#But I’m so busy with quests and taking care of my farm that I keep forgetting to check what I need to upgrade it | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

verai-marcel · 3 years ago

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Of Dragons and Love (RDR2 Fanfic, Arthur x F!Reader, 18+)

Summary: Arthur didn't want to come to Strawberry, didn't want to help a certain sniveling rat escape his cell. So he decides to explore the town instead and runs into a mysterious woman whom he can't let go.

Author’s Notes: I’m gonna take a moment and lean hard on my heritage to pull some inspiration from an old Cantonese opera. And we're gonna leave Micah in his cell because nuts to that guy. So pretend this takes place in chapter two when Arthur was supposed to go rescue him, but decided to do a side quest instead. This was written for the RDR Mini Bang! @rdrbigbang

Tags: Arthur x F!Reader, spoilers, Chinese mythology-inspired, alternate timeline, mild exophilia, insta-love, magic, smut, HEA

Word Count: 6,378

Accompanying Artwork: @danger-r-98-5 has made some wonderful art for this fic!

AO3 Link is here.

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Arthur stepped into the small town of Strawberry and immediately wanted to turn around. He could pretend Micah was dead. He could just bide his time and wait for him to hang.

As he rode through the small town, he passed the small jail and kept going to the visitor's center. Seeing the map of the nearby area tacked onto the wall next to the entrance, he hitched his horse and walked over to take a better look.

"Welcome to Strawberry, good sir!"

Arthur flicked a tired glance at the boisterous man before continuing his casual perusal of the map, waiting to see if he would leave. When the man remained beside him, he sighed, exasperated.

"Hullo," he said without looking at the other man.

"Are you here for business or pleasure?"

"Uh, just passin' through." It sure as hell wasn't for pleasure, and his business was his own.

"Ah, I see. Well, please keep us in mind if you ever want to spend a day relaxing in our lovely town. This hotel is the coziest in West Elizabeth," the man boasted, gesturing behind him. "And the scenic Mount Shann and Owanjila Dam aren't too far from here."

"Alright."

"And Big Valley, just past the mountains, is a beautiful place to hunt and camp."

"Uh huh."

When Arthur continued to look at the map without any further inclination towards interacting with him, the man gave up on his sales pitch. "Well, I'll be inside if you have any questions."

"Ayup."

Finally alone, Arthur focused on the path that would take him to Owanjila. He'd been meaning to do a bit of fishing and commune with nature. Seemed like as good a place as any.

Anything to postpone the reason he came here.

***

You weren't sure how you lived so long, not knowing what you were. You had been living with your mother for two decades, not knowing who your father was. Your mother didn't talk about him, and the one time you asked, she had simply said one thing.

"He disappeared."

You didn't know what that meant exactly, and she did not explain.

Until one day, on your twentieth birthday, he appeared. A large, scary looking man came to your door. Your mother paled and tried not to react, but when he held out a necklace and told her how sorry he was for leaving her alone, she broke down and cried.

You found out that when she was young, your mother lived in a small house by a waterfall that fed a large lake. There was a growing town not too far from there, where she worked as a waitress.

One day, on the other side of the lake, a group of Chinese workers made camp as they worked on the railway that was coming through town. They were not welcomed in the town by most people, but your mother took pity on them and sold them food and other groceries, for a delivery fee.

Somehow, your father had caught her eye, and they developed a secret relationship. When her parents discovered the love letter your father had written to your mother, she was kicked out of the house, without anything of hers to take with her. When your mother had gone to the camp to look for your father, it had been abandoned, the workers having left hours earlier to the next site.

Broken hearted, your mother had thrown the necklace he had gifted her into the lake and left town, moving to Strawberry and giving birth to you. You had grown up here, made friends, had a few short dalliances with boys here while you grew up.

Strawberry was a small town, but there was a creek running through it, and when you had free time, which was not often these days, you loved to follow the creek to a waterfall and watch the water. You always felt an affinity with the water, felt like it always pulled at your very soul. You had learned how to swim with ease; your mother had said you were like a fish.

Your father explained why he had left, and why he had finally come back.

"I am a Dragon," he had said. "Great-great grand-nephew of the Dragon King of the North Sea."

He was an immortal creature, drawn to the belief of his people in a foreign land, looking for something to comfort them while they worked in dangerous conditions to make money to send home to their families. He protected them, guided them, and thus, had to follow where they went. When the camp left suddenly, he had no time to say goodbye and was nearly dragged away, the pull of his people’s belief taking him with them.

But now he was free, his people having finished their jobs. They had dispersed, either leaving for China or moving to San Francisco, where other Dragon Gods held domain and took over the belief of his former followers. So he started looking for his long lost love, who still cared for him deep in her heart, and traced the thread of emotion leading back to her.

He promised to take care of you and your mother from now on, and he made good on his promise. For the past five years, he had worked alongside the two of you, making your small farm plot healthy and fertile.

It helped that he could make the sky rain whenever you needed it.

He had also trained you in your small powers. Because you had been untrained for so long, your powers were weak, but over time, and with practice, they grew steadily stronger. You could breathe underwater. You could swim faster than humanly possible. And while you couldn't transform into a dragon, your hair became teal and your skin could shift into a bluish-grey tint. It was a bit unsettling the first time you did it in the mirror.

But your most favorite power of all was the ability to shape nearby water to your will. At first, you could only move a small amount of water in a mug. But over time, you could move water in pitchers, basins, buckets, barrels, and even water troughs for animals.

At this point, if you entered a pond, you could easily create ripples and small waves just by focusing on your energy and sending it outwards from you.

Five years had passed since he had come back, and you had learned so much. Your life was so peaceful now that it came as no surprise when your parents announced that they wanted to move back to their hometown. Of course something had to change; that was the only constant in life, after all.

But you didn’t want to leave. You loved Strawberry. This was your home.

Your father had let out a breath, then smiled, much to your surprise.

“Owanjila does not have a spirit to guard it, since it’s a new body of water. Perhaps… you can become its guardian.”

“But I’m half-human,” you had said.

“So is Owanjila,” he said.

You nodded and smiled. Now you knew why he had been training you so hard all these years.

***

Arthur was pleasantly relaxed for the first time in a long time. He had spent all day fishing and gathering herbs after he set up a small campsite tucked away in the thicker part of the forest. It was quiet on this side of the lake, since all the travelers would go across the dam to take in the scenery. He was glad he picked a spot that was farthest from, for he didn’t have the energy to even say hello.

With a couple of large fish, he made his way back to his campsite, cooked up a fine meal with his freshly picked herbs, and spent some time writing and drawing before looking up at the stars before he fell asleep, the campfire quietly dying as his snores melded with the rest of the night.

***

It had been three months since your parents had left you here. They had sold the small farm and used the money to help you fix up a small abandoned fishing cabin out here on the far side of the lake, where you could hunt and gather on your own, trading furs and fish in town. Ever since you had become the guardian, the fish had spawned much more frequently and grew faster than normal, keeping you well fed. You figured it was a side-effect of the lake having a guardian spirit now.

You looked at your hands; yesterday, you had tripped on a step as you walked back from town, getting some small cuts on the palms of your hands as they had scraped against the gravel. Today, they had healed so quickly that there were no scars; you had never healed so quickly before. You wondered if your powers were growing and had walked into town earlier today to send a letter to your folks, letting them know what had happened.

It was late; the moon was high in the sky, and as bright as the electric lights in St Denis. You were roused from your sleep by the pull of the moon, and knew that it was time.

You took off your clothes and set them on your front porch. Walking to the water’s edge, you slipped into the water without a sound, the liquid embracing you as if you were an old friend.

“Hello, Owanjila,” you whispered as you walked deeper and deeper until you were completely submerged. Then you transformed, your skin turning bluish-grey, your hair shifting to a beautiful teal, and your gills appearing near your collarbone. You kicked your legs and swam gracefully through the water, spinning and twirling as you joyfully moved through the water as easily as you could walk on land.

Once you reached the middle of the lake, you bolted upwards, your legs kicking in unison with such speed and power that you broke the surface easily, your body shooting into the air. You let out a whoop of excitement, for it was only during full moons that you could fly this high out of the water; you had certainly tried other times. For a moment, the starry sky and the bright moon seemed impossibly close, and you held out your hands as if you could gather them all up and hold them tight forever.

Flipping backwards, you extended your hands in front of you and dove back into the water with barely a splash.

***

“Huh, whuzzah,” Arthur muttered as he was jolted awake by the sound of someone yelling. Immediately on alert, Arthur reached for his pistol and carefully made his way out of the tent, looking around. Seeing nothing but trees and rocks after circling his campsite twice, he was about to go back into his tent.

Another yell echoed through the trees. It didn’t sound like anyone in danger, more like… elation?

His curiosity piqued, he quietly made his way towards the lake, following the sounds of the water sloshing around as if someone was swimming. Coming to the shoreline, he saw the full moon, reflected in the water, with ripples circling from the center of the reflection.

Unable to stop himself, Arthur found a nearby rock and climbed it to better see the center of the lake. Squatting down, he peered out at the water.

Something shot out of the water at breakneck speed, surprising him enough that he fell onto his ass.

For a split second, he saw everything clearly.

He saw her nude form, water glistening off her skin, the moon bathing her in a silvery light. He saw the look of ecstasy on her face as she looked up at the moon.

He saw her eyes as they met his.

Arthur’s heart skipped a beat.

Then she was gone, diving back into the water like an arrow, hardly disturbing the surface.

Sitting up, he crawled to the edge of the rock and peered at the spot, waiting for her to return. Part of him wondered if he had imagined it, and part of him hoped she was real. He had felt like he had seen something so evanescently ephemeral that his heart fluttered like a child seeing fireworks. He wanted to experience that sparkling feeling again and again.

When his knees ached and his joints complained, he finally gave up, climbed off the rock, and returned to his tent. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but it didn’t come quickly as his heart continued to race. When he finally managed to nod off, his dreams were filled with a mysterious woman with an expression so filled with euphoria that he could almost taste her joy.

***

You were mortified. A man was camping around your lake and you hadn’t noticed? Granted, you were in town most of the day trying to sell some rabbit pelts, and then you had written your letter at the post office since you had run out of ink and bought some at the general store and didn’t want to walk all the way back to your cabin.

But still, you hadn’t noticed. You supposed it was because he had no ill intent. It wasn’t that you could sense people, that wasn’t how your power worked; it was more you could feel out harmful intentions. People who came and went on the dam were usually harmless tourists and you took no notice of them. But occasionally that greedy mayor would come up here and consider building some cheap cabins out on the lake as tourist traps, and you would cause the lake to be extra choppy that day, splashing water on him if you were nearby. It was usually enough to change his mind.

You stayed at the bottom of the lake, waiting long enough before you slowly swam up again, moving towards the edge of the lake before you poked your head up from the water.

He was gone.

You sighed in relief and swam back to your cabin, looking around once more before getting out and back onto your porch. Grabbing your clothes, you got inside and dried off, thinking of the man’s shocked expression.

But what came to your mind most of all was that in the moonlight, you had managed to make eye contact. In that moment, your heart had pounded like you had seen something beautiful.

Despite your embarrassment at being caught naked and in your half-dragon form, you wanted to see him in the daylight. You wanted to find out who he was, and why your heart had finally moved after all these years.

***

Arthur came out of his tent, bleary eyed as he yawned. He hadn’t gotten a whole lot of sleep, but he was, for better or for worse, used to it. The sound of a crackling of a fire and the sight of a figure sitting with their back turned was also something he was used to.

Until he realized that the fire had gone out last night and he had come to this place alone. Reaching for his pistol, he stopped when he heard her speak.

“I mean you no harm.”

Arthur, suspicious, for people who had said that to him before often would turn around and shoot him, put a hand on his pistol, but left it in its holster. Coming out of his tent and rising to his full height, he walked around to face the woman at his campfire.

When she looked up at him, he felt like he was hit with an arrow.

Those same eyes from last night met his, and he felt like the whole world slowed and became silent. All he saw was her, and he didn’t care about anything else.

***

His eyes were beautiful, like gemstones sparkling in the morning light. His hair was tousled from sleep, but it made you think of him in bed next to you. You swallowed. Why were you thinking of waking up next to him? You barely knew him!

But you couldn’t ignore the heat in your veins as your eyes traveled down his body. His very tall, muscular body. Oh gods, you felt your heartbeat quicken as you suddenly had a mental image of him climbing over you, his naked body above yours, his big hands holding your hips as he thrust—

“Can I help you, miss?” the man finally asked, his voice rough from sleep. His voice was like whiskey, flowing smoothly over your body and making you burn with need. He swallowed, and you watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down in his throat. Oh, to lick that sun-kissed skin…

You shook your head, both in answer to him and to clear the lustful images from your head. “I’m alright, I just wanted to share your campfire.”

***

“Oh?” Arthur asked, sitting down beside her to hide his body’s reaction to meeting her eyes. When he had met her gaze, he was hit hard with desire, the sudden image of her beneath him, legs spread, her expression of ecstasy for him and him alone.

For a brief moment, he wanted to take her, to guide her to the ground and thrust wildly inside of her like an animal.

But instead he reeled himself in; he wasn’t that kind of man. He didn’t even know why he had such a visceral reaction to her. All he knew was that she was sitting here with him now, and she was beautiful. When she turned away, he felt like he was suddenly lost, and wished for her to look at him once more with those mysterious eyes. He observed her as she poked the fire with a stick, wondering what she was thinking.

“So, uh, you live around here?” he asked, berating himself immediately for such an awkward question.

“I do, just down the shoreline,” she replied.

“Oh.”

She turned to meet his gaze, and he felt it once more. A pull, stronger than any he had ever known, as if she was hypnotizing him with just one look. Unable to stop himself, he leaned in closer, her lips beckoning him.

“What are you doing?” she asked curiously.

The spell broken, Arthur quickly leaned back and sputtered, “I, uh, I don’t know, to be honest.”

The woman smiled at him, and he felt his entire world light up with fireworks.

“What’s your name?”

“Arthur.”

“Nice to meet you, Arthur.”

She told him her name, and he repeated it just so he could say it out loud. He loved the way her name rolled off his tongue. He had shivered with desire from the way she had said her name.

“So you saw me last night,” she said after a few moments.

He smiled nervously as guilt wracked him. “Uh, yup. I’m sorry, I didn’ mean to peek.”

“It’s alright, I should’ve been more careful,” she said, a wry grin on her face. “Usually no one camps here.”

Silence stretched between them as Arthur wondered what he should say, if anything.

She brought up her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. “And there’s not much to look at anyway,” she said self-deprecatingly.

“You were beautiful,” he blurted out suddenly. He couldn’t believe she’d think that. He wanted to burn the sight of her coming out of the water into his memories so he’d never forget.

She turned her head to look at him, and he felt the pull once more, but it was tinged with melancholy. It made his heart clench. He reached out and put an arm around her, pulling her into his chest, desperate to ease the pain. “Yer beautiful,” he repeated.

***

Surrounded by warmth, you sank into his chest and breathed in his scent. His natural musk, layered with balsam and leather, was soothing to you, made you feel safe and protected. No other man had affected you like this. Was this how your parents had fallen for each other? Was it an instant attraction?

You had been taught to follow your instincts, and something about this man made you want to keep him forever. To hold him tight and never let him go.

So you reached back out to him, wrapping your arms around his broad torso. Looking up at him, meeting his surprised expression, you leaned forward and kissed him. His lips were chapped but pliable as you pushed forward, pressing your body against his.

You were met with a startled grunt. He let you go and backed away, like a shy lady from an all too amorous man.

“Y-you barely know me,” he said, his voice dropping to a whisper.

“Sorry,” you said, shrinking back on yourself. Maybe you misread him, maybe he was just saying you were beautiful to make you feel better. Maybe you were just lonely and wanted to connect with him, the first man who had made you feel something in years.

“Look,” he said, leaning forward again, “it’s not that I don’t want to, I just think, well, maybe we git to know each other a bit more first before, uh, well…” He trailed off, gesturing blandly.

You laughed. Of course. He was shy. Standing up, you reached out to him. “Will you stay a while? My cabin is small but it’ll protect you from the elements better than your tent. And it’ll be warmer at night too.”

Arthur stared at your hand for a moment before standing up on his own. “Alright. I’ll pack up first.”

***

Arthur wasn’t sure how he was convinced to stay in a cabin with a woman he hardly knew, but every time he met her eyes, everything else fell away and all he wanted was to be with her.

He wasn’t sure how much time passed, maybe a few days, maybe weeks. But he had never been so content to just fish and hunt and spend time with his sweet lady. He learned about her parents, who had been small-time farmers near Strawberry before they moved to her mother’s hometown, leaving her to live on her own. When he had asked why, she had said it was because she loved it here and didn’t want to leave.

He understood why; after the first few days of just roaming the land, living off its bounty, he was quite content to just stay and forget his troubles. She would go into town and sell his furs and pelts, and when he wasn’t hunting, he would help upgrade her little cabin, fixing up small things here and there to make her more comfortable.

He had insisted on sleeping on his bedroll on the floor beside her bed, at least for now. He felt like he was working up the courage to bed her, even though she clearly had given him an open invitation to her bed.

Every night he thought about it.

And every night, he trudged to his bedroll and slept beside her bed like a faithful pet dog.

***

14 days had passed. The new moon would be out tonight, and you were itching to go for a swim.

But with Arthur here, you hesitated. He had seen you that first night, sure. But he hadn’t seen you clearly. He hadn’t seen your skin and hair color change, your gills at your collarbone, your preternaturally fast swimming.

As you stood at the end of your little fishing dock that was connected to the porch of your cabin, you sighed. Watching the setting sun streak its beautiful orange rays across the water, you internally debated if you should show him so you could freely act as the guardian once more. You had been feeling stifled as of late, only able to use your powers while he was out hunting, and only in secret in case he might come out of the forest at any given time.

“What’s the matter, darlin’?”

You smiled. He had started calling you his darling or his sweetheart after a week of gentle caresses as he walked by, or even a casual kiss on the cheek as you went into town on an errand. No matter how much he said it, you melted every time. It was endearing and charming to you, even though they were simple words. The way he said them, the love and care he put into those pet names, was everything you wanted to hear.

Turning to Arthur, you saw that he was dressed in his usual blue shirt and black ranch pants, looking concerned. Seeing the care he had for your well-being made you come to a decision. He deserved the truth of you.

“I need to show you something.”

***

Arthur swallowed as his sweet lady began to disrobe right there on the dock. He was shocked to a standstill, unable to move as he saw every inch of beautiful skin exposed to his view. His pants grew tight, his throat dry, and his internal instinct to protect surged through him.

“Darlin’, what’re you…”

He couldn’t utter another sound as he watched her usual skin shimmer and then shift to a blue-grey tint. Her hair became teal colored, and slits appeared above her collarbone.

“Gills,” she said as she pointed at them, shrugging shyly. “I’m a dragon spirit. Or half of one.”

Arthur could only nod in both shock and awe. He had suspected she was hiding something, but he would have never guessed it was something like this. He took in her form, human and yet not, familiar and yet bizarre. But still beautiful, wonderful, her.

“Do… do I disgust you?”

“No!” Arthur said, quickly taking two steps to stand in front of her. “Yer still the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.”

Seeing her smile shyly and look away, his need to assure her only grew stronger. “That why you could swim so good?” he asked, reaching up to caress her neck, right above her gills.

She nodded again.

“What’d you mean by half?” he asked, curious.

“My father, he was a dragon, the great-great grand nephew of the Dragon King of the North Sea.”

Arthur nodded. “Oh. Okay then.” He didn’t understand what that meant, but it sounded a bit important.

She tittered. “I don’t really know how important that is either,” she said, answering the unspoken question. “But I can swim real fast, breathe underwater, and I can control water a little bit,” she said, her excitement growing with each word. She turned to the water and put out her hand.

Ripples started to appear, and they grew into small waves, rolling across the surface of the lake.

She turned back to him, a happy glow to her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re not disgusted by me.”

“I’d never be,” he replied, pulling her into his arms. His gaze traveled along her face, admiring her hair color, her bluish-grey skin, and the gills at her neck, before looking at her smile, full of self-confidence. She was radiant and it made her all the more alluring.

“You’re beautiful, no matter what.”

***

This time when you kissed Arthur, he kissed you back, unafraid, bold, confident. He quickly took over, his fingers gripping the back of your head as he pulled your body closer to his. You felt the rough fabric of his shirt sliding along your sensitive nipples and moaned softly.

He suddenly wrapped one arm around your waist and one around your ass before picking you up with ease.

“I need you darlin’,” he murmured before turning from the dock and walking determinedly towards your cabin. He maneuvered you inside and shut the door, not wanting any interruptions. Laying you down on the bed, he stepped away to light the lantern before returning to you, taking off his hat and flinging it aside.

You shifted back to your human colors, your gills disappearing.

“Yer magical,” Arthur whispered before resting his forehead against yours and closing his eyes, a wry grin on his face. You kissed him back, smiling in return, acknowledging his silly word choice and accepting his sentiment for what it was: a compliment. He shared your gaze for a few moments before kissing you back as he unbuttoned his shirt, leaving it open while he climbed over you. You could feel his impatience as he pressed his bare chest against yours, his kisses heating up and becoming demanding.

“Arthur,” you breathed as he moved down to kiss your neck, his lips tracing lines where your gills had been.

“Why’d I wait this long,” he muttered, mostly to himself, as he ran his fingers from your hip up your belly. His touch was feather-light, almost ticklish as he skimmed the underside of your breast before tracing circles around your areola.

You writhed, whimpering softly. He looked at you, keeping his gaze locked with yours as he leaned down and took your nipple into his mouth.

"Oh, yes," you moaned as his tongue played with you, distracting you just long enough for his other hand to caress the inside of your thighs. You parted your legs eagerly.

You felt Arthur smile against your skin before he switched to your other breast, giving you the same pleasure as his hand slid between your legs, his fingers exploring your slit.

"This honey fer me, darlin'?" he asked in a low, husky voice.

"All for you," you whispered.

He let out a soft growl of satisfaction before dipping a finger inside of you. Your hips lifted up towards his touch. Moving away from your breast, he kissed his way up your neck, to your cheeks, then to your lips once more. He took his time tasting you, his tongue languidly caressing yours as his fingers delved inside of you, his thumb brushing against your bud, each stroke driving you higher and higher towards your peak that was approaching rapidly.

You moaned his name, muffled as it was by his mouth on yours. He growled in return, pumping his fingers faster, his thumb stroking you with determination.

"Ah, ah, Arthur!" you cried out as you climaxed. As you felt the pleasure zip through your veins, you buzzed with power for a moment before it faded.

