#Ghost might seem annoyed but honestly he enjoys it—in a rather questionable way- a lot | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

astro-rain · 4 years ago

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delicate; b.barnes

chapter twelve - “it’s hovercraft time, bucky barnes”

delicate masterlist

word count: 2.4k

synopsis: neither bucky nor y/n can sleep... until they do. and the next day brings them an unexpected, but pleasant surprise.

pairings: bucky barnes x fem!reader

It was four in the morning when the psychologist and the super soldier got in their respective beds after the nightmare. Y/N laid on her side in the bunk across from Bucky, facing away from him and staring at the wall. Her body wanted to sleep but her mind kept whirring on and on, worrying about him.

It wouldn't be that bad if she could just ignore it. It wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't wide awake also thinking about how it would be utterly impossible for him to have any eye color other than blue.

She sighed. Christ almighty, just go to sleep.

About twenty minutes passed before she heard it.

"Why are you still up?" he mumbled.

She turned over to her other side, dramatically, staring at his silhouette in the dark.

"How could you possibly know that?"

"I'm a trained assassin," he said, as a matter of fact. "I can recognize breath patterns."

"Yeah, well I know for a fact that you aren't even trying to fall back asleep."

"How could you possibly know that?" he repeated her question.

"I just do," she stated before turning on her back and staring straight up.

He scoffed playfully.

"What?" she asked.

Her tone wasn't as playful. It wasn't angry or annoyed; she could never be with him. But, it was void of emotion and her usual sarcastic cadence. She didn't enjoy people reading her like that. She knew he wasn't, but it felt like she was being called out for caring so much. She wanted to rein in her own compassion, but she couldn't help the way he softened her.

"That's just code for 'I'm a trained psychologist and I know how you're gonna react to nightmares.'"

She replied with silence, desperately trying to end the conversation so she could try to sleep and leave this night behind.

"Sorry, did I- did I say something?" he asked.

"No, you're good."

Part of her felt bad for being short with him, but she needed it to be over. She needed to somehow distance herself from her own feelings.

"I'm sorry if I woke you up with the nightmare and messed with you being able to fall back asleep. I know it's... a lot."

He's sorry. He's sorry?

"Don't you dare apologize. It's not your fault, and it's not even why I can't fall back asleep."

"What's the problem then?"

"It's nothing. Just try and get some sleep."

"Yeah... about that..."

"Will you have another?"

"Not sure. I don't wanna find out."

"I know. And I'm sorry. Sleep shouldn't be this menacing, but you should still try anyway. Your body needs it."

"So does yours."

Y/N let out an exasperated sigh. There she went caring again and he kept deflecting. Her frustrations about her own emotions came out in stubborn defiance.

"I'm not sleeping until you do."

"Guess we're both stayin' up then."

"Bucky," she gently admonished.

"Y/N I can't- that... was the worst one I've had in a while."

That was it. Any and all aggravation faded to nothing, and her cheeks were hot with guilt. To hell with it; she refused to leave him to pain. She then got out of her bunk. Carefully, she maneuvered out and kneeled on the floor, facing him. She felt bad; she didn't mean to push him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry, I should know better."

He mirrored her actions, slipping out of his own bunk and kneeling on the floor in front of her

"It's okay," he didn't miss a beat. His voice was as soft of hers. "Thank you."

He was closer now, so she could see a more detailed outline of him. She never really noticed just how large he was. Just his arm looked as big as her head. He was supposed to look frightening, but... she just couldn't see it.

"If you don't wanna sleep that's okay. I'll stay up with you so you don't have to be alone."

"Y/N..."

"I'm already up, I don't mind," she countered. "Seriously. I'm wide awake now. Honestly, I don't even know if I could fall back asleep if I tried."

"I can't ask you to stay up and babysit just 'cause you feel bad."

She scooted forward, determined not to lose to deflection again. Babysit? and Cause you feel bad? How could he truly think so little of himself?

"I am definitely not babysitting. I just happened to be awake at the same time you are... and not because I feel bad."

He scooted forward a couple inches, squinting, trying to decipher her facial expressions. "I can't tell if you're joking or not just from your tone of voice."

In the very back of her head it returned: that hazy enchantment feeling that swelled from her lungs through her brain stem every time she was this close to him. It is important to note - it was in the very back of her brain, and if you ignore something long enough, you can convince yourself it's not there.

"James Buchanan, I am awake and there's not a thing you can do about it."

"Alright," he sighed. "I don't know if you're expecting some kind of entertainment, but I can't really juggle with one arm..."

"I can't juggle with two."

"Ever been to the circus?"

"No."

He laughed. "Oh man, you're missin' out."

"No, I got the clown right here."

"Wow, is that how it is?"

"Depends. You got face paint and a rainbow wig?"

"Smartass."

The air was quiet after their breathy laughs fizzled out. A few moments of awkwardness quietly passed, both unsure of what to say next.

"You know when you're in the dark, your pupils dilate to take in as much light as they can in order to see better?" Y/N asked.

"I think I knew that? I'm not sure, I might've heard it somewhere. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. I can't see your face super well, so it made me think of it. I can barely even see your eyes."

"Maybe that's better," he chuckled. "I don't know if they're still blood shot from earlier."

"Like I'd care."

"Why wouldn't you?"

"What?"

"Why wouldn't you care? I feel like seeing someone's puffy face and post-cry eyes would be kinda gross."

"You really think I care if your eyes are red or puffy?" she questioned. "Buck, I know I'm probably not supposed to say this because technically I'm your doctor, but I honestly consider you a really good friend. I'd be more worried to see that you've been crying than be aversive to it."

He scoffed in honest disbelief.

"What?"

"I just can't wrap my head around the fact that you think that way about me..."

"What do you mean?"

"...the person I am, the things I've done, the..." he shook his head, "the horrors I've committed..."

"The horrors you've committed are not who you are. I know you see yourself in a lot of different ways because it's hard to un-learn what other people have decided you are: a monster, a ghost, an asset, a machine, an assassin, a weapon, whatever. But have you ever considered that you're just human after all? You're a man who got dealt a shit hand in life. But there is still light in him... light that never left, no matter how hard they tried to beat it out of you. You're a survivor, Buck."

Bucky took a deep breath in, contemplating, before turning and laying on his back. They both remained on the floor, Y/N kneeling a few inches away from the side of Bucky's supine figure. He stared straight up at the ceiling.

"Sometimes I think I'm a better 'ghost' than I am a human being. My mind's a mess, and even though I'm trying, I still can't help but feel like I've lost who I am."

"You haven't lost who you are. You're just different now, and that's okay."

He looked up at her. "How do you always know what to say?"

"I know everything."

Y/N smiled, following Bucky's laugh, allowing the somber atmosphere to lighten up a bit. They so easily slipped in and out of the therapy dynamic, but now it seemed more like a heartfelt conversation between friends rather than treatment between doctor and patient.

"I consider you a really good friend too by the way - closest one I've had since Steve."

"Wow, really? That's an honor."

"Not really," he chuckled. "Steve's a punk."

And there she went laughing again. In one way or another she always found herself laughing around him.

However, she found it more confusing than funny when she woke up the following morning to find herself sitting on the floor, leaning against one of the beds with Bucky's head in her lap. She found her hands resting on his head protectively, fingers slightly carded through his long hair. She woke up before him... That's a first.

Y/N looked down at him. He was fast asleep; he looked peaceful and so relaxed. It was such a rare state to see him in, so she gave herself a few more seconds to study how his face looked when it was completely tranquil before she smoothed her hand along the back of his head and replaced her lap with a pillow.

"Hey," a raspy voice called out.

Y/N turned around from her seat at the table, hands still wrapped around the cup of tea she made herself a few minutes prior.

Bucky was awake, sitting up, but still in his previous spot on the floor.

"Hey. You want some tea?"

He stood up, nodding and stretching his back. "Did I fall back asleep?"

"You did," she smiled. "I'm pleased. I told you you needed the rest."

He seemed pleasantly surprised. "And on the floor too. Very classy."

She raised her mug to him, as if to make a toast. "Classiest man I know."

He laughed before grabbing the kettle and realizing it was empty.

"Shoot. We're outta water."

"It's alright. We know where to find the waterfall. You want to go get more?"

"Mm hm."

"Alright, I'll just finish my tea and go out in a few minutes."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm coming too."

"You sure? You just woke up. You can take some time to just relax if you want."

"No. I'm going."

"Stubborn. I can go myself, you know. I know the way."

"Would you let me go by myself?"

Y/N was silent for a moment before sighing.

"Get your shoes."

"You know, there was really no reason to almost push me into the water," Bucky commented as they were making their way back to the shelter after restocking their water supply.

"I wasn't actually going to!"

"You might as well have! My life flashed before my eyes!"

"Bet that took forever. You wanna backtrack? I can do it for real this time."

"I'm throwin' you in next time."

"You couldn't throw me," she challenged.

"Like a football," he countered, smirking.

"I don't wanna test that theory."

Their banter continued as they continued walking, making sure they were in the tree line and not out in the open. Bucky was always cautious. He was able to laugh with her while still making sure they were safe. That was until his arm was suddenly around the front of her shoulders, and holding her against his chest as his back was flush against a tree, effectively hiding them both from sight. She just stared forward, barely registering how fast he swiveled both of them around.

"There's someone at the bunker. I'm sorry- didn't want us to be seen."

He removed his arm, but her feet were stuck. She had never been close to him like this before; she didn't know what to think of it. She stepped forward a bit, breaking the contact but still facing away from him. She was hyperaware of their proximity but that quickly dissipated as she registered what he said.

"What did you see?"

"There were a couple people, but I didn't get a great look 'cause I moved out of sight fast. One woman, two men? I think."

His tone and demeanor reminded her of that day Shuri told them they had to go in hiding. He was so calm and collected. She forgot situations like these were practically muscle memory to him.

"Do you think someone found us? What were they doing?"

"I only saw 'em for a second, I'm not sure. Stay still, I'm gonna look."

As soon as his head peaked around the tree, so did Y/N's, ignoring his order.

"Wait, I think that's Shuri."

"Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure. I don't know if I'd bet my life on it."

"What's that other thing?"

"The hovercraft?"

"Hovercraft? God, I love this place."

"Wait, see the crest on the hovercraft - that's the one only Shuri can unlock."

"Alright, just... stay behind me. Okay?"

"Okay."

The two slowly made their way towards the three Wakandans. Y/N actually listened this time and stayed behind Bucky. As soon as they were in sight, Shuri came running up to them.

"Y/N!" she exclaimed, immediately throwing herself into the psychologist, embracing her.

She was startled at first, arms awkwardly hanging by her sides before her brain finally caught up to her and she brought her arms up lightly, returning the hug.

"Shuri! What happened?"

"We won!" Shuri grinned. "It's a long and complicated story, but the rightful King never died. My brother has reclaimed his place on the throne. Wakanda is ours once again!"

A monumental weight was lifted from Y/N's shoulders. She sighed in relief, knowing she was no longer in danger, knowing Bucky was no longer in danger.

"That's incredible. I'm so glad everything's okay, and I'm so glad to see you."

"I'm glad to see you too, my partner," Shuri hugged her once more before addressing Bucky. "Sergeant Barnes. I'm sorry for all the trouble. I hope everything was alright?"

"We've been getting along just fine," he nodded. "Thank you."

Shuri called over the two other men - royal guards that came with her - before turning back to Y/N and Bucky.

"You've been camped out here in hiding long enough. Let us go home."

As they walked behind the Wakandan princess, Y/N nudged Bucky with her elbow.

"It's hovercraft time, Bucky Barnes," she managed to say through a face numbing smile.

delicate taglist: @bakugouswh0r3 @thefridgeismybestie @strivingforelegance

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fallen029 · 4 years ago

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Basement Ghosts

"There's ghosts in the basement."

Laxus considered this, as he did most things, with a stoic face and long, cold stare, the likes of which could make even the toughest of men cower. But he wasn't facing a man, in that moment, but rather what he'd considered, up until that point, his rather reasonable girlfriend of only a tentative few months. Mirajane Strauss, a staple in the guild he'd loved his entire life, was known for her flights of fancy and frequent vocal daydreams, but he knew her on another level, same as he knew the guild. The man was aware that Fairy Tail, for all it's fabled history, toiled in a lot more darkness than the average observer might realize. For the woman before him in that moment, much or the same could be stated.

She'd gone through a lot in her short few decades of life. From the loss of her parents and excommunication from her home all the way to current day, dealing with the death and revival of her younger sister, Mira hardly had a simple life. She was complex. Everyone was to a certain extent, fine, but her above all.

The past few months, as she and the guild's most fearsome dragon slayer began, for the first time in their life, to truly dig deeper into one another, begin to understand what the draw was, that had always been between then, just beneath the now exposed surface, he truly thought he was beginning to get to know her. The deeply guarded her, that no other had seen. It had felt like they were forming a bond, these past few months. Though it hadn't been long, Laxus was finding himself becoming rather attached to both the idea of the woman and learning more about her.

Then she has to go say stupid shit like that and ruin it.

"Well," Laxus began finally, tone as void as ever, "guess I should be heading out the."

"You're that terrified of ghosts?" Mirajane asked with a slight frown.

"Nope," he answered with a subtle shake of the head. "Just not interested in entertaining nonsense, is all."

"You think I'm being nonsensical?"

Mira asked this in surprise, her down turned lips turning to form something else instead as her gaze hardened. It was hardly something any woman enjoyed, the slight telltale signs of mockery in the face of unconventional lines of thought, and she hated it even more, the way her boyfriend tossed a hand up, as if in defense.

"Look, it's fine, alright?" He even shrugged. "I was just going to look at your pipes as a courtesy. You said Elfman usually does it? Call him over. But I-"

"You're being a jerk."

"How?" His tone changed then, as he as the one on the defensive. "Just because I don't wanna play into your stupid ghost claims?"

"Stupid," Mirajane repeated softly and it was a word of contention, frequently in her line of work, but Laxus didn't transition into preventative measures. Only narrowed his eyes a bit as she questioned, "Why would you say that? You know that I-

"Try again, demon," he remarked with a hardness not typically used on a woman in apparent dismay. "You've told me before about how you can turn the waterworks on and off."

She glared through her tears as, not even wiping at them, she only remarked, "It's still mean, Laxus. To call someone stupid."

"I didn't."

"You might as well have." Huffing some, the woman took to crossing her arms over her chest as she looked off.

The pair were having this argument in her kitchen, where she'd taken the man not soon after he entered the Strauss home that afternoon. It wasn't unusual in those days for the slayer to spend some of his extra time in Magnolia there, but it there had been an intended purpose for his summoning to the old house that day. Mirajane had requested he come down and look at a leaking pipe in the basement. After confirming that, no, this wasn't a euphemism, she actually wanted him to go down into the basement and look at a pipe, they found themselves having this conversation.

She'd intended it as nothing more than a simple warning. A reasoning for her own inability to head down there.

The basement ghosts.

It all felt very reasonable to the woman and, were it another she was speaking to, they'd have probably allowed her to continue on in this delusion. Not the dragon though. Oh no. He wasn't so sure yet if he was trying to spend the rest of his life with this woman, but he was surely beginning to scope the potential that they had together. Part of that included calling the woman out when she played into her trumped up role at the hall a bit too much. She delivered the same in kind, to him, when he got a bit too brooding and judgmental.

But he was expected to take her light ribbing and outright behavioral corrections while the woman, in turn, was not.

"If you don't really think there's basement ghosts," she challenged suddenly, looking back to the man suddenly, "then you go down in the basement."

"I mean, I was planning on it," Laxus told her. "To fix the pipes. Remember?"

"At night," she specified as her eyes began to narrow. "You go down into the basement, at night. And stay down there. And you'll see."

Laxus huffed some, his chest puffing as he did so, before telling the woman simply, "Fine. If that's what it'll take to prove to you-"

"It'll only take one night," Mira challenged back, "to prove it to you."

The Strauss basement was an unfinished, stuffed to the gills storage place it seemed for all of the junk Mirajane couldn't fit in the attic. There were boxes upon boxes that Laxus could only imagine were, truly, junk and now he had two reasons that he should find a way to end things with the demon.

A horder and a loon.

It was night now, as he'd agreed to only head down there after sundown, but Laxus still intended to check on the leaky pipe she'd originally told him about. Along with his toolbox though, the slayer also carried a sleeping bag and fully intended on spending a night down in the drafty basement.

Honestly, it would hardly be the worse place he'd laid his head.

Mirajane wouldn't venture down with him, instead only waving goodbye to him from the top of the stairs. This was annoying to Laxus who'd hoped she'd at least go down so he could play big, strong protector when the pipes chirping or shutters fluttering or whatever was causing her to hear noises at night appeared.

Alone though, Laxus only tossed his sleeping bag down before fishing out a flashlight and looking over the piping in one corner. It was easy enough to find where the drip was coming from and it was an easy enough fix. Just a bit loose, was all the pipe was, and after a few quickly twists of a monkey wrench, all was well.

"There," Laxus sighed some. "That- Hey! I someone down here?"

He hated to be so spooked, so soon, but he felt it then. Sensed it. A presence. Eyes on him. As he spun about though, shining his flashlight around, all he could catch were shadows from the numerous boxes.

"Laxus," Mirajane called down from the top of the stairs. "Are you okay down there?"

"Peachy," he called back as the man merely rolled his shoulders and decided he was just psyching himself out. Clearly. "Fixed your pipe too."

"Great!" Mira even clapped. "Now are you sure you're going to spend the night down there? Or are you ready to admit that the basement ghosts are real?"

"I will literally never, ever do that, Mira."

"Well," she sighed some, "I'm going to have to close you in, then. I'm tired and have work in the morning. You can come up and join me at any time- But you'll have to admit that the basement ghosts are-"

"I'm not," he reiterated for the woman, "doing that."

"Fine." And the light at the top of the stairs started to dissipate as the woman, slowly, began to close the door. "Be safe."

"Be fucking safe," he grumbled only once he was certain the door was fully closed and the woman had gone off, to start on her before bed routine. "From what? Huh?"

Laxus was a bit of a night owl, to be honest, but he didn't have much to do down in the dusty old cellar other than wait for the not coming ghosts, so he figured it was best to just begin setting up his sleeping bag. Maybe go ahead and hunker down for the night. Then he could rise around the time that the demon got up to leave for the guild each morning, even earlier maybe, just to shove in her face that no, there were absolutely no such thing as 'basement ghosts'.

He was fearful that the woman would counter with some bullshit about them just not showing themselves to him. And he wasn't quite sure how he could counter that in a way that would avoid him having to spend the night down in the basement again.

Because while Laxus was willing to spend one night in the dark, dank basement to prove his devotion to his girlfriend (as well as shove in her face just how wrong she'd been), he wasn't so certain that he was willing to do it a second time.

Or a third.

Or fourth.

Part of him was worried that the demon had just trapped him down in the basement or something. Or at least that's where his mind wondered to, as he had a fitful time drifting off to sleep that night. The ground felt lumpy and his sleeping bag smelled a bit, or was it just the basement, and he kept catching weird shadows hiding behind boxes and oh gosh, what if something was down there with him? What if she was right? What if in the world of reanimated masters and magical beings, there was such things as ghost and they were going to devour him in the night?

Cannibal ghosts.

Or...would they not be cannibals now that they were no longer living beings?

Needless to say, some of these questions were answered in his dreams, others left to interpretation. Over all though, he did get a good few hours in there when he truly was asleep.

And then something awoke him.

It was a low creak, from the top of the basement stairs. The a louder creak, multiple now, from the stairs now as the old wood whined at even the lightest of pressure applied. Laxus, though somewhat dazed, immediately thought that it was his girlfriend, maybe, either coming down to check on him or realize how ridiculous this all was and bring him upstairs.

He hoped it was the second.

Or if it was the first, that he could trick her into the latter.

Rolling over, Laxus kicked out of his sleeping bag with a loud yawn, calling out as he climbed to his feet, "Come to get me, eh, demon?"

There had been a soft light, a flashlight maybe, a tiny one, that the person coming down the steps was carrying and as they raised it to shine into his eyes, blinding the wincing man, they called out themselves. Only it wasn't Mirajane.

"Laxus?"

"What the- Lisanna, get that out of my face? What are you-"

"Oh, god, are you naked?"

"No! I'm my briefs."

"You're what?"

"They're- Stop shining that light in my face!"

There was a strange moment where Laxus, now shamed for his underwear choice, took a step back, as if to shield himself, while Lisanna did lower the light, but was clearly snickering a bit as his state. The moment would have passed, as all do, and Lisanna might have made some sort of excuse as to being down there while Laxus would have only dove back under his smelly sleeping bag cover, but this opportunity was dashed as another person in the basement made themselves known.

"Oi, boss, I can take you being a total creeper, sleepin' down in my basement and all, but you're not sexually harassin' my girlfriend, are ya?" came a booming accusation from behind a pile of boxes.

"Are ya?" added a resounding echo as a soft, green glow of light also highlighted the boxes.

Laxus jumped at the sounded, whirling around while growling, "What the shit?"

It was Bickslow back there, making himself known as he stepped out from behind a fortress of forgotten junk hands on his hips, out of his typical gear, not even a visor. For all intents and purposes, it looked as if he'd been sleeping as well, honestly.

"Bickslow," Lisanna complained with a glare his way. "Why did you tell him that?"

"We were caught, Lissy," he assured the woman simply. "You don't free yourself from a trap by flailing wildly; you look to the trapper right in the eyes and challenge him."

"Challenge him?" Laxus frowned at the assertion. "And what the hell are you even doing here? In the basement? Are you… Trying to rob the Strausses? Or something? I'm...really having a hard time understanding why else you'd be-"

"Ain't obvious?" And he came closer then, Bickslow did, to find his place beside the still glaring Lisanna. "I'm bonin' one of 'em, same as you."

He took a step back again, Laxus did, blinking some. Blinking some more. Stunned. Dazed.

Very convinced this was just a strange dream stemming from his awkward sleeping situation.

Still, after a deep breath, Laxus took to nodding some, accepting the nonsensical pairing for a very brief moment before questioning, "Why were you hiding in the basement?"

"Kicked out of my apartment. Wanted to be with woman." Bickslow raised an eyebrow at his typical idol. "You?"

But Laxus didn't answer questions that didn't fall from the mouth of his demon.

"Yeah, why are you down here?"

Or her little sister.

"I," he told them both with a frown, "was sent to spend the night down here by your sister, Lisanna, because she thinks that there's ghosts down here. And I can only guess who could be causing her to think that."

Nodding, Bickslow decided, "The rats."

Laxus, frowning, rushed to bend down and snatch up his sleeping bag (this actually worked to cover his body), complaining loudly, "There's rats?"

"No!" Lisanna turned her glare on him. Then she took a pause and thought. "Well-"

"Can't a man hide out in his girlfriend's basement because he can't afford rent because he's been avoiding taking jobs because he wants to be around said girlfriend?" Bickslow shook his head as his floating babies scoffed on his behalf. "What's the world comin' too, eh?"

