Prepare To See Like 4 Of Them 0u0

I wanna go to disneyland so bad

Im very rusty. Dont say anything about the eyes pls.

Nah but im ok with the drawing. Its cute. Not the best not the worst.I lied Im so unhappy with the eyes. God. Wtf is wrong with Eve's eyes. Wtf

Woah am I proyecting cuz I havent gone to disneyland? I would never!

Just Eve and Peony hanging around Disneyland

I love Peony so much. I feel like she would be fun to hang around.

Peony Hemlock-------> @hemlock-haven

Eve‐--------> @cloudishmagma

I wrote the maxtags wtf

OMG YOU BI ICON

SLAAYYY

THIS IS ADORABLEE

Thanks Moonie, ya gave me Stephanie brainrot 😤😤

(Lol sorry if her clothes are a lil fucked up, I wasn't sure exactly what her outfit looked like so I just ran with Seth's outfit and took a couple creative liberties 😅)

Thank you for the art inspiration Moonie, you finally got me to break my 2 week streak of not drawing a single damn thing bc of school and work eating up all my free time 🫠

○□○□○□○□○

Stephanie / Seth / Bloodlust Devotion ©️ @hotpinkmoon

Peony ©️ me / @hemlock-haven

Agree with all

Also some cut scenes with shinigami are weird af

SPOILERS for Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE!

--------

Just wanna talk about that amazing Chapter 5 and game for a second.

Makoto Kagutsuchi is such a breath of fresh air compared to the comically crazy antagonists in the Danganronpa series and the Peacekeepers in this game, I was genuinely blown away. I hope they take notes from this game for a future installment in Dangan or perhaps a new Tookyo IP.

I was absolutely blown away by how good this game, a little jank, slight pacing issues and gameplay annoyances here and there, nothing too egregious or standout compared to Danganronpa or smth though.

The writing is on another level, while the game does stumble in Chapter 1 and Chapter 3, the rest of the chapters are absolutely solid and the characters are GREAT.

The last mystery and the final sword fight was hype as fuck!!! God dammn!!

I can confidently say I like this more than Danganronpa and would actually recommend new players this game first due to its distinct lack of troublesome stuff.

I give RAIN CODE a solid 9/10, it's big, it's overambitious, it's flawed, but it was fucking awesome.

POOR BB LMAOO

XII. The Hanged Man

OMG THIS LOOKS AMAZING UR A SUPERSTAR

IM IN LOVE WITH RED RIDING HOOD EVE

❤️💕✨

Little Red and the Big Bad Wolf ♥️🐺

Ft. Concept sketch of Eve's outfit❣️

((Happy Belated Birthday @cloudishmagma !! I hope you like it 🥰🫶))

●○●○●○●○●○●

Eve Watts ©️ @cloudishmagma

James Winston / Wolf James design ©️ @hotpinkmoon

I PASSED OMG

Im so happy

Frothing at the mouth

Am I attracted to a faceless creepypasta now? Maybe

ERROR 410: GONE (Yandere Faceless!Kamisato Ayato/Reader)

A/n: thank you for the 5 dollar tip, "anonymous"! I asked them for what they want in exchange and they asked for a fac█le██ ayato fic... Alright then... You did ask for it...

Unreliable synopsis: Your new coworker doesn't seem to be from around here...

It was a cramped night at the bus stop. Except for the elderly, many people had their phones out since it was nearly midnight and nobody had the stamina to engage in conversation. You recently got promoted as a district manager for an international company, and oh, the work is just too exhausting to drone about. However, in this station, it didn't matter if you were an energetic student or an employee. The bus is abnormally later than their usual "lateness", and such a redundant statement elucidates just how shoddy their schedule is. Everyone was simultaneously stressed and drained and each of their war faces screamed that they would selfishly fight for the seat ride home.

All except for one man.

From the moment he arrived, you were peering at him. He had a similar appearance to the character you were "maining" in the video game you were enamored with for approximately two years. Though you seriously doubt he was in cosplay, he and that favorite of yours look eerily identical. His long-sleeved black coat and simple white turtleneck blend in with modern fashion fairly, save for his elaborate light blue hair, which was organically unkempt and not at all synthetic. His keen eyes led you to believe that he is from an Eastern lineage, most likely Japanese, but you didn't want to make any unfounded assumptions. Because it's simply impossible for someone to cosplay at this time, you were left silently marveling at the incredible coincidence.

He muttered something to himself, but you did not hear it.

“11:56 PM.”

You had a smidgen of knowledge regarding the bus schedule enough to give yourself a pep talk in the hopes that it would motivate you to give him directions. But no amount of psyching yourself up could have prepared you for when another person walked up to him. She asked the question you had been meaning to ask for the past three minutes, assuming she was a college student. He grinned at the worried girl. 

He was stunningly gorgeous when he smiled.

Wholly unfair how he exudes an aura of elegance whilst wearing normal clothes while you look like a sloppy burrito wrapped by a beige shawl this dead of night.

“Oh, no, no. I am not at all lost. I’m simply looking for someone.”

Everyone was fairly sure that person would never arrive, but he stayed roving around the room, pacing back and forth as if the person he was looking for will arrive the next minute. Whoever it was, you were starting to get angry on his behalf. Who would leave such an attractive man waiting? It was improper. 

But to be honest, you have already admitted to yourself that your life is quite dull— so you’re aware that this nonsensical drama you had over this imaginary person stemmed from boredom.

Out of the blue, he fixed his gaze on you.

The stranger’s eyes softened. The simmering panic in his expression vanished in an instant the moment he saw your face, and his mouth gaped open for a short while before he sauntered forward, ignoring the student who awkwardly shuffled back to her waiting spot.

You immediately felt small, upright, and astoundingly nervous. Not ready to be accosted by anyone at all.

“There you are…” He gave you that smile again. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, Mx. (Y/n).”

You scanned the area before jabbing your finger at your chest. He nodded as if you were being ridiculous to consider that it may be someone else.

Ah, so the lookalike was waiting for you. 

You were mentally fighting yourself.

“I’m ███████ █████,” he said in a gentle tone— not at all reflecting the stressed out look he sported a moment before. “— The new product manager. I’m an incredibly recent hire, so please do not feel bad for not recognizing my face.”

