#Less friends could be reach. There was a point where it just kept jumping a loop every time I messaged Maxine.

[foxgirlmoth]

I had a timeloop dream that feels like it should be fucking me up a lot right now mentally.

[luveline]

coworker James au could i request kne where maybe reader starts her period at work unprepared and bleeds through so James gives her his jumper and she's like wtf but also thank you <33

James worries about you reluctantly until you need his help. Then he’s less begrudging. fem, 1k

“Why are you wearing that?” 

James digs through the office fridge for his oat milk. “What’s wrong with it?”

“I’m just wondering.” 

“It's cold out. People wear jumpers when it’s cold.” James grabs the oat milk from the deep recesses of the shared fridge and lets his tricep flex as he stands. Does he think you’ll care? No. But he does it anyway, he doesn’t work out for nothing. You probably can’t tell with the jumper, anyhow. 

He’s expecting you to wrinkle your nose or fake a keck. You look at him funny. 

“What’s wrong? You’re poorly,” he says. 

“I’m not poorly, I just want some toast.” 

“There’s no butter,” James says. No point letting you wait by the fridge. 

You nod dispassionately. “Well, that makes sense.” 

“I have a tangerine in my bag.” 

“Okay, thank you.” 

You’re definitely poorly. You wander out of the kitchen, James assumes to sit back down at your desk while he makes his coffee. He could make you a cup at the same time, it might help you pep up for the rest of the day, but he hasn’t made you any before and why should he start now? Everyone gets sick, it doesn’t make you less of a dick. 

Even as he thinks it, he realises what he’s doing. James Denial Potter, what use is it anymore, pretending he doesn’t like you? You piss him off royally, but disdain? It’s like everyday you’re getting prettier and sweeter and softer in the eyes and James just has to watch. 

He takes his mug to his desk. You’ve already posed his little Smiski figurines to be standing next to each other, though now you’re nowhere near his desk, instead having flopped toward the left side far from his reach with your face in your hand. 

He sighs and grabs his back. The tangerine lays at the bottom near his lunch box, and it begs to be kept, but you’re looking too sick to ignore. It’s cruel to leave you without, at this point. “Here,” he says, popping the orange on the border of your two desks. “Quick, before you pass out.” 

“Thank you,” you mumble. 

It’s sad to watch you eat the orange. Your chewing is morose, your eyes tracking up and down your screen with little hurry. 

He cracks too quickly. “You okay?” he asks. 

“I’m fine.” 

“Do you want a cup of water?” 

“James. I’m fine, I’m just tired.” 

You stand and stretch with a sad moan, joints popping audibly, your arm over your eyes as they do. You let it fall and begin to walk away from the desk nook toward the bathroom, and that’s when James notices your accident. 

He jumps up from his seat, his hand held forward and trying to catch you before you can get too far away. He takes your hand, to your confusion, pulling you back toward him. 

“James, I’m fine,” you say, clearly shy. 

“You’ve bled through.” 

Your face fills with palpable, horrified mortification. “What?” 

“The seat of your trousers,” he says quietly. James can’t confess to caring about discretion when it comes to human function, but he doesn’t think you’d enjoy your private business being shouted across the office. “It’s not a lot.” 

You freeze. 

He lets your hand fall. 

“It’s okay,” he says, frowning at your embarrassed pouting and the glossy shine that’s formed over your eyes. 

“I don’t know what to do,” you confess under your breath. 

It’s so stupid because it’s not vulnerable, you aren’t some wounded animal that needs his help, but he has that awful aching sorriness for you that he can’t bite back. You’re not his friend and he’s sympathetic anyways, he’d never let you feel embarrassed over something you can’t help because he knows exactly how it feels (even if your particular affliction isn’t one he suffers). James nods at you decidedly and leans forward, grabbing the neck of his jumper and pulling it off quickly. 

“Here,” he says, his hair tickling his ears as it falls back into place. He offers the jumper. You don’t take it. 

“James, I might…” 

“No, it’s okay. It’s fine. Just take it and I’ll see if I can sort something out. I’ll get Lily for you. What do you think?” 

“Are you sure?” you ask. 

“Of course I’m sure. Tie that around your waist, yeah?” 

You take the jumper from his hands. “I’m really sorry.”

“Sorry? It’s fine, it happens.” 

“You don’t even like me and you’re always doing things for me,” you say, wobbly. 

James blames the hormones he thinks you might have ravaging your system right now. You’re tired, you clearly didn’t eat enough at breakfast, and you’re on your cycle. It’s not a nice mix of things to experience, and to pile some public humiliation on at work must make crying inevitable. 

He takes your elbow into his hand, bending just so to put your faces on better level. “We don’t always get along,” he says softly, “but that doesn’t mean you have to do things by yourself, without anyone to look out for you. Okay? This isn’t a big deal to me.” He gives your elbow a mild shake. “Okay?” he asks again. 

You sniffle but don’t cry. “Yeah, okay.” 

“Okay. Don’t worry, angel. Those trousers were a choice anyway.” 

You wave him away with a weak laugh. 

James walks one way in search of HR and you slink to the bathroom with his jumper around your waist. And Remus, who’s gaze had been summoned by the rapid departure of you both at the same time, sits gobsmacked at his desk. James had looked not even a millisecond from kissing the frown from your lips, his thumb pressed with tender care to your arm, and you’d just let him do it, the rigid set of your shoulders relaxing the longer he touched you. 

Remus takes his phone from his pocket to text Sirius. Need to talk to you about James

What’s he done? 

Remus sort of thinks his friend might be falling in love. It’s gonna be a total disaster.

[mysticalsoot]

someone to live with

part 2 to someone to (not) die with

➸ note; i know i said id post this at 8- but I was watching heartland with my mom and like.. sobbed like a baby anyways, hope you enjoy!!

➸ pairing; revivebur x gn!reader // c!wilbur x gn!reader

➸ summary; after wilbur's death and a too long to think, you ask your sister to help you. she does but maybe her methods work a bit too well.

➸ warning; slight hurt/big comfort, suicide mentions, kissing, easily forgiving reader, ghostbur goes to a happy limbo, probably swearing

➸ age-rating; 15+

➸ wordcount; 3.1k

main masterlist // part 1

wilbur's funeral was quicker than most, and not many people showed up. if anything, it was mostly you and his father and brothers. Niki came by, your sister Grace did too. but in all honesty, not many people bothered to pay their respects.

you also kept it quiet, taking a few days before the funeral to really let everything sink in, to let the fact he left the bouquet you gave him on the spot he wanted to be buried. it was just by the hill he used to sit on, the one he took you to and told you all about his dreams for the future. for lmanburg and for the future you both hoped to share.

you wouldn't be sharing that future now.

despite that; the time since wilbur's death went by slowly, and was utterly agonizing. your home felt colder, although it could've been winter slowly creeping up, you chalked it up to the lack of your partner. or maybe it was his ghost that wandered your halls that emanated that cold. or maybe he just contributed to it. whatever it was, you found yourself spending more time out in the snow sitting by his grave than sitting by the fire in your living room.

you'd talk to him, or rather the corpse of his that was buried a few feet down in a hand built coffin that his older brother forged through anger. Techno wasn't known for tears.

but you were. you wouldn't be surprised if your tears eventually froze over whenever you spoke to his grave, as the days were getting colder and the chill of the wind started to burn your cheeks.

ghostbur was nice, you thought. a nice distraction. he was kind and sweet and he was all the good of Wilbur and more. he wasn't Wilbur, he made that clear, but you knew that the moment you met him. he caught you on a less than good day, wandering around your house, mindlessly walking the halls and dissociating to the point you weren't sure what was going on or where you were.

but he came knocking on your doorstep, friend behind him. you took him in, since he had nowhere else to go. you helped him stable up friend, put him in the pen and set him up in the fields while you brought ghost in and helped him warm up. you kept him away from the snow and cold, helping him become afloat again. he stayed back with you, keeping an eye on you and giving you blue any time he could. he loved spending time with you, caring for you.

he was a good friend, and he hoped that's what he always would be.

no matter how many times you'd tell him how wonderful of a friend he was, he wouldn't believe it. even when you brought up the time he saved you a week after he walked into your life. you were so close to ending it all, jumping off the edge and joining your wilbur. but he stopped you, he managed to talk you down and he held you and promised to protect you, and that he did. he protected you, he cared for you and even if your relationship was platonic at best, he was a wonderful partner.

meanwhile, wilbur was pent up in limbo. pacing the platform, listening to the sounds of the train passing by not once stopping for him. he was going crazy, mind you he already was, but this was a whole new level.

there wasn't much to do up there, time passed so much more slowly. there weren't any books to busy him with, all he could do was sit and listen to the screeching and taunting of the train. the sounds drove him mad, a constant reminder of what he can never reach, what he can't get back. what he destroyed with his selfish ways.

he nearly ripped his hair out, with the way regret and stress was eating at his dead form. he was tired, lost and he couldn't get it out of his mind what mistakes he'd made. the long list of things he'd ruined with his own presence.

sometimes he'd wonder if it's better that he's dead. maybe he shouldn't bother with troubling thoughts of how to get back. you must be thriving, he hopes you're thriving.

you weren't. it's crawling up to the two month anniversary, and to say the least, you were losing it. you were good at pretending, pretending that you were okay and healing but in reality; you weren't. you were staying up at night, clinging to his old trench coat and shutting your eyes in hopes you could pretend he was there and would materialize into his coat at any moment. it felt stupid to do this, but it kept you from being pushed onto the ledge.

"Grace?" you whisper, holding your cup of tea close to your chest, sitting behind her counter at her flower shop. your sister was always a safe place for you, especially when you couldn't sift through your thoughts on your own. she helped.

"mm?" she hums, turning to face you with a smile before returning to the flowers she was working on. a small winter themed display for the Christmas festival she was preparing for. as for every other shop owner in L'manburg.

"have you.. have you learnt anything about revival?" you managed to mumble out, eyes casted down on the floor as you set aside your tea.

"I've done some research," you didn't catch the way she froze for a moment, as if she was buffering. and you especially didn't know that her research pertained to reviving the same person you wished to.

"how much?"

"enough." she sighs out, tying a ribbon around the bunch of stems, placing the bouquet on display before cleaning up her workstation.

"how hard is it? to revive someone, I mean." you bit your lip, nearly drawing blood before you quit, looking away again but this time outside the front windows.

"is this about wilbur?"

she didn't need to ask, she already knew. it's always about wilbur. you fidget with your fingers, wringing your hands together as you shrug, "maybe."

"if.. and I mean, if. if you revive him, he may not be the same," Grace frowns, walking over to you and bringing you into a hug. for a younger sister, she acted like an older, doting sister occasionally.

"at least I'll have him back, y'know?" you shrug again, raising your shoulders before dropping them in defeat, leaning deeper into her hug.

"I'll help," she draws in a breath, calculating her next words as she steps back to look at you, "if you promise to not blame anyone but him if he comes back an ass, okay?" she cracks a smile, chuckling softly at her own words as your own lips curl up and you roll your eyes.

"fine-" you pause, mind reeling as you remember ghostbur. how could you hurt him?

"what will happen to ghostbur?"

Grace shrugs, pulling away and turning to grab some more flowers to put together, "he'll be sent to limbo."

"so he'll die?" regret bubbles up in your throat like bile, and your eyes widen at the thought.

"no, no," she starts before stopping, biting her bottom lip, "he'll go to his own limbo."

"is that good?"

her shoulders lift, mouth curled in a frown and uncertainty paints on her face, "in theory, yes. I'm sure he'll be fine. it's- he'll be okay."

"if.. if getting back wil hurts ghost- i- I can't do that to him, Grace," your lips curl downwards and you step into the main area of the shop, grabbing some baby's breath and setting it on the counter by your sister.

"it won't hurt him. i promise," she rests her hand on yours, shooting you a soft and sympathetic gaze.

you take in a breath and nod, "okay, when can we start?"

you were sure that the rivival process was long and tedious, and maybe it was but-- grace liked to work alone. she'd update you when you showed up at her shop every morning, reassuring you that everything was fine.

it was a few days before ghostbur disappeared, which grace warned you about. you just hoped he was okay. despite the lack of the beloved ghost, you still hadn't found wilbur, and Grace was becoming more suspicious.

she avoided your questions, choosing short answers and it seemed like she was pulling herself at both ends, spreading herself thin. you were worried but Tom didn't know anything, and Grace wasn't letting you in on it anytime soon.

"why can't I see them, grace?" wilbur pried, sitting on the bench in the back of Grace's shop.

"I don't trust you yet. you haven't proved to me that you won't hurt them," she toyed with the ribbon she held, melting the ends to keep it from freying.

"you've threatened me enough, I think that's plenty of reason-"

"no, wilbur, you killed yourself and left them off on their own. threatening isn't enough for you to get it through your head that your fucking existence could hurt them! sometimes that's all you do," she scoffs, placing down the ribbon and picking up the next one, sealing the ends again. she takes a moment, listening to the silence of the room, the silence that's fallen on wilbur. she rolls her eyes, huffing before she continues, "I'm sorry, okay? but I've had to watch my sibling suffer because of your decisions, and they suffered longer than you've been dead," she pauses, shutting her eyes and taking a breath before continuing, "I'm not trying to be hard on you, I promise but- just, please understand, wil."

"I know, I know I've hurt them but I promise, I can make it better. weren't they the one that asked to revive me?" he counters, standing up and making his way to stand beside grace, towering over her and resting his hand on her shoulder.

"yes, they were but- I warned them and I just don't want them hurt."

"I won't hurt them," he starts, resting his hands on both her shoulders, "I promise."

she pulls back, "fine, but remember the second I catch wind that you've hurt them, say goodbye to living. and your reproductive organs."

"I think killing me is good enough," he laughs softly, pulling grace into a hug and mumbling, "thank you, so much,"

"yeah, sure."

"I'll see you later, yeah?" wilbur's lips curl into a smile as he practically bounces towards the door. he hurries out of the flower shop, determination taking over and hope filling his veins.

all the while you're out by his grave, again. maybe you should build something in honor of ghostbur, you think. he's not here anymore, hopefully in a better place so surely you should do something to honor his memory. just like you did with wilbur. like you always did.

you sifted your fingers through the grass, tugging at it gently, trying not to fully rip it but just mess with it. your mind runs miles an hour, wandering through thoughts and feelings that haven't quite healed yet.

moss has begun to grow on his headstone, flowers grace planted around it now blooming up around the stone. it's heavily weathered, the words.

'wilbur soot. beloved son, friend, partner, brother and president. 1996-2020.'

they're painted on and the snow and sleet has worn it down, its barely visible. the words ghost on the stone. but you have it memorized, by reading it over before you had it made, and then reading it over and over again for hours every day since his death. like a mantra, even if it has no purpose other than to hurt you.

you'd been sitting there for who knows how long, your fingers felt like icicles but you barely noticed the pricking cold. you weren't sure what you were hoping for, praying for by sitting alone but it was something.

the sound of fabric waving in the wind, and footsteps crunching on the grass, and then the scent hits you; cigarettes and cologne. mixed together and hitting your nose sharply. you bite your lip, letting your breath catch in your throat, not bothering to look behind you.

"wilbur?" you mumble, and then you hear his smile form, a little puff of air let out with it.

"hello, my love," he stands beside you, waiting for you to invite him to sit with you. you glance up at him, mouth slightly agape.

"you're alive."

"yeah, I am. thank god grace let me go. finally-" he chuckles, and for the first time in a while, you smile. a genuine smile.

"what? she kept you cooped up?" you pat the spot beside you, keeping your eyes up on you.

"yes, she did. and she threatened my livelihood," he follows your guide, sitting beside you and letting his legs stretch out before him. you finally catch a glance at the discoloration on his face, the bruises and patches of skin too pale or too tan.

"oh? so she threatened to neuter you?" you meet his eyes finally, smile soft but clear on your face.