Laxus stood there, sleeping bag in hand, glancing back and forth between the two people in front of him before deciding, "I'm going to tell Mirajane."

"No, Laxus, don't." And Lisanna rushed to grab his arm then, the man glaring down at her as she dropped the flashlight and it rolled away from them. "Please."

"Why shouldn't I?" he questioned. "This is fucking weird, Lisanna. "This is fucking weird, Lisanna. Bickslow is fucking weird."

"Oi, boss." He'd gone to snatch the flashlight back up, but did send a sorrowful glance over his shoulder to his idol. "You wound me."

"How long has this even been going on?" Laxus went on. "Huh? Not this weird...basement stuff, but… Lisanna...are you actually dating him?"

"W-Well-"

"You need to talk to your sister."

"You don't get it." She clung tighter to his arm. "Laxus, please-"

"Please what? Don't tell my girlfriend that her little sister is meeting with a strange man in the basement to...to… This isn't my business. Or interest. So I'm going to go get Mira and-"

"She ruins things."

"What?"

Lisanna released his arm as the man wasn't moving forward then, only nodding some as he stood agape at her.

"Mira...and Elfman… They both think of me as a little kid. A lot. And I'm not. I'm only a year and a few months younger than Elfman! Not even a full three from Mira." Lisanna shook her head. "But especially now, after the whole...escaping death thing, they both treat me like a complete child. And any time I've tried dating someone, they ruin it. Not on purpose, but by being overbearing and weird."

"Your sister is overbearing or weird with or without a death," Laxus pointed out.

"Then you understand how much harder it is with a death," Lisanna insisted. "You saw how it was, Laxus, two months ago when I brought that guy home to dinner? And they scared him off?"

As someone who'd had an unfortunate invite to that shitshow, he could recall Elfman and Mirajane asking rather pointed questions and making some not so veiled threats, or at least claims to immense power that could be contorted into threats.

Laxus was sure his presence, brooding and annoyed over how slow the dinner was going, hadn't been much help at all.

When Lisanna got broke up with the next week, it was just as well for her siblings, who got to pat her on the head and dry her eyes, as well as Laxus, who was just glad he wouldn't have to sit through another dinner with that guy.

It never occurred to him that, should all the dinners continue going that way, then there would just be an endless string of bringing a guy home for the first time and, damn, he was never not going to hate those.

"In what way is Bickslow the answer to any of that?" Laxus griped to the woman then and Lisanna could only sigh.

"He's not." She glanced over at him then, watching as the seith held the flashlight out, onto a clear wall, for his babies to flutter around, casting spooky shadows in the otherwise dark basement. "But I do really like him. And he really likes me."

"And you're having him sleep in your basement because-"

"He fell behind on his rent and I was trying to be a good girlfriend and give him a place to stay."

"Lisanna." And Laxus hated to have to be the one to explain this to her. Leaning closer, he said softly, "If you've only been dating a guy for a short amount of time and he defaults on his debts, it's a sign you should cut him loose, not stow him away in your basement."

"I have ears, boss," Bickslow complained as he glanced over at the pair of them.

"Yeah? So does my precious demon who is scared to death of coming down here." Laxus remembered that, actually, he had a very good reason to be annoyed by this entire situation and it had nothing to do with protecting poor innocent, previously dead Lisanna's innocence. Because fine, maybe he scared that guy off too. Because no one should just get to date his girlfriend's little sister without proving themselves worthy. "She's terrified that her house is haunted."

"I mean, it is." Bickslow went back to watching his babies gleefully fly through the light. "There's fucking ghosts down here, dude."

Lisanna shrugged some. "It's a basement. Of course there are."

"I," Laxus said simply as he hiked his sleeping bag up higher and took another step away from Lisanna, "Don't have time for this. For any of this. This...Strauss nonsense. You're all insane. In fact, I think your brother might be the sanest one among you, which is actually killing me to say, you have no idea."

"Laxus, don't tell Mira," Lisanna pleaded with his back now as he headed up the stairs with a shake of his head. "Please?"

He didn't answer her.

But he also didn't go to her sister's room to break the news either.

Instead, he went to stretch out on the couch and just...process all of the information he'd just learned.

He and Bickslow would be having a huge talk about all of this.

Well, he would have a huge, one-sided yelling match at the nitwit and send his ass back out on jobs and to not neglect his duties for some woman.

Even if that woman was a Strauss.

Because he definitely understood the motivation.

That morning, he awoke to the sound of someone milling around in the kitchen, humming, and this time, it was without a doubt his demon.

Laxus was still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes when he found her in there, doing more than she usually would to get ready in the morning as she seemed to making him breakfast. Laxus recognized the signature, over-sized omelet she loved to serve him anywhere. In the corner of the kitchen, Lisanna was there as well. She was hunched over the coffee maker, clearly tense and nervous. For all the times that he'd spent the night at the Strauss house, Laxus had never known her to be an early riser without provocation, but he imagined there wasn't much for sleeping when you were dreading what was to come.

"Morning, dragon," Mirajane called all the same, hardly glancing over her shoulder at him. "Sleep well?"

And Lisanna stood upright then, turning to watch them, a stricken look on her face. She'd been glad, no doubt, to find Laxus snoozing on the couch that early morning, but now would be just as good a chance for him to ruin everything for her, she knew, and it was with a held breath that she watched the man come to wrap his arms tightly around his girlfriend, hugging her from behind.

"No," he remarked simply, nuzzling his head into her neck as the woman giggled. "There's ghosts in the basement."

"See!" Mira giggled as she folded the egg mixture in the pan. "I told you."

"Yeah." Laxus eyes though where on Lisanna, who he'd have to talk with as well as. Make her realize that she had to tell her sister and brother, eventually. Him keeping her secret, for now, hinged on the fact that very soon there would be nothing to keep. "Shouldda listened to you."

Lisanna bowed her head, in his direction, smiling and clearly pleased, but Laxus only went back to snuggling his demon, watching his food cook from over her shoulder.

"I bet though," Laxus told his girlfriend, "that within the next, oh, few weeks? Days? I can get someone down to the basement to exorcise any ghosts. Free you of them. If you want."

This statement caused Lisanna's joy to immediately flee, but Laxus ignored her as Mira only hummed, mulling over this idea a bit, before shaking both her head and herself free of him.

"No."

"No?" Laxus complained, watching as she moved to transfer his omelet to a waiting plate on the counter top. "What do you mean? Why not?"

"All basements have ghosts, Laxus," she told him simply. "And all ghosts have basements."

"You're not making any sense."

"I," she said as, finished with his breakfast preparations, she turned to head out of the room and no doubt get ready for the day, "own this house, so I get to decide what ghosts linger and which don't."

"Yeah, well," he complained to her back as she left the room, "this dragon lives in an apartment. So where do my ghosts linger, huh? Demon?"

He got no reply and that was fine as he only sent to slouch over at a kitchen table chair, stabbing at his food with a heavy frown.

Lisanna, seizing the moment, rushed to go to a seat across from him.

"So," she began, "you're not gonna tell Mira about-"

"Look, kid." He hardly glanced up at her. "Your boyfriend isn't going to stay in the basement, being a bum forever. I'm making sure of it. Starting today. And you need to grow some backbone about all this. Understand?"

Scoffing, she remarked simply, "Mira said that the ghosts can stay."

"Mira says a lot of things." He tossed up a free hand. "And I go along with them because I love her."

And Lisanna forgot about her own troubles for a moment, just to giggle at the usually stoic man's expense.

"You what her? Laxus?" she asked with a glint in her eyes.

"I," he assured the woman's younger sister, "love her."

"Awe."

"And if that means enabling some of her less pleasant qualities, fine." He looked at Lisanna fully then. "But no one makes my demon look stupid. And stowing away your boyfriend in the house that she owns isn't going to cut it. Understand?"

Lisanna slumped then herself, sighing as she remarked, "I just… I just want something that's mine. Not Mira and Elfman's. And I know that you think that Bickslow's a big joke and that he's your...lackey or something-"

"Bodyguard."

"You're not that famous, Laxus." Lisanna had never rightly felt the fear others did around the man. Even before her sister charmed him. "No one gives enough of a shit about you for you to need one of those."

"Hey-"

"I like him." Lisanna shook her head then. "I don't know why. But I do know that it'll all get ruined, if everyone finds out. You just don't understand."

Staring at her for a long moment, Laxus replied, "You think that I didn't feel the same way? About your sister? You chumps up at the bar ruin everything. Constantly. And yeah, they'll probably ruin you and Bickslow too. But me and your sister made it through. If you're meant to be together, you're meant to be together. And look at it this way, after you tell them, yeah, for a day or two, maybe a week, it'll be an item of interest, but then something new will blow through the hall. It always does. And if you're thinking about getting serious with Bickslow-"

"Serious?"

"Like...looking at him as marriage material and-"

And she laughed. Loudly. Genuinely. As Laxus only stared blankly, Lisanna simply shook her head.

"I'm only twenty-one, Laxus." She frowned at him. "I'm not thinking about marrying anyone I date. Ever. Gross. Ew, are you gonna marry my sister?"

"Lisanna-"

"Are you thinking about it? Does she know?"

"Knock it off."

"Big brother Laxus?"

"I'm gonna go tell her about Bickslow."

"She must be something special," Lisanna kept up, even still, as she leaned over the table just to poke the man's cheek, grinning cheekily herself. "My sister. For you to be thinking so heavily about that and all."

"She is." Laxus grabbed her finger then, tightly, as he looked the younger woman dead in the eyes. "To me. "And I won't see her taken advantage of. Do you understand me?"

Jerking her finger back, Lisanna nodded slightly as she sat back in her own seat. Softly though, she said, "Thank you. Laxus."

"Yeah." He went back to his food with a bit of a grunt. "Don't mention it."

#Miraxus #Bixanna #Mirajane Strauss #Laxus Dreyar #Lisanna Strauss #Bickslow #Fairy Tail #Fanfiction

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trashytoastboi · 4 years ago

Note

Hey! I forgot to say thank you for answering my Law x s/o that climbs the Mount Everest. And I really enjoy it and I hope you like that movie. Okay I have another, another request. 😅 Ummm can I request headcanons of Sanji, Zoro, Law & Sabo with a fem! Nobody of Kingdom Hearts. (I'm just obsessed with KH. 😅) I'm really curious what they think like Nobodies don't have emotions but well have human intelligence. And they supposed never exist. So... I hope it's not to complicated ask. 😅

Hiya! 🍀 I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it ^.^ the movie was really good! And of course 🍀 hope you enjoy ~

Askbox: Currently closed

(Female Pronouns)

Headcanons: Sanji, Zoro, Law, Sabo – Meeting F! Nobody (Kingdom Hearts)

Sanji

🍽Being a pirate and sailing the seas meant a lot of the world was explored and Sanji got to see many things that he previously deemed impossible…So when he stumbled upon someone…well something that gave off no presence yet had the appearance of someone was very unusual to him. This was when he met {Name} – someone who wasn’t human.

🍽Sanji honestly couldn’t form any thoughts at first due to the mysterious nature of {Name} and had more questions than anything else… his honest thoughts at first was likening {Name} to a ghost.

🍽Rather than remaining ignorant, Sanji had opted to speak to the mysterious figure; inquiring about what they might be and this is when {Name} explained she was a Nobody, nothing more than a shell to hold what remained.

🍽“I’m nothing but the unwanted remnants of someone else who has succumbed to darkness…the light rejects me and so does darkness…I should never have existed” was the words offered in response by {Name}, after hearing such a thing Sanji could not stay idly by. More than anyone Sanji understood full well what it was like to be rejected and think that he should not have existed. In a very deep way, he understood that.

🍽 Sanji instantly took to encouraging {Name} away from everything she had been told. Convincing her, even if she once started as remnants of someone else she had the capacity to become someone.

🍽{Name} felt solidarity with Sanji who seemed to understand her, she also believed in Sanji’s words about being able to become something more.

Roronoa Zoro

⚔One of the joys of getting lost so often and not knowing where he is going or where he will end up often left Zoro in unusual situations. Such as stumbling upon a stranger in the forest, a strange figure who did nothing but sit on a rock and merely pass him a glance and go back to their statue like position. Zoro had asked for directions, and {Name} had simply lifted her hand and pointed in a direction.

⚔Betrayed by his sense of direction, Zoro ended up exactly where he left. He wondered if {Name} was a forest spirit of sorts and his curiosity got the better of him, leaning in very close to inspect her. He couldn’t fathom exactly what she was.

⚔{Name} got annoyed by his actions, moving away from his scrutinizing gaze, staring at her as if she was an alien. “Haven’t you seen a Nobody before?” she muttered, in feigned annoyance… one of the learned emotions she could display. Zoro was confused by the title of ‘Nobody’ and left {Name} to explain it. Zoro found it unusual that she spoke about herself as if she was not there.

⚔ “I don’t exist anywhere, yet I have memories and feel pain. Is that not all it takes for one to feel human? Is it because I lack a heart?” {Name} spoke, hand over her chest feeling the emptiness that always plagued her. Zoro wasn’t able to respond to such a sudden and deep question, wondering what it takes to be human.

⚔ He instead offered a simple, yet powerful statement. “You don’t need to be human to exist.” Despite the complete lack of emotion, even {Name} admittedly would have been rattled by such a thing. It felt as if she was being given permission to exist.

⚔{Name} wondered if the simple words that he said were true, if she could become more than a mere husk. {Name] oddly enough felt an unfamiliar feeling…something akin to warmth, and feeling encouraged.

Trafalgar Law

🍄 It was a blatant mistake on Law’s part, mistaking {Name} for an enemy. Not knowing that she had mistakenly wandered onto a battlefield. Law instantly went to subdue the new ‘enemy’ with a quick use of Mes, only to find it completely ineffective against {Name}. She quite literally, had no heart.

🍄 Law was stunned, shocked into silence and attempt to repeat the same action three times, before finally confirming that she in fact had no heart and wondered if someone with a similar power had taken it already. {Name} saw the pile of beating hearts, displaying a smirk of learned arrogance from her ‘past self.’ An endeavour to steal her heart would be useless, since she was comprised only of body and soul.

🍄To ease the confusion in Law, {Name} told him that it would not work. She was simply a Nobody, just what the aftermath of someone giving their hearts away to darkness. She is the by-product of that, only something to hold a soul and live a life of rejected existence.

🍄“I can remember nearly everything, except what it was like to have a heart…. you seem to be someone familiar with hearts I thought you could tell me” It was such an obscure thing to say, at least it was for Law. He never thought he would be asked what it was like to have a heart, how can one even explain it.

🍄Law was completely frazzled by the question, from the anatomical reasoning he could perfectly explain it…but knowing that they were asking more about the ‘substance’ of a heart, things like emotions…was not his greatest forte. In fact, a heart had caused him great pain, as much as it caused joy.

🍄 Law tried his best in a very awkward manner to explain the concept of a heart to {Name}, something outside of just anatomy and the inner workings but more the metaphorical reasoning behind hearts.

Sabo

🎩 Sabo had found a cloaked figure lurking around, and decided to follow them. Wondering what they would be up to…especially being on edge considering all the recent events. He found {Name} instead. Sabo could never fully understand what alerted him that something was…odd, different to say the least. He could always feel the presence of living people but there was nothing from {Name}.

🎩 It left Sabo completely confused, how could he not pick up any sense of them? They were standing right in front of him and yet, there was nothing. He reached out his hand to make sure that they weren’t an illusion or even a ghost. Absentmindedly passing the question “What are you?”

🎩{Name} only replied with the word “Nobody”, at first Sabo thought this was a ploy to hide her identity but that was not the case…since Nobodies, were something else entirely as he came to learn. {Name} was honest and seemed to answer every question he asked without thought. Explaining what a Nobody was to Sabo. Things finally started to make sense such as why he was unable to feel her presence.

🎩Sabo continued asking questions and {Name} had explained that she retained fragmented memories… “Memories are something precious…” was a phrase that her former self often said. Those words deeply resonated with Sabo, since he full well knew what it was like to live without memories.

🎩Sabo had told {Name} that his understanding of Nobodies were not the same as everyone elses. He didn’t buy into the ‘you shouldn’t exist’ thought pattern and rather encouraged {Name} to find a place where they would feel like that could build themselves a place to exist…”If you don’t have a place to exist, then make one” Was the advice offered by Sabo.

🎩She didn’t even know where to find such a place, nor how to create one. Sabo had then offered that she join him along with the Revolutionary Army, until she could finally find her place.

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lov3nerdstuff · 5 years ago

Text

I put a spell on you...

*Tom Hiddleston x reader*

Oneshot

Words: 4.8k

Genre: fluff, angst

Summary: You find yourself unable to get home on a cold December day, and a forgotten wallet turns into a frozen tragedy. Until a handsome stranger with blonde curls comes to your rescue.

A.N.: The follow-up fic for this is called '...because you're mine', but this is an independent story nontheless! Enjoy 💚💚💚

All Parts can be found on my Masterlist!

________________________________

It had been a somber day right from the moment you had gotten out of bed that morning. The December gloom hung low above the city, washing out the colors and muting the lights until nothing but a grey, cold and wet blur of life remained. Despite that, you'd actually had quite a decent day and had gotten a lot of work done, in the library, your sanctuary. This shortly before you would finally finish your degree, you really didn't spare any efforts to make the last few weeks the most productive of your entire education.

Thus, smiling and accomplished after a long day of working hard, you started your long way home from your uni, through half of the city, towards the station where you intended to take the first bus home. You lived quite far away from your school, as you couldn't afford to actually live on campus, or worse in the city center where your college was located. No, your rathole of an apartment lay an hour away. By bus, that was.

With a sigh you reached for your wallet in your bag, to pay for the ride home, only for your fingers to grab empty air. A bolt of liquid energy struck your heart and nervous system, allowing panic to slowly infiltrate your mind. Had you lost it somewhere maybe, or had it been stolen!? With a deep frown on your face you knelt down on the busy sidewalk, emptying the contents of your entire bag onto the rough, dirty concrete beneath you. Journals, papers, books, too many loose pens… no wallet. Fuck.

Gosh, if you hadn't used the spare cash in your bag on the bus this morning, out of pure haste and laziness, you might actually have noticed the absence of your money sooner. Great… without the wallet, no money. Without money, no bus ride. Without the bus… no getting home. And without getting home, you had no chance to get to your money. A true vicious circle of bad luck. Fuck!

With an annoyed yet desperate groan, you shoved everything back into your bag in haste and rose to your feet before the bypassing people would give you even more disgusted, condescending looks. And while you took a step backwards from the bus station, retreating into the shadow of a shop window's low roof to escape the wind's cold bite and the pedestrians' elbows to your ribs, you desperately tried to suppress the tears that so desperately fought their way through your aggressive blinking. Fuck.

People streamed by like a river on the sidewalk around you, passing by in the hundreds as all you could do was try not to cry and keep your mind from getting consumed by panic, and even that you failed at eventually. It was silly to cry over this, really… and yet, silent tears rolled down your cheeks, scorching your delicate skin that had long gone numb from December's cold. Small rivers as imprints of your despair, lips red as cherries from cold's bite and your own, trying to silence yourself from any expression of surrender to circumstance.

No, you wouldn't give up the last bit of hope you could claw your nails into to keep from slipping into despair, to keep from breaking down in public. Maybe you could walk all night, through the insufferable cold, to arrive at home before dawn. Not a promising prospect, considering the dangers of some parts of the city, but as it seemed, the only option you had. There was nobody you could've called, nobody you could've asked to borrow some money from… You were all alone. Always.

"Excuse me, but are you alright?" A deep, silken voice reached your ears from close by, and you jumped a little, blinking rapidly to clear your tear blurred vision. A tall figure appeared in your field of sight, obviously addressing you with those softly spoken words.

Your eyes finally focused on the world around you again, and your gaze fell upon the most worried and most handsome face you had ever seen. The tall stranger's eyes dug into yours, waiting for an answer you didn't remember the question to… a deep blue, like the rough sea on a stormy day, drawing you into their spell and drowning you in a depth you didn't know a gaze could possess. Your lips parted in surprise while all you could do was stare at him for a few short moments that, in your head, seemed to stretch into eternities.

"What?" You finally breathed and your voice remained laced with unshed tears, while your eyes still couldn't escape his own, nor the spell he had put on you.

"I… I asked if you were alright." He replied calmly, but likely just as taken aback by the moment as you were, while your gaze was drawn down to his delicate lips as he spoke. "You seem quite distraught, if I may say that. I couldn't help but notice the despair in your eyes and… well."

At last your mind snapped out of its haze and you regained your ability to form somewhat coherent sentences. "Uhm… I… it's nothing. Just… me being silly. I'm good." Yet, your tone didn't even convince yourself of your too quickly spoken words, and you felt your heart picking up speed for both the panic and the handsome stranger in front of you.

"Are you sure about that?" He frowned ever so slightly, then seemed to remember a voice in the very back of his mind and immediately spoke on. "I'm sorry, I by no means meant to be pushy. I… I just wanted to offer my help."

You let out a single, uncontrolled sob that might have passed for a laugh if one didn't look at your face, and more tears formed in your eyes to spill over your already reddened cheeks. "Gosh, I'm so sorry… Today is just the one drop that made the emotions spill over the edge, if you know what I mean…" Even through your tears you saw that the poor fellow in front of you looked hopelessly confused, but somehow very much pained to witness your small breakdown, and that alone made you want to cry even more. A stranger on the street had more empathy than your fellow students who you'd known for years. Wow… you kinda hated that acting school was such a competitive thing sometimes.

"Can I… would you maybe like to go for a hot drink? To warm up a little, calm down the nerves…" He offered with the smallest of smiles, looking both reluctant and yet certain in his offer.

"Oh, I really don't want to bother you any more than I already have…" You replied quickly, hugging your jacket tighter around yourself to keep from freezing even more. It was terribly cold, even for December.

"You're not bothering me at all, I'm the one who refuses to leave you alone, am I not…" He chuckled while a blush colored his cheeks even more crimson than the cold already had. "I mean… Sorry, I would just feel horrible to leave you standing here, crying… If I'm bothering you, I'll be gone in an instant."

"Oh gosh, you're not bothering me at all! If I am not bothering you, I would gladly take up the offer for a hot drink. I have a very long and very cold walk ahead of me, and a little warmth before that might do me good." You said in a single breath, nodding to yourself in affirmation that this was alright. He was a stranger, yes, but he was nice and seemingly sincere in his concern.

"Great." He replied immediately, with the brightest and most relieved smile you had ever seen.

Ten minutes later, you found yourself sitting in a cozy little cafe with quite possibly the largest cup of hot chocolate you had ever seen. Your eyes shot up to the man who had taken seat in front of you with an incredulous, but happy smile. "Hot chocolate?"

