#[this is why i am not allowed to have dragons near me haha ]

[atomic-thomas]

(Fake ASMR Commission) Tomboy Giantess Flirts With You

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"Oooh, who's that down there? They look pretty cute. Hopefully they won't mind if I give them a bird's eye view~"

...

"Yoink! Heh heh~"

"Woah. Chill, little one. You're acting like I'm gonna bite your head off or something. I mean... I'll admit. You do look like a snack. Don't take that literally though. I may be... You know... Huge. But I'm not a monster. Not in a moral sense at least."

...

"See, that's the thing. Ever since monster people integrated into human society, everyone has been frustratingly cautious around giants specifically. Dragon-kin? That's fine. Slimes? No problem. Fairies? Oh, everyone loves fairies."

"But for some reason, giants are feared way too much. Even by other monster folk. Why do so many people assume that Big = Scary? It's like everyone forgot that giants are abiding by human laws. We're not gonna do anything bad."

...

"Ugh... Sorry. We just met & I'm already venting my problems to you like we've known each other for a decade. I should introduce myself before saying another word."

"My name is Colossa. And I'm a giantess who lives near the city."

...

"What's so funny? Is it my name?"

...

"Well yeah. We giants always get names befitting our massive size. I'm surprised we're able to keep finding ways to twist big adjectives into names."

"So anyway... What brings a cutie like you out here all by yourself?"

...

"Just a nature walk, huh? Well, if you're trying to appreciate the scenery then how about I put you on my head? Then you can see the world from my point of view."

...

"Oh come on! Don't be that way. Step out of your comfort zone. Live a little. Just hold onto my hair if you're afraid of falling off. Nothing bad is gonna happen."

...

"Nuh Uh! I insist. You're going on top of my head. Just relax. It'll be fun."

...

"Oh My God, you don't need to scream. Haha~ You're not in any danger. Just look at this view! I see the world like this all the time."

"Just hold on tight if you're really that afraid of falling. And even if you do, I'll provide you with a very soft landing. I assure you."

...

"That means whatever you want it to mean. Use your imagination."

"Anyway... This is awesome, right? I can hear you laughing up there. And just a moment ago, you were screaming."

...

"A fearful laugh. Yeah right. Just admit that you're enjoying this."

...

"See? I told you this would be fun. I bet there's plenty of humans out there who wish that a giant would do this for them. The dynamic of our drastically different sizes allows for a world of unique possibilities & fun ways for us to interact with each other."

...

"Oh, you wanna stay up there? That's fine by me."

"Wait a just a damn moment... I just thought of a great idea. How about I go for a walk while you stay on my head? You can pretend like I'm a giant mech that you're controlling. And we can just kinda... Talk about stuff, you know?"

...

"Yeah, that's what I thought. No one would turn down an opportunity like this. Enjoy the ride. And the view of course."

*giant footstep sounds start & go on for... a while. I'll let you know when I want it to stop. lol*

"So... Where are you from?"

...

"The city. Oooh, so we live close. That's convenient. I work in the city. Multiple jobs at that."

...

"Well, for starters... I'm an attraction at the amusement park."

...

"Yes, you heard that correctly. I am one of the attractions. There's a couple things I do. The first goes as follows."

"An attendant ties a bungee cord to one of my fingers. And then they tie that bungee cord to a human."

"After that, they climb onto the palm of my hand, I lift them up &..."

"I use them as a yo-yo!"

...

"Hahahaha! I'm kidding. If I really did that, then the human would be at risk of splatting into my hand on the rebound &... Well, we can't have that."

"What actually happens is the human simply jumping off my hand & letting the bungee cord do the rest."

...

"What if it breaks. What do you think? We have equipment to prevent accidents. Ever since I started this gig, there's never been an incident."

"The second thing I do at the amusement park is act as a swing ride. There's a couple ways I can do this."

"I can either attach a human to each of my fingers using bungee cords & swing them around that way. Or if there's less people, I can just clench them in my fists. Not too tightly of course. It's perfectly safe. Never had an issue."

...

"There are probably other things I could do at the amusement park if I wanted to, but I wanna talk about my other job. I'm a construction worker."

...

"Unsurprising, right? A giant working for construction. It makes all the sense in the world."

"Naturally, I do stuff like building, helping my co-workers with scaffolding & heavy lifting."

"But above all else... I LOVE when I'm put on demolition duty. It's so invigorating! Nothing beats the privilege of getting to break something! Tear it apart! It's great when I've had a bad day & just need to take out my anger on something."

...

"Oh relax. It's not like I have violent tendencies or anything. We all have our emotions. Still though... I suppose it's reasonable to feel uncomfortable in the presence of an angry giant even if they mean no harm. We're just so... Big. We gotta be careful around the smaller folk."

"Speaking of being careful... There's this one co-worker I know in particular. She's a Drider. And lemme tell ya... Driders really hate giant shoes. Must be a deep-rooted fear that bug folk have."

"One time, I didn't notice her below me & almost stepped on her. I felt terrible knowing what could've happened. It took her a few days to warm up to me again. Can't say I blame her. That must've been really scary for her."

...

"Yeah, being a giant isn't always as cool as it seems. There's some perks, sure. It's fun to tower over everything & be super strong. But I have to be so careful. Walking around in the city is a tricky endeavor."

"There's cars, people, infrastructure... One wrong move & something bad will probably happen. I gotta take it seriously. Can't just throw my weight around."

...

"You know you should never ask a girl's weight, right? Hehe~ Don't worry. It's fine. I understand your curiosity."

"I'm 150 feet tall & weigh over a thousand tons. So uh... Yeah. I carry a lot of responsibility within this body of mine."

...

"That's a great question. I'm not sure how I don't stress the streets' weight limit. Hmmm... You know what? Let's not think too much about that."

...

"Why'd I pick you up. Well..."

*giant footstep sounds stop now*

"God, why can't I find the words for this? It isn't that complicated. Um... Hold on. I'm gonna take you off my head now. I want you in my hands for this."

...

"You're really cute &... You know... Good looks usually get a person through the front door &..."

...

"Sigh... I wanna get to know you. I don't know why that was so hard for me to say. It's just... I work with humans all the time, but I've always wanted to establish a personal connection with one. I'm not saying we need to start a relationship if you don't want to. I feel that would come off too strongly. We just met. But I at least wanna go out on a date with you. Maybe we can be friends. Something more if you want."

"Ugh... I sound like such a bumbling mess right now. I wanna state my desires, but don't wanna overwhelm you. And I don't even really know if I'm looking for romance or just a friendship."

"I'm sorry. This is all probably frying your brain, isn't it?"

...

"You... You get it. Really? You understood all of that?"

...

"You'll go on a date with me. For real? Seriously?"

...

"That's so awesome! I could jump for joy right now!"

"Buuuuut I won't. I'd cause some pretty bad tremors if I did that. Don't wanna set off an earthquake because I got too excited."

...

"Yeah, let's discuss date ideas. I can think of a few ways in which a human & giant can mingle. We just need something fun that we can both agree on."

"I'm really looking forward to learning more about you, little one."

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THE END

[tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors]

This whole thing came from the single thought of “Wait, can I think of a single fic where Roman is actually a prince?” which was followed with “What if Roman was the Faerie Prince in LAOFT?” The thought wouldn’t leave me be until I wrote it down, and I figured, hey, since I wrote it down, might as well share it. (I think everyone here is sympathetic, because that’s how we roll.)

Now, without further ado, I give you… LAOFT role swap au headcanons!

In which Roman and Remus were Lords of the Forest until a mortal witch came between them. Roman, who had always views the humans as nothing more than, say, characters in a story (small and rather unimpressive), learns one, to never piss off a teenager with a sharp tongue, and two, the meaning of ~friendship~ when a somewhat cocky witch strolls into their forest. Remus, who rarely showed interest in humans aside from the occasional “game,” becomes worried that this witch is going to take his brother from him (be that by the witch betraying Roman, or by Roman choosing his human sister over his faerie brother), and acts accordingly, which, for Remus, probably means a murder attempt or four. Furious that his brother attempted to harm his friend, Roman retaliates. Unlike in LAOFT, where Dee uses trickery to incapacitate Virgil, Remus goes for more of a blunt-force route (see: their first canonical interaction, where Remus hits Roman over the head with a morningstar). Roman is put in the casket though one method or another. Remus probably viewed the whole thing as a prank or sorts, where Roman would be out of the picture until the witch was long gone, and problem solved. Greta, however, may not have gotten that memo, and goes ahead with the deal to awaken Roman. This, to Remus, is where the prank evolves into a game. 

We pick up a century-or-so later to meet Patton and his “twin,” Thomas (I’m just switching around the six sides, and leaving everyone else where they were, for the most part). Pat is just the sweetest soul ever, but most are too leery to come anywhere near him.

Exception number one is Virgil, the boy who was blessed by a fairy to have a charming voice. However, something happened (insert angst), and poor V accidentally weaponized his gift (see: tempest tongue), resulting in lots of anxiety and being generally quiet out of fear of hurting someone (instead of using qualifiers to avoid telling people to do things, like LAOFT Pat does, Virgil just doesn’t really say anything at all). Upon learning that Patton is immune to his curse, the two became inseparable.

Exception number two is (one of my favorite concepts in Sanders Sides fics ever: Feral Logan) Logan, the witch’s great-great grandson, who lives with his grandmother and probably already knows all about witchery and will not hesitate to hex someone who acts rudely to his two best friends seven ways from Sunday. Logan stumbled upon Roman when he was younger and decided that awakening the sleeping prince would be a perfect test of his magic. Logan views magic as another type of science, and loves to test all sorts of hypotheses, which is… stressful for any and all other parties involved. 

Remus, meanwhile, is doing a wonderful dance of denial. Does his miss his brother? Pshhh, absolutely not! That’s crazy! He’s having a grand old time ruling the first by himself, if you can call what he’s doing “ruling.” Remus doesn’t really put much effort into controlling the fair folk, so they do steal the occasional human from the woods, but he doesn’t actively encourage messing with the humans. (We still have the same dragon-witch-monster-ghost, who is desperately looking for Roman.) Remus might even be a little afraid of the mortals, though he’d never admit it. This may be one of the reasons whatever faerie who gave Virgil his gift wouldn’t be allowed to see him— why give the humans more power then they already have? 

Janus I’m not really sure about, but I am gonna pretty much ignore LAOFT’s Dee because I want sympathetic!Janus (that reads kinda rudely, sorry, I do really love how you wrote him, but I’m in a sympathetic!Janus sort of mood)— maybe he’s one of Remus’s knights. Maybe he’s Virgil’s fairy godfather. Who knows? He’s Janus, he can do what he wants. 

Plot wise, I’m not sure how much would change. I don’t think Logan would make a deal resulting in the Day/Night split— maybe Virgil would? If we go with that, we’ve got V running about with the faeries at night (that explains the eyeshadow, haha)(though that would open up some questions and plot holes about his gift/curse/blessing/whatever), and him letting Roman out (maybe this follows the magic sword thing from The Darkest Part of the Forest as opposed to your spider-shawl)(which, personally, I think is so much cooler). Roman then goes to Logan, and the two of them collect Patton and Virgil, who’d just come back from the revel? I’m not sure how it’d end, but probably with Roman and Remus getting along, Greta going to rest, true love saves the day, etc. etc. 

Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading my mess of a “What if.” I really, thoroughly, truly loved reading LOAFT, and I get excited every time I get an email to tell me there’s been an update. Thanks for making such a cool series!

(Also, it’s worth mentioning that I’d never heard of The Darkest Part of the Forest before reading LAOFT. I borrowed it from my local library to read, and I don’t think you’ll ever understand how disappointed I was when there were not any witches, haha.)

---

V: this is so interesting, i love it sm!!!!!

[amerrierworld]

a fic every day in august (8/31)

Thorin, Fili, Kili (726 words)

“Mahal, my back is killing me,” Kili groaned as he sat down opposite Fili in the council room. His elder brother, looking stately with his crownprince headpiece, pouring over documents, rose an eyebrow at him. 

“How so?” Fili asked, refusing the offer of a swig of ale from Kili’s tankard.

“Cleaning! It’s like there’s no end to scattered gold pieces or rubble around this place! The group working today couldn’t believe it!”

It is a kingdom, you know, brother.”

“Haha. I’ve barely seen Uncle nowadays, and you as well. You two are killing yourselves over this stuff more than you should be.”

Fili’s blue eyes flashed, “I’m next in line after King Thorin, Kili. There’s sixty years of catching up to do; we’re nowhere near time for a vacation.”

Kili rolled his eyes, “Fili, why don’t you pull that giant rod of steel from out of your ass and take a break with me? Let’s go for a ride!  Let’s go visit Dale, see what Bard is up to, maybe gallop down the shore of the lake.”

“And stink of dead dragon carcass for the rest of the day?”

“Fair, the smell hasn’t been pleasant lately, but it beats the musk he left behind here. If only we had more windows.”

“Kili, if you’d like to go to Dale and see Bard, and your redheaded elf lover-,”

“She’s not-,”

“-then be my guest. But I have work to do.”

Kili huffed, and sank back in his chair. His fingers tapped against the top of the table, echoing in the large chamber and clicking loudly. Fili twitched in annoyance.

“Will you stop.”

“Oh no, but you have work to do, don’t you? Be my guest. I’ll mind my own business.”

“You’re insufferable.”

“We’re brothers. What’d you expect?”

“Fine. I’ll go on your silly ride with me. But if we’re not back before sundown, Thorin will have our heads.”

Kili grinned, “you sound like when we were little kids again. Come on then!”

The two of them headed down to the stables, greeting the stableboys and workers with wide grins. 

“It’s been so long since we’ve gone anywhere,” Fili noted as he mounted his pony with ease. He’d left his large robes and crown behind, looking like the rugged dwarf warrior who traveled across the world again.

“You’d think we’d have been tired of it by now after traveling all the way here from the Shire,” he chuckled.

Kili opened his mouth to respond but couldn’t respond as the door suddenly slammed open just as they were about to head out the gates.

“What in Durin’s name is this? Fili, Kili, what do you think you’re doing?”

The two brothers were stunned, cowering slightly at their Uncle standing there, with crossed arms. 

“We’re going for a ride,” Kili said, lifting his nose a bit in confidence. Thorin’s glare sent him slouching again.  

“While half this kingdom is still in ruin? Are you mad? Fili, I expected better. Get back inside, I need that analysis on those documents. King Thranduil and King Bard will expect updates soon from their imported supplies we’ve been using.”

Fili flushed a little with embarrassment, but stayed put. “No, Uncle.”

“Pardon me?”

“I said, no. Kili and I are getting outside for a while, and going for a ride. We’ve both been cooped up inside for too long.”

“You should come with us, Uncle,” Kili added hurriedly. “It may do you some good, as well.”

“I am King. I do not get to take breaks.”

“You out of all people should be  allowed. Come on, Uncle. It’s been forever since the three of us went riding together.”

That seemed to soften Thorin. He shuffled around his spot for a moment, clearly debating what to do before he sighed and asked the stableboy to fetch his saddle.

Fili and Kili shared a mischievous grin, like the one they used to share as kids, pulling pranks and jokes on their mother and uncle long ago.”

As Thorin got up on his pony, he said, “if your mother finds out we’ve been gone, she’ll have our heads.”

“Then we better back it quick!” Fili laughed, snapping his horse into a gallop. Thorin and Kili quickly followed, riding around the vast terrain of Erebor’s landscapes that were beginning to burst in springtime colours of flowers and green grass. 

[project-ohagi]

Keigo Takami ღ Hawks x Reader {Greek Mythology AU}

Buy me a coffee!! <3

Being celebrated as the town's best blacksmith and master-craftsman, you had many opportunities to provide exquisite items for the royal household. You lived within the boundaries of King Enji Todoroki's castle, and you knew the inhabitants quite well. Their splendid, sharp and practical weapons were fashioned in your very forge, and seeing the guards carrying them down the labyrinthine hallways of the castle filled you with a sense of pride. The furniture, often wooden and antique, with exotic designs that no other craftsman in the realm could ever replicate, received compliments not only from the king's subjects, but the foreign ambassadors, who proceeded to inform their employers of the magnificent works. You had big dreams and a means to achieve them.

You wandered the corridors of the castle, glancing at the hand-brewed lanterns littering the walls, illuminating the red and brown bricks. Their flames flickered like the tongues of dragons - a reliable source had once told you that the king himself reared these beautiful, dangerous beasts, although you had never seen them personally. The claim went invalidated, but your songbird was a lovely girl, very gentle and trustworthy. She possessed a meagre level of magic, which impressed you to no end. She slurred potions around and carried leaves of fern and belladonna wherever she travelled. Her companions were extraordinary, as well, and you often saw them as they graced the grasses of your small town. There was a boy with stunning verdant hair and a penchant for crying, plus a knight from the land controlled by King Toshinori Yagi. He had always been lax with the laws, and there was barely ever any crime, so the castle wouldn't suffer from having one less guard.

A pleasant humming sound drifted from your lips, echoing along the walls, making it seem as though someone was tailing you. Your (e/c) eyes fluttered shut as you allowed the crackling of the small flames to guide you safely on the path. Through the flesh of your eyelids, you could see the faint glow of fire beginning to dwindle. Ceasing any movement, you cracked open both eyes and resolved to find the problem. These lanterns had been imbued with the Eternal Flame, so it was (supposedly) unheard of for them to die out. It wasn't just one, either - as your gaze lingered on the husks of your lanterns, you noticed their light slowly diminishing, until all that remained was darkness.

You shivered, the lack of warmth enabling a frigid breeze to waft over you, like a bad dream.

"Whoa, who burned out all the lanterns?" A voice called, cheery amidst the dire circumstances.

That wasn't the only issue, however. This was a strange sound, a foreign one, and you knew all the sounds of this castle. You could pick people and objects apart by noise alone, and yet this was a trial your ears could not overcome. Another thing - you hadn't even realised there was someone else in the corridor with you. The earlier humming was a sound you only made when absolutely comfortable, usually while tinkering in your little shop. You were at home around the lanterns you had manufactured yourself. Yet, they died out. Every. Last. One. You didn't design things to fail. That was the first rule of the trade, and until now, you had sworn by it.

You decided to try this stranger. "I'm not quite sure. They weren't supposed to do that, and no-one else was here."

"Well then," His bones made a clicking sound, as if he was stretching. "It must have been you, or me, but I guess we'll never know."

The arrogance lacing his tone did tick you off slightly, but you had to sigh at his words. "Impossible." You muttered, almost condescendingly.

"I was specifically entrusted to fashion lanterns that would never die."

Your last sentence was likely whispered, but it still reached your accomplice's ears. Probably because he had elected to stand right behind you, which startled you out of your skin when he started talking again. Apparently, he was the king's jester or some other such nonsense. He must have been - no other sane person would dare disrespect the greatest figures of modern times (you thought quite highly of yourself, if that's not already evident).

Whistling, he asked, "Wooow, you made these? No wonder they burned out so fast. What did you make them out of? Wood and wax?"

You huffed indignantly, trying not to rise to his taunts. "It's impossible that they all went out. One or two, perhaps I could find fault in, but all of them? What magic is this?"

"The black kind?" The stranger offered, unhelpfully. "Don't get me wrong, they looked nice - so do you, by the way - but maybe you're not as great as you think, princess."

You searched for him in the dark, but that turned up nothing. "Please don't call me that. My name is (Y/n) (L/n). I'm the town's main blacksmith and craftsman - I know what I'm doing, and if I say this isn't normal, I would like to be believed. What is your name, anyway? I don't feel like calling you 'stranger' forever."

There was a pause and a near-incoherent sound, the he spoke. "I go by Hawks, beautiful, and you didn't call me 'stranger', unless you were thinking about me? Aww, I wonder why I haven't seen you before?"

You sighed. "Honestly, I'm not sure you can see me now."

"Haha, you're right! Well, gotta find some light, I suppose. Which way to safety...?" You heard his light footfalls, followed by a muffled cry.

"That would be the wall." You muttered, astounded by the apparent stupidity of this man.

He said nothing, but continued onwards. After a few moments, a warm hand moved to cradle yours, and he pulled you alongside him. You wanted to protest, but decided against it. You would get nowhere with trivial arguments. The corridor twisted and turned, and you suddenly remembered that one section leading off from it was restricted, but you wouldn't be able to see it in complete darkness. This did worry you slightly, but instead of vocalising your discomfort, you just squeezed Hawks' hand tighter. With him as delegated leader, he bumped into a few more walls on the way out. It seemed that, like you, he hadn't been expecting the lanterns to burn out as easily as they did. When you appeared to have reached a crossroads, he stopped. It was so abrupt that you actually slammed into his back. Trickles of hair brushed against your forehead, and you realised that you were probably just a fraction taller than him. At least this gave you one advantage. He could have his jokes and flirtatious words, but you had your trade and your height.

"Ahh..." He chuckled, a tone of uncertainty present in his voice.

"What's going on? Why did you stop?" You questioned, getting kind of annoyed with this guy.

He glanced around, but saw nothing, obviously. "I might have gone the wrong way?"

"You what?!" You yelled. "We have no light source, and now no sense of direction? Oh, more black magic..."

"It'll probably be fine." He responded, once more sounding as though he commanded some divine wisdom.

His one free hand traced the wall, and just as you were pondering whether to give him two free hands, a noise of acknowledgement erupted from his throat. You supposed that meant he knew where you were, but could he really tell from touch alone? It was likely a ploy, although it did something to calm your throbbing heart. He re-established his pace, dragging you in tow. He made a degree of small talk along the way, but it was drowned out by all the thoughts swimming in your head. His palm was dangerously hot, like an oven, yet you were finding it impossible to let go. It was the kind of heat source your body craved, although you weren't entirely sure why.

Suddenly, an ear-splitting screech began to resonate like a gong, and before you had chance to ask what the hell was happening, you were tugged through the wooden frame of a door. It closed as soon as you stepped into the bright, blinding light. After all that darkness, this seemed like Hell. At least for the first few minutes. Once your eyes managed to adjust, you peered through heavy eyelids, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man calling himself 'Hawks'.

He was absolutely gorgeous.

Those tussles of hair that had previously ghosted your forehead turned out to be feathery and ash-blonde in colour. A small amount of stubble hung from his chin, and as he yawned, you saw perfect, snowy-white teeth. When he noticed the starstruck expression on your face, he grinned, the corners of his lips moving upwards. You blushed - even his cocky smile was breath-taking. He had the most awe-inspiring, chocolate-brown eyes, that twinkled in the glinting candlelight. His fluffy eyebrows made your heart weep, and the formation of those black triangles below his tear ducts reminded you of a bird. His peasant clothes were nothing to write home about, but the way he wore them certainly was. He somehow made them look more appealing and seductive than they should have been, yet you couldn't put a finger on the reason. An onyx, stud-shaped earring adorned both ears. He must have been a similar age to you - around 22 - and you wondered if he would consent to court someone so soon after meeting them. Despite his frankly irritating nature, he made your heart sing, and you instantly knew that you needed to be with him.

"Too hot for you, princess?" He smirked, arrogantly.

You flushed. "S-Sort of."

Adding moisture to his lips, he retorted, "Well, you're pretty sexy yourself, Miss."

After this comment, you immediately retracted your gaze, opting to look around the room instead. "W-Where are we, anyway?" You asked, a little confused.

"My bedchambers." He replied, laughing at your face, which was now stained red.

"W-Why am I here??"

He shrugged. "You followed me, dollface."

"You dragged me!"

--

In a district far removed from the prying eyes of royal sentries, a hoard of villainous men and women alike resided. Their sanctuary had been built in haste, as their ancestors needed a safeguard, away from anyone who might wish to hurt them. Those people, namely the kings Enji Todoroki and Toshinori Yagi, were fierce yet kind rulers, protecting their realms while simultaneously warding away the evil that lurked around the bend. Although their relationship was strained, the kings banded together for the greater good, and finally succeeded in expelling the tyrants. However, nothing was ever so simple - spies had been recruited and placed around the perimeter of the realms. They often caught wind of conspiracies, and would venture into the twisting labyrinth of a wasteland where they were never supposed to find. The mice frequently managed safe journeys, but the grand dictator, All For One, had abilities that far exceeded those of any normal human; he could hear their footsteps, smell their shallow breaths, feel those tell-tale vibrations in the air. There was never any privacy in his castle, and certainly no safety.

If he sought after your head, he would receive it. However, unlike what the rumours suggested, he never abused this power, instead deciding to reserve it for the serious threats. There was no point waging war against the kings without sufficient battle tactics, and All For One remained wounded from his encounter with the stronger of the two: King Toshinori Yagi.

"What shall we do with him, master?" A raspy voice called out, partially muffled by the detachable hand covering his face.

The large, shadowy figure he addressed reclined in his throne, looking upwards and intertwining his fingers, as if contemplating the question. This was all pretence - he had already begun putting the plan in motion, after all. To ease his pupil's mind, he replied, "Bring him in. Question him. Torture him if you have to. If he has valuable information, let him live. If he refuses to speak in three days' time, execute him."

"As you wish."

Messy blue hair whipped in all directions as he signalled for a few of the people in the room. They followed his lead, heading out of the double doors and down the nearest hallway. With him, there walked a tall, lean individual with an ebony mane and oddly-symmetrical burn marks, the skin purple and wrinkling. It was held together crudely by metal hoop piercings. Beside him, a smartly-dressed man with wisps of purple and black mist in place of a body, and a young, blonde girl with a Cheshire-Cat grin. These were apparently the people for the job. In this world of tricks and magic, these four were the ringmasters, controlling the rest of the troupe with strings of steel.

