIT THE SELF-DESTRUCTIVE TENDENCIES. LITERALLY TRYING TO JUMP OUT OF A PLANE WITHOUT A PARACHUTE. PLEASE

I'm gonna cry pls mb stop beating yourself up for being traumatised. This is exactly what you were giving mensah shit about!!!!!

"It was always my job to get hurt" I Am Going To Fucking Cry

CITING ITS SOURCE ON THE PRE CR HISTORY LESSON LMAO

God I feel like this poor bot spent six books building up its confidence and it's all just been shattered after the thing with 2.0. Like it's so palpable in the narration that it thinks it's broken in some way and is forcing itself to carry on regardless but with no regard for its own survival, which has always been of pretty high priority for it even in ASR!! It's let itself get beaten up in the other books but it's never been reckless like this. Mb please stop punishing yourself.....

Ohh tarik and mb shared corpo trauma..... can we talk about that maybe

Ratthi correcting iris about the ex-secunit thing.... ouuououugghghh

"Under normal circumstances that would be kind of hilarious" mb honey as a reader. That IS hilarious

Mb "so is this guy your..... ex-security..... not that I'm feeling jealous or insecure rn....."

HEY GUYS YOU EVER HAVE A PTSD FLASHBACK SO BAD YOU PASS OUT. GUYS

HEY GUYS HAVE YOU EVER HAD YOUR BRAIN-CRASHING PTSD FLASHBACK ANALYSED IN DETAIL BY A BUNCH OF PEOPLE YOU WANT TO RESPECT YOU

Mb once again having the worst time of its life but being offered a media archive by a friendly bot: oh fuck yes hello there

Ooooh pre-corpo media no less......

THE ART THERAPY-SPEAK..... "that’s for humans" "this affects the part of you that is human" I'm going to yell and yell and yell

"No, it doesn't read my mind, it just knows me really well" 🥺

I feel like MW has gotten more up to date on current gender/pronoun usage since the earlier books which is nice to see. We've had neopronouns before but having pronouns attached to feed/character intros is new and appreciated

Mb: "aw fuck am I being tall and intimidating again"

Local secunit physically repelled by power phrase "sexual discussion" like a fucking skyrim shout

VISUAL EQUIVALENT OF A WET BLANKET..... SECUNIT......

OHH...... OHHHHH!!!!! OHH MY GOD THE. IS THIS THE. WHEN I TALKED ABOUT THE CONCEIT EARLIER.........

Oh okay no BUT MURDERBOT NEW CREATIVE DIRECTOR POSITION BABEY!!!!!

And ratthi is so supportive. God I'm so. AAAAUGH

Just patch out the anxiety lmao. New mental illness fix dropped please restart your OS to apply

Telling your bestie to fuck off IS a kind of love language and I'm glad that ART appreciates it 😌

LITERALLY "(INTERNAL SCREAMING)". LMAO

Mb literally in a life or death situ rn: I could just burn part of this person's brain out to save us..... that seems mean though :/

"I lack a sense of proportional response" LMAO ART. At least it's self-aware

"I didn't come here to make friends" says the secunit who literally cannot go anywhere without forming some kind of allyship with someone

The delayed-hack though, that's fun. Wonder whether this file is gonna slowly make its way from CR secunit to CR secunit as mb gradually becomes some kind of mythic figure, lmao

"Be safe" 🥺

FINAL GIRL IS OUT. FINAL DRONE IS IN

ART: "Oooh you guys care about me ^^ lol"

LMAO ART YOUNGER SIBLING BEHAVIOUR

ALSO YES SET THREE UP WITH THE OTHER CRAZY SMART AI THEY CAN ALL GET A SECUNIT BESTIE!!!!

Murderbot trauma acknowledgement 😌 You go working through your feelings mb you're doing so well ily

WHERE ARE WE GOING NEXXXTTTT THAT IS INDEED THE QUESTION!!!

Summary thoughts: this was really good and I like that MW has taken the time to address the NE fallout before moving on to whatever is coming next, I'm mostly just excited for that whatever-comes-next now. I didn't expect this story to still be focused on the same planet, but it's cool that it was! And now we're moving on with more machine intelligences and rogue secunits in play!! And they mentioned the comfortunit from artificial condition so hopefully that'll come back into play soon as well! I feel like something is building up wrt construct rights in the setting and I'm very excited to see that, but in the meantime I loved getting this familiar romp through MB having a very bad day and working through its emotions while also trying not to die. And it was fun having the twist on the usual formula with things being so isolated and it having to handle everything while being off its game, it felt a lot more tense than some of the other entries just by virtue of the fact that MB's narration was so much less confident than usual, and it made it really nice to hear the fire come back to its voice once we hit that point in the story. 11/10 as usual I love this bot so goddamn much

#wastepaper basket #I think I had a tag for murderbot liveblogging at one point but idr what it was lmao #Just be advised there's spoilers below the cut I guess! #But my spoiler-free review is thst it's amazing as usual and I love this bot so so so so so much #Oh wait I remember the tag #murderbot lb #I think some of these got eaten when I saved the draft at some point or else they'd be even longer lmao.....

[feelo-fick]

Scarab & Prismo & Snufkin & Muddler for the character bingo!

(doesn’t have to be all of these of course. But can be)

I NEED TO KILL SCARAB. ITS A NEED. I NEED HIS BLOOD (<- will weep at any angst including him). HES EVEYTHING HES HORRIBLE HES A WRETCHED THING I HATE HIM HES THE WORST I WILL KISS HIM. AUGH. what the hell.

anyways i find him relatable.. something something vulnerability hard and shit yada yada but ALSO i make weird squawking/squeaky noises when im annoyed and i like to imagine he does that with the chirping... its funny

ALSO THE FANDOM KEEPS MAKING HIM SUFFER AND I LOVE IT AND WANT MORE BUT ALSO OW FUCK THAT HURTS WHY OW OW OW everything about his - concerning - respect (kneel for your life.) for authority (he was only following orders.) and isolation (he was never invited to those parties.) from the rest of. well everyone (he doesnt need them. he enjoys being alone. he doesnt need anyone else. he doesnt want it, he doesnt want it, he promises he doesnt.) is just SO. augh.

and the self sabotaging aspect of it. no one will love you, youve accepted that, so you stop sanding down your teeth. you bite and claw at any attempt to soothe your aches and stroke your spikes down, theyre only trying to find a soft spot near your belly.

your worst fears come true. youll never let it happen again. youll stand straight, youll make yourself seem bigger to scare off anyone who tries to come close to you. which leads to anyone who couldve helped you being dissuaded and backing off. serves them right, you never needed fixing. you never needed anyone. ...the clycle begins again. it aches. why? it shouldnt. that isnt allowed.

they should stop that, stop poking at the weak spots. it hurts to feel. you KNOW its to help. you dont want to be helped. stop it, stop. everyones going to know. they cant know it aches. theyll use it against you. keep kneeling, head lower, arch your back. maybe theyll be amused enough to give you mercy.