That wasn’t the reason why your eyebrows were knitted, though. It’s because you DO recognize his face, but you doubt he’d take you for a reasonable person should you start pointing out his physical similarities with a fictional character.

███████ █████, huh? His full name is a bit average-sounding. Sounds like something you may have read on an early 2000s Weaboo forum on "What would your Japanese name be?" which lists down dates, birth months, and the first letter of a person's first name. However, it wasn’t entirely unbelievable— you just chalked him up as an unfortunate kid whose parents were eager to give their son the name "John Doe" when given the chance.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mister █████.”

“P-Please,” he shook his head. “Let’s drop the formalities. We shall work alongside together officially tomorrow. I would like for us to talk more casually if you would not mind.”

His vocabulary was painfully filled with constrictive pleasantries for someone who seemed to be eager to have a casually cordial relationship with you. Since a product manager and a district manager have roughly equal levels of authority in your company, his desire for friendship isn't too shocking.

Yet, you can’t help but stare… It’s still so strange how he also has a mole right underneath his lip.

He looks just like Kamisato Ayato from Genshin Impact, but not for long.

At first, you envied █████’s youthful glow and wanted it for yourself, but upon learning that he will replace Mister Blaiddyd, you mentally prayed that he wouldn’t lose his mind from stress like his predecessor. That’s how stressful being a product manager is. Give him two months and he’d probably start ruining his coiffed hair during crunch times.

“Understood,” your eyes darted back to the bus station, which remained regrettably devoid of any vehicle. You were starting to consider taking a taxi to avoid this awkward conversation but there’s not a single one in sight. “Since you’ve mentioned that you were trying to find me, might I ask why that is, exactly?”

“Ah, yes,” he instinctively adjusted his collar. His sharp and sophisticated face never averted away from you. “You see— Miss Goneril had informed me that I should approach you if I had any concerns about work.”

Ahh… Hilda…

His future plight still doesn’t change how annoying this situation is. Can’t believe you’re already assigned to helping a newbie out as soon as you got your promotion. She’s planning to milk your kindness dry this month, isn’t she? Despite being your best work friend, Hilda doesn’t have to be unkind to someone to exploit them. But you suppose you wouldn’t mind too much, given how he doesn’t look half-bad. Call it vain, call it a “coping mechanism”, but there wouldn’t be any shame on your end to teach a new attractive coworker the ropes of your job. 

You'll treat him nicely. As the good Samaritan you are, maybe you'll also ask him to give up while he's ahead for good measure.

“Sure, I wouldn’t mind helping you out—”

“I'm most grateful!”

“—but it is VERY late.”

You took a quick look at your phone. 11:53 PM—and there were three messages from Miss Goneril confirming that █████ is the new hire. Since Hilda never filtered her remarks when it came to... aesthetically pleasing people, you instantly pocketed your phone. It was a grave oversight on your end that Hilda found out earlier that you weren't paying attention to her babbling earlier. You wouldn't get such a long message on how "hot" █████'s mole was if you were a better pretender. Her thirst was kind of unsettling.

Ah, whatever. You’ll just delete it later.

You held back a yawn, “where’s your stop?”

“███ ███████.”

“Ah, that’s where I drop off too.”

Additionally, it is the bus's final stop, so you would have to spend a lot more time with him. Great. You hoped he wouldn't try to strike up a conversation with some small talk.

He placed his hand on his chin. Now that he’s up close, you realized just how long his sleeves were. The silhouette nearly reminded you of Kamisato Ayato once more. █████ nodded with a half-teasing smile.

“Oh, not to worry, I know.”

Hilda must have told him right away. You secretly hoped that the main reason she paired you two up was because of your shared destination so you could applaud her wise decision-making skills, but you knew better. Once more, Hilda is attempting to match you with someone.

You cleared your throat, “well then, you better prepare yourself with some sleepless nights because the buses around here don’t come around plenty. You’d have to stand most of the time—”

He muttered something again, “three minutes left.”

“Hmm?”

“Ah, no, it’s nothing. I’ve recently moved here so please do continue explaining.”

“… Right.” You sighed, “do you live in ██████████?”

“Yes.”

“Then we’d go in opposite directions. I live in █████ so this is the only bus we share.”

“Unfortunately.”

That almost made you snort. Unfortunately? It's not at all unfortunate, though. During these hours, you rarely feel socially motivated to communicate, and you just know deep down that once he starts working, you'll find a method to board buses separately from him.

“If it’s alright for me to quickly digress— may I trouble you with something, (Y/n)?”

“Sure.”

“May I take a picture with you?” █████ asked. “I want to upload it in my Instagram Story to show my friends and family that I’m faring well. They’ve been insistent that I should make friends on my first day of work— even when based on technicalities, this doesn’t qualify as my first day.”

He must be the eldest and the breadwinner of the ████████ family. That's admirable. Working with someone like him is not a problem for you. They constantly know how to get the job done.

“I don’t mind,” you said, slightly nervous. “But can you not add any weird stuff?”

“Weird stuff?”

“Like, maybe a “my new coworker is ugly” or something like that.”

“W-What?!” █████ jolted. “I would never do such a thing! Especially towards you, my bel—”

“R-Relax, that was just a joke.” Not really. “Is it okay if I don’t take my face mask off?”

“… Of course, I wouldn’t mind.”

“Great.”

█████ scooted closer to you, placing his phone up and angling it in the direction that mostly showed your face. It’s as if he didn’t want his face to be seen, but with a handsome face like that? You’re highly doubtful that is the case. His hands were trembling. The poor man must’ve been incredibly sleep deprived and running on coffee like you.

Unwittingly, you placed your hand above his to steady his phone and you heard him gasp softly. You quickly withdrew your hand away as though you touched a hot kettle when its anything but warm.

His hands were cold, it almost didn’t feel human.

“Oh— sorry!” You shrugged, cringing. “I didn’t mean to—”

“N-No, it’s fine!” He chuckled nervously. “If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I have been told that I am terrible at using a Kamera.”