"Who do we get to kill this time??" The girl asked, almost drooling in anticipation of the hunt.

"You heard what master said." Came the agitated response. "We capture him and try to get what we need. If he manages to stay sane for three days, then you can have your fun."

The patchwork zombie spoke next. "How are we doing this, then? We can't storm Enji Todoroki's castle."

As his words echoed around the walls, a swirling vortex appeared, growing bigger and bigger until it could allow for all four to plunge into the blackness. Two, however, were commanded to hold back - the girl and the man with purple patches of flesh. The warp gate closed as soon as the others stepped through.

The hunters were on the prowl.

--

"Ah...don't be shy. Admit it - you wanted to spend the night with me." Hawks gifted you a wink, both flirtatious and amused.

He must have been savouring your embarrassment. "I can't admit what isn't true." You glanced towards one of the massive, stained-glass windows lining the nearby wall. Although it was difficult to see, you determined that it was indeed night-time. How had you spent so long in the castle? You could have sworn it was early afternoon when you arrived, and you shouldn't have been there for more than a few hours. Your detour with this cocksure fairy didn't feel as though it had taken any more than half an hour. Perhaps that was just because your brain was preoccupied, enjoying the company it was in. "I should leave now. It's late, and my shop needs guarding."

"Haven't you fashioned some defence system? Surely (Y/n) (L/n), the oh-so-talented master-craftsman would be prepared for everything?" He taunted, clearly trying to back you into a corner.

"I'm afraid I can entertain you no longer, jester. I need to leave. Something strange is happening - can't you sense it? Those lanterns were my inventions, and I need to figure out why they died." Turning on your heel, you began to walk away from the blonde-locked man and his mahogany door.

However, his laugh stopped you in your tracks. "I guess I do act like a jester, don't I?"

Mysteriously, like smoke, his voice soon trailed off. You couldn't even begin to comprehend how such a flashy, boisterous person would all of a sudden go completely quiet. It wasn't just that - you couldn't hear anything but the ear-splitting silence, like static running through your veins. The walls weren't moaning, the floor wasn't creaking, and nobody seemed to be breathing. There were no sounds. None at all. It was as if Hawks, along with the very castle, knew something you didn't, but their lips were sewn shut. You wondered if the walls would collapse around you, burying you alive, or maybe the ghosts of Enji Todoroki's victims would seek revenge, but instead attach themselves to and haunt you until the end of your days.

"What-" You tried to break the ice that had settled like stalactites on the ceiling, but felt as though a veil was slowly being wrapped around your neck, preventing any more words from reaching the surface.

Suddenly, hands as warm as a furnace grasped your ice-cold ones and dragged you through the door. When you looked at him, you saw that his face held a serious expression. He definitely knew something - something bad. You wanted to ask, but couldn't quite find the words to do so. Stepping through the door felt weird, as if your feet weren't touching wood, but rather something less material. You squeezed your eyes shut tightly, opting to trust the man you had only recently met. After a few seconds, he tumbled on to a hard surface and, still being hand-in-hand, your body crashed into his. His head slammed into the brick, eliciting a faint, pained noise. Truth be told, he was in a lot of pain, but he didn't want you to have any anxieties about the situation, so he refrained from screaming. That was so much worse than stubbing your toe.

"You were surprisingly easy to catch, despite your profession. I did not expect you to have an accomplice, however. She could prove to be troublesome." The voice resonated in your ears painfully, like white noise.

"She's not an accomplice. I met her about two minutes ago - she looked lost, so I was just pointing her in the right direction." Hawks drew out the lie, allowing more time to think of an escape.

Whoever else was out there laughed. "We have orders, Hawks. You have been flying too close to the sun for a long time, and now it is your time to fall."

"So, what's the plan?" Hawks breathed, sparing a side-glance at your trembling figure. "Are you gonna put me in chains, lock me in the dungeons? You do have dungeons, right? I mean, this place is massive, and pretty much a castle."

"This place," The voice began. "Is a labyrinth."

You tugged at Hawks' sleeve. "What are you doing? Are you trying to get us killed??" You whisper-yelled, both furious with and concerned for the man.

"Out of tricks? That's such a shame. To answer your question: we will lock you in one of the many chambers within this labyrinth. There are so many corridors, that even if you were to escape from your cell, you would never reach the surface."

The air swirled in front of you, a mixture of black and purple. Two legs protruded from within, followed closely by a slim body, clad in a suit. Behind this imposing figure, another man stepped out of the darkness. He was dressed far lighter than the former, in only an onyx shirt, baggy trousers and slip-on shoes. You didn't recognise either of these men, given that you mostly stayed in your small town, never straying further than the treeline of the surrounding forest. Despite this, it was easy to reckon that they were the rumoured tyrants. At least, two of them. That thought made your hair stand on end, as though it had been exposed to a great deal of static electricity - what if there were more, hiding in the black void, ready to pounce at any moment? As if sensing your fear, one of the men (the one who seemed as if he might tend to a bar in his off-time), turned to address you.

"Miss, if you comply, then nothing shall be done to cause you harm." His tone was polite, but by that time, you had already chosen your side. You would remain with the person who had stolen your heart in a matter of minutes, with his witty, mischievous nature, and how he laughed in the face of danger, just to keep you safe.

So, although it might have been reason enough for your head to roll, you showed a level of defiance that they weren't expecting. The other man, whose voice was a lot more sickening, muttered something you couldn't hear, scratching his neck as he did so. His partner in crime seemed to sigh (though, with him having no discernible mouth, it was hard to tell), but elected against opposing his superior. The orders had already been given, after all, and any accomplice of the target must suffer the same, horrendous fate as him. You never knew what such seemingly innocent people could be hiding. Before he was grabbed, Hawks made an attempt to snare one of the stray knifes littered on the ground. His enemies noticed the plot, however, and ensured it wasn't followed through. A set of calloused hands gripped your neck and waist, hoisting you up on to your feet. You lashed out, but the hand around your neck clamped down harder, making you choke. You were gradually running out of oxygen. Soon, you couldn't handle the strain of fighting, and your body went limp, slumping against the blue-haired man. It was uncomfortable, but your vision was dimming, just like your lanterns back in the castle of Enji Todoroki. Just before you blacked out, you made the connection - they had been responsible for your burnt-out lights.

--

A spellbinding sight awaited your tired eyes - the walls were covered in ancient carvings, spiral-designs and other such patterns. You, alongside your companion, were confined in a large room, with no obvious doors or windows. You attempted to move, and although you had no bindings, your muscles were stiff. Almost immediately, your mind went into overdrive, trying to work out a viable escape plan. You could always create something to break through the wall, but you weren't sure how deep the labyrinth ran, and it seemed appropriate to assume that you would be easily captured. Raising a hand to your mouth, you began muttering to yourself, slowly piecing together a picture of what you were going to do. You needed to be extremely careful, as there were two lives on the line. If you were discovered mid-escape, it was likely that you would be executed, since you doubted Hawks had the skills required to take flight.

"...Flight! That's it!" You silently praised your ingenuity, glancing around to see if there was anything that could be of use. "Alright...I need the framework, and then something to hold them together. The shape needs to be perfect, for the air to pass over..."

Whilst in the midst of your mutterings, Hawks awoke and contemplated his situation. Then, he noticed you had been shoved into the same cell as him. An unfamiliar feeling welled up inside his chest, tugging at his heartstrings. It was a concoction of guilt, dread, love and sadness. You appeared to be working on something, kneeling in the dirt and presiding over your art. He stood with much effort, and he thought for a moment that his legs might have been broken. He managed to hobble over to where you were stationed, giving him a better view of whatever you were trying so desperately to complete. Your hands were moving rapidly, not letting him concentrate for very long. One minute, they just looked like smashed pieces of wood, but the next, they had a proper form.

"They'd be great if we could actually get out. Did you think about that, princess?" He had been in the labyrinth before, and knew just how tricky it was to navigate - it was meant to gradually drain your sanity, and make you compliant. If that didn't work, there was always good old-fashioned torture.

You responded after a few beats of silence. "You can do something about that, then. We'll need quite a large hole, or else these things won't get through."

Hawks smirked. "You're trying to get out? Bold of you to assume you can."

"Bold of you to suggest I can't." You countered, adding the finishing touches to your work. "Okay, now listen carefully - I managed to sculpt these out of scraps of wood, and I melted the wax from those candles." You pointed to them. "They will hold long enough to get us back to the realm of Enji Todoroki, but you cannot, under any circumstance, get caught in the heat of the sun. If you do, not only will you have wasted one of my creations, but you will plummet to your death. do you understand?"

There was a mischievous glint in his chocolate orbs. "You'd make a good gypsy, y'know."

You masked your smile behind irritation. "Do you understand?"

"Oh, completely. I just have to stay away from the sun, right?" He nodded.

"Correct." You released a breath you didn't know you had been holding; this man was going to be the death of you. A speck of silver flashed in your peripheral vision, and you directed your gaze accordingly. "Why would someone leave a hammer...?" You mumbled, confused.

Hawks hummed, then looked towards the object. "Well, seems like you've found our way out."

Stepping forwards without hesitation, he picked it up and did an initial, experimental swing. It collided with the wall of the labyrinth, severing the carvings and creating a small dent. His lips twitched upwards, and he held the hammer more firmly in his hands. He swung it again and again, shattering the wall almost entirely. To your surprise, it gave way to blinding sunlight and lush green land. Your mouth fell agape - both of you had been anticipating another layer of the winding entanglement. Nodding once to yourself, you handed a pair of wooden wings over to your accomplice, reminding him of your prior warning. Clasping your own tightly on to your person, you stood on the edge, looking down. You heard an awkward gulp from beside you - Hawks must have been nervous. Just before you were about to soar to freedom, a portal, black and purple, fissured a section of previously untouched wall. Two figures began marching into the frame.

You didn't give Hawks any time to think. With a hand on the wings, you propelled him forwards. You jumped out of the labyrinth after a few seconds, tailing closely behind Hawks, who was flapping his newly-acquired wings rather awkwardly. Although you detested the idea, you spared a brief glance back to your prison, seeing those two men standing among the ashes of the wall. Their faces displayed not anger, as you expected, but glee. Disturbed, you averted your eyes. They would not silence you. The people of your town would indeed hear your voice again, purchase your goods and request specific items. You would not be trapped.

Never again.

"Hawks, are you doing okay? Remember you need to move them yourself - just like a bird." You called, swooping past the blonde-haired man. An ecstasy-streaked expression had appeared on his face. You had to smile at this.

"This feels amazing! Damn, you really are good at making things. When we get back, could you jazz these up a bit for me?" He glided in the air, riding the wind, the breeze fluffing up his hair.

Below, a vast expanse of sea stretched out, going for miles and miles. You wanted to fly down, gently touching the surface with your feet, and making it look as though you were walking on water. Your eyelids flickered shut as you relished in Gaia's soft breaths. The clouds slowly ghosted past you. By the time you opened your eyes, it was far too late. Savouring the sweet taste of fresh air, like a starved child, Hawks had been consumed by a false sense of security. He neglected to recall your warning. The bright rays of the sun beamed down on his figure, washing an unpleasant heat over him. The wax which held his wooden wings together began to drip, raining down on the surface of the ocean like snowflakes. Soon, fractures started to show in the wood. You wanted to scream at him for being so idiotic. Instead, you dove towards the falling form. You missed by a millisecond. Speed was quickly becoming an issue, but you continued descending, reaching out a hand in the hopes that he would grab it. His arms and legs were flailing, and he couldn't seem to stay still for long enough. The water was luring him closer and closer.

In one last ditch effort, you howled out his name. "Hawks!"

His body met the blue liquid, and he was dragged down further, as if compelled by a magnet.

You caressed the water, watching and waiting for any sign of him. Tears were clouding your vision, cascading down your cheeks and eventually dripping down, into the sea. You didn't know if they would ever reach him, but you whispered a few words, distorted by sobs.

"...I warned you..."

[Word Count: 4779]

[beesatthedisco]

How does this even work...

Okay, so I’ve been on tumblr since before the first time they very slightly changed the shade of blue and I hope that in and of itself is enough to help y’all know... I’m ancient. (I’m 27, and will only rp with ppl 18+, sorry friendos)

Somehow, despite being on tumblr and despite having made about a million accounts for various things in my day, I’ve not made an RP account, and don’t really know how to get started. I guess I’m just gonna put down what I know about myself and what I’m looking for here and hope for the best, but I’d be open to any kind of protips from those of you who have been using tumblr to find rp for much longer.

RIP to your eyes ahead of time, this is a long post. If you want to skip to the part where I share my Original plots, pairings, and fandom cravings, please just scroll to the end and accept my humble apologies. (Highkey I copied this out of my google doc, don’t shoot me.)

I enjoy writing both original plots and fandom stuff. When RPing within a fandom setting, I'm open to playing as canons, as ocs, or any combination of both. I'm open to co-creating settings inspired but not based in fandoms, and open to playing AU or canon settings as well. When originals are involved, I prefer co-creating our worlds together, so we're both invested in the landscape that our characters inhabit. Speaking of characters- I'll play as any gender and in any pairing type- I hope that this is the same for you. I love writing a broad spectrum of characters to keep things interesting for myself and to practice viewing the world through different perspectives. I feel it's difficult to do this when being forced or pigeonholed into writing as a gender you DEMAND of me. However... I can be flexible, and if your ideas are interesting enough, I may just give you what you ask for anyways, haha. I'm perfectly open to playing multiple characters, whether it's a broad interactive cast of mains and background characters, a system of noninteracting or separate sets of doubles, triples, you name it, or whatever other configuration of multiple-character-playing you prefer.

I'm not too terribly concerned about post lengths and am open to writing with people who might be new to the RP scene. I'm pretty flexible about how much I'll write. A good rule of thumb for myself is that I tend to respond with more when I have more to work with. That doesn't always mean that there are more words on your post for me to respond to; instead, I mean that if your post has enough ideas, inspiration, and momentum, I can go buckwild with my posts. My comfort zone seems to be around 4-6 paragraphs per post, but I've been known to write either a lot more in particularly thrilling rps. If I'm writing a huge post- don't feel daunted or expected to match length. I love all sized posts!!! I'm just overly enthusiastic and get carried away sometimes. (This means you can also at any time tell me to chill out on how much I'm writing. ) When it comes to writing style, I only have a few hard expectations of you- I do not engage in roleplay featuring the 'would' style of writing. (For example: "She would pick up the rock and inspect it closely.") I don't exactly know why I dislike this tense so much, but it pulls me right out of the immersion of writing/reading and tends to entirely destroy my interest in the story. I'm sorry. Next, I care at least a little about punctuation and spellchecking. If you're roleplaying online, you have access to ways to make sure that you're not just submitting gibberish. If you need help finding those resources... feel free to ask!

I'm open to the idea of making profiles for our characters, but I'm okay without making them too. I'm also vaguely ambivalent to 'beautifying' our posts, should we do them somewhere that allows that sort of thing. I'm fine with any style of reference images, or with not using them at all. I can't promise I won't send you songs and images and memes that remind me of our story, though! Also- I'm super down for dice systems if we decide to go that route (and prefer dice systems if we include combat of any variety in our story.) I love romance, but it doesn't necessarily have to be the drive of our plot if that's not your style. My favorite genres to write in are science fiction, any variety of fantasy, horror, drama, historical settings, wild western settings, and mysteries.

Last but not least, I tend to like making friends with my writing partners. I prefer writing with people I actually get along with, so for me, the plotting phase is the most important. It helps me get to know your personality a bit more, and you mine, so we both know whether or not it's a good match to write long term! I'll write on most platforms, so let's discuss what makes the most sense for us. Finally, I generally only write with folks 18+, for the safety of everyone involved. Thanks for understanding.

Well, as I said, I've got a big ol list of ideas, if any of this strikes you as 'good writing friend' material, so send me a DM and I'll get back to you asap! Feel free to share your ideas too!!!

Original Ideas

- There's something dire down in the mines to the east of this old Western town. Folks keep goin' in to investigate, disappearin' for days at a time, then comin' back all different-like with the lights gone from their eyes. What could be happenin' out there, sheriff? (horror/western)

- A high-fantasy world's balance is shattered when the source of magic is destroyed. How will the people of this mystical land navigate a now mundane life, and how can they survive when so many magical devices go defunct and awry?

- A no-magic world is suddenly spun into chaos: an apocalyptic event leads to the sudden introduction of magic into a world that had previously never known it. In the post-apocalyptic (and mystically-charged) ashes of a world that once was, how do the survivors compete for resources and control?

- A star falls from the sky! They're rare, and it's dangerous to be one. Are you the star, hunted and lost? Or are you someone who finds a star?

- A lich (my character) is rumored to live in the castle at the foot of the mountains, only a mile or so from your town. It's said they're a true villain, the worst of the worst... but what is the truth?

-Arranged Marriages between physical embodiments of the seasons or planets

- There's something dire down in the mines to the east of this old Western town. Folks keep goin' in to investigate, disappearin' for days at a time, then comin' back all different-like with the lights gone from their eyes. What could be happenin' out there, sheriff? (horror/western)

-A sailor, pirate, or other seafarer keeps noticing the same shape in the waters near their ship. After a terrible storm, the ship wrecks… now, one’s a mermaid, one’s a sailor, and they’re both idiots trying to find their way back home.

-Disaster has struck! A grisly assassination attempt leads a bodyguard to quickly usher their liege to safety. Drama ensues!

-Stowaways, and the people who catch 'em!

- Androids and more androids! Or... androids and non-androids!

-In a dwindling-magic world, those who cling to the olde magicks and the old way of living struggle against the new capitalist society and its nonmagic technology. In one still-magickal neighborhood where our story takes place, shopkeepers fight against nonmagickal gentrification in an effort to keep their businesses, communities, and traditions alive.

- A wandering traveler gets caught in a storm and chances upon an abandoned home, castle, or manor.... oh no!

- A train hopping crust punk encounters the ghost of a fellow train-hopper who fell under the rails and died.

- A living person's computer, gaming device, or phone is inhabited by a flirty ghost!

- There's a friendly but sad ghost living in a living person's new home! (Can you tell I like ghosts?)

Original (and corny) pairing ideas

fairy or elf / vampire or other dark creature

vampire / human

god / mortal

demon / angel or other dark/light archetypical pairings

dragon / humanoid

naval captain / stowaway

mob boss / citizen

superhero / supervillain

serial killer / investigator

serial killer / citizen

Bounty hunter/outlaw

outlaw/sherriff

outlaw/outlaw

farmhand/outlaw

Current Fandom Interests/Cravings

Pokemon - preferably with ocs and in a custom setting ft. all the ‘mons/us playing as humans

Elder Scrolls - pls, i’m craving this almost more than anything, and have been for years

Red Dead Redemption - it is cowboy time now

Legend of Zelda - i have a couple of cute ideas for this!

Avatar/Legend of Korra

Labyrinth - please please please someone play jareth for me, ill give you my firstborn in exchange

Star Wars - currently a little burned out on playing as kylo for everyone, so please don’t ask me to be him dlfkjdslfj

Game of Thrones

Lord of the Rings

Night in the Woods

Brutal Legend - does anyone but me remember this??? Omfg lets rp in this setting PLS

The Dragon Prince

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Dragon Dancer III: Justice

I opened my eyes to a dimly lit space. I was hooked to an IV.

As soon as I turned my head, I saw Chisei in a white shirt and black pants. In front of him was a table of munitions. The man looked rough, a hollow of his former vibrant and frightening self.

He looked at me briefly. “You’re awake. Good. You’ve already started to heal. I need to return you to your teammates.”

Return me? I sat up, wincing against the bandages under my shirt. My ruined dress was gone, replaced by a thin white top and a bright red hakama.  “Where am I?”

“We’re back at the shrine. It’s far from Tokyo and the only safe place now.”

I watched him as he pulled a gun holster around his waist.

“Chime?”

“Resting. I’ll be sending him and Erii away, out of Japan. It’s the only way to be safe.”

“I wanted to tell you, the King controls Chime with a woodblock...”

“He told me...” He glanced at me and slipped throwing knives into the sides of the holster.

“You’re still going back to the city?” 

He paused, eyes narrowing, full of hatred. “You think I would leave after hearing something like that? I’m not leaving until the King is dead.”

I gripped the blanket covering me. “My wish is for you to get out of here alive. You wanted to be free from Hydra, right?”

“You had the chance to leave as well didn’t you? You didn’t take it.” He replied.

“How do you know that?”

“I heard you and the owner of the Takamagahara talking.” He tossed his trench coat over his shoulders and smiled at my open mouthed shock.

“You were there!”

“I was there for a while. And I am free from Hydra. Turns out that the King had planned for this. I’m not sure how he got the location of the White King. But he attacked as soon as she started her rampage. Immediately after the tsunami, he had forces in place to take us down in the chaos.” 

He pulled black gloves over his hands. “Minamoto Heavy Industries was taken. Kaguya is gone. Yasha is dead. We lost Fuma in the escape... Hydra is completely defenseless. I thought we had won the war. Turns out the Devil Clan never cared about their own deaths or loss of territory. They had their ace in the hole... all our efforts were useless.”

He stopped. “Had I known I never would have....”

“But you didn’t know.” I said, raising my voice. “None of us did! This is all complete... insanity. The only person who had any clue about what was about to happen was Lu Mingfei! And I need to tell you something! Listen!”

He finally turned to me. 

“I believe Lu Mingfei has been having prophetic visions. I don’t know how. I don’t know why. But he told me he’s been dreaming about something terrible happening to Erii. He said first with water... and now with fire. Did he say anything about that?”

From the way his eyes shifted he seemed to be recalling something. He answered. “When he was with me, he did have frequent nightmares. About the sea and an unseen enemy. He said it was a dream of the future.”

“Now he dreams of fire.” I whimpered. “And Erii...”

“Thank you for telling me. I’ll get her out... Immediately.” He walked to me tucking under my arm to lift me up and carry me out to the waiting helicopter. It was still dark outside. 

“Where are we going?”

“Anjou put out a call for you all to meet him at the Tokyo Meteorological Institute.”

“And what will you do? Are you going to come fight with us?”

“Heh. Unlikely. Anjou probably has his own ideas. For all I know he’s here to get you out.”

“No! I won’t leave here-”

He gave me a sympathetic look. “He’s already taken over Tokyo at this point. You don’t have a say in anything any more.”

My heart sank even as helicopter lifted. He was right. As we soared over the landscape, we stayed silent. I realized that he was saying goodbye. It was unlikely that we would see each other again, at least, not in a dragon slaying capacity.

“Keep in touch. Please? Don’t delete my number.”

“Why?”

“There’s so few people who are like me. Even surrounded by other hybrids, I feel lonely. And Mingfei will worry about Erii.”

He didn’t answer. I got the feeling he wanted to leave everything behind and that I was part of a past he no longer wanted. 

Tokyo was a city becoming a ghost town. Lines of cars were backed up and people were abandoning them and walking with whatever they could carry. I felt a deep sense of failure. I was supposed to prevent this. I was sent here to stop this very thing.

I leaned my head against back of the seat, too miserable to even cry about it.

We landed. Chisei got out with me. I found I was already able to walk on my own, though it was still very painful to do much else. We went slowly to the elevator which we took down to a hall that led to a large conference room.

As soon as the door opened, I saw Anjou with Johann and Nono. They were sitting around a table discussing something. Turned out I was late to the meeting.

A man I didn’t know was saying. “I will contact the chief executive now, but he was out of contact and being evacuated. I'm not sure of his status.”

“I only need the coordinates!” Anjou was saying. “As long as he’s still alive let him talk to me. That arrogant bastard has already messed things up. That’s the least he should be able to do to help!”

I scowled. “Hey!”

They all turned to me. Johann stood up, eyes wide. “Meixiu!”

Chisei chuckled and squeezed my shoulder. “I am indeed and arrogant bastard who made a mess of things.”

Johann approached and I easily swapped Chisei’s arms for his. His hug hurt and I grunted in pain. 

“You’re injured!”

“Is just a flesh wound!” I tried to joke, but the pain in my eyes said otherwise.

“Water storage well number 13, Design code Red Well, in the mountains near the Tama River. Here are the coordinates.” He handed the seething Anjou a piece of note paper.

“Principal. I’m sorry, I tried I really tried...” I pulled away from Johann.

“I will not accept any apologies from you young lady.” Anjou’s cold eyes brooked no argument. “Your mission was very simple and became... very complicated!” 

I’d never seen Anjou so furious, gazing at Chisei who took it with numb indifference. But the man had lost everything and I couldn’t stand that Anjou was going to take his anger out on him.

“I won’t testify against him! He was only doing what he thought was right!”

Anjou cut me off. “You’ll be permitted to stay in this room so long as you don’t say another word.” 

Johann’s hand squeezed my shoulders. “Easy...” He whispered, guiding me to a chair.

Anjou handed the note to a man behind him. “Johann, Nono, let me talk to these two alone.”

Johann left me and walked out. Nono glanced at me but looked away before I could read her expression. The door shut. 

For a while, no one said anything while Anjou gathered his thoughts.

“When I came to Japan,” He began. “...you were one of the few people I wanted to meet. But you kept refusing to meet me. This is the first time I’ve traveled abroad to meet a former student and have been repeatedly rejected. You even received my scholarship, only to waste it.”

