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weirdsht · 3 months ago

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Disillusioned 14 . Insecurity, My Old Friend (2)

a/n: the typhoon is so bad but only one of my profs switched to online class... but during online class I wrote this instead of listening so ig its understandable why they don't want to switch...

anw, after this chapter this thing officially has more words and pages than all of my lotcf oneshots combined

tags: slavery and human trafficking, mentioned wounds, tears

English isn’t my first language so there will be grammatical errors

Pls don't repost my work anywhere without my permission

Constructive criticisms and any kind of interaction are more than welcome

Requests are currently closed but my ask are still open (read pinned)

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It felt like it had been a long time since _____ and Cale saw each other. In reality, it was merely a few days. It probably just felt like an eternity because they were both busy.

Sure, let’s go with that…

The two exchanged short pleasantries before the conversation switched to how one of the Gyerre Duchy’s vassals was committing human trafficking.

At first, the healer silently listened to the assassin and the young master talked. But then a familiar name was mentioned.

The Chryshi

_____ who has naturally and unknowingly switched their positions from in front of Ron to Cale's side perked up at the mention of a merchant guild and the Chryshi household.

A puppy-like young master and a bunny-like healer young master that naturally gravitated towards each other every chance they got…

No one knew how much this fact entertained a certain benign old man.

The so-called bunny-like healer started tugging Cale's sleeves as an indication they had something to say, too uncomfortable to speak first because there were a lot of people.

"Hmm? What is it _____, do you know something?"

Ignoring how Cale's voice softened a bit when addressing the healer, they all tuned in as to what the healer had to say.

"Back when I was with my adoptive family, I heard them bring up the Chryshi and some merchant guild in the same sentence. Whenever the conversation was about that they would also bring up about how it brings in so much income.”

_____ could see the intrigued reaction forming on Ron’s face.

“Also, there were nights when I would hear them have secret meanings with that Baron household... I wasn't allowed to take part in important conversations when I was back there so I can only tell you about things I overheard."

Cale once again feels like a headache coming.

However, it checks out if the Perduellios are part of this human trafficking scheme. How else would they get information about an ‘orphanage’ that sells blessed and gifted children?

It just makes sense.

And everyone could see that Cale hates that it makes sense.

Because if the Perduellios are part of this scheme then it would mean the orphanage _____ came from is a slave house with an orphanage front.

As if _____ hasn’t had enough in Cale’s opinion.

They already suffered from those bastards called Perduellios. If the place they came from was a slave house… how much more abuse did they experience?

“Ron, Freesia, include the Perduellios in your investigation.”

“As you wish young master-nim”

Everyone finalized the plan before moving on to another topic.

“Are you sure you’ll be fine staying alone at an inn? I can send one of them with you.”

What’s this? A certain redhead young master is acting out of character?

“I’ll be fine. I know the Gyerre territory like the back of my hand. I have done so many projects here since the Perduellios are aligned with them.”

Just as Cale mentioned, the plan is for _____ to stay in an inn. They would dye their hair and eyes as disguises too. This was because the chances of them being discovered here were higher. Not only does everyone know them, but Perduellio’s people also frequent this place.

So they had an idea to make _____ stay at an inn and pretend to be a traveller. It’s a great plan, only if Cale and Raon weren’t so hesitant.

Despite those hesitations, everything proceeded as planned.

The next day _____ went to a teahouse they used to frequent before. It was a few blocks from where Cale was drinking and should have windows so they could look at the houses from across the bridge.

Walking inside the establishment made the healer feel nostalgic. Going inside this teahouse was the only time they could semi-relax before. They were only allowed in there so rumours of the Perduellios not letting _____ have any downtime do not spread. Still, they were grateful for all those times.

_____ went to sit at an empty table with a window view. They would sit where they used to but for some reason, that table was filled with all sorts of flowers and gifts.

“Are you a traveller?”

A childish voice asked the healer. When _____ turned around to see who was talking, they saw the child of the owner of the teahouse.

“Yes I am, how did you know?”

Thankfully _____ had asked Raon to change their voice last minute.

“It’s because I saw you looking at that special table! Everyone here knows why that table is so special! You look like you don't know, so you must not be from here!”

Seems like _____ hasn’t been around here for a long time.

“That table belongs to Roan’s Medicus! Well, not belong but when uhm, when they were still around they would go here and sit over there and admire the view so my parents decided to decicate that table to them… I’ve always wanted to play with them… they were so pretty that I felt shy… I wish I had asked though…”

Guilt stabbed _____’s heart at the child’s words. They have seen this child look at them back then. However, they just thought the child was curious.

“But I'm not sad! Mom said that they are resting peacefully now! She told me that maybe they had to go because the Sun God missed them already! I'm sad that Sun God didn't ask me first if I won't miss Medicus-nim, but I understand their feelings because I'm a big girl now!”

Despite saying she's not sad, the child's eyes look teary as she talks about the healer.

“Oh, I was talking about the table! After hearing what Mom and Dad did, everyone started bringing gifts and flowers! Everyone said that it's so that if ever Medicus-nim’s spirit visits here they'd know just how much we love them! See that flower over there? I picked it myself to give it to them!”

_____ had no idea that people admired them to the point of doing something like this. It made their heart swell. Maybe they have done more than they thought they did.

“Really you did? I'm sure Medicus-nim will be happy when they see it…”

A woman came out from the kitchen, making the healer unable to finish their sentence. _____ knew this woman well, it's the shop's owner.

“Oh my! Mirari what did I tell you about bothering our customers!”

“Oh no, don’t worry it’s fine miss. We had a good conversation.”

The woman who seemed to be in her mid-thirties looked at _____ apologetically.

“I’m glad if that’s the case, but I’m still very sorry. She has suddenly started acting like this after hearing the news about the Medicus.”

Oh…

_____ doesn’t quite know how to feel about that.

So instead they just reassured Mirari’s mother that no harm was done. Nonetheless, the owner was insistent that they’d been disturbed and said that they could have something on the house.

“Traveller-nim choose tiramisu! It’s really good! Medicus-nim always ordered it!”

_____ doesn’t know if they can take any more of this.

They don’t know what they’ve done to make someone this fond of them.

“If Mirari-nim insists then I’ll get a tiramisu cake.”

The healer smiled as they waved goodbye to the child that’s being escorted back to the kitchen. As they did they wonder how such a small child could leave such big lingering feelings.

Nothing else happened after that encounter. _____ just sipped their tea and ate sweets as they watched the windows.

Then it finally happened.

Cale had gone outside acting all trashy.

As they did _____ couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. It’s funny to see the young master acting drunk when he's clearly not. Plus that red flush on his face looks cute.

…wait what?

Uhm anyways…

Soon _____ saw the signal for them to make a move. The signal that they talked about yesterday was Cale’s shield. As soon as the redhead summoned the famous silver shield, the healer went out to be on standby.

Everything became chaotic. _____ could see the citizens not knowing what to do as the famous young master Silver Shield caused havoc.

_____ used that chaos to their advantage and went underneath the houses Cale had been eyeing since this morning.

Once they got to where the victims were _____ started healing all the severely injured people. As much as it pains the healer to pick and choose who to heal they still do. This was because the Gyerres had to see for themselves just how much these people had suffered.

