#blue eye samurai alternative ending

[annboch]

Well… silly drawings of "Utamaro's" best friend, his horse! A black pureblood named Raijin, whom he raised since he was a foal.

Probably this horse is the only reason who Mizu is with him... But, who cares? He is happy!

[imgeekgirlfan]

The Curse of Cassandra│(Qimir x Reader)

Read in Ao3 : here

Pairings:  Qimir x f!reader(SEA Reader)  [The Acolyte]

Content Rating : Mature 18+  Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warning (AT YOUR OWN RISK)

tags/themes : Alternate Universe - Dune & Star wars, Partners in Crime, Strangers to Lovers

Summary: Being a prophet is both a gift and a curse; you see the future and you’re burdened with the weight of knowing that every decision you make could shape or destroy entire universe, with the overwhelming pressure that the fate of the galaxy hinges on your choice, and every path fraught with sacrifice.

Status: Completed (Finally! 😭)

A/N : I'm thai and english isn't my first language (sorry for the broken English)

This fic exists 'cause I got high (thanks to weed!). So my work's full of random shit in many ways. But I hope you'll dig it.

I got inspo from novels and movies I'm obsessed with: Dune, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Blue Eye Samurai, and Anne Carson's Cassandra Float Can. (Hence the title "The Curse of Cassandra," linking to the Greek myth)

It's a mash-up of different universes, not just Star Wars, with a lot of tweaks for my storyline. If you want fanfic that strict Star Wars canon, this fic isn't for you.

Also, diversity FTW! the reader in this fic isn't white, she's a SEA woman, we gonna representing ASEAN pride.

➡  EP : 1 // EP : 2 // EP : 3 // EP : 4 // EP : 5 // EP : 6 // EP : 7 // EP : 8 // EP : 9 // EP : 10 // EP : 11 // EP : 12 // EP : 13 // EP : 14 (Completed)

Special OS : Phantom Thread

[Intro] A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away

What fate could be worse? 

Being captured by Jedi 

Or being hunted by Sith

You close your eyelids, frowning at the stabbing sensation creeping into your brain. It's always like this when you try to sink into the stream of time, pondering what's yet to come. The price for this wicked foresight is torment of both body and soul, intensifying as your senses expand.

You see, you hear, you feel. The moisture in the air, the sound of water droplets hitting the ground, the wind rustling through the grass, the capillaries in your nasal cavities twisting and rupturing before blood gushes from your nose.

As you casually wipe away the red fluid with the back of your hand, you suddenly realize certain truths that have always been part of you. 

You are an aberration, something repulsive. An Abomination. 

And abominations must be eliminated—so they say.

You let out a long sigh, allowing your mind to drift through the past, present, and future—every possible event and situation. You watch it all with a numb mind, as if you've seen the same movie hundreds or thousands of times, a movie whose ending you already know well.

Yet there's one thing you still don't know: which ending will the path you're on now lead to?

Something pulls you out of your meditation, coinciding with the moment you sense someone's piercing gaze openly fixed upon you. That man is watching you from the shadows behind a large tree, not with malicious intent but with curiosity mixed with several other complex emotions too ambiguous to explain.

You remain seated in meditation at the same spot, amidst the blood and corpses of the Jedi, not daring to move, almost forgetting even to breathe.

You are the last one still breathing, the final victim of the Jedi massacre carried out by the mysterious Sith—The Stranger who is now closely observing you.

His face is completely hidden beneath a dark, twisted metal mask. Yet you can still feel his gleaming eyes surveying your body, as far as sight allows, focusing excessively, even invasively.

The curiosity in his mind is so intense that you find yourself trembling.

You see visions of what might happen—there's a high chance he'll rush in to slice you to pieces with his red lightsaber, searching for secrets or whatever might be hidden inside your body. Or he might subjugate you with his Force, using his power to penetrate your mind, deep into your subconscious, hoping to taste the forbidden fruit of secrets that you alone possess.

But he will never know, as long as you don't wish him to.

The scent of death hangs heavy in the air as heavy footsteps crunch over gravel, approaching you slowly, like a predator toying with its prey. You freeze, every muscle in your body tense, as you face the tall figure in dark cloak, his visage concealed behind a strange metal mask carved into a distorted smile.

For a moment, this man reminds you of the grim reaper from ancient religious myths that vanished thousands of years ago.

He is the harbinger of death everywhere he goes, including your own death

Awareness strikes like a warning signal. Various possibilities flash through your memory, similar to how a dying person recalls everything that happened in their life.

You instantly realize how crucial this moment is. This is an incredibly fragile juncture. 

There's a fifty percent chance he'll kill you, and another fifty percent chance he'll spare your life. 

Fear spreads throughout your flesh, imprinting itself on your soul, turning your blood ice-cold. Your pulse races with panic. 

You take a deep breath, quickly focusing, trying hard to regain control of your shaken mind. "I must not fear," you mutter to yourself, the same phrase your mother used to teach you as a child. "Fear is the mind-killer, fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration..." 

A low, hoarse laugh escapes from behind the metal mask. Clearly, he heard what you said. "Oh, I think you should fear," he says, his words teetering between mockery and sarcasm.

You know he wants you to fear because, for the Sith, fear leads to power.

 You do the opposite, swallowing the lump of fear in your throat, maintaining a calm demeanor as you force a faint smile for the person before you. 

"Humans fear what they don't know, just as they fear me, and just as they fear you." You pause momentarily, carefully considering your final sentence, which could determine your fate. 

Finally, you speak, firm and unwavering, "But I know you, so I do not fear." 

There's a fifty percent chance he'll kill you, and another fifty percent chance he'll spare your life—this thought returns to your mind once more.

He had always kept his secret well, never letting anyone who knew his true identity survive.

You know well that your revelation will bring about an end that changes everything, both for better and for worse.

This is the gamble you've already placed your bet on, for this purpose and for this moment.

The lightsaber hilt in his hand remains tightly closed, showing no sign of the red flame that has taken countless lives. He kneels before you, his action clearly revealing vulnerabilities in his body. You could easily grab the lightsaber from the Jedi's corpse and behead him in one stroke.

But you don't kill him, just as he doesn't kill you.

You look into his eyes, he looks into yours, gauging each other in silence.

His large hand reaches beneath his mask, unlocks the mechanism, and slowly removes it, revealing the familiar face in your sight.

His face is sharp in every proportion, with messy jet-black hair. His eyes, once gentle when touched by sunlight, now cold as ice, contrast starkly with the smile slowly spreading wide, in the same fashion as the smile on the mask he wore earlier.

"Qimir"

His name sounds strange when you utter it, as if it's not a name you're familiar with, and the man before you is not the man you know.

The man chuckles softly and moves even closer, cutting off any chance for you to escape. You swallow hard, trying to turn your face away from his intense gaze. But he doesn't let you. His fingers, wet with others' blood, dig into both of your cheeks, pressing hard enough to hurt, forcing you to look only at him.