“It is my pride as a student to be able to get the principal's scholarship... it is my prerogative as a patriarch to refuse to meet you.” Chisei said quietly. “Unfortunately, I am not a good student and I have not learned the most important things from you.”

Chisei then looked at me. “I am not a competent patriarch. Those people who believed that I was the coming Amaterasu died for me. and I failed to give them a brand new future... and now my clan is at its end.”

I didn’t want to hear that from him. But I wasn’t allowed to talk any more, so I avoided his eyes and silently brooded.

“And after so many years, you’re still being pursued by your past, Chisei.”

“You mean Chime? Someone told you?”

“You told me.”

I looked up at Chisei.

“You forgot? You told me years ago, back when you were at Cassell. We were drinking together when you told me this story... only you talked about it like it had happened to someone else. At that time you were asking about the cost of justice.”

“I... have forgotten. I thought I would never tell anyone that story.”

He told me. Perhaps I’d grown closer to him than even he realized.

“Then you forgot what I told you about justice?”

Chisei looked a little sheepish. “Can you... please tell me again?”

The atmosphere had relaxed quite a bit. My ears perked up.

“You remember Benedict’s book?” He asked.

“Yes.”

“He talked about an ultimate justice. That so long as this person obeys this justice, then the world will never reject him. Because it’s above the individual.”

He pulled out a cigar as this was a very long lecture for him. He lit it, letting the smoke curl over both sides of his face.

“However, there is no justice that can exceed the individual. For some people, revenge is justice. For others, protection is justice. If your brother’s happiness is he most important thing in your heart, then you should be willing to take on the entire world for him. You think you paid the price for ‘justice’.”

He turned to look at Chisei. “But the justice you obey is not what you really want. The Justice you obey is taught to you by others. It is not your individual justice. So now, even though you did what you thought was right, you’re tormented by your conscience!”

Chisei glanced away, looking all the world like a scolded child. “For you... revenge is justice, principal!”

“It is! Haha!” He laughed. “My life has been summer and it has been winter. When I met my friends I was lonely and poor in life. But they turned it into summer. I belonged. I had true friends. And then... the dragons took that all away. The remainder of my life is growing shorter. There no one else like me in the world. No one shares my experiences, my memories. I am truly utterly alone. My revenge is all I have left. So... it is my justice.”

He took a long drag on his cigar and I lowered my head. I’d never thought of the Principal as a lonely person but who else had lived as long as he did?

“But,” He’s voice brightened. “...it is not the only justice. Let’s take our genius, Carli here for just a moment.”

I gave him a deer in the headlights look.

“Chisei, you and your organization have left her life an absolute misery! You destroyed everyone she loved. And you pursued her with the intention of killing her. And yet. I say one word against you and she leaps to your defense! Do you know why?”

Chisei shifted, uncomfortable. “I...”

Anjou’s expression changed to one of bewilderment as he gestured to me. “It’s because she has no concept of hatred! It’s not in her nature, not even a little bit!”

I looked at Chisei who avoided my eyes. 

“She’s the only one I’ve ever met like this. At least, to this extraordinary degree.” He puffed his cigar. “Now... some would look down on this. After reading the reports, it was clear that she was slow to act to escape from the Takamagahara. She took unnecessary risks in attempting to align with the people pursuing to kill her. Things could have easily gone another way.”

“It took another man’s hatred to finally move things forward. These are facts. However...” He took another puff.

“It’s also a fact, that had Chu Zihang been leading, your brother would be dead. You probably would be dead as well. The mission would have succeeded on a mountain of death. Had Nono been lead, likely similar circumstances with perhaps a lower body count.”

“Many would say, Carli’s route was much more difficult. Much more fraught with danger. Much more risky. Slow! However, unlike her loved ones, your loved ones are still alive.”

Chisei didn’t look at me.

“Carli?”

“Yes... sir?” I asked hesitating.

“Do you regret anything you’ve done here in Japan?” He looked directly into my eyes with a laser like intensity.

“Um...” My eyes shifted a bit, thinking. After that moment’s consideration, I answered. “No sir.”

He turned to Chisei. “Do you see the difference?”

A memory popped into my head, Johann Chu at my bedside. My voice saying: Don’t tell me what to do! 

I lowered my eyes again, examining the grain of the wood on the table, chewing my lip.

Chisei took a deep breath and let it out. “After this many years, it’s great to listen to your lectures again.” He said.

With that Anjou ended his lecture. “From this moment on, the control has been transferred to Cassell College. You have a good rest. I hope we can all see the sun rise tomorrow.”

“You’re using the space based kinetic weapon on the White King?”

“I no longer need to discuss the White King with you, Chisei. I know you wanted to stop it on your own, but you failed.’

I looked back up again.

Anjou gave me a hard glare, that was dampened by a smile that appeared after it. I was still not allowed to talk.

Chisei took the rejection in stride. He got up, slowly bowed to Anjou and left through the long corridor. I stood up and pursued him. “Chisei!”

He paused. 

“Please... be safe.”

He turned away, walking back to the helicopter.

I turned away to find Johann who had been waiting on the other side of the hall. I threw my arms around him.

“Are you alright?”

“Neither of us will face consequences.” I looked up at him. His expression was blank but his eyes were kind. I was happy to see him. I stretched up to kiss him and then flinched. “Ow.”

“The lounge is right over there. Go sit down. I’ll get you something for the pain.”

[atopearth]

The Legend of Dragoon Part 2 - Platinum Shadow

Since Doel told us to venture to Tiberoa for answers, it's time we got a change of environment! No more Serdio and war~ but crazy princesses! Hmm, was Princess Emille a fake? Hmm, so the Moon that Never Sets is called that because it's not affected by time such as day or night, and when it glows red after 108 years, a Moon Child appears, but I guess so does the Black Monster? Btw, Albert is such a dork that it's so cute lmao, I loved how when they were talking about how Haschel's daughter and Dart's mother are both called Claire, and whilst Rose was saying it was impossible for them to be related considering their appearances, Albert starting going on a rant on an analysis of the possibility and how their skulls were different lmao. And omgg it's kinda crazy, but I never thought about the possibility of a Dragoon Spirit getting stolen by thieves! Sad that I can't level up my Dragoon level now lol. It's kinda crazy to think that such a beautiful green and flowery town like Donau has been taken over by bandits... I guess it's understandable why Lynn (Mayor's son) would go to the Gehrich Gang's Hideout to persuade them to get lost, but seriously, that's so dangerous and highly unlikely to work! Ohh okay, the gang hasn't taken over the city yet, just very hostile and leaving their people there I guess? Meru is such a happy ball of positivity and beauty loll. I used to always think she was super pretty and cute though, she's also really strong! I wasn't too fond of her Additions but I guess her cuteness makes up for it, and she's a pretty hilarious person lol. I see... Princess Lisa knows through astrology that Princess Emille is somehow related to the Gehrich Gang and it even told her to never hand over the moon, probably meaning the Moon Dagger heirloom that will be passed on to Princess Emille soon. Btw, lmao at how well Meru and Haschel get along, they're both like kids getting excited over the royal dinner feast hahaha. It's kinda crazy though, if Lisa can see so many things through astrology, I guess there is a good reason as to why this whole town worships the stars so vehemently.

I honestly didn't expect/completely forgot Gehrich was Haschel's former disciple that got kicked out for not using martial arts with a good heart. It's kinda saddening that he ended up a leader of bandits, but I guess at least in the end, Haschel found him and was able to make him understand that the Rouge School arts weren't to be used for things like this... I didn't realise that Kongol actually followed Emperor Doel for a good reason! Emperor Doel told him that he wanted to make a land where all species could be equal, and Kongol believed in his strength in being able to bring that, but now that he was defeated by Dart, he wants to understand Dart’s strength now. I didn't think that the humans actually killed all the Gigantos aside from Kongol in this place/home of the Gigantos. You would think that since they were oppressed by Winglies before, they would understand the pain of losing people, but no, they killed them... I feel sorry for Kongol, he just wants to fight against bad people like the ones who killed his family and friends... Speaking of Kongol though, him saving the gang by holding that super heavy stone axe/pillar that came from that humongous status was crazy! He even flung it away so easily! I'm not sure how we defeated him before considering he had strength like that lol!

Aww so nice to see Lynn and Kate's wedding! Also really cool to know that whilst Dart and party were gone, the Mayor and all the adults rose up and went against the bandits in town and successfully kicked them out! Nice to know that Dart inspired them to do their best to protect their own town. Shana catching the bouquet was cute. Omggg, I can't remember but dang, you get Kongol's Golden Dragoon Spirit at the rip off market seller in Lohan! It's 1000G which is easy to get by now but wow, apparently you can get to near the end of the game without even realising this is where you get it! Which kinda sucks tbh lol. Apparently there were hints but it must have totally flown off my head because I had no idea lmao. I honestly can't believe King Zior is even allowing these bandit friends of Emille to be knights for the ceremony, like is he crazy or is he a fake? Or does he need to allow all this to save the real princess? Dodging the bandit guards to get to Princess Lisa and the real Princess Emille aren't too hard, but I do admit it's annoying haha. Wow, no wonder it was practically impossible to find the real Princess Emille, she was locked inside a magical dimension within the portrait of herself in her room! Wow, boy am I glad I stocked up on Healing Breeze because Lenus aka fake Princess Emille does crazy damage to all! She has so many turns as well! Maybe it would have been easier if my Albert actually had the SP to turn into a Dragoon though lmao, but still, she's pretty nuts haha. I knew I didn't remember wrong, Meru is a Wingly just like Lenus (since Lenus could tell), but I guess it's understandable of her to hide it from the party for now. Hmm, so after the defeat of the Winglies, the three countries Serdio, Tiberoa and Mille Seseau were formed, and the surviving Winglies sent a divine object of the moon as a proof of peace. Anyway, I guess King Zior was too blinded by his love for his daughter Emille that he didn't care what she was like to realise it was a fake lmao.

Aww it's so cute to run around with Shana on the Queen Fury. Lmao at the chopping vegetables mini game, legit thought it would give me something good after winning but it gives me 1G LOL. All my hard work for a scrap lol. I love how enthusiastic and hardworking everyone on the ship is though! They're so passionate about their work whether it be cleaning or shoving fuel etc, they're really trying their best to catch up to Lenus (and get the Moon Dagger back). Sometimes I feel sorry for how blunt Shana is about her feelings towards Dart but he's just constantly thinking about the Black Monster etc. I guess it's understandable though, he probably thinks that if he starts thinking of stuff like romance, he wouldn't be able to fully focus on the war and everything. I really enjoy talking to all the different sailors with the different characters though! It's so cool how some of the dialogue changes haha! Lmaoo at Meru annoying Dart and Shana to play with her because she's bored, yet when you talk to her with Rose (and she tells Meru they can train together), Meru says she'll behave hahahaha. I wonder what made Rose change if she says that she used to be as innocent as Shana, only caring about her love and hoping that it'll bear fruit? Did Rose's partner die and that's why she tells Shana to never let Dart go? Omg..to think that 25 years ago, Haschel's harsh training caused Claire to accidentally end up killing her training partner since she tried her best to fulfil her father's expectations of her as the heir to the Rouge School... He shouted at her to get out of his sight and lost her forever... It's quite terrible... Lmao at Kongol just ignoring Meru if you talk to her with him hahahah. LOL at Meru throwing a pillow at Albert! Guess he's the easiest to bully even though he’s a king lol. Hahahah I love how everyone sympathises with Dart being the babysitter of Meru when she forces him to run around with him on the ship lol. The Phantom Ship looks really cool but scary at the same time! It's kinda cool how ghost knights protected Shana from skeletons. Okay, that mini game with the chest is so not worth the time lol! It's so hard to guess! Anyway, I checked the rewards and it really only gives you crappy stuff that I don't care about lol, don't need Ultimate Wargod because I can do my Additions just fine anyway lol. So, is the princess of Mille Seseau that this whole ship tried to protect from the Black Monster 18 years ago actually Shana? Rose is probably the Black Monster, but is Zieg the first Red Eyed Dragoon that she supposedly fell in love with but couldn't save for some reason? Was Rose a part of the Dragon Campaign 11,000 years ago? Her and her comrades seemed to be fighting Virages or something? They all died and Zieg turned into stone? I guess you can see why Rose is so attached to Dart if they're so similar. But I wonder, did the Black Monster appear because Rose wasn't able to control the insanity of the Dragoon due to her grief of losing her friends or something?

Lmao when Rose said she'd annihilate all the monsters to protect Pete and his mother (people who saved Dart and Rose after they fell off the Queen Fury when the Phantom Ship sunk). Hahahaha Pete was so funny to say that Rose should confess to Dart because he saw her take care of Dart lovingly in the cave. Hahahah I love how you can go to the hot springs in Fueno and the person soaking in it screams lmaoo. Aww it's so cool and cute how the merchant for the item shop and the weapon shop are the same person! He just goes upstairs to talk to you if want weapons lmao. I love how happy and hyper Meru is to see Dart and Rose alive haha. Aww, it was really sweet of Dart to hug her since she was crying and he felt bad for worrying her. Lmaooo at Meru, Haschel and Albert peeking in on them though lol!!! I think it was really cute how when Dart caught them, they all ran away, but Meru came back to close the door for them lmao. Honestly though, despite how much of a damsel in distress Shana is, I think she really warms up to you as a character. Sure, she's weak and everything, but she's just really sweet and normal, it's hard to not like her. She has that warmth to her that the others lack. Ohh, so Lenus had the Sea Dragoon Spirit! Anyway, she was so much stronger before! Her Dragoon form is so much easier to manage lol, she should have just stayed in her Wingly form. Poor girl though, she gave her life for Lloyd but I honestly doubt he really appreciates it. I think Dart was really touched when Shana ran to protect him when Lenus tried to kill Dart with the last bit of her strength though, it was kinda cute. Lmao at Meru being so happy for truly being a part of the gang as a Dragoon now though haha. Aww it's so cute how Albert was so enamoured with Princess Emille. I can understand though, she's really graceful, beautiful and kind, who wouldn't like her?! But I think the whole family is great! I love how King Zior didn't care about Dart and them not being able to retrieve the Moon Dagger because he believes that it's just a symbol and isn't as important as them being the heroes that saved all the town's from the terror of the Sea Dragon and the fake Emille. Awww, it's so cute how Dart has finally realised his feelings for Shana but he keeps getting interrupted when he wants to tell her lmao. Shana is so brave though, she totally and straightforwardly told him again that she loves him and that it doesn't matter if he views her as a baby sister. I hope they get together soon! Lmao at both Haschel and Meru being kids stealing food from the kitchen hahaha. Albert bonding with Emille in her room was so adorable lmao. Rose chuckling to herself thinking about things was so cuteee, I love how soft she is becoming now. Kongol training in the training centre being happy that he's got friends of different species now was so adorable too. Aww, Princess Emille is willing to wait for Albert to come back from his journey! They're so sweet! Aww he finally got to tell Shana that her wish is the same as his whilst she was wearing a beautiful dress~~ Such a cute and happy banquet!

Overall, this chapter was really nice. I loved the whole Wingly introduction to the story, getting to know more about Rose, but also interacting with Meru and Kongol! I really love how cute everyone is and how different they all are, but how nice they all work together. Btw, I farmed Shana's Dragoon level to 5 to see her skills and dang, White Silver Dragon does damage and heals you to full life! Pretty strong! It was so easy to farm it on the Phantom Ship btw, since you have access to a save point, resting and constant monsters lol. I just wanted to see it before Miranda came along because I remember not liking her lmao. I think the best thing about this chapter is seeing everyone’s growth as a character, mainly Shana and Rose because Shana solidifies her resolve to be beside Dart no matter what, whereas Rose is warming up to everyone (especially Dart) whether she likes it or not. Another cute thing I loved to see was Albert finding his love Princess Emille, they’re both so wonderfully graceful and I find it adorable how Princess Emille loves listening to Albert when everyone else thinks he talks too much in a long-winded way hahaha. I also really liked the Queen Fury part because it really helped to understand everyone’s worries as well as what they’re searching for on this journey, it just made me understand them a bit more individually and I really enjoyed that. Now I feel super bad for hating Kongol as a kid when I was young just because he was ugly LOL, I was such a vain kid! Kongol is like such an innocent, pure and kind guy, I love him lol. Technically though, I love all the characters already haha.

[fire-emblem-heroes-supports]

Summoner/F!Robin C-S Support

Written by  robluu321

C SUPPORT

F!Robin: Um, excuse me, (y/n).

(y/n): Uh?… Oh, Robin, good afternoon.

F!Robin: Good afternoon. Would you mind to answer me three questions I have?

(y/n): Sure. I may have work to do, but I’m not in a hurry. What do you want to know?

F!Robin: First… where did you learn your tactics?.

(y/n): Ah, that’s an easy one. Well, after I was summoned, I read a lot of books about military strategy… That’s how I learnt most of what I know about it.

F!Robin: Wait, so… you didn’t know anything about being a tactician before that?

(y/n): I had a little “experience”, I guess… since I played things called “video games”… but yeah. If we compare my knowledge now to my knowledge when I was in my world… there’s an abysmal difference. Part of the problem is, where I come from, magic does not exist.

F!Robin: Wow… weird… so you had to adapt to understand tactics with mages?

(y/n): Indeed. Honestly, all this stuff – dragons, magic, medieval life style… It’s all strange to me. There are legends and stories about it, but I never lived anything like this until now.

F!Robin: That brings up my next question. Many Heroes here say you describe stuff that we’ve never seen, many say you may be… um… crazy, and you just imagine them, actually… You said something about having played a… video… video game.

(y/n): It’s understandable. It’d be hard for anyone here to picture what a video game is, and I’d have a hard time myself explaining what it is. They don’t have to believe me if they don’t want to. The only way I could get you to understand would be to open a gateway to my world and bring back a video game and a console, or to bring you to my old house but… Well, I can’t do that.

F!Robin: That’s… convenient… but maybe it has something to do with my third questio Alfonse said you didn’t want to return to your own world… why?… don’t you have loved ones there?.

(y/n): I do. But opening a gateway to my world would be… Let’s say that, in my world, we have what we call… petroleum. It’s a mineral oil that we use for fuel, and very important for our economy. And… as you might suspect, it’s becoming rarer and rarer… I fear that if we open a gate, people would end up discovering Askr and come to steal its resources…

F!Robin: …Are you shaking?

(y/n): …Honestly, I am happier to be here… But you don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to. I guess that answers your three questions. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.

F!Robin: Wait!… They left…

[(y/n) and F!Robin have reached support rank C.]

SUPPORT B

(y/n): If only I could understand this better… Damn.

F!Robin: (y/n)!

(y/n): Robin? What a surprise.

F!Robin: I still had another question. Please don’t run away this time.

(y/n): …What is it?.

F!Robin: Why did you say you were happier here than in your home world?

(y/n): Well… Here, I’m more important than I am at home… Unlike all of you Heroes, I’ve never fought an evil empire trying to conquer the world nor an evil dragon trying to destroy humanity… I was just a regular person, like any villager.

F!Robin: So you were like Donnel before he joined the Shepherds, and your life here is more exciting.

(y/n): Pretty much, yeah… Okay, now may I ask you something as well?

F!Robin: Of course. (y/n): I don’t wanna sound rude but… why are asking me so many questions?

F!Robin: Let’s say… I feel a special connection with you.

(y/n): Connection? What do you mean? F!Robin: I’m not sure… It’s just, we’re very similar in some aspects: we’re both tacticians, working along a blue haired prince who has a cute younger sister and wields a legendary sword, our clothes are similar… The fear you displayed when you talked about an army from your world… It’s similar to the fear I had when I faced Walhart and his men… and…

(y/n): And? F!Robin: And we both worry too much about others, to the point we overwork ourselves to ensure their safety. We also both prefer to stay with the friends we made along the way than to live the destiny we were suposed to live before our adventure began.

(y/n): I see… let me test ask you something else. Did you decide to kill Grima, despite knowing it would kill you as well, because you couldn’t have lived the rest of your life in peace? Because it would have been selfish? Because it might have allowed the future where Lucina came from to happen again?

F!Robin: …I’m just one woman… Chrom and all the others didn’t understand that. My life is nothing compared to many lifes.

(y/n): But life does not care for what we want or what makes us feel better. For what it’s worth, I think you made the right choice, Robin. Even if it was a hard decision. Remember this: the hardest choices require the strongest will.

F!Robin: …Thank you for being so understanding, (y/n).

(y/n): You’re welcome. I’m gonna have to cut our chat short though… I still have a lot of working to do.

F!Robin: Would you like some help?

(y/n): Haha. Yes, why not?

[(y/n) and F!Robin have reached support rank B.]

SUPPORT A

F!Robin: You know, when you said you had too much work to do, I thought you meant making tactics, but all these… the telescope, compass, thermometer… They are just wonderful.

(y/n): They truly are. A shame the vast majority of people would be unable to explain how they work, let alone build them.

F!Robin: That makes sense, I suppose… After all, I would be unable to build a ballista. So you really are from a completely different world, aren’t you?

(y/n): Mhm. Feels weird to live in a medieval setting.

F!Robin: What do you mean by medieval?

(y/n): A long time ago, my world was very similar to Askr or Ylisse. Well, without magic, pegasi, wyverns, dragons and all that stuff, of course.

F!Robin: Ah, that’s right, no magic. Then it must have been pretty difficult to do certain things, and I guess battles were more simple, only melee fights… (y/n): Oh, no, actually. In modern society, we have weapons that allow us to fight from a distance.

F!Robin: Like archers?

(y/n): Sort of? I guess you could think of such weapons as evolved bows and arrows… Wait, I think I can explain. You see how Breidablik works?

F!Robin: Yes. You load it with orbs and then you push that thing here, and it fires. Like a crossbow.

(y/n): Haha, I didn’t think about it, but it does work a bit like a crossbow. To me, it’s more similar to one of the weapons I just mentioned – a gun.

F!Robin: Interesting… So, instead of orbs, you’d load a “gun” with another kind of projectile. Similar to cannonballs, but smaller.

(y/n): Exactly. We call them bullets.

F!Robin: Um… Would have been pretty convenient if Breidablik could do that.

(y/n): Ha! Yeah… I could have headshoted Surtr or Veronica and we’d all be happy right now. Well, in theory.

F!Robin: Such efficient yet deadly new weapons… I can see why anyone from your world coming here with ill intentions would be worrisome.

(y/n): Yes… The mere idea this could happen makes me… makes me… urgh…

F!Robin: You’re trembling again. Are you okay?

(y/n): Yes, yes… Sorry. I worry too much, don’t I? After all, there’s no way this could happen. As long as I’m using Breidablik with good intentions in mind, this will never… urgh.

F!Robin: …You know you’re not alone, right? Everyone here is your friend. We can support you. There’s no point in getting sick with worry. That’s what my own friends taught me.

(y/n): Thank you, Robin. I appreciate the thought. But as my duty-

F!Robin: Oh, please. Don’t give me the “duty” excuse. I’ll help you, everyday! I know how it feels to work restlessly… so please, just let me help you.

(y/n): In that case… Alright, friend. Thanks a lot.

F!Robin: Don’t mention it.

[(y/n) and F!Robin have reached support rank A.]

S SUPPORT

F!Robin: You!

(y/n): Argh!

F!Robin: Stay right here! Don’t try to run away!

F!Robin: You owe me an explanation, and I want it now!

(y/n): R-Robin? I… Um… I have to–

F!Robin: Work to do, yes, I know. That’s the problem! What’s gotten into you? All of a sudden, it’s like I’m not allowed to work with you anymore! I just wanted to make sure you’d be fine, as a friend, and now you are overworking yourself again! Why?

(y/n): I know, I just… You’re… distracting me.

F!Robin: Distracting you…? So you’re saying it’s my fault then.

(y/n): I mean… Do you have any idea how hard it is to focus on skills sets or strategies for Tempest Trials when there’s someone as kindhearted and pretty as you always standing near me?!

F!Robin: …Excuse me?

(y/n): You gave me a hand when I needed it the most… and after that, every time you helped me, the only thing I could think about was how smart and beautiful you are. Sheesh, I even spilled tea all over me the other day because I was thinking about your smile.

F!Robin: (y/n)… I had no idea…

(y/n): I know. I’m sorry I changed my mind about working together and gave you no explanation. Well, here’s your reason. I love you. It’s just… In order to stay focused on my duties, I needed you to stay away from my job.

F!Robin: …You are such an idiot. Instead of taking such a rash decision, you should have told me. Who’s to say I don’t feel the same about you? Geez… I hadn’t confessed and I still thought you had rejected me.

(y/n): I-I’m sorry… I never expected I had a chance. But… maybe we can try.

F!Robin: What do you mean?

(y/n): If we both feel the same, maybe I won’t have any problem being in love with you and working at your side.

F!Robin: Now that sounds like a good decision. Here, let me tell you something.

[(y/n) and F!Robin have reached support rank S.]

Confession quote:

F!Robin: “Your dedication to help everyone, your kindness, your intelligence… I love it all. You opened my eyes to wonders I would have never imagined. I can not imagine how my life would have been like had I never met you. Let’s stay by each other’s side, for the rest of our lives.”

[raflovestuffs]

The Mature Age: Chapter one

Like I said, I’ll leave you with this chapter. Hope you’ll enjoy it anyway. There’s still good Hiccstrid scenes in it.

