But Here It Is ! - Tumblr Posts

BOXED LIKE A FISH!!

My brother wanted to play a half-elf theif in d&d, and he decided on the ranger class, so... I drew it for him on a whim.

*spidey's view*

Spidey- hi *waves strangely*

@sansfanlover here Domino

I was probably 13 and I know think it started off with Justin Bieber and just went from there 😅 It was back when people wrote fanfic on youtube.

so.

i guess fanfiction wasn’t a phase….

🪐 — spotify wrapped memes : @immobiliter ( silver ) for izzy # 47 ▶ don't let him go by reo speedwagon

THE UNBROKEN HORIZON is an unwelcome sight, izzy's frown deepening as he scans for any sign of approach & finds none. ❝ how can we wait anymore ? ❞ he questions. despite the renewed sense of purpose he had found upon joining the fight against the crown, patience was not a virtue he'd been blessed with. & silver seemed to hold confidence their leader, near as he could tell. but in truth, izzy still wasn't certain what to make of the legendary captain flint & his ever-shifting plans to stoke the war. the uncertainty of it had left him feeling restless, mistrustful. ❝ i'm still wondering what it is we're even waiting for. ❞

Diasomnia Mafia

Malleus is the heir of one of the most feared mafias in the city. Diasomnia is not hidden in anyway. Everyone knows about it and everyone knows who they are. The reason they have never been taken down by justice is the simple fact that they are untouchable. What people see is that they are heartless criminals who think of nothing more but pain and blood. What they don’t see, however, is that they are a lot more than that. They control everything. With their money, they were able to fund many of the Al Asims charities and they even managed to put the Kingscholars in the city hall. Everything that goes down in the city is either carefully planned to their advantage or carefully monitored to make sure it won’t become a problem. One of such problems was a recent war with a very powerful gang. Not as powerful as them, but, unfortunately, they were able to cause irreparable damage, such as the death of Malleus’ parents. This event left a very young boy, so young he couldn’t even remember the sound of their voices or the look of their faces, at the head of the most feared family. Because of this, Maleficia, who had stepped down from this role years ago to let her daughter reign, came back in control until Malleus was old enough to take over. This also caused the issue that she couldn’t care for him, since she was constantly busy with work. In order to not leave him unattended, Lilia, who had been declared a traitor, was called back to play babysitter. And so, because of the tragedy that left him an orphan, Malleus grew to despise every other gang and family. He didn’t trust anyone other than himself and his own family. Trust was what made his parents lower their guard and leave a problem unattended. A problem which, ultimately, cost them their lives. He was decided he wouldn’t make the same mistake. He would be better. He would be the Lord everyone used to fear. It had been too long since the city had known the meaning of the Malevolence.

Lilia was Maleanor and Raverne’s closest friend. They were his whole world. When the tragedy happened, they were all attacked by surprise and he would have lost his life for them. But there was one small issue. Malleus was present. Maleanor begged Lilia to just take her son and go and, obeying what was both his leader and one of his other-halves, he took the boy and ran. To this day, he still wakes up in cold sweat, remembering the gunshots and the screams of a terrified child who was too young to understand. When they were found, Lilia wasn’t given time to explain. He was first suspected of having abandoned them in the fight instead of dying by their side, like he had sworn in his oath to the family. However, now that they had found the young missing heir with him, it was all clear. The attack had been planned and he was part of it. His job was to kidnap Malleus and hold him hostage until further notice from the gang. This, of course, was false. But with no other proof than his own words, Lilia could do nothing more than to accept his fate. The only reason he lived was because Maleficia couldn’t bring herself to kill him. He had been too important to her daughter to do this. Instead, he was exiled from the city, never to return again, and, if he did, it would be on sight. And so, he left. It wasn’t long, however, before they sent Baul after him. When Lilia woke up one day to find his old instructor and friend in his living room, he thought that they must have changed their minds. He was here to get rid of the dirty, worthless traitor that he was. Needless to say, he was quite surprised when Baul asked him to come back. He explained that his reputation had been cleaned thanks to some anonymous sources and that he was needed to take care of the heir. He couldn’t believe it and, frankly, some things had changed since he had left. He couldn’t go back like everything was normal, but, at the same time, he couldn’t abandon his godson the same way he had his best friends. So he took it upon himself to have a talk with Maleficia. If he was to come back, he could no longer be involved like he used to be. The safety of his own son depended on it. And so, Lilia became the father of what was meant to be mortal enemies.

Silver’s parents died in the war between his family’s gang and the Diasomnia mafia. His parents had been the leaders and, after the Draconia’s assassination, the family stopped at nothing to get their heads. Silver only barely survived the attack. His parents had sent him away, sensing the rising danger on their lives and, even then, the escape had cut it short, with his parents dying barely and hour after his departure. Following his parents directions, he had been left at a random house outside of the city, with no name to himself, not history. Only a ring. Little did the members charged with this mission knew that, the owner of the house was painfully aware of what that ring meant. Still, with a broken heart and all the self-hate of the world, Lilia still decided to take him in has his own. He wasn’t doing this out of the good of his heart however. No, he was doing this has a punishment. Not only would he have to live with the painful memory of his betrayal, but he would also live with the constant reminder of what he had done. Fate really could be some twisted bitch sometimes. Still, Lilia took care of him, gave him all the love of the world. Ultimately, Silver wasn’t responsible of what had happened. He didn’t deserve to be treated horribly because of his parents decisions. And everything was perfect, growing up with his older brother and his father, up until he found the ring. It was nothing malicious. He was just a curious little boy, snooping around and having fun inventing stories for the strange objects he found. The problem was that he went around showing his newest treasure to everyone, including the members of Diasomnia, and, where most had accepted Lilia back as one of their own, some were still convinced that it was a terrible mistake. So when his own son started showing around a ring of the enemy, a ring he had found in his father’s belongings, all hell broke loose. Because of this, Lilia had no other options but to explain where it came from, meaning he had to reveal Silver’s true identity. He had worked so hard to keep him safe and, now, everything was out the window, because the family had a mole in their ranks. Had it not been for Malleus shielding a crying Silver from the guns, he would not have made it out alive. And, still, here he was now, ruling over the most feared family in all of the city, alongside his one and only brother, Malleus Draconia.

Sebek grew up in the family, just like Malleus and Silver. The Zigvolts had always been part of Diasomnia and they were considered trustworthy allies. So, when Baul’s own daughter fell in love with a member of another gang, it had been the end of the world. He had tried everything to make her change her mind, but, if she was anything like her father, it was that she was strong minded. They had many fights about this, how it was a betrayal of the family and she would be killed for that. Even then, she didn’t care. At least, she would die with the man she loved. It was another story for her lover. He wasn’t that suicidal. He loved her, but he still loved living more. So, it was all fun and games until the threats started coming. It didn’t take him a day to cut everything off. Needless to say that she was devastated. First loves can be cruel like that. However, after she was done mourning, it was on sight. Baul proposed to do it for her, but she insisted she be the one to look him in the eyes when he takes his last breath. This is how she met her husband. He was a normal dentist, finishing up his day at the clinic, when he ended up at the wrong place at the wrong time. He witnessed what would become his wife and mother of his children kill her lover. He was convinced that, after seeing this, he would be next, but, fortunately for him, she didn’t do things in halves. When she saw him, it was love at first sight for her. Because of this, instead of being silenced, he was just kidnapped to ensure his silence. It took some time, but, after a few months of being held prisoner, he was allowed to go back to his normal life. On the condition that he would be closely followed of course. Years later, they slowly, but surely, got closer and closer, until Baul caught them kissing in the very same alleyway she had killed her ex. Fast forward some years, Sebek is born. Thanks to Baul and Lilia being so close, he was constantly playing with Silver and Malleus. The three of them were inseparable, which only served to bring even more painful memories to Lilia, who saw Maleanor, Raverne and himself in them. Seeing the way things were playing out, Baul and Lilia could do nothing more, but to wish and hope the story wouldn’t repeat itself.

Them knowing each other as a teens AU. Nothing changes, just it

The Bad Kids but They’re All Paladins Because I Said So

hey what if all the bad kids multiclassed into paladin huh. what if they did that. like. god. i can already imagine all their oaths. like. ahhh!! (read more under the cut it’s so long i’m sorry)

Fabian: Honestly Oath of Glory came to mind first. “My name is Fabian Aramais Seacaster and I am here to be great!” And well! He made friends and is now learning to help and support his teammates into being the greatest crew that’s ever walked in Aguefort’s halls. This is definitely a pre-Leviathan Fabian. Post-Leviathan Fabian is Oath of the Open Seas. “I believe in you, Spring Break!” The need to be known because of surpassing his father is gone. He is finally free to become his own person. There is so much Fabian has suppressed and now his life is open and vast like the ocean. He wants to be known, he wants his friends to be known, to support his friends who have supported him--who have always supported him-- and he will lead the way for the Bad Kids’ names to become legends.