"I thought some sugar might cheer you up." He shrugged with a small smile. "And it's almost Christmas, that means nobody blinks an eye at enjoying all the sugary treats there are."

The look of utter adoration grew on your face as you looked at your savior, unable to form a coherent sentence yet again. While he was being beyond nice and generous, you hadn't once gotten the impression that he was doing this with any ulterior motives, and that honestly was such a relief that you found yourself at a loss for words, slowly wrapping your head around the idea that he was actually doing this just to be kind. In your experience, nobody had ever done anything just to be kind… there were always expectations, silent promises, unspoken demands. But not with him. So you just sipped on your hot chocolate, humming quietly in bliss, and observing the man in front of you curiously. Seriously, could he be any more handsome? Sure, that was rather superficial of you to think, but you couldn't help it. Those messy curls, the sharp cheekbones, the shadow of a beard ghosting over his jawline… and those eyes that still held you captive under their spell.

"I'm Tom, by the way." He finally spoke up after minutes of comfortable quiet, still smiling at you in both amusement and curiosity. If he had noticed you staring, he didn't comment on it at least.

"Y/n." You smiled back. "Thank you SO much for the chocolate… I can't possibly repay you, literally, but I am beyond thankful."

"Literally?" He inquired, but politely. "Is that why you were so distraught? You don't have to tell me, of course, but if you just feel like venting to someone, I'm all ears."

With yet another smile, you told him about your impending finals, your stress during the last weeks, the library, the bus, the forgotten wallet… It was really odd, once you'd started talking, the words seemingly flowed freely from your mind over your lips and you found yourself sharing more with Tom than you had imagined. But talking to him felt just so nice, so natural and comfortable that you couldn't possibly stop for a while, and he listened intently to everything you had to say.

"So you're graduating soon?" He asked calmly, sipping on his second cup of tea. By now it was getting increasingly dark outside, almost pitch black from where you were sitting in the cozy light of the cafe.

"Yeah… Getting that degree at last." You sighed softly, running a single finger over the edge of your giant coffee cup that he had insisted on getting you after the hot chocolate. "But I still need to rehearse quite a bit for the final performance. And study quite a bit to get the theoretical knowledge in."

"You're getting a degree in acting?" His eyes lit up ever so slightly and his small smile turned into a larger one.

"Yup. Hopefully I'll get into a stage production somewhere around the city so I won't have to move away." You shrugged, taking another sip of coffee.

"Oh, I know the deal… It can get hard to move for the job so much. I will actually work in a theater here in the city, next year." He smiled brightly, and yet your eyes were fixed on his again. They were so full of life, so extremely colorful in this world of washed out grey and tiredness… gosh, he really had put a spell on you, and your mind wouldn't stop drooling over him.

"That's amazing… Or great luck." You finally managed to say with a smile. "I hope I'll be just as lucky. What is it you're working as? Surely sounds like fun if it's in a theater."

"Oh, you know… some of the actors I meet are arrogant assholes." He chuckled, and you had to smirk as well. "Most people are quite nice though. It really depends."

For quite some time he went on to talk about the place he would work at next, a middle sized theater that would host a production of one of your favorite plays, and about how they would officially start casting people in April, for rehearsals to start in summer. Yet you noticed how he never explicitly said what exactly it was he was working as, and so you guessed that it simply wasn't anything worth mentioning. Maybe he was a prompter, or a technician… who knew. All you did know was that you could have spent eternities just listening to his smooth and deep voice, and watch the joyous sparkles in his eyes. Yeah… you were definitely falling for him, fast and dangerously strong.

After an even longer conversation about the joys and pains of acting school, he gave you another heart melting smile that turned your insides into a mushy goo, before looking at his phone for a short second, upon which his eyes widened immediately. "Oh gosh, it's gotten rather late! Sorry, I hope I haven't kept you from anything."

"You only kept me from freezing on the street, and I'm very thankful for that!" You replied with a chuckle, then with a content sigh moved to finish your coffee, yet only reluctantly. Somehow… you didn't want to part from him just yet. You'd only just met him, and still... that darn spell he had put on you prevented you from thinking about a single thing that wasn't him.

"I honestly didn't mean to steal so much of your time, but I found it quite impossible to part from you any sooner." He smiled as he rose to his feet and put on his coat. It looked rather worn out, pilling quite a bit, and you started feeling bad for having him pay for you. Did theaters really pay THAT little…?

"As dull as it will likely be, I gotta hurry to make it in time for a meeting now." He said with an apologetic half smile.

"Yeah, I better start walking home as well, if I want to arrive before dawn tomorrow." You sighed as you followed his example, putting on your big fluffy scarf and winter jacket.

"What? No!" He frowned at you as you both made for the door of the cafe. "I won't just let you walk through the night all by yourself… That's rather dangerous, and likely very cold." With that he got some crinkled bills out of the pocket of his coat and handed them to you with an apologetic frown. "That's all I have on me right now, but I'm sure it'll suffice for a ride home."

Your lips parted yet again, releasing a small cloud of your frozen breathing into the cold night air. "I cannot possibly take this… especially if it's all you've got."

"I insist. Please, just take it and make sure you get home safely." He smiled as positively and encouragingly as ever. "I didn't take my wallet, that's why I don't have any more at the moment. All's well."

"You're really being too kind to me, Tom." You returned the smile, and even though you didn't say it, your eyes gave away all the adoration you felt for him in that moment. He was kind, funny, humble, intelligent… And that one slightly curly strand of hair that kept falling into his face just drove you positively mad. Tom was as perfect as any man could only wish to be.

"It was my absolute pleasure." His smile broadened, as did his blush. "And if it makes you feel less horrible about this, you could always try to convince me to let you pay me back when we go out for coffee the next time."

Now you certainly felt the heat rising to your cheeks as well. "I would really like that, actually… I enjoyed your company tonight. A great lot, even."

"Yeah, me too." He replied quietly, eyes locking with yours in a way that felt almost too intimate to be happening on a sidewalk in the middle of the city. "That's why I have to see you again." With that he took your hand in his, breathing a feathery kiss to your knuckles that left your heart racing to break records. Nobody had ever made you feel this intensely about them so impossibly fast, and you couldn't help but stare at him with raw emotion in your eyes.

"Goodnight Y/n." He gave you one last adoring smile. "Get home safely please." Then he let your fingers slip past his own in the most torturing gentleness, before he jogged off and vanished in the everlasting crowds.

You did get home safely that night, with your heart still racing even after more than an hour on the bus.

Tom… Your mind constantly replayed the entire afternoon and evening, delving into the imprint of him that had stayed in your mind like a burn mark. Sure, he wasn't quite your own age, but you had never minded that much. And so you found yourself dreaming about him the entire journey home, until at last you had to wake up again, in the cold harshness of reality.

You hadn't exchange phone numbers, nor did you know his last name. The realization hit you colder than the freezing air around you and pierced your heart with a million tiny shards of ice that only melted away in the roaring spark he had kindled within you, leaving your insides torn open and slowly bleeding out. And just like that you felt yourself on the brink of crying once again.

But you wouldn't give up that easily, wouldn't allow yourself to just move on and forget… Finding someone by the name of Tom who not yet worked in a theater in this giant city couldn't be quite that difficult, could it? Could it…? And thus you tried to find him, anywhere at all, in the virtual and real world… without any success. The more desperate you grew, the more vain your attempts turned out to be. The days passed, and even though eventually you had been forced to give up trying to find him, he never once left your mind. He had truly put a spell on you.

_______________

It was shortly after the new year had begun that your graduation from the school of dramatic arts was held, and as always, you were your only family member present. 'Because acting isn't a real job'... You could still hear your father's words clear as day in your mind, even if you tried not to listen to them too often.

You'd made top of your class, thank gods… with anything less you wouldn't have been content. Yes, finishing acting school meant that you'd proven to yourself that you could be good enough for this harsh field of work. But it also meant that you had to start submitting to casting calls, audition over and over again, and prepare for some serious setbacks.

And audition you did, with every theater and every company in your entire region… only to hear the inevitable, more polite version of 'fuck off, newbie'. It was exhausting and hard work, you knew that and you had known all along… yet it was hard sometimes to not get discouraged, with nobody to build you back up. And it was usually in your lowest moments when you would come to think of Tom. How he had saved you from freezing on the streets that one evening in December, with nothing but coffee and kindness. You'd wonder what he was up to, if he was alright… Just thinking of his breathtaking smile and overwhelming kindness would make you smile in return, and that would leave you feeling better, usually, but in a bittersweet way. Your inability to find him nagged on your mind on a constant basis, slowly chipping away small pieces of your hope to ever see him again, while knowing you had tried everything in your might did less than nothing to help it. Thus, over the course of three months, your life had become everything you had never wanted it to be. You were alone, without a real job, without an actually decent place to live, always cold, always jumpy, always frowning.

Until, in late April, you auditioned for a minor role in a huge production of one of your favorite plays, more as a weak attempt at having fun than because you really believed they would actually cast you. And yet, you heard back from them not even half a week after your audition. At first you hadn't even registered what the lady on the phone wanted from you, but after a second of irritation the realization had set in, then the shock, then the joy. For reasons you couldn't possibly fathom, they hadn't given you the role you had auditioned for, but done it one better: you would portray one of the four main characters! How on Earth that could've happened was beyond you, but you were overjoyed to confirm, and to come in a few weeks later for the signing. But it was only at the end of August that rehearsals started, for the play would open in late September.

It was way too hot for this early in the day when you made your way to the theater, quietly slipping in through the stage door after you'd told the security your name at least three times. Luckily you were greeted by David, your director who you'd already met during your audition, and thus you didn't have to wander the maze of the backstage area by yourself. It was the first day only, and you hadn't yet met any of your fellow cast members, which was rather odd in your opinion. But you were new to the game, and you wouldn't dare to criticize whatever David, his assistants or any of the producers were doing. No, you had done your part by preparing your role and showing up today, and everything else would fall into place. Or so you thought.

You were led to a large room next to the stage then, for the first official meeting of the main cast, and your heart was already beating so quickly that its echo in your ears drowned out every bit of smalltalk David's assistant was trying to uphold with you. This was a production in the very spotlight… something you shouldn't even be considered to mop the floor for. And yet here you were, about to meet some of the most renowned actors in modern theater, as you'd been informed. What exactly were you doing here…?

The assistant opened the door for you, and you immediately stopped in the doorframe, dead in your track and utterly unable to move. It had been MONTHS… and still you would've recognized him anywhere.

"Tom?" You managed to say despite your frozen stare, quietly and so full of surprise that your own voice sounded foreign to your ears. Distant, like it was part of a different reality.

The group of people fell silent as he turned around to you, stormy eyes wide as your own, lips parting in equal surprise. "Y/n…" He breathed, looking at you like you were some ethereal creature, bringing upon him everything he had ever yearned for.

For a moment time was frozen as both of you were, caught in crashing waves of emotions as complicated as the threads holding together the relation of time and space. There it was again, the spell he put on you… like a natural force. Inevitable, inescapable, irresistible.

"So… you two know each other already?" David asked in an oddly stained voice as he pushed past you into the room, breaking the staring but never the spell.

Tom seemed to snap out of it before you did. "Uh… Yes, yes! We… we know each other, personally. Gosh, it's been a while." He chuckled, looking at you with a small smile as you finally walked into the room, silently thanking him for not telling everyone how he had found you, a complete mess, crying on the sidewalk.

"I… We…" You tried, but the words in your head tangled together so badly that they just wouldn't come over your lips. It was either nothing or too much, and so you stuck with nothing for now.

"Well, you guys can catch up in the break. For now we've got some work to do." David smiled at you, then turned to everyone else. "Let's get started."

_______________

"Hey…" Tom's smooth voice startled you as you slowly sauntered over the yet empty stage during the break, in the belief that everyone else was out to get coffee or talk to their assistants. You didn't have an assistant, and you didn't have enough money to buy coffee without a darn good reason. So you had believed it was only you on the stage, lost in thought and overwhelmed by feelings you knew you shouldn't have. And that's when Tom had spoken up right behind you. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you jump."

You turned around to him in an instant, finding yourself way too close to him, but neither of you was willing to step backwards. "It's fine, I was just lost in thought."

"What were you thinking about?"

"You." You replied before your mind could put the thought on a leash to keep it from escaping your lips. Your eyes widened, as did Tom's. Then he smiled at you in that breathtaking manner yet again.

"I've thought of you quite a bit over the last months, you know…" He finally said, quietly. "Way too much probably. After I got home that night and realized that I was an idiot and hadn't asked you for your phone number, I was rather devastated."

"Yeah…" You breathed, giving him a sad half smile. "I tried finding you, but I didn't know your last name, and neither what you really did for a living. So I eventually stopped looking, after a few months."

His eyes widened even more, then turned smaller again as he frowned sadly. "I tried finding you too… I really did. I even had my publicist and quite a few others look through the graduating classes, but we all found nothing but people who weren't you."

For a moment you were at a loss for words, uncertain what you should allow yourself to say… that you'd missed him? Horribly much, even though you hardly knew him? It didn't feel like you didn't know him… To you, Tom was always on your mind and had been ever since that night. He was your closest friend and dearest companion, focus point and silent shadow to your every move. But all of that was only in your head, and you knew it. You'd fallen for him that evening back in December, and by you had grown to love the imprint of him in your mind.

"You didn't say that you were impossibly famous." You said instead, giving him a weak smile upon which he blushed ever so slightly.

"I don't meet many people who don't already know who I am, and it honestly was so nice. You enjoyed my company for ME, and not because I have some reputation." He shrugged, looking down at you with the softest expression. "Gosh, Y/n… I can't believe I finally found you. I'm the luckiest fool to get a second chance with you."

Now it was your turn to blush as well. "I… I kinda had lost hope that we would ever meet again, you know."

"Same for me. I mean I refused to give up on it, but it was growing more and more unlikely."

"I'm eternally glad that fate brought us together again." You finally allowed yourself to smile at him again in utter adoration. "I'm just sorry for the time it took."

"Feels like it was only yesterday to me." He smiled back and took your hand in his just like he had that night, breathing a kiss to the back of your hand with a small smirk. This time however, he didn't let go. "And as it seems, we will see a lot more of each other from now on. I literally cannot wait to spend every day together with you."

And even if you didn't want to showcase just how hopelessly in love you were with him, you couldn't keep yourself from grinning along. Maybe you had put a spell on him too, after all.

_____________________________

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shadowthrone-ammanas · 5 years ago

Text

Ghost Kid Chapter Nineteen: Mentor

One of the Subconites had fallen in the swamp because despite countless warnings and prior intimate experience with the swamp, they still did that sometimes because they liked being idiots. His friends getting him out had caused even more damage to his body, his lower half was almost ripped entirely off. It was all superficial damage because it was solely physical but Snatcher still needed to fix it.

“How many times have I warned you about the swamp?” he asked as he got to work. The entire lower half wasn’t even worth saving so he just cut it away and started over.

“Uh… a lot. Sorry Boss.” And he probably was sorry but that wouldn’t stop him from doing it again in a few years.

“Yeah, uh-huh.” Snatcher should really look into repairing the walk ways a little. They were meant to be dilapidated and unsafe but in recent years it was starting to get a bit too much. “Learn to be more careful because I don’t like doing this.”

“Sorry Boss.” That’s all they ever did when he was fixing them, apologize. It was a bit annoying. Before he could say so though a shocked gasp came from the doorway.

“What happened?” It was Hat Kid and she looked upset. Probably because Snatcher was holding half a Subconite.

“He fell into the swamp and his friends almost ripped him in half pulling him out,” Snatcher explained, letting his displeasure about that show in his voice. There wasn’t any other way they could’ve gotten him out but he shouldn’t have fallen in it the first place.

“Oh no, that’s sounds awful,” she said as she floated into the hollow. “Is he going to be okay?”

“Yep, I’ll be fine,” the Subconite said. “Boss is fixing me. And it doesn’t hurt, it’s just unpleasant.”

“Oh! … That’s good then. But… I would’ve thought you’d leave the doll when Snatcher’s fixing it. Or are you like… trapped in it or something?”

“Nope, I just don’t like leaving if I don’t absolutely have to. It’s scary, I don’t know how you and Boss handle it.”

“Most of them are like that kid,” Snatcher explained. “They only leave when they’re damaged enough that I need to make them a whole new doll. Which isn’t the case here but I’m still rather busy so whatever you want will have to wait.” He looked back down at the Subconite and resumed his work, hoping she’d take the hint and leave.

She didn’t of course. “I actually just have a question. Can you talk and sew at the same time?”

Snatcher sighed, resigned to his fate. Though it wasn’t like lecturing the Subconite would change anything anyway. Every time he had to repair major damage like this, he lectured them while doing so and it never seemed to have any effect. So, he might as well answer whatever dumb question Hat Kid had instead. “Yes.”

“Great! You know how you taught me to be spooky and even showed me some scary movies to help with that? Well, I’ve been practicing and I think I’m pretty good now, real scary. So uh… I was thinking that maybe the next time an intruder comes into the forest, maybe I could handle them? Maybe even like have them do a contract for me, if that’d be okay. If you’d be willing to teach me how the contracts work and stuff of course and help me write one up too. I have a little project I could really use some help with. I could just do it myself, maybe or just ask you for help and I’m sure it’d be fine but… I want to try doing things the way you do them because… well I just do. So can I, please?”

That wasn’t the kind thing Snatcher would’ve expected her to want. But he really was starting to get close to teaching her everything he knew, huh? “First, what’s your ‘little project’?”

“A dock for my ship so I can take off and land freely. It’s going to be hard to make one with forest stuff but I could probably get stuff from other places for it. I’m sure with a little help I could get one built pretty quickly. It won’t be super high tech or anything but it should be good enough, I got books in the machine room about it.”

“Wow Boss,” the Subconite cut in before he could reply. “She’s really starting to take after you, huh? You got her reading all the time and taught her how to be scary and now she wants to be like you with the contracts and stuff. You must be real proud.”

“He’s my mentor,” Hat Kid said far too cheerily.

“I never agreed to be your mentor,” he said as he looked up from his sewing to frown at her instead.

“But you are. You’re teaching me all kinds of stuff and it’s great, thank you. And even before you started teaching me, you’ve been giving me advice about things and you’ve let me move into the forest with you. That’s all very mentory things to do.”

True but ‘mentory’ wasn’t the only way such actions could be interpreted. But of the two big ones, that one was preferable so… “Fine, I’m your mentor, whatever. I wouldn’t say I’m proud of you though. You haven’t done anything worth being proud of yet and at the rate you’re going, I doubt you ever will.”

The Subconite giggled. “Keep telling yourself that Boss, you know it’s not true.”

“Well, you know what is true?” Snatcher lifted the Subconite up to look him in the face. “The fact that I don’t have to finish fixing your body right now. I could put it off until tomorrow or some other day, leave you with no legs and no stuffing for a while, how would you like that?”

“Sorry Boss.” He didn’t sound very sorry though. “I’ll shut up now.”

“You better.” Snatcher lowered him back down to start working again. If only he’d lied and said he couldn’t sew and talk at the same time. “And you,” he turned his attention back to Hat Kid. “Sure, I guess I’ll teach you about contracts too. I doubt you could make a magically binding one right now but I guess it doesn’t hurt to teach you how to do it anyway.”

Hat Kid looked far too excited about that. Once the lessons actually started there was no way it’d last though, it was really boring stuff to people who didn’t enjoy it. “Yes, thank you! I won’t disappoint, I promise.” She rarely did. “And does that mean, I can also have the next intruder and make them do my evil bidding?”

“I suppose. I’m busy right now though so I can’t deal with you yet.”

“That’s fine. Can I watch though?”

“If you promise to stay quiet.”

“I promise to stay quiet,” she said in a whisper as she floated closer to settle on his chair’s armrest.

“You want me to teach you how to sew and knit sometime later too?” Snatcher asked with a sigh before the question could potentially come up. Though honestly, he wouldn’t mind teaching her at all. It was a very useful skill, not so much for most ghosts because they didn’t need clothes but it could still come in handy sometimes. And it was another nice way to peacefully pass the time; not being able to sleep made meditative activities even more worthwhile.

“Sure!” Hat Kid said still in a whisper. “You’re the best!”

Previous / Next

#My writing #ghost kid #ghost kid fic #Dadcher #Snatcher & Hat Kid

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hythlodaes · 5 years ago

Note

34 "It's just you and me." for revan/alek? 💕

thank you, loes

34. “It’s just you and me.”

Alderaan is colder than Revan thought it would be.

It’s the only thought she allows herself to think as she watches the stars slowly spin around the axis of the sky. These half-aware lights sit above the mountains, which rise flat black against the night—jagged lines dotted with houses that are grand, even from a distance.

She’d thought that the hills of Dantooine were something to marvel at, but this is something else entirely.

It’s the first time Revan’s left home. She’s nineteen, and she’s never been away from Dantooine before. She’s nineteen, and she’s never felt further away from who she is. This past year has taken something from her that she cannot name. She lost more than just her master all those months ago, when she stood in the Council Chamber and change happened to her instead of because of her.

And maybe that’s the hardest thing for her to understand. In her youth, in her innocence, her sense of security has never been challenged. Everything was the same for so long, and then it wasn’t. The one person she could trust was the very person who made her a victim, but Revan’s heart has broken and mended and bears its scar, and now she’s homesick.

She’s tired of it, but she is. She’s tired of wanting to go home, because home doesn’t feel like it used to and that’s something that’s never going to get better.

But the night air is cold on Alderaan, and Revan sits on the balcony of the lodging that’s been provided for her, Master Zhar, and Malak. Their diplomatic mission has been too busy to fully enjoy their surroundings, but these nights make up for it in their own way.

Even in the dark, Alderaan is something to behold.

“It’s late,” she hears Malak say. His voice has an edge of sleep to it, and when she glances over her shoulder, she sees his tall figure in the doorway. As tall as the mountains, he is. Tall and smiling, he draws closer to join her on the couch, where Revan automatically tosses half of her blanket onto his lap.

“Didn’t feel like sleeping,” she says back, hiding the grin that seems to find her lips more and more around him. If Master Kae broke her heart, well…Malak’s the one who tries to piece it back together, and it works more than she’d ever admit.

“What, playing politics all day doesn’t tire you out?”

“I’m never tired,” she admits, but it sounds like a joke so she goes with it.

It works. “You’re so full of it.”

Her gaze lands on the dimples that show up with his pressed smile, and something in her warms enough that she has to shift her position, facing the view rather than him. “Why are you awake?”

“Zhar snores,” he answers simply, and Revan snorts a small laugh as he continues, “I sensed you out here, so I figured you might want some company.”

“A bold assumption.”

“Please, you love having me around.”

“You’re quite inescapable, I’d say,” she says, but she smiles as she looks over at him again, at his soft smile in the starlight. “Let’s play a game.”

“Kriff, here we go,” he says. “Which one?”

“Truth or truth?”

