#and eos will fit perfectly in his very large loving hands

[tiredassmage]

packbonded to one of the npcs that showed up in tyr's squadron so i have made A version of said npc, mr. gnawing goat :3

[vegetacide]

TaG: Bloodlines (Part 9 Bit 2 )

Veg • notables: Second part... long chunk... 

Any errors in this are strictly my own

Ty to @gumnut-logic and @scribbles97 for the brainstorming help and the encouragement.

Chapter 1 | Previous Chapter | Next 

Rating and General warning: Mature content head. If you are not a fan of medical issues of a female nature in relation to pregnancy please proceed with caution.

Characters: Virgil/Kayo and various others

E N J O Y

8-8-8

Part 9 - Dipisahkan (Bit 2)

They managed to delay the move for a few more weeks.  Using the very active storm season that had just kicked off in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean as a good excuse to push things out a bit.  

Virgil knew that the stall tactic was starting to wear thin and their Doctor was getting anxious as Kayo hit the six month mark with no further improvement made.

Dragging a grease smeared hand through his hair as a bolt refused to budge,  Virgil swore and leaned against the side of the pod.  He was making work for himself for the sake of making work. Avoiding the packing that Kayo had slowly started to do over the last week.  

They had no more excuse, they had to move. He hated the fact that he would be of no help if an emergency came up but he hated it even more that he was going to be leaving Kayo in less than weeks time.  That is if they got the packing done.  

Procrastination was certainly something Virgil didn’t usually have in his wheelhouse and it irked him that he’d been doing just that for the last twelve hours or so.  

Grabbing a rag, he wiped his hands and tossed it on his work bench.  He wasn’t getting anywhere with this pod anyway.  He knew when he’d pulled the maintenance hatch off that the thing was only fit for recycling.   A trip off a cliff side and into a raging river had done in its circuitry when its reinforced haul had been breached as it had been smashed about. The silt in the hydraulics along was enough to force a complete rebuild.

Luckily at the time no one had been inside the pod.  Brains and him had over engineered them with pilot safety in mind but even with all that had one of them been aboard at the time the ledge had given out.. Well lets just say they would be down a brother permanently.   

As it was after the interchangeable craft had tumbled,   Alan had gotten caught up in a lead line that was being used to stabilize a raft while Scott played a tantalizing game of ‘pluck a rafter from the rapids’.  If it hadn’t been for Virgil’s quick thinking as he’d dived and cut the line,  Alan would have a lot been worse off.  Sprained ankles were a pain to deal with but it was better off than dead. 

He was mending though and driving them all nuts as he fought a serious case of boredom,  The complete opposite to his wife’s quiet brooding that was for sure despite the fact that they have pretty much all grown up together.  Thankfully his little brother's antsy trait hadn’t spread or they would all be in serious trouble. 

Packing up his tools, he took one last look at his work space..kicked himself for procrastinating yet again and marched his butt upstairs to help his wife pack.  

Packing went surprisingly quickly once the pair of them really got into it.   Kayo having spent so much time traveling around was very adept and efficient at the task and before they knew it they were stowing the last few bags away on the family jet and saying their goodbyes.  

The boys were all there to see them off,  Alan hobbling along on a set of crutches.   Grandma gave both of them a big hug as a send off and made them promise to check in with her daily even though she was going to be paying them a visit soon enough.  She traveled to the mainland on a regular so popping in was an easy enough side jaunt for her. 

Jeff was last in line to see them off and he kissed Kayo in the cheek whispering something in her ear that made her eyes well up with tears and gave his son a good clap on the back.

“Keep in contact and let us know when you make it to the house.” His father intoned after a hearty handshake.  

“Will do.” 

It wasn’t like they were going to be that far away as the ‘bird flies but the family had only  just fully reformed as a single unit and none of them wanted to be parted for long. 

After fist bumping Alan, nodding to John and one arm hugging Scott, he and Kayo got on board.  Gordon brought up the rear with a whistle and a spring to his step.  He’d volunteered to give them a hand knowing full well that Lady Penelope was going to be waiting for them on the tarmac in Auckland.  

The trip after that was kind of a blur.  He’d done the crossing so many times in Two that he could do the trip in his sleep though this time it was at a more sedate pace.  

When they arrived,  security was already on the ground waiting for them along with Penny who greeted them with a polite smile and a wink Gordon’s way as he basically skipped down the gangway.  

Ushered into a waiting Fab 1 with the appropriate escort in tow,  Penny hit the control to tint the windows and off them went.  

“Oh this is lovely,”  Penelope pronounced as the car slowed and passed through a large set of gates some time later.  On the other side were two rows of pohutukawa trees,  their trunks thick with age and their canopies full and resplendent even in the off season.   Dappled light peaked though its lush leaves and danced merrily across a red gravel lined laneway that curved up to a beautiful colonial style house. 

The grounds surrounding the two story home were impeccably tended and flush with every imaginable shade of green.  Gardens sat nestled below fine picture windows framed by dark teal shutters and off set by curly-que wrought iron trellises. 

The home itself was large enough to fit the whole family but not so big that it was ostentatious. Its white siding was quant and its front door though sheltered by columns and a tiled roof overhang was welcoming and warm. 

 It blended in perfectly with the neighbouring houses and the quietness of this section of Parnell made it the ideal location to lay low.

Very few people knew that the Tracy’s even owned property here as it was far removed from their company’s various global headquarters and this particular location was under title of one of their many subsidiaries.  

Fab 1 coasted up the driveway with ease; the red gravel crunching under the tire as the custom car came to a stop just outside the front door.  Their dark colour escort vehicles pulling up behind, security disembarking even before the SUVs had finished moving. 

Swarming over their temporary lodgings and ground like ants even though there was an all seeing eye keeping watch from above and more security within its wall than most banks.  

The whole search and secure took only a few moments and when completed there was a tap tap on the car window.  The darkened glass rolled down an inch and a hushed but professional voice of one of the personnel rattled off a quick all clear.  “Baxter and Jenkins are already inside, Sir.   Grounds secure.” 

Penny turned to them as the black clad guard pulled back from the car and went to assume a position by the front door.  “Are you sure that this location will be adequate for your purposes? You are more than welcome to take up residence at my chateau in Perth.”

“Thank you Lady Penelope but we will be fine here for the duration. There’s more security here now than at Fort Knox. Plus,,”  He pointed upwards. “The all seeing eye is keeping tabs on the place.  Really with EoS buzzing about the circuitry and cameras we will be okay. On top of that, the plane is sitting on standby if we need to bolt and we’re got priority departure status if the need arises.  We can have wheels up and be airborne in a manner of minutes.” 

Penny seemed appeased by his reassurances despite his own doubts about everything..He didn’t like being out here anymore then the rest of them but what choice did they have.  They would just have to make the most of it and really even though the house wasn’t used often no expense had been spared getting it ready for them to occupy.  

Knowing their escort was getting twitchy with them just sitting there, Virgil took the initiative and opened the car door.  

Stepping out it was only than  that he noticed that Fab 1 was sporting a different colour from when he’d gotten in.  The curious look on his face must have drawn Parker’s attention for the driver simply said.  “Pink, though nice h’is a whee bit noticeable.”

“Ah yes “ Penny smiled tightly, her hand in Gordon’s as he helped her out. “Counter surveillance tactic.  It is such a dreadful colour though.  We must program the camo cells with something more...fashionable than slate grey.”   

“Yellow’s a nice colour.”  Gordon contributed with a grin trying to ease some of the tension and Penny’s lady-like tinkle of laughter followed. 

“It is but decidedly attention grabbing, darling.”  She leaned slightly into the aquanaut, aristocratic propriety be damned and pecked him on the cheek. It was obvious she’d picked up on Gordon's subtle plan to pop the stress balloon that surrounded them and had decided that she would help in her own way. 