Fig: Oath of the Ancients. It surprised her at first, to be honest. She’s clawed her way to finding herself, the people she loves. For a while she devoted herself to Vengeance. She was angry, at herself, her parents, the world. They wanted a demon? Fine. She’ll become the greatest demon the world had ever seen. She’ll be Daddy’s Little Demon, his right hand, just as soon as she found him. But the more she learns about people, about the world, about herself, she finds herself going back to her Elvish roots. The world is shit, life is hard, but there are some things truly worth living for. She found so much light in the world--through music, through Ayda, through her friends, through Sandra Lynn and Gortholax and Gilear--that she wants to spread it to every corner of Solace. She wants to help other people find their light.

Riz: Oath of the Watchers. Post Sophomore year, for sure. Riz is working not only on the Material Plane but also for the Celestial Plane. He’s here to make sure shit doesn’t get too fucking crazy and (though his father said it softly, like he was afraid Riz would be upset,) make sure that Fig doesn’t start the apocalypse with her new Archdevil status. Riz is hiding in the shadows, diligent and hard-working (too hard, honestly!) to make sure the planes remain balanced. His mom is just grateful that he’s not a warlock (she might have ascended to fight Pok herself if he had started enabling Riz more than he already is). He, on accident (and maybe on purpose) has accidentally abjured Fig to Hell. Riz is never going to be the type to be in the front, like Gorgug or Fabian, but he’s very good at making sure all of his friend’s backs are protected. It’s the least he can do for his friends, who all watch over him, too. Work is love, and no one works harder than Riz Gukgak. 

Adaine: Oath of Vengeance. Please imagine Adaine’s Furious Fist plus Divine Smite. Adaine Abernant is a girl on a mission. She’s going to right the wrongs against her and she’s going to do it with magic and her fists, thank you very much! She has spent so long feeling weak, feeling powerless, and she’s not going to take anything from anyone anymore. No one is going to hurt her or her family. Adaine is the Oracle of the people, and there have been many people wronged in the world. She has the strength of her friends, of her sister, of Jawbone (her dad!!!!) at her disposal. And she will right the wrongs the Elves have done against the world one furious fist at a time. 

Gorgug: Oath of Devotion. This one was a hard one, and I’m not entirely sure it fits, but. Gorgug loves his friends. Loves his family. There is so much quiet, powerful devotion to his friends that it makes my heart hurt. He has the “dumb paladin” going for him, but Gorgug isn’t stupid. He knows so much! He has been touched by so many people in so many ways, and he let’s their influence shine through his actions. He’s so brave. And so, so kind. He pushes his friends to keep going, inspires them with his own quiet strength. Gorgug might be the one to deal the final blow to an enemy, but he’s also the first to extend his hand to help him up. 

Kristen: Oath of Redemption. Another post-Sophomore year. It’s a complicated mess of redeeming Cassandra and her years as the Nightmare King, and her own quest to redeem herself for her previous Helioc actions. It’s learning to express herself and all the parts of her--good and bad. Learning to seek truth, to talk about each issue from every side and find a peaceful middle ground (or reject it entirely, when learning what utter bullshit it is). But taking the time to help others understand what was wrong with their thinking, with their beliefs, kind and open and always, always questioning. Because doubt is perfectly normal! They live in a world full of magic and time fuckery and her vice principle tried to kill her freshman year, so. Doubt is often warranted. But Kristen Applebees will meet all doubt with a warm smile and an open heart, because the road to redemption is never easy, especially in sandals, but the journey is well-worth it. 

[part one] trouble - takuma ino

word count: 7.5k warnings: swearing, canon typical violence (reader gets stabbed) summary: (y/n) only wants one thing- to be a grade one sorcerer- and she knows that forming friendships is the last thing that's going to get her that title. so why does takuma ino insist on trying to get close to her? contents: enemies/rivals to lovers semi-slowburn, gojo!reader

part one: "got so much to lose" ___

Being assigned a mentor that she idolized for a good portion of her life, (y/n) couldn’t have been happier the day she got the news.  She was certain that with her powerful cursed technique and his guidance she could be promoted to a Grade One Sorcerer in no time.

More than anything, all she’d ever wanted in life was to be a strong jujutsu sorcerer.  Being the strongest wasn’t exactly an available position, seeing as her brother had taken the title before she was even born.  Just because they got along well didn’t mean she couldn’t be bitter about it.  Surpassing Satoru may have been impossible.  But she’d give sorcery her everything in order to get as close as possible- until only his infinity kept her from taking the title.

The only thing that could’ve possibly thrown a wrench in her plans would’ve been having to divide Nanami’s attention with another sorcerer.  Which shouldn’t have been a problem.

And then there was Takuma Ino.

Bright eyed, quick witted, smart ass, Takuma Ino.

(y/n) had Nanami’s guidance to herself for one glorious week before he showed up and stole half of his time and attention all for himself.  She didn’t believe there could be a person more selfish than her brother, but Takuma was a close second.  Going to the higher ups himself to ask for Nanami to bestow him the honor of Grade One because of a childish adoration for him made (y/n’s) stomach twist the day he joined them.

She’d never met him before that day, never even knew of him or his cursed technique, but as strong as he allegedly might have been, she knew right off the bat there wasn’t a chance she could get along with him.  Not when he swooped in and stole her mentor.

On the other hand, Takuma Ino couldn’t take a hint.  Days turned into weeks and he had yet to break the ice with her in between assignments and training.  At first he didn’t think much of it, it only made sense for the other half of the Gojo siblings to be a little more closed off than her extroverted older brother.  So when every invitation to after-work drinks or questions about her personal life got brushed off or ignored completely, Ino tried to let it go.  Surely with time they would get closer, right? They were both working under Nanami together, so at some point time had to play a hand in things.

Or so he thought.

Weeks turned into nearly three months, and his positive attitude started to dim with hopelessness.  Even then, he’d made an effort with her.  This time though, rather than try to casually get closer, he addressed his thoughts exactly.

“Gojo, wait up,” 

He caught her one night after finishing up some paperwork later than usual.  The pair had gotten a bit caught up with a Grade One Curse that put them through a few more setbacks than usual, thus an extra lengthy report having to be completed before the end of the day.

To his surprise, she’d whirled around on the front steps of the school as soon as he called for her, completely frozen in place, and staring at his approaching figure with an expression he didn’t know how to read.

“Hey, weird question,” He started with an awkward smile, his hand reaching up to rub at the back of his neck with his nervous energy.  She didn’t say anything, just watched him fumble before her, tracking the nervous movements.  “But did I do something to upset you? We’ve just been working together for a while, and it sort of feels like you don’t like me” 

(y/n) blinks at him, remaining silent for just long enough to make his discomfort spike.

“Is that all?” She asks, furrowing her brow slightly at him.

“Wh- I mean, yeah, I guess,” He stammers over his answer, not quite understanding the question.  “It’s just… you never want to grab a coffee or talk much, and we’re gonna be working together for a while longer so-” 

“I don’t think so,” She shakes her head, her expression unwavering, and her tone just even enough to keep him from picking up on the animosity behind it.  “I think that our little partnership here will be over soon enough.  Once I’m promoted,” 

Ino doesn’t quite react to that, opening and closing his mouth once and then twice as he tries to figure out what he’s supposed to respond with.  (y/n) always carried a strong aura of confidence when on assignments, she was sure of herself when it came to the action and the tracking.  Even her reports were concise but held a perfect attention to detail.  But her confidence in herself now felt off somehow, definitely different from what he was used to.

“Does that answer your question?” She asks, waiting patiently a few steps below him.

A knot forms between his brows as he shakes his head back at her, slowly and unsurely.

“Gojo, I just want us to get to know each other bett-” 

“Well for starters, don’t call me by my family name.  I hate it.  Just call me (y/n),” She interrupts him, annoyance beginning to shine through in her voice.  “There, now you know something.  Happy now?” 

Ino can only stand before her in shock, never having had a conversation that wasn’t related to an assignment that lasted this long, and this certainly wasn’t the direction he wanted it to go.  But nothing could have prepared him for this.

“I mean, why do you even need me to like you? Isn’t Nanami’s approval enough?” The sudden question catches him completely off guard, and all Ino can do is stand in place and hear her out.  “Isn’t that your whole thing?” She adds with a scoff.  “Isn’t that why you’re here? Because you just had to have him as your mentor?” 

He was barely following the root cause of her aggravation, but she couldn’t possibly have been jealous, could she? It’s not like much changed, she wasn’t missing out on assignments or extra training time because he’d requested to work with Nanami.  So Ino was led to believe that the only possible source of distaste for him had to have been personal.

“Truth is, Takuma, I don’t care about drinks, and I don’t care about getting to know you,” She deadpans, completely unresponsive to the way the words clearly hurt his feelings with the way his face falls and his shoulders slump.  “My only goal here is to be promoted to Grade One, and I’ve known Nanami long enough to know he is the fastest route to that, you understand, right?” 

No, he doesn’t understand.  He understands the surface level of her goal, it was something he could relate to, hence why he believed they’d make an even better team if they strengthened their bond.  However, Ino couldn’t wrap his mind around the coldness that was her driving force of achieving that goal.

“I want that too,” He tells her honestly.  “I thought that make us better partners” 

“We’re not partners,”

The words are harsh, but her tone keeps that same annoying steady level, and it’s hard for him to be irritated with her when all he really feels is hurt and confusion.