You didn't have time to think about it, for Arthur climbed off the bed and took off the rest of his clothes. He was such a big man, with muscles from hard work, scars from a rough life, and a dangerous grace to him. He had power and knew how to use it.

And right now, he wanted to make you release over and over again.

He climbed over you, just like in your fantasies, and spread your legs, wrapping them around his waist. Taking his hard length in his hand, he slid the tip around your entrance, slicking himself up as he watched you tremble beneath him.

"You sure 'bout this, darlin'?" he murmured, a slight tremor in his voice, as if he was holding back. He didn't stop sliding the head of his cock along your slit, up and down in a slow rhythm.

"Yes, yes please Arthur, just take me!" you begged. He was driving you mad with his gentle strokes. You lifted your hips up, causing the tip of him to slip inside.

"So needy, sweet girl," he crooned before he pushed forward, driving himself deeper inside of you.

You writhed and winced as your body stretched around his girth. He was sweating, holding himself steady as he waited for you to regain your breath before inching forward some more. Patiently, Arthur watched your every reaction, taking great care to control his movements until his hips finally came flush with yours.

He murmured your name, his lips brushing against yours before he kissed you. His hands cradled your face as he grinded against you, the heat of his body warming you up like a thick quilt. Deepening the kiss, he angled your head so he could devour you. A low moan escaped him as his hips shifted, building a steady rhythm of short thrusts.

"More, Arthur," you said when he finally let you take a breath.

"I'll give you whatever you need," he replied before lifting himself up, letting the cool air touch your body. He pulled his cock out almost all the way and waited for an eternal moment while he stared into your eyes, the lust blowing out his pupils.

Then he slammed back inside of you.

Your pleasure-filled yell was stopped short by Arthur's swift uptick in pace. He was hammering his cock inside of your tight, wet channel, and he couldn't get enough. Not saying a word, he only moaned and panted as he drove into you relentlessly, taking just a split second to adjust his angle before continuing.

"So good," he moaned before he got up onto his haunches, taking your hips in his big hands, his fingers digging into your flesh as he fucked you like a man possessed. He growled, a feral sound of pleasure, before he reached down and stroked your clit.

"Need… to… see… you… let go…" he panted.

You tightened your legs around his waist, meeting his thrusts with your own enthusiastic motions, reaching for your breasts and playing with your nipples before him.

"Oh darlin', you look so pretty like that," he grit out, his face contorted in an effort to control his desires. He was so close. So very close.

"Give me everything!" you gasped, your body shaking, on the edge of a precipice so high that you almost felt fear.

Feeling your body grip him so tightly, Arthur let out a passionate shout before he spilled inside of you. His eyes were wild as he stared at you, his mouth open as he drew in breath after ragged breath. He moaned as he thrust one last time before crushing his hips to yours, keeping his shaft inside of you for as long as possible.

As he spent himself inside of you, you felt your core suddenly overflow with ecstasy, your body shuddering as you came around his thick cock. At the same time, your power unleashed, making your body glow a bluish hue.

"Darlin'!?" Arthur panicked, sounding winded, his brow creased with worry.

The power that had unlocked within you gave your vision a strange overlay of colors. And within the warm orange glow of Arthur was a black cloud in his chest. You reached out through the haze of your afterglow and pulled at it.

He gasped and coughed.

You pulled again. Now that you had touched it, you knew it was bad. It needed to get out of his system before it did permanent damage.

Arthur grasped his chest. "What…" he trailed off as he coughed a few more times before you managed to heave out the black cloud from his lungs. You quickly quashed it in your hands.

Looking up at him, you put your hands on his cheeks and kissed him, pouring the last of the glowing power inside of him. On some instinctual level, you knew you had healed him of something. Whether it was an old lingering illness or a new one that was just about to form, it was now gone from his system.

When you finally pulled away, Arthur looked bewildered. For a few seconds, or a few minutes, you weren’t sure how slow or fast time was flowing, the two of you could only stare at each other, lost in that foggy place between dreams and reality.

"What'd you pull outta me?" Arthur finally asked, still a little breathless.

"Something bad. An illness, I think,” you replied. You took a deep breath before squeezing his hand. “Whatever it was, it will no longer hurt you."

Arthur smiled and pressed his forehead against yours. "Thank you, sweetheart."

***

Arthur left a day later, telling you that he'd be back once he had taken care of some people.

You didn't see him for a long time.

Four months passed before you saw him again. He looked ragged, skinnier, as if he had been through hell and back. But when he saw you, he rushed over and fell into your arms, holding you tight as if you were the only real thing in his world.

***

He told you everything. He confessed that he had been the one to help that criminal escape and shot up the town. That he had been chased all over three states with his gang. That he had stolen money from several trains. That he had been on a ship that had sunk and was stranded on an island for days before finding a way back.

He told you about John. He told you about how he had helped him escape the Pinkertons, had ran with him all the way down the mountain before telling him where to meet his family. Then Arthur had set off, the long way around through the wilds of Ambarino so he could lose the men who were chasing him, just so he could get safely back to you.

You saw now that his eyes were unclouded, having seen his world for what it was. You saw pain and regret in his eyes, but you also saw understanding and a clarity that was not there before. He appeared to have finally found wisdom at a heavy price.

After he had told you everything, you cooked him a meal of steamed fish and herbs. He ate quietly, as if his confession had stolen all of his words from him.

He finished his meal and sat in silence for a few minutes before looking towards you. "I ain't a good man—"

You shushed him. "You are more good than not, Arthur," you said. "We all make mistakes. You were just trying to do your best. That's all any of us can do."

Reaching for his hand across the table, you grasped it and pulled it to your chest, placing it over your heart. "Will you stay?"

Arthur smiled hesitantly. "You… still want me?"

You stood up and leaned across the table to kiss him. "I'll always want you, Arthur. I love you."

He kissed you back. When he looked at you, his gaze full of gratitude. "I love you too, my sweet darlin'. Thank you fer believin' in me."

--------------------

End Notes: I had to end it on a sappy note, of course. Hope you enjoyed that little romp with some folklore!

#rdrbigbang2021 #arthur x F!reader #rdr2 fanfic #arthur morgan #rdr2 #fanfic #writing #nsft #lemon fanfic

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bansheeoftheforest · 3 years ago

Note

Y'all better stop updating the syndicate au while in gone, my wifi is out because the cable frickin melted and it wont he repaired until hopefully Friday, so until then 🔫 /lh

1: The Society being more than tall enough to do leaps of faith off of

2: Listening to Jacob ride carriages, I have decided he loves horses. He and Jekyll are horse boyfriends and after the events of the game + tgs they run away and start a horse farm together <3

3: Having not yet heard anything contradictory. Jacob gives animals names like "Sweetroll" or "Birdy"

4: I HAVE MET THE ROTH, he is wonderful and I love he. Blighter Jekyll would 100% be in the plays when he had the free time because hey! They cant tell him he's avoiding doing work for the gang when Maxwell Roth is Right There and encouraging it. (To clarify, normal theater shows and plays, not like the one he made for Jacob :p)

OOOOOOOOH WHAT IF. They meet while at and escaping the last show. I have no clue how itd go about but it seems very fun and I love the thought of them wearing masquerade clothes n masks,

also, Jacob 🤝 Jekyll, being very likely to have a fear of fire after their respective series' fires

4.5, (just any blighter Jekyll): ALSO we dont have to worry about the blighters caring when Jekyll leaves because they tend to change sides rather easily when the twins conquer their section. So I doubt many Blighters are loyal, and I doubt Jekyll is in a high enough position in the gang to be worth caring about. The only reason he stays in is because of his brothers. Hey do you think the gang would keep the Jekyll brothers' death a secret from him? So he doesn't leave? ALSO ALSO, I saw some asks and I really dont think Jekyll would ever be a templar, the templars are loyal to their cause, and they know full well Jekyll doesn't want to be there, his brothers may be templars but it's far more reasonable hed be a blighter, the templars would never put someone who hated them in their midst. (He would look good in a templar outfit though)

5: Ghost + Syndicate crossover au because by golly I hit /alot/ of people with carriages in this game /j

---

Game update: The more I play this game the more I want to call Jacob a himbo

The /governor of the bank/ is named twopenny

I have "beat" the game, aka killed Crawford and unlocked the queen Victoria quests

I have so far unlocked 32 throwing knife capacity for Evie because gosh I adore throwing knives

You cannot stop us Darlene 🔫 (Either way, you just have to wait another day! Hopefully it will be back soon!! <3)

1. Imagine Jacob teaching Henry to do leap of faiths on the roof, a Lodger walks up and just manages to see the tail end of what they think is someone trying to encourage Henry to take suicide. They watch as both of them fall and the Lodger scream and runs to the edge... Only to hear laughter and see Henry and that guy poking out a haybale. That would be fun and also a very easy way to get a heart attack <3

2. Ehehehehe yes!! That's why I love Jacob so much bc Evie just... Insults the horses, or isn't as sweet to them so Jacob my beloved. Jacob and Henry retiring and starting a horse farm together and they get to be happy and take picnics in the forest on horseback and the events of the Jack The Ripper DLC never happens <3 3. He definitely would name all animals he owns smt really sweet. He probably would silently nickname any and all of the animals in the Society and refuse to call them by their names once he actually learns them <3<3

4. Jekyll and Roth being pals until Jekyll realizes how fucked up Roth is, deliberately deciding to take a few steps back but still using Roth as an excuse to get out of Blighter work and also be the star of plays. Roth would gush on about how his eyes are set on Jacob and Henry would first think he was planning to kill him but then he realizes that Roth is just very gay for the enemy.

OOH I HAVE BEEN DAYDREAMING ABOUT THAT SO HARD. Ok mainly it was them already knowing each other but Henry is too busy saving the others so he gets caught and trapped inside the building. Jacob sees him almost passing out from all the smoke and saves him. But I can also imagine Jacob trying to escape and seeing Henry getting caught by burning ceiling beams after having helped everyone else escape so Jacob carries him and ziplines over the debris and until they get to the door... Henry realizing that this is the Jacob Maxwell was working with (or if they met before when Jacob was in the theater, he realizes why Maxwell fell for him) Mmm... Traumatic meet cute <3 I think Jacob has a canonical fear of fire after that, but either way, gimme the two of them both having nightmares about fire and spending late nights cuddled up in blankets comforting each other <3

4.5 I honestly would not put it past them to try to hide it from him but if it was he who killed them, they wouldn't be able to keep it a secret very well... That would certainly be fun to imagine <3

True but blighters are more... The actual gang, ya know? Like they are the fighters and street ruffians and stuff and Henry certainly would not be the same kind of fighting guy like Blighters and Rooks, so I'm mostly just saying Templar because it would fit his role and position better, even if he doesn't want to be. Being a templar also seems to be a bit of an inherited role as well, smt that gets passed down from family and stuff (like, say, if you take a look at the Kenway family and if I remember correctly from them) so it probably would not be impossible that Henry would be forced into being a templar. Maybe not a real templar like his brothers but certainly somewhere between Blighter and Templar. I don't know, I just say templar bc I can imagine Henry in that role better, y'know? XD Or maybe he and Roth would share the title as the leader of the Blighters... Oooohh... That would be fun <3

5. I used to deliberately run over street lights and stuff when streaming the game to my friend and she thought I was really weird. To be fair it's fun to run things and people over and I wanted the achievement <3

---

Jacob is a Himbo. He really is. Don't worry about it. Himbo Jacob my beloved <3 (wait if Morcant is a Herbo (not bimbo) does that mean Henry has a type--)

Y'know how much I laughed when I realized that? That was fun XD

I still need to get around to the Victoria quests bc so far I have only finished Darwin's, Dickens', and Duleep Singh's memories so! We are both blind with this <3.

---

Mmm... Au route potential. Perhaps someone who wanted to join the Society but got rejected bc he was actually evil? Maybe Henry has his role until the Twins recruit him?

??? Where??? I think you can actually open most locked doors or find a way inside somehow!! What quest was it?? I have only one golden chest i couldn't unlock bc I skipped most of them and took them later and that's the one in the WW1 memories so I think you can get it somehow?

#ask #darling-dolly-darlene #long post #banshees au #syndicate crossover au

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a-small-batch-of-dragons · 4 years ago

Text

Talk

Prompt: Hi are you still doing Merlin prompts? If so, I’d love to see some bonding with Gwaine and Arthur? You write amazingly and I know you usually focus on Merlin, but I’d love to see those two learn to get along. Maybe they’re on a duo quest to find Merlin and slowly grow together over it? Thank you and no pressure if you’d prefer not to write it!

Thanks for the prompt!

Read on Ao3

Warnings: None

Pairings: none, although you can read it as whatever you’d like, Merthur, Gwaine/Merlin, don’t mind

Word Count: 2876

Arthur’s not exactly sure why Merlin has a habit of disappearing during the day, but he does know the tavern bill isn’t nearly as high as it should be if that’s where Merlin was always going. Gaius may always say—well, not say, more like heavily imply until Arthur puts that together for himself—that Merlin’s there, but Arthur knows better.

Which means Merlin’s just flat-out missing.

Great.

“Arthur,” Guinevere calls as she hustles down the steps, “you’re not going alone, are you?”

“If that’s what it takes, then I will.”

“But you know you can’t go alone, what if you—“

“Guinevere,” Arthur says gently, stepping back to cup her hands in his, “you know I have to go.”

“I’m not saying you can’t, I’m saying you should bring someone with you.”

“He’s not going alone,” calls another voice.

They both look around to see Gwaine already mounted, riding into the square. He tips Guinevere a deep nod and raises an eyebrow at Arthur.

“Well? You going to get your royal arse onto the horse or not?”

Arthur rolls his eyes. “I’ll be back.”

“You’d better.”

“About time,” Gwaine calls cheerfully as they start out of the gate, “you’d think you’d show a little more enthusiasm.”

“We’re here to find Merlin,” Arthur says as firmly as he can, “so let’s get started.”

He urges Hallariel into a gallop, racing through the fields until they reach the deeper woods. To his dismay, Gwaine easily keeps pace. If anything, the knight looks more comfortable on the horse than Arthur feels. He grits his teeth and keeps on.

The forest is empty, no sign of Merlin. They ride on. Gwaine is surprisingly quiet as they search, finally noticing a scrap of Merlin’s neck kerchief heading south.

They slow, giving the horses a break, until Gwaine digs out a scrap of the dries meat and tears into it.

Arthur rolls his eyes. “Can’t wait until we’re stopped, can you?”

Gwaine shrugs. “‘M hungry. Aren’t you?”

Arthur is, but he’ll be damned if he’s just going to tell Gwaine that.

“Look, you wanna sit there and not eat, that’s fine with me.”

“Given how much you eat, I’m surprised you still get hungry.”

“Well, when you’re not sure how long you’ll have food or when you’ll get it next, you eat when you’re hungry.”

The blasé way Gwaine says it gives Arthur pause. He twists around to see Gwaine still eating, glancing around to find more trace of Merlin. He looks at the knight.

Gwaine is strong, not as strong as Percival—though who is?—but a strong knight. He sits a horse well, he fights with great skill, and he’s incredibly adept at handling himself.

He catches Arthur looking and raises an eyebrow. “Something wrong?”

Arthur blinks and shakes his head.

“There’s a tavern not too far from here. We can stay the night there.”

“Don’t want to camp out in the woods?”

“You can afford it.”

The tavern is small. Modest, even. The innkeeper smiles wide when they come in the door, respectfully asking to stay the night. She bows low and shows them to their rooms, telling them when dinner will be served and that if they need anything, absolutely anything, not to hesitate to ask.

“Just make sure you’ve plenty of food,” Arthur warns with a smile, “my friend here has quite the appetite.”

She smiles and leaves. Arthur turns around to see Gwaine turning the scrap of fabric over and over in his fingers.

“You alright?”

“Never better,” Gwaine says cheerfully—too cheerfully—as he stows the fabric away, “you have a plan on where to head next?”

“There’s another pass further south,” Arthur says, still frowning a little, “we can ask if anyone’s seen him heading there.”

“Merlin didn’t say anything, by any chance, did he?”

“No.”

Gwaine hums thoughtfully. “And you haven’t been…talking or worrying about anything with him, have you?”

Arthur glares. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Have you?”

“I don’t see why it’s any of your business what I talk about with Merlin.”

“Given he’s missing and you’re the one he talks the most to, I think it is.”

“I think you should trust my judgment,” Arthur says firmly, “and that I shall choose what to share appropriately.”

Something flickers across Gwaine’s face too quickly for Arthur to name. The knight smiles and claps him on the shoulder. “Let’s see what’s for dinner here, shall we?”

They sit downstairs as the innkeeper bustles back over with their food. She bobbles a curtsy and goes to the other guests. As Arthur glances around the mostly full room, he sees the amount of food on their plates is significantly more than the food on the others.

Gwaine, of course, is already eating, although he sees the knight perform the same glance. Within no time, their plates are empty, Arthur’s belly pleasantly full.

“How was it,” the innkeeper asks anxiously, worrying her hands into her apron, “was it to your liking, m’lords?”

“It was wonderful, Hilda,” Gwaine says before Arthur can say anything, “and I couldn’t eat another bite.”

Arthur frowns at him as Hilda pays him no mind.

“Oh, well, thank you, m’lord, I can only hope the rest of my cooking will be good enough.”

“I’m sure it will be.” Gwaine smiles and takes two gold coins out of his purse. “For your troubles.”

“Oh, m’lord, I can’t accept this, it’s too much! And the food is already included with your room and board, m’lord, I—“

“Please.” He puts the money into her hands. “Allow me.”

“Thank you, m’lord, I—thank you.”

She bows and hurries away.

Gwaine turns to Arthur. “You planning on catching flies like that?”

“What the bloody hell was that?”

“It’s called ‘paying,’ Princess, surely you’re familiar.”

“But you—you’re—the food—“

“Was excellent,” Gwaine says firmly with a tone that reminds him vaguely of Merlin, “and very generous.”

“What is going on,” Arthur hisses, “and what game are you playing?”

Gwaine raises an eyebrow. “You want to have this conversation here?”

With a tact that Gwaine does not employ often, let alone any time Arthur’s actually seen, the knight moves them back upstairs to their beds. He takes a seat as Arthur starts to pace.

“What’s got your pretty little head so worried?”

“You’ve never turned down more food as long as I’ve known you. And you certainly haven’t voluntarily paid for it.”

“Camelot is a kingdom that has more food than any one person could hope to eat,” Gwaine replies, propping his hand up on his knee, “and it comes from the castle kitchens. This place is an inn, run by the people, for the people, with none of the luxuries of Camelot’s heart.”

Gwaine motions around. “These people do their best. Their best should be rewarded, shouldn’t it?”

Arthur stares hard at Gwaine.

Gwaine meets his gaze easily, raising his eyebrow. “You don’t actually think all this is as easy as everyone makes it out to be, do you?”

“What?”

“You’ve never farmed,” Gwaine says, “never known the fear of what happens if your harvest goes bad. You have the security of the castle, of the city. These people don’t. And you’ve never had to worry about coin in your pretty little life.”

And here’s the thing, Arthur knows that. He knows he doesn’t know a lot about what life is like for the people he rules. He knows that.

But he doesn’t know that.

Gwaine seems to take his silence as whatever answer he’s looking for. The knight turns on his side and starts to take his heavy armor off.

“Merlin’s heading south, you think?”

Arthur nods. “I’m not sure what else is out that way. This is probably the last town we’ll come across for a while.”

“Then it’s a good thing we stopped, isn’t it?”

“…yes, I suppose it is.”

Gwaine falls asleep quickly. Arthur stays awake a little longer, looking at the ceiling.

Huh.

In the morning, Gwaine gives the innkeeper another few gold coins after breakfast, as does Arthur. They both insist she takes them, that their stay has been truly lovely. They ask if anyone’s seen Merlin, a skinny, dark-haired man heading through here.

“Aye,” an older man speaks up, “I seen him. Heading toward the pass, he was, said something about a cave system.”

“Cave system?” Gwaine glances at Arthur. “Rung any bells?”

Arthur pays the man for the information and saddles up before Gwaine can ask any more questions. It lasts until the tavern is out of sight.

“Alright,” Gwaine says without any preamble, “now tell me.”

“There’s nothing to tell.”

“Bollocks. Your pretty pampered face went two shades whiter when that man said something about the caves. Now tell me what’s happened with Merlin.”

“It’s none of your concern.”

“Unless it’s very much escaped your notice, Sire, I’m out here looking for my friend. Not your servant, not a servant of Camelot, Merlin,” Gwaine says in a low, dangerous voice, “and if you do not tell me the truth, I will be performing the rest of this search myself.”

It takes Arthur aback, that’s for sure. He looks at Gwaine, who looks as serious as Arthur’s ever seen him, and pulls Hallariel to a halt.

“Threatening a king is treason, Sir Gwaine.”

“Withholding information is worse.”

“I thought I asked you to trust me.”

Gwaine stares down at Arthur. It’s funny, he never noticed that Gwaine is…taller.

“You really don’t know a damn thing,” Gwaine growls, “do you?”

Before Arthur can answer, Gwaine wheels his horse around and starts moving toward the pass again. Arthur has to urge Hallariel to a trot to keep up. For the next few hours, they don’t speak. The tense silence feels like a weight on Arthur’s armor.

He knows Gwaine and Merlin are close. He knows Gwaine cares for Merlin.

What he doesn’t understand is this.

If…if Gwaine cares for Merlin, then he must want Merlin found, right? If Arthur knows how to find him, he has to trust Arthur, right?

Then why isn’t he doing that?

“Here.” Gwaine swings off his horse and ties it to the stump he lands on. “We’ll camp here.”

Arthur wants to say that he’s the king, thank you very much, so he’ll decide where they stay, but he doesn’t.

“I’ll collect the firewood.”

“Since when do you know how to collect firewood?” And Gwaine’s gone.

Well, he has a point.

Arthur gets their bedrolls set up instead and digs a fire pit. By the time Gwaine gets back, everything’s ready except for the food. Gain sets the wire and proceeds his flint and steel. The fire lights. It’s not as warm as it should be.

They sit in silence.

“…how did you learn how to do all this,” Arthur says quietly after a while, “if you grew up as a noble?”

Gwaine stiffens. “Who told you that?”

“I know you fake it,” Arthur says, “how clumsy you make yourself out to be. But you fight like a noble.”

“What’s that mean?”

Arthur allows himself a small smile. “Like you’ve been trained by someone who’s not cheap.”

It makes Gwaine snort, at any rate. The camp lapses back into silence, but it’s not as heavy as before.

“Nobles are,” Gwaine starts, “an interesting group of people. All talk, most of the time, when they remember how.”

Arthur stays quiet.

“They don’t understand things,” Gwaine continues, his voice growing heavy, “they don’t see things as well as they should. And people get hurt because of that.”