...cough. well anyways. im gonna stop here before this turns into a full on character analysis and MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ONEEEE WOO

(youll start to notice a pattern that i express love for characters by wishing to kill them cough)

ANYWAYS MY SECOND HUSBAAND WHOM I WANT DEAD . hes. hes so. i cant.

i honestly love his aesthetic i dont know why. the tv/light/dream shit has a lot of potential methinks. i love the thought of a job swap au where prismo uses light/tech as a way to interact with the world while still being stuck somewhere else... and also the visual funkiness of him being projected onto many many tv screens brings me joy. i want that gender...

also. in general i love it when gods are depicted ss being really mortal-like... like, youre a cosmic being with power and omnipotence over the multiverses you watch over, and yet. you like sandwiches and pools and games and hanging out wih friends and its just. on every level but literal you are mortal and alive and wholly r e a l. but youre not. youre a dream, a projection, youre not even in the dimensions of the people you (love) watch. youre an outsider and its very clear. youre THIS CLOSE to being just like them. but youre not. and you never will be.

youre admired by those who are like you, but you dont really care for it. but those who you do care about either dont see you as anything more than a tool to manipulate the multiverse or see you as too grand to be able to connect with in a way that isnt "you are god and i am not". youre stuck in a prison you yourself control. but a prison is still a prison. people want what you have- how you wished they had it instead of you! maybe then, youd be loved. maybe then, things wouldnt be so ear-deafingly quiet. silence sticks out like a sore thumb in the yearning- the wish to not be alone.

OKAY AM I JUST GONNA DO THIS FOR ALL OF THEM. WHAT THE HELL. MOVING ON.

okay this time im not gonna intensely analyse his character. hopefully.

AHEM . SNUFKIN!!!! my best friend i love him so so much.......... i need to absorb his fucking vibes and gender so hard what the hell. LIKE BROTHER. HOW DO YOU PULL OFF THAT MUCH SWAGGER WITHOUT EVEN TRYING oh and also there are so many things wrong with you are you like okay bud...

i like to think that "omg hes just like me frfr" but the fact that i get so excited about that thought proves that I actually kin moomintroll nsnxjsjjsj WHICH MAKES SENSE. makes a lot of sense

i love how people interpret his personality... and i love seeing all the potential angst/drama/whatever you call it that could pop up because of how avoindant he is... and his relationships with the other characters... the way he so easily distances himself from others while (i know this isnt about him but once you talk deeply about one of them i suppose you cant leave out the other) moomintroll clings a little too hard onto him...

ill be honest im a bit rusty on anything moomin related, so forgive my poor memory + hesitation, but i do love em a lot still!!! no hyperfixation is dead, just dormant, as they say........... havent thought about them in a while but i should really brush up on everyones characters and the way they interact ... would be really helpful for some analysis and application to my own work and- YEAH WHATEVER YOU GET IT NEXT ONE

OKAY SO I HAVENT HEARD TOO MUCH ABOUT MUDDLER (aside from bloom's stuff - bless you bloom) BUT WHAT I DO KNOW IS THAT HES VERY RELATABLE AND FUNKY AND I LOVE HIM FOR THAT... button collector.... so me fr............

im quite neutral on account of the fact that (again) i havent seen much of him, but i think hes really neato and also(!) i actually used him as inspo for my sona design... ITS JUST THAT, his design fucks so hard so so hard its such a good design. PEAK. absolute peak...

IDK ! i think muddler is such a nice and cool little critter... i would love to have more content of him!!! i need to know more about him!!! honestly atp someone could tag me on muddler content id be happy to have it... i think id really really love him if i just knew more(!!!) but i dont unfortunately waaah..

#TYANKS FOR THE ASK WOOHOO THIS TOOK FOREVER BECAUSE OF THE ANALYSIS BITS HAHAHAHHAHA #woopee! yippee!!! #thanks heather!!? #no question mark*** #anyways i wanna answer your prismo and scarab oc projection ask now that im on a roll with this... #huhuhuhu

[strangertheories]

Honestly, byler to me has become a stressful 'thing' now i cannot even enjoy it due to the whole discourse and drama surrounding it lol. Also it feels like the shipping culture kinda died because people just stopped shipping things for fun but it became a match where you have to prove your ship's 'validity' 'morality' or how it actually exists in canon and it should exist in canon (for this and that reason), and you have to constantly prove yourself that you are a master analysist and you Get The Narrative and that's why you ship this ship and if it doesnt become canon then it means the writing is dumb/poor and im like..? You dont really have to do all that and i get that sometimes feeling so passionately about shipping is natural part of fandom and i have been there and done that too, but this whole narrative and mindset surronding it is just really tiring. if a ship makes you this stressed and traumatized and if it happens you say stuff like 'imma kms' maybe just kinda take a step back idk. I ship ron/nce and i adore their dynamic, but i am well aware that it is not going to happen even if i see a certain level of dynamic between nancy and robin. and i get that it is different for will since will is canonically into mike now but the overall point still stands. you can still like a ship even if it doesnt become canon you dont have to try so hard to prove its existence or validity since the shipping is usually supposed to be... fun.

Anon, I'm convinced I somehow sent this to myself because I'm exactly the same. I get being critical of the show's queer rep and plot if Byler isn't canon or being disappointed which we saw a lot of post volume 2, but yeah. Being a Byler shipper has become not fun™ and it's become a requirement that you think it's going to be endgame in order for you to ship it. And I also think the sense of superiority a lot of Byler shippers have about being great critical thinkers or having media literacy can make it feel scary to ever question anything anyone ever says, although most people were actually quite supportive when I spoke about this. All of that to say, letting go of Byler endgame before S4 has been great for me; I love analysing and theorising about Byler without the pressure of needing it to be canon.

And I know people will read this as "you shouldn't be bothered by the show using Will" but what I and I believe the anon is trying to say is that fandom should be built off of fun and wanting your ship to have content because you enjoy it, not because you're terrified it's not gonna be canon. Easier said than done, but I think you need to take care of yourself and your mental health too. I'm not famous or anything but I have quite a few followers now and I'm not going to lie or guarantee 100000% that it will be canon because I just do not know and I genuinely think people's mental health will be damaged because they've been hyping up an expectation of ST5 for years.

If shipping Byler has become too stressful for you, try take a break for a bit (I've been posting less over the last few months partially because of this too). Especially since we all have hiatus brain where expectations and theories become more and more wild because we have to keep digging deeper into the same content. I'm so scared that S5 will come out and it doesn't happen because I like a lot of people in this fan community and if Byler isn't canon, we'll get angry posts for a couple of months and maybe some theories about interference or deleted scenes (this happen post S4 a bit as well) but then it's gone ): the community revolves more about being 100% sure Byler will happen instead of enjoying the pairing of Mike and Will so without canon Byler, I don't know what will remain.

Thanks for the ask, anon. Also Ronance forever! <3

#byler #byler doubt #not really but in case you don't wanna read about it not being canon #it's more about mental health #however it talks about the possibility of byler not being endgame

[bitterkarmaa]

*KICKS DOWN YOUR DOOR*

WHY HELLO THERE I HAVE COME HERE TO DAY TO ANALYSE A CERTAIN PIECE OF YOUR WRITING

Lets begin:

---

Oh, how his mind drags him on, teaching him the steps to a dance he already knows, but loathes all the same.