“And it’s silly to try and make friends in this line of work.  You should be grateful enough to have a colleague” 

That was the end of the conversation.  Ino vaguely remembers a short wave of her hand when she left him on those steps and made her way home, but it wasn’t as clear of an image as the rest of their exchange.  In a twisted way, he had gotten what he wanted.  He learned a little more about Gojo (y/n).  He learned that she was a cold, uncaring woman that didn’t live for anything except being the strongest she could be.  Even if it meant shutting good things out of her life, apparently. ___

From that day on, Ino never tried to get close to her again.  He was as polite and cordial as was necessary, but there was an obvious shift in the way he treated her.  Even Nanami noticed in the first week after their talk on the stairs.  Ino was usually a chatterbox, so it would be impossible to not notice when he shut up.  

It took a good month or two before the older sorcerer felt a need to address it, and when he did, it certainly caught (y/n) by surprise.

She’d been sorting through hers and Ino’s reports of an assignment they’d gone on, debriefing Nanami on it while he nursed his second coffee of the day.  So when he cut off her explanation of when she’d applied her cursed technique to deliver the final blow and exorcize the thing, she looked startled.

“What happened with you and Ino, anyways?” 

Her lips remained parted, having been interrupted mid sentence, but she’s completely still for a few seconds as she processes the unexpected question.

“Nothing?” She replies with a tone of cluelessness.  “You know I don’t like to be interrupted” 

“My apologies,” Nanami says with a short chuckle that tells her he didn’t care much for her preferences.  “But something happened, he’s been acting differently, don’t you think?” 

She narrows her eyes slightly, sensing the thinly veiled attempts at prying.  Nanami was never one to get involved in interpersonal relationships, so he must have had good reason for asking her about this now, but she couldn’t dream of what could possibly be so intriguing to him.

“Yeah,” She shrugs in mock defeat.  “He takes it personally that I don’t want to get drinks every single night after work or something,” She tries to brush it off.  “You know that’s not my thing.  Anyways, back to this report-” 

“Seems like you were a little harsher than that,” Nanami interrupts again, setting his mug down to fold his hands together over his desk.  “Don’t you think?” 

(y/n) sighs, and finally drops the stack of papers on his desk.

“This is ridiculous,” She huffs as she stares at him with a bored look.  “It’s not like it’s affecting his performance, so what does it even matter?” 

“You’ve been burying yourself again” Is all Nanami replies with.

(y/n) clenches her jaw.  The downside of having a mentor that knew her so well meant that he could read her better than most people.  He simply sits and waits with all the patience in the world for her to say something, also knowing that she was just dying for him to move their attention back to the report.

When he doesn’t, (y/n) rolls her eyes.

“Okay, with everything going on with…” She trails off, not wanting to say Geto’s name out of habit.  She’d spent so long walking on eggshells around the subject that even now, without Satoru present, she finds her throat closing up before her mouth could even form the shape of his name.  “If this parade of his is really happening, then you and I both know that Satoru will finally have to kill him” 

Her words are still blunt, even without saying his name.

Nanami remains still, but she can tell his neutral expression is beginning to crack.

“I just don’t want to lose my focus.  I need… I need to be prepared for anything” She tells him surely.

Nanami’s known (y/n) since she was eleven years old.  Which is long enough for him to understand the complicated relationship she had with her brother.  While she loved him and respected him greatly, it was no secret that she felt inadequate in comparison.  Back then, at least, she wasn’t as good at hiding her feelings.  These days she was practically an olympic athlete at burying any emotions that weren’t helpful in getting her the Grade One promotion.

“You are prepared,” He tells her, not a bone in his body believing otherwise.  “But don’t push people away.  Especially not ones trying to be your ally, (y/n)” 

At the drop of a pin her expression was stoic again as she shook her head nonchalantly.

“Thanks for the advice, but truthfully, I don’t need an ally,” She tells him confidently.  “I only need a mentor” 

When she leaves his office, Nanami sighs in defeat.  He waits a few extra minutes before getting started on his reports for the day, too sidetracked wondering just how involved he was going to have to get himself to make his juniors get along better. ___

The Night Parade of a Hundred Demons was as gruesome and traumatic as it was expected to be.  As ready as (y/n) was in her station in Shinjuku, she couldn’t help the spike in her heart rate as the reality of the situation really set in.

For once, her carefully crafted expression began to tear away.  And even Ino could see the anxiety behind her eyes.  He’d known that there was a history between Geto Suguru and Gojo Satoru, but he wasn’t sure how close (y/n) might have been to all of it, or how involved with Geto she might have been seeing as he’d been her brother’s closest friend.

He could see the way she tightened her grip on the glowing blue double sided axe that had been one of her favorite weapons to conjure up with her cursed energy, and he knew that if she was on edge, then tonight really would be more of a challenge than they were used to.  Because he’d never seen such behavior from her before.

Ino considered saying something to her, something encouraging, like Nanami would say, but he struggled to find the right words, and before he could muster up the courage to wing it, Satoru was teleporting before the two of them, and Ino wouldn’t dare speak over the strongest sorcerer.  Not when he was her brother.

(y/n) doesn’t look relieved by his sudden presence, even when he grins and puts a hand on her shoulder.

“About time for a fight we can have side by side, heh?” He asks, looking all too eager despite what’s bound to come.

Ino watches as her grip flexes and relaxes, before she lowers her weapon to her side, and then it disappears completely.  She tilts her chin up at her brother, her stare cold the longer she holds it.

Seeing them so close to one another, Ino realizes the Gojo siblings really don’t resemble one another.  (y/n’s) significantly shorter than him, and most of her features don’t mirror her brother’s.  The lack of stark white hair being the most noticeable difference between them.  He realizes that if they weren’t known by their status, then standing side by side people wouldn’t even assume they were related.

“I hope you’ve prepared yourself, Satoru,” She tells him, and she’s not necessarily loud, but even from a few feet away, Ino can hear the sharpness in her tone.

Even with that cold demeanor, there’s an underlying guilt in her words.  He could almost mistake it for sadness.

“Because I have” She adds, quieter this time.  The implication in her words is too heavy to be spoken any louder than a whisper.  She keeps her stare on the white bandages, knowing that Satoru could see and feel every intent behind her eyes.

He doesn’t respond.  Simply nods his head and warps away again.

It takes her a few moments to recollect herself before she’s conjuring up her axe again, her cursed energy buzzing in the air like static electricity as the weapon is created in her hands seemingly out of nothing.

To Ino’s surprise, she speaks to him first.

“If he doesn’t kill him, I might have to,” She says, not looking at him at first.  Her eyes focused on her weapon.  Then, she lifts her head and turns to meet his eyes.

The way he’s staring at her now makes her blood run cold, and she has to fight the way a chill tries to shiver down her spine.  His stare is wide eyed, and she can’t tell if he’s alarmed by her words or if it was pure concern written all over his face, but it was out of character for him to look anything besides excited, or hopeful.  How he looks at her now is the way a child looks at roadkill on the side of the road.  She doesn’t like it one bit.

“I don’t know if he’ll show here, or in Kyoto,” She continued despite the growing lump in her throat.  “But this… this has to end.  Tonight” 

She means every word, there’s no doubt in Ino’s mind that she intends to follow through on this promise.  So there’s nothing for him to do except nod in understanding.

“I trust your judgment,” He says, and the way her eyes widen slightly doesn’t go unnoticed by him.  “I’ll help you” 

Not knowing what to say, (y/n) shuts her mouth and gives him a small nod of acknowledgement.  Her instincts nagged at her to keep him far, far away from Geto Suguru.  He wasn’t your average curse user, he was cunning, and it wouldn’t surprise her if he didn’t already have ulterior motives planned for tonight.  Deep down, she had a feeling that he wouldn’t be able to raise a hand to her brother, but no one else was safe.

Satoru’s infinity always had a special layer that protected him from his one and only.  It didn’t extend to protect anyone else but him.  Hence her haste in putting an end to this cult of his.

With oncoming curses running rampant in the streets of Tokyo, there was no time to stand around and explain herself to Ino any more than she already had.  Even if she wanted to grab him by the elbow and make sure he stayed out of her way, he was already taking off after the first curse headed their way.

(y/n) had fought side by side with Ino for months now, and while she’d never admit it out loud, they did compliment each other well on assignments.  It was like all the time they spent training and taking on missions together subconsciously taught them to work in perfect synchronicity with one another.

If Ino faked left, she was following without second thought to throw off the alleged Grade Two, the axe made of her cursed energy lodging into the side of it’s large jugular with one heavy swing.  Spurts of purple liquid oozed out, staining both her weapon and her uniform, but the fresh blood was no bother to her as she used her momentum to swing downwards, dragging her axe along with her until the gash under it’s throat was lethal.  Just as she landed on the ground again, the beast crumpled to it’s death before dusting away as though it never existed.

No words needed to be exchanged as they took on the next curse, and the next, and the next.  Neither of them had ever dealt with an army of curses, and the more they exorcized the more difficult it was to keep their energy up, but neither would dare show it.

“Why did Nanami have to go to Kyoto!?” Ino groaned as he sent his fist through the face of a weaker curse, killing it on the spot.  

(y/n) scowled at the stains on her prized cursed weapon, flicking the head of the axe towards the ground to rid the majority of the blood.

“I wanted him to see that!” Ino continued to complain as he jogged to catch up with her, the pair eyeing the remaining curses on the street.

