Hello! I'm not a bot, just very new around here. Please be kind. I'm not quite sure what I'm doing yet.
Main Fandom: (Expect most of my potential posts to be about this)
Twisted Wonderland
Minor Fandoms: (Have I kept up with the Lore? Nah, still love them though.)
Punishing: Gray Raven, Tears of Themis, Hogwarts Legacy
Fringe Fandoms: (Excluding the Gacha games, I've kept up with the lore, I'm just not hyper fixating on them rn. Expect stray posts here and there... Maybe.)
Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail, Zenless Zone Zero, Wuthering Waves, Project Sekai, Pokémon, Enstars, Tokyo Debunker, Jujutsu Kaisen, Rain World, Persona 2 (both of them), Persona 4, Persona 5: The Phantom X, Rune Factory 4, The Legend of Zelda, Five Nights and Freddy's, Fire Emblem: Awakening, Tensura Slime, Trash of the Count's Family, Return of the Mount Hua Sect, The S Classes That I Raised, Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work... and probably a few others I'm not remembering
If I ever decide to post, there will be NO:
NSFW
Cannon x Cannon (... probably.)
Male reader
Infidelity
General Toxicity Between the Main Love Interests (Exception: Yanderes)
Breakups Between the Main Love Interests
Incest
Reader x a child-like character (ex. Ortho Shroud, Bambinata: Vitrum, D.A.V.I.S, etc.)
I have so many ideas for multi chapter long fics for so many different fandoms (it's mostly "basically-the-author's-own-self-insert" isekais because I'm boring and can't do anything original) and no time to actually write them.... And when I do have time, I don't have motivation :'3
Life is suffering, man. As much as I'd like to write for them, I'm struggling to write my current two series as it is. The saddest part is just seeing the various "to-be-written" concepts lose their luster as I move on to focus on another piece of media (never gone! Once I'm a fan of something, I'll always be a fan, but still, it will take a bit of writing to get the excitement levels back up.)
After much effort from both parties, you finally both have enough free time to go on a date for the first time since you realized your more than platonic feelings for each other. Here are the moments leading up to it.
Notes: Pre-Penacony, post Jarilo-IV, first dates, established relationship, Reader is Trailblazer, it gets a bit philosophical in the middle, Astral Express as Found Family, Fluff
wordcount: 3,400+
This one.... did not want to be written....
"Alllllllright! Turn around and witness my latest masterpiece ____!"
And with that, you are unceremoniously spun around to face the bedroom mirror in March's room. After she heard about your upcoming date with the captain of the Silvermane Guards she took it upon herself to make you quote-on-quote "The most stunning, jaw-dropping, head-turning date a guy could ever have;" especially after she caught wind of your plans to show up to the occasion without any sort of extra preparation or "pizzazz" as she would call it. You decide against reminding her about your less-than varied wardrobe and overall general lack of mortal possessions due to certain circumstances involving wanted criminals and what could be considered a doomsday device that's just been casually sealed within your body.
Honestly, you're not quite sure how it happened: You touched down on a frozen wasteland of an alien planet as an amnesiac with who were basically strangers digging a guy out of a snowbank and then got branded as dangerous individuals worthy of a bounty by the established government of the world! You joined an outcast "rebel" faction and ended up deposing the mad head of the government after awakening to new power from being stabbed through the chest (Okay, maybe you glossed over a few bits BUT! Those parts weren't too important to the overall narrative!). The long and short of it was that you and Gepard did not start off on the right foot and remained on rather poor terms until his big sister Serval got him to stand down at a critical moment.
After that and the whole fiasco involving Cocolia which you'd rather not dwell on at this juncture, things were rather awkward between the two of you; what with your mere existence no longer being grounds for an arrest. It took several missions together as well as third party interference à la Serval, March, and Pela's efforts to lighten the atmosphere before you and he could exist in each other's proximities without feeling like the other could suddenly turn on you for breaking some unspecified rule (you learned later on that your mean aim and metallic baseball bat have made such an impression on certain Silvermane guards that they have become the basis for at least a couple nightmares. Whoops.) It took even longer for you to be able to be comfortable enough in each other's presence to relax, let alone be able to banter with one another.
But oh, once you were able pal around with each other, it was wonderful! It was like the two of you had known each other for a lifetime and change. The easy back-and-forth you could manage became a rather notable point of your friendship such that your friends and family realized before you yourselves did of your evolving feelings as time spent in each other's company began to see the reemergence of the awkwardness from the first days. Really though, they could have been kinder about how they went about informing you rather than laughing at your expense as you both individually panicked about your friendship; worried that you had done something to jeopardize it.
You'll spare yourself from recalling the frankly embarrassing events leading up to the moment when you simultaneously burst out confessing your feelings for each other in a room your "family" had locked from the outside (Seriously, those events aren't even that old. You've still to hatch a plan to get them back for that stunt). Since then, you've spent just about all of your rare coinciding free time with each other in some form or fashion. If you can't be together in person, then texts and calls, and prayers to the Aeons that the shoddy signal will hold have to suffice. A week ago, with a lot of communication, overtime, and favors cashed in, you both finally had an entire day to yourselves to put on your schedule with a promise from your bosses that you won't be called or bothered unless there's an issue of world-ending proportions. Since then, you've been watching the days go by with a slowly rising anxiousness and paranoia. It's been decided that the date will be on Jarilo-VI... and that's about everything set in stone! There's been talks here and there about various places to get food, and places that you could stop at, but really, your date could range anywhere from sightseeing to "pest" control, to just chilling in the living room at the Landeau house.
No matter what happens, it will still carry the distinctive honor of being your first date; most likely ever, hence the reason you're being fussed over by just about everyone aboard the Astral Express in some way. March, of course, gave you a makeover, the end result of which you are currently staring at from her bedside vanity. Himeko gave you a multitude of ideas for both conversation and activity ranging from typical to ever so slightly concerning. Welt tried to calm your nerves by reassuring you that first dates didn't need to be perfect and that, statistically speaking, there were a great number of individuals in incredibly happy and healthy relationships whose first dates ranged from a mildly embarrassing memory to a downright disaster. Pompom informed you that the Astral Express will stay parked exactly where you left it in case something happens and you want to return early, as well as promising to shoo everyone into their rooms if you send a text first asking for space. Dan Heng basically told you in nicer words that he was 100% willing to have another throw down with the head of the Silvermane guards if he did something to upset you, though he'd be happy to let you take point if you preferred to dish out most of the retribution yourself after personally witnessing your current score against Gepard, both in friendly spars and the not so friendly skirmishes during your early meetings.
On that note, you touched down and headed towards the Everwinter Monument in the Administrative District, where you'd both agreed to meet up. While there were certainly more out-of-the-way spots to meet up, it wasn't like there was supposed to be a huge fanfare when you finally meet up again for the first time after your relationships changed from something purely platonic. It's also not the first time you've met up after you first left the planet. While most of your meetings were by chance rather than by intention, it quickly became a regular sight for citizens wherever you went to see you side by side to the point where most people have become desensitized. Seeing as neither of you are the type to announce the news of a relationship, especially one as new as this one, to the general public, as long as nothing that screams "these people are in a romantic relationship, or at least have feelings for each other" happens, they'll probably think that it's just more of the same.
Of course, if one of the Silvermane guards sees you, it'll probably be all over, as Gepard forewarned you about Serval gushing to Bronya that her foolish little brother finally found out what love was, who let it slip to Pela when explaining both why Gepard had voluntarily asked for time off as well as why he actually asked not to be placed on stand-by if possible, who then was inspired to make a cute little drawing of the two of you together in a shoujo anime style.... which a Silvermane guard passing by her desk saw, who showed it to his friend... and so on and so forth until Gepard caught wind of it. To your knowledge, he's kept it from spreading beyond that, but all of his men are very much in the know and have been teasing him relentlessly (though all in good spirit) in the days leading up to your date, to his dismay. You could practically feel his mortification and imagine his bright red face through the phone during the calls while he updated you on the latest news around Belabog.
