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heart-sized · 10 months

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having a moment — r. lupin

★⺌◞. remus lupin x f!reader

plot : soft high school moment with your crush, remus lupin

cw : fluff content, non—hogwarts au, reader wears glasses

a/n : besties, this is inspired by real life events that happened to me omgjdheh

masterlist // moony masterlist

your stomach literally growled as the smell of homemade pasta filled your nose. oh, how you wanted to devour it. but one look at the wall clock and you knew that you had to hurry up. or else you would be late for school.

brushing your twin braids with your fingers and taking your school bag, you galloped towards the school. it had been much easier when you used to take the school bus. but money was tight and it's not like walking to school would do you any harm. yeah, right, except severe leg cramps.

the school wasn't much far and soon you found yourself stepping inside your first class. biology with miss felicity who was the complete antonym of her name. she was anything but lovable. your eyes found remus lupin sitting on the last desk and as usual, your heart skipped a beat. you felt something warm and fuzzy in your stomach.

your desk was just two desks ahead of him and somehow you loved this, knowing that it was the only proximity you could get.

you didn't know how it happened. you had known him since grade fifth and hadn't thought much of him. until sophomore year.

“y/n─” your best friend startled you. “─you are late!”

forcing your eyes back to your best friend, you gave her a guilty smile and slid down next to her. “i'm so sorry, lily. i got up late and could not even eat breakfast today!”

“aw, you poor baby,” lily caressed your hand gently. “by the way, do yo─”

“─why didn't you eat anything?” she was cut off by remus who was staring intently at you two, or more like, you.

in moments like these, you wished that your vocal cords wouldn't betray you, but alas. you loved how his words disturbed the rhythm of your pulse though.

“um, i got up late,” your words were fast and full of shyness and your eyes were not meeting his. something that you hated. maybe that's why remus avoided talking to you. who would ever want to talk to someone as pathetic to you?

you flung your eyes back to him and noted that he was still looking at you. his lips bent into a crooked smile as he pointed towards your best friend. “learn something from lily evans. she never forgets to eat at any cost.”

he was such a person. always playful and nice. something that popular boys weren't supposed to be. at least, not wattpad boys.

lily scowled. “please. i don't eat all the time! and stop cutting me off.”

a deep laughter vibrated from his chest and you sucked a breath. you almost felt jealous of your best friend. why, lily was the one making him laugh. when it should have been you. if you hadn't noticed so closely, you would have thought that he liked her. but that's not the case. their banter was playful, like that of siblings.

“where did you zone out?” you best friend asked as you turned back to your original positions. “that was a huge space out, by the way.”

“nothing much,” the lies rolled off easily. “just wondering about stuff.”

“stuff, hum?” lily had a roguish grin on her face. “sometimes i ponder if this ‘stuff’ is actually a guy.”

your heartbeat skyrocketed and your eyes widened visibly as you stared back at your best friend who was grinning ear to ear. what could you even tell her?

“of course not,” you waved your hand in dismissal, too guilty to stare at her. “lemme study now, okay?”

“okay ...” your best friend drawled in. “but i know what's up.”

“shut up!”

you were never the one to fond over physical labour. you'd rather sleep your day out rather than to engage in hiking or walking or whatever sort of stuff people used to do. walking back to home was not your forte. hell, your school bag felt too heavy and the distance much longer.

your only comfort was that remus would be near too. you two shared the same route till half the distance and usually, you'd walk slowly so you could gaze at him freely from behind.

but not today. there was no sight of him anywhere ahead of you and your mood was bitter, much like the nutritious drink in your hand.

today's so pathetic. you thought until you heard a voice calling out your name. well, it didn't turn pathetic at all.

“y/n─” you saw remus running towards you, his school bag on his back and his hair glistening with sweat. “─are you deaf or what?”

okay, you didn't expect him to say that.

“why?” you set your chin up high, meeting his gaze.