“Exorcize this huge one and I’ll vouch to him for you” (y/n) calls out, and Ino’s face splits into a beam as they both break into a sprint towards the eight legged curse trying to climb up a building.

“You’d do that?” He asks excitedly.  

She can’t help but roll her eyes, but a slight smile begins to play on her lips at the prospect of getting one step closer to the curse users allied with Geto.  Once they cleared enough of these curses, that is.  Her and Ino were more than capable of exorcizing a few measly curses, that much she was confident of.

With Ino’s mask over his face and (y/n’s) axe morphing into a kusarigama, they were on the curse in seconds.  She swung the chain wide, latching the blade into the nape of it’s neck and effectively having herself pulled off the ground as soon as it tried to scurry away.

She’s laughing as she swings through the air, her tight grip on the handle of her weapon the only thing keeping her from falling the twenty feet the curse had already pulled her.  Ino could almost laugh as well at the pure joy she clearly felt when it came to exorcizing curses.  For a moment, she almost reminded him of Satoru.  The crazed look in her eye, the uncharacteristic grin that nearly split her face in half, it was almost startling to see her so… feral.

But he can’t deny it excited him.  Her confidence in the field always boosted his own ego.  With their shared conviction, the massive arachnid-like curse was taken down and exorcized in near record time.

Heaving for breath and still grinning like a maniac, (y/n) was taking off again as soon as they hit the ground.  It took Ino a moment to catch up, trying to calculate which threat she was headed towards next.

“There’s a couple just a block ahead,” She called back to him just as he was gaining on her.  He pulls his mask up to uncover his face.  “We should split up to take them both, and then we go after him” 

Ino follows the direction of her finger as she points up to a curse user currently eyeing the fight happening between Satoru and Miguel.  He’s distanced enough that he’s almost hidden from the two, but it’s easy to tell that his prying eyes are focused on the hopes that Satoru would lose.

He’s a peculiar looking man, with long blonde hair and no shirt to show off the heart shaped pasties he had glued to his chest.  Ino couldn’t hide his peculiar expression as he eyed him from a distance.

Before he could comment on the odd appearance, a woman appeared beside him.  Ino’s quick to grab (y/n’s) attention again, but she’s already noticed the second curse user’s arrival.  Her jaw clenches.

“We need to hurry through these curses,” She warns.  “Who knows how long it takes until-” 

She’s interrupted mid thought, the sound of a flying object whizzing through the air right between the two.  The pair skid to a stop, watching with wide eyes as a swordstaff pierces into a park bench just to their left, after barely missing the both of them.

(y/n) clicks her tongue in annoyance, but doesn’t hesitate to grab the weapon by it’s hilt and pull it clean out of the metal bench effortlessly, eyes scanning the direction it had come from to launch it back.

“(y/n), the curses-” 

“You go after them,” She cuts Ino off before he could convince her to move forward with their original plan.  “I’ll be right behind you” 

He hesitates in place, hands twitching at his sides with uncertainty.  It aggravates her, the way he lingers, clearly worried.

“I don’t need your backup, Takuma,” She snaps at him.  “Now go!” 

He lingers for half a second longer, but from the sharp glare she sends him, he knows he’ll cause more harm than good if he sticks around.  So he gives her a nod of approval before he’s taking off again, his mask going back over his face before he reaches the curse.

Takuma Ino prided himself on his ability to trust his instincts.  Especially when it came to assignments.  Making snap decisions in less than a second could be the difference between life and death, and so far, he’d gambled correctly.  So he should have known that it wasn’t right to leave (y/n) to hunt down a curse user on her own.  He should have listened to the pestering voice in the back of his head and stood his ground, even if it would irritate her and go against her wishes, he should’ve trusted his own morality more.

After exorcizing both curses with only a little assistance from his Auspicious Beasts, he never would have imagined crossing paths with (y/n) again when she’s wriggling around on the ground surrounded by a pool of her own blood.  He doesn’t think he’s ever run faster in his life than he did in that moment.

The blade of a swordstaff is lodged between her shoulder blade and collarbone, so deep it went clean through, and at first glance he’s certain it’s pinning her to the concrete.  The wooden pole of the weapon was snapped and laying beside her in the blood, splintered on one end where she’d clearly broken it off.

“Holy shit,” He’s gasping as he falls to his knees, not caring about the blood staining the front of his pants as he worriedly assesses the situation.  “What happened? Did they get away? Did you kill them?” 

She groans in response, eyes fluttering behind closed eyelids as she tries not to think about the white hot pain coursing through her body.

“I roughed ‘er up,” her voice is strained as she tries to explain herself.  Ino almost tells her to forget it, but his curiosity got the better of him in the hopes that whoever did this was taken care of  “But Mei Mei got her” 

“And left you!?” 

He doesn’t mean to shout, but knowing she was left here to struggle and suffer through her injury makes his blood boil.  Had he been there, he wouldn’t have left her side, not once.  Fight as she might against it, they were partners, and that’s just what they would do.

“It’s fine,” She grits the words out through her teeth, not wanting to dwell on the unnecessary details right now.  “Takuma, I need you to pull this blade out” 

“What? You know I can’t, the bleeding-” 

“I can’t try and activate the Reverse Cursed Technique if it’s still in me,” She snaps at him, but her tone isn’t harsh.  It’s worse.  It’s desperate.  

She opens her eyes then, despite them being full of tears she looks up at him with nothing short of pleading written across her face.

“I can’t take it out myself,” She gasps through a strained cough, a thin trail of blood dripping from the corner of her mouth.  Ino watches in horror as it glides down to her jaw.  “You have to” 

“I won’t,” He’s the one to snap back at her now, ignoring the look in her eyes as he tries to assess just how trapped she is against the ground.  If he could at least get her off the street, he could get her back to Shoko, and she could perform her Reverse Cursed Technique.  “You haven’t even mastered it, there’s no telling if you’d be successful or not” He reminds her, making her grimace back at him.

“I would” She mutters back defiantly.

Ino doesn’t say anything as he carefully shuffles around her wounded shoulder, prodding at the blade to test how anchored it is to the ground.  She hisses in pain, her eyes squeezing shut again as she tries to clench her jaw to bear it.  She won’t tell him it hurts, and he doesn’t expect her to, but it’s too tall of a task to try and hide it.

“Take a deep breath,” He instructs, wrapping his hand around the broken hilt still attached to the blade.  “I’m gonna pull it out of the ground-” 

“No, take it out out” She barks back at him.

“If I do that you’ll bleed to death, you’re not thinking straight,” He grumbles.  “I can’t get you to Shoko if you’re impaled to the ground-” 

“You’re not taking me to Shoko!” She shrieks now, desperate to have him listen to her.  “I’m staying here” 

“You’ll die” 

His voice is eerily steady, but he knows if he raises it back at her she’ll only retaliate, and if she pushed him away he doesn’t think he’d ever forgive himself for whatever fate held in store for her.

(y/n’s) silent for a moment, teary, angry eyes locked on his as she weakly shuffled her legs about, as if there was any possibility of kicking herself away from him.  She’s a goner, and somewhere underneath the complicated layers of her carefully constructed personality, she knows that.

He holds her stare, hoping that his fear is written all over him, and he seems at least somewhat calm and collected in this moment of pure panic.  She neither protests nor approves of what he does next, but he knows she won’t.

So he takes matters into his own hands. ___

Jujutsu Tech won’t ever look the way it did when she was attending it as a student.  It will never look the way it did before Christmas Eve of 2017.

Then again, after that day just under a month ago, things will never be the same, either.  So maybe it’s fitting that it doesn’t look the same.

It’s too cold to stand around outside, but she can’t help but sneak out of the infirmary while Shoko’s distracted by a pack of cigarettes.  Weeks of being holed up in a stuffy room underneath the too-bright UV lights that flickered every twenty-six seconds were starting to drive her crazy.  Shoko didn’t want her pushing herself too much while her stitches were still healing what her Reverse Cursed Technique couldn’t- she’d claimed (y/n) was lucky to keep her arm- but as soon as she saw an opening to get herself out of the infirmary for the day, (y/n) took it.

At least she wasn’t still stuck in the scratchy paper they called a hospital gown.  But the pants and tank top from her uniform did little to keep her warm.  With all the bandages wrapped around her left shoulder and a part of her bicep, she couldn’t comfortably add any more layers.  But she’d happily choose goosebumps and shivers over sitting in that room for another minute.

Her own breath puffed out in front of her as she stared out at the destruction caused to the once beautiful grounds of Jujutsu Tech.  A small price to pay to finally have Geto Suguru dead, she supposed.

The thought was bitter enough to make her gnaw on the inside of her cheek.  In all the years since he’d defected, she’d wanted her brother to step up and own his title as the strongest and put an end to the terror his once closest friend had caused.  Never did she think about how things would feel once it was over with.

Hazy memories of being reluctantly babysat by the two were now tainted with an uncomfortable aura.  She hoped they didn’t cross her mind too often.

“There you are,” 

She doesn’t flinch when a quiet voice calls to her, despite not calling her by name, she knows Ino could only be addressing her as he steps out of the building and joins her at the top of the steps. 