That Arthur knows all too well.

“The common people are the ones who suffer when the lords play their games,” Gwaine says, “they lie and they scheme and they grab for power and they forget why they’re supposed to have it in the first place.”

“To care for the people,” Arthur says quietly, “and so what they can’t do for themselves.”

Gwaine looks at him. In the flickering light, Gwaine looks—well, he looks like he suits the fine robes as well as Arthur.

“I was never very good at their games,” he settles on finally, “but I was good at people. So I left.”

“And you became one of them.”

“Put your faith in systems and you’ll always end up disappointed. Put it in people and you’ll always be surprised.”

“The world isn’t that…easy,” Arthur decides on eventually, “it’s not designed to be.”

“No.” Gwaine looks back into the fire. “I’m sure you’ve been told that, right? That most people will never make a difference, no matter how hard they try? That the world’s just too big?”

“My father—“ Gwaine makes a noise— “he always demanded that we keep the systems intact, that it was the best course of action, that change would be worse.”

“Do you believe him?”

“Not anymore.”

Gwaine sits back. “It’s true to a certain extent, I suppose. That most people won’t ever make a big enough difference.”

“Gwaine—“

“Come on,” Gwaine says with a smile, a sad smile, “you know that. Hilda back there, for example, you can’t tell me that she’ll change the world, can you?”

“…no.”

“But,” Gwaine says, “because we gave her those coins, she can have her inn fixed up. So she can host more guests and take care of her daughter. Then maybe her daughter won’t have to get married young and sell the inn.”

Arthur’s head tilts.

“They may never change the world,” Gwaine says, “but it makes a difference for them.”

Oh.

“Thank you,” Arthur murmurs, “thank you, Gwaine.”

Gwaine waves him off. “Merlin’s not here to beat things into your head, guess someone has to.”

Arthur huffs. “You’re here for Merlin, aren’t you?”

“What, here in this forest or as a knight of Camelot?”

“Both?”

“Both,” Gwaine nods, fixing Arthur with a look, “is that a problem?”

Is it?

“Considering I’m in a very similar position,” Arthur admits, with far more honesty than he’d like, “no, not at all.”

Gwaine raises his water skin. Arthur raises his. They toast to Merlin.

“Let’s get some sleep,” Gwaine says after they’ve eaten their fill, “the next day’s a hard ride.”

“Is that near where the caves are?”

“It should be.” As they bed down for the night, Gwaine looks at him. “Will you tell me where we’re going tomorrow?”

“Yes, I will.”

“Good.”

The morning is cool. A light mist settles over the air as they mount up and get rid of the camp. Gwaine rides in front, pointing out the tricky parts and slopes as they pick their way toward the pass.

“So,” he calls over his shoulder, “what are we looking for?”

“There’s a cave,” Arthur says, “of legend. Rumor has it that when the moon turns dark and the rivers run dry, something happens.”

“Sounds maudlin.”

“You’re telling me.”

“So why’s Merlin out here?”

“Remember when the wells all stopped working?”

“A week before we left?”

“Merlin came to me that morning, worried.”

Gwaine’s shoulders tense. “Was he alright?”

“Physically,” Arthur says, “I couldn’t find any injuries, but he—he seemed anxious.”

Gwaine snorts. “Merlin’s anxious a lot. Bears listening to.”

“Which is why I asked.”

The next question is colored with something that might be approval. “What’d he tell you?”

“What I just told you about the cave. Said it merited looking into.”

“Were you planning on it?”

“Yes.” Gwaine twists around. “I was!”

“Then why is Merlin out here alone?”

“Because the idiot decided to run off in the middle of the night instead of waiting for me.”

Gwaine chuckles as he turns back around. “Yep, that sounds like Merlin.”

“He’s going to get himself killed doing that one day,” Arthur grumbles, mostly to himself, “if he keeps waltzing off with no armor and no one to protect him.”

“Well, then it’s a good thing he’s got us, isn’t it?”

“…yes, yes it is.”

“I’ll tell you,” Gwaine says as they round the corner to the pass, “I’m tempted to tell him off when we do find him.”

“You’ll have to get in line.”

“You think you can beat me, Princess?”

“I think you’re going to try and beat me.”

“You’re on.”

Merlin, when they finally find him, walking out of a cave with a suspicious singe to his tunic, just looks like a confused doe when Gwaine and Arthur start scolding him like two parents. And if he’s even more confused when the two of them seem to get along on the way back—with Merlin riding in the middle of them, thank you very much, you’re not vanishing on us again, Merlin—then he keeps his questions to himself until they’re back in Camelot.

And if Arthur starts going to the tavern, well…

Now he’s really curious where Merlin’s going, because he’s sure as hell not here.

#bbc merlin #merlin #merlin bbc #arthur pendragon #gwaine #fic #dragonbabbles

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blackhakumen · 4 years ago

Text

Mini Fanfic #471: Fireworks in the Beautiful Night Sky (RWBY)

9:08 p.m. Patch, Outside of Team JNPRO's Residence

Pyrrha: (Amazed at the Fireworks in the Sky While Snuggling Alongside her Lovers) These fireworks..... They've gotten a lot beautiful as of late, hasn't it?

Jaune: (Smiles Softly) Sure is.... It's kinda been a while since any of us sre them.

Pyrrha: Wait....(Turns to the Rest of the Team) You three haven't been able see fireworks at all these past three years?

Nora: (Rubbing the Back of her Head Back and Forth) Yeah....We haven't really gotten the chance see one.

Ren: We were still on a quest to stop Salem at the time. And given all of the events that happened during that quest....It gotten a bit harder for all of us to enjoy a normal holiday.....

Pyrrha: Oh....(Immediately Starts Feeling Bad and Looking Down on the Ground) I see.....

Nora: H-Hey, now! It's okay! There's nothing to worry about, Pyrrha. Really!

Jaune: Yeah! I-I mean, sure, we've been through literal hell and everything, but we've always found a way pull through.

Ren: (Smiles Softly) And it all pays off in end. Even now that you're here with us again.

Pyrrha: (Slowly but Surely Begins to Smile Again) ('Sigh') You guys are right...It hasn't even been a year later and we've already started to become more than just a team or even lovers....We became an actual, loving family.....(Frowns a Little in Worry) Speaking of which, where's Oscar? He's already missing the first half of the show.

Ren: He's in the kitchen. He said he wanted to make us a fresh batch of cookies, almost exactly how Mr. Xiao Long would make for us the last time we visited his home. It's ten minutes later and I'm already starting to get worried....

Jaune: About Kitchen or Oscar?

Ren: ............. Yes.

Nora: (Giggles Softly) Oh, relax, Renny. I'm positive our baby boy is going be okay in there........But if we have to wait another ten minutes, we're getting him out.

Ren: Sounds like a plan.

Pyrrha: (Giggles Softly) It seems we've became doting parents as well.

Nora: (Shrugged) Hey, when you have a farm boi who keeps getting himself to danger, you gotta do what you gotta do to be there for him, ya know?

Ren: (Rolled his Eyes) Nora started the whole "Parenting Role", in case you're wondering.....

Nora: (Pouts at Ren) I love him, okay?!!

Ren: So do all us, Nora.

Pyrrha: (Giggles Softly at her Two Lovers' Quarrel) Guys, c'mon. No fighting.

While the rest of the team were busy messing around, Jaune looks up at the nightly skies, filled with colorful fireworks. All of this while having a soft Smile on his face.

Jaune: Hey....You guys?

NPR: (Immediately Stop What They Were Doing and Turns to Jaune) Hm?

Jaune: Remember the time we all stayed at my parents' house the whole summer?

Nora: ('Gasps') Ah yeah! Remember that! You're entire family took us in and everything!

Pyrrha: (Remembers the Memory Very Fondly) Your mother and father were so kind and caring. Your sisters on the other hand.... (Giggles Softly) were quite a handful.

Nora: Are you kidding? They're were sooooooo much fun to be around!

Jaune: (Rolled his Eyes) For you maybe....

Ren: Are you still thinking about the time they tried to put make-up on the both of us?

Jaune: ('Groans in Annoyance') Yes....I mean, seriously! They been doing this to me ever since we were kids!! It's frustrating!!!

Ren: ('Sigh') Honestly, Jaune. It wasn't that big of deal. Granted, the make-up was a bit too much, but their choice of hairstyle on the other, did leave a pretty decent impression on me.

Jaune: That's because your hair is long and easy to work with! I, on the other hand, had short and shaggy hair. Which means I always end up with those... stupid short pigtails!

Pyrrha: (Pouts Playfully at Jaune) Jaune Arc! Those pigtails weren't stupid at all!~

Nora: Yeah! They look very cute on you~

Jaune: (Rolled his Eyes while Blushing) ('Psh') You two are just saying that.....

Pyrrha: (Hugs Jaune Affectionately) No we're not. We meant everything word of it~

Nora: We still love you no matter what kind of hairstyle you got for yourself. Even if it's a shape of a banana~ (Gives Jaune a Kiss on the Cheek)

Jaune: Really thought we were over the whole "Banana Hair" Shtick by now......

Ren: (Chuckles Lightly) Okay. As much as I would love to hear more inspiring insults towards of fearless leader's haircut, I'm kind of wanna know why you suddenly decided to bring all of this up, Jaune.

Pyrrha: Yeah.... Was there a special reason for it?

Jaune: (Rub the Back of his Head Back and Forth) Not exactly........I just wanted all of us to remember the few times we spent together. Our time at the academy, the missions we've gone to, the dance, festivals, the.....(Eyes Widened Once He Realized a Memory He Mean to Remember....As Tears Begins to Fall from his Eyes) tournament...., a-and.......('Sniff') And........

Ren/Nora: Jaune?

Pyrrha: (Immediately Starts Getting Worried) Honey? What's wrong?

Jaune: (Cover his Eyes From his Lovers) ('Sniff') I-It's nothing, you guys. Really. ('Sniff') D-Don't worry about it.

Pyrrha: (Gently Takes Jaune's Hand Away from his Saddened Face) Jaune, we know you're crying and starting to worry us. Please tell us what's wrong.

Jaune: (Finally Begins to Cry) I'm sorry! ('Sniff') I didn't mean to make you guys worry or anything. I just....('Sniff') I had think about EVERYTHING that happened to Beacon that day. Especially what....('Sniff') that monster Cinder did to-

Pyrrha: (Immediately Pulls Jaune in for a Loving Hug)

Jaune: (Taken Back from Pyrrha Sudden Hug) P-P-Pyrrha?

Pyrrha begins to take a deep breath before pulling away from the embrace and placing poth of her hands on Jaune's cheeks.

Pyrrha: Oh Jaune....I know those past few years weren't too kind to any of us....With me being dead and the rest of you went through so much stress and emotional trauma just to put an end to Salem....And I know this isn't easy to full get over....But I promise you here and now, as long as we got each other....(Tears Suddenly Begins to Fall Down Her Eyes) ('Sniff') We're going to be okay..... We'll get through this together.....('Sniff') And.... We'll NEVER be apart ever again!! (Pulls Jaune Back into a Loving Hug While Crying Softly)

Nora: (Frowns Sadly Once She sees her Two Lovers Crying Onto Each Others' Arms) You guys.......(Eyes Begins to Swell up in Tears) You know I hate seeing you like this! (Immediately Joins in on the Hug, Crying)

Ren: (Slowly But Surely Begins to Tear up As Well) ('Sniff')......

Jaune: R-Ren?

Pyrrha: ('Sniff') What's wrong, dear?

Nora: ('Sniff') I thought you said you only cry on the inside......

Ren: ('Sniff') (Tears Begin Fall Down his Face) Not anymore I don't.........

Nora: Well, don't just stand, Renny....('Sniff') Get over here and hug us already!!

Pyrrha: Please!!

Once Ren joins his way into the emotional group hug, the team turned lovers continue to cry their eyes out onto each of their embrace. All while the fireworks continues to show themselves onto the night skies. That is until......

'Front Door Opens'

Oscar: (Smiles Brightly (And a bit Tirelessly) While Holding a Tray of Baked Cookies) Okay! Sorry to keep you guys waiting, but I was finally able to bake the cookies for us tonight.

JNPR: (Looks up to Oscar with Teary Eyes)

Oscar: (Makes his way to the Group while Holding the Tray Carefully) Now I'm not entirely sure if it'll be as good as Mr. Xiao Long's, but-

Oscar's eyes begin to widened in shock and worry once he sees the rest of his family's tears filled faces.

Oscar: You guys...... I-Is everything's okay?

Jaune: Y-Yeah, bud. ('Sniff') Don't worry.....W-We were just.....('Sniff') Gotten ourselves into a Memory Lane is all.....

Oscar: (A Tad bit Unsure) Okay.....You guys know that I'm always here if you wanna talk, right?

Ren: (Smiles Softly) We know, son....('Sniff') And we could be anymore thankful......

Oscar: (Smiles a Little) You're always welcome..... And like I said before....(Joins in on the Family's Somewhat Emotional Cuddle Session) I made you guys cookies.

Pyrrha: (Smiles Lovingly and Tearfully) Oh Sweetheart, that's so sweet of you......('Sniff') We love them already....

Oscar: (Raising an Eyebrow in Disbelief) Guys, you.... didn't even try them yet. Heck, I'm still not even sure if they'll be half as good as Ruby's dad's are.

Nora: (Pulls Oscar In to a Loving Hug) Don't say that, sweetie!! ('Sniff') I promise we'll all love them. ('Sniff') Just as much as we love you!

Oscar: (Sighs as He Gives Nora A Kiss on the Cheek) I love you guys too. Just take as much time as you need to relax and calm yourselves before trying them out, 'kay?

JNPR: ('Sniff') Okay!

@optimisticfruitcup

@albion-93

@miki-13

@keyenuta

@rozanime

@ma-lemons

@maripr

#rwby #jaune arc #pyrrha nikos #lie ren #nora valkyrie #oscar pine #the arc family (mentioned)#taiyang xiao long (mentioned)#team jnpr as poly relationship #team jnpro #sweet family moment #remembering the past #humor #hurt/comfort towards the end #emotional fluff in the end #cuddling & snuggling #oscar is lowkey best son #independence week #have to edited it again to make it perfect. sorry about that

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writer-and-artist27 · 4 years ago

Text

A King’s Care

Summary: Arturia may not have been in Chaldea for as long as some of the other Servants, but she finally felt like she was getting used to the atmosphere. The number of Servants present in the building was enough to become accustomed to. And then it was her turn to help their petite Master to bed for some well-needed sleep.

-----------------------------

Note: Roughly inspired by the fatigue I usually feel after a long bike ride and the baseball scene from Ufotable’s adaptation of Unlimited Blade Works. My own Art-san has been with me in Chaldea for about four months now, but she feels as close to me as the Servants that have been with me since the very beginning of the game, so this is my way of honoring her, even if I’m still out of it as a result of exercise-induced exhaustion.

A distant sequel to Achilles and Marie and A Happy Homunculus, taking place in the same universe. Just beware of light spoilers for the Final Singularity, the beginnings of the Epic of Remnant, and a Servant’s presence in Cosmos in the Lostbelt.

The only theme I’ll recommend is this piano track from Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun, since it provided the right mood when I was writing this.

Dedicated to @withanina, since he’s been helping me with getting back my Fate muse.

-----------------------------

Even after the threat of Goetia had faded, none of the Servants felt like going back to the Throne of Heroes. After so long, Chaldea had become home, and even if their enemy had disappeared, the aftermath left in his wake was one they did not want to leave their only Master and Mash alone to handle. Once the Pseudo-Singularities had formed, it gave them more of an “excuse” to stay.

Arturia Pendragon was one of many who, in spite of not being at Chaldea as long as some of her comrades, decided to rise and fight.

Vy, even when crying at the loss of Dr. Roman and Mash, stood up to Goetia, commanding Achilles, Marie Antoinette, Astolfo, and so many Servants to defend Humanity. And now, with the last Demon God Pillars roaming free, she stubbornly took on the mantle of fighter yet again, even with the Mages Association breathing down everyone’s necks.

If anyone in Chaldea’s remaining staff and the Servants could all agree on something, it was that their single Master had a stubborn and caring streak almost a galaxy wide.

Inwardly, despite Excalibur at her side, Arturia knew that the fighting would end eventually. It was how things had always gone. But for now, with Dr. Roman absent, Mash monitoring the computers and other vital functions, and Da Vinci busy monitoring Chaldeas, she found herself informally inducted into a group that only the oldest residents of Chaldea seemed to be involved in.

Marie Antoinette had gently pushed at Arturia’s shoulder with a giggle on the day it happened (coincidentally taking Arturia’s attention away from the strange sight of her darker self chewing on yet another hamburger), beaming from ear to ear. “Welcome to Chaldea, Arturia-san~!” Marie had said brightly at the time, tilting her head at Arturia with that smile that could’ve fooled her into thinking she was looking at Irisviel. “Please keep an eye on Vy during the month of July, will you?”

“P-Pardon?”

“July!” Marie repeated, not even fazed at Arturia’s slow response, patting her shoulder through Arturia’s mantle. “Please remember that!”

It was only when the specified month had begun that Arturia understood why.

For some reason, whether it was out of good will or some other reasoning, every month had an assigned Servant that would go about convincing Vy to go to bed. It was not as if Vy was horrible at losing sleep, no. The problem came down to how she would consume one too many Golden Apples just to keep farming quests.

Poking some of the former front-liners had given Arturia a vague idea of what to expect. In the four months since she had been summoned, Dr. Roman had been Vy’s original caretaker, pushing her to the infirmary for daily check-ups and the like, but now with no one to fill that role, the oldest Servants present took it up. Because as much as Vy was kind in her intentions, the amount of times she stumbled back from the simulator and/or a Rayshift exhausted and barely able to form a word was concerning.

Diarmuid had sighed softly when Arturia had first questioned him, a sad look in his eye before he spoke up in a fonder voice. “Vy had been there for all of us, even when we were weak and unable to do much in the face of Goetia’s first appearance in London. Now, with a new threat and the lack of the good Doctor, we may as well do what we can for a girl that loves all of us.” He had shouldered his spears, looking elsewhere. “As fragile of a Master she is, she is still our Master.”

Considering who Diarmuid was and their shared past in the Fourth Fuyuki Holy Grail War, Arturia could not find it in herself to argue.

Hence, her current dilemma.

“Master? Master?”

Vy, for once, didn’t say much, letting out a little “Mmm?” noise from her place in-between her arms. To rest was one thing. To hide away in a little corner of one of the relaxation rooms, hiding her face away from view while resting her back against the white walls, away from any people or bedding, was another thing entirely. A pause followed Arturia’s observation, and then the head of long brown hair shifted in Arturia’s direction, albeit slightly. “What’s up, Arturia-san…?”

Arturia found herself frowning. Slurring. Vy never usually slurred her words, but here she was now, doing just that.

Lancer did say Vy reverted to simpler language when fatigued…

Arturia then coughed into her fist, kneeling to match Vy’s sitting height. “How many Golden Apples did you have this time, Master?”

Instead of a verbal response, Vy lifted one shaky hand from her knees to make an “O” shape with her thumb and pointer finger.

No apples. We were running low on those. Then… Arturia gently shrugged off her mantle, doing her best to not make any noise while adding in a softer voice, “Let me rephrase my question. How many quests did you do today, Milady?”

This time, Vy made a vague noise of protest, raising both hands with palms splayed open.

More than ten, Arturia thought. Instead of voicing that, she reached over to gently place her mantle against Vy’s knees. “Milady, you should get to bed.”

Vy didn’t look up from her arms, shaking her head like an otter. The gesture immediately rustled her usually neat brown hair, creating small tangles in the long straight strands. “Can’t,” was the little mumble. If Arturia didn’t know any better, her Master sounded more dead than alive. “I’ll see ‘hings again.”

“Nightmares?” Arturia prodded.

Vy still wasn’t looking up to meet Arturia’s eyes, a noise of some kind leaving her lap past the mantle. A possible affirmation, but— “Of everyone disappearing. Of,” this time, Arturia could hear a faint sniffle. “Of everyone going away like Dr. Roman and Mash.” The statement ended on a tiny, barely audible sob.

Oh. So this was why the other Servants did not include Mash in their little group. To know that Mash’s death at the Temple of Time had caused this much damage— “Master,” Arturia breathed.

Vy flinched once Arturia reached over with one hand, and Arturia considered.

“Master, the event has passed,” Arturia said softly, gently pressing her fingers against Vy’s shoulder. The gesture was enough to finally, finally get Vy to look up at her from her knees, her brown eyes red-rimmed and blotchy past the wet lenses of her glasses. “Those images that are haunting you are just dreams. You are safe. Mash is safe.”

“Wh-What about all of you?” Vy sniveled suddenly, and this time, Arturia found her throat drying up at the clear bitterness in Vy’s brown eyes. “What about the Servants? The staff, Chaldea, everyone? I-I’m trying, I’m trying…” More tears trickled past the corners of Vy’s glasses, her nose seizing up as Vy shut her eyes, looking away yet again. “Skadi-sama still needs Giant’s Rings too, a-and, and,” Arturia did her best not to flinch once Vy let out a single loud and tired sob. “Th-There’s Holmes and his skills needing to be leveled up, a-and D’eon-san needing more Embers, a-and the other Servants waiting on Ascensions—”

In any other situation, Vy would probably be the perfect Master.

How ironic to have the perfect, hardworking, respectable Master with a former perfect king.

Arturia took a page from Archer EMIYA’s advice books, reaching over to pull her petite Master into a warm hug before Vy could sniffle anymore. “Master…” Arturia did her best to keep her composure, even if her words felt inadequate, “Master, the Servants, myself included, all know how you are. We know that you are trying. We can wait.” She raised her other hand to rest on top of Vy’s head, stroking her hair. Vy was shivering against Arturia’s armor, hands weakly clutching at Arturia’s sleeves, but she was there. She was awake. “Please, let me take you to bed. You need to rest before you can help us.”

Vy still trembled. “Y-You won’t…” there’s another sniffle. “You won’t leave?”

Arturia held back the feeling of her heart breaking to tuck Vy into her blue mantle, ignoring the sensation of her crown falling off her head as she did. When had her Master ever sounded so much like a lonely child? “I will not.”

Another sniffle, this time mixed with a choked sob. “P-Promise?”

Arturia did not know if the gesture was futile or not, more so when the previously mentioned Scathach-Skadi had given their Master one look before going silent on these “Lostbelts” of Skadi’s origin, but Arturia still nodded, wrapping Vy up tighter in the mantle. “I promise. Now to bed with you.”

Another “Mm,” noise, punctuated by a hiccup.