"that's her favorite threat," he chuckles softly, fingers twitching as if he was going to reach for you. he takes a sharp breath, looking forward and out on the horizon over the hill. he takes a moment before pulling something out of his trench coat pocket, but you stop him short.

"you grabbed the coat?" you frown, fingers reaching out to play with the fabric, rubbing it between your fingertips. you glance up at him and he finally reaches forward, hand on your cheek and thumb rubbing your skin.

"it wasn't the only thing I grabbed," he sucks in a breath, pulling his hand away and taking out two rings, the rings he left for you, "i found them, on the mantle and i- I wanted to do what I didn't before."

"so you've been in our house?"

"is that what you take from this?" he chuckles, leaning forward and kissing your forehead. to his surprise, you don't flinch away but rather lean into it and sigh.

"maybe, but- are you.."

"proposing? if you're okay with it," he starts, pulling the rings off the string and putting his hand out for yours. you nod and give him your hand. he slips the ring on and begins again, "will you marry me?"

"mmm.. I don't know- will I?" you crack a smile before chuckling softly, "yes, yes I will. idiot."

he pulls you into a hug, your right leg tossed over his lap as you both pull one another closer. and then you pull back and reach your hand out, palm up.

"what?"

"the ring, it's only fair."

"oh?" wilbur smiles, handing you the wedding band he intended on wearing. you slip it on his ring finger before kissing each of his finger tips.

"I missed you,"

"I missed you too," he leans closer, resting his hand on your cheek again and stroking the skin.

"mm, I'm sure you've had plenty of time to miss me," the corner of your mouth twitches upwards into a smirk. you stand up, reaching your hand down for him to take as you help him up to stand. he rests his hands on your hips, squeezing gently before leaving a kiss on your cheek.

"too much time," he mumbles, holding you close and hugging you, "I'm sorry, for all I've done. I know that no words can account for all that I've put you through but I- I hope you can find a way to put up with me."

"don't worry, I forgave you a while ago. you were stupid but, dream is dead and it's because of what you pulled. we have you to thank for that."

"I'm still sorry," he winces, and you grab his hand, leading him back to the cabin as you shrug.

"I know, and you're going to have to do a lot more than say sorry for other people. but for me, you're lucky I missed you so much. otherwise, I probably wouldn't have asked to have you revived."

"I know but-" you shoot him a warning look, silently telling him to shut his trap before he starts whining again, "okay, okay, I get it."

"good, now- let's go enjoy ourselves yeah? get you a shower and go to bed. because, love you, darling but you reek." you chuckle, tugging him by his hand up the stairs of your porch, hurrying in and shutting the door behind you.

he pulls you to him by your hips, swaying you gently before he leans down to pull you into a kiss, lips licking together in a way they haven't in over six months, you think. much longer than he's been dead.

you reach your arms up, wrapping them around his neck as you both tug one another together, your bodies now pressed up. the warmth he spreads wraps around you and you've never felt more at home.

the kiss doesn't end until you both have to gasp for air, and you drop your head to press against his chest. he rubs your back with his hands, gentle circles spun over your shirt.

"do I really reek?" he croons, looking up at the ceiling as your fingers grasp at his shirt.

"yes you do,"

he attempts to get out of it, poking out a gentle pout and you pull back. folding your arms over your chest as you shake your head, smirking at the way he tries to beg like a puppy.

"wilbur- you do realize I was going to make brownies while you showered, right?" you knew the moment you mentioned baked goods, he'd do whatever you asked. he'd do whatever you asked anyway, but a little bribe never hurt anyone.

"wait really?" his eyes light up and his pout falls off and is replaced with an excited grin. you nod and he lunges down to press thankful kisses all over your face, giggling happily as he holds you by your sides, fingers curling over your waist.

"yes- god, you only love me for my baking?"

"no, but it is a plus," he pulls back, placing a quick peck to your lips before sprinting up the stairs for him to shower. you shake your head, smile clear as day on your lips as you venture into the kitchen to begin baking.

despite everything, the pain and turmoil and living without him, you're glad you asked to have him revived, even if it meant some sacrifice. yet the more you think of it, you're gonna have to thank grace for holding your fiance hostage tomorrow.

taglist; @lcvejoy @lillylvjy @ella-fella-bo-bella @lotusanonymouse @willgoldszn @whos-nicooo @zebonos

honorable tags (asked for part 2); @babybabygrogu @tacomumun3r

[abybweisse]

Ch210, Spoiler page and thoughts

The title page has been leaked already; I've seen it elsewhere here as well as on Discord. It's almost everything I was hoping for this chapter, represented in one image.

There are some things to point out, and I was hoping to post some thoughts before I'd even seen this spoiler, because my thoughts were already pondering a possible situation like this: that the chapter focuses on Finny going berserk... perhaps in ways we've never witnessed before.

I was also hoping we'd get the new reaper confronting Doll, but I really don't know if he will.

But back to Finny. In the cover art, you will see that there's a lot of blood on him and his clothes, but I don't think it's his own blood. His eyes suggest he's in berserker mode. I suspect we might finally get a better glimpse of what it was like the day he escaped from the drug facility. Previously, I'd wondered whether Sebastian had killed the staff and just skipped over the one remaining test subject -- either he lives or he doesn't. But since we now have a situation where Finny has to force his way out of another locked down facility -- and this time he's also trying to save friends and other children, something he couldn't do last time -- we might get scenes that look like a reenactment of that drug facility escape.

In ch209, we see Finny running off, away from Snake but also towards the approaching staff. We know he will have to fight them, and it might be mostly empty-handed. This is no problem for him, especially when he's in a frenzy. He might grab and throw whatever he can, but this time it might be more about crushing people with his hands, as he might have done at the drug facility. This fighting style could look more like Sebastian crushing the heads/bodies of bizarre dolls on the ship... but with less-graceful movements.

Scenario: He gets through the staff that have entered the underground lair, then anyone in the way upstairs, in the barn. Then he's back outside. Is he going to head to the main building to attempt to save the other kids, or will he only be able to focus on himself and the four top students? Either way, at some point he's going past a brick wall when lights shine on him, and that's what we see in the cover art. It might be a flashlight/torch, but it could also be a spotlight from a sniper tower. The top students did warn him before that the fences were reinforced, and that guards were stationed at lookout posts to shoot down attempting escapees.

When he was at the drug facility, he was being kept in a cellar of some kind, and it looks like it was designed so the kids couldn't easily climb out, but he somehow did, perhaps by jumping and grabbing hold of the rim of the hatch. Or maybe he somehow climbed up whatever grips he could reach. It seems he killed the man sent to shoot him and dumped his body down into the cellar. Here, Finny might actually climb up one of those lookout towers, kill the guards, and toss them down to the ground. Or he kills them -- maybe one -- merely by tossing them down.

This sort of action could allow Yana-san to give us glimpses of the previous escape in parallel to the escape scene now. Panels next to each other or even split panels, showing then and now, as it all unfolds. A bit like when he envisioned old scenes of the drug facility exam rooms and surgical equipment as he and the others looked around and found Ginny's body and the dissection table. But this time it might be like an onslaught of comparison images, representing the jumble of memories and current moments in Finny's head, as this all happens.

And we might even see him literally tear down the fencing. 🤔

Thoughts?

Oh, and FYI. Today is the Ides of March... and Snake's birthday (though in-universe it's Dec 9th)....

[annab-nana]

eddie munson and Having lunch dates with friends in their car while the rain is pouring outside

ahhh yes i love this

warnings: not proofread, use of pet names (sweetheart, baby), insinuation of smut at the end

❀ masterlist ❀

"shit, shit, shit," eddie mumbled as he followed you to the back of his van. the rain was a complete surprise and relentless in pace. as quickly as you could muster, the both of you gathered your things and bolted to the back of eddie's van.

soon, you two were under the protection of the vehicle's roof and could resume your lunch. eddie probably would've been more aggravated about the circumstances, but your laughter could pull him out of any bad mood.

"i can't believe it," you said with a wonderstruck smile, "that rain truly came out of nowhere."

the flutter in his chest was hard to contain at the mere sight of your grin, but eddie tried his best to remain a fully-functioning human enough to respond. "y-yeah."

he mentally face-palmed himself for the lackluster reply as your smile only widened. it was difficult for you to fight off a smile when you were with eddie.

while you both sought out the van for protection from the relentless rain, you sat right on the edge by the open back doors so you could still feel like you were outside for the most part. eddie was sitting beside you, closer than he normally would be due to all the corroded coffin stuff he kept in the back. you just didn't realize just how close he was until you turned to face him.

he'd just taken a bite of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich when you looked his way and immediately, he took notice of how your eyes were on his lips.

"is there something on my face?" he inquired after swallowing down his food.

when he spoke, you snapped out of your trance, looked up to his eyes, and then glanced back down at his lips.

"actually, yeah. right..." you trailed off as you reached for his face and let your thumb run over the edge of his bottom lip, collecting the small amount of jelly there. his exhale breezed over your thumb and made you feel all shaky and weak in the best way possible. "there," you whispered before looking back up at eddie's eyes.

you never understood the whole being-in-a-bubble moment you'd seen and heard of so much in movies and books, but everything clicked right there with eddie. it was just you and him. there was no rain anymore and the van was gone too. the forest and lake had vanished along with your lunches. there was nothing other than you and eddie.

"can i?" eddie asked, a raw desperation to his voice you hadn't heard before.

your voice didn't come out any less eager when you uttered a small, "please."

then, he was on you. his hands held your face and your waist to keep you close to him while his lips captured your own. his breath mixed with yours as you connected with eddie more than you ever had before. your hand that didn't still have jelly on it wound its way into his hair and you reveled in the sigh he let out when you tugged ever so slightly.

you wanted it to last forever, but unfortunately, to survive on this planet, oxygen was a requirement. breathlessly, you both pulled away from each other and tried to recuperate.

eddie took notice of how your hand that still had jelly on the thumb was sitting to the side to not touch anything and grabbed it. your eyes followed his movements and watched as he brought your hand closer to his face.

"may i?" he requested. you weren't a hundred percent sure what he was asking for, but it was eddie and you trusted him. you nodded your head. when you thought the boy couldn't make you feel any weaker, he took your thumb into his mouth and sucked it clean of any remnants of grape jelly. "so sweet."

"eddie?" your voice wavered when you called out his name, but you couldn't help it. you had never wanted someone as bad as you did right then and at this point, it wasn't a desire as much as it was a primal urge to jump him.

"yeah, sweetheart?" he called out. he didn't know where the surge of confidence he'd been sporting came from, but he would utilize as much as he could. "what is it?"

"i need you," you told him honestly, leaving no room for shame in your forwardness.

eddie's smile widened more than you'd ever seen it. "baby, i'm right here."

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[sirendeepity]

[ SJM Romance Week, day 7: Free Day ]

A/N: I might be completely and unashamedly biased, but I love those kids to pieces. In my mind, there are one too many options on how the triplets have come into the world, but this is the one I hold dearest, so I tried to put it into words. Hopefully, I did it justice. A short summary would be a canon-compliant fic of sorts, set years into the future, where Nesta and Cassian had kept their pregnancy a secret from the world, but not anymore. Enjoy <3

@sjmromanceweek

T/W: occasional mention of past traumatic events;

W/C: 3.9k

It’s been four years since Cassian had last felt the “jumping off a cliff with tied wings would be less stressful” kind of nervous.

You want this, he reminded himself. And gods damned him, he did. He had all but howled when Nesta had given him the green light. He had written a letter—little more than a scrap of paper with a date, place, and time scribbled on it—, and counted down the days. Eleven. He had double-checked that everything was how it was supposed to be before stepping out of the house—still fifteen minutes earlier. Cassian didn’t want to take any risk. He simply leaned against a tree and waited, looking at the hollowed-out trunk they had used as a drop-off point for their letters during those past few years. A couple of years shy of a decade had passed since he’d last seen his family, so Cassian took those moments of quietness to let his memories flow. How the last war they’d fought had taken everything from his mate, leaving an empty shell of the fierce female she used to be; how he had kept his promise and took her far, far away, to a place no one knew about. A place where they could both rest and heal. Their friends had been distraught when Cassian had told them they would leave for an indefinite amount of time and asked them not to contact Nesta in any way—to give her space and, most importantly, time. And they had. Rhys and Feyre had rarely spoken to him using their daemati abilities, asking for updates, if they needed anything, when could they meet again. Even Azriel’s shadow had kept their distance. Kept their secret, too. A little more than two months and Nesta had held out a closed envelope to him. “For Feyre and Elain,” she said simply. So Cassian had found that very place in the middle of nowhere, tied a white ribbon around one of the lowest branches, and let a simple thought travel out into the ether: “I’ve got something for you.” That had been their first contact. But even as the letters became more frequent, Cassian could see how Nesta’s eyes shuttered every time he tried to bring up Velaris, or the House of Wind. So they all waited. Time flew by, and before Cassian could take a full breath, weeks turned into months turned into years, and now—

“Cass.”

Cassian blinked, turning to face the owner of the voice. Feyre stood a few steps from him, tears already filling her eyes. Rhys was at her side, and Mor, and Az. Everyone had come, right when he’d told them to. Not a minute before, and not a minute later. Words failed him, so Cassian just opened his arms wide, inviting his friends and family back into his life. Tears fell, and laughter soon filled the air around them as hugs and kisses were exchanged. Even Amren, for a fleeting moment, wrapped her slender arms around his middle, squeezing him tightly despite her furrowed brows. Cassian wasted no time, kissing Gwyn on both cheeks in congratulations, careful of her round belly, before setting off into the woods and beckoning them to follow. “There’s something I want to show you.”

“I told you Nesta would turn the wolves prowling this place,” Mor gestured at the mountains around them with a manicured hand, “and make puppies out of them.”

Feyre laughed. It must’ve been a recurring joke between them.

Cassian only grinned, “Something like that.”

A few minutes later they reached an opening, a meadow big enough for comfort, and a house came into view. His house, the one Cassian had built from the grounds up. It was two stories high, with a small patio on the front—mirror to the much larger one in the back— and a tall stone chimney. He had flattened out one side of the rooftop, making a little terrace of sorts—which Nesta had decorated with pillows and plants and candles—, and every door and window had been painted a bright red. It had taken them some time to turn that place into a home, but now there was something unequivocally theirs about it all. Cassian had come to cherish the peace of mind granted by its four walls, and it had turned into a safe space for him as much as it was for his mate. Instead of opening the doors to them, Cassian guided his friends to the back. A couple of stray trees dotted the space, with flowers ready to bloom. They hosted swings and knotted ropes. A sheet had been tied between two trunks and turned into a makeshift hammock.

Planks of wood were still piled up beside the furthest tree. Once upon a time, Cassian had promised he would pick up the project again, but he could hardly bring himself to look at it without bile rising up his throat. That broken tree-house was all he could see.

“Daddy’s back!”

A small figure wrapped in a yellow dress ran toward him, chubby arms already raised in the air. Cassian caught his daughter as she launched at him, swinging her in the air before bringing her close to his chest. Gasps echoed behind him.

“Look, look!” Nora exclaimed. Twin pigtail braids swayed this way and that, following the movements of her head. “Mommy put her ribbons in my braids! Now I’m a valykirie, too!”

Cassian laughed at his daughter’s words. “Valkyrie,” he corrected her, kissing her rosy cheek. “You look so pretty, Ladybug.”

Nora giggled, hiding her face in the crook of his neck and wrapping her arms around him.