"Surprised?" He leans in closer, his hot breath on your face, and whispers softly in your ear, "I told you, you can't run away from me."

[hastyprovocateur]

Ep 5 Flashback and it's implications

Some Blue Eye Samurai viewers take Mizu's ep 5 flashback as a chief debate on Mikio's merits. How he didn't rape her, he was entitled to feel emasculated or that he's period accurate, why he betrayed her. The point was that regardless of who Mikio was and how unlike herself Mizu felt in that relationship she'd accept it if it felt like love. Mikio could've been 10 times worse and it wouldn't matter because if he showed her even an iota of kindness, she would've tried to be loved by him. And it STILL would've ended because Mizu doesn't know who she is and would base her entire perception of life on her husband's reaction to her ideal wife pretense leading to great self loathing. The flashback was the tragedy of her trying to be a wife yet being doomed to only come out feeling like an onryo.

Mizu wanted to make amends with her mom. She chose to marry because she thought something that promises love and intimacy to everyone might promise it to her too. Everyone prescribed it like a medicine and she took it without caring about the side effects because she really wanted to feel wanted and human for the first time. She would've settled on only being called someone's wife the rest of her life if it meant feeling like she belonged. She would have settled for any alternative if it meant trying and not wasting all of herself on hatred.

And between mama's disengaged disposal of her duties and Mikio's performative love followed by immediate revulsion to her real self basically told Mizu that she can't even do something as basic as marriage right. That she can pretend to be servile, soft, dumb, give up her body and mind to love and still not make it work. That flashback reminded Mizu in the present time how she can try as much as she wants and be loving, kind and honorable for Akemi or Ringo and it wouldn't matter because they'll eventually find something in her they'll hate because she's doomed like that.

This is a big part of her fluidity as well. It's established how Mizu is a phenomenal artist and a big part of her journey is forging herself into someone she truly is outside of who she's tried to become to be loved or not loved. Had she experienced love, acceptance and appreciation from Akemi in the wake of saving her and giving her freedom in ep 5 itself, I do not doubt Mizu would've entirely moulded herself around Akemi's needs to feel safe and wanted around her. Another reason why it was important for Mizu to act on her distrust and not find another person to love at such a nascent stage of her self love journey.

[hauntingofhouses]

Hi! What do you think about the usage of time in Blue Eye Samurai? And do you think Mizu is closer to 20 towards the ending of s1?

Hi there!

Hmm... This is an interesting question, and one I find a little difficult to answer if I'm being honest. "Usage of time" is kind of broad, and I'm afraid I'm not too sure of what you're asking, so I don't know if I can give a comprehensive response. But! I will try.

Time as a narrative device in the show is honestly something I haven't thought much of. Overall the story is quite linear, and the flashbacks are also rather linear.

The most notable usage of flashbacks is of course in The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride. The way it juxtaposes past and present, making us believe past Mizu is the Bride and present Mizu is the Ronin, only for both past and present Mizu to converge into the Onryo—it's masterful storytelling, and it's no wonder most viewers (including myself) consider Episode 5 to be the best in the season.

Also, now that I recall, the first episode of the show actually starts off by framing the whole story as a "legend of a swordsman, of a sword, of revenge." You could interpret this as the story being related to an audience by an unknown invisible narrator, which might come into play at the very end of series, or it could just be a stylistic choice, which is my personal take on it.

On the other hand, time as it unfolds in the present day makes more sense the less you think about it, and I say this mostly in a nitpicky CinemaSins type way (sorry) whereby the time it takes to travel from one place to another seems incredibly fast, rather than spanning days or weeks, considering Mizu mostly travels by foot. The time it takes for Mizu (and Taigen) to recover from their wounds is twice as fast. But again, these are details that are quite irrelevant to the story itself, and I just like to hand-wave them away by saying that the show follows video game logic in many regards, and the passing of time is one of them.

On a slight tangent though, while I'm on the subject of the show stretching the bounds of what's realistic or accurate, I'd also like to point out that the show seemingly takes place in an alternate timeline from our own, or at least just a completely fictionalised version of history. I say this because the Shogun im the show is from the Itoh clan, which is in fact a real clan (more commonly spelled as Itō) that ruled the Obi-han during the Edo period. However, they were not the ruling clan of the shogunate as they are in the show. Rather, the shogunate was led by the Tokugawa clan, who ruled Edo between 1603 to 1868. So! Yeah. Thought it'd be an interesting fact to mention.

Now, for the second half of your question, I actually think Mizu is a little older than 20.

I doubt that the show will give us a concrete answer to this, so this is all speculation, but hear me out. Japan closed its borders in 1633. The Great Fire of Edo takes place in the spring of 1657. In present day (assuming early 1657), Heiji Shindo and Fowler mention that they've known each other for 20 years, which could possibly allude to Fowler being in Japan for 20 years, or their partnership lasting 20 years. I took it to mean the latter, which means that Fowler must've been in Japan for at least 24 years. This gives us the maximum plausible age limit for Mizu. She cannot be any older than 24.

She also cannot be any younger than 19. This is because the character sheets tell us that she starts to look like herself as we see her today, at age 19. We can thus infer that this is the age when she first leaves Master Eiji's house (during winter), reunites with Mama (in the spring), and marries Mikio. Her marriage with Mikio, iirc, lasts less than a year, spanning from spring to autumn.

We can then roughly assume she's about 20 when she leaves the farm behind and resumes her revenge quest. Between then and the present, Mizu kills Violet. Assuming this gap of time is about a year long, that means Mizu is roughly 21 upon meeting Ringo in Ep1. So it's possible that at the end of the season she's either 21, or nearing 22, depending on if the season begins in early 1657, around January or February (the year of the Great Fire), or around December of 1656, the previous year. Personally, because I like my blorbos on the older end, I like to interpret her as the latter.

So yeah! I hope I answered your question anon, even if a little bit. These are fun little exercises for me to work my noggin, so I appreciate the ask! <3

[rcmclachlan]

tag game: 9 questions for 9 people!

I was tagged by the wonderful @microcomets! Thanks, friend.

last song: Dónde Está La Playa by The Walkmen, which is part of my "Songs I Listened To Non-Stop Between 2004 and 2014" playlist.

currently watching: I started "Blue Eye Samurai" today and it's SO GOOD. I should've been in bed like an hour ago, but I had to watch episode 5. It's all I can do to not watch the next one. Highly recommend!

three ships: Oof, this question is always some straight-up Sophie's Choice shit. How do you choose just three when you've been in a thousand fandoms across 20+ years? At the moment, it's probably Dean/Castiel (the evergreen ship, amirite?), Brad/Nate (I'm having my like 5th Gen Kill renaissance since it first aired in 2008), and Bulma/Vegeta (always close to my heart). Runners up include Wangxian, Will/Hannibal, and Crowley/Aziraphale.

favorite color: At the moment, pink!

currently consuming: Plain seltzer. I like my water spicy.

first ship: Oh jeez, probably Usagi/Mamoru (or Serena/Darian, as it was known back in 1995)

relationship status: forever single, yet perpetually hoping to fall into an alternate universe where i took the leap and ended up with the love of my life

last movie: Godzilla Minus One, which was amazing and made both @dandeebakes and @stitchyblogs cry. Go see it immediately.

currently working on: For more than a decade I've wanted to write a Gen Kill canon AU that involves an alien invasion, and I've been outlining it for the last few days. Who knows? Maybe I'll actually write it.

tagging 9 folks (who are not obligated to do this): @nandalorian, @stitchyblogs, @lemonistas, @themrsscience, @dandeebakes, @sonatine, @arcanewinter, @no-gorms, and @theroseandthebeast

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: January 2024

I know folks say January feels like a long month but it kinda felt normal to me? I dunno. Anyway this is how I spent the last 31 days.