"I just don't see why they find this facet of my private life so interesting." he bemoans to you one evening after getting off work early at the insistence of some of his older men who volunteered to take his evening rounds before waxing poetry about "young love" that he sat through and comprehended nothing about.
"People are just like that." You had responded. "They're nosy and always interested in what the deal is with everyone who isn't them, especially those who are famous amongst them. And I don't know about you, but I'd certainly say that the Captain of the Silvermane guards and one of the Heroes of Jarilo-VI, both of whom had a hand in ending the Eternal Freeze which had been slowly killing the planet, qualify as famous people."
While your response came partially from your limited personal experience with your interactions with the world and its interactions with you, it also came from talking to folks who had longer life experiences beyond some years and change which they remembered, such as Kafka, Welt, and others whom you had curiously interviewed concerning the general human experience.
"Love is messy." Kafka had said. "It can be many things all at once, even contradictory things which can be true at the same time. It can push people towards each other, pull them apart, make them do things they'd never do otherwise. It could be a sweet little dove, or a large buzzard. It can fly you sky high to the clouds or send you crashing to the oceans' floor. You'll feel like you've never been alive before experiencing it for the first time; you'll feel a pain so intense that you're willing to tear your own heart out if that meant the pain would stop. You'll be thinking about the one you love constantly. You'll want to fuse with them so you'll never be apart again. You'll want to get them off your mind because they keep you from functioning properly. You'll wish they didn't exist since you never asked to fall in love and were perfectly fine beforehand. You'll feel, feel, feel. Love will bring to light parts of you that you've never seen before. Beautiful parts. Ugly parts. Vulnerable parts. Hurts you didn't know you had. It is incredibly hard to fake true love. There's a sort of genuineness that is almost impossible to recreate under any other circumstances. Maybe, this is what people are drawn towards. Seeing others stripped bare of all pretenses."
"Love is a continued series of choices." Welt had said. "Sure, there were a tangle of other emotions which were also important in their own right, but emotions are volatile, and subject to change at the drop of a hat. Love is saying "I will stay with you and care for you and try to do what is best for you" every day and then trying your best to follow through on your pledge, even when it gets difficult. Love is saying "You could lose everything today, from your things to your status, to your looks, to even your health, and I will still choose to stand by and bolster you." It is not conditional and should not easily be rescinded. Do not think that it should be used to justify wrongdoing to either party though. Love means "Wanting what is best for the other party." not "Wanting what will make the other party happy." Sometimes, what is best for an individual may not be what one, or both parties necessarily want. Love may mean parting ways. It may mean consequences that neither party wishes for themselves or others. Love is a team effort between both individuals in the relationship. It certainly won't work when only one individual is putting in effort. Love is understanding that you'll both fall short at times. Love is both of you continuing to reach out for each other regardless. Love is proper communication between the two of you so you understand each other's motives, needs, and actions and can figure out where to go from there. Love both forgetting and forgetting wrongs that will inevitably, though usually unintentionally, occur. A showing of true love is so wonderful that others may be drawn to it in hopes that they can replicate it with their own special someone."
"I know Daddy loves Mommy because he buys her favorite flowers from the florist sometimes "just because he wanted to,"" says one child. "I know my sweetheart loves me because she spent time playing my favorite game with me; brought it over and asked to play without any prompting from me, even though I know she's not the biggest fan of it." says another. "I try to tell him one new reason every day that I've fallen for him, or one thing that I appreciate about him." says a third. "He understands when I just need quiet and just sits with me and keeps me company." another remarks. "She's not familiar with the customs and events that the family does but is making every effort to learn." you hear from someone else speaking about her child's suitor. "I made a passing comment about a childhood dish that I missed, and when I came home for the night, he had taken it upon himself to learn how to make it just for me." The list goes on.
In the end, Gepard had agreed with you, but insisted that he himself was nothing special. "I only did what needed to be done," he had said. "I hardly see how that warrants such attention as I am receiving."
"We'll probably have to agree to disagree." You had responded. "Personally, if it were me, I'd be singing of the achievements of both you and the rest of the Silvermane guards until my voice gives out, and not just because I like you." Fighting on diligently against impossible odds is certainly not something that just anyone can do, after all.
And that brings you to the present; slowly making your way towards the Everwinter Monument as you scan the crowds for your date. You're a familiar face by this point, so you endure the smiles, waves, screaming children, and attempts to draw you into a longer conversation than you're willing to entertain with politeness and a "Sorry! Can't stop for long! I've got plans scheduled and I don't want to be late!"
Your eyes eventually catch sight of the one you were hoping to see awkwardly shifting on his feet. He keeps his head to the ground aside from occasionally scanning the crowd. The area around him is mostly clear of people, though there are a number of curious onlookers. It's not particularly surprising, given his feats, status, character, looks, and of course, the fact that Belobog is small enough that just about everyone knows everyone. He's also not in uniform, which has become an abnormality. He looks rather formal still, though there's not a piece of armor in sight. You wonder if Serval and Lynx helped him pick out the outfit, even if it's more of his style than either of theirs.
You close the distance and call out to get his attention.
"Hey! Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."
His body suddenly goes rigid as his head jerks up to meet your gaze, and he hurries to form a response. Looks like you caught him off guard.
"No! No. I wasn't waiting long at all! Besides, you're right on time! I just.... got here early......."
"Ah! Alright." You nod and desperately attempt to come up with something to keep the conversation going. You can't think of anything to say. Aeons, having a crush is terrible, even when it's reciprocated. Everything's so awkward now. Before, you were both easily able to carry a conversation; sometimes rambling for hours, if you had the time.
You smile and stare at each other like fools for what feels like minutes, though it was probably only fifteen seconds at most before you start speaking at the same time.
"So do you-"
"How are-"
"Sorry!"
"Sorry!"
"You started speaking first, what were you saying?"
"Oh no, I don't mind, you can go first."
You want the ground to swallow you up.
You hold up your finger in the "give-me-a-minute" gesture and take those precious ten seconds to organize your thoughts before finally accomplishing the (apparently) arduous task of communicating your thoughts in an intentional and comprehensible manner.
"I... I'm glad to see you again. How are you?"
"I'm doing well; much better now that you're here though. I missed you." The look he gives you could melt all the snow on the planet as far as you're concerned. "Do you... have anything in mind you want to do today? Or do you just want to walk around and see what piques your interest? I'm happy to do whatever you want."
"I don't, really. The second option sounds good to me." I'm happy to do just about anything, so long as it's with you, you think. You find the thought to be incredibly cliché, but unsurprisingly, you can't find it in your heart to care at the moment.
"Alright then, it's s plan." He holds out an arm. "Shall we? Oh! Un-Unless you'd prefer to walk on your own." He shrinks back a little, as though he was afraid he had upset you. Though he's named after a cat, in this moment, you can't help but liken him to a soggy golden retriever barred from entering a home until he gets dried off. It's honestly kind of cute. He probably got manners drilled into him at a young age; you remember the Landeaus are some brand of nobility after all.
You rush to reassure him. "No! No. It's fine. We get to be closer this way, and uh... We won't lose each other either!" You'd say something about keeping each other warm, but that's too corny, even for you.
As your fingers make contact with Gepard's arm, you hear a cut-off high-pitched squeal from a distance. Whipping your head around, you see a flash of blue from a familiar dress. You quickly draw back your hand, spin around, narrow your eyes, and scan the crowd. Of course, there's a lot of normal Belobog citizens and a couple Silvermane guards who immediately stare in different directions as if they weren't just invested in your meetup with Gepard (The bad thing about living in such a small place with people who know all about everyone, you muse. Your relationship is going to be the hottest and latest gossip for what is probably going to be longer than either of you would like; especially after today. Gepard's going to get the brunt of it though; stinks to be him.), but it doesn't take long for you to find who you were looking for.
