#and so begins the slow burn

[theimperialnuisance]

FFXIV Write 2023 || FFXIV Write info\\Prompt list\\Character info \\Master post ||

Prompt 3: Free day! (Memory)

something remembered from the past; a recollection.

Character(s): Kien Eilath (aged 19/20) G'raha Tia Cw: mentions of past abuse if you squint Word count: 2393 Notes:  I love free days cause either I’ll revisit an old unfinished prompt or I’ll ask my friends to give me a word! Today I decided to revisit an old prompt that I meant to do for a free day last year but never got around to it. Readmore for length as again, I had time to work on this one so it’s long but I am rather proud of it. It’s basically the first of G’raha and Kien’s many meetings that formed their friendship. Takes place immediately after Syrcus Tower in the CT questline.

Kien woke up slowly, the top of the tent blurring into focus as he blinked open his eyes. For a moment, he tried to recall the reason as to why he was sleeping in a tent rather than back at Rising Stones but the memory of when he actually went to sleep was lost on him. What happened yesterday? The only thing he could clearly recall was spending the evening with G’raha Tia talking about the Allagan Empire while flipping through various tomes they had found during their excursions in the Crystal Tower that morning. Beyond that, however, Kien didn’t know when he had actually fallen asleep or how he had gotten to the cot in the first place.

He sat up and stretched, wincing a bit as his arms were still a bit sore from yesterday before glancing around to see the cot across from him had been slept in but its occupant was already awake. With a yawn, Kien decided to leave the tent for some fresh air, not surprised to see the horizon was just beginning to show signs of the sunrise. The rest of the Find was still asleep, save for G’raha Tia who was crouching by the long extinguished fire, mindlessly poking the ashen logs with a stick. Kien quietly approached him hoping the other would hear him as his ears twitched at the sound of his approach but he still jolted, nearly dropping the stick as Kien got closer. 

“Ah, apologies, I was hoping you’d hear my footsteps.” Kien sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck as G’raha visibly relaxed once he knew who it was.

“Kien—ah, no, I was lost in thought,” G’raha muttered, his cheeks turning slightly pink. He cleared his throat and tossed the stick to the side before straightening back up to his full height. “I couldn’t sleep so I came out here for some fresh air…I hope I didn’t wake you when I left the tent?”

Kien shook his head. “I used to be on my tribe’s day watch so early mornings come naturally for me.” He explained, shrugging his shoulders. “Even if I’m exhausted, I cannot seem to sleep past the sunrise.”

“And exhausted you were,” G’raha chuckled. “If I remember correctly, you were still insisting to help even as Cid dragged you off to the tent—and then you were telling him you had to return to the Rising Stones and not stay here too late or the others will get suspicious?” His eyes sparkled in amusement as Kien blinked at him in confusion, his ears flattening slightly.

“Seven hells,” Kien groaned as he felt his cheeks beginning to flush. “Did I really say all of that?” When the red-haired Miqo’te nodded, Kien felt as if he could melt on the spot despite the cool morning air. “I apologise to you for having to witness that.” Kien couldn’t bring himself to look the other in the eye, too embarrassed for letting his guard drop that much. 

G’raha let out a laugh. “It’s quite alright…I thought it was cute.” 

Kien snapped his gaze up, his cheeks heating up again for an entirely different reason as he watched G’raha grin, his tail swishing playfully. He quickly turned his gaze away to fake a cough, attempting to bring down his heart rate, unaware the other was just as flustered as he was. 

A moment of silence passed as they tried to gather themselves before G’raha cleared his throat and continue to speak. “Though, I’m full glad Rammbores had a spare cot for you…with how out of it you were, I was almost sure you wouldn’t have even made it back to the Rising Stones before collapsing again…tis good to see you had a good rest.”

“Oh, I meant to thank you for yesterday,” Kien suddenly said, the memory of G’raha’s timely arrow protecting him when he was down because of the vision flashing through his mind. G’raha had asked him about it later that evening and Kien explained to him what had happened and the two were so caught up in discussing the vision that he never got a chance to thank him. “…the echo can sometimes occur during the most critical moments and leave me in a vulnerable state…had it not been for you, I’m sure I would have been shot down by one of those clones yesterday so…thank you for saving me.”

