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heliads · 3 years ago

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Heartbeats (Part One)

Based on this request: “Jesper x reader where she was in the first army and grew up with mal and Alina, but then when stuff goes down in the fold she ends up in ketterdam (maybe she’s grisha too) and teams up with the crows but her and Jesper end up falling for each other?”

masterlist / part two

As you look around you, taking in the sight of swirling darkness as far as the sky stretches, the screeches of volcra, and the cries of the wounded, you can’t help but wonder one thing: how did you get here? Even a year or so ago, you were still listed among the soldiers of the First Army, a tracker just like your friend Mal. Before that, you were simply another hapless orphan at Keramzin. How did you go from that to this?

Then again, it’s precisely because of your sunny little bubble at Keramzin that you’re out here trying to shoot literal volcra with a gun- namely, because of your friendships with Alina Starkov and Malyen Oretsev. You’d met Alina and Mal at the orphanage, arriving around a year or so after they’d arrived. A lesser child would have felt stilted that you’d never quite be as close to them because they’d known each other first, but you didn’t mind. What you had was good, as good as it could get when you felt so utterly lonely in the world.

Life at Keramzin has been preserved in your mind as something in between the gilding glow of nostalgia and the darkening regret of someone who wishes for nothing more than to go back to those treasured days of youth when nothing ever quite mattered. What had it been like, running the wooden paneled floors of the orphanage, tearing through the high grass of the meadow as you ran from bullies and Ana Kuya for the thousandth time since your arrival there? Certainly, it had to be better than life as a First Army soldier, or life now that you’ve made an enemy of the Black General.

You had an option to leave the orphanage if you had wanted to, you know that. Grisha searchers had arrived at Keramzin on their yearly journeys, with living amplifiers present to see which of the ungrateful little urchins might have a spark of the Small Science residing in their veins. Mal had gone first- he was always the bravest. He had shown no signs, and neither had Alina when she followed him, although you noticed the way she gripped a shattered piece of pottery in her hands so the pain would distract her body from giving off any signs of anything.

You know you weren’t supposed to witness the gesture, that Alina herself had no idea whether she was a Grisha at all, but it’s not as if you didn’t do the same. Maybe it wasn’t a coincidence that you’d slathered a little paraffin on your wrists after you’d read the hack in an old book, and that you specifically made sure to be tested by the oldest and most wizened Grisha there, hoping that her failing eyesight would look past anything lurking in your heart and head. Even then, you might have known that there was something not quite right with you, something that could end with you being taken far away to Os Alta.

However, you didn’t want that, not at all. You’d felt accepted with Mal and Alina, and life with them at the orphanage was as close to home as you’d felt since the war had torn apart your previous life. You had no idea what could possibly be worthwhile in the Ravkan capital city, and so you made sure that no one would see you as anything other than an otkazat’sya, someone to be overlooked and disregarded.

You didn’t have an obvious gift, or you might have had you not done everything in your reach to disguise your stranger abilities. There were just times when you swear you could hear someone’s heart beating loudly in their chests, even from across the room, or when you seemed to sense someone approaching because you could hear the thunder of their blood through their veins. Mal said that you weren’t going crazy, that he could hear the heartbeats too, but you’re not sure whether or not that truly let you off the hook. He’d always been a little too good at finding animals, tracking down beasts and people alike, to fully reassure you of your normalcy.

Your fears were confirmed when you were older and your newly twisted ankle had suddenly healed itself before your eyes. You had been groaning over your latest injury, placing your fingers across the bones as if you could do anything to save it, when it suddenly mended itself. Just like that, with naught but a flash of heat and pricking to show that anything happened. You had glanced around furtively, making sure nobody had seen, but you knew. That was enough, that you knew. You had a secret to keep now, one you’d have to keep for the rest of your life.

You’d heard what the books and stories said of the Grisha. Witches, people said of them, demons and witches and monsters. They were called every name and curse and then some. You didn’t know where your life would lead you, but you were certain that you would not find it as one of the Second Army’s little red-clad soldiers. So, you accepted a place as a tracker in the First Army when your time came to be conscripted, and you did your best to pretend that it never existed.

However, it’s kind of hard to ignore now, when every sense in your body is suddenly flung into high alert. It’s as if there’s a voice in your head, calling out to you- if you wanted, I could save you. If you used your power now, you could save your life and the lives of your friends. You can hear it now, can’t you? The beat of a volcra heart before it swoops, as if there’s a human organ trapped within the masses of shadows and claws. That’s partially why your gunshots are so accurate, isn’t it? You’re sensing the beasts. You’re using your gift.

A shout of praise comes from the ship behind you as you nail one particularly good shot. “Nice one, tracker!” You stifle a groan as you turn around to find yourself face to face with a familiar Ketterdam crook: the sharpshooter from earlier, Jesper Fahey. You stare at him incredulously. “We’re busy trying not to die, aren’t we? Why bother with a compliment at a time like this?” He just grins, unflappable as always even in the middle of a battle against fearsome shadow monsters. “Talent respects talent, love. I thought you were good.”

You roll your eyes and purposefully take a shot behind him, although you can’t help but feel a little disappointed when Jesper doesn’t flinch despite the bullet rattling through the space only a few feet away from him. Then again, if you thought you’d startle the cheekily grinning boy in front of you with a mere bullet, you’d doubt you really met him at all. Judging from your first experience with him, at least, it’ll take more than a gunshot to really make an impression.

You had first crossed paths with the Barrel canal rats a week or so ago, when you were searching for Alina after she had run away from Os Alta. You and Mal had been the trackers assigned to finding her mystical stag in the first place, so you were aware of the fact that she was on the loose and were determined to find her before the Black General did. You still shudder to think of that night, when you’d first seen the stag- Mal had led you and two friends through the Fjerdan wilderness, but on the night you’d finally found the beast, you yourselves had been discovered by Fjerdan patrols.

Now your two friends are dead, and Mal is still grimacing from bullet wounds sustained during the fight. He doesn’t ask how you’re still alive, and you made sure he didn’t notice the fact that you accidentally used your Grisha powers during the Fjerdan attack. You hadn’t meant to do it, not at all, but in the middle of the blood-streaked snow you had felt something deep within your chest. You couldn’t explain it, not with words at least, but it was there nonetheless. You were watching your friends die around you, and, desperate for some way to save yourself, flung out a hand towards shapes moving in the shadows of the trees.

You had felt something, like your hand was closing around a string, and tugged sharply. At the exact same time, one of the Fjerdans came sprawling out of the trees, a mess of arms and legs as the blond man struggled to regain control over his heart. Seconds later, he was dead, with no bullet wounds in sight. You had pretended that you had shot the patrol, just to keep Mal off of your back, but you’re still shaken by the fact that your power had sprung to you so easily. It’s a terrible gift, to take away life so brutally, and you can’t deny that you’re a little afraid of it yourself.

Regardless, you and Mal had found the stag, made the journey to Os Alta to inform General Kirigan, and been notified that Alina was kidnapped by Kerch thieves. Mal had pulled you aside almost immediately, saying something about how he swore he could find her but he didn’t want to alert the rest of the Second Army men. You heard the slight change in his tone when he spoke of the Grisha, and you held your tongue just in case, once again silencing the little voice in your head that almost wanted him to know, just so Mal would address you with the same reverence and fear.

However, you didn’t want to go with Mal. Not yet, at least. He could go track down Alina with the grace of a thousand trackers, be able to tell footsteps from fallen boughs and rabbits from rocks, but you could hear heartbeats rattling out from the trees. You knew you could find Alina if you truly wanted to, but you didn’t want Mal there to question why you weren’t looking at the ground but staring out at the horizon as if you could hear something he couldn’t. Mal could always hear things, that’s how he was. If you were listening to a song that wasn’t playing his tune as well, he would have questions that you’re not sure you could answer.

So, you split up, and traversed the land around Tsibeya and Ryevost in search of your missing friend. You ended up finding her first, if only by an hour or so. You’d lived by Alina’s side for so long and so many years that her heartbeat was practically ingrained into your skull, and when you caught a brief snippet of it on the roads near Ryevost, you knew you had found your Sun Summoner.

You weren’t sure whether you truly believed the rumors that Alina had been kidnapped by the Kerch or not, but when you stumbled upon the scene and saw Alina surrounded by a trio of people dressed in dark clothes with weapons drawn, you knew something had to be up. You had moved quickly, with the efficiency of a soldier with your First Army training, and pressed the barrel of your gun against one of the boys’ heads within the second.

You weren’t sure why you picked the boy you did, why the boy with the dark hair and the ever-present smirk, but you can’t help but smile wryly at the memory. You’d addressed him coldly. “Step away from her. Now.” The boy had clicked his tongue, speaking without fear despite the fact that there was a gun pressed against his skull. “You know, you really shouldn’t do that. Having the gun so close to me just means that I can do this.”

You had to give credit to Jesper- he moved fast. He was quick, likely from life on the streets of the Barrel, and a lesser soldier would have fallen prey to his attack within the second. However, you weren’t a lesser soldier, and you had the advantage of hearing his heartbeat uptake the moment he started moving. So, when Jesper Fahey whips around to grab your gun and force you to the ground, you’re expecting it. That’s why you take advantage of his momentum to slam into his side, knocking him to the ground and sending his twin revolvers skittering across the soil.

You’re not quite sure what you were expecting from Jesper at that moment- a look of fear or resignation? Maybe you weren’t expecting a reaction at all. However, when he looked up at you for a second longer and then started laughing, you were almost as startled as if he’d continued his attack. “Fantastic move. Who are you?” You stared at him, almost forgetting his two companions, whose hands have now directed weapons to you instead of towards Alina. You casually nod your head towards the woods, and Alina, understanding, begins to slip away while her captors’ backs are turned.

“None of your business. Why are you laughing?” Jesper, as you have later learned, just sits up casually, as if he couldn’t care less about the barrel of a gun being pointed his way. “Because I think it’s excellent that you anticipated my attack that way. I’m going to have to remember that one and use it later.” He’s standing up now, practically brushing your gun aside. You’re not particularly moved by this- you don’t care if he attacks you, just that Alina can get away in time. What matters more to a band of crooks- the Sun Saint, or some other girl?

So, noting that you’re now one against three and you don’t really care for using your Grisha abilities right now, you tuck your gun away into the standard issue holster on your First Army tracker drabs and grin back at him. The smile feels almost as hard to fake as when you’ve been standing in your regiments for hours when higher-ranking officials come to visit and see how all the little toy soldiers are doing.

“Well, I’m glad to be an influential figure. I’ll be off, then.” It’s now that the trio whip around and notice that Alina is gone. The other boy, the one with the dark leather gloves, curses softly. You start to slip away as well, but the sharpshooter isn’t willing to let you go so easily. “Wait a second, my dearest influence. If we lose both you and your friend, it won’t be so good for us.” You flash him an irritated look. “You don’t need me, and I couldn’t care less what’s good for you.”

The girl nods to the sharpshooter. “She’s right, Jesper. I’m not killing more people than I have to.” You gesture towards the girl. “Exactly, dearest Jesper. I’m just going to go. I would say that it’s been a delight talking with you, except that it hasn’t.” You’re kind of hoping for a negative reaction, but Jesper just smirks back at you. “Enchanting, of course. I hope to see you again.” You roll your eyes and start walking away, although you can hear Jesper talking to his friends as you leave. They’re chiding him for flirting with you, as this is evidently something he does often. You let out a huff of breath, bothered, then do your best to find Alina. Hopefully, you can find her and get out of here, and most importantly, never see this all-too-cocky boy known as Jesper ever again.

However, that didn’t exactly happen. No, you’re still stuck on a sand skiff in the middle of the Shadow Fold, being attacked by Grisha Heartrenders, volcra, and the Black General alike, and if that wasn’t enough, Jesper is here too. He’s fighting by your side now, as if trying his hardest to annoy you by being as close as possible, and won’t let up the opportunity to exchange a witty retort or irritating grin whenever he can. Honestly, you’re hoping to win this fight soon, because if you have to spend another moment with Jesper Fahey, you might as well shoot him too.

grishaverse tag list: i heartrender you @underc0vercryptid, @darlinggbrekker, @cameronsails, @aleksanderwh0r3, @story-scribbler

#jesper fahey #jesper fahey imagines #jesper fahey x reader #jesper fahey oneshot #shadow and bone #six of crows #grishaverse #shadow and bone imagines #six of crows imagines #grishaverse imagines #shadow and bone oneshot #six of crows oneshot #grishaverse oneshot #soc #sab #soc imagines #sab imagines #soc oneshot #sab oneshot

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heaven-in-a-wild-flower · 3 years ago

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Crows Headcanon: In Lockdown

Read this and more Crows headcanons on ao3 using this link

Chapter 1 (the chapters aren't related and do not continue the story, each can be read separately)

Kaz

Kaz yearns to vanquish the last of his enemies, to admire the bright red of their blood. He feels an ache in him that can only be sated by the sight of beautiful stolen kruge. He fantasises of the glorious feeling of having bested another. He shivers with desire when he thinks of all the fear he could be eliciting in people.

In other words, he's bored. What is a crime lord to do if no crimes can be done? (There is the option of ignoring lockdown and venturing out, but he's not stupid enough to risk getting a virus). He wakes up each morning and trudges to the rooftop because he wants to get some fresh air and some quiet (not because that seems to be Inej's favourite spot). He stays there for an hour or so, memorising various details of the city below (not Inej's smile. She loves sunsets and smiles softly at them). He's always incredibly calm after this exercise. It must be because of all the fresh air.

Then he has to go down and deal with the rest of his Crows, some of whom cannot stop talking at him (Jesper, of course). They all eat breakfast together at the table and chatter all through it. He misses being able to scare people away with just a glance and regale them with their secrets, just to watch them quake. The Crows giggle, how dare they, when he tries it on them. They aren't scared of him anymore and he hates it (loves it).

He then locks himself in his room and spends many hours plotting all the schemes he'll enact after the lockdown is lifted. Oh, the people of Ketterdam won't know what hit them. Someone keeps knocking and leaving food outside so eats that for lunch. He hasn't yet figured out who it might be. They're always gone no matter how fast he goes for the door. But no matter, he'll figure it out, he is Kaz Brekker after all, secrets bow to him.

In the evening they all sit down for a round of cards (sometimes even he falls prey to Jesper's charm). Kaz simultaneously trains them.

"What's the easiest way to temporarily blind someone?" he asks (This is more for personal entertainment than true training because he loves to rile Matthias up).

"Dirt in their face?" Inej asks.

"Bright light to the eye?" Jesper says.

"Tighten a blood vessel?" Nina suggests.

"Spit in their eyes?" Wylan adds. (Kaz will never say it, but he is so proud)

"You're all horrible," Matthias responds predictably, yet everyone hears him mutter, "Smoke bomb is best."

He goes to bed somewhat relaxed, an effect of not having to worry about being attacked in your sleep (or robbed, for that matter).

He'll never admit it to anyone, not even if you threaten to rob all his kruge but, maybe this lockdown situation with all his Crows is tolerable.

Inej

Inej misses the freedom. The freedom of being able to climb and slide and jump her way through any part of the city. Being trapped inside due to the lockdown causes a bit of anxiety in her. It does help to at least be able to see the entire city spread out before her like her very own feast and so she'll spend most of her morning on the roof, bottling up the feeling to last her through the day. She loves the sunset, but every time Kaz joins her at the roof, sneaking what he thinks are subtle glances at her, she can't stop smiling (a small gentle smile, but a smile nonetheless).

In the afternoon she, Nina and Jesper will try to cook. She laughs the most with them, her stomach aching in the best way afterwards. She loves them and endures their high energy goofy selves with equal parts fondness and amusement. The food isn't always the best, but the company is so good that she forgets the taste of it (most of the time, sometimes she has to yell at Jesper not to keep burning the food just to finish a good joke).

In the evenings, she'll sometimes practice some of her acrobatics wherever she can. She secretly gets thrilled by slightly scaring Jesper whenever he walks into a room and suddenly finds her dangling from somewhere. Sometimes when she feels anxious and desperately needs to be calmed, she'll ask Wylan to play his flute and fall asleep curled up wherever she is (Jesper loves taking pictures of her asleep in weird places and Kaz makes sure she always has a blanket on her but only when no one is looking).

Some nights she'll make some of her comfort food and Kaz will lean against the counter, claiming that he's helping (his presence helps her, always, even though he does not do any of the cooking). His absolute silence calms her, it feels both comforting and understanding and she loves the weight of his gaze on her, anchoring her. And every time she asks him to hand her something, their fingers brush and warmth bursts through her body. She loves these quiet nights they have, the way they are both magnetic to the other. She'll smile at him and he'll freeze and he'll move a bit closer to her and she'll tingle with awareness.

Jesper

Jesper, as we know, is a raging extrovert. He’s almost dying staying inside all day. He wakes up in the morning and gets dragged back in by Wylan who won't let him leave before he gives him a good cuddle in the morning. He indulges him, of course. He loves it. He didn't know that being wanted, being loved could feel like this. When he's eventually awake, he'll go chat up Matthias who also gets up pretty early to do his workout (although chat at is more accurate, considering that Matthias barely responds). He has taken to calling Matthias 'Matty' and Matthias loathes it (which means that Jesper does it all the time, of course).

Later, after Nina, Jesper and Inej manage to make lunch, he takes some up to Kaz. He leaves it outside his room and once he's in another room, he pushes any small metal object towards the door to make the knocks (because what use is it being Grisha if you don't use it for friendly pranks?). He hangs out with Nina in the afternoons sometimes and they discuss their favourite shows and characters. Those two will go on for hours without realising it and sometimes they won't even realise that they're being very loud (because that's what passionate fangirling/fanboying is like). As the fashion icons of the group, they also often do online shopping together. Sometimes he'll go from room to room (excluding Kaz's, not because it's locked but because it's, well, Kaz's) talking to everyone and trying to join whatever they're doing and he'll end up annoying everyone in one fell swoop, earning many comments along the lines of, "Wylan, what do you see in him?" Wylan would stroke his chin in thought and respond, "Hmm, you know what, now that you bring it up..." After this, Jesper will attack him with kisses all over his face and giggling, Wylan will forget whatever he was about to say.

Evenings are his favourite though, card time! The Crows refuse to bet kruge because they don't want to fuel his gambling addiction so they'll bet on random things. Losing one of the bets, Jesper had to take shots of Tabasco sauce alternating with shots of milk while singing Hot N Cold by Katy Perry (this was a Wylan dare, he is terrifyingly good at setting dares). The best one was when Kaz lost and had to dance to Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) by Silentó while following the exact dance steps (this was a Nina dare. She was laughing so hard tears were rolling down her cheeks. Jesper tried to record it, but Kaz knocked the phone out of his hands using his cane.)

In the nights, Jesper watches Wylan write some of his own songs (a hobby he has picked up recently). He simply can't look away, Wylan's face scrunched up in concentration is too captivating.

"Stop staring," Wylan will complain sometimes, blushing and blushing, "I can't focus!"

Jesper will brush his hand through his curls, kiss his head and respond, "I can't help it, maybe I just like your stupid face."

"I'll dare you to do something truly horrifying tomorrow," Wylan threatens with the sweetest smile on his face and Jesper immediately backs off. He loves this side of Wylan, the side only the Crows get to see. The side who isn't quiet and innocent, who isn't afraid to speak his mind, to assert his place. He gives him one long kiss on the lips, leaving both of them just a little bit dazed and goes to sleep. He falls asleep immediately, all his energy drained and the pillow smelling wonderfully like Wylan.

Wylan

Wylan loves waking up with his boyfriend right next to him, even if he grumbles and refuses to get off the bed as early as Jesper does. His laziness certainly pays off, he gets breakfast in bed so many times! When he does wake up, he'll be groggy for the entirety of the morning (Jesper calls him 'Zombie Boy' in the mornings and if he were more awake, Wylan would probably object to this, but since he isn't, he just grumbles and focuses on not falling face first into his food). He only truly wakes up at lunchtime. He loves making little desserts to surprise the Crows. All their pleased reactions make him blush and grin at once.

He sometimes pulls Jesper onto the couch with him to watch a movie (because he loves spending time with him, not because the rest of the Crows have been begging him to distract Jesper, okay, maybe both are true). Shockingly, Jesper does not like action movies, Wylan found this out the hard way when he put on an action movie the first time and Jesper fell asleep not even halfway through it. Jesper actually likes... romcoms. Wylan loves how Jesper cries and laughs simultaneously, clutching Wylan's shirt and burying his face in it during the sad parts and jerking back up to laugh at the jokes or repeat the dialogues with the characters. Wylan loves being needed like this. He never knew he'd enjoy giving comfort as much as he loves receiving it.

Sometimes it scares him how much he loves the Crows. He hasn't ever known family that didn't hurt him, that liked him as is, no modifications needed. To help deal with this deluge of feelings without getting overwhelmed, he writes music. He pours all of his feelings into his flute and when they come out of it, they are sweet and painful, loud and whispery, sharp and smooth. He doesn't think all the Crows understand this but, it is enough to see a passing smile when they hear it and it is enough for him to get those feelings out there. And the peace he gives Inej when she falls asleep to his music makes him think she understands (she does).

He enjoys torturing the others during card time in the evenings (he absolutely preens when he sees Kaz's approving nod). He'll never tell anyone, but he finds some of his most outrageous dares on Reddit (Kaz knows this, and is even prouder of him at the deception).

He also sometimes lets Nina style his hair. She enjoys it and he does too. He loves the feeling of her hands moving gently through his curls. Closing his eyes, he allows himself to imagine that it's his mother. If he shudders or lets loose a few tears, he pretends it was the cold or the pain from having his hair tugged at. Nina lets him pretend, she understands wanting maternal affection, she's an orphan herself. She thinks having it and then having it taken away due to situations like these is harder than never having had it at all.

He goes to sleep slowly, curling up like a cat and watching Jesper's face in the restfulness of sleep. Oh, how lucky he is.

Nina

Nina has mixed feelings about the lockdown because she's an ambivert. She misses meeting people, but is also really happy and comfortable just staying in and hanging out with the other Crows.