Inwardly, Arturia sighed. Chaldea had a lot of work to do, but for now, Arturia would content herself with carrying their only Master back. It was a small victory in this new day of discoveries.

#fate stay night #fate grand order #writing #short story #vy plays fate grand order #arturia pendragon #marie antoinette #diarmuid ua duibhne

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zombiejoepino · 4 years ago

Text

The Scavenger. CH: 4 (Cobb Vanth x OC fanfic)

Chapter 4: The Snake

Fandom: The Mandalorian

Word count: 3972

Genre: Space Western

Summary: The Marshal visits the capital and things get tense between him and some strangers. Back in Town, Nathsca is figuring out how to leave just before she gets attached to the small community and its locals.

A/N: Took me longer to write this one, I´ve been busy with work. Hope you enjoy it and please feel free to leave comments if you can :)

...

The speeder pulled up in front of a rundown blockhouse on the outskirts of the Capital. Bestine was known for having an expensive but legitimate market compared to smaller cities. Jawas and other scoundrels were not welcome. Anyone with shady intentions would be taken by the law.

The Marshal and his companions made their way across the large market, spotting various strange creatures, beasts of burden, and items for sale, most of them exotic and pricy. Farm folk would feel out of place in the New Republic guarded area. Vanth wondered if the New Republic's real intention to guard this city was because of the economic value, an opportunity to bring out the civilization to Tatooine.

Tatooine didn't seem like other civilized or fancy planets, but they got their own rules and ways to survive. Neither the Empire of The Republic didn't care much about the dusty land and lawless cities. They were aware of slavery going through ages and they didn't do a single thing about it.

He didn't let those thoughts get to him for long. His quest was simple and they needed to leave before the giant twins' suns set down to avoid night creatures or sand people.

Having that armor just gave him enough confidence to face them. Walking around in the rusted beskar made the locals turn around at times, maybe he got more attention than he wanted but, it was safer to show off a little. Even though, little thieves or trouble makers always managed to sneak around and, he wasn't that wrong.

Between the crowded market, he noticed a slim hooded figure walking around with two heavies, both of them with mean faces. They were packed, even the slim figure who didn't look like the one that calls for the shots but, the sneaky ones are always the worst.

The group didn't fit right in the picture, just like the Marshal. People would think of him as a paranoid or mad man, but once the Marshal got a bad feeling about someone, he wouldn't let it go that easy. And it was rare for him to make a mistake about someone's character.

The local marketer kept pushing, trying to sell him a carpet or fine fur. The Marshal just played along for the moment, waiting for them to get close to him.

This small group didn't seem interested in buying like locals or travelers. They were asking around for directions. No town in specific they just asked about the west. He picked on the words mining and old town.

The Marshal scanned the area discreetly looking for Marc and the rest of his companions. The last thing he needed was those strangers talking to them and jeopardize the secrecy of their town.

One of the heavies crashed with the Marshal and stopped to study him. The Marshal mirrored his actions. The heavy spoke in huttese, Vanth didn't understand his words but, he picked on his intentions. The armored man looked back at the heavy stranger. Both of them with their hands near the holsters, ready to pull at any moment. Shoot first or move fast.

Those seconds felt like an eternity until the pale slick jumped in.

"Excuse my companion's behavior. He never saw a Mandalorian before." He flashed his toothy smile. The heavy stranger just spoke gibberish and spit on the floor. Vanth shook his head and walked in the opposite direction. He had no time to pick up fights in the middle of the street.

"And now since we are both strangers in this town." Plog addressed back to him and followed. "Have you ever heard of old mining settling around the west? An old town?"

Vanth just played along, trying not to ask questions or hoping they wouldn't run with his companions. He shook his head. "Sorry, partner. No idea." He kept walking but the pale man insisted and followed.

"Are you sure? I heard you Mandalorians are good at hunting or killing. Perhaps you can help me with my quest. I'll pay handsomely."

"I've got other business to attend." He walked away.

Plog didn't dare to stop the armored figure but he got his attention. He knew what kind of folks stand out in Tatooine. He heard about another Mandalorian that went rogue from the guild but, he never saw this one before.

He spoke to the trawlers, the masked one. He asked him to followed the armored stranger.

...

The giant twin suns shine brightly above the distant dune range. Nath stands watching them. Once the Marshal was gone the day before, the locals felt uneasy and even shy around the young stranger. They were not rude to her but they didn't engage in any kind of conversation either.

That didn't bother her at all. Her leg was feeling way better than yesterday. There was not much to do in the short town, to be honest. They had the cantina, a school, a storage place, houses and, that was all. She checked around the school just to know how many kids were in town. They just sat in the shadow while the droid teacher read something for them.

The teacher noticed the young lady and politely asked her to join. Nath felt uneasy at the start but she was pretty far from the nearest shadow to refuse.

The kids watched her with curiosity and even whispered between them. The teacher continued to read the story about the wars in the Old Republic, far away galaxies, and rebellions.

Nath remembered those stories for what she heard from pilots or other strangers that stop by the town. Scavengers focused on one thing only; stealing. They just taught her how to steal and be faster than Jawas.

One of the curious green-skinned kids scoots towards the redhead. He pointed at her knee and, she shrugged. "Just a scratch," she whispered. The kid nodded and showed her a similar wound on his elbow.

"I tried to ride a Bantha, they are so big." The kid spoke. "Are you the one that crashed the speeder? And then the Marshal saved you?"

Other kids quickly turned their attention to the stranger and she blinked many times. Now she regretted being there. Kids started to ask too much about her accident.

"Yes, I had an accident. Always keep your eyes front if you are driving." She tried to avoid other kinds of details.

"And are you staying too? Are you living with the Marshal? Do you like him? Are you his girlfriend now?" The little ones kept asking over and over. The teacher did its best to stop them. They were too excited to listen to Nath's story.

The redhead just laughed and shook her head. Her cheeks turned a little red as she was trying her best to reply to the kids.

Her story started when she was fixing a speeder in her hometown. The fastest one she could ever put up together, the bad guys showed up, wanting to take her speeder and credits. She refused and, the chase started; A long road across the dunes, both twin suns burning her skin, leaving behind all kinds of terrifying creatures. Her only mistake was that she looked back for a second and crashed.

The rest was vaguely told by the kids. They started to jump with random ideas and heroic deeds from the Marshal and how he took down the bad guys.

She did her best to dodge the last question about being his girlfriend but a dark-haired little girl kept watching her wanting to know.

"I'm just the Marshal's guest. Guests can turn into friends and that's it. I don't think I'm staying longer." She smiled softly at the kids. They pouted with her answer. Nath didn't want to get attached to this community. She needed to move on and even leave the planet if she wanted to escape from everything, and especially him; Qod.

She stood up and excused herself from the class.

...

Cobb and the others made a quick stop in the dunes after the cargo went off a speeder. Their best chance was to drive slow if they didn't want to drop anything else in the middle of nowhere. They had fuel, meat, other weapons just in case the dragon shows up. That damned Dragon, they never knew when it would strike, but they were glad it's been away for the last days. But their problems, never end there.

The Marshal's mind moved to those trawlers and the slick in Bestine. They were asking too much about the west, about his town. If they were after the young redhead, then someone spoke about the town.

Tusken Raiders? There is no way to talk with those savages. Jawas? Maybe if they paid them enough just to spit a few words.

They were taking so much trouble to chase down a girl. He thought carefully about her actions and the mystery around her. Yeah, he had to admit that the young one had a fiery attitude, she knew how to punch and was a thief but, she was still a kid. He didn't want to push her around to tell him the full story. He needed to know the enemy.

Maybe he was getting ideas yet, being paranoid about the strangers but, he never let go of that thought.

For a long time, Mos Pelgo has been off the radar and, the Marshal wanted it to keep all heat away from it. They were practically young as a society after many years as a slave camp. Cobb would never risk the town's safety and freedom.

The speed stopped and, the others looked back in confusion. Cobb spoke to Marc and the rest to get ahead before the suns lower down. He had a bad feeling and wanted to check if no one was following them. His companions didn't ask for more and took off, leaving the Marshal by himself.

The long curved caves and rocky areas covered his path. Cobb looked around, guarding them and watching over the dune sea. If those trawlers came this way, he would put them down.

Cobb waited in the high ground and kept his rifle blaster close. For the next hour, he didn't spot anything out of place, just small creatures running around, trying to find shadow or perish under the sun.

The sweat was running down his temples, his mouth felt dry already. He thought about waiting for another hour but, the sky was getting its peculiar orange color. The suns would set down at any moment and, travel like that was not that smart.

A peculiar sound caught the Marshal's attention when he saw a speeder approaching. The rider was one of the heavy trawlers, the masked one. Cobb pointed the rifle, tracking the moving figure in the dune.

He kept his finger on the trigger and, both eyes studied the moving target. The dust-covered him for a moment.

Cobb took a deep breath.

The trawler moved closer, clear view, no dust around him, moving towards into the caves and, the Marshal pulled the trigger without hesitation.

His target's head went back and, its body slips from the speeder, making it crash against the dune. The smoked covered the whole area around the target. Cobb kept his eyes on the sight, waiting.

The body didn't move in the first seconds and, then, it rolled on its back. He coughed and groaned in pain, started to crawl away from the smoke, trying to get into the caves.

The Marshal put the helmet on and flew down, going towards the heavy that cursed at him in Huttesse when he spots him.

Cobb landed on his feet, pointing at the trawler that tried to reach his blaster. The Marshal quickly kicked it away and looked down at him.

"Why were you following me?" The distorted voice spoke.

The trawler frowned and cursed again.

Cobb shook his head, step on his wounded leg and, the heavy grunted in pain.

"Speak." The Marshal growled.

The masked man spoke in Huttese and death glared at him. "The town..." he spitted the words.

"Why?"

The man just smirked at him and laughed. "You know where she is."

He threw sand at the helmet and quickly stand up. Cobb fired but, the trawler managed to dodge the blaster and knocked it off his hands. He threw a punch at the helmet but quickly regretted it when his hand hit it.

Cobb shoots out a straight punch to the trawler's stomach and then right into his face. The man backs off for a moment and spits blood on the sand, jumps over the Marshal and, both hit the dusty ground.

He takes off the Marshal's helmet and throws some heavy punches right into his face.

"I will take this beskar off your dead body." He yells in huttesse.

Cobb covers, hooks his arm around, and hits him with the elbow. The Heavy throws another punch into Cobb's face. The Marshal feels the blood in his mouth and quickly recover, headbutts the heavy right on the nose.

The man backs off with a bloodied nose, looks up. He pulls out a knife and slashes towards the Marshal, cutting his shirt. Cobb felt the sting on his lower belly and felt the blood sticking to the fabric.

He backs off, doing his best to dodge the sharp blade that the big man kept swinging like a maniac. Cobb catches his arm and trying to take the knife. The big one pushes further, using both hands to take the blade, trying to stab Cobb.

The heavy flashes a wicked smile, almost overpowering the armored man, but the Marshal twists his hand, making him scream and drop the knife. Then, Cobb sucker punches at the trawler, making him roll down the dune.

His body rolls down, hits a rock and, he groans when he stops rolling. He twitches and scans the area. The expression changes when he looks at the Marshal's rifle next to him, picked it up, aimed and, he took the first shot right between the eyes.

Cobb was at the top of the dune holding the smoky blaster. He took a deep breath and fell on his knees. He winced and checked the wound on his arm and belly.

That was close, he thought.

Once he recovers, he picks up the helmet and checks on the dead body. He finds a bag with credits, a knife, and nothing else. He had no puck.

...

The giant twins set down over the dune, painting the sky with pinks and oranges purple clouds. Nath wasn't sure how long she walked, a bit further than the crashing place, into the grimy rocky areas. A farmer noticed her but didn't ask her much. She made up some excuse that he didn't buy at first but his attention shifted when the Bantha ran away from its pen.

Maybe other creatures would be observing her at this point and she didn't mind. She took one of the Marshal's blasters just in case a creature or someone tries to attack her.

She moved around the rocks, digging fast as she could until her hand hit something. She took a silver canister out of the hole and looked at what was inside. An icy color glowed out from the can, standing out in the middle of the sandy area. Nath rushed to cover up the hole until she heard a noise. Her head perked up and, her gaze scanned the area.

"Who's there?" She yelled.

There was a long silence until the small figure came out. Nath took a deep breath and shook her head. It was a little girl from school, the one that asked her those embarrassing questions.

"Hey, sweetie. You shouldn't be here, you know."

"Uh... I was worried that you were leaving."

"No, no, I just came to check... the rocks." She closed the canister and smiled at her.

The little girl bit her lip and made a face. "Shiny ones? We don't have those around here."

Nath smiled nervously but before she could reply a single thing.

"No, I'm... preparing a surprise."

"Oh?" The girl walked towards her and smiled.

"It's a secret thing but..." Before she played along with her lie, Nath heard a hiss right behind them. A medium-size creature slithered its way towards them and hissed, flashing the large fangs.

Nathsca tried to stay calm and move slowly towards the frozen kid. She was shaking nervously and about to cry. The redhead did her best to get the creature's attention. The large snake kept its yellow gaze upon the kid, trying to look taller, studying her movements.

The redhead cursed to herself and lowered down to pick up the blaster. It felt like an eternity, any violent move would piss off the creature.

The little one just backed off slowly but, the snake followed her, flashing his fangs at her. The snake could feel the fear in her whimpers, he could see the horror in her eyes. It kept slithering its way until the blaster roar and hit him.

He hissed in anger, looking at the woman and the smoking barrel. He hissed and changed his attention to the redhead that ran towards the kid.

Nath picked the little one in her arms and fired the snake once more and, this time the reptile dodge the blast. They were pretty far from town to ask for help and the darkness was covering the area. She climbed the rocks, keeping the little one in her arms to protect her.

The little girl clung to her and then screamed when the large reptile jumped towards them. She helped the little one to climb first to the top. The snake attacked again, Nath swung the canister to hit it hard, making the large snake wobbled for a moment.

The snake jumped once more, this time making the redhead fall on the ground and lose the blaster. She looked down at the large snake, whose fangs stuck in the canister but it rushed to slid its body around her legs to keep her still.

Nath looked around quickly for the blaster that was just a few inches away from her. She felt the slippery body squeezing her slowly. The snake kept pushing its fangs trying to set free, shaking its head furiously to remove the silver object. The redhead stretched her arm much as she could.

The large reptile shook many times, sending the canister away. It kept a sinister smile and kept his mouth wide to eat the redhead but, a roar was heard. The snake had a smoky hole right into its head.

The long shape loses the grip from her legs and, she quickly backed off from it and kept the blaster up.

The snake moved a little and, she fired several times until there was nothing left of its head. The kid just covered her ears when she heard the blasters and then opened her eyes, looking down at the redhead.

Nath took a deep breath and rushed to get the little girl.

A peculiar sound approached them in the dark.

A man and woman jumped off the speeder and rushed towards them. The little girl smiled and ran towards her mom. The woman picked her up and hugged her tightly, but her husband walked menacingly towards the young redhead.

"What do you think you are doing? First, you bring strangers, now you put my daughter in danger..." He reached her out from the shirt's hem and the redhead quickly backed off.

"Hey, sir, it's not..."

"You..." he frowned ready to raise his hand.

"Triggar!" Another male yelled at him and hopped off the speeder. He kept the helmet under his arm. "Let her go."

"But Marshal, she..." he muttered gibberish and gave him a helpless look. "my daughter."

"Your daughter is safe because of her." The Marshal got between them, keeping Triggar away from the redhead. "Also, she is my guest. I didn't take you as a fella that would hurt a dame."

"No, sir, of course not." Triggar looked down and back off.

Nath folded her arms and looked away, keeping a frown across her face.

The lone dunes were darker than before, which made it difficult for anyone to see someone's actions. She saw the moving shadows that lighted up with the speeders, all of them drove back to town, except for him. She knew that shape.

There was silence. Darkness or not, she could feel the hazel ones scrutinizing, judging her. She built up the courage to speak.

"I'm leaving now." She started to walk but his hand reached her arm to stop her. She frowned at him.

"What happened?" He spoke softly.

"I... just did something stupid even if you asked me not to." She paused and finally looked up at him. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone or get in trouble."

"Nath..." he spoke.

"I put that girl in danger..." she said.

"Listen, the way I look at it, you did nothing wrong. I mean, it was pretty stupid to leave town by yourself, knowing the suns set down around this time. Second, you barely know the area so, you are lucky that something bigger didn't crawl from the nest. What matters right now is that both of you are safe." He paused. "You protected her."

The Marshall placed his hand over her shoulder. She was so ashamed and didn't say more. She wanted to say everything but that would mean put him and the rest at risk.

Her eyes try to read his expression in the darkness. She wasn't sure, it looked like he had a few bruises on his face.

"Time to go, little lady."

She followed him to the speeder and climbed right behind him. Cobb felt the pressure around his belly and took off. Her slender arms squeezed him tighter as he drove away. He grunted a little, still in pain from the battle.

"Sorry." She muttered.

"It's ok. Hold on." He speeded up and, Nath squeezed him more. That moment all she wanted was to scream. She had no idea where the canister fell, she didn't want him to know about it also, she wanted so bad to stop feeling like this; afraid and guilty.

The rock and sand desert were darker than the sky. None of them even noticed the second trawler spying on them. He only picked a heat signal with his binoculars. That man was not Mandalorian at all and, that woman, he couldn't tell yet but, it was probably their target. He needed to rush back and meet with Plog.

A new deal tailored in the hunter's mind. Deliver the girl, kill the man, and take the rusted beskar for himself. He was glad that his partner was cold now, he didn't like the first idea of sharing the beskar with him. Now, it was all his.

#cobb vanth #cobb vanth fanfiction #the mandalorian #the mandalorian fanfiction #cobb vanth x oc

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celestialtrait · 5 years ago

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Pastel Patisserie: A Legacy Challenge [Recovered 5/18/19]

My Pastel Patisserie challenge is back! Thank you to @strwbrrycremu for recovering the original rules and sending them my way! Since writing this challenge, a lot of new features have been added to the game. My hope is to alter this ruleset to include all of the new packs we have!

Hungry for some more berry sweet game play? Looking for a challenge that incorporates all of your EPs and GPs? Want to give your sims pastel hair colors and sugary sweet names? The Pastel Patisserie is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Pastel Patisserie is a 10 generation legacy challenge structured like the Not-So-Berry and Rainbowcy challenges, but written to incorporate aspects of recently released packs. True to The Sims series, it is filled with wacky drama and larger than life characters.

*This is something I’ve made mostly for myself, because I’ve played the first two gens of NSB over too many times and I’m sick of the scientist career.

Rules:

Like some of the other berry sweet legacies here on tumblr, each heir must represent the color or in this case, “flavor” of their generation. You can play with actual berry sims, or “banilla” sims (sims with colored hair but regular, human skin tones).

Color-coded spouses are totally optional. Personally, I think I’m going to fill a save with a bunch of berry townies to keep with the theme.

There are no money restrictions, but the challenge is probably a lot more fun if you don’t excessively use money cheats.

Your legacy is not bound to one lot for its entirety. But if you prefer your legacies to live in one house the whole time, go for it

Wanna share your progress? Use the hashtag #pastelpat

Gen 1: Bubblegum (Founder)

You’re new to the area and ready to put down roots! You love baking, and have always dreamed of opening your own bakery. You start a club for local bakers and put what little savings you have into your business. You spend most of your time at the bakery, so it’s no surprise that it’s where you meet the love of your life. You have one child whom you both love dearly and spoil often. When they finally move out, the house feels so empty you and your spouse adopt another child.

Traits: Cheerful, Good, Glutton Aspiration: Leader of the Pack

Max Baking Skill

Open and run your own bakery. Do not join any careers.

Start a baking club and meet once a week

Complete Leader of the Pack aspiration

Date and marry a sim you meet at your bakery.

Have 1 child (the heir) you both dote on, and adopt a second as elders.

Gen 2: Lavender

Your parents spoiled you a lot as a child, so you don’t really know how to take care of yourself. You love music, but you love partying even more. Children and a white picket fence are nowhere on your radar; you want to DJ and dance the night away for the rest of your life. You have one boyfriend/girlfriend who you are mostly faithful to, but one night you slip up. You/your lover gets pregnant and you must take care of the child. You’re not very good with kids and you never wanted them, so you’re not around very often. You enlist your adopted sibling as a babysitter.

Traits: Music Lover, Dance Machine, Hates Children

Aspiration: Party Animal

Be best friends with your adoptive sibling

Max DJ and Dance skills

Make all of your money from tips

Complete the Party Animal aspiration

Have a boyfriend/girlfriend

Cheat on your partner and conceive, breakup or stay together.

Have little to no relationship with your child.

Have your adoptive sibling watch your child

Gen 3: Baby Blue

Growing up your parent was always out late, so you spent a lot of time playing video games and watching movies. You’re closer to your aunt/uncle than you ever were to your parent, and they taught you a lot about empathy and caring for other sims. You desperately want to give your children what you never had, and are inspired by your aunt/uncle’s story. You end up adopting a child before you start your own family.

Traits: Geeky, Loner, Unflirty

Aspiration: Super Parent

Be best friends with your aunt/uncle

Have 1 childhood friend

Max the Video Gaming Skill

Go to Geek Con every time it’s in town

Complete the Medical Career

Complete the Super Parent aspiration

Your aunt/uncle’s story inspires you. Adopt 1 child prior to marriage.

Marry your childhood friend.

Have two children with your spouse.

Be Good Friends with all of your children

Gen 4: Pistachio

You grew up well in a loving household, but you wanted more than the safe little life your parents built for you. You’re free spirited, and yearn to expand your mind and explore the wilderness. You spend your days living off the land and improving your wellness. You go camping often, and have many lovers throughout your lifetime. All the unprotected woohoo catches up to you, and you have a lot of children. You and your family spend your days working the farm and living commune style.

Traits: Loves Outdoors, Vegetarian, Noncommittal

Aspiration: Outdoor Enthusiast

Complete the Social Butterfly aspiration as a child

Live in a rural neighbourhood

Make all of your money gardening. You may open a retail lot and run a flower shop or farmer’s stand.

Master Herbalism and Gardening skills. Make it to at least level 5 of the Wellness skill.

Have at least 5 children with at least 4 different sims. One of these sims must be the Granite Falls Hermit (you will probably need cheats for this).

Never marry, but you may have multiple girlfriends/boyfriends. Bonus points if they all live with you at once.

Gen 5: Lemonade

You hated growing up in the country with so many siblings. Dirt and bugs gross you out, and there was always so much work to do. You long to start a new life in the city, far away from your embarrassing family. You move to San Myshuno as a teen, and work part-time while you focus on your grades. When you finally age up, you join the business career and marry a rich old sim. You have two children and they have the best of everything. You have brunches and spa days with your rich friends once a week.