G’raha took a moment to soak in his words, a small but genuine smile playing across his face, his cheeks turning slightly pink. “Oh, ‘tis nothing,” he began humbly, gaining a sudden interest in his boots. “I saw the clone approaching you from behind as soon as you collapsed and just acted on impulse…I’m glad you did not come to any harm.” He then looked back up, his tone full of playfulness. “I did tell you I was quite skilled with the bow, didn’t I? I’m full glad I had the chance to prove it, even if the circumstances were not the best.” He smiled a bit sadly, the reality of the situation sinking in again. “We’ll save them yet…” He muttered. “We have to.”

“I know we will.” Kien reassured and G’raha nodded. A sudden thought struck him. “What about you then?”

“Hmm? What about me?” G’raha asked as he titled his head.

“Your eye seemed to be giving you a lot of trouble yesterday…” Kien began slowly, watching as the other became a little tense. “Is it still bothering you?”

“Ah, right…” he fidgeted slightly, as if embarrassed. “Mayhap we could go for a walk? It seems the others have yet to wake and it may help us better prepare for the day ahead.”

Kien blinked, the sudden shift of topic was not what he was expecting but still nodded all the same. “Sure, I’d like that.”

G’raha smiled and swept his arm out to the side in an ‘after you’ gesture, and the two took off down the path. The first half of the walk was silent—the two automatically made for the Eight Sentinels and did not speak again until they were climbing up the steps to the platforms; both seemed to have a great deal on their mind with no idea on how to address it. 

Finally, G’raha spoke as they came to the edge of the platform that granted a perfect view of the Crystal Tower and sat down. “Forgive me for my sudden change of topic,” G’raha began quietly. “I didn't mean to brush off your concern but your question caught me off guard and I was unsure on how to respond at that moment.”

“Why would you say something like that?” Kien asked as he glanced at other who kept his gaze fixed on the Crystal Tower shining in the distance.

“I guess it’s because I’m not used to it?” G’raha shrugged sheepishly. He sighed, taking a moment to gather his thoughts before explaining. “Being born with one red eye, I did not have the most pleasant of childhoods…” He glanced over at Kien, his expression grim. “You know what they say: children can be cruel...My father would always tell me that our eye was important and I should be proud of it but…the other children in my tribe did not seem to agree and they treated me as an outcast which resulted in my relationship with my tribe as a whole to become strained.”

“All because of something you had no control being born with,” Kien said quietly, knowing full well what that was like. “That must have been difficult.”

G’raha hummed as he nodded his head, bringing a hand up to touch his red eye. “I’ll admit, it was difficult at first but the stories my father told me drove me forward to study all I could about the Allag and I started to worry less about what my tribe thought and more about uncovering the truth of our eye…and the day I was accepted to study in Sharlayan to become an Archon, oh how happy I was.” He smiled fondly, bringing his gaze to the tower again. “Full glad I am to be here now, mayhap I’ll return to my tribe to tell them all that I achieved…but…that day will have to wait, there are more important things to do and I know I’m close to uncovering the truth.”

“You should be proud,” Kien smiled after a moment of silence. “You’re one of the greatest scholars on the Allagan Empire that I know, and that’s coming from someone who’s from Meracydia.” He watched as G’raha’s eyes grew wide before softening into admiration, unable to form a verbal reply as he nodded his head in thanks. Kien smiled as he continued to speak. “I wish I could be proud of my past but I still think I have a long way to go—I still hide my eye away in fear of what others may think even though I’ve met far greater people than those in my tribe…” He trailed away, his gaze falling to his lap.

 “You do not give yourself enough credit, my friend.” G’raha said quietly, as he glanced over at Kien who kept his gaze away. “If I may ask, is that how you got that scar?” His eyes flicked briefly to the thin scar that traced Kien’s right amber eye, hidden well behind his dark hair. His expression softened when the other tensed slightly.