Kayo had stayed decidedly quiet even for her throughout the whole exchange and when Virgil went to give her a hand out of the car her hand was cold in his.  “Alright?” 

She nodded mutely,  eyes scanning and ever assessing her surroundings and her free hand cupped protectively over her middle through the swell of it was lost under the folds of her open cardigan.  

“Kayo,”  The guards acknowledged her as they passed through the front doors, standing a little taller at their posts.  

Once inside and the door firmly closed behind them, they were greeted by a later afternoon sunlit foyer and a curved stairway lined with painting.   Some of which were copies of Virgil’s personal work.  A touch of home that someone had added during one of their previous stays at the house. 

Off to one side through a large archway was a cozy sitting room.  Plush cushioned seating was placed about to create comfortable conversation areas all bracketed by dark wood side tables with an assortment of tasteful lamps.  One wall was taken up by the large expanse of built in shelving with an artful arrangement of leather bound books and eclectic knick-knacks and pottery.  Centered across from the entry was a grand mantle and open faced fireplace, a fire crackling happily away in the hearth and chasing the coolness from the air away with a wonderful scent of Applewood.

On the other side of the foyer a set of glass paned double doors sat open to reveal a long, glossy dining table with accompanying chairs and a beautiful carved sideboard.  The walls were bisected by hand crafted wood paneling in a contrasting white while the upper portion was a deep maroon.  A heavy framed gilded mirror floated above the side board making the space appear even larger than it was and candles of various sizes flickered and reflected back at them invitingly.  

It had been ages since Virgil had set foot in this house. The last time being after they’d lost their father.  Usually the house was used as a tucked away spot to house Tracy Industry guests and their family when there was a need but it had only been used a half dozen times in the last eight or so years.  With the sudden disappearance of their business priorities has shifted somewhat and the boys were never in town long enough to demand out of towners to do the same.  

Most stuff these days was handled though holo with the odd exception here and there. Even those were only brief in person exchanges that took place within the confines of the company walls in whatever country that was deemed an appropriate location. Quick,  concise trips that got them back to the island and their families main function of first responders.

Settling a bag at the base of the stairs,  Virgil relaxed only slightly at being sheltered out of sight.  The building though charming held an array of emotions that he didn’t really feel inclined to revisit but out of all the properties they own this was one that was off the radar of the local media.   Mainly because they spent an exorbitant amount of credits keeping it that way. 

Looking at his wife as she peered into the living room, he contemplated tucking her away in bed.  She looked a little haggard from the short journey here and he wanted to make that transition as easy on her as possible.  

Just as he was about to suggest this through a door tucked behind the stairs opened and two plain clothed TI staffers came out.   Even dressed as they were in casual and comfortable clothing their straight back posture and alert eyes gave them away from what they were.  

“Baxter, Jenkins.”   Kayo said by way of greeting as they approached her even though she was off duty.  Her voice was steady contrary to her weary state, shoulders tight and high.   

“Ma'am.” They greeting in kind, coming to stand in front of them at parade rest.  You could take the employee out of the Marines but obviously not the Marines out of the employee.  “Everything is in order as arranged. No whispers on any social media.  Your arrival has gone unnoticed.” 

She gave a curt nod and the pair disappeared out the front door to give Parker a hand with the bags. 

“Well, this has been a delightful trip.” Lady Penny spoke up.  “I would love a cup of tea,  anyone else?”  

“Right ah’way, M’lady.”  Parker said with a huff as he set down the bags he'd brought in. “I’ll bring it to the parlour.”  

“Wonderful, Parker. Thank you.”

The distraction was a welcome relief from all the hubbub of the relocation and Virgil took the opportunity to check on Kayo, away from the prying eyes of the others.

“Hey, you sure you’re alright?”  He took her cold hand in his again and gave it a reassuring squeeze.  

She sighed, the action deflating and slumping her shoulders,  “Just tired.”  

Inspected her face and satisfied that she wasn’t holding anything back, he nodded in agreement.  It had been a long day after all and emotions were running high despite all the planning.  

“Why don’t you go up,”  He suggested, canting his head towards the stairs at her back.  “I’ll bring you up a warm drink and something to eat once everything from the car is brought in.”  

Rising up on her toes she brushed a kiss over his cheek,  no fight in her quiet response as she turned and tiredly went up the stairs.  

Resting a hand on the banisters, he kept a watchful eye on her as she slowly ascended, worry creasing his brow. 

“Everything okay, Bro?”  Gordon piped up from behind him.

Forcing a smile..  “Ya,  everything's fine.  Just been a long day.”  

8-8-8

TBC

Chapter 1 | Previous Chapter | Next 

[comicbookuniversity]

How Black Lagoon Begins Attacking Gender Norms

by Bunnypwn Gold

Rei Hiroe’s Black Lagoon is one of the most intelligent, fun, and kinetic action-crime dramas around. The entire series looks and feels like an action movie; even the way it’s structured feels more akin to a series of movies, with different self-contained arcs building off of the previous installments. While many action movies include philosophical elements and dialogue in an attempt to make the festival of blood and explosions seem more intelligent without exploring the issues, Black Lagoon actively builds its themes and the substance of its plot and character arcs around its stellar action-hero philosophy quotes. One of its strongest points is how integral all the characters’ social identities are to the way the story is told. Chief among these is the way gender is explored and examined. Looking through the first five stories of the series, a powerful message about breaking out of the toxic gender binary is developed, creating an argument that drives the rest of the series. This argument is never made explicitly, but instead through the pattern of behaviors exhibited by Japanese salaryman Rock, as the feminine, and hotshot gunslinger Revy, as the masculine.

For anyone who has not read the series, a little catch-up is in order. At the beginning, Okajima Rokuro, a generic Japanese salaryman, is kidnapped by Revy, the gunhand of Lagoon Traders, a company of underworld couriers. Rokuro was in possession of a disc the Lagoon Traders were hired to steal, and Revy wanted to sweeten the pay with some ransom. During a shootout with mercenaries hired by Rokuro’s company and a chase to certain death, Rokuro goes from wanting to return to his ordinary life, to finding out his bosses are planning to let him die, and finally to diving into the underworld as a crewman aboard the Black Lagoon, taking up the nickname Rock. He then spends the first few stories of the series being taught how to perform basic duties and tasks aboard the torpedo boat by Revy until they have a falling out and make up after a dramatic argument. It is this series of events that sets up the larger dialogue on gender in the rest of the series.  

In an interview published for Sunday GX magazine and printed in volume 8, series author Rei Hiroe and Gen Urobuchi, author of the Black Lagoon novelization, discuss their views on gender in light of the series’ myriad badass women. In it, Urobuchi is quoted as saying,

“I naturally have this idea that women are strong or tough. Like men are just male bees—creatures that should die after they ejaculate…In that sense men are weak. Whereas the battle begins for women once they get pregnant…Women have to keep fighting. I don’t see that kind of strength as cute. I can’t dote on it.”

Later on, when discussing the final scene of The Wild Bunch, in which the heroic cowboys go off to their deaths trying to save their friends, Hiroe and Urobuchi have the following exchange:

Hiroe: “They’re already dead at that point. That’s what’s so cool. They have no intention of getting out alive.”

Urobuchi: “That’s really the only moment men can compete with women, I think. There’d have to be a third world war for men to shine. Like a Mad Max type of world. Maybe only when there’s a real danger of extinction will men have a role. Right now this society could exist only with women.”

This lays out the core of the series’ argument about gender: women are strong because they fight to live and make life, whereas men place all their value on their own deaths and the deaths of others, and the current gender binary denies women their strength and forces them into submission with the violence of death-based masculinity. This is somewhat familiar, since associations between the genders and life and death in this vein are common across cultures. What is particularly instructive for how the series is constructed is how the machismo, male-dominant view of gender is embedded in action movies, particularly cowboy movies. For anyone who has read Black Lagoon, it’s clear how powerful an influence cowboy and other action movies have on the series.