Why does he say “camera” with a hard “K”? You’ve never heard anyone else pronounce it in that way. Possibly a local accent. It was tempting to ask where he’s from but perhaps that topic would be better brought up some other time. Asking that question might just make him miss his family more, and his parents might be wide-awake right now anticipating any form of reassurance that their child is doing fine.

“Then allow me to take the pic for us.”

He smiled eagerly, “I would greatly appreciate that.”

█████ handed you his phone. You set it up at the same angle he had originally intended, although this time his phone's screen displayed both your faces more clearly. Although you made an effort to contain your emotions, you couldn't help but be overwhelmed by how much he resembles Kamisato Ayato. You mentally readied yourself for the possibility that you would feel his breath on your neck, but you didn't feel him breathe. That doesn’t make you feel untouched, however, since he rested his hand on your shoulder to pull you close enough for the picture.

Is he holding his breath?

“Stay still,” he commanded.

You clenched your fist, trying hard NOT to think about how close his voice is to Chris Hackney’s.

After you pressed the shutter button at least three times, you opened the pictures you’ve taken.

He really does have a beautiful smile.

“Is there something wrong with my face…?”

“Hmm? N-No,” you sputtered out. “I just thought it was a good pic.”

“I’m glad,” he laughed heartily. “I’m still getting used to this face after all.”

… Huh.

Maybe you lack sleep, but the photos remind you of those AI-generated photos on social media— the stolen ones that artists rightfully plead credit for. Maybe you just find him excessively gorgeous because he reminded you of a fictional character you were familiar with, but his appearance somehow seems otherworldly…

“11:55, one minute left.” He muttered again as he crooned above your neck, gazing at his phone.

“For what?”

█████ laughed heartily. 

“For the bus, of course!”

You raised an eyebrow. The station was incredibly empty. You genuinely can’t tell who would lie to him about that.

“Sorry, █████, I don’t know who told you that but there’s genuinely no pattern as to when the bus arrives here. That’s fake news—”

“██████████!!! ██████████!!!”

You immediately snap your neck at the sound of the bus conductor.

“H-Huh?” Your eyes widened.

█████ wore a smug smile on his face as he watched you stare at his phone in disbelief. He was correct; the time was 11:56 pm. But before he had time to gloat and act “mysterious”, you snatched his cold hand and sprinted for the seats— apologizing to the college student you bumped into along the way.

No way in hell you’re going to wait for the next bus.

“We need to go! Now!!!”

You woke up the next day feeling more tired than the previous morning.

Tuesday means that you will inevitably have to work today. You woke up before your alarm, but instead of being a responsible adult and opening up a parcel of bread with hot coffee on the side, you rolled on your bed to whisk your charged phone from the nightstand. You received notifications from several social media apps and a work email from Mister Gautier, but you'd prefer not to startle yourself by hearing one of your subordinate's absurd justifications for being absent. Instead, you launched the Instagram app that you reluctantly installed because of Hilda.

The picture you took together with █████ is still up on his Story.

The image is just as you recall it. You might even say that your opinion of his appearance significantly increased after a good night's sleep. How did you manage to converse with your new coworker last night without turning into a stammering wreck when he is THIS drop-dead gorgeous? You're confident the picture wasn't edited in any way. After all, you saw him upload it directly to his phone's social media account because you wanted to make sure he wouldn't add any odd captions. Congrats to █████ for being incredibly photogenic. He genuinely looks like an AI-generated person with how flawless he appeared. You would have told Hilda straight away that whatever she was swooning over had to be some kind of catfish if you hadn't met him—

You squinted.

…

“Wait a second.”

You looked closely at his hand which rested on top of your shoulder.

“… Are those six fingers?”

That can’t be right.

Sure, he does look like an AI-generated person in the flesh but six fingers? Absurd. It’s probably due to the horrible lighting.

You can’t zoom in on a story, so you took a screenshot but—

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

“Shit.”

You had no time to spare. Hastily, you rolled out, tossed your phone on the bed, and staggered to the restroom. You had to go as soon as possible since you have a meeting this morning. At this rate, soldiers who lived ration by ration likely had a healthier diet than you– but your boss is the embodiment of evil.

You’ll just have to look at the image later.

“Bad morning?”

“Oh, nice to see you here, █████.”

█████ grinned, pointing at the chair beside you, “would you mind if I sit?”

You smiled politely, “I don’t own this place, you know?”

He chuckled, “fair enough.”

It's 4:07 PM. Even though one of your team members arrived later than expected, you eventually built momentum and finished the presentation on a high note. Working with Mr. Gautier is such a headache. Thankfully, district managers have to go out in the field, so before you know it, you've excused yourself to eat lunch at your preferred café. The barely-melted coffee powder you had at home wasn't going to help you get through the day like your favorite cup here. Your cup was no longer a "morning joe", but better late than never.

█████ sank on the cafe’s chair, inhaling the aroma of the rich coffee you ordered. You assumed yet again that it was Miss Goneril’s atrocious wingman skills that led him to this place. His shoulders relaxed a bit afterward as he eyed your cup.

“I do wonder what real coffee tastes like…” █████ mumbled.

You'd give it to him, but you're stressed out—probably more so than he is, given that your supervisor basically holds his hand around the office like a newborn child. The gravity of the problems you carry as a District Manager is nothing to laugh at, either. It’s just a matter of getting used to it.

“Looking already stressed on your official first day, hmm?” You teased before you sipped your cup, pretending you don’t feel his jealous eyes. “Is being a Project Manager not what you had expected?”

█████ shook his head, scoffing with a lopsided grin.

“Oh no, I used to have bigger workloads. I’m only behaving this way since I’m not used to moving this face often.”

This face, huh? What a unique yet expected phrasing. After all, he is so attractive that it wouldn't surprise you if he thought of his face as a separate entity that must be maintained. █████ must be the type of person who cares an awful lot for skin care and self-love. Good for him, good for him.

“Never worked in retail before?” You tilted your head. “Never practiced your customer service smile?”

“In a way, yes,” he chuckled. “I am more accustomed to working behind the scenes since my younger sister takes most of the spotlight in the commi— our family business.”

█████ sure laughs a lot.

“Ah, is she something of an entertainer?” You teased. Knowing a thing or two about other people’s younger siblings, you anticipated some messy anecdotes which served to amplify your opinions on how chaotic having siblings is.

