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ashley-slashley · 2 years ago

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Strange Days

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Summary: you enter your apartment one day to find an artifact on the floor, and a strange man sitting at your table. strange days have found you, but jim morrison is no where to be found

Rating: M/Mature

Warnings: language, some violence, long paragraphs

A/N: unfinished overall story. i transferred this from my ao3. enjoy!

Chapter 3: Magic Man

“Oh my god, what a fabulous room! Are all these your guitars?” I said in an exaggerated tone of wonder, Horvath just let out a heavy sigh. “Before we try anything, you need this” he pulled a ring out of his pocket and handed it to me, “Whorevath, you’re making it very difficult for me to not bust out into song and dance right now. I don’t even have the correct setting for it, I need stairs, chandeliers, women in fluffy pink tulle dresses, men in suits with a red and white sash across the torso beneath the suit jacket, and most importantly - A SLEEVELESS, FLOOR LENGTH, PINK EVENING GOWN WITH OPERA LENGTH PINK GLOVES, SIMPLE BLACK HEELS, AND A FUCK TON OF DIAMOND JEWELRY!” I spun around with my arms out over dramatically. “You can do that on your own time after you master sorcery, what do you mean anyway?” Horvath just put the ring in my hand, I grinned, “you know what they say, ‘square cut or pear shaped, these rocks don’t lose their shape’", I put the ring on, “time to get to learning sorcery to destroy the Prime Merlinian, and take over the world” he paid no attention to what I was getting at.

He stood in the middle of the room with legs apart, his arms gracefully and slowly rose up as if he were leading an impromptu funeral service on a beach somewhere in Vietnam, that’s the best way I can describe it, ok. Now you tell me arson is involved in learning Morganian sorcery? Because I didn’t expect the initiation process to involve me stepping into a literal ring of fire - “Morganian circle” as my mentor put it. To put it bluntly, stepping into this circle will essentially be like entering a pyramid scheme in the way that I can’t get out (even though you can leave a pyramid scheme, but that’s not my problem). Well, actually, it’s like that one song that goes “beyond the seas of thought beyond the realm of what. Across the streams of hopes and dreams where things are really not.” something something “where fantasy is fact. So if you can, please understand - you might not come back”. Sounds like a deal, I cautiously stepped into the ring, and portions of the shape with a ballerina-like technique, going towards Horvath. “I am Maxim Horva-”, “your name is really Maximus Whorevath? Alright, I’ll shut up.” I interrupted him. He continued with whatever ranking he has within sorcery, I didn’t get the exact number, but I am now officially his apprentice. Somehow, he effortlessly stepped out of the ring and began circling it, not really in a predatory way, but I’m concerned about his overcoat catching fire and watching a man burn to death while I just stand there in awe thanks to something called the bystander effect. He explained that this ring can somehow manifest the electrical energy of my central nervous system in the flesh, and without it, I’m practically useless against whatever bullshit gets in my way in terms of sorcery. “So, uh, you’re gonna teach me how to use it? Right?” I stood there awkwardly, waiting for him to actually do any teaching.

Practically effortlessly, he set up a pile of trash nearby. “Okay, sweetheart”, my brother in christ, why are you like this, “clean it up”. “So, you bring me to an abandoned warehouse just for you to accumulate garbage that was most likely left here by dry-wallers who refuse to keep their space reasonably clean? How the hell does that equate to sorcery? Then again, maybe some tweakers left their shit here. Really, you’re going to start with this bullshit again?” I was pinned to the wall by whatever rods of steel were left behind by construction, yep, back on his bullshit. “Will you stop having ridiculous thoughts FOR FIVE MINUTES?” he yelled cruelly, “but where do you want me to put the garbage? It’s not like we have a landfill on hand over here.” I crossed my arms over my chest and stared him down. He just left, well, what did I expect from him? Of course he’d be the kind of mentor to make me figure stuff out on my own. The only thing he said was something about looking for an area to summon Morgana. So, here I am, alone in a warehouse tasked with destroying or throwing around objects. Could be worse.

Reaching into my pocket, I took out my phone, and put on some music to help me focus on the task. A fast and upbeat tune permeated the room as I practiced the act of creating a plasma ball. "Tach it up, tach it up. Buddy gonna shut you down" I sang along as I threw the ball at a small chunk of concrete, I couldn’t help but dance along to the song. Nothing really worth writing home about, just moving about while I flick my arm out at an empty can to y’know, shoot a concentrated mass of energy from my spinal cord at it. The more comfortable I got, I began lifting objects and lowering them as “Yeah, my fuel injected Stingray and a four-thirteen. (Oooo rev it up now)”, eventually throwing them as the rhythm increased. I don’t know how exactly, but I kinda went into sixties go-go style dancing, tragically I left my white go-go boots at home. Using the motion of swimming with my arms, I projected a ball of electricity at an empty bottle, “Declinin' numbers at an even rate (Oooo movin' out now)” the song went on. Don’t ask how I’ve somehow managed to focus on both music and just manifesting energy into my hand to bombard at some unfortunate object all in the span of like a bit over a minute (that all makes no sense, but bear with me). Rhythmically, I bent and straightened my knees in time with the music - it looks like I’m shaking my hips, but I’m really not. I moved my arms up and down while swiveling myself on the balls of my feet, replicating dance moves I've heard about when researching go-go bars of the 60s, with the song as I picked up objects and threw them or just showed them no mercy at all. I'm willing to bet that no prior Morganians, or Morgana herself, would've guessed some random person in the future would be doing dances called the front stroke, the backstroke, the dog paddle, the underwater stroke, the ramp dive, and the dive - keeping my movement constant with small bounces and shifting of my feet. I can’t really describe what I’m doing. With each front stroke, I shot a plasma ball at random chunks of cement. “Superstock Dart is windin' out in low. But my fuel injected Stingray's really startin' to go”, a few dives here and there while hitting some trash on the floor.

A percussion line bounced off the walls as I swiveled myself on the balls of my feet from left to right. “Well, there's a brand new place I've founda. Where people go from miles arounda. They come from ev'rywhere and if you drop in there” I moved my forearms in a circular motion while doing the same leg motions I was before, except every now and again kicking out. Unintentionally, I picked up a rod, apparently purple circles, the move I’m doing with my arms, activates this ability. Just to see what would happen, I tossed a rod to my left. Crack! You’re telling me that with the power of Motown and go go dancing, I easily pierced a concrete wall with a steel rod. I have like half of the song left, I’ll just keep at this destruction!

With every trumpet section after the “(A-one more time. . . .yeah!)”, I threw one rod into the ceiling. Why not, it’s not like some safety guy from OSHA is going to pop out of nowhere like the Spanish inquisition and obliterate me. I threw quite a few lengths of steel rods into the ceiling of the warehouse, iconic. Shifting my weight from one foot to another semi rapidly, I moved my arms in a swimming motion - lengths of steel rods were annihilated to the beat of the music, fractions of it just throwing themselves across the room. “Going to a g-OH SHIT!” I yelled as a rod flew towards me, impulsively I shot a plasma bolt at it. As expected, the rod exploded. Soon enough another song began, I sang along.

“When you move in right up close to me. That's when I get the shakes all over me” I sang along to the music I had on while throwing plasma bolts at one of the piles of trash. Despite the fact my mentor would probably deem me too as a disappointment to Morgana, well, uh, at least this is in private - especially since I couldn’t help but somewhat dance to the music as well. Sure I’m no Joey Heatherton or Ann Margaret , but, who honestly cares? “Yeah havin' the tremors in the thighbone. Shakin' all over" towards a small block of cement, aiming my ring at the cement I picked it up and threw it across the room, “Just the way you say goodnight to me. Brings that feeling on inside of me” the block made a small crater in the wall. I continued belting out lyrics while picking up objects and throwing them, until I noticed an over looming shadow appear before me as I aim another plasma bolt at debris. Oh shit. I shyly used my powers to shut off the music, looked down, and gulped. “What were you doing?” Horvath interrogated, “uh, practicing technique” my voice cracked. “Get up.” he demanded, I obliged. “Turn around.” I obliged, and faced him. As usual, he was disappointed. I opened my mouth, but he stopped me, “I don’t know how to feel about my apprentice practicing Morganian sorcery like this.” he gestured to the items I’ve been throwing around.

I looked at the ground and suppressed a giggle, “what is so amusing?”, ‘well,uh, it could have been worse” I slowly shrugged. Horvath raised a brow and tilted his head towards me, as to tell me to go on, “it could have been a list of various songs that I’d have a difficult time explaini-”, “enough” he cut me off. He explained that if we want to assume world domination and destroy all life in the name of Morgana, we should take ourselves more seriously, fair enough. I knew better than to question him, even if I do have a valid reason. Of course he caught on and demanded I explain this reason or idea I have, “I don’t think Balthazar nor Dave, especially Balthazar, would expect graceful and flowing movements from their opponent in battle. What it is, essentially, is just distracting the opponent, and taking advantage of their lack of focus.” he smiled at my concept.

“What is that?” he pointed at my phone. “Horvath, this” I gestured to my phone, “is the product of decades of innovation and possible influence from Star Trek. This is a phone. I know that it looks nothing like the rotary phones from the Edwardian era, or early twentieth century to be more accurate. I suppose one could use it for sorcery, but I doubt it. Then again, in a way, this is sorcery to you since, y’know, you’re ancient. Tell me, did Mel Brooks do justice to Torquemada?” I rambled on. He then asked what the music I listening to was, this is where the fun begins. “That, Horvath, was Johnny Kidd & The Pirates. They were a rock group in the sixties, the song you walked in on me, uh, practicing to was Shakin' All Over. No idea what it's about, I just like the way it sounds instrumentally." he just blinked at me. “Good thing it was Waterloo and not any of the really absurd and Very difficult to explain without going on an hour and a half long tangent about what was going on in the sixties and seventies” I laughed. He stared at me. I don’t understand how or why Horvath isn’t screeching at me, but whatever. I would ask him if he wants to quit sorcery practice for today so I could really introduce him to all the advancements in culture we’ve made in the past one hundred and twenty something years, but he’ll probably say “yes.” I can’t describe my expression at the moment, but why does he want to take a break from me learning how to essentially take over the world and enslave humanity just so he can learn about culture? Unless he wants to use psy-ops along with magic to take over the world, kinda like something the CIA would do.

#the shitposter writes #the sorcerer's apprentice #maxim horvath #balthazar blake #dave stutler

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fanart-for-life-bun · 2 years ago

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Yooo! This thing that I'm doing finally have a name and a cover

Now, i need to pretend I'm organized and link every single post i did so far related to this thread for the people most certainly confused about it XD

Basically, my connie, just got into some trouble with some corrupted bullies who just can´t leave her alone for some reason, mostly related to False steven, and she is not enjoying it one bit

Where is False anyway? Why his gemstone is out there causing havoc? AND WHY HIS CONNIE IS EVIL?! So many questions, but maybe the answers she´ll get won´t be ones she expect...

Little warning though, NONE of this are going to influence in any shape or form the aus and their planned stories, this is just a silly big fanart dump that got a little too deep and i cannot escape it anymore

- Part 1: https://www.tumblr.com/fanart-for-life-bun/689810824866430976/i-tried-to-fanart-the-evil-gemstone-but-i-got-a?source=share

- Part 2: https://www.tumblr.com/fanart-for-life-bun/692974686972297216/valerian-enter-the-game-um-i-did-kinda-promised?source=share

- Part 3: https://www.tumblr.com/fanart-for-life-bun/697565395229540352/dont-worry-guys-hes-just-gonna-give-them-a-hug?source=share

- Part 4: https://www.tumblr.com/fanart-for-life-bun/698113224923594752/scarredconnie-day-just-got-better-shes-scared?source=share

- Part 5:

- Part 6/1:

- Part 6/2:

-Part 7:

-Part 8:

-Part 9:

-Part 9/1:

- Part 9/2:

-Part 10:

-Part 11 (can't post the links here since I've reached the limit, but basically are 6 pages total, gotta check from 1 and forward)

Also, i can´t thank enough @topazillustrates and @perfectstevenau for supporting this, I'm having a lot of fun doing it because of them, much love and appreciation for them and their closest friends (who may join this thread in the future :3)

#bunbunart #digital sketch #su au crossover #falsification steven universe au #perfectstevenau #au scarred connie #au scarred spinel #valerian #false gemstone #false connie #false steven #will i ever color anything else?#who knows?#where's false steven?#who knoooows :3 #will edit this post with more parts when i update #in the name of corruption crossover #su au fanart #su au

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crumbly-apple-pie · 3 years ago

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So... I've read that you're in the mood for some Zila/Nari fic, so... What about Nari taking Zila to meet her massive family and giving her a Gyeongju tour?

Like, Zila's never been on earth, and, well, I give from the Kim family the "welcoming and warm himbo family" vibes.

I just think it would be neat to see

Okay, so. I've started on this fic, and it ended up being a lot longer than I expected, so here's the first part. I think there will probably be 2-3 parts in total, but I haven't written those yet so that's just a guess. I hope you like it, I love these girls so much and people need to make more fic for them //

Lieutenant Nari Kim’s ship is not a wonder of mechanical engineering. Especially not by Aurora Academy standards. This could be for two reasons. Firstly, the ship is a standard issue one-person vessel intended for short range missions around a highly classified, highly volatile space station. Also, it was made approximately 70 years before the Academy was even founded.

“Are you doing okay beck there?” Nari asks.

Zila stares at her, eyes wide. “I am sitting in the back of a ship made over 1000 years before I was born, in a cargo hold that is not meant for lifeforms to be occupying.”

Nari grins, but it’s hidden by her breather and helmet. “Exciting, isn’t it?”

“I do not think that exciting is quite the right word, Nari.”

But if Zila thinks about it, she knows that maybe exciting is the right word, because her heart is beating faster than it is supposed to and she’s never done this before.

“ETA, 10 minutes,�� Nari says from the pilots seat, as if she’s the captain of a passenger vessel. She flicks a panel of switches that line the roof to ON and settles back in her chair. The small viewscreen at the front of the ship is dominated by a massive planet, green and blue with a few large continents and a number of small islands. It’s pretty standard stuff, but not to Nari.

“Welcome home,” she says quietly.

Zila looks at the planet for a moment. “It is alive.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your Terra is greener than anyone in my time ever saw it. I think that people forgot what was worth saving.”

Zila pushes herself up from where she has been sitting on the ground, stumbling on a crate marked LIEUTENANT KIM - BELONGINGS. She straightens up and joins Nari at the cockpit, one hand resting on the back of her chair. Nari turns to her and smiles and Zila can see it in the soft crinkle of her eyes.

Nari turns away to focus on entering Terra’s atmosphere, gripping the steering tight to make sure the ship makes a clean entry. The ship rattles around them, seemingly threatening to tear itself apart. Zila holds Nari’s seat tighter in a desperate attempt to stay standing.

“I see why many of you are religious,” Zila remarks.

The ship touches down in one of Gyeongju’s ports, a floating multi-level platform full of ships of all shapes and sizes. The landing equipment connects to the dock with a loud CLANGG that echoes through the ship. Nari takes a deep breath and removes her helmet and breather, shaking out her long black hair. Zila finds the clip at the back of her helmet and places it down next to Nari’s on the ship console.

“You ready?” Nari asks.

“Yes.”

Nari pauses, tugging at her sleeve slightly. Her gaze meets Zila’s and she whispers, “I’m really glad you’re here.”

ZIla ducks her head slightly, her hair falling over her face. “I’m glad you wanted to bring me here.”

Nari smirks. “Wait til you meet my cousins, they’ll be all over you.”

She smooths her hands down her flightsuit, pushing away the wrinkles and running a finger over the two diamonds at her collar. Zila is overtaken by a stupid urge to do it for her. Nari grins again, as if she knows exactly what she is thinking and Zila flushes.

She opens the door of the ship, jumping down onto the dock. “Welcome to Gyeongju.”

Zila steps out after her and is immediately struck by the beauty of the place. The city stretches out beneath them as far as the eye can see, bordered by large mountains to the West. There are old temples and houses that have been well-looked after in the years since they were built, standing next to brand new monorails and skyscrapers with screens promoting space programs and educational opportunities. The city glows golden in the afternoon sun and Nari glows with it. She is home.

The port around them is full of ships, most of them in a similar condition to Nari’s; old tech held together with spit and hope. A few of the larger ships, mostly pleasure cruisers and corporate sail barges look more advanced. The platform is swarming with people, some military types like Nari, plenty of tourists, stressed-looking mechanics rushing from ship to ship.

A hologram plays at the far end of the platform, showing a video of a woman that repeats over and over. Nari takes Zila’s hand in her own and starts towards the exit. As they get closer, Zila can hear what the hologram woman is saying.

“WELCOME TO GYEONGJU! HERE IN THE TERRAN KOREAN REPUBLIC, WE WELCOME VISITORS FROM ALL OVER THE GALAXY. TO EXIT THE PORT, USE THE STAIRS TO THE RIGHT. TO PROCEED TO ANOTHER LEVEL OF THE PORT, OR THE FAMOUS ROOFTOP GARDEN, TAKE THE ELEVATOR TO THE LEFT. TO PROCEED TO COMMERCIAL DEPARTURES AND ARRIVALS, PLEASE GO TO LEVEL 1 TO HAVE YOUR TICKETS VERIFIED. WE HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR STAY HERE IN GYEONGJU, AND IF YOU ARE RETURNING, WELCOME HOME.”

Nari pulls Zila towards the elevator.

“I have to show you the gardens!” she shouts over the sound of the crowd and the hologram.

Zila let Nari pull her into the lift. The doors close with a ding and Nari turns to her. “Is it very different form your time?”

“Yes. We don’t have all the… glitchy holo displays. Our ports are bigger, too. Here they’re much smaller, just a place to park your ship.”

“What’s a port for in your time, then?” Nari asks.

“Well it’s not that we don’t have to small ports, but we have big ships that have space for smaller ships inside of them. The biggest one is Sempiternity; the world ship.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

Zila grimaces slightly. “There are… a lot of people.”

Nari laughs loudly, earning disapproving looks from the other people in the small space.

The elevator doors open on a small garden. A cherry blossom tree sits in the middle of a pond the spills over the edge of the platform.

“Where does all the water go?” Zila asks.

“It’s similar to an infinity pool,” Nari tells her. “All the water that spills over the side is caught at the bottom of the port and is pumped back into the lake.”

“That is a lot of effort for a lake.”

“But it’s beautiful, don’t you think?”

Zila nods in silent agreement and shyly slips her hand into Nari’s. The corner of Nari’s mouth curves up slightly, and she pulls Zila towards her by her waist.

“Hi,” Nari says quietly, and then she leans in and kisses Zila. Zila’s breath catches and she kisses back.

They break apart as a woman tries to push past them into the garden.

“Bloody military,” she mumbles. “Can’t keep their damn hands off each other.”

Zila laughs, leaning into Nari to stay standing up straight. Nari giggles too, and the woman rolls her eyes. // Thank you so much for reading! Hopefully I'll have the next part up soon, and in the meantime there might be some more anderperry mini-fics :) @iamheretodomythingrip @aurora-cycle-unofficial

#aurora rising #aurora cycle #auroras end #aurora burning #nari kim #zila madran #tyler jones #scarlett jones #finnian de steel #saedii gilwraeth #cat brannock #aurora o'malley #kaliis gilwraeth #squad 312 #nari x zila #zila x nari #aurora cycle fic #fanfic #fanfiction

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clarissalance · 4 years ago

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Wolves

Pairing: Kaeya x fem!Reader, Diluc, Crepus

Warning: minor swearing, cheesy flirt, dry humour

Summary: All men are wolves.

A/N: Muahaha I have came back and brought you the blatant cheesy flirt. Welcome to the first lesson of flirting with Kaeya. Lol, guess who is coming next?

Also, I’m planning to write a wind-trace fic because the game is so fun. (p/s: I waste 3 hours playing it) Guess who is in it?

Okay, the first fic for my lover boy. Please give Kaeya a lot of love!! (*￣3￣)╭

Another beautiful day, another day of wasting the lovely weather to stay inside the study room, bury your head into the pile of books next to you. You let your eyes wander to the window again, gazing rays of light fleeting through the window, golden hues on the wooden floor. Tiny specks of dust accumulate overnight, fluttering around the curtain. Outside, the chirping birds bathing under the sun, casually chilling on the window. Oh, how you wish you would be able to relax like those carefree animals.

“You might burn the birds crips the longer you stare at it.” Startled by the quiet voice, your head snaps toward the blue-haired teenage direction, and you can’t help but scowl at his statement. You can’t be the only person in the room who wants to go out and play. Knowing Kaeya, he’s definitely trying to find an excuse to end the class early.

The only person who is diligent, hard-working, and does not have thought about leaving this room is the young master Diluc. The young man is sitting opposite you, eyes burning holes on the thick textbook.

Archon, how can a 16 years old overly enthusiastic person like him enjoy the excitement of reading Descartes philosophy? Maybe he is the only child in Mondstadt, no, maybe in the whole Teyvat who enjoys something torturous like that. Shivering at your own thought, you shift your chair closer to Kaeya, giving Diluc a terror gaze.

“Aren’t you going to finish the essay?” Pointing at the half-full parchment on the table, you ask. “ Diluc and I already finish it.”

“ Oh, how do I know? How am I suppose to understand Kant and Descartes theories, and then link them to deductive and inductive reasoning?" Kaeya lets his finger running through the silky blue hair and pulls them out of frustration. On the other side, Diluc shoots him a glare, annoyed by his brother complaint.

“How did you guys do it?” Kaeya asks boredly, his finger pokes the quill.

You put your hand under your chin, beaming him charmingly. “ You know Kaeya, it is something I call improvisation. Words just flow out of my tip.” Under your lashes, you can see his cheek dusting pink. Cute!

“ Just read the books, and you will get it.” Diluc unhelpful adds.

Both of you stare at red-head incredulously. Is he being serious?

Like always, Kaeya knows he can not take your advice to heart. One is a genius, and the other is just pure luck.

Suddenly, the door is burst open, and you quickly shove your feet into the shoes, eyes darting to see the intruder. Internally, you hope that person is not lady Elizabeth, your etiquette teacher. Your blood runs cold at the thought. You can already imagine her sharp tones commenting how horrendous and un-ladylike your act is.

“How is your study going?” A deep, strong voice booming from the back, and finally, you get let out a breath. Diluc looks up from his book, beams brightly at the man.

“ We are done with homework, father. These are just extra reading.” Well, for the record, these are his extra readings, not yours. And Kaeya hasn’t finished his 2 feet scrolls of essay yet.

