#Viper Fan Fiction

[caliberbook]

Part 1 VINCENT Chapter 2 (Part 4)

“I’m from”—she tried to hide a diminutive smile—“the higher-ups.”             “You mean the government?” Marielle asked, but it came out as more of a statement.             Barbara smirked. “Yes, I mean the government.”             Marielle glanced at Liam, but he was looking down.             “I’ve been sent in to manage things.”             “But… we’re well managed.”             “That doesn’t really matter, Ms. Chaenes. You didn’t think we would let an operation like this go on for so long without any supervision or direction, now did you?” 

Marielle noticed the slight twitch in Barbara’s fingers as she curled them into her palm. She was upset, but controlling it well. “Operation? We’ve… we’ve done nothing but help people.”             “That”—Barbara adjusted her collar—“is debatable.” There was a brief silence. “Ms. Chaenes, you have people in this facility from all over the world. The United States government has no files on some of them—or records, for that matter.” 

Marielle swallowed. That was true enough. She briefly wondered about John. What would the United States government do if they knew about his existence and what had happened to him? It was true that none of them truly knew what had occurred to make him… whatever he was now, but that was their business, not a third party’s. 

“You have people from South Korea, Russia, Germany…” Another pause. “Do you see how this can get a little… tricky?”             “Is ‘tricky’ the word you really wanted to use?” Marielle asked.             Barbara said nothing, but another soft smile crossed her thin lips. Marielle saw a hint of pride in that one—not for herself, but for Marielle. She knew then that Barbara either admired her personally or her ability to read people. Was this a test? 

“Dangerous,” Barbara corrected. “Unknown. Again, there are people here who have powers and abilities, not all of them documented, and some as mysterious as the people who possess them. I’ve even heard that you yourself are something of a mystery, Ms. Chaenes.”             Marielle looked down morosely. “Yeah. I have some kind of ability, although I’ve never fully understood it.”              Barbara took a deep breath. She was becoming more difficult to read the longer she spoke. “All of this requires checks and balances. As a result, we will be coming in for the next few weeks to interview, document, and review each agent. My associate, another senior profiler, Austin Rancor, will be here to interview you in a few days.” For some reason, Barbara seemed disappointed about this.             “What does any of this have to do with me?” She looked to Sabine, but she was staring at the table.             “Up until now, we—that is, the United States government—have let all of this go due to the fact that Valorant has indeed helped people.” Barbara leaned forward and interlocked her fingers in front of her on the table. “However, now things are changing.” She pointed a finger at the folder Jamie had given Marielle.             Marielle’s eyes moved around the room, looking for clues, then dropped to the folder. “What’s the problem?”             “He’s sitting in the next room,” Sabine seethed, her eyes meeting Marielle’s for the first time, blazing and full of disdain.             “What does this have to do with me?” Marielle repeated.             “You’re French,” Sabine added.             “And?” Marielle pressed.             “So is he.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Want more? https://www.caliberbook.com/

[wafflefries13]

Go For It, Jamil!

Summary: Scarabia hears their Vice-House Warden has a crush and are a little too enthusiastic to help out.

AN: I really like the idea that the dorm mob loves their wardens and vice wardens. It makes me think of the tsum event where all of Savanaclaw was in tears because they thought Leona got turned into a little burrito plush, lol.

I got Omar and Babkak from the Aladdin Broadway musical. There's also a Kassim there but I thought it sounded too close to Kalim so just kept it to the two of them.

Warnings: Pining. Apparently I'm really into that. AFAB reader with she/her pronouns.

Spring had come to Night Raven College. With the blossoming trees, chirping birds, and returning sunshine, one thing everyone could count on was Kalim’s annual Welcome Spring party. Of course, he also had a Welcome Autumn, Welcome Winter, Welcome Summer, Farewell End-of-School-Year, Beginning of School, Halloween, New Year's Eve and Day, basically anything party. The difference here was that there were generally more flowers. 

“And we can have the cherry blossom trees around the entrance of the courtyard!” Kalim was saying. Jamil dutifully followed behind him by a few steps, taking down notes for the numerous things they would need to order. “That way when the wind blows the petals will swirl everywhere and it will be super pretty!” 

“MmHmm,” Jamil muttered, only halfway paying attention. 

“And I was thinking the food should be fruit-themed. Blueberries, strawberries, plums, apricots, rhubarb - is rhubarb a fruit? It’s sweet but it’s like celery, right? Cause it grows in the ground in a stalk?” 

“It’s a vegetable.” 

“Oh, and pastels! I can get bolts of silk and we can have them hanging from the ceiling in panels and string beads between everything.”

“Sure.”  

“And it’ll be the perfect backdrop when you confess to (Y/N)!” 

Jamil nearly tripped over his own feet. Both of them froze at the sound of a shattering pot. Looking up, Jamil felt dread build in his stomach as a wide-eyed first-year stared at the two of them, obviously having overheard Kalim’s (obviously totally ridiculous) announcement. There was a broken flower pot at his feet. 

“I-Uh-” The first-year stuttered. “Sorry, I’ll get a broom.” He dashed off like his feet were on fire. 

Jamil sighed. The last thing he needed right now were rumors swirling around. “Kalim, what are you talking about?”

Kalim blinked at the retreating student before looking back at Jamil with a beaming smile. “(Y/N)! It’ll all be super romantic, right? And spring’s a time for new beginnings. We’ll have a string quartet and I’ll set up a gazebo with hanging lanterns and you can take her hands and look her in the eyes and say-” 

“Okay, okay, okay!” Jamil quickly said, clapping a hand over Kalim’s mouth before another eavesdropper got the wrong idea. “You have way to clear an image of all this.” 

“Of course! I think it’ll make a great story for your wedding!” 

Jamil heard a gasp. He turned just in time to see the first-year from before ducking behind the corner with another in tow. 

Yup. There was the headache coming. 

“Kalim,” Jamil said, measuring his words as steadily as he could. “I’m not going to confess anything to (Y/N).” 

Kalim pouted. “Aww, why not?” 

“Because I don’t have feelings for her.” 

“What? Of course you do!” 

“I promise I don’t.” 

“Don’t worry, she’ll definitely say yes.” 

“That’s not the problem here.” Jamil sighed. “Look, I get that you have good intentions, but you don’t need to go overboard and be involved in everything. We talked about this, remember? The whole thing about boundaries?” Actually, (Y/N) had mediated that conversation a few days after Jamil’s Overblot. Is that why Kalim had become convinced they had some sort of romantic attraction? Because talking about feelings must lead to the extreme of those feelings? 

Kalim looked chastened, a certain wet puppy dog look that would make most people fold instantly. Jamil was not most people. “Right, I remember. I just…” Jamil waited for Kalim to continue, silently hoping he would just drop it. “I want you to be happy, you know? And I think you’d be really happy with (Y/N)!” 

Jamil looked at Kalim sideways. “It’s more of a two way street, you know.” 

“Well, yeah, but (Y/N) likes you too!” 

Jamil tripped over his own feet again. He felt a strange kind of dread at the way his heart skipped a beat as a warm feeling flooded his chest. 

“She-what-Where did you hear that?” 

Kalim shrugged, smiling coyly. “I can tell. Just like how I can tell you like her.” 

“I don’t,” Jamil said firmly. 

Kalim held up his hands in surrender. “I hear you! Boundaries! I won’t mention it again.” He added under his breath, “Even if I think you two would be really cute together.” 

“I heard that.” 

*

Behind them, hidden in the long shadows of the Scarabia hallways, a cluster of students were beginning to plot. 

*

The next day, Jamil was taking some time to relax between classes. Well, as much as he could relax. Mostly his thoughts were occupied jumping between organizing for the Welcome Spring party, creating a mental schedule of what school projects were do when, planning what he would make Kalim for lunch for the next week-

“Jamil!” 

He turned to see (Y/N) waving at him. He felt his heart start thumping rapidly in his chest. Stop it, He thought. I can’t let Kalim get in my head like that. 

“Hi,” She said, coming up to him. 

“Did you need something?” 

“Not really. Just saw you over here stuck in your own head again.” She elbowed him playfully. Jamil felt himself smile without realizing it and quickly schooled his features to a more serious expression. “Want to take a break? I snagged these cookies from Sam’s. Tomorrow’s the expiration date so I got them on sale.” 

Jamil wrinkled his nose. “Is it worth it?” 

(Y/N) shrugged, taking a bite of a cookie. “It’s in the budget. You know, whenever Crowley actually decides to pay me.” 

“You know, if you’re ever short on food you can always come to Scarabia. If Kalim’s not throwing another party with a buffet I can get you something. I always make extras for Kalim, anyway.” This was not entirely true. Jamil had had practically his entire life to get used to cooking for Kalim, and it was only recently that he had started making larger batches, packaging them up to deliver to a certain magicless prefect who’s nutritional health he definitely didn’t worry about.  

(Y/N) smiled and offered him the cookie bag. “You look after everyone all the time, don’t you?” 

Jamil smiled back and took a cookie. They sat in an alcove in the hallway, chatting about nothing of significance. Jamil told a story about how Floyd had insisted Jamil teach him how to spin on his head during basketball practice and (Y/N) told him stories of her recent trip to Harveston, Epel’s hometown, and the sled race against the surprise Royal Sword Academy students. 

Jamil saw movement out of the corner of his eye, but whatever it was disappeared before he could catch it. “Sorry, what did you say?” 

“Oh, about the stuffed animals. Sebeck won’t admit it, but I think he still has his squirrel plush in his room. I don’t think it’s magic anymore but it is really cute.” 

Jamil heard the drag of a bow on strings and looked around. 

(Y/N) frowned. “Are you okay? You seem distracted.” 

Jamil shook his head. “No, sorry, I’m fine. I thought I heard-” 

Music started to pour around them. Although it was the calming, one might almost say romantic, type, they both still jumped at the sudden noise. Jamil jumped up, looking around, and took a hit of sunflower petals directly to his face. 

“Omar!” Someone hissed. “Be careful!” 

“Sorry, Babkak,” A voice squeaked back. 

Wait, Jamil knew those voices. He whipped around the corner, seeing a group of Scarabia first-years. Several formed a string quartet, softly playing music. The other two had a bucket of flower petals, one of them throwing handfuls in the air while the other directed a zephyr spell to blow them across the hallway. The two froze with wide eyes at the sight of their Vice-House Warden. 

“What,” Jamil said, voice steely and arms crossed. “Are you doing?” 

The string players looked nervously at each other but continued to play. Omar gapped like a codfish. Babkak stood up straight with a confident smile. “We’re setting the mood!” 

“What mood?” “For your confession!” 

Oh. Oh, no. Now Jamil realized how he recognized them. Babkak was the one who dropped the flower pot yesterday and Omar was the one he had dragged with him to eavesdrop. They must have heard what Kalim had said yesterday about him and (Y/N) and taken the wrong idea. And, Jamil justified to himself, it was definitely the wrong idea. 

“Jamil?”  

Jamil turned so fast the first-years were momentarily worried about whiplash. (Y/N) stood at the corner, looking curiously at the impromptu band and flowers. Behind him, Jamil could hear them hastily whispering to each other to keep playing and trying to get the effect of floating flower petals just right. 

“Something going on?” She asked. 

“No!” Jamil said, perhaps a little too quickly. “They were just leaving.” He glared at the first-years. “After they clean this up.” 