“Cass,” Mor choked on a whisper. He winked at her, inclining his head as he moved deeper into the garden. A large blanket had been laid onto the grass, almost every inch of it covered with small plates and trays filled with hard cheese, cured meats, and veggies of all kinds. Nesta had even made fresh rosemary and olive bread that morning, filling the house with its aromatic scent. Thankfully, the Mother had blessed them with a sunny day—a rarity in Illyria, especially during that time of the year, when spring and summer met in uncertain weather. Sometimes it was so warm they had to strip off layers of clothing, others the sky was raining down on them, or the wind sneaked into their home and tried to steal anything light enough to be carried away. That day was perfect, with white clouds sheltering them from the harshness of the sun and a light breeze to keep them cool. The trees helped, too. It was there, under the shadows of rustling leaves, that his mate was. She was seated on a plush pillow, one of the many they had thrown around, with a baby curled over her chest. Two, actually. Maya left a kiss on her brother’s cheek, patting his soft curls as he wiped at his eyes. His wings were relaxed, low on the ground, and Nesta was rubbing his back in wide circles. Nora’s excitement must have woken him from his nap. Athos tended to be grumpy when someone disturbed his dreams. With one last kiss, Maya parted from her brother and ran to Cassian.

She stopped at his side, barely reaching his knees, and Cassian bent down to place a hand on top of her dark hair, braided in a crown—so I can look like Mom, she had said that morning. But it was not at him she was looking at. Her gaze was fixed behind him, where Emerie stood. As Nesta rose, Athos still in her arms, and walked closer, Cassian watched his daughter study the female, waiting. Everyone held their breath.

“Are you Em…” Maya’s blue-gray eyes, Nesta’s eyes, turned to him, and Cassian nodded in encouragement, “..Erie?”

Emerie sniffed once before clearing her throat. “That’s me.”

Maya gasped, joy lighting up her soft features. She pivoted, pink skirts and all, and spread her little black wings. The right one stretched open, while the left couldn’t go past half its length. A brutal scar ran down its inner side, covering leather and skin alike. Cassian’s throat closed at the memory of his daughter, his Butterfly, falling from the tree house. The one he’d built for them. The one he should’ve built better, making sure everything was safe before letting three toddlers get in it.

One of the floor planks had given out when Maya had jumped on it, the wood breaking beneath her tiny feet, and in her fall the exposed shards had dug into her back. Had cut through tendon and bone alike. They had managed to save her spine—fuck, they had managed to save her life—but there was nothing they could do for the little wing. It had been devastating. For weeks, Cassian had barely been able to eat, to sleep, to look his kids in the face. He’d been ridden by guilt and shame. He still was, the darkness lurking toward him, hitting him in waves, and more than a year had passed since that awful day. A warm hand grabbed his, holding gently, and Cassian turned toward his mate, exchanging glances. She knew, he knew, neither of them would let the shadows take control of their thoughts, their emotions, again.

“Mama said I’m like you!” Cassian could’ve sworn pride laced his daughter’s words. Nesta had told her, told all of them, countless stories about Emerie, and Gwyn, and even Feyre and Elain. About those females who had not allowed the blows life had dealt them to break their spirit, to bend their will.

“Did she now? Well,” Emerie said, voice thick with emotions as she bent down and stretched her open palm toward Maya, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, then.”

“I’m Maya,” she said, grabbing Emerie’s fingers with both hands. “And she is Nora.” On cue, Nora started wiggling in his arms, so Cassian placed her feet back on the ground and wrapped his newly free arm around Nesta’s waist. “And that is Puppy.”

“He is Athos!” Maya scolded her sister, both of them bursting into a fit of snorts and giggles. Athos blinked once, twice, golden-brown curls falling into the hazel eyes they shared. With skin one or two shades paler than his sisters’, he was the one resembling Nesta the most—save for the pair of leathery wings on his back, now tucked in tight as he turned his head the other way and hid in the safety of his mother’s arms. He had her same quiet nature, too, but that didn’t stop his sisters from luring him into trouble at any given chance. Nora, on the other hand, was Cassian’s carbon copy. Not just in looks, but in spirit too. She laughed as hard as she cried, living her emotions to the fullest. Much like the day they were born, she was always at the lead, always the first to act, to make way for her twins. Believe it or not, she was not the mind behind their shenanigans. Maya was. Their eyes were the only feature that set them apart. One from forests and mountains, the other from skies and seas. Maya was a little devil in disguise, already too clever for her own good.

“Oh, my,” Elain breathed, cheeks stained with tears. “Are they-”

“Triplets,” confirmed Nesta. The waterworks began again.

“When?”

“How?”

“Girls, finally!”

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Congratulations, brother.”

Cassian raised his hands, exposing his palms in surrender, and said, “We’ll tell you everything, but we should eat first, or only the ants will enjoy my bread.”

Cassian took Athos from Nesta’s arms so she could greet her sisters properly, and edged Nora and Maya toward their embroidered pillows, the others following suit.

As he caught Azriel’s eyes, his brother left his mate’s side and inched closer.

“Hey, Puppy,” Cassian murmured into his son’s ear, guiding his attention toward Az. “Do you see this guy?” A nod. “If you don’t like the noise, or if there are too many people, or you just don’t feel very good and your mother and I are not around, you go to him, okay?”

Azriel inhaled slowly, his shadows swirling with the movement. A black curl reached out tentatively, and Athos studied it. His warm eyes rose to Azriel’s then, who patiently waited for the boy to make the first move. “Do they hurt?” He asked, one little finger reaching back.

“No.” To prove his point, he let the black tendril wrap around Athos’ finger. “They’re very curious, though. They like puppies, I’ve been told..”

Athos’s gasp turned into a quiet giggle. “They tickle.”

Soon they were all seated, letting fresh food and berry juice pass from hand to hand, talking about everything and nothing at all. From the projects Nyx wanted to explore to modernize Velaris—the male, now more than 50 years old, had a mind so brilliant it turned Dawn’s thinkers green with envy—, to the journey across the continent Lucien had promised Elain as a gift for their latest anniversary—only a couple of arrangements left to make before their departure—to the obvious new double-addition to their ranks, Azriel and Gwyn’s twins. There was so much to tell, so much to catch up on.

Cassian looked at his brother and found him smiling tenderly at the boy, love and gratitude filling his eyes.

“But let’s focus on the real stars of this day,” Mor said, face still splotchy from all the crying. Her brown eyes jumped from one little face to another, as if she wanted to imprint their soft features into her brain as quickly as she could.

“When is your birthday?” Rhys asked, taking a sip from his glass. “We have missed five of them. We must fix it.”

Maya didn’t even finish chewing her food before replying. “Four.” To prove her point, she raised three jam-sticky fingers in the air. Rhys chuckled, bending his head. “My apologies.”

“At the crack of dawn on the 23rd of September,” three curly heads turned one after another, entranced by their mother’s voice. “After ten hours of labor,” Nesta added pointedly, twisting Maya’s dark strands around her finger, “Came Nora, then Maya, and then Athos.”

Nesta exhaled heavily, Cassian replicating the gesture. “Our brave boy.”

At his words, the groups shared a sort of understanding.

There was this belief, among Illyrians, that every time a baby was born, they were faced with two options—two mothers. If they got too scared by the world surrounding them, so dark and cruel and full of terrors, the Mother would cradle them in her arms and take them someplace else, where no harm would ever find them. Nesta, Cassian knew, was still plagued with nightmares of her pained, desperate screams filling the silence left by their son. He’d come out of the womb with the birth cord wrapped around his neck. Despite the midwife’s lightning speed in freeing his airways, it hadn’t been enough. But then, just as the sun peeked from behind the mountain tops, time had seemed to slow as a small, frail, tentative wailing filled the room.

“Really?” Gwyn exclaimed with too much enthusiasm. She placed a hand on her bump, forcing her lips to curve in a smile despite the tears brimming her teal eyes. “They’re supposed to be due at the beginning of August. Close enough.”

“Sissy’s birthday is in August, too!”

“No, Nora,” Cassian laughed, grateful for the distraction. He placed a cheese stick in her hand. She chewed on it without hesitation. “Her birthday is in June.”

“Who is Sissy?” Lucien asked. “Are we missing someone?” He looked shocked, as if he couldn’t believe there were more.

“Trixie—Beatrix,” Nesta amended, “is our oldest.” By the look on their faces, Cassian knew they were all doing the math.

“Don’t worry,” he grinned, “She will be here, soon.”

“She already is.”

All eyes turned toward the house, to the proud female stepping out the backdoor.

Joyous screams rose from the kids, their smiles lighting up like fireflies as they stood and ran to their sister.

Trixie crouched, arms open, bracing for the collision. She kissed their cheeks, their little noses, their soft curls. Cassian’s heart swelled in his chest at the sight.

“Such cute overalls, Puppy,” she said, taking his hand and guiding him into a spin.

His son smiled from ear to ear. “You gave it to me!”

“I did, didn’t I?” She gestured for the kids to sit down again with one hand, the other holding the ribbons tied around a box. Trixie bent to leave a soft kiss against Nesta’s temple, placing the box on the grass at her side before rising again and making her way to him. She knelt behind him, and Cassian moved his wings to make space for her body as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him, moving to sit at his side. Nyx, to her right, looked anywhere but at her, the tips of his pointed ears turning a deep shade of red. Cassian was tempted to call him out, but knew his “over-protectiveness” would only piss off Trixie.

“Everyone, this is Trixie,” Cassian said, grinning like a cat. “Trixie-”

“Everyone,” she cleared her throat, bobbing her head once in acknowledgment.

Maya made her way onto Trixie’s lap, passing food to her older sister, and they flowed back into easy conversation.

From the opposite side of the blanket, Amren nodded in Trixie’s direction, “How did you find that one?”

“She found us,” was Nesta’s reply. She opened the box containing the Illyrian’s typical pastries Cassian had asked Trixie to buy, and found a little corner to place them among the rest of the food. “She had made the house her own. I found her sleeping in our bed when we came here.”

Cassian, Mother damned him, had come dangerously close to losing it when he had realized they were not alone in the house. The dagger was in his hand within moments, ready to take down any threat, when Nesta had climbed down the stairs on nimble feet and told him, in that no-nonsense way of hers, that there was a little girl asleep in the main bedroom, and he should cook dinner for three that evening. Cassian had kissed her senseless, and just like that they had found themselves with a daughter. Well, Cassian wished it had been that easy. Trixie, who had seen and lived through more than any fourteen-year-old should, had waged war on them for months, trying her very best to push them over the edge. But Nesta was relentless, and so was he. Nothing she could’ve said or done would have made them turn their backs on her. So she stayed, and soon enough Beatrix became Trixie became Sissy. A blessing, that’s what she’d been. She had healed some intrinsic part of Nesta that not even Cassian had been able to reach. He would forever be indebted to her for that reason only. Her wings had not been clipped, so he’d been able to teach her how to fly, and fight, and dream again. His daughter in all the ways that mattered, and then some.

“The house was big enough for all of us,” Nesta glanced pointedly at her, adding, “It still is.”

Trixie stared right back at her, one of those wordless conversations happening between the two females. Cassian was used to it.

“That’s amazing,” Elain smiled brighter than the sun. “I am so, so happy for you guys.”

“Please,” Gwyn whined, “Don’t cry or I’ll cry, too.” The two laughed, tears slipping free anyway.

“I can see why you kept contacts to a minimum,” Lucien passed a napkin to Elain, gently pulling locks of hair away from her face as she dabbed the corners of her eyes. “I would’ve kept this little corner of heaven a secret from the world, too.”

Cassian glanced at Nesta and found that she was already looking at him. Now, her eyes seemed to say. A tug on the bond confirmed that.

“Speaking of which,” Cassian exhaled. Should he break the news gently? Or should he go straight for it, and adapt to the consequences?

Nesta, it seemed, had already made that choice for both of them. “We’re coming back to Velaris.”

Feyre could barely contain her enthusiasm. “Really?”

“Really,” Cassian echoed. “It will be good for the kids. They should make friends and play with other kids their age and drive us crazy. Am I right?”

Maya looked up at him, a mischievous gleam in her bright eyes. Nora, closest to Nesta, was already giggling.

“Mother spares us all,” Rhys murmured. They had their hands full, and they had never left this mountain. Cassian already felt weak in the knees at the idea of unleashing the triples on Velaris. But, fuck, how he wanted to take them on walks along the Sidra, or see the House turn into an even bigger mother-hen for Nesta’s kids, or teach them how to fly on one of its many balconies. And Starfall! They would love Starfall, he was sure of it. And the week-long celebrations for Solstice, with presents and hot cocoa and-

“Oh, no,” Trixie’s voice called him back to the moment. She was facing Nyx, answering a question he must’ve asked her while he was lost in his thoughts. “I’m going to stay here.”

Nora gasped, and Nesta was instantly there to calm their daughter down before she started what they had taken to call “the domino cry”.

“It’s okay,” Trixie said while rubbing Maya’s arms. The pout on her face was not a good sign. The trembling chin was even worse. Cassian gazed down at Athos, looking for any hint of distress. Trixie went on, “We’ll see each other every week, I promise.”

“But why can’t you come with us?” Nora sniffed. “It’s unafaire.”

“Unfair,” Nesta murmured to her, “And she can’t come with us because there are other kids who need her here.”

“Other kids?” Athos scrunched his little nose.

He nodded. “You three have each other, but other kids might not be so lucky. Trixie was among them, a long time ago.”

“But Sissy is our Sissy.”

“I am, yes,” Trixie said, “But maybe I can be that for all the other children who need a Sissy as well, don’t you think?”

Nora blinked at her a couple of times, mulling over the words. “Will they become Ladybug, Butterfly, and Puppy, too?”

Behind her, Nesta shrugged. “Why not.”

Cassian’s heart made a backflip inside his chest. He met his mate’s serene gaze, the most delicate pink staining her cheeks. They would end up with a legion of kids if Nesta had her way. Cassian couldn’t think of a single reason why she shouldn’t.

Cassian mirrored her smile with one of his own. “We should start thinking about names, then.”

“You guys are out of your minds,” Amren commented, but the concern in her voice didn’t match the grin stretching her red-painted lips.

Athos started laughing, the giggles turning into full belly laughs as his sisters joined him. And as the wind made lullabies of rustling leaves, and the smiles of his family outshone the sun itself, Cassian knew with absolute certainty the one reason he was still there, alive and content. Or maybe it was three.

[bestygogirl]

BEST YGO GIRL: Round 3, Group D

Match 4

please use this as an opportunity to say why you like a character, not why you don't.

Propaganda under the cut!

Aki Izayoi

An abuse victim who isn't the perfect passive figure but gets to work through her complicated feelings about power, agency, and family. Even with Yusei's help, she is the star of the show when she learns to control her powers and reconciles with her father, it is so fun that a ygo heroine gets to take such an antagonistic role bu not be shamed for her anger

please vote for my main girl, aki izayoi. aki was led to believe she was a monster from a young age by her father, who treated her powers like it made her unworthy of love. as a result, divine was able to swoop in and take advantage of aki's low self esteem. for years, aki believed herself unworthy of love and was molded into a living weapon at the hands of authority figures in her life. she was taken advantage of, and thus when she finally comes face to face with yusei, she refuses to believe he could provide her with unconditional friendship. who would want to be around a monster, after all? aki also nearly beats yusei TWICE in a duel, bringing it down to a single turn difference. she comes toe to toe with him, and it truly is the result of who dueled better. she remains a fierce duelist, btw. the second season, aki gets her duel runner license, and immediately nearly beats the ass of a tournament winning turbo duelist - to the point where once again, a single card is the deciding factor. that's right: she nearly won. if not for a single trap card, aki izayoi would've won. a fierce duelist who was shaped into a loving, caring woman despite years of being beaten down by the world: aki izayoi. vote for her now on your phones.

Shizuka Kawai

Shizuka is obviously very sweet, supportive and positive, but she is also stubborn and brave as hell. There's the obvious ones: Ripped off her post-surgery bandages after being functionally blind in order to jump into deep water to save her brother without a second thought! Perfect win record, won her first ever duel despite having no clue how to play!