I would like to thanks @hiccstridsource , @astridthevalkyrie, @alexskiles and @icelandiceel for helping me with some scenes ;)

Also a big thanks to @megtoons ,@JoyOfBerK and @wolfie-dragon-rider for helping me in the translation and the correction ;)

The sun was not yet up when we landed silently on one of the hunter’s ships. Toothless and I hid ourselves in the shadows. I thought back to how I missed breakfast this morning. I barely had time to eat some bread before my mother burst into my hut.

“Hurry up Hiccup!” she told me. “We’re going on a raid this morning. It will be an opportunity to see if my teaching skills have paid off!”

And did I listen to her? Of course. Why would I be here otherwise? I watched Toothless; he was on the lookout for the slightest sound, unlike myself. I sighed. I really need to start concentrating a bit more.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard. A hunter was crossing a bridge. He zigzagged his way between dozens of cages on the ship. He stopped in front of one of the cages and demanded one of the dragons to be quiet. This was too much for me, it was time to take action. I lit my fire sword to catch him by surprise. With Toothless’ help we ignited some nearby wooden crates and we advanced through the flames. The tightness of the new armour that I had made for the gang from the scales of our dragons allowed us this kind of fantasy. Impressed or rather trembling in fear, he asked:

“What are you?”

The only response I gave was by putting a finger in front of my lips while saying “Shhh”. The hunter then started the fight by attacking me first. A small fencing duel therefore took place between us. My sword against his, I could anticipate his blows without taking blows myself. Toothless positioned himself behind the hunter to surprise him. He was about to attack when Snotlout and Hookfang arrived all in flames before landing very brutally on the deck of the ship.

“I am the god of FIRE!” exclaimed Snotlout.

Then, noticing his burning rear end, he began running in all directions screaming that there were still some adjustments to be made for his armour. He ran near the twins who had just appeared in the fog, followed by Barf and Belch.

“Behold your worst nightmare...” declared Tuffnut..

Beside him, his sister had begun to pronounce this same phrase:

“Behold…”

Tuff looked at her, visibly irritated.

“My annoying sister who insisted on coming.”

“That‘s my intro?” she asked, confused.

Having watched the whole scene, I went towards them.

“Guys! Too soon! You always come in too soon!” I said, embarrassed.

That’s when Fishlegs came out of nowhere screaming before he crashed to the ground.

“Sorry, still getting the hold of my wings.”

In his front pocket, a baby Gronckle waddled, emitting what sounded like shouts of joy. It was Meatlug’s baby.

“Fishlegs, again with the baby? This is a raid!” I exclaimed, annoyed by his behaviour.

“I couldn’t find a sitter!” shouted Fishlegs, when I pointed to him and his baby with my flaming blade.

With all this, I had completely forgotten to take care of the hunter who ran off before he started shouting: “We’re under attack!”. I went after him to try to stop him, but Astrid beat me to it, preventing him from going further.

“Astrid I had him right where I wanted him!” I assured her.

She smiled at me before answering:

“And now he‘s right where I wanted him, let‘s get to work.”

So we started to liberate the dragons locked in the cages onboard the boat. Fishlegs approached the cage of a large dragon who seemed to immediately befriend Meatlug’s baby. While the Twins, on their side, fell in front of the cage of a tiny purple and yellow dragon.

“I bet he’s super dumb!” exclaimed Ruffnut before approaching the cage to try to open it. “Ugh, why can’t I get this cage open?”

Astrid came to her to show her how to open it.

“It slides...” she informed her before sliding the lock to open the cage.

“Obviously…”  Ruffnut whispered,  feeling a little silly not to have thought about it earlier.

However, new hunters came from all sides to surround us.

“Get the rescues out of here!” I shouted to the others.

With the gang, I engaged myself in single combat against the dragon hunters. Although Inferno was proving to be effective, I was far from being out of the woods either. Their number had doubled in the span of a few moments and I tried somehow to follow the movement of their blades. Fortunately Toothless was there; I do not know what I would do without him. Thanks to Toothless, I could better anticipate the movements of my opponent while thinking of a way to disarm. The other dragon riders seemed to be in the same position as me; the fight for dominance remained fragile but we fought all together. Seeing that I finally managed to fend for myself, I sent Toothless to find the rest of the dragons to save. Leaving me alone, I found myself fighting back to back beside my girlfriend. Our complicity allowed us to synchronise our gestures.

“I thought this was supposed to be a stealth mission?” she asked me.

“Yeah, they always start that way!”

We continued fighting before finally defeating the hunters in front of us. When we looked up to see what was happening to the others, it was a beaten-up Snotlout that we found. It was at this moment that my mother, who had stayed behind to observe how we managed without her, finally intervened. She was a nightmare to the hunter that had wronged Snotlout. We had the situation under control so far, so I was a little disappointed that she decided to intervene anyway.

“Uh Valka, I‘ve got it under control, you can go back up with the man,” said Tuffnut most seriously after having sat down on one of the hunters that he had vanquished.

I sighed, Tuff was really incorrigible.

“Rescue Team, move out, we got them all!” I shouted after several seconds to the attention of the dragons riders.

Everyone  then ran to join their dragon and fly away, leaving Toothless and me behind.

“Toothless, let’s go!” I told him while I was finishing up the fight with these last few remaining hunters.

Shortly, other reinforcements arrived and I soon found myself helpless against all these hunters.

“Oh, hey guys…” I tried as an approach.

I was finished. It was at this moment when Toothless decided to attack. He fired on the hunters before taking me on his back. As we flew away, I laughed.

“Haha, you always have my back bud!”

...

The sun had finally risen when we arrived at Berk. I watched my native island in detail: Berk had changed drastically in the past year. Multiple installations had been built as a result of increasingly frequent rescue raids. We brought back all the dragons we saved here. The stables were no longer sufficient, which quickly led to the construction of small housing specially designed for the dragons. There would soon be more of those dragon huts than human houses at this rate. Their increasingly important presence on the island had even pushed me to create dragon disguises for the sheep.

I ended up landing at the same time as the other dragon riders. We were cheered on by the crowd of berkians who were in the village square, chanting our name and congratulating us on the mission. I greeted them with a quick wave of the hand before descending from my dragon to remove my helmet.

My people.

I smiled at them before entering my hut to put on a more practical outfit to walk around the village in. We had an appointment in the Great Hall for breakfast. When I finally arrived in the hall with Toothless, Gobber grabbed me by the arm before lecturing me:

“Ah there you are! I have some things to tell you!” he shouted.

We entered the packed Great Hall. Numerous vikings inside had to play elbows to clear a path between the even more numerous dragons. We ourselves had to avoid a lot of dragons in passing before Gobber continued:

“Point is, you can’t keep bringing Dragons back here! You‘re just asking for trouble. Those trappers are getting closer by the day.”

Not far from us, my mother was occupied in an arm wrestle with Spitelout. She beat him easily under the eyes of his son, Snotlout. We continued to walk before I answered my interlocutor :

“We can handle it! We have the Alpha, isn’t that right, bud?” I said, turning towards Toothless.

We finally arrived near a pot to serve us some soup.

“Gobber, relax, we did it! The first Dragon-Viking Utopia! We made the dream a reality!” I exclaimed.

The old man turned toward me with a doubtful look.

“Your utopia maybe, mine is less crowded and more… AH!” he suddenly exclaimed at the sight of the little dragon whom we had just brought back from the raid, and who was visibly comfortable in the pot full of soup.

“…sanitary” he finished saying.

He pulled away from the pot and continued walking; I followed him.

“Gobber, you‘re not fooling anybody, I know you love them…”

We walked to the table where the gang was sitting; Astrid was finishing her soup.

“You‘re supposed to be the generation that brings us into the future! We need a royal couple to rule this village!” exclaimed Gobber.

I stopped listening to him when Snotlout cried out :

“Haha, foodfight!”

The gang started a food fight, all except for Astrid and myself.

“Gods help us!” sighed Gobber, visibly annoyed.

He turned to me and Astrid.

“Maybe you should stop worrying about problems out there, and start sorting the one right here!” he uttered before taking Astrid and myself into his arms, on either side of him.

He pushed my head up before I could say anything audible as he continued:

“Hang up your saddles and get married!”

All of a sudden, the whole table fell silent. Snotlout, Fishlegs and the Twins stopped momentarily their game to look at Gobber.

“He said the M word!” Tuffnut exclaimed.

“Gross… I’m the only one who can say this forbidden word…” sighed the other twin.

Then the food fight started up again, as if nothing had happened.

“Astrid marry him please, you’re the only one with sense around here! With you wearing the pants, there is still hope!”

Astrid looked up at Gobber before rising from her seat.

“Wow Gobber, not awkward at all!” she replied, looking anxious and embarrassed at the same time, before leaving the Great Hall.

“Astrid, wait!” I insisted before I got up to follow her.

Followed closely by Toothless, I tried in vain to make my way between the villagers and the dragons to try to catch her but when I finally could breathe in the open air, there was no trace of her. So I went looking for her, across the village with Toothless to try to find her, to no avail. She was gone.

This marriage story was really starting to take on huge proportions. Between the conversation I had surprisingly overheard this morning between Gobber and my mother, and now this… I did not even have the chance to tell Astrid about their plans and I had no idea what she thought of all of that… I blew it. I love Astrid and I had the hope that she would marry me one day but I was not sure she was ready for that, although I thought I was on my side.

I stopped a little while to admire the view that was given to me: my village. Berk had change a lot since the time when we still fought against dragons. I saw this little pile of rocks evolved through the years. I saw the dragons attack and steal from my island. I saw my dad fighting against them to protect his people and his family. But I also known him more optimistic. Especially when he told me these old tales about this hidden world that I told about to Astrid last night. I remember him carrying my frail little body on one arm when I was probably around six or seven years old. His words were still echoing in my head…

“This is Berk, son. It’s our home. This was the home of your grandparents and their grandparents before that. It is my job as chief to protect us and one day, when you are all grown up, that job will be passed on to you. But out there, beyond the sunset, lies the home of the Dragons. And I believe, it’s your destiny to one day find this hidden world, so that people and dragons will fight no more…”

He had pronounced those words at the same place, the same spot I was actually standing. Berk had definitely changed since I ended the war between Vikings and Dragons. New installations were created to facilitate our cohabitation. We were far from the village that was in constant reconstruction of the same old huts that were still risking to be destroyed at every new raid. I smiled. Dad, I was almost there. My destiny was about to be accomplished…

Toothless came to rub against me at this rightful moment.

“What?”

He whined pointing my metal leg.

“Oh all right, you know this isn’t a chew toy, don’t you? This is what you’re looking for, this is what you want? You want my leg?”, I said in a hurry before throwing my leg to the cliff.

I unfolded my map that I had on me to study it a little. I searched for clues on this hidden world. I wanted to know if we didn’t neglect an island or something that could indicate us it position, I really started to think  that what my dad told me when I was younger wasn’t just an old myth...

Toothless came back quickly with my leg and he dropped on the ground. Opening his wings widely on the wind, he was floating in the air.

“Getting pretty good at flying on your own bud?”

He pursued his solo flight when I heard the really distinctive sound of a deadly Nadder. Why searching for Astrid when she could just come to me? She landed and, still on the back of her dragon said:

“Oh! So this is where you come to get away from Gobber…”

“Haha, no idea what you’re talking about”, I answered ironically.

She climbed off Stormfly before getting surprised by Toothless who dropped my prosthetic covered in drool into her hands.

“Ugh!” she exclaimed in a disgusted tone.

She throw my leg above the cliff so the night fury can go get it again. Then, she took place by my side by sitting at the edge of the cliff.

“Well, he’s right you know.”

“R-Really?!”, I asked, beautifully surprised. “You think you and I should–”

“Oh gods no! We’re nowhere near ready for that!” , she said , embarrassed.

She was still feeling awkward by the way Gobber brought the thing.

“N-No No, that’s crazy…”, I answered trying to hide my deception by lowering my voice.

“I mean about all this…” , she said by pointing the view we had on Berk.

“It does seem like the whole world knows about us now…” I sighed.

“Yup, and the more dragons we bring back here, the bigger of a target we become…”

Toothless came back by dropping again my leg at her feet.

“Ugh!” , Astrid expressed with disgust.

She turned toward Toothless to throw it again so he can still play with it.

“I just wish there was some way to make them leave us alone!” , she sighed.

“Maybe there is…”

I made a break before Astrid stared at me with doubting eyes.

“Dad used to talk about an old mariner’s myth of a secret land at the edge of the world, where dragons live totally out of reach.”

“Well, sailors are known for tall tales…” , the blond mocked.

“True… but what if it’s real!? It could be the answer to all of our problems!” , I said, full of confidence.

“How? By moving the dragons there?”

“Uh uh. All of us.”

“Seriously? And abandon our home of seven generations!? The home your father left you to protect!” , she said scandalized.

“Uh…” , I uttered, not knowing what to say.

Astrid just cut short all of my fantasies. She seemed more persuasive last night when I mentioned the subject.

“Yeah I think we need a real solution, Hiccup.”

“Well we could just take Gobber’s advice and tie the knot. That should fix everything! But hey! If you’re having doubts about yours truly, I’m pretty sure Snotlout’s available!”

“He only has eyes for your mom!” , she chuckled.

I exaggerate a shocked.

“Woah! Getting dirty now, huh?”

She started to laugh.

“You asked for it!”, she taunted me. “Looks like there might be a wedding after all!” , she exclaimed contemplating an imaginary ring at her finger.

I caught Astrid bringing her to me.

“Oh how dare you! That is a low point- no, no! You are not getting away!”

She started to laugh when she tried to get out of my hold. I fought to keep her against me when she finally twisted my arm, just enough to free herself.

“Okay, okay! You win, you win! You always win!”

Still chuckling, she leaned against my shoulder, smile on her lips.

“You knew what we were getting into…”

“Uh huh. Right,” I acquiesced.

I heard Toothless rush out of the precipice, jumping over it. Then, he rushed to the forest behind us before sinking into it. He had obviously smelled something.

“Uh. Bud?”

He continued his course without worrying about whether or not we were following him.

“Oh yeah, sure! Don’t bother to wait for us!” I exclaimed.

Astrid burst out laughing before going after him.

As for me, I stayed in place, readjusting my metal leg that was dripping with Toothless’ saliva.

“You coming?” the blonde asked me, turning to me when she realized I was not following her.

Astrid’s face contracted, revealing a rift between her two eyebrows. She questioned me with her eyes.

“I-I’m coming!” I stammered hurrying to join her.

When I finally arrived at her side, she smiled and took my hand, pulling me with her into the grove. In the distance, we could distinguish Toothless sniffing the ground, in search of something. I was curious to know what excited him like that.

Astrid and I tried making ourselves as discreet as possible. Night was already falling when we reached the bottom of this thick forest. Toothless would not stop moving forward again and again, going further and further into the woods, now lit by the stars in the night sky.

“Where’s he taking us like this?” Astrid whispered in my ear.

“I don’t know… He must have smelled something, a presence...”

“Even Stormfly is gone!” she exclaimed at once.

The night fury raised his head, and he looked offended at being disturbed from his search, in which he seemed very much involved. I shrugged, looking helpless.

“Not that I’m interested,” she said quietly, “quite the contrary, but still, why would Stormfly leave if there was something interesting at the end?”

“Patience…

“Patience… We’re not at the end of our surprises with him!”

“Maybe…”

“Oh stop, you’re doing it on purpose!”

“Maybe…” she continued, almost humming.

“I’m sure he’ll find a...”

“Maybe…” she said, cutting me off with her chorus.

I turned to her, stopping  to see her face surprised, grabbed both of her hands and I looked into her eyes. She smiled wryly. I returned her smile before leaning towards her.

“Would you marry me?” I asked, with all seriousness.

“Maybe…” she repeated instinctively before realizing my ruse.

She took a step back and exclaimed an “Oh!” of surprise. The blonde looked both suspicious and amused, as if she did not know what to think anymore. She bent her head down, scanning her feet, looking embarrassed before looking up at me to see my mischievous face. Her expression softened then, gratified me with a shy smile. Soon, I received as a reward a magnificent punch to the ribs from the beautiful young lady. It reminded me of the good old days.

“Well done Haddock,” she said, shaking her head, smiling.

I rubbed my sore while looking at her, more in love than ever.

“Does that mean you’re thinking about it?”

She turned towards me.

“I’ll wait for your true proposal for that,” she resorted before kissing me on the cheek.

I took her hand as I approached her to kiss her on the temple. We went on our way, hand in hand, before raising our heads towards Toothless, who was getting further away from us. It was then that he accelerated the pace for no reason, forcing us to press on.

“Hey bud, wait up!” I exclaimed, trying to slow him down.

We arrived at the edge of a cliff from which the night fury did not hesitate a single second to throw itself off of. I carefully approached to watch him from the top of the peak; he looked so tiny.

“Uh… How I am supposed to get down?”

I turned to Astrid; she shrugged.

“I think we’ll have to find another solution.”

“Yeah… Jumping is not an option; I didn’t take my flight suit with me…”

I took Astrid’s hand and raked the edge of the precipice in search of a safer place to go. We finally found what we were looking for, twenty feet away. The ground was lower, although rather steep. So I helped Astrid down to avoid any accident and, my hand still holding hers, we went in pursuit of Toothless who would end up losing us. When we finally reached his level, I was going to come forward to meet him, but then he stopped suddenly and turned his head to one side, before moving once more, slowly. I glanced at Astrid, lost. She motioned me forward and I followed Toothless discreetly. We left a distance between him and us so that we could observe him from a distance without disturbing him. Toothless then seemed to be moving towards something we could not see behind the trees where we had been hiding. We then bent our head aside to see more clearly and it was at that moment that she appeared before our eyes amazed, this white form towards which seemed to approach my dragon. He then showed a great deal of enthusiasm for her. I looked more closely, it was a dragon with piercing blue eyes looking like two drops of water compared to mine, with the exception of her scaly white skin. I realized then that everything I could have imagined in my wildest dreams was coming true, now, before my very eyes. We left our hiding place to observe the scene in more detail.

“Oh my gods… he’s not the only one?” I whispered while in marvel.

Astrid approached to stand beside me, unable to detach her eyes from the spectacle that presented itself to us.

“Another Night Fury…” pronounced Astrid, stupefied.

“It’s more like a Bright… Fury,” I retorted.

“A Light Fury”, Astrid objected.

“Yeah, yours is better, probably,” I agreed.

So we continued to watch the two dragons who were turning around and observing each other. I had never seen Toothless so happy. It had been so long since we were trying to find one of his species that I had come to believe that he was the last of his kind, but the arrival of this light fury put everything into question. However, we obviously had to spend too much time observing them because the new dragon was now aware of our presence; she looked frightened before disappearing into the foliage. Toothless took a few steps to follow her before turning to us, glaring at us, reproaching us.

“Oh, sorry…”

We started running to try to catch her, but she took off before we knew where she was going. Toothless then climbed a tree to better contemplate her when she spat a fiery projectile she flew through and vanished.

“Did she just disappear!?” exclaimed Astrid.

“By the looks of it, yes…” I sighed.

Toothless came down from his tree, sheepishly. I approached my dragon to caress his head.

“Huh bud, talk about a find!”

He let out his tongue as I scratched the top of his head.

“And to say that Astrid thought we would not find anything…” I mocked.

She narrowed her eyes, nodding negatively before crossing her arms over her chest.

“That’s great, bud, you may not be the last of your kind finally! It is imperative that we go in search of this light fury!”

I grabbed Astrid’s hand.

“But before that, we need to inform the others of her existence!”

…

When we returned back to the village, it appeared deserted at first sight. The light from the barns told us that we were moving inside. We then entered the building and it was then when I saw my mother that I understood the reason for which this crowd had gathered. She had trouble moving and seemed lost. She was hurt.

“Mom!” I exclaimed before rushing to her aid before she fell.

She took off her mask to look at me.

“Hiccup…” she said breathlessly.

She began to cough and put her hand to her mouth to muffle the noise.

“What happened!?”

She caught her breath before looking up at me with a dark look.

“I went on a reconnaissance patrol earlier in the day… You know it’s been a few weeks since we suspected someone preparing something, that’s why I took you on a raid this morning. The person who organizes this dragon traffic plans to use them for whatever reason but the facts are there.”

She grabbed my arm.

“Hiccup,” she continued. “There are many tribes who are still not at peace with the dragons. And with all our raids as of late, we are starting to make a name for ourselves… and that does not please everyone.”

My mother looked away.

“I spotted a boat bearing Drago’s symbol…”

The people who were gathered inside the building were terrified at the utterance of that name. My mom motioned them to be quiet and then continued:

“With Cloudjumper, we followed it to an island were I overheard a conversation it had for a few moments with a smuggler; he said he had cargo for people calling themselves ‘War Lords’.”

She turned her attention back to her dragon, which she held so she would not fall. She frowned.

“There is an armada with enough cages for all of our dragons.”

People stifled a cry, me being the first:

“Wait, what!?”

My mother nodded sadly.

“And what happened next?”

“We were spotted and I was hit in the leg  with an arrow.”

I saw the pain on her face; I did not like to see her like that.

“While escaping, they threatened us by saying that Grimmel the Grisly would come for us on Berk…”

“I’ve already heard that name somewhere… and apparently he knows where to find us…” I summed up, somewhat stunned by all this news.

Astrid stepped closer to us, putting a hand on my shoulder.

“He may be one step ahead of us but we will be ready to receive him,” she said with a determined look.

“And we’ll be there to give you a hand,” added Snotlout as he approached, followed closely by Fishlegs and the Twins.

“Yeah, we’ll give him one of those traps! He won’t know what hit him!” exclaimed Tuffnut.

“Thank you gang” I said under my breath, moved.

“It’s nothing,” reassured Fishlegs.

“So what are we waiting for? Let’s get to work!” ordered our general Hofferson.

I directed myself then towards my hut to put in place a ploy to trap our potentially future guest.

…

Everything was now in place. The only left was to find out if dear Grimmel would do us the honor of visiting tonight or later on…

Astrid was sitting at the table where I used to eat with my father; I looked at her with a smile. She was pensive. I approached her gently.

“Hey, you’re okay?”

“Huh? Uh… Yeah, I’m fine.”

“It does not look that way, though” I retorted.

She looked down as if she needed to think before deciding whether or not she should tell me what was bothering her so much.

“It’s just…” she started. “This whole marriage thing… What do you think? Not that I’m into it! But yeah, what do you think?” she finished saying, passing her fingers through her hair.

Her question took me off guard.

What did I think? I repeated to myself.

Her blue eyes were trying to read mine to find an answer. I leaned over and took her hands.

“Astrid, I know Gobber put a little bit of pressure on you with this wedding story, but know that we are not obligated to do anything, okay?”

I gave her a reassuring smile before kissing the back of her hand.

“I love you, Astrid Hofferson and I want to marry you but we are not in a hurry, we will do it when we are ready.”

A wide smile then appeared on her round face that I loved so much.

“Hey lovebirds it’s not all, but maybe you should put yourselves to your positions!” rebelled Snotlout.  

I gave a little laugh.

“Aha, you’re right Snotlout.”

I turned to Astrid and kissed her forehead before she went back to hide with my mother on the floor. I began to read a book while waiting for our enemy to poke his nose inside. It was then that I heard some noise coming from the next room. I entered and it was thus that I discovered him, at ease, comfortably installed in my father’s old throne, beside a vivid red dragon, sipping a glass of I-don’t-know-what. He was a tall man with a long face, gray hair, with a look that would have frozen more than one. He had fired an arrow at Toothless who was in close proximity.  

“Toothless! What did you do to him?!” I shouted, taking my sword out of its holster.

“Nothing that hurt your dragon.”

He looked at me from top to bottom.

“So you’re the new chief. I remember the Chief before you. The Great Stoick the Vast. And now the Great Chief is dead. It was only a matter of time. Your father was a great Dragon Hunter. He hadn’t lied to you. Making his mission to this world to be, so that you could grow up in a better world.”

“He changed his mind.” I retorted.

“And look where that got him… ” he said coldly, followed by a pause. “So let’s get to the point. I am the Night Fury Killer. I’ve hunted every last one but yours. You’re going to give me that dragon or hundreds– ”

“I will never give him up,” I declared, cutting him off.

He then laughed mischievously. The old man then got up from the seat where he had been sitting until then, and started walking near what he always through was Toothless. He then lifted the fabric and discovered an unconscious Fishlegs.

“Now!” I shouted to the others who came out of their hiding places to surround Grimmel.

With my fire sword ignited, I took a step towards him before declaring:

“You think you can come into my home, sit on my father's throne and threaten my dragon? We’ve fought much worse than you and won.”

An insane smile appeared on his face.

“You think you can stop me? I am nothing you have ever faced before.”

It was then that the roof caught fire; a dragon had ignited it and was in pursuit of Astrid who was still up there.

“Astrid!” I shouted.

She ran then rolled on her side before Grimmel’s dragon could reach her. I gave him a relieved look before Grimmel spoke to me one last time:

“You better give me the dragon when I return, or I will destroy everything you love.”

He disappeared into the black smoke created by his dragons. We left the hut and it was with astonishment that we discovered our village in flames. Innumerable huts burned under our terrified eyes. We were in a living nightmare.

[fearofaherobrine]

Roleplay Server Log #331

"Winston Vs Endrea, Little Dragons”

[Winston] As the sky grows darker he is standing in the grass in front of Lies house, sword drawn and head cocked ever so slightly to listen for the slightest of sounds-

[Doc] is walking back with Ever and Karla, they weren't far away so Xe's just holding s crackly bit of statick to discourage any mob nonsense.