(Y/N) took a step forward. Jamil felt his mouth go dry as she reached up and plucked a few stray yellow petals from his hair. “Is this for a botany project or something? Kind of romantic, huh?” 

Jamil felt his face burn with embarrassment. 

“No!” Jamil said, at the same time Babkak said, “Yes!” 

“Okay,” (Y/N) said, rolling closed the half-full bag of cookies. “Well, I should probably get going. I need to see what kind of trouble Grim has gotten into while I was gone. I’ll see you later, Jamil.” She waved to him and then the first-years. 

“What made you think this was a good idea?” Jamil asked, trying very hard not to yell, when (Y/N) was out of earshot. 

“Sorry, sir,” Omar said, dejectedly picking up flower petals. He glared up at Babkak. “I told you we should have gone for the romantic dinner. And rose petals, not sunflowers.” 

Babkak waved his friend off. “Don’t be so cliche. Besides, sunflowers are way better! They’re pretty and you can eat the seeds!” 

“Hey!” Jamil snapped. The two boys looked back up at him while the other first-years were trying to discreetly pack up their instruments. “I asked what you were doing? Did Kalim put you up to this?” 

“No, sir, this was all us!” Babkak said, a little too proudly. “We wanted to help.” “Yeah,” Omar said. “We’re all rooting for you, Vice-House Warden, sir!” The other first-years made noises of agrement. 

“Rooting for me?” 

“With (Y/N), to tell her you love her!” 

Jamil groaned, covering his eyes with his hand and rubbing his temples. “I am not in love with the Prefect.” Jamil missed the skeptical look the two gave each other. “Look, I appreciate the…vote of confidence, but I’m not going to confess anything to anyone any time soon. So whatever else you have planned, or whoever else you told this rumor to, you can give it a break. Understand?” 

“Yes, Vice-House Warden,” They all echoed dutifully. 

As Jamil marched away, Omar leaned over to Babkak. “I’ve got twenty madol that say he confesses before the spring party.” 

*

Jamil’s muscles were burning, and he welcomed it. He needed the distraction after this morning and basketball practice against Floyd in full force was a pretty good diversion. Ace had been uncharacteristically distracted all practice. Although Jamil couldn’t help but notice that Ace seemed to pass a little harder than necessary. 

During a water break, Ace came up to Jamil. He tossed his water bottle between his hands, taking a step away and then closer. 

Jamil knew he would regret it before he even asked, “What’s up, Ace?” 

Ace startled, surprised Jamil had made the first move. “I heard something,” He said. “In potions class today.” 

“Did someone blow up something again? Anyone get turned into an animal or something?” 

Ace pressed his lips together. “Do you like (Y/N)?” 

Jamil couldn’t decide whether to be exhausted, flustered, or annoyed. “Who told you that?” 

Ace’s eyes widened in shock. “You do?!” 

“No!” Jamil snapped back. “People are just going around spreading rumors.” 

“Huh?” Floyd asked, sliding over on the bleachers. “I thought everyone knew already.” 

“Knew?”

Floyd flashed his sharp teeth. “Come on, Sea Snake. Everyone knows you’re, what’s the land term? Head over heels for Shrimpy.” 

Ace dropped his water bottle and jabbed an accusatory finger at Jamil. “I knew it!” 

“You don’t know anything,” Jamil said, shoving Ace’s hand aside. 

“Oh?” Floyd said, leaning in a little too close. “So that means she’s available then?” 

“No!” Ace and Jamil both shouted at the same time. Ace glared at Jamil. A few other members of the basketball club glanced over, snickering to themselves at the outburst. 

Ace puffed out his chest, planting himself solidly in front of Jamil. “Look, (Y/N) is one of my best friends. And if you do anything to mess with her then… then…” Ace fumbled, running out of steam with his threats before catching his second wind. “Then you’ll have to deal with Jack!” 

Jamil crooked an eyebrow. “Jack? Not you or Deuce?” 

Ace shrugged. “Jack’s the biggest. But Deuce did used to be a delinquent. I’ve seen him be pretty brutal when he wants to. And I guess Epel can scrap up too, when Vil isn’t around. Probably couldn’t convince Sebeck to help out, he’d just lecture about a knight’s honor or something. Ooh, Ortho had a blast cannon! So, you know, watch out!” 

“I like how you didn’t put yourself in the line of fire there, Crabby,” Floyd said. He rolled his shoulders. “But you know, I think Shrimpy is pretty great, too. I don’t want to see her sad or anything. So if someone were to maybe break her heart,” He glanced sideways as Jamil with crazed wide eyes. “Can you swim, Sea Snake?” 

Jamil just glowered back at him. “Can everyone just stop talking about (Y/N) today?” 

“People are talking about me?” All three of them jumped. (Y/N) walked into the gym, Grim hanging off her shoulders. “I thought I felt my ears burning.”  

“Shrimpy!” Floyd immediately ran up to her, sweeping her up in a tight squeezing hug. Grim jumped off her shoulders with a yelp. Ace yelled and pulled at Floyd’s jersey, trying to pry them apart. 

(Y/N) weakly patted Floyd’s back with a free hand. “Hi, Floyd, hi, Ace. Sorry, I need Jamil real quick.” 

The two boys froze, slowly turning their heads to stare at Jamil, who was busy hiding his face in his hands. They watched like hawks as (Y/N) walked over to Jamil. 

“Hey,” She said. “You okay?” 

“Fine,” He said, waving her off. “Just one of those days, you know?”

She frowned. “You need me to talk to someone? I can chew out Ace if you want. Floyd is sort of out of my league, though.” 

Jamil sighed a laugh. “No, that’s fine.” 

“Oh! Right! Hang on.” She slung her backpack off her shoulder, reaching in and pulling out a familiar water bottle. “Here, you left this in the library. One of the Scarabia first-years found it and asked me to bring it to you.” 

“Oh, thanks. I was wondering where it was.” Jamil didn’t mention that he hadn’t been in the library at all today. As he reached to take it, their fingers brushed. Jamil grabbed the bottle and jerked back like he had been scorched. His heart was hammering, not from the exercise of basketball practice, and he was momentarily worried (Y/N) would be able to hear it. Not to mention if she would notice how clammy his hands had suddenly become. 

“Well,” (Y/N) said. “I guess I’ll get out of your hair-”

“Wait!” 

The entire basketball team, plus (Y/N) and Grim, turned to the sudden outburst. Babkak had half way thrown himself out of the doorway entrance to the gym, hand extended in a Stop motion. Omar guilty peaked out from the door frame. 

“Uh, I mean,” Babkak said, back peddling. 

“You should stay!” Omar jumped in. “I mean, we should all stay to watch practice! Support your local team and everything!” He weakly punched the air. “Go team?” 

Jamil opened his mouth to chastise them again before (Y/N) spoke, “That sounds fun. I don’t get to see you guys play too often. If that’s okay with you, though.” 

“Oh, um,” Jamil stuttred. 

Floyd jumped up, throwing himself over Jamil’s shoulders and smiling wide. “Of course you can stay! You can watch Sea Snake show off!” 

Jamil elbowed him. “You’re the one who shows off, Floyd.”

(Y/N) shrugged, smiling. (And Jamil definitely didn’t feel his heart flip.) “I don’t have any plans.” 

As everyone got back in position for practice, Ace took his place, whispering to Jamil, “Remember: Ortho has a laser cannon.” 

Jamil rolled his eyes. 

From the corner of his eye, Jamil saw the group of Scarabia first-years shuffle into the bleachers around (Y/N) and Grim. He thought he saw a few of them hiding objects behind their backs, but was pulled back to the game before he could investigate further. 

He lost himself back in the game. Sneakers squeaked against the waxed wooden floor, the bounce of the ball reverberated around the gym, each quick and practiced movement by the players blurring at the edge of Jamil’s vision. Another player passed him the ball. He faked left, turning around Floyd, before lining up a shot at the three point line. He raised the ball, arms tensing in preparation to shoot and- 

A blare of sound echoed through the gym, bouncing off the acoustic walls and tumbling down around everyone in attendance. The ball slipped from Jamil’s hands, falling uselessly in a pathetic arc and bouncing across the court floor. Jamil turned to the bleachers where the noise had come from. The first-years, Jamil now recognized them as the string quartet from earlier, now made up a brass band. The noise he had heard was the blast from a tuba. The rest of the band joined in, trumpets, french horn, and bugle. They started playing a high-energy marching tune. How many instruments did these people know how to play anyway? Omar and Babkak had red and yellow pom poms, waving them enthusiastically. Babkak passed a pair to a bewildered (Y/N). 

“Go, Vice-Housewarden Jamil!” Babkak cheered. 

“Show them who’s boss, sir!” Omar whooped. 

Everyone froze, looking from the impromptu cheering section and band to Jamil then back again. Jamil’s face felt as hot as the Scalding Sands desert at noon. It didn’t help at all when Floyd started cackling. 

He began to march over to confront his dorm mates, again, when a new echoing sound made him pause. (Y/N) had thrown her head back in laughter. She stood, waving the pom poms above her head. 

“Go, Jamil, go!” She cheered. 

Jamil was pretty sure he was going to spontaneously combust at any second. 

*

The rest of practice had been a disaster. Every time Jamil got the ball the bleachers would erupt in noise, distracting him and everyone else trying to play. Jamil had never felt so off his game, fumbling the ball, bumping into his teammates, and losing focus at every moment that mattered, and most of the ones that didn’t, too. He purposely avoided turning in the direction of the cheering squad, partially because he wanted to discourage whatever activities the first-years were insistent on doing, and partially so he didn’t have to see (Y/N) cheer for him so enthusiastically. (And, maybe, so she wouldn’t be able to see how flustered he was becoming with every second.) 

A teammate had patted Jamil’s shoulder in sympathy as they headed to the showers after practice. “Don’t worry,” He said. “I bet she still likes you.” 

Jamil resisted the urge to punch him. 

Now, at least, he was back in a rhythm of something he knew how to do: cooking. Ever since his stint in the Culinary Crucible, the ghost chefs had tapped him and a few other stand out cases to help out in the kitchen every once and a while. 

The kitchen filled with the scent of roasting spices and sizzling meat, spilling out into the cafeteria sitting area. Students had started lining up way before the kitchen officially opened to secure their plate of Jamil’s cooking. Jamil felt the tension melt out of his shoulders, much like the butter in the pan he was currently using, as he fell into his familiar rhythms. 

“Thanks again for your help,” One of the ghost chefs said, floating by with a steaming bowl of freshly made turmeric rice. 

“Not a problem,” He replied. “It gets me out of my own head.” 

“Oh?” Another ghost asked. “Having troubles, youngster?” 

“Girl troubles, maybe?” Another snickered. 

All the ghosts jumped as Jamil brought down a butcher knife to decapitate a fish. They collectively decided it was maybe best to drop the topic, already deceased or not. 

“Ah, Jamil, chef, sir?” A student volunteer said, warily eyeing the butcher knife. “Someone was having an issue with their meal. They wanted to talk to you.” 

So much for his relaxation. Jamil quickly let the others know what to keep an eye on in the kitchen and headed out to the main sitting area. He scanned the tables. It looked like everyone was enjoying their food as far as he could tell. He looked back into the window of the kitchen. The volunteer student pointed at a table near the back by a window. He was about half way across the room when he realized that the student was a Scarabia student, a first-year in fact. And, now that he thought of it, he didn’t think he had seen that student in the kitchen before he had come to talk to Jamil. 