Master Crepus nods in satisfaction. “ If that is finished, you kids can take a break. The young lady from the Gunnhildr family is here with her father. Maybe you can give her some accompanies.” The middle-aged man directs the words at you, maybe feeling guilty for leaving a young lady like you in his two sons care.

Your parents left you in the Ragnvindr care every Summer because of their hectic schedules and frequent business trips at this time of the year. In addition, your mother says it is essential for you to have good relationships with the heir of Ragnvindr and his brother. “Maybe you will need their help someday.” She left it vaguely.

“ Are you guys going to drink again?” Kaeya suspiciously questions, his eyes glinting with playfulness.

“ Hey, what’s wrong with men having a drink together?” Crepus defensively retorts, notices how Diluc gives him a disproving gaze.

“ When you guys grow up, you would enjoy it too.” The three let out opposing noises, clearly not having the same idea as him. The man waves dismissively return back the topic.

“ Let’s come down to greet the head of Gunnhildr first.” He heads toward the door, down the hallway.

“And be nice to the young lady, boys.” The master emphasizes the phrase, his eyes pinning at the guilty-looking Kaeya and the absent-minded Diluc. Finally, he exits the room, not forgetting to close the door.

“ Father says as if we don’t treat people nicely.” Kaeya pouts, right after Crepus footstep drifting away from the study. “ The workers never complain anything about our behaviours, right Luc?”

Sitting next to him, you can't help but let out a snort. He dares to say that? Kaeya raises eyebrows at you, annoyed by your shaking shoulder. The boy in red has a blank face, maybe not interested.

“ First, you guys ignore me for 2 weeks when I just came here.” You burst out in laughter, recalling back at the very first memory when you just arrived here.

“When I tried to approach, you both avoided me like the plague.” Your whole body is shaking vigorously, tears forming at the corners of your eyes. This is too hilarious! Somewhere in between, you can spot Diluc burning cheek.

“ Haha, and haha-later,” You can hardly breath, laughter bubbling up. “Adeline told me your reason is ‘It's b-because she doesn’t have a willie.' ” Dramatically air-quoting, you even imitate their stuttering childish voices. This earns you a pointed glare from Diluc and a smack in the arm from Kaeya, but a good laugh is always worth it.

Both of them freeze on their tracks, faces puff red as tomatoes, steaming almost coming off their ears. If the young heir is to wear a red suit, you are sure he can blend in well with the mansion roof.

Diluc shifts stiffly in his chair and abruptly stands up, heading toward the exit. Maybe he is too embarrassed at the mention of his dark childhood.

“Where-haha, are you going, Luc?” You are still in the middle of your giggling, noticing how Diluc is dashing to the door. Letting out a coughing fit, he quietly mumbles.

“ I'm going down to greet the Gunnhildr family.” His figure vanishes right behind the door, not letting you tease him further. Outside, the painful sound of Diluc tripping on his own feet make you almost fall off your chair. You have too many good laughs today.

“Right, I-I should get going too.” Next to you, the blazing Kaeya remembers to dig a hole and hide. His hand slams hard on the table and the youthful teenager stands up, gracefully heading toward the door. Maybe he wants to avoid becoming another joke.

" Ah, wait-" You follow instantly, but the moment you stand up, something slips, and the next thing you know, the ground is shaking, and you see the ceiling is getting further.

Your first instinct is to grab the closest object, and then close your eyes, waiting for the painful impact with your head. Clench your jaw tightly, and you hold your breath, hoping it will hurt less if you tense your body.

Right after tensing up, you feel someone just grab you by your shoulder, and your feet step on something bumpy. And then, your head makes an impact with something hard. A grunting is followed.

Heart hammering in your chest, you cautiously peek, expecting yourself to see the ceiling, but instead, greet with an unusual sight. A pair of dark colour trouser paired with leather shoes. On top of it is your feet, loosely wore low heel is stepping on that leather shoes. Shit, you stepped on Kaeya. In a panic, you rush down from his painful sore feet, but your head jams in his ribs. He just let out another woeful sound.

This time, you carefully keep your position in place, slowly remove each foot one by one, moving away from him. Craning your neck upward, you finally meet his gaze, his eyes are full of concern and uneasiness, spooked out by your sudden incident.

“Did you hit your head hard?” Kaeya asks you nervously, his voice laced with anxiety. He must have been terrified when you slip. You shake your head, hands grabbing his shirt.

" I should be asking you that. Are you okay?" You give him a worrying gaze, your fingers running along his ribs, checking if your stone head broke anything. " I didn't break anything, right?" Hesitantly, you look into his deep blue eyes, noticing the diamond shape. Has he always has this in his eyes?

Kaeya snorts inelegantly, shakes his head. " Your head is hard as a rock, but that much can't break my ribs yet." This earns him a hit on his arm.

"Hey! I'm trying to be considerate, and this is how you treat me?" You jab him, hand purposely smack his chest, but he doesn't budge an inch. How strong is this guy? This time, you put all the force on your arm, slapping hard on his chest again. The young man in the blues shoot you a shit-eating grin, clearly not faze.

"How is my chest feeling?" He pokes, his palm engulfing yours.

" Too hard for my liking." You give him a complex look, trying to escape from his tight grip but fail miserably. You wiggle your hand again, shaking off his iron clad. Why is he so strong?

While you are attempting to flee from his firm grasp, the young man leans down, face an inch away from you. Flushing at the sudden closure, like usual, you avoid his burning gaze. You hold your breath when your noses almost touch. What is this rascal doing again?

" You shouldn't be touching men like that." Kaeya opens his mouth, saying something completely out of nowhere. You tilt your head in confusion, while your eyes travel down, you notice your hands still on his chest. O-oh, so he is saying about this.

" I don't normally touch random people." You mumble defensively, your eyes lower. " I was checking for your injury."

"They will misunderstand." Kaeya cuts in right after, not accepting the excuse. But why would they misunderstand? You are just being nice, right?

Like he can understand what is going inside your mind, Kaeya reminds you.

"All men are wolves, you should be more be careful with them."

You give him a confusing look.

Kaeya is not one of them, right?

Eventually, he let out a soft sigh and moves back, allowing you to savour your personal space. Just right after your throbbing heart finally calms down, he brings your tight-griped hand in his to his face. Your meet with his alluring look in his eyes. It is pulling you in, telling you to give in the temptation. Plump lips brush your knuckle teasingly, he blows a warm breath on the back of your hand. He gives you a saccharine smile.

" And if not be careful." His husky voice ringing in your ears, the numbing spark runs along your spine. "They might devour you."

#kaeya x reader #kaeya alberich #genshin impact #genshin x reader #all men are wolves #fluff #romance #implication #bad chilhood memory #willies #clarissalance #diluc ragnvindr #crepus ragnvindr #kaeya ragnvindr

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genderbinaryisforlosers · 4 years ago

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i want to talk about the shepherd’s boy

i always want to talk about the shepherd’s boy. for anyone who needs their memory refreshed, which is very reasonable because it’s been nearly six years since Heaven Sent/Hell Bent first came out, this is the shepherd’s boy as the Doctor tells it

There's this emperor, and he asks this shepherd's boy, how many seconds in eternity? And the shepherd's boy says, there's this mountain of pure diamond. It takes an hour to climb it, and an hour to go around it. Every hundred years, a little bird comes and sharpens its beak on the diamond mountain. And when the entire mountain is chiselled away, the first second of eternity will have passed! You must think that's a hell of a long time. Personally, I think that's a hell of a bird.

the Doctor tells this story while he chips away at his own diamond mountain, a wall of twenty-foot-thick azbantium, which is four hundred times stronger than diamond. it takes him two billion years to gouge himself a hole big enough to walk through. he tells this story because he is the bird, and he’s right - it is one hell of a bird.

but he’s also the mountain. he has been trapped inside his confession dial, and for every cycle, secrets are extracted from him. he is resilient, and unmoving - he knows there is one confession he can give to end the torture, but he does not give in. he forces the Veil to come back time and time again, until eventually, it kills him, and in the terms of the story, one second of eternity passes. he is renewed for the next second, and the cycle begins again indefinitely.

but there are two other characters in the story, the shepherd’s boy and the emperor. Twelve embodies those, as well. in Hell Bent, the Doctor’s story begins with him sitting in an old barn, where he used to sleep as a child. where we saw stars reflected in his eyes, one dark and fearful night (in Listen). when the emperor asks the shepherd’s boy his question, he does not expect the boy to have wisdom of infinity from nights sitting under the stars, far away from the dazzling palace the emperor calls home, full of its clueless wise men.

the Doctor doesn’t mention this part of the story when he tells it, but in the Grimms’ version, because the shepherd’s boy could tell the emperor the size of infinity, he was named the heir of the empire. Hell Bent sees the Doctor lay claim on Gallifrey, wresting it from Rassilon’s grasp before he can be cheated of his “inheritance” by firing squad. so the Doctor becomes the emperor - he also has been the emperor all along. he is the man trying to understand the shape of infinity and how he might preside over it. he does with the laws of time and space what he pleases, placing his goals above everything else and holding the universe to his personal standards.

the leitmotif of ‘The Shepherd’s Boy’ appears in another notable scene - in The Day of the Doctor, directly before Twelve’s first appearance. the track is ‘This Time There’s Three of Them’ (2:19-3:20), and the Doctors make the decision to try and save Gallifrey with their combined power. it’s an act of hope, defiance, and unimaginable hubris - kind of like punching through a wall of azbantium over two billion years. it is him staking his claim on infinity, saying “the laws of time and space are mine to control, and this war will not have its way over me or my empire.” because it's also when he takes Gallifrey as his own, the moment that allows him to depose Rassilon in Hell Bent.

that scene from The Day of the Doctor goes on to define Twelve - it's why he chose his face. “Just someone. Please. Not the whole town. Just save someone.” (The Fires of Pompeii) the people of Gallifrey burn, and he can't save everybody. but some of them. he can do that.

“And above all, it’s kind. It's just that. Just kind. If I run away today, good people will die. If I stand and fight, some of them might live. Maybe not many, maybe not for long. Hey, you know, maybe there's no point in any of this at all, but it's the best I can do, so I'm going to do it. And I will stand here doing it till it kills me.”

the Doctor is every part of the shepherd’s boy. that’s why it comes to represent him in his final moments - first as he fights to his death in The Doctor Falls, in the hopes that some people - just a few people, not everyone, but a few - might escape, before he collapses and stares up at the empty sky, wishing he could see the stars. then as he begins to regenerate, and accepts the next cycle. “How long can I keep doing this, Clara? Burning the old me, to make a new one?” he asks in Heaven Sent. “I suppose one more lifetime won’t kill anyone. Well, except me,” he smiles in Twice Upon a Time. the shepherd’s boy is humble, arrogant, helpless, resilient. eternal, and finite. and above all, the shepherd’s boy is kind.

#twelfth doctor #doctor who #meta #dw s9 #obligatory disclaimer: no i don't think this arc is a paragon of storytelling as a WHOLE #but this specific part? the way it comes together into a cohesive story? yeah #riley rambles #the doctor #dw

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felassan · 4 years ago

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Thoughts on Dark Fortress #2

(This post is under a cut due to spoilers.)

So late with this one! some stuff irl was keeping me really busy and hyper-distracting me lately, but it’s finally over now so I’m back on my bioware bullshit. :D

Overall there were a lot of beautiful or awe-inspiring scenes in this issue, and a lot of great, meaningful / poignant character interactions and moments between characters. It’s pretty impressive actually how much was able to be packed in. I posted some of my favorite panels here. also omg! the action sequences! the big reveal! the ending!! woww

cool scene-setting, panned out shot of Neromenian and behind it, the Dark Fortress, to immediately pull you back into the world and ‘where we left off’. the combination of ruined dead trees, red lights, lightning and fire/smoke is very atmospheric and hints at what’s ahead

“From this... city, if we can call it that” is a sick burn and reminds you that the Qunari are technologically more advanced than most of the rest of Thedas, from their cannons to their aqueducts

more individually distinct Qunari soldiers, sth I again appreciate

! last issue there were big ‘You haven’t seen the last of Tractus!’ vibes, naturally, but I didn’t expect him to escape by stabbing and killing the Qunari using a chair-leg..!!

the last panel on the first page of Karasten is really good. the way it’s colored, the way it’s lit, the light and shadow, the fiery backdrop, cinders floating, the details of his expression.. 👌 it also makes me think to the possible future, to DA4 when mainland Thedas may be continuing to face the entirety of the Antaam

in Vaea’s acrobatics scene on the bridge, I know rationally that she’ll be fine but couldn’t help but worry for her. again I like how they don’t shy away from showcasing Vaea’s specific abilities. also the attention to detail - you’d think some rocks are just some rocks, but it highlights the risk she’s undertaking that if she falls it’s into rough seas which could dash her against the jagged rocks :’S. Vaea, gooooo!

Fenris’ “Enterprising girl” line has big “Clever girl” meme energy :D

my heart can’t take Fran and Autumn leaning over the edge after Vaea in worry ;; or Aaron looking back in concern over his shoulder ;; or Fran’s tender reassurance ;; or Autumn’s Worried expression ;; the care and bonds which have grown between this group of characters ;;

notice Aaron starts drinking when Vaea’s away from them and they’re beginning to grow worried about her safety. the poor man’s nerves and stress levels

Fran touching the vegetation while she’s considering if she could use her magic to open the entrance from the outside is a nice touch

did Marius leap in front of Fenris and Fran there when the entrance opened?? damn, he’s quick. and the three of them look all scary and formidable here ready for combat. notice how the curve of the door and the spikes that go into the ground, and the composition of this panel, make it look like they’re standing in front of an opened dragon’s maw? ‘teeth’, a rumbling ‘roar’.. some nice foreshadowing here.

the reunion panels are so cute. Autumn’s lil tum as she jumps and Fran and Fenris’ lil smiles of relief and at Autumn’s reaction to seeing Vaea, then a rare happy beam from Aaron.. feel.. the love ;__;

red lighting in the tunnel sets a dangerous, dramatic build-up mood

👀 more info on Fenris’ past, on the specifics of the process which gave him his markings. in the panel where he says that it took a long time, his shadow on the wall behind him reminds me of the shadow of his past that has dogged him for so long :(

Fenris and Marius height difference

discussion of the process shows the power difference between blue and red lyrium. blue lyrium took a long time, red lyrium is almost instant

Autumn is such an intrepid little explorer and alert scout, tail and ears up, head forward. good girl!

“I just... worry about you, my girl” ‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚ I’ll be so sad if these are death flags for Aaron and he doesn’t make it out of here. also note Fran in this panel, who recently had to kill her own father and is still dealing with that, watching the strongly paternal moment between Aaron and Vaea :(

love Vaea’s faith in Aaron and her sense of humor. also I don’t know why, maybe it’s because Vaea met Sebastian, but her “Maker, no!”, although in a completely different and light-hearted context, reminds me of Sebastian’s “Maker nooo!” at the end of DA2 hh

the reference again to Hawke, who Fenris saw haunted by what they tried to do - save their mother - and couldn’t :’(. also with the shadow in this panel, here’s another person struggling with the shadow of his past qq. this is later emphasized again in Aaron when he continues to talk about his past and in the panel is a chain and manacle. smart visual metaphors, a must in the comic medium with limited space

mushroom skull 💀🍄

“It isn’t about what I’ve done. It isn’t about my failures. Or my choices. It’s about their impact” - he’s misty-eyed here as he thinks back to Ostagar.. does this line btw seem almost meta to anyone else btw? :D it feels like a meta reference to the experience of DA players and PCs, who are always having to deal with the impacts of their choices

I wanna point out that I was right on reading issue #1, when I said “I’m positive that in panel 2 here, it’s the exact moment when he sees Cailan die” ;;

So Aaron is also a veteran of the Battle of Denerim

reference to the Hero of Ferelden - “Those were someone else’s battles”. I’m being captain obvious here but I can’t help but [heart pitter-patter] at any and all references to the HoF

I like the.. parallel? is that the word? Aaron’s stories were him trying to inspire people to make a change, or him trying to convince himself of that. and now here’s Vaea, inspiring Aaron with her words in these panels. the little guys can make a difference! in the world of Thedas, you don’t need to be a big bombastic hero or a Player Character to have an impact

lmao Fenris right on cue. the moments of humor/light-heartedness are nice because they break up the tension and are sprinkled throughout without derailing build-up or taking away from dramatic story impact. yknow?

yeah Aaron!! leave it behind. leave it to rot with mr mushroom skull (and hey the mushroom skull was there for a reason). again tho if this is a death flag i

Fenris straight down to business with the tactics

its cute how close Autumn has been sticking to Fran

Tessa checking in on Fran again, as she did in issue 1

Could Vaea’s “Well, shit” be an homage to Varric? :D they have met

I also wanna point out that I was right on reading issue #1, when I said “My guess is that the thing Tractus shows Marquette and Nenealeus is probably a chained up dragon or similar”

the poor dragon :’( big dragon the Qunari had in Trespasser vibes

the sword has a really cool design, kind of reminds me of something a samurai might be depicted wielding

👀 lore-drop! so ancient elven arcane warriors used lyrium-infused swords. this seems to confirm the sarcophagus is an ancient elven artifact, no? makes sense, wasn’t it said that the sarcophagus’ design was based on the architecture/outfit-design type elements of a specific faction, and that this was done intentionally? it looks kinda ancient elfy in make, right? also about the lyrium-infused swords of the arcane warriors, well well well.. remember that the Evanuris and the ancient elves mined the bodies of Titans for lyrium, for power and to use as a resource. here’s an example of that use

as I read through this portion I became increasingly concerned for my boy Shirallas.. we really are in it now aren’t we 😭

the Qunari are launching STRAIGHT-UP ROCKETS ohhhh

pretty ‘lightshow’ over the wall in the “Let’s hope the fortress is as secure as Danarius boasted” panel hh

protective older brother Fenris, impish younger sister Vaea. love that dynamic, we love to see it. sheepish and exasperated Fenris is so cute

the Bone Pit dragon fight with Hawke and co reference!

I wonder how long the dragon has been captive here, and how Danarius/Tractus was able to capture it

lore-wise what are the implications here? when Fenris’ ritual was being undertaken, the sword and the sarcophagus were bombarded with magic, fire spells. in this one they aim to have the dragon bombard it with fire-breathing. is it just fire that makes it work/powers it, or is there magic in dragonfire, in dragons? it reminds me of “Your heart beats with the old blood, as well. Where do you think it comes from? It sings of a time when dragons ruled the skies. A time before the Veil, before the mysteries were forgotten. Can you hear it?”

purple color for the dragon’s growling sounds/typeset is a great idea

lets.. goooo!!!!

Marquette is such a nerd. later on when he activates the sarcophagus he has mad scientist vibes

the dramatic reunion face-offs begin!! as the prophecy foretold!!!!1

true to form, Marius DOES have nothing to say ahahaha, even at this, his personal climax. maybe Marius dies in the next issue, but Tessa lives and gets to go back to Charter

these Venatori look almost Star Wars

Shirallas my boyy.. nooo... don’t do it 😭

ah ah ah! try casting magic with no ARMS

Francesca a beacon of blue light and goodness

the splash combat page is masterful. everyone playing a part, so much going on, everything happening at once. a thing that sticks out to me about it is Aaron’s outstretched hand and alarm as he watches Fran fall

Autumn with her lil hackles raised

“The Venatori have returned” dun dun dunn

goodbye Shirallas 😭😭😭

the composition of the second to last page with triangle/diamond-shaped panels and the framing of dragon wings is awesome

the Dread Wolf rises, “the Tevinter Imperium will rise again”.. on-point on-point cohesion

there he is, the red wraith

Super Saiyan Shirallas

what a note to end an issue on

wow wow wow!!

and separate to the above, some speculation based on the cover of Issue 3: the piece of metal looks like a broken collar coming off Shirallas, like the one there was on the cover of Issue 2 coming off the dragon. also he’s all bulky now with draconic talons/claws (reminds me of in-world legends of Reavers who dug too deep of their own power after drinking dragon blood and whose bodies consequently began to manifest subtle reptilian traits actually). I’ll be interested to see what results of this allusion between Shirallas and the dragon!!

#dragon age #BioWare #dark fortress spoilers #dark fortress spoiler #spoilers #spoiler #dragon age: dark fortress spoilers #dragon age: dark fortress spoiler #video games #gore cw #dragon age 4 #the dread wolf rises #da4 #feels #fenris #the Fenaissance #long post #longpost #alcohol cw

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vivi-the-sky-kid · 3 years ago

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Sowing the Seeds (of Love), Chapter 3

Aka the Resh/OC Fix-It Fic Nobody Asked for but I'm Inflicting on All of You Anyways as Punishment for Kai's Your Hubris

The King has always been a mysterious figure in the annals of the Sky Kingdom's history, generating both awe and fear within the hearts of the sky spirits. Few can claim to have met them in person; certainly not Tav, a researcher of light creatures for the Vault of Knowledge. But when they discover their research may be used to harm the very creatures they know and love, Tav knows they cannot allow this to happen.

Somehow, they must change the King's mind. If that means throwing butterflies at their royal face, then so be it.

-<◇>-

Warnings: Will be added to each chapter when necessary, but there's not gonna be anything graphic in this (do send me an ask if you think there's something I should warn about tho)

Rating: T (just to be on the safe side)

Pairing(s): Resh/OC

Tag(s): Enemies to Lovers, Fake Dating, Canon Divergence, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies

Additional Tag(s): Resh and Alef are twins, Resh and Tav are both nonbinary, Resh uses he/they, Tav uses she/they, Resh is demiromantic and pansexual, Tav is biromantic and demisexual, no beta we die like moths in eden

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

-<◇>-

Chapter 3

Word Count: 2755

Warning(s): Ayin needs a hug :(

-<◇>-

“So I hear you've been working with the butterflies, Resh?”

Resh scoffed as they dressed for the day, slinging their cape over their shoulders with one swift, fluid motion. “You can hardly call it work when the damn creatures don't do anything but avoid me. I never should have agreed to this. I can feel Alef laughing at me from here. And the worst part? They'd know if I wasn't trying. He'd feel it.”

He lowered the pizaine around his head, adjusting the cape once it was settled. Their spear followed next. Then Resh picked up their mask, turning it this way and that in their hands before affixing it to their face. Ayin eyed it, their smile more of a grimace at the sight.

“Why not try without your mask? Butterflies can be rather skittish. Something like that must be quite frightening to them.”

“It's a mask. Why would they be scared of that? I'd expect them to fear my spear more.”

Ayin winced. Butterflies were small and quick. A spear was no threat to them, unless the wielder happened to get very, very lucky. On the other hand, a glint of light off that mask's diamond-shaped crest would be more than enough to spook them, especially when it was attached to such a tall figure. But if Resh wouldn't listen to reason...