He laughs, and his chin always tilts up a little when he does so. Strong jaw, smooth skin, he looks blue in this light. “I don’t know if there’s anything left for us to ask about each other.”

“I don’t care about you, I want to know if Zhar really snores.”

“He does. Sounds a lot like that swoop bike you’re convinced will race.”

“Just give me time, you’ll see,” she says, only slightly resentful that he doesn’t believe in her skill as a mechanic. “Come on, your turn.”

He sighs, long and slow, and he moves his gaze over to the mountains. She follows it, letting her eyes roam across the trees that catch the light on their needles—taller than anything on Dantooine. The night feels wholly alive with the two of them like this, witnessing it like this. Malak tucks himself in a little, curling his legs up onto the sofa, and one of his knees touches the outside edge of her thigh. He curls his hands under the blanket and pulls it up to his chin.

Finally, he settles on, “Why are you really out here?”

“To distract myself,” she answers, more honestly than she expected. Their eyes meet, and she sees the cautious curiosity in his gaze. She presses her lips together. “I’ve been thinking about Kae.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she says, finding she can’t elaborate. It’s an opening, but one she won’t take. Malak understands more than most only because he’s been told more than most, but it’s still not enough for him to understand. She shifts her position again, ending up with her elbow resting on his knee, and refocuses her mind on the game. “Do you think we’ll miss this someday?”

“Miss what, exactly?”

“This,” she says. “I don’t know. Both of us with Zhar, going on missions. Living on Dantooine. It’s going to change soon, you know.”

Malak makes a small noise as he considers it. “I guess. Right? This isn’t the past yet, so it’s hard to tell.”

Her brows furrow a little at the center. “Isn’t it enough to know that you enjoy something about your life, and that someday it’ll be different?”

“Yes?” he says, but he sounds unsure. Maybe she isn’t explaining this right. “Is this your way of saying you’ll miss me when I’m on Coruscant?”

She exhales a laugh, because right. He got accepted for his advanced training program there. As soon as they’re knighted, he’ll be leaving her, and they both know that the Council will put as much distance as possible between them.

“What if it is?” she asks.

His smile stills before it slowly falls, and something infinitely more serious comes over him. “Really?”

“Well, who else will I annoy all the time?” It comes out weakly but it lightens things between them, and Malak smiles as he shakes his head. “No one better than you, Mal.”

“I’m truly blessed,” he says. “Whose turn is it?”

“Yours, I believe.”

He hums as he thinks about it, and Revan takes the time to watch the way the starlight ghosts over his tattoos, making them look silver instead of their usual blue gray. She shifts her gaze as soon as he looks up and asks, “What’s your favorite thing about Alderaan?”

“The landscape,” she answers automatically. “What a lame question.”

“I didn’t know boring questions were against the rules.”

“They are now.”

He snorts. “Fine. Ask me something exciting, then.”

Revan allows herself a moment to think. There’s one question that comes to mind, that’s been on her mind for some time now, and it’s like—now or never, right? Her voice only falters for a half second as she asks. “Have you ever kissed anyone?”

She watches his brow dip for a moment before the corners of his lips raise, and he glances over at her and tilts his head. “Of course I have.”

Of course I have.

“What?” The word tumbles out of her mouth too quickly. “Who have you kissed?”

“It’s not your turn.”

“Malak.”

“People? I don’t know, it was years ago. It’s not a big deal.”

“Not a big deal?”

He frowns. “Is it?”

“I’ve never kissed anyone,” she admits, and feels a sharp shock of embarrassment flood through her. She squeezes her eyes shut for a moment, realizing she’s essentially given him permission to make fun of her for the rest of their lives.

Only—that’s not what happens.

He merely shrugs. “That’s okay, it’s not like you have to.”

“Well I do now,” she says. “I can’t live in a galaxy where you’ve kissed someone and I haven’t.”

This time he laughs. “And how do you plan on fixing that?”

“With you,” she says, proud of herself that her voice doesn’t shake around the words. “Would you?”

It’s almost comical, the way his eyes widen and his lips part. A half second of silence passes before he chokes out, “What?”

“It doesn’t have to be a big deal,” she continues, her heart picking up as her mouth runs away from her. “You could just kiss me, get it over with.”

“What—that doesn’t—” he looks away. “Won’t that make things weird?”

“Only if we let it.”

If it’s possible, his brows raise even higher. “And what does that mean?”

“I trust you,” she says, which isn’t much of an explanation at all, really. “It’ll only be weird if one of us is weird about it.”

“Okay,” he agrees, and though he shakes his head to himself, she watches him glance down at her lips and swears her heart’s going to beat out of her chest. When he looks back up at her eyes, there’s something hesitant, but it turns into a slow smile. “You’re ridiculous, you know that, right?”

“Fully aware,” she says, but she sits up and faces him more fully. His eyes are all over her as she moves, and she can feel her hands start to shake as he mirrors her.

“This is a lot of responsibility, you know,” he says.

“Think you can handle it?” she asks as she leans in a little. Her lips fall into a grin that betrays her nerves.

“What if someone finds out?” he asks in return.

She takes a breath. “It’s just you and me, Mal.”

And that’s enough, isn’t it? No one else has to know.

He reaches forward to cup her jaw, and the smile falls off of her lips entirely. She looks into those blue eyes, at the proximity of those blue eyes, and realizes what, exactly, she has asked for.

“Malak,” she breathes, his name just a whisper between them. One heartbeat. Silence. A single moment that stretches on for far longer than it has any right to. Revan’s eyes stay on Malak’s and he looks so nervous that she has to wonder if he’s feeling what she’s feeling.

Because the truth is, somewhere deep down, something she’s not yet ready to confront, wants this to mean something.

He touches the corner of her mouth, right over the scar that sneaks across her lips, and his brows come together as he says, “I gave you this.”

“And I kept it,” she replies. Both of their voices are infinitely softer than they were before, and there are things she knows she’s not allowed to say, no—she can’t say them at all.

He tips his head forward and Revan automatically closes her eyes as she feels his lips touch hers. At first, all she can focus on is the strangeness of the feeling, so unlike what she’d expected, but then his thumb brushes against her jaw and she relaxes into it, letting herself feel it for what it is, and oh.

That’s just it….oh.

She’s breathing hard as he pulls back, and it takes her longer than it should to open her eyes again. When she does, it’s to Malak watching her carefully, like she might be angry, but all she can do is look at him.

All she can do is look at him, but all she wants is to lean in again, to kiss him again until her racing heart begins to make sense.

“Okay?” he asks, and her eyes drop to his lips, lips that had just touched her own moments ago, and she nods.

“Okay,” she says, but both of them just keep watching each other. Malak lifts his gaze and stays on hers, and she can tell he’s thinking too hard so she reaches for his hand, tangling their fingers together on the blanket.

They’re still close, is the thing, and it’s an endless moment later that Malak leans in again. She’s ready for it this time, meeting his lips and squeezing his hand tight. She doesn’t think she can breathe but she doesn’t want to. She just wants him—more than she’d ever admit. They can’t acknowledge this ever again but right now they have it, and that’s what matters.

It’s just overwhelming to kiss him like this, and feel like it’s something he wants too.

But they part again, and this time he leans back to put some distance between them. “Just when I think I understand you, Rev.”

She swallows. “You know me better than anyone.”

“A terrifying concept.”

Their hands separate in some kind of mutual understanding, and Revan reaches back for the blanket instead, pulling it up to her chin, resisting the urge to press her lips together. When she looks back over at Malak, he’s still clearly wary. He crosses his arms over his chest, and the distance between them feels far now that they’ve been close.

But it can’t last. Revan takes a breath, and lets herself grin. “Right. I think it’s your turn, then.”

Malak laughs, and just like that, it’s over.

Just like that, it never happened.

#revalek #my writing #i missed them sm :(#thank you again!!#etoilebinaire #revan/malak #kotor #kotor fic

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razberryyum · 5 years ago

Video

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The Untamed/陈情令 Rewatch, Episode 4 (spoilers for everything)

(covers mainly MDZS chaps 13 and 14)

WangXian meter: 🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰

(a 🐰 is earned every time there is a WangXian scene or even when they’re just thinking of each other…more than one 🐰 can be given based on the level of WangXian-ness in a scene)

I loved and enjoyed all of Wei Ying’s “Notice me Wangji-senpai" moments in this episode, but my favorite has to be the one above: the way he tried to play off Lan Zhan totally ignoring him by blaming the other man’s hearing makes me laugh out loud every time I watch this episode. It’s just too adorable. Even though Lan Zhan is clearly still annoyed with him, I like how it’s also obvious that Wei Ying is slowly but surely burrowing his way into his psyche and taking hold there by either not leaving him alone or just being himself which is ample to constantly draw Lan Zhan’s attention to him. It‘s as if Lan Zhan’s life was a calm pond and Wei Ying was a beautiful, lively carp that suddenly decided to just jump into his waters without permission, taking liberties by swimming and splashing around, basically causing ruckus in every corner of his pool. Naturally, Wei Ying’s actions perturbs Lan Zhan to no end at first, but at the same time, he is also leaving an undeniable impression, so that eventually, when this carp leaves Lan Zhan’s pond, he can’t help but constantly think of Wei Ying and even miss his disruptive presence, thus naturally paving the way for the escalation of his affections that follow later on.

Whereas with Wei Ying, I think he simply enjoyed irritating this fuddy-duddy at first, but eventually, his light-hearted teasing probably became just a little more meaningful and he started looking forward to getting a reaction out of Lan Zhan because it provided him with genuine joy and satisfaction, until those feelings grew into just joy from being around the other man and interacting with him.

Ultimately that’s a big reason why I love their relationship: the development and progression of their feelings for each other makes a lot of sense to me. The phrase “opposites attract” has never been more applicable in terms of Wei Ying and Lan Zhan, but at the same time, they still share enough things in common—such as their moral code and belief system—that makes them absolutely just perfect for each other. I can imagine a future for them right from the start, whereas with other couples in stories, regardless of their sex, I’ve had difficulty believing they should be together other than because the plot requires them to be. I think the drama really succeeded in showing us why it’s completely logical that these two people would be drawn to each other, that they almost can’t help but be drawn together, by actually showing us all these little precious moments between them as they occurred, which the novel for the most part only described in an after-the-fact manner. While subtlety has its merits too, I do appreciate the more clearly illustrated path The Untamed decided to take for WangXian.

Along those lines, I also appreciated how CQL chose to show us the first time Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao met and their instant connection. Honestly, when I first saw this moment…

I immediately thought they were going to be a couple too, like Wei Ying and Lan Zhan, and I was totally on board, until I found out from reading comments here and there that I shouldn’t be because this ship was bad news. I was disappointed of course and even tried to withstand its alluring call for a while, especially after reading the book and finding out exactly why this wasn’t a ship I wanted to board since it was on a one-way ticket to hell and heartbreak basically. But the drama just made it so damn hard to resist, and before I knew it, I was lowkey hooked. Much like with WangXian, I was surprised at how much the show was getting away with in terms of XiYao:

I mean, big bro Xichen totally stroked Meng Yao’s finger there, right? First time I saw that, I remember rewinding a few times just to check and and make sure and if it’s just an optical illusion, that’s a damn convincing trick. Amusingly enough I thought at first Wei Ying was seeing the same thing and was reacting in disbelief to that moment, until I realized from his angle, there’s no way he could have seen that small gesture and he was just responding to that (ugly) incense pot.

After finishing the series, I have to admit I’m pretty much a full-on XiYao-shipper now, which is really out of character for me because I usually prefer ships with happy endings. I have to blame, or rather, give credit to the two actors portraying LXC and JGY (Liu Haikuan and Zhu Zanjin, respectively) for conjuring up these feelings in me because they had so much chemistry together, which honestly at times rivaled that of Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo’s chemistry. I just love how LXC’s expression softens every time he interacts with JGY and even from their first meeting, it’s obvious there were genuine feelings of respect and gratitude behind Meng Yao’s reaction to LXC.

Take the moment above as an example: the extreme admiration emanating from JGY after seeing LXC exhibit his fluting powers had to be for real since there was no reason to react just for Nie Huaisang’s sake. I can totally imagine hearts fluttering all around him as he looked upon XiChen with those wide, innocent-seeming puppy eyes of his. And when he bade his farewell to big bro later on in the episode, I loved how the camera lingered on LXC’s hands as Meng Yao moved away after saluting him, just to reiterate the intimacy of their brief physical contact.

I also appreciated the small, seemingly trivial moments before and after he meets up with LXC in that scene, where Meng Yao is first ignored by the two male sect disciples walking by him and then later on by two female disciples. Contrast that with how LXC immediately praises Meng Yao and recognizes him as his peer from the get go, going so far as to refer to himself by his own name (“Xichen”) just to reinforce their equality, it’s no wonder JGY was instantly drawn to him. I would go so far as to say he probably fell for LXC right from the start; doesn’t even matter if it might be only in the platonic sense, man was smitten no matter how anyone chooses to categorize his feelings.

XianQing? No thank you

When I first watched this episode, I still had the stormy cloud of fear that Wen Qing would eventually be the love interest that comes in between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji hanging over me due to some rumors I came across prior to even watching the show. As a result, every time Wen Qing and WWX would have a scene together, I would view it with trepidation as I was certain it was yet another building block to something undesirable, with the ultimate goal of mutating the relationship at the core of MDZS. If I’m going to be honest, I don’t think I was even able to rest easy until after Wen Qing’s passing and knowing for certain that the “danger period” was finally over, even though I had already grown to like her character. I still have complaints about how they altered her personality for the live action, but at least now, when I watch the scenes she shares with Wei Ying, instead of being filled with anxiety, I am actually more fascinated. I can still see the ghost of what Team CQL had initially intended with Wen Qing and WWX in a lot of their scenes together, before the fans’ uproar thankfully forced the producers to change their minds and stick with the source material. This scene wasn’t one of those moments, but with revisiting each episode, I actually look forward to picking out which scenes were feeding into their ship because of the way they were shot and how the two actors were directed to perform during the scene, especially Meng Ziyi. I’m glad I can actually sit back and have fun with all of this now.

XianNing? I can’t

I can see why some folks support this ship, and upon first viewing I thought this was a cute moment as well, but of course, I simply can’t go there since my heart already belongs to WangXian. And now, after having read the novel, all I could think about is how much I wish we got the archery contest at the Cultivation Conference. I’m glad we got to see it depicted in the donghua; it was as amazing as I hope it would be, but it’s a shame we didn’t get to see it in the drama. Since the producers had mentioned releasing specials of extra scenes that they couldn’t fit into the flow of the show, I hope the archery contest will be one of them. I don’t know where it would fit in in the timeline though…I guess it could happen while they were all held hostage at Nightless City, so the reason for the archery contest will have to be changed, but then maybe that’s the impetus for Wen Chao’s decision to force everyone on that dangerous quest to the Xuanwu cave: he’s so pissed off at losing at archery on his own turf that he decides to try to get all the sect kids killed. Either way, I hope we get to see the contest in live action form one day.

Wei Wuxian is so smart

I loved this scene. I love how WWX schooled everyone with his inventive fourth reason. He’s so awesome. That’s really all I wanted to say about it.

Random Bits of Randomness

I don’t think there’s anything wrong the color function on my tv, so please explain to me how that can be considered “purple” in any universe??

All I could think about in this scene is how disgusting that fish must have tasted cuz it looked awful, and I think Xiao Zhan even mentioned in an interview that it was gross. What probably made it taste worse was the fact that he kept on eating it from the stomach side, which can be really bitter. I think Wang Zhuocheng (Jiang Cheng) was eating it from the same side as well and I just can’t help grimacing every time I see this moment.

Odds and Ends:

I don’t really have any questions from this episode, but I did wonder if Wen Qing ever actually attended classes while she was at Cloud Recesses or did she just spend all of the time wandering the back hills, throwing her needles at barriers, cuz that’s not suspicious AT ALL. Unless I just happened to have missed her every single time in class, even though you would think it’s easy to spot her red in a sea of white…if that’s the case then I probably need to get my eyes checked.

Also, I wish we got to see Shijie draw her sword. She carried it around in the beginning, but I’m kinda bummed that we never saw her actually use it. I’m sure she is completely capable and would’ve looked just as badass as the boys.

And bless Uncle Lan for his brilliant idea of making Lan Zhan enforce the disciplinary action on Wei Ying, thereby allowing the boys to have valuable alone time in the library pavilion to further nurture their bond. In retrospect he probably regrets that decision, but as far as I’m concerned, that’s one of his best one he’s ever made.

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neirawrites · 4 years ago

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I was a Twihard in high school. Then I was a Twilight hater. In 2018, I decided to reread the first book, to see for myself on which side I belonged. I wrote my thoughts as I read, in multiple parts, but on my main blog, so I thought I might share them on my writeblr too, because I kinda had fun with it.

Enjoy my many, many notes

Pages 0-50

I’m actually kinda into it. Yeah, there are a many issues every article on editing tells you to fix (filter words, -ing verbs and things like that), but i feel it. I don’t know what it is, but it’s there.

Bella isn’t that bad of a protagonist. Nothing too spectacular, but she’s fine. She is depressed, self sacrificing and hides her feelings, but also a lot more self aware than i though she would be(like when she notices mike, my son, likes her). She’s a typical teenage girl, the introverted type, way into reading. there’s nothing wrong with that.

I don’t know why i remember Edward being a draco in leather pants,but he’s also fine for now. mysterious and handsome and a bit weird. The first real conversation they have, he’s polite and nice and charming. I expected him to be a dick for like 150 pages at least.

Pages 50-100

I’m still really into it.

Yeah,Edward kinda ghosts her/gaslights her after the whole van incident, but with the benefit of hindsight,i kinda get it. It’s a wonder he didn’t pick up his entire family and moved to Alaska again. I also get her mood during that time and I've been there so i feel ya,Bella,it’s not your fault.

And yeah, Bella gets invited to the dance by three different guys and it’s all kinds of fan fic-y, but the fact she turns them down furthers my belief she’s wake up married to Edward in like a few years and realize she would rather be with Rosalie (a solid choice, might i add).

Edward’s really pushy, especially when it comes to the scene after she faints. like, let her go, you jerk, she can drive herself, but he’s more weird than he’s a jerk and i think that was intentional.

A big surprise was the line “what if i’m not the hero, what if i’m the bad guy?” which isn’t this super cheesy, extra dramatic sentence but a jokey joke told with a laugh. actually, that whole conversation in the cafeteria where she tries to guess what he is is gold and don’t try to tell me otherwise.

I’m reading her interests in him as less of a romantic thing, and more of frustration at his behavior,like she would still be fascinated by him if he wasn’t so hot because he’s just so weird (but being hot is definitely a plus).

Plot? What plot?

Still, while the flaws are there, i’m still enjoying it very much.

Pages 100-150

Is Stephanie Meyer into anime? Cuz she wrote a harem light novel,that’s what she did and that’s how i’ll read it from now on and have more fun doing it. (Might make a post elaborating on this further).

All this to say that we got to Jacob. Not gonna lie, I kinda forgot about him. He seems like a nice kid and i’m glad Bella has some positive interaction. Team jacoj 4 life (jk,man,i was team jasper in high school which is in retrospect very weird of me). I know he becomes a friend-zoned dudebro later, but for now, he’s fine.

Meyer, lady, you’re winning me over as a half hearted defender of your work, but why are the girls so bitchy? Yeah,i know, bitchy girls exist in real life, especially in high schools,but girls are our friends and we need more positive female on female interactions. Just my personal preference, I guess.

Things are getting interesting. Bella’s dreaming weird dreams (just fyi, not a big fan of dream scenes in general), she’s googling like crazy and we’re going to Port Angeles.

I never felt she has any sort of affection for Angela or Jessica who seem really nice and have done nothing wrong. Like loosen up Bella, give them a chance. I know, depression makes you into a bitch sometimes, but it would warm me up to her character if she was a little more affectionate with people around her.

That whole scene where she almost gets at best beaten up and mugged and at worst raped and killed is… not my favorite part of the whole thing. I get what Meyer needed to do, to have her be saved by Edward, but there must have been a better way to go about it. What do I know? I’m the queen of forced plot contrivances. I do like their conversation at the restaurant (again, why do we hate the female waitress, Steph?). I don’t know why, I expected Edward to be mad at Bella for what happened to her and he seems genuinely concerned and his anger feels… human. Some of his actions, however, do not.

He stalked her which is weird and creepy and I hate it. Don’t stalk people, Edward. most of us don’t like it. you’re lucky Bella’s a weirdo.

150-200

I kinda love how ok she’s with the whole vampire thing. she’s just “well, this kid i barely know told me a scary story, so i guess the guy from school is a vampire. it be like that sometimes.” my first assumption would be it’s all an elaborate prank to make fun of me (i have some deep seeded trust issues origins of which remain unknown). and he’s waaay to quick to confirm her suspicions. I think there’s an explanation in the part of midnight sun that got leaked, but that was like a century ago.

I would criticize her for being ride or die with Edward so fast, falling in love with him so quickly, but i exchanged like 5 sentences with a cute girl last night and a part of is ready to propose based on the artiness of her instagam, so who the eff am i to judge?

and i get why he’s fascinated with her. she’s the only one he can’t read.

why? i don’t think that question ever gets a good enough answer, but it’s a fictional story about a girl falling in love with a sparky vampire. i’m not here for complex science or detailed explanations.

he seems waaay too protective of her. She’s a big girl, Ed, she can take care of herself. It’s actually kinda annoying. i dislike how he treats like a child a lot of the time. he seems pretty condescending. also, if he broke her car, i’m taking back everything nice i said about him.

ok, let me finally address bella’s biggest character flaw, her clumsiness. i mean, i get why she has it but Meyer goes a bit too hard on it. i’m clumsy, i really am, full of bruises, always bumping into things, but Bella can’t walk 20 meters without tripping. i guess i’m just glad she becomes a vampire in the book four, otherwise the book five would have been about her struggles when she’s diagnosed with a stage four inoperable brain tumor that’s been mesing with her sense of balance and the whole things turns into a weird version of the fault in our starts.

if i were writing it i would focus on her trust issues and being unable to form real bonds with other people as her main flaw, maybe even use it to try and justify the whole thing with the mind Edward can’t read. Like, she’s too different in a way that makes her unable to connect even on a basic level, like that one Blue whale that sings at a different frequency than all the others. Idk,i write pulpy sci fi. but it’s easy to be a general after the battle.

we got to the two infamous lines:

how are you? 17. how long have you been 17? is another line that’s more jokey than i though it would be, but also the most realistic piece of dialogue in this book. i would so ask the same thing.

About three things I was absolutely positive. First, this paragraph has been memed to death. Second, there was a part of me-and I didn’t know how potent that part might be-that would know every word of it till the day i died. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in like with it.

200-300

Not gonna lie, the whole part where he goes around asking her questions he is legitimately interested in knowing the answers to is at the same time my kinkiest fantasy and my deepest fear. like, yaaas, daddy, get to know me on the personal level and don’t be turn off by the fact i’m a tabula rasa.