"You see them too?" you ask your date.
"Unfortunately," he responds. "I had a feeling this might happen, but I was hoping to be wrong."
"Well, it's kind of charming to know that they care so much." you say. "As long as we don't acknowledge them, they'll probably leave us alone?"
The "they" in question consists of some of your friends from both Jarilo-VI and the Astral Express, including Pela, March, Hook, Dan Heng, and Serval... And probably more that you can't see from your quick glance-over. They were at least smart enough to not be clumped together in a group and are instead interspersed throughout your meeting place. Some are doing much better at pretending to be preoccupied with something else than others. You're honestly surprised that no one has gotten loud enough to blow their own cover. That's fine though; you don't think anyone but Serval could pull off interrupting your date without making it awkward for everyone involved (and that was only if she decided to be nice), and you'd prefer not to test out your theory at the moment,
"You're right let's leave them be for now," Gepard responds to your earlier theory. "I get the feeling that letting them have this is the best course of action if we don't want any larger incidents." He offers his arm again, before smiling. "I'm sorry for not mentioning it sooner, but you look especially lovely today."
"You look really good too," You blush. This man is really bad for your heart. You can already see the headline, Trailblazer, deceased. Cause of death presumed to be by sweetness. Prime suspect? Golden retriever boy(friend). This is one fate you'd happily resign yourself to.
Modern AU Sebastian Sallow feels like the type of dude who would gleefully take part in the old(ish) Scottish tradition of bestowing any statue with a head or head-like appendage with a traffic cone. Anne Sallow would do the same, but she'd be more discreet about it so that the idea of her being the culprit would never cross the minds of anyone but her friends (or people who have known her long enough to realize that both Sallow twins are trouble packaged with a pretty smile).
It's not like she'd have a difficult time about it either; not with Sebastian making a spectacle of himself climbing up the statue's base to bestow upon it new "fashionable" headgear. While he's got everyone distracted, she can discretely Leviosa a cone to a statue in the opposite direction. The atmosphere is probably just right to where even if a non-magic user saw it, it might be chalked up to a shoddy memory or too many drinks.
The twin's antics tend to get under their guardian, a retired member of law enforcement and their Uncle's nerves (something something "disrespect" and "irreverence" something something "rambunctious and foolish behavior"), but hey! It's all good clean fun no? It's nothing that can't be undone without effort, and the effort it would take to fix the area is minor as worst. No one's getting hurt, nothing is getting damaged, and no major crimes are being committed. On the list of what the Sallow twins find "fun," this is rather harmless.
Going through my drafts and.... Huh, I didn't even realize it until recently, but one of my non-event one-shot fics that's been sitting in my drafts for over half a year went and kind of predicted the new Babylonia event (It's going to be an X reader fic in case you couldn't tell because he's my favorite).
I finally know what direction to take the part I've been hung up on, yay!
It's July. Not yay!
The fic is starting to run away from me a little. Also not yay!
For anyone who's been waiting, it's my one HSR fic for this event, featuring a character available upon launch (Sorry anyone who loves characters not available upon launch, but like, I also stopped playing the story part of the game after Topaz showed up, and I got rid of the game entirely after what I think was Phainon's second or third rerun).
At long last, modern civilization!... Was it always so dreary?
First
Previous
If anyone were to see the two of you, they'd probably think you were an incredibly dissonant duo. Some scrappy, banged-up kid leading an adult in ancient robes to who knows where. It's not exactly your coolest moment, but the landscape has shifted in ways that make your general mental map absolutely useless, which is actually a bit unsettling. Normally, when you think about the actual landscape, you think of something that remains relatively unchanging over the years as long as humans don't decide to terraform the land, drain the waterways, or build up dams to construct facilities or improve overall quality of life... or something along those lines. The large landmarks you used to feel your way around familiar stomping grounds are either gone or otherwise changed in a way so that they are unrecognizable to you. It's not like you have a photographic memory, far from it actually, but the area you are currently travelling through was one you used to know like the back of your hand thanks to how often you navigated it to meet up with Tengen. You'd probably feel less out of place if you woke up back in your previous life, because then you'd at least recognize something. Currently, you're probably just as much of a fish-out-of-water as if you'd woken up on a foreign continent you'd never been to before.
Eventually, the dense forest gives way to manmade structures. You had faintly sensed the uptick in cursed energy beforehand, but without the trees in the way to muffle the signatures, they come through clearly. For some reason, the individual signatures seem much more... Suffocating? Dense? Severe? Something. That's for sure. They seem different to that of the Heian Era, anyhow. Perhaps it's because of the greater density of people giving rise to more numerous curses? Maybe the higher numbers of curses are bolstering the strength of individuals. Or maybe it's because Jujutsu sorcerers are no longer as strong or capable as they were in your time, and curses have been allowed to fester as a result when they would have normally already been dispatched in the Heian age? You've seen how certain curses get stronger and more dangerous as they are allowed to remain alive and gain experience... especially intelligent curses and special grades. Or... It's only been what, forty-something years since the end of World War II? Maybe the horrors of war as well as the growing connectivity of the coming modern age are making it easier for more people to be exposed to negative feelings from the terrible things they are capable of both inflicting on others as well as experiencing for themselves? It seems like there's new horrors that humans come up with every time you think you've seen everything. You hope you don't have to fight any radiation-based curses. Honestly, it's a wonder it took so long for Mahito to become a thing. Perhaps there used to be another curse based on humanity's hatred for itself? Hmm. Best not to linger on hypotheticals for now. It seems like Toji is dragging you over to a tourist center... huh?
He doesn't think you're a dressed-up tourist larping as an ancient samurai, does he? Surely, that kind of thing hasn't been popularized yet, right...? Ah, but finding a person in a really odd place who is dressed in traditional wear but doesn't appear to speak your language is much more likely to be a tourist that wandered off somewhere to get a perfect photo and got lost than an actual displaced ancient warrior. Though, you don't have a camera anywhere on your person. Are portable cameras a thing yet? Or, maybe you should say, are affordable portable cameras a thing yet? Oh dear.... Oh wait! A map! That's what he's here for! As soon as you head inside the building, you are met with a huge map of the area along with a large "You Are Here" sticker. After staring at it for a couple minutes, Toji points to a space where the Zenin clan is most likely located. It's.... quite a distance away. That's going to be quite a walk. You'd better find a way to enact your plan soon.
As you leave, one of the staff members bows and says something to Toji. It looks like she recognizes him. It seems like this isn't the first time Toji's been dropped around here, and it likely isn't the first time he's been left. It's almost like the Zenin clan was hoping that if he survived the curses (somehow) that he wouldn't be able to find his way back and they'd be rid of him. How cruel. You aren't even surprised anymore though and wearily add it to the list of reasons why you're going to show up one day and personally beat the whole clan up. You're not going to kill or maim anyone, both because that would cause more clan tensions that you don't want to deal with, and also because you want to be a good role model, and even Maki agreed that slaughtering a clan isn't great (even if nothing of value is lost), but "teaching them a lesson" ought to be fine... right? Even if it's not, at least more people will be understanding as long as all you do is beat them black and blue. It's just a Gojo beating up the Zenins, typical major three old clan rivalries, am I right? If you have the strength, the political power, and the gall, then why not make those you hate your personal sandbags? Who's going to stop you? Toji turns his head to acknowledge the woman, but doesn't say anything back before exiting the building. He looks, for all intents and purposes like a lost kid whose parents have drilled "stranger danger" into his head.
As you turn to leave, something catches your eye. There's a pamphlet advertising a museum that's on your way to the Zenin clan, and what do you know, there's a special exhibit open that's focused on the Heian Era? How fortunate! Now, all you have to do is come up with an idea to get someone's attention there. Maybe there will be staff outside the building you could talk to?