“It was merely a suggestion...”

They quietly left and went to the central chamber, where the pots of collected light were taken before being shipped out. While pots made it far easier to send light to places like Hidden Forest and the Golden Land, it also simulated the same conditions that allowed butterflies to spontaneously spawn, and so time was of the essence when it came to these shipments.

They wondered if Resh remembered that. It had been so long ago, but Ayin could still recall with great clarity the wide-eyed awe on both Resh and Alef's faces when they were taught about the butterflies and the pots.

A better time, to be sure. Before the Trials. Before the Kingdom. Before all this nonsense with Dark Matter.

Before their growing sleepiness meant that more and more shipments were too late to be useful.

Ayin shook their head and held out a finger. In mere moments, a butterfly flew in and landed, glowing a vibrant magenta as it shared its light with the Elder. They brought it close to their face and whispered, then gently sent it on its way.

Maybe that would help matters.

-<◇>-

Sneaking out of Kumibir's house in the wee hours of the morning was not something Tav ever expected to do; then again, neither was trying to convince a government official to care about light creatures. Despite this, they somehow managed to get not only themself, but the spare light staff and some food, out without detection. It was easier than dealing with eir smug looks over breakfast. They could eat somewhere private and peaceful before dealing with the inevitable. Somewhere like Bird's Nest.

Yes, Bird's Nest was perfect.

As she rounded the hill leading to the nearest dock, two people came into view. One was immediately recognizable as the King's Will. The other was a spirit who acted as the grandparent of everyone in this village. While Tav had never spoken with them, seeing as they were typically away tending to the cattle of the Prairie, they had heard much and more about their charming ways from Kumibir. That included their tendency to ensure everyone around them was well-fed.

Apparently, they did not stop at locals.

“...been feeding you in Eden? You're so gaunt! A soldier like you needs to eat plenty more if you're gonna be protecting our people, doncha know?” the spirit said, lightly bopping their hand against the Will's chest.

“Believe me, I am getting enough nourishment to keep me active. There is no need for concern,” came his strained reply.

Tav snickered and walked closer. As they approached, they called out, “Good morning!” grinning with vengeful delight. The Will moved towards her hastily and fell into step beside her.

“There you are, my dear. I've been waiting for you,” they said, moving to wrap an arm around their shoulders. The gesture caught the cowherd's attention, and they turned their stern gaze on Tav.

“Are you this soldier's partner?”

She glanced up at the Will, who shot her a pointed look, then shrugged. “More or less...”

“Then you better make sure they get fed! Whatever they're feeding 'em up in Eden, it's not enough! Look at 'em! Why, I oughta march up there myself and tell your commander off for not taking care of their troops...”

Tav held back a sigh and gave them a reassuring smile. “I'll keep them fed, don't you worry.”

“Good! That's what I like to hear!” With that, they nodded and left, muttering under their breath.

As they waved the spirit farewell, Tav eyed the Will's gray skin out of the corner of their eye. "They're right, you know. You don't exactly look the picture of health."

"Why, are you worried about me, my dear? How sweet."

Any concern they had—which was none! No concern here—melted away at the smug tone in the Will's voice. Tav scowled and folded their arms in front of them. "No, I would just prefer to not have you drop dead on me, darling. That's all."

It would be hard to explain a government official dying during what should have been a peaceful trip. That was all. That was the only reason she cared—not that she did. The Will was their enemy right now, and enemies didn't deserve any concern.

"You have nothing to worry about on that front. I'll get plenty of nourishment, I assure you," he said, waving a hand carelessly through the air.

Tav raised one eyebrow and rested a hand on their hip. "And what exactly are you going to eat? Grass? Air? Sunlight?"

The Will twitched and drew their cape closer about their body at that last suggestion. He turned away, avoiding Tav's sharp gaze, before letting out a sigh. "If you really must know, all I need to survive is heat. While I can eat food, it is not necessary for me."

"Really?" she hummed curiously, before shaking her head and turning away. Now was not the time to get distracted by scientific pursuits. They needed to focus. The light creatures were counting on them.

"Come on. The butterflies don't have all day."

-<◇>-

Whether today was better or worse, Tav couldn't say. On the one hand, the butterflies were willing to go closer to the Will. On the other hand, they would still shy away from him once they got too close. Quite frankly, no matter how cute the butterflies were, if they had to spend one more day in these meadows, they might scream.

And yet, just when they were truly contemplating giving up...

“You could try removing that mask. The butterflies get skittish around so much cold metal,” a soft voice piped up. The two of them turned away from their unsuccessful attempts to get a butterfly near the Will and saw a plump spirit in a yellow cape approach from the butterfly sphere. At the Will's suspicious glare, they wrung their hands. “They prefer warmer materials, like flowers or sunsteel. I'm afraid the cold metal of your mask isn't very pleasant to them.”

“And you are...?”

“Ah, my name is Degamuc, but my friends like to call me the 'butterfly charmer,'” they replied, rubbing the back of their head with a bashful smile. “Elder Ayin has entrusted me with caring for the butterflies here, and I couldn't help but notice you two were having trouble with the little ones. You could always try taking my advice.”

The Will huffed a sigh, and they flinched.

“It was just a suggestion, though...” they said, voice falling.

The Will stiffened and turned away. They stayed that way for a few moments, then, with another sigh, reached up and removed their mask. Without anything to hold it back, some of his hair fluttered into his face, almost like a replacement for the mask. Still, it wasn't enough to hide that they looked... rather nice. Their square jaw contrasted well with their hair, and if it weren't for the scowl and unsettling gray skin, she'd almost say they were handsome.

Almost.

-<◇>-

Tav had been staring at them for some time now, ever since they removed the mask. Their own mask made it hard to tell what their expression was, but they hadn't blinked in a while. It was rather disconcerting.

He didn't like it.

Resh folded their arms before them, raising an eyebrow in Tav's direction. “What are you gawking at?”

His voice broke through whatever strange thoughts they were having, and they jumped, before crossing their arms stiffly and turning away.

“Y-You look better with the mask on.”

They blinked, the cogs in their head whirling, then looked at Tav in offense. “What is that supposed to me—?”

Just then, a butterfly landed on the tip of Resh's nose, cutting their words off. His eyes crossed trying to focus on it, its pink wings a stark contrast against the blue and white of the sky. A snort nearby startled them ever so slightly. The source? Tav themself, a hand over their mouth to stifle any sounds.

He shot them a glare, and despite the hand, laughter bubbled up from their mouth. Even that butterfly charmer giggled. Despite themself, Resh could feel a blush taking shape above their cheeks; thankfully, it was hidden by the butterfly's magenta wings.

“What's so funny?”

Tav was too busy laughing their head off to answer, but the butterfly charmer had enough of their senses left to say, eyes crinkled with delight, “The butterfly's giving you a little kiss!”

Resh froze. Someone had... said something like that long ago...

Someone once very dear to him...

-<◇>-

Within the Prairie temple, three figures were gathered in the central processing area. Ayin's shrine, its eyes glowing golden and its candles lit, watched benevolently over both the Elder it belonged to and a pair of children—twins, it seemed—alongside them. Ayin gestured the children towards a smaller pot with orange cloth covering its mouth.

“Now, children, these are the pots we use to send light to the Hidden Forest. It's very important that we send these out as soon as we can, because otherwise, butterflies will start to form from the light within. This one has been left a bit too long, you see, so if we open it up...”

With a small puff of flame from their palm, they removed the film covering the mouth of the pot, and a stream of butterflies burst out. The air tinkled like a wind chime as the flurry dissipated, and while most left the temple to seek the sun outside, a few lingered behind. Soft chimes and squeaks echoed in the temple, followed by the twins' soft gasps. Some landed on Ayin's shoulders. Others remained airborne, their golden wings glowing in light from above. One spiraled downwards before landing on the tip of Resh's nose and turning a deep pink.

“Oh, look at that! The butterfly is giving you a little kiss, Resh,” Ayin said, clasping their hands before their chest as their eyes crinkled. Alef snickered, and Resh frowned and wiggled their head, trying to shake off the butterfly. It was a stubborn little thing, however, and at the end, Resh was swaying dizzily and the butterfly was squeaking in triumph—or, perhaps, because it wanted to.

Alef's snickering had shifted to full-blown laughter by then. Thankfully, the butterfly's luminous pink wings hid the blush on Resh's face, but they couldn't hide the way their skin glowed where the butterfly made contact.

It certainly hadn't escaped Ayin's notice.

Their smile was a little strained this time as they put their hands behind the twins and gently urged them along.

“Come, children. We should take these little ones outside, where they'll be happier.”

“Yes, Ayin,” they said in unison. Together, the three of them, as well as the swarm of butterflies, left the Temple for the inviting sunshine of the Prairie.

-<◇>-

“Resh? Are you okay?”

The unfamiliar tone to Tav's voice brought Resh back from their reverie. They were holding his mask now. Had he dropped it during his bout of reminiscence? How nice of her to retrieve it for them.

But now there was something else on their face. Something that did not belong there. His movements slow and steady, he carefully guided a finger beneath the butterfly's rhomboid body and lifted it from his face.

“These butterflies... they came from a late shipment of light, correct?” There was no malice in their expression or their voice as they spoke, watching the butterfly slowly move its wings.

“Ah, um, I believe so. Elder Ayin wishes for us to release them when a shipment is rendered unusable, and many make their way here because of the flowers,” Degamuc said, wringing their hands again.

“As I thought... Ayin has always been soft like that,” Resh said. With a gentle flick of their wrist, the butterfly was sent back into the air. Another was quick to take their place, however, and then another. Soon they had a small, squeaking swarm of butterflies perched on their hands and arms.

Degamuc's eyes closed in a smile as they clapped their hands together.

“Well, it seems you two don't need my help anymore. I'll leave you two to your date.”

Tav nodded as they left, and then did a double take. Unfortunately for her, she was too late to protest. Instead, their hand was left suspended, reaching out for the butterfly charmer's receding back, and soon fell back to their side as they slumped forward. Throughout it all, the mask remained clutched firmly in one hand.

Resh couldn't help the grin that formed. So much drama in such a small frame. Where did it come from?

She seemed to sense their amusement, because she turned to look at them with a halfhearted glare. They folded their arms in front of them and said, with a grumble, “What? You got something to say?”

His grin turned mischievous.

“Were you worried for me, my dear?”

They stiffened and turned away. “What? No! I was just... wondering if you hit your head on something. You started acting weird.”

Resh chuckled and shook their head, looking out over the multicolored field. A butterfly drifted past his vision, the faintest sparkle falling from its wings. When they held out a finger, its body briefly turning into a streak of light as it zoomed to the new perch.

“No, no. I merely remembered something from... a long time ago.”

He laughed at you.

A scowl formed on their face, and they shook off the butterfly. He turned to face Tav once more. They eyed him with a suspicious squint, then shrugged, sunlight glinting off the silvery diamond crest of his mask with the motion.

“Well, I'd say we're done for today. I'll see you tomorrow morning, darling,” she said, waving the mask curtly.

“I'll be up bright and early, don't you fret, my dear.” They kept their gaze on their mask, raising an eyebrow. “But for now, may I have my mask back?”

They looked at the mask, blinked like they had forgotten it was in their hand, and then took hold of their chin. The sun crept lower in the sky as they thought it over, before finally saying, “Mm... No.”

Resh did a double take, mouth agape, and they grinned impishly, placing their hands on their hips.

“You won't need it for what we'll be doing tomorrow,” Tav said. They began walking away towards the nearby pier, leaving Resh to stare after them incredulously.

“And what, exactly, will we be doing tomorrow?”

“You'll see~” they sang out, waving jauntily as they left.

Resh grumbled softly. Then, despite themself, felt the corner of their mouth tug upwards.

Very well. If that was how Tav wanted to play, then so be it.

-<◇>-

Ayin blinked. They glanced down at their hands and flexed them, fingers tingling ever so slightly with newfound energy. It was... unfortunately unfamiliar. They couldn't remember the last time they had felt like this.

A butterfly swirled around them and perched delicately on their mask's pot-like frame. Its squeaking cry brought a smile to their face. Their plan had worked.

High above, their constellation twinkled a little brighter, a little more golden.

-<◇>-

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

#sky children of the light #sky #sky king #resh #resh my beloved /j #fun fact: all the character names in this are either hebrew letters or randomly generated names taken from friends i make in sky #and hey we're a quarter of the way done #also if you have any questions about story details feel free to ask about them #i will gladly share what i can with you

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bluerosewritings · 4 years ago

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Happy birthday Cater! 🥳🥳

"Ah, look at this one! It's so tiny~!" Cater cooed as the two of you looked through the cafe menu. "And this coffee has an animal face on the cream... say, d'you think the cream they put on coffee would go well with one of these treats?"

"I mean, isn't coffee cream the same as regular cream?" You chuckled, enjoying Cater's marvelling at the menu. Plus, unlike your companion, your attitude was 'the more, the merrier!' when it came to sweets.

"Ah~ I suppose that's true. The art's just really good! I wonder if Trey can do stuff like that...? Actually, this is coffee we're talking about." Cater shook his head with a laugh of his own as he placed down the menu and looked around the shop.

It was a small place, located in the Rose Kingdom not too far from Trey's family business - that was how Cater had learnt of the place. It was quaint, with white walls splashed with random red and black paint and tiled red-and-black floors. On the wall was a giant pocket watch clock, and on each table were red and white roses in rabbit-themed vases.

Cater had been checking out the place for a while, deciding the best times to enter, when the food was at it best, the perfect time that the natural lighting came through the giant store-front window, etc. Once he'd decided, all he had to do was call you, his good old cafe tourist buddy. He may or may not have made enamel pins.

Not that you minded. Any reason to get off school campus (and away from being Crowley's slave assistant) was a good one. Plus, you got a bunch of free food! What wasn't there to like?

"Did you pick on you liked?" You asked, taking the menu to look at for yourself.

Cater pursed his lips in thought and tapped his chin with his phone. Then he looked at you with his signature smile. "Hmm~ guess!"

"C'mon, again? I swear you do this every time we eat out alone." You reprimanded him good-humoured.

Scanning the list of items, you try to find what items you thought match his aesthetics the best. The cream-art coffee was a given, obviously, since it was something that Cater could actually stomach. So what would he be getting you to eat? The heart-shaped parfait? The bunny pudding? The card suit macaroons?

You settled on an item, pointing to it on the menu with your little finger. "You want the raspberry diamond tiramisu."

"Eh, they have those? I had no idea!" Cater exclaimed, taking the opportunity to look over your shoulder. He was forced back soon enough by your finger pushing him in the middle of his forehead.

"Don't lie, you've probably looked at this menu online like, ten thousand times!" You tell him with a knowing look.

He holds up his hands in defence. "Okay, okay, you win! You were right! I'm paying... again...~"

"C'mon, you didn't really make that a bet without telling me." You laughed, nudging him lightly. "You know I have no money."

"Sadly~ but when you do, I expect at least one cafe date in return, you got me?" The orange-haired third year held out his pinky, grabbing on to the one you had used to point at the menu with.

"Alright, fine. Let's just order already." You smile at his antics before flagging down a waiter.

"Ah, just before that!" Before you could protest, Cater swung an arm over your shoulder and pressed his cheek against yours, his camera pointed to both of you with a wide smile. "Say cheese~!"

"Cheese!"

You smiled appreciatively at the staff as they greeted you goodbye, then did a short jog to catch up with Cater who'd gotten distracted by the pictures on his phone, not even commenting on the interesting noise the 'bell' made when you let go of the cafe door.

The selection was, admittedly, a lot different than usual. Usually Cater took pictures mainly of the item itself, maybe occasionally incorporated into a selfie-styled photo. Recently though, today especially, the majority of his gallery’s new additions were pictures of the two of you. One picture you noticed Cater seemed to linger on was one where you were holding the plate of tiramisu in one hand and catching him off-guard as you tried to feed him a spoonful with your other hand.

“Are you going to upload that one?” You asked.

“H-Hm? Oh, no, my face in it is awful~!” Cater quickly swiped on to the next picture, not realising you’d already caught up with him. “I was thinking more of the one where you were holding the one for the camera~”

“Oh, those were some nice ones. You could see the display case in the back with the right angle.” You nodded in agreement.

“My thoughts exactly~!” Cater nods in agreement before turning off his phone. “Ah~ it’s such a shame we can only visit a cafe once a day! There’s this one in the Land of Pyroxene that’s been trending like crazy lately~!”

“Is it near your home?” You threw the idea out there as the two of you turned the corner.

“Well, it’s not close, but it’s not far either.” Cater admitted. “Why?”

“I was just curious. I mean, you never post anything about your home.” You explained with a shrug. It was genuinely out of curiosity.

Cater took it a little differently. “You... want to see my house?”

“I suppose.” You agreed. “I’d get to meet your family, too. That’s more what you consider ‘home’, right?”

A blush spread across Cater’s face, one you thankfully didn’t pick up on thanks to the fading light of the sunset. “Well, I guess my sisters have been pushing me to invite a friend home... sure, we can go to one in the morning and the other in the afternoon!”

You smiled sincerely, then laughed a little as an idea hit you. “Maybe the cafe in the morning, so your sisters don’t get any ideas?”

“Ah, yeah...” Cater hummed in agreement, even if those ideas were what he hoped would be true. Your smiling face was enough to lift his mood though. “At least the morning lighting is usually good over in the Land of Pyroxene.”

“Of course that’s what you’re thinking of.” You say with a shake of your head, then stop walking suddenly, making Cater stop and look back at you. “Although, that reminds me...”

You pull your own phone out of your pocket and motion for Cater to come back to where you were standing.

Once he does, you try putting your arm around his shoulder like he did to you earlier and hold your camera up to capture both of you in frame.

“You have so many pictures of us, while I barely have any.” You explain to clear up his confusion. “So, now’s the time to get some of my own!”

Cater blushes once again as you turn your face back to your camera, only remembering to do the same when you nudge him, giving a wide smile when he does do so.

“3, 2, 1... say cheese!”

“Cheese~!”

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #disney twisted wonderland #disney twst #cater diamond #cater x reader

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ill-skillsgard · 4 years ago

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Bred For Blood - Part 17 - The White Flag

Title: Bred For Blood

Warning: 18+ - sex/mature language & themes/gun violence/substance abuse etc. *mentions of blood/injuries/death/weapons/coma/unconsciousness in this part*

Characters: AU Axel Cluney, AU Ivar Lothbrok, AU Valter x OC

Description: A bright, young survivor meets an acid-gun slinging headhunter with a knack for melting faces and connections to a prodigal Utopia embedded in the heart of a deadly forest. Violence and passion incite a battle of fealty while betrayal nips at Zed’s heels.

Note: This one’s for Team Cluney. I really hope you guys enjoy reading! This part was very exciting for me to write for many reasons. Please reblog/like/comment if you like my work and want to give me a virtual pat on the head. I would really appreciate it, please and thank you!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16

The doctor stomped over the rocky terrain, muttering and snickering to himself as the sun cast blistering rays on their backs. The heat never bothered him, only tanned his skin to a deep brown shine. It was the walking that made his knees burn. He'd long since shed his white coat to cover the bulk of the man draped over Rudie's wiry-haired hump, trudging along at leisure. The unconscious hunter he'd found needed all the protection available from the vicious star reaching its highest point in the sky.

The doctor halted his gangly steed every hour to force a measure of water down the burnt man's ululating throat. He often succeeded, and the hunter swallowed without issue, but sometimes, the water came back up as white foam, trickling down the sides of his face and down his neck. The onset of heatstroke turned his skin apple-red, and the doctor sprayed him down with water and gusts of hot air produced by a tattered paper fan he carried with him to ward off flies. Rudie attracted the pests who made a chariot out of the man on the camel's back. They fled their caravan whenever the doctor stopped to check on his patient and settled back in for the ride after he threw the stained coat back over the hunter's burnt shoulders. This went on until nightfall when the dry land showed signs of mercy, and water and shale gave way to the soil.

Rudie let out a guttural complaint when they reached a crop of tall, spindly trees. The diamond-shaped leaves provided shade. The doctor tethered the bleating animal, pressing his finger to his lips for a silence that would not come. Upon unsaddling the groaning man, Rudie threw his hump and sent Axel slumping to the ground, his deadweight at odds with a lengthy fall. His head cracked on a root, and a dusting of earth dried his palette, clinging to everything pink in his mouth. The camel clopped away from the whining mass who'd hitched a ride on his back, and in his wobbling dance, mashed the smallest of Axel's fingers into the soil.

"Rudie! You bumbling old idiot! You gaffer! Shoo!"

The beast side-stepped, snorting and sputtering, indifferent to the further damage done to the man. He shook his proud head, throwing ropes of spit that webbed his lashes. The doctor punished the creature by re-wrapping Axel's hand after a stern disinfecting, withholding the proverbial oats until the animal wandered away to dine on low-hanging leaves. Rudie chuffed whenever the doctor came to retrieve supplies from the riding satchel.

"That wasn't very nice, Rude. This man is our patient! We don't trample the patients. You've no idea the level of harm you caused! He'll be lucky if we don't have to amputate, and you don't have thumbs, so you're even more useless!"

Rudie wrapped his leathery lips around a clutch of grass and ripped it free, chewing and turning away from his master and the unconscious fellow. The camel minded his business and relieved himself on a nearby rock, huffing and chomping any strand of green he sniffed.

Axel vomited throughout the night. The doctor gave up his rest to make sure the man lying comatic didn't swallow his tongue. Then came the shivering and sickly shade of purple flaking his lips. Flaps of the doctor's paper fan spread droplets over his inflamed skin, another courtesy at the behest of his sore arm. Still, Axel moaned and scratched at the earth beneath him in bloody heat and delirium.

"If you can hang on until tomorrow, son, perhaps we'll find some proper shade and build a hut. Hm? How's that sound? Shade and water. For now, just rest, and don't die on me."

When the sun came up, the doctor cleaned Axel using the rest of the clean water from his reserve and stitched the open flesh splitting his eyebrow in two.

"That'll leave a nasty scar. Not that you need any more ruggedness in your act. You're just a lost soldier, sonny. But maybe one day you'll make a brilliant assistant. Better than Rudie, I hope. He hasn't even apologized for breaking your finger. Lookit him over there, shitting all over the camp, the scoundrel. But I'm the one with the oats; therefore, I make the rules!"

"M-muh... muuuh."

"Ah, in the worst of times, we still call our mothers."

"Mmph. Muh—"

"I wonder what's on the other side of those trees," the doctor said, shading his eyes with his hand, peering to the West. "You look well-travelled, sonny. Any ideas? Hate to run into any of those yawners, not knowing when your last shot was. But I suppose I shouldn't expect any valuable input from a man who can't look me in the eye."