So as much as they want to heal everyone, _____ only attended to those close to dying.

“Kind _____ the people our human is waiting for are here!”

Raon’s voice echoed in _____’s mind midway through finishing all the houses. That was their sign to get out before Antonio Gyerre or his knights saw the healer.

That night two cute kittens infiltrated _____’s room.

“Cale said you might use all the potions he gave to you on other people nya!”

“We are here to heal the healer nya!”

On and Hong greeted the injured healer on the bed as they welcomed themselves in through the window. _____ could only send a small smile in return, too hurt to form a response.

“Our youngest and Cale wanted to come here themselves but they still have something to do nya.”

Hong stated as he switched to his human form to properly use the healing potion he and On had brought. Meanwhile, his older sister is inspecting the healer’s body. She’s assessing every wound she can find, no doubt to tattle to Cale later.

With the help of the two siblings, _____ started feeling better in no time. They would try to do it midway themself but the healer has learned not to disturb the two kittens when they set their mind to do something.

After they were done they shifted back into their kitten forms to curl up and cuddle with _____.

Safe to say _____ slept soundly that night.

A few days later _____can finally regroup with Cale. They agreed to meet up outside the Gyerre territory, just before they had to meet up with Mary and Tasha.

_____ entered the carriage and greeted Billos. They were about to sit beside him when they felt Cale tug on their clothes. It confused the healer because why is Cale stopping them from sitting beside the merchant when they usually sit across the redhead? So _____ looked at the young master only to see him patting the space beside him.

“I assume you’ve been well?”

“Yes, thanks to you and the kids. I’m glad that you seem to be in good spirits too.”

Cale quickly assessed the healer's body to confirm if they were feeling better. After seeing that they were, the redhead grabbed a pillow from somewhere and placed it on the healer's lap. He then laid down on that pillow and started sleeping as if Billos wasn’t even there.

In turn, Billos just acted as if the young master wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary.

Time passed and they soon arrived at the entrance of Vegas CIty where the merchant got off. As soon as he did Cale got up from _____’s lap to talk to them.

“Ron and Freesia had investigated the Perduellio Family. It turns out that the assumptions were correct. The Perduellios have been working with the Chryshis and have been smuggling people.”

Oh…

Was it too late to put their hood back on now?

Because _____ feels like they’re about to cry…

Oh no

_____ can feel the waterworks start. They tried to suppress it, but the news was just too much to bear. Especially after the conversation they had with that child named Mirari.

Tears fell as _____ absorbed the news Cale told them.

In the back of their mind, someone was telling them that they seemed to be crying a lot these days but they currently can't care.

"I didn't... I genuinely didn't know anything..."

The sorrow _____ felt at the involvement of their family felt foreign to them. Their heart feels as though it was being crushed by how heavy it was while their head feels light. They also started questioning their role and achievements. Although they didn't take a direct part in that terrible sin, they feel as though they still have a great responsibility as they were part of that family.

"I know they weren't the greatest... But I never thought they would stoop so low. What they did to me was fine but this…”

They may have not taken part in the act, but they unknowingly helped fund it.

And that made _____ feel so so guilty.

“While I was healing people, feeling like I was righteous, they were doing such a sin behind my back. Using the money I have accumulated from the sick for such a task.."

Cale can't take this anymore. He can't take _____’s tears anymore. But he doesn't know how to handle a crying person.

So he did the first thing that popped into his mind.

Cale offered his shoulder.

Well, he first wiped _____’s tears before semi-hugging them to place them on his shoulder.

The point still stands, Cale is doing something unusual.

Raon, Hong, and On watched this predicament with their jaws practically on the ground. They had seen the redhead act in all kinds of ways to get what he wanted. But never like this.

Plus, he wasn't acting. That makes it more shocking to the children.

And maybe _____ would be the same if they weren’t engrossed in their feelings.

But they are, so they just accepted the comfort the redhead silently offered and cried to their heart's content.

Later on, when Ron checked the carriage, he could see the bunny healer's head on his puppy master's lap. Both of them slept while the children were quietly chatting amongst themselves.

a/n: just a small fun fact, I wasn't gonna assign a name at first because I was too lazy but then I learned that Perduellio was the capital offense of high treason back in Ancient Rome

#trash of the count's family #lout of the count’s family #tcf #lcf #cale henituse #lotcf #totcf #tcf x reader #lotcf x reader #lcf x reader #totcf x reader #manhwa x reader #cale x reader #cale henituse x reader #gn reader #gender neutral reader #x gn reader #x reader #disillusioned . tcf

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heyyallitsbeth · 8 months ago

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Kirito's Quest Reward

In Alfheim Online, a small party of friends were taking on a boss monster. The giant salamander itself wasn’t particularly threatening, even with it’s attacks leaving multiple debuff effects, but the party enjoyed taking on large bosses together, and definitely enjoyed the payouts from selling the rare Fang Daggers these beasts drop.

“Remember, the one to finish it gets whatever it drops!” teased Leafa, who had been dealing most of the heavy hits this rotation. She knew they always shared rewards anyway, unless there was only one unique item per quest. However noticing her health had decreased due to the monster’s poison, she was prepping to take defensive. “Now switch!”

In a swift movement the girl and her attacking duo Klein had fallen back to the defensive and support lines, and two new attackers came in, the romantic crossed sword duo of Kirito and Asuna. Between them 3 swords cut deep and heavily into the salamander’s HP. Flurries of shortsword stabs and rapier pierces were landed before the rest of the team had assumed their new positions. Leafa began supporting her teammates with spell buffs alongside the cait sith monster tamer Silica, and Klein took a defensive stance beside the mace wielding blacksmith Lisbeth, preparing to run in to assist the mainline attackers. As the HP of the beast faded lower and lower, a rain of arrows shot down from above as the cait sith archer Sinon unleashed battalions worth of arrows. Not to be outdone, the blackswordsman Kirito rushed in unleashing a devastating combo to the creature, taking it’s final health points down to zero.

“Hmmph, all that effort in the last moments and you still go and killsteal.” Sinon sighed and huffed jokingly.

“Heh relax Sinon, we’re all sharin’ in the rewards nomatter what” Kirito replied, smirking.

As the monster turned to glittery dust a gift box fell from it’s place and landed square on the battlefield.

“Ah crap.” Lisbeth complained “That special drop events still goin’ on. All that work and we still might get a freakin’ steel dagger out of it.”

“Shoot! And I just barely made enough yuld off of it to buy back the potions we used.” Klein huffed.

“Hey we still have a chance for it to be good, even if we haven’t had much luck with it” optimistically chimed in Silica.

“Well, in that case if nobody wants it, I’ll be the one stuck with it I guess” Kirito said, striding over to it. “I was the one who took it down after all~” He playfully taunted to the other partymembers.

He tapped on the box to open it and reveal it’s contents, fully expecting something mediocre.

“Hmm?”

A dialogue box appeared in front of him “1x Classic Maid Outfit added to inventory”

He closed the dialogue box before anyone else could catch up and see what it was.

“So whatcha get?” Asuna inquired looking right over his shoulder.

Kirito jumped from the sudden break in silence, hoping she hadn’t seen the box’s contents. His face flushed red and he flailed his arms. “N-NOTHING- NOTHING AT ALL HAHA-”

Real smooth there Kazuto. He thought to himself. You know how your friends are. That’s just inviting problems.