……….FILM……….

Asteroid City (2023) The artistry is top notch and spoke the loudest but I feel like I'll need to watch it a couple more times to take in the quieter voices. I can't tell if it's me or specifically this film, but it felt...sadder than Anderson's other work?

Saltburn (2023) A lot of false starts, or rather a lot of pivots from what I thought the movie would be. And then also a lot of false endings? I dunno. I found the whole thing...indulgent (take that for what it's worth). A lot of beautiful and memorable imagery.

Spice World (1997) Technically a New Year's Eve watch and a great way to wind down 2023. Truly a wild ride and so many great cameos. And for anyone who doesn't know the Spice Girls I actually think it'd be a pretty great introduction to them.

……….TELEVISION……….

Delicious in Dungeon (Episode 1.01 to 1.04) Digging this adaptation so far! If you haven't heard me ramble on about how great the manga series is, this is your chance to see if you dig the tone and concept.

Daisy Jones & The Six (Episode 1.01 to 1.10) Gotta love the Fleetwood Mac fanfic. Feels both familiar and wholly unique and the brief documentary-style character moments are a lot of fun too. I strive to be Warren the drummer.

Blue Eye Samurai (Episode 1.05 to 1.08) Really great season of television. The last episode stuck the landing in an unexpected way and while I didn't looooove it, I respect it. Still suffers slightly from "just wait til next season" but one misstep amongst a season of perfect steps is okay by me.

The Crown (Episode 6.07 to 6.10) Having not watched the rest of the series (outside of a few eps of the Diana-centred eps this season) I really found the finale...moving. Elizabeth and Philip really do feel like the end of an era.

……….YOUTUBE……….

This Candyman Makes a Wonka-Style Candy Feast | WIRED by Wired Certainly didn't realize how interested I'd be in the process of making candy, but here we are. Really great breakdown and watch it if for no other reason than to learn the backstory behind the "drops" in "lemon drops". VIDEO

How YouTubers Can Avoid Burnout by Extranet Shaquille While specifically talking about YouTubers, this succinctly captures my approach to working in the creative industry: push yourself but not for the sake of exponential growth. Any creative could benefit from hearing this alternative to those pushing the grind mindset. VIDEO

……….READING……….

Full House by Zeke Masters (Complete) Picked this up randomly at a thrift store and it didn't disappoint. Not quite as horny as I expected an "adult western" to be, but that's okay. An easy read and if I see more of "Zeke's" books I'll definitely pick them up.

There Is A Tide by Agatha Christie (Complete) Plenty of twists and I think it all played fair as everything Poirot revealed made me think "oh yeah that was mentioned earlier". Great introduction to Christie's work and excited to pick up more!

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton (Complete) Heart-wrenching. Such a deeply personal reflection and perspective on Canada's relationship with oil and the people who take it from the ground. While the entire read is a blend of very fun and deeply sad, I found the written epilogue to contain the biggest gut punch. Should be required reading for anyone who drives a car.

Richard Stark's Parker: The Score by Darwyn Cooke (Complete) It's incredible just how cinematic Cooke's work is. So much style and substance with such little brushwork (and only two colours)! If you haven't read any of the Parker retellings then know each pretty much stands on its own and are all worth checking out.

Delicious in Dungeon Vol. 3 by Ryoko Kui (Complete) Really enjoying this reread while also catching the Netflix series! It's interesting to see the little details peppered in that really shows the whole thing was developed from the beginning. Go watch the show and if you like it well enough then the books are, as cliche as it is, even better.

……….AUDIO……….

God is Dead by Twin Temple (2023) Satanic doo whop? Heck yeah. Their first album was great but something about this follow-up really clicked for me. Maybe it's the the track "Be a Slut (Do What You Want)".

……….GAMING……….

Oz: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) My Tuesday crew is knee-deep in Ozian politics. They're allied with a few different parties and many of those parties are in conflict with each other. Classic. Anyway you can read all about their antics here!

And that's it. See you in February!

[beeftony]

Summary:

Alternate ending to "The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride." It would have been easier to let the guards spirit Akemi away, but what if Mizu made the opposite choice?

Author's Note: Blue Eye Samurai is one of those shows that comes along and punches you in the face with how good it is. It managed to stir my creative juices like nothing else I've seen recently, and I had to process my feelings about it somehow (I also made like, three AMVS in a weekend). Thank you to @foibles-fables for providing feedback on the rough draft of this story. Hope you enjoy!

[snakes-and-fluff]

Project Voltage Mikus ranked by my personal taste from most to least favourite:

-Ghost. Glitchy ghost Miku. GLITCHY GHOST MIKU!! When I saw this one I gasped, it's so so good That fact that her tie is a little glowing ghost-wisp? The muted and simplistic colour palette? The "01" badge being a wisp floating next to her arm? I cannot stop screaming about it. It's. Perfect.

-Ground. Honestly it doesn't really look like Miku but I don't care it's a baller design and I love it, it was made to appeal directly to me with the adventuring themes and the tattered cloak. Her hair does remind me of thorns more than ground tbh but she still deserves her spot here

-Fighting. Of course she's paired with Sirfetch'd for the leek! I had no idea what direction Fighting-type was gonna be and while I am a little sad we don't get ripped Miku I can't deny that this design is great! The dark brown accents really help make the rest of the outfit pop and her hair is leeks you can't get much more on-brand for Miku than this

-Dragon. The mini-cloak worn over one shoulder, the claw hairclips, the sword that doubles as a mic?? Fantastic. I also think this is the design that fits her partner Pokémon best - she really does embody Miraidon

-Fire. This one is fun! Her hair is insane and I'm not entirely sure what's going on with those leggings (are those just patches of bare skin? how would you even wear those), but I love her eyes and her jacket. This is the one I want most as a module in a Project Diva game

-Psychic. I love it so much, she's so cute! It's a pretty understated design but I feel like it really works, ya know?