Rock spent his life as a low-level employee in a large Japanese company. Like most companies around the world, large Japanese corporations like the one Rock worked for are male-dominated and are typified by traditional ideals of masculinity, with the CEO and board of directors, among others, working in the role of powerful, great men, and everyone under them working their way closer to that great ideal of manhood. Rock, being so low in the company, is far from manhood, in that sense; he describes his job as mostly consisting of bowing to superiors, and his general conciliatory, subservient attitude throughout the early part of the series can easily be read as traditionally feminine. From that perspective, his time at that company can be read as emasculating (for more on the idea of emasculating corporate culture and men trying to take back their manhood with violence, see Fight Club). Rock even reveals that he would blow off steam at a batting cage, which is a notably phallic activity, with bats and balls, and, being a sport-based hobby, is more traditionally masculine by nature; in a sense, after constantly kissing ass and being forced to get drunk to keep his bosses happy, he recharged his masculinity by knocking his stress into the far end of the cage.

Revy, on the other hand, fits perfectly into macho-violent cowboy movie masculinity during the first set of stories. If she had been replaced by a man, then superficially the story could have been told the same way, with the only difference being that Rock would likely have been a little less shocked to see Two Hand smile while he killed all those mercenaries. She’s short-tempered, mean, constantly looks out for herself before anyone else, and is just so indignant that she has to take orders from anyone. She’s greedy and aggressive and takes great joy in both risking her life and taking the lives of others. Throughout the first few stories, Revy often complains that every little thing Rock does wrong costs her money, and she’s not particularly generous with her own. Though she continues this throughout the rest of the series, and so it isn’t specific to this period, the fact that Revy is most often seen in her downtime looking at porno magazines promising the largest-breasted women around drives home the kind of macho, hypermasculine role she fills. We later learn that she grew up on the streets of NYC, having to run from street criminals and violent police officers. She would take up the gun at age 11 and begin emulating the only kind of power she knew up to that point: the violent men who terrorized her. Her worldview is defined by this dog-eat-dog attitude, with people being nothing more than dead bodies waiting to happen and profit from. She’s so scared of showing vulnerability and anything that could be seen as feminine because the last time she was vulnerable and feminine, she was nearly killed in the gutter by dirty cops.

The pilot chapter of the series sets out to demonstrate the gendered positions of Rock and Revy. Revy starts off the chapter by messing up her boss Dutch’s plan by kidnapping Rock for extra cash. She is then indignant when Dutch reprimands her for this, because she was trying to take initiative and be independent, masculine qualities often praised at companies such as the one Rock worked for. Rock spends all his time whining, or as Revy calls it, “bitching,” about what’s going on, being very demanding, and wanting everyone to take care of everything for him, all of which puts him in a stereotypically feminine role, and a negative one at that. At the bar, Revy belittles Rock’s manhood for drinking beer, saying rum “is what a real man drinks,” and ends up in a drinking contest, because Rock has to prove he’s a man despite his feminine role and Revy, as a “real man,” can’t back down. Revy then demonstrates her penchant for and love of violence as she kills a bunch of the EO mercenaries hired by Rock’s company to kill them and retrieve the disc, just living her best life. The turn for Rock in this chapter is when he talks to his boss and finds out he plans to let Rock die; the company leaders will reward his death with their presence at his funeral, showing the masculine value of death and the power of the executives’ masculinity that their presence is meant to be that great a reward. As the mercenaries chase the Lagoon into the straits, Revy demonstrates her masculine lack of regard for her own life by nonchalantly resigning herself to death. Rock, on the other hand, embraces the opportunity to take up the masculinity his company denied him by devising an insane plan to win the day. After coming out on top and choosing to join the Lagoon, however, that masculinity starts to change for Rock. By choosing to join the Lagoon, Rock was choosing that as his way of life, not simply the place he was willing to die. For Revy’s part, it’s easy to read the way she relishes her part in Rock’s plan as a cowboy choosing to die how she lived, but it can also be read as her accepting a way to fight to stay alive in the way she sees best, which is itself an important turn for Revy. These points are developed further in the rest of the opening of the series.

Throughout the next four stories, Rock remains at the low end of the totem pole, still receiving his training and unsure of how he will actually make his living on the Lagoon, placing him in a similarly feminine position as he was in as the errand boy in a large corporation. Revy emphasizes this with her masculine sense of inherent authority, constantly bossing Rock around and belittling him for failing to learn sailing knots faster or not checking his scuba gear thoroughly. Revy also buys Rock a Hawaiian shirt, which is never seen because Rock refuses to wear it. While buying clothes for a man may be seen as feminine, it more resembles Revy trying to institute a work uniform, since she got it to replace the semi-formal work clothes Rock still wears; it should be noted that Benny, the Lagoon’s engineer and another man who takes a passive position in the crew, wears a Hawaiian shirt. Revy’s masculine position is further solidified in Ring-Ding Ship Chase, the second story, when she single-handedly took out several motorboats filled with heavily-armed men and mounted with machine guns. Rasta-Blasta, the third story, pushes in another direction, with Revy taking a masculine approach to watching over Garcia, the young boy they’re transporting for sale, by threatening to beat and kill him when he won’t comply with orders. Revy’s role can be read as either paternal disciplinarian or like a cowboy angry because kids, which she never wanted, cramp her style. Rock takes on the maternal role in how he deals with Garcia in that story, being more gentle and nurturing. Later on, Rock tries to stop Revy and ass-kicking terrorist-turned-maid Roberta from fighting to the death partly in an attempt to protect them as women, because he still thinks like how things work in Japan. But of course, Revy has to fight Roberta, because, as a “real man,” she can’t stop before things are settled.

Die Rückkehr des Alders, the fourth story, represents the major turning point in this opening arc. During their mission to salvage a Nazi painting from a sunken German sub, Revy leaves Rock behind for a moment to take medals and things from the dead soldiers so she can make a little extra money on the side. Rock takes a stand, saying she should leave them behind. While taking a stand can be read as masculine, Rock does so in defense of what the medals meant to the soldiers, and how those sentiments are more valuable than whatever money can be made from them, essentially taking a feminine position in support of life and love. The fact that Rock backs down by the end is what really does in any hope of this being a masculine moment for Rock. Revy, on the other hand, lays out the bare bones of her cowboy “we’re dead men walking” mentality, pushing herself further into the macho corner. Here is where she reveals what her childhood was like and argues that the bones in the sub and the medals were essentially the same: just things. There’s no value in things like sentiment, which people build lives around. She’s literally placing monetary value on the deaths of Nazi soldiers, the starkest version of her masculinity. She continues when raiding the neo-Nazi ship by killing everyone she sees, including the hired staff who were unaffiliated with the neo-Nazis. When she kills them, she doesn’t have her usual smile, a sign of how her desire to remain in this powerful role is stressing her, how it’s not really bringing her a happy life.