After patching him up, the man hauled Axel to a stand and hoisted him onto the camel's back using a tree for leverage and a series of ropes to fasten him down. Once secured to Rudie's hump, the doctor took a few minutes to catch his breath. "Dunno how many more times I can get you up there, son. You must learn how to walk soon. Or I'll build you a sleigh. But that might take some time."

Far off above the foggy treeline, a sheet of ashy cloud broke to reveal bright blue sky. The doctor liked the look of cerulean and the absence of sand, so the begrimed trio lumbering through thick bush where dew still clung to the undersides of the leaves. The doctor went ahead, collecting globules before they evaporated. Rudie answered the doctor's constant rhetoric with wild groans that muffled Axel's whimpering, and they led their procession over uncertain ground.

"I reckon there's nothing but more trees over that ridge, Mr. Soldier. Maybe some mountains we can find a crevice to hide out in. Just until you get your strength back. The only thing I worry about is those damn yawners. Rudie and I will be safe, but you... I'll scout ahead to make sure it's clear. It'll rack up daylight, but you'll thank me when you're not a bubbling pile of soldier juice. Don't worry, sonny. They didn't immunize me for no reason! I count myself among the elites, but that doesn't mean I fancy myself better than you or more deserving of life. We're all in this, you see. Brights and Uns... We're still together, despite it all. They may have tried to kill you, but look at you now! Alive and well. Isn't that a slap in the face? They send you out to war and hope you never come back. They don't even have the decency to immunize you. What a world we live in."

Rudie let out a gaseous bellow. The doctor whipped around and pointed his walking stick at the quadruped. "Don't interrupt, you vile sow. Nobody needs a camel's opinion."

"Ma... Ma."

"We'll look for your mama after we get you looking presentable. Hang on tight, we're going uphill!"

As the ridge climbed, the trees grew denser. The doctor had to guide his camel through a maze of mossy trunks. Thin, whip-like branches prodded at Axel's tender skin. What leafy arms brushed Rudie's head bent back and snapped against the hunter's raw shoulders. Axel didn't notice, lost in the chimeric slurry of recent injuries. They maneuvered over stones and wove between crumbling stumps, avoiding the deadfalls. The steepled ground sloped upward like a great brown ramp of torn earth. Through the thickness, they muttered, minding their footwork, up and up, stopping here and there so the doctor could take in a few wheezing breaths. The camel—finally wary of obstacles—blew wind and groaned, hesitant on the incline.

"Boy, there had better be some more forgiving land over this ledge. I don't think it's workable to keep climbing. We might have to turn back, depending on what I see at the top. Fingers crossed for a lake. A bath would do me good," said the doctor, fanning his underarms and thighs with the paper fan.

"What do you say, Mr. Soldier? Should we keep going? See if there's anything worthwhile over that lip?"

"Muh."

"That's what I thought. You may not be the finest soldier I've ever met, but you're persistent, and that's key. Come on, fellas. Let's pray for water, and up we go! Can't be worse than the blasted desert."

~*~

Ivar's mood reflected his recent successes in bed. When Trinity brought his meal, he thanked her, even asking about her morning and if she was sleeping all right and eating properly. Trinity laughed nervously, sensing a test, and answered with a practiced air of casualty. Did he know of the plan they'd executed to get Zed in to see him? Was his toothy smile a front? Despite her unease, she humoured the leader and left when he dug into his stew and fresh bread. Trinity also noted Zed's absence, and with the King in lively spirits, assumed everything had gone well with the plan.

Ivar inhaled his late breakfast and dressed for comfort to walk the courtyard. With a bounce in his step, he traversed the throat of the Chrysalis, emerging on the other side to a nest bereft of activity. The morning stalls had cleared out, their occupants and merchants returned to their hovels. Even the young ones—usually at play in the courtyard by now—were nowhere in sight.

Ivar passed by the last remaining group gathered around a low podium, whispering over their berry reductions and leafy salads. Like a cluster of threatened barnacles, each mouth clamped as Ivar strode past. He held his head forward, flexing his palette to clear his airways. None of them made a sound until he was far enough away. Their chattering was undiscernible as distant chirping birds. He stopped at the incline of a foothill, spinning to catch them staring at the back of his head. They snatched their eyes away and made like they weren't gawking.

That wasn't the only peculiar thing that happened to Ivar that morning. Since his prolonged absence, the people seemed to have grown used to keeping to themselves. There was no merriment in the air, only sterile drafts pouring in from the filtration system. Ivar shivered from the brisk air, stopping to consider paying Zed a visit at her apartment. A morbid urge pulled him along, and he continued his walk. Ivar waited until somebody approached him—whether it a man or child—to greet him with customary courtesy. Still, nobody shuffled forward to ask him about his day or to offer him a portion of their recent gardening.

Ivar reached the frosted glass doors to the lab and stood still, thick hands hovering next to his narrow hips. Frozen in place, Ivar bit the tip of his tongue. Something told him Zed was inside the lab, and if he wished to see her, he had to set foot beyond the parameters of his expertise. The lab always put him in a bitter mood. It was the only place in the village that wasn't for him. Though he could visit any corner of Kinderfeld he wanted, he'd never felt welcome in the laboratory. The floors and surfaces' sterility made him cower from touching anything, and the lifeless stares he received from the few staff only reminded him of the responsibilities he'd shunned in favour of hedonism. None of them ever begrudged him his appetites, but he was confident they whispered of his ineptitude behind his back.

He wondered if Zed ever talked about him or if she'd ever vocalized displeasures regarding his leadership. Her request from the day before echoed in the corners of his mind, festering and swelling each hour they were apart. There was a bitter drop of ulterior motive in Zed's visit, and he let it slide down the back of his throat when she asked him to open the gate. But they'd made love, and that was more than Ivar expected. In his heart of hearts, he'd feared Zed would demand more; to let her fly the nest in search of Axel, but she'd taken his refusal graciously and kissed him all the same. Still, a nagging suspicion remained. Something was circulating in the air, whipping about the courts and apartments, squeezing under doorways and filling the citizens with doubts.

A stranger on his own land, Ivar lowered his eyes to the ground and turned away from the lab before he recognized any more scrutinizing glances. He powered along, ignoring the guards, their dutiful nods, cutting over the knolls as fast as his muscular thighs could take him without breaking into a run. The loneliness chased him back to his palace, and even its mouth gaped in question.

Ivar noticed Sheraya nearby, spreading dark red petals, a gained cigar of smoking sage held between her fingers. He craved nicotine the moment the fumes peppered his nostrils. Tears coursed down her round cheeks, though she made no sobs, no whimpers. There was only gentle muttering under her breath and more tears. The king stood waiting for her to acknowledge him and then realized she had no intention of breaking her prayer mantra.

Shunned, Ivar turned away, retreating to his house of lush fabric and solitude where he should never have left.

~*~

Vee insisted Zed stay put while he fetched them dinner. Their setting was the top floor of the greenhouse where he'd played cards and got drunk with his brother some nights. Nobody ever bothered them up there. Zed sat in waiting, enjoying the greenery, the twisting vines and canary yellow zucchini blooms. She stretched an arm out to pluck a flower and nibble its petals. Her stomach gurgled for heavier fare, so she ate another. Vee didn't keep her waiting long after, showing up with a basket of seed-crusted bread and a bowl of sliced potatoes slathered in basil paste and cooked to a crisp. For dessert, he brought dried fruit and freshly harvested cashews.

Moonlight vaulted through the trees, defusing over the glass and casting milky shadows on the greenhouse floor. The air was moist with freshly irrigated soil. Baked in the dimness, Zed couldn't take her eyes off the man sitting in front of her. He'd brought with him the game from their youth, but neither of them suggested opening the box. They smiled as they ate, breathing in the deep aromas and savouring their food together. And in the balmy atmosphere decked in silver light, Zed swore Vee was his brother's twin. Her heart shuddered in remembrance. It was what brought them together; the shared sense of guilt and the strengthening suspicion they'd both lost someone, both failed and scorned by the people who'd invested too much faith in their competence. Zed felt at peace beside him.

The scientist was still a welcome member of the village, hence his aptitude for finding rarer delicacies like wine and ripe figs. They split the skins and scooped out the sweet innards, indulging their tongues on the fruit as if it was the richest of luxuries.

"You know what I would absolutely love to eat again?" Zed asked, sucking seeds from between her teeth.

"Popsicles," Vee answered.

"Close, but no. Chocolate ice cream. I'd kill for some chocolate ice cream right now. "

Vee shook his head. "No way. Strawberry all the way."

"A hot fudge sundae with peanuts and a big maraschino cherry."

"Peanut butter sauce."

"Oh, my God. Don't say that," Zed groaned.

"It's so good. I can't remember the last time I had ice cream. Remember when you could walk a couple blocks in the Summer and buy an ice cream cone?"

Zed smiled, but the thought pricked her memory. "The last time I got ice cream was with my Dad. I got the biggest chocolate sundae, with peanut butter cups and chocolate sprinkles. He told me there was a full day-and-a-half's worth of calories in it, but I didn't care. It was after a soccer game. I didn't like soccer, but if I went to practice every week and scored at least one goal, he'd take me out for ice cream. Two goals meant I got ice cream and five dollars."

Zed sighed, continuing, "I hate thinking about the last times. Like at one point, you did something for the very last time. The last trip for ice cream. The last time you told someone you loved them."

"If you hate thinking about last times, then why are you doing it right now?" Vee asked, eyes blank as discs.

She grimaced, reaching out to touch the toe of her shoe to his, then softening her face. "I can't help it sometimes. Don't tell me you've never thought about how it used to be. You don't have to look at everything so logically."

"I don't," Vee said. "I just rather not think about those times."

"I'm sorry. Is it?—Never mind."

"My fiancé and my kid? Yes. It's always them."

Zed set her dish aside and scooted beside Vee, pressing her back against the wooden barrier of the melon patch, mirroring his position, her mouth just as dead grim as his.

"You seem to handle it well enough. But I understand. I think everyone lost something important to them," Zed offered.

Vee sighed, turning his face to the floor, cutting off the glistening whites of his eyes from view. "Found out she was pregnant the night before I left to work for the army."

"The army?"

"Yes. I had a knack for inventing. You've seen the ammunition I designed for Axel. And it takes a special gun to fire something that lethal without complication. They wanted that kind of technology and offered me a nauseating amount of money to oversee mass production. The only smart thing I ever did was refuse to sell myself. It cost me my family, but I can say with certainty Axel is the only person besides me who's fired one of them. Could you imagine what the world would be like if those had gotten into the wrong hands?"

Zed bottled talk of acid and bloodshed with a shiver and a firm hand on Vee's wrist. "Enough of that. Please. Tell me about her—your fiancé. Let's just... Remember them fondly. I don't want to think about the bullshit out there."

"You'd rather stay inside these bubbles, ignoring a second societal collapse in the making?"

"Yes. I'd rather enjoy my time here with you, listening to nicer stories. This is all that's left. I don't want to think about where we went wrong or right. Let's just talk about what made us happy."

Vee nudged her shoulder. "Why can't we talk about what makes us happy now?"

She giggled and rested her temple on his shoulder. Vee curled his wrist around her knee, and their fingers intertwined. He leaned his head on hers like they had in his apartment before Lora caught them, this time with his heart pumping in double-time.

"What makes you happy now?" Zed asked him.

"Not talking about dead relatives."

"Okay, true. Let's not. So... What are you content with?"

"You," Vee blurted.

Zed's chest tightened. Vee let go of her hand and angled his torso toward her. "I'm sorry. It's difficult for me not to... Stick to you. If I'm honest... You look like her, Lea. I really hate how much you remind me of her. And I don't want to use you to fill the void. It's wrong, but I can't help it. Everywhere I look, I'm reminded of how much I lost. And you're so understanding. You don't have all these expectations."

"Vee—"

"I don't want you to think I'm coming onto you. You don't owe me anything. All I'm saying is, I'd be happy to stick together."

"We will! I want to stick with you, too."

Vee combed his blond hair back, pinching his brows together. "Lea... I want you to tell me no, right now."

"No? What do you mean?" Zed asked.

"Tell me there's no chance in Hell we'll ever get together. If I have it planted in my mind, then that's that. But if you don't, and we continue hanging out like this, getting closer... I might... Think there's a way."

"Valter..."

"Axe knew what he was doing when he brought you here...when he introduced us. Yes, he wanted protection for you, but he also wanted you and me to hit it off. I could tell. He'd never admit it, but I know him. You're perfect for me, but I've seen how others treat you, and I refuse to do the same. I don't want to perform tricks to impress you into sleeping with me like Ivar, but I don't want to stifle my feelings like... Axel. So you need to shut me down, right now. If there's a firm barrier, my mind will reroute, avoiding any possibility—"

"Stop," Zed said. "Please, just stop."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought any of that up."

"No, it's good to speak your mind. I appreciate the honesty, even if it took months to hear."

"It would have been inappropriate if I brought it up. When we had research and pressing issues, it was easy to ignore how familiar you seemed. Now I'm at a stalemate, and you're still here, and Axel's gone. I can't pretend like I don't want to spend my time with you. But I'll stay off your heels, I swear. Just friends."

"I'm not telling you no," Zed murmured. "Maybe at some point, I wanted to fall in love, but now I know that's foolish. Love can't exist in this world anymore. Not without great suffering, and I don't want to suffer anymore. Truthfully, I don't even want to get close to you, Valter, because I'm afraid someone or something will take it away."

"Nothing will take me away."

Zed shook her head, knocking a tear loose. "Don't say that. You can't make that promise. I don't want any more broken promises."

The scientist nodded while a cloud of vapour seethed from the sprinkler heads above the raised garden beds, thickening the air and clinging to their skin. A long silence pervaded, and Zed held her breath until Vee shuffled away to retrieve Wayfare of Austea. He dropped the box before her feet and grinned widely.

"Come on then, let's play. No more doom and gloom for a while."

~*~

Ivar spent the same evening pacing in his room. He went to the private alcove he assigned to the woman on his mind. Zed was fickle, and he didn't want to dash his chances with her by smothering, but something in his stomach wouldn't settle. He'd even dismissed his guard, encouraging another visit, yet she hadn't shown. Ivar buckled under the suspicion that she was angry with him, and her absence was his punishment.

Never the man to deny himself, he made for the Hives. If Zed was alone, surely she'd welcome his company. She'd said it herself: she wasn't one to sleep with just anyone, and he was far from just anyone. He was King, and this was his realm.

Despite his self-reassurance, Ivar carried doubts that manifested on his face. He passed a few citizens, drawing eyes with his acidic mug and ignored them all the way to Zed's door.

She didn't answer the door after he knocked. He reasoned she might be asleep, though it was shy of nine o'clock—early for most but not an unusual time to sleep. Before he turned away, he twisted the handle and cracked the door open an inch, letting out the dark.

"Lea? Are you in here?"

Stagnant silence answered, and he shut the door before anyone saw him. Ivar went to the door on the left and found that one locked. He grimaced, turned from the apartments and left for the lab.

On his way through the courtyard, Ivar saw Nalani and Trinity walking arm-in-arm, engaged in private discussion. Their frantic doe-eyes widened to see him.

"Have you seen Lea?" Ivar asked.

"She should be home, I think," said Trinity.

Nalani shrugged her bare shoulders, still clutching her friend's hand. "I thought she'd be with you, Ivar."

He sneered at the women. "No curtsy? No formality? Has everyone forgotten who's in charge around here?"

The two pressed their arms together, quietly apologizing and stepping aside for Ivar. He stalked toward the lab, holding his breath while throwing open the doors and turning the corner to find the rooms gutted of materials. The refrigerator hummed, and the overhead light flickered, barren and reeking of sterilization.

Ivar examined the dustless surfaces, curious but not enough to go digging through desk drawers. He went down the hall and stopped in front of Vee's door, clearing his airways again to sharpen his ears. There were no voices. Ivar knocked and went unanswered.

He turned in time to see the first door in the hall open and Lora's head poking out. She wore the same displeasure on her face, adjusting her reading glasses while her body caught up with her neck.

"If you're looking for Vee, he's hiding away with that woman everyone is up in arms about," Lora said.

"Hiding away? With Lea?"

"Yeah, whatever her name is. They haven't been here since I caught them getting up close and personal in Vee's room."

Ivar's stomach flipped, his head buzzed. Lora took great pleasure in the snagging of his mouth. She had been fuming by herself, finding specks of dust to brush away to keep her mind off her superior who'd run away with the girl she'd grown to distrust. Lora was a woman of insecurity, easily threatened by others but quick to bite back when given a chance. After she'd found Vee shoulder-to-shoulder with Zed in his apartment, Lora waited for any opportunity to drive a wedge between her beloved head scientist and the newcomer from the desert. Now was the perfect opportunity to damage Zed.

"What do you mean?" Ivar asked.

"You know what I mean, sir. They were practically on top of each other."

Ivar had no reason to discount Lora's claim. She'd proven herself a trusted and valuable member of the village long ago and never caused a ripple of dispute. The folding of her face and iron-clad seriousness was all the King needed to believe what she told him.

"Where are they?"

"I assume—if they're smart—hiding in one of the greenhouses. I wouldn't be surprised if you caught them naked in the strawberry bushes."

Ivar scoffed and rushed away. Lora watched until he disappeared, then went back inside the incubation room and put on a pair of gloves. There was an electric cooler housing blood samples, one from each member of the village. Lora selected a sample from the bottom tray and shuffled to the sink, turning on the tap while reading the label. Popping the top off the vial, she upended the sample and drained the blood away.

Ivar did better than storming the greenhouses in search of Zed. There were slinkier things on his mind. If he caught her in the act with the scientist, only then would he justify blowing up. For now, he snuck through the grounds with his focus tuned and his breath steady.

"What's next for me? I've tried to convince him to let someone go, but he refuses. Do we just exist here now, with no way to move forward? Forever trapped in this moon unit."

"He'll come to his senses," Vee said with meagre hopefulness. "Ivar's full of himself, but he's not stupid."

"Well, let's count on those senses coming soon," Zed snorted.

"Speaking of Ivar... Do you think he's wondering where you are? You did just... You know. If that happened to me, I'd be thinking about it for a while. Wondering after you. Well, not you—'cause we never... Heh. Ah, shit. You get my meaning, right?"

"Mr. Cluney, are you flustered? I don't think I've ever heard you fumble your words before."

"I don't mean to be coarse."

"Don't worry. We'll get through this. Ivar has to see reason… We need to tell him about the ones who died."

"I'll tell him. It should be me," Vee said, stacking the playing cards back in the plastic tray lining of the frayed box.

Zed helped by gathering pieces, separating them into their individual quadrants next to the cards. She set her eyes dead on the floor after they finished packing the game away, sighing in contemplation.

"Who will go?"

Vee frowned. They shared a strained minute of silence interrupted by another burst of spray in the air. Their shirts stuck to their backs, legs aching from crossing and uncrossing. Zed handed the box to Vee.

"Maybe it should be me," she said.

"Absolutely not. You can't leave. It's too dangerous out there, and you don't have to put your life on the line. There's only two people who should go. Me or Ivar."

"You're too important to lose, Vee. That's what Axel wants. I know if he had a dying wish for me, it would be to look out for you. For us to do everything we can to survive."

"Within capability. I'm not a killer, Zed. I'm not like Axel."

Zed smirked, the merciless flames dancing in her belly again, the same ones she'd felt when she screamed at Lora. She'd harboured the noxious warmth before. It was a friend to her.

"But I am...I'm a killer."

Vee set his jaw firmly, scoffing, unable to disagree. "Listen, Rambo. Even armed to the teeth, you're still not going out there alone."

"And neither are you if you go."

"You think Ivar will leave his precious cocoon? I don't think so. He'll probably send one of his guys out to never come back."

Zed shook her head, tired of the speculation. "This is ridiculous. Anyone should be able to come and go as they please. It's tyranny to tell them they can't leave if they want to. I thought this was a place of free will? What happened to the promised land?"

"Same thing that always happens when one person is left in charge."

"On that, we agree."

They left the greenhouse with much to think about, hugged goodbye in the courtyard and separated—Zed toward the Hives and Vee following the path to his room.

The next morning Zed awoke to guards butting on all the doors, yelling for everyone to get to the courtyard. The racket came after a long night of tossing and turning. Her eyes were tight with unrest, her head throbbing, but she put on jeans and a plain white t-shirt with a single breast pocket, similar to the ones Ivar wore.

The citizens filed from the Hives, murmuring and looking around worriedly. Guards stood by to direct the traffic to the medical tent-turned-backdrop. The booth topped the steepest hill in the plaza, out of use for the past few weeks. They pooled around the base of the hill in collective confusion, looking up as Ivar took advantage of the blank vinyl behind him.

Ivar cast a proud smile over the congregation. He summoned everyone from their hiding spots without having to lift a finger and brought them into the light spilling through the checkered dome on high. He waited until he spotted Zed and Vee coming in from their separate tubes, relaxing a bare inch when they didn't arrive together. They cut their ways to the front of the throng and noticed each other right away. Ivar saw the troubled looks they exchanged and sneered.

"Is this everyone?" Ivar called to the head of his guard.

An armed man standing off to the East with a few others gave Ivar a thumbs up. The King nodded, then proceeded, his expression toward his people fresh with tenacity.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Kinderfeld. I've asked you all here to bring you some news. It has taken me a long time to come to this decision, and for my delay, I apologize. I don't take this lightly... We've lost members of our family, and my heart is broken. I've spent too long trying to think of a way to bring trade back to our village. We need supplies, yes, and medics. I understand these things because I've survived before. All of us must exist as a unit, each one pledged to the survival of our crew."

The people looked on with widening eyes. Hearts that once sang for Ivar's monologues found their tune. All of them but Azalea and the other Cluney brother. Ivar burned them with ocular venom, hoisting his smile into a morbid curve. Zed let shoulders and legs swallow her back into the crowd, but not deep enough to block her view of the head scientist glaring back at the leader.

"I forbid travel for your protection. There are dangers outside of our walls. People whose only purpose is to hunt and kill. I don't have to remind you of the horrors we've suffered or the love we've cultivated here in our home. You were all there. Some of you longer than others. They built these walls to protect us—the ones who choose love instead of hate."

Ivar clasped his hands behind his back and took splinted steps back and forth on his makeshift stage. He fashioned himself contemplative, but his eyes shone with intent.

"With that being said... We cannot wait for luck to come to us. This planet is evolving each day. Nature is reclaiming the land, and it will swallow us in its majesty. We will be lost if we don't take action."

"What do we do?" Someone called from the center of the gathering. The fiery-haired father who'd earned his keep cooking and training his son stood out as the shouter. Ivar didn't smile at him so much as he cast his grace upon the redheaded man clutching the freckled boy by the shoulders.