“because you're,” he ran his fingers over his hair. “i've been hollering your name like crazy for the past five minutes and you were walking along unaffected. now i'm confused whether you're actually deaf or i'm being ignored.”

the irony. you could never ever even think of ignoring him.

“i wasn't ignoring you,” you fixed your glasses up. “i was just lost in thought.”

“lost in thought and careless,” he commented as he fixed the strap of your school bag up which was lying low on your arm. you felt your arm burn at the touch of his fingers. “i wonder what goes inside your brain.”

how ironic it'd be if you answered it truly.

“i beg your pardon but not all of us have a genius mind like you.”

remus really had a photogenic memory, even though he claimed that he never studied.

“is that jealousy, i presume?” amusement laced his voice as he started walking along you. you mentally squirmed.

“of course not,” you mustered truthfully. “i don't get jealous over grades.”

“i know,” there was a faint trace of a smile on his face. “you don't care about my grades or the number of hours i study or what textbooks i use.”

“why would i?” you furrowed your eyebrows and then realised how rude you sounded. “i mean, why would i bother in someone's personal business? i'd much rather ask about you.”

crap. did you really blurt that out?

“would you now?”

“i didn't mean it in that way,” you punched your forehead lightly and he grinned at you.

“you silly girl,” he laughed and held your hands on his. “let us walk together”

walking together? was it a date? did remus like you or was it more of a 'i-pity-you-silly-girl' walk.

whatever. you were content with walking together.

“will you come to school tomorrow?” he slowly asked and your lips parted a bit. will it matter to you if i come or not? you almost blurted it out but stopped yourself on time.

“um, yeah, i don't like missing school.” because it's the only time i can see you.

" so do i. "

you looked up at his eyes and he looked back at yours. was this what they called 'having a moment' in wattpad? because if it was, then you very much loved having a moment with remus lupin.

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serenaira · 2 months

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Christina Bacchilega and Marie Alohalani Brown, The Penguin Book of Mermaids • Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Episode 9 • Mircea Eliade, Patterns in Comparative Religion • Hanokage, Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Movie -Rebellion-, Volume 3 • Mabel, Episode 33 • Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion • Nina Auerbach, Woman and the Demon: The Life of a Victorian Myth

#web weaving #comparatives #puella magi madoka magica #madoka magica #sayaka miki #ofc there isn't as much of a divide between christian and non-christian elements in pmmm but that last quote felt too Relevant to ignore #sayaka's connection to the law of cycles is so underexplored (by both the fandom and series itself)...#the little mermaid evaporates into seafoam #while sayaka's existence merges with all the water in the universe #from a drop of rain to waves crashing against a cliff etc #also becoming convinced she's like...an aquatic version of walpurgis to homura #(an elemental force/specter of her past self she can't get rid of despite her best efforts)#(some kind of frankenstein's monster inadvertently powered by the karma built up from nonstop time looping etc)#🕯️: madoka magica #🥀: sayaka miki #📂#📝#🪞

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radiohead-spiderman · 4 months

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hihi! i found your blog a few days ago and to sum it up I FEEL SEEN. i joined the marauders fandom a little while ago and read the powerpoints, other peoples takes on the characters, seen videos, and posts, and am currently reading atyd but, some of the things i’ve seen kinda just irked me?

and then i found your blog and all of a sudden i kid you not a beam of light enveloped the room, LMFAO I FELT SO HEARD AND SEEN and your posts are so well written and outspoken -something i could have never even try to do. i’ve seen people literally be eaten alive in comments if someone disagrees with a certain popular opinion or ship and that was insane to me like, ISNT THIS FANDOM MAJORITY MADE UP??

anyways thank you for being the beacon of hope <3

(also the one thing that really struck me wrong was the obsession of mlm in the fandom? like they’ll pump out mlm ships and characters i’ve never heard of WAYYY before they remember the women in the fandom. like?? i wanna see more dorlene stuff and a canon complaint lily fic from her perspective! women are so complicated and beautiful i just wanna see some representation and justice for them. for a fandom that preaches representation they really do forget all the women they’ve created. they all make them seem like they’re getting in the way of the mlm ships. for example, marlene being sirius, “crazy” ex, lily getting in the way of jegulas “a bitch”, mary never having a personality other than being pretty -LIKE??? anyways id love to hear your thoughts on this)