The big conclusion happens in the follow-up story Calm Down Two Men, which sees Revy and Rock going on a simple errand run and then getting lunch. During the errand run, both demonstrate their typical patterns of behavior. Rock is more submissive, just trying to get along, and Revy is aggressive and angry, using violence as her way of handling business. Their roles here play out fine enough with the first two errands, but Revy nearly gets them into a shootout at the Rip-Off Church before Rock saves the day with some diplomacy. Revy is put on edge as Sister Yolanda tells Revy to learn from Rock, which would disrupt her status and position in multiple ways. At lunch, they get into an argument which ultimately dispels the tension left between them after their time in the sub. It is instigated by Rock, who is taking a stand for his principles, a stand that demonstrates his new masculinity. Revy tries to take control back quickly by threatening to shoot Rock dead, since she refuses to be put onto the defensive, which she would interpret as a weak, vulnerable feminine position. Rock redirects the gun and later takes a punch without flinching to show that he can’t be stopped with violence. Rock speaks here about how he got by at work before, and how Revy inspired him by showing how much more he could have in life. This scares Revy, putting her on the defensive, to hear someone demonstrate how hollow and insignificant the power she was wielding truly was. Eventually, Revy sees that Rock is actually offering her something more powerful in exchange and takes him up on it. To sum up Rock’s offer, “Well, if there aren’t any Robin Hoods…then BE a Robin Hood,” meaning take a stand for the principles you want to uphold in life. Before the chapter is out, Revy asks Rock if he’s with her or against her, just like in the sub, in an attempt to place her new path near her familiar ground. Rock doesn’t allow her that simplicity.

In this way, the two switch places in their gender roles by the conclusion of this opening arc, but do so in a way that breaks them free from the stereotypical gender binary. Just as Urobuchi put it, Rock has fully formed his new, life-affirming masculinity by the end of the argument, while Revy is only just starting to chart the course of her new, powerful femininity; to complete the parallel to sex described by Urobuchi, Revy and Rock smoke after their fight and “kiss” their cigarettes to light Revy’s. The argument fully demonstrates how the old gender binary our heroes left behind was damaging to each of them, with Rock left emasculated and, more importantly, unable to live life his own way because of how he always came up short of expectations, and Revy being a tightly-wound ball of self-destructive anger and violence doomed to leave this world without having really gotten anything out of it. Overall, it’s a clever, subtle, and effective way to demonstrate why traditional gender roles are harmful and degrading to all involved. While, as a nonbinary person, I have to point out it still is based on a binary view of gender, it’s still an interesting way to demonstrate how breaking free from the traditional gender binary is empowering and can redefine the course of a person’s life for the better.

[gay-ink-slinger]

How Did You Mess This One Up?

Ravus Nox Fleuret (FFXV) x Reader

In which Ravus and the reader have an argument, but resolve in a fluffy turn of events.

This was a suggestion from @lovebeforethedawn~ I’m sorry about how this might as well have taken me a year to finish haha;;;

[No characters mentioned within this story belong to me]

When you had agreed to help Ignis in the kitchen, you hadn’t planned on actually telling Ravus of the details. He had always been extremely protective of those who he cared for, you and his sister being the first thoughts in his mind whenever his loved ones came up. When he had found out about the topic, it was only a matter of time before he grew upset (read: jealous) over the whole situation.

“So,” he paused to take a sip of the freshly brewed tea before him, “I heard from a... peer... that you had spent this past Sunday with his Highness’ royal adviser.” You sat dumbfounded in the comfortable lounge, startled by the fact that he’d found out to begin with. You furrowed your brows, but remained calm. 

“From whom did you receive this information?” If you were going down, you would take the snitch with you. You had asked for everyone to not say anything to Ravus, seeing as he would instantly get upset about the idea of you, his beloved, spending your precious time with the royal retinue instead of himself. Of all people for you to have chosen to want to be with for the day, the Prince of Insomnia and his friends probably weren’t the best decision, as Ravus had some personal issues with them and all. But still, you went ahead and scheduled a baking session with the best chef on Eos, Mr. Scientia himself. 

“Oh, a little blonde wouldn’t stop rambling; though, I’m not certain he knew of my presence...” You made a mental note to scold Prompto once you were done here. Ravus was clearly upset that you had kept such a thing from him though, whether it was trivial or not. You found yourself silenced, the dominating presence of royalty sitting before you not helping in the slightest. “My dearest, why would you ever chose them over myself?” You couldn’t help but roll your eyes, glancing around the room at anywhere except for at the man who wanted all of your attention. 

“What gave you the right to control all of my actions,” you snapped, questioning his stance on the affair. He sighed, rubbing his temple for Gods know why. Why was he so upset anyway? 

“My dear, do not raise your voice at me.”

“I will do whatever shall please me. You know this, Ravus. I don’t understand why you’ve grown so upset over what I do with the people I consider friends,” you grew more frustrated as your words slipped off your tongue. 

“Oh, and I am not allowed to be concerned of who these so called “friends” of my beloved are?” He was annoyed, that much for sure, because why wouldn't you simply listen to what he had to say? “Am I not allowed to express my unease when I consider you are spending your precious time with people who have not earned my trust?”

“What if they’ve earned mine? What if this whole ordeal had nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with you, and you had to go and insert your opinion into the matter.” He stayed silent, which left an invitation for you to continue. “Please, Ravus, I don’t understand what has happened to make you so upset over all of this. Nothing bad happened: I went there, I spent most of the day icing cakes, and then I returned. No more, no less. So what is it that has disheartened you?” Your tone had dropped to be calmer and more even. You hadn’t asked necessarily for an answer, but Ravus didn’t give one anyway. He stood, turned, and left the room wordlessly. 

“The silent treatment, huh?” You asked yourself in the silent room. It was your turn to sigh as you slouched. You knew better than to go and bother him right away in general, but also because it was time for his daily sword training. Getting lonelier by the second, you sat alone, knowing that deciding who to spend your time with was not up to Ravus. However, that did not matter to him... You knew what had to be done.

💜

Ravus entered his kitchen, curious as to where you had gone- The silence was beginning to unnerve him. He wasn’t truly upset with you, and he was too socially inept, especially when it came to affection, to see that the two of you had gotten too angry. Worried and searching for any trace of you, he waltzed into the kitchen at an awkward moment. 

At that very point in time, you stood head to toe covered in flour. The beautiful dress you clothed yourself in was fortunately covered, however by a floury mess of an apron. He raised an elegant brow, but stayed silent as he watched you fumble to stir a large bowl of what he could only assume was supposed to be cake batter. He lurked, amused, in the doorway as you continued stirring away, reading quietly out of a nearby cookbook. What on Eos were you doing? 

“Oh, goodness- my love...!!” You stammered, happening to glance in his general direction whilst searching for the baking powder, which he held with a grin.

“Looking for this?” He took in your appearance once more, with the same handsome grin. “Even while you are covered in baking ingredients, you still look lovely, my dearest.” You tried your best to quickly snatch the baking powder from his grasp, but he quickly pressed a chaste kiss to your lips. 

“Ravus, I need that to finish!” You tried reaching for the ingredient, but he simply raised it above your heads. You scoffed playfully, a smile tugging at your lips. 

“I propose a compromise: I will help you, and you will not make even more of a mess,” he finished by going towards the concoction on the counter, quietly continuing the recipe from where you left off. 

“I suppose you have a good point,” you laughed, shaking free loose flour from your apron. “I really have made quite the mess, haven’t I... I apologize for all of this chaos, Ravus...” He gave you a shrug. 

“The mess means nothing if I can spend my time cleaning it with you.” Flushing at his words, you moved to wrap your arms around his torso from behind. “I understand your reasons for being upset with me now. I don’t expect you to continue to forgive me for all of my behavior...” Ravus grabs a baking tin, pouring the batter carefully. 

“My darling,” you sighed with a grin, “I have already forgiven you for everything- I’m baking you a cake as we speak! But I accept your apology, and I too understand your reasons for being upset with me.” He smiled, turning to face you over his shoulder. His face dropped a bit when you continued. “However. I do expect you to respect my wishes and decisions. I know you don’t quite like the boys... But please, give them another chance...” He only turned around fully once he had placed the tin into the oven.

“I promise, my dearest.” 

💜

“Okay, you can turn around now!” As you licked off the misplaced frosting off of your fingers, Ravus turned slowly to marvel your creation. In the midst of your satisfactory grin as you held up the perfectly iced cake, Ravus stumbled into a quiet and repressed laugh. “What? What did I do?” 