"I'm glad you asked, sir... We are a unity. A tribe of people who want to live in harmony, am I wrong?"

Several shook their heads, others muttered together, a dull drone of tired voices.

"Then we should vote. Does anyone care to nominate themselves or another?"

The apprehension pivoted and picked up with a few gasps. Heads swivelled in search of somebody bold enough to champion themselves for exploration. Vee continued glaring at Ivar. The king returned the glower.

"I'll go!"

Zed gasped after the words left Vee's mouth. He stepped forth, unbreaking under Ivar's challenging eyes.

"So we have one volunteer. Our beloved head of research and weapons development. A very noble gesture! Does anyone else wish to nominate themselves?" Ivar asked. He opened his arms, beseeching a reply with postured hope.

"Nobody should go alone!" Zed shouted.

"Yeah, we need a team!"

Ivar motioned for the crowd to quiet down. Once they simmered, looking on with palpable anticipation, he inhaled deeply for the next addressing.

"We're running low on men to keep our hold. The brunt of the firepower needs to remain here in case of attack," Ivar reasoned.

"I'll go alone. I don't care. We can't stand around any longer!" Vee said, his chest puffed, much to the surprise of the people who knew him.

Ivar barked a few dry laughs, disguising his pleasure to everyone but Zed and the man who'd volunteered to brave the elements. "I suppose if nobody has any objections...Vee will be the one to go. As badly as it tears me to say so... You are the perfect man for the job. Brother, I wish you all the luck."

Zed broke away from the gather and hammered her legs up the incline toward Vee and Ivar, pumping her fists until she reached them.

"Ivar, you can't do this! We can't send people out alone. At least let me go with him!"

"No!" Ivar and Vee shouted at once.

"What are you going to do to stop me? After your decree about peace and harmony, what will you do to keep me from leaving Kinderfeld?"

Ivar adopted her heated expression. "Azalea, stay out of this."

"No. I won't! Not after what happened to Axel. We have to assemble a team! Don't tell me to stay out when neither of you has seen the carnage!"

"Of course you want to go, Lea. All you care about is finding Axel. You used me and hoped I wouldn't figure out you're trying to leave. You never cared about me. You try to act like you're so innocent and respectful, but you're just like everyone else."

"Because I don't want people to die? Ivar, I understand you're trying to protect everyone, but sending men out for slaughter won't help our cause. Please," Zed whimpered. "Set aside our personal issues and try to see the bigger picture."

Ivar cooled suddenly. He patronized Zed with a frantic nod and a forced grin. "All right, Azalea. Consider our personal issues permanently set aside. You got your way. One of the guards will go with Vee. Now, go. I have heard your voice."

The guards gathered around Ivar and Vee, their conversation clipped and sheltered from the citizens by a lineup of broad-shouldered men carrying weapons of varying levels of brutality. Zed stepped away, cowering under the firm looks she received from Ivar's men. Though she bowed out of the political bubble, she stayed close by, watching Vee's sour face muttering umbrage at the King. The other citizens broke off into smaller clusters, chosen families and cliques gathering to discuss the ruling.

A hand slid over Zed's shoulder, and she whirled to find Sheraya bowing her head. "You've done what you can."

"No, I haven't!" Zed nipped. "I should go with him. I'm not afraid of the outside anymore."

"You don't have to be the hero, Azalea. You must survive."

"I have survived. I'm good at it."

"You're needed here. The young ones have to learn from the women."

"Sheraya... I can't let Vee go. I can't."

The elder took hold of Zed's clammy palm, pressing the lines with her thumb. Zed buckled as tears sprung from the corners of her eyes. "He's all I have, Sheraya."

"The only one you ever truly have is yourself. Think about that before you take your heart's path and not your brain's. Look hard into the future."

"I'm trying," Zed sobbed.

"Azalea, I mean it. Your future is important."

Sheraya left her with a warm peck on the cheek and a growing sense of bewilderment. Zed looked around at the people, the hills and the courtyard beyond, the flatland where they set up their booths and entertained each other. Envisioning life beyond the safety of their walls overcame Zed with grief. She'd won, but the conditions were too heavy for her to bear. Now her last friend prepared for expulsion.

Vee took his charge seriously. Zed saw his raw determination as they hashed out a plan. Several times, she stopped herself from storming their parley, anchoring herself to the ground with locked knees and her arms folded over her breasts.

For a long time, the conversation went on, and most of the villagers went about their morning routines, gathering to cook and gossip of the turbulent state of politics. Zed stayed close enough to catch Vee when they finally broke for action, but the men showed no signs of agreement. Ivar had to hush some more uproarious guards, leashing them down with an assuring hand on the shoulder to stop them from infecting the others with their rancour.

Zed spotted a guard sprinting from the warehouse limits. The desperate look on his face alerted her, and she stepped out of sight around the corner of the medical tent, still close enough to listen.

The man approached, panting and calling for Ivar's attention. Zed snuck a peek and saw the group retire from their conference, distracted by their comrade.

"Jackson, what's the matter?"

"It's Zee. It's him! One of the guys found some doctor dragging him through the forest."

"A doctor?" Ivar repeated. "How do you know?"

"He says so. Says his name is Simpson... Or was it Samson?"

"Samson!" Zed yelled, running from her cover toward the reporting guard. "Did you say the doctor's name is Samson?"

"Yeah, Samson," the man huffed, stunned by the woman's sudden appearance.

"Bring him in! Right now. Go get them and bring him to me!" Zed demanded.

"Now, wait a minute," Ivar said. "How do we know we can trust this guy?"

"If it's the Samson I know, we can trust him. Ivar, please. I'll vouch for him if it's who I think it is."

"Who gives a shit, he's got my brother!"

Zed vaulted after Vee, tailed by the guards and Ivar. The march heralded interest from the citizens, and soon, onlookers roved toward the warehouse. Vee turned to the guard who'd brought the news and slapped him on the shoulder. "Go tell them to let Axel and the doctor inside."

"Sir," the guard nodded, jogging ahead to the entrance where two other men stood, baffled and conflicted without orders.

"Let them in!" Zed cried out.

They waited with bursting lungs. It seemed an hour crawled by before a shadowed heap of arms appeared at the mouth of the entrance. Flanked by two guards holding him upright, they carried Axel inside, his head of matted brown hair dangling lifelessly between his shoulders, limp tattooed arms slung around their necks. Zed ran to him and propped his chin up in her hand, heart palpitating, head rushing.

"Axel! Oh my God. You're alive!"

"Now, now, miss. Don't waste too much breath speaking to him. He can't understand you."

Zed turned toward the familiar voice. Samson hobbled in next to a guard who'd taken on his load—a heavy satchel, a duffel bag and two tweed suitcases. Filth and the briny stink of body odour and piss wafted through the tunnel with them. Most recoiled from the stench.

"Doctor Samson, do you remember me? From the bloodbank."

"Ah, yes, of course, I remember you, Zed! You used to zip around on your motorbike, looking for scrap metal and something to eat."

"Yes, yes! I didn't think I'd see you again."

"The chances of us meeting were rather slim, I agree, and I have to say it's lovely to find you in this magnificent bubble here. You can see this splendid little valley from the North. We were hoping for water, but this is much better. Um, speaking of water, where might I find some? Mr. Soldier and I are rather parched. Oh, and I left my camel parked outside. Do you validate?" Samson said with a jolt of wild laughter.

Zed didn't mean to be rude, but turning away from Samson was far too easy when Axel hung before her like a damp towel on a clothesline. She wanted to hold him, to join in as support to get him a surface to lie upon, but she resisted.

Ivar butt in and directed the escort to take Axel to the laboratory, then turned to Zed, scorning the tears in her eyes.

"Looks like you got your wish, Lea. Axel's back. Your life can go back to normal," Ivar said as the rest of them rushed away with the hunter and the doctor in tow.

It was only them, facing off on the hill. Zed quelled the wildfire in her belly with a painful swallow. A debate with Ivar served no purpose, so she turned from him, solemn and absolute.

"You've given me a lot, Ivar. I thank you for that. Hopefully soon, you and I will see eye to eye again, and we can live peacefully, as you said."

She angled down the hill, hurrying toward the laboratory.

Nobody stopped her from entering the stand-in hospital room. Vee had been worrying over his brother, grimacing at his crudely wrapped hand, violet dark and lame at his side. They'd already stripped him naked and laid a blanket over his lower extremities, so the bruises spraying his ribs screamed in the whiteness. His skin was bright red and glossy, shoulders scabbed with burns. With all his muscles slackened, Axel spilled over the bed, deadweight and loose-jawed.

"What happened?" Zed asked, turning to the doctor propped up in a gurney, sipping from a jug of water.

"I can't say for sure," said Samson. "He was comatose when I found him baking in the desert. That's one lucky man, right there. Lucky he crawled his sorry ass to where he did. Otherwise, I might have missed him by a mile."

"What should we do, Samson? How do I make him come out of it?"

"Oh, we can never be sure. It could be a few days, weeks... Months. My suggestion is to regulate his body temperature, treat his wounds and burns, and hope for the best."

Zed turned back to the unconscious man. She spotted the clumps of dirt in his hair, the scrapes on his elbows and mud-caked fingernails and her panic increased.

"Somebody bring me washcloths, soap and water right now!"

"I'd be mighty careful cleaning those burns, Zed. He's got some good blisters forming. And mind his hand."

"I will, I will," Zed nodded. "Just tell me what to do."

"Can I bother someone for a snack?" Asked Samson.

The guards who'd toted them into the lab stuck around until no longer needed. Zed refused help from anyone except Vee after Trinity brought them a bucket of warmed water, and Lora provided antiseptic. They started cleaning Axel gently, beginning with the grime under his nails. Samson ate from a bowl of mixed fruits, humming in delight from the nectar sliding down his throat.

Zed moved Axel's injured arm with great care and washed away the smears of dirt marring his tattoos, applying disinfectant to the cuts. Vee worked on the opposite side of the bed, combing out the chunks in his hair. Once in awhile, Zed met Vee's eyes, and he'd nod or give her a forced grin.

Axel's unconsciousness only registered later in the night after they'd cleaned him and swapped a few words of astonishment. Zed stayed nearby, wishing his eyes open, but every hopeful breath gave way to disappointment. Lost in the blankness of his mind, Axel floated.

Even Lora surrendered to the sobering tension, making herself available to Vee only. Zed didn't concern herself with the woman. Her mind was awash with relief and worry for the friend who'd found his miraculous way back home. Nothing else mattered but the battered man lying in slumber on the hospital bed.

Samson fell asleep, and Vee left after long, touching Zed's shoulder before excusing himself. He promised to come back as soon as he'd had some rest. Zed nodded, squeezing his hand for a lingering moment, then releasing him. Sleep had no chance of overtaking her, so she stayed next to Axel, balling herself up in one of the office chairs, listening to his wheezing and sticking her fingers under his scruffy jaw to check his pulse every time he went silent.

When it was only her, Axel, and Samson sleeping in the room, she leaned over the bed and brushed her palm over Axel's scaly forehead. She avoided his singed nose, the curving laceration above his left eye and the peeling skin on the crests of his cheeks, touching his jaw and stroking his hair a few times.

"Don't worry, everything's okay now. You're back where you're safe."

The woman slumped into the chair, propping her heavy head on her elbow. She watched his chest rise and fall for a few minutes, plates of seared skin stretching tight over his ribcage, and fought off the urge to doze alongside him.

"Mmph-uh... Muh."

Zed's eyes snapped open. "Axel? Did you speak?"

"Hmm," he thrummed.

"Can you hear me, Axel? It's me, Zed. Azalea. Do you recognize my voice?"

Axel's throat went quiet, the enfeebled notes fading back to obscurity. Zed tried to get him mumbling again, but the hunter remained still.

"It's okay. I promise, I'll make you better. You're home now, and I'm not going anywhere until you’re better, okay, Axel? Don’t worry. You’re at home with me."

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chemicalmagecraft · 3 years ago

Text

Taiyuu OCT Round 3

@taiyuu-oct

Character Nicknames: Keikei-sensei: Unbreakable Fuwa-chan: Zuruko Kayaki Boron: Nerva Rekka Akai-chan: Naishin-Sunomu Seisho Yuu-chan: Mochizuki Tofu

x x x

Yukino tapped her claws against her notebook as she sat in Keikei-sensei's "classroom." She scoffed. It wasn't so much a classroom as it was a field with a packed dirt stage. But hey, that was pretty much Taiyuu's brand at this point, wasn't it? Dirt-cheap, in both their construction and their ability to actually act like a real hero school, fang'si! Honestly the only reasons Yukino hadn't left yet was that Niichan assured her it'd be less complicated to just wait it out until break and Fuwa-chan finally figured out that her Quirk had an off button. Though... Yukino was still skeptical of how abrupt it was after about ten years of supposedly having no control over it at all and how close it was to Yukino complaining about the whole "hey, I'd like to not have my mind fucked with without my permission on a daily basis" thing, but apparently she HaD aN ePipHaNy so it was all good and should not be looked into further.

All the same, Yukino was still keeping her notes on the sheep girl. And Taiyuu was on thin ice with Yukino. If she felt like they weren't properly ensuring the safety of all of their students again, she would not be happy. And she'd probably involve her family in her discomfort with Taiyuu more than she already had. And if that happened- Yukino sighed and took a few deep breaths. At some point the cover of her notebook had frosted over a little under her claws. Ugh. She was better than just letting her Quirk slip out like that. It didn't look like the frost had bled through to the other side, thankfully. Yukino wiped off a bit of frost, then opened up her notebook. She was actually really looking forward to today's assignment... or maybe activity would be a better description? Today they were going to be showing off their hero names and costumes! Yukino had been looking forward to this for years, and even the recent events hadn't been enough to put a damper on that.

Though... Yukino thought that maybe the timing wasn't the best. They were tasked with getting their costume sketches together about when midterms were announced, with the due date being after midterms were over. Supposedly it was to take everyone's mind off the midterms, but really it was just piling up more work on top of the midterms. Of course, Yukino did pretty well on her midterms, she'd made sure to keep on top of her studies. And she'd finalized her costume design like a year ago, after getting feedback from her pro hero relatives on it too. But she could see her classmates having some trouble balancing the workload. Yukino didn't think it was malicious, of course, but just like everything about Taiyuu it was haphazard and a little mismanaged.

Yukino shook her head and slapped her cheeks. If she kept thinking like that she'd probably get herself worked up again... She took another deep breath, then looked at her design notes again, giving herself a bit of a reminder. She'd practiced what she wanted to do to show off her costume since she had the idea for it, but it was a little complex so she still wanted to refresh her memory. She quickly made a little ice statue, just as practice. Then she ground it down to diamond dust before anyone could get a sneak peek. After she was done with that she turned her attention back to the presentations. Okay, maybe she should've been paying more attention to her classmates, but in her defense she was kinda in the back of the "classroom" and almost everyone only had drawings or rough sketches of their costumes that they were describing for the class. Yukino's eyes were good, but not that good.

Ooh, Boron was going up next. They announced that their hero name was The Flaming Hero: Supernova, pretty nice. Their costume seemed to be some kinda light robe, with a mask and leg wrappings instead of shoes. Plenty of bare skin, to help vent heat. It sounded pretty cool, so Yukino couldn't wait to see them wearing it. Next up was Akai-chan, and wow she already had her outfit somehow. How did Yukino miss that? Akai-chan was wearing a red han'fu and a mask, with her hair done all fancy. Yukino certainly liked it. She took the stage and explained her costume choice. Apparently there was armor under that han'fu, which Yukino thought was... kinda neat, actually. "I have chosen Blood Lightning as my hero name," Akai-chan finished with, accentuating it by brandishing a hand covered in red lightning.

Hot.

Next up was Yuu-chan! Yukino was kinda excited to see her roommate's hero costume, to be honest. "I want to make my hero name... Tofu," he said when he got to the stage. "I've been using Yuu as a name more now, and I want my hero name to be something nice and friendly." Yukino nodded. That was probably a good reason for a hero name, and Tofu was nice and simple. It kinda reminded her of Deku, to be honest. He described his costume, which he said he hoped would make him look friendly and comforting. There was a light robe with a ginkgo leaf pattern, a little tail thingy, and a black turtleneck with black leggings underneath it. And finally, he had his usual box mask, except the hero costume one had a cute smile drawn on. Yukino smiled at the mental image of it.

After Yuu-chan sat back down, Yukino decided to get up. "Can I go next?" she asked.

"Of course!" Keikei-sensei declared.

Yukino nodded and walked over to the stage. She took a deep breath as she did, calming her emotions and collecting her thoughts. She grinned as she jumped onto the stage. The nice thing about constantly having to keep an iron grip on her emotions at all times was that somewhere along the line Yukino had become pretty decent at putting on a cheerful face. "Alrighty!" she turned to face the class with a grin. She raised her hand to the sky, white vapor rolling off of it. "For my hero name, I've decided on The Diamond Dust Hero: Kuraokami!" As she said that, she made tiny shards of ice from her raised hand, causing them to swirl around her hand in a vaguely dragon-shaped cloud that glittered in the Summer sun. "A dragon god of snow is pretty fitting for me, right?"

The dragon coiled down her arm, then she stretched her other arm out to the side as the dragon flew around it. Yukino grinned. "As for my costume..." She activated her Quirk again with her outstretched hand. She formed the sculpture she wanted in her mind, ice crystalizing from moisture in the air under her palm. The dragon made of diamond dust swirled around the sculpture as it formed, slowly melting into water droplets that fell as her telekinesis failed. She didn't even plan it, but the last of the diamond dust melted away as the ice sculpture, a double-scale statue herself in her hero costume making a cute pose, was finished forming. Her grin widened a little. The class oohed and ahhed from the display.

Keikei-sensei clapped. "That was amazing! You certainly know how to show off your Quirk. Though I should warn you, due to how not everyone can make giant ice statues of themselves, your grade is going to be based more on utility and how you sell your costume than what the visual presentation is."

Yukino nodded and gave a thumbs-up. "That's reasonable. Don't worry, I didn't expect to just win with that alone. So, the costume!" Yukino pointed to the statue's frilly dress. "If you can't tell, those ridges are supposed to look like dragon scales, for the dragon theme. I figure it should have a kinda arctic color scheme, whites and light blues and stuff." Yukino cleared her throat, feeling her cheeks heat up slightly. "I... took inspiration from magical girl anime for the general design of the dress. Figured that'd be pretty cool-looking, plus it fits with my Quirk name, Cryomancy, and how it can look like spellcasting. And again, gave it a bit of an arctic feel." She patted her giant, icy skirt. "Plus, those frills will also add insulation to help keep my body heat in. I pretty much can't overheat and my Quirk makes me colder, so no sense not keeping warm. On top of that, I'd like to have a heating element similar to what of a lot of other heroes with cold-based Quirk drawbacks have. And the material the costume is made of should be flame-retardant. I can basically absorb fire, yes, but it's best to err on the side of caution, y'know? Also there are modesty shorts in case I have to kick something and heated pockets hidden in the skirt so I can warm my hands up."

Yukino switched to pointing at the staff her statue was holding in one hand. "Onto the equipment. I'm trained in fighting with a staff and can channel my Quirk through it, so that's a no-brainer. I'd prefer to have it made of metal, maybe aluminum or something, because I can channel my Quirk through conductive materials a little easier, but I can see why a metal staff might not be something you'd be comfortable giving a hero student in the first year." She pointed to the bow slung across her statue's back. "Again, I can use a bow with my Quirk." She held out her hand with a toothy grin and formed a few ice arrows, which she floated around her arm. "I can make my heatseeker arrows pretty quickly, then shoot them faster than normal arrows. And as the name suggests, I can alter the flight path in midair with my telekinesis." She disintegrated the arrows into diamond dust. "Next, it's a little hard to see with the frills in the way, which is kinda the point, but there are wrist-mounted grappling hooks hidden in the sleeves. Made specially so I can conduct my Quirk through 'em. Can use them to trip someone, take their weapons, restrain them, or hopefully a mobility boost. Plus I think they look pretty cool."

Yukino snapped her fingers, causing the statue to turn around. She'd made the statue with a bit of a raised base that was separated to form a moving part so she could turn it with minimal effort. The statue turned all the way around, revealing two raised bits in the bottom of the boot that it was kicking back as part of the pose it was doing. "It might be a little hard to see without any color, but there are bits on the bottom of the boots. On the real deal these would be made of metal and extend to bits touching my feet. My Quirk is basically touch-ranged, so if I wanna use my Quirk through my boots it'll make my boots colder either way. Having small, conductive bits at the bottom should make it efficient enough that if the boots are also heated it won't freeze my toes. And I imagine being able to use my Quirk from my feet as well as my hands is gonna be useful."

And now for the big finisher. Yukino turned the statue back around and hopped onto the base. She took a deep breath, then slowly raised the statue a little. The other purpose of the base was that the raised bit that kept the two halves from misaligning when she turned it around also let her raise the statue up slightly without making the statue wobble, which would probably make Yukino slip up and fall. This was already stressful enough without that. But Yukino had already decided she'd raise the platform with her on it for the end of the presentation, so there was no turning back. She just barely managed to keep from shaking as she felt the platform she was standing on be supported only by her telekinesis. Now the worst part. Yukino jumped, kicking her leg back to copy the pose her statue was making. She lost her balance a little when she landed on one leg, but managed to rebalance with only a bit of wobbling. Yukino sighed in relief, then copied the cute pose and expression of her statue. "And that's The Diamond Dust Hero: Kuraokami!"

Yukino slowly put the statue down, then stepped off. She snapped her fingers, then started to disintegrate her statue. She lifted it upwards, making the powdered ice swirl around it as the statue was quickly chipped away. Soon it was a cloud of diamond dust swirling in the air above the stage, then Yukino made the cloud explode. The tiny bits of ice scattered through the air, most of it melting into raindrops before they could hit her classmates. Yukino grinned as Keikei-sensei and some of her classmates clapped. "Thank you, thank you." She strutted back to where she was sitting. That was fun, but the end was a little tiring... Still, she'd paced herself enough that she wasn't that tired. "Right," she said, "who's next?"