-Ice. I really, really like this one... mostly. The bright green gloves take a bit of the appeal away imo - on her eyes and earrings and tiny dots throughout her outfit the green accent colour is fine but the gloves take up too much space to be fully green. Her ice-heels are incredible though, no notes

-Steel. I don't what I expected for Steel-type, but it certainly wasn't a samurai! A pokéflute being worn as a sword?? Inspired. Her hat looks like it can double as a cymbal in case she needs to make some impromptu music

-Bug. Tiny little Miku! The bangs over her front resembling antennae and the multiple wing motifs on her outfit are next-level adorable. She fits in the palm of my hand

-Dark. I love her umbrella-mic, 20/10 that's the best accessory of the lot easily. And I like the rest of the outfit , but I don't like what they did with the pigtails - I understand that one's crescent-moon shaped but the fact that they are so wildly different in length and volume is really throwing me off

-Flying. This is the epitome of a Flying-type trainer's design. She's soft and flowy and looks like she belongs in the clouds. I don't know what's up with that single dark blue glove though

-Normal. The vibes are impeccable; she's just having a chill time. I really like all the colours that are going on and can rest easy knowing that this Miku definitely smokes weed

-Fairy. This one is very, very close to overtaking Normal but the face keeps throwing me off. Her skirt is very cute and I love her puffy socks. I get what they were trying to do with the hair but it just looks like she got strawberry bubblegum stuck in there

-Water. I like that the pigtails join together at the end - absolutely insane design, 10/10 - but it just. Doesn't look like Miku. I can certainly believe this as a water trainer design in one of the games tho

-Electric. You just took a regular electric trainer, gave her pigtails and called her Miku. It's an okay design overall, even if I feel like it's more on the bland side

-Grass. I flip-flop on this one, but my feelings are generally neutral. It doesn't really look like Miku imo but it does kinda look like Miku's cousin so I'll let it slide

-Rock. For one thing, I keep looking at that design and thinking it's ice. And I'm just not a huge fan of the flowy bridal-dress look (I know there's an alternate version and I do prefer that one... but only slightly, so it stays here)

-Poison. The epitome of overdesigned. Also why did you choose mustard yellow accents? On the goggles and gasmask it looks okay but in the hair?? Awful.

DISCLAIMER: this was in progress as the designs were being revealed and after I've had to chance to let my feelings on them digest for a while my opinions might change but this is how I feel about them all currently. Overall, pretty great!

And in case you have no idea what I'm talking about: https://www.serebii.net/music/projectvoltage/

[thehollowprince]

Have you got any thoughts or ideas about what a Star Wars/Teen Wolf fusion AU would be like?

Ironically enough, I have thought about that.

One of my favorite things to do with a show/book/movie that I like is create alternate scenarios for them to exist in. Not coffee shop AUs or anything like that, but to take said characters and drop them into an entirely different setting, with them being bound by the rules and such of that new setting.

So, for Star Wars, I would take these characters out of Beacon Hills and drop them in the Galaxy Far Far Away, just keeping the essence of who they are. No werewolves or druids or banshees. I would take them and mold them to fit this new landscape.

Scott, for example, I would have be a Jedi Knight. Formally, a student of Alan Deaton, a great Jedi Master. He'd wield a yellow lightsaber (to match his werewolf eyes) and be stationed at a small temple in the Outer Rim. Out there, he befriends Stiles, a local smuggler who sneaks around his father (as the planetary police) in his hunk of junk ship (Rosco) and shenanigans would ensue.

Allison would be a Mandalorian bounty hunter and Lydia some sort of politician (á la Padme in the Prequels or Leia in the Original Trilogy). Kira would be Force-sensitive, but not a Jedi. Maybe a Matukai, a Force-based group that emphasizes physical prowess in combat over the more esoteric nature of the Jedi. She might not have a lightsaber, but she definitely has a weapon imbued with the Force or a vibroblade of some kind.

Malia being one of the warriors of Dathomir (Legends continuity). She might not be one of the legendary witches of that planet, but she has their mindset. Maybe she's Stiles' co-pilot and considers him her bed partner/property.

Maybe Derek is a jedi as well, a Shistavanen Wolfman who wanders the Outer Rim like a lone samurai with his blue lightsaber before falling to the dark side for a while (his red eyes = his red lightsaber). He returns to the light but leaves the Order to sort himself out.

I could see Scott fighting Derek, after the loss of his lightsaber and purifying the crystal to make it white like Ahsoka, thus avoiding giving Scott a red lightsaber to match his Alpha status because of how red = dark in Star Wars.

The Alpha Pack being a group of Dark or Fallen Jedi led by a Miralukan Sith (Deucalian) and consisting of a Wookiee (Ennis), a Selonian (Kali), and two bond-twins (Ethan and Aiden). Maybe they want Derek to be a part of their group, like in the show. Maybe they're after an ancient Sith artifact (Nogitsune) that they can use to achieve their ends, but they must overcome a Dark-Side adept (Jennifer Blake) first.

I could make a whole story/trilogy out of that alone, with it ending on Scott taking on a padawan of his own - Liam.

But... y'know... I haven't thought a lot on the subject.

[jazzyinspace]

⌚️

🤝

🔫

⭐️

Thank you! 🥰❤️

(You definitely asked me the toughest questions, which I know you did on purpose 🥹✨️)

⌚️ How old were they when they entered the vault? Were they born in there? Or alternatively, are they from Vault 76 at all? (if not, where are they from and how did they end up in West Virginia?)

Jeff is not from Vault 76, nor is he a vault dweller whatsoever. He was born in West Virginia to parents who were a part of the Appalachian Free States. However, he did experience life underground when he was around 8 years old. 

🤝 Do they have any other CAMP allies? (either in-game or added via headcanon)

Brian 🦩

Jeff met Brian at one of the lowest moments of his life. He was still trying to make sense of everything following his disastrous new beginning, all while trying to stay alive. 

Rather than choosing to live a somewhat peaceful life on the cliffs between Slocum's Joe and Arktos Pharma, Jeff left the safe haven that he built for himself and continued on his adventure.

Wilson Brother's Auto Repair became his temporary home base while on the road. And all was going well enough until the night when scorched hordes surrounded the building. 

Panicked, Jeff grabbed the rifle that he picked up in Berkeley Springs and commanded a lone plastic flamingo to keep an eye on the garage. In the same moment, he gave the flamingo a name: Brian.

Together, Jeff and Brian managed to fight off the scorched and save the garage; but, Jeff wasn't ready to face another horde at this point. So, the pair packed up everything and left, searching for another place to call home. 

Today, Jeff and his best friend Brian are constantly building/rebuilding, helping others, and going on adventures together. Their recent trip to Nuka-World on Tour (pictured below) was so much fun! 

Brian would tell you that along with being Jeff's most powerful ally, he is also the CEO and acting secretary of the Jeff Stone Complaint Department™️

Ralph 👽

One day, Jeff heard a crash from outside his C.A.M.P. and when he looked out the front door, he saw [REDACTED].

[REDACTED]

[REDACTED]

[Jeff is just as clueless, believe me]

Jeff has been on many adventures past and present thanks to his neighbor and good pal, Ralph 💫

🔫 What's their preferred weapon type? Is there a specific weapon they mainly use?