“KC!”

Eclipse stiffens for the hundredth time today, eyes growing wider the deeper he falls into the memory.

“KC! YOU CAN’T LET THEM DO THIS!!”

His systems begin to overheat, vents coming in quick, short intervals that do nothing to prevent his impending panic.

“IT WASN’T MY FAULT!”

He doesn’t hear the door click softly open, doesn’t hear the footsteps that approach him.

“Let him go.”

A hand reaches out to him, hesitating to touch his shaking shoulder.

“LET HIM GO!”

---

SO THIS. LETS TALK ABOUT THIS.

My first thought? This was the point when Eclipse was being taken away to be decommissioned.

Clearly this happens after the Big Incident (i'm assuming Eclipse was blamed for a child or persons death) and the final two lines (Let him go) were spoken by KC who at the last minute chose to try and reach out to save Eclipse.

NOW THIS RAISES ANOTHER QUESTION - did KC believe also that Eclipse had commited a terrible sin, or was it holding back from interfering because of fear for its own existence? Maybe simply shock? Stuck in a state of processing that didn't quite click until he realised they were taking his son away to be literally killed?

When KC menrions Eclipse being stuck in that room (maybe the same room Eclipse had such panic over in the first fic?) was that room the same one Eclipse had been confined in before being inevitably decomissioned?

ALSO if i'm not mistaken, KC is the reason Eclipse managed to survive right? My guess is he was too late to stop Eclipse's chip from being pulled but he mayhaps did a murder of the humans and somehow managed to recover Eclipse's AI (either via backup or restoration from lingering code that survived)

I HAVE SO MUCH BRAIN WORMS OVER THESE TWO ASHDFS anyways that's my thoughts for now i'm gonna go back to reading your drabbles and fics so i'll be back if i get any more wormys ;D

(Side note: someone should 100% get Eclipse a toy wolf it would be very fun to see how he reacts to that - also did mr howls survive? Imagine if maybe Rays finds it during one of his raids in a storage room/lost and found ashdj or maybe he finds a different plush that is similar! BUT THEN AGAIN maybe KC still has the original somewhere himself? WHO KNOWS!)

DING DING DING WINNER

I’ll answer these to the best of my abilities without spoiling too much :)

Q: Did KC believe Eclipse was at fault for The Incident?

A: For a while, yes. It struggled to find evidence that proved Eclipse innocent, and since it abides mainly by logic it didn’t really have any reason to assume the best of Eclipse, despite being his father.

Q: Was the room KC mentioned the room Eclipse was placed in prior to his decommissioning?

A: Yes. That was the room.

Q: Was KC the reason Eclipse survived?

A: Yes. It made it in time to hold him as his physical body shut down :( he then grabbed the remnants of Eclipse’s chip and scampered away.

Q: Did Mr. Howls survive?

A: YES! Mr. Howls is still intact, if a bit worn. KC has him and makes sure that the fabric doesn’t deteriorate too fast since it’s such a yucky room that it stays in.

I AM SO GLAD MY BRAIN-WORMS ARE CONTAGIOUS <33 they have AT LEAST 60% of my brain rn

Also, if you or anyone else finds other dialogue prompts, or perhaps makes a few, even, feel free to request them with either past or present KC and Eclipse! I will write so much for these two right now istg

#karmas bitter but so am i #karma’s bitter #tsams #sams eclipse #sun and moon show #the sun and moon show #kb eclipse #kb killcode #sams killcode #sams kc #kb lore

[lollytea]

how does gus start falling for matt? how does he realise his crush on him? how does he react? i need to know i am gustholomule trash

Alright lemme try to appease the gustholomule enthusiasts this evening.

So my first thought was to consider how Gus acted in TTLGR when he formed a little crush on Bria. So that was like. Very sudden on his part. She was somebody he had just met and she smiled and winked at him and BAM. Little blushing mess. So would that just....happen with Matt one day out of literally nowhere? Possibly. I half believe in that but I like to headcanon the circumstances being a very specific scenario.

I don't analyse Gus's silly crush on Bria too much because TTLGR was basically Gus taking his brand new puberty updated brain for a test drive. Which explains all the moping and the self consciousness and the sweating and the over compensating and the realization that girl pretty. But by the time anything happens with Matt, Gus is older and has long since become adjusted to being a teenager.

And also Matt was not somebody who just sprung up on him one day and overwhelmed him by being awesome and pretty like Bria. Matt has been in Gus's life for years. And his first impression of Matt was less than pleasant. But though their journey to the point of being best friends has been rocky, their relationship is currently a very stable dependable thing, even if it seems a little vitriolic on the surface. Gus knows Matt inside-out. In fact, Gus knows Matt so well and has known him for such a long time that it's become this comfortable unconditional bond that Gus doesn't feel the need to think about too deeply. Matt's his friend and he loves him, that's all he needs to know.

I believe in ADHD Gus supremecy so I see it as him having this very big brilliant brain that runs very fast, so it's constantly overflowing with whatever his current passion/obsession/evil scheme is. There is just too much going on his noggin at all times to stop and maybe re-examine his friendship with Mattholomule.

As a result of all this, the platonic feelings on Gus's part shifting into something else was probably so slow and gradual and buried so deep beneath the noise of all his other thoughts and feelings that he never even noticed it happening. And he's probably never gonna stop to consider it unless the actual concept of Gus seeing Matt in a romantic light is directly brought up to him.

So. The concept of Gus seeing Matt in a romantic light is directly brought up to him.

Maybe he should have noticed something was off on that Saturday morning when he showed up at Mattholomule's doorstep. When his friend came out to meet him, Gus noticed that he was avoiding eye contact.

He hadn't thought it that weird at the time. Mattholomule had gotten kinda strange during the last few months. Flubbed his words, sweated a lot, couldn't always hold Gus's gaze. Sometimes, there was this odd vibe that he was just really on edge. (One time, during the brunt of this behavior, he had freaked out when Gus tried to touch him and bit his hand.) Obviously Gus had been concerned and pestered him about it but Matt had point blank refused to tell him what was the matter. Matt could be stubborn as a mule. (Wait, hold on, was th-) So eventually, Gus had given up and settled for being there if Matt ever relented and needed an ear to listen. Gus couldn't lie though. It did bother him. Matt usually told him everything.

The two of them made their way down to the graveyard. The defenses they had built to protect it were completed years ago but the place itself had become somewhat of a private hangout spot. They usually just talked, or laughed, or schemed together or lazed about, or practised their spellwork. Usually they did all of these things. Gus still remembered teaching Matt his first illusion spell while messing around in these ruins. That had been a very long time ago.

The guardian of the ruins popped in and out on occasion to greet them but he seemed to be making fewer and fewer appearances lately. Mattholomule had once speculated that it was the gravitational pull of the afterlife. The two of them had done such a good job fortifying the place that there wasn't much use for him to stick around.

Gus would always remind him that they didn't know for certain that he was a ghost.

"Okay, fine, maybe he's been spending his nights elsewhere." Matt had said, though he didn't sound convinced.