#taiyuu oct #taiyuu ocs #bnha ocs #takeda yukino #unbreakable #zuruko kayaki #nerva rekka #naishin-sunomu seishin #mochizuki tofu

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readingsbylibramc · 3 years ago

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birth chart reading for @journeyyfgyg

hello! welcome to your reading. I’m gonna give you a quick overview of what I’m going to analyze about your natal chart. feel free to ask me anything if something isn’t clear, of course. you’ll find out your dominants’ influence on your persona, your physical appearance, impression on others and the way you approach the world; your ego, identity, the real you; your reactions, your desires, inner emotions; your way of expressing your feelings, your mind and ideas; your desires and approach to love; your energy tank, instincts and temperament; in-depth analysis of each house with their rulers and analysis of heavy aspects; love life + soulmates/karmic partners interpretation; your relationship with your friends; your family life; your approach to career and work in general + possible jobs suggestion; your style, fashion sense analysis; life purpose and past life description; basic transits’ analysis to describe your current mood and, last but not least, your secret skills, how to make the most out of your soul and manifest what you desire based on your birth chart.

🦋 chart shape, dominants

your chart is a locomotive shape. this means that you're a very ambitious person, with a lot of energy. mars has a big influence on you, and your life revolves around taking action to set and achieve your goals. the empty part of your life is what you have to develop, hence your family, love life and also your friendships. basically, your relationships with other people.

your dominant planets are mercury, jupiter and neptune. you definitely an artistic talent, or at least you love art of any kind, from music to poetry. you love learning, exploring new topics and your surroundings, you fancy travelling and you are particularly clever and open-minded. you also have a nice sense of humor, you're quite sociable and you get along with others easily.

your dominant sign is sagittarius. you have an amazing sense of humor, your personality is so charismatic that it naturally draws people towards you. you're also extremely open-minded, you rarely have prejudices. you have a knack for spirituality, religion, philosophy... anything that can stimulate you mentally.

your dominant element is fire. you have a warm heart, even though it may be covered by your confidence and independence. in fact, you always strive for the first place. people may be intimidated by your presence, as you're a serious competitor. thanks to this competitive nature of yours you may be very positive and optimistic, making you a good and supportive friend/partner.

🌎 ascendant in sagittarius, 3° / 1st decan ruled by jupiter

you see the world as an adventure. I feel like you typically don’t relate to sagittarius ascendant stereotypes; sag risings are usually very happy-go-lucky, they smile often, but pluto being in the first house may change things a bit. you’re more of a loner, you’re not as extroverted as other sagittariuses. you may relate more to scorpio rising, actually. ironically, you often look sad or angry. you have a knack for philosophy, and your favourite is most probably ‘you only live once’. you tame dying before making the amount of experiences you want to have in your life, hence you could even be impulsive sometimes. you’re the type to always be up to crack a joke or anything that can make you and others smile, yet when someone gets against you, it’s over for them. you have quite of a sharp tongue, you’re pretty blunt and straight-forward. in fact, you may often get in troubles due to your impulsiveness, which may be misunderstood. you have an incredible charm to you; it’s not like taurus’ or libra’s, those are more related to physical traits. sagittarius people, on the other hand, are surely very talented at something; maybe, at school you were one of the best students, and everyone recognized it and appreciated you for that; people understand your potential, and you may often receive compliments for your skills. basically, your personality is charismatic. due to pluto being in the ascendant, I feel like you may even struggle too much with pessimism during your first years, but in case you are, you shouldn’t be. jupiter is also your dominant planet, and it’s willing to give you the best of luck if you respect its themes. hence, you need to have faith in the universe and be optimistic. try to look more at the positive sides in life and even in people. physically, sagittarius is all about abundance, hence you may have trouble losing weight. you could have big bones, or at least something bigger on your body that doesn’t make you look like a model. you’re more on the thick side, in fact you probably have a wide bone structure, with wider hips and/or thick thighs. you could also have wide shoulders, and something big and memorable on your face as well. maybe you have a very distinctive nose, or perhaps your eyes are almond-shaped. your forehead and lips could be pretty wide as well. I’ve also noticed that sagittarius people have a very lively sparkle in their eyes, even though they may be very dark. it’s like having two/three tiny diamonds at the centre of each of your eyes.

sagittarius ascendant square virgo sun: this placement indicates that, when you’re in public, you tend to act in a different way from who you truly are. perhaps you tend to act bubbly and sociable to hide your reserved virgo sun. this can obviously interfer in your relationships and bonds with others; some may expect you to be different, so you may often lose friends because you turned out to be more astute than what they were expecting. in fact, you may often attract people that try to take advantage of you. I wouldn’t worry too much, though, as I find this placement beneficial in your case, exactly because of this reason. but just in case it bothers you, now that you’re aware of this tendency of yours you can try to understand your real self more thanks to this reading, and start acting like who you truly are to get out of your shell.

sagittarius ascendant conjunct sagittarius moon: this placement makes you look softer than the typical sagittarius rising. in fact, you're kind of a cancer rising for some traits: you can read people's mood very well, it's easy for you to understand whether someone is sad, angry, happy... because of that, you always try to make people feel at ease, you're always kind with people, and that makes you extremely likeable. also, since the moon rules over feelings and the inner you, you're probably a very genuine person. it's hard for you to hide your real emotions, and even if you wanted to hide them you wouldn't be capable, you're not fake. you could also have frequent mood swings. you have a strong sense of family and comfort to you, and hence it's extremely essential for you feel at ease to truly be yourself. you may also resemble your mother more than your father.

sagittarius ascendant square pisces mars: you easily come off as more assertive and arrogant than you actually are. this manifests both in your face and in your words. you could say things impulsively, and sometimes you're too blunt and hurt people's feelings. you don't do it on purpose, though, there's no malice behind your acts; it's just your natural way to express your opinions. on the other hand, you probably have a very strong charisma to you that makes you look very captivating and bold. people see you as a leader, and hence they could get intimidated by your presence. to cope with this placement, you can try controlling yourself and your words before speaking. I'm aware that it's a way to vent your anger, but you can find another way that doesn't hurt others.

sagittarius ascendant square virgo jupiter: you probably learn a lot from people around you. you're most likely surrounded by wise, spiritual and possibly foreign individuals in your life. they help you to grow up, both spiritually and mentally. you're also very open-minded, and you rarely have prejudices. the downside to this placement is that you may be depend too much on your friends or lovers, especially when it comes to your beliefs. you're easy to influence, and you may change your mind often if others disagree with you. you could possibly have high expectations from others, creating a false idea of those who surround you. at least, you're aware of your abilities and you have the potential to make the most out of them, but you're modest about it. you don't come off as bossy, as other jupiter - asc aspects would.

🌞 sun in virgo, 9° / 1st decan ruled by mercury

you try to avoid conflicts as much as possible. you're very smart and insightful, and you strive for perfection; in a room, you always want to be the best, whether it's fashion-wise, or maybe at work or school. you're a perfectionist, you can't bear being #2. to be perfect, you don't bring others down, though. that's because you want to prove your power to yourself, not to others. it's like a way to increase you low self-esteem. in fact, it depends a lot on your achievements; if you don't meet your expectations, you start going through a hard time of insecurity and struggles. you find beauty in aesthetically-pleasant things, therefore you care a lot about hygiene and possibly about looks too. for example, your house probably looks very neat, and you chose your furniture wisely. you clean it everyday, you can't stand dust or any bad smells. you're also very organized, but you tend to base your life too much on a schedule. you love communicating. you're also very introspective, and you're fond of art and creativity in general. you're very critical, both of yourself and of others. you don't do it with malice, though, but you want to frequent people that try to be at their best all the time, just like you after all.

virgo sun square sagittarius moon: with this aspect, what you need and what you want tend to clash. in your case, your sagittarius moon wants to be in the spotlight, you want to be sociable and have fun. you want to go out often and live life to the fullest, while your virgo sun is more private, it prefers being alone. as a result, you may come off as unpredictable and / or indecisive. you could struggle with being optimistic, as you have this inner turmoil in you that makes you struggle to attract positive situations in your life. you may often feel conflicted, as if you didn't have control over your emotions. you may have unstable self-esteem, one day you could be feeling extra confident and happy with yourself and then the next day you feel very insecure, you want to change everything about your persona. you could feel unwanted, or perhaps you actually used to feel unwanted during your childhood, perhaps by your parents, relatives or even by other children at school. you're basically a walking paradox, you want both intimacy and independence, stability and flexibility.

virgo sun conjunct virgo venus: you enjoy peace and harmony. you want your surroundings to look all neat and clean, and same goes for the people you surround yourself with. you wish people saw you as easy to approach, even though you may struggle with your image. you try to be as formal and kind as possible with people you don’t know well, unless they start getting on your nerves by disagreeing with your opinions or being too bossy. you’re very feminine, not only in your looks and manners but also in the way you dress. you’re quite romantic too, and dream of having a perfect marriage. the downside to this aspect is that because you take so much care of yourself, people may mistake your self-love for vanity, especially with your virgo placements. also, your self-esteem may depend too much on others’ opinion of you; you may start thinking you’re ugly and unworthy of love just because someone told you you’re not their type, to sum up.

virgo sun opposite pisces mars: you’re extremely passionate about the things you love, you strive to be perfect at them, and your perfectionist, virgo nature confirms this. this could make you quite competitive, as your virgo sun wants to succeed and be always right. I feel like you don’t really enjoy being in the spotlight; you’d rather avoid conflicts, or at least not be the center of them. yet, sometimes it’s hard for you not be aggressive. I don’t think it happens often, but you can be very blunt and rude if someone truly gets on your nerves. this, paired up with your sagittarius dominance, makes you sort of dramatic. as long as you don’t react like this too often, I don’t think it’s a big issue though.

virgo sun conjunct virgo jupiter: this placement makes you more easy-going and kind-hearted than the typical virgo sun. you have a warm personality. I imagine that, once you get to know people, you become very outgoing. you always try to make people feel comfortable and, matched with your sagittarius moon, this placement makes you particularly considerate of others. you have a knack for religion, spirituality and just knowledge in general. you have strong beliefs, and you're most probably very open-minded as well. the negative side of this mostly-beneficial placement is that you may be subconsciously too confident in yourself, resulting arrogant or selfish. it's alright to praise yourself of course, but you may start to look down on people who don't share your same interests, opinions etc. you can't repress this side of yourself of course, but try not to show it with people around you if it causes you problems.

🌙 moon in sagittarius, 0° / 1st decan ruled by jupiter

you're an outgoing and warm person, who always tries to make others feel at ease. I assume you try to be nice to everyone, but you can't help but be a little awkward around people you don't know. with your sagittarius moon, you go with the flow and don't shy away from challenges. they're moments to prove your potential and abilities. you are an extremely open-minded person, you rarely judge a book by its cover. you probably despise racism, homophobia, misogyny etc. with a passion (as you should tbh). you may also be into poetry, philosophy, and just anything that can stimulate both your mind and feelings. in fact, your mind is constantly wandering somewhere else, allowing you to travel with your fantasy. you're also probably attracted to foreign things, like people, music, fashion, languages, movies etc. you love learning about anything, and you may also have a good memory. in fact, it’s common for you to be the one who explains things and possibly even leads a group, and this could unluckily make you seem as a know-it-all. you do take pride in your wisdom, indeed. your deep way of thinking is also where your desire for freedom comes from, as you wish to be able to expand yourself through travelling and new experiences. when you get angry, you can actually get very rude and offensive, even towards authorities. you’re short-tempered, and you despise being told what to do. you’re also a good, loyal friend, and you’re the type to stand up for them and defend them during a fight. you’re friendly, especially with people you feel comfortable with, and you probably love talking. you’re able to put a smile on others’ face just by telling your stories, even though you never truly go in-depth. you're quite optimistic, as you see good in everyone. yet, while this is a good trait that allows you to be more at ease in relationships, you may also be fooled easily due to your blind optimism.

sagittarius moon square pisces mars: your feelings are very intense. you may tend to react aggressively, or at least overreact. you feel the constant need to express your emotions, but you also want to be understood by others. you tend to be aggressive because you're actually afraid that others may be the first ones to hurt you. you don't really do it with malice, it's your way to defend yourself from eventual enemies. this placement also indicates that your childhood / family life was or will be quite turbulent. to cope with this placement, I'd suggest you to be a little bit more mechanic when you express your feelings. you don't have to hide them, just try not to vent all your anger around.

sagittarius moon square virgo jupiter: you enjoy making different experiences and living your life to the fullest, making you also a risk-taker. you may lack self-control. with this trait you get bored easily, and you may have a reputation for being flaky. you tend to overindulge; you may spend too much money, or even develop eating disorders like binge-eating. at least, you're able to build your life again and have a fresh start, but you risk to get stuck in this cycle. you have the potential to master different talents, but you may struggle to develop them due to this placement. you're a procrastinator, and you find it hard to focus on more things at the same time. you may also attract people with different beliefs and ideas from you, causing you to fall out with them easily. there are also positive sides to this placement, though! you're probably naturally lucky, even though luck may not always be by your side.

🗣 mercury in virgo, 24° / 3rd decan ruled by mercury and venus

you have a very logical, pragmatic mind. ironically, this creates contrast with your sagittarius energy, confusing you as you may act differently in different situations. you try to be as well-spoken as possible, especially with strangers, but when people get on your nerves you can’t help but kill them with your words. before expressing your opinion on a certain matter, you like making sure that your thought actually has proof to be supported. you’re very analytical, and hence you also overthink a lot. especially when it comes to people you care, you start overthinking so much about little things like late replies to messages that you create a variety of hollywood-worthy scenarios in your head. you also pay lots of attention to details, and you can’t tolerate typos and grammar mistakes. you always try to speak and write in the most correct and polite way as possible. you may have an elegant, yet neat handwriting. your voice probably sounds very calm and collected, yet you don’t have any problems speaking at a louder tone.

virgo mercury square sagittarius pluto: you may become a bit manipulative. you probably don’t even realize it, though, as you have the ability to make people do what you want them to do. you probably love being right, especially during arguments, and you always manage to be so thanks to your skills. your words are like knives for others, they can truly cut deep through their ego. you’re direct and blunt, as you just say what you have in mind with no filters. you can develop a provocative attitude without even realizing it, which can obviously cause you conflicts. you need to be more careful about how you communicate your ideas, otherwise you could seriously damage other people’s self-esteem. on the other hand, if you acknowledge your flaws and work on them, this can actually turn into diplomacy. take advantage of your interest in your inner self to find out how to be a bit more gentle in choosing your words.

❤️ venus in virgo, 13° / 2nd decan ruled by mercury and saturn

in your group of friends you’re most probably the late bloomer. in fact, it probably took you a while to experience romance. that’s because love isn’t your priority, even though you crave emotional affection and security. you’re not the type to fall for someone at first sight, you’re only into people that are willing to commit to you. you seek a partner that is hard-working and takes care of themselves, both physically and mentally but, at the same time, that would only look at you. it could take you some time to feel totally comfortable around your partner, but once you trust them, you’ll stay with them for a while. it’s hard for you to show your love with words, hence you do it with little gestures. you probably remember stuff like their birthday, their favorite food etc., and you wouldn’t mind receiving the same kind of affection back. when it comes to love, you’re not a risk-taker; you probably prefer being courted rather than court others, and if you do it, you make sure that the other person likes you back. you enjoy helping others, you’re the type of friend or lover that wouldn’t hesitate to do favors. yet, you want to be appreciated, otherwise you may just feel used. you may be quite hard to satisfy, but you’re surely very loyal.

virgo venus square sagittarius pluto: you find yourself having crushes on random people often, love at first sight is common for you. but when you seriously fall for someone, they’re your only thought. you start searching for info about them online, and you wanna become part of their life too. you love intensely, but not everyone may enjoy that. there are people that could feel overwhelmed by your love, others that would vibe with you and offer you the same kind of affection. ironically, you tend to attract detached, manipulative people that most of the times don’t want anything serious. you’re prone to get jealous and possessive very easily, and this makes you suffer, as you may think there’s something wrong with you. maybe, it may even remind you of something that happened during your childhood, perhaps your parents were also very protective of you. love for you is a constant grow; your relationships will be hard, but there’ll always be something to learn to improve yourself and your confidence. little side-note, you may often date karmic partners, aka partners from your past lives, so you may often experience this 'I’ve already seen you before’-vibe in your new encounters and relationships, and you’ll always learn something from all your relationships.

☄️ mars in pisces, 3° / 1st decan ruled by neptune

you go with the flow. even though your virgo sun makes you want to be organized and stable, your pisces mars does the opposite. in fact, you rely a lot on your intuition rather than logic. this may make you appear as submissive, sometimes, as if you can’t stand up for yourself. you’re actually a very spiritual person though, who thinks deeply before acting. you’re aware of your actions, but at the same time you’re ready for eventual changes in your schedule/routine. you have no problems improvising, you’re very versatile. the problem is, you may rely so much on your intuition that you don’t take action. you’re the type to fantasize about being a better person, rather than trying to become one. you may also have the tendency to be passive-aggressive and avoid problems; you may prefer being cold to someone rather than trying to work your argument out. this energy is probably mitigated by your prominent sagittarius energy, though; in fact, it makes you quite impulsive and also blunt.

pisces mars opposite virgo jupiter: you may often experience 'almost winner' situations. in fact, it seems like there's always something or someone who tries to get into your way, succeeding. you most probably have some karmic lessons to learn, especially regarding violence. maybe, in your past life you were so blunt that you hurt someone very deeply. you might have been a bully, or maybe you were the one bullied or even abused. you've got a hot temper, and the worst thing is that you hold onto anger for a quite a bit, especially since your pisces mars makes you bottle all of your feelings up. there are lessons you need to learn in this lifetime, exactly regarding these issues. probably, you may find yourself having enemies, or just people misunderstanding you in general. that's caused exactly by this karmic placement. it's something that you should be able to solve with time and with awareness of the meaning of your words, but also with will. I assume that you're either blindly optimistic or the opposite, you always think everything's going down. be more realistic, and use things like astrology, meditation etc. to find out what's going in your mind. it'll be the key to finally understand how to act, since you'd finally have a clear vision of the world. you're very spiritual, you just need to embrace your higher self.

🏡 houses

your 1st house is in sagittarius, with also pluto placed there. you come off as someone very sympathetic and bold, you're probably the fun one in the family or in your group of friends, even though pluto's presence conjunct the ascendant may delay this energy. you are very charismatic, you have a witty sense of humor and people are always pleased to have you around, as you're able to light up the room. people always see you as someone easy to talk to, someone trustworthy. you probably have great problem-solving skills or, otherwise, you just ignore your problems and wait for time to heal. you're also quite spiritual, you may be sensitive to higher entities and you could possibly also be religious.

your 2nd house is in capricorn. your relationship with money may not be totally stable; you may get distracted easily, and you could lose your money around. this is usually a placement that indicates sudden money loss. this placement also confirms that your self-esteem isn’t stable either; you could be quite insecure, and you may idealize a lot the way you look. for example, you could think that you have an ugly nose when it’s actually the opposite. same goes for your belongings; you may think that you have saved loads of money, you spend them, and then you realize you didn’t really have much. on the other hand, even though you may lack self-esteem and financial security during the first years of your life, it will all get better in the future.

your 3rd house is in the sign of aquarius, with also uranus, mars and neptune. when it comes to speech, you’re most likely more introspective. you may not be much talkative, and most of the time you keep your ideas and thoughts to yourself, but actually it's hard for you to hide them. you may be secretive, but you're easy to read. you learn the best when you’re close to creativity or imagination, you’re very intuitive and hence it's easier for you to learn new topics. while you're very empathetic and you're able to properly convey your thoughts and feelings in your speech, you may also come off as sensitive or even insecure. you may have a quiet voice, and hence you could come off as shy. you have a very distinctive way of thinking and speaking. you don't like being like others, you don't follow trends. you're probably the trendsetter, and you may find confidence and pride in your ideas and opinions. some may even define you weird, but you have very strong beliefs that could actually be helpful for the world. you're quite 'ahead' of others from this point of view, you're able to find beauty in things without being influenced by others. for example, you may follow a fashion trend before it gets viral. you are able to come up with very innovative ways of solving problems, you're extremely creative. you may even be the type to invent your own words, or perhaps you love learning and reading new words, you have a wide vocabulary. you're also probably interested in science and any darker or logical topic, you want to use your words and theories to change something in the world. you want to leave an impact, maybe even help others through your mind. you have a very witty sense of humor, you most likely speak fluent sarcasm and you're also very astute.

your 4th house is in pisces. when you were young, you probably didn’t feel at ease with yourself. you might have been the outcast, that one kid that stood out in the daycare. you probably didn’t have many friends either, but you weren’t that sad about it. you enjoyed playing, drawing and watching your favorite cartoons alone. you find emotional comfort and security in your home, in your parents and in just family in general. you used to be very attracted to arts when you were a kid, and you kept this love with you while growing up. maybe, you were the type of child to lie to your parents. you have a good relationship with your parents, even though you may argue often as you're all quite impulsive and unpredictable. you may even be an absent parent, maybe your parents are divorced or one of them died.

your 5th house is ruled by aries. you find confidence in your creativity, and you have the desire to express it to the world. I think you’re probably the type to organize and arrange all the meetings and parties with your friends, you're practically the leader of your friend group. you may have aries hobbies, therefore you may be into sports and challenges of any kind. you could also enjoy working out and taking care of your physical appearance in general, you always try to look good.

your 6th house is in taurus. you may find yourself dating people at your work place, or maybe at school you used to go out with people from your class/school. romance is part of your daily life for you. you like surrounding yourself with venusian aesthetic, so you probably take care of your body, your fashion, your home and so on. you may also be very fond of animals and money. this placement usually makes someone procrastinate a bit, you may have the habit of dedicating yourself too much to your passions without finishing your work, but I don't think it's your case. there are other placements in your chart that make you more hard-working than you look. you are in fact very dedicated to your job and routine. you probably don't like changes, you'd rather follow a schedule in your day-to-day life. your job and skills could be the key to make you gain more confidence in yourself, as they would give you the independency that you crave due to your sagittarius rising. you may have a job that allows you to earn a great income, and perhaps you could heal people with it. hence, you could be some sort of therapist, counselor, nurse or even something more artistic, like a writer. anything that allows you to heal people with your words would be suitable for you. you could also work in a place where you have to handle others' money or possessions in general.

your 7th house is in gemini. in a partner, you seek someone intelligent that is able to keep up with your rhythm. you don’t have time to nurture someone, you want them to fully understand you. in fact, you may be more attracted to older partners, as they’re supposed to be more mature. I don’t see many issues arising in your marriage life, it will probably be very peaceful, but it may take you a while to find someone you like. you’re a picky person when it comes to love, you want someone hard-working and responsible with a big brain, yet they should also be quite outgoing and funny. you need mental stimulation, someone that is a constant adventure for you and that is worth exploring. maybe, you're actually afraid of falling in love; or perhaps, it's the opposite: your risk-taker sagittarius energy made you jump into relationships, even if they weren't actually your priority. it may be hard for you to fall for someone, but once you do, you're totally invested in them.