“My darling- You’ve written something wrong...” He couldn’t help but laugh when you cried out over your misspelling. You had rushed to write on the cake in a light frosting, but in your haste you managed to misspell a word. It read “I Am Noting Without You” rather than “I Am Nothing Without You”. Clapping both hands over your face, you curl inwards in utter embarrassment as your beloved laughs his ass off before you. 

“Oh my Gods- Ravus, stop laughing! Oh this is embarrassing...” Your voice trails into a mumble. It was meant to be a touching, heartfelt moment between two lovers, but then it had devolved into fits of laughter. Ravus caught his breath before speaking.

“Oh love, how did you mess this one up?” 

Thank you for reading! (I’m sorry if there are typos or grammatical errors)

[agent-z-18]

Journal Entry #6

October 22nd

Holy. Crap.

I…I don’t know how to feel. Okay. Okay. Maybe I just write from the beginning? Yeah. Let’s just start with the beginning.

So, Saturday I went on my first ever retrieval. Like clockwork, I got up at 11 a.m. and while I was eating breakfast, Ray called in. Two more EOs popped up on the outskirts of town and at that moment, no villains were spotted on their way. It, honestly, couldn’t be any more perfect. Instantly, everyone was in motion, changing, collecting their weapons, downloading Ray’s map. Nobody paid me much mind as they rushed around to beat any villain that might catch wind of the EOs. And after all the run-ins with Python, I really don’t blame them for wanting to get there first and without any problems.

Too bad that one villain would actually be there.

After everyone was out the door, I ran upstairs and got dressed as quickly as possible. Jordan really outdid himself with my costume. Everything fit perfectly, great range of movement. With my mask in place, my voice changer on, and my tracker was already beeping the moment I turned it on. And it was beeping in the area that Ray’s map showed the EOs to be. Definitely a good start.

The dirt bike ran like a dream really. I’m not entirely sure why Taylor’s brother sold it to me for so cheap. And with how small my bike is, reaching the point where the EOs appeared before my family. Shocking, right? It didn’t take long for them to catch up though. As I followed the closest blinking dot on my tracker, I located the first EO hidden inside some tall, dried grass. I barely managed to squat down next to the first EO when Evelyn and Wyatt pulled up in their matching sport motorcycles. It was a little nerve-wracking as the two of them jumped off their bikes and pointed their weapons at me.

“Step away from the orb and state your business here,” Evelyn said, her voice hard and angry. If my heart hadn’t already been hammering already, it definitely was now. Her hand flexed on the handles of her sais as if itching to light them on fire like I know she loves to. 

Stay calm, Aydan, just stay calm. You got this. “I could ask the two of you the same thing,” I said, my deeper voice sounding way more confident than I was currently feeling. 

“We happen to be heroes,” Wyatt answered stiffly, his weapon, a long vine-like whip ready at his hip, “hired by the government. WE are allowed to be here. You, on the other hand, are not. So, step away from the energy orb and nobody has to get hurt.”

Shoot. Okay, I really didn’t want to fight them. And by this time, Mom and Dad have pulled up in their sleek sports car and Matt in his large black SUV. All three join Evelyn and Wyatt, their weapons also drawn and at the ready. I don’t blame them, it just felt a little weird being on the receiving end instead of watching them merely sparing with them. Matt spun his quarterstaff and pointed it at me.

“And who are you?”

Oh. Well, crap. I never came up with a fake name! I was so excited about everything else that I completely forgot to come up with a fake name for myself in case they spoke to me! Crap. Crap.

“Well?” Mom said, breaking through my silent panic, “Mystic asked you a question.”

Breathe, Aydan, just breathe. I paused, my gloved hand hovering over the orb, unsure if any sudden movements might set them off. Probably. They were pretty jumpy at home. Tilting my head, I wreck my brain when Mom raised her fists, her golden gauntlets shining in the sunlight, signaling the end of her patience. 

“Agent Z,” I blurted out, barely containing my wince. ‘Agent Z’? Really? That was all I could think of? Nothing cool like ‘Deathwing’ or ‘Nova’? Dang, Taylor would be disappointed in me. (I haven’t told Taylor or Jordan about the retrieval yet, I’m a little scared on how they’re gonna react to my name choice.)

Dad glared at me from behind his mask. “’Agent Z’? Never heard of him. Do you work for the government?” 

Don’t roll your eyes, Aydan, don’t do it. “Does it look like I work for the government?” Oh, yikes, sass on point, Aydan. Hope you enjoy being grounded. I grabbed the orb and slowly stood up as my family slowly processed my words and began to mutter amongst themselves. I guess it had been a while since a new villain appeared, so I think I kinda threw them off?

“If you don’t work for the government,” Wyatt said finally, “Then why are you here? Any and all orbs are to turned over to the government to be used as resources for the public.”

This time I just couldn’t hold back my eye roll. Everyone who has stepped outside their house knows why the government wants the orbs. I bring the orb up to my face and study it up close for the first time. The small glowing orb fit in the palm of my hand nicely, almost the size of a softball but slightly heavier, as if it was weighted. Warmth radiated through my glove, indicating just how much energy these little things house. I allowed a smirk to grace my lips as I glance back at my family.

“I think all of you already know the answer to that question.”

“Awe, did all of you start the party without me?”

Oh. Oh no. Of course, Typhoon had to show up. And in his stupidly cool color-changing sports car. How had none of us noticed it pulling up? But he did and now he was also here for the orbs and I was currently holding one in my hands, making me a target. And target I was because Typhoon noticed me right away. He had lifted platinum eyebrow as a creepy smirk stretched on his lips.

“Oh? And who do we have here? A new contender? Maybe this’ll spice things up a little bit.”

“So, he’s not one of your cohorts?” Dad asked and Typhoon shook his head. “Nope,” he said, emphasizing the ‘p’ at the end, “But like I said, this might make things more interesting. And he even managed to beat the lot of you to an orb. I think he’s doin’ rather well right now.”

And I know he’s a villain! I know! But hearing him give me some praise sent a warmth through my chest that I only usually feel when I’ve aced a super hard test. A job well done. And I shouldn’t be happy about it, but I am. I still am. What happened next, was rather… intense. Mom had demanded that I hand over the orb while Typhoon suddenly went off in the direction of the other orb. Both she and Dad took off the veteran villain while my siblings stayed to deal with me. I was really, REALLY hoping to not have to fight any of them, to only let them just take the orb from me and then I return home. My tracker worked (for the most part, I never did locate the second orb to fully make sure) and through my family’s reactions, none of them seemed to recognize me thanks to my outfit and voice changer. But…But then Typhoon had to come and compliment me and made me feel obligated to prove that I could really do this. That I could bring home an orb just like my family does and put it in the safe downstairs to be sent to Ray. So, instead of just giving my siblings the EO, I dodged and weaved around their attacks, their movements very similar to all the times I watched them train. I felt the wind from Matt’s quarterstaff as he swung it past my head, the heat of Evelyn’s flaming sais as she tried to swipe my arm holding the EO, and I barely even flinched as Wyatt’s wipe cracked near my ear. The adrenaline I felt while dancing out of the way of my siblings’ attacks. I kept the EO clutched tightly to my chest the entire time, not giving any of them the chance to just knock it out of my hand. But I know that they have much more stamina and that I wouldn’t be able to last forever and knowing that, I just reacted. Pulling out one of the stink bombs that I modified to have a little less of an odor and more smoke, I threw two at the ground near my siblings’ feet and once all three started coughing, I turned and bolted for my bike. I heard Typhoon laugh as he fought with Mom and Dad and when I chanced a glance his way, he actually gave me a thumbs up. A THUMBS UP! Me! I managed to return it with a wave and a cheeky grin (I really couldn’t help it) and took off.