“No. On the contrary, she’s incredibly reserved and poised.”

“Then I bet there’s just something charismatic about her— is she the artistic type?”

“She is. Our family’s beloved princess is quite skilled in the art of dancing and calligraphy. You ought to watch her perform someday.”

You made an effort not to grin foolishly as humiliating thoughts ran rampant inside your head. His sister sounds like Ayaka already. How surreal would it be if you opened up your phone and did your Daily Commissions in front of him—

Oh, right! Your phone— that screenshot!

You ferreted your phone out of your bag, side-eyeing him each time you failed to find it inside its mini-pockets. █████ kept smiling as you busied yourself in hopes you’d locate your phone sooner. To fill in the dead air (and to avoid getting uncomfortable knowing that a man was keeping a close eye on you), you got right onto the meat of the subject by asking questions.

“Hey— I know this is weird, but can I see your hands?”

█████ didn’t respond for a while, lost in a trance before you lightly waved at his face. His soft gaze broke as he blinked fast multiple times.

“My… hands? Alright.”

He pulled his long sleeves— which iconically trailed longer than any other coat in the company— to smoothly show off his slender fingers. █████ glanced at his wristwatch in the process. 4:09 PM. Just one minute more.

Meanwhile, you flinched. He clearly had five fingers in each hand. The normal amount. You didn’t know what exactly you were expecting.

“Hah, I’m definitely sleep deprived,” you spoke humorously. “When I checked our picture this morning I swear I saw six fingers.”

He didn’t laugh. Slowly, he closed his eyes, unamused.

“You’re wrong.” 

█████’s voice dipped low.

You never realized how warm his servile gazes were until he starts looking at you with a cold glare.

You felt your spine tremble as you took note of how he crossed his arms. What’s with this sudden shift in atmosphere? Shouldn’t he laugh at how strange your question was instead?

Why did he sound so offended?

Due to the nature of his tone, you sputtered out an excuse to bring back the light conversation you had before, “must’ve been because its dark— here hold on I took a screenshot of it.”

You opened your gallery, not bothering to scroll deep into it since it should be a recent photo. Yet, you paused, and frantically swiped up and down. You expected that screenshot to be the first image that greets you upon opening the app, but you only saw an entirely black PNG file. Why on earth did that screenshot turn void? You tried searching but you only found recent scans from the last week’s meetings and some “candid” selfies Hilda most likely snapped for herself. 

This makes no sense whatsoever! You swore you took the screenshot earlier and there was no notification that it failed to save it.

“█████” smirked.

11:56 PM M: (Y/n) waits at the bus station.

02:33 AM T: (Y/n) arrives home.

8:01 AM T: (Y/n) has a meeting.

4:10 PM T: (Y/n) looks at their phone at Cafe █████.

4:10 PM. GONE.

You’re so adorable when you have your phone close to your face with your eyebrows knitted like that… Oh, his dear beloved, you nearly got him…

It’s such a shame that he knows your phone like the back of his palm.

“Is something the matter, (Y/n)?”

Kamisato Ayato chuckled behind his sleeve.

You wouldn’t meet his eye, “I was pretty certain I took a screenshot of it this morning, this is so strange…”

Quickly, you opened Instagram to check “█████”’s Story, but the image was missing as well. Since Stories only expire after 24 hours, and it has only been a little over half that time since it was posted, it shouldn't have disappeared. Your eyes remained glued to your phone, unbeknownst to the sinister smile your coworker wore amidst your defeated state.

“Say, did you remove your Stor—”

“Here.”

“█████” slid his phone onto the table.

You picked it up. It’s the picture you two had at the station. You zoomed in on his hand.

Five fingers.

“… Yeah, it’s definitely five,” you whimpered almost inaudibly. “Here I thought I could show you something funny. Damn. I’m really sleep-deprived.”

“I know, you sleep at around 2:30 after all.”

“Yeah—”

You took a breath and then shook your head. There is no need to be skeptical about that statement; it's simple arithmetic. He reportedly knows a lot about accounting, thus he most likely estimated the length of your ride home as if it were a no-brainer. You gave him a wary smile. He's a lot more calculating than you first thought; he even picked up that you were looking for the photo you took the night before without your having to tell him.

Doing what needed to be done without being asked…

“█████” swiftly took his phone back.

“Now then, would you care to enlighten me as to what tastes good on this cafe’s menu?”

You smiled.

Yeah. You think you’ll get along with the new Project Manager just fine.

“Why, it’ll be my pleasure! First off, the frappe here is not that bad…”

Astralis Desires

Chapter 1: A Heart that Longs for the Stars

Various HSR men x reader

This is a normalised yandere AU. There will be multiple chapters including all the adult male characters in HSR (playable and future playable) with future smut. It will partially follow the canon plot line. There will be some heavy themes and each chapter will be tagged accordingly. This will mostly be a thriller with yandere themes. ‘Astralis Desires’ will also be published on AO3. (Authors note at the end)

Synopsis: You are a lowly worker on Herta’s Space Station (an assistant of an assistant) whose dream is to travel among the stars. When the Antimatter Legion invade the station, you get the opportunity to travel with the Astral Express. The road through the stars and freedom is dangerous, especially when you have suitors who will do anything in their power in order to make your heart theirs…

Masterlist

Warnings: yandere, murder, slight gore (nothing too extreme), violence, obsession, vomiting (only briefly and is skippable should it make you uncomfortable), Caelus is the trailblazer, female reader (not mentioned in this chapter)

Word count: 5318

The cries of the many monsters echoed through the hallways of the space station. They had left the control room in a havoc, with blood staining the walls. You had never seen a dead person before, and now a dead man laid two meters to your left. His eyes were open and hollow and his pupils a dark abyss leading down to the unknown. His neck was torn open and blood were still seeping through the rift. Torn tendons and arteries were fully on display, causing the bitter taste of bile pooling up in your mouth. You swallowed thickly as you could feel your lunch moving upwards. Your eyes were glossy as tears streamed down your face. You had never been so afraid as you were now. Your heart was beating so fast, that you were almost positive it would stop.