Jamil froze, seeing exactly who was sitting at the indicated table. This was a set up. He turned around to go back, only to be stonewalled by two now very familiar Scarabia students. 

“Hello, sir!” Omar chirped. 

“Taking your dinner break?” Babkak asked. “Great! We have the perfect table for you.” 

They both hooked their arms around Jamil’s and practically dragged him over to the table where (Y/N) and Grim sat. 

“Oh, hi,” She said, blinking at the surprise arrival. Jamil felt his throat tighten and couldn’t formulate a response. 

The musically talented first-years descended to the table, quickly picking up her plate of food to whisk a tablecloth over the table, setting down a candelabra which was quickly lit, and a vase with a dozen roses. 

“Roses,” Omar whispered to Babkak with a sly smile. Babkak rolled his eyes. The two shoved Jamil into a seat opposite (Y/N). A plate of food was set in front of him. The sneaky Scarabia student from the kitchen grabbed Grim, shoving a plate of tuna tartare in his paws before he could protest. Then, the group of wannabe restaurateurs vanished as quickly as they had appeared. The two left at the table, Jamil and (Y/N), looked at eachother with confusion. Jamil dropped his head to stare intently at his plate, stabbing at the sayadieh with his fork. 

“Hey,” Jamil was jerked out of his thoughts by (Y/N)’s voice. “I wanted to apologize for earlier, at practice. It looked like we were a pretty big distraction.” 

“You don’t need to apologize,” Jamil said. “It wasn’t your fault.” He glared at the first-years eagerly watching from a table a safe distance away. 

“Yeah, but still, I don’t need to make your life any harder.” 

Jamil looked up at her. She was twirling her spoon around the tabouli, eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. “You don’t make my life harder,” he insisted. “In fact, you’ve made a lot of things easier. My relationship with Kalim is a lot better now, for one thing.” 

She smiled at him, and his heart definitely didn’t skip a beat. “Well, glad I can help, then. But don’t sell yourself short. You’ve been doing a lot of work since everything that happened.” She waved her hand, regarding the invisible thing they both understood. It was still hard to talk directly about his Overblot, the manipulation, abuse of magic, and kidnapping aside. (Y/N) had told him she wanted to give him space for it, to consider how he felt and talk to others at his own pace, but still trying to address the root of the issues. That was when she had started organizing those sessions between her, Jamil, and Kalim, giving them a place to directly talk with each other without outside pressures and influences, helping them work things together as friends instead of the master/servant role Jamil so often felt himself confided to. 

“This is great, by the way,” (Y/N) interjected, scooping up a mouthful of tabouli. “I can always tell when it’s your cooking. Thanks for those leftovers the other day. I know Grim really likes them too.” 

“Oh, yeah, of course,” He said. He didn’t say, “I didn’t make it for Grim. I made it for you.” He blanched at the intrusive thought and snatched up his water glass, taking a large gulp and trying not to choke. 

“You sure you’re okay?” (Y/N) asked. “You’ve seemed kind of on edge all day.” 

“I’ll deal with it later,” Jamil said, looking over at the first-years who started enthusiastically nodding and giving him thumbs-up. 

(Y/N) drummed her fingers against the table.  “Listen, actually, there’s been something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about-” 

“Lgeimat!” Jamil shouted. 

She blinked at him. “Sorry?” 

“The lgeimat! I left them in the fryer! Sorry, have to go, have a good night!” Jamil shot up and zipped back to the safety of the kitchen. 

“I didn’t know we were having lgeimat tonight,” Omar said from their spying perch. 

Babkak thudded his head on the table at their third defeat. “We’re not.” He grumbled. 

*

Jamil collapsed on the low couches in the Scarabia common room, arm flung across his face to cover his eyes from the late evening light. The day felt like it went on forever. Jamil had caught himself constantly looking over his shoulder, jerking at every unexpected sound, in anticipation of an over eager group of first-years. 

“Hi, Jamil-Oh,” Kalim stopped himself, looking over at his drained friend. “You okay?” 

Jamil sighed in response. “Long day.” 

“Oh.” Kalim sat down next to him. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

Jamil peered out from under his arm at Kalim. At least that was one improvement, again, thanks to (Y/N) specific intervention. Kalim had slowly been teaching himself not to jump to conclusions or take it upon himself to fix everything by throwing money or extravagance at it, but by taking the time to hear other people, namely Jamil, out first. Of course, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t throw money or extravagance at the problem in the end, but progress was progress. 

Jamil gave Kalim a halfhearted glare. “It’s all thanks to that rumor you started.” 

Kalim blinked. “Rumor? Oh, you mean about how you’re in love with-”

“Yes!” Jamil cut him off, sitting bolt upright. “That! Some first-years heard you the other day and have been following me around, trying to start up some grand romantic gesture.” 

“Oh, yeah, I heard about that. I think it’s sweet.” 

“Sweet?” 

“That everyone believes in you! Everyone knows how hard you work. We all want to see you happy and with the person you love.” 

Jamil stood. “Kalim, I’m not-” 

“Nope.” Kalim said shooting up. He put his hands on the taller boy’s shoulders, forcing him to meet his eyes. “You’ve been different ever since winter break. You smile more when (Y/N)’s around. You’re not so tense all the time. And whenever we’re in a group, like at the cafeteria or dorm meetings or parties, you’re always looking for her. And when you see her your whole face just lights up! Do you know how often you talk about her? It’s a lot, Jamil! ‘Oh, I wonder what (Y/N) would think about this. Do you think (Y/N) has that in her world? Do you think (Y/N) likes spicy or sweet food? Do you think (Y/N)’s doing okay at Ramshackle? Do you think she needs help with any repairs like when we stayed there during VDC training? (Y/N) sure works real hard to catch up with a whole new culture. Do you think (Y/N) would want this extra curry?’”  

“I don’t sound like that,” Jamil protested weakly. 

Kalim sighed, hands on his hips. “I’ve known you my whole life. I know what you’re like when you’re mad, I know what you’re like when you’re sad, I know what you’re like when you’re happy, and now I know what you’re like when you’re in love.” 

Jamil pushed back. “I’m not in love with her!” 

“Yes, you are!” 

“I’m not-” Jamil cut himself off. He felt suddenly dizzy. He sat down hard. “Oh, I’m in love with her.” 

Kalim threw his hands in the air. “Yes! Thank you! Finally!” 

“But,” Jamil continued, and Kalim tried really hard to keep his frustration to himself. “I can’t tell her that. I can’t… put that kind of pressure on her. She has enough going on with Grim and Ramshackle and trying to find a way home and… Sevens, she’s going back home, Kalim! I don’t know when or how, but she won’t even be in this universe! And what, I’m just supposed to show up and dump this emotional baggage on her when she already has everything else to worry about?” 

Kalim sat down next to Jamil. He twirled his fingers together, trying to collect his thoughts. Why was it always so hard to know the right thing to say? “You said feelings were like a two way street yesterday, remember? So don’t you think (Y/N) should have a say too?” 

“Kalim, I can’t-”

“Yes you can!” Kalim shouted, jumping up and clapping his hands. “You’re Jamil Viper! If anyone can do it, can do anything, it’s you! And keeping everything bottled up isn’t fair to you or her or anyone. So-So-” Kalim frowned, trying to look stern, a very strange expression for the normally boisterous boy. “So go tell her how you feel right now, and let her decide what happens next! That’s an order as your house warden!” Kalim flinched. “Please.” 

Jamil stared at him for just a second too long, making Kalim squirm with worry that he had gone too far. Then, Jamil sighed, resigned, a half smile on his face. “Well, if my house warden is ordering it, how can I say no?” 

*

Despite what he had told Kalim, Jamil dreaded every step towards Ramshackle dorm. Even with the ‘order’ from his house warden, Jamil considered turning back. Instead, with each uncertain step, he plotted out exactly what he would say. Was it just as simple as ‘I have feelings for you?’ Should he have some grand gesture ready? Absolutely not. Those first-years had spoiled that concept for him. 

Before he realized it, Jamil was walking up the pathway to the dilapidated dorm. He stood at the front step, fist up ready to knock. It hovered there. A plan, he still needed a plan. He couldn’t just walk in without a plan of what to say, what to do. He’d had the entire walk over here, how had he not come up with a more solid idea? 

The door snapped open in front of him, Grim hurdling out, crashing into Jamil’s chest. “What-? Oh, hey!” Grim said, rubbing his head at the bump then cracking into a wide smile at the sight of Jamil. “Did you bring us dinner again?” 

“Uh, no, not this time,” Jamil said, already thrown off. 

Grim frowned. “Meh, whatever. I’m going to Sam’s anyway to get some tuna.” 

“Milk and eggs!” (Y/N)’s voice called from inside. “You’re getting milk and eggs! And oranges if they have any.” 

“That too!” Grim said. He winked then sped off down the path. 

(Y/N) appeared at the doorway, clearly having sprinted to catch the dire beast before he left. “Grim, I said we don’t have the budget to- Oh, he’s gone. Right, sure, why not?” She sighed. “Hi, Jamil.” 

Jamil swallowed hard. “Should I come back later?” 

(Y/N) waved the idea off. “No, it’s fine, you’re already here. Come on in.” 

Jamil followed her into the dorm to the sitting room just past the entrance hall. Despite the age and wear of the building, it was clear that (Y/N) had taken a lot of pride in fixing it up and keeping everything in order. 

“Sorry, I was in the middle of doing dishes,” (Y/N) said, whipping her wet and slightly soapy hands against her skirt. “Go ahead and take a seat, I’ll get some tea and snacks.” 

“It’s fine,” Jamil said, quickly standing back up after having just sat down on one of the overstuffed couches. “I know where everything is, I’ll get it.” 

“No, no, you’re a guest. Take a break, I’ll get it.” 

“It’s fine really. I’m sure Crowly has been keeping you busy all day.” 

“And you’re just as busy. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

“No, really, I-” 

“Jamil!” Jamil jumped at her sudden outburst, his hands frozen in the air. She huffed and put her hands on her hips. “Honestly. You take care of everyone else all the time. Let me take care of you for once.” 

Oh no. Oh no. 

“Now sit down while I go make some tea.” 

He sat down. This was worse than he thought. He really was in love. 

She wanted to take care of him. Of him. When was the last time someone offered to take care of him, to lighten his load, to take responsibility for the burden? For as long as Jamil could remember that had been his job, his life. Kalim, Najma, his parents, the Scarabia students, everyone and everything. It was like he didn’t realize just how tired he was until (Y/N) offered to help. Why did her snapping at him just now make him feel so relieved? 

Almost without thinking about it, Jamil’s feet took him into the kitchen. (Y/N) was standing at the stove, setting down a heavy teapot on the burner. She was mumbling to herself about something, Jamil couldn’t really hear what. His ears were ringing. 

(Y/N) noticed that Jamil had come into the kitchen, turning to face him. She frowned, eyebrows knit together. “Jamil, I told you that - Oh!” 

Ignoring his anxiety, ignoring that nagging thought that he didn’t have a plan, ignoring the churning nervousness in his stomach, Jamil pulled (Y/N) into a tight hug, burning his face in her hair. 

“I like you,” He said, so softly that he had to repeat himself to make sure she heard, to make sure she understood the depth of his feelings. “I like you. I think I might even- I feel better when I’m with you, like I can be better. I don’t feel like everything I’ve done up until now is just in service to someone else, because all of those things lead me to meeting you. I feel like I can think clearly, that I don’t always have to be on alert. I want to take care of you, I want to be with you, I want us to be together. And I know - I know I’ve done horrible things in the past, I know you’ve seen me at my lowest. But you still see me, me, not anything else. Not the servant, not the diplomatic aid, not the Overblot monster- How could I not fall in love with you? So, (Y/N), please. I just - please.” He wasn’t quite sure what he was asking ‘please’ for, he only hoped she would understand. 