She wakes up in the morning, not too early and not too late, but obviously later than Matthias because who even wakes up that early? Anyway, she stretches and lounges in bed for a while, enjoying the warmth. When she wakes up, Matthias is usually about to go for a shower (so he's sweaty, very very sweaty). He tries to hug her, but she dodges. "No, no! Take a shower first!" He grins and grabs her again (Is this really what all his Fierdan training is meant for? He thinks so, yes). Even though she doesn't quite enjoy the feeling of sweat-slicked arms around her, she loves this side of Matthias. This playful, childish side that only she gets to see. Every time it pops up, she feels proud, honoured even that he trusts her enough to be himself with her. It makes her heart warm.

After all the breakfast shenanigans, she goes into a room and picks up her knitting supplies. She's picked up this hobby in the lockdown to kill time, but now she's actually quite enjoying it. She makes socks and scarfs and sweaters and beanies, all with bright colours and cosily mismatched. She then gifts it to the others. She knows that they don't like it and that is why she pretends that they are genuine gifts. They wear it and she loves how they look it in. It makes her crack up so many times (she also loves them for it).

Wylan lands up with a pink and yellow coloured beanie that is about two times too big for his head. It keeps falling into his eyes and making him look like a little poisonous mushroom. Jesper gets a giant rainbow scarf that he loves. He wears it all the time and makes sure to hit as many people with the ends of it as he rewraps it around his neck over and over again. Inej gets a bright blue sweater with green and orange polka dots that she drowns in. Nina knows that Inej likes the way it covers her hands and keeps them warm. Kaz gets purple and black striped socks that he claims he never wears, yet she sometimes sees them in the wash. Matthias is so aggressively supportive of her that he wears all her creations at once, a beanie, a sweater, two scarves and a pair of socks. He's like a human furnace and she loves to cuddle him in them (she also suspects that he loves this too and this is the real reason he does it, but she, of course, doesn't mind).

She loves using her dares in the evening to embarrass Kaz because that is her true purpose in life, she is simply superb at it. And the glares she gets in return fuel her very soul (and if it makes Inej smile, then that's just an extra benefit).

She sometimes has girl-time with Inej, where they paint each other's nails and talk about Kaz or sometimes they talk about nothing at all. They play music and simply enjoy each other's company.

She and Matthias go to bed cuddling, his warmth wrapped all around her, or her warmth enveloping him. She didn't know a pair of arms could feel this wonderful, but she knows that it wouldn't work with just any pair of arms. Only his, always his.

Matthias

Matthias enjoys the lockdown time. He likes all the extra time, which he fills up with all sorts of activities he's always wanted to try. He also feels anxious if he's being unproductive so it's a win-win. He wakes up early. The waking up part is easier than leaving the circle of Nina's arms, but he manages somehow. He works out, ignoring Jesper and that accursed name (Matty).

Later, he moves on to his current hobby, woodworking. He's working on an extra cupboard so that Nina has space for all her clothes (she keeps buying more because she's bored and online shopping kills time, but Matthias blames it entirely on Jesper). Everybody is a bit jealous of how productive he is during the lockdown, but they also love it because of the gifts they get from it.

Matthias made Kaz a new cane with more modifications and a better grip and took Nina's help to make sure that it matched his "aesthetic" (he's still a bit unsure what that means, but by the way Kaz's eyes widened, he knows Kaz liked it, so that's enough for him). He made Inej some new scabbards and the way she held his gaze and thanked him for it sincerely touched him (this is why Inej gets the most gifts, comparable only to how many Nina gets). Wylan got a dartboard with Jan Van Eck's face on it that he loves (It was supposed to be a bit of a joke gift, but Wylan is now a master of darts and enjoys it quite a bit, so there's that). Jesper got a holster that Nina insisted on bedazzling and when they gave it to him, his whole body stilled and tears filled his eyes. He leapt at them which Matthias nearly took for an attack before he hugged them (Matthias still thinks of this as a different type of attack, but he supposes that it is tolerable) (Jesper now tries to hug him all the time).

The part he enjoys most is relaxing with Nina. When they're cuddling he feels the warmth seep through his skin all the way to his heart. When he asked Nina if she was doing something to his heart with her Heartrender powers, she laughed and laughed and laughed. That made his heart thud louder and louder, making him believe that she really was doing something to it. All the cuddling reminds him of the first time they did it, huddling together in Fierda to conserve warmth. He doesn't know how it happened, but somehow he has her now and it is everything.

(Comment what you think about this, it would mean the world to me! <3)

Next chapter

Let me know if anyone wants to be added to the tag list.

#six of crows #soc #grishaverse #soc hc #crows headcanon #crows hc #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #kanej #kanej headcanon #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #wesper #wesper headcanon #nina zenik #matthias helvar #helnik headcanon #helnik #shadow and bone

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random-tinies · 3 years ago

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Crowza - 2

Hey, I’m on AO3 too! It’ll be the first thing updated when I finish a chapter from now on, but only by like, a few hours. :P I’ll be updating this fic on the first of every month so you guys know when to expect it next. This was sitting in my Docs almost done for weeks and I finally sat down and went “I’m writing the rest of this.” and did it, so here’s chapter two!

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Sunlight filters through the branches and leaves of the old oak. Phil lifts a wing over his face, grumbling about how the sun is always at the perfect angle to blind him every morning. Of course, he does this song and dance every spring. He’s not exactly an early bird, which is why he never blocks it. It helps him get up in the morning.

The tiny bird hybrid resigns to his fate and sits up, blinking blearily at his old home. A torn picture of his boys hangs on the far end of the hollow. He grins, happy to be greeted by their faces. The photo had been yoinked last year when it fell out of Tommy’s jacket during one of his more daring excursions. Always so chaotic, that one, Philza chuckles to himself as the thought crosses his mind. Good memories.

He walks to his stash of nuts and jerky and various other bits of food he collected and preserved the autumn before migration. He crafts a quick granola bar, thanking his lucky stars that chocolate is so easily preserved, and enjoys a sweet homemade breakfast. Pleased chirps escape him as he basks in the perfect simplicity of it all.

Today is full of plans. A lot can happen in a few months and Phil needs to make sure there’s no new predators in the area that might get the jump on him, so he’s going to patrol the area. His territory needs to be safe. He’s always very careful about going about this. It’s rare, but if humans decide to start building near him, he’d need to know.

That and he needs somewhere to get coffee. He’d think that centuries of drinking the stuff would convince him to invent a tiny coffee machine, but why create something that will break eventually when he can just sneak into a human’s house and borrow enough to last him a month of two? Of course, he won’t be borrowing that much today, but the next time all three boys leave the house, he’s certainly going to stock up. Today, he just needs a little pick-me-up.

Phil walks to the edge of his home and ducks under the branches protecting it from outsiders, then hops up them like a staircase to get the best vantage point to take off flying. A low mist hovers over the pine forest, the sun’s rays burning away at it and painting the morning in brilliant hues of gold. Phil launches himself into the air, powerful flaps disturbing the mist and sending him high above the trees. The sky above is void of clouds as he spreads his wings and coasts. The air he breathes chills his lungs but the morning sun provides a warm contrast to the feeling. Appreciation for the peace fills his chest as if it were something physical.

Spring truly is his favorite season. The crisp scent of pines and melting snow permeates the air. A few shy birds send their song up, declaring their presence to the world. This is home, this is where he loves to be, where he longs to be every winter when he has to migrate south. Occasionally, a crow joins him in the air, lazily flapping in the soft breeze.

Phil casts his eyes towards the ground, watching for any stray movements. He’d heard of mountain lions moving into the area from Kristin. They’re fleeing the forest fires west of them, she’d said. She thought maybe they were the cause of the odd feeling she has and Phil was inclined to agree, but you can never be too careful. Eventually, after finding nothing, he flies to the humble house his boys call home.

When the birdman reaches the cabin that houses his boys and nothing is amiss, he decides to land in a nearby tree and rest. The sun had climbed to about midday and he has yet to find anything that would tip him off. He fluffs his feathers as a chill sets in, the branches and needles of the tree warding off the sunlight, and takes out some squirrel jerky he packed for lunch. Perhaps it simply isn’t time to find this ominous omen Kristin gave him and he’s jumping the gun.

The door to the home opens and two people step out. It’s the blonde and brunette from the previous day. Philza watches them as they talk about something with low voices. It’s a bit odd to hear the youngest one talking so softly. Tommy’s usually boisterous and loud, throwing banter back and forth with Wilbur and giving the occasional sibling shove.

Philza hums as he takes another bite of jerky. When he goes on his coffee run inside the house, perhaps he’ll look for any clues. The thought that something could be wrong with them twists a knot of worry in his stomach. A chill goes down his spine as he realizes he hasn’t seen Techno out and about these last few days. He forgets any plans to raid the house later and throws all caution to the wind. Oh Ender, please let him be okay and not deathly ill or something.

Tommy and Wilbur climb into the red pickup next to their house and drive away. Phil immediately swoops down out of his tree and soars the short distance to the old cabin, flapping to slow himself so he can land quietly. It was his saving grace that they like to decorate the windows so he doesn’t crash into them all the time. He flap-hops around the house until he finds a window cracked open and slowly opens it further so he can crawl inside. It’s harder to find open windows further into the season since so many bugs come out.

He listens hard and looks around for any movement, staying stock still.

Nothing, the house is silent, save for the crackle of the fireplace.

He carefully steps in further, wings poised to take off at any given moment. The inside is just as cozy as the outside. The walls are decorated with photos of the trio, of a family Philza has watched grow up over the years. It’s surprisingly clean, the hand-knitted rainbow blanket folded over the back of the old leather couch. It smells like pine smoke and coffee, and bacon. Phil would find it funny if he wasn’t so worried for Techno at that moment. He hops about the living room, making his way towards the kitchen. If he can’t find anything here, he may as well get some coffee.

There’s nothing amiss on the coffee table. Phil’s claws leave tiny indentations on the softwood as he walks across it. The lamp next to him offers a little bit of light but he can see fine with the natural light coming through the windows. There’s an ad for an animal shelter in the newspaper, a comic making fun of teenagers with phones, news of the new president, and an article about a pipeline being built sometime next year. The birdman frowns at that, making a mental note. He’ll need to put an end to that before it ruins his home. He shakes his head. Right now is not the time! He needs to see if there’s anything wrong! His gaze gets caught by the fashion magazine open to a page on robes and turns a few pages, admiring the modern clothes that differ so much from his own- Oh right! Techno!

He flaps into the kitchen and trots across the counter towards the calendar hanging on the fridge. Today is circled in red with the word “ADOPTION” in messy, bold lettering. Adoption? Techno and Wilbur aren’t married, right? They can’t adopt children, right? Confusion replaces the worry in his mind but he shrugs. As far as Phil can tell by all the clues, Techno isn’t in any danger and it’s safe to get some coffee from the pot on the counter opposite of him. He hops over and crouches on the edge, dipping his rabbit-skin waterskin in and filling it full of the delicious drug.

There’s a cough from upstairs in the attic and Philza nearly jumps out of his skin. His feet slip on the edge of the pot and his wings flare out to make up for the sudden loss of balance. The mug next to him falls off the counter and shatters on the linoleum flooring with a loud crash. Oh god, oh fuck. There’s no way Techno didn’t hear that. The bird hybrid quickly reaches into the pot and retrieves his waterskin and swiftly flies back to the window, heart pounding.

He knows he’s leaving a few feathers behind, but it doesn’t matter as long as he himself doesn’t get caught. He can hear the telltale creaks of a ladder as he takes off into the open air again, inhaling deeply and landing back in his tree. What was he thinking?! Going to check on one of the beans?! He put himself in unnecessary danger just for some person he got way too attached to!

From the safety of his branch, Phil watches Techno shut the window he’d made his escape from. The piglin hybrid seems fine, no hint of any severe illnesses. The cough didn’t even sound that bad, like he was just clearing his throat. That was too close. He can’t let it happen again. Phil takes a swig of his coffee and flies off to keep scouting out his territory. I’m going to give myself a nice preen tonight, he thinks as he coasts over the trees. That nearly gave me a heart attack.

He goes back to doing his routine check-ups and patrolling around his territory, promising himself he would do better to keep himself safe. Surely he’s not losing his edge, right? Surely not…

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shadow-scenarios · 4 years ago

Note

Can I get a phantom thieves reaction to feeling jealousy over their s/o for the first time please? thank you for your work 💞

Anon, you’re brilliant. Jealousy HCs are always fun for me to write.

Thank you for the compliment!! You best be staying hydrated and taking care of yourself.

- Nexus.

Joker { Akira Kurusu }

✧ As the master of suppressing his emotions, Akira knows exactly what jealousy is & how unhealthy it can be. However, despite months of practise he cannot help but pull them away from the person who was making him jealous. It is almost like an impulse.

✧ Very subtly he does this. It starts with distracting the conversation away to something he finds easy to talk about with his significant other & he very slowly starts to disinclude the person making him jealous from the conversation. He is so incredibly subtle that most people do not notice.

✧ Eventually he takes them away, holding their hand the entire time. There is a smile plastered on his face but inside he feels a sense of both pride for taking them away from the source of his suffering & shame for being so irrational. Akira kisses them on the top of their head but if they were to mention him being jealous, he would eventually admit it with a small frown.

Skull { Ryuji Sakamoto }

✧ Ryuji has rather intense feelings about his significant other & if he feels as though someone is flirting with them, he is quick to take action. Though most of the time he swoops in to check how they are doing, he will press a chaste kiss onto their cheek as he leaves.

✧ He tries to be subtle but it is very obvious when he is jealous because he complains about the person immediately after they leave & he vehemently denies any trace of being jealous. Although it is quite endearing, it can be frustrating to deal with.

✧ Talking to him is the key. Promising that they would never leave him for someone else is rather reassuring to his mind & although Ryuji is barely ever insecure about their relationship, seeing other people act flirty { even if unintentional } makes him feel not quite right.

Panther { Ann Takamaki }

✧ Ann often tries to see the good in people at first because she is an optimistic person at heart. However, no one comes between herself & her significant other. Her jealousy can be very dangerous if not kept under lock & key.

✧ Even if it is something rather minor such as accidental hand brushing, she will lean over & kiss them because there is an instinctual need to ensure that no one will steal them because she knows how lucky she is to have them.

✧ Anyone who is perverted towards them must be eradicated. She knows exactly what it is like to deal with that kind of abuse & cannot even stand the thought of her significant other dealing with anything even remotely similar to what happened with Kamoshida.

Fox { Yusuke Kitagawa }

✧ Yusuke is very hard to make jealous because he understands the beauty of the human body. He makes a lot of comments about how people are attractive & does not notice flirting most of the time because he is simply just very eccentric.

✧ Someone who incurred his wrath will be very deserving of it. Although he struggles with some social clues, he is not completely oblivious to certain advances. He will pour his heart & soul into a speech about how they are trying to steal away his lover, grabbing the attention of anyone nearby. It is actually quite embarrassing how boldly he proclaims his love for them.

✧ Afterwards, he places a kiss on their forehead & claims that no one shall steal them away whilst he is protecting them. Just wait until someone flirts with him & he has absolutely no clue what they are talking about...

Queen { Makoto Niijima }

✧ One of the people most likely to be logical & talk things out. If someone were to flirt with them, she would simply approach & tell them that she is their significant other, meaning that they are off limits. It is a methodical approach but it works well to ward most people off.

✧ For some stupid reason if they were to continue with that behaviour, they would face the Fist of Justice. Not literally though, she does not want to be arrested for assault. She would verbally attack them, saying that they are making her significant other uncomfortable.

✧ Makoto does not really get angry because she can see why people would flirt with them? They are beautiful & as long as everyone knows that they belong to her, everything will be fine.

Oracle { Futaba Sakura }

✧ Poor bean. Futaba does not understand a lot of her emotions so when she begins to feel rather weird around someone talking to her significant other, she goes & bothers them, hoping to distract both herself & them from the conversation.

✧ It is incredibly blatant that she is jealous by the way she is so obviously trying to pull them away from the person they are talking to but the process by which she goes about it is incredibly endearing.

✧ Explaining jealousy to her is important. Most of the time it is unconscious but catching her out of it is good because she can be quite clingy.

Noir { Haru Okumura }

✧ Haru is tolerant of most people due to her sweet nature so it is likely that she would not be jealous of anyone. However, in the unlikely event it does ever occur, she has a plan. She will not part with her significant other without a fight.

✧ As a warning, she very casually takes their hand in her own & continues on with whatever is happening. She makes sure that the object of her jealousy can see quite clearly. Despite being an indirect method, the simple action conveys a lot.

✧ If it got particularly bad & there was flirting going on, she would verbally say something. Very calmly, Haru would mention the length of their relationship or something about an anniversary, which would immediately cause them to back down.

& Bonus Character — Goro Akechi

{ I just had a really good idea with Akechi & wrote this as a spur of the moment thing— }

Crow { Goro Akechi }

✧ Akechi is not the type of man to share, especially when it comes to that criminal trash Akira Kurusu. He was merely on a date with his significant other at the arcade when they had ran into each other. It was clear that the interaction was mostly innocent & that they had known each other previously but when they put a hand on his shoulder, something snapped.

✧ Ever so politely, he takes their hand & suggests that they must be going, as they do not often get time to themselves for a date. At some point, he grips their hand slightly too tightly & does not notice until they point out that they are hurting them.

✧ Afterwards, Akechi appears rather embarrassed. He apologises at least three or four times, simply saying that he wanted to enjoy the little time the two of them had together. If his significant other were to tease him about it, he would actually become rather flustered & ask them to stop rather abashedly.

Word Count: 1.1k

Publish Date: 07.10.20

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rocksandrobots · 4 years ago

Text

Of Rocks and Robots Ch. 34 - Wrestlers, Boxers, and Ninjas, Oh My (Part 1)

The large indoor arena was crowded. People stood or were seated elbow to elbow. Many held homemade signs, fair food, and gaudy memorabilia that signified their support of the athletes who were to participate in today's sporting event.

Varian scooted past the spectators apologetically as he made his way to his own seat carrying a bucket of popcorn, trying his best not to spill any. Honey Lemon waved to him and rescued the popcorn bucket from his arms as he slumped into the chair next to her, relieved to not have to try and force his way through the crowd again anytime soon.

"You made it back just in time!" She chirped as she took a bite of the salty snack. "The match is about to start!"

"Yeah, first up is the Murderous Marauder vs the Venomous Vanguard!" Fred chimed in reaching over and snagging a handful of popcorn for himself.

"Wait, I never heard of them. Are they new?" Honey Lemon asked.

"Uh...no... I couldn't get tickets to a mecha-wrestling event and this is just a regular wrestling event, but it's still cool." Fred blurted out.

Honey Lemon only pouted.

"Look, it's the same thing. Just instead of mecha suits they use their own bodies to beat each other up. Who needs super awesome robot suits anyways?"

Honey Lemon raised an eyebrow. "Mole blocked you from the Mecha league didn't he."

"Yes!!!" Fred half sobbed and half yelled.

Varian rolled his eyes and then tried to move the conversation back on topic. "So what you're saying is that this is a hand to hand combat tournament."

"Yeah exactly," Fred confirmed ", along with the occasional chair."

"The what?"

Varian didn't get an answer to his question though as just then the lights dimmed and the crowd went quiet. He looked down to the center of the arena. Spotlights flooded the middle of a boxing ring and music began to blare. More lights began to swoop across the stage at the far end, all various colors, shapes, and patterns that changed in time with the music. The crowd began to stomp and clap in time to the music and Varian looked to his friends who were joining in. Honey Lemon flashed him a grin and encouraged him to do so as well.

Varain did but he couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it while he did so. He had never seen a tournament nor brawl with this much fan fair before. Oh watching a good fight was a popular pastime in Corona to be sure, but most were held outdoors; with most of the crowds gathered around standing and jeering, unless you were of nobility.

Varian himself would usually just climb to the top of a nearby tree to look on, and the only music to be had was maybe a trumpeter to single the start of the event. But then again Corona never had loudspeakers nor a state of the art LED lights display to show off.

A man smartly dressed in a business suit stepped out from behind a curtain and onto the stage. The crowd started to cheer and clap as he walked down the ramp to the ring in the center. He waved to everyone and the music died down as he spoke into a microphone.

"Welcome everyone. Are you ready tonight?." He paused as the crowd cheered back in answer. " Good. Cause, let's get ready to rumble!!!"

Everyone screamed at once. Varian just about jumped out of his skin as Honey Lemon let out a high pitched whoop right next to his ear along with the rest of spectators. The music blared back up again and the crowd went wild.

"First up tonight we have the guardian of the keep, the venger of wrongs, the noble knight of the ring, it's the Venomous Vanguard!"

Out from behind the curtain stepped a tall slender man dressed in a silver tunic and tights. He wore a knight's helmet, long boots, and a red robe trimmed with white fur on which the image of a green cobra was printed on the back. He was flanked by two pretty girls wearing matching silver bathing suits and they carried banners that held the same emblem as his robe.

The crowd cheered once more as he entered the ring and the vanguard victoriously held the sword he was carrying aloft in the air. More women rushed out to relieve him of said sword and robe and the Venomous Vanguard removed his helmet to reveal a handsome young man with blonde curls, big brown eyes, and a crooked smile that he flashed at some of the ladies in the stands. More cheers and even some whistling could be heard from the audience.

The Vanguard then took the mic from the announcer and made some grand speech about justice, and vengeance, and boastful claims about how he'd win tonight's match because of his righteous agenda and blah, blah, blah…

Varian rolled his eyes at the display of vibrato. He leaned close to Honey Lemon and whispered, "Can you believe this guy?"

"Hmm-mm" She absently hummed but seemed to barely notice Varian's presence. She sat at the edge of her seat, eyes fixed on the stage, utterly enraptured by the proceedings. Then when the Vanguard concluded his speech and raised his sword in the air once more she loudly cheered with the rest of the crowd.

Varian slumped back disheartened and a little more than jealous of the looks his crush gave the phoney knight.