But there's a couple really great less obvious character moments as well:

First off, her message to Jounouchi before Duelist Kingdom: It's heavily implied they hadn't spoken in a long time since their parents' divorce. But Shizuka, a very sheltered pre-teen, was the first one to break the silence and reach out to her big brother - even though they were likely deliberately being kept apart by their mother, who seems to believe Jou is a bad influence on his sister. Jou and Shizuka's mom has likely been repeating this narrative to Shizuka growing up, too: "Your brother is no-good just like your dad. Your brother is dangerous. Your brother is a bad influence" etc, etc. But this doesn't stop her from secretly deciding to contact Jou. Shizuka had no idea when reaching out that he'd do something over-the-top like try and win money for her operation. She just wanted to talk to her estranged sibling and update him on her life, including her illness, which was probably really scary for her to talk about.

Second: This kid breaks out of a hospital, still blind and wearing post-surgical bandages after a major operation, to see her brother. She meets all of her brother's friends in one go and immediately is like "Whatever I'll get in your car strange woman, just get me to Katsuya!!" Then after the pier duel she's still so determined to offer what support she can that she gets on the giant aircraft of a well-known local maniac without hesitation. The first things she sees after years of declining eyesight are: her brother nearly drowning, literal gods being summoned, someone she clearly idolizes as a big sister getting Shadow Game'd, Honda getting dropped into a pit of lava, her brother ACTUALLY dying - and she remains kind, cheerful and brave throughout it all.

Third: Despite her clear idolization and respect of Jounouchi, she actually doesn't just thoughtlessly go along with what he says all the time! Several times in the anime, when she feels Jou is being impulsive, stubborn or unkind, she'll call him out on it. A notable example is in Virtual World when Jounouchi suggests they should just leave Kaiba and Mokuba to go off alone. Shizuka firmly tells him "No, that's not the right thing to do," and tries to go off after the Kaibros all by herself. This is really brave as hell, especially seeing as she's evidently prepared to go against ALL of her brother's cool older friends despite being young, a bit naive/inexperienced, and has seen a staggering amount of dangerous things happen to them all up to that point.

Fourth: Virtual World Duel. Yes she has a miniature crisis after seeing her brother's best friend get dropped into lava. But she recovers and wins the duel with a religious-iconography-power-lesbian card. Love that for her.

Fifth: Shizuka is the only character in the entire series to stand in front of Seto Kaiba and say to his face "human lives are more important than card games." And she's not even one of Yuugi's core friend group, who's seen Kaiba at his most vulnerable. From her perspective, this is not only a giant tall scary-looking older guy with the bitchiest resting face this side of the Pacific, he's also one of the most powerful individuals in Domino City (possibly in Japan.) Kaiba is a well-known public figure who Shizuka had previously probably only seen on the news for things like staggering wealth, general lunacy, and patricide. AND YET, she's the one who marches her little self up to him and tells him to land his damn blimp and get Bakura some medical care. (It kind of works, too! Kaiba is difficult and annoying to all of them and implies he doesn't care if Bakura dies, but after Shizuka makes her appeal, only THEN does he admit that KaibaCorp has excellent trained medical staff on board.)

Sixth: Pulls a truly disturbed prank with Mai and then laughs in the face of her brother's devastation. We love a weird kid with an extremely questionable sense of humor. She's definitely fine after all the Horrors(TM) she's witnessed. Probably.

Anyways vote Shizuka she's a fucking great character and the fandom has been SLEEPING on her!!!!

[prismaticpichu]

Nibelheim Roadblock #3 ~ “Bad Pipe/Flooded”

Suggested by the amazing @holly-sephiroth!! I kinda ran out of fic-writing steam these past few days, so instead of that kinda loose story/analysis thing, I hope the bullet points will suffice lol <3

~

• At least three days have passed since their less than stellar trip to the Nibelheim Reactor—and by extent, three days since anyone has seen Sephiroth. Thankfully it’s on that third day when someone conveniently realizes the gates to ShinRa Manor are wide open, so that’s precisely where Zack Fair sprints off to in search of his friend.

• Upon entering the foyer, and all of its dank and tenebrous ambience, Zack begins shouting for his commander. There’s no response. He continues to wander aimlessly around the first story, until coming to stop at the base of a loooonnngg spiral staircase. Seriously cliche, but who had time to think about that now? Sephiroth could be upstairs!

• He puts his foot on the first step, reaching for the railing—

• Before immediately recoiling with a disturbed yelp.

• Would’ja know it, but an old and deserted mansion doesn’t exactly get the best house cleaning. Zack peels his hand away from the railing to find it unnervingly sticky, clusters of dust and who knows what clinging to his palm. He nearly goes green. Of course it’s the one day he forgets to put on his glove that he touches unnamed staircase substance™️

• Okay, slight change in plans! Can’t find his commander if he’s on the verge of hurling. Next objective becomes finding the nearest bathroom—because c’mon, there has to be at least ONE in this joint. Right? Right?

• Fortunately there is, just around the corner; Zack gladly rushes inside it and bolts straight for the sink, ready to cleanse himself of the Goop.

• But would’ja know it, old and decrepit manors don’t exactly have the best facilities. As Zack reaches to turn the knob, he’s a little peeved to find that it’s stuck as a tire in mud, quickly becoming addled with anxiety and impatience. He needs to get the GOOP off, man. He needs to GET IT OFF!

• There seemed to be only one logical thing to do in this situation: try harder. So that’s precisely what Zack does. He pulls harder, and harder, and harder, and harder,. Nothing. Desperately, getting his teeth and planting his feet, Zack resorts to grasping the knob with both hands. And with his new grip, he heaves.

• The knob turns.

• Now, when one turns on a sink, they are usually greeted with a tame flow of water they can use to wash their hands. Just a gentle stream, pleasant in viscosity and temperature. And most certainly pleasant in pressure.

• But would’ja know it, old and dilapidated mansions don’t have the best plumbing systems. Or perhaps the former residents just liked an astronomically powerful shower.

• The sink begins to groan, sinisterly—not unlike that of a monster waiting under a child’s bed. And it’s there, two hands clasped over the now-turned knob, eyes wide with shock, that Zack realizes the impending doom he had just unleashed.

• “Uh oh.”

• A jet stream of water explodes from the sink, cascading out at gushing speed and immediately filling up the basin. Yelping, Zack rushes to pull the drain plug, flipping out, jumping a bit as the icy water bleeds over the edge and reaches his shoes. Great. He’s only been in here maybe 6 minutes and he’s already causing property damage—what a hero……!

• “Nice going, Zack,” he says, surrounded by ever-rising water. “Real nice.”

Meanwhile

• Deep in the basement of the very same manor, beneath the labyrinthine webbing of rusting pipes, Sephiroth has his nose buried in a book. He’s distant, lost, underwater…. completely oblivious to the shrieking sounds of a guilty First Class stories above him. His eyes narrow, unearthing all the hideous, poisonous truths the world had kept hidden from him. Unearthing them, just like Her.

• Her… Her and her insidious presence… slowly wrapping around him, day by day, ushering him further and further into the realm beyond consciousness. He is beyond sleepwalking, beyond simple numbness. Not even a cold splash of water would bring him back.

• A waterfall though? Just maybe.

• It was then and there that the ceiling begins to groan, shake, and before the sluggish soul can even react to its presence, a cascade of sink water bursts through a fissure in the ceiling.

• And, conveniently, someone just so happens to be in the splash zone.

• It pounds onto Sephiroth—gushes, crashes, deluges—soaking not only his head but enveloping his entire body in water, head to toe, bang to boot. He gasps, coughing, chokes, nearly taking in H2O as it continues to storm down upon him.

• Needless to say such a sudden burst is enough to jolt him back into awareness, thrust him back into the present. Not to mention that it is FREEZING.

• Blessedly, the impromptu shower eventually comes to a stop. Sephiroth falls to his knees, drenched, his coat glistening like black ice and hair sopping wet. He gasps for air, this time gratefully intaking it, shivering. And that’s when he heard a sudden SQUELCH beneath his hands. He glances down, lashes dripping. Eyes widening. It’s the book he had been reading, soaked and ruined. A stack of pages remains glued to his glove as he peels it away, the appendage trembling.

• And that’s when he realizes just how many books he is truly surrounded by.

• And shivers again.

Meanwhile

• Zack stands in the flooded bathroom, panting as he finally manages to make the water stop.

• Ok. Well… at least his hands were clean.

• Just as he’s leaving the bathroom-turned water park, he hears another door open—or maybe more accurately, slide aside. He rushes around the corner to find Sephiroth emerging from a passage in the wall, somewhere between a zombie and a wet Siamese.

• Zack, just elated to see him, hurries over to him and asks if he found the indoor swimming pool—before slapping him on the wrist and asking if he’s crazy, abandoning their team like that.

• Sephiroth apologizes, his eyes wide, before squishily making his way back to the inn.

~

• Following Sephiroth’s proper shower, the elephant is still left in the room. Zack sits beside his friend on one of the beds, arm wrapped around his shoulder. It’s much easier to talk through feelings after a refreshing shower—duh—and so, with some gentle prodding, Sephiroth spills his anxieties about being a monster, sharing what he found in the records.

• And this time, without Genesis’s input, Zack tells him him it’s not true <3

[ranposgirlboss]

my first and final follower

TW: ANGST ANGST ANGST DEAR GOD, yandere themes, suicide (character), major character death, guilt, mentions of abuse, I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH THIS ISNT SUPPOSED TO BE ROMANTIC ITS VERY ANGSTY!!!

chara: scaramouche x GN! reader (not really), traveler x reader if you squint

(this is before he turns blue btw, he's still apart of the fatui in this)

gay writing incoming (READER IS NOT THE TRAVELLER)

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Where had he gone wrong?

The plan was set, he was about to achieve godhood. He was about to finally prove to his mother that he was much, much more powerful than she could ever imagine. But most importantly, he was about to finally seal the deal with you, about to claim you for all eternity. You were supposed to be his sweet, submissive, little devout follower.

And yet, despite all his efforts, here he was watching you with that blonde goody-two-shoes brat.

The Traveller.

And what made it worse was the stupid god that favored him oh-so-much, standing right beside the Traveller, almost mocking Scaramouche, slapping him in the face with reality.

He was never loved. And he never would be.

Not by his mother, not by his "friends", and worse of all, not by you.

Rather than this making him sad, he only lashed out with rage, his attacks getting increasingly sloppy and desperate.

He hated to admit it, but he was scared. Alone, scared, and honestly all he wanted was to take you back to where you truly belonged. To him, and him alone.

And yet, every time he looked at your face filled with horror and fear, yelling for the Traveler and the god to win, he felt something in his hollow chest. Guilt, pleasure, or anger? He didn't know, and he honestly could care less right now. If he just attacked better, if he was faster, if he had help, he would win.

But the victory never came.

All that came was the overtowering emptiness that it had all been for nothing.

He was going to lose his follower, he was going to lose his gnosis, and he was going to be hated much more than he already was by the Fatui.

No. No, no no no no no-

This cant happen. It wasn't part of the plan.

He watched the fairy-like god take the electro gnosis from the chest of his robot.

But he didn't run out. He didn't try to save the gnosis.

He slowly staggered out and didn't pay mind to the god in front of him. Instead, he looked over her shoulder, directly at you. He slowly reached a hand out to you, begging you to come back. Thats all he wanted.

You would come back to him, right? You had to.

You were the only thing he had left.

You could clearly see the desperation in his eyes, yet the amount of abuse and neglect you received from him kept your feet planted right where you were. You didn't move an inch. You merely glared at him, nothing but rage filling your body. He wants you to run back to him? Just two days ago, you were barely a person to him.

The Traveler, knowing what abuse you had received from Scaramouche, stepped in front of you protectively.

Where had he gone wrong?

Living was wrong.

His hand fell to his side, and he looked down at the ground. He had nothing left.

There is no point in living.

And he jumped, watching as the ground rushed towards him.

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THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READINMG THIS!!!! I HOPE YOU ENJOYED!!!! PLEASE SNED ME REQS BC I LOVE WRITING STUFF MWAH <333

[booksdaydream]

The Lost and Found part III

*SPOILERS OF THE GAME HOGWARTS LEGACY AHEAD*

Characters: Dark!Sebastian; use of MC; GN!MC; Ominis Gaunt; eventual Ominis Gaunt x MC.

Summary: Based on this post by @avadakedavravravra​. After Sebastian goes mad because MC and Ominis decided to turn him in during IN THE SHADOW OF FATE quest, imprisoning Ominis, he takes Ominis’s place with a Polyjuice potion. He convinces MC he’s the real Ominis and tells them Sebastian’s ran away. Upon noticing that not knowing where Anne is can be a problem to his plan, he tries to convince Ominis to tell him her location by using Ominis’s relationship with MC. He misunderstands his former friends’ intentions and further spiral out of control.

Warnings: violence; abuse (imprisonment, starvation); talks about death (Solomon); angst; impersonating; lying; gaslighting.

Word count: 3,8K+

A/N: I tried to put in bold every time we were talking about Sebastian’s “Ominis”, instead of the real one so it wouldn’t be so confusing. Also, it’s important to say that because of his captivity descriptions of Ominis can be triggering and upsetting, so if you’re bothered by this, please do NOT read this! Some of Sebastian’s thoughts can sound a bit contradicting or jumping into conclusions, but an enraged mind doesn’t think things through so he’s mostly assuming things without even confirming them and just spiraling. Not proofread. Comments are appreciated :)

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This chapter on AO3

The Lost and Found

Part I

Part II

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The potion tasted of mint tea with a hefty amount of sugar. Not unpleasant until the last bit of its taste: a squeeze of bitter lemon juice. Sebastian shivered before observing his limbs change and his vision start to get blurrier and blurrier. He expected he’d take every single characteristic of his friend, including his lack of sight. But he wasn’t worried as the prior weeks he had memorized all the spells he had watched Ominis perform all these years beside him. His only concern was Ominis’s wand.

Almost like an extension of himself, Sebastian wondered if it would work as one for him. He had very little idea of how exactly Ominis’s sight worked, much less how it looked from the point of view of his wand. But it didn’t matter. It was simply a piece in his plan he’d have to overcome. He walked to where the mirror was in his room and stood in front of it wondering if he was facing the correct direction. Sebastian, now Ominis, slipped out of his robes and accioed his former friend’s robes he had separated. An ensemble that looked dirty and a little torn.

He dressed himself in Ominis’s robes and reached out for his wand – he had hidden his own somewhere safe. Tying the tie was the hardest task so far, he thought. But he’d never admit to himself that buttoning his shirt might’ve been worse. Not for the lack of sight, but the feeling of Ominis’s pronounced collarbones against his own fingertips and his now more defined ribs. The days he had kept Ominis in captivity had already started to show by the point he collected the hair strands, he brushed the thought of how much worse he must have been now.

Sebastian shook his head and focused on the task at hand. He searched his face with his hands. He needed to make this look real. He took his wand and transfigured his face to be bruised, he also did such on his side. He couldn’t be sure of how real it looked, but upon touching his face it certainly felt bruised. He smirked to himself remembering a duel he had with Prewett that might’ve gotten a bit out of hand in the past. He sighted calming his mind and preparing his act. He raised his wand and left his room in searching for MC feigning his most hurt expression, one that would look convincing in Ominis’s face.

—

He didn’t have to go far; MC was looking for him. Rather, they were looking for Sebastian. He could not tell exactly how MC looked when they saw him, but he could hear them gasp and very quickly he was surrounded by an embrace. “Ominis! You’re back! Oh Merlin, what happened to you? Your face!”, MC rambled while still holding him near them and inspecting his body carefully. This is it. Let’s put this plan to work,Sebastian thought.

“Sebastian, he – he… ah! MC! I’m afraid he must have gone mad!”

“Mad?”