your 8th house is in cancer. saturn is also placed there. you are a very private individual, you have trust issues and you only share your concerns to people you're sure you can trust. you tend to preserve yourself, even though it’s hard for you to repress your emotions, as they’re too to intense to bottle them up. you absorb people’s feelings like a sponge, there’s no way that you won’t instantly understand their real emotions. overall, you tend to overreact a lot; you have the cancer's sensitive energy on one side and 8th house’s mysterious, almost scary vibe. dealing with these emotional burnouts may be stressing to you, as you totally get caught up in them. even if it looks like you get to know other people often, you actually don’t let others know you. you’re the type of person to talk and socialize, especially after your saturn return, but you never reveal your deepest fears and thoughts to strangers. you only open up to people you’re sure you can trust. you have very high standards when it comes to love. you're a passionate, loyal lover, but at the same times you also want and need a lover that is willing to go as far as you go with your feelings. you may often test your partner to see if they're worthy of your love, for example. you have this sort of self-destructive behaviour that makes people stressed, just because you have extreme trust issues and you feel the need to control everyone, especially if 'everyone' is your lover.

your 9th house is in leo. you’re able to grasp a lot of information that makes you think more about your identity. you’re probably interested in philosophy, poetry, literature... you are a perfectionist at school, and you probably have amazing grades. you are very justice-driven, you like learning new things and being the #1 at pretty much everything you care about. yet, you could be quite bossy at times, as you could come off as a bit too arrogant but you're just very dedicated. on the other hand, you're also very intelligent and open-minded above all, you could feel particularly drawn to foreign cultures and languages and you could be naturally skilled. you may also get to travel a lot or even move abroad at a certain point in your life, you're definitely a citizen of the world and you hardly ever have prejudices. the sun, jupiter and venus are also sitting here: people may consider you flaky, as you value freedom above all. you may be the type that likes making new experiences regarding love, and you often date your crushes. yet, you feel too limited in a relationship. you don't enjoy committing to someone if that someone isn't perfect for you, you're only completely loyal to the one you consider your true love. you can't give up your freedom, your thirst for adventure and experiences for someone else. basically, your ideal partner would be a risk-taker, someone loyal but not too clingy, that is down to go on a road trip in every moment. someone impulsive, that could help you stepping out of your comfort-zone. you're probably into those youthful love stereotypes, e.g. high school dates. you want your relationships to be filled with excitement, you despise boring, traditional and cheesy things. you may also find yourself being attracted to unavailable people; that is, you could fall for people that are already taken, or maybe they're physically unavailable, e.g they live abroad or in another city in general. you're also attracted to foreigners, and people that have a wise, yet bubbly aura around them. you are an extremely wise person, and you believe strongly in your beliefs. you rarely change your mind, but most of the time you’re an open-minded person. you love learning about anything, and you may also have a good memory. in fact, it’s common for you to be the one who explains things and possibly even leads a group, and this could unluckily make you seem as a know-it-all. you do take pride in your wisdom, indeed. your deep way of thinking is also where your desire for freedom comes from, as you wish to be able to expand yourself through travelling and new experiences. you may also be attracted to foreign things, such as foreign literature, fashion, art, music etc. it’s another way to travel and open your mind, without actually having to leave your house when you’re busy.

your 10th house is in virgo. mercury is also sitting there. you might be seen by strangers as a caretaker, someone extremely organized who has their life together, but that also doesn’t hesitate to take care of their physical appearance. your ultimate job would have to be some sort of healing career, you want to give and teach something through your work. in addition, your career is where you put most of your energy. you're driven by a strong sense of duty, and your career is also able to increase your confidence. you want to be a leader and create a name for yourself. you will also get to communicate something through your career, or you'll use your voice and thoughts to make money. you could easily become a writer, a lawyer, a diplomat, an interpreter, you could work in a field related to marketing, etc.

your 11th house is in libra. you enjoy getting to know new people, maybe you have to do it because your job requires that. but just because you need to communicate with other people, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re your friends. basically, you're the type to know a lot of persons, but you may always feel lonely. that's because your bond with them is kind of shallow, they're not someone too intimate with you. hence, you feel as if you can never share your feelings with anyone. your friends may also be very good looking, perhaps even a bit more extroverted than you.

your 12th house is in scorpio, with also the moon placed there. this is another placement that indicates that you crave intense, life-changing bonds, but that you also tame them. you're afraid of being betrayed, and hence you just end up repressing your feelings. on the other hand, this placement makes you extremely spiritual. you may be attracted to the occult or any spiritual topic: astrology, tarots, even spirits. you may use these tools to get to know yourself more. you can become aware of your karmic issues thanks to astrology for example, and use it to finally solve and break free from your limitations. it's important for you to get closer to your spiritual, higher self in this lifetime. it will probably make your life much easier. you could even have very vivid dreams, and perhaps you may predict the future through them. you're extremely empathetic and sensitive, you care a lot about others and you treat others' problems as if they were yours, you get totally immersed in them. you have quite a vivid imagination, you're able to idealize and picture anything you want. while this placement gives you an incredible amount of creativity, it can also make you uncomfortable. in fact, you may actually find yourself imagining every detail of every situation, even the worst ones. let's suppose you hear of a rape at the news; you literally start imagining the scene detail by detail, and it makes you extremely uncomfortable. actually, it literally ruins your mood, as it's as if you actually lived that scene. going back to the creativity matter, you have the soul of an artist; you have very enhanced emotions, and you're able to express them through artistic outlets. you could be amazing at writing poetry, books, art, music... also, your particular empathy of human's intellect can also make you an amazing psychologist or actress, as you're able to understand others' feelings and make them your own. you're extremely spiritual, and if you don't feel like that, you just have yet to have your spiritual awakening.

❤️ love life, soulmates

in love you attract aries, scorpio, gemini, virgo and capricorn. your future spouse is probably going to be very magnetic and mature, but also very caring, playful and affectionate with you. with your soulmate, it may be love at first sight. you're also most likely going to meet someone very spiritual, and your future spouse could actually be your soulmate. you may meet them at work, maybe they're a customer of yours, or a co-worker or even your boss. they could be a scorpio, a gemini or have those signs in their birth chart. your children will have huge aries influence on them, therefore they'll be very active and restless, maybe immature at times but also very affectionate and warm.

👶🏻 family life

your mother is probably a very caring person that knows how to stand up for herself when she has to, but she may struggle to do that. she's very smart and optimistic, and she could be into fashion and self-care. yet, she coule be a bit moody, over-emotional and impulsive. she may have pisces, scorpio, sagittarius and / or aries placements in her chart. your father is a bit more serious and focused on work, but he always made sure you had what you needed. he also has a more playful side to him, that he may not show often. he could be a pisces, a gemini, a leo, a cancer or virgo. if you have siblings, they probably have prominent capricorn / aquarius / pisces / cancer placements in their chart. you may fight often with them, and you may be quite possessive of each other. yet, this relationships gets naturally better as you grow up, you are going to get along more in the future.

📊 career

I imagine that you would do best at a career that involves healing, teaching... I can see you doing well in the medical field, for example. especially as a nurse, where you mostly interact with patients. you may also work for associations like the onu, where you're surrounded by people from all over the world. hence, you get in touch with different cultures that can help you opening your mind. you want a wealthy job, where you can be your own leader and use your imagination. I can also picture you doing some sort of online job, you could become an influencer for example or you may be known online for your talents. as I've already said before, you have probably a creative talent to you that could make you quite successful. overall, you want a job where you don't really have to depend on others. actually, you probably strive to be your own boss. you would also do well as a teacher or professor, and you may have to speak foreign languages for your job.

👕 fashion sense, style analysis

I imagine you put a lot of effort into your outifts, yet you don’t show it. you want to look effortlessly good, you don’t want to give the impression that you tried. your style may be quite minimalistic and simple, with lots of jeans, sweatshirts, plain t-shirts… I see you being more into natural shades, like white, grey, beige etc. you’re also not very fond of using too many accessories, you’re stylish but still very simple. you have this natural charm to you, hence you still look good even though your outfits may not be too complex. you could as well be fond of high quality, possibly designer clothes.

👁 past life, life purpose

in your past life, you were a very spiritual individual. you were close to your higher self, and you probably were able to talk to ghosts, you used to interpret your dreams and you most likely were also interested in astrology and other occult matters. in this lifetime, you need to put your spirituality aside for a while, and focus on finding out your identity here on the earth. you can still use spirituality to find out, but your priority is learning your karmic lessons regarding your self-esteem and work. you’ll finally be able to reach happiness and fulfill your soul when you start having an organized schedule, which allows you to balance both your hobbies and work.

🤔 major transits analysis / september 23

with transit jupiter in your 3rd house conjunct your natal aquarius uranus, you may come across unexpected luck in these days, so pay attention to any signs! they were most likely meant to be. the north node is also currently conjunct your descendant, meaning that you may be meeting lots of potential lovers in these days, and you may even find yourself a partner of even future spouse. you definitely attract relationships easily with these transits.

🧿 manifest what you want, secret skills

the best way for you to manifest is idealizing and acting at the same time. you have both energies combined in your chart, which is great actually! I’d suggest you to first picture what you want in your life, and then do something concrete to manifest it. for example, let’s suppose you want this gucci bag; first, think about it deeply. then, you could try going into a gucci shop and just walk around, maybe even touch that bag. you’ll get results if you believe it! it’s also great to write and read/listen your own positive affirmations, such as 'I love my gucci bag’, 'the gucci bag my mom gave me is amazing’ and so on.

this is the end! thank you again for booking a reading, hope it resonated with you :)

- libramc xx

#astrology

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vertigoimprint · 4 years ago

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alright, here are my ramblings about the hellfire gala outfits, with ratings:

these are just my opinions, you can ask about them but be polite. also this post is long, hence the keep reading.

faves first, let’s start this on a positive note.

Storm’s is the best without question. The black and gold color combo, the jewelry, the shoulder pads, the flowing hair, the cape made of clouds and lightning! Perfection. The only thing I dislike about it is the heel of the shoes but that’s easy to ignore. 5/5.

This gives me such 80s/90s rogue vibes. Lace and leather (I’m just gonna assume it’s leather, could be latex idc) is a perfect combo for rogue. The colors are great and I’m a big fan of the sunglasses. However, I’m not a huge fan of how high the cut of the jacket goes. On the other hand, I do like the shoes. 4/5.

Now warren doesn’t have as much going on as some of the others, but I appreciate the look for what it is. I like the jacket/cape and the gold chain holding it in place. Love that there’s no shirt <3 and the flowey pants are nice. The shoes boring but...whatever. 3/5.

alright faves out of the way...let’s get on with the others...

I really like this outfit, the colors are nice, the shoulders are very much padded. However this looks like Jean’s new costume, not the special gala attire it’s meant to be. If it were Jean’s new costume, it’d be a 4/5. In reality, it’s a 3/5.

...Sigh. I see...something here. Potential for something nice, not amazing, but nice. However the weird red stomach and bulky build just overpower the good elements of this outfit. I like the visor but not when it’s paired with this bulky piece. This outfit has the same problem as Jean’s. This feels like a costume he would wear to the next mission rather than fancy gala attire. 2/5. That rating feels a bit generous but in comparison to some other outfits...it’s deserved.

Speaking of other outfits. I will start this by admitting that I am absolutely biased against this outfit due to it being worn by Betsy “Body-snatcher” Braddock. However, you could put this outfit on literally any of my faves and I wouldn’t feel any kinder towards it. First off, why did they give her the cartoon old lady updo and expect it to work with her magical girl cosplay? (not that it could work on it’s own, mind you.) The red face paint is...there, it’s not really doing anything but it’s there. The sleeves are working for me, as I am a lover of puffy sleeves. However, the chest armor and short skirt are not. The boots would be fine on their own but the weird fabric hanging off them just makes them look plain ugly. Also, glove ribbons...no. 1/5.

Oh boy. So I’m not going to point out why using rachel’s hound costume was a bad idea, as others already have. But I will say that while yes, rachel’s hound costume is admittedly very cool looking to me, this is just a much, much, much uglier version of it. Also adding a muzzle was certainly...a choice. Not gonna touch on the leash made of human hair, 1/5. Seriously though, who’s hair is that. Did they make out of donations?

If I had to some this look up in one word, it’d be “Disappointing.” Monet Yvette Clarisse Maria Therese St. Croix may not have the most memorable looks but she oozes glamour out of her pores. This could’ve been her moment to get the luxurious, glamorous, memorable look that she deserves. But we got this...okay look instead. It’s fine. I don’t know how I feel about the sheer pants, I think the headpiece is out of place, the shoes are just ugly, and for whatever reason this look screams beach at me. 2/5.

Oh kitty...never did learn how to put a decent outfit together, did you?

I’m joking. Even though that look might’ve been very...very, it was charming in it’s own special way. I love it in all honesty. I can’t say the same for kitty’s- or should I say, kate’s, gala attire though. This is, in my humble opinion, the worst outfit. There’s so much going on here, I can’t even fully describe how much I hate it. The weird half cape, half prom dress look is ambitious but does not hit the mark. (hit? make? whatever.) Then it just gets worse with the half collar, the marching band sleeve, and the seven of nine eye detail. But what really solidifies it’s place as The Worst...is the brown boots. Just look at them! 0/5. Sorry, kitty.

Last but not least...maybe. We have all three of emma’s looks. Starting with-

This!..whatever it is. Now the idea of putting emma in a big fluffy coat is a good one, one that feels oh so right. But putting her in only a big fluffy coat...with a boob window and some ugly pumps, is not a good idea. I don’t even want to talk about the headpiece, 1/5.

Now this is better. Though not by much. I like the middle piece, I like the cut and the x shapes on her sleeves. I like this...uhm...fur carpet she’s dragging around. Would look nicer as a cape, maybe a boa. But sure, put it around your wrists, you’re Emma Fucking Frost, you can do that. Looking down, however...is when the outfit gets worse. Looking up isn’t such a good option either. What is it with Dauterman and these ugly headpieces? 2.5/5.

And now the final emma look. Which just so happens to be the best. I love that emma’s diamond form is apart of the look. The slicked back hair is lovely. I don’t mind the finger gloves, which is surprising since I’m not the biggest fan of them. I could talk about how I hate the shoes but I’d like to be positive about at least one emma look. 3/5.

#eva.txt #it has been done

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mochideleche · 5 years ago

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You can’t keep away from fate CH7

Pairing : Percy jackson x demigod!reader

summary : The daughter of destiny- literally, along with inevitability, compulsion and necessity. Being the child of a primordial goddess doesn’t really assure you a quiet calm life but when you return to new york after five years of being shipped off to boarding school, your once mundane life says goodbye.

A/N I would like to start off by thanking everyone who has read this fanfic and thank you all for the notes, reblogs and follows, it really makes my day! please do comment what you think and here is the second half of BOTL. I know i said i would put it in two halves but it got a bit too long so it’s going to have to be 3. enjoy!

contents page

“You couldn’t perhaps, I don’t know, put some goggles on, open a window or something?” you began, wafting the air in front of you in order to not get a lung full of smoke.

Beckendorf, although you did prefer to call him charles, turned to you and pulled down the bandanna covering his mouth down, “nah, it’s all right Y/N, us children of Hephaestus are born to able to withstand such harsh conditions” and he went back to hammering the almost formed celestial bronze sword in his hand.

You supposed that he was correct, although being very much not a direct child of hephaestus, you didn’t really inherit the immunity to poison by carbon monoxide.

The reason why you were in the forges was because you helping out with the making of new weapons. A war was coming and you needed to be prepared. So you had teamed up with you so called uncles and aunties to do so. When you were on the island of circe you had found you had an extreme hand at magic. Enchantments and charms were your specialty- things like curses, not so much.

You shivered at the thought of all those pirates who had been rotting away with hatred for the goddess, you couldn’t imagine what they had done when percy had freed them. At the time you didn’t know that circe was keeping men visitors as hostage, you just thought they didn’t allow any on the island. If you had knew then, maybe you wouldn’t have stayed for so long, or gone at all.

“Y/N it’s nearly done, you ready?” Beckendorf called over his shoulder and you snapped back to reality, making your way to his side.

You were defiantly not the best at forging ( hey, you can’t have everything) so you were tasked with reinforcing the weapons with magical properties such as, unbreaking, knock back and perhaps a few fire enchantments- which conner and travis were very fond of, you had to put out at least 7 fires that week, conner himself at one point.

Beckendorf, took the sword, a long double-edged blade, with a wide hilt and shaped like a leaf, very greek- you thought, as he dunked it in water to cool it down.

When it came out, steaming, you placed your hands over it’s centre. It had taken you quite a while to get back into the swing of things - having been about 5 years since you had last done the magic trick, but now you did it without problem. You chanted a spell in ancient greek and began to spread your hands over it, taking one towards the hilt and the other to the point. A dim blue light shone over it, encasing the blade almost like a second skin. Out of the corner of your eye you saw the awe in beckondorfs face and it made you smile- to think that such a big buff boy could be amused by a little magic...

You finished your spell and the dim blue light shone intently for a second then disappeared, the sword gleaming as if it had been given a new life.

“What’s this one do then?” beckendorf asked, sounding like a 5 year old who had just been given a new toy.

“Knockback, this ones a bit more powerful, I think” You said, remembering the brightness of the final glow the sword had given.

“You think? how can you tell?”

You shrugged and the opened your arms, “Only one way to find out”

Beckendorf looked at you as if you were mad, “I don’t think that’s a good idea-”

“No, I want to see how powerful these things are” You said, readjusting you stance, “If it’ll make you feel better we can fight before it then you won’t feel like you hit me unguarded”

And you released your right sword and charged.

Beckendorfs eyes widened and he shook his head viciously as you came towards him. But you didn’t stop and neither did beckendorf.

It was almost as if his body went into autopilot because you brought the sword down and he lifted up his hand to block it. He hadn’t even put any effort to push you back but as soon as your sword clashed against his, you were thrown back, your feet lifting off the floor and you soared half way across the forge.

If you hadn’t been expecting this, you would’ve crashed straight into the wall and created a Y/N sized crater. Fortunately you were expecting this and was able to control the air to slow you down and allow you to gracefully skid to a halt, avoiding you crashing into the wall.

“Woah, that was awesome” Beckendorf said as if in a trance, “Whatever gets hit with this is going to wish they never attacked in the first place”

A smile come on your face, “yeah I guess-”

The door to the forges swung open, you thought at first it was a group of campers coming for their ‘making weapons’ workshop but it was too early for that.

“Y/N there’s a group of dracnae near the boarder!” Will said, he was out of breath, he probably had just ran there from the forest.

You spun around and ran towards the door.

To save Will the expense of running again, you grabbed his arm in one hand and with the other you pushed yourself against the air.

And the two of you were carried away with the wind, literally.

You zoomed past the cabins and were into the forest in no time- the whole time will was shouting, from fear or excitement- you couldn't tell, but when you finally landed he stumbled around with a maniac smile on his face, “that was fun”

You left him trying to reorient himself and rushed to the lines of campers who were firing arrows from behind trees and with Lee Fletcher shouting over their heads.

“Don’t let them get past!” For a guy so warm hearted and who you’d often see singing songs at camp fires every night, you were shocked by his fierce shouts.

“Aim, and fire! Again! Don’t fall back! go forward- Y/N!”

You rushed towards them after seeing through a gap between the trees.

There were about two dozen dracnae- half snake women who had the top half of a human and the bottom of a snake. They stood out against the dull brown of the forest, their green thick tails slithering against the ground as they inched closer to where you stood. how they had got near the camp without being detected? you couldn’t tell, but you wanted them away as soon as possible.

Ignoring Lee’s calls, you rushed towards the line of snake women and lifted yourself on the winds, landing a few feet in front of the dracnae ladies.

“What have we got here?” a dracnae who you guessed was leader hissed, “Hmmmm, ssssmellssss like a goddessss”

You scrunched your nose, you preferred it when people said you smelled like magnolias.

You flicked you wrist, revealing your drakon blades and causing the dracnae to hiss in distaste. Then you bounded after them.

Unlike percy, you tended just to get on with it, you felt like taunting was a waste of time and you weren’t much of a talker either. You advanced at the first dracnae, she bared her fangs and raised her long spear ready to attack.

others were ready to pounce on you too, but you took care of them. With a tug of your mind you caused one of the older trees to uproot, and it came falling down, crashing about 7 of the ugly things leaving a fine cloud of yellow dust.

The others came to their senses and instead of targeting the apollo cabin, they attacked you. about 15 to 1, that seemed fair. But at least that had taken their attention off your friends.

“You’ll pay for that!” the centre dracnae hissed and her forked tongue licked her lips restless as if she was excited to have another demigod meal.

You fell into combat with the leader, your swords were shorter which meant you had to come into close contact with her, and the fact she smelt like wet mouldy leather, you didn’t exactly want that.

She was rather good with a spear but she was no match with your two blades. You were able to semi-disarm her, sending her shield flying into a nearby tree and you swung your left sword to slice her torso in half but it never made contact with it.

The ugly dracnae smiled at you

She had moved so fast that she was able to block the attack with the but of her spear, pushing up against your left as she pushed down against you right. She inched loser towards yo, the tip of her spear rather close to cutting into your hand.

You were stuck, but you gave her what she wanted. You retracted you left sword so it wrapped neatly around your wrist as a diamond and pearl encrusted bracelet and the dracnae’s spear smashed into her face, “OW!”

she swiped at you blindly but you sliced off her hand with almost no effort at all. That was far too easy.

She wailed out in pain and she let down her guard to now look at her newly decapitated arm, “AHHHHH”

The sound was horrible, like a thousand metal keys scratching on a chalkboard, you shut her up by driving a sword through her gut.

She exploded in a yellow dust cloud, you blew some wind to prevent it falling into your eyes.

You spun around, facing the other 14. You raised your eyebrow- this will be fun.

They slithered restless, their slimy green tails moving bak and forth against the ground, as if ready to charge at you. But that gave you an idea, and you began to make the ground swallow them up.

“What is this?!” one of the exclaimed, as she uselessly tried to pull her tails from the ground, “What have you done?”

The others began to brandish their spears, holding them out to you, trying to catch you from that length.

“Releasssse ussss thisss inssstant” One from your right hissed, causing you to smile.

It was absolutely ridiculous how monsters thought they could tell you what to do, are they stupid?

“All yours Lee” You said sweetly.

Lee popped out from behind the tree, blush tinting his cheeks and eyes wide, “uhm- me?” he pointed to himself but then he recollected isn stood up straight, “You heard her, aim and fire!”

About a dozen arrows were knocked at once and you barely had time to dodge out of the way as they rained down on the dracnae army, creating a little mushroom cloud of yellow dust.

You gagged, the smell was horrible.

“Y/N are you okay?” Will sprinted towards you, his bow slung over his shoulder.