“Shoko’s looking for you,” He tells her.  “She’s pissed, by the way” 

(y/n) doesn’t say anything in response.  She doesn't even give him a hum.  After passing out from the pain of her injuries, she couldn’t remember what happened, but she knew enough to know she hadn’t forgiven him.

Ino had tried to stop by her room in the infirmary to visit and see how her recovery was going.  The first time he came by was too early, and she hadn’t woken up yet.  The second time was a few days later, and she’d been awake enough to tell him she didn’t want to see him.  The third time he tried to come by, Shoko asked him not to go in and bother her.

He sighs now, sticking his cold hands in his pockets as a chilly breeze passes through.

“You can be be mad if you want, but you should know I’m not going to apologize for saving your life”

His words are sudden, and so blunt she could almost laugh, if she wasn’t holding onto such a large grudge.

“Saving my life,” She repeats his words with a scoff.  “Is that what you think you did?” 

Ino furrows his brows at her, but she doesn’t even spare him a glance.  He presses his fingernails into his palms in his pockets, trying to contain his aggravation.  It wasn’t right to let her get under his skin when she was still healing.  Physically and mentally.

“Seems like it to me,” He replies, eyeing her up and down.  She’s trembling in the cold, likely because there wasn’t a single layer protecting her arms from the January weather.  That paired with the bandages and her unusually messy hair, she almost looked pitiful.  “Since you’re standing here, alive and all” 

She turns to him then, and he’s expecting that sharp glare of disapproval, but he’s met with the same blank expression she’d worn all day.  Her eyes flicker over his determined features before she speaks again.

“I told you what I had to do.  And you said you trusted my judgment,” She reminds him, her voice quiet but not quite a whisper.  “And then you completely disregarded everything I said” 

“You might not know this, but I don’t exactly report to you,” Ino says with a humorless chuckle.  “What I did had nothing to do with keeping you from your backup plan.  And even so, Gojo seemed to manage just fine without you,” 

That had her eyebrow twitching, the first miniscule sign that he was getting under her skin.  He clenched his jaw before continuing.

“Maybe if for once you’d accept a little help we could’ve figured out-” 

“Don’t ever compare me to my brother again,” She cuts him off, louder this time, her voice strained with the rage hidden beneath her cold exterior.  “And don’t use me for your self righteous bullshit.  I don’t need to be paired up with a buddy to complete assignments.  I didn’t need you then, and I don’t need you now” 

His shoulders shake when he scoffs back at her, shaking his head and turning to leave.

“I’m still not apologizing,” He says as he walks away from her.  He doesn’t turn back, but he doesn’t have to in order to know her eyes are staring daggers at the back of his head.  “But I’m not putting up with your bullshit anymore.  If you want to work alone and die alone, so be it” 

He’s back inside before she can even properly react to his statement.  In all of her time knowing him, even after she’d shot down his advances at being friends months ago, she’d never seen him give the cold shoulder.

With a huff, she lowers herself to sit at the top step, wincing only slightly as she struggles to only use her right side for balance.  Yet worse than the mild pain throbbing from her shoulder and down her bicep, her chest ached.

In that hollow, dull pain that doesn’t go away even while she’s telling herself it was ridiculous to feel that way.  The more Takuma Ino removed himself from her life, the less of a workload was left on her shoulders.  After months of working to shut him out and push him away, it seemed he was finally taking the damn hint.

With the hand that wasn’t sore enough to raise to her head, she pushed the greasy tangled locks of hair back from her face and pressed her forehead into her palm, shutting her eyes as she sighed through that hollow feeling.

She’d finally succeeded in getting him to leave her alone, and she felt terrible about it.

So when Shoko finally found her and practically dragged her freezing body back to the infirmary, she let her.  She didn’t fight or protest once.  It was actually alarming to Shoko to have her comply and follow her wordlessly through the corridors. ___

It wasn’t long after being back on the field that (y/n) was healthy and back to her old self again.  Physically, anyways.  The scar  on either side of her shoulder would stay with her for the rest of her life.  And for those who really knew her, knew that things had taken a turn for the worse.

Nanami watched as day in and day out she stuck to a rigid routine.  Train, exorcize, report, train, and then home.  He’d tried to reach out, tried his damn best to lessen her workload or get her to see that this schedule of hers wasn’t doing her any favors.  But every attempt to help her was met with an excuse or a glare for trying.

He thought he was doing her a favor by talking to Satoru.

She’s on her way to the train when her phone buzzes in her pocket, and if it had been anyone else’s name on the screen, (y/n) would have ignored it.  But ignoring Satoru came with a consequence she didn’t have the time for.

“What is it?” 

“That’s no way to greet your big bro!” Satoru’s far too cheery for how gloomy of a day it was outside.  She sighed, tucking her phone between her cheek and her good shoulder as she neared the station.  “I was just checkin’ in.  You haven’t come by in a while” 

“Been busy.  Besides, I don’t like your place” 

“What’s not to like?” 

“Your furniture is obnoxious and it’s too white.  It’s weird” She lets out a short chuckle at the way he gasps dramatically.

“Whatever.  In all seriousness, you’ve been working a lot more.  Just want to make sure you’re… taking it easy” 

“Taking it easy?” 

“Yeah, y’know.  After Chirtmas Eve I just want to make sure you’re-” 

“I’m fine, Satoru.  Is that the only reason you called? To make sure I’m not pushing myself too hard?” 

“Woah, (y/n/n), I wasn’t trying to-” 

“Forget it, ‘toru.  What do you know about working for anything, anyways?” She huffs in annoyance.  Satoru’s silent on the other end for a minute, and she instantly regrets biting at him like that.  “I didn’t mean- I’m sorry, okay? I’m just…” 

“You’re overworking yourself,” Satoru says, his voice dropping it’s usual happy-go-lucky tone that gets on her nerves so much.  “I understand, (y/n/n).  I’ll just have to tell Nanami that a team outing is due!” 

At that her eyes widen, and she’s quick to snatch her phone in her hand again, her gip tight as she practically snarls into the speaker.

“Absolutely not, Satoru, that’s the last thing-” 

“I’m texting him right now” 

“Don’t you dare-!” 

“Aaaand done!” He cheers.  “When was the last time you had a proper break, hm?” 

“Satoru I swear-” 

“I can tell from how angry you are.  Like a feral cat, yeesh,” She can tell he’s rolling his eyes as he speaks, and she hates that it makes her roll hers, too.  “Don’t worry, this is just what you need!” 

“How would you know?” She snaps, but there’s no bite to her bark and he knows it.  

“You’ll have fun.  Make Nanami and that Auspicious Beasts kid buy your drinks” 

“Takuma,” She corrects him bitterly, glaring off at an innocent map of the train schedules.  “And neither one of them are exactly happy with me right now.  Not that you’d know that! You just like to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong-!” 

The bystanders patiently awaiting for their train awkwardly began to shuffle away from the girl in the strange black getup yelling into her phone without a care in the world, as though she’d forgotten she was even in public.  She hadn’t, and she was sure that if Satoru was here, they would’ve understood her aggravation.

“Who could possibly not be happy with you?” Satoru remarks with a sharp cackle of a laugh.  She grimaced, but found some relief in seeing her train finally arrive at the station.  “He’s only one person, how’d you manage to not get along with him?” He asks, like the nosy gossip he was.  She could hear the sound of plastic crinkling and would bet money he was eating sweets as he indulged in the topic.  “Seemed like a pretty chill dude to me” 

“He is he’s just-” She huffs, not knowing the right thing to say as she stepped onto the train and found a decent spot to sit, away from most other people so she could continue her phone call as privately as possible.  “He’s nosy.  Like you” 

“I’m nosy because I care? I’ll take it,” Satoru replies, sounding like there was clearly a piece of taffy in his mouth.  “That means you don’t like him?” 

“I didn’t say that,” (y/n) sighs, leaning her head against the window, watching the crowds of non-sorcerers go about their lives.  “He’s just… he’s too much, that’s really it” She shrugs at the lame answer.

Satoru thinks it’s lame too, and she can tell by the way he scoffs.

“What does that even mean? He tries to take over assignments or somethin’?” 

“No… no he’s fair.  The workload is always equal…” She explains, before her brows furrowed together.  “If anything I’m the one that takes over too much” 

“So you’re the problem? Shocker” 

“Fuck off” 

“Then what’s such a bother about him?” Satoru ignores her cruelty with ease.  He’d been doing it for years.  “Or is this that thing where the girl hates the guy but for no good reason, and she really just has a crush on him-?” 

“It’s most definitely not that,” (y/n) cuts him off, her voice so low she nearly growls at him.  “And that’s not even a real thing” 

“Well, sure it is,” He replied with a giggle.  “There’s more steps to it in the real world.  Usually she resents him for some silly reason, realizes he’s actually a pretty decent guy but can’t admit it once she’s stuck to her stand-offish attitude, then starts to fall for him more and more once she’s decided she can’t have him,” Satoru explained everything he’d learned from romantic comedies like he’d taken a class on crush behavior.  “He is pretty cute.  You sure you don’t like him-?”

“Can you act your age for once?” 

“That was textbook deflection-” 

“I’m not deflecting, I’m just not in the mood to explain the annoyance I have for interpersonal work relationships.  Why can’t everyone be like Nanami? We clock in, we beat up some curses, and we clock out.  Is that so hard?” 