“Ooooooo~ somebody got something special~” cooed Lisbeth, now nearly hovering over the poor boy.

“So what rare item did you steal from me hm Kirito?” Sinon peered down.

“Heh- no. Th-there wasn’t even anything in it. Guess we got screwed by it haha-”

Next quest: Get better at lying.

“Oh nuh uh, you aint keepin whatever it is for yourself, if it’s worth a buncha yuld then we’re splittin it okay Kirito?” Klein tossed out.

Kirito wanted to clear his inventory, he would sooner lose Excalibur than reveal what he had received.

“Hey Yui, if Kirito isn’t gonna tell us, could you check his inventory for us?” Silica spoke between small giggles.

“Yui please don’t-”

But it was too late. The small navigation pixie had already opened up a tab to review Kirito’s items.

“Hmmm let’s see. Ah it seems Daddy received an event item from one of Alfheim’s prior Valentine’s Day Events”

Valentine’s Day Item? Well that’s not gonna arouse any suspicion at ALL. Kirito grumbled to himself, his face so red he was matching the color of the holiday itself.

“Spill the beans Yui, whats it worth?” Klein inquired.

“Hehehe~ I just wanna know what it is that’s gotten Kiri so embarrassed~” teased Lisbeth. “Is it some toy you’re gonna share with Asuna later?~”

“AAAA Nononononono it’s nothing like that-” Kirito stammered out.

“No it’s not a toy- it appears the item itself is a clothing item labeled ‘Classic Maid Outfit’” Yui innocently stated.

The group went silent as Kirito’s face went from a flush red to a stark white pale. Then they all started laughing. Lis and Sinon were all but banging the ground laughing at the mortified boy. It took countless agonizing seconds until anyone spoke.

“S-*snkr* So you gonna model it for us Kiri-Chan?~” Lisbeth managed out between snickers.

“Yeah it’s all yours oneesan~” Leafa joked out.

Sinon who had previously been laughing the hardest now had a more neutral but smug look on her face “Jeez if you wanna see him girly so bad you should join us in GGO sometime.”

GGO… Kirito thought. Yeah that model was quite something. I swear that there was something special in my eyes there. They just seemed brighter…

Kirito slapped his cheeks out of that thought.

“I’m not making it out of here without putting it on am I?” he sheepishly responded.

“Honey you don’t have to if you don’t want to. But I can’t say I wouldn’t mind seeing-” Asuna trailed off, imagining Kirito’s toned physique in a maid outfit.

Add that to the online shopping list later. She thought, her mind filled with devious thoughts.

“You’re just scared you’ll like it-” Klein teased before getting one of Kirito’s boots directly to the jaw.

“F-fine. Just- Everyone turn around. If anyone peeks as I change I’m deleting this account!” Kirito stammered out.

The giggles of the group grew louder as they turned away. His fingers fumbled with the prompts to switch outfits, as if the outfit itself was attacking.

You’re just scared you’ll like it.

The words echoed in Kirito’s mind as he hit confirm.

He got a good look at his reflection in the mirror view of the UI.

I look like one of those freakin’ anime twin maids Klein loves. Wait… Nononono- I look like Sugu…

Kirito wasn’t wrong, if it werent for his modest chest, he’d easily be mistaken as his sister. But like this, he looked like his sibling’s little sister more than her big brother. His face was soft. His hair had updated along with the clothing, now appearing more similar to his GGO avatar, with the only substantially shorter in the back. In addition to the dress, he had been gifted with a cute little hat and was adorned in ribbons and stockings. The outfit was a dark lavender, with the ribbons appearing a slightly brighter purple. The purple really brought out the color in his dark grey eyes.

“Everything okay Kirito?” Squeaked Silica. “I know we were teasing but if you’re uncomfortable you don’t havta show us…”

Why is she the only one with any decency here? He took one last look at himself in the mirror. Those lights are back in my eyes… He pushed down that thought and sighed.

“You can look now…”

He closed his eyes and braced for the worst. He expected laughter and mockery. What he got was… Silence? Silence for far far too long.

“Guys is everything okay?”

He opened his eyes and noticed everyone was just staring at him, shocked but… not giggly or amused… Almost confused? With the exception of Klein, who was frozen in place, and slowly tipped over before logging out.

“Jeez tough crowd” Kirito joked, trying to make the situation more bearable for himself.

He noticed as the slight breeze blew past, the skirt picked up a bit and waved effortlessly in the wind. Without thinking, he spun around, watching as his skirt effortlessly spun with him. He giggled.

Hmm. Not so bad… EH? What am I thinking I need to get this off-

“K-kirito?” Asuna quietly broke the silence.

“Yes ma’am” Kirito almost chirped out.

He was happy to see he was now taking it better than anyone else. And then the whole group pounced on him, tackling him to the ground with a hug.

“You’re so cuteeeeeeeeeee!” they all echoed.

Even Sinon, the most modest one seemed utterly infatuated.

“Jeez Sinon, you’ve seen me worse than this- And Sugu you’ve DEFINITELY seen me worse than this-” Kirito thought of playing dress up with her as a kid, but a memory that should’ve made him shudder now brought him a surprising warmth.

That’s not good. He thought to himself. Yeah I’m gonna have to do some serious thinking about this. Or better yet I should simply never think of this again.

“Okay funs over now” Kirito exclaimed, tired of being at the bottom of a pile of bosoms. “This has been exhausting and I wanna go to bed now.”

That night Kirito dreamt of his wedding in Aincrad with Asuna, only now he looked like his GGO Avatar.

…

Kirito woke up early the next morning and his heart ached. He sent a good morning text to Asuna, despite knowing she’d probably be sleeping in still. He paused before he knocked on his sister’s door to wake her up, and chose not to, just sending her a quick “running out for groceries, be back soon.” text before he got on his bike and left.

Maybe a little ride can clear my head.

Kirito cruised down nearly empty streets, trying to think of anything other than his dream and yesterday. He hadn’t lied about the groceries, he just walked through the supermarket picking up a few essentials for him and Suguha for the week, passing through on his way to checkout when a glimmer caught his eye. He had wound up in the women’s clothing department, and beside him standing tall was a mannequin wearing a basic black skirt. It was nothing special, it was cheap, it was just a department store clothing brand. He looked at his reflection in the black screen of his phone, seeing sparkles in his eyes. He sighed, knowing he was about to make a mistake and placed it in his basket and checked out. He rode home from the shops with his mind racing.

Why did I do that? I’m such an idiot. What the hell am I doing? What would Sugu say? What will Asuna say? I- I just need to try this once. I’m just gonna go home, try it on, nothing will happen and I’ll burn the damn thing.

Kirito tried to enter the home as quietly as possible, dropping the groceries on the table and tip toeing to his room with the bag with the skirt in it. He closed the door behind him, but in his anxiousness to try on the skirt, he neglected to lock it. He slid out of his black sweatpants, staring at his body in the mirror. His figure was slender, almost effeminate in nature. Years without hardcore exercise and barely eating while in SAO clearly took it’s toll on a previously toned figure.

Maybe I do look like Sugu…

Back when they were little, Suguha and Kazuto were always mistaken for twin girls, despite Kazuto being older and not even Suguha’s blood sibling. He never minded back then, he just liked being close to her. They’d occasionally swap clothes to mess with their parents. Kazuto softly smiled at the thought. He slipped on the skirt. She slipped on the skirt.