A BEACON OF HOPE??? Sobbing and sliding down the wall

ANON this is the sweetest thing I’ve ever been told oh my god, I’m crying that is so sweet, ahrhfbfb, this is genuinely so sweet anon <3

As for the obsession with mlm thing, I feel like every fandom has their fair share of that, usually it’s just fetishization but honestly, while I could be wrong I do feel with the marauders fandom it’s only partly that(there is definitely fetishization though don’t get me wrong)a part of it I think stems from misogyny/internalized misogyny, but I think a lot of it is a part of this fandom’s inability to write certain things, that being non one dimensional women, and sure sometimes you come across a gorgeously written post, but for the most part, the women, even if they’re not written as cartoon villains, never have that much depth, like Lily for example, she could be a main character aside Regulus in something, but she’d never as developed as Regulus, her flaws are easy to fix/easy to understand(and that’s IF she has any). I feel like a part of the fandom thinks that putting Lily in a different relationship and calling it a day with no expansion on her character besides “hot BAMF queen”, is somehow different that making her a cartoon villain, when they’re both basically the same.

I think it heavily stems from misogyny and just not being able to write women with flaws, (of course it’s not just a problem with the lack of flaws in women but I won’t get into that right now lol)

Hopefully this was well worded I’m sleepy :D

#also to add it does definitely stem from fetishization as well #the few gems in this fandom are just MWAH though #also thank you anon I cried reading that #edit tag: I think the inability to write non one dimensional women also falls into the issue of labeling the women as just parts of the men #like Marlene being the girl version of Sirius for example #a part of this fandom has a problem with writing women as an extension of the men

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themoonking · 4 months

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where did fandom get the idea that tim drake's parents were leaving him 100% alone in a mansion with no food no adults no et cetera when they went out of the country? unless my memory is wrong, or there's some alternate version of his origin that i can't find on any fanwiki (and please correct me if there is), he was left in a boarding school. and while there's a point to be made about the negative effects boarding schools can have on children's mental health, boarding school is still viewed as perfectly normal, especially for upper class families like the drakes. so where did "the drakes were criminally neglectful and never cared about tim" come from and how did it become such a widespread idea?

#not that i care i could not give less of a shit about any non-dcau tim #but it's just kinda strange to me? like again am i missing something i don't read a lot featuring tim as a major character #was it one version of his origin that the entire batfam fandom seemingly adopted as THE origin story?#was it one person's au that inspired another person to make a similar au until it ballooned into a widespread fanon #that people believe to be canon because they don't ever interact with the source material anymore only fan content?#secret third option?#i speak #dc comics #tim drake

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evenlyevi · 8 months

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Take your time.

#plants #illustration #nature #foliage #digital art #purple #ourple #purple version!!#image description in alt #original #non fandom tag

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apollos-boyfriend · 3 months

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first of all theres no need to be angry??? i was genuinely asking because i didnt (and still dont) understand your anger. i actually really love ur blog and this is all coming from confusion, not aggression i promise. i have a couple things i wanted to add and a few GENUINE! NOT RETHORICAL questions :

me sending you that ask was not about trying to tell you that your experience with being aromantic and autistic at the same time are not intertwined - im just confused cause

1. ur posts were formulated as absolutes - so this could be (without the subtext that we know this is about yourself) about anyone

"something they don’t tell you about being autistic is that every character you write WILL end up autistic/autistic-coded whether you like it or not" -- "same goes for being aromantic/asexual. every character WILL come out at least a little aspec"

theres a difference between a "no one told me this but every character *i* write ends up etc" and "they don't tell *you* that every character *you* will write etc",