“No,” Satoru replies.  “But it’s boring” 

“That’s how I like it” 

“And that’s why you haven’t made friends at work.  What’re you so worried about anyways? You used to have friends in school” 

“That was school.  This is my life’s work.  I don’t need distractions,” She deadpans.  “You’re distracting enough.  And I can’t get rid of you” 

“Sure can’t!” Satoru cheers.  “But you’re no fun at all.  You really need to loosen up.  Nothin’ wrong with making friends.  Since when did you get all gloomy?” 

(y/n’s) quiet for a moment, noticing a loose string on the side of her uniform pants and letting herself get distracted by it instead.  She pinches the small thread and tugs at it gently, not enough to pluck it out or unravel it, but just enough to pull it taut.

It was a complicated answer that wasn’t going to do her any favors and she knew it.  If she sat here and told Satoru exactly why she had no interest in getting close with her fellow sorcerers, he’d only be hurt.  And then he’d try to fix it and talk her out of it, which he was already unknowingly doing.

It was just better this way.  It had to be, because it was the only way she knew how.

“Don’t you ever think it’s… it’s harder to get closer to people in this line of work?” She asks, testing the waters just a bit to gauge his reaction.  

Satoru hums, thinking over her question for a solid minute.  A lump forms in her throat that’s difficult to swallow down as she awaits his response.  SHe starts to wonder if she’d let herself be too vulnerable, even if it was her brother.

“Sometimes,” He finally says, his voice quiet, and serious in that way that could be chilling when it comes to Satoru.  “But I think it’d be pitiful not to try, don’t you?” 

She nods, despite him not being able to see her.  He must understand that she was taking his words to heart, because he’s quiet on the line with her as well.

“One night out,” She says after a minute of silence passes.  Satoru laughs through the speaker.  “And if it sucks, I’m making you pick me up, alright?” “It won’t suck,” He assures her.  “And deal”

This is a short "comic" of my feelings towards gender, and how my self discovery was

Orion

- all pronouns specially they/them

i was so excited to find a genshin writer that updates a lot and it sucks to see u become like the others who take forever to update

*cutely pushes back the update for my SMAU and posting of my fics by a month*

Lmao did i not say i would be busy due to school/dance stuff??? the entitlement??

FEStival Fiasco

Part 3 So Long, Space Cowboy

Alcor was an elite by name alone. Throughout the semester, he has failed to score higher than any of his classmates in all exams and assignments. Rumors flew about the academy of the first elite to flunk entirely, but Centaurus paid them, and Alcor, little mind. While Alcor’s haughty and elitist attitude certainly annoyed Centaurus, he did not face any physical or verbal threats from Alcor.

At most, Centaurus overheard Alcor say, "Bested by a female and worm of all things!" to himself when he believes no one could hear. If he did not go spend at least a few minutes every session of class saying, “I remember my father graduated with top honors at this academy,” and, “I believe I covered this subject with my private tutors,” he would’ve certainly faced the same scrutiny and violence that Zathina inflicted on Centaurus.

Because of that, Centaurus paid him no mind and Alcor did the same. Oddly, Centaurus got along best with Alcor, as there was never a day either of them ever fought or competed against each other.

Too good to speak to a worm? Centaurus idly thought as he strolled through the festival grounds. Stalls full of brightly-colored games such as ring toss and whack-a-mole gathered crowds while the scent of fatty, sweet, and salty snacks gathered their money. Centaurus smiled as he walked by and took in the sights of the people making memories with each other. Couldn’t hurt to indulge every once in a while, right?

He walked to a booth with just another player on the opposite side and paid to play a game. “So just gotta pop three balloons with these here darts?” he asked the booth’s owner, who nodded. “Gotcha, I’ll—“

“Unbelievable, this game is clearly rigged!” A haughty voice cut him off. The other player sneered at the booth’s owner—who now sported an exhausted look—and held his hand out. “Either you give me more darts to attempt this ridiculous game or you give me my money back, peasant.”

His vernacular was certainly similar to Alcor’s, but Centaurus remained silent to allow more slips of the tongue.

"Sir, this is your second warning," the booth owner replied with a monotone voice. "Another outburst like that and I’ll have to call security on you. You lost fair and square, and, frankly, I have no clue how to rig this game against you.” She glanced back and forth between the darts in Centaurus’ hand and the balloon on the opposite wall with a dumbfounded expression. “Seriously, none. The problem is your aim.”

“How dare you?” the haughty man said, teeth gritted at the poor girl. “My position is certainly above yours, peasant.” The booth owner narrowed her eyes, and Centaurus could tell she was ready to start beating the sucker to the ground.

“Now now, no need to have that kinda attitude," Centaurus cut in, hands raised in a peaceful gesture. It wasn't as if he had wanted to perform an altruistic task for the poor booth owner, but he did want to satiate his curiosity. “Hold on there, partner. Let’s try ‘n’ take it one step at a time. Now, the name’s Austin. Yours?”

“Hmph! Well, it’s rude to decline another’s request for your name after they offer their own. Fine, then. You may call me Milo. Milo Palmer. And you?” Milo cocked an eyebrow as he looked me up and down. “You… you dress very peculiarly.”

How often did a person, regardless of how sheltered they were, not recognize a cowboy? Not just that, but the attitude was familiar to Centaurus. All of it screamed ‘Mizar.’ However, Centaurus decided to play along. “I’m a cowboy, partner.”

“I’m not your partner.”

“And I wanna propose a li’l wager for ya.”

Centaurus internally grinned as he saw the glint in Milo’s eyes at the word. Mizar or not, it was clear that the one in front of him highly valued competition. “What sort of wager are you walking about, cowboy?”

“Austin. And we play a few rounds over here. If I win, we leave the booth peacefully. You win, then you can say that you’re certainly much better than these ‘plebians,’ as I’m assuming yer ‘bout to start callin’ them.”

Milo shook his head. “No no, I demand a much better reward than that.” With a smug, high-born smirk, Milo said, “Become my slave for the rest of the festival, and then I’ll agree to your terms, cowman.”

“Cowboy,” Centaurus said, rolling his eyes. “Well, don’t mind ‘em terms. I ain’t afraid of losin’.” Passing the booth owner, who now had gratitude in her eyes, some dollars, Centaurus asked for two sets of darts.

“Let’s rock.”

“Let us duel.”

To Centaurus’ relief, Austin was particularly talented in darts. Years of playing drunk and just barely avoiding poking someone’s eye out helped out quite a bit in this bet. In just a few minutes, all of his balloons were nothing but scraps of plastic on the ground while Milo failed to hit a single one. “Well, that prove it t’ya?”

At first, Milo didn’t say anything. He simply stared down at the ground, hands trembling. While the booth owner threw out an excuse to temporarily leave, Centaurus lightly tapped Milo’s shoulder. “D-Don’t touch me, cowman!” he shouted as he jumped back. “Don’t think you’ve beaten me simply because this game is fixed.”

With a bemused click of his tongue, Centaurus smirked and said, “So y’ain’t bad, the game is?”

“Well… the way I said it is certainly much more eloquent, but the general idea is certainly there." Thankfully, Milo chuckled at that. "But! I cannot allow this stain on my honor to continue. Please, let us continue with more duels at this festival. Surely I will be able to best you at all the others."

Again, Centaurus laughed. “If ya wanna keep playin’, just say so, Milo-man. I don’t mind.” By now, he didn’t doubt that it was indeed Alcor before him. The attitude and lack of social cues that only an elite with a silver spoon up his ass certainly fit. However, while being someone else, this was the first time Centaurus had ever had a decent conversation with him. “C’mon, let’s see what else we can play.” Once they were done fooling around, he was certain he could pull off the same trick as Mizar and eliminate him from the competition.

However, several games in, Centaurus found himself lost in the joy of the festival. “Watch this shit!” he cried out as he raised the mallet and slammed it onto the target. The bell rang, signaling his strength. “Hell yeah!” Making sure that Alcor was watching, he flexed both of his biceps. Alcor sneered.

Later on, during a large jigsaw event, Centaurus gritted his teeth as he tried to form the picture in his head. For whatever reason, Austin was just particularly challenged in putting the oversized puzzle pieces together. The colors and shapes just didn’t seem to match. That was one of the pitfalls of the way Centaurus took over hosts. Strengths and weaknesses all carried over to him. However, once he finally put it all together, he rose from his seat proclaiming, “Done!”

“Finally,” Alcor said, clutching two different prizes with a self-satisfied smirk. “I have my own areas of expertise, I’ll have you know,” said Alcor. For the first time since Centaurus had met the guy, Alcor truly did deserve that arrogant air. By the time they had finished most of the booths in the area, they were tied in wins.

“Goddamn. Yer a tough nut to crack,” said Centaurus while the two rested at a bench. For all their running around and eagerness to show off, the men now sat down, panting heavily as the summer heat bore down on them.

“And—ha—you—haaa—are certainly no mere cowman either,” said Alcor in between his heavy pants as well. “I have to admit, I sincerely thought that his whole festival was full of nonsense and clowns earlier, but now...”

“Now…?”

Chuckling, Alcor finished with, “Now I know it also has handsome yet foolish cowmen as well.” While Centaurus pouted, he added, “I had fun. Thanks, Austin.”

“Can’t deny it. I had a fun time too.”