The stench of blood was unbearable and you covered your mouth with your hand. You let your eyes scan your surroundings and you let out a ragged breath when you realised the coast was clear. You slipped away from the box you were hiding behind and out towards the hallway as quietly as you possibly could. Your shoes left bloody footprints and the soles of your shoes made a sickening squeaky sound. Fear and adrenaline was pumping through your veins as your steps quickened. You weren’t hurt, thankfully.

You needed to find a guard or something, and inform them about the monsters you had encountered. The loud buzzing of your rushing blood made it difficult to pick up on any suspicious sounds, so you opted to follow your gut and sight.

After a few minutes of running through the long corridors, you hadn’t come across any other injured or murdered people. A faint glint of hope lit within your soul at the thought of the attack not being too serious. Hopefully the famed Astral Express that had made a small stop at the space station, would help and take the monsters down quickly.

From what you have heard, they appeared to be greatly capable and they possessed admirable powers. You had wanted to meet them and ask them about their many adventures in a hopeless curious manner, but it had always seemed too far fetched. You were not an adventurer nor were you a scientist. You were only an assistant of an assistant (who were probably an assistant of an assistant) and your tasks consisted of organising, making coffee and planning future meetings and whatnot. It may not have been the most exciting job, but you did not mind for whatever reason. Maybe it was the way you were so close to the stars or maybe it was that your pay weren’t too bad. You had gotten the job via a good friend of yours, Anna. She was working in the cafeteria and recommended you to someone. You were now living at the space station with Anna and some of the other employees. It was a simple life, but it wasn’t so bad (except that most of your colleagues were total assholes who had absolutely no respect for you).

It had seemed like a safe and stable job, but that was before this. That was before you had witnessed a man getting torn to shreds by a monster with razor sharp jaws and talons longer than your forearm. You would be in need of many therapy sessions, that was for sure.

As a so-called ‘Darling’, you had been safe at Herta’s Space Station. ‘Darlings’ were able to both work and live peacefully within the space station. ‘Lovesick’ people or ‘Yanderes’ (that was the official therm), also worked there, but they were no treat. Madam Herta had made it very clear that lovesick-behaviour was only going to be a distraction, and that it was something that belonged in ones spare-time and nothing else. Though her opinion on the matter was uncommon, no one dared to oppose her. Which was something you appreciated.

The sound of a gunshot rattled your eardrums as it echoed through the corridors. It was close, too close. You gritted your teeth as you were about to make a run for it down the corridor on your left, when the sound of footsteps sounded from the dark corridor on your right. Before you were able to react, a tall woman with purple hair emerged through the darkness. In her hand was a sleek black gun which she playfully spun around her finger. A smile was present on her lips as she eyed you up and down. She was beautiful, but something about her made your hair stand on end. The woman was by no doubt dangerous and your brain told you to run for your life, but your feet were as if they were frozen to the ground.

“My my, you sure look scared. Are you lost?” her voice was full of mirth as her smile widened into a sharp grin. “This is no place for the means like you. You should seek shelter” the woman’s tone turned more serious, but her smile was still ever so present.

“Who are you?” your voice was strong, but despite your act of faux courage, you could not hide its trembling.

The woman chuckled. “That’s not important. What is important, is that you don’t stand in my way” she stepped closer. “Can you do that? I really do hate to kill civilians…” her eyes glittered with mischief.

You nodded fast as you backed away. “Yes. Yes I will not be in your way. I promise” you held your hand to your heart as you swore.

The woman only hummed as she nodded before disappearing into the darkness where she had came from.

Your feet drummed against the plastic floor as you ran as fast as your legs could carry you. You were out of breath, but stopping was not an option. As you made a sharp turn, a claw gripped your arm and threw you against the wall. Your breath was knocked out of you and you heaved and hissed like a fish on land. The monster growled as it crept closer to you. It snarled and its fangs glistened in the light like razor sharp blades.

You gulped as you realised your end was a few seconds away. You stared intensely into the eyes of the beast as you waited for your inevitable death. Like hell you were going to close your eyes.

As it rose its arm ready to strike you down, a spear was flung into its right eye and through its skull with a loud squishy crack. Brain matter and other undefinable sludge splattered across the nearest wall, painting it in a green-purple colour. The sight was absolutely disgusting, but your relief was too big for you to care. You breathed out the breath you didn’t know you were holding, as you ran your hands shakily through your hair as a means to ground yourself. Your head snapped to your left which the spear had come from and were met with three strangers. One of them was a young woman with pink hair and big blue eyes, her pretty face was filled with concern. She seemed to be a little younger than you, but old enough to drink. The other was a grey haired man with yellow eyes that looked like honey underneath the bright lights. He bore an expression of confusion and curiosity. The last person was a black haired man with teal eyes that would not leave your form for even a second. He was handsome, but his gaze held a sharp edge to it. One which you could not place, no matter how hard you tried.

“Are you alright?!” the pink haired girl rushed to your side and gave you a quick look over.

You nodded. Save from your mental scaring you felt fine. “I’m fine” you forced a grateful smile “Thank you for saving me”.

“Oh, don’t thank me! It’s Dan Heng you should thank!” she gestured towards the black haired man. He was still staring at you with his unnerving gaze.

“Thank you, Dan Heng. I really owe you one” you said with earnest. You really were grateful to him.

Dan Heng nodded with a short movement. “You’re welcome. I only did my job” despite his nonchalant response, a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. When he talked you could spot two sets of fangs. They seemed sharp and only made you more curious about the men. It was extremely rare to see humans with fangs, after all.

“We should get moving!” the girl said as she waved her hand at you to follow.

As you moved through the seemingly endless corridors, you learned the name of your new companions. March 7th was the pink haired girl (she said you could just call her March). Caelus was the grey haired man who for some reason had a baseball-bat as a weapon. You gave them your name and you could see from the corner of your eye, Dan Heng silently repeating it as if he was tasting it. On your way to safety, you encountered a young man, Arlan. You had seen him multiple times, but never properly spoken to him, save from a few polite greetings. He had gotten injured by the monsters as he had attempted to fight them of.

You stopped by a control room as Dan Heng tried to check the surveillance footage

“Oh, I forgot to ask you [Name]. Did you see anything suspicious before we came and rescued you?” March asked you as she leaned against the wall out of breath.