We got to the infamous meadow scene and Bella is sooo horny on main for that vampire stake it’s actually kinda funny. She gets so effing into it she faints. I fucking love this girl. Go get that adonis dick, Bella, you deserve it.

I don’t mind vampires sparkle.i mean,it’s lame and fanfic-y but in Bosnia we have the lampires so vampires are creatures with a high dose of plasticity. i don’t know why that was like the worst thing anyone has ever done to the vampires. They are kinda too strong and could use a real weakness tho.

So the lion fell in love with the lamb is kind of another joke. Also, this is the skin of a killer is sadly just in the movie.

I do have the feeling he likes the project that he sees in Bella more than the real girl,but ok. Also stop nagging her. He watches her sleep. What a creep. I don’t know why, but the fact that he’s a vampire who doesn’t have to sleep makes it kinda less creepy for me. I don’t know why.

But “if i could dream at all i would be about you,” is the kind of ultracheese i can get behind. they are both such teenagers and i kinda looooove it.

Also non of the boys were her type is such a lesbian excuse. I feel ya Bella, i feel ya. I hope you discover your gayness after the end of breaking dawn.

We meet the cullens and every single one of them has a backstory like 528 times more interesting than Edward. i need novels about them, all of them ffs. it would be so cool. but, one of my favorite oc’s Errien Lark gets like 30 lines in the whole book so i can only be as harsh on Meyer as on myself (which is to say a lot. neither of us deserve these characters, honestly)

This book would have been more interesting if Bella fell in love in any other cullen. Like, Bella and Alice, Bella and jasper (Bella and Jasper and Alice. Sorry, i’m into solving love triangles with ot3s).Bella and Rosalie, Calilise, Esme, even Emmett, who i remember as mike of the vampires, but it’s been a decade.

300 pages in and plot is yet to happen, but it’s ok. we have the vampire baseball next.

the last part.

get your hot takes! hot takes right here

I kinda like billy. He seems like a nice guy. Also billy/charlie as my new otp.

“The beautiful one,the godlike one.” Bella, you are such a teen.

The less fucks she has about him being an all powerful ancient creature of the night who can murder her in a heartbeat, the funnier it is. She is just soo casual about it. Comedy gold, i tell ya. i mean, this is actually part of the narrative, Edward comments on it, meyer knows what she wrote.

Ed,maybe is you stopped saying she smells good, you would be better at not thinking about her as food. Mind over matter. Just a thought. Maybe i misjudged his virgin ass. Maybe ed the incel actually fell in love with her. Or at least what he thinks is love since they’ve been dating for like two days (look who’s talking?the girl who reads any sign of affection as a statement of love and then gets disappointed).

“Emmett could never be compared to a gazelle”. That’s sexist steph. Emmett, honey, you are as gracious as you want to be.

Also a big yaaaas on the whole concept of vampire baseball. we needed more of it.

Plot! Plot! Plot! Plot! Plot!

We have encountered plot. Only 320 pages in. three bad vampires came into town.

Story time: when i was in high school, all like 20 of us in out class were really, really into twilight (dudes included). we quoted it all the time but the height of comedy happened when someone brought their friend from another school to out class and someone else was like “you brought a snack” and a meme was born to be quoted endlessly for months. it was actually kinda fun. and probably very annoying for anyone who wasn’t into twilight.

Also, any development? Backstory? Motivations other than for the hell of it for out boi James and his ginger girlfriend? come on, it wouldn’t even be that hard. Also, some foreshadowing? There was like one line before. This is a legitimate criticism. it’s kinda shitty writing and a wasted opportunity.

Edward is being a dick again. I get he’s scared but her dad could die. Or maybe they’ll trun him into a vampire too (charlie/Edward? Think about it). But they all call him out on it which is nice. Bella’s plan isn’t bad, but “let me go charlie” is the straight up coldest thing i have read in a long time. it’s supposed to be, this isn’t criticism, just stating the obvious. But she showed like an inclining of love for her dad who has been nothing but nice all this time. Yeeey, she’s not a robot.

“It was the best idea. Of course it was mine” . Yaas, queen, you’re not that much of a doormat; take that credit.

i would do something to foreshadow the ballet studio thing in the first half of the book. at least, have Bella or Charlie looking at pictures from her recital, just to intricate it to the plot a bit more.

Ok, now i remember why i was team jasper. He is so effing nice. And he would be awesome for my depression. Neira/Alice/jasper, i ship it.

i’m kinda digging the explanations of how vampires work and the whole venom thing. They are still op af and need to be nerfed, but i wanna be one.

Of course, he used the mom. She’s like the only person bella actually cares about. She falls for it. i would probably fall too, but i’m dumb.

the fact that james hunted Alice is a nice and a very much needed twist. it did catch me of guard. i would be more mad he’s a bad guy monologing, but i can only introduce stones to my own glass houses.

Bella’s now more into the idea of being a vampire than into Edward and i’m living for it. she’s going to use him for his venom and a baby and run off with rosalie.

“and how many times did she fall our of a window?” (yes, that is a Sherlock reference in the year 2018 of our lord. maybe i should do that for my next project. should i wait a few more years?)

her mom is not worried enough, honestly. my mom would be freaking out. but my mom has anxiety issues, so idk… (i couldn’t get her smooth hairless legs, or her blue eyes but i got that gene. thanks, i guess) .

“And i have a couple of girlfriends” now that’s a novel i want to read but i guess i’ll have to write the lesbian twilight myself.

“I want to be superman too”. yeeees, finally, kristen steward in the role of superman casting of the century. you would all watch it and love it, and you know it.

Charlie doesn’t deserve this shit. when will he retire with his husband billy in their cabin where they can fish all day.

“Do you want me to bolt the door so you can massacre the unsuspecting townsfolk?“ Are we sure she hasn’t been a vampire from day one?

Jacob is a sweetie (for now) just putting that out there.

Edward is kinda being unreasonable. being a vampire in your universe isn’t that bad.

Aaaaw, and that’s a wrap.

i actually kinda digged it. it’s nothing special, but i read these last 150 pages in one sitting. my main issues are writing oriented. very little foreshadowing, many filter words and things like that, but i guess if you aren’t that into writing, you might not even notice more of that.

it’s not the death of literature, it’s not the worst love story ever told. it’s just a silly and mostly harmless wish fulfillment novel.

edward can be a controlling and condescending prick but he gets called out on it very often. it’s not like meyer is completely oblivious to what she’s writing. and even tho he’s 100, i guess they are all mostly stuck mentally at the age when they were turned. or at least that’s how it seems to me. bella is kind of a bitch to everyone who’s not a vampire and she’s never called out on it, there’s a glimpse of change in the epilogue, but i don’t think meyer really considered it a character flaw. which is a shame, as it could have made for an interesting character. all the vampires have stories i would rather read about, as i said before, but what can ya do? that’s what’s fanfics are for.

i may write more of cohesive thought on it when it settles in my brain, but first, i need to watch the movie. i have a hypothesis i need to test.

but i don’t regret doing this. it was kinda fun and now i’m no longer ashamed of my twihard phrase. i could have done worse, as far as teen phases go.

Someone should like write a fanfic, but Edward is not a vampire, but a rich guy. And he’s into some hard core spanky business. And they should take all the problematic elements and just crank them up to 11. And add a looot of sex. I bet they could make millions.

Tho, honestly, how can you read twilight and not make bella the kinky dom? you fundamentally misunderstood the story. for shame

#twilight #stephanie meyer #the midnight sun #edward cullen #bella swan #long post

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lunatens · 5 years ago

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ghost of you

pairing: ghost!han jisung x gender neutral reader

word count: 1.3k

genre: fluff, platonic, ghost!au

warnings: mentions of death (it is a ghost au after all)

a/n: I got the idea for this a sUPER long time ago lmao I got inspired by the song ghost of you by 5sos but then I wasn’t feeling angsty and emo and sad so I just made it cute and fluffy and that’s why it’s platonic bc I feel like romance would get super angsty idk aNYWAYS !! I hope this is good I might write more for this au if people are interested? (also it was originally gonna be about hyunjin but then idk jisung fit better somehow lol)

“is that the last of it?” minho asks, dusting off his hands after he sets what seems like the millionth cardboard box on the floorboards of your new apartment.

“i think so? thanks again for all the help minho, it would’ve taken me so long to do this all by myself.” you and minho have spent all day moving everything in, blaring tunes and taking (too many) snack breaks. it was fun, but it was a lot of work, and now you’re tasked with decorating the place. minho waves goodbye before heading out the door. you listen to him go down the three flights of stairs, get in his car and pull out of the tiny parking lot. you’re alone at last, and you take a moment to enjoy the blissful silence; no more annoying roommates to wake you up too early in the morning or steal your food or take too-long showers. minho and a few of your other friends have invited themselves over tomorrow night for dinner (you agreed only if they promised to provide all the food), so you’re determined to make your new place look all nice before they come--needless to say, you’ve got a pretty busy 24 hours coming up. you brush thei hair from your eyes, grab the exacto knife from the kitchen counter, and set to work opening box after box of your belongings.

***

several hours have passed; the kitchen and bathroom are both done, leaving just the common area and your room. there’s cardboard everywhere--you promise yourself you’ll clean it up tomorrow. besides your bed in the corner and the small bookshelf you’ve spent the last two hours building, your room is completely empty. you let out a heavy sigh, picking a new playlist on spotify before beginning the process of decorating your room. it’s not long before you’re standing tippy-toed as you lean awkwardly over your desk to flatten a poster of your favourite band on the wall.

“it’s crooked, just fyi,” a voice rings out from behind you. you scream in shock, tripping over your desk chair as you turn around to face the source of the voice. you land with a dull thud and a groan on your hardwood floor. a face appears above yours, eyebrows furrowed in concern. the face belongs to a boy who looks about the same age as you, although unlike you, he’s slightly translucent and gives off a pale blue glow.

“are you okay? wow, you’re pale--you look as though you’ve just seen a ghost! HAHA! that was pretty funny, right?” the boy says, giggling at his own joke. you sit up and stare wide eyed and sheet-faced at him. as you process what he said, connecting it to his appearance, you open your mouth to let out another shriek. the boy glides over to you, worry washed over his face.

“no no no!! please don’t be scared! well, actually i guess that’s a lot to ask. don’t scream though, it’s really loud and hurts my ears and might concern the neighbours,” he asks, sitting cross legged in front of you on the floor. you shut your mouth, dumbfounded.

“okay, let’s take this slow, alright? i’m jisung, you’re y/n from what i heard earlier, right?” the ghost asks. he speaks softly and slowly, clearly trying to avoid setting you off again. you nod silently.

“cool! so i uh, imagine this is a bit of a shock to you, but basically, yes, i’m a ghost. oooh, spooky,” jisung says, waving his hands for effect. he giggles at himself.

“a ...ghost..” you repeat, trying to make sense of this situation. jisung nods enthusiastically.

“see? you’ve got it! honestly that was easier than i thought it would be. anyways, i came here to tell you i’ve been watching you decorate your apartment for the past couple hours, and you have a terrible sense of interior design. like, really bad.”

“so--wait, hold up. you’re telling me first of all, ghosts are real, and second of all, there's one right in front of me who’s here to judge my interior design abilities?” you ask in disbelief.

“well, lack thereof--i wouldn’t say you have any abilities. but yes, that’s all true,” jisung says.

“okay,”

“okay?”

“okay.” you take in a deep breath; time to reassess your entire life.

“...can i touch you?” you ask after a long pause. jisung just smiles shyly and holds his arm out.

“go for it,” he says, and you gasp as your fingers pass right through him. the air feels a little cold where his arm is supposed to be, but otherwise there’s nothing.

“woah.”

“i know, this is probably pretty freaky for you. but get used to it, because i’m not going anywhere any time soon! i’ve decided you’re my new bff, sorry you don’t get a say in this. now let's finish setting things up, and i can help you make things look less terrible,” jisung says with a grin and a wink, and you glare at him in response.

***

it’s deep in the late hours of the night, or rather early in the morning, when you finally finish as much as you’re going to do tonight. there’s still a couple boxes of miscellaneous objects and such, but you shove them in your closet with the promise to deal with them another time. as you cleaned and decorated, you learned a lot about jisung, who trailed along after you rambling on about his life story with the occasional interruption of “maybe move that to the right just a tad” or “don’t you think this would look better on that shelf over there?”

you learn jisung is, in fact, the same age as you--or at least he was when he died. he and his family were killed in a car accident a couple years back, and he finds it more entertaining to lurk around the mortal world rather than mope around with other ghosts all the time. he mostly haunts his old house, although it’s been abandoned the last couple years, so he spends most of his time lounging around inside walls and clanging on pipes and spooking the occasional stray cat that decides to venture into the small home in search of food. today, however, he was so rudely awoken by the various sounds of you and minho carrying all your stuff up to your third-floor apartment in the building next door. he decided to take a peek (all the other residents of the building are “boring old people” in his terms) and thought you seemed interesting, so he stuck around. which brings you to where you are currently; you sprawled out on your bed, eyes closed in exhaustion, with jisung perched on the top of your desk chair asking you questions about your life.

“are you gonna get any pets?”

“minho is bringing over my pet toad tomorrow, he’s been babysitting her while i move.”

“okay that’s good, cats and dogs don’t seem to like me too much, but toads are fine. who’s minho?”

“the boy who helped me move in today,”

“oooh, is he your boyfriend?”

“what? no, no definitely not.”

“you’re blushing.”

“no i’m not! it’s just hot in here. can you open the window?”

“...i’m a ghost.”

“right. we’re just friends by the way, me and minho.”

“mhm….okay, whatever you say. but don’t think i didn’t see you checking him out when he picked up those boxes!”

“jisung?”

“yeah?”

“shut up.”

jisung opens his mouth as if to reply, but shuts it after thinking for a moment. the room is filled with a comfortable silence, and you find yourself giving in to the heavy blanket of sleep beginning to wash over you. it’s not long before you’re snoring lightly, passed out on top of your bed still in your clothes from the day. jisung chuckles to himself, wondering how he ended up with someone so dorky as a neighbour as he glides out through your window and through the night air back to his dark and empty house.

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infinitehours · 5 years ago

Text

From Dusk to Dawn, an Elder Scrolls Online short fic

Rivenspire spoilers and Daggerfall Covenant questline spoilers (specifically Stormhaven and main quest). I did like the ideas behind the Rivenspire storyline, even if I did not always like the execution. Author notes are first, then the story. Leave a comment or reblog if you enjoyed!

Author notes before the story: I’m actually not done with this story. It’s still got another part to it that I just haven’t had the inspiration to write yet.

This is my character Elyssa. She's the youngest of my line-up *(only 18), and that distinction is important. Naive and more than a little too trusting. She's also probably the only one who would purposely go out of her way just to coax a bunch of vampires into letting her stay the night, if only for the "coolness" factor of getting to stay the night at a vampire castle.

Once upon a time, I had plot bunny idea of a conversation concerning my traumatized Vestige about Molag Bal. I say traumatized because...let's be honest here. The amount of stuff the Vestige goes through is alarmingly dark at times. It wasn't until I got to Rivenspire that I recognized the perfect situation this conversation could take place, and that the Count's status as a vampire who received his vampirism directly from Molag Bal (only to turn around and embrace morality) added an extra layer of meaning here. I hope that explains why I did this in the specific way that I did. That vampires, and their abilities, are they themselves almost representations of Molag Bal's whole concept of domination and submission. I like that bit of symbolism. I don't think this particular story would have had as much of an impact otherwise.

It's canon that there are different strains of vampires and that they can do different things depending on the strain. What's not entirely clear to me is how those mechanics always work (because we don't always see them in game), so forgive me for making a few things up. Additionally, ZOS confirmed they were changing how the feeding animation looks to something "more traditional" so I'm assuming we're going to get people biting necks in the update. Which is a lot better than the weird ridiculous looking funnel of blood, if I’m being honest here.

(one of the other reasons I wanted to write this was to come up with an explanation for why the Count is kind of...irritated all the time, lol)

Content warnings: A little bit of Molag Bal torture going on here. Vampire biting. Otherwise I can’t think of anything.