I did my best to take as many back ways as possible to throw off anyone who might have wanted to follow me. In hindsight, I probably brought something to mask the EO, but I haven’t heard of Ray ever tracking an EO after a villain manages to take one. But I also don’t know if any of the villains have something to block the signal. I do have a lead box in my room that holds some of my older experiments because they would interfere with some of Ray’s equipment. Which, is where I currently have the EO hiding right now. I was gonna bring it to the safe but I barely remembered that there is a hand scanner that tracks everyone who opens the safe and I have NEVER gone into the safe, so what if Ray looks and sees that I opened the safe for some reason? I could barely come up with a lie about my alias, I don’t think I’d be able to come up with a good enough lie to satisfy my folks or Ray. So, I think I’m just gonna hide the EO until I can figure out a way to put it into the safe. 

But…But I find that I want to go on another retrieval. But the last two days have been rather vacant of energy orbs appearing, but there was just something about the feeling of it all. The rush I felt while narrowly dodging the attacks of my siblings was exhilarating! The way my heart hammered as I had to think on my feet to stay cool and come up with a story to keep my identity a secret from my entire family. And even coming out of it with an EO of my own! But, as a good inventor, one test run can’t be enough to base all of my findings on. I need to know if my tracker can accurately track more than one EO. Because most EOs appear in pairs! There’s really no harm in going on another one, right? And, I gotta admit, it’s kinda funny on just how bitter Evelyn, Wyatt, and Matt are about me getting away. That was all they could talk about during dinner. It was so hard to not say anything over supper, it really was! I have never seen them so salty before and it had to be the funniest thing. Three over-twenty-year-olds and all three of them were pouting like children denied dessert. At least Mom and Dad managed to get the second orb before Typhoon could get to it, so that helped keep the mood light during supper. Besides, I’m sure Evelyn, Wyatt, and Matt will get over it by the time there’s another retrieval, so I’m sure it’ll be fine.

As long as Agent Z doesn’t show up and take another orb from them XD.

  Geez, I’m a horrible little brother. But I just can’t help it. It’s so much fun!

I can’t wait to go on another retrieval.

[duskfloret]

8 FOR EVERYONE!!! >:33

♔「 @wholehcartedly & @conoscenze ; accepting 」kiki and vera are the real mvps ❞

8: How did you choose the name for your muse?(This is a little more of why I named them what I did, but oh well.)

Katsuo Mizushima–his given name means “victorious man,” which is a little ironic because of the fact that he’s so anxious and timid; regardless, he is still a prodigy in his own right, so it suits him too. His father named him! His surname is composed of characters that mean “water” and “island,” a reference to the fact that his family lives on an island. (On a slightly related note, his younger brother’s name, Shinji, means “truthful (second son)” and a) he’s an honest guy, and b) he’s not the product of an affair like Katsuo is.)

Ryoko Mizushima–her given name means “bright child,” which definitely suits her due to her intellect and how she seems so talented at everything she tries. Her mother named her, and it’s possibly a jab at how the woman prefers her daughter over her son, as Ryoko’s birth was a bright spot after, well, Katsuo’s existence.

Jonah–his name wasn’t picked for any particular reason aside from sounding nice. His master just liked the name and needed something to call his cat. It means “dove,” a fact his master did not take into consideration.

Noire–she was named for her hair colour, since noir is “black” in French! It also fits into the morality/ideas her mentor drilled into her growing up, where “black” means bad and “red” is good, and since she doesn’t consider herself as good… (This thought process has slowly faded and she doesn’t pay it much mind anymore, though; it does still influence the fact that her clothes are mostly red and black.) As for her real name, Cerise Bellerose, Cerise means “cherry,” which is her favourite fruit, and Bellerose means “lovely rose,” because she’s cute and often incorporates rose accessories into her outfits.

Kotone Furuya–her given name means “harp sound” and her surname means “old valley.” These weren’t picked for any specific reason. Her real name, Chinami Agano, also wasn’t picked for any specific reason aside from Chinami sounding cute.

Tzaphkiel–this is a given, based on the fact that she’s an existing archangel. But the nickname Tzan comes from the fact that I’m too lazy to write out her name every time I refer to her.

Kaeto Easton–Kaeto is pretty much just a different way of writing Cato, which is an old Roman name meaning “wise,” and Easton was picked largely just because it sounds kind of similar to the name of a city in the state where I grew up. As for his real name, Aspen Banks–aspen is a tree, one that has been symbolically (and maybe literally) cut down after his mother passed away, and Banks (though the name itself refers to hillsides) may or may not be related to the fact that his father sold him to pay off gambling debts, because banks and money and all.

Fane Vasile–his given name is the Romanian diminutive of one that means “crown,” and his surname is the Romanian form of one that means “king.” It’s ironic because he grew up poor and is still very frugal, and he’d never consider himself the least bit royal. Also, since Vasile is a form of Basil, which is the name of a plant, it reflects the fact that he likes plants a whole lot.

Takara Nakahara–her given name means “treasure,” which is both fitting and not; on one hand, her ability is rare and valuable, but on the other hand, she’s often looked down on and cast aside due to being an illegitimate child. Her surname is just meant to be a generic common one (as her mother was a commoner), and I like the way it sounds together. The name of her father’s family, Oshiro, means “castle,” which represents the fact that they’re important.

Inari–another given.

Sanae Agano–her given name means “rice seedlings,” and I didn’t pick it for a particular reason aside from it sounding pretty. Agano was the surname for a character that I’d since scrapped the idea for and wanted to reuse (I don’t remember the meaning and looking it up isn’t helping, but apparently there was a Japanese cruiser named Agano). Maiko means “dancing girl,” which I picked for obvious reasons.

Silvia Asenov–her given name actually means “forest,” but I picked it because it sounds like silver. Her surname doesn’t have much of a meaning and just sounds nice.

Nona Blanc–her given name just sounded nice (it means “ninth”), and her surname means “white;” this represents her purity, along with the fact that it can be used to refer to someone with blond hair.

Aris Sanna–his given name (a modern form of Ares) was picked for a few reasons: its relation to Greek myth, the fact that it sounds similar to Icarus, and because all the letters in it are also in Icarus. Sanna was just a name from a list of Greek surnames, though the site is now saying that it’s Italian… huh.

Kyros Iakovou–his given name was picked for the K sound in it, to match the K (ch) sound in Achilles. It’s also the variant of a name that can mean “farsighted,” which is ironic because he severely lacking in the department of foresight and good judgement. Iakovou was picked to create alliteration.

Maia Petrou–her given name can mean “mother” or “great,” and she’s both of those things; it was picked to reflect the fact that Andromache was the epitome of the ideal wife and mother, and to somewhat mimic the -mache part of the name. Petrou just sounded nice with Maia. Maia is also a star in the Taurus constellation.

Pyrrha Braun–her given name was initially picked because it’s pretty (and also P for Perseus), but the fact that Pyrrha is a figure in Greek myth sealed the deal. It means “red”! Then, I picked Braun because it refers to a person who’s brown-skinned or brown-haired, and put together with her first name, you get reddish-brown hair–or auburn, in other words.

Theon Marlowe–his given name… stands for Theseus the CEO, and the -n makes it an Ancient Greek name. It’s a reference to the fact that before he developed into an actual muse, Cae and I referred to a potential reincarnation of him as Theseus the CEO. Marlowe wasn’t picked for any specific reason.

Caesar Antinori–he’s named after an anime character because I was watching the second part of JJBA at the time and Joseph yelling, “CAESAR!!!” and saying, “Caesarino,” reminded me of how Pyrrha would talk to Theon’s younger brother, so… (Pyrrha also breaks the fourth wall by insisting he’s named after an anime character.) Also, there’s a vineyard in Italy owned by an Antinori family (I’ve heard), and the idea of, “No, not those Antinoris,” was funny to me.