With the exception of his Fixer and Flame-ingo, Jeff is a melee specialist. Chances are, if it's one-handed or two, Jeff has brought it along with him on missions or otherwise. 

💙 Redd-Upper–most used 

💙 Shishkebab–most used in [REDACTED]

💙 Plasma Cutter 

💙 Samurai Machete 

💙 Blue Ridge Branding Iron–uses this during Riding Shotgun + Friendly Fire perk. (Kieran voice: Guard the Brahmin.)

💙 Sheepsquatch Staff 

💙 ProSnap Deluxe Camera–he gets startled sometimes! 

⭐️ The Free States?

Jeff was just a child amidst the growing tension between his extended family and most everyone. He would hear whispers of treachery and scandal and notice the accusatory stares coming from his neighbors. Much of this was beyond him at the time, yet still managed to upset him. 

With said tension and the threat of war becoming more of a reality with each passing day, the Free States sheltered underground. They remained there until it was finally safe to re-emerge and rebuild again. 

Post-war, Jeff was able to experience something that could resemble normalcy. The Free States made their home in Harpers Ferry and offered assistance to other survivors and their factions. Unfortunately, all of their efforts would come to an end with the emergence of scorchbeasts and the plague that ultimately spread throughout The Mire and beyond.

Jeff lost his mother and father, his extended family and friends. He was among few survivors of the scorched attacks and felt tremendous guilt because of it. 

(Not so much related to the Free States, but the following is for you, @jonnyonearth ❤️)

Jeff carried his guilt with him as he traveled across the map in search of folks like himself and safety. It was a difficult journey, but he was able to eventually find both of those things in the Forest–and yet his new beginning almost ended before it even started. 

A vault dweller turned wasteland nurse, Emily, found an unresponsive Jeff next to one of the saddest C.A.M.P. creations she had ever laid eyes on. She saved his life that day as her and another wastelander, a preacher, brought Jeff down to her clinic. Even in the present day, Emily still teases Jeff about the whole ordeal, especially the moment when Jeff realized he was sporting some strange gadget on his wrist. 

Jeff started to understand the Free States through holotapes, notes, and hushed stories shared over drinks. Among his personal belongings are Free States items that he has collected over the years. 💙

[annboch]

"Ok fine... So, Utamaro isn't you real name?" - This is after saving Mizu from Fowler mansion-!

-im using the translator for this, sorry if is wrong or not make sense(??JSKDHG

[kidpool]

it seems that @opponentcompel has a shadow in the form of a 4’11, 12-year-old blond kid with unsettlingly, inhumanly-bright blue eyes. he’s mostly following him because he’s bored to shit, & ethan can’t exactly wander over to robby & hold his hand without him freaking out about the whole same-resemblance-to-myself-when-i-was-a-child thing.

also, y’know, his whole eldritch secret thing. also also, the whole same-eldritch-in-two-different-vessels thing.

❝ hey mister, question for you. did’ja eat a lotta veggies growin’ up, & that’s why you’re so big & tall & evil-lookin’? my papa says i gotta eat my tasty veggies, but between us, i fuckin’ hate green beans with every ounce of my being—they’ve gotta be the devil’s favorite snack, ‘cuz no human would ever eat that shit willingly. oh, & i totes think that satan makes demons possess parents to make their children eat green beans forcibly. ❞

ethan doesn’t even pause for a breath, or even give silver a chance to reply before he’s bulldozing into more one-sided chitchat. he has a case of the never-shutting-the-fuck-up bug, & it’s terminal. he’s so gonna annoy silver, maybe even to death. it’s what he deserves after the shit he pulled with alternate you, & especially with robby.

❝ my papa said that i gots’ta eat my decidedly non-green-bean veggies, otherwise all’a my bones’ll be broken if i slip & slide down a flight of stairs. i think i’ll be all broken… just everywhere. bones stickin’ outta places they shouldn’t, & shit. it’s times like that where i wish i was humpty dumpty, ‘cuz that fucker could be put back together again. but oh boy, speakin’ of him, that little bitch sits on top’a walls better than i do. & he’s an egg. it shouldn’t be possible for’a fuckin’ egg to sit like a human does properly on a flat surface. even if he does have legs, i guess. whoever came up with that should be thrown into the deepest pit of hell, ‘cuz that shit is fucking nightmare fuel to end all nightmare fuels. ❞

all of this is said cheerily, in a chaotic, nearly imperceptible rush, & while he’s carefully doodling a very graphic bloodbath in kids’ crayon on a kid’s menu he’d stolen from that diner down the block in the valley. it’s not coming out the greatest—you try coloring while fast-walking after some 6’5 dude & not have it look a little janky. ( haha! Other You is still taller than him! you win. ) but hey, he’s having fun, even if it’s with the dude that recently caused two of alternate you’s deaths.

he just doesn’t stop talking… or coloring. his engagement ring glints in the sunlight, & it’s much smaller than it’s going to be in a few months’ time. he’s a little surprised he hasn’t straight up word-vomitted about robby to him yet… or maybe not because of everything. hmm… ethan wonders if he’d be able to allude to him without directly mentioning him. ❝ but i think i could win a sitting-on-a-wall contest before cobra kai could win that neat sekai taikai tourney-menty, terry silver. ❞ his tone doesn’t change at all as he colors in the scene on the paper: it’s of a familiar-looking egg stabbing a samurai sword through a ninja’s body.

[shoukohime]

can I just do ALL the end of year asks? no? okay then 5, 14, 15, 16, 22

it's okay if you don't do all of those, of course

Whoaa hello thanks for playing 💞💞

13. TV show of the year?

HMMM... I haven't watched many TV shows this year tbh. Some that stood out to me were Fall of the House of Usher, The Glory, Blue Eye Samurai and uh. Tatort Saarbrücken if this counts. lol. Wbu? Any recs?

14. I already answered this in the ask below :)

15. What’s a bad habit you picked up this year?

Hmmmmmm I feel like my small talk skills got worse this year. It's not like they were bad, I can hold a conversation just fine, but this year I noticed myself at a loss for words a lot more than usual.

16. Post a picture from the beginning of the year

Ah nope sorry :) mutuals can ask for my insta but I won't post pictures of me on here.

22. Favorite place you visited this year?

Cyprus ✨ the sunsets over the sea were magnificent. Alternatively Dresden because I was so impressed by the architecture.

end of year asks

[starrysnowdrop]

Original Character ⛩ Yume Aino

((All info is as of Endwalker 6.0 - Updated 12/25/21))

Name: Yume Aino

Unsundered Name: Eurydice

Gender: Female

Age: 24 in ARR, 30 in EW

Race: Raen Au Ra

Relationship: Engaged to G’raha Tia since end of 6.0, but has been in a Long-term Relationship since 5.1

Family: She has no contact with her birth family outside of her first cousin @faerieearthangel’s Rei Tokugawa, but she now has her fiancé G’raha, and in the future she has her daughter Hikari Raha in main timeline, and her other daughter Mirai Garlond in an alternate timeline, both of whom who are born Post 6.0.