***************

~~~~~~~~~~

“Difficulty sleeping?”

Those were the first words out of his mouth the moment she stepped lightly into the study. Even without turning around, even without her making a sound, he seemed to be keenly aware she was there. It might have been unnerving if she didn’t know anything about him.

“Nightmares,” was her reply, the shadow of a sad smile coming and going on her lips.

He nodded silent acknowledgement as she took one of the carved wooden seats available. For a moment, she watched him as he stood with his back to her; he was stock still, almost statue-like, save for the occasional instance in which he turned the page. He wore a different set of mage’s robes than he did earlier. It was similarly a deep, dark grey, but this one had a few threads of red woven in a delicate pattern across the length of it.

“I suppose it quite normal for a mortal to have those when staying in a place like this.”

He said it flatly, and it was difficult for her to work out whether he was irritated at the idea or resigned to it.

“I assure you, my lord Count,” she responded carefully in turn. “I’ve been having nightmares long before I accepted your very generous offer to spend the night.”

Platitudes. That was surely the best way to handle a noble, undead or not, right?

“But if it is at all upsetting to you that I’m here,” she continued, hastily, “It would be a simple thing to pack my affects and travel to Shornhelm.”

He shook his head. “That won’t be necessary. I am not bothered. And it is likewise too dangerous to travel the roads at this time at night.”

His eyes still never seemed to pry themselves away from his research as he propped open another tome on top of a large pile of books that conveniently reached his height.

“Vampires hunt best at this time, I’m sure.” she said, off-handedly, her fingers dancing through the length of her reddish brown hair that was now free of her usual, careful braid.

“There’s no sun to burn our skin, and our eyes are much better attuned to the dark than a mortal’s. The bloodfiends, who are nothing more than feral members of our kind, operate much the same. So long as the people stay indoors and within the city walls, they should be safe. But a lone traveler, even on horseback, may offer up a too tempting target for them to resist. You’d be snatched in the gloom and none would hear of it until the morning.”

She didn’t know how to respond to that, though in her mind’s eye she played out a scene with her own mangled corpse lying by the side of the road. Pale, glassy-eyed, bite-ridden and completely drained of blood. She scowled at the thought, and shifted in her chair.

“It may not come down to that,” She said, her voice lacking the confidence she’d hoped for, “I’d say I’m pretty good at fighting bloodfiends; and, in fact, I’ve already fought some of them at night...”

“I don’t doubt that, Elyssa. But is there any real reason to risk yourself unnecessarily? Stay here for the night, and I promise you can leave in the morning. As early as it takes the sun to rise to the sky and offer you its protection.”

Her scowl deepened. Did he think she was scared to spend the night at his home-castle-place-thing? She knew that he was probably used to being a little bit defensive when it came to dealing with others (and that it was kind of her fault for somewhat insisting on staying to begin with), but he can’t honestly think she’d lost her nerve, could he?

“Count Verandis. I seem to have accidentally given you the impression that I’m uncomfortable here or that I desperately wish to leave if only you’d allow me. Trust me when I say, if I was that desperate or felt like I was in that much danger, I would have already broken one of your pretty stained glass windows and JUMPED myself to freedom.”

She gestured towards the entryway. “Although I’d probably just try the front door first. Something tells me you wouldn’t stop me, even if you do think it’s foolhardy for a mortal to be prancing about in the dead of night.”

He still didn’t turn away from his books, but from the angle of where she sat she could see the edge of his mouth twitching into, what she’d hope, was something akin towards a smile. Or maybe that was just a trick of the light.

“I appreciate your consideration for my family home. Stained glass is difficult to procure these days.”

She smiled at that (he HAD made a joke, right? That was meant as a joke, wasn’t it?), and adjusted herself so that she was lounging a bit in the chair. Difficult to do, since the wood wasn’t exactly comfortable. Her plain beige dress, what she usually wore to sleep, wasn’t padded enough to act as a cushion either. She frowned for the third time that night, and straightened back up.

“Do you want me to leave you to your studies?” She asked politely, just as the thought occurred to her. It would act as an excuse to go back to the upstairs bedroom; one of the few rooms that actually had a bed in the entire castle.

“It’s not necessary.” He stated.

She waited a moment.

“…May I ask a question?”

“If you insist.” Again, in that flat, dull tone of his that never seemed to hold much emotion.

“Are you always thirsty?”

This gave him pause, and she could see a few of his fingers ghosting over the latest text he held open before committing to turning another page.

“At some level, yes. But if you’ve practiced for as long as I have and feed regularly, it’s barely noticeable.”

“So me being in this room for you is, thankfully, not distracting?”

“Your presence isn’t, no.”

Her eyes narrowed in on the back of his head. He was possibly, in a roundabout way, implying that her comments were distracting. It was another one of those statements that made it hard for her to figure out whether he was pissed off, slightly annoyed, or just bored.

“Would you like a bite?” She suddenly asked.

“What?” This time, he DID look up. Even more, he turned to stare at her with something akin to surprise.

She sat to attention with a triumphant smirk. “Finally, a normal emotional reaction!”

And with that proclamation, his expression hardened and he returned to his books.

“I do not have time for childish endeavors, Elyssa.” He said sourly.

“You just seem so….I don’t know. Detached. Either that, or irritated at everyone all the time. It’s hard to tell with you. I think that may be the bulk of the reason why a lot of people may be uncomfortable around you. It’s rather nice to see you actually have some…well…life left in you.”

“When you’ve lived as many years as I have, my child, and watched just as many of your friends age and die…short-lived humans, no less…people you’ve formed attachments to and cared for, again and again…You find ways of…removing yourself from all of it. If only to ensure that it need not affect you as hard each time.”

Elyssa considered this. “So…when you say you ‘care’ about the people of Rivenspire—“

“I do care,” He snapped his latest book shut and spun to face her. “I may not be able to feel as deeply as a mother who lost her first child, but I do care about what happens to the people of Rivenspire. I still remember what it was like to lose family, to lose loved ones, the depths of that pain. Even if I cannot experience it fully for myself anymore, I remember enough to never wish it upon anyone else. This is why I detest the idea of ever sharing this gift of mine; inflicting it upon others so that they would have to spend decades just learn how to control their despair enough to function. Can you fathom, can you even imagine, the maddening realization that most everyone you love will soon wither and fade except yourself?”

He approached her at her chair, and though his voice still held that air of mild detachment, his glowing red eyes seemed to burn all the brighter with an inner light.

“You’re correct in the sense that I do have difficulties expressing this. That I no longer have the capabilities to show others, in any genuine way, the measure of my desire to help. Mortals rely so much on interpreting emotions through body language and tone of voice, and I am far beyond the point where I can easily weep in the presence of those who are weeping…or even do a decent attempt at trying.”

As he came to stop in front of her, he actually knelt to the ground. To her level. Eye to eye.

“There’s a reason, in my belief, why the divines would dictate life to be so short and sweet. Those of us who are cursed to live longer than normal risk…losing things in the process. I often find myself wanting to socialize with mortals just to get some of that back. A sense of personhood and direction. Passions and strivings. It’s truly remarkable to see reminders of how easy it comes to you.”

He carefully reached out his hand towards her cheek, as though she represented this. As though she were a symbol of this very discussion. Just as the tips of cold fingers brushed against her skin, she turned her head just a tad in an attempt to see it in her peripheral. It was difficult to say whether he interpreted that as a flinch or he suddenly remembered himself, but he withdrew his hand again.

“I apologize.” He said, getting up and returning once more to the bookshelves. “I did not mean to touch you without permission.”

“What? My cheek? That’s not a crime.” Elyssa replied, still trying to absorb everything he just told her.

“Countess Tamrith would likely disagree with that assessment.”

“Countess Tamrith isn’t here. And before you go back to your no-doubt riveting literature, I should tell you that I was genuine in offering my blood to you.”

He turned once more to her, an eyebrow delicately raised in questioning.

“Is that so? I believe the good Countess would now consider you to have committed a sin.” He asked, and his eyes stared straight at hers for a good measure.

For her part, believing that he was testing her resolve, she sat up straighter and met his gaze head on.

The room was silent for a moment.

He took a tentative step towards her, and she was a little ashamed that the unexpected movement caused her to flinch. He stopped at the sight.

“We do not usually find people who willingly volunteer so soon after finding out about our condition. Are you sure?”

“Y-Yes.”

“You certainly do not sound it.”

Elyssa huffed out the breath she’d been accidentally holding. “Well…it isn’t as though I get bitten by a vampire every other day. I’m not sure what to expect. Does it hurt?”

“It’s a bite, Elyssa,” And this time, she was sure those glowing eyes of his were laughing at her even if his mouth didn’t show it. “Pain is usually involved in those. I can, however, promise that it is certainly not excruciating.”

“Well that’s a relief…I think.”

He carefully stepped towards her while she sat stock still and staring straight ahead. For every moment that he moved closer, she grew more and more uneasy.

“Should I stand up, then?” She said, trying to distract herself from imagining the pain too much; she’d a bad habit of blowing things out of proportion.

“It would be much preferable if you remained seated...Else the dizziness may cause you to fall. It may even be better if you were to lie down…”

“Sorry, but there’s no way you’re going to get me onto your dining room table. That would just be too…” She recalled to mind an earlier scene of stumbling upon them whilst they sat around a half-naked Dark Elf “….awkward. Awkward and probably uncomfortable. For me, that is. No idea if you feel a hundred percent comfortable with people just casually laying on-”

Her spiraling commentary came to a screeching halt when she felt his hand rest lightly on her shoulder. The very same shoulder twitched, of its own accord, and he removed his hand shortly after.

“That’s the third time you’ve flinched,” he accused.

“No it’s not!” She blurted out. “That’s barely the first!”

“Elyssa…”

“I can do this! I’m not a coward!” She insisted, finally turning to face him as he stood right next to her.

“Nobody is calling you as such. But this is also not necessary, and I believe I made it quite clear that my household only feeds on the willing.”

“I am willing! I just….I…” Her resolve withered a bit in the midst of staring him down.

His eyes glowing red and unnatural. A sign, perhaps from the Divines, as to dangers that could lurk behind them. The same kind of red eyes on the bloodfiends she’d been fighting ever since she came to Rivenspire.

“…I…I just need a moment,” she finished, knowing full well that it was an admission of defeat.

He sighed and walked back to his books. “Go back to bed, Elyssa. I need to focus on figuring out what Montclair’s next movements may be.”

She sat there for a few moments longer, but he was firmly encased back in his notes and didn’t turn around again to acknowledge her again. The obvious signs that the conversation was over.

He thought she was just being childish.

It stung a little, the obvious disregard. Ignored and brushed aside so casually. It almost felt a lot like the time her papa had caught her ruining one of his prized books even after she promised she wouldn’t touch it. Except this was pretty much a stranger, and she couldn’t discern whether that made it somehow worse.

The feeling, the blatant disregard, threatened to stifle the little study they were in, and it became too much for her to bear that she did decide to leave.

Slowly taking the steps back upstairs to the bedroom.

She passed a dead mouse and thought idly about it; one of the things that Adusa had done to help the servants prepare the room for her was to take out a couple of live mice. They didn’t get many guests, or so Adusa said.

But she wondered if the mice weren’t just the natural result of vacancy; the bite mark on this one suggested they were also kept around as a midnight snack.

She chuckled a bit at that as she crept onto the double bed. The fresh sheets had been thoroughly washed with soap, she had been told, and seemed so very new that they did not even have the usual frayed threads at the end or faded patterns. And they were just a little bit stiff.

The mortal servants didn’t stay here; there were additional rooms downstairs beyond the storage alcove. This was purely a guest room. ….And it almost felt fake. Like the immortal Count of the castle had attempted to make something seem homely, only for it to just perceptively feel off.

Perhaps the room had seen such rare usage that it failed to ever take on the personalities of those who had used it.

It might have even just been the fact that there were three very obvious coffins resting in the main hall, visible from the guest suite balcony.

It wasn’t bad...it was just…

“Comfy yet, little sweetthing?” The Dremora playfully poked her with the end of a very sharp and very pointy rod.

Elyssa struggled yet again, but the bars of the humanoid shaped cage held fast.

Cadwell…

Lyris…

The Prophet…

The only three kind voices in that entire prison, and they were screaming in agony right behind her.

“What are you doing to them?! Stop it!” She cried out, trying, in vain, to turn her head to look at them.

“Now now. We assure you, they’re being WELL taken care of.” The Dremora poked her again right at her collarbone. “Just as you will be!”

The screaming behind her increased, as if to prove a point.

“But ooh. Oooh. It seems you have a guest, sweetling. Someone is here. Just. To see. You.”

More Dremora came, dragging a human alongside them. The woman was pushed in front of Elyssa’s cage.

“….I asked you for help…” The woman said, tears falling freely as she looked up.

A shiver went down Elyssa’s spine as soon as she realized she was staring at the face of Duchess Lakana.

“Y-your Grace…”

“I asked you for help…and what did you do?” The Duchess pointed an accusing finger. “You left me! You left me alone with that man, that murderer!”

“I didn’t…I didn’t mean to….I didn’t mean to, I swear. I didn’t know it was him…” Her eyes began to water up, a mirror of the Duchess’ own face.

“How could you? You said you would help me! Why didn’t you do everything you could? Why didn’t you stay with me?”

“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry!”

“And you spared him! You spared that monster! How could you do that after he killed me?!”

“That’s enough of that!” The Dremora interrupted, prodding the Duchess to move along. “Put her Gracious Grace alongside the rest of them! You’re starting a nice collection here, my little sweetling.”

And as soon as the Duchess was dragged out of sight, Elyssa could hear her start to scream as well.

“Stop it!! Let them go!!” She rattled the cage as hard as she could.

“Ooooh. Making demands, are we? Do you truly think you’re in any position to save them? Look at you. You couldn’t save the Duchess. You couldn’t save that family of that poor werewolf Duke. You couldn’t save your darling dearest father…”

The Daedra leaned right into her face, its teeth pearly white and crooked. And the smell coming from its breath was positively putrid in an indescribable way that had no easy comparisons anywhere on Tamriel.

“…In fact, you can’t even save yourself.”

And with that, the Dremora rammed the rod straight into her shoulder, causing her to jerk back and scream.

Scream.

And Scream. And fall back onto the…

….

…sheet covers…

Elyssa was shaking. Her eyes darted back and forth as she ascertained that yes, those were indeed sheet covers. She was in a room with a bed and nice looking wooden furniture.

In a room made out of stone.

A house.

No, a castle.

That’s right. Ravenwatch Castle.

There were no Dremora in sight. No screaming. No water tainted blue with an eerie light.

No crags filled with bleakest rocks that spread out like daggers.

No distant tundras with nothing but dead plants the eyes could see.

No cages….

Elyssa took one, long, swipe of her hand against her brow, pulling away the sweat that had collected there. She must have dozed off just then, only to be faced with yet another nightmare.

She tried to push it straight out of her mind and attempt to go back to sleep, but her legs demanded to wander. That, and she was sure that if she closed her eyes again, the Daedra would return to haunt her.

Her feet took her back downstairs. The shaking ever present in each and every one of her steps. Soon enough, she found herself back at the study. The doorway leading outside, the dining table, the whispering quiet of the night; it all gave the comforting confirmation that the horrors she’d just seen really were just dreams.

Adusa was out scouting the nearby towns and municipal villages. Melina was out gathering supplies. The mortal servants were likely fast asleep in their own quarters. Gwendis was….well, Akatosh only knows where Gwendis went off to. But sure and steady, Count Ravenwatch was still working in his study. And the nightmare was fresh enough that she felt drawn to sticking around with the only conscious person she had easy access to.

The scratch of a feather quill paused only briefly as she stood at the threshold.

“Contrary to whatever you may believe, Elyssa,” The Count stated, never looking up. “The sun does not, in fact, rise every twenty minutes like you seem to do.”

Her shaking died down just enough to allow her the dignity of a glare in his direction. Now she was convinced: the real reason people were uncomfortable around him had absolutely nothing to do with his status as a vampire.

“Bite me,” She seethed back at him.

She’d meant it as an insult. A come back. But she realized her mistake when he stopped writing to give her back one, long, unamused look. Complete with an eyebrow raised.

“Did we not just have this conversation?” He said, turning to another page.

“I don’t care. I’d rather have conversations all night long if it means I don’t have to go back to sleep.”

She started pacing a bit around the study’s doorway, if only to give her mind something to focus on and her legs something to do.

But as she made a few passes, she noticed he had stopped working and was watching her. This time with a far more unreadable expression than the blatant apathy.

“What are your dreams about that has you so terrified?”

“Coldharbour,” She whispered, just barely under her breath. It must have been loud enough for him to hear her, because his eyes grew a little wider.

“You’ve…actually been there?”

The moment she stopped her pacing was the moment her shaking started up again. She looked him in the eyes, but found she couldn’t stand to do that for long and had to look towards the floor.

She could hear him whisper something unintelligible; cursing, perhaps, under his breath in Aldmeris.

“You carry a much heavier burden than I initially thought.” He said, “You’re far, far too young for all of this…”

“I can help! I know I can!” Elyssa insisted, “I’m not afraid of Coldharbour! I’m not afraid of the bloodfiends! I’m not afraid to get bitten! I can prove it! You can have my blood; take it!”

It was supposed to be a reaffirming statement, but her protestations almost made her sound even more childish.

“Elyssa…” he spoke calmly. Carefully. “Why is it so important to you that you give me your blood?”

“Because you need it, don’t you?” She said, frustrated. She began her pacing again.

“That’s not the reason.”

“Because I want to be helpful!”

“That’s also not the reason.”

This time, she stopped pacing and got angry.

“Because if I don’t give everything I can, and something happened to you, or the High King, or the people of Rivenspire, it will be all my fault again!!”

She yelled it out, and her body feeling a little lighter as she did. Even as her eyes had begun to water just a bit.

“There it is…” Verandis said softly.

And he left her a moment to go over to the cabinet by the door.

“One of the greatest strengths…” he said, and she could hear him fiddling with something. “…Of the Daedric Prince of Domination is not just in his talent to forcefully suppress a person’s free will or inflicting their greatest fears, but in his capacity for making them feel guilt.”

He returned with a glass of a deep red liquid. “Physical pain may fade with time, but guilt has a habit of remaining. What’s worse, it’s often the sufferer that fosters and grows it. Is there any torture more perfect than that which the victim inflicts upon themselves? Sit down, Elyssa.”

“What…?” She glanced from him to the glass as he sat it down at the table between the two chairs in the study.

“If you still insist that I taste your blood, then I must insist that you sit down first.”

Her eyes grew wide a moment, but she clenched her fists out of resolve and held fast as she cautiously took the seat to the right. He maneuvered the chair opposite to rest closer to her, taking a seat himself.

Her fingers were still trembling as she reached up and undid the top button at the back of her dress, but she hadn’t a clue whether they were trembling because of this or if they were simply leftovers from her fitful sleep. It may have been both.

“I don’t...need to take off my clothes completely, do I?” She frowned in disgust at the thought. She hadn’t considered that part, but the Dunmer from before had been…well…half-naked.

“No,” He said, firmly. “A shoulder is all that’s required. Are you ready?”

She glanced at the filled glass.

“Do you always take a shot after you’ve already had a drink?” She joked weakly.

“The wine is for you, Elyssa. I think you should drink at least a little of it when I’m done. Now, are you prepared?”

Her hand reached up to pull down one of the shoulders of her dress, just enough so that her collarbone showed. Her fists clenched and unclenched themselves as she rigidly held them in her lap. If she were ever bitten by a vampire, this is what it would feel like….

Finally, she nodded.

A touch at her shoulder caused her to flinch again, but they were only fingers. He was gently moving a strand of hair out of the way.

“Tell me. I saw you speaking to Melina earlier and it caught my attention. Did she find a particularly interesting rune?”

She brightened up a little at that.

“Oh! Well not exactly; we were just talking about this one-ow.”

She was simultaneously a little irritated and a little grateful. The skeever only asked her that as a distraction… and she actually fell for it.

Vampire fangs were apparently large enough that it felt a little like someone had just happily jabbed a pair of sewing needles into the tender part of her shoulder. She’d had worse injuries before, but it wasn’t very pleasant either.

…And it was just a tad bit awkward. For obvious reasons.

Did the servants really do this on a regular basis?

Just as she considered the pain, a wave of a new sensation came with it. He was right; it did have the effect of making a person dizzy. Dizzy and…a little hazy. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep that she’d self-induced upon herself for the past couple of days, but she was actually starting to feel…calmer.

Numb.

After a few seconds had passed, it no longer hurt. And she was no longer sitting up straight in the chair, but rather lounging. The hard wood had suddenly felt a lot more comfy.

She could still feel him there. It was hard to ignore his mouth (although she valiantly tried anyways, if only to make it a little less awkward), but she couldn’t really feel any blood actually going out of her (probably a blessing). One of his hands helped to hold up her neck, and the other right at her upper arm to hold her steady. It was just as well; the numbness had the effect of making her feel like a puddle of water.

She could also feel him pull away. Replaced with the feeling of cloth at her shoulder. Elyssa turned to look and found him softly pressing either a handkerchief or a napkin to the wound (for her sanity’s sake, she decided it was the former rather than the latter).

“That didn’t seem like much,” Her speech was a little slurred.

“Do you still wish to fight the bloodfiends while conscious? If so, then this is all you can afford to lose. You already run the risk of injury on the battlefield.”

He motioned for her to hold the handkerchief there. “It will stop bleeding in a moment. How do you feel?”

“Rather nice…” She said with a slightly loopy smile. But then she frowned. “Am I supposed to find it nice?”

“All vampires have some level of hypnotic ability. Some use it to effect of creating slavish thralls. Mostly, I suspect it’s there to ensure that any prey doesn’t try to escape our grasp. For this reason, I think it tends to show up often in mortals who have been recently fed upon.”

Elyssa thought about Kallin and the almost eager way he introduced himself to her so soon after the Ravenwatch vampires had dined upon him.

“So…do you influence your servants to give you their blood?”

“I do not always willingly inflict this effect, Elyssa. Think of it more as a side effect than something I always have a conscious command of. Anyone I feed on could potentially feel like this.”

“But you have some control of your hypnotic ability, don’t you…?”

“I’m not sure what you’re asking of me. Here.” He gestured for the handkerchief back and for her to fix her outfit.

“If you’re implying that I somehow force or coerce my servants to give me their blood, the answer is ‘no’. I made no such demands of them, nor would I need to. There are plenty of people in Rivenspire of the unsavory variety; bandits, cutthroats, and the like for whom death would be deserving. So it would be no trouble to us if Kallin should ever wish to seek employment elsewhere. I would not stop him. Only ask that he keep the secret of our gifts to himself. Not everyone in Rivenspire knows of our nature.”

She adjusted her dress back to normal after looking at the mark. The wound had stopped bleeding; only two pinpricks of red against her skin to mark that anything had actually happened.

“I don’t oversee a prison here in my home.” He said.

With it being so fresh in her mind, it was difficult to keep her thoughts away from her dream; the bleakness of Molag Bal’s domain and how it contrasted with the Count’s own castle. In spite of the coffins (and questionable décor)….this was practically paradise compared to Coldharbour.

Then again…wasn’t anything paradise compared to that place?

“You should have a few sips of wine.” He said, interrupting her reverie.

She nodded and took the glass, letting the liquid swirl within before bringing it to her lips. It was a tad sweet, and something she must have needed because she took in a large gulp of it.

“The numbness is wearing off…” She said, contemplating the glass in her hand. “…And I have to face my dreams once more…I don’t want to go back to sleep and see Duchess Lakana again…”

“The Duchess of Alcaire…I understand that it was you who thwarted the Daedric plot behind her murder.”

“But I couldn’t save her! She was so….she was so scared. And she said she was all alone there. The soldiers wouldn’t even allow her to see most of the entourage that came for her from her father. I said I would help her and then…then…”

She tried not to get too emotional by taking another large gulp of wine “…I should have stayed right next to her instead of running around…”

“We are all bound by our limitations, my child. In your case, you cannot possibly be everywhere and save everyone all at once…”

“No. But I could have made sure I brought her murderer to justice…”

She finished the glass and set it back on the table, balling her hands into fists again.

“…I let him go. He looked so guilty…and his mind had been manipulated by Vaermina…I thought it was the right thing to do. At least, that’s what I told myself at the time.”

Elyssa looked down at her hands, clenching and unclenching them, staring at them as though she’d hoped they would somehow provide a better thought process.

“Now I’m wondering if I was really right. The Duke seemed a little bit angry at my decision…”

“He was likely grieving.”

“And the knight in question - the one who killed her? – he himself said that he felt guilty and deserved to die.”

“Those who feel guilt are not always guilty of anything. And he, as a knight, was likely considering the strained political relations going on within the Covenant. His duty to preserve the alliance may have weighed heavily on him to the point where he thought sacrificing his life should be a consideration.”

“But he seemed so…I don’t know. He was acting so normal when I met him; when he supposedly was under Vaermina’s sway. I have to wonder if he didn’t secretly want the Duchess to die after all…”

“Now you’re being a bit unfair.”