Lena Antinori–her given name can mean “sunlight” or “moonlight” in Greek, and it has the same vowel arrangement as the -meda part of Andromeda.

Gino de la Fontaine–for the most part, I picked his name because it sounds kind of pretentious, which is ironic for someone like him. His first name means “ever-living,” which is a reference to him being a reincarnation, and his surname means “of the fountain,” which is just pretty neat.

Asher Gray–his given name means “happy; blessed”! It used to be an ironic name, but now that he’s worked through many of his issues, it’s true and suits him perfectly. Gray is because someone who once went by that name said to me, “Hi, I’m Gray without the R,” and that suits the fact that he’s pansexual. (The in-story reason is that Pyrrha went on some rant about names where both the first and last mean the same thing, and used “if Asher’s name was Ash Gray” as an example. Since he didn’t like his father’s surname, he picked up Asher Gray as a stage-name of sorts.) His actual surname, Barnett, doesn’t have any spectacular story behind it.

Anelie Vossen–her given name is a short version of a name meaning “grace” or “favour,” and she especially lacks the latter, as she’s the black sheep of her family. She’s not particularly graceful either. And then Vossen creates alliteration.

Akari Shiraga–her given name is written as “red village,” the red part being a reference to the ribbon in her hair. Shiraga is the surname of her guardian, who is the Big Bad in Ryoko and Katsuo’s canon storyline.

[chocobroscrossing]

A Prince and a Valentine

Hiya! I'm Momo and I was super secret writer for V-Day with the @ffxvalentines exchange. I'm glad you participated in the FFXV V-Day fic exchange. Welp, I hope you like this. It's a lot of fun writing for Prince Sassy. Please excuse my tardiness life got in the way of my completion timeline. For @inconsistencys!

Prompts: "You could say that I got us into this, but you didn't exactly stop it from happening either" "I am shy and delicate. A sensitive flower. I used to bite other kids until I was twelve."

You were being escorted to the Citadel by none other than Marshal Leonis.  Why? Because your boyfriend, who happens to be the prince of Lucis, decided to do something fancy for Valentine’s day. He wanted the day to be special and well, it was definitely that. Let us backtrack to the beginning.

Your boyfriend, the prince of Lucis, called you before you could begin your work day. To even hear from him during the AM hours was an astonishing. He asked you to have breakfast with him at his place. Luckily, you lived two floors below him, so you obliged him. You gathered your work clothes you did a shortened version of your morning ritual. Within 20 minutes you were ringing his doorbell.

Noctis poured the orange juice and looked at the perfect table setting. With a lot, more like all, help from Ignis the table looked festive. He walked to the door when he heard his bell. Feeling a bit nervous he wiped the powder sugar from his hands and opened the door. He revealed a charming yet nervous smile when he laid eyes on you. Even in your adorable pajamas you were still the most beautiful girl in all of Eos. He took your hand and pecked your cheek.

“Morning, I missed you last night.”

“I know. I was beat after work. I didn’t want to snore in your ear.”

“What?? You don’t snore...every night.”

You playfully hit his shoulder then hugged him again. He could be really cute when he wanted to.

“So, what made the Prince of Lucis leave his super comfortable bed and call? You’re not hurt are you? Is it another chocobo butt emergency??”

You examined his dark locks looking for anything like the last fiasco. He blushed a bit and shook his head.

“No! I just...a guy can’t make breakfast for his Valentine?”

You made a face then looked into his eyes. He was serious about this! You smiled wide and pecked his cheek. How sweet of him! He pulled away and kissed your lips. With an awkward smile he led you to his table. The cutest breakfast was waiting for you.

“Aww! You’re the sweetest prince I know! Thank you for this!”

With a kiss to his lips you took a seat after placing your bag down. The pair of you ate the food Ignis prepared beforehand. The prince looked at your plate and went in to steal some of your food. You used your fork as moderately deadly weapon and stabbed your boyfriend’s hand.

“Ow! What was that for??”

"I am shy and delicate. A sensitive flower. I used to bite other kids until I was twelve."

The prince quirked a brow then nodded. He finished his last serving and looked over to you.

“It all makes sense to me now. You’re not gonna bite me again are you? I mean...it was kinda hot.”

You rolled your eyes and grabbed your bag. You kissed his cheek and used his bathroom to get ready for work. You were grateful the small bag had all you needed. Once you emerged you found Noctis wrapped in a blanket on his couch. Yes, he is back to his natural habitat. You walked over and kissed what was exposed of his head. His eyes resembled slivers as he sluggishly pulled out one arm and pointed to the counter.

“Have a good day…” “Thanks, I will.”

You looked in the direction of where he was pointing and walked over. You grabbed a golden envelope and opened it. Inside was an invitation for a valentine dinner with the Prince of Lucis.  

A night of dinner and romance made you smile. To be the human version of a cat he was quite romantic. You giggled and hugged your blanket burrito boyfriend one more time.

“Noct!! Of course I will!! AH! I’m so excited! How can I go to work and concentrate?!”

“...ah...just try. I’ll see you at dinner?”

The poor guy was half sleep and delirious. He moved to sit up and kissed your cheek.

“You’re so cute! Bye, Baby! Yay!”

You nearly skipped out his apartment and onward to your job. All day long you thought of your boyfriend and your coming evening with him. Candle light dinner and kisses...oh so many kisses! You were teased as you continued to gush and squeal about the boy you loved.

The evening was finally here and you readied yourself with an elegant outfit. Your dress was the perfect mix of flirty, beauty and grace. It was sure to Noct a certain someone on his butt. Since your work was only a block from the exclusive restaurant you agreed to meet Noctis there.

Noctis was nervous about his night with you. He called ahead to check for the arrangements for the third time that day. His suit was perfectly pressed thanks to Ignis and his connections. The strategist did look a bit frazzled when he returned, but that was not a concern now. Noctis made a mental note to ask Ignis was he looked like a ruffled chocobo. One last sigh and he was out the door. He met you with a bit of a smile despite his butterflies in his entire being.

“Hey...wow. You look gorgeous! Can I keep you to myself?”

“You will later tonight. For now, let’s eat. I’ve always seen this place packed out and busy no matter what time I go by.”

“Oh, I had to call in a few favors but it’s worth it. The waiting list is 3 months long.”

“Wow! It really does count to be Lucian royalty.”

“It’s fun some of the time. I would kill just to be a nobody.”

“Huh? Aww, don’t say that.”

“You’re about to see why…”

With an exasperated sigh he walked through the door with his hand on your hip. The staff and patrons all stood and bowed in his presence. Prince Noctis was not the most elegant so he rolled his eyes before giving a nod to everyone.

“Please, I’m just here to eat like the rest of you. Thank you.”

With that he was led to his semi-private table. You watched as everyone kept eyes on him. Yes, he was handsome but this staring was not what you could have predicted. The whispers about him were a buzz throughout the place.

“If you ignore it long enough they stop talking about you.”

A piece of princely advice from him. You nodded and looked to your menu. Some things were better left unsaid. As the night went on you noticed all the whispers died down and the attention was elsewhere. You were relieved about that. Noctis noticed your relaxed state and reached over to take your hand in his. You smiled and gave him your full attention.

“This place is magnificent, Noctis. Thank you, I’ll cherish this night. “

“I’m glad you like this. I--what’s going on?!”

Before your romantic words could flow he was out the door. You tried to follow him but your view was obscured bit the window decorations and a pillar. You knew he would return so you waited. You continued to wait and held off dinner until your prince returned. Sadly, he did not. You looked at the time and decided to leave. Only one thing wrong with that notion, no money to pay for what you have already eaten. Like the forgetful sleepy prince he is he forgot to give his credit card as he was making this fantastic arrangement. Did you know that? No, and did he remember? No again.