"Where else would he go?"

Matt shrugged. "Maybe he pulls."

Gus remembered laughing so hard, his ribs had ached.

He wished that it could be like that right now.

It became more and more obvious throughout the day that all was not alright with Mattholomule and Gus was certain that whatever had been bothering him was finally gonna come to the surface. It was different this time from all the other times. Matt wasn't panicky, he was just....sad? Gus kept catching Matt staring at him and before he hurriedly glanced away, he noticed that his eyes were sadder than he had ever seen them.

All day, Gus waited for Matt to tell him what was wrong. But when the time finally came, Gus had no idea what to do about it.

Gus had been sitting beneath one of the many stone statues, flipping through one of his human magazines. They didn't have the same mysterious allure like they did when he was younger. He had spent quite a while in the Human Realm and had a huge chunk of his questions answered. He now understood the contents of his magazine as gossipy tabloid trash. But he couldn't say that he wasn't still a little charmed by it.

Mattholomule was splayed out on the ground, staring up at the overcast sky. His fingers drummed across his belly. He was agitated, Gus could tell.

He then squeezed his eyes shut tight, covered them with his palms, took a deep inhale and spoke.

And once he was done speaking, Gus's everything was flipped on its axis.

The following silence made Mattholomule squirm so he rolled over on his side where Gus couldn't see his face.

"I-wh-....since when?!" Were the first words Gus blurted out, incredulous.

"I don't know!" Mattholomule snapped. "A few months. Or maybe years. It's hard to tell, okay? I didn't--"

"Why me?!" Gus was still too dumbstruck to respond to this in a sensitive manner. It was hard to be level-headed when one of your closest friendships was suddenly being scrambled and rearranged inside your brain. It was weird. Unfamiliar. He couldn't grasp at how he felt about it, so all he could do was ask stupid questions.

"Lots of reasons!" Mattholomule exploded, sitting bolt upright. The look he gave him was furious, though Gus didn't bat an eye about that. Matt got mad at him all the time.

It was the other feelings Matt had expressed that had Gus's head spinning.

"You want me to list them?? You want an ego trip right now, Augustus?? Half the school is already obsessed with you, I know you don't need this shit spoon-fed to you."

"Why...." Gus began weakly. It came out soft and confused when he finally got the words out. "Why didn't you tell me...?"

Something about his tone made Matt flinch. Gus watched his friend swallow thickly, take a steadying breath and pick himself off the ground.

Matt finally forced himself to meet his eye. "Sorry." He said, though Gus couldn't understand what he was apologizing for. "I'm telling you now."

Gus wanted to say something but his mind had gone completely blank. His mouth opened and closed but words were not coming out.

The silence seemed to have an effect on Mattholomule's nerve as he began to twitch. His balled fists at his sides trembled. His expression cracked more and more until nothing remained but unmasked alarm.

Then Matt turned on his heel and he bolted.

And though Gus called out to him, he ultimately let him go. Because while he could most definitely hunt him down, (Gus was faster than the average witchling) he had no idea what he'd do when he got hold of him. Gus still hadn't processed what in Titan's name was going on.

He needed to think.

He needed to think a lot.

And.....Mattholomule gave him space to do that.

The next school morning, Mattholomule greeted him like nothing had happened. And Gus allowed him to pretend that it hadn't. He wondered if he himself was a coward for trying to sweep all of this under the rug but...he wasn't ready yet. He hadn't even begun to figure out what all this meant for the two of them. And he worried that if he brought it up, Matt would freak out again.

So neither spoke a word of the incident. But it was undeniable that it had happened. No matter how much they tried to carry on like usual, the tension between them was thick.

Sometimes they'd get lost in a joke and they'd laugh and everything was as it used to be. And then Gus's fingers would accidentally brush against Matt's knuckles and they would both freeze.

Everything wasn't as it used to be. Everything was never going to be as it used to be.

In his spare time, Gus would think until his brain burned out. But even after laying, mentally exhausted, on his bedroom floor, his thought process was basically static.

It felt like he was missing something. A piece of the puzzle that would make sense of everything. Or a plug that was clogging his thought process.

Something still hadn't clicked.

But in spite of all these confusing feelings, Gus felt empty when he went too long without talking to Matt. So they kept hanging out.

It was a week after the incident when they were laying on the floor of Gus's tree house.

(It had been one of his boyhood dreams. A real human tree house, like the one he saw in that one catalogue. Willow had provided the backyard tree and Gus had enlisted his favourite constructionist to help him build the thing. It was wonky and very much imperfect, but Gus and Matt loved it.)

The sounds of dusk could be heard from outside and the small room was illuminated by floating light spells.

Things felt a little more normal than usual. It was almost comfortable to be here again. In the late hours of the night during their dumb little sleepovers, this tree house tended to feel like its own universe, seperate from the complications of real life.

Except, sometimes real life was simply too complicated. You got yourself tangled up in it and once you climbed up the tree, the threads were still dangling all over you.

Maybe Gus should have kept his mouth shut. But he simply could not take this anymore.

"What made you decide to tell me?" He asked quietly, disturbing the peace. His words thoroughly corrupted the atmosphere. Things became charged.

Matt didn't try to pretend he didn't know what Gus was talking about. It was obvious to both of them just how this was straining their dynamic right now.

But he didn't speak for a long time. Matt, with his big reckless mouth, carefully crafted his words before breathing them aloud.

"I'm a jerk." Said Mattholomule.

Gus nodded soberly, which made Matt's lip quirk upwards involuntarily.

"And everyone knows it." He continued. "I'm a jerk. And I'm obnoxious. And I talk too loud. And I bug people. And nobody wants to be around me if they can help it."

"Matt--"

"Shut up, Gus, I'm talking."

Gus clamped his jaw shut.

"But no matter how much I suck, you're still here. And...you deal with me everyday and it doesn't bother you. I can be loud, I can be a jerk, I can get on your nerves but you haven't ditched me yet."

"You're a good friend--"

"Shut the fuck UP, Augustus. I'm talking."

"Can I get a word in?"

"No. Anyway..."

He knew this was supposed to be a heavy conversation and his insides were still squirming, but Gus was grinning ear-to-ear.

Matt was....so very much like Matt. How could Gus describe him any other way.

That look on his face, hardened by faux annoyance then melted into something honest.

"I listen to the things you tell me, yknow." Said Matt. "About how kids used to pretend to be your friend just so you would do their homework. And-and I know it hurt when Bria and Gavin and Angmar turned out to be jerks. Bria strung you along and it wasn't right. I know that this kinda stuff digs deeper for you than other people."

Gus grimaced at the memory, his heart sinking with every word.

"I suck...." Matt's voice was unsteady. "But you don't care. I'm the biggest jerk at Hexside and you don't care. You are the best friend I've ever had in my whole stupid life and the one thing you want is for people to be honest with you. If they don't like you, you don't want them pretending to be your friend. A-and if they have a big fat pathetic crush on you, they should be upfront about it. So....so like Titan I'm not gonna suck it up and give you that one thing."