[Karla] That skeleton seems to be having an issue....

[Doc] Pulls out the translation egg- Winston? Are you okay?

[Ever] is just nervously watching for mobs with a new stone sword in one hand.

[Winston] - I am quite well Doctor, but I would be much appreciative if you were quiet...

[Doc] oh.... - Xe looks around nervously-

[Karla] I presume you can understand him?  

[Doc] Quietly- he says SSHHH!

[Winston] Suddenly finds himself facedown on the ground as Endrea sweeps by, eerily silent as she grazes the top of his head before slamming him with her tail with a slight laugh-

[Ever] Holy shit! Is that a dragon????

[Karla] is peering upward - are we in any immediate danger?

[Winston] Rolls sideways quickly to avoid a blast of void energy from Endrea-

[Doc] scoots them quickly over by the wall where it's more sheltered. - I don't think so, that's Endrea. She's Lies associate, old friend of the family.

[Endrea] Lands with a thud and gives Winston a growl-

[Winston] Hurries closer to strike at her with his sword-

[Ever] Why are they fighting???

[Doc] I'm not sure, but I'm presuming it's not serious because she seems to be toying with him...

[Winston] - She is!

[Endrea] - Oh come now Winston, you were the one wanting to spar

[Doc] well you are the size of s teddy bear compared to her right now....

[Winston] - Yes, and I'd be an ant compared to her full size- He raises his sword to block a swipe from Endrea's claws

[Karla] That is a very large dragon...

[Doc] She's the biggest overall on the server.

[Ever] She's so cool looking!

[Endrea] Suddenly grins-

[Winston] - Endrea? I don't think I like that look...

[Ever] is a bit too excited to root coherently for one or the other.

[Doc] That is certainly a griefer smile...

[Endrea] - Artemisia- She surges into her full size and slams Winston into a wall- I win

[Ever] HOLY CRAP.

[Doc] Runs to Winston to make sure he's okay, with his new arm and all

[Endrea] Backs off so Winston isn't pinned-

[Karla] is still just watching her with a slight grin

[Winston] His new arm is damaged- Well that was a good spar

[Doc] Well it looks like another trip to the blacksmiths for you... - Xe wags a finger at Endrea teasingly- bad dragon!

[Endrea] Jokingly huffs- I am not

[Ever] Is sneaking closer to Endrea-

[Doc] winks- picking on defenseless skeletons. Shame shame!

[Endrea] - Oh believe me, he's far from defenseless

[Karla] she's a magnificent creature and he is equally brave or foolish or a mix of both, haha.

[Doc] Oh you mean because of the wither effect? Does that work on you?

[Endrea] - Not really, but he can do the same sort of blasts that a full wither can

[Doc] Really? Winston.. I had no idea. Is that normal for all your type where you came from?

[Ever] touches the tip of Endreas tail ever so slightly.

[Winston] - No, it's one of the perks the Master gave me, I simply did not use it because I did not wish to anger the mistress by ruining her front yard [Endrea] Quickly turns and focuses on Ever-

[Doc] Niiiice. It's good to be a right hand guy. Oh... Sorry.

[Ever] Yikes. - is perfectly still, his little cat ears flat in his spiky hair and his tail all poofy.

[Endrea] Snorts at him before focusing on the now dark sky as Ashe flies back from the library, aiming for the landing pad-

[Ever] Follows her gaze and gasps. Ashe is easier to see since he's white- it's another one! But littler!

[Karla] Ah, one of the many hatchlings I presume?

[Ashe] Lands and it's obvious he's carrying books in the bags on his back-

[Endrea] - Ashe, you look like you brought the whole library back with you

[Karla] He can read as well?

[Doc] He's very smart, even good at chess and Winston? My offer of a gift still stands, have you given any thought to what you would like?

[Winston] - Ah, no, I haven't, I apologize for that

[Ashe] Switches to his human form- Some of them are for Willow and Oak to!

[Doc] That's okay, it's not like there's a time limit. Just don't forget entirely! Haha.

[Endrea] Moves closer and nuzzles Ashe a little- Your siblings are inside, why don't you go join them?

[Ashe] - Yes mom

[Ashe] Climbs down from the roof and goes inside-

[willow] -is jumping on endrea's bed-

[oak] -is just watching-

[Ashe] - Willow stop that, you'll mess up the bed

[willow] but it's bouncy

[oak] hi big brother

[Ashe] - Hi Oak. Willow, it's mom's bed, yes we all sleep on it, but we shouldn't mistreat it

[willow] -she stops but is pouting about it-

[Ashe] - Thank you, I brought you guys some books

[oak] -runs over to ashe- I want to see

[willow] what books?

[Ashe] Opens one of his bags and dumps some of them on the bed- See for yourself

[willow] -looks though the books as oak looks over her shoulder-

[Ashe] - Pick whatever ones you want to read

[willow] -picks a book that look like the people on the cover are on an adventure-

[oak] -picks a book that has a family on it-

[Ashe] - So did you two do anything exciting while I was gone?

[Willow] no I still want to go on adventure

[oak] we where running around the house playing tag

[Ashe] - Maybe mom will let you go on am adventure with your next growth spurt Willow. Besides, you two still have to learn how to fly first

[willow] then I would be able to fly anywhere

[Ashe] - Well, within reason

[willow] -pouts again making oak giggle-

[Ashe] - It won't be long before mom starts your flying lessons anyways, and that in itself well be an adventure

[oak] yea flying adventure

[willow] yea it will be an adventure

[Ashe] - Do you two remember when I was learning?

[willow] I think so maybe

[oak] no

[Ashe] - Laughs a little- Well, just remember that you'll probably land in your face several times

[willow] I want to fly now -starts running around the room- I would be able to discover new places.

[Ashe] - It takes practice Willow

[willow] -is still excitedly running around the room think about all the adventures-

[oak] willow seem too excited

[Ashe] - Yeah, but there are two rules you absolutely need to remember

[oak] what are they?

[willow] -is now running around ashe-

[Ashe] - First of all, never approach wild mobs, and secondly, do not get into water

[oak] okie dokie

[willow] -has made her self dizzy and is now laying on the floor-

[Ashe] - Did you catch all that Willow?

[willow] yes but can you tell the room to stop spinning

[Ashe] - No, but it will stop on its own, I promise

[oak] -starts reading his book-

-Outside the patter of rain is beginning-

[Endrea] Looks upwards- Oh, rain

[Doc] You should go inside. Don't want you to get wet.

[Karla] Why?

[Ever] Urgent whisper - Water hurts enders!

[Karla] Oh.

[Endrea] - There is no need to worry so much Doc, this small amount won't hurt me, but I suppose I should go inside and get Willow and Oak to sleep

[Doc] Come on then- Xe ushers Karla and Ever inside as well. The air lights up for a moment and there's a crash of thunder.

[Karla] That's a tad violent.

[Doc] Shrugs- It storms a lot here. But It's only a few minutes walk into a different biome where it doen't rain at all.

[Lie] Is cleaning up after the dinner- Oh good, your back.  Wouldn't want you guys to get too wet out there

[Endrea] Shifts to her human form and goes inside.  She acknowledges Lie before going upstairs to her room-

[Winston] Comes inside as well- Mistress, good evening

[Doc] You missed the sparring match Lie. Wither skeleton vs giant dragon. Very dramatic.

[Lie] - You missed the near murder fest in here, CP being forced to sit through a civil dinner with his family

[Doc] Chuckles- Oh dear... No injuries I hope?

[Ever] Little yawn-

[Karla] I think this one has tuckered himself out.

[Ever] Hehe... can I borrow a bed?

[Lie] - Sure, do you wanna sleep in this room or the storage room?

[Ever] Don't care. I like the sound of the rain.

[Lie] - Then there's some beds right over there, fair warning though, you might get woken by young dragons in the morning

[Ever] That sounds.... AWESOME. - He leaps into the bed and snuggles down-

[Karla] Smiles - I think you've made his good day complete Lie.

[Lie] - Well it did start kinda shitty

[Doc] You should have seen him building. He was happier then a Steve with a bag of diamonds.

[Lie] Laughs a little- Well I'm heading up to my bed and space heater.  If you need me in the morning, I'll either be tending the animals or harvesting vanilla

[Karla] Then I suppose I'm allowed to choose a bed as well?

[Lie] - Of course, if you want to move it closer to Ever just swat it a couple times and you'll be able to pick it up to move it

[Karla] Thank you for your hospiltality Lie.

[Doc] I guess I'll head home then. I'm sure my own mate and kiddo are wondering where I am.

[Lie] - Be safe Doc

[Yaunfen] Charges into Deerheart and Doc's bedroom and flops on the bed- BONZAI!

[Deer] Yelps and sits upright quickly, absolutely naked- Yaunfen!

[Doc] Whoof! - Xe's instantly awake-

[Yaunfen] Look what TLOT gave me! - Xe's holding a giant rainbow flower that looks like a bird of paradise with different colored parts-

[Deer] - Yaunfen, it's very pretty, but please don't shake it around

[Yaunfen] Oh sorry! - Is still really excited.

[Doc] Sleepy yawn. - Why are you up so early?

[Yaunfen] Archen decided to crow a little...

[Deer] - And where's waffles?

[Yaunfen] Asleep on the bathroom rug - points down to the one across Deerheart's study. Opposite their own room.

[Deer] - Ah, okay.  Are you ready for a new day?

[Yaunfen] Sure!

[Doc] I'm not sure I am....

[Yaunfen] Awww, come on mada, get up!

[Deer] - We can have a nice warm breakfast, maybe visit the village?

[Doc] Did you feed Waffles?

[Yaunfen] I'll go do it now! -Heads back downstairs-

[Deer] - Do you want to eat here? Or in the village?

[Doc] I'm ambivalent.

[Lh] Sneaks out from under the bed and bats at Deerheart's hand-

[Deer] Moves a little to rub his chin- I think the other cat is hungry too

[Yaunfen] Scrambles back up the ladder a bit awkwardly- Mama! Mada! Waffles grew! - The cat is now twice the size of Lh and showing a distinct white patch on their back in addition to the speckly texture-

[Lh] Mow???

[Deer] - Oh my...

[Doc] That's a big kitty....

[Waffles] Weird growly meow-

[Deer] - I think we need to go hunt some more...

[Yaunfen] They look so cool. Good morning Lh!

[Lh] Hops onto the bed and hides behind Deerheart.

[Deer] - And keep the cats seperated

[Doc] Hunting chocolate chickens and marzipan pigs has a certain kind of charm, doesn't it?

[Waffles] Puuuuurrrrrrrr

[Deer] - Maybe bring some home to breed too...

[Pinwheel] Is under Lies massive tree. Her feathers are a mess, she's weak and hungry, and her skin is covered in sores from the previous nights rain-

[Sammn] Is stomping nearby, angrily muttering under her breath, glancing around till she spots the darkened area under Lie's tree. Cursing softly, she heads over.

[Pinwheel] Raises her head a little and gives a small, weak, hiss-

[Pinwheel] Her venom is completely spent from keeping mobs away from her all night

[Sammn] Stares into the darkness for a moment before holding up a hand, whispering "Lux". Her hand lights up like glowstone. - Pinwheel?

[Pinwheel] Shrinks back a little- Go away

[Sammn] stops, kneeling down. - Your hurt, little one. Why are you hiding out here?

[Pinwheel] - To be alone

[Sammn] sighs and sits down - Alright, understandable, I guess. I take it, things with Crim did not go well.

[Pinwheel] - He confuse me

[Sammn] I imagine. I found him all the way across the long sea bridge, wandering around. He was confused and upset too.

[Pinwheel] - He called me a baby! I'm not a baby!

[Sammn] - frowns, looking at her beaten-up condition - Yes, you are no longer a infant, but you are still young. In fact, both of you are still young. As such, there are many things that neither of you understand. Do you know why he called you that?

[Pinwheel] - ... No...

[Sammn] Well, I only know his side of things, but I can guess it was from the way you reacted to his present. And, maybe to his attempt to apologize. He was very upset and sad about it, I've never seen him cry before.

[Pinwheel] - But I did what he wanted! I didn't break it! Even though I wanted to!

[Sammn] That's very nice of you, Pinwheel. But, the fact you had to stop and consider not breaking his present is why he reacted. You do realize he cares for you? I think his crying was because he thought he hurt you.

[Pinwheel] - But he no like me anymore...

[Sammn] - smiles - Pinwheel, he reacted like this BECAUSE he likes you. A lot. Enough that even upset, he was worried about you .

[Pinwheel] Hunkers down a little, the unfamiliar feeling of guilt rising as well as her hunger pains-

[Sammn] It's ok Pinwheel, as I said. You are young, things like this are confusing to full adults. - watches her - Do you still like Crim?

[Pinwheel] Nods-

[Sammn] - nods - Well then, I can promise he still cares about you. Especially if he's not stalking you. You probably told him to go away, and since he didn't listen the first time, he is trying to listen now.

[Pinwheel] - Oh...

[Sammn] - shakes head and digs through inventory - I'm sorry I don't think I have anything you can eat, only apples & bread. I think a potion would hurt too. Is there anything I can do for you?

[Pinwheel] - No, I'm fine- Stomach growl

[Sammn] That may be, but you defended yourself last night. You need food to heal up and be strong. Will you let me help?

[Pinwheel] Unsure noises-

[Sammn] - stays put, waiting - Would you like to go find Crim?

[Pinwheel] Perks a little- Maybe...

[Sammn] - slowly stands, dusting off dress - Well then, you will need your strength and health, as it may take us a bit to find him. Can you walk?

[Pinwheel] Defensively- Yes!- As she stands it's obvious she's in a lot of pain

[Sammn] Pinwheel, part of growing up, is knowing your limits and when you need others help. If you'd like, I'll let you crawl on my back instead of hurting yourself more. We'll go get some food, rest a little, then head out to look for Crim. Sound good?

[Pinwheel] Is very uncertain- But we need to find him now...

[Sammn] To go find him, you need to be in top shape. What if you have to help fight something? Now, you may not be able to, if we get food in you, you will be strong and fit, more than a match for the anything silly enough to mess with you.

[Pinwheel] - ... Okay

[Sammn] - kneels down and waits for her to climb on -

[Pinwheel] Tries, her sharp little claws pricking at Sammn's back, but she doesn't have the strength currently to pull herself up-

[Sammn] - winces, but keeps quiet. Slowly scoops her up as gently as possible - I hope this will be alright, Pinwheel. If anything hurts, let me know and I'll let you take a break. Otherwise, let's go get you some food.

[Pinwheel] - Everything, got caught in falling water

[Sammn] - slowly heads off - Ah yes, the rainstorm. It was a nasty one, so much lightning everywhere, I had to dodge a few strikes. I'm sorry you got caught out in that.

[Pinwheel] - It hurt a lot...

[Sammn] I can imagine, it looks painful. But, once you have some food, you should heal up and hopefully, no longer hurt.

[Pinwheel] - There blue pills

[Sammn] Blue pills? Who would have those, Doc maybe? - changes direction toward the castle -

[Pinwheel] - I think big one has to

[Sammn] Ah, so Endrea. Alright... Let's go find Miss Big Dragon.

[Endrea] Is outside watching her children play-

[Sammn] - comes huffing up - Ah, there you are, Endrea. Surprising how such a large dragon can be hard to find.

[Endrea] - Sammn, and, Pinwheel?

[Pinwheel] - Fooooood!

[Endrea] - And some medicine as well it looks like

[Sammn] Yes, I would say so. She menchioned something about blue pills. - carefully puts Pinwheel down -

[Pinwheel] Stays curled up in a ball-

[Endrea] - Yes, Ashe's old pills.  They're dry so they don't harm us ender dragons

[Sammn] Figured as much. She got caught in that storm, then had to mess with some mobs. - gently puts a hand on her back - Come on, sooner this is done, sooner we can go looking.

[Endrea] - Who are you looking for?

[Sammn] One small red dragon, of the many legged variety.

[Endrea] - I see, well I'm not certain where he is, but let me get you that medicine and food- She shifts to her more human form and goes inside before returning with a few dry pills and several bottles of void energy to feed Pinwheel

[Pinwheel] Perks at the sight of the bottles-

[Sammn] moves aside -

[Endrea] Kneels down next to Pinwheel and offers a pill first- This is more important, besides, feeding will take some time unless you want to be sick

[Pinwheel] - No, food first

[Endrea] - That's not how this works Pinwheel

[Karla] Is quietly watching from a shadow, leaning against the house. - Hello Sammn...

[Pinwheel] Whines but after a bit more persuasion takes the pill-

[Sammn] jumps slightly, instinctively drawing her knife - Oh... you. Wait, when did you arrive here?

[Endrea] Carefully begins pouring the void energy, but only giving Pinwheel the tiniest of trickles-

[Karla] Yesterday. An old foe showed up and trashed my abode. Lie was kind enough to take myself and Ever in.

[Sammn] relaxes, tucking away the knife - Indeed, nasty turn of events, but glad both of you appear no worse from it.

[Pinwheel] Whines loudly as Endrea stops the flow of food-

[Endrea] - Pinwheel, you haven't had a good feeding in at least a week, too much at once and you'll get sick

[Karla] How is your... unwanted passenger? Have you coaxed any more information out of it?

[Sammn] No, not yet. I wanted to take some precautions first, so I've had to run some experiments. This world lacks some items that mine has, so I've had to find alternatives. I think I've almost finalized things.

[Karla] Can I be of any assistance? - wanders closer and looks at Pinwheel -

[Pinwheel] Growls at Karla-

[Endrea] - Pinwheel that's enough

[Sammn] Possibly, but I am assisting Pinwheel with an issue first.

[Karla] No hurry. I think we're going to be here for quite some time. Cp and I had a bit of fun before leaving... - eyes Pinwheel- She's rather angry isn't she?

[Pinwheel] Suddenly lunges at Karla, extending her fangs and aiming to dig them into Karla's leg-

[Karla] Moves, but is not quite fast enough, the little dragons fangs stick in her thick leather boots - Ach!

[Sammn] Pinwheel, please don't attack others. She's won't harm you.

[Endrea] - Well at least we know she's out of venom

[Pinwheel] Is a bit stuck-

[Sammn] tries to carefully pull Pinwheel back - Hold still.

[Karla] Stays perfectly still- Umm?

[Pinwheel] Is eventually freed and her fangs are clearly visible-

[Endrea] - Judging by the fact that she's out of venom, it may be awhile before you can go and find Crim.  Would you like to leave her here while you gather supplies for your journey?

[Karla] You have a bit of a temper, don't you little one? And the head of a snake...

[Sammn] May be for the best. - kneels down by Pinwheel - Rest up, get your strength back. As soon as you wake, I'll be here and we can go look. Alright?

[Pinwheel] - But Cri!

[Karla] And she talks?

[Endrea] - I believe the Mistress said she has Pit viper venom

[Karla] How deliciously deadly. It appears I'm lucky both for my thick boots and her apparent exhaustion.

[Sammn] I'll go check his room, maybe he's hiding there. I promise, we'll look for him. But you need to be healthy first.

[Pinwheel] - Fine...

[Endrea] - We'll try some more food in a little bit Pinwheel, alright?

[Karla] Her name is Pinwheel? - She addresses the little dragon directly- I am Doctor Emmerich. Karla will be sufficent. Charmed to meet you.

[Pinwheel] Hisses at Karla-

[Endrea] - She really only likes her friend Crim

[Sammn] - standing - Thank you Pinwheel.

[Karla] I appreciate someone who is choosy with their company as well.

[Pinwheel] - Don't like you

[Karla] Any particular reason child?

[Pinwheel] - Just don't- Huffs and looks away

[Endrea] - She is a stubborn one

[Sammn] - watches both of them, fingers twitching -

[Karla] Then she and I have another thing in common. Sammn? You seem unsettled...?

[Endrea] - Go ahead Sammn, I can watch her for now.  And if she does get some venom back we have the antidote

[Karla] What kind of recuperation were you planning for her to restore her venom?

[Endrea] - Just some rest.  She'll probably need another pill too to deal with the water sores

[Sammn] - nods to Endrea before looking at Pinwheel - Alright. Rest up, I'll go look around for Crim and maybe grab a few things. I'll be back soon.

[Karla] Is she also one of your adopted children Endrea?

[Pinwheel] - You better!

[Endrea] - Oh no, those three playing in the grass are mine.  Splender is Pinwheel's guardian

[Sammn] I said I promised to help you. I keep my promises, always .

[Karla] Does he know she's injured?

[Endrea] - I don't think so...

[Karla] Shouldn't we let him know then?

[Endrea] - I believe I saw him leave the server last night, so he may not even be here

[Pinwheel] - Just get back soon

[Karla] Then she's fortunate to have others looking out for her.

[Sammn] - nods- I'll be back shortly.

[Endrea] - Everyone looks out for everybody else here

[Karla] Inclines her head towards the village- even in there? I presume there are people living in those walls?

[Endrea] - Yes, even the testificates.  They are almost entirely gay as well

[Karla] What's a Testificate?

[Endrea] - This games version of a villager, but they don't look like the players

[Karla] I have... poor luck with villages... I'm in no hurry to find out if this time will be any different. Perhaps I could help with... Pinwheel?

[Endrea] - You may get along better with the testificates than you think.  All of them know what it feels to be shamed and ostracized.  But if you prefer to help with Pinwheel, then I suggest you grab the antidote from the green house

[Karla] Still looks unsure- I would rather assist you. What am I looking for?

[Endrea] - A rainbow colored fruit, if you need help I think the Mistress is in there now

[Karla] Nods and heads that way. She ventures cautiously into the greenhouse and the lilleep makes a noise to alert Lie to her presence.

[Lie] Looks out from behind a taller plant, she's climbed up onto one of the counters to pick some of the overly abundant vanilla- Oh, Karla!  Do you need anything?

[Karla] Endrea asked me to come find an antivenom plant to conteract Pinwheels bite.

[Lie] - Pinwheel's here?  Uh, the tree is just to your right, if the fruit is ready, it should just break off into your hand

[Karla] Yes, she took a bite of my boot. - She lifts the fruit gently and three in sucession snap easily off in her hands.

[Lie] - Well if your not screaming in pain or dead then I guess she's out of venom?

[Karla] It's that potent? Hmmm...

[Lie] - Just ask Doc the next time you see them, they've been bitten a few times.  Splender luckily is immune to her venom, he gets bit constantly

[Karla] Any tips for not being bitten?

[Lie] - Give her her space, she gets overstimulated very easily, but she also like scratches along her neck fluff

[Karla] I shall remember that then. Thank you Lie- She heads back to where Endrea is-

[ask-svt-hearteu]

A Cup of Coffee ' Lee Jihoon

Anon requested: “Can you do an au about woozi having a crush on the reader and vice versa but both had to find out about their feelings towards each other through the reader’s homepage wallpaper. They would have known each other for a long time already but just didn’t want to lose their friendship bc they don’t know if it was mutual! It should have loads of fluff 😂🙏🏻🙏🏻”

Genre: fluff

Word Count: 1566

okay to start this off

I think it's safe to say that Jihoon is your best friend

you've known each other since high school

you've supported him before and after his debut

you were right beside him during his trainee years

the both of you have spent a lot of time together

made wonderful memories together

and have earned each other's trust and have each other to lean towards to at hard times

you two were practically inseparable

and you were one of the few people who Jihoon has a soft spot for

"Jihoonie can we go get food?" You plead

"Aigoo. Not now. I'm working on something." Jihoon responds, not taking his eyes off the music sheets

"okay.." You respond softly as you sit back

without even 5 minutes passing

"Fine fine let's go get food. Just stop acting cute." He says as he exits the studio

you follow behind him with a smile of victory plastered on your face

you were also one of those few people who Jihoon wouldn't get mad at

"Aigoo~ our Jihoonie is so cute!" Svt members coo at him as they try pinching his cheek

"Fight me. I swear. Fight me." Jihoon would reply as he swat their hands away

"They're not wrong. You are cute." You smile sweetly at his direction

Jihoon would be blushing so hard after that

and the rest of the svt members would look at you as if you tamed a dragon

"Wahh..how did she..if we had continued, Jihoon woulve killed us."

everything was fine with the both of you

beyond fine in fact

one problem tho

you fell for him

tbh after all the time you have spent together, who wouldn't

falling for him wasn't the only problem 

what would happen if you told him was another

yes the two of you built this whole relationship with an understanding and acceptance towards each other

but it scares you thinking that he might not feel the same way 

and your whole relationship with him might end

because Jihoon has always had this wall when it comes to his emotions ∙ rarely does he show them

so knowing whether he likes you or not is like jumping off a cliff with no safety gear on 

not knowing whether you'll get hurt or not

and it's really scary considering that you're risking your whole relationship here

one wrong move and you could lose him

but the feeling of not knowing is practically killing you at this point

so you slowly start showing signs

like going to his studio 10 minutes before he does

and leaving a cup of coffee with a different note on it everyday

"Ahh my Jihoonie~ You're working hard for this comeback. Here's a cup a coffee to help you throughout the day. xoxo y/n"

"Yah. You forgot about our movie marathon yesterday. It's alright haha don't worry~ Don't overwork yourself. xoxo y/n"

"Hey smol dude. If you don't mind, I borrowed your sweater yesterday. Hehe it surprisingly smells good. Don't overwork yourself. And make sure to eat or I will feed you myself. xoxo y/n"

or by casually flirting every now and then

"I didn't know angels walk among us." you wink at him

"Yeah. I also didn't know demons walk among us." he smirks at you

"...Jihoon I swear." you playfully hit him on his shoulder

yeT HE DOESN'T NOTICE ONE THING

his members did though

they noticed how your eyes basically smiled whenever he is near,

how soft and gentle you talk to him,

how you're always there beside him to take care of him when he can't

they noticed it all

and they didn't even hesitate helping you two get together

even though you didn't need help, they insisted

"No really guys, it's fine. You don't have to."