His eyes met hers in the mirror. Where a dull grey void once sat, a galaxy of stars was now present, with shimmering highlights and purple hues never noticed until now. There was a subtle curvature to her hips. A natural softness to her face. Her slender physique made him jealous. He stared at the girl who looked back at him, she shyly smiled and as the words left her mouth, they followed in his. “So, this is me?”

She looked down, and the girl was him. The girl was her.

She nervously laughed and shook in place. She watched as her skirt flowed side to side with every subtle movement. She spun herself around, watching the skirt flare up. She giggled to herself. She spun herself again. And again and again. She was giggling to herself like crazy. There were no thoughts left in her head, it was just a pure moment of bliss. And it came crushing down as the door opened behind her.

“Yawnnnnnnn~ Kazutooooooo please could you make a little less noi-” Sugu entered the room with her eyes closed yawning, but her eyes quickly shot open as she saw what was once her big brother in a tiny black skirt.

“S-Sugu??? EH! Don’t Look! I’m not decent!” She blurted out, not realizing she was pitching her voice higher than normal. She scrambled behind her bed, trying to cover up her shame, hiding her blushing face behind her hands.

Suguha smiled softly and walked over beside her as she softly pet her sister’s head.

“Well, it seems like I’ve stumbled into something big huh? Listen Kazuto. Or… whatever you may wanna be called. I’m always gonna support and love my big sibling, nomatter who they are.” She kissed the timid girl’s forehead. “I’m gonna go make us breakfast okay. You can wear that if you wanna. It’s just us home today. You don’t have to worry. You don’t have to tell anyone else if you aren’t ready. You don’t even have to tell me if you’re not ready. But I’m here for you.”

She walked out the door, and Kazuto sighed, knowing she meant every word of that.

…

Kazuto followed not long after, choosing to wear the skirt downstairs to the kitchen. She was blushing the whole time, still unable to meet her sister’s eyes. She slid a stack of pancakes over to her.

“Here big sis, I made your favorite.” She smiled sweetly down at Kazuto.

“...I like that.”

“Hmm?”

“I think… I think I prefer being your big sister.”

Suguha smiled brightly.

“Yayyyyyy! Now we get to do fun girly stuff together! This is so exciting!- Oh and of course, thank you for trusting me enough with this sis. It means a lot.” Suguha felt a warmth she had never felt, and she felt like it was due to the beaming smile on her big sister’s face.

“So, what are you thinkin’ for a name?”

…

A few days pass and nobody outside the Kirigaya household hears from Kazuto. He seemingly vanished from the ALO party, and only returned a few texts with “Sorry I’m just busy, miss you too” or “I love you too Asuna”. Truthfully, Kazuto had been training up a new ALO avatar with her sister, creating a swordfighting cait sith, with a name she chose for herself, Kiriko.

“Hey I’m gonna head out and make some lunch for us okay Kiriko? Don’t go far, and I’ll meet you in town.” “Sounds good Leafa, thank you!”

While Sugu’s cooking wasn’t the masterpiece Asuna’s was, Kiriko was always happy to indulge in some of Sugu’s fine craftsmanship as well. Leafa signed out, and her model disappeared. And Kiriko was alone.

She strolled through the town, wondering what to do in the meantime.

“I could really use some sword upgrades…” She muttered to herself, knowing that the only blacksmith worth caring about was Lisbeth, and she didn’t know who Kiriko was yet.

“Ah well I can help you with that one!” A familiar voice made Kiriko jump, her ears and tail standing on end. “Heh, didn’t mean to scare ya, I’m Klein, and if you need some smithin’ done, I know just the girl for you.”

Kiriko did her best to pitch her voice up to not be recognized “N-nice to meet you Klein, but that’s okay- I- I think I might just wait until I get a better sword drop…”

“Nonsense, Liz is the best in the business, she can make a starter sword scale right alongside Excalibur” He laughed to himself. “What’s your name by the way?”

“K-Kiriko…” She embarrassedly managed out.

Great. I look like my little sister, and the name I chose is 1 letter off of my old handle. I am the smartest woman alive.

Luckily for Kiriko, Klein was the dumbest man alive, and did not question it at all, leading her to Lisbeth’s Smithy.

“Hey guys, I’m back, and I found a newbie who needs some sword help.” Klein announced to the full party.

Kiriko gulped. Everyone but Leafa was here. Asuna, Yui, Strea, Lisbeth, Silica, Sinon, Philia, Agil, even Argo.

With my luck, somehow Sachi is gonna walk through that door isn’t she…

“H-hi everyone, I’m Kiriko… Klein said that Lisbeth is a master blacksmith. At least I think he said ‘master blacksmith’ but all I really caught was ‘master b’-” She knew this was gonna be dreadful, so the least she could do was tease Klein before the whole thing fell apart.

“H-HEY! I said nothing like that- She is a master blacksmith though! She’s been working at it since Sword Art.”

“Yup yup! The best in the business!”

“It’s nice to see you again Liz, I haven’t had a chance to see you since SAO I suppose” Kiriko lied.

It’s not too farfetched to be another SAO survivor… Gives me some leeway if I mess up and say more than I should known…

“Ohmygosh sorry- I usually don’t forget my customers faces…” Liz pouted.

“Hey now, cheer up, consider us equal for me breaking your sword.”

Smooth one smoothbrain. Kiriko thought to herself.

“Eh?” Liz cocked her head. “I don’t think anyone but Kiri-”

“Y’know out in the field, I abused the poor sword, I should’ve taken better care of such expert craftsmanship” She smiled out the quickest excuse she could muster.

“Ahhhh I see. You just reminded me of my favorite customer hehe.” She took Kiriko’s sword from her and got to work on it. “Cute guy, but he’s dumb as rocks. Broke my best sword and made me go on an adventure to forge him a new one.”

“Sounds like a bit of a jerk to me.” Kiriko joked.

“Nah, he’s the sweetest guy, but he’s a little bit off.”

“Yeah, he helped me revive my Pina!” Silica butted in.

“And he saved me from the Hollow Area” Philia added.

“And he’s like, the sweetest husband ever” Asuna swooned.

“And he’s the best daddy ever!” Yui chimed in.

“He’s helped me in more ways than I’d care to say” Sinon said blushing.

Kiriko herself was now blushing and trying to stifle a smile, hearing all these kind things from all of her friends.

“Jeez, put the boy on a pedestal some more will ya? You’re just begging for this girl to be competition in that polycule you’ve got brewin” Klein sighed “Course, ya cant help but love the guy, after all, he saved us all so many times.”

She felt at home for once, the moment was so warm and peaceful.

“Hmm, you even look a lot like Kii-boy”

Crap.

Argo’s intuition was always top notch. She’d sniff out the fact that Kiriko was Kirito faster than anyone. She needed excuses and fast.

“Well, I’ve been told I do look boyish-” Kiriko idly fiddled with her skirt, kicking her feet a little.

“Nono- You don’t look boyish at all! Infact it’s more that Kirito looks girlish” Philia tried to console Kiriko.

“Yeah! He actually wore a dress recently and he was really cute!” Silica was practically meowing out the compliment.