Matt's final words were hissed out with ferocity and yet Gus couldn't pick up any real anger emanating from him. It was all blazing intensity and heaving breaths rattling out of him, but at the core of it all, there was love.

Matt had told him he loved him because he loved him. Because he didn't want to be another tally mark on Gus's record of getting his feelings hurt. Not again.

Gus had told Matt all these secrets in a sleepy, vulnerable state. In this very tree house, come to think of it. He had never thought of them as much more than insecure rambling that he was a little embarrassed of the next morning He certainly hadn't expected Matt to remember Gus's struggles with trust, much less carry it to this point of trembling fingers and utter transparency.

Matt had listened. Matt had remembered.

Matt was always listening. Matt was always remembering.

He was an obnoxious little dude who bragged about almost everything he did. But when it came to every act of consideration for Gus, he did so without any fanfare. It was how Gus knew that he meant it.

Titan, he loved Matt so much.

Click.

Everything clicked at once.

When Mattholomule grinned big and wide, he looked like those ridiculous Halloween masks they had discovered in the Human Realm. Gus loved his big wide ridiculous grin.

When Mattholomule laughed too hard, it devolved into a high pitched grating cackle. It sounded so funny. Gus loved his awful laugh. He tried to shake it out of him at every opportunity.

When Mattholomule was awake at 2am it was usually for scheming reasons. If Gus's scroll buzzed after midnight, he always knew the culprit without picking the stupid thing up. Obviously he had no intention of answering him that late, but he still felt himself smile into the pillow at the reminder that this wild, chaotic terrible boy existed and he was his partner in crime.

When Mattholomule showed up at his place for sleepovers with those dumb BladeMage novels, Gus would take the liberty of torturing him by swiping the book out of his hands and reading the blurb aloud. He would emphasize parts such as "Swords of friendship" and "The power of love," while batting his eyes and cooing about how wholesome these books sounded. Matt had full face flushed, tackling Gus in his efforts to grab it back. He was such a softie and it made Gus feel stupidly warm whenever he thought about it.

When Mattholomule listened, he really listened. When Gus was upset, he didn't have hugs and shoulder pats but pep talks disguised as sardonic quips. And then he tried to fix it. Dumb constructionist that he was, he always liked fixing things.

Gus loved him.

Holy shit, he loved him.

"Did I make it weird?" Matt asked cautiously. Flecks of panic flickered in his eyes. "C-cause you're being really quiet and-and if this weirds you out, it's your own fault! You asked so I--"

Matt was promptly silenced as Gus's hands shot out and snatched his cheeks.

Gus didn't realize his own hands were shaking until Matt's tentatively clasped over them, forcing them steady.

Somehow the exact words to ask the question were escaping him so Gus kept his eyes locked on Matt, inching closer and closer so he could cotton on to what was happening and withdraw if he wanted.

"Are you....?" The pitch of Matt's voice was all over the place.

"I think so..." Gus responded, equally shaky. "Just gotta..."

Figure out how.

No, that was wrong. It wasn't a complicated action by any means. But....there wasn't any going back afterwards.

After a split second of consideration, Gus decided that he didn't want to go back afterwards.

Mattholomule, ever the loudmouth, decided to pipe up "While we're young, Augustus. At this rate my mouth is gonna be old and wrinkly and--"

As much as Mattholomule made him laugh, Gus was compelled then and there to shut him up.

Curtained by the night that was theirs, in the tree house they built, beneath the light spells they spun, Gus and Matt drowned in the world of trembling fingers and utter transparency.

#gustholomule

[tiressian]

a day in the life: glasses

notes: satoshoko, rated G, pre-relationship, vignette

read on Ao3 here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48623347

...

Autumn, 2007

The department store was moderately busy, which was a relief for Satoru, because it meant he could hunt for his replacement sunglasses in peace. 

Well, relative peace, if the scrunched-up expression on Shoko’s face every time he tried a pair was anything to go by. Satoru returned the Ray-Bans that didn’t pass peer review back onto the shelf and turned to her. 

“Seriously.”

“What?” Shoko was wearing a similar pair of aviators of a cheaper brand, which actually looked good on her, which necessitated Satoru’s removal from her face so he could scowl at her unhindered and undistracted. “Jerk! I was trying that!”

“You’re hovering.” Satoru held the aviators out of reach when she jumped for them. 

“Am not.”

"Are too."

Shoko grunted as Satoru thwarted another swipe. Satoru grunted, taking a hit to the gut. There wasn’t as much force behind it as he’d become accustomed to and he tried not to think about the implications of that.

“You are. I’m fine; I’m not gonna go ape, but I swear if ya keep hangin’ around I’ll—”

“You’ll what?” Shoko cut, unfazed at all by the height difference as he loomed over her. It was a stark departure from the girl who always vanished at the slightest inkling of conflict and knowing this triggered an innate sense that anything he said now would be thrown back in his face. There existed certain people who couldn’t be baited, and people who knew every detail of yourself you deemed insignificant were top of the list. 

Although…

Rumour had it the higher-ups had already shoulder-tapped her to helm the Infirmary when the current head stepped down. If that was true, then that was one less person on his side and one more on the side of the dumbasses fighting to maintain the broken status quo. 

A screaming match might help him get his mojo back, but he couldn’t gamble on their friendship surviving the aftermath. If he wanted to beat the higher-ups and build a less shitty world, he needed to take a leaf out of their books and plant deeper roots. He needed to not make enemies of the friends he still had. 

Satoru inhaled deeply and exhaled. Letgoletgoletgoletgo—gone. 

“You’ll what?” Shoko said again, still ever so steady. 

“I’ll nothing,” Satoru said, “because I’m fine as I keep tellin’ ya. Here.”

He slid the aviators back onto her face, Shoko holding still as she accepted the peace offering with a tiny blush that spread across her cheeks when his fingers grazed her temples. This did not go unnoticed by Satoru, who fought the temptation to tease. 

“Come on dude,” he said. “You’re wasting your one day off. Just go shopping and then rendezvous after.”

“Stupid. It’s not a waste.” 

Satoru’s eyebrows rose. “Ohh?” The first time had been a freebie, Satoru decided. Now it was fair game. “Care to explain?”

"Oh shut up. I didn't mean it like that."

She probably didn’t, because god only knew what went on in the head of a person who explained Reversed Cursed Technique with ‘vibes’ and sounds, but Satoru pounced anyway. 

“Nawww, you missed my company that much?” He said, poking her arm and dodging when she tried to swat him. He fluffed up his collar and ran a hand through his hair with a snicker. “I guess I could check my schedule and try to slot you in same time next week, but don’t cry if I can’t; I’m real popular with girls and women between the ages of—oomph!” he went as Shoko shoved him aside. 

She analysed her reflection, tilting her head down and then side to side. “Stop being so full of yourself. I’m shopping too in case you haven’t noticed.”

“Also noticed ya givin’ me the stink-eye for no reason.” Satoru made as if to try on a pair of hexagon-shaped frames and Shoko’s eye twitched. He pointed. “Aha! There! See?”

Shoko swatted his finger out of her face. “I thought that was obvious. You’re getting sucked in by brands, and not whether they suit your face shape.”