"Nope. We're gonna help you and Jihoon get together whether you like it or not."

and boy did they help

they've tried a lot of things too 

one was when all of you went to an amusement park

and while you and Jihoon were buying ice cream

they all suddenly disappeared

leaving you with just Jihoon

"Where did everyone go?" he asks, holding his cup of ice cream

"I don't know." you say in confusion

bECAUSE THEY DIDN'T TELL YOU THEY WERE PLANNING THIS

after like minutes of waiting for them

the both of you have already finished your ice creams

"Let's just spend the day together then. I don't wanna wait for them anymore. Lets go." He says holding your hand as he takes you to a ride

and wasn't that one of the best days you have ever had

still kind of pissed with the members that they didn't tell you the plan

but you got to spend the whole day with Jihoon

so it's a win-win

another one was when all of you were hanging out at their dorm

and you were all playing 7 minutes in heaven

where you write your name on a piece of paper

put it in a box

and whoever's name is in the paper you pick

you have to be locked in a small room/closet with that person for 7 minutes

hence the name, 7 minutes in heaven

after a few rounds of the game 

by rounds I mean your otps being stuck in a small closet for 7 minutes

it was finally your turn

and the universe decided that they wanted to play with you at that moment

"Jihoon." 

everyone basically started pushing the both of you towards the closet as soon as you said that

"I didn't expect that this closet would be this small." He said

"How could it be small for you when you're already small?" You teasingly asked

"Haha. Very funny y/n. " He said 

surprisingly, the atmosphere wasn't that awkward

maybe because it was just the two of you

yes you two were in a small closet

yes you're almost leaning against him

but it wasn't awkward

the whole 7 minutes was spent talking with the other with little space in between you two

and that was it

as much to your and the members' disappointment

nothing happened

after a few more times of trying to get the two of you together

you were honestly close to giving up at telling him at all

the other members went somewhere and yet again you two were left alone 

the two of you decided to have a movie marathon

it is now between 11-12 am

the both of you are already halfway through your 3rd movie

"Why did she do that?" He asks in frustration

"I don't know, that's why we're watching it"

"She shouldn't have done that." He replies

a few minutes later

the story got a bit boring and the two of you wanted to find another one

"Hmm. Where's my phone? Can you hand me my phone Hoon?" You ask, pointing at your phone right in front of him

"Sure"

and as if the universe wanted to play with you again

a notification popped up as soon as he picked up your phone 

allowing him to see your lock screen

the notification covered some of it but it's really obvious that it was him in your lock screen

"Ahh! No don't look at it!" You jumped from your seat taking your phone from him

he didn't say anything

he just smirked

"You have me as your lockscreen?" He looks at you

"Erm..no..what are y-" 

"Mhmm, I know you're lying right now." He said 

"Fine fine. Yes it's you. Let me explain"

he just nods in response

"okay so uhm. The reason why you're my lockscreen is because I uhm, kinda sorta have feelings for...for you." you say looking down, blushing 

he just stayed quiet

"Please if you don't feel the same way, that's fine with me. Just please, still be my best friend." You plead

"Ahh...I uhm.." he says

"...what is it?" You ask him

he says nothing and just hands you his phone

and you see that

his homepage is a picture of you

"I like you too y/n.." 

you were honestly about to scream

but you just pulled him in for a hug

"Phew thank god! I was scared I was gonna lose my best friend!" You say

"I just told you I liked you too and you're still calling me your best friend?" He said jokingly

"What do you want me to call you then?" You ask as you pull away from the hug

"Mine" he smirks

you hit him lightly on his chest

"Aish. I bet Junhui taught you that." You say to him

"Anyway...now that we know we have feelings for each other. Do you want to go on a date this week?" He asks

"Yes! Ofcourse!" You respond basically screaming

"Calm down. Let's continue watching the movie. Or maybe let's find another one. This one's getting boring." He chuckles

he opens his arms, signalling that you can cuddle

without hesitation

you went in 

the rest of the night was spent cuddling, watching and planning the date you two were gonna have this week.

"How about the amusement park? Or the beach? Or the museum? Oh! Theres a park near by. How about a picnic?" You ask

"Anywhere and anytime is fine. As long as I'm with you."

MASTERLIST

[sheikah]

There are non stop metas in Jon's tag about why J*nsa is endgame. Could you please explain why Jonerys is actually endgame? Just something to counter this irritating stream of J*nsa

Hi anon! I don’t think that people writing meta for their ship is irritating. But I do think Jonerys is endgame. My answer is under the cut because it is absolutely enormous. This took a lot of time but I hope it offers you some reassurance. 

First I am going to address book foreshadowing. A lot of this is going to be rehashing some of the points brilliantly made by my good friend @oadara who has spent a lot of time and effort discussing this. 

It’s no secret to most people in our fandom that Jon and Dany have been heavily foreshadowed in both book and show canon. 

I think the most famous instance of this is Dany’s vision in the House of the Undying in ACOK. The three visions below are widely accepted to be references to her three husbands (remember she marries Hizdahr in book!canon). The image in bold refers specifically to Jon. His mother Lyanna liked blue roses and was given a crown of them at a tourney by Jon’s father, Rhaegar. Ned reflects on this in AGOT:

Promise me, Ned, his sister had whispered from her bed of blood. She had loved the scent of winter roses. 

Jon spent the most pivotal years of his life so far at The Wall. He is the blue rose in the wall of ice that Dany sees in HOTU:

Her silver was trotting through the grass, to a darkling stream beneath a sea of stars. A corpse stood at the prow of a ship, eyes bright in his dead face, grey lips smiling sadly. A blue flower grew from a chink in a wall of ice, and filled the air with sweetness… mother of dragons, bride of fire …

What I think is also important about this quote is that the flower fills the air with “sweetness” which makes it sound like a positive image. He and Dany will not just be together like she was with Drogo or Hizdahr, but they will be in love. 

To further connect this quote to Jon we can look at the passage from ADWD when Jon is with Val:

The light of the half-moon turned Val’s honey-blond hair a pale silver and left her cheeks as white as snow. She took a deep breath. “The air tastes sweet.” / “My tongue is too numb to tell. All I can taste is cold.“

Her smelling the sweet air is a callback to Dany’s vision, and Val is connected to Dany in this moment by looking like her with “pale silver” hair. Additionally, the moonlight could be a contributing factor since it is what colors her hair like Dany’s and Dany was Drogo’s “moon of my life.”

Jon’s response to Val above about only being able to taste the cold reminds me of his death scene in ADWD:

Jon fell to his knees. He found the dagger’s hilt and wrenched it free. In the cold night air the wound was smoking. “Ghost,” he whispered. Pain washed over him. Stick them with the pointy end. When the third dagger took him between the shoulder blades, he gave a grunt and fell face-first into the snow. He never felt the fourth knife. Only the cold … 

Also in ADWD, Dany hears a howling wolf that tells me that some sort of bond between them allows her to be aware of Jon’s death even though they don’t know one another. She hears this mournfully howling wolf, which we can associate with bad things happening to the Starks since the direwolves howled after Bran’s fall and we heard Ghost howling at castle black in season 6 after Jon died. 

Off in the distance, a wolf howled. The sound made her feel sad and lonely, but no less hungry. As the moon rose above the grasslands, Dany slipped at last into a restless sleep. 

So this passage could mean that Dany sort of felt Jon’s death in a way. It reminds me of people sensing each other in Star Wars haha. But I definitely think it’s further foreshadowing of a momentous relationship between them. 

Jon’s and Dany’s loneliness is also something that foreshadows the love and companionship that will only come when they find each other.

Dany in ADWD:

Beneath her coverlets she tossed and turned, dreaming that Hizdahr was kissing her … but his lips were blue and bruised, and when he thrust himself inside her, his manhood was cold as ice. She sat up with her hair disheveled and the bedclothes atangle. Her captain slept beside her, yet she was alone.

Jon in ASOS:

Jon wondered where Ghost was now. Had he gone to Castle Black, or was he was running with some wolfpack in the woods? He had no sense of the direwolf, not even in his dreams. It made him feel as if part of himself had been cut off. Even with Ygritte sleeping beside him, he felt alone.

Other book foreshadowing placing theme together can be found earlier in ACOK, when Dany is thinking of a lover whilst alone in her bed:

Lying abed in her narrow bunk, she found herself wondering how it would be to have a man squeezed in beside her in place of her handmaid, and the thought was more exciting than it should have been. Sometimes she would close her eyes and dream of him, but it was never Jorah Mormont she dreamed of; her lover was always younger and more comely, though his face remained a shifting shadow.

This vision is probably referring to Jon, as it is too early for her to have met Daario, and we know that relationship ends. Additionally, we get this quote from Jon in AGOT:

Tyrion Lannister had claimed that most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it, but Jon was done with denials. He was who he was; Jon Snow, bastard and oathbreaker, motherless, friendless, and damned. For the rest of his life –however long that might be– he would be condemned to be an outsider, the silent man standing in the shadows who dares not speak his true name

This is significant not only because Jon is likely the shadowy man from Dany’s dreams but because Jon is ashamed of his true name, but shouldn’t be, as we know that he is not a bastard but a Targaryen, and a legitimate one at that. Since we know this, it makes Jon’s marriage to Dany even more likely. Consider this quote from Dany in ADWD:

Five Aegons had ruled the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.

There would have been a sixth, but the Usurper’s dogs had murdered her brother’s son when he was still a babe at the breast. If he had lived, I might have married him.

Here, Dany considers that she would likely have been betrothed to Rhaegar’s son, who was named Aegon. Well guess what, anon? According to Lads leaks which have so far been true, we’re going to learn in episode 7 that Jon, Rhaegar’s legitimate son, was actually officially named AEGON.

I mention all of this because These are all fairly undeniable book foreshadowings that I don’t think GRRM would have bothered including unless it was for a reason, and that reason is to build up to a Jonerys romance and alliance. If it is this important, if their journeys for five books and thousands of pages are toward one another, why would that happen only for them to break up and be with someone else very briefly just in time for “end game?”

But the books aren’t all we have to go by. I think we have plenty of good evidence in the show now as well. 

First, the visual parallels in the show are well-known, and again these are things that connect Jon and Dany together even when they’re across the world from one another. 

credit: @sweetorganza

credit: @jondaenerysdaily

This sort of thing is done intentionally. It lingers in the audience’s mind. It reminds us that they are on parallel journeys, have faced the same types of struggles, and want the same thing for the realm. 

We can also see this in parallels of their actions and values in the show.

Both of them are leaders of their people–unwanted or downtrodden people (slaves, wildings). Both of them tragically lost their first loves. 

credit: @sweetorganza

Just from this season, we have several interesting parallels to look at. 

In episode 1, Jon insists that he won’t punish a child for the sins of of his/her father. In episode 3, Dany asks Jon not to judge her for the sins of her own father, the Mad King, as I pointed out in this gifset (the way I arranged the dialogue in this gifset would make it inconvenient to load them into a text post so I linked).

Also in episode 1, Jon asks for the allegiance of Ned Umber and Alys Karstark in the same way that Dany asked it of the Dothraki a few episodes prior:

credit: @annabelleebythesea

They are both successfully earning the love and admiration of the people.

In episode 2, Varys told Dany that she is the best hope for the people. Littlefinger told Jon that he is the best hope. It’s because they both are.

Also in episode 2, Dany said Jon sounded like “quite a man,” the same thing Sam said about Dany when discussing her with maester Aemon, right before Jon walked in conveniently as Aemon said Dany is a lone Targaryen.

credit: @annabelleebythesea

In episode 4, Dany impressed Jon by repeating the speech he gave to Mance Rayder in season 5 when he implored him to kneel for Stannis to save the wildlings. 

credit: @stevedoritoss

And this is just from these first 4 episodes of season 7. If you look here, here, and here you can see even more parallels in their lives and styles of ruling and leadership from throughout the series. And I’m sure there are more.

All of these set them up as compatible co-rulers who despite their early disagreements in 7.03 share a lot in common and will be compatible together. In this ask I talk a lot about why i think they will work well together and have a healthy relationship. 

Furthermore, I strongly believe that they are going to get married. Last season Dany herself said the best way to make alliances is with marriage. In 7.04 Jon says that he can’t swear to her because his people won’t accept a Southron ruler. Dany’s reply is important: “They will if their king does.” If Jon accepts her and loves her and they unite in marriage, then the people of the North will be more open to Dany.

Additionally, we know a few important things from the plot leaks concerning the future of their relationship. In 7.06 Dany will save Jon and his men near Eastwatch. She believes Jon to be dead but he returns and they have a bonding moment on the voyage back to Dragonstone. Jon offers to kneel to Dany if only he wasn’t so injured. Instead of accepting his kneel/the submission of his title as KitN, Dany says, “But what about your peolple?” Already, she is concerned about his people and about their perception of him. This looks forward to them ruling together and both of them caring for the citizens of both the North and South.

Finally, Jon and Dany are going to have sex in 7.07. I personally believe this is going to be a way to tell the audience, among other things, that they’re having sex so that the writers can set up a pregnancy plot. 

We also know that apparently Jon and Dany will discuss her infertility and then Dany will tell Tyrion she discussed it with Jon. So it is mentioned twice. This reminds me of how Jon was discussing being a bastard with Missandei in 7.04, explaining that his parents were not married when in fact we know that in 7.07 Rhaegar and Lyanna will get married in a flashback. So the writers set us up to be shocked. They are setting us up to be shocked when Dany gets pregnant.

As I discussed in this meta, I don’t believe Dany is truly infertile. In addition to the points I made there, I want to point out something an anon mentioned to me. While at the Citadel we saw Sam flipping through a book that featured the sort of globe thing we see in the opening credits and we saw hanging in the library when Sam first arrived. The pages he flipped through featured this and also had the planets and possibly deal with planetary alignment/etc. 

Additionally, when Bran has the vision being discussed in this reddit thread, a commenter pointed out something interesting:

As the screenshots of the tree progress from the start to end in Bran’s vision the sun is rising and setting from west to east. I’m reminded of Mirri Maz Duur’s prophecy about Daenerys “when the sun rises in the west and sets in the east…” I’m not sure what it could mean but the scene being shot that way has to be relevant somehow.  

So it’s possible that the trauma of The Wall falling in 7.07, which happens apparently right during or immediately after Jon and Dany have sex, is powerful enough to throw the planet out of joint in some way. After all, we know The Wall has magical properties. All of this together points to Dany getting pregnant with Jon’s child. 

So far I’ve tried to establish that Dany and Jon have been heavily foreshadowed, that they are similar and thus compatible, and that they will probably get married and have a child. The last thing I want to mention is that they are ice and fire of the Song of Ice and Fire.

They are the important couple. They are the two opposing parts that will come to together and unite not just kingdoms but continents under their banner. They are the two people who will bring humanity out of the Long Night and launch the next “dynasty that could last a thousand years” that Cersei mentions in episode 1. Their sex scene is going to be cut with Rhaegar and Lyanna, whose love tore the realm apart. By contrast, Dany’s and Jon’s love will put the realm back together again.

We can confirm the importance of their union now. It has always seemed obvious that the woman who is fire made flesh and the man from the North whose last name is Snow are ice and fire but now we know it. Melisandre said it to Varys in 7.03 and never told Jon or Dany that either is TPTWP because they are both chosen. Only together, a word Jon constantly used and emphasized with Dany in 7.04, can they save the world; so they WILL be together. 

Lastly, just from a simple storytelling perspective, if we know they are going to be together at all (which we do now, because the leaks have been confirmed by 4/7 episodes so far. We can trust Lads) then we can trust that they are going to only be together. Season 7 is short. Season 8 is shorter. We should think of them as one long, final season that is merely broken in half like shows like TWD do.

If Jon and Dany have 5 episodes of buildup this season, there is no time for them to break up in a believable way and move on to another romantic partner in the only 6 episodes remaining next season. Before anyone brings it up, no. I do not think that the revelation of Jon’s Targaryen heritage means they will fight or break up. I discussed in this ask what I think will happen IF they learn the truth, and I am not even convinced they will. 

In any case, with the war with the WW and the war with Cersei going on, there would not be time for Jon or Dany to break up and find another person to be with. They are going to constantly be in each other’s proximity during this time, and it wouldn’t make sense for them to break up and have time to get together with anyone else. It just doesn’t seem possible.

And I don’t think it’s in either of their character to move on to another romance quickly in the last season anyway. 

Jon Snow is a man of character and conviction. He’s loyal. He was loyal to Ygritte even after her death and he will be loyal to Dany because he will love her. And he especially wouldn’t desert Dany if/when she is pregnant. He will want to be around in the life of his child. Even if Dany dies, which I know the antis are praying for, I don’t think Jon will just hop in bed with someone else immediately.  Certainly not his sister. What reason would there be? To produce an heir? That argument stops making sense when you consider that like I said, Jon and Dany are almost certainly having a child, so that child will be the heir they need to carry on the Targaryen name and their legacy of peace and egalitarian rule. 

And of course, if Dany does get pregnant, that means she at the very least has to live long enough to carry that baby to term and have it. Because we know that Cersei has a miscarriage plot. I think this will be our only miscarriage plot. Because while Cersei represents doom and destruction for the realm, Dany represents life and rebirth. So if she does die, I don’t see it happening until the very end anyway.

Last season Tyrion told Dany that Daario wasn’t the first to love her and he wouldn’t be the last. Because Jon will. :) So Jonerys will be endgame. One or both might die. But in terms of couples and romance, I believe that Jon and Dany are each other’s last love.

[am-i-invisible777]

Dead or (A)Live

Something doesn’t feel right...

You gingerly open your eyes only to immediately shut them again as a bright, piercing light shines upon you. It hurts, and your head is already throbbing, so you assume you just had a bit too much to drink last night. Groaning loudly, you remind yourself to chasten Baba later for allowing you to drink past your limit. You sigh and turn away from the light source.

shhhlank

That’s...odd. 

Blinking your eyes open once again, you attempt to locate where the noise came from. The world is too blurry, you try to rub your eyes to restore life back to the way it’s supposed to look.

shhhhcha

Okay, that sounded incredibly close. You feel something...cold and metallic near your chest. Glancing down, you let out a soft gasp as you see the handcuff and the chain connecting you to what you think is the wall.

‘Wait, where even am I?’

Instead of a warm, comfortable bed you find yourself laying on a hard, cold floor. Your eyes adjust and you see the black wall, as well as your shadow projected upon it by the light. In the background you see a...video camera?

shchunk

You turn over quickly, the metal chains noisily following you as you squint at the light. You can’t make anything out and starring at it isn’t helping your headache at all. That and the funky odor that seems to be coming from your left. You slowly lift your head up and look in the direction of the toxic smell. Just a few feet away from you, you see a human body, half decomposed.

shashashachink

You scream and scramble up, trying to get away from the rotting flesh. You don’t get but a foot before the chains keep you from getting any further. You look at your left arm, the only limb bound and helplessly tug at it. Tears are forming in your eyes as you try to wrap your head around what exactly is going on when you hear a deep chuckle.

“Ah, awake, are we?“

You turn and squint your eyes as you see a figure of a man just by the light.

“Who are...where am...?” you start to mumble out. He chuckles again and your blood runs cold.

“Oh...don’t mind me.” He casually walks around and stands in front of the light, giving your eyes a slight break. “I just wanted to see if you were up.”

‘Why?’

You silently wish your boyfriend would show up. Surely by now they would know that you’re missing and would be working hard to save you, right? You rack your brain to see what you can remember but you come up flat. All you remember is that party, what it was for you can’t seem to find, but you were with the bidders having fun when...black. You don’t remember how you got here. You don’t know if anyone knows you’re gone, hell, you don’t even know what time it is.

“...Why?” you attentively ask.

He pulls something long and skinny out of his pocket and flicks it a few times. Before you can register what he’s doing, he takes two long strides over to you and grabs your neck. You yelp as you feel something sharp stab you in the neck and grab his arm in an attempt to pull him off you. You feel your muscles weaken and start to lose the feeling in some nerves.

thunk

You fall to the floor, twitching and unable to move. The man hums in approval and goes back to the video camera. This is bad...this is very bad. You hear wheels from a distance and realize that they’re coming this way. You try to mentally brace yourself as it finally makes its way to you. From your perspective, all you see is a black box on some cart with some items on the shelf under it. You grunt and whimper as you try to move your body but you can’t feel anything. Panic clouds your mind and you begin to dread the worst.

“Let’s go live.” A different voice says, sinister and rough as the sound of a TV being turned on catches your attention. The black box ends up being a TV and he places it just ahead of the camera, in order for you to see it better. You look at the screen and gasp.

You see the penthouse, with all the bidders inside. You can see an anxious Baba wringing his hands together on the couch, a grumpy Ota beside him tapping his foot impatiently, a worried Luke standing off to the side, an emotionless Shuichi with folded arms on the other side, an impatient Hikaru on the phone, a tired Mamoru fidgeting slightly with his phone, and an angry Soryu arguing with a distraught Eisuke. You make a weak noise but know the men can’t hear you. You look at your boyfriends’ face and feel a twinge of pain in your heart. Eisuke looked like a mess. He looked like a young boy who had lost his mother at the carnival. You had no idea why your strong man would crumble so quickly and easily without you.

One of the men clears his throat loudly and suddenly all the bidders stop what they’re doing to stare in the direction of the screen used for viewing the auctions, you remember, which was where the hidden camera was located.

Ah, so they can hear us.

“If I could get your attention please, gentlemen.”

“...you.” Eisuke spats out. “You have her, don’t you? Where is she?!” The man did nothing but chuckle in response.

You hated that chuckle.

“Well now, I’m surprised your boyfriend hasn’t found our location yet. Perfect.” You can see pure hatred burn in everyone’s eyes. You didn’t recognize these people, but it seemed like they sure did.

“Alright...how much for her safe return?”

“Give me Tres Spades.”

“Done.” Eisuke said simply. You choked in response. You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Even the other bidders cautiously eyed the billionaire before returning the same confident looks, some nodding in agreement. No way, there’s no way he could be serious. The men looked at each other and smiled.

“Well, that was easier than we thought.” One said while the other laughed.

“Yes, but...” he stopped then looked at you. “...we can’t let his actions go unpunished, can we brother?”

What

“No, we can’t brother.”

“Don’t you touch her!” Eisuke yelled out. 

“Afraid it’s a little too late for that.” He sighed and clicked a button on a mysterious object. Immediately, you see a tiny red light flash on next to the blinding white one. At once, the bidders on the screen shift their eyes down to look at the penthouse TV and look on, horrified.

At once, Eisuke’s barking out orders to everyone, trying to track your location. You don’t hear much of what he’s saying, you’re too busy staring at the man reaching to grab something on the shelf. It’s hard to see, but it looks like a rod. He takes a few baby steps towards you as you struggle against your body, desperately trying to get away but with no avail. He presses something on the rod and suddenly his face illuminates enough to see a sinister smile and a look of murder in his crazy eyes.

The electric rod must have been within the view of the camera because the shouting sounds more panicked and pleading.

“...please, I beg of you, don’t hurt her.”

With one final step, he lifts the rod up high and jabs you with it, sending electrical currents through your stiff body. You scream in shock more than out of pain and Eisuke’s cries sound louder than yours. Jab after jab, it stings and you have no control over your jolting body. You can hear sobbing coming from the screen and you don’t know whose crying. No, you’re focused on the man’s piercing blue eyes. When he’s done he throws the toy on the ground and strides up to the camera.

“How ya like me now, Eisuke?!”

“...I’m going to kill you.”

“Haha...not if I do it first.” The man turns to look at you and you begin to realize that perhaps he didn’t want the hotel. You realize that this man is crazy...and you may not survive.

Torture.

Hours upon hours of grueling torture.

The sadistic men fed off your screams, as if it encouraged them.

You could do nothing but lie there in a massive puddle of all your bodily fluids, half naked, cold, and dehydrated.

You had no tears left to cry, and no voice left to scream.

You were beaten and battered. Smacked and cut. They whipped you, they drew blood from your soft skin, they submerged your head in water, they burned you, they were inside you...

...and the bidders couldn’t do anything but watch.

You helplessly called out to your boyfriend and watched as he crumbled to the floor, unable to safe or protect you. More tears in his eyes than in yours. He screamed your name. It’s all he could do. Everyone hid their guns, fearful Eisuke may do something stupid.

You looked into the sad, broken eyes of Eisuke Ichinomiya, and stared back into your dull orbs.

“...I’m so sorry...” he whispered, but you heard him. You know you did. 

The others weren’t doing so well either. Red, puffy eyes were all looking at you, all staring. Hoping that your location would be found knowing that it’s already too late.

“Three bullets, my brother.” You heard one of them say as he loaded the gun. “One for her, two for us. Would you like to do the honors?” you wanted to shake your head, to say no, but you were too weak and barely registered the pain associated with the loud   

BANG 

...

BANG

...