(Y/N) trailed her fingers along his back, threading through his long hair. She pulled back, as much as Jamil’s embrace would allow. The corners of her eyes were dotted with tears. “Jeeze, Jamil,” (Y/N) said. “Way to steal my thunder. I wanted to say it first.” 

Jamil let out a cracked laugh, tears welling up in his own eyes. “You did?” 

(Y/N) hiccuped, laughing. “Yeah, of course. I thought I was being kind of obvious with it. I finally decided to suck it up and tell you at dinner earlier, but you just ran away so I thought you knew what I was going to say and didn’t feel the same.” 

“Sorry, I guess I was nervous. And those first-years all day…” 

(Y/N) laughed out loud. “I was wondering what was up with that. Was that Kalim or something?” 

“For once, no. They took it upon themselves to try and set us up.” 

“Aww, they care about you.” She hugged him close. “And I can see why.” 

*

That weekend, it was finally time for the Welcome Spring party, and there were, indeed, more flowers than usual. Kalim was flitting around, making sure everything was organized and where it needed to be. Jamil had asked if he could leave for the morning, coming back when it was time for the party to start. And, even though he had been the one to ask for the time off, Jamil had double checked that it was okay with Kalim no less than a dozen times before he actually left. Kalim insisted repeatedly that he would be fine, that he had a handle on everything. And, maybe, for the most part he did. It definitely helped that Jamil had assigned tasks to several other dorm members the night before to make sure Kalim didn’t get too overwhelmed. 

Just as the golden hour set in, magical floating lanterns bobbing along in the air amid swirling flower petals, the guests started to arrive. Kalim had sent out a recommended dress code ahead of time, requesting pastels, whites, and gold. Something to fit in with the refreshing and floral mood he wanted to create. Mostly, he was happy to report, everyone was able to follow the requirements. Heartslabyul students especially were rigidly adhering to the dress code under the watchful eye of their house warden. Most of them wore pinks, as it was the required color when taking care of the dorm flamingos so they already had something that would fit the theme. Savannaclaw didn’t much stick to theme, but had tried to comply with sticking puffy peony blossoms through belt loops or behind their ears. Octavinelle wore light blues and corals, studded with shimmering scales, pearls, and other bits of underwater flora. Scarabia, of course, as the hosts, were the most bejeweled, taking inspiration from the fairy gala that had inadvertently plunged the campus into chaos, but also resulted in beautiful flowing white and gold garments. Pomfiore stayed mostly in lavenders and lilacs, highlighted by golden embroidery in fantastic scenes and shapes. Ignihyde, for those who did show up, dug out whatever was the lightest color in their wardrobe, mostly staying in light blues. Similarly, no one was expecting much from the usually dour-toned Diasomnia. But, not wanting to create a social fopaux at one of the few events he had received an invitation to, thanks to (Y/N) reminding Kalim to expand his guest list at the last minute, Malleus had ensured that all his dorm members wore mint and emerald green with gold dotted throughout. 

There was a noticeable absence of two usually prominent figures, but Kalim assured everyone Jamil and (Y/N) would be arriving soon. And, although Jamil had tried to slip in quietly while everyone’s attention was focused on the dance floor for an aerial ribbon performance, Kalim’s squeal of delight quickly diverted everyone’s attention. Jamil held in a groan as attention whirled to him and (Y/N). They both wore outfits from the fairy gala, meticulously designed and created by Professor Crewel. She squeezed his hand in support, dragging him further in, head held high while ignoring the stares. A few Scarabia students gave congratulations, thumping Jamil’s back as he passed. Ace caught Jamil’s eye from the other side of the room. He pointed to Ortho, who was waving excitedly, and drew a finger across his throat. Jamil rolled his eyes. 

As the aerial dancers finished, (Y/N) drew Jamil to the dance floor. As a band kicked up (seriously, how many instruments did those Scarabia students know how to play?), (Y/N) wrapped her arms around Jamil’s neck as he placed his hands on her hips. He really hoped she wouldn’t notice how sweaty his palms had gotten. 

“You’re nervous,” (Y/N) said. “I’m not used to seeing you like that.” 

“I’ve just never really done this before,” Jamil said. “Not dancing, I’ve done that plenty. Just the whole relationship thing. I never really had a chance before. I don’t want to mess this up.” 

“I think you’ve been doing pretty good so far.” 

Jamil smirked. “It’s been two days.” 

“Well, see? You’re gaining experience already.” She leaned forward, placing her head on his chest. “I’m nervous, too, you know. Not about this. I’m really confident how I feel about you, and I want to stay with you for as long as I can. I mean about everything going on around us. There’s a lot of unknown. Technically, you know, I don’t even exist. Don’t have any papers like a birth certificate or passport or even a valid nationality. But I know I have great people helping me out, including you. And knowing they’re on my side, it helps make things a little better. And I’m on your side. So everything will work out, you know?” 

Jamil hummed. Lowley, in a quiet voice so he could dismiss it if she didn’t hear him, he asked, “Can I kiss you?” 

(Y/N) looked up at him, smiling, eyes twinkling. “I’d like that.”  

*

Off to the side, behind a bolt of silk cloth, Babkak handed Omar a 20 madol note.

[ragingphantom666]

G.I. Joe: War Files project plan: Cobra Commander (Vol. 1)

This series is not an assured project. It is a concept that can still be changed or scrapped.

Synopsis

During the Vietnam War, Commander Gregory Wilson falls into the trap of a North Vietnamese scientist called Doctor Mindbender. The experiments warp his mind, slowly turning him into the villainous fiend who will one day become Cobra Commander. First though, he must face Mindbender’s evil monsters to gain his freedom.

Characters

Gregory Wilson: A commander of the United States Army Corps. He is captured by Doctor Mindbender and put through genetics experiments.

Dr. Minh Bian/Doctor Mindbender: A rogue North Vietnamese scientist. He keeps his whereabouts secret as he conducts unethical experiments on those unlucky enough to fall into his trap.

Other Information

This series is only planned to have one volume.

The genre of this story is horror for being a creature feature.

Bio-Vipers will be involved.

Gregory Wilson is named after my great-uncle and my Papaw, both served in the Vietnam War. My great-uncle died during the war and my Papaw passed away in December.

Cobra-La is not a part of Cobra Commander’s origin because I am not a fan of that storyline.

[heartscrypt]

im thinking really hard about this video @supersteiiar made and i want everyone to see it

[flutterbysnowflakes]

Vipers and Dragons

Summary: Jimin belongs to the dangerous, opposing Mafia clan of the Dragons. Y/N belongs to the vipers. What happens when their paths cross?

Genre: smut, light angst, fluff.

[h16h-v0l7463-lvr]

Hehhehe

T4T bitemark!!! They have been on my brain a lot recently :3

[reagan-the-saunders]

Just finished (I think), or at least the start of, a little story taking place on Solstheim during the Dragonborn era of Skyrim. I also have a WIP of one of the key scenes. Enjoyeth <3

CW: Nudity, Banter, TES Spoilers.

Vyeshna looks down at her map with confusion, trying to mix her memory of Solstheim the last time she was here with the piece of paper she holds in front of her. “We need to go… general… that way- direction.” She says looking up, shaking her befuddled look off of her face, and she tucks her map into her pocket.

“Should we really be trusting her with our navigation?” Marina whispers to Viper as she trudges behind Vyeshna and the others. “I mean, Maevynn is better with maps and compasses and the like.”

Viper chuckles softly. “You may be right, but Vyeshna knows the land better than any of us. Were we travelling by sea, I’d actually have a reason to trust our good captain with something.” She laughs.

“I heard that.” Maevynn groans and rolls her eyes. “I just hope Val’s holding down the Silver Wing well enough.”

“I am sure he and Teldryn are doing just fine, captain. I thought you would put more trust in a man you decided to marry.” Nerivyne teases, walking slowly and gracefully as she reads Vyeshna’s movement plans telepathically. She chuckles when Maevynn simply grunts in annoyment.

“Hold on.” Vyeshna says, stopping them suddenly.

“What is it?” Marina asks, promptly jogging up to her. She sees it, standing lonely atop an ash hill stands a spriggan, she knows them well, but this one seems… wrong. Its vibrant greens are gone, turned only to browns and oranges, there are no animals flocking to it, and it is not hiding in a tree, awaiting anyone who should wish to harm its land. No, it's almost like it wants to fight something, not a defender but more of an offender. “A… spriggan.” Marina sighs suddenly.

“Not a normal one, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. Burnt spriggans are spriggans that have been changed and warped by both Red Mountain’s hot lava and its devastating, corrupted chunks of rock, cursed by the Heart of Lorkhan I destroyed years ago.” Vyeshna sighs sadly. “We’ll have to kill it. We need to get to Fort Frostmoth, and sneaking around it won’t be possible in such a tight area with so many people.” 

“No.” Nerivyne says, walking up next to the two. “I know her kind, and they can be reasoned with.” She explains confidently. “I am not being a fool, Vyeshna, you do not understand this race like I do, corrupted though she may be.” Nerivyne then slowly walks up to the spriggan, and senses her anger and hatred as she approaches her, ready to attack. “I am not your enemy, spirit of the woods. I ask that you calm yourself.” Nerivyne speaks inside of the burnt spriggan’s head in its native tongue.

The spriggan shuffles for a moment, hesitating after hearing its own language after so long. It doubts Nerivyne’s intentions but stays its hand. “What are you?” It thinks.

“I am a nymph, a guardian of Kyne’s green Nirn, not unlike yourself. I fear you have been led astray, and I only wish to aid you.” Nerivyne says in its mind, and in the spriggan language again. She senses the disbelief in the spriggan, and quickly realises why. Nymphs do not typically wear clothes. Nerivyne gently pulls at the shoulders of her robe-like gown, and tugs until it completely falls off her body, leaving her entirely nude, with the gentle curves of her body gracefully outlining her every step, her bright white hair and the flowers she wove into it flowing behind her. “I know you are in pain, your body burning up from the inside out, unable to protect or govern over the wilderness I know you care for so deeply. Let me help you, spirit.” Nerivyne finally closes the gap between her and the spriggan, holding her hands close to her chest.

The spriggan is weary for a moment, pondering whether or not she should choose to believe the possibility of her healing, or to accept the fact that she might never be the same again. Somehow, her wooden facial features soften when she looks at Nerivyne with her burning eyes.

“I have a friend who is a healer, she may be able to aid you. If not, I will not rest until I find a way to return you to Kynareth’s embrace.” Nerivyne says telepathically. She holds her hand out towards the spriggan, showing no fear. 

The spriggan understands, and she quells the fire magic burning in her gnarled hands, and then gently grasps Nerivyne’s as best she can.

Nerivyne smiles gently when she feels the wooden grip of her new friend. “I am not going to hurt you.” She says in the spriggan tongue.

“Nerivyne.” Vyeshna says softly. “I’ll admit, I’m impressed.”

“S- so, wait, wait, wait a moment here.” Maevynn shrieks, shaking her head to try and stop blushing. “You just walked up, and tamed a s- spriggan?” Her eyes go wide and she flails her arms around wildly in disbelief.