While traversing the area, you can't help but take in the sights looking not unlike a tourist with your head on a swivel and metaphorical stars in your eyes. While it's not a big city like Tokyo, the city you're in has a cozy, familiar vibe to it like it's straight out of a slice of life anime, though admittedly less "old, sleepy town" feeling. That last part probably has something to do with you being somewhere in the 1980's rather than the 2000's or later. Oh goodness, you are going to be absolutely ancient compared to most of your favorite characters thanks to when you woke up. Toji's a kid, Yaga's probably in grade school, and Higuruma might not even be born yet if you're too early into the 1980's. Of course, all the old farts are alive and probably slightly less ugly looking, but who cares about them anyways? It would be nice to know what year you're in exactly, but people tend not to plaster what should be common knowledge in accessible regions. If only you showed up later; now it's going to be weird if you geek out when seeing them because they're all going to be babies compared to you. Well, maybe not. You might be deprived of the equal standing that comes with being closer to the same age as them, but in its place, you get the opportunity to give them back their futures.
After about an hour and a half of walking in the city, the museum finally comes into sight, and how lucky! There are both posters and staff dressed up to promote the special exhibit! Now you have a reason to act like a kid seeing something interesting that lets go of Mom and Dad's hand to take a closer look before getting hopelessly lost rather than having to make up some kind of excuse!
You root your feet to the ground and make it a point to stare in the direction of the museum. Since you're not making any sort of physical contact, you'd typically expect it to take some time for a companion to notice that you are no longer following him like a lost dog, but you are well aware of the various boons granted to heavenly restricted individuals, specifically in the perception department with real life combat experience. Sure enough, Toji turns around to see why you've stopped, before following your line of sight to the museum. The moment you see his expression change, you set off at a brisk walk towards your destination. He seems quite panicked, has he never interacted with non-sorcerers? Or maybe he's worried about what's going to happen when an ancient sorcerer mistakes a museum for "home?" You feel bad for what you're about to do, but the benefits are going to outweigh the temporary costs (your shared mortification and a very awkward encounter.)
You easily outpace him so his floundering attempts to catch your sleeves and pull you back are rendered moot. You also block out his attempts to call for you. The second part will be easy to play off since his attempts to get your attention are hesitant, out of your line of sight, and most importantly, quiet in comparison to the busy street.
As you approach the costumed employees in the front, they say something to you, probably a greeting of some sort? One of them makes a motion as if to switch out with you. Perhaps they think you're another employee? Let the records know that you attempted communication even if you knew it would most likely be useless with simple greeters.
"Greetings, my name is Gojo ____, could you perhaps tell me what year it is, and if there's anyone that speaks one of the older versions of Japanese at this location?"
The two stare at you like you've grown a second head before one hesitantly says, "Are you visiting Japan? Welcome...! My English poor. Sorry. Come in! Lots to see!" They say something similar (you presume) in other languages as well. It seems you have actually been mistaken as a larping tourist this time.
Sensing Toji hot on your heels, you bow and head inside. There's no use trying anything further with people who don't even have an inkling that you're speaking an ancient form of their own language. You'll cut them some slack though, old English would be unrecognizable to you as well. If you heard Beowolf narrated in English as it was when it was written, you doubt you'd even recognize it as an ancient form of your language. Moments like this make you wish that you could communicate with people again, even just using English even if that would make proving your "Legitimate-Ancient-Heian-Age-Sorcerer" credentials harder. Alas, whatever Isekai higher beings that decided to send you to the past decided to wire your brain and mouth in a way that auto translated the ancient Japanese you heard to English and likewise translated your English words to Heian-Age Japanese. It was obviously a boon back then, but now you don't know how or if you can turn it off, effectively making you lose access to speaking English entirely. Annoying, but you'll live. At least you haven't lost access to the main spoken language here... you just haven't learned it in the first place.
Of course, if push comes to shove, your writing abilities haven't been touched, but explaining how an ancient sorcerer can write in modern English is going to bring up more suspicion and questions than you'd rather deal with. You'd rather not deal with more larping accusations than you already have, and it's not worth potentially becoming a target for execution for daring to impersonate a Gojo clan member. Ugh, why is this so difficult? Were this an anime, light novel, or fanfiction, you'd have already become acquaintances with most of the main cast, and the seeds of obsession would already be planted in at least one of them as well.
You head inside and scan the room looking for scholars. You are hoping to find one who works at the museum and specializes in the language. The chances of them being out and amongst the patrons are low, but not zero. Thankfully, this is a museum that does not require entrance fees. You're not broke, but you highly doubt your coins are legal tender anymore.
It seems Toji has shaken off his reservations, as you can sense him rapidly closing in on your position. Please let this not have been for nothing, you think as you frantically scan the bystanders for anyone who gives off scholarly vibes. Almost like a miracle, the crowd parts, and you see a slightly disheveled looking guy trying to keep a stack of papers from falling with one arm, while securely carrying a case in his other hand. There are ink stains on both his hands and his suitcoat. He brushes past you and one of the papers lands at your feet. You can read it perfectly, and it isn't in English. Bingo! this guy is just what you need! You pick up the paper, and make an effort to draw his attention to you.
"Excuse me sir, you dropped this!"
"Oh, thank you," he absent-mindedly replies in the same language you called out to him in, reaching over to take the paper from your hands, before doing a double-take and staring at you like a shocked deer in the headlights of a truck.
"You're the first one all day I could understand!" you grin at him.
Is This An Alternate Universe, or Was It Just Another Potion Mishap?
So, I wrote a fun intermediate arc buildup for a retelling of Hogwarts Legacy when I haven't even started the main plot or introduced my MC yet. Life's just like that sometimes.
Uhhh... Hi HL fandom. I had a bunch of normal x reader fanfics planned to release first to ease into the fandom.... and then I got struck with inspiration and whipped this up in a single session.
Warnings: Unintentional, nonconsensual body modification and body horror. Nothing's shown, and it's not too graphic, but I'd rather cover all of my bases.
Some bigshot (probably Merlin) made a potion that aids in animagus transformation awakening. He wrote down the recipe in a tome that MC finds while adventuring and lends Garreth. MC doesn't know that recipe is in there because it's sandwiched between less dangerous sounding potions. Nothing goes wrong for a couple months because Garreth is busy with other potions that are harmless duds at worst, and actually helpful usually. Gareth is actually generally following the recipes this time because he wants to know what the base forms are like before making changes since most of them are pretty unique (also he kind of respects whoever made the tome). One day, MC and co. learn about Animagi in class (haven't read the books or watched the movies, don't know if that's ever supposed to be covered in any form. It is in this universe), officially (technically, most of the plot important people know already because of Natsai since this happens after most of the story). This is where things start to go wrong.
It's partially Garreth's fault, partially not. Some ingredients just don't exist anymore, so he had to substitute 'similar' ingredients and hope for the best (you know how 'that' typically goes). It also has to do with bloodlines (it's probably both what you're thinking, and not at all what you're thinking. I'll explain it eventually in the actual fic). All you really need to know for now is that the genetic disposition of the people back when the potion was created and now is different enough that it's causing some issues.
What's SUPPOSED to happen: Drink the potion, and not only will you be able to concentrate better and be able to somewhat instinctively transform yourself, but you'll also get a sense for what you'll end up being beforehand.
What ACTUALLY happened. The potion's fumes got into everyone's systems and caused disorientation and drowsiness. No one drank it, but it didn't matter. Everyone started almost drifting off rapidly, and most decided to turn in for the night early. Those that didn't ended up passed out on the ground somewhere and taken to bed by housemates. They then began to undergo rapid transformation (Which they thankfully slept through. Was it painless? Well, they don't remember. It's probably for the best). The transformation was incomplete, so they ended up looking kind of monstrous (about 75% beast, 25% human, in a way that doesn't make them look like furries). Their hair, and most of their facial features excluding their eyes remained the same, but everything else was "fair game." Most stayed bipedal, but certain fingers might have fused together, limbs might have extended or contracted to a small, yet noticeable degree, hands and arms might have grown long feathers or thin membranes, hair and fur might appear anywhere besides certain patches on the face, bones might have warped, tails might have grown, scales might have appeared, etc. Most individuals grew claws of some kind.