“He had kept me in the dungeons somewhere for – for … I cannot know for how long. Feeding me only bread and water and… today he came to deliver a letter to me. A letter! I think he must have felt bad. Maybe he thought I was weak enough or that I had given up. He handed me my wand, and I did not think twice. I – I fought him, MC… My bestfriend! Then he ran, but I was so tired I could not follow… but he – he left the door open and I – I only thought about finding you. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”, Ominis rambled. The words stumbled upon each other, almost as if he couldn’t believe himself what had happened. A strike of luck, a surprised foe who was also a gone dear friend.

MC didn’t know what to do but hold him as he poured his heart out and cried his very trained monologue onto their shoulder. They could feel his thinness in his chin slightly poking their shoulder uncomfortably. The suffering he had to endure. A month, they realized, Sebastian had held him captive for a month. They felt Ominis hiss when they squeezed him just after their realization, noticing he was probably hurt under his robes as well. Oh, Sebastian, what have you done, they thought. They knew he was hiding something, a gut feeling, but nothing so big as this sort of abuse. Of his bestfriend.

They guided Ominis to the hospital wing, where Madam Blainey quickly took care of him while MC talked to Professor Weasley about what had transpired. Together, the two told her about Solomon and Sebastian’s misjudgements, just as they had planned a month prior. Ominis asked her to have mercy on him, that he didn’t know what he was doing, that it was the dark arts that made him act this way, that he forgave him for the pain he had caused him. That he was simply lost and that he was no monster. The silence that followed was full of pity, but she agreed to take those into consideration. Satisfied with the outcome, Sebastian polyjuiced as Ominis allowed MC to take him back to his common room and to his dormitory, where he pretended to get some shuteye. When, of course, he sneaked out to feed the real Ominis.

—

Normality ensured very quickly. MC avoided talking about Sebastian, but they spent most of their time together in the Undercroft. They seemed happy to have him back, which infuriated Sebastian if he thought about it for too long. MC had read the letter Sebastian left Ominis which apologized for the pain he caused, but ensured it was necessary to find a cure for Anne. That he would continue looking, away from the school. And a farewell. MC felt guilty when they realized how relieved they were that Sebastian seemed to have left. They were still trying to wrap their mind around the idea of him kidnapping Ominis. And they also couldn’t understand how calm Ominis had been acting.

They found him about a week after being released from captivity reading a thick book on rare potions, with his dictating spell. It was usual for them to find Sebastian doing such task, but for Ominis… when they asked him about it, he said almost pragmatically, “I will continue Sebastian’s search.” They couldn’t hold back a gasp, which made him frown.

“I know Sebastian made terrible decisions. Dicisions that hurt his uncle and I. But Anne continues to be sick…”, MC sighed, and Sebastian reached out for them, who grabbed his hand on theirs. He smiled weakly. “I fear some of the choices he made are heavy on my shoulders. We should have steered him away earlier before anything transpired. Now I feel responsible for the only family he has left. One that once said I could consider her family as well. I owe them this. Please, MC. I need you to understand this.” Sebastian pleaded wearing a pained Ominis expression.

“I understand. But Sebastian will be looking for the same thing. Maybe even looking for Anne��”, they considered. “You know where she is right?”, MC asked unknowingly.

Sebastian’s heart dropped. He had forgotten to consider this part of his plan. Ominis knew where Anne was, for Merlin, he could go see her whenever he wanted. Bet he, as Ominis, didn’t. He needed to find out. Not only for his sake but for the sake of his plan. He smiled softly, that way Ominis did when MC said something silly.

“I do, but she asked me kindly not to tell anyone… for now.” MC agreed with a hum.

“And with Sebastian searching for her, it’s best no one else knows. For her safety.” Sebastian bit his tongue, feeling his anger build in his chest at their distrust. Did MC really think he was going to harm his sister? Everything he was doing was for her sake. Her sake. He summoned all his self-control not to squeeze their hand as they continued. “You should owl her, just in case.”

“I will”, he responded letting go of their hand. MC unconsciously complained out loud, but Sebastian was too angry to notice. He spent the rest of his time distracted, thinking he needed to see Ominis.

—

That afternoon couldn’t have passed slower. Sebastian practically swung the door to the room of requirement the minute it appeared to him. He found Ominis taking a bath. This wasn’t the first time he had found him enjoying the privacy he had in his delightful days in the tiny little haven Sebastian arranged for him, Ominis considered in sarcasm. The only bit of mercy Sebastian had bestowed upon his shameful way of living. In fact, Ominis had realized how irritated Sebastian would become upon such sight, because apparently, he got off on Ominis being miserable. He would then take his time whenever Sebastian would appear during such. That day was no different. He heard the door and chuckled to himself in mockery.

“Can’t a gentlemen have privacy?”, he snarked.

“What?”, Sebastian responded. The answer would have been weird already as he’d have been very able to see Ominis private moment. But what caught him off-guard was the voice his answer sounded like. Like his own. Ominis got up from the bath slowly, the sound of the water moving and falling onto the floor finally hitting Sebastian’s ear. He scoffed. “Oh, you’re bathing. Marvellous.” There were no doubts, Ominis thought, that was his voice. He got out of the bath and crossed the already memorized tiny room quickly, reaching out to Sebastian and grabbing at his face.

Sebastian recoiled at the surprise of his cold, wet touch, but didn’t have enough time to pull out his wand. In fact, he decided not to in case Ominis being more used to the lack of sight could be faster than him in snatching it up from his hands. He heard Ominis gasp and hold his breath, touching around what he quickly recognized as his own face. He remembered the times Sebastian plucked hair strands from his head and associated them to Polyjuice. Ah, Sebastian had taken his place. In a surge of anger, he pushed Sebastian backwards. He scoffed managing to keep his balance.

“Not cool to push a blind kid. Had enough?”, he mocked.

Ominis could feel the heat of rage burn his face, but before he could say anything Sebastian was talking again.

“Where’s Anne?”, it was his turn to scoff.

“What makes you think I will tell you?”, Sebastian sighed. Not impatient, he clearly knew this wasn’t going to be easy. “What are you going to do? Visit her with my face?”, Ominis questioned. Why did Sebastian need his face?

“Maybe I will. But not right away. When I have the cure I…”

“Cure? You’re still looking for a cure?”, Ominis couldn’t bring himself to believe that. Surely Sebastian wasn’t doing all of that for a cure that might as well not even exist. And, if it existed, Anne probably wouldn’t even want it. Not with how much pain it caused to be found. Sebastian must have rolled his eyes, in that very Sebastian way, because he scoffed again.

“I don’t expect you to understand. Just give me her location. Or I..”

“You what?”, Ominis snarked back. “Are you going to capture your bestfriend? Starve them? Oh right, you are already doing that.”

“What bestfriend?”, Sebastian hissed through gritted teeth. “Bestfriends don’t plan to turn the other in, for an honest mistake”.

“Honest mistake?”, Ominis questioned incredulous. “You killed your uncle. You crossed a line, Sebastian. You went too far!”.

“Far or not, I intend to keep going. You will tell me where my sister is, or I will have to see what I’ll do with MC.”, Sebastian threatened, his voice steady.

“You wouldn’t hurt them. You care for them far too much.”, Ominis risked, hopeful he was right. But that hope faded away in a desperate expression Sebastian couldn’t see when he said before leaving: “I used to feel the same about you.”

—

Sebastian was alone again with MC in the Undercroft not many days after. His Ominis semblant was focused as he continued reading a book, this time on rare herbs, sitting on a conjured sofa. He wasn’t sure what he could do with MC to show Ominis he had them under his thumb. But, that day his luck stroke again. MC was sitting near him, near enough that their knees brushed each other. In fact, MC would sometimes move, a stretch and yawn or to slump down in boredom, in a way that other parts of their body would touch. Their shoulder would lean on him, their hands would brush past, their hips would momentarily press against his.

If Sebastian didn’t know better, he would’ve thought MC was physically flirting with him. But they never said anything remotely flirty. Their voice always levelled and with a confident tone. Then a thought crossed his mind. What if he didn't know any better? He was in Ominis’s skin now. MC had never acted like that with Sebastian before. Sebastian wondered if Ominis ever flirted with MC. If Ominis had given them the same type of attention as Sebastian had given them before. Would they verbally flirt back? Maybe it was worth a try. Or maybe this was normal for them. Verbally friendly and physically close. Although not normal at all for most pairs of people. Well, he had never actually noticed this between them before. If he could figure out the nature of their relationship, maybe he’d be able to use this to convince Ominis. Definitely worth a try.

“MC, this herb here is being described as similar as another before, but I cannot quite figure out its appearance with my wand. Could you help me with this?”, he heard MC shuffle closer. Their body heat approaching as their hips touched his and their shoulders pressed against his arms, they were leaning over the book in his lap for a better look.

“Hm, right. This is talking about the leaves shape. The one you’re reading about now has longer and thinner leaves compared to the other one, with a more yellowish tint.”, they explained still observing the book, their voice unchanged. Sebastian approached them, their faces inches apart, to jointly search the book with his unseen eyes and their voice stuttered. “Th-the colour is-is important in differentiating them as-as this one can be poisonous if ingested when orange.” Hm, Ominis did have an effect on them, he thought. Sebastian nodded as they finished explaining and leaned back, satisfied. He felt MC also lean away and he reached out, his hand resting atop their knee, and squeezed.

“Thank you, MC.”

They stuttered again; their breath caught in their throat. “Mhm, s-sure.” He smiled at them, retracting his hand. He noticed the way they reacted to Ominis’s touch and wondered how little he had done. Perhaps he could provoke them in just the right way so they would crumble under his touch, something Sebastian was actually quite good at. He adjusted his sitting so their hips touched once more and turned his attention onto the book. He noticed MC hold their breath at his new position, slowly exhaling shakily when he didn’t give any sign of removing his contact. He contained a smirk.

The game had turned. MC was no longer touching him sneakily. This time Sebastian was the one doing the moves. Elbows brushing past, feet nudging, long sighs when their knees would separate. And to every touch there was a reaction. MC would gasp, hold their breath, they even dropped the quill they were using to write their essay. He could only imagine what MC actually looked like. If he could see, however, he’d notice their bright red complexion, the whiteness of their knuckles holding their quill at an almost superhuman strength, their clenched jaw, and their incessant lip biting.

That game was delightful for Sebastian, he almost forgot he was wearing Ominis’ face. Almost forgot he only got these reactions from MC because he was polyjuiced. But no matter, he was having fun. Then, in an attempt to make things more interesting, he grabbed and squeezed their knee once again, leaning in towards the general direction of their face and asking in an airy tone “Could you be so kind as to pass me the fudge…”. But he couldn’t finish the question as rather than crumble MC with his provocation, he made them pounce.

MC closed the distance between Ominis’ mouth and theirs in a second. The kiss was chaste at first, their soft lips touching Sebastian’s with a slightly forceful amount of pressure. He might’ve pushed them a bit far. Then their hand moved to cup his face, their thumb sliding across his cheek in a gentle caress and the kiss softened. Sebastian felt MC lean in towards him, melting into the kiss. Their lips tasted like fudge, soft and plump. There was also a slight taste of blood. Yes, they had been biting their lips just as he imagined, in that way he’d seen many times before. He got lost for a moment, his lips parting, trying to deepen the kiss. Then MC was far away from him. The kiss had ended just as swiftly as it began. They gasped, panicked and Sebastian could only blink quickly in response, frozen in his spot. Then, MC started rambling.

“I-I’ve always wanted to do this, Ominis. I can’t believe I’ve done this!”, they half mumbled, then continued painedly trying to explain themselves. “Somewhere along the way of our friendship, I started to feel more. Those days comforting each other in the Undercroft after Sebastian introduced it to me. Sharing our insecurities, our pasts, our concerns about him… They’ve only brought us closer and made me question whether the trust I had in you was that of a friend or something more. And – and I think it’s more. I keep wondering when our embraces will turn into kisses and I’m sorry if I crossed a line, but…”

“No, MC, you have not. I feel the same way. I always have.” Sebastian wondered if that was him acting or not, his chest aching.

“Really?”

“Yes. You need not feel ashamed. Those moments we shared meant the world to me as well.”, he knew that was probably true for Ominis. And understood where all his trust in MC came from. He tried hard not to roll his eyes and stay in character. But a strong upsetting feeling came rushing through him.

The realization that the two friends had been meeting from an early stage to talk about him. Perhaps their betrayal was set in stone much earlier than he expected. Perhaps he shouldn’t even have allowed them to talk that time in the Undercroft after his uncle’s death. He shouldn’t have trusted them. They clearly didn’t seem to have trusted him. Not before, not during their decision. He held them in such a precious spot in his heart and there they were, scheming together amongst stollen touches. Planning a future together, without him.

Sebastian got up from the sofa, slightly dizzy, and turned to MC with a fake smile. “We should talk about this another time, I… I am so happy, you surprised me incredibly that I need to think.”, MC was a blushing mess. They giggled and Sebastian chuckled in return. His ears started ringing. He didn’t care if it sounded fake. He’d deal with the aftermath another time if MC didn’t believe him. He passed them and left the Undercroft, walking furiously straight towards the room of requirement. MC watched him leave with a stupid smile on their face but couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

—

“Ominis.”, Sebastian didn’t waste time, calling out to his former friend as soon as he stepped into the tiny room and closed the door. Ominis laid in the small bed, belly upwards, staring at the ceiling without seeing. He smirked sneeringly.

“I can hear the anger. I suppose MC did not give you what you wanted?”, he felt slightly proud. Sebastian forced a laugh, so loud that startled Ominis. He sat quickly in the bed, facing Sebastian. What could he have possibly achieved? Had he hurt them?

“Wrong.”, Sebastian calmed down. “They told me some things, you see, that might have opened my eyes a little further. Such as how you little traitors were sneaking around, for example.”, Ominis frowned not sure what he meant, Sebastian scoffed. “Your little dates on the Undercroft.”, this time Ominis scoffed.

“They weren’t dates. We were just… talking. Comforting each other.”, Sebastian scoffed again and Ominis felt anger rising in the back of his throat. “Not that you would understand, running around more concerned about learning the dark arts.”

“If they weren’t dates…”, Sebastian started and Ominis’s body tensed up. “why would they so eagerly not only flirt with me, but kiss me?”

“You’re lying.”, Ominis did not hesitate.

“They even confessed their love for me. Or rather, for you.”, Sebastian continued ignoring the other. “Quite upsetting that, you know, it wasn’t you listening.”, he chuckled.

“You’re lying!”, Ominis repeated getting riled up. He stood up and raised his voice, Sebastian faced his direction, feeling his hostility.

“Then, how do I know their lips were soft and plump. We were eating some fudge, chocolate you know, so they tasted as such. But, well, I was provoking them for a large part of the afternoon, you see, so they had been biting their lips. Their kiss tasted of chocolate and a bitterness of blood. And the way they cupped my face with their hand…”, Sebastian didn’t finish speaking in that smug, hushed tone.

Ominis crossed the room and reached out for him. He tried to grab onto his robes, but Sebastian was stronger, he had had enough meals and seen the sun more often, as well as had a wand. He felt Ominis approaching and pushed him away. He staggered backwards and Sebastian grabbed him by his thin white shirt, aiming his wand – Ominis’s wand – to his neck. None of them could see the hostility in each other’s faces, but both exuded anger and violence. Nonetheless Sebastian had the upper hand. He waited for Ominis’s response, knowing he still had fight in him. Ominis waited as well, secretly hoping the cruelty had finished. He was bitterly wrong. Sebastian chuckled and shoved Ominis backwards. He fell siting on the bed.

“Pathetic. You know I have your wand.”, he scolded.

“I don’t care! You’re going to hurt them, pretending to be me and…” , he huffed. “You know If you as so lay a finger on them, I will not hold back on you.”, he threatened. Ominis knew that no matter how weak he might have become, his will had to remain strong. Sebastian absorbed his words and frowned.