"It's not even a real sword." He muttered under his breath.

He was distracted from his despondence when the music flared up once more and someone else stepped out on stage.

"Uh-oh! Here comes the Murderous Marauder!" The announcer proclaimed. "And it looks like he's out for blood tonight!"

There were some more cheers but mostly boos as the challenger made his way to the ring. Varian however studied this newcomer with interest.

He was dressed entirely in black leather, save for his massive arms which were bare. His long black hair was wild and matched his long unkempt beard. He marched up to the vanguard ignoring the jeers thrown his way and then paused for effect as the room quietened.

He was shorter than the knight but buffer and looked capable of breaking the other man in two. However, once the noise had died down, he didn't attack but instead gave a scathing taunt.

"Are you compensating for something with that big sword Sir. Hams-a-lot?"

The crowd oohed and a few booed, but Varian just laughed. He liked this newcomer and decided then and there to cheer on the challenger who promised to put the pompous paladin in his place.

Honey Lemon however was less appreciative of the Marauder's gumption. As the fight began proper she joined in with the majority of the audience in jeering the challenger.

"Boooooh! Take him down Vanguard!"

"O-oh yeah! Well…Tie him in knots Marauder!" Varian shot back.

Honey Lemon paused and looked at him in surprise and he returned the stare blankly wondering momentarily if he had done something wrong. Yet his fears were abated when she tilted her head and tried her best to unsuccessfully suppress a smile as she narrowed her eyes at him challengingly. He arched an eyebrow and his own lips slid into a smirk. Then suddenly a new competition was underway running adjacent to the one going on the ring as Varian and Honey Lemon tried to one up each other in taunts and good natured jabs as each cheered on their favored competitor.

Each flip, kick, punch, and headlock was met with jubilation and derision in equal measure as the teens watched on. Fred even joined in their game, switching sides whenever he felt like it, just happy to be there.

Varain had to admit though that he didn't fully grasp the rules of the sport. The fight was very different from any wrestling match he'd ever seen. There was far more acrobatics and punches involved then in like a grudge match in say a tavern where the combatants held on to each other tightly as they tried to push the other down and pin them to ground. Yet he didn't question this American style of combat until the Vanguard was pushed out of the ring.

Varian thought that would be the end of it but neither the referee nor the announcer called the match. Instead there was another flurry of insults and the Vanguard marched back over towards his stuff lying across a folding chair.

"Show him what that sword is really for, Vanguard!"

"Yeah! As decoration for his tombstone!"

But once again Varian was confused when the 'knight' didn't grab the plastic weapon but the chair itself. He then threw it at the Marauder while his back was turned.

The crowd cheered but Varian could barely form words as his anger overtook him. "That son- He-- Did you see that?! He cheated ! Where's the referee? Is he blind? I hope you now realize that jerk isn't a good guy.'

"Dude chill," Fred said, "it's just a prop. It's all part of the show."

"Show?"

"All of wrestling is fake." Honey Lemon gently explained. "No one really gets hurt. That's why it's fun." Then as soon as she was done with this explanation she snapped her attention right back to the fight and leaned over the railing to shout "Dig his grave!" as the Vanguard pulled the Marauder around comedically by his long hair.

It took a moment or two to process this new information and to say Varian was more than a little embarrassed for being so easily taken in by the theatrics would be an understatement. Yet his shame was forgotten as quickly as it had arrived as he watched the pretty redhead bounce up and down, face flushed with excitement, crowing with joy as her favored opponent was deemed the winner. She flashed him the biggest and smuggest grin ever and he melted. What he wouldn't do to see that smile on her face always.

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

Three more matches came and went. There was a tag team event with four lovely and scantily clad ladies, a 'spontaneous' fight backstage that spilled out into the actual ring between a team of two brothers who now wanted to go separate ways, and finally a premiere event debuting the newest wrestler to join the league.

"I want all of you to extend a big hand to El Agua!" The announcer proclaimed as a large muscular man wearing a blue and white luchador's mask walked down the ramp. He thanked the announcer and took the mic from him.

"Thank you Senor Stouffuer, and thank you WWF, for having me here tonight and giving me a second chance." His thick Spanish accent dripped with heavy remorse. "You know, I had a hard time there, a while back I got real low. I couldn't fight. I lost my sense of purpose. But now I'm back and I am ready to kick some las nalgas!"

At this triumphant proclamation the crowd cheered. Varian had to admit he was intrigued. He didn't know this guy's story but he sounded more sincere than many of the other performers. However neither Honey Lemon nor Fred seemed too impressed. In fact they looked like they were in shock.

Honey Lemon leaned over towards Varian and Fred. "Freddie... you don't think that's…" She didn't finish her sentence but instead pointed down at the ring where at, El Agua stood.

"No idea," Fred softly answered back, his eyes never leaving the wrestler as he also leaned his head towards Honey Lemon. "It certainly seems like it…"

Varain ducked his head down to where the two met to try and get in on the conversation. "Hey, why are we whispering?"

"Oh, nothing" Honey Lemon hastily dismissed, "the new guy just seemed familiar that's all."

"Yeah, he could have come over from the Mecha league or something." Fred agreed and that was the end of the discussion.

They finished watching the last match, El Agua defeated his opponent, The Sandman, and they all filed out of the arena with the rest of the crowd.

"You know, that was inspiring." Fred said as they walked out into the night air. "I know it's not real but I bet we could, like, maybe alter some of those wrestler moves into our crime fighting routine."

Fred air motioned some fake karate chops to demonstrate.

Honey Lemon stifled a giggle as she tried to be supportive. "Well, it does take a lot of athleticism and skill to pull off those moves so perhaps."

Varian snorted, "Yeah and they actually train for it."

Fred looked offended."Whatta mean!? We train all the time."

Varian rolled his eyes, "You run around and jump. You haven't the muscle to pull off those stunts where you lift and ground pound people."

Fred pouted and intensely examined his biceps. Meanwhile Varian caught Honey Lemon glaring disapprovingly at him so he hastily tried to save himself. "And I can say that cause I'm as scrawny as a twig."

Honey Lemon opened her mouth to retort but Fred stopped her.

"No, he's right HL, we could stand to work on our strength exercises."

"Well, I just meant you actually." Varian corrected but Fred didn't seem to hear him.

"Tomorrow morning we start a new training regime!" He declared, "We'll meet at the gym at five o'clock sharp!"

He marched off leaving Honey Lemon and Varian to exchange confused looks with each other.

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

"Why are we here again?" Gogo asked annoyed.

"And why are we here so early?" Hiro yawned.

The gang stood right outside of the gym as the sun began to rise, still groggy from sleep and wholly unamused by Fred's latest grand scheme.

"It has come to my attention that we are slacking in our anaerobic exercises."

"But I already weight lift.." Wasabi pointed out.

Fred ignored him. "In order to be the best crime fighters we can be, we need to explore all avenues of self improvement. Leave no stone unturned... "

"But I'm not a crime fighter." Varian interject. This too was ignored.

"...No river unforged, no ocean unnavigated.."

"Alright we get it Fred." Hiro exasperated.

"Look if you wanna "self improve" yourself go right ahead, but we're going back to bed." Gogo said.

Fred gave her the most pitiful of pleading looks, but she remained stoned faced.

"A little exercise never hurt anybody." Honey Lemon timidly encouraged trying to smooth over any arguments before they could start. "I mean, after all, we're already here."

Gogo rolled her eyes but relented anyways. She dragged herself towards the front doors with the rest of the gang reluctantly following after her save for Fred who bounded ahead like an excitable puppy dog.

"It'll be great, you'll see." He enthused.

Inside of the gym were rows upon rows of various exercising equipment, a second balcony floor with even more exercising machines, a weight lifting corner full of iron weights of different sizes and shapes, numerous side rooms with large windows that housed other activities separate from the rest of the gym, such as basketball or a yoga class, and at the very front entrance stood a counter where two people were engaged in conversion.

Hiro at least seemed to know one of these people.

"Hey Carl!" He called out and the large man with a goatee and a red bandana wrapped around his head waved back.

In fact everyone seemed to know him but Varian.

"Hi Felony Carl!" Honey Lemon reiterated Hiro's earlier greeting as they came closer to the desk.

"Why hello, if it isn't my two lovely neighbors and their esteemed colleges. What do I owe for today's good fortune." The man calmly greeted them with a smile and a gentle, measured tone that belied his gruff exterior.

"We're here to get whipped into shape!" Fred cheered.

Gogo rolled her eyes at that but addressed Carl instead of venting her frustrations for a second time. "So how about you, did you get dragged here by Globby to "improve your crime fighting technique."

Carl chuckled "Oh no, Globs leaves me out of the superheroing gig. Says he doesn't want me getting hurt. Which is fine by me, I'm not one for the limelight. However you might say I'm here for self improvement. Since my beloved partner and I have decided to reform ourselves and enter domesticated life together, I've thought it time to enter into more respectable employment. You're looking at the newest personal trainer for this fine establishment." With this he pointed to the name tag pinned to his vest.

"That's great man, good for you." Wasabi congratulated.

"Yay, I'm so happy for you. I know you've been looking for work for awhile now." Honey Lemon added.

"Way to go, Carl." Gogo gave the man a fist bump.

"Thank you. Yup, no more shady side jobs from Yama for me. I'm here early to set up for my first boxing class. There's plenty of spots left on the sign up sheet." He held up a clipboard with a list of names.

"Sorry, Carl but I don't know if that's on Fred's agenda." Hiro apologized.

"Hmm maybe not today," Fred agreed, "but I'll put boxing down on the list of self defense techniques we'll want to learn. Today however is all about building up muscle." He then struck a pose as he flexed his biceps.

Wasabi sighed, "Fine, I'll teach you some weight lifting basics. Follow me. Bye, Carl."

"Yeah see a later Felony Carl!" Fred shouted back as he followed Wasabi.

"Ok. You kids have fun." Carl said as the gang walked away, "I'm going to go finish setting up."

As they neared the weight lifting section Honey Lemon exclaimed, "Ooh a racket ball court just opened up. Lets play a game!" She grabbed Gogo by the wrist and pulled the other girl along, who made no effort to resist as she was too tired to care.

Varian paused as he watched the group split in two and wondered who he should go with. He had felt out of the loop all morning long. He wasn't a superhero like the rest of his friends, quite the opposite in fact, and so had been confused when Fred insisted he'd come along to the training session. In truth Varian wasn't thrilled by the idea of lifting heavy objects for hours on end with no end goal in sight. At least when his dad asked him to do that with the hay bails back on the farm there was an actual purpose to it.

The racket ball game sounded far more fun but he didn't know if he'd be allowed to join since Honey Lemon had asked Gogo specifically and he didn't even know how it was played nor how many people could play at once.

Not to mention, back when meeting with the gentleman named Carl, he had been utterly lost as to what everybody was talking about, and no one had bothered to explain nor even introduce him, which made Varian feel even more left out.

So he just stood there feeling every bit the fool as his friends continued to not even notice his absence as they launched straight into their activities.

Well maybe he could just find something on his own to do until time to leave. Yet as his eyes scanned the rows of unfamiliar equipment and exercising machines he couldn't even figure that part out.

Then he saw Carl through the window of one of the classrooms. The man was trying to set what looked like a tall sandbag onto a hook on the ceiling. It also looked heavy and Varian watched as he dropped the thing on the floor and had to pick up again, clearly straining with the weight of it.

"Need help?" Varian asked as he entered the room.

"Thanks.. but.. this is real.. heavy kid." He huffed as he went to place the bag on the hook again.

Varian ignored his dismissal and went to hold the lower half of the bag so that the other man could focus better on hooking the thing.

He looked surprised at Varian's instance but said nothing, only giving a grateful nod as he finished the task at hand. Once done he said, "You know you're stronger than you look, kid. Name's Felony Carl, but my friends just call me Carl."

They shook hands and Varian introduced himself.

"Varian hun, you came in with the rest of those college kids didn't ya?"

"Yeah, we all go to school together, and I've been staying with Hiro and his aunt during the meantime."

"Ah, I see." Carl walked over to grab another boxing bag and Varian rushed over to help him lift that one as well. "I'm Gogo and Honey Lemon's next door neighbor. That's how we know each other. Well that and my boyfriend, Globby, sometimes works with them. You know, protecting the city and all that jazz."

"Oh I don't do any of that superhero stuff. That's probably why I've not met him yet." Varian explained.

They hooked the second bag and Varian hurried over to pick up two more. He slung one over his shoulder and tucked another up under his arm.

"Where would you like these?" He asked, ever helpful.

Carl didn't respond at first. He just stood there and stared at the time-displaced teen in shock, and Varian was afraid for a second that he had done something wrong. However the man quickly recovered his quits and answered, "Uh, just...just place them over there, please."

"Okay." Varian obliged and dumped the two punching bags onto the floor in the opposite corner. He then quickly got to work hanging one of them before Carl could even join him.

"You...you lift weights or something?" He casually asked as they hung up the second bag.

"Oh no." Varian replied. "I don't see the appeal honestly."

"So what are ya into? Track? Football? Pilates?"

"I...I don't even know what half of those things are." Varian admitted. "There wasn't a whole lot of time for sports back in Corona, not after all the chores were done. Once you plowed a field all day you don't feel much like running around."

"Ah, so you're a farm boy. I understand. My grandmother used to have a small farm when I was kid; real peaceful up there."

They finished hanging the last of the punching bags.

"Well thank you for the help. Now all there is to do is wait to see if anybody shows up for the class." Carl said.

"You don't have anybody signed up yet?"

"Eh, one or two, if they decide to come. Its a new class. It takes time to get these things going."

"Ah" Varian acknowledged, followed by an awkward pause where he didn't know what to say or do next. He thought for a moment he might just excuse himself and just get out of the way of the man and leave him to his class but Carl interrupted this thought.

"Have ya, ever tried boxing before?"

"Well..no…. I mean I've been in a fight or two, or twelve, but I'm not very good at actually, you know, punching people." Varian half heartedly mimed of throwing a punch as he stumbled over this explanation.

"Trouble with bullies hun?" Carl knowingly replied.

"Uuuh… you might, could say that."

"Here show me your best punch. I'll tell ya how to improve it." Carl walked over to one of the punching bags and held it steady.

Varian hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should partake in an impromptu boxing lesson when he was sure the man had more important things to do, like teaching actual paying customers perhaps, but Carl was insistent.

"Ok head hit the bag as hard as you can."

So Varían did. It was just as unimpressive as he feared.

"Awe, I know you got more strength in ya than that. Go ahead really slug it. Like if you was cornered by one of those bullies."

Varian tried to recall the one time he threw an unsuspecting punch at a guard who was chasing him. He had been trying to hide in the crowd but was soon spotted. He felt the man grab him by the shirt collar and yank him back as he tried to get away. So Varian had, on instinct, blindly bopped the man right on the nose.

It hadn't really hurt the other guy, Varian was sure it surprised him more than anything, since at the time he wasn't deemed the most wanted criminal in the land yet, but nevertheless it had held off his attackers long enough to get away.

It had been terrifying, and Varian threw the memory of that feeling into his second throw. This time he had managed to push Carl, who held tightly to the other side of the punching bag, a step backwards.

"Hey, now that's more like it. Now for your technique. Your stance is pretty good, just don't plant your feet so firmly to the ground. You gotta be able to move. So on your toes. Yeah like that, and hold your fist more like this."

Varian did as he was told and threw some more practice hits. Every once in a while Carl would throw out a new instruction or bit of advice that Varian would follow up on. Soon he found a rhythm and the action came more naturally to him as he began to loosen up.

"Now ya gettin' it kid. Try side stepping to the right."

Varian did so and threw another punch.

"Good, now the left. Ok, right. Left. Right. Left. Repeat. Don't focus too much on where you're putting your foot. Keep your eyes up. In a real fight you gotta be aware of your opponent at all times."

Varian didn't answer back. He was too busy trying to both process all of this new information while also trying to implement it and keep up the steady pace he had going. But he felt himself slowing down anyways as he began to tire.

"You're doing great," Carl encouraged, "but don't forget to make your punches count. Your hits are weakening some; don't be afraid to put some muscle into it. Don't worry you won't hurt me. I'm standing behind this heavy bag, remember?"

Finally Varian paused in his exercise and half collapsed against the punching bag. He wasn't sure what Carl meant by "put some muscle into it". He was already hitting the thing as hard as he could.

"Tired?" Carl asked.

All Varian could do was nod his head as he was out of breath.

"Alright take a break and get you a drink. I brought bottled water for the class."

Varian tried to catch his breath and relax the tension in his shoulders as he procured one of the waters. However it appeared Carl wasn't done with the lesson cause no sooner had Varian took a sip the other man was already launching into another lesson on certain techniques and the basic history of his chosen sport.

Varian did his best to listen as he nursed his bottle of water. However, he was vaguely starting to question to himself what he was even doing here. He was not a fighter. Sure he'd been in a few scrapes before.. Ok more like several life or death conflicts…but he was always hopelessly outmatched physically and usually relied on his other strengths, his quick wits and inventions, to carry him through. So far they had been more than enough...so far... or maybe he'd just been lucky. It couldn't hurt to learn a little self defense.

After a while Carl ramped down his lecture and asked Varian if he was ready to try again. Varian nodded yes.

"Okay, now imagine this punching bag here is the biggest meanest bully you've ever faced. Now what do you do?"

"Run?"

"Well usually yes, but what if you can't safely get away?"

"Fight or distract until you can get away."

"Correct, and the first thing you do when preparing to fight is to defend yourself. So here are some blocking stances in case the guy comes at you."

Carl walked him through some basic poses; arms up, on your toes, keep your face shielded etc. Confident that Varian was getting the hang of these, he motioned Varian to come closer to the punching bag.

"Now remember, the biggest meanest ugliest bully you can think of."

Varian looked up at the hanging sandbag and immediately his mind's eye flashed back to his arrest, with King Frederic looming over him as the guards men slapped cuffs onto his wrists. The imposing figure towered over him, all noble and proud, full of smug self righteousness and nothing but contempt for Varian's continued existence.

"The boy needs help. Take him away and see that he is fed and kept somewhere safe." The monarch lied.

"Food" was nothing but stale bread and water, sometimes gruel if you were lucky, for months on end. "Safe" was a dark dank dungeon cell where you were ignored no matter how freezing cold the nights got. And "help"? Well "help" was merely not killing you but letting you know at every opportunity that they could take your life away if you didn't express enough gratitude for their so-called "mercy."

Oh what Varian wouldn't give to punch the dictator right in the mouth and put a crack in the man's charitable façade.

And so he did. At least in his imagination. The punching bag swung wide with the force of Varian's connecting hit and Carl quickly stepped back in surprise. Not that Varian noticed.

He was no longer in the gym or even San Fansokyo but back in his lab next to his fathers corpse facing down the royals he thought responsible for all his misery and woe. It was like a floodgate had been open and all his pent up rage, all his sadness and hopelessness from the past two years, came pouring out of him in gushing torrents and into his fists as he feverishly pounded away at the boxing bag.

It was only when the punching bag flew off its hook from shear force that Varian snapped back to reality.

He stood there shocked at the broken equipment for a moment until he became keenly aware of Carl's eyes studying him closely. Embarrassed, Varian turned to leave, probably to run home or back to the school, but Carl stopped him.

"Hey…hey …it's ok." The man soothed. "It's just an accident. All we gotta do is hang it up again."

Varian didn't answer as his eyes darted about looking desperately for something to focus on other than the instructor's pitying face.

"Wanna talk about what happened there?"

"No."

"Alright, you wanna tell me about this bully that's been bothering you? Do you need help?"

"No."

"Do you wanna learn some more self defense, or maybe even just come by and vent your frustrations on this here sack of cloth filled with sand? No judging; no prying questions; I'm just here to do my job."

Again Varian didn't answer but he did finally manage to relax enough to look the other man in the eye.

"How old are, kid?"

"Sixteen."

Carl nodded knowingly as if this explained everything. He then turned around and walked over to where he kept his supplies and pulled out a sheet of paper from his clipboard.

"This is a permission slip. You get your guardian or whoever is looking out for you to sign this and then you can come to my class regularly. I hold three boxing lessons throughout the week, you can come to as many or as little as you want, whatever works for you and you can stop whenever. Though I usually recommend coming to at least six courses if you really want to learn something."

Varian mulled over the paper Carl handed to him.

"Can... can I come again later this week?"

"Sure thing, so long as you get that form signed."

"Alright I'll get my aunt to sign it."

Just then a couple of people walked in. "Hey is this the boxing class?" One asked and Varian took this as an opportunity to excuse himself and reunite with his friends.

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

"Who's ready for my patented mumbo jumbo gumbo!?" Aunt Cass called out carrying three steaming hot bowls of soup to the table.

"I don't know what that is but it smells delicious." Varian complimented as she placed the stew before him.

She sat a second bowl in front of Hiro who let out a pitiful groan as he reached for his spoon.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked.

"We went to the gym today." Hiro moaned after taking a bite of the gumbo.

"Oh so you got a workout today, hun?" Aunt Cass asked in her chipper manner.

Hiro closed his eyes and slowly leaned his head back in an exaggerated fashion. "Everything hurts and I want to die."

"It is normal to experience soreness when exercising muscles that you rarely use." Baymax piped in helpfully. "It is recommended to stretch before every exercise routine and participate in a cool down session afterwards. To alleviate aches and pains several remedies such as ice, heat, rest, anti-inflammatory medication, and massages can be beneficial. If pain persists past 72 hours seek a physician."

"Oh I'm sure it's not that bad." Aunt Cass encouraged.

"Yeah, he's just a ninny." Varian teased.

Hiro however was only confused by the old fashioned insult. "What's a 'ninny'? Also I didn't see you out there lifting weights. Where did you run off to?"

"I was helping Carl set up for his class." Varian explained. "Oh which reminds me, Aunt Cass, can you sign a permission slip for me? I wanna take boxing lessons."

"Hold up, wait. Who's Carl and you wanna what now?" Aunt Cass responded.

"Carl is Honey Lemon and Gogo's neighbor. He works at the gym." Hiro helpfully explained.