Kien inhaled a breath, curling his hands softly on top of his knees as he carefully nodded, releasing some of the tension in his shoulders. “Like you, my eye was the reason why I was shunned by my tribe…it served as a sign that I was a result of a broken tradition—that I was born of mixed blood.” He paused, a sigh escaping him. “I was told my mother and I should have been banished but she died before that could happen and one of my older sister’s took pity on me and raised me.” He paused,leaning back a bit on his hands. “I guess when my mother was still alive, she highly favored me over my older brother for some reason and he got jealous.”

“So your brother was the one who…?” G’raha trailed off, unable to finish his question, shock and anger burning his throat when Kien nodded grimly.

“My older sister who looked out for me was away on a hunting trip, and that was the day he decided to take his years of built of resentment out on me.” He brought a hand to his eye to trace the scar, the memory still painfully clear. “I tired to run away after that but when you live in an unforgiving wasteland, it’s not easy to survive on your own.” 

“So then…you went back?” 

“I had to,” Kien nodded as he let out a breath. “I told myself I would bide my time, endure the sneers and taunts just until I was able to fend for myself and leave. But then suddenly, my tribe elder allowed me to join the nightly hunts and leaving became the last thing on my mind.” he laughed, albeit bitterly. “I was so blinded with eagerness to finally prove my worth to them–to my brother, dispute everything he ever did to me. It was then I started to experience the Echo—though I did not know what it was at the time and I dared not say anything to my tribe for fear of being shunned again...and then one day, I received a vision that caused me to collapse and when I came to, I found out I ruined an entire hunt and it put me right back where I started without being able to prove anything more apart from what I already was to them—a burden.”

 “You cannot blame yourself for that,” G’raha said gently. “Especially if it was because of something you had no control over.”

 “I know, and it took a long time for me to come to terms with that but if anything, I’m grateful that the Echo occurred at that time.” Kien said as he brought his gaze to the sky above. “If not for that, I would have blindly stayed longer with my tribe until the next mistake, and even then, would I have been lucky to find someone so willing to accept my exchange and allow me passage to Eorzea like Ranald was?”

G’raha closed his eyes as he brought his gaze back to his lap. “Along with all the stories he told me, my father also told me that certain things happen for a reason…” he smiled softly, leaning back to gaze up at the tower again. “So, in a strange way, I’m glad the Echo was gifted to you at that time, otherwise I wouldn’t have had the chance to meet you and hear all the stories of your adventures.” Kien brought his gaze to G’raha, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

 “And, though I’m sure it won’t make much of a difference coming from me, as I too have an odd eye and might be a bit biased,” he turned to meet Kien’s gaze with a smile, “but, your amber eye is a gift, and you should be proud of it too. Mayhap one day there will be a day I can see it without it being covered by your hair, but take all the time you need.” He bumped into Kien’s shoulder gently, smiling when their eyes met but just as quickly, they both turned away, G’raha clearing his throat and Kien faking a cough in order to hide their blushing faces.

 “Well now, I think it’s time we head back, don’t you?” G’raha looked up as the sun began to creep higher into the morning sky. He stood up and brushed himself off, offering a hand for Kien to take. “If we stay here any longer, I think your friends will get suspicious when they arrive back at camp.” He winked.

Kien rolled his eyes but still grinned all the same. “Very funny, G’raha.” he said as he accepted G’raha’s hand and was hoisted to his feet. They both paused, sharing a smile with each other before making their way back to the Find, energies renewed and ready to take on the next task within the Crystal Tower. 

[stagefoureddiediaz]

So its 2am and I’m still on my ‘911 is using The Wizard of Oz theming to tell Eddie’s story’ soapbox and thought I’d talk about something I didn’t go into in my other 911/Wizard of oz post - the fact that Oz, the Emerald City, the wicked witch of the west and the Wizard are all an allegory for the Catholic Church and Christian faith more widely!