They stared ahead in a comfortable silence—just gazing at the people passing by. The day was far from over, but Centaurus felt more tired than he ever had on this planet. However, it was a satisfying exhaustion. Like he had accomplished far more than his goal. “Hey—“

“Do you mind if we go to that booth next?” Alcor cut in, pointing ahead. Centaurus followed his finger and saw a cartoonist drawing exaggerated portraits of people. “I would like to see his rendition of you.”

Shrugging, Centaurus said, “Sure.”

After about 20 minutes, Alcor glared down at the drawing. The inking and proportions were certainly ridiculous, but Centaurus truly knew nothing about art. Austin knew even less. However, from Alcor’s reaction, Centaurus was honestly starting to believe that something was off about the illustration. “Hmm...” Alcor hummed, his brow furrowed in thought.

“Somethin’ wrong?”

“Yes, there is,” snapped Alcor. “Follow me.” The whole walk Centaurus continued to prod and pester to understand what the hell Alcor’s problem was, but no dice. Only once they arrived at a nice, flat table did Alcor finally explain. “The drawing is inadequate.”

“Whu-?”

"Sit. Let me draw you." Producing a pencil from who-knows-where, Alcor began to doodle. Centaurus, not having a reason to deny the request, obliged. The two shared a few words, but Centaurus mainly focused on keeping still. He wasn't sure what he would gain from indulging in Alcor like this, but he did wish to satiate his curiosity. What exactly was he planning…? Unlike Centaurus, Alcor and the rest of his classmates rarely opened up to their host's mind as he did. They shouldn't have access to many skills or talents, and certainly nothing as delicate as art. Was Alcor simply like this?

After a while, Alcor finally announced, “Finished. Here you go, cowman. Tell me what you think.”

There was no arrogance in Alcor’s voice, and no lack of talent in his drawing, either. Centaurus stared at the man—at Austin—in silent awe. A lump of guilt built up in his throat and his eyes grew moist. Austin’s kind yet cocky smile, his warm eyes, and his powerful physique all translated well into the sheet he held in his hands. “Yer… somethin’ else… This is amazin’.”

“I appreciate it, Austin,” said Alcor. “I’ve wanted to be an artist since… since I can remember.” His voice was far away, as if he was caught in a dream. “The aesthetic, the beauty of the world… I’ve always loved it all. I worked hard, in secret. But that dream will remain unfulfilled.”

“Why? Ya got the talent, the skill. Ya got the drive, dontcha?”

“That’s not what I meant, cowman.” Alcor rolled his eyes. “It is not as simple as becoming an artist simply because I wish to. I have… responsibilities. I am an elite, remember?”

“With how often you repeated it, how could I forget?”

Coughing to hide the embarrassment, Alcor continued. “Because of my status, my family expects great things from me. Extremely great things, but I do not.” He furrowed his brow before frowning in thought. “No, my apologies. Allow me to rephrase that. My family expects me to obtain a certain position after graduating from my academy with flying colors, but if I’m being honest, such a thing disgusts me," he said, wrinkling his nose. "In the end, as the firstborn male, I am nothing more than a puppet for the position, just as my friend had become."

“Yer friend?”

Alcor sighed, smiling almost nostalgically as he spoke about his past. “She was a delicate flower. Gentle, kind, intelligent. We often played together when we were young. But, that never lasted. We became separated after a while. Recently, at the academy, I met her again, but she was completely different.” Lips curled up in a tight frown, stared up at the sky with a frustrated groan. “She barely even acknowledges my presence. It’s as though she became a completely different person. When I tried to ask her about that...” Fear appeared in his eyes, “she threatened me with physical violence. And there was clear power behind it as well. Nothing at all like the gentle flower I once knew.

Centaurus let out a grunt to indicate he was listening. The girl from Alcor’s past seemed like the exact opposite of Zathina, but there was no doubt that they were the same person. More surprising was how little shock Centaurus actually experienced. It made sense for a female elite to begin her life with little knowledge of violence or the drive to be a soldier, but then what changed? What caused Zathina to become like this?

“If I continue the path I am on, then my freedom will be stripped away from me,” continued Alcor. “Of course,” he added with a chuckle, “that’s ignoring the fact that I’m absolutely not fit for the position my family wants from me in the first place.” Centaurus did not join in. Instead, he gripped Alcor’s hand and squeezed it to both of their surprises.

“A-Ah...” Voice cracking for just the tiniest moment, Alcor said, “I appreciate you not laughing, and for listening. To be honest, this is the first time I’ve said any of this out loud.”

“Yer lookin’ a li’l bit more relaxed. Shoulders less stiff. Stick must’ve fallen outta yer ass when ya started talkin’.”

“Ha ha,” Alcor rolled his eyes and playfully slapped Centaurus’ arm with his free hand. “Shut up, cowman. Let me be as melodramatic as I wish to be.”

“So yer gonna run away? How?”

“I am not sure yet, but I am determined to try. Even if I am taken away and executed, I still want to try.” Alcor said those words, but he didn’t hide the way his hands trembled. “I want to find a way to draw the universe’s beauty. If I can’t draw and paint, then I might as well not even be alive.”

Centaurus looked back at the drawing Alcor made of them. There was an undeniable amount of skill demonstrated in such short time. A familiar emotion welled up inside of him. Envy. Once more, Centaurus was drowning in envy. Not just for Alcor's skill, but also the path he wanted to choose for himself.

However, as much as Centaurus wished to scream and shout, he found himself unable to. It should have been easy, to crush Alcor's dream by seducing him in such a way as to gain an advantage, but Centaurus wasn’t able to do anything. Thousands of scenarios played in his head, and all of them ended in his favor.

However, Centaurus instead said, “I’ll help you.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll help ya escape this hellhole of a future yer in,” Centaurus proclaimed. He extended his hand out for Alcor to shake. “To be honest, it'd be a shame if a skill like yours remains unfulfilled. And also, it’s the least he could do fer a dear friend.”

“Dear friend?” Alcor asked, raising an eyebrow. “You hardly know me.”

Centaurus shrugged. “What can I say? Kindred spirits, I guess,” he said, grinning at his very first friend. Though Alcor truly had no idea, Centaurus knew, and that was all that mattered. "Listen, lemme tell ya the plan." He leaned over and whispered a hazardous mess hastily cobbled together, but it was all Centaurus could do on such short notice and a person he needed to protect. Overall, it wasn't very complicated, but so much hinged on everything going exactly right.

It was a gamble, but Centaurus figured that, as long as he was in Austin’s body, he didn’t mind becoming the cowboy that rode off into the sunset with his ally just like in the films. Now all he had to do was avoiding perishing before his plan began.

“Yer a cutie,” Centaurus whispered to the man, licking off the last remains of cum. The man shivered in pleasure. “C’mon, let me give ya a taste of yer own milk.” Eager for more, the man swiftly dove into a kiss only to get a mouthful of alien. While Austin’s body remained crouched on the bathroom floor, the other man fell back. He struck the stall’s wall as his body convulsed and soon lost control of his body.

Centaurus shook the exhaustion away. "All right, one more," he said to his former body. His heart ached as he looked down at Austin again. The memories of his kindness nearly caused him to choke, but Centaurus swallowed down the guilt. There were more important things in front of him. “I’m sorry,” he said to Austin.

The two left the stall just in time to see another man exit the stall next door. Time was limited, so Centaurus and the mind-controlled Austin quickly jumped the man, covering his mouth to prevent him from screaming.

Austin and three bodies. That was the minimum that Centaurus would have to work before the chaos began. Not needing to fully dive and dissect the memories of the two men, Centaurus slithered back into Austin and began to put his plan into action.

While he worked to grab Austin’s motorcycle and park it on the outskirts of the festival, his two victims would set off the pieces. The three of them left at different times to not arouse suspicion. All of this just to fool their professor and their classmates.

At the very epicenter of both the festival and the crowd, Centaurus kept an eye out. It had only been a few minutes, so the venom’s effect should hold. Once a voice shouted, “What the fuck, man?!” he grinned and turned to walk away. Another rang out, saying, "I'll teach you to disobey me, worm!" with a tone that sounded just like Zathina. Might as well throw some bait in her general direction.

A few yells went out as a brawl began. With any luck, a small riot should snowball from the two bodies engaging in a fistfight. Through his peripheral vision, Centaurus saw numerous folk turn their heads to stare at the spectacle that unfolded before them.

Perfect, he thought. All Alcor needed was a spectacle to last for a few minutes. Of course, another body would make the situation ideal if Centaurus’ instincts were right.

There was a man on his own near the outskirts of the festival grounds. He stood on his toes as he tried to get a closer look at whatever the attendants were crowding around. Suspecting nothing, he approached Centaurus and asked, “Hey man, what’s going on over there?”

“Hmm? Oh, well… lemme show ya real quick," Centaurus grinned at the man. "C'mere. Don't wanna say it too loudly." Brow furrowed, the man hesitated before leaning in slightly. That was all Centaurus needed. Already, venom spread throughout Austin's system, mixing into the spinal fluid. He opened Austin's mouth and shot into the other's man's mouth as Austin held him close.

“HMPH! MMMPH!” Centaurus’ body strangled any of the man’s startled cries. He quickly slithered through the man and bit down on his brain. The man convulsed as he struggled to vomit the bug out but remained in place as Austin put him into a tight embrace.