"He also teaches a boxing class there and I wanted to join." Varian added.

"I don't know if I want you fighting." Aunt Cass said reluctantly.

"Well, you're not really fighting anybody." Varian persuaded. "He just teaches basic fighting techniques. You know, for self defense. Plus it's exercise, it gets me out of the house, and Dr. Brown did say I needed a 'healthy way' to deal with my anger issues."

"By learning to hit people?" Aunt Cass was not convinced.

"I think they use punching bags." Hiro interjected.

His input was not appreciated as evidenced by Aunt Cass's pout. Varian however had one more trick up his sleeve. He silently pleaded with Aunt Cass with his big puppy dog eyes and she caved.

"Fine, I suppose knowing some self defense can be useful. But you're not going into a ring to duke it out with anybody, understood?"

Varian eagerly complied to this agreement, took another bite of the gumbo, and then made sure to flatter Aunt Cass cooking once more as a way of thank you.

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

Friday rolled around again and Varian arrived at the gym bright and early. Thus far he had attended all of Carl's morning classes, swinging by for the lesson before heading on to school. This would be his third class and Varian had to admit he was really getting into it.

Boxing turned out to be a great way to process his feelings and frustrations without having to talk about them. He could just get lost in the motion while allowing his mind to focus on the things he usually kept bottled up or buried under mounds of work. He could vent about everything from past trauma, to an annoying equation he was having trouble figuring out, to typical teenage anxieties about fitting in and the like all without having to say a word.

Though it wasn't as if he didn't ever talk. Carl turned out to be a very good listener whenever Varian did feel like opening up about something. He still remained guarded about his past, but it was nice to have a confidant when concerning more immediate matters. Things he couldn't necessarily talk to Aunt Cass or Granville about comfortably; things like dating, or shaving, or just what it was like being an awkward teenage guy going through life.

Carl always had an answer or an anecdote about his own experiences growing up that never failed to put Varian at ease. Even when he didn't have a straight answer for something he still gave sage advice that at least sounded wise and sensible; pointing to the heart of matters that other adults would skirt around.

Most importantly Carl never pried or pressed a matter. If Varian clammed up suddenly in the middle of a conversation or blurted out a long kept secret while rambling about something, like say his crush on Honey Lemon, Carl would only give his customary nod as if he understood and then just deftly change the subject.

In short Varian always felt like he was the one in control when boxing. In control of the conversation, in control of his mind and body, and in control of his life for once. After spending two years spiraling out of control it felt nice to be back in the driver's seat, even if it was only for an hour.

As Varian neared the classroom he could see Carl speaking with two gentlemen behind the glass. Well more like arguing. The two large men dressed in business suits and wearing sunglasses circled around Carl like vultures, clearly invading his personal space while looming over him. Varian couldn't make out what they were saying but it was clear from their body language that whatever it was meant to be taken as a threat.

Carl however wasn't rising to the bait. He stood his ground and didn't respond to their advances. There was a scowl on his face marking his displeasure but other than that he remained as cool and composed as ever.

Then one of the men grabbed him by his shirt collar. Carl calmly but firmly grabbed the man's wrist and forced him to let go. He retorted something back in an even measure and then the two men stepped away.

Soon they emerged from the classroom and made their way to the exit. One spared Varian a glance as he passed by and even though he couldn't see the man's eyes from behind the sunglasses Varian still felt his blood run cold. Whoever these men were they were dangerous. That much was clear.

"What was that about?" Varian asked after the men had left.

"Oh nothing." Carl lightly dismissed. "Just some old colleagues of mine. They came by asking me about a job but I turned them down. Told them I just started this one and wasn't looking for work."

It wasn't a lie per say, but Varian could tell it wasn't the full truth either. Which only caused more concern as Carl was usually so up front about everything. But the man respected Varian's own privacy and he could do no less for him in return. It wasn't his business who Carl conversed with or why. Still the event troubled Varian.

Carl must have sensed Varian's discomfort so he broke into a smile and changed the subject. "Why don't ya help me set up? Today we're going to practice blocking and how to fall safely when knocked down. I got a lot of yoga mats that I snagged from the back room that needs to be spread out on the floor."

And with that the matter was dropped.

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

"Hey, boss." The man in the suit stood right outside the gym as he spoke into his cell phone. "We found him."

He paused as he listened to the other person on the line.

"Yeah we know what to do." He said and then ended the call.

We have a discord now

https://discord.gg/uwq9RBxN

And a ko-fi

https://ko-fi.com/rachelbethhines

#big hero six #bh6 #tangled #varian #hiro #tangled the series

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millllenniawrites · 5 years ago

Text

Counting Crows (Poe Dameron x Reader)

I was trying to do some writing exercises and this is what happened. I am crying. I’m sorry.

This is using one version of the counting crows rhyme that I have found. There are many, but this just happened to be the one I was working with.

Requested: nope

Pairing(s): Poe Dameron x Reader

Words: 853

Warnings: major character death

One for sorrow

You had always had a strange relationship with birds. They were much easier to understand than people, much easier to read. The birds didn’t lie. They didn’t cheat.

The day your home was attacked, the day you joined the resistance, you were 15 years old. Your parents were gone. By the time the resistance forces arrived, responding to your father’s call, everyone you knew and loved was dead. A small, black bird followed you until you boarded the troop carrier to D’Qar.

Two for mirth

Poe sat with an arm around you, holding your head back with a gentle hand and tipping a cup of blue, burning liquid into your mouth. Your friends laugh as you cough and sputter, grinning.

You have a home. A new family. And Poe, who might be something else. Something more.

A dove swoops down, stealing a corn chip from your table and carrying it off to it’s mate in a nearby tree.

Three for a wedding

You squeeze Poe’s hand as you both cheer, watching your dear friends kiss. Marriage is a strange concept in this ever-changing world, oddly permanent and structured. Why get married, when you could die any day?

When you had asked Poe that question, he had come to visit you in your shop. They had asked you to make their rings and when you told Poe you were staying up late to finish them, he had brought you dinner. You tried not to think about how sweet that was.

“Don't you think there would be comfort in knowing that your partner is forever yours?” he had smiled.

You shrugged, delicately working on the carvings on their bands, “I don’t know. I would hope that if I was with someone, they would know that I am theirs. Always. They wouldn’t need to give me a chunk of metal and kiss me in front of the General to make that official.”

“You sure do make these chunks of metal look beautiful.” he picked up Ana’s ring, smaller for her slender fingers than the one you were carving.

“Thanks.” you grinned.

“Three birds?”

“I don’t know. Just doing what they asked.”

Four for a birth

“Can we keep him?”

You cradle a baby Flurrg in your arms, gazing at Poe through your eyelashes.

“No, you cannot keep him. He has parents.”

“But Poe, please!” you draw out the e in his name.

He shakes his head, taking the creature from you and setting him down, “No. Come on. We have to go.”

“But he’s so cute!” Poe shoots you a look, and you leave it.

Large dragonfly-like creatures settle into the trees around you, seeming to watch as you board the Falcon.

“Would you want to have kids?” you blurt out.

He looks over at you as he preps for takeoff, “Not now. Why do you ask?”

“But, after the war.” you press, “Would you?”

His eyes unfocus and he is suddenly very far away, “Yeah, maybe.” Poe smiles, looking back at you. “It would take someone special. And it would take time. But yeah, I think I would.”

You imagine it, little Poe’s running around, wreaking havoc. “Little you’s would be pretty cute.”

“Little you’s would be pretty cute too, you know.” he engages the thrusters, focused now on the ship, “Would you?”

You look at his mess of curls, the wrinkle between his eyebrows as he concentrates, “Yeah. Maybe.”

Five for silver

The first time you saw a Star Destroyer, you had been in the desert, fighting with some winged lizards over a cactus. It suddenly appeared in the sky with a fleet of TIE fighters, it’s mission unknown.

The very sight of it sent chills down your spine, and the five small creatures scuttled to safety. Even nature knows the destruction that these things create.

You have to let Poe know. And Leia. Something is wrong. Something big is happening.

Six for gold

You weigh Poe’s medal in your hands. “I’m so proud of you.” you murmur.

“Just doing my job.” he smiles at you, turning a little red.

“I’m proud to be your friend.” The word is not enough, but it’s all you’re allowed. You reach into your pocket and extract a small rectangular pendant, birds engraining on either side, “This is for you.”

The lines in his face soften as he turns the golden metal over in his hands, “What for?”

“You liked my birds.” you shrug, “I wanted to give it to you before you left for Exegol, but I didn’t want to jinx anything.”

He holds your face in his hands, grazing your soft cheek with his calloused thumb, “It’s not your fault Ana and Jvin are gone. It wasn’t the rings. I promise.”

Your heart races at how close he is, how little distance you would have to close to finally have everything you want.

“Well, then I guess it’s a good luck charm. Or something.”

“Or something.” he smiles.

Seven for a secret never to be told

The vultures circle above you. You lick your lips and taste copper. An accident. An old First Order mine. You should have known better.

Someone is there. Someone pulls you into their arms.

“Hey. No, no, stay with me. Stay with me.” You would recognize those curls anywhere.

I love you, Poe.

You try.

You can’t move your lips.

“I’m here. I’m right here. Help is coming. Just stay with me.” Hands press to your stomach and you convulse at the pressure, “Don’t leave me, dammit.”

I love you.

“Don’t leave me. You’re going to be okay.”

I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.

“Poe.” you whimper.

It’s not enough.

“It’s okay. You’re oka--”

#poe dameron #poe dameron x reader #poe dameron x you #poe dameron imagine #star wars #Star Wars imagine #tros #the rise of skywalker #whump #counting crows #counting crows prompt #macks fics

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junkyardlynx · 4 years ago

Text

“Crow,”

A voice squawked in my ear, crystal clear and uniquely grating. My handler, a wiry middle-aged man with a voice like steel wool. I didn’t know his name and I didn’t care.

“You there, birdbrain?”

“...What is it, HQ?”

“Oy, oy, save the animosity and low voice for the bad guys. You’re en route to the black box, but...just wanted to let you know that you aren’t the only one with a SHINE out here. You’re the only friendly one, though. Lucky you!”

Yes, lucky me. A chance to spread my wing, both literally and figuratively. Swooping low and piercing through the mist spreading lazily over the forest treetops, I ran a systems check on my stealth, ICE, and weapons suites. All green. I grinned inside of the black helmet I wore, which was something visually akin to both a pyramid and a beak. Our callsigns were mostly attributed to something about our appearance or unique abilities. Between the helmet and the Kestrel flight/fight system, it was pretty easy to see where mine came from.

Another SHINE, huh?

SHINE. Synthetic High-Information Neurolink Exoskeleton. Like most acronyms, it neglects brevity and accuracy for a cool name. Pilots of these advanced personal exoskeletons were usually called Shiners. The overall technology package was pretty new and viable candidates were few and far between, with most applicants washing out within the first two tests. It should be noted that “washing out” was a sanitized term for, well. Anything from neurolink installation failure to psionic organ rejection. It was estimated that Russia, the largest superpower, had around thirty combat capable Shiners. A country’s overall military prowess was determined by the strength and skill of its Shiners after the Toa-Yahontov Skirmish, where two JDF Shiners lead an overwhelming victory against five Russian armored divisions.

I was one of twelve NATO Shiners. We were relatively late arrivals to the peacekeeping table, due to deliberations over the moral quandaries inherent in our creation. Experimenting on teenagers left a bad taste in the mouth of rational people, I suppose. Wonder why? We turned out to be quite instrumental to a tenuous world peace, though. Our first real deployment lead to us taking on both JDF and RAF Shiners on the artificial island of Oxcallos, smack dab in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Both superpowers had a mind to lay claim to the neutral scientist-lead nation for their own devices, intent on breaking the technological and military stalemate they’d found themselves in since the late 2080′s. My blood surged with a heady sweetness when I recalled the sensation of finally tasting real combat with my SHINE, as if all the pain and training had paid off. Ostensibly, we were there to enforce peace, but I know I wasn’t the only one that reveled in the chance to prove myself to both the world and our commander.

I was pulled out of my reverie by a blip on my radar, some 3 kilometres to the northeast. It appeared only once, but I was sure it was no mistake. My SHINE and I didn’t make “mistakes.” We moved as one, our senses were one. Noting that the buildup in the stealth system’s heatsink was nominal, I nodded internally and increased my speed, on an intercept trajectory with the radar blip.

“HQ, anomaly noted on radar, time logged as 18:37. Moving to intercept. Permission to engage potential hostiles?”

“Permission granted, Crow. Good hunting, even if I’m not seeing whatever you’re seeing.”

“Just trust me. Going radio silent.”

I wove through the mist, silently cursing its presence. Anyone paying close attention would be able to see sharp, unnatural voids in the mist where my sheer speed cut lines into the air. As a countermeasure, I took erratic loops, full stops and dips, the maneuvers only possible because of my SHINE’s unique method of flight - an array of black, bladelike pillars. When active, they formed an elecromagnetic field around the core SHINE, interfacing with my psionics for fine flight control and my neurolink for synchronicity. Flight at the speed of thought, really.

Coming up on the area that had pinged hot on the radar, I made a straight descent onto the ground and switched the Kestrel to scouting mode. The “wings” switched to their inert position, attaching to my SHINE in the rough shape of a cloak, causing me to hover just a couple of inches above the forest floor. I glanced from side to side, monitor inside of my helmet flush with information. The forest floor had been disturbed recently, and the air stank of charged ions and spent fuel. Someone was using a mass-produced SHINE flight system around here, a basic propulsion model. Probably an A-Type Osprey, judging from the smell and scorch marks. As I nodded to myself, running the numbers on who would still be using such outdated tech, I heard it. The softest “plink” of a high-tension fibre wire bowstring.

There.

Without shifting my body, one of my wings shot out and sliced a projectile out of the air. The Sagittarius EMP Arrow buzzed uselessly amidst the fresh dirt before exploding into harmless shrapnel. I’d picked up on the danger as soon as I landed, but decided to play on the back foot and let the attacker come to me. Chasing a target I couldn’t see into the forest was a good way to get riddled full of holes, after all.

“Is that you, Paris?”

I asked, taking a shot in the dark. My SHINE’s external speakers broadcast my voice into the endless canopy of trees, and the only response came in the form of three arrows - from three directions. 12, 7, 4. Classic triangle attack pattern.

I blocked all three with two of the Kestrel’s twelve blades, clicking my tongue loud enough for my assailant to hear.

“You’re getting slow in your...well, you’re the same age as me. I guess you’re just getting slow. You know it’s a war crime to attack a NATO peacekeeping officer unprovoked, right?”

Six this time. Three behind, one in front, two on the sides.

I was getting a little annoyed, now. Paris was probably testing my defenses, seeing how many arrows they needed to fire at once to overwhelm me. That worked for me. I didn’t mind being underestimated if I was the one that set it up. Knowing full well I could deflect all six, I let one slip through my six o’clock before hardening my SHINE’s systems to avoid the EMP burst and deactivating the Kestrel’s scout mode. Falling to the forest’s floor, I stood back up, making a show of attempting to restart my weapons suite.

If they fell for this, they were an idiot.

“Come on, Paris. No mercy for an old comrade? I dunno what they teach you in Greece, but you’ve gotta be kind-”

Idiot.

Sixteen armor-piercing arrows bared down on me, forming a nearly-perfect circle meant to impale me with no room for conversation. This was Paris’ preferred way to fight - unseen, from a distance, and with overwhelming firepower. Their signature weapon was some sort of tricked-out bow coupled with a miniaturized fabricator, capable of producing a wide variety of specialty arrows. Owing to the psionics all of us Shiners trained in, Paris could do this fancy little trick where they simply threw the arrows with their mind. It let them set up attacks that were seemingly impossible to dodge. Thing is, they loved their goddamn bow, so there was always one arrow just a little faster than the others. That was what we called a “dead giveaway.”

Kestrel roared to life with an electrostatic burst, and I spun all twelve blades above my head into an interlocked shield, scattering the arrows with a horrific metal screech. Kicking off the compacted dirt beneath me with the aid of my SHINE’s synthetic muscles, I leapt a good ten feet in the air before activating flight mode, cutting through the dense forest in the blink of an eye. With branches and limbs falling to the cold earth, I followed the direction of that arrow that was just a little faster than the rest. In the thick eaves of an old redwood, Paris scrambled to fire another shot that I barely dodged before I slammed my metallic fist into their sternum, knocking the air out of them.

We sparred for a few seconds, just like the old days. Unlike the old days, though, all i wanted was to end this pointless little fight as soon as possible, so I simply slapped Paris’ centurion-like helmet with the flat of a Kestrel wing, knocking them out cold. I’m sure they thought I was a bad sport.

Maybe, but at least I didn’t shoot first and reminisce later. Dick. I set them against the trunk of the tree, rummaging through their SHINE’s external compartments until I found what I was looking for. The black box containing all of Rabbit’s intel, pulled directly from their brain. And I do mean directly.

“HQ, this is Crow. Looks like the Grecian army sent out Paris to recover the black box. I’ve incapacitated them. Do you want me to bring them back to base along with the black box?”

“Crow, I hate to point out the obvious, but what are you doing blabbing on a battlefield?”

“What do you mean?”

“Since when did they send Paris out without Hektor?”

The descending roar of a Type-A Osprey sounded in my ears, followed by the metallic “shing!” of what could only be a legendary lance.

“Ah, shit.”

#writing #my writing #sci-fi #science fiction #cyberpunk #exosuits #exoskeleton #original fiction #maybe this could become something later idk #psychic powers #psionics

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sarahsmiles1991 · 4 years ago

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Xena Sharptooth - Critical Role Fanfiction

Summary: Though she was banished by the clan, Lady Kima asks her to join on her quest to Kraghammer to go into the depth below to stop a great evil within. Reluctant to go but agrees, Xena Sharptooth joins her; what dangers awaits her down there and who the hell are these clowns?!

Character Info Sheet

Name: Xena Sharptooth 30 ft Walking AC: 19

Class: Paladin lv. 9 Oath of Vengeance God: Bahamut

Race: Half-Orc Background: Urchin HP: 94

Armour: Mithril Breastplate Weapons: Animated Shield

Brooch of Shielding Flame Tongue Short-sword

Holy Symbol of Bahamut Platinum

Dragon attached by leather string and

hangs from her neck under her armour

Abilities

Strength: 20 (5+)

Dexterity: 16 (6+)

Constitution: 18 (4+)

Intelligence: 15 (2+)

Wisdom: 15 (2+)

Charisma: 16 (3+)

Saving Throws

Strength +8

Dexterity +6

Constitution +7

Intelligence +5

Wisdom (P) +9

Charisma (P) +10

Introduction/Background

Xena Sharptooth has lived as an urchin most of her life and being abandoned by her own mother she took to the street and stole food from the markets and earn gold by singing. However her luck rang out when the fruit seller caught and prepared to chop her hands off as punishment, but then an old Paladin by the name of Sir Alistair Brightworth, servant to Bahamut stopped this a says that he will take this half orc and make something out of her. With little to no choice but to go with the old paladin he takes her to the monastery and begins her training. As she grew she became a strong and skilful with a shield and sword and was given the test to become one of the generals.

Unfortunately, being a half orc the some of paladins and clerics were terrified, disgust and jealousy that such a creature would become one of the leaders. Before she could even start the test the head of the monastery struck a trial of scandal and murder on her; to her horror and sadness no one, not even her brothers and sisters in training took a stand with her and she was banished from the one place she thought was her true home. Now older and bitter Xena took to the mountains, killing bandits and evil creatures to take her mind off her anger and ignore the voice of a being who asks for forgiveness and redemption.

In town for a drink and supplies Xena comes across an old companion of hers, Lady Kima who she trained with. She pleads to Xena to come with her to Kraghammer to find a great evil that could be hidden within it’s depths; with great hesitation and a migraine from the voice in her head she agrees and goes with her to find this darkness and hopes that not only she makes it out alive but to have the voice stop talking to her.

Prologue

Xena Sharptooth was having a good day!

Not only did she get rid of the rest of the bandits that have been terrorizing a village but also found a bag of holding! How the bloody hell the leader came by such a thing is beyond her but she didn’t question it cause she can only imagine the vibrating purrs in her head would do.

Oh yes, ever since her banishment from the Paladins of Bahamut the Platinum Dragon, the stupid lizard has not let her forget that they have not forsaken her. No matter how much she tries to ignore them they seem to insist on sticking around, it didn’t really help that she was helping villages and other unpopular areas with their troubles for only a few things like food and sleep. Hell in a few minutes she is about to head out to farmers home and help them harvest their goods in exchange for a sack of vegetables, can’t exactly tell a god to fuck off when you are doing good deeds left and right.

Oddly though, as they tore her holy symbol from her armor they allowed her to keep it along with her weapons.

“The Platinum Dragon gave you those tools, though you have used them for your own gain than for others they are still yours.” one of the head ass-holes had explained as they dragged her out.

Scoffing at the whole situation, she puts the last of the goods in her new bag of holding, she puts the strap over her shoulder and makes her way to the village.

The breastplate, though showed it has seen many battles with scuff marks and a few dents here and there one could tell it was kept after Xena thanked the heavens that it was made out of mithril one of the sturdier metals in the world.

Xena hums, as she walks through the animal, made trail, feeling pretty good besides the few scars added to her body; particularly the one at her cheekbone almost making her lose her eye were it not for turning her head the last second.

There’s a spark inside us

that we can all ignite

and all that’s dark inside us

will flicker into light

Like any warrior who has been in battle; scars and wounds were merely accessories and reminders that they have survived her learned in a library that Orcs regard battle scars as tokens of pride and ornamental scars as things of beauty. Her light green colored skin showed all her scars with no help and also being like a beacon if any sort of light took a shine to her and as if she wasn’t so horrific to humans, the orcs gave pause at her green flesh while they had their grey pigmentation before charging at her to attack.

Of all the healers and friendly scholars she would come across none of them could explain what was going on with her skin, she can only assume it had something to do with her parents or a mutation.