Orientation: Heterosexual/Demisexual

Nameday: 13th Sun of the 3rd Astral Moon (May 13th)

Abilities/Talents: Kenjutsu, Martial Arts, Marksmanship, Writing Poetry, Fluent in Multiple Languages

Job: Former samurai of the Aino Clan; Currently a ronin, adventurer, and Scion of the Seventh Dawn

((More under the cut!))

Appearance description: Yume is a 5 fulms 2 ilms tall Raen Au Ra with medium-length, straight black hair with bangs that’s usually tied up into a high ponytail by a her hair ribbon (Fae Eastern Schoolgirl’s Hair Ribbon). She has large, wide set, royal blue eyes with lighter blue limbal rings. She is petite but athletic and curvy. Her horns are slightly curled and sloping backwards away from her face, and her tail is short and smooth with a few small spikes near the base. Ivory scales adorn her body and face with a small speckling of scales above the bridge of her nose.

Unique features (scars, tattoos, etc.): Though she has many small scars accumulated over the years, the most prominent one is a large, very deep scar from the right side of her abdomen to her belly button. Yume also has a large, red ink tattoo in the shape of a Phoenix covering her back.

Personal Beliefs (religious or otherwise): Believes in the concept of Karma and that everything happens for a reason, but does not believe in the Kami or any other kind of god.

Residence: Has recently moved with G’raha to Old Sharlayan, but they also have a small apartment in Shirogane

Birthplace: In a province just outside of Kugane, Hingashi

Dreams: To live a life that she has chosen for herself and not forced upon her by someone else, to help others and use her powers for good, and to someday have children.

Fears: Living a life without making her own choices, having regrets, and the death of her loved ones, though not afraid of dying herself.

Introverted / Extroverted / Ambiverted (bold what applies)

How do they handle stress?: Yume may look calm and collected to most people, but she definitely needs ways of channeling her stress. She knows several meditation techniques, expresses her emotions in her poetry, and also tends to beat up on some unwitting training dummies to deal with stress.

What’s the state of their living quarters? (messy, clean, etc.): Yume tries her best to keep the apartment as clean as possible, but it’s inevitable that some things tend to just get set down and not put away right away. G’raha is even worse with keeping the apartment clean, with books and clothes strewn about on the floor.

How do they handle meeting new people?: Yume is always polite and friendly, but she tends to be quite reserved around new people. She will only open up after she gets to know someone more and can trust them. The only people she was really open with in a short amount of time was when she met Cid (Marques at the time) and then G’raha.

When facing certain doom, what’s their outlook?: Yume deep down would be really anxious and stressed, but on the surface she will seem rational, calm, collected, and determined to face the problem head on. Only those closest to her know that she hides her fears well.

What do they do to relax?: In order to relax, Yume will curl up with a good book, sit down to write her poetry, eat a delicious meal, soak in the tub, and cuddle with Raha.

What’s their favourite outfit?: This is Yume’s current glam:

Traumas: For traumas, you can read Yume’s history below. Pretty much the events of ShB also were really traumatic for her, especially the light corruption and seeing G’raha almost sacrifice himself for her, then seeing him get kidnapped by Emet-Selch.

About them as of current story patch: As of the end of 6.0, Raha and Yume are recently engaged to be married and have moved to Old Sharlayan.

History: Yume was born the oldest daughter of a Daimyo (feudal lord), Lord Masanori Aino, and was raised from birth to one day become a samurai. She excelled in all her studies and was driven to be the best on the battlefield, yet she always felt like something was missing from her life. As she got older, she travelled often to Kugane, the famed port city where merchants from all walks of life congregated. Yume was exposed to people with vastly different cultures and traditions from the ones she knew. She was fascinated with the travelers from distant lands that she had never seen before, especially the Eorzeans.

When she came of age, Yume’s family began the search for a suitor for her to wed. Many clans were interested in marrying their son to the daughter of Lord Aino, but Lord Aino looked for perfection, and no man around her age was good enough for his daughter; this is considering that she bested every would-be suitor in one-on-one combat. Yume pleaded with her father to allow her to decide for herself who she wants to marry in her own time, but her father forbid her from ever speaking of it again, for she would shame him and bring dishonor to the family name.

Soon after Yume’s 18th nameday, her father announced her betrothal to Lord Nobu Aino, her own uncle. Nobu had lost his wife due to illness, and he never fathered children with her. To ensure that he will have children of his own, he wished to wed a young woman with many years ahead of her so that she can give him many children. Yume was appalled; it was commonplace centuries ago for uncles and nieces to marry in Hingashi, but it is a dying tradition that only the daimyo and the shogunate participate in, as most of Hingashi frowns upon it in modern times.

Yume felt trapped in the station in life that she was born into. Her family never sought her approval of the suitor, nor was there any room for her to decline the betrothal. Though she wished for nothing more than to become a samurai, she did not want to be forced into a marriage with her own uncle, nor to be bound to a fate that she never decided for herself. This led to the biggest decision she ever made: she confronted her father and refused to marry Nobu.

Her father tells her that she has dishonored him and the family, but Yume responds that he has shamed her and she cannot live like this anymore. Lord Aino responds by telling her that if she cannot live with the shame, then she must commit Seppuku, or ritualistic suicide.

The next day, the ceremony commences, and Yume is fully prepared to take her own life. Just as she begins to slit her belly open, her father stops her and tells her she does not have to die but must live in shame. The family disowns her, and she must leave her household, never to return. Yume agrees to this, and never sees her family again.

Soon after she recovers from her wounds, Yume becomes a mercenary in Kugane for a few years until one day she decides that there is nothing left for her in Hingashi, and she leaves for Eorzea, a land that she has always dreamed of seeing. The only companion who leaves with her is her best friend and cousin Rei Tokugawa.

Feelings towards others: (add or remove as relevant)

- G’raha – G’raha got on Yume’s nerves right away when he was playing games with her and taking the aethersand, but she was soon intrigued by him when she saw him in person and not just as the “disembodied voice”. They quickly grew close and she began to develop feelings for him, which she felt very guilty about, as she was in a relationship with Cid. Yume tries to confess to G’raha, but he locks himself in the Crystal Tower, and she fears she’ll never see him again. Yume tries to bury her feelings deep down, but could never shake her love for him. After they reunite in ShB, Yume breaks off her engagement to Cid so that she can be with the man she truly loves. Now, the two are dreaming of building a future together.

- Cid – Cid was Yume’s first love, and she never knew what love even felt like until she met him. Yume truly believes that she wouldn’t have been a warrior of light and have accomplished all that she has accomplished without him. However, over the years, Yume couldn’t shake her feelings for G’raha, and she learned over time that she may love Cid, but she wasn’t in love with him, as she was in love with G’raha. Yume broke off her engagement to Cid in order to be with G’raha, and her relationship with Cid is very strained to say the least. She is trying to keep her distance from him so that he may heal and properly move on.