You nodded as you wiped sweat from your forehead with the back of your hand. “I did actually. I met a tall woman with dark pink hair. She was telling me to not get in her way”.

“Sounds like a Stellaron Hunter” Dan Heng said while he was typing away on the computer.

Cold sweat coated on your temples as a shiver ran down your spine. “A Stellaron Hunter…” the gravity of the situation finally dawned upon you. Oh shit.

“Sounds like you saw Kafka. So did Caelus” March replied.

The chair Dan Heng sat on suddenly sharped against the floor in a fast motion. His icy eyes found yours in a blink of an eye. “She didn’t do anything to you, right? She didn’t hurt you?” his voice was low and reminded you of a growl of a beast.

You instantly shook your head. “No, she didn’t. She left as a fast as she came”. Goosebumps raised on your arms as he stared at you.

March watched Dan Heng silently with a raised brow. When he met her gaze, he quickly turned back to the computer. A small smile played on the girl’s lips as she stifled her laugh.

Your feet drummed against the makeshift bridge as you made your way to the lift. A cloud of dark mist clouded your vision and a group of monsters appeared through it. The biggest of them reared like a horse and sat its sight on you. Your heart stopped for a second as it lunged for you. A strong hand pulled you back by your collar and you lost your footing. The world came to an halt as all you could see was the arrow that was fired your way. The same spear that had saved you when you first met the Trailblazers, blocked the arrow in a swift movement. Arms wrapped around you as they prevented your fall. They pulled you closer to him like a hungry boa and for a brief moment you wondered if the danger was the monster or the man behind you.

“Are you alright?” Dan Heng whispered against your ear. His usually stoic voice was breathy and brimming with a thick mixture of emotions.

Hot blush crept over your face as you nodded. How pathetic. “Yeah, thank you” you whispered back.

He gazed at you for a second, one that felt as if stretched out for eternity, before he snapped back to the monsters.

A mechanical buzzing shot down as a drone with razor-like propellers slashed through the beasts. Green blood splattered across the bridge and onto your face. In a blink of an eye Dan Heng had dragged you across the bridge and into the lift. As everyone made it inside you clutched your stomach, fighting against the vomit that threatened to flood out. The hot blood on your face and all the running had made you feel incredibly sick and it felt as if your intestines would explode.

Caelus looked at you with a concerned expression. “Are you good? You look pal-”

He got interrupted by the sound of you spilling out all your lunch on the floor. Tears clouded your vision as you gagged. The taste was awful and the smell was no better, but you felt less sick after throwing up. Luckily you hadn’t hit anyone, because if you had you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself. “I’m so sorry” you mumbled as you whipped your mouth.

“Never mind hehe…” Caelus scratched his neck awkwardly trying to think off what to do.

March rushed to your side and handed you a mint. “Thanks” you muttered weakly. Could this day be any worse?

The automatic door opened and the five of you stumble in. A red haired woman was closing a white briefcase containing the drone that just saved your lives when the door closed with a soft swoosh.

“Why does it always have to get so exciting?” she asked to seemingly no one in particular. She turned to you and smiled “Anyway, at least you’re back”.

She took a few steps forward and stopped in her tracks as she took in your disheveled appearances. Her beautiful face twisted into worry. “March, Dan Heng, you’ve been through a lot”.

“Whew, Himeko-! What took you so long?! That last wave of Antimatter Legion came at us like a swarm of locusts, have you ever tried shooting locusts with a bow?” March’s placed her hands on her hips as she scoffed. Her pink hair was a mess and it was stained with the green blood of the beasts she had ruthlessly killed with her bow.

“I wouldn’t have made a difference. My orbital cannon can deal with a whole bunch of enemies at once, but I couldn’t just blow up the space station with it- Herta would NOT like that…” the woman shook her head as if she was imagining Herta giving her an earful. “Are you alright, Arlan? Asta’s been worried about you” she faced the tan young man.

“I’m fine, a quick patching up will do. Thanks for asking” it was clear as day that the boy was uncomfortable with all the attention with the way he scratched his neck awkwardly. “I’ll report the situation to Lead Researcher Astra immediately. Bye” he turned on his heel and left as quickly as he could with his limping.

Himeko turned to you and Caelus with a friendly smile. “Hey, nice to meet you two. I’m Himeko, navigator of the Astral Express”.

“In other words, she’s in charge of where the Express goes” March explained to a slightly confused Caelus. You nodded at March’s words. You have heard about Himeko and her achievements. She was an admirable woman who many looked up to, both old and young.

You introduced yourself “Nice to meet you. I’m [Name]”.

She returned your smile “Match hasn’t been any trouble for you along the way, has she?”

“[Name], Caelus, think carefully about how you wanna reply to that” March mumbled.

“In that case, I’d rather not answer” Caelus shook his head with a sheepish smile, which earned a scoffed from the girl.

“Wise choice, don’t you agree Dan Heng?”

“I have the right to remain silent” the black haired man replied with an expressionless face.

Himeko laughed softly at your friendly banter “Look at you all, you’ve already gotten really close!”

“Come on, Astra has been worried about all of you”.

You all followed Himeko as she lead you to the young researcher. You had met Asta twice, both times had been with the assistant you were an assistant for. The young woman was kind and not as snobby as you would have thought. You have heard from your colleagues that Asta’s family had been the one who had founded The Interstellar Peace Corporation. Her family had money. Way more than what you could ever possibly phantom.

“Projectile radar tracking, normal. Telemetry signal frequency unusually high! Maintain at normal levels!” Asta spoke loudly into a microphone connected to a intercom that was connected to the whole space station. “Our measurements predict that the Leighton is about to unleash over the waves of continuous attacks. Everyone, brace yourselves!”

“Asta! We’re back!” March greeted the girl.

Asta let out a sigh as she spun on her feet. “I’m glad you’re all back safe. Arlan just told me about the situation at the storage zone- and about his injury… Thank you, for all your help”. “In Times of disaster, I realise more and more that the space station’s researchers are its most valuable assets…Alas, we were ill-prepared for such emergencies… We should have built up our security and combat departments”.

“But on the other hand, the entire crew of the Astral Express seems to be extraordinarily skilled” she smiled.