Traits: Materialistic, Squeamish, Perfectionist

Aspiration: Fabulously Wealthy

Move to San Myshuno as a teen

Complete the Business career

Try to complete the Fabulously Wealthy aspiration

Marry a rich sim. They must be older than you are.

Avoid your big, messy family.

Have a maximum of two children.

Create a Socialites club. Meet once a week for brunch or a spa day.

Gen 6: Peach

You got everything you ever wanted as a child and lived San Myshuno’s high society life. You love living in the city and never want to leave. You are the sim equivalent of the millennial. All you want to do is explore the city and enjoy yourself for the rest of your life. You eat spicy food, blog your whole life, and become a simstagram star. You date a few people, but eventually settle down with one of your exes.

Traits: Childish, Outgoing, Bro

Aspiration: City Native

Never leave San Myshuno

Learn all 22 new recipes

Eat mostly spicy food. It’s your favorite.

Master the Singing skill

Complete the Social Media career

Have a roommate throughout your YA years. Become best friends with that roommate.

Have 3 boyfriends/girlfriends throughout your life. Get back together with one, but don’t get married until you’re both elders.

Have as many children as you want, as long as they’re with the sim you eventually marry.

Gen 7: Tangerine

As a kid you had all kinds of food, but your favorite is Grilled Cheese. You have a small group of close knit friends, and you like to invite them over once a week for grilled cheese. You live in Oasis Springs and work as a detective for the local police department. You are the epitome of dad culture: you’re clumsy and like to take naps. You marry your coworker and have a very happy marriage, but they die after your third child together. Your children are devastated and you have trouble letting go. You re-marry your ghostly spouse.

Traits: Clumsy, Foodie, Lazy

Aspiration: Grilled Cheese

Live in Oasis Springs

Have a core group of 3 friends.

Only eat grilled cheese.

Complete the Detective Career

Master the Handiness skill

Marry a coworker

Have 3 children.

Your spouse dies after the birth of your 3rd child.

Your family takes the death hard. All children must have the gloomy trait.

Never remarry. Stay with your ghostly spouse.

Gen 8: Ash

You lost one of your parents when you were young and it left a mark on you. You want desperately to make your own family, but struggle to do so. One of your pregnancies miscarry and it destroys you. You can’t bear to be around your children, and start a string of affairs. One day your spouse catches you, and leaves with the kids. You become obsessed with death. You raise a cow plant and marry the Grim Reaper.

Traits: Family-Oriented, Gloomy, Insane

Aspiration: Serial Romantic

Marry young

Be a stay-at-home parent

“Miscarry” once (end a pregnancy with cheats).

Begin cheating on your spouse shortly after miscarrying.

Complete the Serial Romantic Aspiration

Sabotage your relationships with your children

Your spouse finds out about the cheating, and divorces you. They take your children with them.

You are preoccupied with death. Download a Grim Reaper from the gallery and marry him.

Have 1 child with the grim reaper. Have all of their half-siblings hate them. This sim does not have to be the heir, but it is recommended.

Raise one cow plant. Eat the cake.

Gen 9: Vanilla

You had a rough home life growing up, but you’re optimistic that you’ll find true love. You adopt a dog and spend your days taking lots of photos. You’re definitely your father’s child, and still spend a lot of time with him. You have a rivalry with one of your siblings and fight almost every time you see one another. You go on dates often in your quest for love. Eventually you marry a cat sim and have a big wedding.

Traits: Creative, Dog Lover, Hopeless Romantic

Aspiration: Animal Lover

Be enemies with at least one of your siblings

Be best friends with your father

Have one close friend

Have at least 1 dog

Master the Photography Skill

Master the Pet Training Skill

Complete the Animal Lover aspiration

Own and operate your own photography studio

Go on multiple dates during your YA years.

Marry a Cat Lover as an Adult

Have a gold wedding

Have as many children as you want

Gen 10: Toffee

There are so many things you want to do, that you can’t stick to just one thing. You’re a jack-of-all trades and have a myriad of interests. Your many talents attract a lot of potential romantic partners to you, and some are rather eccentric. You find that you really enjoy science, and spend a lot of time visiting other planets. Eventually, you get abducted and have an alien child.

Traits: Goofy, Genius, Romantic

Aspiration: Renaissance Sim

Change jobs often. You need a total of 3 for your aspiration

Your last job must be the astronaut career

It is recommended that the scientist career is one of your careers

Complete the Renaissance Sim aspiration

Master the Rocket Science Skill

Go to Sixam

Marry an Occult sim

Get abducted

Have as many children as you want

#ts4 legacy #ts4 #pastelpat #pastel patisserie #ts4 pastel sims #nsb #notsoberry #berry sims #ts4 berry sims #ts4 legacy challenge #the sims 4 #the sims 4 legacy challenge

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tortillaplanet · 4 years ago

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Realty Stories that Show You How!

Let's begin easing you actually out of the pits. I mean, comfort zone! I'm going to slowly and carefully give you as many little sparks and insights to the not hard ways that ordinary people use real estate to achieve extraordinary outcome. Stories are the best spark plugs. They let you gently observe from a safe, secure and understandable view place. I will write to answer most of the questions that I experience I myself would ask if I was reading everything you are about to read. I want you to know something belonging to the very start of this report and that something is this unique: I care about you and I sincerely mean that. I seriously do want you to move to a new comfort zone, one that can be pleasurable and free from fear. A place where you realize you will have the power to achieve greater things than you currently can see right now. It's possible for you to start being a more powerfully directed purpose-driven individual who is well organized and on track to higher achievement. You are likely to change and grow, slowly and steadily with each page you read. With every thought and understanding you gain, your desire and courage will grow at the same time. Napoleon Hill wrote one of the greatest books of all time. It's referred to as "Think and Grow Rich. " The essence of these book, the secret it reveals time and again is this: you ought to develop a burning desire. Don't put this book downward thinking the previous statement is cliché and that you previously knew that! I am simply leading you to my then point, the next point being is - your hope needs a starting point. So to start developing desire, my technique is you must have a purpose. Why do you want to pursue real estate? I do know what you're thinking: to make money, to have security, that will feel useful and appear successful. Good points. I concur you can have all of that and more if that is what you desire. Currently here is something that comes before any of those things you desire. What's the purpose of all those things? Purpose, purpose, purpose... you need to very first define purpose before you get the things. My purpose, roughly I thought early in my career, was to move up to a nicer house and have my first house become my own first rental property. When I moved up to the next you, I quickly learned as soon as I rented it outside, I was in some way responsible for creating happiness and safety in the life of another person that was of no regards to me. It soon was evident to me how the selections I made in choosing that first property either could help me or hurt me in my quest to achieve the real estate investment business. All of it is cumulative, all you do and how you do it adds up. It compounds its own matters and it either makes your life easier or more difficult. My goal is to give you experiences that you can learn from that will make your life much easier; I am going to show you how. That is my purpose. The arrange that gave me the unknowing courage to take this first steps in real estate was a book labeled "How I Turned $1000 into $3 Million through real estate in my spare time" by William Nickerson. The person was a master storyteller and by osmosis, once reading his book, I found myself gravitating towards the home classified section of my Sunday paper. Eventually I jumped and my life had changed. It was an FHA property foreclosure, a two-bedroom, one-bath home with a built-in, screened-in group, with a Jacuzzi and a built-in sprinkler system. I bought the software for $46, 000 and used the HUD 203K rehab program to fix it up. I spent $16, 000 to update and make repairs. They then gifted me one loan for a total of $62, 000. It took me three months to complete it and Document was in; I had done it! My life changed, I realized, I took the leap. From then on I had confidence. I needed already had my first home but now I did two. Well, I was in the Coast Guard together with wouldn't you know, three months later we moved. Uncle Sam had me out of St. Petersburg, Florida and dropped others in Kodiak, Alaska, for my next tour about duty. Well guess what? I was armed with ambition, courage, confidence and just enough knowledge to be considered threatening, so I bought a duplex as soon as I came on land on Kodiak Island. Now I had three dwellings and additionally my relationships and responsibilities were growing with your new tenants counting on me to provide a clean, purposeful and pleasing environment for them to exist in. It seemed like this: My mother rented my first house in addition to an elderly couple rented the second one and a duplex came with an existing tenant who was a hospital officer, so I was lucky. I was able to ease myself towards the role of landlord without getting burned early into my career. I now had two houses and a duplex in the span of about one year. My brothers and some other sorts of family members took notice and were pretty well dumbfounded. Individuals couldn't figure out how I had, all of a sudden, become a real estate wizard. It all felt good to make that change in so quite short a time. I got that from reading a book! And also my friend is how you are going to do the majority of everything you achieve in real estate, by reading and taking steps closer to duplicating the success of others in a repeatable structure. The key is to understand that you can do it if you read the ideal books and apply the very basic formulas that are passed to you. There lies in: Magic Bullets in Real Estate This is usually a common man or woman's real estate manual. William Nickerson never gave me anything so easy as "Magic Principal points! " So I learned trial by fire and it has also been very gratifying. I've since went on to collect 17 real estate, 23 tenants, 2 real estate licenses in Florida along with Alaska, an assistant appraiser's certificate and over a one hundred dollars books on real estate. I just kept learning and maturing and gaining momentum for the last 13 years. I am however in the Coast Guard, too, and I work at Ak One Realty in my spare time. In two more numerous years, I will be retired at the ripe old age of 42. May sound like a sort of fairytale, doesn't it? Don't let me fool an individual. It's hard work and I'm still not a millionaire, yet I want you to have the truth, so I will be honest along every step of the way. I know why I am an excellent millionaire and here is why. I would periodically sell real estate that was going up in value and paying for itself because of the rent checks. But being in the Coast Guard would most likely dislocate me every four years, so I found ourselves selling out in order to avoid being what is called "an absentee landlord. " This is an important lesson for you. It has prevented me from becoming a millionaire up to this point. The tutorial is: find an area on this planet that you could and will inhabit, and stay close to it. Don't move more than 10 miles from your farm area. The farm area is definitely where all your properties are located. Long distance "land lording" might be tough! It can be done but you lose the ability to control your situation compared to if you were there. I've served my country and even saved people's lives, so for me it has not been in vain. I have no regrets but if you don't have to get away from your area of expertise, don't! The networks you develop and the contacts you build, in the process of "doing" property, are so valuable that when they are no longer at your disposal, it puts you at a serious disadvantage. Not to mention when you step you have to acclimate yourself to an entirely different market, build latest trust-based relationships and start all over again. It's like a treadmill you're going to be running and running, however it gets you nowhere. I had used it to my advantage. I have been forced towards accelerate my abilities to rapidly duplicate my achieving success whenever I am moved, but it is still an uphill combat. My point: Don't move too far from your farm or even your network of bankers, appraisers, carpenters, tradesman, housing, friends, tenants and so on. Once you have the skill you can redundant your success anywhere you go but if you don't have to be... enough said on that! I like to say, "Don't advertise the goose to get the eggs. " What that means is certainly if you need money to buy more property, use equity creases from other property to do it. You will get the same amount of cash or more by using an equity line as if you sold the idea. However , you get to keep the asset and the money! I go deep into this in "Magic Bullets, " so I won't drone on here. Just know you don't have to sell your property to see the cash out of them. So here we are. You know a little about me and you may have picked up a nugget or simply two. Let's find a few more. There once was men who wanted to buy some investment property, so what the guy did was look at growth patterns. You should do this at the same time, by going to your city's planning and zoning department. You will discover growth patterns and you definitely want to buy property that is an acronym in the way of growth. This is how he used what he discovered. He saw that city planners had decided which a new artery (highway) would benefit their city by just creating linkage to another city about 100 miles at a distance, so being a smart investor he only went in as much as a ten mile limit to be able to be close to your partner's investment. Now on average, new growth will radiate out from existing prosperous cities in the direction it is planned for a price of about one mile per year. So our smart individual had a 10 - 12 year plan to hard cash out in about 10 - 12 years. Exactly what he did was buy, I believe, 10 acres connected with commercially zoned property very cheaply because there was basically no demand at the time. He bought it, fenced it in, deal some lights and a gate, and held onto which usually little bugger. Now that new highway was coming this way and the good folks, through their taxes, was paying to have it built. It didn't take long for the heavy equipment to start cutting a swath when it comes to his fenced-in storage facility and when they got shut enough to him, he started renting out a good secure area for everything, from road cones in order to generators to backhoes. You name it - it had been stored there. This more than paid his land down. Now the men and their equipment eventually moved further down the trail but they left a completed highway behind them. And guess what? Low and behold, individuals started driving on it, and then started buying property to set up houses on to get away from the city. Since the new highway seemed to be a straight shot into town, ten miles through was breeze. Well, of course, here comes the herd and everyone is just populating the whole darned area. As well as within ten years, residential housing surrounds Mr. Investor, and will you guess what he's got? Yep, a prime part of commercial property, 10 acres large. So in accordance with her 10-12 year plan, he sells his storage option to make room for the new office/business park complex designed for over $2, 000, 000. That, my friend, is perception, and the sooner you get a clear picture of what it will be that you want to specialize in, the sooner you can retire to the of the islands. How hard was that? Don't tell me it's hard to do it, you can! I'm here to help you. I'm going to give you secrets and techniques no one else dares. Do you ever wonder why people will not tell you the secrets? Of course you already know this but I'm going to tell you anyway. It is because they are operating on a scarcity attitude, as though there won't be any left for them. Or whenever learn something and act on it, you will get ahead and possess a great life. Well, misery loves company and quiet oppression is the rule. Here's a little story that low quality real estate agents won't appreciate either but I'm going to tell that to you anyway. The reason I can tell it is because there are some amazing real estate agents out there who absolutely don't fear what Now i'm about to tell you and would let you know it if they happen to be in my position. Here's the deal: Some agents want to be for instance the Wizard of Oz . They want to create the appearance of selling and transacting real estate as being technical and very legal, a new deep dark mystery. Well, it's not! The truth be told, you possibly can write a contract on a napkin and it would give a presentation in court. I will emphasize here that you write for that napkin along with the terms of your agreement, "The words and phrases set forth on this here napkin are subject to my lawyer's approval. " An attorney will cover you completely for around $750. 00. Prices may vary, however that is an average home contract. There is a lot I am leaving out here but our point is this: If you own property, you can market it anyway you want. "Magic Bullets" will teach you. We will move on. Exposure is the key to finding buyers and owners in real estate. If a property is priced fairly not to mention everyone who is looking for that type of property knows that should be in the availability pool, it will be found and the transaction will probably proceed as advertised. Price it right, advertise the application properly and let the lawyer take care of the details. No fee, just a flat fee. Period. Now that I have that off my personal chest, I will tell you a story about Dan, a 21-year old friend of mine, and his wife and also their new baby. He's a hardworking guy who does an individual's work without complaint and all the other "workers" pick in him for working so hard. Can you believe this? The other guys are so insecure and lazy construct y make fun of a guy who is doing the work of two to three men, mainly of the three who are ridiculing him. Nicely, believe me, this doesn't go unnoticed by me plus I take him under my wing. Dan hopes to buy a house, so I begin the process of saving them years of trial by fire and save your man $25, 000 at no charge. That is because he deserved great help. Anyway, here is the story: I began with the pup by asking him what type of home he thought yet be comfortable with and a price range. He indicated a 3-bedroom for around $100, 000. Knowing what he wanted as well as knowing the area, I was able to take him shopping for the place he was looking for. Now I always go after the "For Selling by Owner" homes first because I know they won't possibly be adding any commission figure into their price, because they will never be paying one. So at 6% of $100, 000 he will get $6, 000 more "house" for his particular precious dollar. I also told him besides the "For Sale by Owner" homes, we would be looking at oddball discount companies that help distressed sellers further spend the their money and property. The mentality of a dealer who uses cheesy companies to help them sell their property is pennywise and pound-foolish. If you're going to use individuals, then get a professional. So off we go. After a day or so, we have found our house. Sure enough, El Cheeso Inc. has a sign on it. The screen doors are actually flapping in the breeze, the weeds are dancing within the lawn, but this house is indeed a 3-bedroom, 2-bath, 1-car garage with a fenced yard and it's selling regarding $110, 000. Well, due to the fact that there is a divorce in progress, and a new girlfriend who doesn't like the place, and El Cheeso Inc. giving no representation, I settle for Dan and he gets it for $99, 000. What's so great about this deal is this very same floor plan in another house was for sale across town, on the same street, for $25, 000 more. The ethical of the story is good things come to those who deserve the item, and that is another key to real estate. You must work very hard so others will take notice of you and enable you to succeed. Here's a beauty for you. This is about being on real estate circles and keeping your eyes and hearing open and often times your "yapper" closed. This is the adventure of Brian and Julie. Here we have two industrious souls. They have been married for 20 years and they have weathered the storms of matrimony. Julie works at a real estate property office as an office manager. No real estate license, however she works at an office that sells plenty of waterfront property. So we are talking about location and staying in the right place at the right time, and below comes a seller in the door of the office documenting she is going to sell her older waterfront home. She is ready to take $180, 000. Julie tells Brian, they look at it and sure enough, this pearl is right on the water. She gets a gem waiting to be polished up, so Brian and Julie sell their condominium and move in. Very well, they aren't making any more waterfront property, so John goes to work polishing this jewel up. Now, they've bought this house under market value in an appreciating market. So about one and a half years later, the property is worth over $350, 000 and still climbing. Most certainly, Brian is no dummy, so he gets to know his / her neighborhood. He strolls, takes walks and notices, one guessed it, a vacant, neglected jewel on an within double lot. He tracks down the elderly lady, who's going to be living with her sister, through the county records office together with buys the house, including the extra lot, for a total for $120, 000. Now Brian can walk to his or her new "jewel" and he starts polishing it. Typically the neighbors start noticing and are amazed at his put up. He has offers of $180, 000, $200, 000 and additionally $60, 000 for just the lot. You name them. Now that the exposure is there, everyone wants a piece of it again. Well, this is what Brian did. He rented his 1st house out, moved into the second one and utilised plans that I gave to him to build a third residential home on the vacant lot, using the equity he accumulated from first house that went up so much. And listed below is how this thing shakes out: $180, 000 intended for his first house and it's value goes up to $365, 000; he picked up the next jewel for $120, 000 and he paid cash using the equity from the first of all house. Now he takes out a new mortgage on the second house for $120, 000 and builds still another. The value at last count was $815, 000 and she owed a grand total $300, 000. That's a 1 / 2 million-dollar profit in 5 years! Now what really does this story tell us? #1 - it says, "work hard"; #2 - keep your eyes open; #3 - use equity lines; #4 - don't sell; #5 - learn how to be a landlord; #6 - be in locales that appreciate; #7 - buy things that are constrained in availability; #8 - know how to research owners in addition to repair property; #9 - get your partner's help (spouse); #10 - use knowledgeable friends to help you see future (I gave him the plans and advised your pet not to sell anything! ). Can you get any more instructions out of this story? I'm sure you can. Just read it once more and think on it. Jot down your ideas and put the crooks to work. Real estate is not that hard, folks! You can do it. Along with a few magic bullets, some spark plugs and a great mentor to show you how, you can do it too! Let me you and me talk for just a minute here, OK! Have you ever long been really good at something and been able to step to come back and see the whole thing for what it is was? You just comprehend exactly how to do it and you can see the end result clearly mentally before you start. It's predictable to you. It's almost second makeup, so you are comfortable doing it. It's almost become unexciting to you; your comfort zone is such that you can do it into your sleep. I've gotten that way with certain types of properties and I see people everyday that are so terrified of taking the first step that they are literally paralyzed. They produce excuses and put it off, and rationalize and live any quiet life of desperation. They don't trust themselves and so of the unknown they can't trust anyone else either. This is a horrible cycle because the longer they wait the more it reinforces their beliefs. I just want to grab them by the back of the shirt, take them to the bank and make them tell the bank, "Pre-qualify me! " Then walk them out the entranceway and show them how to do something that will change their daily life forever, and that is to buy the first property, and then a second. Therefore their fear is gone and they grow to be of service to make sure you everyone who is ready for their assistance. Let me tell you this: When you have finish reading the rest of this report and you read the "Magic Bullets" book, your fears will be subdued and you will want to do something and your life will change. If you cannot succeed with what I am motive on showing you, then something is not right. I feel your desire would be your major obstacle, so in that case, read "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Slope and come back to me then. Let's get back to real estate coaching, shall we? Do you know who the largest commercial real estate operator in the U. S. is? It's McDonalds Corporation. Yes, and on top of that, they also have the most valuable locations for their particular business. The research they do on demographics and website visitors counts is unparalleled! If you were ever going to clear a fast food restaurant, just put it near a McDonalds. You would survive just on the volume of people who flock or maybe pass by the location that McDonalds has already decided meets the critical data to support their restaurant business. Your eating place, if you had good food and service, would grow. Just sell something a little different than McDonalds. That's profiting someone else's expertise in evaluating a location for a certain types of real estate. Now that is a principle and principles are want natural laws. A natural law always works in every issue in its own way. It's like gravity - it all always works! Here on earth, anyway. So in realty it doesn't matter what type it is, whether it's commercial, residential, industrial as well as recreational. Look for signs that serious market studies have already been undertaken by major operators and buy things that can achieve the presence of those concerns. For instance, let's use Place Depot as an example. If Home Depot decides to build at a site, every residential lot within a mile of that brand new center will be bought up as soon as the Home Depot commits to build! Why? Because smart investors know that Home Depot has done the market study and the area will be a prosperous one particular. On top of that, it will provide jobs, it will pay taxes, it may provide materials to actually build the neighborhoods with, and the ones will shop there once their houses are built. An identical goes for Wal-Mart, Lowe's and other smart business concerns. You will or may not have noticed this but take a look the next time you are driving around. Here is what you should see. As you travel into cities from the suburbs, you'll notice donut boutiques, gas stations with convenience coffee centers, bagel shops, along with etcetera, on the side of the road that people travel to on their method into the city to go to work. These are morning activity enterprise centers. Now on your way home, out of the city, you will see places to eat that cater to the evening meal crowd: KFC, Taco Bell, Subway and Pizza Hut. That's because people will not go there for breakfast. They get it on their technique home, outbound from the city at night. If you put the restaurant on the wrong side of the road, you could be at home huge strategical error. Think! Location, location, location as they say, are the 3 most important things in real estate. That is a very true statement. With residential property, that boils down to safeness, security and convenience. So buy homes in decent neighborhoods, cul-de-sacs preferably. No noise or through visitors, no escape routes for thieves, and a private positioning, where kids play in the street without getting run down. Safety = close to hospitals, police and fire protection for the purpose of obvious reasons. Convenience = stores, gas stations, restaurants, enterprises, parks and recreation and access to major highways for you to circulate or evacuate if necessary. You might get a great deal about the piece of properly but if it takes you a half 60 minute block to get a loaf of bread. What kind of resale will which will great deal offer? Another great deal may back up to or possibly face a busy street. That's often a poor decision as well... noise, pollution, the loss of privacy and curb draw are all factors here. The two best types of property to obtain are: 1 . Property that no one else knows is ideal for sale! Why? Because you have no competition. 2 . Property normally wants! You just have to figure out why people don't want to buy. If you can turn that lemon into lemonade through numerous problem solving, that jewel may just shine because you employed the right magic polish. In real estate, you get paid if you solve problems. That is a fact! Here is a golden nugget available for you. If you do this, it will catapult your real estate investment career. That i guarantee you will gain more insight to real estate therefore one thing than just about anything else you could possibly do. The glowing nugget is this: Take a real estate appraisal course. It may fly by, a few weekends and it's over, but the perception and the information you gain from the class is priceless. The software gives you vision, ideas and understanding. You will have an edge through every other investor who has not done it. I had the instructor, who by some stroke of luck, I just was privileged to be taught by. His name is without a doubt Steven V. and he is truly a genius. This guy could create millions if he applied himself to real estate investment though he chooses to teach and give back to others in that way. He could be very comfortable in life and money is a by-product for Steven. When I finished the class, I had appraisers wanting to hire me to go to work. Now I won't want to work as an appraiser. I just want to think including one and that is why I took that four-weekend tutorial. That class taught me more than both of my best real estate licensing courses combined. The reason for that is real estate courses deal with state laws, contracts, regulations and ethics. Value determination focuses on evaluating real estate and that is what you want to learn as an real estate investor. A real estate license can actually hold you back as a result of being a savvy investor and here's why: #1 : You have to announce to every seller that you are an agent. It will be an ethics rule and a disclosure law. Well, currently the seller is on guard for all kinds of reasons so you waste precious time overcoming negative reactions. #2 - When you attend sell your real estate, the same things apply but grow that scenario the fact that if you make large profits regarding property that you sell, people can come after you, saying a person took advantage of them because of your expertise. And they be successful! So you don't need to go to college for 4 years and also don't need a real estate license. What you do need is actually a guy like me to convince you to go to value determination school and read books like the one you have at this time. Then go out and do it, using a lawyer to protect you will every step of the way. Again, here is a good indicate make. Simply weave into every agreement or deliver make the following statement: This entire agreement is subject to my attorney's approval. I can't stress that enough. It is one line of text. That covers it all. It presents time to investigate deals. It protects your interests and even keeps you from getting burned in this business. Right here are a couple more beauties that I use to protect myself and you ought to too. These are used with initial purchase offers: 1 . Ready to pay X amount of dollars or appraised value, any is less. (That says, "I'm only going to spend so much but if the appraisal is lower than what I proposed, than I am going to get it for the lower price. I don't get scorched! ) 2 . Subject to my partner's approval. (My mate was always my wife, and if she didn't like it, the deal was null and void, cancelled, over, kaput, finito. ) Now nothing says my partner wasn't the dog, so if there's no fire hydrant, well the offer could be off. Those are examples of escape clauses that may be abused to the point of being called "weasel clauses. " Do not be a weasel! They give you a short period of time to have the option to order something first with the right to cancel the deal, contingent on something or someone else's decision. I use them to protect personally and to get a little time to do my research on the building. Don't use them to unfairly tie a seller's hands. Possibly be fair and try to move quickly when you do utilize them. What you are doing is creating a short time, zero-cost option to buy real estate. Here is a little trick and I avoid the use of it very often but it can be used in a fair manner i really will give you the nugget. When you write an offer purchasing property, on the top line of the contract is a line the fact that indicates who the buyer is. On that line in a few cases, I will write my name plus the words and / or assigns, like this: Buyers: Dan Auito or assigns The things that word "assigns" does is this: it permits me to sell by assigning my right to buy the place to someone else. Dirty dealers will take advantage of people with who word if they can get away with it. Here's where We'd use it. In real estate, a lot of bargain hunters look for distressed property. You know, the fixer-uppers, the abandoned, condemned, fire-damaged stuff. I go a step further and look for affected sellers such as death, divorce, relocation, but a lot of times My spouse and i don't specialize in that type of property. That's OK if it's a steal and I get it for 40 -- 50% off, I will assign it to someone who does deal in that type of property and make a profit by determining it. I'll always ask the distressed seller should that is a problem and if it is, I will buy it downright, then flip it but it costs more to do that. Therefore I'll explain this to the seller and get their agreement to use it. I don't slip it in about them. You will have a miserable existence if you practice real estate by deceit. Natural law will crush you; play fair! Goal, passion and desire cannot be achieved or acquired by simply deceit. That's a quotable quote. I hope you remember the software. Let's get on with another story. This illustrates a second fine example for you. This story is about a family what person had business interests outside of real estate investing and as a result from the successes of their other businesses they had fairly large sums of money to play real estate like a monopoly adventure. Power can be dangerous in the wrong hands! So listed here we go. This flush with cash family perceives an opportunity to take advantage of an overlooked or left alone markets. That market is the old-fashioned trailer park, or shall we say Mobile Home Park. Anyway, the way almost all mobile home parks came into existence was this: Usually a person of integrity and strong work ethic coupled with a fabulous love for his fellow man would buy a parcel suitable to the placement of mobile homes. As people gone in, he and his wife would welcome individuals and the neighbors would greet them and the community may become established. The private owner would dig his own sewer lines and cut his own roads and scenery the park. Maybe put in the clubhouse complete with an important swimming pool, shuffleboard, pool table and meeting hall. Because time marched on, the residents bonded with each other along with a family-friendly community took root. Well this man in integrity had a problem. Since all of his tenants will be his friends, he is pressured not to raise the lot rent with inflation. So the rents over the years are kept suprisingly low in the park and now this man and his partner are getting old. Perfect timing for our investors to come bumping and offer our private aging park owner a three million dollar price for his 10 acres regarding mobile home lots. This is a once in a lifetime deliver and many park owners cashed out. What people didn't notice was these investors were systematically and methodically the process all over the place and once they cashed out as many mom not to mention pops as they could, they lowered the boom. At this time they the investors had control of many parks from the same areas and they started raising the lot rental prices. You see, they didn't have any emotional ties towards the residents and they didn't live there, so it was an easy business deal: either pay the new higher rent or perhaps move. The residents said, "To hell with you fresh owner, we are moving. " "Well, fine, go ahead, " they said. Now the residents started calling all-around to find another park with low rents but think who owned those? Yep, our investors did, and others lot rents were going up too. So the mom and also pops who didn't sell were full and it would certainly cost on average of about $7, 000 to relocate to a different one park even if they could find a vacancy. The old folks that had it so good for so long were faced with the latest reality and that was that they had no choice and yet to pay up or move, and moving, in many cases, wasn't an option. These investors exploited a complete segment of the current market and made millions and millions in profit and continue to achieve today. It wasn't long after this happened that you began seeing signs saying, "This is a resident owned group. " People eventually got smart and started selecting that little lot that their trailer was placed on and they began paying association dues for the club and security and grounds, maintenance and road fix. The good ole days are nothing but a fond storage. Life goes on but America did not change for the more effective as a result of these types of people. Their only purpose was to help with making money; I believe they will die alone and in anguish as a result of their way of life. So I ask you again, on earth do you be passionate and put your heart into purchasing real estate by investing the way our corporate investors does? I think not. Money is no good when you get it through deceitful ways. I encourage you to work at balancing your own objectives. Lease optioning, flippers... you are walking a fine series. Here's a flip side to communal living. This tale is a happier scenario, so let's have a little happiness here. I once lived in Key West plus I lived off base. Well, I thought When i lived next door to Noah, and it sounded as though the person was building another ark. All summer long, hammers and saws seemed to be making some type of racket, so of course being the neighbor I was, I got to know the person next door. He never went to work and I quizzed him one day, "Don't you have a job and he somewhat grinned and put his hammer down and this will be Mark's story. Mark and his brother were out of your Northeast and they had a 30-room boarding house pertaining to college kids there, at something like $300. 00 a calendar month. That was about $9, 000 a month and they made typically the parents responsible for the rent payments. Mark would commit his time with his family in the Keys for the on the lookout for months that school was in session. His brother was initially a local up North and he took care of your toilets, faucets, doors and windows. Yes, they had their very own animal house hold going on there, but Mark factored in the abuse as well as would spend 2 - 3 months a year, putting your pet house back together while the animals went home just for summer break. Mark only worked three months a year as well as house (ark) that he built next to us was the masterpiece; it was beautiful. He was a master craftsman and he loved his work and spent loads of his time with his family in a wonderful climate. Makes you kind of jealous, doesn't it? Well, don't let it books can do it, too, but you must get started. Mark was basically 45 when I met him. I believe he was twenty five when he got started, so my advice to your account is to get started now!