“But…He could have resisted.” She said, finally. “He must have been able to resist. He should have tried. He was acting so normal most of the time that he had to have some control of his senses. If he had put a little effort into fighting back, maybe she wouldn’t be dead. Maybe I would have been able to stop him. Or maybe I wouldn’t have even had to stop him. If only he’d considered alternatives…He could have just kidnapped her instead, but no. She just had to die! He should have been punished for that...He should have died, and I should ha—“

His hand was at her shoulder again, and that numb feeling came back with such a vengeance that she had instantly slumped back into the chair. Her anxiety laced rambling put to a halt with a slack jaw.

Her breathing steadied. Her eyelids drooped. Every muscle in her body had completely and utterly given in to a state of soothing relaxation.

“Stand up, Elyssa,” he commanded.

A floating, freeing feeling washed over her as she did as she was told. The room had gotten brighter, the hallway lighting almost dancing in front of her eyes.

“Come with me upstairs,” he commanded again.

And she felt compelled….no, she felt like it was wonderful to move forward. He followed behind and caught her by her arms to direct her around the dining room table.

They walked, slow and steady. Elyssa was sure that if she hadn’t been held by the mer behind her that she’d fall flat on her face. The numbness took all anxiety away….to be replaced completely with contentment and a calm sort of happiness…It was the most relieving feeling in the world.

“Molag Bal,” He said, “Would certainly love to have you convinced that weakness is a sin. That people with weaker wills, much like the knight you speak of, deserve to be punished and tortured.”

They began to ascend the stairs, and Elyssa swayed a bit. She had been trying her best to focus on walking, but the comforting numbness was making her a bit sleepy. Besides, her feet and legs appeared to find themselves all on their own, without any effort on her part.

In the back of her mind, there was some measure of concern that something was wrong here. But any attempt at trying to grasp what exactly was amiss slipped right out of her thoughts.

“But we all have our weaknesses, Elyssa,” Count Verandis continued. “There is not a person in all of Tamriel who is devoid of them. For me, it is the sun. For you? Right now, it is your generous acceptance of others who are different than you; the trust that you easily form with strangers in spite of how unusual they may be or, in this case, whether or not they are a vampire. Acceptance and compassion are very much virtues to be exalted, but in the hands of the wrong people they can become weaknesses to be utilized against you.”

They reached the top of the stairs and made their way into the guest parlor. Each step forwards made her feel like a leaf on the wind; dancing across the floor as though her body was lighter than air. The furniture danced alongside her, swimming in her vision. She heard every word that he said (in fact, it held the bulk of her attention, as if she couldn’t ignore him even if she tried), but finding a response was difficult as she couldn’t formulate the thoughts to say anything.

“I am grateful for your trust, Elyssa. Far too many have unfairly scorned or judged us for our condition without ever trying to become acquainted with who we are as people.”

He stopped her just as they reached the table. She frowned with disappointment; she wanted to keep moving around. It felt nice.

“However, imagine for a moment,” He whispered lower, closer to her ear. “How disastrous this would be if I had a more destructive desire. What would happen if we had met on a dark, lonely night and I had no code of conduct to dictate my thirst? I would beckon you, entrap you just like this. How easily you would come to me, following me out of sight of any living person who might help you. Can you imagine what I would do then with such a feast all to myself? This feeling, this enthrallment, would be the last sensation you ever felt; helpless to do anything as I gorged myself on your life’s blood.”

Fingers appeared at her throat, ever so gently pressed against her skin, against the pulse beating there. And almost automatically, she found she had lifted her chin even more to better allow them. She felt a tinge of fear break through the numbness; fear of the mer at her back, at the way her own body rebelled against her wishes to expose her own throat… and a growing, frightening consideration at the back of her mind that he might, just might, take the offer. In spite of whatever he may have said about their feeding habits before.

“Tell me,” He said, “Many members of my kind would insist that they have the right to feast on mortals because their prey is weaker than them. Would it be just and proper for me to rip your throat out all because you are powerless right now? Do I have the right to murder you just because I can? Because I’m stronger?”

A small bubble of panic managed to sober her up enough to try and wiggle free. But the movement was half-hearted; she still did not feel like she had complete command of her body. Even though he did not hold her very firmly, her little movements seemed insufficient to loosen his grasp. Attempting to maneuver limbs felt like trying to wade through dense tar. And as the words died in her throat before they had the chance to pass her lips, she was met with the horrific realization that she was trapped at his whim without so much as the ability to scream.

She had never been so terrified of him before that moment.

He removed his hand from her throat to grasp both arms in an attempt to hold her steady; her struggling had given her an awfully dangerous sway that threatened to cause her to hit the table. Or the floor. Whichever unfortunate hard surface she reached first.

“It’s all right, Elyssa.” He said, his voice kinder. “I give you my word; your life is safe within my home and among myself and my household. I’ll release you very soon, I promise. Relax now, or you’ll hurt yourself.”

As if that was also command, a new, fresh wave of numbness and calm settled in, and she felt too exhausted from her last struggle to resist it. It took over once again, and the world went fuzzy.

“Sit down,” he commanded, releasing his grip on her arms to pull out a chair. And she obeyed, taking the offered seat.

He went to stand before her with crossed arms. They remained like that for several minutes before she began to notice that she had feeling back in her legs. The calm was dying down. Her fingers could twitch at her will. Her arms now moved unimpeded. And with her newly re-acquired control of herself, she immediately proceeded to do the thing she wanted to do the most:

Look up and glare at him.

(Punching him was actually the first option, but she was tired and felt that it required more effort than she thought he deserved)

“How are you feeling?” He asked, unphased by her expression.

“Pretty pissed.”

“As well you should be. But recognize that it is my fault for exerting my power over you. It is not your fault that you hadn’t the strength to resist back. You can’t hold yourself responsible for my actions or the actions of any others…Just as you should not hold other people responsible for the actions of Vaermina.”

Her glare lessened as she contemplated this. “Do you…suppose that was a taste of what Sir Hughes felt? The same sort of influence he may have been under?”

“I cannot guess what sort of Daedric magic Vaermina used, but I can almost surely guarantee it was potent.”

She was silent for a moment, unsure of how to respond. So she looked down to fiddle with her fingers.

His demonstration made an impression.

“Never doubt that you made the right choice to spare that knight’s life,” He said, softly. “He was not a cultist, nor did he willingly implore Vaermina for any of this; she forced her influence upon him by taking advantage of the little bits of doubt that we all experience when it comes to change in our lives. No mortal deserves death all because they were weaker than a Daedric Prince. If we should go by this logic, then all but a potential handful should be summarily executed right here and now.”

“…Yeah.” Elyssa sighed, avoiding his gaze. “I think a part of me realizes that. That I don’t actually blame Sir Hughes, I just…”

“…You still feel a little guilty because you happened to be there. And you’re desperately trying to look for an excuse to assuage that guilt.”

“Yeah,” She winced to hear it aloud, but he had put it very succinctly.

“Her death wasn’t your fault, Elyssa. You cannot hope to control what a Daedric Prince decides to do; you can only hope to try and stop them. Even then, such foes are so formidable that it isn’t a guarantee that you will be successful.”

He leaned against the table. “I would consider it impressive that you were even able to save the poor soul manipulated by Vaermina. He may be punished in exile, but that is a far better, far more appropriate fate than what the Daedric Prince of Nightmares had in store for him, I can promise you that. I don’t think I need to remind you that Daedra often treat mortals as toys, and are known to mercilessly toss aside those that have passed their usefulness.”

“I guess…” She sighed again, gaze transfixed to the floor in front of him. But then she remembered what had just happened, and she snapped her head back up to glare at him. “I’m still angry at you, though.”

“And I apologize that I frightened you. I do regret that. Make no mistake, it is wrong to affect people’s minds in such a way, and I apologize for that as well. But I thought it would give you some perspective as to what it feels like to be influenced in such a manner. At the very least, I would hope that it proved to you how difficult it is to escape.”

“How do you escape?” She had a terrible thought pass through her head about having to face a much more sinister vampire who would use this technique.

“Different strains of vampirism, different capabilities. But in this particular case, there were several factors working against you.”

He gestured to her.

“First, you had allowed me to feed off of you, which, I believe, actually helps with this. Second, you trusted me. At least, enough to stay the night without any discernible fear for your own safety. I was able to take advantage of that to exert a much more potent sway. If you recall, you had regained some ability to fight back the moment I lost that trust and started to frighten you. Unfortunately, you had, by that point, been under my control for a bit too long that it was difficult to break through.”

“So…Feeding, length of time, and trust. Did I get that correct?”

“For my particular type of vampirism, yes. You’ll likely meet many others whose abilities operate under a different set of rules. It does, however, take no small amount of effort to inflict such hypnotic influence, so it is doubtful that you’ll meet very many opponents who would consider using it against you in the heat of battle.”

She nodded. “That’s comforting a bit…I think.”

Silence settled over them.

This time, it was Verandis who sighed.

“I cannot speak for the Duchess,” he said, “But I am quite familiar with both the High King and his brother, the Duke of Alcaire. And I can assure you that neither of them would want you to be this distraught over Duchess Lakana’s death. Especially not to the point where it is affecting your sleep.”

“Yeah, about that. I still really don’t want to close my eyes. So do you have anything you need that I can help with?”

“Blood loss and exhaustion doesn’t strike me as a particularly brilliant plan for fighting off blood fiends.”

“I can’t.” Elyssa stared him straight in the eye, trying to keep the twitching of her mouth from grimacing too much, “I really, really can’t do this. I can’t go back to sleep right now; it’s just going to be the same nightmare again. Like it was yesterday. And the night before that.”

He stared back at her without comment at first, but eventually uncrossed his arms to head towards his alchemical table in the corner.

“How about,” He said, “I brew you a sleeping draught.”

“But—“

“You needn’t drink it if you don’t want to. But I’ll leave it here with you, just in case.”

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“Is this going to be like the last potion you made for me, where I wandered about in your memories?”

“No memories. Just a typical sleeping potion.”

Her nose rankled at the undesirable scents and burning smells that were already coming from the station as he worked.

“Don’t get me wrong,” she said. “I didn’t really mind stepping into your past. It was kind of fun being someone else, actually. Just not sure I’d want to do it on a regular basis, because it was also kind of disorienting.”

“Considering everything you’ve told me, I believe we shouldn’t have a repeat of that. I’m already beginning to regret what little I’ve shown you; I think you have enough worries without me adding more of my own to your pile.”

She could hear sounds of him pouring liquid into a container, and soon enough he approached her with a bottle of something blood red.

He held it out for her and she reached for it, but his grip held fast.

“Please look at me, Elyssa.”

Her blue eyes looked up to find contemplative red.

“Never let Molag Bal win by accepting his ideology,” He said, resolve in his expression. “Believe me when I say, he would cherish such a submission from you. Weakness is not a sin…and the powerful should always strive to protect, not abuse. Remember that.”

She nodded slowly in response to the seriousness in his words, and he released the bottle to her grasp.

“….Vampires fall under the realm of Molag Bal, don’t they?” She asked, holding tight to the vial, “To the point where I even heard that Coldharbour is where their souls go when they die. Is that one of the many reasons why you have an honor code? Not just to be a good person, but to fight back against him, even if a little bit?”

The flickers of a very sad smile tugged at the edges of his lips.

“…Have a good night, Elyssa. May your dreams bring you a much-needed and well-deserved rest.”

And with that, he left her to go back downstairs.

She stared at him as he went. And stared at the potion he left her when he was gone.

After crawling back to the bed, she pulled out the stopper to take a little sniff of the concoction. It smelled awful, like most potions do. And she winced as she pulled back to take a tiny taste of it.

Fortunately, the taste wasn’t half as bad as some of the magicka brews she’d had before; this one only had a faint note of rotting eggs and cabbage, instead of an overt one. That was an improvement.

After much staring and much consideration, she held her nose and downed the rest of it in one swallow, smacking her lips with a sour expression as she finished.

But the taste lingered, and soon enough she crept out of bed to go back to the parlor. Rustling through the pantry next to the alchemical vials was a bottle of unopened wine. She silently gave a prayer of thanks to the Divines that bottles of wine were so readily available in a house full of vampires just as she popped out the cork and took a long swing of it to try to drown out the disgusting rotten eggs.

With the taste gone and her thirst satiated, she made her way back to the bedroom. A wave of dizziness and exhaustion had quickly crept up on her, and she mumbled her discontent under her breath; apparently it was a very, very potent sleeping potion.

Just before she came upon the bed, all the furniture in the room performed perfect backflips.

Her whole world spun around…

…And faded to black.

#from dusk to dawn

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thecrimsonvalley · 5 years ago

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001 | Send me a fandom: Fatal Frame 2, 002 | Send me a ship: Gascoigne/Henryk, 003 | Give me a character: Jennifer (Rule of Rose) ♥

001| Send me a fandom and I will tell you my: Fatal Frame 2

Favoritecharacter: Oh that’s really a hard one but I would have tosay Itsuki. I feel terribly sorry for the poor lad and I suppose Isomewhere can relate to his idealism. He tries his best even thoughit ends up making things a whole lot worse!

LeastFavorite character: Mayu. Just… Mayu. To explain mythoughts: she was made to be this driving force, for you to want torescue her and make it out but when this little shit gets “possessed”for the five millionth time and continues to whine about you leavingher behind, I’ll gladly go to the hellish abyss and shove her inthere myself.

5Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): That’s gonna be a nofrom me. Most of the cast is either dead or underage, so it is not mycup of tea to ship stuff.

CharacterI find most attractive: See the last point.

CharacterI would marry: Last point again.

CharacterI would be best friends with: That’s kind of a hard one but Ithink I wanna say Itsuki or Mio.

Arandom thought:Am I the only one who thinks that the designs in the remake were atad inappropriate? I know they aged them up from their original ageof 15 but I really did not fancy the cleavage, big boobs and cutebutton nose appearances ^^’

Anunpopular opinion: Don’t know if this is an unpopular opinionor not but I don’t think this is the best Project Zero/Fatal framegame. I know this is generally a fan favourite and I like it but Ithink that some of the others are way better/better story.

MyCanon OTP: There isn’t any what I know? So this one goesblank.

MyNon-canon OTP: See above.

MostBadass Character: Mio, hands down. She’s in a situation wheremost people would probably drop dead of fright yet here she is,yeeting ghosts left and right to save a sister that seems a tad toomanipulative for my taste.

MostEpic Villain: Sae. The writing really came off good here,through the notes you get that she has been feed an ideal from birthand that it motivates her to unthinkable places. This makes her bothsympathetic and really bad ass. Her boss fight is about as fun asdoing Pilates on top of acid though…

PairingI am not a fan of: Everyone can do what they wish butpersonally I’m no fan of underage ships, specially not in the sexualsense.

CharacterI feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): Mayu.It makes it hard for me to fully enjoy the game when I see what theywere going for. For me, if they had just added some scene/plot of Mioloosing her shit with her and actually showing that there might besome friction from Mio’s side about Mayu’s complete dependence onher, it could have worked so much better. Heck, have Mio tell Mayuoff for being a burden and then have Mayu try to help and getcaptured. This could work to show that Mio were acting under stressand regrets it and drive the player to want to find Mayu more thanbefore and not just see her as an overbearing burden with a strangesister obsession.

FavouriteFriendship: The friendship between Itsuki, Mutsuki, Sae andYae seems to have been rather sweet when they were all younger. Also,the sibling relationship between Itsuki, Mutsuki and Chitose isreally sweet.

CharacterI most identify with: My own head canon has made Mio kind ofa 100 % done character and I guess I identify with that. But that isnot the canon appearance of her so take that with a pinch of salt.

CharacterI wish I could be: Can I say Sae? Can I just get to… floataround, laugh like a maniac and bring a bit of fuck up to the world?

002| Send me a ship and I will tell you: Gascoigne/Henryk

WhenI started shipping them: Honestly,almost from the start. I was really into a ship with Gascoigne and anOC but slowly this one grew on me as one of my ships between canoncharacters. When I ship this I also keep Viola in there, as a partnerthat joins at times and at times not, just like Henryk sometimes doesnot join Viola/Gascoigne.

Mythoughts: Justtwo old dudes being hunter pals am I right? I adore them because Iimagine such a lot of warmth and kindness between the two, not tomention the mutual understanding of how hard it is to go throughhunts and all what that means.

Whatmakes me happy about them: Thethought of them being dorks when hunting. Of a tricky situation inwhich the solution was Gascoigne taking Henryk on his shoulders andhe runs through the town while Henryk throws poison knives ateverything within a 10 mile radius.

Whatmakes me sad about them: *Grosssobbing as I look at canon fates*

Thingsdone in fanfic that annoys me:Any jealousy or implications that Viola is a bitch who destroys thegay ship, boho. I really hate love triangles, let them all be in themost wonderful of polyamorous relationships dang it!

ThingsI look for in fanfic:Hurt/comfort without it going into “crawling in my skin”territory. Fluff and goofy situations, I love to see charactersactually have flaws and be able to be dorks and mess up without itbeing a big deal aka I hate when characters are portrayed as flawlesshunks who’s only flaws is that they are so brooding TM .

Mywishlist:Hm, hard one. There is very seldom fan art of this so, more of that.Also, more Henryk of colour (fun fact: personal head canon were thatHenryk were black which was later confirmed in his model, which mademe very happy :D )

WhoI’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:Gascoigneis obviously always gonna be paired off with Viola and I love that tobits! For Henryk, I had a headcanon that him and Eileen were verysweet on one another so that is a pairing I could go off with.Perhaps some Henryk/Valtr as well.

Myhappily ever after for them: Theyall live! Big house! Raise kids! Goes to pub on Saturday and spendSunday hungover during church sermon as Viola makes hushedinappropriate comments and enjoys watching Gascoigne and Henrykshivering with held back laughter.

003| Give me a character & I will tell you: Jennifer (Rule of Rose)

HowI feel about this character: Iwant to protect her so bad. As someone who has been the meek weakbutt of all jokes for bigger part of their childhood, I just want toprotect Jennifer so gosh darn much!

Any/allthe people I ship romantically with this character:My answer is Jennifer/Wendy but I want it known that I see this as apuppy love. There is a difference between the romance that you haveat that age (and I mean this is canon) and how adults view romance.

Myfavorite non-romantic relationship for this character:I always liked to imagine that Jennifer had some sort of silentfriendship with Eleanor. The sort of thing where she would beconvinced Eleanor didn’t even know she were there but then besurprised that she were included in her drawings or were given somelittle trinket. (It all ties in with my own headcanon that Eleanor ison the autism spectrum and have a hard time expressingemotions/connections over all.)

Myunpopular opinion about this character: Don’tthink I have any but the closest I can get is probably, I wish thestory had actually been child!Jennifer instead of the morepsychological but nonsensical retelling. I understand why they didNOT go for that though: imagine trying to pass a game through thatages censorship on “yeah a young girl gets constantly bullied andchased by monsters!”. Would probably never have gone over well.

Onething I wish would happen / had happened with this character incanon: Can’treally think of anything on this one.

Favoritefriendship for this character: Ilike to imagine that there were actually friendship between thecharacters and not just cruelty. The entire game is highlightingevents such as Jennifer interpreted them as a child but with anobviously over exaggerated tone to it. I like to imagine that inbetween the cruelty of children there were actually some genuinefriendships. That and I totally wanna headcanon that Jennifer andClara got along very good as Jennifer were a quiet child that didn’tpester with too many questions which Clara probably appreciated. Alsolike to imagine that since Clara had her own issues and feeling leftout as a young teenage girl she would take pity on Jennifer for beingthe runt of the litter around the orphanage.

Mycrossover ship: Acrossover friendship between her and Mio from Project Zero 2. Thanksto thesaeseries.

#answer #nattravn-stuff #project zero 2 #fatal frame 2 #Bloodborne #Rule of Rose #Henryk/gascoigne #fandom asks #these were so wonderful to answer :D #Also sorry for the wall of text!#I can talk forever about these things!

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leafenclaw · 5 years ago

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For the dramatic otp asks: 3, 7, 12, and 14 fooooor M&M and Smarties, please. :3

(-meme-) Hey! ^^ So uhm, I’m not sure which combination you want for them, so I’m just… going to answer it for all of them? Keeping it to Elementary and BBC Sherlock though if you don’t mind, ‘cause the more of those you bring in, the longer this gets. x)

3. Who would pine away in silence their entire lives without confessing their love.

BBC!Sherlock x E!Sherlock: BBC!Sherlock seems more like the type to slip into a comfortable familiarity without saying anything and just… enjoy what he gets, without allowing himself to long for more? While E!Sherlock is more the type to tie himself into knots and (depending on whether or not Joan is an active influence in his life) either put words on what he feels or act out in explosive ways because he cannot contain the intensity of it. So BBC!Sherlock is probably the least likely to say anything, but E!Sherlock is the one who would linger on that silence and suffer because of it, then crack and speak up in the end.

BBC!Sherlock x Jamie: Honestly, both of them equally. Both of them repress their emotions, with the difference that BBC!Sherlock doesn’t allow himself to acknowledge them, and Jamie does acknowledge them but anytime it goes beyond a certain point she sublimates everything straight into anger and resentment. So neither of those nerds would say a word, but then Jamie would make BBC!Sherlock pay for what she feels, and depending on how that goes, it would probably devolve into a passive-aggressive war of pettiness that may or may not end up being their personal love language.

E!Sherlock x Jim: Basing this on each of their canon, I think Jim would be willing to acknowledge a lot verbally but wouldn’t admit to feelings out loud unless he’s very very sure that said feelings are reciprocated, while E!Sherlock would pine away and be willing to tell literally everybody but Jim what he means to him. And then Jim would hear about it through the grapevine and probably make some kind of grand gesture to acknowledge E!Sherlock’s feelings, but that wouldn’t go well because E!Sherlock would mistake it as a game and/or mockery rather than a declaration of samesies. They might need an intercessor to sort this out, or else Jim at some point is going to have to press E!Sherlock against the wall and either kiss the hell out of him, or goad him into kissing first (which might take several tries, considering E!Sherlock is much more likely to just angry-lust!stare at Jim’s lips without doing anything than impulse!kissing him).

Jamie x Jim: Oof. See, I feel like the difference between these two is that, unlike all the others, they would both immediately acknowledge that any emotion one might feel would probably be reciprocated by the other because they’re the same? (Even though, all in all, Jamie has a lot more similarities with BBC!Sherlock in the way she processes and acts on her emotions, and same with Jim and E!Sherlock.) So I can easily imagine neither of them ever talking about what they feel and still manage to score the most emotionally stable relationship of all four of them (which is sort of ironic considering how emotionally unstable both of them are on their own lol) just because neither of them would really be scared of rejection and would just… act on whatever they feel like acting on, no questions asked. I can see Jamie initiating their first kiss though, mostly because she’s more assertive than Jim is? And Jim reacting with some amount of initial surprise perhaps, but that wouldn’t last long and he’d quickly get into it. (To be honest there might also be some amount of competition happening there, past the first move they would make it a game of pushing the other until they put a stop to it, but neither would put a stop to it both because of pride and because, all in all, they don’t really want to stop.)

OT4: E!Sherlock, purely because he’s the only one of them with any sort of moral hang-ups, and that’s the one thing that would keep him pining in silence way longer than he has to. Or, well, in relative silence, because as pointed out in a previous section he’s the type to admit his feelings to everyone but the ones he has feelings for, so the others would eventually end up knowing anyway. x)

7. Who would haunt the other after death and chase away other suitors.

BBC!Sherlock x E!Sherlock: BBC!Sherlock. I want to see him scare away all of E!Sherlock’s bedmate partners until E!Sherlock throws a hissy fit because he isn’t getting enough “exercise”. x)

BBC!Sherlock x Jamie: Again, BBC!Sherlock, but this time it’s mostly because I think Jamie would get bored if it was the other way around. BBC!Sherlock’s work happens in starts and fits with a lot of long periods of inactivity where he just lounges around at home, and it’s not as if BBC!Sherlock has a lot of suitors to begin with. There’s only so many times Jamie could amuse herself scaring away John, Mycroft, and/or any regular visitor to 221b while BBC!Sherlock just… doesn’t believe she’s really there? Before she gets enough and moves on. On the other hand, Jamie’s work requires her to get up most mornings, she meets people all day, and she’s known to occasionally seduce people in an attempt to reach her goals (she canonically did this at least once, potentially more if you think this is what happened with Vikner as well), so there’s lots of things there for BBC!Sherlock to do even if it takes a while for Jamie to acknowledge him as real. And I’d love to see how Jamie deals with someone she cannot just physically damage or get rid of when they become troublesome. ^^

E!Sherlock x Jim: Since we had BBC!Sherlock commenting on E!Sherlock’s bedmates earlier, why not the other way around? E!Sherlock haunting Jim and scaring his partners away by running a commentary of their performances and implying Jim could do better seems like a very petty, very E!Sherlock thing to do. x)But I also think if E!Sherlock dies first, he probably won’t have anyone to haunt for long, because Jim… well, he doesn’t love life enough to remain very attached to it if the people he cares about die. So there’s potential for humour there, but there’s also potential for horrible angst, and I’m all here for both.