“Where is Anne?”

Ominis scoffed. Sebastian rolled his eyes and smirked.

“Maybe I’ll ask MC.” and left.

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*No reproduction of this text allowed without credit*

[tinytiger]

The Hobbit - A Kili x F!Reader Fanfic

Masterlist

The Truth

The dwarves are unhappy with a meatless meal, and tensions rise when Y/n, with elven heritage, is treated as royalty by Elrond. Y/n asserts her independence and playfully challenges royal norms. A food fight breaks out during dinner, and later, Y/n encounters the dwarves frolicking in a fountain, resulting in a soaked dress. Despite mishaps, playful banter ensues between Y/n and Kili, hinting at a budding relationship. The evening ends with Y/n surprising Kili with a cheeky kiss, leaving him dazed, and Thorin observing their connection.

Tw- None

The dwarves were not happy.

There was no meat at all on the plates that were put in front of them, just green things that tasted horrible. Thorin had refused to sit at the table and eat food given to him by the species he hated the most. As he looked out of the large hole he stood in front of, his mind was trying to process what had just happened.

Elrond has called Y/n ‘Your Majesty’. She is related to that pampered asshole that is King Thranduil.

Anger flooded through his veins, how come Y/n hadn’t told them.

The chatter behind him stopped. Thorin turned around because the dwarves being quiet during a meal is nothing normal.

As he turned, Y/n walked into the light of the hall. The dress was pooling at her feet, the sleeves were way too long for her. Her hair was pulled back and had been put into a plat, the tiara was weaved into her.

She looked gorgeous, but you could tell she was uncomfortable. As she moved to sit next to Kili, Erland grabbed her hand to make her sit next to him.

“Y/n, you have to sit here!” he exclaimed as Y/n stood up. That is when she exploded.

“Oh, do I, I thought I could sit where I want, and I want to sit with my friends. Not some posh elf boy with an ego that is the size of Smaug’s love for gold. Now stop telling me what to do!” Y/n commanded.

Ever since she had walked into this place, that she used to miss, the people were bowing and telling her where to go and what to do. Surely a princess should have her freedom. She spun on her heel and walked over to where all the dwarves were sat, with astonished looks on their faces. Thorin went to brood out of the window, with a smirk on his face.

At least the sass was passed down.

The chatter returned as she sat down and dug into the salad that was in front of her. After 5 minutes, she looked up at Kili and said,

“I am so sorry about my past. I thought you would treat me differnerly if you would know that i wasn’t a normal half elf.”

Kili smiled and put his large hand on her small, now less muddy, hand.

“I get it, we wouldn’t treat you any different from how we do now. I mean, I’m a prince, and Bofur threw a rock at me the other day.” Kili laughed as the look of shock crossed Y/n’s face.

Then a lettuce leaf smacked her in the back of the head.

“All right, which one of you was that!” she swirled around and picked up a parsnip. All of the dwarves pointed at Fili.

She swung her arm back and threw the vegetable at Fili. But it was way off target and hit Thorin in the back of the head; everyone went quiet.

“Oh Skirth!” she swore as Thorin slowly spun around. She was dead. Then another lettuce leaf hit him in the forehead. Kili and Fili jumped out of their seats and began to throw vegetables at whoever was in reach. Twice Kili got a tomato in the face; Y/n seemed to be the main target for three of the dwarves.

Kili ran towards her and threw her over his shoulder.

“Kili Durin! Put me down now!” She screamed, slamming her fists into his shoulder.

“Ow! No, stop wriggling, will you. Ow,” he argued back but eventually put her on the floor.

“Watch this,” Kili whispered into her pointed ears.

He picked up a potato and threw it in Erland’s direction. He moved out of the way just in time, and it hit the statue behind him. The two burst out laughing. The evening was very enjoyable.

Y/n was walking around Rivendale. She kept thinking of her mother; would the guards of Rivendale tell her father she was here? They had to go near Mirkwood, so would she run into her brother or her father?

As she walked past the fountain, shouts caught her attention. They seemed happy. As she turned the corner, her eyes caught a sight she wouldn’t forget for a while.

All of the dwarves were in the fountain, naked. She squeaked, and that caught the attention of them all. She spun around as Kili got out of the fountain.

“You alright, Lass?” He asked, walking behind her, not being able to see her face. She was glad about that, as she was bright red.

“Yes, Kili, I’m fine. Could you just get back in the water or put a towel on… please,” she muttered as he got closer.

“Come on, Kili,” Fili shouted in his direction. Kili laughed and walked back to the fountain.

Y/n turned around as she heard a massive splash. All of the dwarves had jumped in, causing a massive splash to get her soaked.

Her dress was ruined, which she didn’t care about, but it was starting to stick to her body. Making her curves stick out a bit.

“Guys!” she moaned.

She walked back to her room, dripping water all over the place. She was freezing.

“Y/n!” Her name was shouted as she turned to see Kili, this time in a green shirt with brown trousers on.

“Kili, I’m not mad at you.” His face lit up. “But please don’t do that again.”

“Well, it wasn’t my idea it was—“

“Let me guess, Fili.”

“Yes,” Kili said, looking at the floor.

“Actually, I was surprised that you landed in the fountain. Where did you aim when we needed to shoot the warg earlier?” The e/c-eyed girl looked at Kili with a smirk. She had pushed a couple of buttons.

“Hey, at least I don’t trip over my own feet.”

Leaning in, Y/n glared and stuck her tongue out at him. The two burst into a fit of giggles.

Kili gazed into her eyes as she looked at him.

“At least I can argue with a troll.”

“At least, I don’t get caught by a troll.”

“I was saving Bilbo!” Y/n cried, putting her hands on her hips.

“I saved you twice!” Kili gave her a sideways glance.

“Once, and you told them to drop me; if they did, I would have landed on my head.”

“And we wouldn’t want your pretty ears to get squished, would we?”

Y/n punched Kili in the shoulder.

“Ow! Stop being so rough,” Kili cried out as he held onto his arm.

“I thought you liked it rough,” Y/n cheekily said, raising an eyebrow.

Kili’s face went into a dark shade of red. His head suddenly was filled with situations that made his legs twang a bit.

He came to a halt at her side. Kili wanted to say something. Anything, he wanted to make her feel like this. As she reached her door, she looked at Kili and spoke.

“Thanks for walking me back.” She turned to open the door to her room.

“You’re welcome; oh, and Thorin wants us to leave at midnight. We need to get to Dale before Durin’s Day,” Kili told her, gazing at her.

“Oh, thank you, Kili,” Y/n replied, her thigh holster was beginning to rub; she mentally swore.

“Goodnight, Princess,” Kili said as he walked back to the place where the dwarves slept.

Y/n stopped, her heart beating at 100 miles per hour. An idea popped into her head. She spun around and kissed Kili on his cheek. When she lowered herself to the ground, she smirked at him.

“Goodnight, Prince.”

Y/n disappeared into her room, leaving Kili in the corridor on his own.

Kili had never been so still. He was really tempted to open that door and kiss her back. Walking over to the door, he put his hand on the doorknob.

“Kili.”

His face shot up, and he saw Thorin. How much had he seen? The whole thing. He smiled at the young dwarf and put his arm around his shoulder and walked the dazed boy back to the room he was staying in.

[meximango]

Day 17 - Sally - Theia + Cahsi - G

Summary: Theia is supposed to go on an outing with her sister, but where is she?

“Where on Hydaelyn is that slippery little sister o’ mine? I’ve looked high ‘n low…” Theia muttered to herself as she lifted up the throw pillows on the couch for the third time. No, still not under there. “She better not’ve bailed on me!” Cahsi was a very busy woman. Being the star’s multi-time savior meant her hands were always kept full, spinning about five plates at once at any given time. But today was a designated quality time trip! That’s supposed to be different. Cahsi was forgetful. Theia loved her with the power of a primal, but that was just a fact, and it had always been the case. Nowadays, the scions or her friends or her creepy glowing mechanical orb thingy would usually keep her updated with her calendar appointments. This was a personal event, so Theia wasn’t sure if Cahsi actually remembered to put it on the books officially. They had dinner together last night, and their farewells had included a quick back and forth of: ‘fishing tomorrow at dawn, don’t forget’. ‘Yeah, yeah, got it.’ ‘You do? You sure?’ Yes, ‘mom’, gods. It’ll happen’ 

Well, it was supposed to happen now! The sun was starting to crest over the water, damn it! Her front door was unlocked when she checked, so she knew Cahsi used the key and had to be here somewhere. Her wife and kid were asleep, so she’s been trying to keep quiet, but she could scream about now. 

This could have been avoided if her sister stayed with her, but no, Cahsi deigned to stay at the inn rather than on her lumpy couch. She was used to roughing it on the ground when on the road adventuring, wasn’t she? She could’ve survived one night in her living room! (It really was quite lumpy, though. Theia got the feeling she knew what her Starlight Celebration gift from her sister was going to be this year).

She would have called her sister on her linkpearl until she picked up, but she didn’t know how to use the dang thing that well if she was being honest. She kept dropping it or losing it, and when she thought she finally got it, no voice came through. She’d already gone through every room in their small home at least twice, so she resorted to going just outside the threshold. There was a way to climb up onto her roof, if she was careful. The trellis was not made to hold the substantial weight of a hrothgar, but though it creaked ominously, it withstood her actions. Cahsi wasn’t really one for jump puzzles, and Theia even less so, but it was worth a shot, and the vantage point could help. After a quick transfer to the awning and a careful shimmy across and up some tiles, she reached the flat part on top of her roof that stuck out. It probably had a name, but did it matter? She really hoped none of her neighbors were awake to see this…

She raised her hand to help shield her eyes from the incoming glare as the sliver of rising sun reflected off the water and straight into her face. There were a decent amount of people milling about outside, seeing as she lived close to the docks. The boat they were supposed to board seemed to be doing a last call. Theia knew her sister wouldn’t have gotten on the ship without her, but she scanned through the group best she could anyway. Cahsi always liked to wear a bright pink floral shirt when they went fishing. She didn’t see any of the folks on board in that, so that ruled out another location. As Theia scanned the horizon and went through place after place–the markets, the guild, the main aetheryte plaza–with no sign of Cahsi, she began to feel the hope within her dim a bit. She knew fishing was not a favorite activity of her sister’s, but Cahsi was the one who implied she wanted to get better and learn more about it from the ‘resident expert fisher’ in her life, so Theia had been excited for this voyage. Now she could see the boat was on its way, too late for them to board. She decided to sit down at the edge of her roof, giving up for now. Cahsi always turned up eventually. Might as well watch the sunrise while she moped. It was beautiful, as it always was. 

It must have been a bell later that Theia finally heard her sister’s voice calling for her, much closer than she expected. She must have been too distracted watching the waves to notice her climb up here.  “Here you are! What’re you doing on the roof?” Theia pointedly did not answer her, nor turn around to meet her sister’s eye at first. She was mad at her. After Cahsi got sick of waiting and snuck up behind her to give her a hug, Theia lightly slapped her hands away, stood up, and turned around so she could tower over her. 

“Cassowary Gardner! Where have you been!?” Her tone was stern, and she did nothing to hide her scowl. 

She was so ticked that she let slip her sister’s original name. Er, well, as original as it got, since neither of them knew her birth last name. Cahsi didn’t actually mind getting called that, she’d told her that when she explained her name change post-Calamity, but Theia could tell by the look on her face that it felt weird to her. Well, right back at you, Cassowary! It still took her off guard when someone would refer to ‘miss Theia’ and meant the warrior of light, rather than herself. She felt honored that Cahsi chose her name when she thought she’d died, but it was a bit awkward when she turned out to be alive after all. Cahsi’s face, meanwhile, had transformed into a sheepish smile. Good! Maybe she felt properly chastised for once. Theia had used her ‘mom voice’ on instinct–the one that always made Cassowary drop whatever bug she was about to eat or sneak into her dress pocket as a child. She was getting more use out of it these days, her own kid in that phase where he shied from affection and thought being rude made him more grown up. While Cahsi had balked at first, she quickly recovered, remembering she was the powerful one these days and no longer a little kid. She still did look apologetic, at least. “Sorry, sorry! I got caught up in something…” “The only things that were supposed to be caught today were some spectacular, scaly, sea critters!” She crossed her arms and tapped her foot, waiting for a continuation. 

“I can see that you’re mad, but I already checked in with a kind dock worker, and there’ll be another ship leaving today in about a bell. Which is actually a bit wild, because I didn’t think this was that big of a tourist attraction? Multiple ships a day? Or are there really that many fishermen out there? I know this is Limsa, but I somehow managed to avoid too much of that scene, the bars were more the scene, you know I had waitressing gigs here and there. Oh, and the arcanast’s guild was close by to the dock we have to depart from, but their basement always smelled more of books, which was definitely fortuitous for me because I spent a lot of time down there back when I was practicing–”

“Cas. Please.” Her patience was a bit worn thin now, no time for run-ons and rambling. If they only had the timeframe of a bell to work with and Cahsi still looked woefully underdressed and prepared, then they’d need to get back down into her house soon to rectify this.  “Ok, fine. Duty called, alright?” “Before the sun even rose?” “Listen, monsters don’t care what time of day it is, they’ll attack when they feel like it! But no, nothing so dire as that. I made it here with enough time to spare! I got as far as unlocking your door and was going to wait inside, get some coffee, read the morning paper. But then! I heard a ruckus, and a call for help.” “...And you went into hero mode.” “And I went into hero mode.” Cahsi nodded sagely and shrugged. Theia sighed. Much as she wanted to keep being angry for her sister being late, putting others’ needs above her own family’s, she couldn’t help but be proud of her sister going out of her way to help those in need. It was like pulling teeth getting her to do her chores when she was younger, let alone offer assistance to a stranger. Cassowary had been selfish, not the type to help someone with groceries or track down someone’s lost cat (her sister told her a lot of stories about her random quests; the girl complained a lot about these mundane tasks, but she still did them)--and Cahsi may still have had plenty of moments of being an asshole, but she was kind, too. She gravitated toward those in need, and Theia was happy she helped regular folk even in the little ways, rather than only when the entire star or a nation was at stake. 

Cahsi had continued in the meantime, unaware that she was already forgiven. “I regret that it ended up making me late, especially when this was important to you, but think of what would have happened if I wasn’t there! One snatched purse turned into a whole ordeal that involved talking to numerous other people having similar problems, and one thing led to another, I had to conduct an investigation–anyroad. It’s taken care of. That guy won’t be stealing from sweet little old ladies like Sally again. There’s a lot of happy people in hawker’s alley right now. But I lost track of time, and by the time I realized, the boat was long gone.” She let out a deep breath and tacked on, “I’m sorry.” Theia pulled Cahsi into a quick hug and ruffled her hair, messing it up. With an indignant squawk, Cahsi shooed her away and started making her way down the awning. “Forgiven, nerd. Try not to pull it again when we’ve got a time sensitive plan on the books, but I can’t fault you for random people being in need of a hero. Just remember there are others willing to help–it doesn’t always have to be you.” She paused to make sure Cahsi absorbed her words, then clapped her hands together. “Now! Why don’t we ‘Sally’ forth then, hmm? Get dressed in boat appropriate attire, and I’ll get the poles ready. The new boat’s not going to wait for us all day! If we miss another, I’m disowning you.”

“Ha! We’ll only miss the new boat if your old bones can’t keep up. Need some help down to the ground, grandma?”

Theia was half tempted to jump down and force her to catch her. ‘A test of her reflexes’, so to speak. She knew Cahsi would catch her. But she really wasn’t so young anymore after all, and better to leave her back intact for this trip.

“This ‘grandma’ is going to ‘school’ you, on that boat! I’m going to catch so many more big fish than you, you’ll be crying like a ‘shoal’ loser when you can’t even collect enough scripts with your guppies to buy a single materia.

“Argh, not the fish puns! Anything but that!”