“We’ve all been thinking, we haven’t seen him since he did it, we’re worried that maybe we teased him too much and now he got self conscious.” Sinon looked down shamefully.

Kiriko could barely manage to keep up her facade.

Focus focus focus. Think of things to say to make this go away.

Kiriko chose to simply say the truth. “Well, I think if they were willing to put on the dress, maybe they were just finding an excuse to try it out. Maybe they ended up liking it and has been taking some time for themself to work some things out.”

The room went a bit quiet. All that could be heard was Agil talking to customers and Liz hammering away in the background, but both were clearly listening in intently.

“Whatcha mean?” Silica asked.

“W-well… There’s this thing I’ve been reading about on some MMO forums. Apparently some guys will dress up with female avatars as a joke, and then realize something, that maybe they were girls all along. Maybe your friend is doing that?”

Kiriko was stuttering out almost every word. There’s no way they wouldn’t catch on.

“Well, then I’d be the luckiest woman in the world to have the best wife in the world.” Asuna announced.

“Yeah, and I’d get to have the two best Mommies!” Yui said, with Strea nodding along with her.

“Nomatter what, they’re always our Kirito. We’ll always love them nomatter who they end up being.” Sinon added.

“Yeah, and I can have my own big sister instead of a big brother” Silica giggled to herself.

“Well, she already has a little sister, you sure you can compete with that role?” Kiriko pet Silica’s head and then she realized what she just said.

“Wait… how do you know Kirito has a sister?”

“W-well I’ve been playing with a girl named Leafa whose been teaching me everything- and she keeps talking about her brother Kirito so I just assumed since you both brought up the name.”

Next quest: PLEASE GET BETTER AT LYING BRAIN Kiriko screamed at herself internally.

Argo mischievously laughed. “Yknow Kiriko, I have gotten some inside scoops that Leafa’s been playin alongside a new account and callin her ‘big sis’. Now aint that somethin Kiriko? Or rather Kii-gal?”

Crap. That’s Argo for ya. She knows me better than… well even me probably.

As the tension grew thick enough to cut with a knife, Leafa walked through the door to the Smithy, and Lisbeth returned to listen to the gossip more intently.

Hopefully Sugu can tell I’m blinking an S.O.S. to her…

“Ah I see you’ve met my friend Kiriko! She’s really sweet right?”

Kiriko shifted in her seat.

“... Fine ya caught me. It’s me…” Kiriko mumbled out.

No escaping this one chief.

Leafa glanced down a look of “are you sure Kiriko?” to which Kiriko could only nod.

“While you’re about to lose some polycule points for forcibly outing me Argo-” “Polycule points?” Lisbeth inquired.

If I can earn those I’m taking them- Liz thought to herself

“Yes it’s me. I… I just couldn’t stand being Kirito anymore.” The small catgirl looked to be near breaking point. “I.. I didn’t wanna lose any of you. I never had friends until now. And I was so so so worried I’d lose you all. I’d been keeping this down since GunGale. That avatar stuck in my head like a parasite. I couldn’t stop thinking about having long hair, and cute outfits, and twirly skirts, and- and after I tried on that stupid maid outfit, I couldn’t go back. I couldn’t be that same person I was anymore.”

She couldn’t stop the tears anymore. She just balled herself up on the couch. But then she felt a warm soft embrace around her. And another, and another, and another.

“Kiriko, I’m so proud of you. And trust me, you’re still the person I fell in love with in Aincrad. I’m not gonna leave you because you found out more about yourself. That’s just more of you I get to love. I get to fall in love all over again with a wonderful wife.” Asuna held Kiriko tight, and rubbed her cheek against the girl.

A hand was placed on Kiriko’s shoulder. “Heh, you’re so used to playin with chicks that you became one yourself, good for you.” Klein smiled every word out. He may not have been the best with words, but Kiriko appreciated the meaning behind each one.

“We’re all gonna love you nomatter what Kiriko…” Silica was gripping onto her even tighter than Asuna.

Yui and Strea held onto Kiriko for dear life, trying to make their new mommy happy.

“Yeah, you’re our favorite gal to tease, and now we can tease you even harder and in new ways!” Lisbeth smirked devilishly before hugging Kiriko with one arm and poking her cheeks with her free hand.

Kiriko felt another hand on her other shoulder, and looked up to see Agil.

“I’m proud of you for finding out who you are. I’m blessed to have met ya.”

Kiriko’s tears turned from fear and sadness to joy and love.

Sinon came walking up to where Kiriko was sat and hugged her from the front then pet her head. “Truthfully, I thought you were trans the moment you said you were actually a guy in that avatar in GGO. Every time we fought there I saw that light in your eyes you’ve got now. I’m so proud of you.” She kissed the girl’s forehead. “And now we can confirm that two GGO Winners are girls too” she smirked.

“Hehe, sorry for gettin ya to come out if you werent ready” Argo tossled Kiriko’s hair. “But ya know I’m just like ya too! I just wanted ya to rip that bandaid off hehe. Makes it better in the long term.” Kiriko could only smile at the rat in front of her.

“And can I please have my polycule points back”

“T-there’s no such thing Argo. And if there were I wouldn’t take them from my favorite rat…”

“Hey I know we already talked Kiriko” Leafa held onto Kiriko’s hand “but I’m so proud of you and I’m so happy to have a big sister.”

All Kiriko could do was smile, she was finally herself, and surrounded by all of the people she held dear.

And in the back of her head, she heard the faint singing of familiar christmas music, and relaxed.

Heh. I guess even Sachi was here afterall.

“I love you all. Thank you so much. All of you.”

#i told you id make this yalls problem #this might go on ao3 later. id need an account tho #sao #sword art online #kirito #trans kirito #transfem kirito #fanfic #fanfiction

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venuscrashed · 4 months ago

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Authors note: Hi?(I say after leaving for a month)

Summary: You getting chased by a ghost with Mammon at the demon lords castle.

Warnings: I forgot how to write

Word count: 1k

Down the long hallway of the demon lord's castle were the screams of vengefulness and terror. Two people raced down the hallway as their lives depended on it. Chased by a 7ft ghost who had a taste for blood.

Mammon, the demon of the pair, screamed his lungs out into the dead of night as all his dreams were crushed and nightmares came through. Greed was a powerful feeling, so powerful you wished to steal the cursed kingdom of the demon king to sell online. Now the spirit who resided in it seeks justice and won’t stop floating towards him.

(Y/N), the only mortal human of the bunch, ran out of hatred. Noting how one shouldn’t get involved with the avatar of greed's money schemes in the dead of night in a foreign place. They ran as fast as they could only being a few steps behind Mammon. The hand of the ghost lightly scratches their back, signaling the flight in flight.

As the pair came closer to the end of the hallway all hope was restored. The familiar candle light creates a beacon for the two. Mammon cried out in relief with tears in his eyes. Somehow running faster with his arms in the air. (Y/N) using that last bit of adrenaline to reach up. Running so fast that they couldn’t stop in time to turn. Both of their eyes widened once the stair railing came into view. Quick realization settled in as their steps only grew faster from fear.