2. when people reblog the post about autism theyre not talking about user @apollos-boyfriend writing autistic-coded characters theyre talking about themselves. they could make the post themselves, YES, but usually

they want to show that they relate to apollos-boyfriend

or they think theres no point in repeating something that was already well said

or they give you credit for pointing something they didnt think of before.

you reblog a post to put it on YOUR own blog after all, its all about adding to your own collage. if i could just repeat everything i agreed with and post it on my acc, theres no point in ever reblogging anything. its all about interaction, relatability and credit when its due

now, here are a couple questions i have :

if other people arent aro AND autistic at the same time or if their experience doesnt overlap like yours, i honestly dont see the problem about reblogging a post and not the other. is it because you wish your aro-ace experience got as much visibility? because the acespec is underrepresented?

why not just make a post about both if you don't want people to separate this? or edit the og to add the aroace angle?

it is 5:30 am sorry my guy but i’m not having a philosophical debate/discussion with a stranger on the internet rn

#muse talk #anon #i am not angry i am tired. hope this helps 👍#in all senses of the word #from your last blurb i’ll just say i do not make non-fandom posts for anyone else #i did not edit because there could have been versions with the original #and it is easier to add on than deal with that #i reblog posts with additions i don’t relate to/experience all the time. who give a fuck

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moosethren · 1 month

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A new Beginning

This is my Nioh/Rise of the Ronin crossover fanfic, about my Hide and his time in Rise of the Ronin.

In my AU, the Sohaya continued to thrive and became guardians of the Spirit Stones, in order to keep them safe. I'd really recommend giving Hide's page on my character carrd a read, as it contains info about him and a summarized timeline. Since I will not go into details about that in the story itself.

***

Hide awoke from his sleep in a manner that would have terrified everyone around him. Rasping for breath, he sat up instantly, clutching at the shirt over his chest. His heart pounded wildly, but was quick to slow down once he realised it was just a nightmare. One of the usual ones, where he was stabbed in the chest by Tokichiro. Even centuries later that one still came around to haunt him. The utter look of hatred in his old friend’s eyes.

It wasn’t how he wanted to remember him. And most of the time, it wasn’t. He still fondly recalled everything good Tokichiro had brought in his life. A sense of purpose after 25 years of being alone, ever since his mother’s death at Kashin Koji’s hands. A powerful friendship and someone who helped Hide to be able to speak at all again; something he had struggled with ever since childhood. Though, he still found it highly uncomfortable and nearly impossible to talk to strangers still.

Leaning forward enough to rest his wrist on his bent knee, he used his free hand to run it through his short, coarse hair. Then he pressed his index finger and thumb against his temples. A loud sigh escaped him.

Mornings like this were just awful. Because his mind always spiralled about his past. The grief. How much things had changed. How much he was losing of those he used to know. Tokichiro’s voice still carried strongest. He still saw his mother’s face in his dreams. Everyone else was starting to fade with time.

Mumyo still remained, or Minami as was her actual name, though she was still known as Mumyo to everyone within the Sohaya clan. She was still trying to guide the clan along the right path, despite the numerous times the Shogunate had tried to take them out. In ignorant fear. All the clan ever did was keep artefacts and Spirit Stones safe… far away from the hands of those who would misuse them.

Hide knew she was nearing the end of her life though. Ever since 1810 she had decided to no longer extend her life, settling down with her husband and later giving birth to Reyse, a promising member in the Sohaya. Sooner or later, she’d join the faces he’d start to forget as well.

And Tenshin… the other shiftling he’d found around two decades ago. Now he’d become like a little brother to him and then he’d lost him just like that back on the Black Ships. It was only through Tenshin’s Guardian Spirit that Hide knew he was still alive at all… and why Hide had sought to try and find him. He owed him that much.

Suddenly he wished William was back in Japan. He could have needed his help now and he’d be a familiar face in Yokohama. But the man was busy travelling the world. Something he had done since he’d faked his death centuries ago, in order to protect his family. After all, someone would notice eventually that the man just didn’t age… and it brought uncomfortable questions from dangerous people.