“What is the current situation on the space station?” Dan Heng asked with a serious tone. He had you standing beside him as if he was afraid you would slip away if he let you out of his sight. He hadn’t met your eyes on the way to Asta, but you had seen him staring at you from the corner of your eyes.

“The situation is under control for now. The damage to our security system was minor. The intruder only managed to alter a small amount of data, so it was easy to fix” Asta explained. “The real problem lies with the researchers… They trust Madam Herta wholeheartedly and never thought that the space station would be breached by the Legion. A broken spirit is far worse than a broken body” she sighed. What she said made perfectly sense as you knew for a fact that some researchers saw Madam Herta as a kind of goddess. It was beyond ridiculous, but there were no point arguing with them.

“Let’s us speak with the researchers. Right now, the space station can’t afford any more unexpected turns, especially from within. Have you tried contacting Herta?” Himeko asked. Despite the grave situation she appeared to be calm.

“I sent multiple letters, all met with silence. You know her, Himeko, the space station is but a mere warehouse for followers and rare items. She doesn’t really care about it” Asta sighed as she rubbed her temples. That was one of the reasons as to why you disliked Herta, her attitude towards the space station was tasteless.

“I knew it… No matter, I’ll also send a letter to Herta and tell her that we’ve brought the rare item she seeks. At least that might get her attention” Himeko chuckled.

You sighed. If only you had the balls to speak to Herat that way (not that you had ever spoken to her).

“Oh… That would be of great help” Asta’s blue eyes lit up at her suggestion.

March and Caelus left to talk to the researchers while you and Dan Heng remained. Himeko and Asta were busy talking to each other’s and left the two of you to your own devices. You had taken a seat at a bench and were twiddling your thumbs as you waited. Anxiety was gnawing at your insides like a gluttons beast. Dan Heng were standing to your left staring at you as he had done almost the whole time you had been together. After a good five minutes in silence, you decided to break it.

“So… Have you guys had any similar experiences?” you asked him. It was a silly question, no doubt, but you couldn’t bear any more awkward silence.

His eyes lit up for a millisecond before they returned to their normal self. “Yes. Though every journey is different” his word were few but his voice was soft.

You sighed internally. You should realised by now that he weren’t the biggest talker. You nodded “I can imagine. Must be both exciting and scary”.

“Perhaps, though you get used to it” he shrugged. He was silent for a few seconds before he spoke up. “Are you alright? No injuries or something? Even if they’re small you should tell me” a flash of worry distorted his handsome features.

“I am alright” you shook your head. After noticing his raised brow you added: “No really. I’m fine”. Your suspicion had been confirmed. He was indeed one of them. Though he did seem harmless enough, you would be a fool if you let your guard down completely. Your parents had warned you your whole life about them and they had tried to shield you from them as much as they could. Your parents were both considered normal and that you envied them. Not that you would ever admit it, of course.

He left it at that and adverted his gaze to the rest of the space station. You wished you could read his mind, but at the same time something told you it was best if you couldn’t.

A flurry red warning triangles lit up the various screens and holograms. The beeping was loud and pierced through your hear drums. You winced as your eyes snapped to Asta and the screens. On the biggest screen was a large beast with claws as long as grown person. It looked like something straight out of your nightmares.

Asta turned to you “Take the Express and leave. I’ll stay” she said with the determination of a war general.

“But…” March tried to reason with her.

“Let’s go” Himeko took hold of Caelus’s arm and dragged him with her.

The four of you had taken shelter in a empty supply room. Himeko had listened to Asta via a advice on her hand, but Asta’s voice had only gotten more unclear with every second that had passed.

“We have lost communications” the red-head sighed.

“Are you thinking of going back? Let me remind you, that’s the Doomsday Beast, the Legion’s planet destroyer” Dan Heng’s stern voice cut through the atmosphere like a sharp knife. The Doomsday Beast? Cold sweat formed at your forehead at the thought of the space station getting turned to oblivion. Countless people would die.

“The space station is Herta’s creation. As long as a Lord Ravager doesn’t intervene, there should be no problem.”

“B-but we can’t just run away like this, right…?” March exclaimed.

Dan Heng hummed “The Doomsday Beast can rip off the defence shield like tearing paper- and Herta’s not here. The station’s defences are too weak to stand against the Antimatter Legion”. “Either way, the Legion has the blessing f the Aeon, Nanook. They came prepared and everyone here is not.”

“That’s why we have to leave and take Caelus with us” the Navigator nodded towards the grey haired man.

“Caelus?” Dan Heng raised his dark eyebrow in confusion. “He’s… That important?”

“He’s the one who can help us turn the tides… Of course, I may be wrong “.

“If you say so. Alright, what should we do next?” Dan Heng looked at you and March.

“Don’t look at me. I’m as clueless as Caelus” you sighed.

“This is the supply zone where the maintenance crew works. There’s a path here that leads to the nearest railway platform. Let’s head over there and meet up with Welt” the woman points to the door behind her with her thumb.

“Mr. Yang? Mr. Yang’s here too? Didn’t he stay on the Express?” March 7th titled her head. You had heard about Mr. Yang. He was a respected man, though he was not as well known as Himeko on the space station. Either way, you were curious to meet a man of his calibre.

“The Astral Express tracks our coordinates in real time.. And with such a huge change in the space station’s movements, there’s no way Mr. Yang wouldn’t have noticed” icy blue eyes met yours as he explained.

“Mhm! I can almost guarantee that your Mr. Yang us already on his way” Himeko sent you a playful blink. “Right now, we might be able to handle things if it’s just the Doomsday Beast” she rubbed a manicured hand over her chin in a thoughtful manner “But, if the Destruction’s Emanator were to appear…”

“I still feel that things won’t be going as planned…” Caelus spoke for the first time in several minutes.

“Let’s hurry up and get out of here. I’ll explain later” the red haired lady waved him off.

“Wait March!” Dan Heng screamed as the bug dragon-like beast flew outside the platform. It’s wings were massive and powerful, March shrinking in comparison. March leaped backwards and into you. You stilled her movements with your hands, lest she would fall on top of you. She mumbled a fast “sorry” as she regained her footing.

“The Doomsday Beast…” Himeko muttered with widen eyes. “It’s really here”.