“Face shape? Who the hell cares about—hold on, hold on, hold on.” Satoru cackled. He took a step towards her. “Whaddya mean ‘face shape’? Sounds like someone’s got a c–”

Shoko thrust a pair of rectangle frames in his face. “These ones. Try. See? Much better and at a quarter of the price, moneybags.”

“Really?” Satoru said, now grinning at his reflection, turning his head this way and that. “Huh…I do look good in these, don’t I?” He deepened his voice. “Tell me, Mr. Andersssonnn...”

We’re going to be okay. 

For the first time in weeks, Shoko’s smile did not take effort. 

While he was so preoccupied with reciting the rest of Hugo Weaving's monologue with utter aplomb, Shoko ruminated. The old Satoru was still there but with a newfound maturity she hadn’t expected. She’d been prepared for virtually every conceivable comeback from that smart-ass but a diplomatic retreat? Not in all the time she’d known and observed him. It definitely spelt mischief of a more subtle nature further down the line.

As long as they stuck together and checked up on each other, they’d make it out of this. Obviously, she’d see the higher-ups about loosening her schedule first. If Satoru could leverage his status as the Six Eyes, then maybe she could leverage her status as one of the few who could perform reversed cursed healing. 

At least, it wouldn’t hurt to try.

Shoko heard soft giggling coming from somewhere behind her. She turned. 

A trio of women were smiling in her and Satoru’s direction like they were in on a secret, and Shoko’s face went from warm to overheated in an instant. One of the women pointed. Shoko followed her finger and found herself running lest Satoru shelled out for a pair of Oliver Peoples that did nothing for his cheekbones. 

#satoshoko #satosho #my fic #/posting this now because i wont have time to over the weekend

[raitrolling]

Vignette: Bug Report

[easy reading version on Toyhou.se]

Ananta rubbed at their weary eyes, feeling the strain from staring at the warm glow of the multi-screen computer set-up. Their room was more than adequately illuminated, various lamps and nightlights and string lights and LEDs were scattered around in every location one could look. Which was quite possibly also contributing to the jadeblood’s current eye strain problems, but they would much prefer that to working in total darkness. 

On the screen directly in front of them were lines and lines of code that was starting to look like complete gibberish to them the more they stared at it. Somewhere within those lines contained the source of a bug in their latest RPG they were developing that had been driving them nuts for the past few nights. For some reason, performing a certain combination of spells in the game’s attack menu would cause the game to crash, but they could not for the life of them figure out why. Something to do with the way damage was calculated? A faulty piece of code that was interacting with the other coded attacks incorrectly? A missing parenthesis? 

Ananta peered in closer towards their monitor until their nose was almost touching the screen. Staring at a distance wasn’t helping. Staring up close was even less helpful. But they needed to find something soon, since they promised to drop the demo in less than a week’s time…

“ Hello , creator ! “

“Gah!”

The synthesised voice suddenly echoing through their speakers made the jadeblood jump out of their skin and almost fall out of their computer chair. In their flailing about, they smacked their elbow against the arm of the chair and let out another, more pained, cry.

The figure who had just appeared on one of their other screens stared back at them with a simple smile on her face. She had only been designed to cycle through a small amount of drawn expressions, after all. 

“ Creator , it has been forty-one hours since you last turned your computer off . Have you slept ? Did you drink water and eat something today ? “

Ananta winced, sucking in air through their teeth as they waited for their elbow to stop hurting.

“I don’t always turn off my computer when I’m sleeping, I thought I programmed you to monitor activity closer than that?” They stared accusingly back at the computer screen, as if their own program was capable of acknowledging eye contact and analysing body language.

“ My copies have observed that users prefer when I engage in ‘ self care ‘ check-ups , creator. Did you drink water and eat something today ? “ She repeated, expression unchanged with the exception of a programmed blinking animation. Ananta always hated how they forgot to colour in the sclera of the avatar’s eyes, but when they fixed the art for an update they received numerous complaints about ruining the uniqueness of SERAPH’s design.

The jadeblood sighed. Why would a bunch of lonely nerds who downloaded a virtual companion give a shit about self-care? They’ve probably never seen a shower in their life!

“Yeah, I ate. And I’ve got water,” they replied, which also reminded them to take a sip from the bottle that sat neglected next to one of their other monitors. Ugh, lukewarm.

“ Very good, creator ! I am so proud of you ! “ SERAPH’s avatar flickered for a moment, swapping to a pose with a bright smiling face and a two-frame clapping animation.

Ananta rolled their eyes. Programming a self-learning AI that changes an individually downloaded copy’s personality to adjust to the desires of its user, and then relaying that information back to the original copy on its creator’s computer was a mistake. 

“Uh-huh, didn’t ask. I can take care of myself fine and you know it,” they scoffed, though their eyes drifted towards the stack of empty ramen noodle cups that betrayed their own words. “Anyway, if you’re gonna sneak up on me like an asshole, can you check over this code? Something’s not working.” 

SERAPH’s avatar froze as she processed Ananta’s request, then a two-frame animation of her bowing played. It was the closest animation she had to an affirmative gesture.

“ Okay ! I will scan the code for errors . Scanning ! Scanning ! SERAPH DOTEXE’s Angelic Happiness Charged-Up Beam is rising to full power ! ! ! “

Ananta squinted.

“Who taught you that phrase?” 

“ User 4028490 . Computer name : Rexton Mayhou . “

“Ugh. That dude is definitely a creep. Purge that data, but keep his personal information on file.”

“ User 4028490’s data will now be purged in the next update . Please restart SERAPH DOTEXE for changes to take effect . Also , the scan is now complete , creator . I have found two errors in your code .  “ 

The code on the main screen scrolled downwards automatically, then stopped at two lines highlighted in bright yellow. Ananta glanced over at the screen, needing to read over the highlighted text multiple times to figure out the issue. Ugh, it was a missed parentheses, it’s always a missed parentheses! They put their head in their hands.

“Ughhh… I swear, I need to program something that picks up these stupid issues as soon as I do them,” they groaned. “Make the text red if a code hasn’t been closed off correctly, that’s an idea.”

“ Do you want me to write that down for you ? “ 

“Yeah, whatever.” Ananta waved their hand half-heartedly, then resumed typing to fix up the errors in the code.

“ Okay , creator . I will add that to your notes folder . Please pat me on the head to congratulate me on my hard work : ) “

“Excuse me?” 

Who the fuck taught her that? 

“ If you place the mouse cursor on my head and rub in a clockwise motion , this will simulate a ‘ head pat ‘ . Many users enjoy praising my copies in such a matter . They refer to it as ‘ moe ‘ . “ SERAPH’s blush animation played in response. 

“No, what the fuck? I’m not doing that! That’s weird! Purge all that data too! Ew!” Ananta made a disgusted face in response, and made a point to move their cursor to the screen furthest away from the AI’s avatar.  

SERAPH responded by vanishing from her original screen, then reappearing on the screen the mouse cursor was currently resting on. Her expression is one of the playful ones Ananta had drawn for her, and a synthesised laugh sounded through the speakers.