BANG

flop

thud

You saw them flinch at the noise and heard Eisuke’s final wails. Any hope was long gone. All you heard was your name, and countless apologies. You heard regrets and wishes, prayers and curses, but most of all, you heard Eisuke. You heard Eisuke as the world around you faded to black. As what sounded like Ice Dragon members tumbling their way in. You felt the life leave your body as Eisuke uttered one last statement.

“I loved you so much...”

[theolddarkmachine]

Writer Questions

Technically I was tagged in this by @smartcookie727 lol Not sure if being tagged in an answer counts. But also given that the actual words for the I’ll Tag section are “if ya wanna do it go for it,” I’m gonna avoid my responsibilities and sleep and do it.

1) How many works in progress do you currently have?

Is this like multi-chapter type things that are currently being written and shared? Or like, things I’m working on but haven’t been shared yet? Imma go with the first. I got four. On the Gajevy front we got Kingdom. On the Sheith front we got I’ll Take the Blame, You Take My Conscience; For the Love of Football does this really count since its a series of one shots i dont even know whatever counting it; and Vector to the Stars. PEEP THAT HORRIBLE EXCUSE AT SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION Y’ALL. dont worry i hate me too lol

2) Do you/would you write fanfiction?

Uuuuuh, yes. Because that’s literally why I’m here lol Writing is kind of my thing? I have a degree in journalism, which I got solely because I thought that that would do better for getting me a job than a degree in creative writing, but would still allow me to write a book. Not, that you need a degree to do that. But when I did decide to try my hand at fan fiction, it was as a vehicle to hone the technical aspect of my writing and my voice, not only for the possibility of publishing one day, but also for my own journalistic writing. SO, to answer this as 21 y/o Vicci who hadn’t yet dipped her toes into the proverbial fan fic pond yet, yes, I would. 

3) Do you prefer paper books or ebooks?

PAPER. There is something about good, old fashion paper books. Will I read an ebook? Sure. I read shit on my computer all the time, I got a couple things in iBooks right now. But I will always, ALWAYS go paper over ebook any day.

4) When did you start writing?

Like.... just.... ever? Or for fic? I wrote my first original work in the 6th grade. Still got it too. It’s horrible and has every lame middle school writer thing you can think of down to cross dressing to sneak into a villain’s lair-- TWICE-- dragons because why the hell not, and Egypt. Honestly, 6th grade Vicci was on a whole other level. I’ll have to pull it out some time to get a good laugh, and send myself into a void of embarrassment. no i was actually really proud of that thing. its like 200+ pages handwritten Writing fic, I started five years ago with ye olde 1D fan fiction. The first two were horrendous. To this day, I still cherish Tweethearts.

5) Do you have someone you trust that you share your work with?

This is the part where I admit to you that aside from like twice, no one reads my work before I post it. Everything you get goes up un-beta’d. Up until like a month and a half ago, I didn’t even read anything before posting it. I literally added my asterisks at the end and then sent it on its way. Now almost everything gets a read through before I share, but never ever to anyone else. WHY YOU ASK. I did my time with editors with the near decade I wrote for various websites and magazines and I have had my work changed to the point that the entire meaning and feeling behind it was torn away until it wasn’t even what I’d intended in the first place. So I have trust issues with other people getting their hands on my stuff. Long story short, no lol 

6) Where is your favorite place to write?

I don’t think I really have one. I do a lot of writing while I’m working, so a lot of it happens at the dining room table lol If not there, in bed. Sometimes the car. Sometimes the shower. 

7) Favorite childhood book?

How childhood are we talking? I had a book of old fairy tales haha is spelled it tail the first time rip that had the most beautiful illustrations and I really loved that book. And also A Wish for Wings That Work. ALSO I REALLY LOVED WALK TWO MOONS.

8) Writing for fun or publication?

Fun is my priority right now, but I am writing Vector to the Stars with the intent of possibly editing it into an original work and publishing one day. But I like to think that if I ever do publish something, I wrote it for fun to begin with.

9) Pen and paper or computer?

BOTH. I’ll also take on tablet and phone for $500, Alex. Look, I got my start in handwriting shit and sometimes you just need to feel pen on paper to get the juices flowing. Does it go quicker typing? Yes. Yes it does. But I’m a staunch believer that, much like in life, you sometimes need a change of pace and scenery. Whenever I get stuck, I switch the medium up. So both. All. Whatever.

10) Have you ever taken any writing classes?

My entire college career was a writing class lol That’s a lie, the first year was core classes and the second year I still had to deal with science, but the last year and a half was nothing but writing. Of course, not really the same since it’s a completely different form of writing but you know. IT COUNTS OKAY I HAVE TO TELL MYSELF MY EDUCATION COUNTS FOR SOMETHING. 

11) What inspires you to write?

Music. Music, music, always music. There’s a reason I devoted that much of my life to music journalism, and it’s because music is one of the great loves of my life. Sure, I need the inspiration of characters that speak to me, but every single thing that I have written has a soundtrack and music that gets the juices flowing. I dare say 90% of the things I’ve written all were born from music. 

EXAMPLES: 

Tweethearts came to me while listening to R U Mine? by the Arctic Monkeys. I wrote that chapter-- which happens like more than halfway through the fic-- before I wrote anything else.

ITTB came to me while listening to Eden playlists. To this day I cannot write anything for that fic without putting on my Eden mix.

I’m Gonna Be came to me while I was in the shower listening to Sleeping At Last.

The one shot that became MLC came to me while listening to Walking On Cars, who the band Gajeel travels with is modeled after.

VTTS was born from Glory by Dermot Kennedy also while in the shower.

Pt 3 of the football AU revealed itself during a cover of Call Me Maybe.

Long story short, I am very much inspired by music.

I’ll tag: I’m not sure who has done this so I’m gonna throw folks on here and if y’all just hella don’t want to, it’s the biggest of nbds. IF YOU AREN’T TAGGED BUT WANNA DO THIS, CONSIDER THIS YOUR TAG. @nocturna131 @whereisthefood123 @phaltu @arahir @capaleran2 @ranunculus-fox @runicscribbles

[renaramblesaboutcomics]

Wednesday Roundup 25.9.2017

Okay, so I had another huge comic week, and looking forward this might be the last time that really happens for a while since at least three of these issues are here due to previous delays. and I’m trying pretty desperately to cut down on comics I’m subscribed to now. Which just emphasizes the fact that this week made it SO much more difficult to declare that because there was so much good.

... There was also some hilarious outrage on my part, too, so if you’re here for that you will not be disappointed.

Image’s Black Magick, DC’s Detective Comics, DC’s Harley Quinn and Batman, Marvel’s Immortal Iron Fists, Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, DC’s Nightwing, Image’s Saga, IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dark Horse’s Zodiac Starfore: Cries of the Fire Prince

Image’s Black Magick (2015-present) #8 Greg Rucka, Nicola Scott

Have I mentioned lately how Nicola Scott may be the most gifted artist in the industry in a while? Not since last month? Well we are definitely well past due time!

Story: Things are ramping up as the Hammer’s members increase their numbers and keep close watch on Rowan while Rowan settles things with her partner only to be manipulated once again by the terrifying forces of these unknown entities with that creepy AF girl with the stitched up mouth. That is a lot of stuff being unpacked in one issue and yet the moving parts never feel like they’re incongruent or taking away from each other. Seeing Rowan’s familiar watching the Hammer members, seeing Rowan struggle to be more open with her partner, and then seeing her old demons (literally) beginning to come to her work and haunt her there (literally and figuratively) all feels like it moves perfectly together.

I just really wish we didn’t have to do a “gay scare” which is a bit disappointing from Rucka, honestly. Haha get it Rowan was worried that her partner was onto her for being a witch and he just was mad because he thought she wasn’t coming out to him and it’s just all a good laugh. Or at least I would be laughing if either Alex or Rowan were confirmed queer women and so it isn’t just that he’s well meaning but oblivious while... literally taking away the possibility of representation. 

Maybe this will be corrected later in that very way! Who knows, I’ll be relieved if it is, but until then it feels like an unnecessary marring of what is otherwise a great story I’ve been enjoying.

Art:  I mean... just look at it! Nicola Scott is... arguably the best artist in comics right now. Her work is phenomenal and nothing presents that fact more than just how expertly she manages the medium in almost any way and how it adapts based on the type of story she’s writing. It’s very special for an artist’s style to work as well in a bombastic, colorful superhero comic then turn around and hit the perfect contrast of noir and witchcraft narratives. And all of her characters are distinct and especially her variety of noses, it’s simply gorgeous.

Nicola Scott very well may be the best artist in the business right now and any comic company that doesn’t snatch her up for major titles is foolish, honestly.  

DC’s Detective Comics (2016-present) #965 James Tynion IV, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Adriano Lucas

Well, it’s weird to say but if there was any issue for me to read before I took a short break from ‘Tec I am so glad it was this one. Which has all the makings of a backhanded compliment but we’ll see where I take it. Probably will seem like a backhanded compliment but I’m going to try to swing it toward positive.

Story: So I’ve been pretty sure I was going to drop ‘Tec for the upcoming storyline and then jump on again later for the next one, similar to how I did for the Monster Men crossover event, but I was really curious about Tim’s return and more specifically about the context of Tynion bringing Tim back which made me pretty excited for this comic. I love Tim Drake of old and reading this issue reinforced the fact that this current Tim Drake is the Tim of the 90s that I fell in love with -- the dork who loved Batman and Robin so much he put his life at risk to save the legacy of his heroes. And while this issue culminated mostly in a “slideshow” of Tim’s retconned retconned history bringing us back to the Tim origins from “A Lonely Place of Dying”, it actually felt really loving and refreshing to see the character I grew to love so much back in action. 

I don’t care one bit about this Evil Future or Mister Oz or literally anything else going on right now. In fact I find that whole crossover tedious enough I dropped Superman a while back but I really did feel like I needed this reminder that we’re supposed to be reading this Rebirth Tim as the Tim we knew and cared about in the past. And that made this issue on its own worthwhile to me. 

Art: Eddy Barrows is an excellent artist, through and through. The coloring’s fantastic, the art itself dynamic. Even with a familiar storyline and setup that we’ve all read before, he manages to find ways to make it read as unique and new through subversive angles and set ups. I really enjoyed his take on everything from Tim’s past. But even great artists sometimes fail the Batmanequin challenge. Which is, can anyone tell who the Batboys are apart from each other when they’re all the same age. The answer is no. His Tim looks identical to his Bruce to his Jason to his Dick and most of the time to his Damian and we’ve really got to change that at some point or else there will be a singularity of Batboys and we will all be sucked into an artistic blackhole and not in the fun way.

DC’s Harley Quinn and Batman (2017) #4 Ty Templeton, Rick Burchett

After this issue there’s only one issue left and in all honesty.... it’s about time we had some real emotional direction actually driving this comic because I’ve been asking for the last few issues “where is any of this going”. And since I all but refuse to watch the animated movie sharing a similar name, it’s that much more confusing for me trying to figure out what exactly this is all culminating in. 

Story: Like I said, we’re finally getting some real tension in this issue as we have Harley confronting Ivy, it becoming more and more obvious that Ivy has a genuine problem with rejecting her own humanity for the sake of becoming as much of a plant as possible, and we also get that emotional catharsis of Ivy at least somewhat confessing that Harley is the only person she cares about. And it’s obviously a deep and intimate form of caring. She’s pained by the potential of Harley’s rejection and offended at the assumption that Harley would think of herself as anything less than her partner. But this comic, like all of comic canon, just refuses to give us THE WORDS. I’m so tired of partner being emphasized instead of girlfriend. I’m tired of cared being acceptable substitution for love. And I’m REALLY tired of Harley and Ivy only being portrayed as sexy and into each other in a way that’s meant to be attractive to guys. I’m not a guy. I’m a woman who likes other women. And I would like for this relationship, if it’s to be real on any level, be treated respectfully and given canonicity. Maybe we’ll get that next issue. I’m hoping, but since next issue is the last I’m not exactly expecting much. 

Dick and Bruce are... still fun? I guess. It’s not really their story and I’m not sure why Batman’s even in the title at this point. His addition to this story culminates in a “not really”

Art: I gave Rick Burchett’s first two issues a hard time, especially compared to the guest artist for last issue, but this issue really had him stepping up his game and reminding us all why he’s been working with these characters and especially this style for the past twenty or more years. He really nails it... though it still has that edge of lacking refinement that we might see in something other than a digital first comic, the colors are really enhanced, the character and background art more detailed and controlled, and just overall this was a very pleasant looking and well laid out issue. Great work all around

Marvel’s Immortal Iron Fists (2017) #5 (of 6) Kaare Andrews, Afu Chan, Shelly Chen

We’re beginning to near an ending for this miniseries and I am growing an ominous, horrible feeling that I am desperately hoping is completely off base and unfounded outside of my constant apprehension of trusting comics too much. But we’ll get into that.

Story: As we left off last time, it was the culmination of all the storylines that we had seen building up in Immortal Iron Fists before then, Pei and her friends, the popularity drama that was the school dance, Danny’s feelings of responsibility and pride, the ten scrolls of Mara, and the strangely backward advice of the babysitter that Pei had been receiving throughout. And it all came down to a climactic battle with Danny and Pei finally at long last fighting side by side, both as the Immortal Iron Fist.

But suddenly there can only be.... one? And to save the world and inherit her responsibility as the Immortal Iron Fist, Pei had to choose whether or not she would take the dragon’s heart straight from Danny himself and use his chi to defeat Mara and his legion of demons. Which, of course, Pei refused and chose instead to sacrifice her own chi so that Danny could save the world.

This apparently erased Pei from reality and everyone’s memories in one solid swipe and sent her... to hell?? Where Brenda, who was in the storyline that brought Pei into the comics but has not been a factor through all of this miniseries, is a zombie champion fighter who saves Pei and her classmate that’s been in the coma because Mara was planning to use his body for his resurrection and also the popular girl, Danny’s girlfriend for an issue, an the babysitter are all daughters of Mara who are responsible for all this chaos. 

And I genuinely feel like there’s been a lot of missed opportunities in the previous four issues that would have allowed this to be set up more. And that’s what is leading to the worries I mentioned in the opening. As far as I’ve seen, in Defenders or the solicits for Immortal Iron Fist, Pei has not been allowed to make much of an impact outside of Andrews’ runs. And.... I would really hate that a series that has sold e SO hard on Pei and on a new spin on Danny Rand to be a series that gives Marvel an easy out to erase those very things. 

We have one issue left to go so I suppose we’ll have to wait and see in that regard.

Art: It’s still good art, still all-ages, but I’m starting to grow the opinion thanks to @secretlystephaniebrown and mine’s insightful talks that comis with cute art and lots of slapstick are pretty much utilizing a certain style to undermine dramatic writing or consequences in fear of being genuine. Or, in terms, bathos. And I really hope that’s not the intentions here because the relationship between Danny and Pei are genuinely sweet and good and if that’s the intention I really hate that comics don’t have the confidence to be dramatic fully in heart. 

Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (2015-present) #23 Brandon Montclare, Natacha Bustos, Tamra Bonvillain

I’m worried about my favorite adorable team of superheroes. How can there be a Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur if there is no Devil Dinosaur? But also... is this the inevitable end? Are there not more adventures to come of our favorite world class genius and dinosaur? According to solicits there’s more for Lunella but is there more for the friendship that warmed our hearts? Are any of us truly ready to say goodbye?

Story: Legitimately I have no idea what’s going to happen next with this comic because it seems like Lunella is sidekick hunting for the next couple of issues, so the real question is how ready did this issue make us to move on from the loving friendship between a girl from Yancey Street and her bumbling dinosaur? Honestly, compared to the majority of the tight and loving writing of this series, it doesn’t feel like this conclusion was something we were very well prepared for. Sure, Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur are something we know of vaguely from other comics, but the anticlimax of the goodbye, and just how obvious it was that neither Lunella nor Devil were ready for it made the profound loneliness of this move feel so dissatisfying. Especially when Lunella returns to a doombot empty base instead of going home and emphasizes the strangeness even more. 

I’m hopeful that this is set up, but I’m always on high alert for books like this that could easily be canceled by Marvel and worried about ending on a note I really wouldn’t want it to.

Art: As always, the art for this book is gorgeous and the coloring is fascinating and eye popping. The cooler hues this time around really helped with the more subdued and sadder tone of the comic which made the actions toward the end not only more disconcerting but plainly just more heartbreaking. It was an excellent choice and incredibly subtle but effective. This is a creative team that truly understands their crafts more than the vast majority of people in the industry today, and that’s saying something since quality is not exactly in short supply in recent years. 

DC’s Nightwing (2016-present) Vol. 3: Nightwing Must Die Tim Seeley, Javier Fernandez, Chris Sotomayor

So I don’t.... really have any surprises in the works for those of you who follow my main blog at @renaroo who got to witness me liveblogging my experience reading this comic yesterday, but I’ll just put it definitively on the record here: Uh. Not a good effort here, guys. And this is officially the last thing written by Tim Seeley this gal is going to be picking up. Which I’m getting really tired of saying about writers who handle either one of my main two DC dudes -- Dick or Terry. Can we just... have anyone... care a little more? A bit?

Story: Okay so there’s about three plots going on at the same time during this comic and I’m going to address them in the three and then talk about the One Issue That Doesn’t Fit after. So four parts: The Robin Story, The Baby Story, and The Batman Story, and then The Good One. The way the plot is laid out you could argue that these three are interwoven enough to deserve going in a linear basis but I would argue no not really. Please take note that the title of this storyline according to the trade cover is “Nightwing Must Die”, a callback to the climax of Morrison’s run on the original Batman and Robin (2009-2011) series titled “Batman and Robin Must Die”. No, I’m not nerdy and observant, this thing is determined to hit you over the head with this allusion at every turn. 

The Robin Story: Damian who has basically been forcefully emancipated from Bruce and sent to live across the country with the Teen Titans rather than ... idk just be sent to Gotham Academy which is a boarding school anyway, is pissed because internet forums have declared that the original Robin -- aka Dick -- is the best Robin and Damian sucks. Why Damian suddenly cares about 4Chan is beyond me but here we are. Now, despite there being an overly long and obnoxious storyline in Batman and Robin (2011-2015) called “War of the Robins” where Damian already went through this and beat up all his predecessors sans Dick because they have an actual relationship, or the entirety of “Robin: Son of Batman”, or the huge storyline “Robin Wars” where there were 30 Robins including Duke Thomas all over Gotham and something I didn’t pay attention to about the Court of Owls and Lincoln March -- this is a useless subplot that makes no sense for the characters or relationship that has already been established by Damian and Dick here. That’s what I’m saying. 

Because this story isn’t interested in getting Damian right or doing him any service. This is dedicated to Dick in... about the worst way. And the weak motivation for getting Damian in Blüdhaven in order to reinact the events of “Batman and Robin Must Die” are so contrived that there’s really this feeling of “we need Damian in Blüdhaven come up with an excuse later” instead of it being something organic. For example: Damian is quick to bring up his concerns that Dick staying in Blüdhaven and starting a new life with Shawn is because he’s trying to become Batman of his “own franchise” and that he’s abandoning the rest of the family. This is really disconnected from the motivation of “who’s the best Robin” and would make more sense on a character level if Damian went to Blüdhaven of his own volition because of that concern to begin with. He feels pushed out of the family, and with Tim’s death he’s upset and surprised by Dick’s seeming abandonment of everyone else. Including him. The Robin with THE most abandonment issues this side of Jason Todd. Why not bring up something along the lines of “you haven’t been home since the funeral”. That would contrast the themes of family, Dick and Damian’s relationship, and Dick’s supposed worries about personal responsibility all at once. 

This isn’t how that was handled and I am suspicious as to why. because we had to have that awful, ugly -- for me personally inexcusable -- panel where Dick tells Damian that he knows no one can balance being a superhero and having a secondary identity because Bruce sucks at it SO BAD that he now has the “burden” of being a father to a bunch of Batkids which he follows up with “And the one I think suffers the most from this is you, Damian. His only real son.” 

So. You know. Fuck themes about nonconventional families and adoption I guess. Tim Seeley, go kick your own ass because you don’t even deserve the ass kicking from me.

It might seem like I’m being harsh but this one moment is SO hugely stupid and never brought up again or refuted later to the point that not only is it gross on a real world level, it actually REALLY weakens the theme of families and the such through the rest of the story specifically because there’s now this big ugly turd of a plot thread looming and never dealt with. 

Professor Pyg and Doctor Hurt are back from Dick and Damian’s time as Batman and Robin and theyve made a bunch of disgusting Dollatrons specifically of Damian and Dick, or Robintron and Deathwing. This actually matters a lot less to the story than you might actually think because Robintron and Deathwing don’t have a relationship outside of being made to believe they’re Robin and Nightwing and one ultimately kills the other once they remember this. It’s symbolic because the Robintron was in Dick’s original Robin suit and Deathwing was in the New52 Nightwing suit do you get it do you get it do you get what they’re trying to say here it’s clever. Anyway. 

The symbolism on a meta level is pretty on the nose “The New52 Dick killed the innocence of the old timey Golden Age Dick la da da” but in story we don’t really have Damian go through an arc or actually develop as a result of this matter and neither does Dick. Does Dick feel like his identity as Nightwing has killed his relationship with Damian? With his other family? With his idealistic self? It doesn’t... seem like it. Dick just kind of... punches Doctor Hurt after he decides that tragedy doesn’t define him... or something. It was from the hallucinations and like a whole issue later from Deathwing killing Robintron. And then Deathwing and Doctor Hurt kill each other by stabbing and falling rocks. Both ways in which villains have NEEEVVVEEERRRRR returned from the dead from before so I’m sure they’re gone forever.

So the Robin Storyline as a whole? it kinda comes to a conclusion with a genuinely nice two page spread where Dick and Damian talk about missing each other and missing their time as Batman and Robin. Dick even confesses something that would have brought all these storylines together rather nicely if it was done correctly: when Bruce came back to be Batman, Dick thought of staying as Batman, too in order to stay with Damian and train and raise him. But ultimately he thought, at the time, that he wasn’t old enough or ready enough to take that responsibility. 

Dick was not ready to be a father but now he looks back at himself and who he is now and is ready for another go, with Damian or with his own children in the future. ... EXCEPT that reading of how the themes would play out are completely undermined and broken beyond repair by having Dick say that UNBELIEVABLE comment about how Damian is the only REAL son to Bruce and that the “Batfamily” aren’t a unit like that. Therefore the Robin Storyline doesn’t really have a conclusion. 

Damian’s going to go back to San Francisco and still get pissed at /b/, there’s no family unit for anyone to reflect on, and.... the baby storyline:

The Baby Storyline: I could sum this up with one gif. I really could. I’m not going to but because I know this is only entertaining to hear me yell for an extent, have the gif anyway:

Now I’ll go into what actually bothered me about this storyline. Because this is tied to Dick’s relationship with Shawn and their pregnancy scare alone, and we see Dick freaking out at the possibility of the immense responsibility he may be stepping into, it actually genuinely had the potential to be a huge deal, a big game changer, something that actually would have developed both their characters and really questioned what they would be doing going forward with their lives. Would they both give up their costume lives? Would they move from Blüdhaven if they’re not defending the streets and it’s a terrible part of town? Would the baby have superheroes in its life from an early age?

It doesn’t matter because in what could probably be the weakest fake out ever, Shawn’s not pregnant she’s just... apparently not as regular as she once assumed. Which, hey, I hear that that happens fairly often for my fellow uterus havers and you know what? They’re young adults in their first serious relationship so I actually get the freakout from both of them. 

But it doesn’t end up meaning anything other than Dick screams at Damian a few times that they have to save his “girlfriend AND baby” and for some reason Damian just goes with it because Damian of course has never before in his life ever shown signs of jealousy and concerns about conditional love. 

The biggest problem beyond the fact that this plot’s resolution is a huge PSYCH spitting in everyone’s face is that... what... was the tie-in here? 

Was it JUST the drama of “PHEWWWW dodged that bullet, now let’s go give Sandy a makeover”? I guess so. 

Because if this was actually tied to the plots of the storyline it would have ended with at least one speech from Dick to Shawn, to his monologue, or to Damian that back when he returned to being Nightwing because he feared being too young and to unprepared to take responsibility for raising Damian, he had been wrong. He’s not ready because no one is, but he has a relationship with Damian that proves that he’s more than ready to be a father then and now. That he might not do it Bruce’s way because he didn’t like Bruce’s priorities, but he would find a way to balance all the aspects of his life and so can Shawn.

But that would require this story to... care about Shawn’s character more. 

I actually like Shawn? I want to see more of her and I think there’s a lot of potential there, but at the end of this story outside of genuinely good moments, like the time with her and Deathwing where she tries to soothe him, she’s... just a damsel to be rescued? Just a possible babymomma for tension?

If she was more than that, then the plot would have given her more to do once she joined Dick and Damian. Like even ONE scene of her and Damian playing off of each other in the aftermath would have done wonders, made her more than just an attachment for the advancement of Dick’s character, but we get more development for Deathwing and Robintron than for the potential love of Dick’s life.

Kidding. DC would never let Babs and Dick have actual meaningful romances outside of each other anymore. Just like DC will never let them have meaningful romances with each other!

So this was a trip into a cul de sac of disappointment. 

Also condoms condoms condoms condoms condoms boys and girls. Wrap it before you tap it. 

Or be a lesbian. But that’s my answer for everything.