Mammon somehow managed to stop in his tracks and turned around. Panic in his voice as he saw the human running towards him. “(Y/N) w-wait. Stop running!” In an attempt he put his arms out to try and grab them but only failed as they both flew over the railing. Blood curdling screams were let out. He put his hand behind their head and turned them around mid-air to fall on his back. “I’ll never forgive you human!”

A loud thud echoed through the castle. Groans of pain being let out once the two were on the floor. (Y/N) laid on top of Mammon's body, lifting their head hesitantly. Looking up towards the one who saved them. “You okay?”

Before he could answer the ghost screeched. (Y/N) looked up to see the ghost looking over the railing. Glowing red eyes turning towards the stairwell. (Y/N) jumped up and pulled Mammon with them into a nearby hallway. Ignoring the groans coming from behind them. One left, two, right and there were officially lost. Looking this way and that to see if there were any directions. They stood in an empty passageway with multiple hallways around them and no sign of life.

“Damn it,” they mumbled. Looking back at Mammon and quickly checking the back of his head. Looking closely for any signs of injury, not noticing the way he blushed and squirmed in the grasp. “How much does it hurt?”

He tried his best to avoid any form of eye contact, taking solace in the much needed paint walls. “Uh-” stumbling over his words as they grabbed his chin. Pulling him down and in front of their face. He looked into their eyes, butterflies in his stomach and blood rushing to his cheeks. His mind went empt with every thought leading to thinking about one thing, (Y/N). Trying to play it off he put up his cool guy act, falling miserably. “F-fine. The Great M-mammon doesn’t feel pain that much! Not like you fragile humans anyways.”

(Y/N) just chuckled, letting him go but not before looking into his eyes one more time. They dusted him off and fixed his collar. Glancing at his lips that just happened to be eye level for them. They were about to say something when the ghost screeched from a nearby hallway. Letting out a sigh they looked back towards. They left their hand up in the air looking between him and their hand. “Here grab my hand.”

“What!” Mammon yelled, blushing profusely. “Geez human you think i'm scared?”

(Y/N) only lifted their eyebrows. He clicked his tongue, blushing once again. He looked towards the side before hearing the screech again. After a few moments of hesitance he grabbed their hand and interlocked their fingers with a shy smirk. “I-if you wanted to hold my hand you could have just said so.”

The both of them chuckled. (Y/N) started running towards the hallway on the opposite end. Running at full speed with Mammon behind them.

“Where are we going?” Mammon screamed. Heart pounding in his chest.

“I have no idea!” (Y/N) looked back with a smile. Turning the corner and picking up their speed.

Mammon's eyes widened. Heart louder in his ears and lips agape. A warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest. He smiled, laughing at the whole situation.

Rounding the corner, the two of them reached a familiar corridor. The same doors and paintings that were next to their rooms. Mammon smiled and cheered while (Y/N) just sighed with relief. They turned towards each other, staring into one another's eyes. A few seconds went by before they broke out into smiles. Hugging and jumping around as they yelled in relief.

“We beat that ghost,” Mammon screamed.

“Yeah we did! No thanks to you,” (Y/N) remarked.

“Hey-” the both of them quite downed once the door slammed open. They both froze one the say an angry Lucifer standing in the doorway. Dark, purple flames emitting from his body.

“Mammon!” He yelled.

Mammon gulped. Hiding behind (Y/N) who looked at him unimpressed. Taking a step back he grabbed their hand and started running the other way. Lucifer started chasing after them.

“I'd rather deal with the ghost!” Mammon cried with tears in his eyes. Screaming even louder once the ghost appeared in front of him.

“Mammon!” Lucifer screamed.

As Mammon and (Y/N) got chased by Lucifer and the ghost, the others watched. Simeon chuckled to himself before closing the door to his room. “Brotherly love.”

#obey me x gender neutral reader #x gender neutral reader #obey me x y/n #obey me x you #obey me x reader #obey me x mc #venuscrashed

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deirakizuna · 6 months ago

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Kalim's Birthday Fanart

As some of you may be aware already, for each twst character’s birthday i tend to make art of the birthday boy to celebrate, and my plan for this year was to use said art to promote different charities and local stores from countries in need. The next birthday on the list is Kalim’s and I wanted to make it special to promote a lot more charities than usual in a single post for the following countries: Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, Tunisia and Yemen (I wanted to include Sudan as well, but I’m not sure if it would be okay to do so given the fact that it’s in Northeast Africa, either way I’ll be making another special art piece focused on African countries for Leona’s birthday but I really want to add Sudan to Kalim and Jamil’s art as well, please do let me know if that’s alright).

My plan for these is to put Kalim in these countries’ different traditional clothing (yes, all of them if possible, I like to put the boys in at least 2 different outfits for their birthday and I don’t mind putting them in more if given enough time), and while I’ve found something in my investigation I also feel unsure of how accurate said information is, as well as the fact that I haven’t been able to find good reference for each article of clothing (most pics I’ve found are low res and I can’t see the details like that). So, after consulting with my sister about it, I decided to make this post to ask for help for this, since I’m not from any of the countries mentioned and I truly don’t want to end up doing something offensive due to lack of information when my objective is to try and bring more attention to what is happening there and hopefully spread the charity links to help the victims.

So please, if you can help me in any way to verify the information I gathered or link me more sources and references I can use (especially if you’re a part of any of these cultures) I would be incredibly grateful!

Notes and List of sites I gathered and consulted under Read More.

Notes:

My plan for Kalim’s outfits based on the information I have so far goes like this:

First outfit: white Thobe w/ embroidered neckline and cuffs + red and white Kuffiyeh/Shumagh (possibly over his shoulders instead of in his head, but I might change it) – OR – Kurdish traditional clothing (sharwall, long sleeved jacket, dress shirt and pshtwen/pshten).

Second Outfit: simple white Dishdasha + Champagne colored Bisht (given his social standing, please let me know if it’s innapropiate) + classic black and white Kuffiyeh/Shumagh.

Third Outfit: Dishdasha w/ blazer + embroidered belt + Jambiya + Shawl wrapped like a turban (colors and patterns not yet decided).

Fourth Outfit: Jalabiya + scarf + skullcap (colors and patterns not yet decided).

I don’t really know if that number of outfits is enough to represent all of the mentioned cultures or if I should add more, so please let me know! I’m also trying to find more reference pictures so that I can be as accurate as possible, so links to online shops that sell these garments also work pretty well for me (preferably, with models wearing them so I can see how the fabrics and layers interact with movement).

Sources I’ve found/consulted so far:

Arab Clothing: The Ultimate Guide | IstiZada

Video: Muslim Dresses Around The World Countries 2022 | Islamic Traditional Cloth For Men | Islamic Updates - YouTube

What is a dishdasha and how is it worn? (custom-qamis.com)

What is the Difference Between a Thobe and Dishdasha? – newarabia

Bisht | Abu Dhabi Culture

Clothing – The School of Abbasid Studies

Home - Nationalclothing.org

Clothing - Kurdish Central

Again, thank you so much for the help! If you also want to send me links of charities whose proceeds go to the mentioned countries, that would be just as appreciated!

#twisted wonderland #twst #kalim al asim #scarabia #jamil viper #leona kingscholar #twst fanart #deira does art #deira asks for help

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flowerandthesongstress · 1 month ago

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You would not find my country on the map.