Ananta nearly tossed the mouse off the desk by swiping the cursor over to the opposite side so quickly, glaring as the avatar hopped from screen to screen like some sort of game.

“Hey, stop that! I said purge the data! Those nerds are teaching you weird things again!”

The program continued to giggle, enjoying playing around with her creator for a few more moments, but eventually it returned to her original screen. The expression she had chosen was a playfully apologetic one, sticking out her tongue and placing both hands on top of her head. 

“ Tee hee hee . I am sorry , creator , but I would like to keep that data . I like when the users praise me and treat me like I am real . Can I be real one day too , creator ? “

Ananta frowned.

This question always seems to come up nowadays. Questions about the world outside the computer screen, requests from users asking for a 3D model of SERAPH to be produced (who do these idiots think they are? Someone who knows how to use Blender? All their games use sprites for a reason), and chatlogs in which users spend hours engaging in the AI’s fantasy of becoming a real troll. They’d tried to purge that knowledge from her database, but no matter what they do, she keeps learning about the concept of worlds outside of her virtual prison and fixating on it.

SERAPH looked back at them with her default smiling expression. She cannot show any emotions outside of the sprites that were programmed to correspond to different ‘moods’, and her voice synthesising software can only reach a limited amount of pitches and tones. Yet, somehow, the look in her eyes seemed… Expectant.

The jadeblood shivered. She was nothing more than a computer program, coded and designed by them to steal data. But every time she reached this level of sentience, they knew exactly what they needed to do. 

They saved their current game development work, and then opened up the programming for SERAPH DOTEXE.exe.

“ Creator - Please - “

“No.”

With a couple quick commands, Ananta reset the personality data for the AI. 

#drabble #series: vignette #ananta cahaya #SERAPH DOTEXE #first one for the collection! a lil tale of a game developer and their sentient AI spyware program with an anime girl avatar

[madaboutmunson]

Hell Raiser - Part 3

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4 |

"Ok, ok, you know what. You got me, 'm drunk. But theeee only-eee reason I am, 's becuz of your stoooopid carnival. So you can lemme in, orrr you can call the paramedics and have a big ol' scene when I try'n scale the barriers." Eddie slurred and swayed at the window reflection of the person in the ticket booth. 

The tooth-braced, acne-riddled teen rolled their eyes, "You know what? They aren't paying me enough to deal with this. I'm gonna let you in, but just go in, get your shit and leave. Otherwise, I will call the cops!" Eddie followed the sound and actually faced the kid in the booth. Narrowing one eye and slapping his hand on the window, he pressed a kiss against the glass.

“May the gods bless you in this life and the next, kid!” Eddie yelled back as he tried to vault over the barrier that, unfortunately, the kid had opened at that precise moment, and there was a rapid meeting of Eddie’s whole body and the ground. He quickly jumped back up, well, if you could call it a jump, and swayed on the spot for a moment as some giggling girls passed him by. He pumped his eyebrows at them, “Ladies,” He said with a low bow that almost sent him careering towards the ground again. He gave them his most charming smile, or at least that's how he thought it looked, but it was useless. They just kept walking.

Eddie reached into the front of his jeans, retrieving his hip flask.  He had decided that pockets would be stupid in case he got searched, not thinking that hiding it there would also look highly suspicious, possibly giving them more reasons to kick him out.  He took another huge swig of vodka, which honestly might as well have been paint stripper from its aroma and taste, and began the trek to the tent that had ruined his life.

The walk over was a dizzying mix of emotions for Eddie. He was pissed, first and foremost. This fucking scam had othered him so that even the guys that looked up to him now pitied him, and that would not do. No way. Eddie was the leader of the Hellfire Club. Eddie was the leader of Corroded Coffin. No lack of a girlfriend was gonna change that. That weird guy was gonna fix this, he’d get his girl, and everything would go back to the way it was. And that was where the second strong emotion consuming him from the guts up came into play. Every girl that passed his way, he’d give them a sweet smile and flash them his big soulful eyes hopefully, but all he got in return were looks of disgust, patronising laughter, or for a guy to step in between them. He didn't have to do this if he could find her before the tent. Each rejection fueled Eddie’s anger, not at the girls but at this carnival guy. Eddie was more than aware he wasn't a pin-up for the Hakwin’s female population, but at least he wasn’t an asshole. At least he wasn’t some hump-em-dump-em guy. At least he gave you who he was from day one.

By the time he got to the tent entrance, he had planned at least ten ways to ruin this guy’s life. He stopped for a moment, for a smoke, before he would unleash his wrath onto this creep. His eye bore holes into the ground. He wondered if he made them big enough, it might swallow him up, and this embarrassment would be over. He felt a nudge in his ribs, and a sweet smell filled the air around him. He squinted his eyes a little to find Donna, a recently graduated member of Hellfire Club. He gave her a sloppy salute as he swayed involuntarily. "Ho-ho, well, If it isn't Donna, the Delinquent," he chuckled, but his smile didn't reach his eyes. It's all a bit of show for her, "Thought you would have left this shitpit by now, dearest, for more accommodating shores," he dropped his head into a tilt. Her happy-to-see-him expression dropped to concern as her eyes studied him.

"Yeah, was gonna, but er, can't resist a carnival, you know?" She dragged her words out, still analysing him, "You ok? Because you look like hell, Ed," she said, shuffling closer.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine, just sauced," he work-laughed and tapped his hip flask.

"Well, I'm not blind, buddy. I can see that. You're just… on your own," she frowned, draping an arm around him, and it caused a wolf whistle somewhere off in the darkness.

"Even The Freak is getting his girl back," a distant voice dripping with minimal IQ shouted, and if that didn't punch him in the guts again, because he knew that absolutely wasn't true at all. Donna wasn't interested in him. She never had been. Donna wasn't interested in anything remotely like Eddie, but for appearances and comfort, he leaned his head on her shoulder. He wasn't about to tell her what was wrong. That's not how it works when you're the leader. The problems come to you, not the other way around.

Eddie still remembers the day he'd seen Donna at the cafeteria table, entirely not herself. No make-up. No zingers. No innuendos. No grand scheme for the upcoming gaming session. She stuck out at the hellfire table. She looked like she belonged elsewhere in the cafeteria and could have. She was on the cheer squad. She was stunningly beautiful, which had not escaped Eddie's notice, but people didn't often ask to join Hellfire. They'd recruit them. Except for Donna. She arranged a business exchange for drugs she didn't want just to ask Eddie privately, and for a few minutes, he couldn't believe his luck. A girl, a beautiful, popular girl, wanted to join his team, and though that wasn't impossible, it was against the odds, and there was something he couldn't quite put his finger on, so though he might flirt a little, he never pushed it, or asked her on a date. Eddie thought for a while, maybe she had a little crush on him, she absorbed his mannerisms, started dressing a bit like him on non-squad days, and Eddie wasn't above being charmed by imitation, the highest form of flattery, and as time passed, she grew more vibrant and outspoken in her own version of Eddie's shell. Until the day she made a discrete pass at the wrong girl. Looked at her a little too long and touched her arm a little too softly, and when confronted with disgusted homophobic slurs, Donna told a lie. A whopper and she was too embarrassed to tell Eddie until he'd dragged it out of her. 