“Get prepared for a bunch more, because we’re going to have a ‘fin’tastic time trapped on a boat together for half the day!”

[inklessletter]

Lucas was lying next to Max in the hospital bed. His face muscles were aching after being contorted all morning, from crying and smiling, and trying not to. Max was awake. After three months, Max finally was awake. 

The drugs were still filling her system, and his body was still recovering, still adjusting won’t let her move too much, but she was reaching out. She wanted to touch. She asked Lucas to get next to her, and they cried, and hugged, and cuddled. He couldn’t bring himself to go to the nearest telephone and call the others. 

It was Erica who did it. She offered.

And she was so happy, she didn’t even charge him for it.

Lucas was playing with her hand when he heard the party in the hallway, about to burst in the room. Max stiffened at the sound.

Soon after, they were all in, and Lucas stepped aside the bed, but Max clawed her fingers around his hand. She wouldn’t let him go, even when the others were hugging her, taking turns. 

Everyone was crying. Even Mike. Dustin was such an ugly, loud crier. Will couldn’t stop smiling. Nancy was tougher, but she was also beaming, even through her glassy eyes. Jonathan didn’t want to cry, too, but he definitely wiped a tear or two, not coming really close, but letting her know that he was so glad she was awake. Steve hugged her, too, blinking fast, kissing her hair, and telling her how brave, how proud everyone was of her.

Max was crying too, but she greeted everyone with a wide smile.

But when El approached the last, shy and timid, with puffy, wet eyes and a trembling lip, Max’s face faltered.

“El?” she asked, and Steve let room for her to get to Max. 

El smiled through her tears. “Yeah.”

Max let go of Lucas’ hand and hugged her as fiercely as she could. They didn’t speak for a full minute, both of them silently sobbing.

It felt intimate to watch Max’s face contorted, tears flowing, lips moving but no sound came out from them.

“Thank you,” they could all read what she was saying. El hugged harder.

“It’s okay,” she replied.

“Thank you for bringing me back,” Max mused against her shoulder. “Thank you.”

And Lucas looked around at everyone else’s faces, just to make sure he wasn’t the only one that was just realizing that El did not just jump into Max’ memories to fight Vecna, but—but also brought her back to life. 

Apparently, he wasn’t.

“You are my best friend. You were not going to go. I wouldn’t let you go,” El whispered, but everyone heard. 

“I love you,” Max said.

And there was such happiness in Lucas’ heart, that after all the hell she’d been through, she still had love to give. 

El looked briefly at Mike’s eyes and she half smiled, through one of the saddest expressions he’d ever seen her pull, and nuzzled her face in Max’ hair when she replied, “I love you, too.”

Lucas knew that there was something there he didn’t quite catch, some narrative that they kept to themselves. It was okay. He knew they had broken up at some point, but they were still close. 

What was sitting uncomfortably in his chest was the fact that he did not know until that very moment that Max was alive because of El.

If he ever held any doubt about where her heart relied, now they were all gone.

If he ever was scared about how incredibly powerful she was, he felt now utterly safe.

If he ever thought of her less than a friend, now he knew that he’d been wrong all along.

Because El was loyal, and truthful, and giving, and selfless.

And she loved her friends.

No, she loved Max, and that—that was enough for him to unconditionally love her, too.

And he’d never been particularly tactile to anyone, and her especially, but when they were alone  on their way home he could do no less but hug her. She was taken by surprise, and didn’t hug him back right away. But then Lucas said, with a shaky breath “She’s here because of you. Thank you so much, El. Thank you.”

Then she wrapped her arms around his waist, and let herself be held. Lucas could feel her relax into his touch.

“I’m sorry if I ever—”

“It’s okay,” El whispered. 

“I owe you everything,” he said. “I could never repay you.”

El smiled and made herself home in Lucas’ arms.

“You don’t owe me anything. I would have done the same for you,” she mumbled, and Lucas could not repress a shiver. “I love you too. All of you.”

And Lucas laughed, but didn’t let go. “Really?”

“Yeah. We are friends,” she said, and looked at him, undoing the embrace, but not quite letting go of his touch. He beamed at her, with eyes still glassy.

“And friends don’t lie.”

---

@mentallyundone

[gildedmuse]

So, I just know all of Tumblr was wondering, "hey, you remember that really weird ZoLaw fan with the annoyingly overly stylized post? I wonder if she's seen this and if she has any theories or thoughts, an observation or two?"

Well, allow me to set your wandering mind at ease, fictional Tumblr fan. The answer is: No. No, I really don't.

I have like three hundred.

[I also spent time just trying to track down as many translations as possible. Is Tera A Criminal's Daughter or The Daughter Of Thieving Bandits! These are CLEARLY separate things and can ENTIRELY change how her utter nonpresence in Zoro's life shaped him! Though I can take comfort in knowing that, regardless of what kind of crimes her father was committing they were more important than anything his daughter ever did in her entire life.]

And, hey, as might as well jump right into that whole mess.

1. Wait, Zoro's mom is dead? Thank goodness, I was worried Oda forgot one!

(AKA: Stop. Murdering. Moms.)

I'll go first, I don't mind saying when I was wrong. True, in the past I may have suggested that the vast majority of female characters in One Piece come off as ever so slightly, "leaning into sexist tropes with unadulterated joy; it's the misogynistic tropes equivalent of a child running naked through a grocery store. It's right there, everyone sees it, yet people shut up and continue shopping in part because, well, these days you just expect most people to cover that junk! What would you even say? And if you DO speak up and call out the inappropriate, be prepared for blank stares and tantrums; but THEY don't mind! THEY don't think it's wrong! You're just being mean!"

More or less a direct quote.

However, I see now that I rushed to judgement and the reality of the situation is far more nuanced. With that in mind, I was just wondering if someone could help answer some of the questions I have.

Like: Why does Oda believe that it's illegal for (maternal) female characters to survive other character's backstories?

More importantly, why hasn't someone just reached out to explain the misconception!? It can't be that difficult. If nothing else, just have a lawyer or judge or other expert in censorship on hand. Or is the one of those cases where back in highschool his friends made something up and then kept pretending it was real to see if he'd believe you and not only did he fall for it, it took over 20 years before he learned that, what, no that's not illegal. That would be crazy if it were an actual law. Cause you know, after the first 10 years I think yeah you have to just lean into it. Pretend it's a creative decision on your part and definitely not because you were terrified of being sentenced to a slow and humiliating public death.

Just to be clear that's definitely what's up, right? I mean, I'm struggling to think of another reason....able excuse why a story that I really enjoy keeps playing the same old sexist tropes cards again and again to the point of absurdity. It would just help if I had a valid excus- explanation. I almost mistyped the word explanation.

....

....

So I imagine it went like.

"That's the third mangaka they've had to Publically Execute this week!"

"They've started taking this law way more serious lately."

"This one really deserved it though! I heard his main character has a mother in her late forties!"

"That does seem old to have your first child."

"No, he's the middle of three and 22 years old. The story even has flashbacks of defining moments in his childhood and never once did she try to sacrifice herself for him, get murdered by his enemies, or die in meaningless unrelated accidents."

"Damn, that's cold to be there for all the protagonist core moments and not die and help him develop and grow a character? They must have a very antagonistic relationship. Is she actually the villain."

"Not that we know, and when they asked about this being a possible plot twist since - obviously if she's evil no laws are being broken."

"Well, of course, that's the whole reason Statue 2-dash-57 exists; if creators can show they have consistently been building up to a surprise twist then the female character in question can continue to live so long as she continues to be unrepentant and unlikable until the resolution of her arch by the protagonist."

"That's the thing! Under oath not only did man present no evidence to support her identity as a secret villain, he went on the record stating he wanted to depict their relationship as one of a normal modern 20 year old and his mother."

"That can't be true! What publishing company would even print that!?"

"It gets worse. I told you he was a middle child? Well, according to those who've read the actual manga, his younger sister was really sick as a child."

"Oh, well, at least-"

"It was just a fish allergy. She's perfectly fine."

"Sometimes I feel this law is unnecessarily harsh but.... Then you hear stories like that, and you realize that some people really are monsters."

[humanoidalien27]

Content warning: Salazar machinations and trust issues

.....

Chapter 3

Caught in a Trap

    "We need help," Anne said sitting harshly on the bed. "We can't have bullies coming after us too!"

"Anne, please breathe."

She glared at her brother, but took a breath. "Godric might be able to help us. Let's just explain it to him."

"Or he might be working with Salazar too."

She half slapped her leg in frustration. "Not everyone is going to betray you!"

"Not everyone is going to end up your friend either. Unless we can guarantee he wouldn't give Salazar the information we tell him, I can't just trust anyone who comes across our path that seems nice."

"You keep living in the past! Not trusting anyone will be your downfall!"

She looked like she regretted the words as soon as she said them.

Realizing both of you had gotten too emotional, you stood up to leave.

"Where are you going?" Ominis asked, his wand already lifting up to track your movements.

"I'm going for a walk."

"Wait-" Anne started, but you kept walking.

      You found the library, not as full as the one you knew, but you quickly realized the restricted section books were laying about freely.

Shaking your head, you moved to try finding something that tells you about something related to repositories, but it had less than the future library had.

"Looking for answers?"

You jumped, having been too focused on research to notice Salazar had gotten close.

"You're not going to find them here. Most of these books belong to Rowena and Helga. If you want to know how to control your magic, you need to look for someone who has it. In this case me."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He chuckled as you slipped the book you were holding back onto the shelf. "I know you saw the magic I took from that girl. Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

He pulled his wand from his sleeve and pointed it at you.

"What? You want my magic?" You asked looking up at him. "Kill me afterwards?"

"People like us are rare as it is. To waste such a talent." He shook his head, taking a step closer. "I want to help you realize your talent."

He smiled as you remained quiet, just watching him, waiting for him to tell you the whole truth.

"Why don't you think about it? Though, I'm not a patient man, I won't wait forever."

He walked off with a nonchalant smirk, while you released the breath you'd been holding.

"He didn't take my magic? Why? I would have thought he'd want it."

"Why do you sound like you hoped he would?"

Jumping once again, you spun seeing Ominis behind you.

"You gave me a start."

His features remained neutral. "You're ignoring the topic."

"There's nothing to say."

"I believe there is. Since when do you not want to be magical?" He asked moving closer, his expression pinching in what you could almost mistake for fear.

"It's not that I don't, it's just... complicated."

"Is this because of all the attention it gets?"

Sighing, you sat down where you could see the whole library. "No, it's- after Rookwood, Harlow, Ranrok, sealing the repository and curing Anne, I thought I was done being the magical freak," you admitted getting his brows to bunch. "It's hard to explain. I just feel like...the more I find out about this magic, the more I use it, I lose a piece of myself. How long until I'm no longer me? How long until I'm just another Ranrok or Isadora?"

He reached into your pocket and pulled your dad's pocket watch out. "Remember what he said." He placed it in your palm and cupped your hand between his. "You have a choice."

"I'm not so sure anymore," you whispered, feeling his hands tighten.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm always going to be hunted for what I have. How long until I turn bitter? I'm already guarded and can't trust people easily."

He slid his hands carefully to the sides of your face. "Those who're guarded, have something valuable to protect. Something they know deserves to be treated with kindness and respect. Besides the people who want you just for magic, aren't worth worrying about. If you're that concerned about it, we can become two bitter people, scaring anyone trying to come up to our house because we want to be left alone."

Picturing it made you laugh as he pulled you against him.

"Sounds good to me."

He nodded before resting his head on yours. "Me too."

    "I think the two of you should take Godric up on his offer," you started getting them to look over in shock. "If I could get Salazar to let Ominis go, I'd ask him the same. Before you argue, Salazar is the type to torture you until I agree with becoming his student."

"Splitting us up isn't the answer," Sebastian replied turning to face you. "It just leaves you and Ominis vulnerable. We're staying."

"But-"

"I agree with Sebastian. I can't pretend that I don't see what would happen if we did follow that route."

Ominis leaned against the bed post beside you. "There is no guarantee that Godric wouldn't hurt them either."

Rubbing your forehead, you sighed softly. "I know. I just don't want to lose everything we've worked so hard for."

The twins instantly backed down from their defensive stance.

"Why don't you allow Salazar to teach you?"

All eyes snapped to Sebastian, half glaring, Ominis's brows pinched.

"Hear me out before you voice disagreement. We know that ancient magic brought us here and it's fair to assume it's the key to get home. The keepers taught you a lot through memories, but not all, right?" He waited for you to nod before pressing on. "Salazar can help get better control over your magic. Maybe you'll learn how to take us home."

"Don't put that kind of pressure on her shoulders," Ominis said sharply.

"There's no repositories we can use. Percival hasn't been born yet. We have to work with what we're presented, right?"

"That's not fair to ask," Anne whispered.

Seeing the merit of his point, it only clashed against your desire to stay away from Salazar.

"I'll decide tomorrow night. Until then, I'm going to check the grounds." You stood, nearly knocking into Ominis.

"Not alone," he called after you, making you look back at him. "Please not alone."

"Your animagus forms are hard to hide. I'm small enough to get places most can't. I'll be careful. I promise."

You left before he could say anything else.

   You moved through the dungeons, trying to see if you could still get into the repository's caverns, but Percival must have crafted it himself, because the door wasn't there.

You knew it was a long shot, but you still wanted to hold out hope for something, anything, that meant you didn't have to walk that already thin line between being good and going bad.

So, you headed back towards the common room, but before you could, you heard two people arguing.

As quietly as you could, you crept towards them.

"Why are you being so stubborn? They're children."

You peeked around the corner seeing Godric and Salazar. They obviously weren't wanting to be overheard. 

"Let's be honest here, we both know there's something about them that sets them apart from the rest."

Godric glared at him. "Leave them alone."

Salazar chuckled, his body language shifting to a lighter one. "I'm the only one who can teach the girl how to master her magic-"

"Master it? Don't pretend you actually care. You just want to see what she can do. See how powerful she is. Why? She's a child Salazar, don't push your expectations into her."

"The magic we have is most likely passed down from parent to child, Godric. Do you get what I'm saying?"

They glared at each other. "She's not your daughter."

Salazar chuckled, waving his hands around extravagantly. "It's believable, and all I have to do is get her to think she is."

"That's not going to happen. You can't keep getting away with this-"

Salazar snickered as if baiting him. "Getting away with- Godric, the whole school knows you're not strong enough to duel me, even together with Helga and Rowena. You can't stop me."

Salazar started to head towards you, making you wish you were in your animagus form. As you moved to cast the disillusionment charm, someone grabbed you from behind with a hand clamping over your mouth.

They pulled you further into the dark corner, putting their back to the hall.

"The hall is too quiet, they'll hear it if you cast a spell," Ominis whispered beside your ear.

You almost collapsed against him out of relief.

"I don't care how I do it Salazar, but I will find a way to stop you from corrupting that innocent child."

"No one is innocent Godric and she's hardly a child anymore. I will get what I want or I'll just take the magic for myself."

Ominis tensed as Salazar moved right beside the both of you, twisting himself to put his back to his ancestor.

He stopped as your heart started racing. "Godric, we've been friends for a long time, when have you ever known me to give up just because something's challenging?"

"This is different. This is someone else's life. Their future."

He huffed. "And yet, I keep making a point for us to accept only the purest wizards and witches into our school and you keep inviting those filthy half breeds."

Salazar walked off with that, getting Godric to sigh. "Closed minded fool."

Ominis let off your mouth when Godric's shoes faded. As you looked back, you saw his hood drawn over his head. It must have been why Salazar didn't see you in the dark corner.

"What are you doing out here?"

He dropped his hood. "You've been gone for hours, all three of us went looking. Where were you?"

Both of you began down the path towards the common room.

"Searching, in vain, for a repository," you admitted, prying a sigh from him. "I know, I just- I don't know what to do Ominis."