Garreth brewed the potion during potionology. Guess what? Every plot important fifth year (including potential and actual companions) besides Everett Clopton (lucky duck) and Anne Sallow (duh) takes potionology in the same period. Professor Sharp was also affected. The effects are permanent, though reversible through a different potion (that will have to be made from scratch because there's no reason to want a counter potion for the original version). The substituted ingredients as well as Sharp's physical state are probably going to make actually finding the right combination a headache. It will probably take more than one attempt to find something that gets rid of everything it should, fixes everything it ought, leaves everything that was already fine, causes no other side effects, and lasts PERMANENTLY.
The affected students are allowed to miss certain classes due to maneuverability issues, as well as dexterity issues. It sucks, but what are you going to do when your opposable thumbs suddenly aren't opposable and you can't hold your wand (or quill!) anymore? Remember that wandless magic isn't really taught here. Your current state is also most certainly going to distract the rest of the class. Besides, are you really going to absorb anything from the lecture while you're busy with an internal crisis of self because you suddenly had a compulsion to eat something or act in a certain way that your human palate/sensibilities found repulsive or otherwise mortifying?
(My) MC, who is not a human, got it the worst, and became an odd owl, dragon, centaur-shaped thing (The owl part was granted by the potion, everything else was part of her biology/disguise. I can explain, I just won't until actually write up her bio. Let's just say, she's not exactly a local). She's got a lower dragon body starting at the torso, feathers covering everything from the neck down, as well as starting around the edge of the face (she kind of looks like a more proportional chimera Falin from Dungeon Meshi except with Barn Owl coloring) with longer feathers forming wings over both her dragon wings as well on her arms. Thankfully, she still fits through doorways since she wasn't too tall to begin with, but it may be a bit of a squeeze through certain frames.
Ominis probably got it second worst, seeing as his legs fused together (he looks like a less-human-looking-than-normal naga).
The others are all at least still mostly bipedal (though certain original quadrupeds have issues remaining upright due to the differing bone structure of their hind legs and may stick their dominant hand out in case they fall).
Despite already being an animagus, Natsai got affected too. She can turn fully into her animagus form but is still stuck in a 75/25 beastly form when trying to turn human.
Overall forms (haven't nailed down everyone for sure yet)
Note: Most extra information comes from Wikipedia. I'm also not limiting myself to animals from Britain because I'd rather not go insane, though I'll attempt to when possible. Also, no fish because I'm not sure how to get them transformed and then into the Lake without them suffocating.
Aesop Sharp: Either a Grey Wolf or a Siberian Tiger. (Was going to make him a lion, but that's basically Gryffindor and he'd probably rather jump into the Black Lake handcuffed.)
Amit Thakkar: Kentish Glory Moth (Was going to make him a bat, but they aren't as focused on the evening sky itself, while certain moth species are known to use the stars to navigate).
Andrew Larson: Crested Gecko (The wiki says he enjoys astronomy, but is intolerant of the cold).
Garreth Weasley: Carrion Crow (Clever, knows how to do things for fun rather than merely for survival, mischievous). I could also get behind Canada Goose for the lolz.
Imelda Reyes: Peregrine Falcon (Is an athletic bird and shows an eagerness to hunt, making them ideal falconry birds as well as their general "speed devil" stereotype (They're also known to be calm birds.... eh, three out of four)).
Leander Prewett: Unsure, perhaps a hunting dog liker a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever or a Beagle since he takes part in Crossed Wands (both are very social, but cautious around strangers (at first, anyway). The Retriever is known for its intelligence however, and the Beagle is... not so much. Beagles are also known to howl or bark when confronted with the unknown), but I at least want him to be a doglike mammal.
Natsai Onai: Gazelle (Canon)
Ominis Gaunt: Burmese Python with Leucism (like albinism, but the eyes are unaffected. What can I say, he really seems to gel well with white snakes) (The animal is nonvenomous and generally has an easy-going nature but grows large and is capable of inflicting real damage with its bites as well as causing death by constriction. This second part doesn't so much apply to Ominis as it does the rest of his family: These snakes are opportunistic feeders that eat and even act hungry after eating. To put things simply; greedy and gluttonous, which is why they're such an invasive problem in America after people go and dump them when they get too big or complicated to care for).
Poppy Sweeting: European Badger (On the nose I know, but I think she really embodies these creatures. They're sociable and have been known to peacefully coexist with as well as protect certain other species such as red foxes or rabbits. Though generally docile, they are also known to become incredibly aggressive when faced with a predator, especially when cornered).
Priscilla Wakefield: She's a blank slate, so idk. European wildcat or a yellow-necked mouse?
Samantha Dale: Most of her questline has to do with her brother, and apparently, she's descended from a famed herbologist. I don't know how to translate that into an animagus form. Maybe a Gopher or a European rabbit?
Sebastian Sallow: Red Fox (Besides just about everyone else saying he ought to be a red fox, he fits the sometimes lovable, sometimes dastardly "trickster" persona that fiction has granted foxes. He's also generally adaptable and shares a complicated past like foxes have had with humans; hunted for things both within and beyond their control).
Violet McDowell: Another body to make the school feel less empty. No clue. Maybe a Roe Deer or a European Polecat.
Have you heard about Meningeal worms (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis), also known as the deer brainworm?
Warning: Talking about a real-life internal parasite, will probably be a disgusting read. I tried to go light on the details, but still (Probably) not for the squeamish. I was planning on making it more fandom-centered than it ended up being, I blame my field of study.
You read that first sentence right, these parasitic worms spend their adult lives in various veins and veinous sinuses on the surface of the brain in their definitive host, the white-tailed deer. The larvae escape the host's body through the digestive system before finding their way into the body of an intermediate host (a snail or a slug), which is then usually consumed by the definitive host accidentally while it consumes vegetation where the larvae grow to reach adulthood; completing their life cycle.
Shockingly, these parasites do not appear to bother the deer much, and few cases of sickness related to said parasitic infection have been reported. In fact, it is actually rather common for a deer to be infected with these parasites, though no one usually would be able to tell whether or not a deer is infected by appearance and behavior (unless it was a case of a deer infected with many worms, especially a fawn). The issues begin to arise when the infected mollusks get eaten by other animals...
Within any other animal besides the definitive host, this parasite cannot grow to adulthood making these other animals "dead-end hosts," and furthermore, has been known to burrow into the brain and spinal cord, causing severe neurological issues and usually resulting in death
These unfortunate species include the likes of Moose, Elk, Mule Deer, Black-tailed deer, Reindeer, Pronghorns, Llamas, Alpacas, Camels, Cattle, Horses.... Sheep...... Goats........
The best thing to do for an afflicted dead-end host would be to be it out of its misery; there's no fixing the damage done.
I was planning on going somewhere with this, but I have no idea where. Perhaps making some kind of remark about how a certain deer can make it through dangerous situations keeping a relatively calm mind where others would panic? Or maybe how he is better able to resist/work with corrosive beings that pose a much greater risk to his companions?
...
If I wanted to get more exact with my references, well... This parasite is mostly found in North America, while the Goral and Roe Deer are Native to the Eurasian Continent, so they'd realistically never have an unfortunate encounter. The Goat, however... ;)
...Before you accuse me of preventing you from sleeping well ever again, I feel like I ought to let you know that transmission of this parasite to humans has not been reported.
I have, in fact, heard of Prions. I decided to go and do an entire (short) paper on CWD. It's (not) great. Highly infective, easy to spread, hangs around for forever (so high area contamination risk, especially with all the surfaces it can survive on, including but not limited to grass, dirt, and concrete), and an almost guaranteed fatality rate (it also causes neurological issues). What makes it worse is that it's infective long before the deer shows any signs or symptoms. Gives another meaning to "You are already dead, you just don't know it yet." White tail deer are the main victims, but a lot of other hoofed ungulates are susceptible as well.