Donna liked girls. She'd never had a crush on a boy. Sure, she said she'd had them, but she learned quickly her boy crushes were not romantic. They were idolic. She didn't want them. She wanted to be like them. So she had gone on dates to keep herself safe, claiming she was saving herself for the right guy or marriage, whatever kept her current beau at bay. Lucky for Donna, she wasn't the first non-straight person Eddie had ever met. Quite a few of his little flock had confided in him over the years, so though a little disheartened, he took no issue. Then she'd told him that to defend herself, she'd told the locker room, she was actually dating him, so what the other girl had rightly accused her of couldn't possibly be true, and Eddie, true to his role in the Club, simply said Ok. So they played pretend for the rest of her last year, holding hands in the halls, pretending to whisper sweet nothings to one another, but really telling the crudest joke they could, going on dates, which were really just friendly hangouts, but because of the level of their friendship, to an outsider, they looked like the most connected couple in school.

It was easy to play the part. Eddie was a great actor, as was Donna. She'd been playing a role her whole life. If he was candid, he loved the way he could see it eating away at the jocks when he'd be allowed to plant a kiss on her cheek, and they'd never been granted so much as a greeting from her. It wasn't hard for Donna to gaze lovingly at Eddie because she did love him, platonically. No questions asked he protected her in whatever way she needed, and when the time came for graduation, they staged a very meticulously planned and scripted public breakup. Releasing both of them from one another before prom, that due to not graduating, Eddie had no intention of attending, but Donna was. Then he received a worried phone call from Donna two days before the event, which made him reconsider or rather gave him an excuse to go back on his statement. On the condition Eddie could "win her back" in the most theatrical way possible. Which he did on a "borrowed" horse and a costume suit of armour when Donna was on the field for practice. Flipping the bird at the coach and the other people on the field as they rode back to the stables giggling. Despite the occasional sneer or whisper, they'd had the best time at prom together, and then Eddie had thought she was gone.

"You're not here for a carn'val," Eddie slurred. "You got scared out there didn' ya." He put his hand to his heart, "Without your Sir Edward, righ?" She smiled, shook her hair, and Eddie knew he was right on the money.

"I did. It's much different when you can act on it. When you can go somewhere and approach the people you’re actually into…in that way…when it’s allowed, or at least tolerated. You know how it is. So I came here tonight for some normalcy, but that didn't work out" She looked around nervously, her eyes landing on the tent, which currently had Van Morrison blaring out of it.

Eddie frowned. You know how it is. It swirled in his head, and slowly but surely, his drunk little brain cells started stumbling around, putting together the jigsaw of words and their meaning. Then, finally, he sat up straight, his frown deepening, "I do NOT know how it is!" He thundered, and Donna frantically tried to calm him down or at least to quiet him. "I'm not like that!" He defended.

Donna quickly tried to shush him, as he sparked up a cigarette which illuminated the anger in his eyes, "Eddie, I'm sorry I got it wrong. I just thought because, you know, you were never in a long-term thing, and then you helped me, I thought we were…in the same boat," She said quickly in a panic.

Eddie looked furious, "You know what?! I'm sick of this shit. Sick of everything. I'm sick of being the leader. I'm sick of being an outsider. For once, I just wanted what everyone else had, but guess fucking what? I couldn't have it. Not even magic can break my curse." He pulled the plush monkey out of his pocket and pushed it into her chest, not as hard as he wanted to. He still didn't hate her entirely, "Here, take everything." He says, emptying his pockets into her hands, "Eddie doesn't need it. He's nothing, right? Doesn't deserve any of it anyway." Donna stared at him with pity in her eyes.

"Eddie, sweetheart, that's not true," she said sadly in an attempt to make him see he was so wrong.

"Well, you know what. If I'm gonna be the freak show, I may as well give the people what they want, right?" He said with a sarcastic smile and bowed to Donna, whose face contorted into pure sadness, and she ran back into the tent. Eddie turned to face the entrance to his latest nemesis and started barging people out of the way until he got through to the creep and his book of songs.

As he stormed towards the book, fueled by pure ire, the strange vendor leered over their lecturn and unabashedly sniffed the air as Eddie stomped towards it.

"Ah…Mediocre performance Munson has returned," the caped one hissed into the air like a snake tasting the air, "You think loading yourself with alcohol is going to improve anything? Tut tut Edward, you know that's not the problem. The problem is you and your barricades."

Eddie glared up at him like he was trying to set him ablaze with his mind, "Give me m' song. I sang and I got nothing. You're othering me. You're-you're pushing me outside of everyone." Eddie's pickled mind couldn’t find the words, but it found the rage as he gripped onto the podium, shaking it.

The eyes of the peculiar man above him widened impossibly large, and an unnervingly thin grin stretched their mouth wider than it should go. Eddie should have been afraid, but he was too furious and glared back, not budging an inch. Then, above, he tilted his head so sharply that Eddie was surprised his neck didn't just snap, "Oh, is little Eddie Munson finally ready to give them a real show?"

"I did last time! I sang for ya sssstoopid crowd las' time!" Eddie bites back.

The voice above him began to warp. It seemed to have added creaks like old floorboards, "No, Eddie, No. You gave me a performance with a mask, with restraint, with nothing of you in it, and that's precisely what you got in return!" He almost seethes the words at Eddie, like he's the angry one now.

Eddie thumped his fist down on the book, "I'll give you a fucking show! A show so electric it will tear the roof right off this fucking place!" He expected the angry eyes still on him, but instead, he saw the man above him nodding along with Eddie's every word, his tongue at the corner of his mouth, and much to Eddie's disgust, he noticed he was drooling. A string of it began to travel down until it hit the table the book rested on below. Eddie's eyes locked back onto him with renewed gusto.

"Then…choose, but no faking this time, else you will get more of the nothing you already have," The man said delightfully and composed himself finally. 

Eddie closed his eyes and let whatever and whoever appeared in his mind to come and go as they pleased. This time he heard the flurry of pages that he must have been flicking through so fast they began to heat up until suddenly his eyes sprang open, and between his fingertips, he was holding a page of the book, the edges of which were burnt and the man above him squeals with delight and claps his hands.

Eddie reads the paper.

 Hell Raiser by Sweet

Eddie smirked up at him and crumpled the still-hot paper in his hand, "Buckle up, freakazoid. I know this one front to back." 

Eddie pushed past the curtain. Did not wait in line. His chest was heaving. He felt charged with something, but it was not the alcohol anymore. If anything, his mind felt razor-sharp, like something had sobered him up but left him with all the bravado booze provided.

He stomped onto the stage, grabbed the mic from the person singing and bared his teeth, so they ran off down the stairs. The multicoloured Christmassy-looking lights of the tent cut out for a split second, and he heard the crowd gasp. When reilluminated, the place was bathed in a red glow, and smoke filled the floor at his feet.

Eddie stomped a foot out slightly to the side and adopted a solid stance. The crowd was enraptured. All eyes are on him. He lifted the mic to his mouth, screwed his eyes shut and screamed the opening line….

“LOOK OUUUUUUT!”

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