"It's not fair to drop all of this on you, but please don't do anything dangerous without talking to us first. You're part of a group now. We're in this together."

It didn't feel like you were, it certainly felt like you were alone to find the way back home. To figure out how to master your magic. To be swallowed up by the darkness alone.

"Yes, I know, but it's not that easy either."

"Why? Because Salazar's after you?"

Shaking your head, you decided not to hash it. "It's nothing, maybe I'm just over thinking it."

Catching onto the way your voice wavered, his head turned towards you. "Do you believe that or is that just something to say so I'd leave it alone?"

Not replying, his brows pinched, but he didn't press the topic.

....

Previous

Next

[soulweaverau]

Soulweaver Part_1

In this world two races rule over this earth. Humans and Monsters.

The Humans had powers far beyond that of what Monsters had and the monsters wanted it.

But they couldn’t obtain it because the power came from the soul.

8 Human souls

Determination, Bravery, Justice, Kindness, Patience, Integrity, Perseverance, Curiousity

So the monsters attempted to replicate these powers and by doing so they’ve created 8 of the most powerful Monsters ever in an attempt to aid them in a potential war between humans and monsters

Not so long ago

202X

"Chara… I don't think it's safe," a young child sat on a stump next to an old, long-abandoned mineshaft. "What if the rumors of Monsters are real?"

"Stop being such a baby," a second child was playing near the entrance of the mines on an old abandoned minecart. "Besides, humans are stronger than monsters."

"That doesn't make this any less dangerous. Monsters have a kind of magic we don't have."

"And that's IF they're even down here. They're just rumors, remember?"

"Well… my mom said she saw a large skeleton walk down there the other day."

"A few things. Your mom watches too many fantasy dramas. They probably imagined it." Chara grabbed a stick from the ground and whacked it against a tree. "Skeletons aren't monsters. They're inside us, silly!" The stick broke after a second swing. So they picked up another one and whacked it firmly again. "And besides… my mom says otherwise."

"What did they say?"

Nothing but silence and the sound of a stick whacking against a tree were heard.

"Well?"

"I already said it."

"What?"

"She's dead, remember? So she couldn't have said anything." Chara started laughing because they tricked Frisk. But Frisk wasn't laughing.

"You have twisted humor…"

"Hey, it's better to laugh than cry, isn't it?" They playfully punched Frisk in the shoulder and then jumped in the cart. "So are you coming or not?"

"It's not safe."

"Well then, can you give me a push?" They tilted their head to the side and made a pleading face.

"It's your funeral…"

Frisk pushed the cart slightly and immediately saw the fear in Chara's face.

There was supposed to be a rock to stop me. This was meant to just be another one of Chara's jokes not meant to actually move. But the cart slowly started going downhill, and the fear in Chara's eyes must have shown. Because Frisk's eyes mirrored the exact same fear.

It was a paralyzing fear to see your best friend suddenly afraid for what seemed to be no reason. They asked for this, yet when it happened, they seemed to instantly regret it. Frisk reached out to stop it but couldn't hold on, and as it kept going, it only got faster. But Frisk wasn't strong enough to stop it. So they could only let go. I'm sorry.

Chara's eyes widened when Frisk stopped trying to help and just stood there looking very apologetic and terrified.

Frisk got smaller and smaller as the cart went further and further down the hill. And then the tracks were no longer under Chara.

They were falling down.

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

"Sans, I don't understand the point of this. Why are we going through these old mines today? I'd rather be in Cavedin than here."

Sans was a tired Skeleton, simply living out his life. He never had an answer for Papyrus when this happened; he always tried to think of one. But he knew there was no point because what happened next made Papyrus forget every time.

A loud crash was heard from down the cave, startling some bats. "Nyeh!!" Papyrus jumped up in shock and immediately rushed toward the sound to see what it was.

"Always the heroic type, aye Paps?" Sans walked calmly to where they heard the noise.

"SANS!" Papyrus shouted. When Sans got there, he looked down the cliff. "IT'S A HUMAN!"

Sans smiled for a second at his brother's enthusiasm and nodded. "I think they're hurt."

The human had a minecart on top of their arm and was pulling at it, trying to free themselves from underneath the overturned metal cart.

"Uh, HUMAN! I wouldn't do that if I were you! Lucky for you, I'm here to help!" He leaped down and stuck his hand out, making the minecart glow orange. As soon as the human nudged their arm again, the minecart started slowly lifting in that direction, as if the inertia never left and gravity had no effect. The moment the minecart was up, the human bolted, grabbed a rock, and tried throwing it at Papyrus's head. Before it made contact, it started to glow blue and flew in a different direction, smashing against a wall.

Sans stood atop the cliff, glaring down at the human.

"Human, we don't want to hurt you. Your arm, is it alright?"

"M… my arm?" The voice was trembling and afraid, eyes wide. Oh god… monsters are real… The large skeleton loomed over, offering his hand. Nothing about them seemed harmful, yet everything in Chara was telling them to run. "I… It's fine…"

"Mind if I take a look? We can take you to a health expert in Cavedin to make sure, but if your bone is broken, then you're very lucky! I happen to be a bone expert!" He seemed prideful for making that joke.

Chara sighed, knowing there wasn't much they could do. They were defenseless. "Sure…" They sighed; however, fear still coursed through their mind.

Papyrus knelt down. Chara's arm started to glow orange and then felt painful. "This is definitely not good…" Summoning two bones from his other hand, he placed them on each side of Chara's arm and then took his Bandana off and wrapped it around the bone tightly. "I used my magic to move the bone into place, but… to make it heal faster, we'll need to take you to a medical expert!"

Chara looked at the improvised splint and flinched when they tried to lift their arm. Clearly more than just this was broken. And as they lay still, they slowly realized how much they actually were in pain. And it was a miracle they even survived. "I… I can't walk…"

"Oh. Hm… don't worry. I can help!" He used some magic, and Chara was now glowing orange. "It is very important that you do not move." He turned to the cliff. "SANS, GET READY TO INTERCEPT!"

Sans rolled his eyes and sat up. "Ready, Paps."

"This may feel weird. But it's safe." Papyrus nudged Chara just a bit relatively toward Sans, and Chara started flying only in that direction. Then suddenly they were glowing blue now and frozen in the air. Then flung toward the other Skeleton before being gently set down next to a stalactite.

"Huh. You got hurt this time? Didn't use your Determination to save ya?"

"What?" Chara was confused. "Determination?"

"Don't play dumb with me. You tried that before. Didn't work."

"Wh- what do you mean?"

"You promised you wouldn't come back down here." Sans looked furious, and Chara's neck glowed blue as it was pinned against the wall. "After all those timelines… even after you made your promise… you don't care? Still haven't had your fun?" Sans got closer. His eyes burning blue. "If it wasn't for that damn Determination, I'd kill you right now, Frisk."

"F- Frisk?" Chara was confused. How did this skeleton know Frisk? "I…

 I'm Chara."

Sans looked angry for a second or two, then relieved as the blue glow and pressure left Chara's neck. "Y- you're not Frisk? Hehe… hehehehe… oh man, that's great."

A grappling hook landed on the cliff and dug its claws into the rocks. A moment later, Papyrus was pulling himself up. "How's the weather up here?" he asked once he made it up.

Sans smiled and looked up at the rocky ceiling. "Great, man. So much better than I thought."

Papyrus smiled brightly. "PERFECT!" He turned to Chara and asked, "So what might your name be, human?"

"Chara." Sans responded for them. "Their name is Chara. And it's a great name."

"Well, Chara, it's a pleasure to meet you! I've personally never met a human, and I'm far less nervous on the outside than I thought I'd be!"

Sans turned to Chara and offered his hand. "The name's Soul." Then, a swift gloved hand whacked him in the back of the skull.

"Nyeh! Stop telling people that ridiculous nickname!" Papyrus looked slightly annoyed. "His name is Sans!"

Sans sighed. "Yeah."

"Still can't walk, Chara?" Papyrus asked. Chara replied by shaking their head. "That is okay!" Papyrus used his magic to hoist Chara up and onto his back. Papyrus leaned forward and grabbed Chara's legs so they couldn't slip off. "I'll carry you, and you are much lighter than I imagined." He started to walk down the cave until they came to a cart track and turned left. "We'll take you to Cavedin. But the doctors may not be there today. So we may go to Mistfeild instead to meet the Scientist!"

Chara wasn't too focused on this. They were instead watching Sans, who was walking ahead, not paying attention either but instead had a big goofy smile on his face. He seemed so scary a moment ago and now was full of glee and couldn't stop silently smiling to himself.

Then, what sounded like the charging of a blast came from ahead of them. Chara's eyes widened, but they couldn't do much. Luckily, a wall of bones shot out in front of them as a blue beam of light came crashing against the bones.

"VIOLET!!" Papyrus called out. "IT'S US!!"

When the bones fell away, a young woman stood before them. Her skin was a pale white, and her hair covered one of her eyes, with a hood over her head and decorative purple clothing that made her look important. Violet, it was assumed, wielded a sword and a shield. The shield seemed to be smoking, so it seemed to Chara that was the source of the beam.

"Gaah- oh, I'm sorry, Papyrus. Just doing my job."

"It's fine, Via! The first days of guard training are rough, trust me. But violence shouldn't be the first instinct."

Violet looked ashamed as she looked down and blushed a deep shade of… blue? Chara had never seen anyone blush that color. "S- sorry. Undyne teaches things a lot differently than you, so—"

Papyrus sighed at the mention of that name. "Undyne means well, and Gerson trained her, so it's understandable why she works like that. But The Dreem Guard doesn't need to resort to violence anymore, Via. Peace is first! Like with Chara!"

"Oh!" Violet, for the first time, seemed to notice Chara. "A- is that a human?"

"Yeah! And don't act like they can't hear you. They aren't deaf, you know! Or dead. And as Dreem Guard, it's your duty to make sure of it. We're gonna see if we can get them back to the surface." Sans explained.

"But they're just a kid? Don't you think they'd be better off down here?" Violet asked in a hushed manner.

Papyrus frowned and looked down before he inhaled, his chest lifting slightly, and sighed out an exhale. "As head of the Dreem Guard, I don't believe it's alright for me to discuss this topic. And you shouldn't either. We're here to protect and support the citizens of the underground, and any visitors. We shouldn't sway their beliefs. They're entitled to their own minds."

"But I—"

"Whatever opinions you may have on the Humans and Upper Grounds stay to yourself in a public environment. You're at work right now. Not your house. I'm sorry, Via."

"Okay…" She cleared her throat. "Would you like an escort to the village?"

"That would be nice, Violet! Thank you!" Papyrus cheerfully said. "Do you know if any Medicine Experts are in town?"

She thought for a moment as she turned and walked down the increasingly narrow cave. "I don't know if any Experts are. But the princess is here."

Sans coughed and covered his mouth. "Why?!? Did something happen?"

Violet laughed. "No, no—she said she was bored. She's hanging out with Dogamy and Dogaressa right now. Probably at Grillby's."

Papyrus thought. "Makes sense. It is their day off."

"So did they escort her?" Sans asked as he wiped what looked like honey mustard off his chin.

When did he get honey mustard? Chara asked themselves, looking at an orange bottle with a bear on it labeled "Honey Mustard."

Violet responded to Sans with a laugh. "Ha! No."

"So who did?" Papyrus inquired. Chara just noticed he was crouched down so Chara's head wouldn't hit the ceiling. It was a simple act, yet it really showed that Papyrus didn't stop taking care of Chara.

"I don't think anyone did."

"NO ONE?!" Papyrus and Sans said at once.

"Dude, Cavedin is the furthest town apart from the Spider Village from New Home! And she came all this way WITHOUT AN ESCORT??? She's only a kid! Think about all the monsters that could have killed her!!" Sans seemed to be freaking out.

Violet tilted her head. "Well, if the king didn't think it was okay, then he wouldn't have let her."

Papyrus chimed in. "You clearly never met Cocoa! She doesn't even ask The King or Queen if it's okay! She just does stuff anyway. Don't tell anyone I said this, but she's just as stubborn as the Queen."

Violet laughed. "I'm sure anyone who heard you, even The Queen themselves, would agree!"

"If she wasn't the Princess, I'd give Cocoa a few choice words on how dangerous that is." Sans mumbled.

"Well…" Papyrus sighed as they stepped through a hole into a large and open cave with lanterns everywhere and houses in the sides of the cave. Monsters of all shapes, sizes, and colors bustled about. "Welcome to the underground!"

The lights came in all shapes and sizes and colors just like the monsters. A young kid dressed in a red scarf and ruby red horns. A bunny running an outpost selling various goods. A bear sitting outside of a bar and grill called "Sweet N' Spice," and it seemed to be where they were heading.

"I thought we were going to Grillby's?" Chara asked skeptically.

"We are." Violet responded. "They just rebranded to Sweet N Spice when The Owner of Grillby's and Spider-Cakes combined. Everyone here just calls it Grillby's though since it's what it's been called for years."

Inside, it was a warmly lit room with monsters bustling about. Two anthropomorphic dogs were at a table. One dealing cards, the other checking theirs skeptically.

On the other end of the table, a happy goat-like lady sat smiling at her hand of cards while she bopped her head to the distorted jazzy music playing in the broken jukebox. She was wearing a gray overall dress with an odd symbol on it.

Chara didn't even notice Papyrus walking over there until he started speaking. "Your Majesty? what did we tell you about traveling without an escort?"

Cocoa sighed and pushed a stack of coins to the middle of the table. It seemed to make both the dogs' eyes widen in shock.

"Not to. Papyrus, I don't see why? I'm practically an adult and—"

"You're the princess." Sans said blankly. "Sure, you have say over the Dreem Guard, but at the end of the day, their best interest is to make sure you and the royal family are safe."

"I'd much rather they protect the citizens, not me." Cocoa responded with a nodding head, as the male dog put their cards down, and Cocoa smiled and took the whole pile. She must have won that hand. She started to count the coins.

"Your Highness, we are." Violet pleaded. "We do our best to protect the citizens, and we do it well. But you're also our responsibility!"

Cocoa sighed. She hadn't once looked at them throughout this whole thing. But when she did, she instantly noticed Chara. "Uh, who are you? Did Papyrus capture you like he did the bats the other day?"

"Nyeh? Uh, no, Lady Cocoa… I didn't. We rescued this Human! In fact, we were about to ask if you could heal them. They took quite the fall, and I did my best with what I had."

Cocoa smiled warmly at Chara. "Of course I can!"

Papyrus set the human child down on a chair, and Chara winced in pain. A white glow surrounded their body, and the pain receded slowly. But when Cocoa was done, they looked worried.

"Soul… Papyrus… Violet…" Cocoa asked. "We may need to see the scientist… their soul… it doesn't seem right. I can heal their physical body, but when I tried healing their soul, I didn't recognize it. It didn't even seem Human or Monster. It's new."

Sans scratched the top of his head and looked at Chara. "The Timeline did a number on you, buddy…"

The timeline? What? Chara asked silently, confused.

Violet tugged Papyrus's shirt. "Hey… uh…"

"Yes, Via?"

"Can I assist you and Sans in taking the Human to the Scientist?"

"Of course you can!" he beamed down at the young lady as he unraveled his Bandana from Chara's arm and unsummoned his bones.

"Cocoa is coming with us." Sans said as if they all already agreed on it.

"Oh, come on! I can't stay for one more game?"

"No." Sans, Papyrus, and Violet all said at once.

"Fine… I guess this is enough." She split the pile of money roughly in half, and left one half on the table for Dogamy and Dogaressa, who instantly started wagging their tails excitedly, and she carried the other half to the bartender, who was another Dog. Then she yelled, "DRINKS ARE ON THE ROYAL FAMILY!!" and the whole building erupted in a cacophony of howling, cheering, and claps before Cocoa started walking to the door. "You guys coming?"

Part 2