“Calm down, li’l fella,” Austin whispered as the Centaurus took control. “I gotcha.”

Once the man’s limbs and core warmed under Centaurus’ influence, he nearly fell over. “F-Fuck, the fuck...” he gasped. A cold and hollow sensation spread washed over his new body. He could still feel the man’s body under his control, but alongside it was something completely foreign.

“Y’okay?”

“N-No, but that doesn’t matter right now,” Centaurus replied. “Can barely walk… y’know where to leave me.” Austin nodded and half-carried half-dragged Centaurus alongside him.

As Centaurus allowed himself to be carried, the sounds of police sirens echoed in the air. Security got involved and now the police were here to arrest those caught up in his little distraction. Despite the nausea that threatened to make him vomit, Centaurus couldn’t help but grin at how successful his plan was. The sirens would help mask the sound of Austin’s motorcycle run down the street.

“Tell me something, Austin,” said Centaurus. Was he feverish or just plainly ill? He couldn’t tell anymore. A numbing feeling spread throughout his borrowed body. He could no longer feel his fingertips. “I’m doing something good, aren’t I?”

“I think so.”

“Do you really?”

“Dunno. You tell me. I’m fully under yer control.”

“When’d you get so sassy?”

Austin shrugged. “Hard to say, maybe the venom’s startin’ to run its course. Still, what yer doin’… it ain’t wrong, but yer not doin’ it just cause you felt sorry for this friend o’ yours.”

Centaurus glared at the ground but didn’t respond.

“Not gonna go with him?” Austin asked. “Ya really wanna, dontcha? Leave everythin’ behind and run. Like the cowboys ‘n ‘em westerns ya love.”

Every bit of Centaurus wanted to shout, “Of course I will!” However, he remained silent. No matter how much his heart wished to cry out for the world to hear, he silenced himself and simply thought his plans over. After Alcor and Mizar, he would need to take down Arcturus, Merak, and Zathina will be last. Then, Centaurus could finally win. Victory was just a few hours away.

Centaurus vomited as Austin set him down. Centaurus now rested against a building housing more bathrooms for the festival-goers. Around the corner was the parking lot where Austin's motorcycle was already in place. Centaurus didn't doubt that Alcor had already arrived. “G-Get in position,” he said, gagging at the taste. “Y’know he’s waiting for you. Get.”

Austin hesitated for only a moment before nodding. The little venom Centaurus could afford to inject into him was no doubt at its limit. However, it only needed to last for another few seconds; but it would only be worth it if his gamble paid off. As Austin disappeared from view, Centaurus leaned back and shut his eyes. The numbness was deeply uncomfortable but soothing at the same time. Perhaps if he gave it his best shot, he could simply pretend as though he was merely floating through space on a ship.

“Such a dumbass,” Centaurus whispered to himself. “Wasting so much venom… 4 hosts in just ten minutes? Stupid dumbass...”

Austin’s cries were loud enough that Centaurus could hear them from so far away. However, he smiled. Alcor was so unsubtle and so unfit to be a Dreadfighter. It only furthered Centaurus’ resolve that what he was doing was right.

Then why the hell do I feel so shitty?

The roar of a motorcycle soon echoed down the road. Centaurus couldn’t see it. Even as he opened his eyes, he found his vision impaired. The world was nothing but blotches and mystifying shapes that all blended together. As expected, the sirens helped mask it. To the festival-goers who stood by the violence and police, it might as well have been a kitten’s purr.

“There you go, Alcor,” said Centaurus to nobody but himself. “Follow that dream of yours. Don’t look back at this worm...”

Austin—or was it Centaurus himself?—completely read him. The desire to run, to ride off into the sunset with his friend in tow, was tempting beyond belief. However, Centaurus knew that he could never do anything like that.

“All this worm can do is look upwards, Alcor,” he continued to chide himself. “I don’t… I don’t have anything inside of myself. No talent, no skill… I don’t have anything but this dream.” Without the idea of becoming a Dreadfighter, without that hunger for a better life, there would be nothing to define Centaurus. A dream or an obsession? Centaurus wasn’t sure at this point, but it was all he had left. No family, no money, and no other future. “Guess she was always right. Well, I knew she was right, I always knew… but just...”

Just once Centaurus wanted to forget that he was a worm. Just once Centaurus wanted that person to pretend alongside him that he could achieve something.

“Why can’t I have something?”

“My my, you’re in a real rough spot.”

A shadow washed over the mess of light and color that made up Centaurus' vision. Just by the sound of the voice, Centaurus felt a pang of annoyance.

“Come on, Centaurus! Lemme fix you up! Maybe even let me take a look inside of you. Hehe…! Don’t worry, I promise I’ll stitch you up. It’ll just hurt a liiiiitle bit. By the way, anesthesia's out of the question. Ahaha!”

With the last of his strength, Centaurus said one thing:

"So long, Space Cowboy," he said, wishing only the best for his one and only friend.

Now hear me out

Kakashi....

But bunny

severingblade​:

At the moment that the two younglings begin to drift away from the Kushala husk in search of what else awaits nearby, they eventually find the cliff and the w o n d e r f u l   v i e w it provides. A vast sea dotted with broken ice sheets and a distance curtailed only by a vibrant horizon. Opposite of that are the large snowy mountain ranges of the R e a c h. But then something appears there. Not an unfamiliar image at all.

An airship, held aloft by the same machinations as the Third Fleet Master’s ship. This one bears an insignia of the mainland, however, and it is far, far away. In several hours, its intended trajectory towards S e l i a n a might become obvious but as of right now, it is only a sea worthy vessel held aloft by what would seem like t h r e a d s   o f   a i r to the uneducated. It compliments the aesthetics of these skies the way a f l y i n g   m e d u s o would.

As light caught the scale unearthed by the hunter, still shimmering, much unlike the dull, stained hue of the husk long left out for the weather to corrode and wear down, Cornelia’s head snapped at attention. Like a Blissibil suddenly having caught the sight of an edible nut, she scampered close, clambering down from her perch, fingers finding purchase in the seam of the discarded skin. Momo was not far behind, having noticed his companion’s motion later than he had the shine of the worn scale, and with a dismayed groan, the boaboa watched as nimble fingers in warm gloves snatched the piece from Novus’ hand.

Curse Cornelia’s height advantage! Giggling, the young human scuttled a little further away from her disgruntled friend, turning the scale about in gloved hands. Curious still, she bit into the tip of her mitten, pulling it free to hold the scale with a bare hand, turning it around with obvious delight. The ordeal did not last very long, as she soon had to return the scale to her gloved hand, the metallic component so cold she could feel the chill bite her skin viciously. Her glove back on her hand, however, she allowed Momo to take it, bending down to pass it to him, the curious young snatching and inspecting the scale under every angle possible.

In doing so, they both keenly listen to Novus talk, though their eyes remain on the object, Momo seemingly particularly enthused by the prospect of seeing the scale tempered and shifting in color as he flipped it several times before nodding. “Maybe we’ll find a time to visit the forge and see this for ourselves!” He commented, particularly chipper about the prospect. The boaboa stalled briefly, however, when he saw one of Cornelia’s bushy brows, arched towards him questioningly. He huffed, combing through his chest’s dense fur with his right hand’s claws absent-mindedly. “Well, it’ll be a good reason to endure the heat. I know not how you purposefully put yourselves in front of the devil’s mouth that is that contraption, but it seems a necessary ill.”

Cornelia rolled her eyes, chuckling to herself. She let Momo keep it, tucking the frigid scale into the crook of his cape - however unstable that position appeared, Momo was much less likely to lose track of it. He simply had it in him to be lucky and never lose his findings. She herself noticed Novus’ book, and how he sat down to read in front of the gutted husk, hovering closer in curiosity. She wondered why he hadn’t simply turned to the horizon, which to her, was simply more pleasant, but the pages he flicked, and the old, greyed illustration of a tower of many layers, a ruin shooting up into the skies, quickly had her moving on from the book.

In more than a sense, choosing to look on at what once was the scales of an elder dragon when opening a book on such a subject was fitting. She knew the tale, as though it was written on the inside of her eyelids, an ancient tale of sorrow, little shards that so many refused to look at, but that the more curious would always find, and with it, worried thoughts of the past. She didn’t dismiss it, of course, but she knew that it was past, and it was long time to move on.

She came to the edge of the cliff, watching the sun above the frozen ocean, and the clouds drift by, while from the corner of her eyes, she caught a glance of Momo, scuttling closer, yellow eyes squinting narrowly to read the text - painstakingly so. He could speak the language quite well, but his understanding of what was written was not quite up to speed.

What little he could catch, though, made him inquisitive.

“Um, ser Novus? What is this book about?”

Whatever Novus would answer, it was cut short by a loud holler from Cornelia, the inarticulate sound flying through the frigid air and towards the distant airship she was waving towards, likely too far to see her. The boaboa leapt on the spot, startled, before leaning aside to catch the sight of the contraption.

“Oh, an airship. Not one of the comission, it’s not the same sigil. Are you expecting a visit from the mainland?”

“Look at these magnificent beings” - @turnin-kaikai

Chara what the hell did you send into my inbox