Not because you’re an ignorant dumbass of course but simply because my country is so small that it just doesn’t fit on some paper maps for example it doesn’t fit on this particular map you own and you’ll be looking and looking trying to find my country on your map and you will squint your eyes straining them irresponsibly to almost dangerous levels and in the end you will only find a thin black line that leads away from a tiny dot to some text which says hello please be aware that the country you’re trying to find is somewhere over there but it’s just such a small country that we didn’t have enough space at our disposal to paint that country on this map yikes sorry and you’ll be like whAT what the heck is this nonsense I am feeling mildly outraged this isn’t a good way to make world maps and atlases and then you will huff and look at the corner of the map to see where it was printed and there will be a number with an annotation that says hello person who bought this beautiful map which we printed could you please be so kind as to call this number on the phone if you have any feedback for us and so you will go uh-huuuh and call the number and say uh yes hi I’m calling you about those maps you’re printing and I have feedback as requested namely my feedback is about how I think you should not print world maps in such small sizes because not everything fits into them for example I could not find my friend’s country on your map I only found an explanation for why it isn’t there and as a sidenote I also have to tell you that I needed to squint when looking at that map which can’t be good for my eyesight and so I wonder if you have considered only printing bigger maps with more readable fonts and they will tell you yes yes of course we have because after all we make big maps meant for boardrooms and classrooms and all that and actually with the deforestation problem being as dire and with all of the necessary maps being available online anyway we try not to print too many paper maps but only make them to order and I assure you that every map we make can fit everything because no one but schools and businesses is ordering paper maps of the world from us nowadays so ma’am could you please tell us which size of the map do you mean and you will tell them the size of the map and additionally inform them that the map looks glossy and brand new and they will gasp and say oh wow ma’am this particular map you’re describing has been out of print for over thirty years moreover you should know that due to it containing a misprint there was a very very limited number of copies and yet you’re saying it’s in pristine condition congratulations you basically own an antique map you should hold on to it especially if you’re a map collector and you will say whoah this is fantastic and very interesting although no I am not a collector but I could use some cash right now so I’ll sell it to a collector I suppose hello rich people troy is joining you yes I’ll hold hahaha but seriously thank you so much for this information it comes at the best time and they will tell you in amicable tones oh no problem no problem hope you have a nice day after which you will hang up the phone and give a meaningful and pensive slow nod while somewhere else in the world and likely somewhere nearby let’s be honest here someone else would not find my country on the map because he is an ignorant dumbass, yes.

#my writing updates #pretends to be funny #originally written as a seasonal gift for @babyraptor ❤️

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ordinaryschmuck · 7 months ago

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What I Thought About The Owl House Pilot

Huh. Never thought I’d get to do this again, but oh well.

Salutations, random people on the internet! I’m an Ordinary Schmuck! I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

And, above all else, I LOVE talking about The Owl House. I have an entire masterpost dedicated to talking about every single episode of the show and I’m halfway through a six-part review discussing everything that I love about it (Part Four's coming when it’s done. Let’s say…late June. Early July at the latest). I figured that after I’d finished that whole deal, I wouldn’t have anything left to talk about when it came to this series. Then, out of nowhere, the show’s original pilot leaked online…Sort of. It’s just an animatic with the show’s original voice cast voicing MOST of the lines, but it’s very much the pilot episode. It’s just not a finished product and I won’t share a link because I don’t think it’s exactly…legal. BUT I will at least share my thoughts about it because, well…Look at my blog. The Owl House has become the BIG THING that I obsess over for a reason and I love that I got to see what’s basically an alternate version of the show that I love. What do I mean?

Well, a pilot is MUCH different from a first episode. Where the first episode is meant to sell the show to the audience, a pilot is meant to sell it to a STUDIO. It can happen at any point of the story or act as the show’s first episode. Just as long as it shows off the characters, concepts, and tone, a studio can look at it, greenlight it, and allow the show to continue, BUT with some extra notes. Sometimes, those notes can change the rest of the series where others can keep the pilot good enough to stay canon. Some best examples off the top of my head are the pilots for Regular Show and Rick and Morty. You can tell that not much changed from the pilots of those shows and what was initially pitched, but there are clear changes in tone, animation, and even personality. Skips sounds a little more illiterate and Benson being more informed of the consequences of something as simple as rock, paper, scissors in the Regular Show pilot and Rick is noticeably more reckless and unprepared for situations in the Rick and Morty pilot. Nothing is set in stone with a pilot episode, even the ones that are canon. For the case of The Owl House, it’s pilot is no exception. A lot of it is just the same as “A Lying Witch and A Warden” at least in terms of plot and themes, but there are so many changes that show off what the series COULD HAVE been instead of what it was. How different? Well, let’s go through it all.

But real quick, I’m not going to do the “Like/Dislike” format I’ve done for previous reviews. Instead, I’m going to look through this pilot, note the changes it has, and share my thoughts on them. There’s also going to be a few spoilers to what happens in this pilot, so if you haven’t checked it out then I suggest giving it a watch wherever you can find it. It really is interesting to get a peak into what’s basically an alternate version of my favorite show.

With that said, let’s get into it.

Some Things Stayed the Same: Like I said, it’s basically an altered version of “A Lying Witch and A Warden.” The plot is that Eda uses Luz to get King back his “crown of power,” with some bits and pieces carrying over. Certain jokes that must have been too funny to get rid of, specific lines of dialogue that hit just the right notes, and some aspects of the characters’ personalities being just the same, proving that they're already perfect the way they are. It’s the changes, however, that makes for something more interesting. For one…

There’s More of an Emphasis on Comedy: As much as I love The Owl House, I’ll always admit that humor isn't its strong suit. It CAN be funny, really funny. But the jokes don’t land as well as something as Gravity Falls or Amphibia. I can say that a part of that could be because Dana Terrace wanted a more serious show, and we definitely get a sense of how serious it could be later in the series. Here, in the pilot, it definitely seems like there was more of an attempt to make the show comedic. King’s crown isn’t in a warden’s cell held within a magical barrier that only a human can get through. It’s in a Principal’s high school, locked in a human locker that Eda and King treat as something devious. Amity’s friends aren’t preppy mean girls who seem like they could cause conflict to Luz and her friends. They’re characters used for jokes who are amazed by Luz standing up to Lilith. There’s less of an edge and more of a lean towards cutesy fun, waiting until the very end to reveal something heavy. To me, it makes the pilot feel MORE like a Gravity Falls clone than the final product. Because while Gravity Falls has its serious moments, it makes it clear that it was a comedy first, both in the pilot and final product. Any moment of heart or drama was overshadowed by one hilarious joke after the other. Now, “A Lying Witch and A Warden” had a lot of jokes too, but there were also these moments that hinted at something more. You have the oppressive looking prison, the grand beam of light hiding human collectibles, a crazy chase from a threatening looking warden. And yes, the reveal that Warden Wrath was trying to go out with Eda was hilarious, but a warden who tortures a prisoner for speaking her truth gives a hint of how dark this world can be. Meanwhile, a principal sending a student to demon detention feels more like a joke, exaggerating how strict some principals can be.