I’ve made quite a few posts about 911 playing into religious iconography and so I thought I’d add to that post count by talking about the (anti) religious theming in The Wizard of Oz more generally and how it relates to Eddie’s arc!

The Emerald city is designed to look like a Cathedral

The way the wizard of oz - both the books and the film, plays on religious imagery is similar to the way that C.S Lewis played on it in his Chronicles of Narnia series - but where C.S Lewis created a positive allegory that upheld religion and religious beliefs, Frank Baum was creating a more negative allegory- where religion does't provide the answers, but the individual person

Dorothy starts her journey in Kansas - in the real world, but finds herself in the technicolour world of Oz after a tornado transports her over the rainbow. The film, especially, plays on the idea of her having a head injury - causing her to have this vivid dream of this fantastical land - which is why we see the people of Kansas appear as characters in Oz.

Oz is clearly playing on the idea of heaven and hell and limbo. The wicked witch of the west represents the devil (lucifer) and her castle Hell. While the Emerald city represents the house of God (the church). Glinda is supposed to be an arch angel. Remember that lucifer is a fallen arch angel.

The wizard is a man from the same world as Dorothy and is meant to be viewed as a priest (most likely the pope) - priests being Gods representatives on earth

While the silver (book) or ruby (film) slippers are a representation of enlightenment.

Dorothy is searching for a way out of her ‘coma’ dream and so goes on a journey through Limbo to the house of god to try and get home- along the way the devil tries to stop her getting to the church and subsequently into heaven using the tricks at its disposal. The devil doesn’t succeed and Dorothy and her friends navigate their way to the emerald city and complete the tasks they think god has set for them so they may gain what they seek - to go home, brains, a heart, courage.

It is here that they discover the lies of the priest and once he is gone they all figure out they had what they sought all along - they are enlightened and didn’t actually need the priest or the house of god at all. From there Dorothy chooses to go home and awakes from her coma back in the real world - but retains the knowledge of what she dreamt in her coma.

The wizard of oz as a piece of media (in either book form or film form) is showing the audience that they hold their own power within them and it cannot be granted by outside forces.

The film chooses to show Oz the great and powerful in much the same way as the crucifix is displayed in a catholic church - praying to a false idol in search of what you seek

The wizard hiding behind his curtain is akin to the priest behind the confessional screen - offering absolution and healing etc, when he doesn’t actually possess the power to do so because he is just a man pedalling falsehoods and lies.

The residents of the emerald city in their monochromatic green colouring are an allegory for the members of the churches congregation - blindly following the edits and rules set out by the church in the hope of a happy and fulfilled life - but they are shown to be almost drone like - subjugated and controlled into mindless devotion in the same way people follow the churches teachings without questioning.

Dorothy and here friends never change though - they don’t start wearing green and blending in to the emerald city and they find out that they actually have the power to achieve their desires within them the entire time - as represented by the silver/ruby slippers.

the moral of the Wzard of Oz is ultimately that what we desire or want is within and it cannot be found externally by putting our faith in something outside of us like the church. - Dorothy and her friends always had the things they sought - they just had to figure that out for themselves.

This ties into Eddies entire journey perfectly.

Just because I couldn't write a post about Eddie and not have a picture of him!

Eddies Kansas pre the tornado is his childhood - before he was parentified/husbandified by Helena Diaz.

The tornado is Shannon - she provides him with the escape from his old life and sets him down in California (Oz).

There is a reason the Wizard of Oz theming is heavily coded toward him and his arrival on the show - it is the idea that he has landed in California (Oz) and on top of the wicked witch of the East (hence why we never see Eddie at the same level as the red shoes in the rubble) and has been following the yellow brick road the entire time.