There’s a power in every breath

there’s a power in every note

a power that starts within the heart

a power that rises through the throat

Her tusks though not prominent still like to remind people of her background when she grinned in amusement or gave a sneer at a threat. She was of course teased for her features and there had been times where she wanted nothing more than to file her tusks, they did help her in a pinch when she had to bite an offender who thought covering her mouth was a good idea, she still chuckles at that memory. Her wild black hair still a mess after one of the bandits cut the string holding it up, got a stab in the foot for that, cascaded down her shoulders and to the middle of her back. Normally she would either has it in a ponytail or a plait to keep it out of her face, never once considering getting it cut.

And when it sails up through the air

more beautiful than any prayer

this power can right all wrong

and it will always thrill the ear

of those who have the power to hear

the magic of a song

Now it was her eyes that gave her confounded her; wolf eyes some called them with the yellow glare piercing one's soul if you got close enough to her. No other orc or even half-orcs had the eyes she had, maybe it was the gods' idea of a joke since her skin already make her freak why not throw in wolf eyes, she could feel the lizard admonish her, it gave the locals the idea to nickname her Einn ulfur, Lone Wolf.

There’s a strength inside us

that tells us wrong from right

becomes a song inside us

to chase away the night

By the end of her singing, she made it to the village, it was still midday so there not a lot of people about what harvest time being near and going about their own life. Xena frequent the village a lot so no one really balked at the half-orc heading straight for their elders with a slight smirk on her face. The elders consisted of three female halflings; Shaena Underbough, Portia Tosscobble, and last and certainly not the least Lavina Goodbarrel. Lavina is the eldest of the three and was the first to welcome Xena into the village with open arms, even offering her a place to stay in her home after her banishment from Paladins.

“Ah! And there she is!” Elder Lavina crowed. “Merle! You owe me a pint!”

Merle, husband to Lavina chuckles. “Aye I never should wager against Ulfer, especially against you love.”

“The bandits are no more.” Xena reports, placing the bag of holding to the ground and pulling out all the goods and other useful things for the elders and village to use. “They will not be bothering you a moment longer and I have found some trinkets and the like for you all.”

Lavina raises an eyebrow at the goods. “For bandits going after a small village as ours makes one wonder why they even bother with all this shit.”

“Them swords will be of help for certain.” Shaena says, watching the pile of weapons grow. “Heaven knows our people need them when you go off into the world again, I must say again how much we appreciate your help luv.”

“Mmm.” Portia mumbles, placing her pipe next to her knitting project before getting up and going to inspect the goods. “Plus Jeorge will getting more than enough supplies for the winter with these, did you find your own trinkets to take?”

Xena presents the bag of holding to them with a smirk. “The leader somehow got his hands on this, it is enough for me to-”

“The pretty bag is not enough of a reward for what you have done Ulfer!” Portia interrupts, frowning up at her. “Shaena may just let you do that but I and many others will draw the line if we must! I am sure there is enough gold for you to take.”

With that along with a sound of offense from the other lady, Shaena picks up a rather large sack of what is clearly gold and places it in a bemused Xena’s hand. Shaena though the youngest is the much stricter of the three and much more wary of strangers; when Xena first arrived in the village after months on her own after banishment Shaena was very hesitant to lend a hand to the creature that limped it’s way to their little village with nothing but armor and weapons on her person asking for a simple cup of milk in exchange to help any way she can. Lavina swooped onto Xena before the other two could say anything and the next thing they knew they had a mean green fighting being who protected the village and provided help to others.

“Jeorge will be heading for the city early in the morning, best get cleaned and well-rested for the trip.” Lavina informs Xena, picking up what looks like a bottle of fancy wine.

Xena smiles at the ladies, giving them a nod before heading for Lavina’s townhouse to do just that. Many of the halflings who live in the village greet her as she passes by, along with thanks as she left.

The next morning as she ate the last of her second breakfast Xena Sharptooth was ready for the road along with Jeorge. It took nearly a day to reach the city and Xena slips a gold to Jeorge in thanks as she leaves to the nearest tavern for a late dinner and sees if there were any jobs for her to do.

The Hanging Man was a dwarf-owned tavern so the place looks more made of stone than wood but with how many brawls and fights started one was pretty smart to not have many things made of wood. A large fire pit where many types of meat were being cooked in the middle of the tavern sizzled through the air and made Xena’s mouth water as she could taste that goat leg she had been eyeing as she entered.

One of her favorite meats in the world before her and the bag of holding? Maybe the old lizard was onto something.

“Hello!” a bright-eyed elf wench greets from over the booth with a smile. “Welcome to the Hanging Man! My name is Amelia how may I help you?”

“Leg of goat and a pint of ale.” Xena orders, taking a seat.

“You mean lamb?” she asks with a raised eyebrow.

Xena gave it back. “No I mean that goat leg you have in the fire pit.”

Amelia looks over to the fire pit before shaking her head. “I am sorry but that is for a customer-”

“Actually it is for her.” a soft familiar voice beside from beside her. “Please get it for.”

Xena’s whole body freezes at the voice. Are you fucking kidding you lizard!

A light purr was her reply.

“Three years away and I still know one of your weaknesses, Xena. Never understood your taste in goat than a lamb but to each their own.”

From the corner of her eye she watched as the halfling woman climbs onto the stool beside her, her dirty blond hair tightly braided, complexion darker than the usual halfling with a big scar across the side of her face along with other, smaller scars and of course wearing armor representing gold, silver, and blue of Bahamut.

“Oh like your weakness isn’t teriyaki chicken wings?” Xena mutters, tapping the booth waiting for her drink.

“Oooh don’t remind me, I haven’t had those in months!” the Halfling woman laughs.

Thankfully Xena didn’t have to wait long as her pint arrived along with the goat leg... though it looks magnificent and just asking to be devoured.

“What brings you here Lady Kima?” she asks, sipping her ale. “Don’t you and those dumb-asses have to keep Emon protected since you failed that last time around, also well done on that.”

“What? Can I not wonder about my vacation?” Lady Kima asks with a small smirk completely ignoring Xena’s comment.

“Not when you have Lady Allura waiting for you at home.” Xena was quick to reply.

Lady Kima’s dark complexion became darker as she clears her throat looking around nervously. “She is busy with her own things and I am not here to talk about such things. I am here for you though.”

“Oh? What happened? Is there something else they wanted to accuse me of?” She asks rolling her eyes. “Did I throw Timmy down the well?”

“No Xena this doesn’t have anything to do with the order and more of a personnel matter.” Lady Kima sighs. “I was given a vision... a dark one.”

Xena turns her head to Lady Kima, showing that she was paying attention. It wasn’t really all surprising that paladins got visions or messages from Bahamut it was just rare when they do give it so when one says they got a vision, you listen.

“I saw darkness taking root beneath Kraghammer, the dwarven city northeast of Emon in the Cliffkeep Mountains. I have been hiring a couple of mercenaries to accompany me into the mines and into the Underdark, and I want you to join me.” Just as she finished the sentence Xena choked back her drink.

Coughing a bit, wiping her mouth with her arm Xena looks over at Lady Kima in shock. “Okay first off you owe another ale, second of all wherein all your vision did it say ‘It’s dangerous to go alone, bring the half-orc that your order banished years ago!’ like seriously Kima.”

“Xena, the Order has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with my visions and they certainly have nothing to say about who I bring with me. Besides, in my vision; within the darkness, I saw a figure of a wolf within it, guiding me through the caves of the deep.”

There was a silence between the two.

“And the last murmurs I have heard here and in neighboring villages, that there is a half-orc wondering the area, helping the less fortunate, caring for those in need with the strength of ten men and eyes like a wolf, they call her Einn Ulfer... Lone Wolf, Now I wonder would such a person does not help her old mentor in her quest to suppress the darkness from taking hold in this world?” Lady Kima asks, gently placing it beside Xena’s hand.

Xena looks down at the object, taking a deep breath as she stares at her the most precious thing that was taken away from her, her holy symbol. The lizard her head purrs comfortingly, encouraging her to do what is right and help her Lady Kima.

Reaching over she picks up the symbol, grasping tightly to it as she feels the vibrating purrs in her head transfer slowly from her head down her body and into the item in her hand.

Xena sighs. “So, Kraghammer huh?”

Lady Kima smiles.

#critical role #vox machina #fanfiction #oc x canon

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dragonrajafanfiction · 4 years ago

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Dragon Dancer III: Sakura

“Chime...”

Chisei was staring into the dark, eyes glittering with tears.

I wiped the water from my face. “We couldn’t have done this without him. He’s no friend of the King.”

Chisei looked down at me.

“He had a vendetta against him. I’m not exactly sure what happened. But Nono can tell you more. Cassell only got involved because of his attempts to awaken the Light King.”

“Only?” His eyes narrowed at me.

My heart leaped in my throat. “Hey! There’re no heroes here, man. Don’t start this law ‘n’ order crap again.”

Much to my surprise he didn’t argue with me, instead he turned to look behind me.

“It’s Sakura-Anego!” Mingfei’s voice in my ear spoke of his reverence and respect for her.

“Why are you here?” Chisei asked her.

She smiled at him. “We discussed things, Yasha, Crow and I. We decided to send someone up here to protect you... someone besides your flighty Shatei.”

He smiled a little. “Mingfei is here, isn’t he?”

“He’s happy to see you.” I told them.

“I bet he is.” Sakura winked.

Tachibana’s voice echoed from inside. “We’ll have to find a way to clean up this mess.” He was clutching his chest, leaning over. “And I’ll need a doctor.”

Chisei fled to his side and I stood there, anger boiling in my chest. How was he still alive?!

“What did you take?!” Chisei’s voice was trembling. “Not that evolution pill!”

“No... worse. I ... drank the fetal blood directly. I am now afflicted with the same ailment as my daughter but... with the therapy I should live for several years.” He smiled up at Chisei. “Perhaps, long enough to see you walk down the aisle.”

“You mean the privilege my Robbie will never have!” I shouted, hands balling into fists.

Chisei and Tachibana turned to me. Chisei reached for his sword, but Tachibana held his hand. “Carli... I have wronged you.”

“Shut up! No seriously, shut up!” I paced to the right and left. “You killed my family.” I stopped, hanging my head, the tears hot on my cold face. “I suffer every day. But... I’m not going to put Chisei and Erii through this pain too. I’ve killed enough for a lifetime today. You’re going to go to hell regardless of who or what kills you... and believe me.” I raised my eyes at him. “You’ve got a dozen demons after you, buddy.”

Tachibana eyes widened and his face grew paler. A dark shadow stretched across the floor of the observation deck. I turned as Sakura backed away from the windows, terror in her eyes.

Rising from below the deck on massive membrane wings was a dragon. No, not a dragon, because it had a beautiful woman’s face with long sopping wet human hair on its snake-like body.

It wasn’t the only one. They surrounded the entire deck.

“Oh...” I moaned, backing away from them. “The Servitors!”

Chisei turned into his earpiece. “Did we bring heavy artillery?”

I didn’t hear the answer, only saw him turn back to the windows.

Nono’s voice. “Well... this sucks.”

Johann. “We’re on the main observation deck, we can’t get to you through these things! You’ll have to find another way out!”

Mingfei. “Th... ... they’re already here. These bastards can fly.”

Gunfire erupted from below us as Nono and Johann engaged.

Tachibana pulled himself to his feet. “These are dragon servitors! They’re servitors given the evolution treatment!”

“Get back to the elevator!” Chisei ordered.

Sakura and Tachibana retreated, grabbing discarded weapons from their earlier fight on the way there. Tachibana managed to find a spear and Sakura a broken blade.

“Carli! You too!”

I stood there. I always wanted to use my powers to protect people. Never in my life did I imagine that these would be the people behind me. What sort of twisted world is this? I thought to myself.

“Ielia... it’s time to come out and dance with me.”

My doppleganger parted from my body and together we exchanged glances. I closed my eyes and mentally pulled as hard as I could. When I opened them again, an array of spears encircled us as bright as the morning, dancing and hissing in the air. The observation deck shined like a lighthouse in the the storm.

All the glass windows of the deck exploded. The servitors rushed in, screaming, teeth bared, wings rattling, claws extended.

The spears pierced them in an endless volley while I stood still, staring at the ceiling in concentration, not willing to move even as a clawed hand arced inches from my face, even as I was splashed with gore. The attack stopped. I fell to my knees.

Claws scrabbled on the ceiling of the building, loud bumps and thuds sounded from above. I gasped for air.

Chisei shoved Tachibana closer to the elevator. “Get to the underground garage! I have a car there!”

Now that my light had faded, the attack resumed. They jumped from the ceiling to the deck and charged me on all fours. Chisei slashed downwards against the skull of one, bashing it to the floor with super-hybrid strength, knocking it unconscious. Then he swooped upwards to cut the wings from another. Down again, to sever its head.

Instead of falling back, Tachibana joined him, ramming the spear directly into a monster’s chest so hard that he knocked it over backwards. Sakura, having retrieved my discarded rifle, aimed for their eyes, turning them into fountains of blood.

I had protected them. Now they were protecting me.

More were climbing up from below, just as Johann had said they would. I staggered to my feet again. My ears ringing, my mind dull. There was no point of emotions any more, only a moment by moment fight for survival.

The sound of a helicopter engine grew louder and louder.

Chisei and I were an inapproachable whirlwind with Tachibana and Sakura in the eye of the storm. The people on the helicopter cheered when they saw us still fighting and let loose a barrage from their helicopter’s gatling gun that shook the entire building, cutting a neat path through the horde for our escape. They lowered a ladder, waving frantically to us.

But before we could begin to move, the helicopter jerked to one side. One of the monsters had seized it and was pulling it out of the sky. Another attacked from above and became tangled in the rotor blades. We could only watch the helicopter struggle to distance itself from the tower before plunging to the ground, landing with a loud bang.

“We can’t get to you.” Johann’s voice. “There are too many.”

Chisei picked me up and dragged me to the elevator.

“It’s okay...” I whispered.

“Take Masamune down. I know this is an terrible request to make, but leave me alone here.”

“Trying to die again...?” I chuckled.

Sakura seemed to agree with me. “I’m not here to leave you, sir.”

He turned to her. They stared eye to eye in the chaos. “You’re here to follow orders.”

Sakura watched him walk away a moment and then picked up Tachibana and put him in the elevator. “If any servitors get through, cut them down.”

The look in her eyes was kind, almost grateful? She turned and approached Chisei. His eyes glowed brightly in the dark. The death servitors groaned as he exerted the full force of Majesty on them, harder, and harder until their bones snapped and broke skin and their spines telescoped. This level of power couldn’t be sustained and Sakura knew it.

When he collapsed backwards, she was there to catch him. Exhausted, Sakura struggled to bring him to the elevator. Behind her, more servitors arrived on the scene. Called my doppleganger again, she swooped to attack them. She had more strength than I did at the moment. I was hurting. I didn’t understand why. I was depending on Ielia to finish the fight. She was a bright ghost in the room, protecting them.

Sakura settled Chisei down in the elevator.

“Sakura... close... the...” He was choking, barely able to breathe.

She just smiled at him, one hand running through his hair, her face close to his. Then, she held his hand and with her other, cut into his palm. She spread his blood on her face before he could stop her.

I watched Chisei’s eyes fill with silent horror. She stood up and he reached out to her, his hand just catching the edge of her long coat. She pressed the closed door button. “Goodbye.”

“No... NO! Sakura!”

I pushed him back against the elevator wall and we started going down.

In my experience, I had heard the cries of grief at funerals. It was always women it seemed, screaming as they leaned over the coffin of their loved ones. They upset me as a child. Robbie would run his hands up and down my back. I asked him if I could go home.

“No, baby.” Robbie had told me. “You gotta be here. When life gets hard, these folks need you to feel their pain with them. Otherwise, they’ll be all alone.”

That was enough explanation for the little me back then. But still it was hard to hear this howling coming from the voice of Chisei. It rose up through the shaft and with it, his spirit, his desire to go back and fight with her, to stop her from dying. It tore me up from the inside out. But instead of running away, just as Robbie had told me, I leaned into it. I wrapped my arms around his neck and cried with him.

“Sakura has bought us out escape...” Tachibana said hoarsely. “We cannot waste a single second. This time... she paid for it with her life.”

Chisei wasn’t the only one grieving.

Mingfei....

How close had they gotten in the Hydras? I wondered. The report in the comms of shot after shot, the sound of Mingfei... he was sobbing, crying and shooting. Until there was no more sounds of gunshots. There were no more bullets.

“ANEGO!”

A soft whimper came from my throat as his grief hit me like a tidal wave. The elevator slowed to a stop.

We’d reached the underground.

#Chisei Gen #Sakura Yabuki #Masamune Tachibana #Mingfei Lu #Johann Chu #Dragon Raja #Fanfiction #Writing

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my-one-love-is-music · 6 years ago

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Love From Different Stars (327)

Barbara and Tim circled around the church spires as they flew through the city of Gotham. Damian trailed his fingers over the head of a gargoyle. Dick cackled as he swooped and dipped and did backward flips in the air. Other times he would halt abruptly at the edge of the building, balancing gracefully on his toes before he let himself fall forward and flip again.

Barbara grinned at his antics and sometimes clapped. Such reactions would often encourage Dick to do more. Or he would halt his progress in the air and place his hands on his hips and puff out his chest.

Damian would always give Dick a strange look, like he was trying to solve a puzzle. Tim was a different story entirely.

“Show-off,” he grumbled under his breath, rolling his eyes.

“Be nice, Tim,” Barbara hissed, pulling him back out of earshot as Dick and Steph spun around each other in the air.

“Well he is,” Tim protested, waving in his direction.

“Maybe he is, but he’s taking us on an adventure. You should be nice to our tour guide. Without him we’d be lost and wouldn’t be able to make it to Neverland or back home to our beds.”

Although Tim was often dissatisfied with Dick’s frolicking and how he often disappeared to go on his own mini adventures, he did try to be more genial around him.

What concerned Barbara the most, for she had an excellent memory and often remembered most of what she encountered during the day and certainly everything she read, was that often when Dick returned from his adventures with mermaids or stars, he wouldn’t always remember who the trio of children were that he’d brought along with him and simply thought they were on their own way.

Barbara never hesitated to remind him who they were and Dick’s responsibility to make sure they got where they were going, but she did grow irritated the second time she had to introduce herself to force Dick to remember them.

“So not only is he a show-off, he’s an idiot, too,” Tim said when he was hanging back behind Damian who was struggling to master his form while flying.

Barbara shot him a nasty look over her shoulder and he pursed his lips and looked away, finding interest in the clouds around him and their shapes he was much more easily able to discern now that he was next to them and not staring at them from the ground below.

The night around them turned to day and a speck appeared in the distance. The speck morphed into an island that had been looking for them and awaiting Dick’s return.

“We’re here! We’re here!” Dick crowed, flipping and circling in the air.

Barbara, Tim, and Damian strained to make out the island as they drew closer. The sight was strangely familiar and it was almost as though a piece of themselves they hadn’t realized was missing was sliding into place once again.

“Barbara there’s your favorite lagoon,” Tim cried, pointing as they drew closer.

Barbara blinked, remembering that it was her favorite lagoon and she’d gone swimming there many times. “And Tim there’s your favorite field with the wild-flowers. I do say it looks as though a family of foxes is there now.”

Tim framed his eyes with his hand. “I do say you’re right. And if you look farther back you can see the cave Damian’s explored.”

“Smoke is coming from the Natives’ camp,” Damian said, pointing to the curls of white coming through the trees. “It seems they are preparing for battle.”

“I wonder who they’re going to be fighting today,” Barbara mused as they drew closer.

Dick hung back and pursed his lips, his own excitement waning in the knowledge of Neverland his three companions seemed to have.

A canon fired in the distance and at once the trio dove, finding solace in the thicket of the trees.

“What was that?” Barbara asked as they slowed their progress through the thick foliage.

“That was the pirate ship,” Dick said, voice filled with a darker kind of glee as his eyes sparkled in the dim light of the trees.

Barbara shared a look with Tim and Damian. “We know of pirates. Fearsome people who rule the seas and search for treasure. Who is the captain of that ship and why has he fired so casually?”

Dick clasped his hands behind his back and halted, straightening in the air as he walked back and forth in front of them like a solider.

“He fired because he saw us. You see, he’s always got an eye out for me and the Lost Boys. We’re a bit of a sore spot for him.”

“And who is he?” Tim asked, growing impatient.

Dick leveled him with a serious stare. “The Joker.”

The trio stilled for even in their dreams they heard the tales of The Joker and the madness that overtook him. He killed his original captain and took over the crew. Everyone who didn’t conform to what he wanted was killed and he gathered a few more crewmates along the way that shared his particular mindset.

Memories of their own encounters with the Joker they hadn’t realized they’d forgotten came back to them and a new sense of unease crept up their spines.

“What are we going to do?” Tim asked.

“Keep to the trees of course,” Damian scoffed. “There’s no way for them to spot us in here.”

“But that’s where you’re wrong,” Peter said, eyes sparkling dangerously. “They have their ways and we’re not completely hidden here, not when they know we’ve arrived.”

Tim opened his mouth to demand an explanation when another shot cracked through the air. A cannonball whizzed through the trees, breaking branches with it.

Dick was pushed backwards by the force of the attack and was quickly lost to distance. Damian and Tim were nearly blown in opposite directions but Tim snagged Damian’s pant leg before they could be separated.

What happened to Barbara was most unfortunate, for she was pushed upwards out of the trees and into the sky with Steph who was more than a little annoyed at being separated from Dick and tossed about.

And thus began their newest adventure in Neverland.

If you enjoy my work, please reblog or consider buying me a ko-fi!

#write 365 #molim writes #peter pan au #fic: love from different stars

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comicteaparty · 7 years ago

Text

March 15th, 2018 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on March 15th, 2018, from 5PM - 7PM PDT. The chat focused on Anarchy Dreamers by Emily Ree.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

COMIC TEA PARTY START!