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inveesible · 6 years ago

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OC FALLOUT COMPANION MEME

Tagged by @scarecrow-forest and @mrninjapineapple , thank you for thinking of me^^

a companion May would probably be a "champion of justice", former member of the Brotherhood of Steel, devoted to helping the defenseless that fight under no banners.

NAME: May (non romanceable companion)

FOUND: Cambridge Police Station during Fire Support, not recruitable until the end of Tour of Duty, but since she is not on the Prydwen anymore, you must looking for her in a random settlement, Diamond City or Goodneighbor.

FLAGGED: unessential, you can kill her right away.

PRESENT: one Rad-Away a day + Occhio di Falco (+50% damages if you take a headshot in V.A.T.S., 100% limbs damages in V.A.T.S.) after personal quest.

MAX APPROVAL PERK: Rampage - when your health drops below 20%, May enters a state of battle frenzy that instantly headshots all the enemies involved. Only works if May is the active companion.

WEAPON OF CHOICE: unnamed Laser Rifle (she says it's a gift) + Combat Knife (even if it's in her inventory, she doesn’t use it in combat and you can’t take it)

I THINK WE SHOULD TRAVEL TOGETHER: (first meeting) “Fine, but remember: if I don't like the way you go about, we are done; if I REALLY don't like the way you go about, YOU are done.” - “Check your supplies first, especially for Rad-X and Rad-Away… and cigarettes.”- (after reached max affinity) “Sure buddy. After you.” – “I was really looking forward to this, thank you.” – “Who drives? *little pause* yep, sorry…”

YOUR THOUGHTS? “Don't you miss taking a bath in a nice, warm and fragrant bathtub? Or taking a shit in a working and clean toilet? *deep sigh*” – “Am I the one always cold or is it a frozen men thing?” – “aaaand with this I officially read all the books here in Boston… *sigh*” – “Too many Raiders, too few composers… *deep sigh*” – and other nostalgic mumbling…

OPEN INVENTORY: “if there is only one pack of cigarettes left, it's mine.” – “sure, take all the Nuka-Cola you want.” – “deposit or withdrawal?”

USE STIMPAK: “NO DON’T WAST-*sigh*, thank you…” – “I'll return the favor, thank you.”

WAIT HERE: “Don't take too long, please.” – “If you don't come back in two cigarettes, I'll leave.” – “Just whistle when you're ready”

FOLLOW ME: “*sigh* about time…” – “*sarcastically* as you wish, your Lordship.”

DISMISSED: “I'll take care of some personal stuff while you're away, be careful.”

SEND HER HOME: “You know where you find me if you change your mind.”

CHANCES OF UNIQUE DIALOGUES IF YOU…: start a relationship with MacCready, Danse or Cait (you can romance them all, but the dialogue will be triggered only the first time) - end forever your relationship with MacCready, Danse, Preston or Cait – side with the Nuka-World Raiders – destroy Acadia with the Brotherhood of Steel.

LOCATIONS COMMENTS:

(Diamond City) “I hate this... city, but unfortunately there is no safer place to do business.” – “if you want advice, stay away from the reporter… Oh, you already know her…” - (if Unlikely Valentine is complete): “Thanks for saving Valentine. If something happened to him I would never have forgiven myself…”

(Goodneighbor) “You should not mess with these people, but if you behave yourself, they are pretty decent folks…”- “Hancock says we can put everything on his tab at the Third Rail, but if you're up for something else, don't count me in.” - (if Long Road Ahead is completed): “I wonder how RJ and Duncan are getting on? Oh, thanks from me too, by the way.”

(Listening Post Bravo) (if Blind Betrayal is complete): “ca-can we just l-leave, please?”

(The Prydwen): “Did I ever tell you I was an “almost Knight”? Then I left for, well, let's say "differences of opinion."

(Cambridge Police Station) (until Blind Betrayal): “Do you mind? I'd like to greet a friend, if is there.”

(Vault-111): “With your permission, I'll wait outside. I seem to go back in time when I go in there…”

(Abernathy Farm) (if Blind Betrayal is complete): “Excuse me a minute, I go check and see how Lisa's doing.”

(any research laboratory): “It’s so weird, I never felt at home even at my home, but here…” – “This was my life before… certainly the best part.”

MAY LIKES THAT: helping innocents - healing Dogmeat – weapon or armour customization

MAY LOVES THAT: killing named super mutants – killing named Raiders – killing named Gunner - entering power armor – flipping the bird to Maxson (*snort* just kidding)

MAY DISLIKED THAT: taking chems - picking owned locks and stealing - taking too much alcohol in a row

MAY HATED THAT: murder - killing cats or domesticated dogs - getting addicted to chems or alcohol - destroying all the three factions in Far Harbor, one “hated” per faction - agreeing to become the new Overboss in Nuka-World

PERSONAL QUEST: before gaining enough affinity to unlock May’s personal quest, your partnership could proceed, end well or end badly depending on your actions from Blind Betrayal onwards:

1 – if you bring May with you and you agree to kill Danse, after talking to him, and then you do, she will leave the party and she will never travel with you again - you can still find her wandering the Commonwealth and you can kill her if you want to [bad end].

2 – if you bring May with you and you agree to kill Danse, after talking to Maxson and then you do, she will attack you immediately, forcing you to kill her first [bad end].

3 – if you bring May with you and you can’t persuade Maxson to spare Danse, May will attack him immediately, forcing the Elder to incapacitate her first, then she will leave the party and she will never travel with you again - if you decide to destroy the Brotherhood in With Our Powers Combined, you will find May at The Castle ready to help you deal with those assholes [bad end].

4 – if you spare Danse, regardless of whether you bring May with you or not, you gain a considerable amount of affinity that unlocks her personal quest (The Sleeping Beauty, read below) - from this moment on, the Combat Knife in her inventory will disappear forever [good end]

5 – if you (or Maxson) kill(s) Danse without bringing May with you, the next time you see her she will ask you for explanations about it, you can tell her that you tried everything to save him, even lying if required, and still unlock her personal quest, but not the “considerable amount of affinity”, you still have to work for that. [good end]

6 – if the events of Blind Betrayal never take place, you being vilified from the Brotherhood and you proceed with With Our Powers Combined, Rockets' Red Glare or Airship Down, May will fight alongside the Brotherhood and Danse, forcing you to kill her [bad end]

7 – you can still reach a “good end” without unlocking May’s personal quest if the events of Blind Betrayal never take place and you destroy The Institute alongside the Minutemen - doing so you get the perk but not Occhio di Falco [good end].

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY: once you gain enough affinity, May will ask you to take her to Vault-111; once there you have to follow her to her cryopod, then she will tell you that this is where [May’s real name] died and where May was born, confessing that she is the creator of the technology that brought the Sole Survivor up to here; you can choose to blame her for everything that happened to your family (and eventually kill her), or tell her that if it wasn't for her, you and your family would surely have died with the bombs dropping, so she will tell you that thanks to this second life chance, she was able to find many things to live for and many people that were worth keeping close to, including you, then May will give you her 10mm, Occhio di Falco, and ask you to get the hell out of there.

I’m tagging YOU, that you read up to here.

Wooo this was a hell of a work XD!

#may #oc meme #long post #sorry about this...#>///<

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365daysofsasuhina · 5 years ago

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[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Two Hundred Nine: Folk Singer ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Uchiha Itachi ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Divine Light ] [ AO3 Link ]

They’ve been on the road for nearly a week without respite. And while Sasuke has no qualms about roughing it out of doors, he has concern for his brother’s condition. After all, despite having a light mage with them...he’s not yet been fully cured. While she has the inner talents for it...she lacks the knowledge to truly apply it.

Hence the hare-brained quest to make it back to the abandoned capital of her people to find - or so they hope - the proper information to heal him completely. Until then, she’s using what she’s learned by trial and error over the years to keep him stable...but the travel is wearing on him. It’s easy enough to tell.

“One night’s stay isn’t going to be enough,” he insists the evening before they’re set to enter the next town on their route. “We have to take at least two in order to let him recover properly.”

“...I’ve no issue with that,” is her reply. “We can balance a good pace with proper rest. For now, I’ve managed his symptoms well enough. A few days’ break from our journey won’t hinder us in the grand scheme of things.”

“Good. And...don’t tell him it was my idea. He’ll only insist otherwise.”

She gives a small, knowing smile. “I’d guessed well enough. Should it come from his healer’s lips, he’ll surely listen.”

Satisfied, he retires to a place by the fire he’s started with his own fire energy. Part of him is still wary of that woman...even if he can’t precisely name why.

Coming up from nearby, Hinata puts a stopper in her waterskin. “There...that should last until we get to town tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry about it too much - we’ll be staying in town a few days.”

That earns a blink. “...really?”

“Itachi needs a break - light mage’s orders.” Might as well lay it on for her sake, too.

“...oh! Well, that’s good...maybe we can pick up some supplies. Do some trading, or...m-maybe find some small jobs while we’re there for some coin.”

“So long as we’re careful. Don’t need to stir up any trouble. Not every city is friendly to our kinds, remember?”

“I know,” she replies softly, sitting beside him. “But people will pay for the convenience of ven. You just have to know who’s sincere, and who would turn you in.”

“And that’s not always so easy to see.”

“True...but something simple, just for a few gold, wouldn’t hurt.”

“Mm…” Sasuke doesn’t agree either way. He’d rather just lay low and rest...but she has a point. True, he can hunt well enough...and her skills mean never running out of water. But a few basic supplies and comforts they can come across while still back in civilization certainly wouldn’t hurt.

Maybe even just something simple...like those sweets his brother has always liked. Sasuke’s always been the sort to spoil his elder brother. Perhaps a bit backwards, but...given their difference in health, it’s to be expected.

He takes first watch, the night quiet as the rest of his party sleeps. Itachi gave no argument to the light mage’s insistence he rest, and Sasuke breathes a quiet sigh of relief. Some respite from the road and saddle will do him good. Let him regather some energy and spirit before they take the next leg of their journey.

Hinata takes the second half of the night, and they all rise come sunup. Tearing down camp as they’re by now well-practiced, the group saddle and mount their horses before continuing down the path.

By noon, the city’s in sight. A humble place, but clearly of decent size. They soon merge into traffic of carts and other riders all looking to get to the same place.

“Feels like it’s been forever since we’ve been in town,” Hinata notes. “Especially one like this!”

“A welcome break,” Sasuke agrees, looking to the tiered stone walls. It looks decently fortified, swaths of land having been cleared for several acres to make farmland from what was once forest. They pass through farms first before arriving to the city proper.

Hoods on, they pass with the rest of the traveling crowds without problem. Sasuke can sense a few others like them - those with far brighter, colored auras than the blessless mor around them.

Immediately, they’re swept into the bustle of town. They pull to one side to reorganize.

“We’ll find an inn, first - lay claim to some rooms, then see about resupplying. Otherwise...I suppose we’re all free to do what we must until we’re rested. Just take care not to draw undue attention. Last I heard, this place is fairly tolerant of elves...but best to be cautious. Keep your heads down, and we’ll take our leave without any trouble.”

The party all nod, heading further in. Clearly a town of trade, finding an inn with rooms to spare takes until late afternoon, stabling their mounts and finding two rooms: one for each pair of men and women.

“I’d best tend to Itachi for a time. Would you two mind scoping out some supplies? I’m sure you know well enough by now what to look for. Otherwise...you’ve the evening to yourselves!”

Sasuke nods, heading out with Hinata into the streets. Markets are busy, but they replace worn cloaks and lacking foodstuffs, ensuring they have what they need before leaving in the following days.

“...oh!”

Turning as Hinata pauses, Sasuke perks a brow. “...what?”

“Do you hear that?”

“...hear what?”

“Music!”

Before he can clarify, she walks briskly in another direction, forcing him to follow as not to be separated. They both know their inn, but best to remain together.

In a square not far, seated along the rim of a fountain, is what appears to be a bard. One leg atop the other, umber hair twisted into two piled braids atop her head, she strums a loot and sings heartily to the crowds. Several have stopped to listen...and a few even make to dance.

“Look! A folksinger!”

“...what?”

“They sing traditional songs! You know, like auditory history. Tales of battles and sieges, and other events. They turn it into s-song, and keep traditions. It’s easier to remember when set to music and rhyme. I know a few, but...well, I’m not one to sing.”

Sasuke eyes the gathering a bit warily. It seems jovial enough...but he’s not eager to attract attention to themselves. “...do you want to sit and listen?”

“Can we?”

“So long as we’re still and quiet.”

Only lightly burdened, the pair find a nearby bench, perching atop it to take in the sounds for a time. Sasuke knows none of the words, or even the tales told, but he patiently takes it in. While he’s studied plenty by scroll and tome...there’s something pleasant about a history lesson set to rhythm and rhyme.

Beside him, nodding in time, Hinata smiles and listens attentively. At one point, he sees her mouth along, familiar with whatever particular ballad is sung.

...he almost wishes she’d sing. Something tells him she must have a beautiful voice.

Between songs, the bard gives smiles and nods of thanks as spare coppers and silvers are given into a chipped wooden bucket.

“...do you think it safe to give her some?”

Sasuke glances to his companion. “...I can think of better ways to spend our coin.”

“But we’ve sat and enjoyed her craft! She should be rewarded for her talent, and the work she gives it.” Making up her mind, Hinata rises despite Sasuke’s momentary rebuke.

In the end he relents (it’s not like he can ever stop her once she’s made up her mind), watching as she gives the tip and even a curtsy to the musician. The woman smiles and laughs in turn, bowing in return as best she can over the instrument in her lap.

Around Hinata, several kids take to dancing as the music starts up once more. Amused, Sasuke watches as they weave to and fro, making the path back a bit laborious. But eventually she makes it, sitting with a breathless laugh. “Well...this has been fun! I can’t remember the last time I got to hear music…”

“Maybe we need a bard in our party,” Sasuke muses, earning a soft snort.