Chris is waiting for Eddie on a yellow strip of flooring at the end of 203

Bobby (Glinda) who shares the catholic faith with Eddie, brings him to the 118 and helps guide him forward on his journey - providing advice and support as and when Eddie needs it, but always watching over him. (one could view Eddie leaving the 118 as the equivalent of the poppy field in the film - leaving his path briefly before returning to it when he wakes up in mayday 'god has spoken')

He has now reached the crux of matters - he has arrived at the Emerald city. It seems likely here that in 804 we will see him have his encounter with the Priest who like the wizard in Oz, will guide him towards a reckoning with his mother (the wicked witch of the west) in order to find his way to inner peace and who he is supposed to be. Once he has dealt with Helena he will discover that he won't find what he seeks in the church - but it will have provided him with something important that plays into the idea that he is a combination of all four characters who journey along the yellow brick road, as their individual traits all represent a part of himself Eddie needs to embrace in order to break free of the chains that have held him back his whole life.

The knowledge (scarecrow) of who he truly is that will also make him realise he already has what his heart (tin man) truly wants if he has the courage (lion) to go for it and that it will get him home (Dorothy) where he truly belongs - accepting himself as a queer man who is in love with his best friend and Chris's forgiveness and return to him in LA.

[ceaselessims]

it does make me laugh a little bit that stolas made this deal about the full moon, but once they were actually hooking up both he and blitz start blurring the lines of what that means almost immediately 😭

By the harvest moon festival (s1e5) they're already having sex outside of the "normal" schedule for the deal. And in truth seekers (s1e6) they're having sex because they want to, without even considering the full moon. Of course after Ozzie's, Stolas stops asking Blitz to hook up at all. When he finally reaches out again, Blitz is genuinely excited to hook up and plans for it the whole month (evidenced on his calendar) and then packs for the night with stolas all day in Full Moon

blitz really said the sex is too good and i'm catching feelings but it's for work rn so i can't really think about that :-)

[sualne]

modern au relationships chart

[hedwig221b]

Thinking about my wip

[nelistry]

just rejected cove so i could do the baxter dlc im going to kill myself

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

I Am All In Rewatch - Episode 4x1

I think Lorelai was trying to put Luke out of her mind because she was so anxiety ridden about the potential of what could happen and what eventually did happen on the cruise...I kept thinking, why was he Why was Luke so irrate? It's free advertising, like anybody that comes in there can look into the diner and go let's go get a pie or let's get a coffee, and you know, kind of vice versa...That was a classic Luke rant...Well, it certainly um peaks your interest in wanting to know what the heck went on because he ran away from it so many times. But it was a good scene. It was a funny scene.... He's not all gushy and he needs to talk. And you know, it's like when the time is right, when he's prodded. You know, he's that guy, that's stubborn guy. You gotta really get it out of him, got to drag it out of him, and she did...I love the way he dragged it out. But there's more. But there's more. That's like a salesman and there's more. Wait, there's more. Uh yeah, And I just think, you know, I think that scene made it so obvious that these two really belong together, or at least they should give it a shot. You know, it's like guys give it a shot. Yes, I mean it was you know everybody. She was so relieved and he was relieved that she was relieved, and they were both kind of sitting there happy, even though he was trying to kind of fake that it didn't... Oh it didn't work out and what a pickle. But he didn't care, you know, he was with her.That was the best dialogue between those two so far. Yes, it was the most fraught with tension and consequences and so revealing of how they both felt about one another. In a very unexpected way...hey want that relationship to be pure. They wanted to be as pure as possible and that nothing, nothing can last in the face of that heat. -Scott

[lunavagans]

Idea for what I‘m calling the fairytale AU right now. Ganon‘s not around, the colours are siblings and Vio‘s a scholar who wants to save his reputation, job, feeling of self-worth and dignity. Shadow‘s a fay and, compared to the manga, relatively chill - he just bothers travellers for fun and definitely never abandons them to the wolfos.

Vidow slow burn with a fantasy scientist/test subject dynamic, no angst, just magic, mystery and mistaking your gay awakening for a supernatural being because all of your brain cells are basically fraying at the seams because of stress and anxiety. (That moment’s not in this part, but it‘s the scene I‘m building everything off of. (Also it‘s not like Vio‘s wrong.))