The burnt spriggan flares her fires up slightly at being considered “tamed”.

“Easy.” Nerivyne coos and holds her arm out in front of her friend. “It is better to view this spriggan as a person, Maevynn, not an animal. I have promised to help cure her of the volcanic corruption she has fallen victim to, and then will return her to her people.”

“Hm, I did hear rumours that an island off the coast is actually teeming with unharmed spriggans. Maybe she could join them?” Marina says.

Nerivyne hears the words of approval inside the spriggan’s mind, who is currently too shy to speak aloud. “That would be… acceptable.” Nerivyne says for her.

“But how are we going to get it there..?” Maevynn asks.

“Well, captain, I suppose your ship is the only one in the area capable of holding a burnt spriggan.” Nerivyne says with a grin.

“N- now hold on a moment, I did not agree to this.” She squeals.

“No? Well, I suppose if you do not allow her aboard your ship, I will have to tell your husband how flustered and attracted to me you were when I dropped my dress…” Nerivyne sighs. “More is the pity, I suppose.”

Viper laughs when she watches Maevynn’s face go blood red. “Well, Maevynn?”

“Urgh, fine! Fine, she’s… welcome… aboard.” Maevynn hisses, stamping off in the direction they were originally heading.

“Good girl, captain…” Nerivyne says using her nymph charm in Maevynn’s head, just to rub it in a bit more.

“FOR SHOR’S SAKE, NERI, JUST GET DRESSED!” She screams, whipping around, her face now noticeably red and sweaty even from a distance, and it only grows when the group bursts out laughing.

And the WIP drawing <3

I also put small references to other media in here, let me know if you spot them. If you have any questions about my OCs after reading this, shoot me an ask!

[2000skid4ever]

My version of a sega vs capcom game (Sega now owns the angry birds developers rovio for some reason btw)

[fandom]

Video Games Fictional Characters

Honestly? We brought this list back out of our own need to know whether Astarion or Gale would come out on top.

Astarion | Baldur's Gate 3

Sonic the Hedgehog | Sonic the Hedgehog

Simon "Ghost" Riley | the Call of Duty franchise

Shadow the Hedgehog | Sonic the Hedgehog

Gale Dekarios | Baldur's Gate 3

Shadowheart | Baldur's Gate 3

John "Soap" MacTavish | the Call of Duty franchise

Karlach Cliffgate | Baldur's Gate 3

Lae'zel | Baldur's Gate 3

Lamb | Cult of the Lamb

Narinder | Cult of the Lamb

Wyll Ravengard | Baldur's Gate 3

Phoenix Wright | Ace Attorney

Sans | Undertale

Miles Edgeworth | Ace Attorney

Halsin | Baldur's Gate 3

William Afton | Five Nights at Freddy's

Link | The Legend of Zelda

Tav | Baldur's Gate 3

John Price | the Call of Duty franchise

Kim Kitsuragi | Disco Elysium

Harrier "Harry" Du Bois | Disco Elysium

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick | the Call of Duty franchise

Daycare Attendant | Five Nights at Freddy's

Mario | Super Mario Bros.

Aventurine | Honkai: Star Rail

Malleus Draconia | Twisted Wonderland

Belphegor | Obey Me! Shall We Date?

Kirby | Kirby

Leon S. Kennedy | Resident Evil

Papyrus | Undertale

Amy Rose | Sonic the Hedgehog

Sundrop | Five Nights at Freddy's

Medic | Team Fortress 2

Springtrap | Five Nights at Freddy's

Siffrin | In Stars and Time

Moondrop | Five Nights at Freddy's

Michael Afton | Five Nights at Freddy's

Dr. Ratio | Honkai: Star Rail

Scout | Team Fortress 2

Kris Dreemurr | Deltarune

Boothill | Honkai: Star Rail

DogDay | Poppy Playtime

Neuvillette | Genshin Impact

Akechi Goro | Persona 5

Frisk | Undertale

Enver Gortash | Baldur's Gate 3

Gabriel | ULTRAKILL

Arthur Morgan | Red Dead Redemption 2

Kurusu Akira | Persona 5

Sniper | Team Fortress 2

Spy | Team Fortress 2

CatNap | Poppy Playtime

Rouge the Bat | Sonic the Hedgehog

Minthara | Baldur's Gate 3

Princess Zelda | The Legend of Zelda

Furina | Genshin Impact

Azul Ashengrotto | Twisted Wonderland

Leona Kingscholar | Twisted Wonderland

Yuu | Twisted Wonderland

Knuckles the Echidna | Sonic the Hedgehog

Scaramouche | Genshin Impact

Ignis | Final Fantasy XV

Kaveh | Genshin Impact

Flowey | Undertale

Spamton | Deltarune

The Dark Urge | Baldur's Gate 3

Lilia Vanrouge | Twisted Wonderland

Heavy | Team Fortress 2

Alhaitham | Genshin Impact

Wriothesley | Genshin Impact

Jamil Viper | Twisted Wonderland

Idia Shroud | Twisted Wonderland

Jade Leech | Twisted Wonderland

Floyd Leech | Twisted Wonderland

Pearl Houzuki | Splatoon

Marina Ida | Splatoon

Luigi | Super Mario Bros.

Noelle Holiday | Deltarune

Maya Fey | Ace Attorney

Chara | Undertale

Soldier | Team Fortress 2

Vil Schoenheit | Twisted Wonderland

Lucifer | Obey Me! Shall We Date?

Leshy | Cult of the Lamb

Mammon | Obey Me! Shall We Date?

Melinoë | Hades II

Silver the Hedgehog | Sonic the Hedgehog

Tails the Fox | Sonic the Hedgehog

Cloud Strife | Final Fantasy VII

Sylus | Love and Deepspace

Goat | Cult of the Lamb

Sebek Zigvolt | Twisted Wonderland

Sephiroth | Final Fantasy VII

Ace Trappola | Twisted Wonderland

Zagreus | Hades

Klavier Gavin | Ace Attorney

Maria Robotnik | Sonic the Hedgehog

Metal Sonic | Sonic the Hedgehog

Riddle Rosehearts | Twisted Wonderland

Tada! This is a returning list!

Want to discuss the finer points of your Tav? Or swap Astarion fanfic with fellow readers? Here are some Baldur's Gate 3 Communities to get you started. Not a BG3 fan? Find a Community for your fave, or create one yourself. The sky's the limit.

[caliberbook]

Part 1 VINCENT Chapter 2 (part 3)

            ***             The elevator dinged, bringing Marielle back to the present with a jolt. She dashed for the closing doors and made it just in time to get off the elevator before it started for the next floor. She straightened the bottom of her tank top and made her way down the hall to the meeting room, noting the people seated around the large oval table when she entered.              Liam’s agent name was Brimstone, but no one called him that. The bearded redhead was the father figure at headquarters, and his heart was as big as his muscles. If Marielle squinted, Liam reminded her of a young Arnold Schwarzenegger. He specialized in things like grenade launchers and tactical planning, but mostly he taught the younger and newer agents like Jamie, Mateo, Tala, and Marielle herself, opening his arms and his heart to all of them.              Liam’s past was sad. No one knew much about it, but he’d lost his daughter, Molly, and his wife in a fire. Marielle thought he blamed himself for their deaths since he had once been a fireman.  After that, he had spent some time leading a group in the military, although Marielle didn’t know much more than that. Even though it was her job to counsel everyone, she never pushed them about things they didn’t want to discuss, and Liam didn’t want to talk about his past, even though he always wore a rust-colored army beret.                     To his immediate right sat Sabine, who threw a disgusted glance her way before looking down. Her agent name was Viper, and it suited her well: although she was a good chemist, she had a bad personality. Marielle remembered when they had been close. Not anymore. In fact, very few could get close to Sabine because her formerly occasional bitterness had become a permanent part of her personality shortly after the accident. But Marielle wouldn’t think about that right now. It was too difficult. Sabine created poisonous gases which she used through personalized gloves Klara had made for her. They emitted deadly smoke that, when inhaled, caused extreme damage. Some of them were also acidic and could eat through clothing, armor, and skin.             Marielle didn’t recognize the older blonde woman who sat across the oval table directly across from Liam. She appeared to be just shy of fifty years old, but still beautiful, if stern in the face. She wore a blue-gray suit and a loose-fitting eggshell blouse. Her hair was cut in bangs that rested just above her eyebrows, and her blue eyes glinted at Marielle as she gestured to a chair next to Sabine.              “What’s this about?” Marielle asked, slipping into the chair and leaning in the opposite direction.             Liam took a deep breath, lifted a hand, and gestured across the table. “Marielle Chaenes, this is Barbara Hammond.”             Barbara took over from there. “Hello, Marielle. It’s nice to finally meet you.” She extended her hand over the table.              Marielle stood reflexively, took it, and grasped it firmly as they shook hands. She zoned in on her abilities. This woman wasn’t trying to put on an air of superiority or pretense; she was strong both inside and out. Still, something about her didn’t sit right with Marielle. Marielle couldn’t detect what it was, but she had a difficult time trusting the government, so perhaps it was her own prejudice messing with her.              Marielle noted from Barbara’s almost undetectable pronunciation that she was from the East Coast, probably Tennessee or Kentucky, although she had not lived there for at least forty years now. She could also determine that the older woman was an only child, probably due to the death of an older sibling; the need to make something of herself was strong but genuine.  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Want more? https://www.caliberbook.com/

[shattered-eagle]

Shattered Eagle: Fall of an Empire

Demo (340k WIP, 02/10/2025) | Forum | Ko-Fi | Discord

You are an advisor in a declining empire, beset by unrest, barbarians, and forces beyond your comprehension. Can you save the empire from doom?

Explore a fictional world inspired by the late Roman Empire.

Be male or female, cisgender or transgender, straight, gay, bisexual or asexual.

Serve the imperial family dutifully, or secure your own rise to power.

Choose from up to five careers, from a veteran of the legion to a shadowy spymaster.

Learn the secrets of sorcery or untangle the ancient mysteries behind the Empire.

Navigate the viper’s nest of imperial politics to find allies or paramours, including the empress herself, a cunning senator, a ruthless crime boss, a barbarian general, or a foreign prince.

SETTING SYNOPSIS

Through over five centuries of conquest, the Iudian Empire has come to rule the Inner Sea, becoming the most powerful realm in the known world.

From the western hills of Ezperia, the northern forests of Hevernica, the sophisticated cities of Attika, the eastern deserts of Midyan, and the southern rivers of Seyet, all fell before what the world calls the Iudian Sorceresses, the women who wield fire itself against their enemies. For it is indeed women who rule in Iudia, as ordained by the mother goddess Gaia herself.

Yet, the Empire is not without troubles, and her glory days seem past her. Crippling civil wars, endemic corruption and ceaseless invasion have all contributed to the woes of the once great Empire.

Threats old and new rear their heads in times such as these. A resurgent Pharia, the Empire’s old eastern rival, threatens to seize the eastern provinces. Civil unrest has escalated in the capital of the capital, the flames fanned by an increasingly bold criminal underground.

The greatest danger may come from the north, however. Beyond the cold barbarian lands comes a enemy you have only heard rumor of, the Witch King of the Ongi. It is said the warrior rides at the head of a massive host, wielding great magic that has united all the tribes of the far steppe together out of fear of his power. He has called a holy war against the Empire, claiming it as a nation of demons to be cleansed from the earth.