Good day everyone~! This week’s Comic Tea Party is now officially beginning~! Today we are discussing Anarchy Dreamers by Emily Ree~! (http://anarchydreamers.com/) For those new or in need of a reminder, discussions about the comic are freeform, so please feel free to bring up whatever you wish. However, every 30 minutes I will be dropping in a discussion question to help those who would like a prompt. These questions are totally OPTIONAL to answer, and you can pay them no mind if you wish. If you miss out on any though, they’ll be pinned for the duration of the chat once they’re posted~! Remember, constructive criticism is allowed, but the primary focus here is to have fun and appreciate the amazing comics that the community makes~! As a bonus, each chat a top comment will be picked and featured in the archives and on an ad for CTP! All that being said, let’s get started and have a great discussion!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

✨Novasiri☄

Eff me, asking me to choose. Though I do have to say some of the more recent pages have been an utter feast for the eyes due to the nightmare itself out right causing everything to fly off the rails. both in an artistic standpoint, and general 'wtf-ery' for the characters. But, any scene with Koji is

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yes, some of the more recent pages have been truly gorgeous. i might be biased because they kind of got a space/galaxy/nebula feeling going on

snuffysam

Yeah, it's extremely difficult to choose a scene. I liked the page where there was a poster in the background warning kids not to try and awaken on purpose to become beautiful, particularly combined with the scene were it was revealed that Luna did exactly that.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

My favorite scene! Hmmm. Admittedly, I came into Anarchy Dreamers pretty new - I'd heard of it, but not read it at all previously! Honestly? Issue 3 as a whole had to be. I love action scenes, don't get me wrong, but issue 3 really just... Works. It's fairly calm, the coloring's even more emotive than usual, and I feel like I really got a great idea of the characters and who they are while reading it. The pacing really worked for me, and I enjoyed getting a moment to learn about Koji and Tabbi's relationship. (As well as Crow and the others.) It was a great chance for me to get to know everyone as a new reader.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

@snuffy yeah i noticed that poster and really loved that detail. partly cause from the world was built up to that point i was like "do kids kill themselves to become dreamwalkers." that poster more or less answered my question in the most depressingly morbid way possible. @kabo Issue 3 was really nice because of how laid back it was. It's always good to balance action with stuff like this, and I think it was good to give all the charas some more development and let us, as readers, become friends with them.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Right! Issue 3 also made me a bit more curious about the Miho and Koji relationship -- what is going on there, and uh... Which of the girls is his actual girlfriend? :3

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Helloooo.... I didn't get all the way through, only into issue 4 thus far. ^_^;; So I don't know from recent pages.

snuffysam

I feel like Tabbi is the only one he considers himself having a relationship with, but other girls keep hitting on him regardless

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

clearly its both O_O Koji playing the field

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Favourite from what I read to that point was the kiss scene, where Tabbi's memories came back. It was sweet and there was good imagery with the shattering and all.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Miho FYI: http://www.anarchydreamers.com/comic/page-23

And yeah!! I really like how Tabbi is visualized each time she gets her memories. Though I'm unclear on if it's the blessing of the dream god or if it's just them recovering. (Also the imagery when Tabbi starts delving into her memories... HMMMMM)

snuffysam

he may also be an idiot

wishjacked

I've always loved that first Nightmare fight with the horse skeletons and the hospital!! It really stands out to me as the moment when we get hints of how weird this world is going to get, and I love the hints at backstory and all the questions about the Dreamgod.

Also, ya know, I'm just a sucker for skeletons. I say that every time we read a comic with skeletons in it hahaha

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

@sam -- I thought he was an idiot at first, too, but Page 205 might indicate that it's not quite that? http://www.anarchydreamers.com/comic/page-205

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I wondered if there was some connection to the dream Koji had earlier about her, where Tabbi had both eyes.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

so im going to insert a theory here early on to more seriously answer about miho. i get the impression miho is his girlfriend but point out that the six have serious memory issues so its possible that tabbi and koji had a thing but when everyone came back miho swooped in and was like "koji lets date tabbi who no thats silly."

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

That's true! But they did connect in the hospital, too, so maybe Miho was the original girlfriend

I dunno, Koji's clearly doing something, and I'm reaaaaaaaaally wondering when Miho's going to make a nightmare.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Props for the cat ears. I hope there's lots of kitties.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

On that thought, I feel like this comic has a lot of influence both artistic and otherwise from things I like -- like Panty and Stocking and Madoka (A little bit, anyway) So there's a good meshing of elements into one which seems to work in its favor

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

ah but since i havent answered fave scene i second wishjacked a bit. i liked the first nightmare cause i think it painted a clearer picture about nightmare protocol and i liked the dream god. cause the dream god is a weirdo.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

The goose?

(Always awkward when you get goosed.)

✨Novasiri☄

I don't trust that damn goose XD

snuffysam

i trust the goose

i trust the goose with my life

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

The goose is like "yeah no, your problem now"

wishjacked

you can't make me trust the goose, I won't do it for 1 second

snuffysam

he gave them gifts!

maybe

perhaps

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Does the goose KNOW what'll happen? like, if they beat nightmares, is it automatic that these six in particular will get blessed? OR IS HE ACTUALLY BLESSING THEM

nobody knooooooows

maybe he's a hallucination

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Maybe the goose was the original nightmare.

snuffysam

maybe the goose is a weirdly advanced nightmare that attacks really subtly. but one day, FOOM!

wishjacked

bad gods can give out gifts, I'm pretty sure.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

so the dream god is a hallucination within a hallucination? cause i would argue nightmares are hallucination like

Emily Ree

Hi guys!! -walks in 15 minuets late with starbucks-

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

COFFEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

snuffysam

hey! i'm guessing you're the author?

Emily Ree

I am!

snuffysam

given that you have the same name and a profile pic from the comic?

Emily Ree

haha

I'm EMily, nice to meet you guys!

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Nice to meet ya!

snuffysam

hello! we were just talking about your goose!

Emily Ree

snuffysam

A Goose We Can All Trust

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Hihi! I'm a bit behind. ^^

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

thank you for coming emily~!

wishjacked

Hello, Emily!! Your comic is Really Good

snuffysam

it's an extremely good comic

wishjacked

And I JUST SAID I COULD NEVER TRUST THE GOOSE, snuffy!!!!!!!! not everyone is fooled by his kindly subway intercom demeanor

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Goose is too much into television, maybe.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

tbf id trust the goose over a lot of other ppl in this comic. its usually the friendly ones that are more dangerous. and the goose is suspicious so thus is clearly not the true suspicious one

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Yeah, I think I'd trust the goose over Sissy right now :'3

or well, in general.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Surely Miho is pure and good.

Emily Ree

Thank you guys! I was just reading back into the discussion. I'm loving the commentary, you guys picked up on so many things!!!

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

PFFF Miho is the next nightmare, I'm sure XD And it's gonna be worse for Tabby. Stabby. Stabitha.

✨Novasiri☄

:D hai Emily~

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

I actually laughed real hard at that joke XD

✨Novasiri☄

Stabby Tabbi, yes

Emily Ree

She's good at it

sTabbing

snuffysam

tabbi is a good girl who would never stab anyone!

much

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Cutting edge humour.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

She's got a sharp wit.

wishjacked

Bouncing off sTabbi, I just want to say I absolutely adore how the dreamers' abilities are protrayed

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

to be fair when you have to fight nightmares thats gonna be the A+ skill. so its not the worst nickname. cause if there was a nightmare and someone was like "you could stand behind this person or stabbi" im gonna stand behind the person with stab in the name.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Incidentally, the whole Miho pulling a sword out of a crotch... is that explained in the bit I haven't read yet? Is she like the new King Arthur?

snuffysam

it's explained that tabbi can give other people her weapons a couple pages later

though im not sure if miho took it intentionally, koji made it show up accidentally, or what

Emily Ree

She surprised it out of him

wishjacked

Tabbi is probably my favorite, but the whole cast's abilities all SO unique in the way they're portrayed. Always very visually entertaining.

ha yeah that part was surprising for me, too

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

QUESTION 2. According to the Dream God, Tabbi and friends were chosen to fight the Nightmares for a specific reason and are the only ones who can do it. In matching fashion, only Tabbi and friends seem to have a total memory wipe that they are struggling to recover. Do you think the group was chosen before the incident, or was there something about the incident that caused it? What does fighting the Nightmares have to do with their special version of memory loss (or are the two unrelated)? Does this relate to whoever caused the incident and why they did it? What is the Dream God’s end goal for having the Nightmares be fought? What other theories do you have about why Tabbi and friends have such a destiny (especially in regards to what Sissy might be up to)?

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Right. I was just wondering why she'd give it to Miho I guess. Though I guess it could have been given to Koji.

I like Tabbi. It probably helps that I have a think for cheerleaders.

snuffysam

she stuck a sword in koji's crotch in case of emergencies

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Sounds hard.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Does Sissy have her memories? o_o And oh man. I honestly have no idea as to what really makes those kids different from the others, and I'm curious to find out more. Like, we know they all died -- but did all 170 kids die? From what I read it was a school shooting... Did... They all try to harm themselves?(edited)

we saw Tadgh's flashback...

snuffysam

in terms of the question, it might just be a coincidence? the gang hangs out together because they have shared experiences (i.e. no memories), and the goose is just messing with them

wishjacked

I've wondered a lot about this-- the reading comprehension loss and changing food names especially baffle me.

snuffysam

the incident was supposedly a school shooting, but they never found a gunman

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Maybe they were all the last to die.

Maybe they were all the gunmen.

snuffysam

maybe the main characters all died in particularly brutal ways

something real repress-worthy

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Nah, Tabbi was killed for... reasons. Hmm.

The language and comprehension issues could just be braindamage. Maybe they were all hit in the head when they died?

or well, shot.

their deaths involved injuries to the brain.

snuffysam

could be, but that seems kind of mundane for the biggest mystery in the comic

wishjacked

The fact that they started regaining lost memories, etc, after their first successful mission is interesting... they hypothesize that it's a gift from the Dreamgod, which DOES imply that they could've had their memories back earlier, but the Dreamgod gets to decide when they get them back and he decided to wait until it was a reward...

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Oh, I just understood the language thing to be forgetting certain English lessons.

And you can't really remember them no matter how hard you try.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yeah im skeptical its just brain damage cause i get the impression everyone is supposed to have some memory loss to an extent. its just tabbi and them are special in that its so lengthy and extreme.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

wishjacked: Interesting point. Maybe Dreamgod just knew that this is when the memories would start coming back anyway and is taking advantage of it.

snuffysam

to be fair, i imagine being dead for any amount of time, regardless of the cause, could cause some brain damage

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

"I'm not quite dead. I feel happy."

wishjacked

And the BEE GOOP THING, it KILLS ME. It's like the #1 think I spend time coming up with ideas about, hahaha. XD it's the little details that catch me every time, I swear.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

So, is it time for a conspiracy theory? I think it is. The Goose is really a nightmare that can traverse other nightmares. And it wants these kids to jack shit up so he can reign supreme. AND THE WORLD SHALL FEAR THE WRATH OF A SINGULAR CANADA GOOSE

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Made it to the end of Volume 1 now. I kinda like Devlin too.

wishjacked

well, canada geese are definitely the worst nightmare in my book, so that sounds legit

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

kabo plz dont joke about singular canada goose when i could spit out my soda on the computer to laugh. XD

snuffysam

nightmares can benefit some dreamers at the expense of others. the current nightmare is turning some kids into archangels and hierophants or whatever. though i'm not sure if that's particularly helpful, the goose could be doing something similar

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

You know it's true though!!! THE GOOSE MUST GO

but you can't make it. Because.... I mean. Have you ever tried to deal with those suckers? They will attack your car if they think it's a threat.

wishjacked

OH, I LOVE DEVLIN!! I have a really soft spot for the characters in this comic in general, they're all unique but I feel like they're all well developed enough that I can relate to each one.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

the bee goop thing really throws me for a loop. like of all the details thats in the forget zone thats the one that confuses me the most.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

http://www.anarchydreamers.com/comic/page-113 <- also this sequence. ...is that... Sissy? I just noticed.

(erm, on page 115.)

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Devlin has the literal hotness going for her. ^.^ Yeah, it's nice that they all get some character time.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i was looking for that page and just wondered that too

cause the hair and outfit made me think sissy

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I admit when I see "Sissy" I have a tendency to think of "Scientific Railgun".

wishjacked

I guess because it seems like, with that the Bee Goop, they actually remember it correctly (y'know, Tabbi calls it honey and is corrected). It brings up the question.... what if they can't remember correctly because everyone else is wrong about reality, and they're right??? But that brings up SO many REALLY WEIRD questions...

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

and i mean maybe the gunman was sissy but she killed herself and since the shooting was so massive there was no way to identify her separately from other victims

ya know part of me wondered that too

that the reality everyone came back to isnt reality

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

http://www.anarchydreamers.com/comic/page-116-2 Page 116 gives a hint as to how they all died though

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

You seem to be assuming there was only one gunman...

snuffysam

the goose also says "that was just one version of your story"

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Maybe they're all in Purgatory? O.o

snuffysam

@kabo yeah, exactly

Emily Ree

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

HMMM.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

maybe. maybe its why ppl have to semi be killed twice. kind of like those dreams where you dream you wake up but its not the actual wake up

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Possibly all the holidays from the old world just collided in April for the new one. No one remembers when they really were.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

The whole world is a dying dream? :3

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Actually, they all have to take those pills, right? If you don't take the pills, do you return to reality...?

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

maybe. i mean itd explain things like why those pills exist in the first place. cause apparently they stop the soul from leaking out from the hints i get? but if thats the case who first thought of that. like who sat there and had time to R&D magic pills that stop dreamwalkers form doing w/e when their souls leak? and what did they do before? just cover people in duck tape?

wishjacked

based on how Tabbi treats herself............. yes

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Yeah, that's what they do, I think. There were knockoff pills, maybe someone was just experimenting around some day, found a way to preserve reality around them.

Also, not duck tape, goose tape.

wishjacked

honestly I can see every member of the gang trying to patch their souls with duct tape and Tadhg just CRYING

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Well, Tabbi was using bandages or something at one point.

Maybe they're chosen because their souls can go longer without needing more pills...?

snuffysam

tabbi's also got it worse than a lot of other dreamers. like, excluding that short time when her eye was normal, her soul was constantly leaking.

Emily Ree

I can give you guys some dreamwalker history. It's not in the comic at this point, but I share this pretty freely--- a lot of dreeamwalkers didn't make it for long after they first came back, especially if they were visible changed. If they/their family could hide their abilities, they'd likely go on to live a normal life, but imagine a kid with horns in, like, 17th century Europe. They didn't make it very long.

So, soul pills became a thing after people stopped... hunting them down

this has come up in side comics not on the website XD;

But it will come up in upcoming issues, especially as Tadhg starts being able to read more

wishjacked

love the fact that the ice cream shell of Tadhg is STILL the mom friend btw, that was a really good update. XD

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Ahhhh. So this really has been going on for a while.

wishjacked

Oh, that makes sense!! I actually remember you saying that before. XD

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Some of the guest comics were a riot, incidentally.

snuffysam

i was working under the assumption that bringing people back was a more modern medical procedure, but that makes sense

wishjacked

And it definitely makes sense in like.... general human history.

Emily Ree

@snuffysam that is honestly a really interesting theory that I haven't heard before.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Don't go after Devlin for cute fire horns, that's rude.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

iiinteresting bit of history :3

Emily Ree

Medical intervention definitely helps

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

I wonder how long Dreamwalkers have been a thing, then...

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I knew it was long enough for them to have stats on it (the 83% thing).

wishjacked

And medication!! Medicine does NOT happen overnight. And legal infrastructure! And books! And holidays with religious elements!!(edited)

Also, there's the historic cemetery that Sissy mentions was one of the first to allow dreamer burials...

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Ooooh, good catch.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Hey, I take some of that stuff with a grain of salt until confirmed. I mean, look at real life -- some stuff just... pops up and suddenly has a lot of power somehow. :'D Though I did miss the cemetary, admittedly

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

It was a grave matter.

snuffysam

that's the biggest thing, yeah. being the first to do something like that wouldn't be particularly relevant unless dreamers have been around for over a century

wishjacked

That implies a pretty good amount of history, I think! I don't know much about cemetery historical status, but I'd guess it would have to be at least a hundred years old.

Yeah!

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

id assume the duration of recorded history because of how normalized it is. since nobody bats an eye to whats basically magical zombies.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Yeah, I'm guessing it means teenagers can be a bit blase about death.

Maybe the gunman shooting up the school was some kind of government experiement?

(Or goose experiment?)

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Or it could have been another nightmare ✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

QUESTION 3. The world of the comic has a unique setup where people’s stresses can manifest into monsters and dying often means being reborn as a Dreamwalker and having a second chance at life. However, Dreamwalkers also face a heavy amount of discrimination from the general populace. Why do you think Dreamwalkers are so discriminated against? Is it their powers, the fact they’re “dead,” or is something else going on we don’t know about (such as a past event)? Why do you think some Dreamwalkers stabilize faster than others? Do you think the powers are randomly given or do they have something to do with the person in question (especially in Tabbi and friends’ case)? What others questions, theories, or comments do you have about Dreamwalkers or Nightmares?

maybe theres a nightmare god that took over sissy and made her do everything. a duck to rival the goose.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Two ducks.

snuffysam

well first, there's kind of the x-men thing where non-powered people are scared of people with powers

also, people don't like differences. and it's even harder to band together when you're not all different in the same way(edited)

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Wouldn't that normalize over time though? (glances at modern society) Never mind.

Maybe it's because they call religion into question. Like, was Jesus a dreamwalker?

snuffysam

i guess some people see it as unnatural, but if it's a thing that happens without medical intervention... i dunno

not sure if religion is entirely opposed to dreamers. there's a dreamer saint.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Not entirely, but some might be. Or maybe religion kind of imploded in the face of it. Just spitballing.

Like, if you have people walking around with "Tainted Souls" or something.

snuffysam

issue is, they've been around for ages.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

So have many modern religions that people are persecuting. Hm, this is getting a bit too real for my tastes.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

gasp!

fiction mirroring reality!

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Maybe dreamwalkers skew the medical profession.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

They sure do scare nurses...

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

They do hate hospitals, right?

snuffysam

the main characters specifically do

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Well, in Tabbi's case, erryone was getting stabbed

snuffysam

but other people's experiences may vary

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Maybe that's the source of their strength then. (shrugs)

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

im leaning towards more basic thats its a powers thing. cause as much as i like reading superhero based things, i would not want an actual superhero who could destroy my city block living next door. not to mention depending on abilities that gives unfair advantages. like koji for instance. if he were to play football he could just do time shit to cheat and win.

like i feel thered be a huge list of rules specifically for dreamers to prevent unfair advantages

lest you get the cheeky ones who are like "you didnt say i couldnt do such and such in the rules "

snuffysam

maybe there are dreamer-specific leagues?

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

It's something they have to test for at the Olympics.

snuffysam

though cheer is a sport, and there are both dreamers and non-dreamers there.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yeah and at the end it varies too, their powers and what advantages they might convey. for instance, stabbing will not help tabbi win cheer unless she physically takes out the competition.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I dunno, cheerleaders with knives, kinda hot. 9/10.

snuffysam

i don't think the judges give bonus points for knives

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Awww.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I'm back to the pulling them from crotches thing. I may have issues.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

to be fair that was a weird moment. i will remember sword from the crotch for a long while

snuffysam

especially since there's still a hole in his pants

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

How did Tabbi manage to get that there.

and when lol

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

partly cause it reminded me of utena

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Rebel: OMG, so true.

Now I ship Miho and Tabbi.

Seriously though, is it possible to have a good Nightmare, you think?

For that matter... Dreamwalkers actually dream. We've seen that. Do they have nightmares that aren't Nightmares?

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

that is a tricky question

if anybody can have a nightmare that isnt a nightmare

ie can dream the dream but not manifest the evil

id assume maybe to a minor degree?

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

In which case, maybe that's something Tabbi et al can do....?

Emily Ree

Dreamwalkers can have normal, not monster creating, dreams and nightmares. But the issue at hand is when the feelings from a normal sleeping dream seep into reality

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Just like their souls :3

Emily Ree

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Kinda like Koji's dream about Tabbi's eye did. ^^

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

hmm

ill have to sit on that information and ponder

but powers. i want to assume the powers give some hint about something and theyre not just random. like devlin's make sense cause shes got a fiery personality.

Emily Ree

Oh yes!

powers are very personal

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Tabbi seems to have some connection to the knives and stuff when her brother was taunting her.

(I'm still gradually reading in the background here.)

Emily Ree

Yes!

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Possibly she used to stab televisions.

Emily Ree

ahahahahahahaha

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

And she's never stabbed since those days.

Emily Ree

I just wanted to say, I'm really enjoying this conversation. You guys are looking at all the details and it warms my heart!

A lot of the feedback I get on Dreamers is "it's weird!"

So, thank you all for really looking

✨Novasiri☄

Its a good weird~

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yes good weird. cause weird isnt always bad

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Life is weird.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i want to go metaphorical with tabbi. that the knives are a symbolism of her desire to keep other ppl away from her because she doesnt want to get hurt or something

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

(As is returning to life, apparently.)

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

like in the hospital

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Hmmm, like maybe everything's symbolic, the way it seems to be with Dev?

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

possible

crow's are the ability that throw me for a loop tbh cause everyone i can bs and debate a reason. crow i cant fathom why his powers are what they are.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

So there must be some connection to why she can cause blades to appear for other people too. Maybe she doesn't stab, but she always feels like she gets cut down?

Who was Crow again? ^_^;;

snuffysam

electric

wishjacked

BRO!!! HOW COULD YOU FORGET CROW, BRO!!!!

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

http://www.anarchydreamers.com/cast

Emily Ree

sparky crutches boy

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

QUESTION 4. Nightmares, fears and problems brought to life, are a regular manifestation within the comic’s world. In order to combat this, only the Dreamwalker Guard is legally allowed to deal with the situations. However, insofar, the Dreamwalker Guard has proven ineffectual compared to Tabbi and friends. Why do you think the Dreamwalker Guard is so ineffectual? Is there too much red tape that prevents them from helping? Is it simply apathy preventing them from caring about the situation? Or is it something else entirely? Speaking of which, do you believe the Dreamwalker Guard is hiding something about what happened at Sacred Heart High School or are the suspicions others have just a red herring?