Hide’s hands had travelled up to nearly tug at his hair by now, trying to focus back to reality. To the current time. Dwelling that deeply wasn’t good. For a shiftling like him, negative emotions were a danger… and too much of it could very well turn him into an aratama.

A knock on the door made him look up abruptly. That pulled apart the clouds in his mind easily enough. Standing up, he wrapped the blue yukata he had slept in closer against him, before moving over to open the door. He wasn’t too surprised to see Ryoma standing outside. Chipper as ever and fully ready for the morning, it seemed.

“Hello!” Ryoma started before looking over the man quickly. “Oh, uh… rough night?” Hide’s skin was coated in sweat and his hair looked like a mess despite his previous attempt at correcting it. What stuck out the most was his eyes though. Ryoma was so accustomed to the man’s choice of black eyeliner and eyeshadow, that he could immediately tell when it was off. It was still there but less of it and it somehow looked more natural. As if it was just part of the skin around his eyes.

Hide noticed where Ryoma’s eyes travelled and turned quickly enough, to allow the man to step inside instead. People finding him like this, before he could get a chance to tidy himself up was a small nuisance normally. It was when they started to notice that his eyes just were dark like that and his hair had an unnatural texture to it, that the shiftling grew nervous.

Those were all signs of his half demon side, physical features he couldn’t do much about beyond hide with properly applied makeup. And he was one of the lucky ones. Tenshin’s grey skin and red eyes had attracted a lot more attention than Hide’s blue eyes or his eye markings. Not to say the few slivers of teal in his hair.

“Katsura wanted me to fetch you,” Ryoma explained once he paused inside the longhouse, looking around with an interested expression. “Seems he’s got big plans for tonight. So, I figured I’d get you a nice breakfast before he drags you into one of his schemes.”

Hide, who had been milling about with his belongings, stopped long enough to roll his eyes. Using the hairwax he kept in a locked box, Hide dragged it through his hair, in order to straighten it out into the mohawk he usually had. Digging into the bag again, he pulled out another box and applied the eyeshadow and eyeliner with practised movements. He’d been doing this every morning for centuries by now. The man didn’t even need a mirror anymore.

Ryoma had been politely quiet the whole time, patiently waiting for Hide to get ready. Watching with some fascination at how quickly and easily the other man went about his routines. Something else caught his attention though, and he was unable to comment this time.

“Huh, I thought you painted the blue streaks into your hair but… they’re just there, aren’t they?” Before Hide could react, Ryoma had stepped up to him to inspect his hair closer, tilting his head to the side to see better. Ryoma’s inane curiosity was entertaining… when it wasn’t aimed at Hide himself. Plus, the man had an attention to detail most humans didn’t.

“Just like your eyes before,” the ronin continued before Hide looked at the very short distance between them. Putting his finger on Ryoma’s chest, he slowly pushed him away from him, his expression a tad uncomfortable. Ryoma let out an awkward laugh suddenly, lifting his hands, palms out.

“Apologies. Curious mind, you know,” he explained, crossing his arms over his chest instead. As if to contain his curiosity that way. Hide was an enigma he really wanted to know more about but the man was very secretive. Which just made things worse for the shiftling, because that just made Ryoma even more curious.

Hide’s unnaturally blue eyes had been intriguing enough the first time he had seen him, but the hair and the dark markings around his eyes? Oh, how his mind chewed at the reasons.

Ryoma wasn’t ever going to push the man for answers though. Even after four months of knowing him. And it was just the last two weeks that Hide had started to speak back at all. Childhood trouble, as he had explained the first time he had uttered a word and Ryoma had… unfortunately been very shocked but happy about it.

As well as becoming even more curious, because of course Hide hadn’t expanded on that little tidbit.

“It looks very nice,” Ryoma continued, trying to save face now after having made Hide uncomfortable. Hide’s eyebrow shot up, in a doubtful manner. There was no need for Ryoma to be socially polite around him.