“I think we’re crowded as it is. As grand as our adventure is...I don’t think it yet w-worthy of song.”

“Not yet, perhaps...but maybe someday.”

“Maybe someday.”

With that, the pair make their way back to the inn as evening falls. The rest of their party is down in the belly of the inn eating, and they quickly join them.

“Have a good romp through the city?” Itachi asks, and Sasuke is glad to find him already brighter-eyed.

“Aye. Stopped and listened to a bard for a time...and I think we’ve all we need.”

“Well, we’ll be here until the morn after next - we’ve time to make sure nothing is missed.”

With full bellies, they retire to their rooms: the women to one, the men to another. “Goodnight,” they all call, shutting doors and getting ready to sleep.

“Did you know any of the bard’s songs?” Itachi asks once tucked into bed.

“No...I’ve no talent for music, nor interest. But Hinata seemed to recognize one or two.”

“She seems the sort, yes. Perhaps we can see if she is there again tomorrow, this bard. I’d like to sit and listen for a time, enjoy the sun…”

“I’m sure we can.”

“Perhaps you can have a dance,” the elder brother mumbles, clearly slipping into sleep.

Perking a brow, Sasuke doesn’t answer. In truth...he did consider it...but, well...maybe tomorrow.

.oOo.

Oooof it's late, so I'll be brief~ More crossover with my original fantasy verse! This time we find our heroes having a bit of a break. Poor Itachi needs it. And at least the rest can also benefit from a little time off the road. A little music always helps rejuvenate the soul~ But yeah, on that note...I need sleep, lol - thanks for reading!

#sasuhina #uchiha sasuke #hyūga hinata #uchiha itachi #divine light [ au ]#365daysofsasuhina

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sketchyglinda · 6 years ago

Text

Ozma: Part One

Mombi wasn’t that bad. She threatened to turn me to stone a few times, yeah, but I was no angel. Better moms around, but at least she never pretended to be anything but the wicked witch she was.

They want me to write the whole story down. For the Royal Records, they said. I guess they don’t care about my childhood with Mombi and stuff, the good parts like climbing trees and playing in the mud. Probably wanna hear about how I was never comfortable like that, but I was. Sometimes—maybe most times—I wish I could go back. But I can’t, and they don’t care what dumb little boys want. Down to business, then.

I’d been fighting with Mombi. We got along pretty well sometimes, actually, but right then I was mad at her. So I decided to make this scarecrow, jack-o-lantern thing, surprise her and see if she’d scream.

She didn’t. Maybe I made the face too friendly. It was big and open and smiling, bright orange, perfectly ripe. Gigantic pumpkin head on that scrawny stick body. He used to call me father.

Anyway. Mombi’d got some new magic powder while she was out. Sprinkled it all over Jack, and BAM, the stupid thing comes to life.

And let me tell you, stupid is right. Great guy, but man is he ever dumb.

Probably my fault. Picked a pumpkin with bad seeds or something. Glinda’d say I just wasn’t mean to be a dad, and maybe—probably—she’s right, but screw Glinda, anyway.

Maybe I shouldn’t put this in the Royal Records. Powerful lady to offend, even if they do all say she’s nice. She stuck me here. I’m not feeling too trusting.

Once Jack starts moving Mombi calls for me, and I slink out of the shadows, only a little surprised. These are the kinds of things that happen when you’re raised by a wicked witch.

“You were supposed to scream.”

“Scream? But you’ve given me such a wonderful gift, Tip. With this thing to do all the chores, I won’t need to bother with you anymore. He won’t even need to eat.”

“I don’t understand,” Jack says. We ignore him.

“What will you do with me?” We’ve played this game before, but she has a different answer every time.

“Hm. I think I’ll make you a statue for my garden.”

“You don’t know how to do that.”

“I didn’t. But that Crooked Wizard has sold me some very interesting new magic.”

“What is a statue?” asks Jack.

We ignore him again, and he trails behind us into the house, where Mombi starts mixing up her statue potion. And dinner. I help stir the pots, and we keep on arguing about the statue problem.

“At least wait until I’m older. What kind of lawn ornament is a scrawny little boy?”

“Gritty realism. Avant-garde.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“And now you never will. Oh, the money I’ll save on food and clothes, Tip.”

“Maybe if you didn’t eat so much…”

“What was that?”

“Nothing, Mombi. Do I at least get a last meal?”

“I don’t see much point in it. Statues don’t get hungry.”

“But I’m stirring the soup for you.”

She sighs. “All right then. You may have some soup.”

“When are you gonna petrify me?”

“In the morning, I think. We’ll give the potion some time to settle.”

“Can I have breakfast too, then?”

“If you do your morning chores first.”

“Chores? On the day I get stoned? Can’t Jack do it?”

“Do you want your breakfast or not?”

“Yes, Mombi.”

Over dinner she tells me, like always, what she brought back from the Crooked Wizard. Today there’s the Powder of Life she used on Jack, the petrifying potion for me, and something she calls Wishing Pills. I ask if I can try one.

“Maybe in the morning,” she says.

“Before or after you make me a statue?”

“Hm. I suppose we’d best make it after, or you’ll just wish not to be a statue, won’t you?”

“I’ll wish for you to be one instead.”

She laughs. “Go on to bed, Tip. I’ll clean up and take care of the pumpkin man.”

It’s not the first time I’ve run from Mombi. Far from it. It was almost a game between us, by that time. And I took the Powder of Life, yeah, but I thought she’d come catch me and bring it back. I don’t quite know what happened—just got really lost, I guess. She couldn’t find me, and I couldn’t find home by the time I got to missing it. I never meant to really run away. But it was an adventure, so I kept on going.

Anyway, I can’t sleep, and I decide long after she’s blown out the last candle that this is the perfect time to run away. I can take Jack—I’ve never run away with anybody else before. So I pack up some food, snag the box of new magic, and go to grab him.

Really not my best work. His joints are weak, he moves too slow, and as soon as I let it slip that pumpkins rot after awhile, he’s all afraid of dying and stuff. But I can fix the joints when I get around to it, and when I tell him I made him he starts calling me father.

I never thought about having kids before, but I hope Jack’s the only one I ever get.

“Where are we going, Father?” he asks me when it starts to get light again. We’ve wandered onto an official road by now, and I have no idea where we are anymore. The middle of the night is not a good time to run away if you’re planning on walking back home in a couple hours. But it’s a yellow road, which means the Winkies put it in, which means it probably leads right to the Emerald City.

I’m from Gillikin country, and our color is purple here. You’d think, since the city does green, the roads to it would be green too. But in Winkie country it’s all about yellow, and most of the road makers are from there. So they made all the big central stuff their color, and then for roads within each region it’s every man for himself. We don’t have a lot of roads where I’m from, with the farms and everything. Some of the Gillikins are a little more sophisticated, I think, but the local Good Witch who rules us is pretty laid back, and old, and she’s not pushing us to keep up with the times like in some places. We’re kind of secluded up here in northern Oz, and no one pays much attention to what we do. So the yellow brick road is the only paved road I’ve ever seen, and I tell Jack it’s taking us south, into the Emerald City.

“Where’s that?”

“It’s the capital of Oz. Where the Scarecrow rules.”

“Who is the Scarecrow?” he asks.

“He’s—well, he’s a scarecrow. To scare away the crows in the corn fields. But he helped Dorothy on her quest, and he was left in charge of all Oz when she and the Wizard went home.”

“And who is Dorothy?”

“Don’t you know anything, Jack?”

“I was only born this afternoon.”

“Yesterday afternoon, Jack.” He doesn’t answer, just looks at me with the huge permanent smile. “Fine.” I start to sing.

“The Witch Who Fell from the Sky” is probably the most famous ballad in Oz. Definitely the most recent to get really popular. But I know most of them. Music is big for Gillikins. Anyway, this is my favorite. I told Mombi once that I wanted to marry Dorothy when I grew up, but she just laughed at me.

So I sing the whole thing for Jack—how Dorothy, the witch from the land of Kansas, rode the wind into Oz, not alone, but with an entire house and her dog. How she crushed the witch of the east beneath the house to free the Munchkins, and our very own witch of the north sent her off to the city to find a way home from the Wizard. The friends she gathered along the way, the witch of the west that she defeated for the Wizard, freeing the Winkies and the Flying Monkeys. I sing about his untimely departure for a land called Oklahoma, and how she and her friends travelled south to Glinda, who finally sent her home by teaching her the magic of the Silver Slippers she’d taken from the Eastern witch.

Mombi doesn’t mind me singing about killing the wicked witches and stuff. She’s one, too, but it’s different. She doesn’t go around oppressing Winkies and Munchkins and monkeys and stuff. She does bad magic, I guess, but she doesn’t really use the bad magic to do bad things. So it’s okay, and she hates those witches too. But she’ll get a little weird about Glinda and the Wizard sometimes. And I guess the Wizard was pretty stupid, leaving in the magic balloon before Dorothy was ready, and pretty incompetent and irresponsible, sending a little girl to do his dirty work. Anyway, they’re only background characters, in this ballad at least. Dorothy is the greatest folk hero of all time, so far, and I like to sing about her. But Jack’s got his priorities all backwards, and all he wants to talk about is the stupid Scarecrow.

Not stupid. The Scarecrow’s supposed to be the smartest person in Oz. Jack is stupid, though, and he won’t shut up about the Scarecrow.

“But how did he come to be alive? Is it the same way that I’m alive? Are you his father, too?”

“I’m not his father, Jack.” I’m starting to regret bringing the Pumpkin-head.

“Does straw go bad like pumpkins do?”

“I don’t know, Jack. Probably, if it gets wet.”

“And has he been ruling for a very long time?”

“I don’t know, Jack.”

“I don’t want to die yet. I’ve only just started to be alive.”

I sigh. We’ve stopped walking now, and I’m kicking around in the dirt, thinking how strange it is that Mombi hasn’t come to drag me back home yet, wishing she’d hurry up and do it by lunchtime. “We’ll go meet him, okay? We’ll go to the Emerald City and meet the Scarecrow and ask him how he keeps his straw from rotting. Now will you shut up?”

I didn’t sleep much last night, and I’m in a terrible mood. I don’t know why Mombi hasn’t found me yet.

His joints aren’t going to hold up much longer. I can’t just sit down and wait here for Mombi to find us. That’s giving up. Not playing the game. But if I have to take a long break to fix Jack up, and she just happens to catch up with us then, well, I haven’t exactly surrendered that way, and she won’t tease me for it later.

We’re in the middle of nowhere, but someone’s left a sawhorse sitting out. A real one—I mean one that actually looks like a horse, or tries to. I have Jack sit on in, but as soon as he bends his legs they fall all to pieces, and for one terrifying second I think his head’s been cracked for sure. He’s annoying, but he’s alive, and I’m sort of his dad. I don’t want him to die.

No wonder Mombi’s always in such a bad mood. Parenting is hard.

It’s Jack’s idea to bring the Sawhorse to life so that he can ride on it and not get broken. Or not any more broken. I’ve fixed him up as well as I can with the bits of twine I found in my pockets. And I know Mombi will be mad at me, really actually mad, if I waste a bunch more of the Powder of Life, but maybe she can sense what I’m doing or something, and then come find me. She has to find me and take me home before she can punish me.

I was paying attention when she did the spell—I always pay attention, even if I want Mombi to think I don’t care about all that dumb magic stuff. So it’s pretty easy. I just sprinkle on some powder everywhere, then say the magic words, which are easy, and do the hand motions, which are a little harder because it was kind of dark out when Mombi used it on Jack. But I must get it close enough, because the big hunk of wood yawns and stretches out like it comes to life every day. Jack starts talking about how great a sorcerer I am, but I’m not really paying attention, because I just did magic. Big magic—I created life.

Angry about the waste of powder or not, Mombi had better be really damn impressed.

She might be so proud she doesn’t even care about the powder.

Might have been so proud, I mean. It’s all different now.

The Sawhorse is even dumber than Jack. Or maybe it’s my fault. I get Jack all tied down on his back, and I get on behind him, and I teach the Sawhorse to go and go faster. We didn’t get around to how to stop.

Next thing I know, I’m flat on my back on the ground, and Jack and the Sawhorse are specks on the horizon.

I hope that dumb hunk of wood knows where he’s going, or I’ll never be able to find them again.

I think I’ve been walking for approximately forever when I finally start running into some other people. Funny looking people, too. Course, all the ballads say that’s pretty normal for Oz. You just don’t see much of it back in the parts where I live, ‘cept for stuff like Jack and the Sawhorse. That’s witchcraft strange. These people are naturally strange, I think.

Their clothes are the strangest. All girls, all wearing the same dress, real fancy, with a whole bunch of colors on it. All the Oz colors, actually. Red, blue, purple, yellow. Quadling, Munchkin, Gillikin, Winkie. And a bunch of green, too, I guess for the Emerald City. And knitting needles in their hair, to stab their enemies, it turns out, when they notice me and tell me all about how they’re going to conquer the Emerald City. The girls are taking over. Say no one will fight back because they’re girls, and then they can have all the jewels in the city and use the treasury to buy new dresses, and they’re gonna rule Oz however they want.

Mostly, however they want sounds pretty irresponsible, and I’m not really sure where people like me and everyone else are supposed to fit into this plan. Do all the girls in Oz get new dresses, or just the ones in the army? How do they pay for stuff like new roads that the treasury usually does? What happens to all the boys?

Actually, maybe I don’t want to know. They’re all sort of looking at me. Like I’m real cute, but not real cute like a little boy. Real cute like a puppy or something.

The fanciest one—her name is Jinjur—comes closer and sort of coos at me. “Aren’t you just the cutest thing? Stick with me, kid, and you can be my own personal slave when we win the revolution.”

Um. An offer I can’t refuse?

I gotta find Jack. Fast. And get us away from all these crazy ladies. Mombi’s not going to be able to find me in the middle of a war zone. Maybe we should head back toward Gillikin country, at least. We’ll be easier to find if we’re closer to home.

They let me stick around, anyway, which could be worse. At least they seem to know which roads to take into the city. But they want me to carry all their stuff. Mostly lunch baskets. All empty.

Why did I think this stupid adventure would be so fun? I’m tired. And my feet hurt. And I’m getting sunburned—I never get sunburned—and I haven’t had anything to drink in ages. And I miss Mombi. And food. I really miss food. Where’s a lunch pail tree when you need one?

At the city gates they start right away jabbing the poor guard with their knitting needles, and I slip right past all of it. The palace should be easy to find. I’m just gonna warn the Scarecrow that he’s under attack, find Jack and the Sawhorse, and get out of here fast.

I find Jack inside the palace, chatting with the Scarecrow, both casual as you please, looking for all the world as if the strangest war in history isn’t being waged just right outside. They’re arguing—in the same language—about whether they can speak the same language, and it looks like they’ve been playing horseshoes, right here in the middle of this fancy room.

“Hello, Father,” Jack says. The Scarecrow doesn’t even notice me.

There’s a pretty girl sitting on a couch across the room, looking all amused and exasperated, and she motions for me to come over. I sit down on the very edge of the couch, and she tilts her head toward Jack.

“I take it this one belongs to you?”

She smiles, and I nod and duck my head. She’s very pretty.

“My name is Jellia Jamb.”

“Tip.” I’m blushing. I wish I wasn’t blushing.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Tip.”

We watch them play another round of horseshoes before I figure I’d better buck up and tell the Scarecrow what’s going on.

He doesn’t seem too concerned, until I mention how the one in charge wants to make a rug out of his outsides and use his insides to stuff a couch. He says we’ll go to his friend the Tin Man’s place in Winkie country. Then he says he needs some time to plan our escape. We all sit there for fifteen minutes while he thinks. Then I stand up.

“All right. We need to go.”

“Young man,” says the Scarecrow, “have patience. We will leave as soon as I have discovered a feasible plan.”

“Here’s a plan. We all get on the back of my Sawhorse, and we get out of here now.”

“Young man,” he says again, “I am the king here, and I will plan our escape.”

I roll my eyes. “I don’t mean to overstep my bounds, Mr. King Scarecrow, sir, but a revolution is happening, you have no army, and you’re sitting here arguing with a Jack O’ Lantern about whether or not you’re speaking the same language. Plus, the revolution’s all girls, and you can’t hit a girl. Someone’s gotta take charge here.”

Later, the Scarecrow will be kindly pretentious, telling all of Oz how he began, even then, to suspect the truth. He didn’t, of course. He just got all huffy, then let me take over.

Once we find the Sawhorse wandering around in the next room, the major flaw in my plan shows up. No way we’re getting two people, a Scarecrow, and a Pumpkinhead all on his back.

“You needn’t bother about me,” Jellia says. “I am, after all, a girl. They won’t do anything to harm me, and if they try, I can hit back.”

I really like Jellia.

So we all get up on the Sawhorse, and he runs and runs and runs, through the palace and the army and the city and a couple of fields, and then right into a big lake.

By the time we get out of the water, everything is just a mess. I make the horse stand in the sun to dry off while I deal with everything else. The Scarecrow is completely soaked, all soggy and lumpy and disgusting, so I have to take out all his straw and spread it out on the ground, so he can dry faster. But the real problem is Jack. His body is still sitting there on top of the Sawhorse, in perfect shape except the clothes are a little wet, but there’s no sign of his head.

What if it cracked? What if it got pulled a mile away by the stupid current? He may be annoying, but he’s mine, and right now he’s all I have from home. He can’t be gone. He can’t.

After a while we spot the head bobbing along on the waves, but it’s too far to tell if it’s all still intact. If Jack is still alive.

It’s the Scarecrow’s idea to fish it out with a big stick, but he’s still all wet, so I have to find the big stick and do the fishing all by myself.

Jack’s fine, it turns out, and then I just feel stupid for being so worried about a dumb pumpkin.

It’s a good thing that army is too busy with their jewels and the treasury and everything to bother following us, because we have to sit around for ages waiting for everybody to dry out again. And then I make the Sawhorse go much, much slower when we leave this time. Getting dumped off his back twice was more than enough, and the second time I had to swim with one hand so I could get the soggy Scarecrow to shore, too.

It’s a really long ride, and Winkie country is the opposite of where I want to be headed. But I don’t think I could dump the stupid Scarecrow here and head for home without upsetting Jack. And maybe getting charged with treason, if he gets his throne back from the girls.

Jack and the Sawhorse pick a fight, but after that the Scarecrow tells us all stories about when he was with Dorothy, so that’s pretty fun, but then it gets too dark to see where we’re going, so we stop for the night, even though I’m the only one here who can sleep.

It’s been a really long day.

I guess the Scarecrow isn’t that bad. He’s picked a bunch of berries for me to eat by the time I wake up in the morning, which he didn’t have to do. I’m surprised he thought about it. No one else around here can eat, either.

It doesn’t take us too much longer to get to the Winkie capitol after that, and the Sawhorse manages not to screw anything up this time. The Scarecrow gets us into the palace easy, and then there’s just a lot of yelling and hugging and the rest of us try to stay out of the way.

Then the Tin Man notices Jack, and we have to go through that whole thing again, where all the fake people bond over being fake people who don’t have to eat or sleep or anything. And then Jack goes off about how his head is going to spoil. Again.

The Tin Man offers to have him canned. I almost offer to have him be the can, but he is an emperor or something, so I suppose I should have respect.

When he finally notices me he introduces himself as Nick, which is all nice and not pretentious, so maybe he could be all right. I pull Jack and the Sawhorse away a little so Nick and the Scarecrow can talk about their politics. They get as far as planning to round up an army.

“Nonsense,” says Nick. “The five of us are plenty,” says Nick. “I have a bright, shining axe,” says Nick.

The five of us. I am a child. Jack is a top-heavy stick figure. The Sawhorse and the Scarecrow are, well, a sawhorse and a scarecrow, and Nick—

It’s obvious he’s not the one who went in for brains.

But it sure isn’t obvious the Scarecrow did either, because he agrees, and some Winkies come and fix up Jack’s legs and stuff—that’s my job—and the next thing I know we’re on the road again, heading right back into trouble. And this time we all have to walk. Except Jack. He still rides.

I just want to go home.

We’re lost within a half hour. So much for Nick’s shortcuts. Everything everywhere is sunflowers, in every direction. Then girls’ faces start appearing in the center of the flowers, and I understand. This is a game I used to play with Mombi, when I was really little, where she gave the flowers faces so I could pretend to have friends. Mombi is looking for me. No—she knows where I am. She’s trying to get me back. She probably tracked me as far as Emerald City, and she’s letting me know. She’s maybe getting away with the big public magic—it takes a lot of power to make this many flower girls, from this far away—by offering to help Jinjur’s army.

But she’s in Emerald City. And this feels like a trap, but I know it’s from her, so I know there’s a way I can get through it.

Nick won’t chop down the sunflowers. If his heart won’t let him hurt some plants, I don’t see what use he’s going to be against the army. “All we need is the five of us, no army.” Really.

I wave my hand through one. Yep. “They’re illusions.”

“Then we will close our eyes and walk through,” says Nick.

“My eyes are painted on. They don’t close.”

And he’s supposed to be the smart one. Can’t he just walk through because he knows they’re not actually there?

We get through, anyway, and everything is fine until the Sawhorse runs right through a rabbit hole and breaks off his leg. Nick barely catches Jack’s head when he trips.

My son could have been pie. Wow. This parenting thing is not for the faint of heart.

I wonder if Mombi will be a good grandma.

Probably not, but it’ll be funny to watch.

We’re still trying to figure out what to do about the Sawhorse’s broken leg when a giant bug walks up. And I mean giant. Not a spider the size of your fist, like we get in the barn sometimes. This thing is bigger than me. It’s almost a tall as Nick.

It also talks, and has a business card. I’ve never even seen a business card, only heard about them in stories. And now I’m getting one from a cockroach in a suit and tie. Life has gotten extremely weird in the last week.

All I want is to get back to Mombi, go home and take a nap or something. But we have to take a break, again, and listen to the stupid Wogglebug tell his stupid story about how he lived in some classroom in some school until the teacher put him under a microscope, and then he took off while he was still all magnified.

I’m pretty sure that’s not how microscopes work, but what do I know? I don’t have magic brains like the Scarecrow, and I’m not “thoroughly educated” like the stupid Wogglebug. The stupid Wogglebug who’s going on about how strange we all are, like he’s never seen a mirror. And I want to go home, and the Sawhorse still has a broken leg.

“We’ll give him one of the Pumpkinhead’s legs,” says the stupid Wogglebug, like he’s the one in charge here, like he has any right to go around casually suggesting that we mutilate my son.

No wonder Mombi’s so crabby all the time, if raising me is as hard as raising Jack. And I bet she didn’t sign up for me any more than I signed up for him—she never wants to talk about my real parents, but I know they died when the Wizard came to Oz, and there was no other family, so she got stuck with me.