Humans haven't been known to get it from eating contaminated meat or extended exposure to an afflicted deer or contaminated site... Yet. But people are for sure being cautious around it.
Humans may have not been able to contract it by eating infected meat but we do have Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. Which seems to be caused by similar things, the PrP protein converting into another variant of it. From PrPc (normal prion) to PrPres (infectious & resistant to proteases).[1] I think? But i've seen it refered to as different things like PrPsc.
The protein essentially just keeps replicating uncontrollably until it turns into a problem. In humans it seems to manifest mostly sporadicly (87% of cases in a study done in europe [2]), kind of like how cancer works. So to contract a prion disease you don't really need to be in contact with contaminated meat or surfaces, it does increases the chances of getting it, but your body can also just spontaniously decide to kill itself. As it always does, just worse than normal.
We don't have a cure for it yet but research is ongoing. Apparently with gene editing in mice?[3] but that only works for genetic cases, if it works. It's still progress though!
Interesting! If you couldn't tell, I was more focused on what prion disease did to deer rather than humans. It's cool to learn about the other side of the equation as someone who was more focused on the animal side of Biology. So crazy that such a small thing such as a mis-folded protein can cause so much devastation.
Have you heard about Meningeal worms (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis), also known as the deer brainworm?
Warning: Talking about a real-life internal parasite, will probably be a disgusting read. I tried to go light on the details, but still (Probably) not for the squeamish. I was planning on making it more fandom-centered than it ended up being, I blame my field of study.
You read that first sentence right, these parasitic worms spend their adult lives in various veins and veinous sinuses on the surface of the brain in their definitive host, the white-tailed deer. The larvae escape the host's body through the digestive system before finding their way into the body of an intermediate host (a snail or a slug), which is then usually consumed by the definitive host accidentally while it consumes vegetation where the larvae grow to reach adulthood; completing their life cycle.
Shockingly, these parasites do not appear to bother the deer much, and few cases of sickness related to said parasitic infection have been reported. In fact, it is actually rather common for a deer to be infected with these parasites, though no one usually would be able to tell whether or not a deer is infected by appearance and behavior (unless it was a case of a deer infected with many worms, especially a fawn). The issues begin to arise when the infected mollusks get eaten by other animals...
Within any other animal besides the definitive host, this parasite cannot grow to adulthood making these other animals "dead-end hosts," and furthermore, has been known to burrow into the brain and spinal cord, causing severe neurological issues and usually resulting in death
These unfortunate species include the likes of Moose, Elk, Mule Deer, Black-tailed deer, Reindeer, Pronghorns, Llamas, Alpacas, Camels, Cattle, Horses.... Sheep...... Goats........
The best thing to do for an afflicted dead-end host would be to be it out of its misery; there's no fixing the damage done.
I was planning on going somewhere with this, but I have no idea where. Perhaps making some kind of remark about how a certain deer can make it through dangerous situations keeping a relatively calm mind where others would panic? Or maybe how he is better able to resist/work with corrosive beings that pose a much greater risk to his companions?
...
If I wanted to get more exact with my references, well... This parasite is mostly found in North America, while the Goral and Roe Deer are Native to the Eurasian Continent, so they'd realistically never have an unfortunate encounter. The Goat, however... ;)
...Before you accuse me of preventing you from sleeping well ever again, I feel like I ought to let you know that transmission of this parasite to humans has not been reported.
I have, in fact, heard of Prions. I decided to go and do an entire (short) paper on CWD. It's (not) great. Highly infective, easy to spread, hangs around for forever (so high area contamination risk, especially with all the surfaces it can survive on, including but not limited to grass, dirt, and concrete), and an almost guaranteed fatality rate (it also causes neurological issues). What makes it worse is that it's infective long before the deer shows any signs or symptoms. Gives another meaning to "You are already dead, you just don't know it yet." White tail deer are the main victims, but a lot of other hoofed ungulates are susceptible as well.
Humans haven't been known to get it from eating contaminated meat or extended exposure to an afflicted deer or contaminated site... Yet. But people are for sure being cautious around it.
Have you heard about Meningeal worms (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis), also known as the deer brainworm?
Warning: Talking about a real-life internal parasite, will probably be a disgusting read. I tried to go light on the details, but still (Probably) not for the squeamish. I was planning on making it more fandom-centered than it ended up being, I blame my field of study.
You read that first sentence right, these parasitic worms spend their adult lives in various veins and veinous sinuses on the surface of the brain in their definitive host, the white-tailed deer. The larvae escape the host's body through the digestive system before finding their way into the body of an intermediate host (a snail or a slug), which is then usually consumed by the definitive host accidentally while it consumes vegetation where the larvae grow to reach adulthood; completing their life cycle.
Shockingly, these parasites do not appear to bother the deer much, and few cases of sickness related to said parasitic infection have been reported. In fact, it is actually rather common for a deer to be infected with these parasites, though no one usually would be able to tell whether or not a deer is infected by appearance and behavior (unless it was a case of a deer infected with many worms, especially a fawn). The issues begin to arise when the infected mollusks get eaten by other animals...
Within any other animal besides the definitive host, this parasite cannot grow to adulthood making these other animals "dead-end hosts," and furthermore, has been known to burrow into the brain and spinal cord, causing severe neurological issues and usually resulting in death
These unfortunate species include the likes of Moose, Elk, Mule Deer, Black-tailed deer, Reindeer, Pronghorns, Llamas, Alpacas, Camels, Cattle, Horses.... Sheep...... Goats........
The best thing to do for an afflicted dead-end host would be to be it out of its misery; there's no fixing the damage done.
I was planning on going somewhere with this, but I have no idea where. Perhaps making some kind of remark about how a certain deer can make it through dangerous situations keeping a relatively calm mind where others would panic? Or maybe how he is better able to resist/work with corrosive beings that pose a much greater risk to his companions?
...
If I wanted to get more exact with my references, well... This parasite is mostly found in North America, while the Goral and Roe Deer are Native to the Eurasian Continent, so they'd realistically never have an unfortunate encounter. The Goat, however... ;)
...Before you accuse me of preventing you from sleeping well ever again, I feel like I ought to let you know that transmission of this parasite to humans has not been reported.
Okay, maybe you should have expected this, but after at least a decade of nothing, you deserve some slack for thinking that you'd never meet, let alone meaningfully interact with any modern characters from the story.
First
Previous
After dropping that bombshell, the kid, or as he just revealed himself, Toji Zenin, drops off to dreamland after you nod in indication that you heard and understood him. Whatever shock you may or may not have displayed on your face could simply be attributed to you not thinking that he would give you his name, rather than being surprised at his identity at all. It probably would still be better if you kept the level of shock showing on your face down to mild surprise so as not to accidentally frighten the ki-, no Toji, into thinking he did something wrong. Hopefully, you did better at schooling your expression than you think you did. Does Tojo even know of the Rivalry between your clans yet? Does it matter to him yet? Questions, questions. All in due time; you'll be seeing a lot of him in the future, if you can help it.
As you settle into your temporary resting place, the implications of being woken up by a young Toji Zenin begin to hit, well, even more than previously so. This is long before the main story, or even the prequel with the Star Plasma Incident... and the one heralding the "Beginning of the End" (so-to-speak) of the relatively peaceful world of sorcery is a child yet to be turned into the villain he's destined to become. If you interfere, just how far could you derail the "plot?" And it's not like you are just going to sit on your hands and let the plot move along for fear of the butterfly effect changing the plotline beyond what you may have planned for. You're not scared of something like that, in fact, changing the story would be welcome! Especially considering what happens to just about every likable character ever (Death, Disfigurement, Corruption, Trauma, or in some unlucky cases, all of the above).