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Oh, right, right. I'm just bad with names, you know that. Ahh, so it could be that he was always tied to his electronic gizmos.

wishjacked

I feel like Crow's ability fits him really well but I can't articulate a good reason to feel that way

He just has an ~electric personality~

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Dreamwalker Guard's just kinda jaded.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

no no i made that joke in my head already an hour ago we cant speak it aloud XD

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Might spark something.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

they are jaded but that is some extreme jading. like the equivalent of a cop going "oh hey look over there those people are getting shot. lets just eat these donuts and watch." XD

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Maybe Dreamwalker guard can't afford to pay for property damages, so they don't get involved.

wishjacked

I thought one of the recent scenes where Olga (I think it was Olga, I actually didn't reread this part recently haha) called the Dreamer Guard and they were completely uninterested until Sacred Heart was mentioned was........ an interesting scene

Emily Ree

:3 (it was Olga!)

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Is there one of those in every city maybe? Could be a competition or something.

snuffysam

a competition to be ineffective?

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

hey theres been weirder competition

but yes that scene was telling. that the minute sacred heart is mentioning suddenly its interesting

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

A competition to spend the least or save the most money or something. All they've had to shell out for is the donuts.

Or maybe it's all a front for some secret stuff they're doing downstairs in the basement.

wishjacked

With every job that deals closely with life-threatening situations, there is TONS of red tape and a TONS of people who don't feel like risking their lives, and I guess I've just been reading the guard as an ineffectual system up til now. Honestly I haven't paid close attention to them

I really like their presence in the story-- it's very nice to see systems in place to deal specifically with the dreamers!! I think that they're an important part of the worldbuilding.

And in future rereads I guess I'll have to pay closer attention to their scenes. XD

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Can't the two groups just get along? (resumes shipping Miho and Tabbi)

wishjacked

HEY, WHILE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE DREAMER GUARD, MATEO IS THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love him So Much

snuffysam

woof boy

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i would have just written off their ineffectualness as red tape if not for how they handled olga's call. like i understand emergency lines can get overwhelmed, but the fact that they answered with such disinterest concerned me. like as a dispatcher you do not handle people's problems that callously. that is how you get yelled at by managers.

snuffysam

to be fair, the dispatcher did give specific directions to call 911

also it's a dreamer holiday, so maybe a lot of the guard took the day off

wishjacked

I see any panel with Mateo in it and I think of that "I will protect it: strongly agree" meme

yes!! I found that bit pretty funny tbh

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

the dispatcher did but they also looked like someone who gave -100 cares. so i dont credit them that much.

mateo is precious

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I don't think I'm at that point yet. ^^;;

Just got through the little backstory between Tabbi and Koji in the hospital where he stops time. So sweet.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

That whole scene was ADORABLE

and again, the pacing in that was excellent. I really enjoy those little breather moments in this comic.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

so changing gears a bit cause i actually found a page that supports a theory i had. http://www.anarchydreamers.com/comic/page-114-2 i didnt read that convo close enough. what if the 6 are special because they already died before? and this dreamwalker thing is their 2nd revival which is what makes them special. and why the shooter was in tabbi's memory was trying to fully erase her existence. except the shooter expected her to full on die and not come back AGAIN

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Holy cats, that's an awesome theory.

Also may explain why they forgot more.

snuffysam

wait, but wouldn't other people have known they were dreamers beforehand?

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Maybe they weren't.

First death didn't take but they didn't become dreamwalkers either.

snuffysam

ah, i see

still, i feel like it would have been a known thing if they already died once

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Or it didn't manifest itself, maybe they still had to take pills? Dunno.

Maybe they died in a Nightmare.

I dunno, I just like Rebel's theory.

Maybe the TVs fit in too.

If you die on TV, you die in real life. No, wait.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yeah this page specifically mentions that if you die as a baby but are revived you dont get abilities because you have no personality

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Oh, huh, Rebel, good catch! That's an interesting theory

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

and i dont think itd be a known thing cause thats more a personal detail

like if i had died as a baby for a moment that would not be my conversation starter XD

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Didn't Tabbi say something about being the second twin and hence almost dying or something?

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

I imagine Tadhg also suffered from it too

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Or maybe when you become a cheerleader, you're just born again.

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Also: how is his name pronounced

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Tadhg.

snuffysam

theres a T sound somewhere

Kabocha, Marquess of ✨Sparkle✨

Taigh, according to youtube

Emily Ree

Yes!

Old Irish name

Their older sister has an old Irish name too

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Like the Colonel from Battlestar Galactica?

Emily Ree

https://youtu.be/E-F6PrKqlws

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Incidentally, just in the closing minutes here, want to mention I was impressed by successful Kickstarters. That's a non-trivial amount of extra work.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

hmmm interesting. also i feel bad for him. probably spends his life correcting ppl on how its pronounced

Emily Ree

;w;

snuffysam

and four of them, no less!

Emily Ree

The twins both have cat pun names. Tadhg sounds like the first part of "tiger" and Tabbi sounds like a tabby cat

And thank you!

I've had 5 now, with a 6th kickstarter launching on April 4th! ;w;

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Maybe it's the source of his sadness. Mispronunciations.

Emily Ree

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i hope your 6th kickstarter goes well~!

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Aye!

snuffysam

i'd stay in my room too if i knew people were going to mispronounce my name if i went out

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Also, if Tabbi's like a cat, I'm shipping her and Miho harder.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

COMIC TEA PARTY END!

Unfortunately, the scheduled Comic Tea Party time is now up~! Thank you everyone so much for reading and joining this week’s chat~! We want to give a special thank you to Emily Ree, as well, for making Anarchy Dreamers and volunteering it for our reading queue. If you liked the comic, please be sure to support Emily Ree’s efforts however you’re able to. All that being said, if you would like to continue discussing this week’s comic, we highly encourage you to do so~!

For next week, Comic Tea Party will focus on Neon Rabbit by Jordyn DeJong (wakaxo). As always, please use the next several days to read as much of the comic as you would like. We hope to see you next Thursday on March 22nd from 5PM to 7PM PDT for the chat~! Until then, happy reading~! Comic: https://tapas.io/series/Neon-Rabbit

#ctparchive #comics #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #bookclub #webcomic bookclub #comic bookclub #start faire #startfaire #comic tea party #ctp #anarchy dreamers #emily ree

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historyrepeatsitself-phff · 7 years ago

Text

Chapter Eighty-One

A/N: I really struggled with this chapter, so I do apologise and I hope you enjoy. Thank you all so much for the great reaction to the last chapter 😄 Also, thank you for 800 followers - it’s far more than I ever expected and it means so, so much 💖

A week after being told she was not wearing appropriate clothes, Emmy had her next engagement. It was a Service of Hope in the wake of the terrorist attack, and while Emmy knew that the world had much bigger things to think about than what she was wearing, she also knew that Buckingham Palace would be keeping a close eye on how she looked. And would not hesitate to slate her for dressing badly again.

She examined her reflection nervously in the mirror that morning. April had arrived, and it was a drizzly grey day outside, which made the soft light of the house feel cosy and warm. Behind her, Grace lay on her playmat – she’d just started rolling over and she was amusing herself by doing so.

Harry came in, wearing a simple suit.

“How do I look?” she asked him anxiously.

“Lovely,” he said, throwing her a smile. “And a bit boring, so Granny will be happy.”

Emmy half-smiled although she could tell he was teasing. “I want to look boring. Maybe then your grandmother will get off my case.”

“I stand by what I said. You should just wear what you want,” he replied, scooping Grace into his arms and making faces at her. She giggled, reaching forward and patting his beard with her tiny fingers.

“Easy for you to say,” Emmy muttered. “All you have to wear is a suit.”

“Yes, but that makes it so much harder,” he said, somewhat dryly. “How am I meant to stand out in a suit? If I wasn’t so damn handsome I really do wonder what I would do.”

She rolled her eyes as a smile tugged at her mouth. “When’s Skippy getting here?”

“In a bit. He texted me to say he was on his way.”

Skippy arrived five minutes later, grinning as he sauntered through the front door. “There’s my favourite goddaughter!” he crowed, reaching to take Grace from Emmy. He swooped her through the air, making her squeal with delight, before sitting her on his hip and turning to her parents. “You guys alright? Em, you look nice.”

“No!” she said, almost wailing. “I’m not meant to look nice! I’m meant to look boring!”

“Em, of course you can look nice,” Harry said, rolling his eyes. “Look at Kate. Kate always looks nice-” He cut off at the murderous glare that Emmy gave him at the mention of his sister-in-law.

The conversation returned to Kate once they were in the car on their way to Westminster Abbey, having left Skippy to babysit Grace.

“Try and be nice,” Harry was saying.

“I’m always nice,” Emmy retorted. “Kate’s the one who hates me!”

“She’d just had a bad week, and you being great at everything wasn’t making it any better,” he said gently. “I expect she’ll be fine today.”

“Hmm.” She wasn’t sure about that, but she hoped he was right. Today would be scary enough without having to worry about Kate tripping her up as they walked through the abbey towards their seats.

“You look lovely,” he said, changing the subject.

“I look boring,” she replied glumly.

“You don’t, you look very classy,” he said, lifting her hand to kiss it. His lips met her skin, sending tingles across it, setting the nerves alight. “The coat matches that hat perfectly.”

“Thank you, that’s what I was going for,” she said. “If I couldn’t look nice, at least look coordinated.”

“You do look nice,” he insisted, then he turned playful. “You got anything on under that coat?”

“And what would you do if I said no?”

“I would tell Rick to drive us as far away from the abbey as possible, somewhere where we can be alone so I could take that coat off of you and see if you were telling the truth.”

Her insides warmed; she felt a blush rising along her neck. “I’m afraid I must disappoint you. I’m wearing a dress underneath.”

Harry sighed theatrically, but before he could answer, Rick had spoken from the front seat. “Don’t apologise, Emmy, I wouldn’t have driven you away anyway. My job’s not worth that.”

She giggled lightly as Harry scowled. “Even if I asked you to?”

“To be frank, Harry, I fear Edward a lot more than I fear you. Imagine his face if you two didn’t turn up!”

As Harry snickered, Emmy nibbled on her lip. “Imagine what your grandmother would say if we didn’t turn up.”

“Who cares?” he said, desperate to stop Emmy from worrying about the Queen. “So what do you have on under there? ‘A dress’ is very vague.”

Emmy rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what he was doing. “Harry, it’s just a little black dress. Nothing special. You’ll see it later.”

“I’m just trying to spice things up a bit,” he said innocently, reaching over and taking her hand again. “I feel like since everything that happened with Kate you’ve been a bit distant.”

“I’m just worried that I’m not good enough for your grandmother,” Emmy said. “And I’m worried about upsetting Kate. And I’m worried about Grace, since England is now under a critical threat level. I just…have so much going through my head right now.”

“Maybe you need a night off,” he suggested. “You and me. Someone else can look after Grace.”

“No, I already feel like we leave her with strangers too much-”

“Em, you need a break,” Harry said. “Kate’s had two holidays this year and you haven’t even had one.”

“I don’t want a holiday,” Emmy said. “I don’t want any time away from Grace.”

He sighed, absently playing with her fingers as he tried to think of something they could do together to take Emmy’s mind off of everything.

And then, all of a sudden, an idea strolled into his head. Before he could voice it aloud, their car had slowed to a stop outside the abbey and Emmy was taking a nervous breath.

“William and Kate are waiting for you just inside,” Rick informed them, as Jamie and Kev appeared by each of the back doors, ready to let them out.

Harry shot a rushed smile at Emmy. “You’ll be fine, you look beautiful.”

He’d risen from the car before she could answer.

There were excited cheers and squeals at the sight of their arrival, with many signs showing the Londoners’ defiance in the face of the attacks. Emmy smiled and forced a wave, before hurrying to catch up with Harry and entangling her hand with his. She wanted his support in case Kate was still angry at her.

However, as they entered the majestic building in which they had become man and wife, they were greeted by smiles from both William and Kate.

“How are you both?” William asked.

“You look nice, Emmy,” Kate said, surprising her. Emmy almost did a double take, but she smiled and returned the compliment, moving slightly closer to Harry as he squeezed her hand.

“She was nice,” Emmy whispered to him, relieved.

“I told you she just had a bad week,” he said.

Emmy looked around – there were so many people gathered there to pay their respects to the victims of the attack, and for once they weren’t getting much attention. The royals were there to show their own support, not to get publicity.

Emmy’s outfit fit in well with what other people were wearing, however everyone seemed to be wearing dark colours, and a jolt of panic shot through her as she wondered whether she should’ve worn something more sombre. But it was a service of hope, not a memorial.

“Is my coat too bright?” she whispered anxiously as they followed William and Kate down the aisle – it was only cream, but it felt like it stood out a mile.

“Not at all,” he said, then grinned at her. “Stop worrying about what you’re wearing. You know I’d rather you were wearing nothing at all.”

She blushed deeply, but smiled. “I don’t think you’re allowed to say that in here, we’re in a church.”

“Another sin to add to the list,” he replied, with a shrug, and Emmy stifled a giggle as she took her seat beside him.

“Grace!” Harry cooed, scooping his baby girl into his arms from where she was sat on her playmat and lifting her up, blowing raspberries all over her face and making her giggle. Emmy watched with a smile, then looked at Skippy.

“How was she?”

“Oh, she was fine,” he said, grinning. “She’s a perfect little baby, she really is. She loved my phone, I let her play with it for a while, let her listen to all the ringtones. Although she nearly called my boss – that wouldn’t have ended well.”

Harry laughed. “She can’t have got you into any more trouble.”

“No, that’s true,” he admitted, chuckling.

“You’re in trouble?”

“Nah, I just don’t really get on with my new boss. It doesn’t matter, I’m looking for something new anyway,” Skippy explained. “Oh, how did Taylor get on in France?”

Taylor had been sent to France as part of her job, and she’d come back the day before, bringing Grace a cuddly version of the Eiffel tower with a smiley face on it.

“She enjoyed it, I think,” Emmy said. “Although she said it was a bit stressful.”

“Oh yeah? I’m going out for drinks with her tonight, I’ll see what she says,” he said casually.

“For drinks?” she answered, raising an eyebrow and wishing Taylor were here so that she could tease the hell out of her.

“Yeah, just to catch up,” he said.

“Right.” Emmy smirked, but tried not to make it obvious. However, once Skippy had left and Harry closed the door behind his best friend, Grace sat on his hip and cuddled lazily into his chest, he turned to her expectantly.

“You think there’s something going on between Taylor and Skippy, don’t you?” he said, somewhat unsurprised.

“Was it that obvious?” Emmy asked nervously. “I tried to be subtle about it.”

“Oh so subtle,” he teased, readjusting Grace who cooed and reached for the brim of her Mummy’s hat. “Really though, you might want to stop. Skippy’s got a new girl he’s been going out with.”

“Really?” She looked crestfallen. “Oh.”

He chuckled. “Your matchmaking didn’t work, I’m afraid.”

“I did nothing, I could just tell that they liked each other.”

“Obviously not,” he quipped.

She pouted at him, and he grinned, bending to kiss her. Their lips met briefly, and then again, and then as Harry pulled away Grace gripped onto Emmy’s hat so that Emmy was tugged with them.

“Oh, okay!” she gasped in surprise, laughing and pushing her hat back out of her face.

“You’re so strong, Grace!” Harry cooed, bouncing Grace in his arms and kissing the top of her head. “Look at you. So strong.”

“Are you going to be a weightlifter?” Emmy asked her, tickling under her chin. “I’m going to go get changed, okay?”

Harry took Grace through to the lounge as Emmy headed upstairs. She placed her coat and hat on the bed before grabbing her laptop and searching for the Daily Mail on it. The Daily Mail always commented on what she was wearing, regardless of the engagement she did, and she wondered what they’d said about her outfit.

The pictures of her from the day came up, standing beside Kate who looked far more solemn in her grey coat. The article, however, simply described Emmy as having “dressed for the occasion”. The comments, on the other hand, complained about the cost of her coat and purse, and some even said some nasty things about “if our taxpayer money wasn’t wasted on her clothes, we might be able to prevent some terrorist attacks”. That was a kick to the gut, and Emmy hastily slammed the laptop shut on that one, regardless of the fact that Emmy’s clothes weren’t bought with taxpayer money.

She tried to force the mean comment from her mind, but as she started to make dinner that evening Harry could tell that something was up.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, pulling her into his lap. Emmy draped her arms round his neck and buried her face into his shoulder.

“Nothing.”

“Now that’s not true,” he teased lightly. She felt so small in his arms, wearing her little black dress from the engagement that day. He remembered when she had been huge, before Grace was born, and the contrast was scary. Emmy had lost her baby weight very quickly, and Harry was keeping an eye on her to make sure she’d done it in a healthy way and to check she was still eating.

“Just a mean comment about today,” she admitted.

“Why do you read them?” he sighed.

“I get curious!” she said. “And today I wanted to see what people thought of my outfit.”

“Your outfit was lovely,” he said. “You looked simple and classic, that’s all you needed for today. Please stop worrying.”

“But your grandmother-”

“Is being fussy,” he said. “Trust me, just ignore what she said. Wear what you want, I think you’d be happier if you did.”

“I at least have to try and do what she says.”

He sighed, then shrugged. “You can do whatever you want, Em. I’ll be here regardless.”

They were both silent for a moment, as his words washed over her, and she felt considerably lighter when she leant up to kiss his jaw. “Thank you.”

Harry kissed her forehead. “I’m your husband, what did you expect me to say.”

“Maybe “man up”!”

“Am I really that mean?”

She giggled. “No, you’re not mean at all.”

He smirked at her, holding her closer to him, enjoying just being together without any worries for once.

“How would you feel about having a day out next week?” Harry asked. “Just me and you. A little treat.”

“What about Grace?”

“We’ll find someone to babysit. I think it’ll be good to just have some alone time.”

“You mean, alone time like we’re having right now?”

“Do you want to hear what I’ve got planned or not?”

“Sorry,” she said, fighting a smile as she pretended to obey him.

“I know you like Harry Potter,” he said slowly, and she wondered whether he was actually nervous to suggest it. “I was wondering if you wanted to visit the studios in Watford.”

“Really?” Her eyes lit up in delight. “Oh my god, yes! I would love to! I’ve never been and I’m dying to go!”

“I went before,” he said, then smirked. “I opened the studios.”

“Oh shut up,” she said, shoving him playfully. “Royal privileges.”

“It’s royal privileges that will get us in,” he reminded her. “Still upset I’m a royal?”

Emmy hopped out of the car, wearing her very own Hogwarts cloak and beaming. She looked up at the studios, at the large yellow building, and a shiver of excitement went down her spine.

“You excited?” Harry asked, as he joined her outside and took her hand.

“So excited,” she said, laughing in anticipation. “Where do we have to go? Over to the tickets?”

“Nah, we’re VIPs, remember?” he teased lightly, leading her over to a member of staff. “Excuse me, I was told to visit Mr Martin Brown here to arrange a tour.”

The man looked so surprised as he took in the sight of Harry and Emmy there, and he hastily nodded, calling for someone to come and cover for him while he escorted them through a backdoor into the building.

“Martin could’ve warned us,” he grumbled lightly.

Harry laughed. “I do apologise for catching you off guard there.”

“Are you both here for a tour then, your royal highnesses?”

“We are, yes,” Harry answered, squeezing Emmy’s hand. “Emmy hasn’t visited before.”

“Harry Potter fan?”

“I love them,” she said, somewhat shyly.

“Well you’re in for a good day then,” the man said, grinning. “Get your husband to treat you to some Harry Potter merchandise as well.”

Emmy raised an eyebrow in interest, then cheekily she said to Harry, “I feel like I need some new robes. And a wand.”

Harry rolled his eyes at her teasing. “Whatever you want.”

The man chuckled. “Mr Brown is just through here, sir.”

“Thank you.”

It took a tediously long conversation between Mr Brown and Harry, reminiscing about his visit back in 2013 when the studios opened, and then, finally, Harry and Emmy were alone to explore the Great Hall.

Harry was worried someone would recognise them, for all the other visitors were running around enjoying all the displays, but it seemed that everyone was too busy being excited over Harry Potter to care. As someone who had never read the books, and someone who had visited before, Harry was happy to just traipse around after Emmy and watch her having fun. She gazed at Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall’s costumes at the front of the hall.

“Oh my god,” she breathed, eyes wide. “Harry, look!”

Harry felt like a PO himself as he followed her around, walking alongside Rick and Kev who discreetly admired their surroundings too. He watched all the other visitors, paranoid that someone would interrupt. Here and there he noticed a few people give them a second look, or do a double take; some even took pictures of them, and he saw one guy take a selfie with Emmy conveniently in the background.

He felt oddly protective of her. This was the first time in a long while that he and Emmy had spent the day without Grace, and whenever their daughter was there they both spent all their energy on her. This time, he felt a little lost without having Grace to worry about.

“Let’s try butterbeer!” Emmy said eagerly, pulling him into the queue. Then she peered up at him. “Please stop worrying about people recognising us!”

“Was I that obvious?”

“You’re spending more time looking at the other visitors than at the displays,” she said, with a pout. “Try and enjoy yourself.”

“I just want you to enjoy yourself, I don’t want someone else ruining it.”

She gave his hand a squeeze. “Harry, this is the most fun I’ve had in quite a while, you don’t need to worry about someone ruining it. I’ve noticed people taking pictures of us, yeah. They’ve been staring.” She shrugged. “I’m too excited about Harry Potter to let it bother me.”

“Oh yeah?” he said, then turned playful and pouted at her. “I thought I was your favourite Harry?”

“My love for Harry Potter comes first, I’m afraid,” she teased, then perched on her toes to kiss him. “But you’re making your way up that list.”

“By being father to your child?”

“That’s earned quite a few Brownie Points, yeah.”