Technically she bought me, which sounds really messed up. For a long time I thought that was just how orphans work, but then the girl who lives by the river told me I was stupid, and people don’t buy orphans—orphans are so worthless, people can barely give them away for free. Sometimes they have to pay people to take them.

I hit her really hard, because I didn’t know yet that you weren’t supposed to hit girls. Then she told her dad, and he hit me, so I told Mombi, and she cursed him with neverending boils. The whole family moved away after that, but we got a letter with a bill in it later, to pay for having the curse lifted. It must have been from someone important, because Mombi paid even though the harvest was bad, and all we had to eat for ages and ages was potatoes.

She was more motherly than usual for a while after that, bandaging my bruises and swearing by Lurline that no one would hurt me again. (Lurline is the fairy who created Oz. Her daughter was the first queen, and her line ruled unbroken until the Wizard came to Oz. She’s half history, half religion, and the only thing we swear by.)

Anyway, she bought me from a travelling salesman when I was a baby, because he was travelling to giant country next, and she didn’t think that was a good place for a baby to be. She wasn’t planning on having a baby, but I’m useful around the farm now that I’m not a baby anymore, so it’s okay.

Or it was. Before all this happened.

Everyone thinks it’s just a fantastic idea to chop off Jack’s leg and stick it on the Sawhorse—everyone except me and Jack and a little bit the Sawhorse, so everyone whose opinion matters around here, anyway. And the stupid Wogglebug keeps on making stupid jokes about breaking horses. Jack and the Sawhorse are mine, and everybody else can just sit down and shut up about them.

The stupid Wogglebug laughs when I tell him that, and then gets all huffy when I say he isn’t even funny. And then all condescending and superior.

“Puns are the highest form of humor,” he says.

“Anyone can make a stupid pun,” I say.

“You are not educated enough to judge,” the stupid Wogglebug says. “I am thoroughly educated, and I say that puns display genius,” the stupid Wogglebug says. “If I rode the Sawhorse, he would be a horse and buggy,” the stupid Wogglebug says.

No one laughs. A little because it isn’t even funny, and a little, I think, because I’m getting really upset, and I’m the little kid in this party—everyone knows you’re supposed to be nice to the little kid.

The Scarecrow asks him to “restrain his superior education” while he’s with us. Nick waves his axe a little.

I complain a lot, but Nick and the Scarecrow are really great, actually. It’s not long after that when we stop again so I can rest, even though I’m the only one who needs to rest and I didn’t ask or anything.

Then they notice we’re resting near the village of the Field Mice. The Queen of the Field Mice owes Nick and the Scarecrow a favor; there’s a whole verse about it in “The Witch Who Fell from the Sky.”

I have the whole thing memorized. I have most of the ballads memorized—I’m good at that.

We meet with the Queen, and a bunch of mice hide in the Scarecrow’s chest. They think the girls in the Emerald City will be scared. I think only stupid girls in stupid folk songs are scared of cute little mice—I know all the folk songs, too.

Mombi sets up a few more illusions for us on the way. Everyone is wimpy and kind of scared about it, but I know she’s just teasing me. Probably making it look like she’s slowing us down, for Jinjur and her friends, but mostly she’s giving me a hard time. We get a river, a stone wall, and a bunch of fake paths. But the best is the fire. The Scarecrow freaks out. Everyone freaks out, actually, except for Nick and the mice. But we go right through it, just like we went through everything else.

There’s more girls with knitting needles at the gates when we finally get to Emerald City. That’s the first time I’m really worried. I don’t want to be stabbed.

It’s really funny when Nick waves his axe around and they all run screaming. But then we get right to the throne room without any trouble at all, and I think that’s suspicious. The Scarecrow agrees with me, so I guess I can be smart sometimes, too.

Jinjur is on the throne eating caramels, and she says that since she took the throne she’s the queen now, and that means we’re all committing treason. She committed treason first, but maybe that doesn’t matter now that she’s sitting on the throne with a fancy crown? None of the others really seem sure, and if the Scarecrow is the king and Nick is an emperor, I figure they oughta know.

Mombi is somewhere around here. Maybe she can explain it. But no one wants to let Jinjur keep being the queen. We saw on our way in—all the jewels and everything have been pulled out of the sidewalks and storefronts and distributed among the army.

The stupid Wogglebug says the Scarecrow and Jinjur should get married so they can both rule. No one likes that idea. Jack says we should send Jinjur back to her mother, which seems reasonable, but I think we can do one better and lock her in a closet until she promises to behave. That’s what Mombi does when I’m extra naughty.

But while we’re all talking about this, the army sneaks up and grabs Nick’s axe, so that’s a bust.

“The boy belongs to Mombi,” Jinjur says, “so he’ll have to be returned.”

Belongs to. I don’t like that. Technically it’s true; she still has the receipt from the travelling salesman and everything. But I don’t like the way she says it. I just don’t like Jinjur. At all.

“The rest of you aren’t human,” she says, “so it won’t be wicked to destroy you. I’ll have the Pumpkinhead’s head made into tarts, and his body and the Sawhorse will be used for kindling. The Scarecrow, too. I’ll chop up the tin man and feed him to the goats, and I’ll have the bug made into green-turtle soup. Or maybe a Hungarian goulash.”

It’s all looking pretty dire before the mice burst out of the Scarecrow’s chest.

Just a couple of cute little field mice, and they all go off running and screaming. Girls. You can’t run a kingdom if you’re gonna run screaming from some mice. But then I’m not really sure how you’re supposed to rule a kingdom when you run screaming from some girls, either. Maybe the Scarecrow ain’t cut out for this government thing. Better in a classroom, I bet. Or teamwork. All three of them, brain, heart, courage, that could add up to one decent ruler. Or just leave Dorothy in charge, if she didn’t have to go home. She had all that stuff, even if she was just a kid. I’m just a kid, and I’ve got this whole thing down better than the Scarecrow already.

All the girls run out of the throne room, and we barricade the doors quick. I want to run out too and find Mombi, but probably it’s better to wait for her here and not brave the knitting needles again. Jinjur looked really upset, and I don’t think she thinks about me like a person, anymore than she does all the rest of us in here.

Jack is scared; he doesn’t want to be tarts. Nick says not to worry because he’ll spoil if we’re trapped up here for too long, anyway. Some heart he’s got. I pat Jack on the head, but only for a second—he is starting to feel a little squishy and overripe, and I don’t want to think about that.

The stupid Wogglebug is scared, too, about being a goulash, but I don’t feel quite so bad for him. Neither does anyone else, I think; he’s kind of mean.

“Well, I’m going to starve to death if we’re trapped in here forever,” I say, “and so is the Wogglebug.”

“I think I could live for some time on the Pumpkinhead,” says the stupid Wogglebug. And that’s what I get for trying to commiserate.

The little tin with the Powder of Life in it is kinda digging into my hip a little—this chair is really uncomfortable—so I pull it out of my pocket. That’s what does it, in the end. The Scarecrow decides we should build a big contraption to escape in, and bring it to life instead of having to worry about building engines and stuff, since the Sawhorse can only pull so much weight.

Nick chops up some furniture to fix Jack’s leg quick, then we all start working on the contraption.

The stupid Wogglebug grabs a Gump head off the wall—that’s sort of like an elk, stuffed and mounted—which I guess isn’t totally stupid. We can’t really bring something to life without it having a face somewhere. Jack finds a broom, and the Scarecrow brings a bunch of clothesline. Nick’s got a bunch of big leaves, and the Sawhorse and I find a couple big couches.

Apparently, the penalty for cutting those leaves is to be killed seven times and then locked up for life. I think that’s a little excessive, but Nick doesn’t seem too worried about it. The leaves are important, anyway. We use them to make the wings. The sofas are the body, the broom is the tail, and the clothesline ties all the pieces together. It ends up really big, and I don’t have quite enough Powder left for all of it. We have to leave the sofa legs as they are, so it only flies, no walking.

It starts flying away as soon as I say the magic words; we can only barely get it to land again before it takes off without us. Then I sort of wish it had.

“What’s happening?”

“I was running, in the forest.”

“They shot me. I was dead!”

“What’s happening? Where am I? This isn’t my body! This isn’t me!”

“What am I?”

“What have you done? Undo it! Undo it! Put me back.”

I didn’t mean to upset anyone. I thought—well, why would anyone want to be dead? And it’s not like turning a bunch of sticks and construction equipment into a person. The Gump was alive, and someone killed him, but I fixed it. I undid it. Why would anyone rather be dead than alive?

Maybe it’s because he’s got a whole different body now. I can see that. I get it. Super confusing, and everything is just wrong, and I—anyway. I’ll get that later, not now, not now when he’s just sitting there being all whiney about how he doesn’t get to be dead anymore. I try to cheer him up, but it isn’t really taking. And Scarecrow is being all insensitive about it, making it real obvious he’s not the one who got a heart, and Jack is just being a nuisance, and I don’t know what to do because we don’t have time for anything but running, but I don’t want the Gump to be so sad, and I can’t un-bring someone to life, and I’m not about to resort to murder after one day without adult supervision, and besides, I know we really need him if we want to get out of here.

We all get into the Gump’s couches, and the stupid Wogglebug makes another stupid joke, this time about Jack’s head falling over the edge and the pumpkin becoming squash. I tell him again that his puns aren’t smart and funny, but he still doesn’t care what I have to say.

“Tip,” says the Scarecrow when we’re in the air, “this box has a false bottom.”

He’s looking at the box the Powder of Life came it; he hands it to Nick, and Nick gives it to me, and they’re right. There are three silver pills in the second bottom, and a little instruction card. Wishing pills. But to use them you have to count to seventeen by twos, and even the Scarecrow and the Wogglebug both say that’s impossible. So I guess the pills are useless. That’s okay—I wouldn’t want to use more of Mombi’s stuff without permission, not after we used up all of the Powder of Life, and mostly on stupid things. And now I’m going in the opposite direction from her, again. This is a good adventure, but it never seems to end.

“Where are we even going?” I ask. It’s starting to get dark out.

“We’re going to ask Glinda the Good for help,” the Scarecrow tells me.

That’s cool. Glinda is in “The Witch Who Fell from the Sky,” too. And a couple of other ballads. I bet she’ll be fun to meet.

We go all night, because we can’t see well enough to land. But when I wake up in the morning, everyone is panicking. We’ve flown clear on past Glinda. We’ve flown clear past Oz, over the Deadly Desert and into the land that lies beyond.

I wonder if someone will make a ballad about us someday. But maybe a flying sofa with a Gump head isn’t dignified enough for a ballad.

The Gump can’t turn around in the air, so we have to keep on going, farther and farther from Oz, until he can find a good place to land.

I’ve never been outside of Oz before. I don’t think even Mombi has ever been outside of Oz before.

Even when he does land, the Gump manages to break off two of his four wings. Both on the same side of his body, too. And we land right in a Jackdaw nest. Jackdaws aren’t so bad, normally, but these ones must be even huger than usual to have a nest this big, and I don’t want to still be in it when they get home. And the Gump is completely trashed.

I can’t believe I made him come back to life for this. Maybe I’m about to be a murderer after all.

We start digging around in the Jackdaw nest—there’s nothing better to do, at this point. I’m bored, and I’m tired, and I want my mom. And finding diamond necklaces in the nest isn’t going to help with any of that. And now the Jackdaws are coming back, and I was right—they’re huge. Blot out half the sky. We lie down beneath the straw in the nest until they go away again, and I think it’s the most terrifying thing that’s ever happened.

Or it was. But we’re not there yet.

Because they don’t actually go away. They find us, and they’re so big. So big. We’re like worms to them. And Nick attacks them with his axe before they can eat us, but it isn’t enough. There are so many of them. By the time they finally give up and go away, none of the Scarecrow’s straw is left in his body. We have to restuff him with the shiny trinkets and jewels scattered around the nest, and then he’s almost too heavy to move.

We’ve got nowhere for him to move to, anyway. The gump can’t fly anymore, and we’re a thousand feet above the ground, and on the wrong side of the Deadly Desert.

“We’ll have to use the Wishing Pills,” the Scarecrow says. And that’s a whole new argument.

“If x equals two,” the stupid Wogglebug starts.

“Your brain is pickled,” says the Scarecrow. “We’ll need to divide, obviously.”

They go on for half an hour about x’s and y’s and pluses and minuses. The Scarecrow was bad enough on his own, but now we’ve got two of these geniuses to work with. Wonderful. I have a brain too, you know. It may be just a little boy brain, but at least it’s not a bug brain, or something some fake magician cooked up in a lab for me.

The Scarecrow seemed a whole lot smarter in the stories. Maybe he’s just got the wrong kind of smarts to be a king. But the Woggle-Bug is a condescending jerk and I wish he’d never even been highly magnified. I just want to find Mombi and go home. I don’t care about this stupid war and how smart these idiots are. I just want to go home. And they are making it seriously difficult. Maybe Jack and Sawhorse and I should just take off on our own. Only we’d have to take the Gump too, wouldn’t we? And then the Scarecrow and the Tin Man and the Woggle-Bug would be stranded here, and I guess that would be sort of mean.

My mom is a wicked witch. Maybe I’m allowed to be mean. It’s hereditary or something.

I miss her.

“What if we started at one half?” asks the Sawhorse.

I’m so proud of my horse son.

They have me do the counting and take the pill. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever tasted, and I start getting horrible cramps as soon as I swallow it. I feel like I’m dying. I think I’ve started crying.

“What’s wrong?” asks Nick.

“I wish I’ve never swallowed that pill!”

And just like that, all three pills are back in the box.

“It hurt,” I say.

“Impossible!” says the stupid Wogglebug. “You wished you’d never eaten it, so you haven’t, and if you haven’t eaten it, it can’t possibly have hurt you.”

I say a mean word that I overheard Mombi say once where she stubbed her toe.

“Well, I say!” starts the stupid Wogglebug.

“You can eat the next one.”

I go over by Jack and the Sawhorse to sulk. The stupid Wogglebug takes a pill, counts to seventeen, and wishes for the Gump’s wings to be fixed.

If it was me, I would have just wished us all straight to Glinda. But he’s the smart one. Sure.

He is the one with the stomach of steel; I’ll give him that. Stupid pill didn’t hurt him at all.

We still have to spend the night in the Jackdaw nest, because it’s almost dark and we don’t want a repeat of last time. Which is why we should have wished ourselves straight to Glinda. But what do I know? I’m just a dumb little boy with a weak stomach.

We pass the time playing with the jewels and crap left behind in the Jackdaw nest—I find a really cool pocket watch, and since all the adults are stealing from the Jackdaws, I figure I can keep one thing.

It disappeared with my boy clothes. I guess you don’t get to have pocket watches when you’re—anyway. Later.

We take off right away in the morning, and get lost again almost right away. They try to wish us back in the right direction, but the Scarecrow lost the pills in the Jackdaw nest.

(He lost them in my pocket, specifically. Those are Mombi’s, and I’m saving them for a real emergency. There are two left, and I’m not letting them go to waste on a stupid bug who doesn’t even know how to wish right.)

We get to Glinda eventually, anyway. We just took the long way around.

Glinda has a girl army, too, but none of them try to stab me with knitting needles, so that’s okay. She was expecting us, because she has magic. Way stronger and cooler than even Mombi’s. And she’s so pretty. Just like in the stories.

“Jinjur has the throne now,” she says when the Scarecrow finishes telling her everything. “What right do I have to depose her?”

“Well, the Wizard left me in charge.”

“And where did the Wizard get the throne?” she asks.

I haven’t been paying a lot of attention, because I’m tired, and this is really, really cool—I’m looking at the real, live Glinda. But I know this one! There’s a ballad about it.

“He took it from Oz Pastoria, the old king.”

Glinda smiles at me, and I can feel myself blushing, bright, bright red. She’s so pretty! And strong! And cool!

“So the Wizard took the throne from Pastoria, and Jinjur took the throne from you. It seems to me the rightful ruler is still Pastoria.”

“Oh!” I say. “But he’s dead. The Wizard killed him.”

“True,” says Glinda, smiling at me again. “But did you know that he had a daughter?”

I shake my head. That’s not in any of the songs.

“Her name is Ozma. I have not been able to find her, in the past, but it seems to me that now is the ideal time for another attempt.”

We spend the night in Glinda’s palace while she tries to find the lost princess. In the morning, she tells us that shortly after coming to Oz, the Wizard paid three visits to Mombi.

I don’t even ask how she knows about that—why would Mombi see the Wizard? Why would Mombi see the Wizard and not tell me?

I guess I was probably a baby at the time, but she should have known it would be an interesting story to tell me now that I’m older.

“Mombi!” says the Scarecrow. “That’s the old woman who owns Tip!”

“We must find Mombi,” says Glinda, “and force her to tell us what became of Ozma.”

Finally. I don’t like this business about forcing, but if Glinda the Good is looking for Mombi, I should finally be able to go home. Glinda is competent, or at least the stories all say she is.

Of course, she has to get her army ready, to go up against Jinjur, so we end up staying another whole day. This is the longest—well, this was the longest I’d ever been without Mombi.

In the morning we all get in the Gump again and follow Glinda’s army. That’s good, at least. Girls can hit other girls, probably, so Glinda’s army will actually stand a chance. At the gates of the Emerald City, Glinda tells the girls with the knitting needles that they better send Mombi out or else, and I figure that will be the end of that.

But it isn’t. That’s when things get really weird. Because Mombi came out, but I could tell right away that it wasn’t really Mombi. I know my mom.

Glinda figures it out too, and breaks the spell—it’s just some girl, the same pretty girl I met the first time we came to Emerald City, enchanted to look like Mombi. Jellia, I think her name was.

I didn’t understand, then, why she didn’t come out herself. I do now. We were turning into a story, the whole stupid time, and Mombi got miscast bad.

Glinda was really mad when she turned the girl back, and I was just starting to realize that she thought Mombi was the bad guy.

No, I wanted to tell her, Jinjur’s the bad guy. Mombi’s nice. Mombi’s my mom. But how do you argue with someone like Glinda?

She went back to the gates and demanded again that they send Mombi out, and the girls invited her to come in and look. But we all went in, and looked all day, and she wasn’t there.

I was so sure Mombi was in the city. She had to be! She sent me flower girls. But maybe she knows Glinda thinks she’s the bad guy, so she’s just hiding until Glinda goes away. As soon as she gives up, Mombi will come out and take me home, and everything will be okay.

Then we all assemble in Glinda’s tent outside the city, and I see her. She’s in Nick’s button hole, disguised as a rose. She’s up to something. That’s okay. I won’t tell.

It takes until the next morning, when we’re all trying to figure out what to do next, but Glinda notices. Of course she does. I knew right away, mostly because Mombi’s mine, but Glinda is much better at magic than me. If only Nick slept, I would have taken the rose in the night and run back home to Gillikin country. But he doesn’t sleep, so I have to watch while Mombi transforms into more and more things, trying to get away from Glinda, until finally she’s caught and in her own true form again.

She takes a griffin last, and I think that one will really work—she’s flying away as the griffin, she’s almost out of sight, and then Glinda hops right onto my Sawhorse, like she has any right to at all, at takes off after her. The rest of us pile onto the Gump to see what happens, and by the time we land at the very edge of the Deadly Desert, the battle is over and she’s herself again.

Mombi. I wanted to hug her, to bury my face in her shoulder like a little boy and never come out. But everything changed that week. I was the hero, and she was the Wicked Witch, and I could tell already she was never going to be my mother again.

Maybe Glinda is supposed to be my mother now. But I don’t want her. She turned me—I just want Mombi back. I want her to drag me home by the ear and set me to chopping wood for the fire, and I want everything to be normal again.

We all went back to the city, with Mombi restrained. I couldn’t even make eye contact with her, and I didn’t understand why.

Now I do. Of course.

Glinda starts interrogating her as soon as we land, but Mombi won’t say anything, and I’m scared.

“Maybe she doesn’t know,” says Jack.

“Shut up.”

“Sorry, Father.”

That was the last time Jack ever called me father.

“If you don’t tell us,” Glinda says, “we shall have to kill you.”

Oh. Oh no.

“Oh, you mustn’t do that!” says Nick. Thank Lurline for his heart.

“What will you do with me if I do tell?” Mombi asks.

“I shall give you a potion to forget all the magic you’ve ever known,” says Glinda.

That’s better, but not by much. I still have those two Wishing Pills, though. I can wish the magic back to her, even if it does hurt my stomach.

“Why did the Wizard come to you?” Glinda asks again. Mombi looks up, finally meets my eyes, and I can’t read her at all. It’s like she’s a stranger.

“He brought me the princess Ozma, to hide her in exchange for a few magic tricks.”

“And what did you do with the baby?”

Mombi closes her eyes and looks away from me. “I turned her into a boy.”

The others understand before I do. They all turn to look at me, and my eyes are all blurry, and there’s a roaring in my ears. The salesman—the travelling salesman was the Wizard of Oz? The Wizard of Oz killed my parents? Mombi changed me into—

“I’m not the princess! I can’t be! I’m a boy.”

“But you’re not,” says Glinda. “Not truly. We must return you to your original form.”

“I don’t want my original form! I’m a boy! You can’t change me! You can’t; I won’t let you!”

“But we must,” says Glinda, very kind, very gentle.

I’m crying now, and Mombi still won’t look at me.

“It’s the right thing to do, Tip. Ozma.”

It takes me a few tries to get my words out again. “Mom—Mombi. You can’t take her magic. I don’t want you to—if I have to be a girl, you have to promise you won’t take her magic.”

I’m panicking, and it’s all I can think. Protect Mombi. I have to protect Mombi, and then she’ll come back for me, and everything will be all right. But even as Glinda agrees, some of her army grabs tight onto Mombi’s arms, and I know it won’t be all right, not really, not ever again.

Glinda waves her wand.

And I’m a girl. I’m a girl. There are—my clothes are gone, and I’m wearing some flowing white dress thing. And my—other things are gone too, and it’s wrong, it has to be some horrible mistake, but here I am still and no one’s fixed it up yet and I’m empty in all the places where I’m supposed to be full, and full where I want to be empty, and it’s wrong.

Why can’t they all see it’s wrong?

Mombi breaks away from the soldiers, and I thrown myself into her arms.

“Here,” she says, shoving a pill box into my hands. “One last gift for the boy I made you. To keep your secrets safe.”

And that’s the last I’ve seen of her, probably the last I’ll ever see of her, no idea what’s going on, and I’m wearing this stupid white dress. Me. In a dress. And it’s all they’ll give me now.

I just want to be myself again.

#ozma #oz project #the land of oz #the wizard of oz #oz #oz series #l frank baum #the marvelous land of oz #tippetarius #princess ozma

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