- Alphinaud – Alphi (as she refers to him) is like a brother to her. Yume is really proud of how much he has grown and matured over the years. She is very close to him.

- Alisaie – Similar to Alphi, Alisaie is the sister Yume never had. Yume and Alisaie have very similar worldviews and bonded really quickly. Yume is also very close to her.

- Yshtola – Yume gets along with Y’shtola well, but she’s not particularly close to her really. Sometimes Y’shtola’s brash nature rubs Yume the wrong way.

- Thancred – Yume didn’t like Thancred much at first, as she hated his flirtatious nature. As she got to know him better over years, Yume now deeply respects him and is proud of his growth, especially during their time in the First.

- Urianger – Yume was very intimidated by Urianger for a long time due to his manner of speech. As a non-native speaker of the Eorzean tongue, Yume was not familiar with a lot of the words he was fond of using, and she needed others around her to translate for her. She has learned a lot more now and she is way more comfortable around him.

- Tataru - Yume adores Tataru, and she was the first Scion that she really got to know well. Tataru is one of her best friends.

- Minfilia - Yume was very fond of Minfilia, as she was one of the first people in Eorzea to make her feel so welcome and care about her as a person and not just as a warrior. Yume will always try to honor her memory.

- Papalymo - Papalymo and Yume were never super close, but she respected him greatly. She knew she could always trust him, and she remembers him fondly.

- Lyse - Out of all the Scions (well, including former Scions), Lyse is one that Yume has just learned to tolerate. Yume was really judgmental of her at first because she just thought that the girl was dumb and immature, noting that Papalymo had the patience of a saint to put up with her. Now, Yume recognizes that Lyse truly cares about Ala Mhigo and wants to do what’s best for the people, which Yume finds admirable. Still, Lyse tends to get on her nerves.

- Gaius – Yume’s feelings towards Gaius are very similar to Cid’s, as she never truly knew the man personally until very recently, and her understanding of him came directly from Cid. Yume is highly conflicted about Gaius and is not quite sure if she’s ready to trust him yet. Though Yume can see that Gaius is trying to do the right thing, and she hopes he continues to go down the right path.

- Nero – Nero is another one that Yume has just learned to tolerate over time. At first, Yume absolutely couldn’t trust the man during the investigation of the Crystal Tower, but after the events of Omega, she is okay with him now.

- Haurchefant – Haurchefant is another that Yume will always remember fondly, and she will miss how he made hot chocolate and was always there to provide support and to cheer everyone up. He was one of her best friends.

- Estinien – Estinien’s gruff demeanor was a little off putting at first, but she soon got used to it. She’s not particularly close to him, but she knows how much Alphinaud looks up to him, and so she wanted to save his life from Nidhogg, particularly for Alphi’s sake. She considers Estinien a trusted companion.

- Aymeric – Yume was suspicious of Aymeric at first, especially when her and Alphinaud’s first meeting with him did not go too well, but over time, Yume saw that he was a man of his word. She finds his devotion to Ishgard and his efforts of making peace with the dragons admirable. She’s not particularly close to him, however.

- Magnai - Yume thinks he’s too arrogant and boastful for his own good. She also rolls her eyes at him when he asked some of her friends if they were his nhaama. In case you are wondering, no he didn’t ask Yume because she wasn’t “delicate” enough for him... and she couldn’t be happier that he didn’t ask her. Yume also was laughing with Sadu when Y’shtola roasted him.

- Sadu - For Yume, Sadu reminded her of her childhood back in Hingashi when she loved to fight. All of her trauma made her weary of fighting unless it was necessary, but seeing Sadu and her love for battle reminded Yume of a part of her that she thought was lost.

- Other Warrior of Lights - Yume loves all of her fellow Warriors of Light and considers them all her very dear friends.

((This character sheet was made by the amazing @lizzy-of-the-dotharl-tribe!! I’ve never seen some of the questions before, and the section on their feelings towards the npcs is fantastic!!!))

[oriigami]

blood will have blood

[Wano manga spoilers- After the liberation of Wano, someone who is not Kyoshirou comes to see Orochi in his cell. A very self-indulgent post-canon alternate ending. Read it on AO3 here.]

Something is breaking.

Something is breaking, his ears ringing with a grating sound like the rubbing edges of broken glass, and he can’t tell if it’s inside his head or outside of it. He was right he was right he was right, and he doesn’t know whether to laugh or scream or both, because he was right.

He’s not even sure what happened. It was all so impossibly fast, twenty years of triumph brought to ash in a single night. How did it happen? How did it happen? He’d been so careful, he’d known, he’d known their every movement and every plan, he’d had Kanjurou-

His strength is sapping, seeping out through the cold seastone locked around his wrists, and it’s all he can do to keep from slumping boneless to the floor.

The sheer indignity of it all- imprisoned in his own castle, the castle that always should have been his by right, dank stone pressing against his back, left alone with nothing but his thoughts and the breaking inside his head. How dare they? How dare they visit such injustice upon him- upon the rightful shougun of Wano-

Laughter, low, darkly amused and deeply familiar, and he jerks his head up against the draining weakness in his veins.

There’s a man standing on the other side of the cell door, looking nothing but casual, sharp-eyed and grinning wide like he’s drinking in the best show he’s ever seen. His characteristic pompadour is nowhere to be seen, and there’s something- strange about his face, the light in his eyes and the knife-edge in his smile; but nonetheless, the recognition is instant, and no sooner has it hit that Orochi is scrambling forward, tripping over his own cuffed hands and uncooperative feet, heedless of his lost dignity.

“Kyoshirou? How did you-“ he cuts himself off, grits his teeth. “Never mind. What are you doing standing around grinning like an idiot? Let me out of here! Quick!”

Kyoshirou doesn’t move; doesn’t speak. Doesn’t do anything but stand there and stare down at him- he hates being looked down on, he’s the shougun, no one looks down on him-

“Oi! Kyoshirou-”

-he catches a flash of bare steel at Kyoshirou’s side, a sword unsheathed, and something freezes in his throat. Treachery? Could it be? Or the same mercy he gave to poor dead Komurasaki?

Kyoshirou doesn’t move to attack, though. Instead, he sits, situating himself cross-legged on the cold stone floor, and lays the wicked-sharp sword flat across his lap.

He’s still smiling when he says, conversationally, “I’ve been dreaming of this moment for twenty years.”

…What?

Something is- not right. Or, no- everything isn’t right, everything is wrong, the shougun is chained in his own dungeons- but here, and now, something is so very wrong, and that sound like the rubbing edges of broken glass is ringing in his ears again, and his skin is crawling.

“I thought about it a lot,” Kyoshirou continues. “About what I’d do. About what I’d say.” His smile grows, inches wider to encompass a couple more teeth. “About the look on your ugly little face when you realized you’d been played for the fool all this time, usurper.”

He spits the last word out like it’s poison, a level of furious venom Orochi has never heard from him before, not even when he’s raging, and the potency of it hits like a gunshot.