Maybe you won't be able to rely on your knowledge to coast through the story, but so what! You're a Jujutsu Kaisen Fan! You didn't even read the story and relied on fanfic, plot synopsizes, and your fellow obsessed friends to clue you in to the main plot anyways, so who knows just how accurate your "foreknowledge" even is! If the world didn't want you to interfere, then it shouldn't have thrown a child Toji at you first thing after you woke up. Though... Toji might have caused the inciting incident, but there was far more at play leading to the events of the main story, or even the "Night Parade of 100 Demons" (was it 100, or 1000?) ...You're going to have your work cut out for you. One step at a time though. The biggest issue is going to be actually learning the language. It seems that you aren't going to get a second "Isekai-Pass" to pick it up automatically.
Looks like it's back to school for you. How much is that going to cost? Hopefully not too much. It's (probably) the late eighties, so maybe...? As someone who definitely did not exist with a developed brain and consciousness in the nineteen-eighties, especially not in Japan.... you haven't a clue. Whatever it is, it's probably better than what it costs nowadays (previously? In the future?? Time and universe travel just got a whole lot more difficult to refer to now that you are much closer to your original world's time). You should probably send Toji to school too, while you're at it; part of the reason he turned out the way he did was because he had no tools, background, or resources to help him succeed. The Zenin clan probably thought he'd be a waste of resources to even train, let alone school, and without an education there's not many opportunities in the modern world. You should go deck the Zenin clan leader when you see him next -- wait, that might cause issues since you're not reestablished with the Gojo clan yet.... Okay, postpone that goal until you're well established in modern society and the sorcerer world.
You spend the next couple hours mentally creating a "To-Do" list to get yourself properly reestablished so you don't have to live like a fish on land trying to with a flock of sheep (That is to say, so you aren't floundering and living like a homeless, jobless, alien that can't even understand the main language). It goes something like this:
Gojo _____'s To-Do List
Return to modern society (Duh. Staying out here in the wild is both unpleasant and kind of stupid.)
Get your lack of identification certificates issue fixed (Life is going to be a pain without those things)
Officially adopt Toji while you're at it (No way are you letting him go back to the Zenin clan unless it's when he's older and talented enough to show them the old what-for)
Get vaccinated (Because dying to the common cold after surviving S-Grade curses and even the Sukuna incident is not the way to go.)
Get a translator (Human preferential, given the... technology.... of the time. Swear them to silence regarding the topics of sorcery and curses with a binding vow or something....)
Go to actual school (To learn the language; you should be fine on the other subjects.)
Send Toji to school (See above internal monologue)
Get a j*b (For money. It is preferential to raise a child with a steady income. As for what to do...? You'll get to that eventually.)
Train Toji (Just because you are giving him the tools to live in the modern, non-sorcerer world does not mean that you should deprive him of the chance to live in the sorcerer world, should he choose. You're planning on going back too, eventually, so you ought to give him the opportunity to thrive in the place where others tried to break him.)
Get Toji a better cursed tool (DO NOT break into the Zenin compound for it even if they have really good ones that they just SIT ON AND DO NOTHING WITH AND ACTUALLY YOU AND TOJI DESERVE THEM SO MUCH MORE THAN THOSE WORTHLESS SCUM)
Eventually rejoin the world of sorcery (You have lived there for at least a decade. There's no reason to stop just because you woke up in a different era. Staying in the sorcerer world is also necessary if you want to change the story further beyond just Toji.)
Try not to piss off anyone unnecessarily (Heavy emphasis on the "unnecessarily" part)
Don't die in the process
No pressure.
You can deal with rejoining the Gojo clan specifically later; this is enough of a To-Do list as is. You can probably also reconnect with Tengen when you reenter the world of sorcery officially. You probably just have to mention in passing that you personally know Tengen, and that she can corroborate with your story. You're totally not putting it off because you're worried that either she or you have changed in the other's eyes beyond recognition... or that the red tape is going to suck to get past. Totally not.
With that, you decide to get as much shut eye as possible; tomorrow (or is it later today? The forest canopy does NOT help with telling relative time) is probably going to be long, difficult, and annoying. What a pain. The things you're going to do for those you care about. Well, no; The THINGS you're going to do not just for those you care about, but also for the sake of the world you now call home. You've seen what curses can do, and Sukuna, the "King of Curses" is that time a thousand. Shibuya...... It won't happen like that this time, not if you can help it. Honestly, if you play your cards right, maybe you can even prevent Sukuna from incarnating at all...? Though with Modulo, the spinoff set in the future, needing a powered-up Yuji... One step at a time. Just focus on Toji for now. You've got years before Yuji, heck, even Satoru, are born (maybe year, singular, for Satoru; You don't know the exact date currently.) so that means you have time.
Despite the worrying you do in spite of yourself, you manage to drop off to sleep (eventually) and wake up fairly rested. And hey! Toji is still asleep, so you didn't embarrass yourself by oversleeping on your first day "back!" (Or maybe, they didn't let Toji sleep enough in the Zenin clan, and now his body is taking advantage of the situation to catch up on sleep.... Maybe, you ought to stop speculating on his home life before you pull a Maki.)
You decide to let Toji sleep a bit longer as you pack up for the day (not like there's much to tidy up) and wake him just as you're ready to head off. Thankfully, you were able to move him without waking him to clean up his side of the temporary shelter. (Just how far out was he? that's another point for the Zenin clan being actual scumbags, not that you needed any extra proof--- no let's not jump to conclusions and make ourselves irrationally upset without actually getting confirmation from Toji himself. He's a kid. Sometimes even kids that are constantly in survival mode need to let down their guards; especially when they think they're in a safe area).
As you make your way to the edge of the forest, you sense the familiar cursed energy before you see it; a barrier. Tengen's barrier. It must have been what kept you safe all these years. You feel a stab of guilt for pushing off your grand reunion so late into your plans before shoving it down. Sorry Tengen, saving the world comes first (and you really don't want to deal with the bureaucrats and security....). Toji passes through it with ease, but you decide to put your hand out to make sure the barrier won't turn into a solid wall when it's your turn to pass through. That seems to have been the right call, as you make contact with the barrier, but just when you start focusing your own cursed energy to analyze the conditions and limitations of the barrier you hear a cracking sound.
Starting from your hand, glowing cracks begin to form and quickly lengthen, before the entire barrier comes crashing down (thankfully, breaking into harmless pieces as it falls)! Oops. Hopefully Tengen didn't notice...? Or didn't realize which barrier it was that fell.....??? You're not sticking around to find out: The last thing you need is guards sent that think you somehow were an intruder and decide you need to become history.... literally. Yes, you are thinking about the worst-case scenario, have you seen just how incompetent the higher-ups are in this series?
You take Toji by the hand, and start walking in a direction that you remember previously to have been a town, before realizing that that's a stupid idea and using dirt symbols to hopefully communicate that you want to be taken into a town. If he misunderstands and takes you to the Zenin clan instead... Well, hopefully they're far enough away that you'll stumble upon normal civilization first.
And with that, the two of you are off to your new lives. You make sure to keep your mental checklist in the back of your mind. It's going to be vital, you're sure of it. Your actions from here on out are going to cause irreparable damage to the "canon" of the series as you know it; hopefully for the better, though maybe for the worse. The fate of the world may just rest in your hands. Good luck! ...You're in over your head, aren't you...?
The issue when you have story idea after story idea and whole plotlines planned out in your head, but you hate writing, be it typing or physically writing.
Had a funny thought regarding "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime"
Minor Spoilers Regarding Tensura's first arc, but it's years old by this point so.......
Everything is normal, except Rimiru dismisses Primordial Noir before he's able to get a word in edgewise regarding further service. Basically, his "Oh yeah, you can go now" is taken as an immediate dismissal by the summoning magic, and since both ends of the bargain have been upheld by that point, Noir just poofs away instantly before he even has time to react.