As you wiped your tears you picked up your purse and walked over to coat check. Before you could don it the manager was in your face. A tall prissy man with a mustache that screamed evil genius.

“Excuse me, but you have not settled your bill.”

“Fine, how much is it? Stupid EX-boyfriend…! I can’t believe him!”

In your angry muttering the man presented an elegant piece of paper with a total bill number from Ifrit. You squinted then raised your eyebrows.

“I can’t afford this! One of your salads is more than my rent! No, I’m not paying that!”

“Oh, a dine and dasher. I should have known. What did you do to get the prince to have dinner with you? Even the most resourceful call girls have something in their wallets. Now, you may pay or--”

As he was peaking you grabbed the coat girl’s drink and tossed it into the evil mustache's face...or so you thought you could. He dodged the liquid like a champ. You growled and made an effort to leave again. This time you were stopped by Cor Leonis. Yes, you just doused Marshal Leonis and he was mad. Suede suits are not cheap. You looked at him and notice his face was red. He was so angry you could, most likely, fry an egg on his head.

“What is the meaning of this?”

The Marshal’s voice was low and very intimidating. The snitch of an evil moustache told him of your dining and dashing attempt. You sighed as he grabbed your arm and dragged you out of the restaurant. He looked to his beautiful curvy lady of a date and spoke to her before he left. More tears flowed down your cheeks the more you thought about this night.

The night comes full circle. The Marshal led you to the Citadel and on your way to a jail cell. You grabbed your phone and texted Noctis.

{To Prince of my Heart 💓} HELP ME! The Marshal is taking me to jail!!

“I will ask you to hand over your phone. You can’t have that where you are going.”

“Marshal, I’m so sorry! You see I was--”

One of his large hands raised and stopped your babbling. You watched his as his lips turned into a frown. His jaw clenched as he listened.

“Yes, understood.”

He hung up and took you away from the direction you were once headed. He glared at you and walked the silent dark halls. Is this the part where the hero snaps and kills everyone in the Citadel? After a long trek he walked to a lavishly decorated door. He opened it and bowed. You watched with a skeptical look until Noctis called your name. You looked into the room for him.

“Noctis? Where are you?”

“In here. Come in the room!”

You looked to Cor then walked into the room. On the other side of it was a dinner fit for any member of Lucian royalty. Meats, meats and a few veggies sprinkled in just for good measure. You looked at Noctis from across the table and part of you wanted to punch him.

“Noctis Lucis Caluem! You leave me at the expensive without a way to pay for things, then you have me arrested by the freakin immortal so I can’t get away!?

“Ok, ok! I deserve full name, but I ran out there because some guy was towing my car! Hey, I knew I could count on Cor getting you here so it still worked out!”

You walked over and went in for a hug. Before you could complete it you grabbed his ear and sneered.

“Don’t you EVER do that to me again!”

“AH! OWOW OW! OK! OK! I won’t! Remember…”

He wiggled out of your grasped and went around you to hold your waist from behind.

“I asked you out when I thought you would say no. I mean you could say that I got us into this, but you didn't exactly stop it from happening either."

“Why would I stop a handsome guy for asking me out? I liked you before we got together.”

“Then can we have a great dinner together? My dad made a few calls and got us this food.”

“Alright...you better be lucky I love you so much.”

Noctis froze turned your body to face him. This was the first time one of yo said the L word. He kissed your lips and smiled at you.

“Happy Valentine’s, Babe. I love you too.”

[fromnothingtonovel-blog]

By Whitney Jones

Have you ever been skimming through Pinterest and seen one of those charts that outlines the words you should ABSOLUTELY RIGHT NOW edit out of your manuscript?

I know you have, and if you haven’t, head on over to our Writing Resources We Love  board on Pinterest to see some for yourself.

This is the infographic I used to edit the current final draft of my novel.

This is the infographic I used to edit the current final draft of my novel.

I mention these resources because I used one when I was reducing the word count of my middle grade novel. I’ve never really believed in a one-size-fits-all approach to writing (or much of anything else), so I approached the exercise and the charts with a healthy dose of skepticism. I was using them, but analyzing their usefulness at the same time.

In today’s post, I’m going to share what I learned by using two of the oft-suggested “edit-out” words–“maybe” and “suddenly.” By looking at how I edited these words, or didn’t edit them, out of my novel, I’ll show you why these charts are ultimately useful and how to use them correctly.

Verdict: Useful!

“Suddenly” is one of those words that you’re told to edit out of your document. In fact you’re often told not to write it at all.

But why is that? Isn’t “suddenly” a perfectly fine word? I had this question myself when I began editing my second or third manuscript. It was only after I completed editing these words out of my manuscript or picking and choosing when to edit it out and when to keep it that I finally understood why getting rid of words like “suddenly” is crucial for clear, concise prose.

The word itself is actually vague. It’s filler, and it could be replaced with stronger language, verbs, descriptors to achieve the same idea… but better. Here’s an example from my novel to show you what I mean.

Earlier Draft:

…he was no longer sure what had happened that day in the room when evening shadows had suddenly become afternoon sunbeams and old, faded green wallpaper had become new and vibrant once more.

Revised Draft:

…he was no longer sure what had happened that day in the room when evening shadows had flickered into afternoon sunbeams and old, faded green wallpaper had exploded new and vibrant before his eyes.

If we compare the two versions, you see that I was able to replace “suddenly”–which I was using to mean in a sudden and unexpected manner–with “flickered” and “exploded.” These two verbs are much more active and show the reader how startling and shocking the experience was in a much clearer way than “suddenly” ever could.

Just based on this example, we see how useful the editing charts can be.

Caveat: Use Thoughtfully

As with everything, however, we shouldn’t follow advice blindly, not even advice handed down from on high by the writing gods.

THOU SHALT NOT USE WORDS LIKE SUDDENLY OR MAYBE!

Okay, writing gods, you’re mostly right. But I found while using this chart that I couldn’t just replace or delete every forbidden word. I had to be thoughtful about which ones to keep and which ones to edit out. In most cases, the unnecessary and forbidden words could be replaced to improve the text, like in my examples above. In other instances, the forbidden words actually helped create character through dialogue or establish tone and mood.

Take a look at these moments in my novel when I decided to keep the forbidden word “maybe”:

Character Thought:

Stella opened her mouth to say that maybe she wanted to be a spinster.

The word “maybe” works here because it’s within the character’s thoughts. It reflects her insecurity. She’s not sure. And she’s a kid. Not subject to the laws of the writing gods, “maybe” would be part of her vocabulary.

Tone and Mood: 

The evening light darkened to a deep blue. Stella felt it settle over the day and finally, finally, slow time down. Just a little bit. Maybe she could rest, just a bit. Maybe she could breath, just for a little while. The garden air smelled like pansies and made her feel dreamy and quiet.

Maybe time would stop and rest with her. Maybe the doctor was wrong, and they had a little bit of time left.

In this section, I was playing with the presentation of time through prose. In the sections previous to these two paragraphs, time was speeding up, it was out of control, but here I wanted to create a sense of time slowing down. The repetition of “maybe” helps with this. “Maybe” has a softness to it–no hard consonants here; even the “b” sound is softened by the “y.” I considered cutting the word from this passage, thinking there were better ways to create the tone and pace I was going for, but ultimately, I decided to keep it.

***

So, writers, find and use these very useful charts. I promise you’ll benefit from them. But don’t do so thoughtlessly. This is an opportunity to make sure you use every word wisely and purposefully. Take it!

  What are you favorite editing resources and tools? We’d love to hear about it in the comments!

  Edit like a rockstar: Here’s why you don’t need that word Have you ever been skimming through Pinterest and seen one of those charts that outlines the words you should ABSOLUTELY RIGHT NOW edit out of your manuscript?