You nodded your head and he looked surprised, “Wow, not even a scratch” he said almost to himself as the other made their way towards you, congratulating you on your attack.

You always felt bad when this happened. You felt as if you had a rather large advantage to the rest of the campers but you believed that they should have their own chances at winning their own battle and not always have you to save the day. The whole camp knew of your power and thought that they would have the upper hand with you on their side, a daughter of a primordial goddess, but you didn’t want to steal their spotlight. So you did the best you can to make sure they took on the majority of the fight, only helping when you needed to.

You waved them off, “all I did was set a trap, you guys killed them and stopped them from getting to the camp, you should be proud of yourselves” you gave them a sweet smile and a assuring nod, that seemed to do the trick.

“Thanks Y/N” Lee said, patting your shoulder, “Is it alight if I ask you to inform chiron about this? Take will with you, we’ll scout the rest of the perimeter just in case there’s anymore monsters”

You nodded your head and the rest of the apollo cabin followed Leeand left you and will at the sight of the fight.

“Are we going to do the wind thing again? that was fun” Will jumped up and down beside you and you didn’t realise how tired you were until you saw how full of energy will was. Or maybe that was just his personality, either way half way through talking to Lee you felt like falling just like the tree you uprooted did.

The world began to tilt side ways and you head felt as if it was no longer on your neck.

“Woah” Will exclaimed, catching your arm and holding you up, “ Y/N are you alright?”

You manage to roll your eyes to his face, Concern evident on his face, “ I’m fine thank you for asking, how are you?”

He scrunched his eyebrows, “that fight must have taken a bigger toll than I thought”

You knew that will had seen that you were left unscratched but being the son of apollo, and a talented healer, he could tell your wounds were somewhere deeper.

“Y/N you used your powers a lot today, and you were doing magic at the forges, you need to be careful, using too much of your powers might burn you out, literally”

You brought a hand up to pat will on the arm as he helped you stand up, “As long as the job gets done-”

“Y/N...” Will said warningly and you gave the younger boy a tired smile.

“Will i’ve got it under control, have a little faith in me”

You remember the first time will had brought up your overuse of your powers, you had fainted after going one to 5 with a vicious group of empousa and you were knocked out for about 3 days, will was the one who nursed you back to health.

“Y/N it doesn’t make sense” he said perplexed, staring at you as if you had just returned from the dead, which was rather similar, “Chiron said the powers you used were of an immortal, any power like that would’ve disintegrate any demigod”

Will was right, you should have disintegrated, you knew that but you had to protect the camp. you hadn’t felt tired at all during the fight, only after did the effects hit you.

You shrugged your shoulders, “I haven’t combusted so I guess i’m fine to continue”

“But what if you did?” Will said, “I know your one of our strongest fighters but we can’t have you risking your life every time monsters attack”

“But will,” you smiled softly, “That’s kind of the whole point”

He paused for a second the turned away, “You know what I mean”

You stared at will, you must thought he had healed plenty of campers, there was a heavy weight on his shoulders. Their lives had depended on him to save them.

“Chiron says, it’s-” He stuttered, as if the words were too hard to say, “he says it’s taking a toll on you on the inside, it’s breaking your soul”

The words hit you like a truck you saw from a mile away yet you still stayed perfectly still in the middle of the road, “I know”

He snapped his head towards you, “You know? Then why-”

“Why anyone does anything they do?” You interrupted, your voice tired, “Why do we all train? Why do we all go on dangerous quests? Why do we all fight back against an army of immortal titans?”

That shut him up.

You pursed your lips, “As long as there’s something worth fighting for, then I don’t mind risking my life, and so does everyone else”

"When did you start feeling it?” Will asked, still keeping a hand firm on your arm.

“When talking to Lee, but I didn’t-”

“Want them to see?” Will finished, and he scoffed, “I know”

You let your head hang at the disappointment in his voice but there was something else there too, admiration? concern?

“Y/N please don’t feel you need to seem strong all the time, you’re only just a demigod, nobody expects you to be indestructible” Will said kindly as the two of you approached the boarders of camp, a few satyrs who were sitting under the shade of the trees saw the two of you and rushed to your aid.

You and Will made your way to the big house, Will still felt the need to keep his hand on your shoulder just in case you decided to faint but you tried to make it seem you were fully capable of walking yourself.

But as soon as you were in the living room you didn't think you could.

There was annabeth, tears running down her face, washing away a track through the grime and soot that caked her whole body. She had a nasty gash running down her arm and her clothes looked as if she had gone for a bath in the hudson river.

“Annabeth! are you alright, where’s percy, grover and tyson...” But as soo as the words left your mouth, you felt the dread fall upon you.

Annabeth continued to sob harder as will left your side to help with the bleeding cut on her arm.

Chiron stood in the centre of the room a grim expression on his face.

“We got separated,” Annabeth started, explaining all that had happened in the maze. You tried to keep your attention on her but the words just flowed through one ear and out the other, leaving nothing but the anxiousness that came with them.

“And Hephaestus showed me what happened to mount saint helens-”

Chiron and you had seen what had happened as you watched an iris message from a satyr near the mountain- The place had erupted, you were scared that typhoon was rising, but you’d rather have that than known percy was in there and he had never came out.

You heart dropped, and so did your knees.

You felt them hitting the floor before you knew you were falling, will rushed to your side, “Y/N?”

Percy... was gone?

He couldn’t be, he can’t be- he has a prophecy to fulfil he surely can’t be-

You didn’t realise you were saying it out loud until the words you didn’t want to utter got stuck in your throat.

You and annabeth made eye contact, both of you with tears streaming down your face. A silent exchange was made, there’s still nico.

You shook your head, that just gave a reason as to why percy could be dead.

“No, we would know right? if he was dead, if he’d been killed, he was definitely the one to cause the eruption right? He surely would have been able to save himself...? Right?!”

You were pleading at this point, you wanted someone to tell you that was exactly what had happened and percy would come back right away.

“I’m afraid, that all we can do now,” Chiron interrupted, his voice tight, a sad gaze directed to you, “is pray that he returns”

Your head snapped towards chiron, you were filled with shock- why wasn’t he jumping straight at the opportunity for a search party? Calling allies if they’ve seen anything? Sending campers out to look for him?

But then it dawned on you, how would you even begin to search for percy?

Looking at chiron made you wonder, how many heroes did he wait on to return but never did?

“What if it was just the mist,” you continued, not wanting to accept what you knew was well likely the truth, “ the mist could’ve been too strong that even we couldn’t see though it-”

“Y/N” will said, placing a hand on your arm.

You turned to him, surprised to see that there were tears brimming his eyes too. He sent you a look, please stop.

You let your sobs release and you flung your face into your hands, not wanting anyone to see. A second later you found yourself in annabeth’s arms and saw how lucky your were that she was still alive, “I’m so glad you’re okay” You muttered into her shoulder, “You’re alive thank the gods”

Chiron had left the room, you didn’t even realise, probably to call a counsellor meeting, if there was one, you didn't want to be there for it.

....

You left the camp the day after, you were upset and didn’t want to see anyone. You just wanted to mope in your sorrow and everyone let you do it -they were far too scared of what you’d do if they didn’t.

The only person who could approach at these times was annabeth but she was smart enough to let you wander on your own- Finding monsters before they found camp and killing them on the spot.

You were never one to be reckless, you were praised on that - able to keep level headed in the face of even the darkest moments. But nothing had ever flamed you like this.

The first day you left camp you couldn’t remember much but you returned, sweaty, covered in blood and monster dust and feeling like you would drop dead with exhaustion. But that still wasn’t enough to cover the pain in your heart.

It ate you up inside, percy couldn’t have- the percy jackson couldn’t-

You remember the first few nights, crying to yourself, head tucked under the sheets in your bed at the big house. Waking up at the crack of dawn and heading off from camp before anyone could see your red eyes and puffy face.

Then as the days went by you found yourself not being able to cry anymore, just lying with emptiness and shock.

The only time you stayed at camp was the day of percy’s shroud burning.

You had all been hoping for a miraculous return, but two weeks seemed long enough. You had prepared yourself for the worst and here you were finally coming to terms with it yet there was no feeling of satisfaction, no feeling of closure. You just wanted percy back.

You didn’t even get to tell him how you felt, how you had a crush on him the first time you laid eyes on him, how you’ve been in love with him ever since you’re first night by the lake.

You sat near the front, next to annabeth as she held percy’s shroud. It was right that she was the one to do it, after all, she was the last person to see him and her and percy had been through so much together.

Even at this time you couldn’t help but feel envious of your best friend. Her and percy had been on countless adventures together, practically grown up together and yet you were only fortunate to come into his life just a year ago. Some times you managed to get yourself upset with the fact that maybe annabeth was more suited for percy- deserved percy more than you.

You shook your thoughts out of your head, how can you be thinking about such selfish things at a time like this?

It didn’t matter now did it, there was no percy to get jealous over.

You sat silently, not watching as annabeth gave her speech. The whole camp seemed dampened by the news. The whole week campers lost their morale, no more laughs or even much chatter during dinner. Percy had been everyone’s favourite, the camp’s hero, their saviour, now-

“And he’s standing right there!”

You thought it was a cruel joke, but annabeth wouldn’t joke like this. Perhaps it was a trick of the mist, or maybe annabeth had lost it.

Never the less, you lifted up your head, not expecting much, just to glare angrily at the disturbance and you heart found it’s way to your throat.

There, standing at the back of the crowd was percy, no it couldn’t be.

he looked- perfectly fine, like he didn’t just die two weeks ago and had been on a short vacation in the bahamas.

His skin was slightly tanned and he was wearing new clothes that didn’t look like they’d been through the labyrinth at all. but you couldn’t believe it, you had to get a closer look, which was difficult because he was soon crowded with campers, hugging him, clapping him on the back, and your legs had stopped working.

It was only when annabeth ran up to hug him and he spun around, facing you, your eyes making contact- were you hit with the realisation that percy wasn’t dead.

The small smile on his lips broke into a wide one as he made his way towards you.

Your heart leaped, then it stopped, then you felt yourself shaking, eyes filling with tears. Percy’s form turning into a blurry blob as he rushed towards you.

You stood up and flung yourself off your seat and wrapped your arms around percy’s torso, your sobs immediately breaking out of your mouth as your chest heaved with the breaths you were holding.

The way you never wanted to let go. You clung onto him as if making up for all the times in the past two weeks you had nearly died just wanting to. You coiled your arms around him so tightly that your hands came back round to brush your elbows. It was like he was a dream and the closer you held him, the more real he would become.

But it really was him, wasn’t it?

The feeling of his arms engulfing you was the most comforting thing in the world, it felt like only he existed and that was all you needed. They felt like the reassurance you needed to let you know he really was there.

He smelt nice, of freshly washed laundry and salt water, but he always smelt like salt water. The familiar scent just caused your heart to ache more, he really was here.

He brought his hand up to brush your hair, “Hey, it’s alright i’m here now, please don’t cry”

“I thought you were dead!” you choked out, “We all did!”

“I’m sorry princess,” percy whispered so that only you could hear, “i’m sorry if i pushed our reunion back too long”

You pushed yourself back and punched him square in the chest.

“Ow” he said, although a large smile was plastered on his face as he rubbed his chest where you had hit him.

“Why are you joking at a time like this!” you exclaimed, taking both your fists and pounding against his chest, “You-made-us-all-so-worried-”

“Hey hey hey,” Percy said, taking your fists in his hands and bending down to your height to see your face, “I’m sorry”

“You better be,” you bit out and turned away from percy so that he wouldn’t see the blush on your face, or the puffiness of your eyes, but it was rather difficult when he still had your wrists in his grasp.

You heard him let out a small chuckle, “gods i missed you”

You felt yourself heat up at the comment and you shyly turned your head up towards him- now he could really see the blush.

And then you were suddenly snapped back to reality, which was commendable since your crush had just returned form the dead and had immediately started flirting with you. And you were very aware of the whole camp who were now watching the both of you with all their attention.

But the smile of percy’s face washed some of that sudden anxiousness away. It was relaxed and matched the warmness of the look in his eyes, gods you could get lost in those sea green eyes all day. he didn’t seem to care that the two of you had suddenly become the main stars of attraction in the amphitheatre, but the fact you could see the staring faces of your friends out of the corners of your eyes kept you glued to reality.

“Ahem,” Chiron interrupted, you wanted to snap your head towards him but you didn’t think you could handle the embarrassment, “I think we should all try to give percy some space, all of you back to your normal activities, head counsellors to the big house for a meeting”

There was an outbreak of discontent murmur, campers wanted to hear percy’s story and were unhappy with the fact they were now expected to resume normal activities after percy had just returned from the dead.

In the crowd you heard a snicker, “give him space applies to you too Y/N!”

If you weren’t red before, you sure were now.

You made to yank your hands away from percy, but he still held on tightly, “Oh no you don’t” he said under his breath and pulled you closer so that you stood next to his side, “I just got here, you’re not about to leave me just yet”

And with that, he dragged you along with the other head counsellors to the big house as you prayed silently in your head, thanking the gods that percy was alive and safely returned back home.

...

“That’s your plan?” Annabeth exasperated, throwing her hands up in the air, “It’s a stupid plan!”

You looked over to percy and he had a hard look on his face.

Chiron had called a meeting to discuss what to do and to make of annabeth’s and percy’s information about luke’s uprising army who were planning to attack camp.

Percy had explained his disappearance- marooned on an island and Hephaestus had saved him, you knew better.

As soon as he mention ‘island’ your heart dropped.

You suddenly found yourself thinking of calypso, the beautiful goddess who was exiled on ogygia and cursed to fall in love with boys she can never have.

Your heart was torn between feeling angry that she had kept percy away from you all and distraught that your friend had to go through another heartbreak.

Yes, calypso was your friend.

When you still lived with your mother, she had sent you to stay with calypso. She said that calypso was a kind girl and she felt pity towards her, so she often sent you to her for company.

Of course other gods would have argued against the notion but none ever did, they were far too scared of what your mother was capable of.

Whilst at the island you spent the days helping calypso in her beautiful garden, learning different things such as how to plant tubers to how to weave to how to create magic dishes that washed themselves.

And there, your distaste for the gods started.

You had always been on guard with the gods, from the way you saw it your mother was the only unselfish immortal you knew.

They always only seemed to do things that would benefit them in the long run, maybe they had their moments of generosity towards certain mortals but they still wouldn’t hesitate to destroy them the moment they pleased.

Just seeing how calypso was suffering reinforced that idea.

Of course you hadn’t been back since your mother’s disappearance, and so, you had asked Hephaestus, your grandfather, if he could perhaps let you see her.

You were surprised that he even replied.

You had sent up an offering during dinner the last time you were at camp. You had a bowl of stew which you found taste shockingly like the stew calypso had made you every time you visited.

Your heart longed to see her again and in a desperate try, you called out to hephaestus along with the remains of your dinner.

You didn’t expect much, but the next day you found a note by your bedside table in your room in the big house.

“Dear Y/N, I have heard your request but i am afraid i can not fulfil this for you as there are too many, let’s say- associates i have that would be against the idea. I can however, pass on a message...”

And that night you burnt up a neatly enveloped letter addressed to calypso along with a piece of the cake you had for desert.

You tried to shake the malicious thoughts from your head, but how could percy not fall in love with calypso?

Annabeth caught your eyes and a sudden look of anger washed over her face, she must have seen the sadness in your eyes and you were afraid that just fuelled up her hate towards percy even more, “It’s too ridiculous, you are such are coward!” and she stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her.

“So much for being the bravest friend she’s ever had” percy muttered and he slumped back in his seat.

He looked over at you but you couldn’t look him in the eyes without thinking about how he had probably looked at calypso with the same love and affection.

“I’ll go check if she’s alright” you announced, standing up and making your way to the door without evening checking if anyone disagreed.

You tried to make it seem like you weren’t glad to leave that room. Under different circumstances , you didn't eat to leave percy, but after the thought of him falling for calypso, it kind of made you want to get as far away from him as possible. To add to that, you had just broke down crying in front of half the camp and the fact that you were still slightly sniffingly in front of the head counsellors made you embarrassed. You hated people seeing you cry, and you had a reputation to uphold- a unbothered, elegant and level headed warrior.

But you pretty much just destroyed that by crying ugly and clinging onto percy like it was the only thing you knew.

You needed time to think, to calm down and was more than happy to go after annabeth.

As you left the room you heard the in-contented sound of objection from percy but you had already closed the door behind you.

You found annabeth pacing in front of the porch, angrily muttering to herself. You decided it was best to let her vent as you sat down on the porch steps and watched her.

She didn't acknowledge your presence but carried on with her one on one debate with herself, “How dare he suggest such an idea! it’s my quest! I should be the one suggesting ideas, and a mortal! how embarrassing...”

You couldn’t help a smile appear on your face, oh how prideful your best friend was but you did think she would never let herself live this one down.

“How does he even know it’ll work!” and she suddenly turned to you, eyes piercing through your body, “He barely knows the girl how does he know she can do it?”

You shrugged, you really had no clue, but it was the best thing you guys got.

Annabeth paused, then she let her shoulders deflate and she rubbed her forehead, “I’m sorry, I’m just angry. All the time people have been referring to me as percy’s ‘sidekick’ then i finally get my own quest and yet i complete have no idea what to do, fail and now i have percy saying he knows how to fix everything?!”

You looked sympathetically at annabeth. She hadn’t exactly explained her feeling like this before but you knew how she felt about being in percy’s shadow. You and grover had talked about it once, you both knew it would only be a little while before annabeth finally broke. And here she was, exploding.

“I know,” you said softly, as you made your way up to hug her, “but you haven’t failed yet, you’ve come this far and i’m not going to let you give up just yet”

You were worried that this did nothing to calm her down, but then you finally felt her hands come up and hug you back tightly, “You’re the best, you know that?”

you laughed, “and you know i’m right don’t you?” and you stepped back to see the defeated look in annabeths eyes, “Percy’s merely suggesting an idea, it’s still your quest, it’s your decision”

Annabeth’s eyes focused on the horizon, “Yeah, i guess” she said quietly, but you knew it was okay. you saw the determined look in her eyes and was glad that the daughter of athena had got her spirit back.

....

That night you had agreed to sit meet with percy since you spent the majority of the day with annabeth, sitting around in your room and talking more about the labyrinth. Although halfway through you wanted to stir her away form the subject as it seemed to give her horrible flashbacks- you could imagine.

You would hate to be stuck in the ground, claustrophobic and not seeing the outside world for so long. Not to mention the dangerous monsters and traps that lurked in the tunnels.

So you brought up the conversation of what annabeth wanted to take when she went to college, that always seemed to get her excited no matter what.

She had gone off on a tangent on her love for architecture, then somehow the conversation led to the idea of the two of you going on a trip to paris and how you’d show annabeth around all your favourite places and the old school you used to go to when you were younger.

Then annabeth had fallen asleep on your bed. You decided to let her, it must’ve been a long time since she was able to relax, now knowing percy was alive, you related to the feeling.

The two of you sat by the deck, your usual place.

Now it was percy’s turn to talk about the labyrinth, he seemed more relaxed than annabeth though, his arms resting behind him as he leaned back, one situated by the small of your back causing his arm to brush against you if you shifted slightly.

He stared across the lake a sombre look in his eyes as he recited yet another adventure to you.

He told you about how he’s fought off the telkhines, it was fascinating how he had saved himself, conjuring water from his own body, you were amazed. But after that he stopped himself from talking anymore.

Because after that he’d met calypso.

You were used to sitting in comfortable silence with percy, but this, was not one of them.

“She’s lovely isn’t she?” you finally spoke up, sick of the tension that was created between you. Screw it, you thought, we both know so why don’t we just make it obvious.

You stole a glance at percy form the corner of your eyes, he was bushing.

“Chiron told me you’d figured it out” percy said quietly, “i’m sorry”

“What are you sorry for?” you asked confused, but you had a feeling where this was going.

Percy was silent for a while, his feet were now swinging violently back and forth and you could tell he was trying to calculate his words carefully.

“I- I could’ve gone back earlier, I made you all worry-”

“Percy,” You interrupted, as you turned towards him, tucking a leg underneath you, “It wasn’t your fault you ended up on ogygia, all that matters now is that you’re here and you’re alive”

You knew what percy had said was true, but you didn’t want him beating himself up over it.

“Yeah, i-i chose to come back” he said trying to avoid looking at you and staring at the lake, “i couldn’t just- leave you all behind”

Your heart clenched at his words, he had made his decision and suddenly you felt guilty for even feeling angry towards percy for even laying eyes on calypso. Now you wanted to apologise.

“Percy, I-”

“Nope, I wasn't finished,” Percy said, holding up a hand and finally facing you, his eyes looked stormy, like he was angry, but from the tone in his voice he wasn’t angry at you, but more like himself.

“ I’m to going to lie, when i was on the island i enjoyed the time i spent there; no responsibilities, no monsters, no nightmares. It was always sunny, i never had to do any chores and well, calypso was nice to me,” his voice quieted towards the end and you had to fight down the urge to feel jealous, “ but i felt guilty for enjoying it, i still do. I didn’t know why but i realised it’s because it made me feel like i was forgetting about everything i cared about back home. The camp, my parents, my friends, you”

Your heart began to beat erratically and you noticed how percy tensed up and stopped swinging his legs so that they hung still over the deck, “I uh- new york, long island, the pizza they sell at the diner near school...”

You couldn’t help but smile at his lame attempt to cover up his indirect confession for you, but to save him the embarrassment you decided not to mention it.

In that moment, you were so full of adrenaline, percy liked you, and you were certain of it.

Screw it, you thought, and began to speak. how you rashly decided you were going to confess your undying love for percy on a whim was fuelled by the feeling of regret you had about not saying anything when you thought he was dead. It’s now or never, you said to yourself but percy still wasn’t finished.

“But then i realised there were bigger things for me to worry about,” He continued, a hard look appearing on his face, “I still have a prophecy to fulfil, if i wasn’t there to help fight luke- kronos, that would be selfish of me, what would happen to all of you?”

The hard look on his face began to melt away and he turned his head towards you, eyes creased in a ghost of a smile, “I can’t let that happen, no way am i letting kronos beat the son of freaking poseidon that easily”

You let a soft laughter out, you could always count on percy’s sarcastic ass to make you smile, “no, you can’t”

Percy leaned back, looking over the lake again and allowing his legs to swing back and forth. You took this moment to look at him, taking in all the details. From the curve of his lips to the lingering streak of grey hair, you loved all of it.

And percy was right, he did have greater things to worry about, perhaps burdening him with you love confession wasn’t something to bring up at this given time.

But for now, you were just content to be in his presence.

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