(500-ish word intro below cut)

The people of Hyrule are loud in their worship of what they believe in. They host celebrations lasting days, sing and cheer and cry in the name of the Golden Three and Hylia. Pride is all to see in the chaotic parades and the solemn prayers, and in the libraries and studies afforded to their teachings.

Gilded columns and stained glass windows painting light-brushed images on stones floors are the backdrop to that which is good and holy and familiar.

The people of Hyrule whisper about that which they doubt. Behind closed doors and fences of salt and iron, they protect themselves from invisible ears, earthly, divine or otherwise. But no matter how often they‘re assured that the mischievous and malevolent will be held at bay by guards and priests, they can never stop believing in the shapes rushing through the night.

All known about these others are hushed accounts from trembling merchants led astray, symbols in the fields and stars misarranged for one night.

In the bastion of the Goddesses, the golden-dappled towers and roofs of Hyrule City, there lives a scholar. With three brothers accomplished in other fields, a father distant and awkward in his good meaning, an absent mother and no close acquaintances, he‘s lonely - starving for things he refuses to name, all but one of them.

It‘s the acknowledgment he craves, the confirmation that the knowledge he seeks is needed, even wanted; a place in his own profession, much like those of his relatives. That muchs he admits to his family when he stands in the front door of their house, travel bag in one hand and his horse‘s reigns in the other.

He can see that they don‘t believe in his cause, either. The notion is too outrageous for these poor narrow-minded fools, and he doesn‘t blame them. The study of fay is prohibited for a good reason, and the chances of no return are greater than a return eternally scarred. Any other outcome is negligible, and he pointedly doesn‘t mention it.

But they don‘t stop him. They know about the risks of him leaving, but also about the risks of him staying. Others may be content fading into oblivion, admonished by their mentors and brushed off by their colleagues, or simply changing jobs. But what would it imply about Vio if he were to take the polite dismissal in stride and continue to remind his colleagues of his name, let alone his topic of research?

To tame a fay, study its workings, present it to the public and reap the rewards; that is the silver lining Vio sees before him. Has it been done before? Not according to trustworthy records. That will only afford him and his field the prestige they need and, once he’s succeeded, deserve.

He finishes preparations, waves goodbye and mounts the horse. As much as he doubts his chances along either everyone watching his departure, his permission to undertake this venture has already cost him the last bit of favor with the king, even if swayed by the princess.

He leaves without turning to see his family once.

[the-red-thread-that-strangles]

Some more bonus thoughts for the sweater weather AU, Akai family edition™ (somewhat disjointed because I've been busy)

The Akai siblings all have one of the OG cream sweaters, it's a matching set (this is conjecture, but the Akais seem like an old family line to me, and so they have a family crest, which is sneakily integrated into the knitting pattern - this makes the sweaters distinguishable to those in the know). The sweater thing was all brought on by Mary deliberately misunderstanding Shukichi's polite nudges about her being cold to her children.

This fact makes Amuro's meeting with Masumi even more awkward than in canon! :) Because she's sure she's seen this guy before, and he's wearing the family sweater, which leaves two main possibilities: either a) Amuro killed Akai and took his sweater or b) Amuro was Akai's friend/lover and was either gifted the sweater or inherited it after Akai's death (because she knows Shukichi and herself still have theirs). The whiskey trio seemed friendly when she met them, but her big brother was an agent and possibly undercover, so it's a toss-up and she's gonna be real suspicious of Rei going forward. Throughout this whole exchange Rei is hugging the sweater to himself as if it could protect him from this feral teen. It's not helping :)

Sweater exchanges become significantly more difficult due to Masumi's stalking ["Do something, FBI dog. She can't keep following me, eventually she'll get wrapped up in something she can't handle. And she's annoying. Also, tell her to get a different hat, fedoras are so cliché." - "Furuya-kun, she believes I'm dead." - "Well, maybe you should fix that, actually." (Rei has strong opinions on not telling people you faked your death, he's still miffed about Scotch)]. As a side effect, this also drags Okiya's already shaky credibility as his own definitely real person in the mud, and Mary ends up figuring her son out.