#Shawn Tsang deserves better #Hollatchagirl

The Batman Story: Oh, Bruce. How your shadow lingers large over all things that have nothing to do with you. 

This is the “actual” plot. The one about Shawn being kidnapped and it all ending up being a plot by Professor Pyg and Doctor Hurt to relive the “Batman and Robin Must Die” storyline because....

Well. That’s the problem.

Doctor Hurt, as much as I really wasn’t a fan of that storyline under Morrison, served a very specific purpose. He was the antithesis to Dick when it came to Bruce’s legacy. Dick was his ward but also Bruce’s light and when he ascended to becoming Batman he took most of that with him and grew into the cape, so to speak. He embodied the detective work that Bruce taught him (finding the clues in the mantle that found the secret door), he embodied the friendship (taking his place as Batman on several superhero teams), and most importantly he embodied the head of the family. Alfred gave him advice, but Dick kept the Batfamily together as best he could, specifically by raising Damian as Bruce had raised him. And none of it was easy. 

Doctor Hurt worked as a villain to Dick’s Batman because he embodied the worst of Bruce’s darkness. The strange and forgotten stories of the past, the psychological horror, the devilish iconography. Those things that were Gritty McBadBat about Bruce were never things that Dick was going to embody as Batman. And that’s why Doctor Hurt and him battled, basically over the heart of Damian: Robin, the partner, the son, the future of the cowl. 

I didn’t like “Batman and Robin Must Die” because rather than have a huge statement about choosing the direction for Batman’s future by having Dick battle and defeat Doctor Hurt and his continuity drag, Morrison literally deus ex machina’d by having Bruce travel back through time and save Dick and Damian and basically take control immediately. It was such an anticlimax to both Dick and Damian’s arc even though Morrison tried to play it off as being the culmination of Dick and Damian and everyone else looking for Bruce plus Bruce’s “Return of Bruce Wayne” storyline. It’s messy and just feels like “whatever” at the end. 

I don’t like it here because .... Dick’s not Batman. He and Damian aren’t partners. Neither of those things have been factors for either of those characters for six years now and, I hate to break it to everyone here, but at least one of them was “dead” for at least three of those years anyway. 

Doctor Hurt is a Dick Grayson villain, but he is not a Nightwing villain. And the attempt to make him one here fell incredibly flat. 

Also why was Professor Pyg there? Does Professor Pyg now know Dick and Damian’s secret identities too? Was that throw away line about him building dollatrons for Hurt meant to tell us that no only Hurt knows the identities? How is that much better? Why does everyone know Dick’s identity and he doesn’t care? Why doesn’t Damian care that the random Robintron knows his full name and who his father is? Why doesn’t Dick? If only Hurt knows then how did Pyg brainwash Robintron and Deathwing? If Pyg didn’t why did Hurt need Pyg to brainwash them for this since he apparently already knows how?

This story basically sacrificed all logic within the story itself to tie-in Dick’s time as Batman, which he doesn’t want to go back to and isn’t  even tempted to go back to throughout the story, purely to justify having the Bat as part of the cover logo still. That’s it. 

The Good One: There’s a one shot at the very end of this volume, #21, that’s definitely filler in between storylines but is actually the best thing in this entire volume. Probably the best of this run of Nightwing I’ve read and... apparently will ever read since I’ve paid my penance and given Seeley’s turn a chance. It’s a classic team up between Dick and Wally with a pretty inventive villain named “Timebomb”. It’s funny, has a lot of heart, the coloring isn’t muted garbage, and it features some high stakes without losing its sense of fun. It’s a good issue. I would actually implore fans of Dick and Wally to pick it up. It does a great service to their friendship.

Art: The art is good, the entire “Nightwing Must Die” part was colored in this muted, pasty way that basically made all backgrounds feel like they weren’t a part of the scenes and made all humans look dead or undead as it were to the point that Dick and Damian -- both canonically characters of color and occasionally colored to match it -- have the same pallor of the rotting corpse faces sewn onto Robintron and Deathwing.

The exception is the blue used for Nightwing’s costume and gear and for Shawn’s hair because.... idk. I guess we’re supposed to guess that they’re important to the comic or something. 

No seriously, I love the art but they have to buy some more markers. I appreciate that you can only do so much when supplies are low but c’mon.

It’s a joke I know it’s a style choice I just don’t like the style.

But I emphasize again, the art is good. I just personally would go for the last issue’s coloring more than the main storyline’s. 

Image’s Saga (2012-present) #47 Fiona Staples, Brian K. Vaughn

The real question comes to be... will Saga ever have a truly bad issue? I doubt it. Like at this point I’m not really sure what a bad Saga issue would even look like, but I think there’s absolutely no doubt that mediocre issues or issues that were more build up for what is to come can exist. Again, I give backhanded compliments here but I mean them... in the best way possible? Never mind, these cold opens are hard.

Story: We don’t progress too awfully much in this issue. The Will is captured by a vengeful victim’s wife who means to torture him by making him suffer and forcing him to see the very people he loves die.... until money gets involved and suddenly like everyone else she wants to capture Hazel and company to make the big starbucks. But, strangely for Saga, for the first time in this series we really don’t.... go anywhere with this issue outside of what’s taking place with the Will’s torture. There’s no scenes exploring what’s going on with the other groups, there’s no narration from future Hazel, we’re left with the Will, his past we haven’t seen yet, and his current circumstances. 

Now this could make sense, the jumping around Will’s past is in place of jumping around the stars, and how could Hazel ever know what’s happening to the Will here, but it just all feels like a departure from the near omnipotence of Saga’s story before. And mostly it just feels like a setup for explaining how we get all the characters gathered for the next part of the story. And that’s.... not as cool as it could be. 

It’s definitely a weaker entry for Saga overall, but that’s like saying a TV show with 100 episodes may have some that aren’t perfect.

Art: Fiona Staples’ art continues to be the star of the series, but perhaps because of the restraints of the setup, this isn’t the most visually creative or wildest design ideas she’s had in this series. The reveal of the shrew woman’s face felt.... anticlimactic compared to some of the truly out there examples of aliens unlike anything I’ve ever imagined before and it made the pause for the joke “my husband was nearly as beautiful as me” feel like... “have you seen what some of the other alien species look like????”

Likewise the backgrounds of both the flashbacks and of the room Will’s tortured in are not as wild as we’ve seen before, but I have to say the creative idea of the floating prism in space kind of makes up for it because that was creative and visually awing. Again, much like the story itself, the art only suffers because in comparison to the rest of Saga I’m only kind of blown away and not totally blown away. 

IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2011-present) #74 Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, Cory Smith, Ronda Pattison

Man we are just in the forest for transitions in storylines right now. Nothing is bad but nothing is standing out and I was expecting much the same with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles considering that we’re on Part II of the Trial of Kraang, but you know, it wouldn’t be TMNT if they weren’t continuing to surprise me.

Story: So this is a court drama because if there’s one thing that TMNT is dedicated to it is DOING ALL OF THE THINGS and apparently court drama hadn’t been checkmarked yet so here we are. And as someone who really genuinely likes the minutia of continuity and rules and regulations of different worlds and the way laws work in different universes, I found things fairly compelling. Not the least of which because of the smart use of characters and how they fit into their roles -- especially Donny and Professor Honeycutt both working as the prosecution. Don, after all, is the sci-fi heart of TMNT and him being in the thick of this as Kraang is the most “his” of their roster of villains makes perfect sense.

We mostly hit the same beats you’d expect from a court drama -- an unfavorable judge, slimy defense attorney making things hard for our prosecutors, the prosecutors pull a surprise key witness, and all in the background we have the unraveling of victims and friends trying to deal with the uncertainty of the situation while also.... fighting an interdimensional alien war. Hm. Okay so that last part is pure TMNT shenanigans but the drama of the story is really structured and punctual.

Which.... basically means that this issue is something like 80% dialogue with little tiny bits of action to give the other three turtles and their friends something to do while Don and Honeycutt hold down the fort. And if you’re prepared for that going in, you’ll probably find the case as interesting and the way facts are being retold and manipulated fascinating, but if you’re not then it’s probably going to be a bit of a slog compared to the ninja action you’re usually used to.

Art: TMNT’s art is always so shockingly good that it’s hard to comment on anymore. I really like how varied and interesting alien designs are with people not afraid to be gross by “human standards” when making things. And I like that the turtles manage to be simple so that they stand out in every setting without feeling out of place, and still have enough variation and ranges of emotions that there’s no confusing them with each other when the masks are off. It’s very good art and that should always be applauded. 

Dark Horse’s Zodiac Starforce: Cries of the Fire Prince (2017) #2 Kevin Panetta, Paulina Ganucheau, Sarah Stern

I have been on the edge of my seet for a few months now, waiting for news on when the next Zodiac Starforce was going to be coming out and, at long last, the answer came. It was today! And there was much rejoicing. From me. Because I’ve absolutely fallen for this team book.

Story: We learn more about the titular Fire Prince and honestly that’s where a lot of my apprehensions come into play. In the original comic series, the Starforce was comedic at times but its drama was never undercut by it. Relationships were taken seriously and the threat to the girls was certainly serious, particularly from their own goddess and from Cimmeria. So when the first half of this issue was spent with the Fire Prince and making his powers known but also having him laughably dance around and prove to be a bit of a sadsack and not even comparable to the last threat of Cimmeria -- having been imprisoned and shamed by her himself -- it was a little worrisome. The threat after a huge battle like last time shouldn’t really be followed up by something we’re directly told is lesser. And that fed right into the lesser fights too, with Savannah undercutting Alice’s threat by having to make a joke of why they were fighting and remind her of the fact that she even was a threat to the Starforce to begin with. I know I’m throwing this word around a lot lately but it feels like bathos -- like fearing the sincerity of the drama so going for a joke instead. And that wasn’t something I really remember happening in the previous volume.

That all said, the one thing always played straight and the risk that is never dampened is honestly the one that remains the most important overall, and that’s the relationships between the girls themselves. Lily and Savannah’s romance and Savannah’s obviously very supportive mother, Molly and Emma’s close friendship, everyone’s concern for Kim -- it’s all great stuff and taken seriously throughout which is why I still have a lot of hope and expectations for this series. It’s just so nice to see a book that’s so supportive and intent on emphasizing the importance of female relationships.

Art: The art for Zodiac Starforce is beautiful and popping, but it also has a very serious control of its style so as to not be cartoonish beyond the point of feeling the danger or concern for things within the story. Even so, there were a few things that felt off model this time around. It’s mostly nitpicking, but there was something different about the way Emma’s hair was drawn, specifically when she was Gemini, and there were a few times where Alice and her goons seemed to look very different from how I remembered them. but overall I can’t emphasize enough that it’s a beautiful book and really does capture the feeling of being a Western Magical Girl team story. 

There was a lot of good this week in a lot of different ways but when I think of what I enjoyed the most I have to absolutely give it to Black Magick. This book captures a unique style and tone of two things I sincerely love -- noir and witchcraft -- and is really doing something special with them in the modern age. And those are the kind of daring choices -- much like doing a mostly black-and-white comic when almost all comics stick to high definition coloring -- that really capture my attention and help any book stand out in a given week. So that absolutely must be my Pick of the Week, even with some of my harsher criticisms sent its way.

And, once more, I am in a bit of a financial crunch for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which being the medical bills I’m paying for my dog, Eve, who experienced a catastrophic dog fight and underwent surgery recently. On top of that, I have exactly a month and a half to pack up everything I own and move halfway across the country again which is not helping those financial crunches I mentioned before either.

As such, I really would appreciate if you enjoy my content or are interested in helping me out, please check out either my Patreon or PayPal. Every bit helps and I couldn’t thank you enough for enjoying and supporting my content.

You could also support me by going to my main blog, @renaroo, where I’ll soon be listing prices and more for art and writing commissions.

RenaRoo Ko-Fi

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[inkstainedfanfics]

Missed Shots

Request: hello!!!!! i was the anon that requested have you ever seen a heart shatter and oh my word i am blown away!! i couldn't stop crying after reading it!! anyways, i would love to request another newt x reader where the reader is a legilimens and she reads newts mind and finds out he's in love with tina or leta (which ever one you can choose who you like i guess) and she just breaks i guess?? pure angst as always haha. please and thank you!!!

Word Count: 2,779

Pairing: Newt x Reader

Requested by Anonymous

Requests are currently open! Feel free to send one in

Part 2   |   Drabble

August 1st, 1903

Sploosh. You shriek with laughter. Mud flies every which way. It lands on your cheeks. It sprinkles the front porch. You don’t care that your mother will be mad. You look at the next puddle and bend your knees.

A little boy suddenly bursts into your yard. He shouts, hands out in front of him, as a bunny darts by. Another boy, a little bigger with darker hair, tears into your yard, too. He stops when he sees you. He marches over, calling the other one, too.

“Who’re you?”

You scowl. “Who’re you?”

“I’m Theseus Scamander. This is Newt.” He prods the other boy in the back.

“Why’re you in my backyard?”

The little one stares at his feet when he answers. “We were trying to get that bunny to keep it.”

“Like as a pet?”

Newt nods.

“You’re not supposed to go into other people’s houses, you know.”

The two brothers turn red. “We know, miss.” Theseus says. “But we really wanted a bunny in the house.”

You consider. You’d have done the same. “If I help, will you let me visit the bunny?”

Their faces light up as they nod. You nod back and wipe the mud off your face.

The three of you take off screaming for the bunny.

June 23rd, 1906

“D’you know the secret password?” Newt peeks out at you from behind the door.

“An erumpent ate my pants.”

Newt grins and pulls the door open. “Get in before the doxies can!”

You scream and duck under his arm. “Don’t let them in! They’ll eat your eyes!”

He slams the door shut, whirling around to press his back against it. “Don’t worry, I won’t let them get you.”

“I almost caught the dragon but he breathed fire on the chains and broke free!”

Newt looks up at the ceiling. “Get down!”

His tiny body collides with yours and the two of you roll to the ground, laughing.

Something pounds on the door.

You and Newt look at each other, eyes wide. “It’s the doxies! They’re teaming up! Hide!”

You slide under the bed. Newt dashes under the dresser. Holding a finger to his lips, he watches the door open.

“Kids? Kids, come on out. Newt’s mom is here to bring him home.”

You raise one finger, two, three.

The two of you blast out from your spots and squeeze past your mother.

Shouting gibberish about doxies and dragons, you burst through the front door and tear down the street.

July 1st, 1908

The two of you sit in the blanket fort you’d constructed. “Are you scared?”

“Me? Scared? Never.” You set down the book you’d been reading.

Newt stares at his feet. “Theseus told me the staircases move on their own and that the teachers are called professors and they’re mean if you don’t pay attention.”

You take in Newt’s expression. “You’ve never been scared of an adventure before.”

“This isn’t an adventure like we used to have. This is real.”

You shrug and grab a handful of candy. “Those adventures were real in our minds.”

Newt doesn’t look up at you as he says, “What if I don’t belong there? What if something happens?”

You frown and wipe the sticky candy residue on your pants before you take his hand. “I’ll be there, Newt. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

Newt stares at your joined hands and turns red. You turn the same shade as you try to tune out the thoughts running through his head. He doesn’t know you’re a legi – legile- what’s the word your mom taught you? Oh, legilimens. You hadn’t found a chance to tell him since you’d only known for a few months now.

You shift in your seat and draw your hand away when Newt’s thoughts become even louder.

December 17th, 1911

Newt sets his plate down next to yours. “I don’t get it.”

“What?”

“You fancy Claude?”

Your face turns a bright red as you kick Newt in the shin. “Shhh! No, I don’t.”

“He doesn’t even know what a gnome looks like.”

You scowl. “I don’t fancy him. I just think he’s funny. That’s all.”

“Why don’t you use legilimency to tell how he feels?”

“Newt,” you hiss, “That’s rude. Besides, I don’t want to know.”

“Yes, you do.” He peers out from under his shaggy red hair. “You want desperately to know.”

You stare at the bowl of chocolate pudding in front of you. “We don’t even know if there will be a ball yet. If there isn’t, what’s the point of finding out?”

Newt stares at your face. “It’ll make you happy if he fancies you too.”

“Headmaster Dippet said there may not even be a ball if not enough people are staying over the break.”

Your heart breaks later that night when you find out that not only will there be no ball, but that Claude won’t be staying at Hogwarts over break. A whole month without seeing him.

You lean against the wall of the Hufflepuff common room later that night, arms crossed over the light blue fabric of your dress. Newt invited you here for, you assumed, a party, but there’s no one around. Everyone had left earlier to go home.

You’re about to call out for Newt when he enters the room, dress robes on, lugging a record player into the room, the one record he owned stuck under his elbow. He sets it down and starts the music.

You straighten when Newt approaches, rubbing the back of his neck. “I know this isn’t the ball you were hoping for, but I thought you would still like to dance.”

He extends a hand that you take. You stumble forward, unsure of how this all exactly works. He stands half a foot away from you, hands high on your hips. You bite your lip and rest your hands on his shoulder. The two of you sway to the music the rest of the night and you forget all about Claude.

March 5th, 1913

“I’m telling you, Newt, she’s just using you! She doesn’t care about you as much as she pretends to.”

Newt paces in front of you, lip bleeding, and glowers. “You said yourself that you don’t like to read people’s minds!”

“I had to, Newt. Don’t you see that? We’re 16. She doesn’t actually love you.”

“I never claimed she does.” Newt freezes mid-stride. “How did you know she told me that?”

You falter. “I didn’t – Newt I just –“

“You promised to never root around in my mind.”

“I didn’t try. You were just so loud about it yesterday.”

“I didn’t say a thing!”

“I know, but you were so happy that I couldn’t block it out. I tried, I swear.”

He folds his hands behind his back and examines the grass in front of him. “Please go.”

You shake your head. “Don’t do this.”

“I asked you to leave, please.”

“I won’t do it again. Just listen to me about her. I saw it all.”

“Go.” Newt shoots a glare at you as his lower lip trembles.

You take a breath to say something, but let it out as you turn away.

November 3rd, 1914

Newt allows you to rub his back in small circles. “They won’t expel you. You’re so bright. They’re going to want to keep you around so they can brag about you later.”

“I don’t know about that.” He shakes his head, unwilling to talk about it any longer. “I heard you and Vince broke up.”

The sudden confession triggers tears you have to fight. “It’s nothing to worry about. He was a jerk anyway.”

Newt glances at you. “I know we haven’t exactly been talking lately, but I can still tell when you’re lying to me.”

You breath shakes when you let it out and decide to be honest. “I really cared for him.”

Newt slips out from under your arm and pulls you against his chest. You curl up against him, so natural after eleven years of being there for one another. His vest wets beneath your face as you cry.

Newt has little to say, but he presses his lips to the top of your head. “For what it’s worth, I would never break your heart if I had it.”

You know he means it.

July 31st, 1922

“She’s precious.” Newt says as he lifts the baby girl in the air.

Your friend beams. “Morrigan really is the most beautiful baby ever, isn’t she?”

You nod your head, watching as Newt makes silly faces at the child. “Do you still think that at 3 in the morning?”

She laughs. “Believe it or not, yes. Riley and I switch shifts. That’s what it’s really about.” She drones on, but your entire attention is on Newt.

When Morrigan reaches her hand out, he leans forward, letting her tug on his curls. “Don’t you pull my hair out. I need all of that. You’re so small.” He pulls her, cradling her in his arms when she fusses. “Don’t cry, I’ve got you.”

Something deep inside you flutters to life when he looks over at you and grins. “Do you see her? Isn’t she beautiful? Almost as beautiful as you.”

You make a weird face at him but turn away when your cheeks start to burn.

May 4th, 1927

“You’re going to love Queenie.”

“She’s a legilimens too, right?”

“Yes.” Newt bounces off of you as the train shakes. You’re headed to meet two of his new friends he’s talked about nonstop since he visited you a few months prior. Finally, you’d just asked to meet them yourself.

You grip Newt’s arm as the train jostles everyone around, thrilled at the excuse to be so near him. “Does she control it?”

Newt’s lips thin. “To be quite honest, I’m not sure she tries.”

You breathe and remind yourself of all the lessons you’d taken on occlumency.

The two of you make your way off the train when it stops and Newt leads you through the winding streets of New York.

The apartment is small but lovely. Tiny decorations dot the apartment and the warm smell of freshly baked apple pie wraps around you when you enter. The blonde—Queenie—frowns when you block out her attempts at delving into your thoughts but says nothing.

Newt reaches out and shakes the shorter one’s hand. The two grin at one another but don’t say much. You cough, a reminder that you exist, and Newt steps to the side.

“This is Tina.”

“I figured.” You murmur as you take the hand she extends and introduce yourself.

“It’s nice to meet you. Newt has told me all about you.”

You can’t help smiling at that. “It’s nice to finally meet the person Newt won’t shut up about.”

She looks back at him with another goofy grin. “Newt not shut up? When we first met, Newt barely spoke a word.”

You nod. “He was the same when I first met him. Where should I put my stuff?”

Queenie interrupts. “I can show you.”

You glance at Newt then back at her. “Lead the way.”

She leads you behind the kitchen table and into the hallway. “So, you’re Newt’s old friend, huh?”

“Yep.”

“You know he missed you a lot when he was here, right? He kept thinking about how much you would’ve loved to be here.”

“He and I used to go on adventures together when we were younger.”

She opens the door on her right. “You can get all set up in here.”

You thank her as she leaves. Setting your suitcase down on your bed, you cover your face with your hands and let out a small squeal. Newt had talked about you. Newt had missed you. You decide at that moment that when you return home, you’ll ask Newt on a real date.

May 6th, 1927

Roast beef and potatoes with various sides of jams, rolls, and vegetables fill the tiny table. You breathe in the relaxing aroma and scoop another spoonful of mashed potatoes onto your plate. It falls off in a sloop and you nestle the serving spoon back in the bowl, tuning back into Newt and Queenie’s conversation.

“I don’t see how you could make that claim, honey.”

“It’s quite simple. See, the eggs are made of silver.”

“I don’t know about that.” Queenie turns her gaze on you. “Would you like more to drink?”

You wipe the corners of your mouth with your napkin. “That would be great, thank you.”

After this meal, you and Newt plan to leave and catch the train back to the harbor. You have enjoyed the trip. Newt was right, you love Queenie. Tina, though, seems to be more distant, more hesitant to speak with you. You have no clue why.

Or, at least, you don’t until you notice Newt’s face and the smile he tries to fight when she invites him out.

She spears at her food. “The dance hall is supposed to be fun.” She pauses and takes a deep breath. “Maybe you and I could go one day.”

You wait for Newt’s dismissal, his excuse of being too busy, his promise that next time he would.

It doesn’t come.

“I think that’d be nice.”

You freeze, fork halfway to plate. It isn’t the way he says it that breaks your heart, and it isn’t the way he looks at her the same way he used to look at you.

No, it’s the way you suddenly can’t tune out his thoughts, the way they overwhelm you, choke you.

Queenie shifts in her seat. She must be overwhelmed, too. It’s impossible to ignore their thoughts, the absolute elation shared between both of them.

Breathless, you excuse yourself from the table with a smile, citing a sore stomach.

Newt enters your room moments after you begin tossing clothes into your suitcase. “Are you okay? Queenie said something’s wrong. Why are you packing already? We have hours.”

You shake your head. “Nothing, Newt. I just need some space.” You slam the top of your suitcase shut. God, had you really loved him and believed it was requited? All these years, you’d assumed he cared. You’d assumed he was just waiting to know if you felt the same. Really, though, he’d been falling in love with other people.

He steps forward, frowning. “You can talk to me.”

“No, I can’t. I can’t because you keep secrets from me.”

Newt’s face screws up in confusion. “I’ve never kept a secret from you. Not since third year after I ruined your hat.”

The smile he hopes for doesn’t appear. “Just give up, Newt. Let me go.”

“What’s wrong?” He reaches for you as you storm by. “Please talk to me. I don’t know what I did.”

You shake his arm off your shoulder, trying to ignore the desperate confusion in his pleas. “You didn’t do anything. I just… I just messed something up.”

Newt’s eyes—the ones you have memorized—fill with concern. “Let me help.”

You clamp your eyes shut as your voice wobbles. “I don’t think you can. I think it’s too late.”

“Please —“

“Space, Newt, please.”

He takes in your red face, your teary eyes, and the distress you seem to be feeling. “Why won’t you let me help?” The question is little more than a whisper.

“Newt.” Your soft voice breaks his heart. “Please just let me go.”

“For how long?”

“Maybe for good.”

He slouches like you’ve hit him. “What did I do?”

You press your lips together. Being kind won’t work. “You lied to me.”

“About what?”

You meet his eyes, voice hard but ache deep in your chest. “Newt, I don’t want to be your friend anymore.”

He can’t bear it, not after twenty-four years of friendship, of laughing, of jokes and adventures and shared tears. Not after he loved you for so long.

“You can’t do this.”

“I can and I am.”

“Just tell me what I did.”

“Newt, I don’t want to see you anymore, okay?”

He opens and closes his mouth twice before bowing his head and staring at the floor. “Don’t do this.”

Tears streaming over your cheeks, you begin walking out, suitcase in tow, but pause when Newt’s voice cracks through the room. “Will you—will you come back?”

You close your eyes, glad he can’t read your thoughts or see your crossed fingers, when you answer. “I don’t think so.”

The door shuts without a whisper behind you.

Newt stares at the closed door, tears in his eyes, and wonders what exactly he did wrong to drive his best friend away.