“Get down here!” March had already pulled out her blue bow and were aiming straight at the beast.

The beast quickened its flapping and landed only a few meters in front of your group in a uncaring manner.

Quicker than you could think, Dan Heng pulled you away and behind him. “Seek cover!” he barked like a drill sergeant with no room for arguments.

You didn’t waste any time as you ran as fast your legs could carry you and hid behind a vending machine.

The beast roared and the sound waves almost made you lose your footing. Your ears hurt, but you paid it no mind. Worry filled your senses as you watched the others readying their weapons.

As the sounds of fighting filled the railway platform, you closed your eyes as you made yourself smaller. You prayed to whatever Aeon that might listen that they would remain unharmed. You had only known them for a bit, but you already cared for them.

A deafening roar rattled your bones as if they were fragile porcelain. You stuck your head out form behind the vending machine and your eyes widened at the sight of the beast aiming a powerful blast of energy in March’s direction. The others called her name which snapped her out of her frozen state. A grey flash moved in front her and shielded her from the lethal blow. The purple energy that came from the Doomsday Beast mixed together with the yellow light that somehow emitted from Caelus. A powerful blast of energy surged from the man, resulting in a powerful shockwave which knocked you down on your feet. You partially shielded your eyes with your forearm as you carefully peaked up again at the man. He was floated up in the air as if a powerful magnet were pulling him. The yellow energy had gotten brighter and the air was thick and buzzing. His agonising screams were louder than the hiss of his power. Breathing had become difficult as you tried to force the thick air down your lungs.

You blinked and when you opened your eyes, a grey clad man was floating alongside Caelus with a cane in his hand. Even from your distance, you could feel a creation power sweeping from the staff. The enigmatic man was calm as he firmly tapped Caelus on the head which resulted in the younger man falling down unconscious. His yellow energy had completely vanished and the air became breathable again. The brown haired man nonchalantly pushed of his glasses as if it was an everyday occurrence for him. He elegantly landed on his feet as Caelus fell down in March’s awaiting hands.

“Mr. Yang! Is he…?” March’s voice was trembling from concern and fear.

“He is okay now” the man responded with a gentle voice. “Let’s talk somewhere else”.

So that was Mr. Yang? you thought. He sure lived up to your expectations.

March and Dan Heng carried (Dan Heng did the heavy lifting, while March talked his ear off) Caelus to a safe spot where he could regain his senses. Himeko and Welt, with the help of some of the space station staff, secured the Doomsday Beast. Its temper had completely changed and it was as docile as a sleepy kitten.

After a short while, Dan Heng got back to you with a granola bar in hand. You rose from your seat on the bench you had found, and took the bar from his outstretched hand. “Thank you. But I didn’t even do anything? Aren’t there anyone more deserving of this than me?” your face were twisted into an awkward expression. Being a freeloader was awfully embarrassing, especially when the others had literally saved the life of everyone on the station.

“No, don’t worry. I bought this for you. So please take it” he smiled slightly.

You nodded as you unwrapped the plastic and took bite. It tasted slightly sweet of honey and blueberries.

“And don’t worry about “not doing anything”. You are a civilian and we wouldn’t expect you to know how to fight. The same goes for Caelus and it was a surprise for all of us how good he actually is at fighting. I’m…. I’m just glad that you are safe” the last part was just a mere whisper, but your ear still picked it up.

“Again, thank you. Without you I would be long gone” you truly were grateful. You really owed them your life.

“Don’t think about it. It’s the least I could do” he smiled before he blushed and quickly adverted his gaze.

Welt was standing beside the Express when you and Dan Heng found him. The tall man’s face lit up at the sight of you and he smiled. “I’m Welt Yang. It’s nice to meet you” he reached out his hand.

“I’m [Name]. It’s nice to met you as well” you shook his hand. His grip was firm, but not too firm.

“I have spoken with Himeko and she invites you to stay on the Express. If you want to, naturally”.

Your eyes widened. Stay on the Express? It sounded like a dream come true. “Oh wow… I hadn’t expected that. Well- I would need to resign from my job and all that. And I would need to bring my stuff- if that’s okay of course” you rambled as various thoughts poured through your mind at the speed of lightening.

“We can help you” his deep brown eyes were so comforting, you just stared into them for a moment before you came to your senses and looked away.

“I would appreciate that” you smiled. It wasn’t like you to suddenly take such huge decisions on the whim, but you were sick and tired of the space station. Your friend was nice, but that couldn’t be said for most of the other workers. The were mostly mean and arrogant and acted as if they were above you. You would probably regret leaving with the Express, but you would most likely never ever going to get another opportunity like that. It would be foolish of you to turn it down. Even so, a small voice was echoing in the back of your mind warning you for possible dangers. Being what you were made you vulnerable, that much you knew, but you weren’t going to let that stop you from perusing your dream of travelling across the stars.

“Alright, then. I would like to join the Express” you could already imagine all the adventures you would experience and it made your heartbeat quicken with joy and excitement.

Authors note: This was really fun to write!<3 I have had this idea in mind for months and after a good while I finally got around and wrote it down. I tried to get the dialogue as accurate as possible. I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it:) I can’t wait to share the next chapter!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ♡♡♡

I cant believe I forgot🤭

EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP AND TELL THIS HANDSOME MAN A HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

OMFG YOU MADE MY DAY

You are so telented and I'm absolutely looking up to your ability to juggle work and art

Like seriously they are so on point and so cute

Its so pretty 💗🎊💅

Smol art wip for now bc my tablet pen died before I could start inking lol rip

(sorry these are kinda shitty, I promise I'll try to finish this for y'all as soon as I can 😅)

Decided to celebrate finishing my midterms by doodling my favorite mutuals OCs!! It's my way of saying thank you to each and every one of y'all for being so kind and supportive of me during these challenging times. Your thoughtful messages really helped me to get through the first half of this semester and they meant more to me than you could ever realize. Y'all are S tier individuals, fr 🙏✨️💫

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OC creds:

Eve ©️ @cloudishmagma

Madeline ©️ @thought-bubble-doodly-doo

Ava ©️ doll-puppet

Dahlia ©️ @salandersan

Marcel ©️ @dethmetalclown