We all remember that scene at the end of the Scarlet Bullet movie where Mary waits in Okiya's car with a gun and threatens him, right? Well, that happens, but it's "I don't blame you for not telling us you faked your death. But you really could've called and told me about your partner." To which Akai is like "??? - Mother, my ex has been dead for half a year now, and we hadn't been dating for three years before that?" Mary is tempted to just shoot her stupid son, she's seen the security footage of the blonde guy coming over and staying for hours on a semi-regular basis. Masumi has told her how long they've known each other. She's seen them fight.

(Though for what it's worth, Akai's telling the truth - he might be teasing Furuya but the agent is, at this point, barely tolerating to have a couple of drinks with Shuichi after a particularly bad day. Since becoming Okiya he's been bored a lot, so he's mostly humoring Furuya and enjoying company where he doesn't have to hide his true self. He figures Furuya might need the same).

Nobody bothered to ask Shukichi, who knew the whole time Akai was still around, whoops (when they eventually decide to tell him, he pretends to be pleasantly surprised). He meets Amuro in his favourite sweater, smiles cheerfully, comments on the need for such cosy clothing (to which Amuro agrees pleasantly), and files the information away for later use with a sly glint in his eyes.

.

Sweater weather AU masterpost

[themoneybaby]

Romanticizing my life cause no one else will.

[wrenkenstein]

Juntech fic - Routine basis

Finally got around to writing a fic about these two dorks, with (hopefully) many more to come! Only I’m so behind, haha. Everything else about them has been written by others, I’m like... the 5th person to contribute to their library? xD I’m so slow with writing. But hey, cute fic about napping!

Read it here --> https://href.li/?https://archiveofourown.org/works/47882032

[allthegoodusernamesaretakenagain]

me, giggling and kicking my feet as i write the next chapter, knowing the slow burn is finally burning, we have hit the Will They/Won't They Era, and the geurdo desert segment is coming up.

49 chapters and 185,101 words later.

[acciokaidanalenko]

Taking on the Universe: Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen: Assassination Attempt

Summary: Saren sends an assassin after his new adversary, the newly appointed First Human Spectre. CW/TW: Alcohol use, Blood/Injury

Preview of chapter below the cut. AO3 link: here.

The newly appointed Spectre made her way through the Lower Wards, keeping to the darkened alleyways as she carefully navigated toward Chora’s Den. She’d heard that new management had already swooped in to take over after Fist had disappeared. Ambassador Udina’s main concern after the firefight had been the way the public would react, but it seemed to Natasha as if things would continue on as they always had. She quickly walked past a group comprised of various species gathered in the same dark alleyway she’d saved Tali and glanced back over her shoulder. Since she’d left Kristofer’s apartment this morning, no matter where she’d gone throughout the day, she’d felt a prickle on the back of her neck. She couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that someone was watching her but dismissed it as paranoia as she kept walking. The loud, pulsating music of the club announced her arrival before she’d even turned the corner to the entrance. Her gaze quickly swept across the room, impressed that the new management had somehow erased every piece of evidence of the firefight that had occurred here only a few days prior. Every overturned table had been righted, every bullet hole in the wall had been patched and painted, and even all the busted bottles of alcohol behind the bar had been replaced. A quick survey of the room showed her that the person she was meeting here hadn’t yet arrived. She found one of the few remaining empty tables along the curved wall of the room and sat down on the stool beside it. She smiled to herself, amused that even the news of an attack couldn’t deter the patrons of Chora’s Den. Several minutes passed as she enjoyed the ambiance of the bustling club, watching the interactions between various patrons and the swaying bodies of the dancers. A server suddenly appeared, bearing a small shot glass filled with a blue liquid. Natasha did a double take as she looked at the woman standing in front of her, quickly realizing that she looked remarkably similar to the server she’d overheard in Flux. She was sure this must be Rita’s sister, the one she was concerned about. “From your secret admirer,” the server explained in a flirty tone, placing the glass on the table. Natasha’s eyebrows pinched together in confusion, but before she could ask any questions the server had walked away. She picked up the glass, carefully examining the liquid inside. It glittered even in the dim light of the club and smelled faintly of blueberries. It appeared to be a regular shot of alcohol she was unfamiliar with, but she suspected it was Serrice Ice Brandy. It wasn’t uncommon for her to find a drink she hadn’t yet encountered, especially given the variety of species in the galaxy. She’d spent most of her life in space but found new things to experience everywhere she went. She searched for her secret admirer among the faces of her neighboring patrons, feeling a ball of anxiety gathering in the pit of her stomach as she realized that none of them were paying her any attention in this crowded place. Normally, when someone bought a drink for her, it wasn’t so covert. They were always waiting nearby, eager to take the credit and shoot their shot. But there was that feeling again; a prickle of awareness that she was being watched. Perhaps someone just out of sight, hidden in the shadows. She shivered and adjusted her posture as she tried to shake the unsettling sensation.