Will you hold the Empire steady in her time of crisis, claw your way to power, or seek to solve ancient mysteries? The fate of Iudia is in your hands.

MAJOR CHARACTERS

Empress Julia Vitallia Hevernica (48F)

A harsh woman who forced the Empire back together with blood and steel, Julia has reigned as Empress for a decade. She is a strong military leader and a pious woman, who frequently prays to the Goddess for guidance. She is cruel towards her enemies, but possesses a certain pragmatic streak, and has invested much of her authority in you so that you might govern the Empire while she wages war.

Consul Consentia Plinia Dorica (54F)

The leader of the now-sidelined Senate, the ancient legislature of grandiose aristocrats which once governed the Empire alone, Consentia is bent on advocating for what she sees as the fundamental rights of the public and restoring the power of the old Republic. She is a passionate orator and the wealthiest woman in the Empire, barring the Empress herself, and has struck a deal with the crime lord Ceto in order to gain the support of the masses for her reforms.

Tribune Ceto Vera (38F)

Coming up from the poorest slums of the capital, Ceto is the Empire’s most notorious crime lord, ruling the streets by both spreading out her ill-gotten gains to the people and making brutal examples out of those who refuse to acknowledge her authority. Lately, she has entered politics and become a staunch advocate for the rights of the common people, forming an uneasy alliance with the Consul to push back against the ever encroaching imperial autocracy.

Legate Antonius Lethungius/Amalrik Wulfhid (40M)

Born to an imperial mother who named him Antonius and a barbarian father who named him Amalrik, the Legate is a man caught between two bitterly opposed worlds. A skilled and charismatic general, he has won the steadfast loyalty of the Empire's barbarian auxiliaries with his victories on the field of battle, yet his true loyalties remain unknown. Is he a dutiful man of the Empire, or a proud, unbowed barbarian?

Prince Darius of Pharia (33M)

Darius, third son of the great King of Kings, serves in the imperial capital as the ambassador and hostage from the eastern realm of Pharia, the Empire’s oldest and most powerful rival. Over the past decade and half, however, Darius has become more than a mere captive, having established great wealth and influence in the capital with his charm and wit, and is now a major power player in his own right.

CONTENT WARNING

These themes and depictions are present in the current demo, or are planned to be present in the final product.

Depictions of violence & warfare, gore (including eye trauma), references to torture, sexual references and themes, drug & alcohol abuse, physical & emotional abuse, sexism, suicide, slavery, homophobia, & transphobia.

UPDATE LOG

04/14/2024: Chapter I (50k Words | 18k Playthrough) 05/07/2024: Chapter II (105k Words | 39k Playthrough) 06/05/2024: Chapter III (156k Words | 59k Playthrough) 07/14/2024: Chapter IV (216k Words | 73k Playthrough) 12/28/2024: Chapter V (322k Words | 93k Playthrough) 02/10/2025: Act I Content Update (340k Words | 98k Playthrough)

[the-messy-artist]

Fuck you list of my favorite amputees canon or not

Edward Elric - Canon. His missing limbs are essential to his story, and while people view and treat his prosthetics as a disability, they don't see them as a limitation but rather as a tool.

Paninya (I forgot her name and had to look it up) - Canon. She lost her limbs in an accident and now she too has prosthetic limbs that conceal weapons that she can use to her advantage.

Lan Fan - Canon. She loses her left arm in a duel and gets it replaced by a prosthetic with a knife in the elbow because fictional prosthetics are allowed to be cool.

Tamatoa - Canon. Diversity wins! The giant killer crab is missing a leg.

Jamil Viper - Headcanon. He has no reason in canon for me to give him a prosthetic, but I felt like there should be more "canonical" diversity in Twisted Wonderland, so now his right arm is an incredibly high end prosthetic with all the bells and whistles.

Jose Baden/First Officer - Canon. His right hand is actually a prosthetic.

Violetta/Soul Weaver - Canon. Full body amputee, although her "prosthetic" is a bit unconventional.

Weeping Clown - Canon. He is missing his right leg.

Kalawea Tui - Canon. He's my Twisted Wonderland oc based on Tamatoa, so naturally, he too is missing a leg.

Diluc Ragnvindr - Head canon. The Head canon comes from the fact that he was in Shneznya for a long time, likely unable to find food, resulting in him eating his own arm for survival.

Franis Scott Key Fitzgerald (Bungou Stray Dogs) - Head canon. Another one where I have no reason for it in canon. He's just missing his leg.

There's probably a lot more but I can't think of any so add your head canons or more canon characters in the tags or comments

[eiluned]

Meet my Rook!

Nobody tagged me but I’m bored today and feel like yapping about my girl. Feel free to consider yourself tagged if you are also bored and want to yap about your Rook. <3

(Why does the ipad tumblr app interface for text posts suck so much? No option for an actual title, wtf??)

(Updated bc the template i used was missing some stuff)

GENERAL

Name: Wren de Riva

Alias(es): Elethara (birth name), Rook

Gender: Cis female

Age: 30

Place of Birth: somewhere in the Free Marches, as her parents traveled between cities

Spoken Languages: Trade, Antivan, Elven, Tevene, Orlesian (she has a knack for languages)

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual/Pansexual

Love Interest(s): Lucanis

Occupation: Master Assassin and Spy, Antivan Crows; former leader of the Veilguard

FAVORITE

Color: Purple and black

Entertainment: Books and music

Pastime: Reading anything she can get her hands on, embroidery when she needs to settle her mind, Crow training when she REALLY needs to settle her mind

Food: She’s a bottomless pit and will try and enjoy nearly anything. She loves Antivan seafood dishes in particular and has a terrible sweet tooth.

Drink: She likes tea the best, but she also likes coffee and chocolate and a good wine.

Books: Any and all. She’s a sponge for knowledge, so she enjoys reading histories and academic studies. She’s also a big fan of fictional escapism and loves a good steamy romance.

HAVE THEY

Passed university: No, the Crows don’t exactly have a university path lol. But being a knowledge sponge with an analytical mind means she can hold her own in that sort of space if the need arises.

Had Sex: Yep, there was a lot of fooling around when she was a fledgling.

Had Sex in Public: …she will not admit to this. (but yes)

Gotten Tattoos: Yes, she has crow wings down her back and the de Riva crest (a twisting viper) between the wings.

Gotten Piercings: Her ears are pierced several times.

Gotten Scars: She has several faded scars on her body from training and various contracts. She gets a scar across her cheek at Weisshaupt (which isn’t in that pic up there).

Had a Broken Heart: Oh yes, both in a romantic sense and otherwise. It broke her heart to lose her parents, and it broke her heart to have to leave her home in Treviso. And her heart broke repeatedly on the bumpy road to a relationship with Lucanis.

Been in Love: Absolutely. She fell for Lucanis on the ship back from Vyrantium and carried that torch for seven years until they finally worked through all their shit. The idiots (I say fondly).

ARE THEY

A cuddler: 100%. She’s been touch starved for a long time. Viago isn’t exactly demonstrative, and friendly hugs from Teia don’t quite fit the bill. Once she and Lucanis get into a relationship, they cuddle every single chance they get.

Scared easily: Not really. She’s pretty bold and will jump right into dangerous situations if she thinks she can make things work out in her favor. That doesn’t mean she never gets scared; she’s just good at compartmentalizing it.

Jealous easily: She never thought so until Neve tossed a flirty comment at Lucanis shortly after they sprung him from the Ossuary. Maybe it was the years of pining and the forced separation after they’d started to come to terms with their attraction, but she felt a very ugly surge of jealousy in that moment. And despite Wren’s best efforts to hide it, Neve noticed and added it to her notebook entitled “Rook and Lucanis have history…”

Trustworthy: If you’re a friend or an ally, absolutely. Wren is ride or die for the people she trusts and the people who need her. If you’re a target… well.

FAMILY

Siblings: She was an only child, but she considers Viago a surrogate older brother.

Parents: Her father, Josset, was a city elf and a traveling minstrel. Her mother, Selora, was Dalish and a seamstress. They both died of a fever when Wren was ten.

Children: None as of the end of Veilguard, but she and Lucanis will have at least three children.

Pets: She pets every cat and dog she sees, but she was never home enough to keep a pet. Maybe after settling back in Treviso, she’ll take in a cat.

[lizzaneia-elizalde]

HEAR ME OUT LI!! Image if our little mermaid found a small sculptor of a man,(it could either be a real figure of a man, or just some random dude). And she somehow falls in love with the figure. Like- "this is who i want to be mates with!" "I wonder what he really looks like..!" "Maybe the Gods will be merciful and grant me my wish on seeing him!'

She goes to Orion, asking him if he knows who the guy is while handing him the figure — having heart eyes and all.

Here's one about Viper bc he is forever my fav !! She brings it around with her, talking to it as if its real, even naming it. She drops it one day deep down the dark trenches and has been floating around pouting and even rolling around crying about her only one slipping away from her

(I just love jealous boys!!)

🦪 Anonn!!

Yandere! Male! Deep sea creature x mermaid! Fem! Reader x Human! Male! Hunter

🦪anon again with the amazing asks. Also, Gojo, anyone?

What if: darling finds a figure?

It was a normal day for you.

Well, it was supposed to.

You were just finding more stuff to decorate the trenches, since the decorations you placed were getting a bit stale for your taste.

Not until your hands touched something smooth, yet a bit too complicated for your fingertips. It has long twigs, four of them. A bulbous circle on top yet has weird spikes, and what seems like ridges.

It was buried under the kelp, and with a bit of tugging, you unearthed what seems to be...

"A human... sculpture?"

Your eyes sparkled, looking at this man in front of you.

The color has faded a bit, but you could tell that this man was wearing what seems to be a dark blue, almost black uniform type of outfit. With him, lifting his eye cover revealing gorgeous icy blue eyes. And he had spiky white hair accentuating on how ethereal he look.

"W-wow... Is this..?"

Were humans always this colorful? He looks so handsome.

"Who are you, mister?" A fair blush on your cheeks, you checked around his body to see if there's an indication for who he is. "Nothing? But..."

You were in love with a figurine. How insane is that?

That's what Orion told himself as you swam with him, showing the figurine days after you first found him.

"I found who this guy is." Orion muttered, making you freeze and grin.

"Really?! Oh my god! Who is he?!" You asked, hugging the figurine clsoe to your body. "I must meet him!"

Orion scowled.

He can't believe that he's getting jealous over a figurine of all things.

"Ah, but like, he's unattainable." Orion badmouthed the Gojo figurine in your arms, making you pout. "He's like... A ladies man. You got way too many competitions."

Well, it was true. Gojo Satoru of Jujutsu Kaisen has too many fans, not just from the ladies.

"But still! I want to meet him!" You begged. Your soft, wet eyes filling with tears. "I truly do! H-he may be my mate!"

Orion was now slackjawed. "Excuse me? Mate?"

"Yes! Mate! It's love at first sight. Then maybe, just maybe..." A bashful expression, you gazed longingly at the figure. "He'll fall for me too."

'Gojo, thank your damn ancestors that you're fucking fictional.' Orion gritted his teeth before turning around and entering his yacht, making you flinch from surprise.

"Orion?"

"I'm leaving."

You gasped, totally not expecting this. "But, I still need to know who this man is!"

"I don't care! Procure legs and find him on your own or something!"

Now that stung. You frowned, a bit saddened, angry, and honestly, humiliated by his words.

Annoyed, you turned around and dove down to the trenches, not wanting to see Orion who was regretting his words and beating himself up from being too jealous of a damn fake guy.