Noir is, of course, devastated, but his reaction isn't really shown to the viewer (or Rimuru). What follows is a small comedy arc as the story continues with Noir showing up every time Rimuru decides to summon random devils for the tasks that require time and distance (because without Diablo in the roster, Rimuru has a reason to continue summoning rather than Diablo just handling everything on that front) looking and acting increasingly like a sad, desperate, wet cat as Rimuru continues to send him back after he fulfills contractual obligations.
Rimuru doesn't find out about Noir's status as a Primordial, but he eventually finds out about his desire to join the main group in Tempest. He's more hesitant about it than he was in canon (haven't really thought of a reason for it besides either suspecting a trap or hearing horror stories about keeping devils around that he'd probably disregard at this point because it's post-Falmuth and he's let go of most of his previous life's way of thinking... Maybe he feels hesitant to depend on someone he's previously only had a contractual relationship with or Ramiris saw him once and told Rimiru that Noir had bad vibes or something.) and as an unintentional result, both Rimiru and the rest of Tempest is much stronger by the time Diablo finally joins them for certain. This makes it that much more difficult for Diablo to join the "inner circle" of those close to Rimuru as an extremely late follower.
Not to worry! The distance and constant dismissal has made Diablo at minimum three times as devoted to Rimuru than he already was in canon. He's a fanatic, and his not-so-subtle, short-lived rivalry with Shion in canon would probably last longer, be more intense, and also better hidden from Rimuru in this universe. He doesn't want to (fully) replace her or otherwise incapacitate her, as they are both allies under Rimuru, but he also doesn't want to be relegated to the fringes of the group either. On a similar note, anyone who even talks bad about Rimuru should probably start counting their days unless the slime himself can calm down Diablo. That sort of thinking and speech isn't tolerated. At all.
While it would be interesting to see Diablo more on par with the rest of Tempest, I think it would also be funny to see him getting named by a more powerful Rimuru, and then instantly shooting up to top three, if not the absolute strongest of the group, no matter when in the story he finally joins due to the extra magicules and extra devotion/fanatism.
Not much changes overall, but the mental image of a sopping wet cat Noir is too good to pass up. Yes, he's crazy strong (so much so that he stopped getting stronger so as not to get bored when fighting opponents), and yes, he's going to have cool moments, but he's also a bit of a loser when it comes to Rimuru, and there's just something special about that.
[And if you're wondering why this suddenly came up, I finally got him on a stupid crossover event in a cash-grab harem-slop waifu isekai game (where the illustration comes from). It's actually gotten better since I last played it when the event initially ran, but I'm still getting rid of it again when the event's over lol.]
According to the site metrics, this is going to be my hundredth post (fitting since it's also around the one-year anniversary of the blog itself.) I figured I'd give y'all a bit of a preview of what's sitting in my drafts. Oh boy, there's a lot. Almost Ninety actually :,3
Now, I should probably start with series people already know about. I have all the characters and basic outlines done for my Valentine's day event (I am very aware it is halfway through MAY. Remind me never to do something like this ever again.) but the actual stories tend to wander a bit from what I planned out in my drafts. To make things very simple, I have
1 Story scenario from Honkai Star Rail remaining
1 Story scenario from the Persona Series remaining
1 Story scenario from Tears of Themis remaining
1 Story scenario from Jujutsu Kaisen remaining
2 Story scenarios from Devil May Cry remaining
2 Story scenarios from Punishing Gray Raven remaining
3 Story scenarios from Twisted Wonderland remaining
... and an extra scenario that could go with any fandom whatsoever.
As for "A Millenium Too Early," I've got a bit of a preview here ^^
Gojo _____'s To-Do List
Return to modern society
Get your lack of identification certificates fixed
Officially adopt Toji while you're at it
Get vaccinated (Dying to a common cold after surviving S grade curses is not the way to go)
Get a translator
Go to school (to learn modern Japanese so you don't have to continue to rely on said translator)
Send Toji to school (Give him the ability to live in normal society if he wishes)
Get a j*b (For money. It is preferable to raise children when you have a steady flow of income)
Train Toji (Give him the ability to thrive in sorcerer society)
Get Toji a better cursed tool (DO NOT break into the Zenin compound for it even if they have really good ones that they just SIT ON AND DO NOTHING WITH AND ACTUALLY YOU AND TOJI DESERVE THEM SO MUCH MORE THAN THOSE WORTHLESS SCUM)
Eventually rejoin the world of sorcery
Try not to piss off anyone unnecessarily (...maybe.)
Don't die in the process
No pressure.
As for other pending series....
I was originally going to write a one-shot involving an Eldritch Jade Leech falling in love with the Prefect loosely based off a dream I had, but it's kind of long and I should probably split it up. I'm still writing him getting used to being in such a constrained form as a "child." It's planned to lean more on the romantic side once we finally get to school days rather than cosmic horror/yandere. Don't expect that one for a good while. (Don't worry, I've got some other ideas involving other characters than lean more into the cosmic horror side of things.)
I had also planned to write a one-shot with various light novel/manwha characters x reader in different scenarios, but I just know I'll end up writing a book about each of them, so maybe that ought to be its own series as well. It's kind of funny because I don't romantically like any of the characters, but it's fun to write from that angle sometimes. These characters are more action based than romance based, so finding a way to work in romance while preserving canon as best as possible is a fun change. Given who I'm planning to add in, I should proooooobbbbbably add Kim Dokja, but I never really got into ORV. We'll see.
I was thinking about writing an oc/author's self insert rewrite of TWST, but that comes WAY later. OC isn't Yuu (anymore.) There's time travel and some popular fan-theories involved.
As for some miscellaneous things:
I have some TWST one shots on the backburner as well as PGR one shots. Basic stuff, no?
An idea for a magic otome royal high school "game" with the DMC cast
Annnnddd... an imagine or two with some JJK characters
There's also some fics in the draft bin that are literally just lyrics which will be assigned characters and a plot when I find ones that fit the vibe. It's almost all Vocaloid music, send help.
There's also some drafts I should probably just trash that are me
Wondering how people can "clock" ai writing because unless someone leaves a prompt in, I can't. I haven't ever used CAI or anything of the like, so that might be part of the reason but.... Also, I'd hate to be wrong and then have the person just nuke their entire account, because If I got accused, I'd probably never post again.
Complaining about OC versus reader content. I get it that if you advertise "x reader" the insert shouldn't have a physical description or a name, but some people are talking about personality too and like, you have to give us writers some grace because every person reacts to any given action slightly differently. If we tried to make it truly a blank slate insert character, then the characters would literally be interacting with a carboard cutout, which no one wants (and is also technically a personality trait in and of itself).
And finally, I got into Hogwarts Legacy after it went on sale for the low price of free last December. I'm not too far into it (I have yet to get yelled at by anyone for being where I shouldn't be, though I'm also level 27 because I couldn't help but explore and do sidequests. Maybe soon. I really need that lockpicking spell... or a better fire spell than the basic one.), but I kinda got spoiled a bit and fell in love with the characters. I've got drafts for a few, but it will probably take months for them to see the light of day while I work on other stuff. I feel like I need to apologize to the Wizarding World Fans. I never read or watched Harry Potter because I thought it was lame and for babies (even as a twelve-year-old, whoops), and it turns out that that isn't really the case. I'm still not going to read the books or watch the movies because I'm an adult and ration the free time I have doing things I'd prefer over taking a gamble with a new series, but....
As a side note, I heard a few people say that what held the game back (besides things being rushed and scrapped) was the need for the game to continually harken back to the books/movies with a "Look! you recognize ___ from ___? Right?" Well, as someone who doesn't get the references (I live under a rock; point and laugh.), I'm going to tell you right now that I recognized none of them, soooo...... Just don't know about the series and it improves the game....?
To anyone who's read this far (does anyone read these things?) Thank you very much for your attention. Here's to hoping that I can actually get this stuff done :'3