“…What?” Orochi hears himself say through the ringing in his ears, too small and uncertain to be his own voice. There are pieces here, and they’re coming together, but the picture that’s forming doesn’t make sense, it has to be wrong. Kyoshirou is-

Kyoshirou is loyal. Kyoshirou has always been loyal. Kyoshirou has saved his life time and time again, has served with all the stupid stubborn dedication of a dog, has gotten him whatever he asks for, whatever he wishes. Kyoshirou has been at his side for years, for-

-for exactly twenty years.

“You’re-“ he tries, and his voice dies in his throat, hollowed out by shock. Twenty years. Played for the fool, all this time- “Who are you?”

“Oh, you know me,” says the man who is not Kyoshirou and never was. “I met you when you were just a pathetic little worm sniveling at Lord Oden’s feet, and you know? You were never anything more than that, and you never will be.”

He laughs, a little, and it’s still the same laugh, low and sharp and just a little unhinged, that Orochi has been hearing for twenty years.

“My name is Denjirou,” he says, leaning in close to the bars, and he’s still grinning, like this is the best joke he’s ever told, a punchline twenty years coming. “Of the Akazaya Nine.”

It’s not-

This can’t be-

He was so careful, so paranoid, hunting out every trace of loyalism and every whisper of rebellion, he did everything right, and yet-

Played for the fool, all this time-

The sword, long and wicked sharp, is still laying flat across Denjirou’s lap, gleaming hungrily in the low light, and he can’t drag his eyes away from it. He’s certain he knows what it’s for, now.

“Are you,” he says, and it comes out too uneven, too frightened, and there’s still the breaking shattering in his head in his ears and how did everything go this wrong- “Are you going to kill me? You traitorous rat-“

Denjirou laughs again, and the worst thing about it is how real it is. “Oh, I’m not here to kill you,” he says, grinning, all teeth, far too sharp for Orochi to feel even an ounce of relief. “I think there’s someone else who better deserves the honor.”

He stands, fishes a key from his kimono and unlocks the cell door. It creaks open slow and quiet. Orochi doesn’t move; couldn’t, even if the cuffs were off, even if he had any strength left to fight or flee. None of this is real, none of this is right, none of this can be happening. He’s the shougun-

Denjirou looks off to his side at something or someone Orochi can’t see, and holds the blade out, hilt-first, in silent offering.

Wooden sandals, clacking against the floor, and a woman rounds the corner into view, taking the sword wordlessly from Denjirou’s outstretched hand. She comes to a halt in the cell door, and for a moment, she simply looks at him, holding the blade loosely at her side.

There’s something so terribly familiar about her, something he can’t quite place until he can. The big, downturned blue eyes; the lips he used to spend hours dreaming of; and above all her hair, loose down her shoulders like he’s never seen it, but still blue-green as the cleanest river water.

Yes, he knows this woman. She’s dead. But ghosts, ghosts, ghosts won’t leave him alone. Oden, Momonosuke, all their wretched samurai- why doesn’t anyone in this damnable country ever just stay dead?

“Komurasaki,” he croaks.

She smiles, steps forward.

“Kouzuki Hiyori,” she corrects. She adjusts her grip on the sword, and says:

“For my father, and my mother, and me.”

[fabrowrites]

2021 Writers Wrapped

it’s the end of 2021, and i’m going through my writing throughout this year and picking a favorite sentence/section from each month!  

The original challenge: for every month you wrote, pick a sentence/section and share!  This applies to both published works and wips!

The alternate challenge: pick a sentence/section from your most popular fic, your personal favorite fic that you wrote, and the fic that gave you the most trouble!

I’ll be doing the original challenge :D  here goes nothing!

January: The Sun Rises Every Single Night Chapter 2 ninjago

Lloyd flicks soap suds at Zane, shrieking when the ice ninja returns the favor with a blank face. Nya hears the commotion and sticks her head in, gasping in mock outrage when she gets caught in the crossfire. "It is on," she says, grinning madly.

February: Skyward Chapter 52 ninjago

Jay shared a look with Zane over the top of his head.  Because the truth was that it had hurt when Lloyd drained their powers. 

March: Skyward Chapter 55 ninjago

Like the extinguishing of a candle, the last of the golden light snuffed out.  Darkness rushed back in greedily, settling like a shroud across their shoulders. 

April: what happens if u put a vampire on the sun? ninjago

“Why's Lloyd dead?” Nya asks disinterestedly, pouring her third cup of coffee that morning into her limited-edition Mega-Monster-Amusement-Park-exclusive Samurai X-cuse u mug.

“People are praising him again and the poor baby can't handle it,” Jay says.

May: The Sun Rises Every Single Night Chapter 3 ninjago

Lloyd- well, he doesn’t shriek.  Jay shrieks, but he doesn’t.  He shouts, springing back from the table. 

June: Blue ninjago

Nobody comes for him.  He’s grateful.  He’s gutted.

July: too fast / too slow Chapter 1 ninjago

He leaves, and they don’t follow him.  He leaves, and he gets captured, and he gets his powers taken.  Zane sacrifices himself to protect them in a move that should have been Lloyd’s doing, and their precariously held-together team shatters.  

August: The Make-Cole-Realize-How-Much-We-Love-Him Competition ninjago

Kai is bundled in the puffiest snow coat, zipped all the way up past his collarbone.  He rolls his eyes.  “Dude, the coat isn’t a weather choice.  It’s a smuggler’s weapon.”  His grin turns sly.  He drags Cole off into a corner and surreptitiously slides the zipper down a notch.  Taped to the inside of his jacket are rows of chips and candy.  He taps the side of his forehead.  Bemused, Cole does the same.

September: too fast / too slow Chapter 2 ninjago

 Kai stands in the middle of the room, hands clenched tightly at his sides.  He’s dressed only in a ratty pair of pajama pants.  The soft skin of his chest is bared.  Vulnerable.  Lloyd’s heart pangs.  

“Stay,” he scowls.  Demands.  Pleads.  “Just stay.  Please.”

October: lights will guide you home ninjago

Lloyd vibrates impatiently behind her, all energy and unable to control it. With neon light bouncing off his eyes, he’s a facsimile of his former appearance.  A cruel joke, she would have thought this morning.

A promise, she thinks now.

November: PRET/BOEU (untranslate) sla

And there he is: Adolin, sunshine on legs, beaming already as he enters the courtroom.  His royal blue suit pops against the dark ones of his colleagues and his briefcase has that stupid Gucci stripe down the side.  He sets his stuff down at his desk, flicking his too-long bangs out of his eyes and nodding to whatever his partner is saying.

December: untitled SS fic ninjago

“I’m dying to know what is so important that it needs all this secrecy."

“Well, if you stopped running into walls, maybe we’d get there faster.”

“Well,” Cole shoots back in the same tone, “if you stopped directing me into them, maybe I’d stop running into them so much.”

gonna tag @rosiehunterwolf @fangirltakesall @viioletpixels @maybestarlight!  no pressure if you’re busy I know this is a lot XD