[rawliverandgoronspice]

realizing I'm very sensitive to pacing, actually

[onereallygoodlambonastick]

if nothing else u must remember in ur hearts of hearts disposability is the way of our world currently. waste, alienation, isolation, grimdark shounen, all that glaze and polish and bandaids being traded out for prettier bandaids like ai fanart/art and my local university renovating every community structure without ever divesting. you must remember what u see. U have an ability to remember. It is essential u get it back and go back for it, every day, like taking a healing medicine, to remind urself u have the ability to remember and to cease forgetting.

[fluffypotatey]

Hello! Hope you're doing well. Got any other meta about LMK Sun Wukong, the Brotherhood, or of the Stableboys duo, Ao Lie and Wukong? Have a great week, eat your fruits and sleep early regularly. Thank you for your LMK posts!

hey! tbh my week has been shit :) but i’ll have you know that the best place to find stableboys meta is from the account Dr. Chalk on Twitter. literally get my heart ripped out every time (also their art is fire).

[I ended up having a lot to say about SWK under the cut lol]

As for some delectable Sun Wukong meta/headcanons, I’ll have you know that I am a firm believer of this immortal monkey having such shit survival/preservation skills for himself bc of his 7-fold immortality that he will pull suicidal/heroic feats as the “easier solution” (see s3 where this monkey thought it would be a brilliant idea to place the Samadhi Fire INSIDE himself (even when that is like one of his greatest weaknesses as the JTTW book details) as an easy way to ensure none of MK and his friends would get hurt and he could (probably) spare LBD’s host)

Also, notice how the s4 special revealed to us that Sun Wukong feared death so much he went ahead to finding ways to ensure he never dies. Ever. (Not to mention that this fear stemmed from the fear of failing the people he cared about and that since he was the strongest in FFM and their king, if he died, they would be defenseless bc that is literally what happened when Wukong first left to train under Master Subodhi). But now, Wukong has lived for a very long time (longer than he even thought possible). And he is t i r e d (i will NEVER forget that quick cut to Wukong’s face as he said “focusing on the fact that I am an immortal being, who will never die!”)

Although, my theory is that his suicidal tendicies isn’t because he is that suicidal (or maybe not cognizant if it) but because he knows that even with experiencing something super brutal (such as the Samadhi Fire or drowning in Sandy’s sub), better him than anyone else. Like a “I don’t intend to die, but so be it” that I think really concerns me (in a “I wanna study you under a microscope but also give you cocoa” way)

honestly, it doesn’t help that Tripitaka found himself in such dire situations where Wukong would need to save him from, and some of them were suicidal but you kind of brushed it off bc “he is the Monkey King, immortal 7 times over, and crossed his own name out of the underworld” (and I know we definitely did since everything would work out in the end but like…..come on!), so that kind of life risking behavior was met with positive reinforcement so like….I would not put it past Wukong to unintentionally throw himself into these circumstances in order to help or fix an issue (especially if it concerns MK 👀 he will not hesitate and my heart cannot take it T^T)

but yeah