He chuckled. “Maybe I can earn a few more later?”

Emmy felt a blush creeping up her neck, and she smiled. “Well, we need to take the chance while we still can, before Grace starts deciding she doesn’t want to sleep at all.”

“She’s very good, isn’t she?” he mused. “She sleeps a lot.”

“She does, I’m surprised,” Emmy said. “I mean, if you think about it she only really wakes us up one or two times a night, and that’s pretty good. I’ve heard some real horror stories.”

“I think it’s because of what you did at the start,” Harry said. “Not just going to her every time she cries. She knows that you won’t come running for no reason now.”

“Hmm, I’m happy to take full credit.”

He laughed lightly. “I wonder what she’s doing.”

“Probably throwing up all over Beatrice.”

“Probably.” They laughed together.

They didn’t really get another chance to talk until they were in the car on their way home. Exhausted after a long day of walking and delighted with all the souvenirs she’d bought – including a new Pandora charm – Emmy stared sleepily out the window as she played with the cuddly Hedwig that they’d gotten for Grace.

“Em?” Harry asked, wanting to discuss something with her. He’d just gotten an e-mail about it, and he realised he still hadn’t asked her opinion.

“Hmm?”

“You know last month, when you found out about me seeing a councillor?”

“Yeah.” She sat up a bit straighter, more alert now. This was the first time he’d mentioned it since their argument.

“Well, I was thinking…you know we’re patrons of Heads Together…and there’s so much going on right now about mental health…I was thinking about…maybe…giving an interview talking about my own…experiences…with it. With mental health.”

She looked at him for a moment, and Harry had the feeling that she was wondering how many secrets about his past that he kept from her. “I mean, it’s up to you. If that’s what you want to do then you should go ahead.”

“But do you think it’s a good idea?”

“I think it’s a great idea,” she said, with a smile. “I think it’s a really brave thing to do, and I think it could help a lot of people.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Have you spoken to Edward?”

“Yeah, I wanted to see if it was feasible before I completely considered it.”

“What did he say?”

“He likes the idea too,” he said. “He said the same thing as you.”

“Great minds think alike,” she said lightly, grinning.

“Pfft,” he scoffed, then chuckled and took her hand. “I’ll give it another think though.”

“Whatever you decide, I’ll be here with you all the way through,” she replied, squeezing his fingers.

“You’re only saying that because I just spent over a hundred pounds on Harry Potter stuff for you.”

She smiled sheepishly. “No, I’d say it anyway. But that does help.”

#historyrepeatsitself-phff #Prince Harry #prince harry fanfiction #royalfanficcentral

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azunara-archive · 7 years ago

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can u believe. its an azu lore post. i know its been a while huh.

ngl i just tagged a bunch of people drac tagged yell at me if u dont want future pings

@unkorea @deadlanddisciple @littleshroomclan @fusefr @incalyscent-fr

"The eldest will go to my sister, Kast. He'll thrive in the Bone Castle, I'm sure of it." Revenant spoke, the skydancer hunched over a small nest of hatchlings, wings half-spread in a protective gesture. He wasn't looking at them, instead focusing on his mate across the nest.

"They're one of our longest standing allies anyways. It'd be a good show of faith. I think the youngest should go to Leechroot--you and I both have sisters there, and she'd be in good hands." The Nighthawk--Mephala--replied, scratching her ideas in the dirt. She was reluctant to get up and get paper and ink, preferring to stay here besides her mate and children.

"The middle child, then? Perhaps the Bloodborn--" Revenant began, only to be cut off by Mephala.

"No. I will not have any of my children near my father."

"CamelCase, then? I had family there, and they're an equally long-standing ally. Kalea spoke highly of her mother as well, and it's one of the few clans that Houndmaster approved of. It seems like high praise in my opinion."

Mephala nodded, gently scooping one of her children back into the nest--the eldest and only boy had tried scrambling out and making a run for it, but she gently nudged him back into place. His youngest sister watched the flurry of activity in the ceilings as Mephala's albino deathseekers came and went. Their eldest daughter was curled up, seemingly asleep, but the way her head flicked slightly with every movement betrayed how intently she was listening to the world around her. She likely heard every word and was pretending she hadn't. Mephala smiled to herself, humming a lullaby she remembered faintly from her childhood.

Her brother had gone, her sister was getting final words of advice from their father, and Namira was stalling. She always knew she'd leave her parent's side at some point, that was inevitable. But now that they were big enough to fend for themselves they had to leave in true Plague fashion, despite their youth. And as her parents had stated multiple times, it was too dangerous to stay in one place.

Her brother had been excited to leave on his own, departing at first light without even waiting for his parents to escort them to the edge of the territory. Namira snorted to herself--of course he'd be eager to go, he was always complaining about how quiet everything was, how his sisters never wanted to wrestle or play--nevermind that he was bigger than them and often beat them handily.

Her sister was about to take aloft with their father now, which didn't particularly surprise Namira. She always had a talent for necromancy, it wasn't surprising Revenant coddled his imperial daughter a bit more. She looked up to the sound of wingbeats as her father and sister took off. She watched them briefly before turning back to her own meager belongings.

A few old notebooks of her mother's, a pair of daggers, a worn doll in the image of the Gladekeeper, and a set of dark leather armor. There was of course the bird food and leashes and jesses their mother gave them as as well as the birds themselves in gilded cages, and each had received a trinket from Revenant's first resurrected bone construct--a good luck charm of sorts.

She pricked her feathers as she sensed her mother behind her. Mephala's shadow cast over her and Namira tied everything together before speaking, "Time to go?"

Mephala gave her daughter a gentle nudge, "You've gotten better at noticing what's happening around you. You'll make an excellent spymaster, little raven."

Namira turned to face her mother with a small smile, blinking hard to chase the tears out of her eyes. "You really think so?"

"Of course. I've included a list of some of my lesser contacts in those books. It will be a good place for you to start. Some day, you might even surpass myself. I look forward to that day." Mephala smiled at that, even as she was crying. Her throat tightened--was this how her mother had felt, long ago when they were released into the Wasteland? Mephala had been younger than Namira before her, and ill-prepared by comparison, and yet there was still that stab of anguish as she prepared to let her daughter go.

"You have your map, right?" Mephala said after a few seconds trying to recollect herself.

"Yeah," Namira said, her voice hitched high with a sniffle. "I do."

"I'll take you to the edge of the territory. You'll have to fly the rest of the way through the Plateau, and then you'll have to cross through the Wasteland before you reach the Tangled Wood--but it'll be okay. The Plateau is an easy flight, and you have Plague magic in your blood. You won't fall susceptible to anything there, and you're a swift flier. You can outrace anyone who gives you trouble, and most won't if you tell them you're the daughter of the Nighthawk. Your birds will give your heritage away sure enough."

"Still, you be careful. Send me a bird when you make it, okay? And don't take any unneccesary risks."

Namira nodded, unable to bring herself to speak. She made a choked noise before crashing forward to embrace her mother, burying her face into her mother's shoulder one last time.

"I love you, my little raven. Fly swift, fly well."

It had been a few hours since her mother had turned back to the small stretch of territory they owned. Namira had flown a swift pace to get through the Plateau as quickly as possible, but now she had slowed down significantly, each wingbeat cause a pulse of pain along her spine.

The bird cages on her sides rattled as the crows inside chirped irritably, and her belongings weighed heavy on her. Still, she had to find a safe place to land. She scanned the Wastelands below her and for miles it was flat stretches of land. Too exposed for her tastes. Closer to the Arcane border there was a forest of sorts--rotted and still pestilent like much of the land, but at least she could find a place to lay low and sleep for the night.

She tilted her wings and adjusted her flight, soaring onwards. It took another hour of steady flying before she was over the forest itself. As she drew closer, she saw a huge pillar of white stone, dappled with bleeding red pools. It unsettled her for some reason, and she veered away from it. Perhaps staying in the forest wasn't such a good idea after all. She sighed, rallying herself for another few hours of flight.

Suddenly, her back and wings became ablaze with pain as something crashed into them, as if someone was shredding her upper half with thousands of claws and teeth. She twisted, plummeting as she tried to see what was attacking her. The creature was blurry, hard to pinpoint as it moved erratically, as if her brain refused to recognize it.

It clawed its way higher into the sky for a second swoop and Namira let herself fall further, eyes squinted as she tried to figure out what the thing was. It appeared almost like one a heartred croaker, with huge fleshy wings and a reptillian face. But something was very wrong with it.

Its wings were crimson, but that was because it was lined with hundreds of visible veins, making the wings pulse with each movement. Namira realized now that the underside of its belly was crimson with veins as well, a rosy shade of red that stood stark against the sky. It had no eyes either, instead empty sockets with roses sprouting from them, and flashing rows of teeth as it snapped at the air aimlessly.

The ground rushed up to meet her--boughs of blood red trees and bone white branches stretching for her in a fatal catch. She frantically braced her wings to try and slow her descent--the beast above her had no such fear of the ground evidently as it dove madly towards her at full speed.

Namira squeezed her eyes shut as she collided with the trees, hearing the branches snap and break under her weight. The branches tore at her flesh and she winced in pain. However, slowing down had prevented her from the fate that the beast was experiencing. It dashed itself against the trees, moving too quickly and impaling itself on a branch.

She let herself fall to the ground and collapse, panting hard. After several seconds she did a quick assessment--miraculously, all of her belongings were intact, and the birds in the cages were rattled and angry but otherwise unharmed. "Thank the Gods," Namira whispered as she sat up on her haunches, looking around her. Night was rapidly falling, and she had to find somewhere to camp for the night. She started slowly moving in a direction, limping along in pain.

Half an hour later and she realized everything still looked largely the same--she was definitely lost and had zero way of figuring out any rhyme or reason to this forest. "Figures," Namira hissed to her birds, "I bet the others got to where they needed just safely, and here I am stuck in this damn forest."

She shook herself, trying to calm herself. "Okay, okay. What would Mom do? She wouldn't panic, right, so I gotta stay calm. Just stay calm. It'll be alright."

"Namira, come quickly! Help!" A voice rang out and Namira froze. It was her brother crying out for help, and she raced towards the voice, ignoring her pain. His voice grew louder, more desperate, when she suddenly froze. There was no way he would be here.

His route took him much farther south, closer to the Water border than the Arcane border. What was he doing calling for help?

"Namira, please!" Her sister's voice rang out then, followed by a chorus of her mother and father and brother all begging her for help. She recoiled, confused and afraid as the forest came alive with the desperate pleas of her family.

Something was coming now--she could see something moving swiftly through the trees. Its movements were erratic and too quick for her eyes to follow, much like the beast she had faced earlier. The voices followed after it, chorusing along as it screamed. Namira backed away, wings fluffed up in distress.

"Go away!" She yowled, setting off running once more. The voices followed, except instead of a chorus of pleas for help they became mad laughter, her entire family howling in mocking laughter.

Then she realized there was literal howling.

Something crashed into her, knocking her into the ground. The forest came alive with a chorus of snarls, and Namira was aware something was standing over her. She curled up in fear, wings folded over her head as she tried to make herself as small as possible.

There was a shriek in the woods as the horrible laughter became different voices, then howls of anger, then silence. Namira opened an eye to see a huge black wolf standing over her. The wolf had shots of silver in their fur and was covered in scars, yet it still snarled ferociously as it kept a protective position.

She realized then she wasn't alone--other dragons had come. There were two imperials, both wearing ferocious wolf capes, and a wildclaw with a dark wolf pelt matching the wolf that stood atop Namira. One of the imperials then spoke up, the one with a white wolf fur cloak.

"S'good thing we heard you, huh?" She said with an easy grin. "You would've been dinner for that beast if we hadn't come along."

"Are you well?" The other imperial asked, moving closer to inspect her. The wolf stepped away to stand by the wildclaw, letting the imperial look closely at Namira. Namira froze as the huge imperial loomed over her, yet there was something familiar about the dragons, something in the smell.

The wildclaw came closer then, wiping her sword clean and sheathing it in one smooth move. She inspected Namira, head tilted, before she finally spoke, "One of the Blood Queen's spawn."

Namira blinked in confusion, peering at the wildclaw. How--?

"Her magic's odd, though. S'got nature and arcane along with Plague." The white-wolf imperial piped up. "Smells like home too."

"...Then they lived." The gray-wolf imperial mused. "Unbelievable. I thought we were the only survivors."

Namira shuffled upright, squinting at her rescuers. "Wait, who are you? Do you know my parents?"

"My name's Kalea!" The white-wolf imperial chirped, and then gestured to her twin, "This is Kyrja."

"And I'm Mellori," the wildclaw stated calmly, a hint of amusement tracing her features as Namira's eyes widened.

"The Houndmaster?" Namira asked, "Mom and Dad talked about you, said you were one of the bravest dragons they knew."

"And humor me, who were your parents of Saeva Renatus blood?" The wildclaw said.

"Mephala and Revenant."

"As I figured. It's good to hear others of our clan managed to survive." Mellori seemed pleased by this knowledge. "I was always sad that our pack had been crippled so."

"We should get her back to the camp." Kyrja said calmly, "She's pretty hurt."

"C'mon, hop on my back." Kalea grinned, stretching out so Namira could clamber aboard. The skydancer obliged, and from her perch realized that beyond these dragons there were numerous strange creatures--bone constructs like her father's, but imbued with steel as well and dog-shaped. Such was the Pack of the Houndmaster, she supposed.

"Y'think Anaimia will be angry?" Kalea asked as she padded along. Namira simply listened to the conversation--now that she was safe she was too exhausted to really contribute. She hadn't realized how tired she was.

"Doubt it. She has strong lineages and I'm sure even Anaimia has heard of the Nighthawk," Kyrja replied.

"Oughta let her stay, then. I kinda feel bad for her, though. Never gonna get to where she was going." Kalea's voice was quiet, and Namira could barely hear it.

"She'll be safe here." Mellori said smoothly, "I will keep an eye on her, as a child of my packmates. The--" Mellori's voice drifted away, or perhaps more accurately, Namira drifted away into sleep, lulled by the rocking movements of Kalea.

Her last thoughts before she fully slipped unconscious was how would she explain what happened to her parents.

#stupid text posts #fr lore #starring mell and the wolf pups a crowd fave #and a mephrev spawn #listen its nearly 4am #forgive me for errors

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dangpankoozie · 7 years ago

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My thoughts on 7x19 and the promo

1. Aria…what is with the bad lying fml 2. Lucy literally just KILLED that scene with Dunhill omg (I love Lucy so much) 3. "glad you agree" gave me chills fml 4. Listen Spencer I literally give 0 shits about your Mary drama people are dying 5. Why would the daughter of a politician and the daughter of a real estate company owner need money? It's not money that's in the Lost Woods for Spencer to find is it (calling IT!) 6. How much can a ratty haunted motel cost anyway 7. Gas leak? Why? What's the point of trying to kill them? What do they have against bilaurentis? 8. …….it's just a dream sequence….the most hyped up scene is a goddamn dream sequence (good job, Mar!) 9. Emma Thorwald? Who dat? 10. Both fell asleep while watching the game,,,,disappointed but not surprised 11. ARE YOU KIDDING ME. THAT'S ALL OF THE NAT WE'RE GETTING? 12. "How did we both fall asleep" idk you tell me Alison lmao 13. DON'T IMMORTALIZE SPALEB LIKE THAT SPENCER WTF 14. Kind of digging this spaleb bromance,,,, kind of not 15. Caleb and Ezra? What 16. Kind of creepy if you realise Ezra used to teach at the school Caleb went to (and now they're bromancing!?) 17. But who cares that Ezra used to be a creepy stalker-teacher who exploited little girls right (love is love, innit?) 18. Side note: IAN PORTRAYS EZRA SO WELL AND I LOVE HIM SO MUCH 19. The way Ezra literally pounced? On Aria? Wtf? #shady stalker-teacher right there 20. Ezra and the "body in my trunk "moment was much needed comic relief 21. That frozen …oh tf expression IS LITERALLY ME 22. Sudden appearance of the Two Crows Diner is…sudden 23. "did he go back to the car?" yes Spencer in his invisibility cloak,,,clearly he is in the car 24. Why do Caleb and Mona have a chemistry that just…is good? It's natural but WHY 25. FIRST IT'S THE COFFEE, THEN IT'S THE PIE, THEY'RE HANNA'S #PARENTS CONFIRMED! 26. "we swim around in this fishbowl like we're in control,,, we are NOT" killed me. This is the line that made me like this episode. Janel Parrish deserves so much more than this show has given her 27. Hanna and Caleb: bickering 28. Me: oh my GOD! Who. THE HELL. CARES? 29. Mona is Houdini #confirmed 30. AD sending messages like that. THIS IS THE AD IM INTERESTED IN not the one that used emojis for the lols 31. Alison apologizing to Aria signals character development and I AM HERE FOR IT 32. The petals falling on Hanna….i literally died 33. Can we just. All take a moment. To thank our lord and saviour for giving us that amazing scene between Charlotte and Mona. Just. OH MY GOD. This is the quality acting that used to prevail on PLL. THIS IS WHAT I SIGNED UP FOR. THANK YOU VANESSA RAY AND JANEL PARRISH. I didn't even have any words. HOLY HELL. I LOVE THIS. 34. THIS IS HOW YOU DO A REVEAL, PEOPLE! 35. But what I don't get is this: if Charlotte just wanted to fool everybody so she could play the game again, what was the point of revealing herself in 6X10 in the first place? 36. Mona killed Charlotte so that her friends won't get hurt again 37. Said friends continue to exclude and hurt Mona 38. #give mona better friends 39. Spencer and Hanna taking such good care of Mona is my aesthetic 40. Wait…..so there is literally no significance in the result of that puzzle? It's not a mask, or a grave, or a map or an ultrasound or anything? It's just a stock image? Good job, PLL! 41. Aria being wise but also being too late is literally me 42. THAT MOMENT WHEN THEY JUST WALKED OUT OF THERE AND BUSTED THEM WAS AMAZING. LINDA TANNER IS THE SAVIOUR THAT THE ROSEWOOD PD NEEDS BUT CANNOT HAVE 43. Okay so Mary Drake taking the fall for them is literal PROOF that she gave Alison and Spencer the Lost Woods not for the money but because there is something important inside 44. So Archer Dunhill was just a con man? That's it? I don't like this irrelevance 45. Why was he British then? What's the point of riling Wren theorists up like that? 46. Mary doing the shush…I still don't trust her. 47. Alison finding out who killed her mom through a live interrogation. Why do they hate her so much? And how did Spencer conveniently forget to tell her friend who killed her mom? 48. You guys I really love how empathizing Spencer, #1 Anti-Mona Stan is being right now. She knows how it's like to be pushed over the edge and to need help. I really like this. This is so heartwarming and beautiful. 49. Why the hell is Toby not here? Why are they making him so shady suddenly? What is the Purpose? 50. I thought Wren was going to be in more episodes? Where is he? I think he filmed scenes but they didn't make the final cut; probably because he was too shady and they revealed too much (hopefully) 51. Okay I honestly think that hyping up the blunt weapon was such a clever move. They made us get so worked up over it and threw hints everywhere but then they SIKED us in the BEST possible way. I LOVED that little tidbit of detail, how the evidence was right there. It's just such clever writing, something this show hasn't exhibited in such a long time. 52. MOST IMPORTANT: WHERE. IS. JASON. The writers haven't said shit about Drew coming back YET they SAT DREW DOWN and told him the whole story before the others knew. Is it because they wanted him to empathize with AD and portray him better (yes please!) I did hear he would be coming back for 7B? But he's not here? And Drew himself didn't really say much about it? Shady shit. 53. I mean, Jason literally did get the worst life out of every character in the series, and he got the least help for his problems. So honestly, it makes sense if all of that pent-up anger results in AD. And he's out of the country all the time, but he still is always in New York when Alison wants to meet him? 54. Ezra being plenty shady too. Writing another book? DYING? Hopefully lmao 55. So Lucas' relevance to this story is over? Arcturus was his big reveal? Why? And what's the explanation for sharing that look with Aria? 56. Mona saved this show you guys. THEY BETTER TREAT HER RIGHT AND NOT KILL HER OFF NEXT WEEK ISTG. 57. Yup! Just leave the game game there why don't you? Best decision ever! 58. A riding into the sunset like that was very LOL and very why?? At the same time 59. THAT PROMO? KILLED ME. 60. Snowglobes? snOWGlobES? TOBY AND JENNA! RELEVANCE! YES! 61. Lmao see I TOLD YOU Mary was shady. Attacking (? I think) her daughter like that lmao 62. Melissa's scene is probably a flashback. The mood of that snippet is different and she's smiling and was that a horse (?) and the filter is less stark than the rest of the snippets in the promo 63. Addison? And Jenna? ?????? 64. Listen listen listen if they make a spin-off starring Addison as Alison II and her minions LITERALLY NO ONE WILL WATCH IT so just don't waste your money Freeform 65. "I cant marry ezra" hate to say I told you so but I told you so 66. "I can't marry ezra" LITERALLY WHAT WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO TELL YOU SINCE SEASON 1 EPISODE 1 67. OMG what if halfway through the Ezria wedding Aria realizes she didn't forgive Ezra for the book and she pulls out halfway which is when AD swoops in and steals the show ??? #yes 68. WREN. WITH A GUN. GUN. IN WREN'S HANDS. WREN HOLDING GUN. GUN HELD BY WREN. I really think Ezra is going to die yallz 69. Don't think they're going to make Wren AD anymore though, if he's in the promo like that. Still rooting for him, but probably not. 70. Okay what if Ezra wrote another book and kept it shush from Aria and AD got hold of it, and saw that Ezra actually got something right in his life for once, and hence sent Wren (assuming AD is Adynamic Duo/team) to shoot him!! BUT NOT BEFORE they sent the liars a draft because the #truth is important and hence making Aria stop short of the worst life decision she ever made lmao

Best episode in a long time but that's because of Janel Parrish, Ian Harding and Vanessa Ray. Lucy Hale did good too. But Janel Parrish stole this episode. LOVE HER SO MUCH. If she does anything after PLL I will 100% watch it

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