Once you got to the trenches, you sniffled.

"He was so mean." You muttered to the figure. "Really! Like he knows it's hard for us mermaids and rare to get legs... Why can't he just help me?"

You hummed, dancing around with the figurine to make yourself cheer up.

"What should I name you... I can't just keep calling you mister..."

You looked at the figurine once more, and was totally enamored by his icy blue eyes.

"I get it! Ice!"

A certain deep sea mermaid almost coughed violently.

You were so bad at naming things.

The same as Viper, he incessantly heard of your whims and whiles about this figurine in front of you. Honestly, it didn't even bother him. But the fact that this guy can be real is getting to his nerves, making him grit his teeth.

He's bad at handling jealousy, and all he could wish is to crush this figurine to smithereens.

"AH!"

And will you look at that, it fell straight to his lap.

It was kind of heavy, in what seems to be a much more intricate figurine that looks like it was too expensive due to the detail placed in it, with the heftiness that made it sink quickly.

Clumsy you tried to place it on a sticking ledge from the trench that's crumbling, and accidentally broke it, making the figurine fall to Viper's lap.

Viper could hear your panicked screeches.

"My man!"

"Oh no! Come back to me!"

"Please... My love..."

Viper rolled his eyes. As if he's gonna give this back to you.

And you're calling this puny figurine your love? How stupid.

With one coil of his tail, the figure broke to pieces, and he let the pieces fall down to the sandy floor, forgetting about it as he heard your lovely soft weeps.

"Viper... Please, if you see a figurine of a white haired human, please give it to me!"

Your desperate pleas did not fall on deaf ears, but Viper only shrugged as he replied.

"I will."

As if he would.

[spiritblossoming]

The State of PPAU: A Really Long Post

This is gonna read like a video essay script I’m sorry 😭 and I'm serious about it being long this is 3k and says nothing really

When I started PPAU, it was more of a oneshot that I never expected to finish. Of course, I did finish it, so then I ended up posting it. At some time around then, my art teacher wanted me to draw up some sort of fictional setting, so I cheated and drew the players-as-champions universe I had been envisioning for months, inspired by the initial shots in the Burn It All Down MV of bright lights in a dark, rainy city. (That’s probably why the PPAU version of China has that same vibe of heavy rain and colorful light 90% of the time.) The first fic came out, and… it didn’t seem to draw much attention. Which, by the way, isn’t a problem, but it felt pretty discouraging back then. I came from a really close community in my last fandom where we would always be leaving paragraph-long comments on each other’s works, so getting a grand total of zero comments made me decide that I wouldn’t continue the universe like I had hinted. Much. 

The second PPAU fic was about the most popular North American team at the time, EG. At the time of posting, it was my way of saying goodbye to a universe I didn’t think I’d explore more of. Unlike my first fic, however, this one did get comments and kudos galore (I legitimately thought someone kudos-botted the fic or something since it had more kudos than hits). One comment in particular offered me more than just encouragement—it offered me a question. AryaSage wanted to understand how people got their powers, since it seemed a little inconsistent between fics. I never really answered that question very well, since magical sources of power were decidedly complicated in PPAU. But that  comment was what made me decide to continue PPAU for at least a little longer. 

My third fic was something pretty new for me. Instead of a oneshot that was mostly action or random fluff, I was going to do a multichap with a plot. You see, while trying to come up with championship wishes, I decided to give Scout one that would synergize with his champion, Zoe. I wrote down something along the lines of “boundless energy, never sleeps.” After a second of thinking, I added, “—angst?” Exploring championship wishes, the consequences of being a moron and the bond between teammates sounded like fun, so I went for it. Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t really write a vaguely emotional, character-driven story without understanding the characters. And I knew very little about EDG, considering I have been a Damwon fan for almost as long as I’ve been into esports, and I am also a petty bitch. Rather than research, I went off pictures and their champions. Meiko was Yuumi, so he was generally cheerful, a great support outside of battle, and big on physical touch. Viper was Aphelios, so he was mysterious and cool. (AryaSage later gave him trauma.) Scout had to have a reason to make his stupid wish in the first place, so I made him a little bit of a moron. Jiejie was my favorite EDG member, although that’s not saying much, and I made him sarcastic because of his smirk in pictures. Flandre… was also there. In the span of about a week, I did what I had never done before: I finished a multichap fic. Arya commented on each chapter as it came out, which reminded me of my old fandom and helped motivate me to figure out what the hell my plot was. I call one day you’ll wish you hadn’t the EDG pilot, since I clearly hadn’t figured out the characters yet. 

Going into my fourth fic, I knew it was going to be an LCK fic. One commenter, rakuyou, said they would love to read more, and suggested that I write LCK next. I agreed, since I had written about the other three major regions already. I planned to write about Damwon, because again, I’m a Damwon fan and Showmaker has been my favorite for years. (He made it into EDG’s fic. That’s how you know it’s bad.) But when I tried to write about them… no ideas came to mind. I ended up thinking about a few clips I’d seen of Gumayusi talking about proving himself to Keria, and I typed out a line: “Okay, so in hindsight, this wasn’t the greatest idea.” Since I had covid at the time and therefore nothing to do but blow my nose and sit in my room, I wrote the rest of the fic in one day. My mom chose the title when she came to bring me my Chipotle. Rakuyou and Arya appeared again to cheer me on, and when Arya suggested that I do a Viper-centric fic to figure out his Deal (see note on me making him mysterious), I decided I might as well. 

So I did. And posted my fifth fic. The next day. As one does. The next two fics, while fun, didn’t have as much crazy inspiration behind them. They were both actually written from prompts, since I ran out of ideas. 

And then there was someday both of us are leaving here. I wrote the beginning of the sixth chapter first as a sort of sequel to counting failures, and then decided to make it a multichap 5+1. After chapter 4, DRX beat T1, and my fic ended up getting a lot more attention as people tried to cope with those finals. Two of my readers, a certain axolotl and owl, would later become my friends. Ginger Owl in particular motivated me to make the fic’s ending as good as it could be, since it was one of her favorite fics at the time. 

It’s worth noting that at the time of posting the sixth chapter, I had been dealing with depression for about six years. The pandemic hadn’t helped, and I was convinced that I was a failure compared to who I used to be. That had just started to change, as I realized about a day before my depression’s birthday that I might be able to be okay after all. One of my friends was also struggling with self-worth in comparison to someone else, similar to Gumayusi in the fic. In the seventh and final chapter, Keria tells Gumayusi that he doesn’t have to be Teddy or any of their teammates. All he has to be is Gumayusi. That chapter wasn’t just a love letter to Ginger Owl and my friend—it was a reminder to myself, of what I’d learned. I was vastly different from how I used to be, sure, and I was worse in a lot of ways, but my current self was also better in other aspects. I didn’t have to compare myself to who I used to be or to anyone else—I was enough. 

Yeah so then my grandpa died and I wrote angst to cope. Blah blah. 

But my grandpa dying and my depression isn’t important to this story! Something more important happened: SHOWMAKER LOST IN QUARTERFINALS. Filled with mald and the spirit of NA, I wrote there’s no crown for losing. And this shit is so bad it warrants a section break. 

For the first eight fics, PPAU had a solid identity. It was supposed to be a bunch of fairly short fics, some with self-contained arcs, that took place in the same universe, were canon compliant, and could be read without prior knowledge of the universe. Obviously, this wasn’t fully the case, since someday both of us are leaving here required knowledge of counting failures, but I figured it wouldn’t be too hard for a gumakeria fan to read a short gumakeria prequel. Plus the whole universe isn’t explained at the beginning of each fic, because that would make me die inside. Anyway, these stories were never connected all that much, making it easy for someone to pick and choose which ones they read based on what teams or players they liked. But there’s no crown for losing was the beginning of the end. Funnily enough, the canon compliance (AKA generally sticking to PPAU versions of IRL events and relationships) wasn’t completely destroyed the second I came up with the idea of a DK EDG crossover, since Damwon posted about LOSER FINALS TODAY WE GONNA WIN THIS TIME BROTHERS. DK VS EDG, TIME: WHENEVER YOU WANT. I love tncfl with my whole heart, but there’s no denying it did two very dangerous things to the universe. 

It introduced the idea of what I call a “mcdonalds fic”, where the previously unrelated characters from past stories came together to make something that was decidedly less than canon compliant. A mcdonalds fic, in essence, puts characters together despite the fact that they have barely interacted at all IRL, and therefore defies canon. 

It introduced Showmaker as the main character instead of a snarky, mysterious asshole like he was in his previous appearances. 

But surely there’s no crown for losing didn’t matter, because it was a one-time thing! Right? Well, it would have been, but then brute force and style combine was an even bigger mcdonalds fic, featuring players from all four regions and all TEN of the previous fics. (I’m serious.) Worse, that fic set up a possible plot, what with the ominous ending and hint that something new was coming. Right after that came run away from the faith, which marked the first time two characters had an important interaction that was insanely non-canon compliant. And of course, then there was now I’ll never be the same, and the Ruination arc, which was so, so non-canon compliant. It literally added a plot that was so disruptive that I had to reschedule some of the IRL matches in-universe, and although that might have been fine, it, uh… It was a global crisis with lasting effects, most notably the trauma I inflicted of some of PPAU’s most prominent characters.

The Ruination arc was a little weird, since it was split into eight fics despite having the same central plotline and arc. I don’t think it would have made much sense as a single fic either, since the POVs and focuses vary wildly (which is a problem in the alt ruination fic), and seeing as I had no idea what the plan was when I posted the first fic, there wasn’t much I could do. During the Ruination, if you wanted to know what the hell was going on, you absolutely had to read the fics that came before it, which wasn’t anything like the format I had going before. I was really drained writing the Ruination, since it was such a big project that I wasn’t sure I could finish. That’s probably why PPAU started how it did—so that no matter when I stopped writing PPAU, it would have a clear enough ending. Like a moron, I even hinted at a second Big Plot in the Ruination finale.

I ended the Ruination by celebrating the fact that all the Plot Shit was over and that I could get back to crack and my regularly scheduled programming. Except… I couldn’t. My next fic, while basically a crack oneshot, referenced the Ruination. I couldn’t justify not doing so, since Keria kind of died and saved the world. It was an awkward in-between of the two PPAU styles, since it could be read without context right up until Gumayusi and Keria start talking about an old arc. Most of the next few fics—a heart full of fire, pray for glory, rise up and sing, and even legendary (the stars will remember you)—were more of a return to the oneshot, non-interconnected format. The obvious exception is what are you willing to lose, but that one kind of had to be open-ended. Even though they were more of a return to the format, all of them still at least referenced past fics and arcs, and with Faker’s fic reaching 2023, it’s going to mention the Ruination. Except for rise up and sing, because EU is fundamentally irrelevant in this universe despite being the first region I wrote about. 

At this point, I didn’t have my self-contained arcs or my canon compliance or my oneshots that you could read independently. It was a whole interconnected mess of plot spaghetti, and it still is. At first, the “series” title didn’t really fit PPAU, since they were all just vaguely related fics, but the Ruination really made it a series. While you can still read the first thirteen fics with little to no context, the rest of the series has required reading, and that’s just… not what I meant to do. PPAU spans 50 fics if you count AryaSage and Space_Axolotl’s contributions—which you should, because they’re a) bangers and b) related to the “plot”. You also have to count the alternate Ruination, which I wrote as a fun what-if and now has a bunch of lore for the universe that can’t be found anywhere else. So now PPAU is over 300,000 words. You have to read a bunch of shit to understand one fic. Plus, while having self-contained arcs is good, now that I’m dragging them all together, you can’t just choose to read the fics about your favorites if you want to understand a new fic. So PPAU’s old concept is working against what it’s become. Honestly, if I wasn’t the author and I saw PPAU today, I wouldn’t read it. 