Jamie x Jim: I don’t have the heart to do the same thing to Jim twice lol. And Jim canonically dies first anyway, so… I can see him coming back and pestering Jamie non-stop about every single one of her life decisions, how she runs her organisation, how she deals with her Sherlock, how she deals with her enemies, etc. etc. And, provided you allow a smidgen of Jamielock to sneak through this one, I can definitely see Jim scaring ever suitor of Jamie and justifying it to her by bringing up E!Sherlock, but then trying to scare E!Sherlock away as well if she ever goes back to him, and the row about Jim’s attitude and the fact he cannot make his mind that would follow. x)

OT4: To be completely fair, I can see all of them coming back to haunt the others. But with an OT4, how would that work? Would the ghost try to scare them into… what, not having the sex they already had before the ghost died? Even without including sex, disturbing them while they’re having an intimate moment, probably grieving the one between them who isn’t there anymore? See, that just doesn’t work. How about they just try and find a way to include the ghost in their bedroom activities despite their lack of a body instead? =)

12. Who would propose in a grand gesture of some kind.

BBC!Sherlock x E!Sherlock: I’m going to be boring and say that, with those two, the answer is probably “neither”. I don’t know about BBC!Sherlock (this isn’t exactly a topic I think about often in general so I really have no opinion) but E!Sherlock made his opinion of marriage repeatedly clear throughout the show. So if by some earth-shattering miracle he decided to change his stance on this, I suspect it would have to be a very small, very private proposal made in an intimate moment and thoroughly discussed beforehand, and followed by a just as small, just as private ceremony that they may end up not advertising at all until somehow the fact that they’re married comes up like three years later in a random conversation and everybody is floored about it.

BBC!Sherlock x Jamie: Jamie, definitely. She would do this through a series of puzzle hunt crimes to make sure BBC!Sherlock has so much fun he cannot possibly refuse once he solves the final one and finds the ring.

E!Sherlock x Jim: I think Jim might attempt this in a half-serious, half-joking way just to gauge his reaction to the idea? Probably through something really ridiculous and over the top like sky-writing or something. And then E!Sherlock would immediately shut this down and pout for the next three days, until he and Jim have a talk about it and E!Sherlock realises Jim doesn’t really care whether they’re married or not, he only meant to make E!Sherlock understand he wants them to be on the same page about their relationship, and perhaps he wouldn’t mind being reassured that it’s something they both view as solid and steady despite the fact they don’t see each other as often as typical couples do.

Jamie x Jim: LOL those two. They would talk about it half-heartedly to gauge each other’s interest, and once they’re sure they’re both agreed that marriage is what they want, they would both secretly plan a grand gesture without consulting the other, and accidentally propose on the very same day at the exact same time, then proceed to be very annoyed about it and possibly deny the other out of spite (only to accept a while later after they stop pouting). x)

OT4: Let’s see… hmmm. Jim, Jamie, and BBC!Sherlock agree to play a prank on E!Sherlock and wait until he goes on one of his sleeping binges to slip a ring on his finger. Then when he wakes up and asks about it, they pretend the four of them got married before he went to sleep, and how come he doesn’t remember it? Which, obviously, he might not because on the fifth day without sleep your brain isn’t exactly at its peak. But then E!Sherlock would look sad instead of the angry/frantic mood they expected, and when they ask what’s wrong he’d say he’s disappointed to be unable to remember such an important milestone in their relationship. At which point at least one of them would feel bad about it (I’m gonna bet on Jim because E!Sherlock does the puppy eyes horribly well and somehow I feel he would secretly be a sucker for those) and give up the game, and E!Sherlock would turn the tables around and laugh because of course he knew it was a prank. After that, the conversation would become serious and they would discuss the possibility like adults, and perhaps they’d manage to find a consensus between E!Sherlock’s resistance to the institution, the four of them wanting something official between them, and the fact there isn’t a government on this planet that would give off marriage certificates for quads so they would have to sort out who gets married to whom. x)

14. Who would spend too much money on expensive gifts for the other.

BBC!Sherlock x E!Sherlock: E!Sherlock. Except if asked he would probably lie about the price tag because he loathes pretension, and if caught he would try to pass it off as the most practical solution to a problem, the best way to help BBC!Sherlock, and/or a way to encourage this or that small business.

BBC!Sherlock x Jamie: Almost certainly Jamie, but depending on the occasion she would be either deliberately lavish and over the top about it (and there would be a not-so-secret intention behind the gift) or overly casual (”On that matter, the noise your refrigerator is making bothers me. I ordered a replacement, it should come in this afternoon”). She wouldn’t feel any shame about displaying wealth like E!Sherlock though, her thing is more about being caught caring? And she would keep doing it as long as BBC!Sherlock doesn’t comment on her habit of showering him with random super expensive stuff, but would stop immediately (at least for a few months) the moment he implies she does this because she loves him.

E!Sherlock x Jim: Oh God Jim. Hands down. Same scenario as the one you described for Jim and BBC!Sherlock, although I think at some point E!Sherlock would question where the money come from and imply it would be better used for charitable means, and Jim would have to charm him back into compliance (which shouldn’t be that hard really).

Jamie x Jim: Jim would probably take the lead on this. I suspect he would find Jamie very hard to shop for though, both because she has impeccable taste and because she wouldn’t wait for him to replace or acquire anything that needs replacing or acquiring. He might end up having to pamper her in other ways instead, which Jamie would probably thoroughly enjoy because while she’s very independent in general, she also really likes the attention.

OT4: Well, I think we’ve already established that Jim is the most likely to give into that kind of behaviour, so. There you go. x)

My asks are still open if anyone else wants to go for it! ^^

#fandom: bbc sherlock #fandom: elementary #ship: sheriarty #ship: m&m and smarties #raeofalbion #thank you for the ask! ^^#it was really fun to answer too :D #those four are really interesting to think about #thank you for giving me the opportunity to do so! n.n

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necer0s · 5 years ago

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So I just reread all of Mother of Learning in preparation for the big finale, and boy do I have a lot of Thoughts. So I put them all in one post so as not to spam everyone.

The summer festival planar alignment being an excuse for a huge political/social/academic party makes a lot of sense when you consider that this particular planar alignment is essentially the anniversary of the Ikosian Empire.

Can I just say that the Splinter Wars and everything that goes into them is an absolutely masterful piece of worldbuilding craft? Those combined events set the stage technologically, socially, and politically, at scales large and small.

I really enjoy the Northern Frontier chapters. Whenever I think about an epilogue, I always imagine that eventually Zach and Zorian will move north to settle some patch of land with their incredible skills. I feel that Zach wouldn’t be happy without the adventure, and Zorian would enjoy the relative isolation.

I also really like the mind magic in this series. It has a great set of abilities and limitations. Watching Zorian master those abilities and push those limitations is what makes his progress in the field so enjoyable.

Aranean culture is also fascinating. It’s kind of interesting that we explore a number of different web cultures before we really start exploring the different human cultures.

The foreshadowing in this story really is quite remarkable. Nochka and Raynie, two totally separate people with nothing in common other than being shifters, are both introduced to us in the very first chapter, however passingly. Eventually, Zorian is given completely different reasons to get to know both of them. And by the end, getting their respective stories is not only crucial to understanding the invaders’ plans, but essential to stopping them entirely.

The more I reread, the more I wish I’d read the conversation with the angel a few more times. I still don’t really understand why the angels chose Zach of all people to be at the center of the time loop. If it’s a matter of character, surely his Tragic Backstory should have made him look like a potential danger? With his history, there was always a danger that Zach would decide not to care about Cyoria or something.

You know, during this period where Zach is waiting for Zorian to show up... I wonder what’s going on in his mind? I mean, apparently Zach knows all this time that only one of the two of them can survive. But by the time they meet up again, he seems... antagonistic, maybe, but he’s also determined to get Zorian out of the loop pretty soon after talking to him. Is he hoping that they’ll find a way for both of them to live? Or has he already given up on life at that point?

Seeing the “original” version of the invasion is making me think about how Z&Z will defeat the real invasion. I suspect they might have warded most of the artillery magic targets, for a start... and of course, Zorian’s city-wide mind magic will be devastating.

I really do like Xvim. He’s just such a strong character. And yet we know so little about him! I really hope he doesn’t die at the end of the story.

I have to say, I much prefer when Zorian starts becoming exceptional, rather than merely competent. The basics are fun and all, but it’s undeniably more fun to watch him master more advanced skills like mind magic and dimensionalism.

Zach is such a wonderfully fascinating character. That was true even without the contract reveal, and with that information... he seems so carefree and happy most of the time, but he has such delightful hidden depths. The depression and rage were always sort of there, but it’s only with this new insight that I can see just how good a liar Zach can be. It’s not something you’d expect from him.

Random theory: is the Ghost Serpent a former god? He says that a past Branded One made him “fall”, and if anyone could cause the gods to lose their power and be thus diminished, it would be someone who had been through the full time loop.

I will never stop loving the reveal of how the time loop really works. It’s such a masterful culmination of foreshadowing and worldbuilding. “Time travel is impossible”, “blueprint conjuration”, “Black Room-style time acceleration”... the list goes on. Dozens of little hints and facts and observations all add up to this one revelation.

Zach’s determination to get both of them out of the loop is so bittersweet with the contract revelation. What is he thinking in this moment? Is he resolved to die if it gives them a better chance to save Cyoria? Is he quietly (desperately) hoping that if he saves Zorian, Zorian will somehow save him? It’s honestly heartbreaking.

You know, I’ve thought this before, but I really want Kirielle to end up learning from Silverlake in the epilogue.

Oh yeah, the Sovereign Gate belonged to House Noveda in the past... I wonder if the same is true of the Dagger? Even if it’s only the Gate, it does sort of imply that Zach is a distant descendant of the original Ikosian kings. Which might account for why he was chosen for the time loop...

I know that the story is supposed to be divided to into three Acts, but seeing Act 2 end at chapter 54 when the maybe-final chapter is going to be 101 really makes me think that it’s really a four-act story (partly thanks to later chapters being either longer or more plot-dense than early chapters). Maybe Act 3 should end when Silverlake leaves the time loop? There’s a certain symmetry in having each act end with the revelation that someone has left the loop.

So the gate has sufficient power for a thousand iterations even under the suboptimal conditions of this early activation. That’s... over eighty years. Easily a lifetime. At full power... would you expect to see two lifetimes? Five? Ten? That’s incredible power. And yet, for as relatively little time as they’ve had, Zach and Zorian have sure come a long way. By the end of the time loop, even counting Black Box time, Zach has had just about 40 years, and Zorian has had about... 15? Even with all the advantages of the time loop, it speaks to their talent that they both leave the loop as powerful as they do. For them to be as close behind Quatach-Ichl as they are, when he has almost a thousand years on them... it’s impressive.

I love it when Zach and Zorian start bantering. It’s a lot of fun, of course, but it’s also just... so good for them. It’s the kind of thing that just seems really healthy for both of them after how long they’ve been effectively isolated.

Have I mentioned recently that I love Xvim? He’s so totally down with Zorian being a powerful mind mage.

The reveal that Quatach-Ichl is wearing the Crown is such a delightfully sadistic moment. Like, you knew that gathering the Key was never going to be easy, but they went ahead and put the single greatest possible obstacle right at the start.

The Dragon Cult being worried that QI might try to betray them if he knew they were trying to control the primordial seems a lot like foreshadowing... as does Alanic saying that knowing the simulacrum spell is half of what you need to be a lich.

Daimen and Zorian meeting each other for the first time in so long is another one of those moments that makes me wish we could get Zach’s viewpoint on all this. Partly because I’d love a neutral perspective on their interactions, and partly because... what must he be feeling, as someone who lost all his family so long ago?

The wraith bombs are such a wonderfully horrible development. Not only are they about the most disturbing weapon imaginable, they make horrifically perfect sense in this setting. The perfect fantasy nuke.

The fact that the invasion is actually cancelled after the Ibasan Gate is stolen seems like a fairly significant point to me. (Especially since it happens before Silverlake joined the team, meaning she may not know about it.) If one of the first moves in the counter-assault is to shut down the Gate somehow (a sensible option anyway, as it would cut access to Iasku Mansion), there’s an increased chance of Quatach-Ichl deciding to retreat.

...I wonder if Zorian could dominate a couple soulseizer chrysanthemums and use them to fight Quatach-Ichl? They do seem like kind of the perfect option for something like that... I’m just imagining Zorian luring him into a seemingly undefended Noveda garden and then suddenly half a dozen tiny flowers pop out of the ground and try to eat his soul.

With the knowledge that Jornak is Red Robe, it strikes me as important to wonder who exactly it was that screwed him out of his inheritance.

Zorian is such an annoying little brother. I can’t blame him— it’s obviously self-defense against his asshole older brothers— but it is definitely funny.

Boy, every time Zach talks about his future instantly becomes sad when you consider the contract, huh?

Silverlake’s study of the primordials and their prisons is really worrying now that she’s working for the other side. Does she even need the shifter children to release Panaxeth?

You know, Silverlake suggests tracking Quatach-Ichl’s movements to try and find his phylactery, and Alanic agrees, but I don’t remember them ever actually doing that? That’s going to become extremely important by the end of the story. If they could just place the ring’s tracking marker on him, then send him back to his phylactery...

I really do love that dealing with both Quatach-Ichl and Silverlake has serious consequences. Powerful and ancient mages shouldn’t be completely at the mercy of anyone with a time loop, and these two certainly aren’t.

...so the Sovereign Gate can be used as a replacement for the shifter children, right? But the question is— is that true in the outside world as well, or only while it’s “attached” to him to create the time loop? The answer to that question will have a big effect on the final battle. (Could the angels possibly re-attune the Gate to a different primordial? Can the Guardian of the Threshold push Panaxeth back?)

You know, even having seen most of what’s coming, I can’t keep from imagining foreshadowing in everything that happens in this early part after leaving the loop. Like, is Bryn a spy for Jornak? That kind of thing.

Zorian says he has “that one trump card that no one but him knows about”. Boy, what a tantalizing line. Is he talking about bypassing mind blank? Being a lich? A secret spell formula weapon? We just don’t know.

Okay, here’s a thought: how does the contract kill Zach? Is there any way he could survive, like by becoming a lich? Or would it just... erase his soul?

I love that one of the necessary characteristics for the angels choosing Zach is him being dumb enough to agree to a mysterious contract presented by beings in a dream. He’s Stupid Good by design.

You know, most of the angels’ concerns and precautions make sense to me. Zach needs to be good, he needs to be willing (however dubiously), he needs to keep Panaxeth from escaping... but why is it such a big deal to them that no one knows about the time loop? The Sovereign Gate can realistically only be activated by them, and if I understand its function correctly, once Zach went in, no one else was going to be able to use it for another 400 years.

...oh shit, Zorian is going to put the grey Hunter in a box and send it at someone. Silverlake, probably— he knows for a fact that she can’t defeat it, after all.

It’s sort of ironic that Zorian is the one who will probably end up using the most monsters in the final battle, given how heavily the invaders rely on the monsters.

Ah, okay. The Sovereign Gate can’t serve as an alternate key to Panaxeth’s prison. That’s made explicitly clear. So no shifter children... no Panaxeth. (Except now that I’m thinking about it... what about Silverlake and Jornak themselves? They have a pact with Panaxeth and he literally created their bodies... that’s the kind of thing that could easily work.

#mother of learning #zach noveda #zorian kazinski

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petalsbloomed-a · 5 years ago

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VERY LONG CHARACTER SURVEY !! RULES. repost , don’t reblog ! tag 10 ! good luck ! TAGGED. stolen !!! TAGGING. anyone who wants to do this tbh cuz this is long as shit and i dont want anyone to do this who might not be able to aljdhfskjdhkj

BASICS. FULL NAME : galo thymos NICKNAME : himbo, idiot, rookie, newbie, #1 firefighting idiot AGE : 21 BIRTHDAY : june 30 ETHNIC GROUP : japanese (+ korean / western european) NATIONALITY : american LANGUAGE / S : english / japanese / studied french and spanish SEXUAL ORIENTATION : demisexual ROMANTIC ORIENTATION : biromantic RELATIONSHIP STATUS : single HOME TOWN / AREA : promeopolis (i envision this being around nyc / tri-state area) CURRENT HOME : lives with older sister and niece PROFESSION : firefighter, undergraduate student

PHYSICAL. SKIN : pretty fair tan, but he sometimes appears a little darker than usual. his skin does a strange thing where it changes shade in different lighting. his skin is usually smooth, but right after getting finished with work, he sometimes is covered in dust and appears somewhat dried out. EYES : slightly upturned, deep-set, wide and somewhat of an almond shape. irises are usually very round, and are a bluish-cyan color. pupils often alight with mischief. in intense lighting, you can see a little red dot reflecting off his eyes. LIPS : pretty thin and nude, hard to notice. matches his skin tone very well. usually quite smooth. tends to get chapped after working. COMPLEXION : pretty fair, but in different lighting, he can look a lot tanner than what he really is. BLEMISHES : he has a few moles here and there, but overall his skin is fairly clear and clean. he doesn’t suffer from acne nearly as much as he did when he was in grade school. SCARS : he has some tiny, barely noticeable acne scars on his face, chin, and neck. the most noticeable ones are on his left arm from when he was practically set alight by a burnish flame. these are thick and quote coarse, and can cause some discomfort when touched. he also has a very small nick in his left ear, which was how his sister identified him when he found her after being separated from their family after the burnish incident when he was a kid. TATTOOS : an arrow that goes right below the nape of his neck to the middle of his back. the point is at about the small of his back, and there are a few decorations along the arrow. HEIGHT : 6′0, 183 cm WEIGHT : 165 lbs, ~75 kg BUILD : very muscular, quite athletic. very beefy arms, strong chest, well-built abdominals. however, his thighs and waist are pretty thin and trim. FEATURES : his most distinct features are his dramatic haircut and scars on his left arm, as well as the small white line on the outer helix of his left ear. his chest and shoulders are also quite broad in comparison to his rather thin waist. ALLERGIES : slight peanut allergy, dust, pollen. USUAL HAIR STYLE : undercut with a dramatic, spiky blue mohawk. USUAL FACE LOOK : mischievous smile or smirk; sometimes looks a bit wistful, like he’s thinking about something. USUAL CLOTHING : is normally shirtless, wearing thick red firefighter pants with a yellow “3.” most often wears black rubber boots, black gloves, ear lobe piercings, and an industrial piercing. sometimes wears a black tee-shirt.

PSYCHOLOGY. FEAR / S : spiders, bugs, needles, being in love (kind of), losing his sister or niece, finding out his parents are dead. ASPIRATION / S : to continue his firefighting career, to receive a masters in emergency medical technology / fire prevention & safety technology. POSITIVE TRAITS : brave, caring, friendly, modest. NEGATIVE TRAITS : daring, reckless, sensitive, over-attachment. MBTI : entertainer (ESFP-A) ZODIAC : cancer TEMPEREMENT : choleric / sanguine SOUL TYPE / S : performer ANIMALS : zebra VICE HABIT / S : twiddling thumbs, jiggling leg (usually the right), twirling & playing with hair, biting nails, chewing lips, swearing, sighing, pen clicking. FAITH : none; would consider himself agnostic. GHOSTS ? : yes. AFTERLIFE ? : not sure. REINCARNATION ? : not sure, but leaning towards no. ALIENS ? : yes. POLITICAL ALIGNMENT : independent, opinions slightly more left-leaning EDUCATION LEVEL : graduate student

FAMILY. FATHER : nikanor thymos MOTHER : agape thymos SIBLINGS : danai thymos (older sister) EXTENDED FAMILY : james (ex-brother-in-law), aria (niece) NAME MEANING / S : his first name is of an unknown meaning, but it could mean “from gaul” in greek. his last name comes from the greek word “thumos”, which means “spiritedness” or “the need of recognition.” HISTORICAL CONNECTION ? : not that we know of, i think ???

FAVORITES. BOOK : harry potter / hunger games MOVIE : the lion king 5 SONGS : rick astley - never gonna give you up, lady gaga - born this way, beyonce - countdown, ariana grande - god is a woman, pitbull - timber (feat. kesha) DEITY : zeus HOLIDAY : christmas MONTH : july SEASON : summer PLACE : his bedroom / the lounge at work WEATHER : partly cloudy SOUND : meditation sounds SCENT / S : coffee, flowers, fresh baked desserts, fresh pizza, light cologne TASTE / S : coffee, vanilla cake, milk chocolate, parmesan cheese, green tea anything tbh FEEL / S : soft blankets, comfy pillows, loose-fitting clothes ANIMAL / S : dogs NUMBER : 13 COLORS : teal blue / flame red

EXTRA. TALENTS : piano, singing, writing, linguistics, thinking quickly, firefighting BAD AT : drawing (sort of), getting himself organized, following orders (sometimes) TURN ONS : kindness, sensitivity, acceptance, openness, agreeableness TURN OFFS : irresponsibility, lack of free time, ignorance HOBBIES : piano, singing, writing (stories, poems, etc), karate TROPES : ambiguously gay, antiquated linguistics, broken tears, calling your attacks, the chosen one, firemen are hot, going commando, hunk, idiot hero, innocently insensitive, large ham, mr. fanservice, oblivious to love, the protagonist, rookie red ranger, scars are forever, shonen hair, you gotta have blue hair (found here, there’s a lot more actually) QUOTES : “medals are made to be awarded to and from people who deserve them.” / “you can’t just kill for no reason!” / “[i’m] the universe’s #1 firefighting idiot!”

MUN QUESTIONS. Q1 : if you could write your character your way in their own movie , what would it be called , what style would it be filmed in , and what would it be about ? A1 : honestly??? i think i would keep it the way it is, BUT i would like to have seen some more canonical information about galo’s family. as of right now, we know that kray saved him after his family was attacked by the burnish. if i were to direct a new movie about galo, i would focus it mainly on his family. Q2 : what would their soundtrack / score sound like ? A2 : i think it would be a mix of melancholic music as well as more upbeat stuff. on my blog’s main page there are links in the sidebar to both a soundtrack playlist as well as a pop music playlist; i definitely think it’s fair that a variety of genres would suit him and his experiences. Q3 : why did you start writing this character ? A3 : when i first watched promare, i was instantly drawn to this buffoon himbo. i’ve always had a thing for upbeat, energetic characters who are also quite caring and a bit dumb (which yes galo is very smart but he has his moments). while their personalities differ greatly (despite having the same personality type), he reminds me a lot of lance from vld, who i absolutely adore as well (and i also rp him too oops) Q4 : what first attracted you to this character ? A4 : again, probably his personality. while i’m not as energetic and upbeat as galo and i have a very, very different personality type than him, i feel like i definitely do understand him. i understand why he feels he needs to be overly confident, and i also have my moments where i just need to storm off and be alone. god i could write paragraphs and paragraphs about why i like galo but i wanna keep it short and sweet and just stick with those two points, which i consider to be the biggest points. Q5 : describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse. A5 : look, i know i said i liked confidence, but something about galo that annoys me is the fact that he can often seem too confident. like yeah he seemed pretty humble in that pizza scene at the beginning of the movie, but i can’t help but feel a twinge of annoyance towards people who put themselves right into the center of attention and be all like “yeah i know i’m great.” like my boy i love you but do u have to announce urself every time u appear on the scene??? and pls stop being so reckless u honestly might die too soon one of these days we want u to be around for us to enjoy u Q6 : what do you have in common with your muse ? A6 : i definitely feel like we both have our moments where we just need some peace and quiet. of course, everyone needs this, but when galo talked about running off when he was pissed reminded me of me; i tend to go and cool off and vent to myself if i’m annoyed about something. we’re both naturally people-oriented and love to be around others, even though galo likes being the center of attention a little bit more than myself. Q7 : how does your muse feel about you ? A7 : in the sense that if galo were real, i honestly think we would get along fairly well. we have different ways of dealing with things, but we have similar habits and personality traits. however when it comes to rp blogs, while i do like to headcanon things about my muses that mirror my own opinions and beliefs, i do consider the mun/muse relationship fairly symbiotic. we as real people can learn so much from fictional characters and in how we play them, and of course, the mun will determine some things about the muse that will deter from canon. Q8 : what characters does your muse have interesting interactions with ? A8 : i just started this blog and have had very minimal interactions, so it’s hard to say ! i’d say that an interaction with a kray muse would be the most interesting. part of me wants galo to forgive kray and to have a better relationship with him post-movie canon, but there’s still so much about galo and kray’s relationship pre-movie as well; what was their relationship like? was kray like a father to galo? how can i describe the psychological mindset that galo had after finding out that kray betrayed him? there’s so much about these two that i really want to discover and look at, while of course providing my own insight (cuz that’s what muns do, right?). Q9 : what gives you inspiration to write your muse ? A9 : i like to study galo’s actions in the movie, and try to find the underlying cause of the actions he takes. however, when it comes to headcanons, i will often think of a scene or an idea in my head and then internally apply it to galo and see if it works. this is usually what kindles my writing fire: the thoughts that often rush through my head. Q10 : how long did this take you to complete ? A10 : like two whole days lmao im so slow

#heart of fire and soul of passion. (headcanon)#noah rambles. (out of character)

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