“No need to lie,” the shiftling shook his head, a little bemused. “I know I look strange.” He cleared his throat, realising how hoarse his voice was after the night’s poor rest.

“Now that right there is a serious accusation,” Ryoma waggled a finger at him, his voice rising in pitch a little as it always did when he sounded indigent. Faking it or not. “I won’t stand for such hearsay. Now I simply must buy you breakfast, so you won’t go around telling others that.”

Hide had moved away by now, reaching for his clothes. He gave Ryoma a soft look over his shoulder, his usual indication that everything was fine and he should just relax.

“It does look nice,” Ryoma insisted, his voice a little calmer now. “Even so, I’ll stick to just keeping my clothes in order I think. And hair. Got enough trouble keeping that tame.” He gave a wry smile. “All of it.”

Hide didn’t know how to read the last comment. But he could see why Ryoma’s hair would prove troublesome for him. It currently looked like it wished to escape the hair tie it was trapped in.

Ryoma started to talk about an encounter he had on the street on the way to the longhouse, as he gazed out over the garden while Hide got dressed. At some point Ryoma glanced over his shoulder as he talked, just in time to spot the koi fish tattoo on Hide’s left arm. He’d never seen that before either, he realised. Well, obviously, the man had never taken off his shirt around him.

The man carried more secrets than a dozen men would, it seemed and it intrigued him more than he cared to admit. As if knowing he was being watched, Hide slowly turned his head to look back at Ryoma who quickly fixed his gaze back out in the garden. Hide shook his head, finishing up with putting on the clothes.

“What’s with the tattoo?” the ronin asked, unable to really be quiet for too long. The fact he had a tattoo at all was curious. Hide didn’t exactly look like a hardened criminal, which were the usual subjects.

“Rough childhood,” the shiftling finally shrugged, looking rather unperturbed. The tattoo was his own choice, so the questions regarding that didn’t bother him. Only those referring to things that hadn’t been his choice. Ryoma groaned quietly, smacking himself in the forehead, even as Hide approached him, resting his hand on the hilts of his dual katanas.

“Today isn’t one of my finest moments, huh?” Ryoma sheepishly asked him now.

“You’ll live,” Hide smiled easily, before gesturing with his hand towards the door.

Ryoma did keep true to his promise and bought Hide a proper breakfast at a nearby tavern. Here Hide was told everything Ryoma had been up to in the last week since they’d last seen each other. He didn’t have a great need to talk much himself, listening to others was by far more enjoyable.

It was Ryoma’s turn to surprise him though, when they left the tavern again. The ronin had pocketed some bread from the breakfast and Hide watched his pocket for a few moments afterwards. Searching for the man’s gaze, he furrowed his brow slightly, before pointing to his pocket.

“Oh, that.” Ryoma smiled broadly, as he patted the pocket once. “You’ll see. We’re taking a little detour on the way to Katsura’s.” Hide’s frown grew even more puzzled.

“If you can have secrets, I can have small, short secrets,” Ryoma pointed out, quickening his walk through the streets. Clouds hung over the city, darkening the grey streets.

He brought Hide to a quiet spot by the ocean, in Yokohama’s outskirts. More trees grew here, as the city hadn’t quite taken over this corner yet. Something else seemed to roam here in numbers too. Crows. They gathered around them, seemingly recognising Ryoma. They kept a wary eye on Hide however, delivering a few sharp caws his way.

They sat down on a bench there, overlooking the ocean… and the black ships docked in the harbour. Hide’s frown grew deeper at the sight of them, lost in the bad memory of losing Tenshin on one of them.

“Ah, don’t tell anyone but I quite like crows,” Ryoma chuckled suddenly, almost startling Hide out of his dark thoughts. He was tossing pieces of bread to the birds, who seemed to enjoy the attention. Even if they occasionally bickered with each other about the food.

“I know, messengers of death and all that but they’re more than that, I think. There’s a keen intelligence behind those eyes.” Ryoma pointed to his eyes while smiling broadly, before tossing out more bread. “I’ve watched them a lot. They bicker just like we do. And they take care of their injured ones. Just like we do.”