Look… I’m not writing for the sake of external validation, because I know I shouldn’t, but it’s not as if that doesn’t play a big part. Passion can only get me so far, and that was clear as soon as I started, since I would have quit after my second fic. PPAU isn’t exactly new reader-friendly, so most of my readers are what I call the squad: people who have read a large amount of PPAU and are more committed to it as a universe. Which is cool. I love the squad. It reminds me of my old fandom. But—and this is going to sound bad—sometimes it doesn’t feel like it’s enough. Maybe I’m spoiled by my old fandom, because again, we had paragraph-long comments and discord servers where we would live react to fics (and still leave comments at the end). Maybe I’m not. Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that those long comments that give me motivation and dopamine like nothing else are hard to come by these days. And by the way, there is NOTHING wrong with that, or with the fandom as a whole. Well actually the fandom has an issue with not crediting people or asking permission to use their ideas (star guardian anon i mean you /frfr) or supporting authors as much as they should but whatever. Anyway, I don’t blame anyone for not leaving comments, and I’m not saying that you should. Well I am saying that but I mean it generally and not about my works in particular. Writing any non-T1 fic means that you’re resigning yourself to it not being nearly as popular, and I’m not exactly a T1 main. I think I would have more than a few fics that didn’t have comments were it not for the squad, which kind of bothers me. I love the squad, but when it’s just them commenting on a fic, I start to think that if that fic didn’t have my name attached to it, no one would want to read it. Not even me! And at that point, why am I posting it? Why am I writing it? That’s my kind of thought process when it spirals. 

Even without that, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m just not happy with PPAU’s concept. It’s not fully interconnected, but there are a bazillion plot lines tangled up in there, and it’s not a series, but the Ruination definitely is. Canon compliance is a myth at this point. It’s not the approachable little universe it was when I made it two years ago. I’ve spent more than two years writing and drawing almost exclusively PPAU things, and… this is the part where I say that it’s gotten tiring, but that’s not the case. There are so many stories I can still tell, plus a big plotline I could explore. But if I’m putting all my brainrot into this one universe, I want to at least be happy about how that universe works—and I’m not. 

There’s no easy fix for any of this, though. I can’t untangle the plot threads and fics no matter what, and my ongoing fics reflect that. Faker’s fic will eventually answer a question that was asked by the very first fic, which does seem fitting. Because Faker. Showmaker and Canyon’s fic sets up a Noxian plotline (good timing I know) that has been around since a heart full of fire. But I alluded to Showmaker’s backstory in his first big fic. See point about tncfl breaking the universe. Alt Ruination will also be related to the greater lore of the universe, which I resent. It’s meant to be a spinoff, man… Zoomer fic was initially tied to the Noxian plot before I remembered that was a bad idea, but it still introduces a possible plot going forward. JackeyLove’s fic heavily relies on the Ruination and sets up the Void plotline, because it’s him.

Quick aside, JackeyLove is probably my favorite character I’ve created. He wasn’t supposed to be much (despite me liking iG for longer than I’ve liked DK) but while considering what Kai’Sa might exist as in PPAU, I wrote that she was “a girl who underwent a risky operation to save her life,” with said operation obviously being the Void symbiote. I used the same concept for JackeyLove, which was cool and all until I realized that he might have a little trauma about that. So he’s a bit of a mess now. In a good way. He has Showmaker’s sass, Viper’s trauma, Faker’s weird power scaling and plot relevance… 

Okay anyway. There’s no way to fix PPAU, which is upsetting considering everything I’ve put into this universe. Every chapter I post only exacerbates the issues. I still fully intend to post those chapters and eventually write the Void and Noxian plotlines, which should come to a head this year anyway. After that… we’ll see how I feel. Plot sounds painful. I don’t think I’ll outright end PPAU at some point. It’ll just stop. Which is ominous but that’s how it goes ig. 

It would be nice to work on some other projects too. I have to write that T1 novel, which will be in its own universe. Then there’s the fabled “hvau” which has been cooking for forever. Featuring my favorite mcdonalds morons. 

Maybe one day I’ll at least fix the organization of PPAU… Until then, I’d like to thank the squad I mentioned previously. I appreciate all the support more than you know. Everyone who’s commented/screamed at me in DMs for 2 hours about what I wrote, I love you. Thank you for reading! 

[fizzyxcustard]

Why Did I Trust You?

Masterlist of fan fiction

Fandom: Robin Hood

Pairings: Guy of Gisborne x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Sadness, angst, betrayal (sort of!), depression mention, fluff

Comments/Notes: Requested by @puggledy-huggledy-is-not-a-pig who is the biggest Guy fan that I know. From the prompt "They told me not to trust you but I didn't listen."

I hope you like the fic. As always, like, reblog and comment if you enjoy. If you wish to be added to any of my tag lists, let me know.

Everyone kept telling you how Guy had always been taken with Marian, and that his heart still belonged to her. No one could get over lost love that easy. She had disappeared into Sherwood Forest with her lover, Robin Hood. Leaving Guy to pick up the pieces of a shattered heart. You had never met this Marian woman, but had heard plenty about her from the locals. 

You had travelled to Nottingham in high hopes of better income, and thankfully, you had been given a roof over your head, alongside the work, for all for your trouble. Guy had sorted that out for you. After all, he knew your father, who worked as a fellow tax collector in the next town over and often visited Nottingham to report to the Sheriff. 

Being a newcomer also meant that everyone was suspicious of you. And you had become aware of the rumours that people were spinning behind your back, despite being polite to your face. Snakes, all of them. Most days when you walked through the courtyard of the castle, heading in for your day of work, you’d see people gently shoulder each other. You’d see this action out of the corner of your eye, but as soon as they saw you’d noticed them, they would smile. Vipers! 

By the time you had been there six months, you knew it was time to move on. Nottingham was not quite the charming place that you had been told by your old townsfolk. Maybe the stories had been spun from those assuming that due to Nottingham being a central stronghold for finances, that the streets were paved with gold. That couldn’t have been any further from the truth. Only the Sheriff’s personal chambers were lined with gold; everywhere else was run down and full of squalor.

The last arrangements were in place, and the following day, you were ready to return home. It would take you about a day to walk to your meeting point with your father, who was coming by horse and cart to collect you. Messenger pigeons had been flying between you and your father for the last month, as your depression had gotten deeper and beckoned you home. 

The only good thing about the place was Guy. In fact, he was the only friend you had in this horrible place. The thought of leaving him was hitting you hard, and as you cleaned the larger chambers of the castle, you kept Guy’s until last. 

Upon stepping inside the room, you saw the seat that you sat in most evenings, where you would share dinner with him. You would watch the candlelight dance across his pointed features, highlighting the sadness in his ice blue eyes. Was the sadness remnants of an unrequited love? 

Tears kept threatening to fall down your cheeks as you cleaned the surfaces with a rag. At his bedside table, you moved the vase of flowers you had placed there three days ago, sweeping the dust beneath it. All you could feel was the painful, burning sensation of something lodged in your throat. 

Don’t you cry. Don’t you dare cry! 

As you made the bed and took one last sniff of his pillow, you realised that you had nothing of his. And you couldn’t leave Nottingham without at least one token from him, even if he had not given it you freely. 

There was a jewellery box which you knew Guy kept in his wardrobe, just behind his boots, on the floor. You could remember him telling you about it, where he explained that no one else knew of its existence, but you. 

Your hands were shaking as you approached the wardrobe, and slowly you opened the door, listening to it creak. The box was simple, with no inscription at all. It didn’t matter what it was that you took, as long as it was Guy’s; something to remember him by. Not that you could ever forget him in a hurry. 

Blood was thumping in your ears as you opened the box and looked upon two gold rings inside. That was all the box held, these two gold rings. The first one was a simple band, with no jewels or inscriptions. The other was gold, but had a simple green stone upon broad shoulders. You snatched the ring with the green stone and slipped it into your apron pocket. 

“What are you doing?” a deep voice came. 

You gasped, stepping back at the sight of Guy. When had he come into the room? “P…please, it’s not what it looks like.” 

“Oh, I know it was exactly what it looked like. You stealing one of my grandmother’s rings.” His eyes were so wide now, and you couldn’t help but swallow hard, feeling a rod of ice shoot down your spine. Guy was terrifying when angry, a trait that many a person had seen who lived in Nottingham. This was your first time of seeing his anger directed at you. 

“I’m sorry,” you whimpered. You pulled the ring back out of your pocket and placed it down on the table next to you. “It really is not what it looks like.” 

Guy turned on his heel. “They told me not to trust you, but I didn’t listen.”

“Guy, please,” you pleaded, touching his shoulder. 

“Don’t touch me!” he growled. “I let you in. I offer my vulnerability to you, and I offer you so much, and this is how you value our relationship? By stealing from me?” 

Tears fell down your cheeks. Your heart thundered, shattering even more with each beat. “I wanted something of yours, to remember you by.” 

“Remember me by? What do you mean?” Guy asked, his voice less hostile now. Slowly, he turned back to face you. 

Tears had begun to form in his eyes. His gaze was intense, and locked on you. 

“I would never have betrayed your trust, Guy. Believe me. I value you more than you realise.” 

“Yet you still plan to leave?” 

Of course he knew what you had meant. “You have no idea how it’s pained me to complete my duties today, knowing it will be the last time we stand face to face.” 

“Am I not enough to stay for?” The words only just came out of his mouth, broken by the breath that was struggling to get out. “I’m never enough.” Those words were despaired whisper. 

“Guy, no!” you exclaimed. “Never think that.” 

“But you’re leaving!” His voice had re-gained its power, and he stared at you. “I’ve been beside you in everything since you came here. Why am I not enough?” 

You reached out and took Guy’s leather-clad hand. “You are enough. Why don’t you think you are? Is it because of Marian?”

Guy closed his eyes for a second and sighed. Then he focused his gaze back on you. “I see the townsfolk enjoy talking about me.” 

“Don’t blame them. You’ve mentioned her before, and I guessed she’s the woman you love.” 

“She isn’t. Not anymore. I did love her once and she left. Every woman I grow to love leaves me.” 

Did that mean…? Breath caught in your throat, but you tried not to get above yourself in your want of him. “So other women before her have left?” 

Guy smirked. “Don’t deny what’s right in front of you.” He whispered your name and came closer, his body so close to yours. He looked down from his taller height.

You placed both of your hands on his chest, wanting so much to feel his bare skin beneath the leather. Your gaze met his and you leaned up, placing a gentle kiss against his lips. 

Guy opened his eyes, seeing uncertainty in your face. And gathering his confidence and love, he wound his arms around your waist and kissed you. 

The kiss was full of love, passion and desperation. Your tongues met, and within a few more seconds, Guy’s lips were on your neck. He was panting, and you whimpering.

As you both slowed down, your breaths harsh, you embraced Guy. 

“Is this now enough to make you stay?” he asked. 

You looked up from his chest, and smiled. “What do you think?” 

“And maybe I have more reason.” Guy reached across to the ring you had placed on his table and held it to you. “I want you to have this…and be my wife.” 

***

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