Hide’s eyes were wide with intrigue as he watched and listened to Ryoma gush about the birds. Something stirred in his chest, a painful reminder of what once was. Ryoma wasn’t the first man he had encountered with a fondness or even connection to crows in particular.

The Shiftling felt a physical weight on his shoulder suddenly, turning his head slightly. One of his Guardian Spirits, Yatagarasu, was perched there, as it often did when his thoughts strayed to Shigehide.

It had been such a long time since his death. 100 years, give or take. Hide’s memories of him had grown dimmer over the years, as time had a habit of doing. The sound of his voice was a mere echo now. His scent almost lost to him. His face… only the occasional dream provided a clear picture now.

Hide withdrew into himself, while Ryoma kept talking about the crows. That awful, heavy feeling had returned to his chest. Not even Yatagarasu pressing his head against Hide’s cheek seemed to help. There was a hollow space in his chest. A space that the demon within him would be more than happy to fill. To let all that sorrow out and lose himself to it. Something Hide could never allow.

That’s why he had entered a strange hibernation for almost a century after Shigehide’s death. As if his body knew and wanted to protect him from falling to corruption. He wasn’t sure if it had actually made the grief easier or not. Now, almost fifty years after waking up again to a new century, he was starting to live with it much easier than before. Or as easily as he ever would.

“Hey, are you alright?” Ryoma’s voice actually made him jump this time. His hands were almost white from having pressed them so hard together. Looking down at them, he carefully stretched them. He wasn't worried about Ryoma spotting the Spirit on his shoulder. Unless he knew what to look for, he’d never find it. Most people alive in this day and age, didn’t. Not since the Yokai invasions had faded and the spirits had calmed down enough that they were mere whispered stories now.

But the Guardian Spirit moved suddenly. With an elegant swoop, it landed on Ryoma’s other side on the bench. Looking at the crows, it then jumped up on his shoulder instead. Tilting its head towards Hide as it perched comfortably. For a moment, it looked like it belonged on Ryoma’s shoulder. As if it wanted to be there.

Hide’s expression relaxed in a strange understanding. He squinted slightly suddenly, as the sun made its way through the clouds, dispelling them. When he looked back towards the Guardian Spirit, it had disappeared.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Ryoma continued, lifting his hands to wave it in front of Hide’s face. Hide let out a quiet grunt, quickly looking back out towards the ocean, which was now glittering in the sun.

“You reminded me of someone I lost a long time ago,” he quietly said, looking down between them instead. “He too liked crows.” Ryoma leaned back a little, lifting his eyebrows.

“Ah, a man of taste then,” he gave a nod, scratching his own beard as he looked back at the crows. Still, the forlorn look on Hide’s face gave him some thought. “A friend of mine used to have a tame crow, you know. Clever little bastard. Mischievous too. Caused a lot of ruckus for my friend. But…” he paused, giving Hide an earnest look, as he shuffled over enough to put his arm over his shoulders and gently jostled him. “Whenever my friend was sad, the crow was the first to be there by his side.”

Hide let out a bemused snort through his nose, before shaking his head.

“Caw caw,” Ryoma continued then, laughing as Hide shoved him away but it was too late. There was a smile on Hide’s face and that’s all Ryoma needed.

“Ah, see!” Ryoma lightly punched his shoulder. “Come on. Let’s see what Katsura’s up to, shall we?Ryoma was quick on his feet, which did scare away the crows. They landed on the nearby roof with indignant caws. When Hide didn’t immediately move, Ryoma grabbed his wrist and pulled him along, as he set them both into a walk. And the ronin set to talking again, much to Hide’s amusement.

#I'm posting the first chapter here but I'll probably just put links on tumblr to the Ao3 version after that #rise of the ronin #nioh #ryoma sakamoto x oc #plus i know the fandoms are near non existent on tumblr so D:#i'm just uploading it at all in case someone else finds it interesting

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