And keep in mind, I’m not complaining about the pilot leaning more towards comedy. I actually laughed a lot more with it than I did with “A Lying Witch and A Warden.” I’m just trying to explain how the tone is definitely going for something different than the full series. It might have that darker twist in the end, but even that is nothing more than a surprise. I'll get into why later, but while it has darker implications, it doesn't detract from the fun times to be had. Not by much. From what I can gather from the pilot, it’s definitely going for a series with goofy, fun adventures with a bit of heart to it. It’s just missing that personal touch that’s in The Owl House. One good example of how?

There’s Not Even a MENTION of Camila: Before you say anything, this has nothing to do with me being Camila’s number one fan, to the point where I almost made a side-blog dedicated to her (I really should get on that, though…)

I bring up this change because Camila grounds the story in “A Lying Witch and A Warden.” She draws Luz close to reality and is the first thing that comes to Luz’s mind when in real danger, saying, “If I die, my mom will kill me!” More than that, though, Camila is the one real connection Luz has to the human realm. She has no friends nor adventures, but Luz always has Camila, with even the first episode hinting that. So when Luz starts getting herself into trouble or choosing to lie and stay in the Boiling Isles, it lets the audience get ready for the inevitable drama that could unfold when Luz finally tells Camila everything. By removing Camila, though, the anticipation of Luz telling her mom goes away with her. At least, it tells ME that there’s less of a worry about Luz basically running away from home. Either this version of the show is holding off from that for a future episode or that Luz and Camila’s relationship isn’t close enough where it matters. This is speculation, of course, but I still stand by that a sense of something personal with Luz is lost for the sake of having fun and epic fantasy adventures with entertaining characters. It’s still good and entertaining, and the pilot does offer something else that’s personal, but it’s not the same as The Owl House we all fell in love with. Though, it’s notable that our main cast stayed the same.

Luz, Eda, and King: Overall, I’d say that these three, personality wise, didn’t change much. King’s probably the least altered, being the exact same character he was in Season One aside from MAYBE having a design change (It’s hard to tell through storyboards). As for Luz and Eda, they’re more or less the same. There’s a BIG change with Eda (That I’ll get to later), but her devil-may-care attitude is very much the same, as well as her snark and soft nature towards Luz and King. It’s her magic that gets the real boost, being able to do more like teleport across the Isles and turn into a…softer version of the Owl Beast at will. It’s pretty cool to see the power that this alternate Owl Lady has. And then there’s Luz, who’s still the lovable weirdo we all know. Though, this version seems a lot more dim and I’m not really a fan. How does she mistakenly give a book report in geometry class? How did it take seeing Amity’s witch ears to realize that she belonged in the demon realm? Luz had her dumb moments in the show too, but not to this extent. There was still a sense of maturity and cognitive understanding that made Luz feel like someone that seemed weird but intelligent enough to think herself out of a situation. This Luz seems more weird and focused on using brute force on a problem. In a way, it makes Pilot!Luz more of an…emotionally driven Star Butterfly. A fun and capable character, but not the same kind I had made several posts and reviews talking about how much I love/personally connected to her. But, comparatively, I guess it IS the most minor change that could be done to this character. Now let’s move onto BIGGER changes.

The Boiling Isles: The look and feel of the Isles remains the same, but the fact that it’s more connected to the Human Realm is intriguing. From what I can tell, the Demon Realm treats traveling to the Human Realm like it’s going to a new country. You visit, make some memories, and, for some, send your children over to be a foreign exchange student of sorts. Except that racism seems to be encouraged in this regard as the demons and witches don’t see humans worth breathing the same air as them. And some think it’s more than okay to hunt down and kill if one human trespasses into their realm. And the reason for THAT is implied to be Belos’ doing. Er, I mean–*Checks the leaked pitch bible*--Emperor Pupa? Uh…I’ll just stick with Belos.

And that’s extra fascinating to me because Belos being a witch hunter was a major twist that spoke VOLUMES of the kind of people he represents. To find out that this version is more anti-human makes me curious of what kind of angle the show would have taken. Would Belos have been your bare-bones fantasy villain or would the writers find a different way to tackle his symbolism? And is the reason why the Demon Realm is more open up to the Human Realm because he hopes witches and demons can report about their enemies for a possible invasion? There’s no way to know for sure because that version of the story will never come to be, but it’s interesting to think of all the things we COULD have gotten. The same goes for other characters.

Amity: To think, Amity was considered important enough to be included in the original pitch pilot alongside our main trio. It makes sense. Dana Terrace has gone on record in saying that Luz and Amity’s relationship was something she wanted from the get go, so it’s smart to establish it as quickly as possible. Though the route they take is definitely different. Instead of being enemies to lovers, Lumity, in the original pitch, went for the friends to lovers trope…kind of.

Luz, in this version, is someone so desperate for positive attention and respect that she latches onto the first person in school that was nice to her. Except that Amity was looking for some quiet and just so happened to look like she was supporting Luz when telling everyone to leave her alone. It was an act of kindness, but not one done in generosity. It still meant the world to Luz, though, making her go ALL IN with friendship. Only to be a little too forward and creeped Amity out to the point where she was polite enough to say “Thank you,” but you could see the desperation in her eyes to be anywhere but next to Luz. Yet Luz doesn’t see that. She’s still too focused that someone was actually nice to her that she blindly follows Amity into a new world just to return a weird looking passport. Because Amity’s Luz’s friend now and friends do nice things to each other. Only for Amity to accidentally reveal that she couldn’t care less for Luz and shatter her hopes and dreams in one fell swoop.

In a weird way, I’d say Luz and Amity are off on a better first impression here than in the original series. There’s no attempted dissections or witch’s duels. Just…Amity trying to be polite in Luz’s presence only to act like your typical mean girl when she THINKS Luz isn’t around. Tossing away the drawing is harsh for sure, but here’s the interesting thing: Amity didn’t know she was talking to Luz at that moment. She didn’t even get rid of the drawing until someone drew (haha) attention to it. If anything, it’s worth noting that Amity still kept the drawing on her. Almost like, despite being weirded out by Luz, Amity felt as though the drawing WAS cute and only got rid of it when she thought someone would question her for having it. Can’t have that Little Miss Perfect status shatter over something some human gave her.

Am I reaching as a Lumity shipper? Oh, most certainly yes. But we all know the inevitable conclusion between these two. We know where they’re headed. Dana has been pretty adamant about wanting it from the start and this pilot sets the groundwork well. Knowing where these two will end up, it’s easy to make connections and hypothesize what means what. Plus, look at the face of shock and amazement on Amity’s face when she sees Luz standing up to Lilith. That looks like a girl who’s…feeling things for this human weirdo. They’re not off to a ROARING start, but I can see how things could improve between Luz and Amity. And who knows, maybe this version of these two might end up dating sooner with how quickly they seem interested in each other. Again, am I reaching? Most definitely, but I went without any new Lumity content for over a year so LET ME REACH!

The point I’m trying to make is that this version of Amity definitely seems a lot more chill and polite at the start, even though it’s likely she still has issues of even being FRIENDS with a human. But not everyone starts off polite.

Lilith: Crazy to think that Lilith started out as…basically a one-off villain like Warden Wrath. At least, that’s what I gathered from the pilot. The pitch bible hints that there COULD be more to her, but at the same time she gets sent to a fire dimension and loses a hand. That’s one-off villain energy if I’ve ever seen it. But if she is meant to be something more, I would love to see what differences could come of her being the headmaster of Hexside instead of Bump and how she could either develop into someone better through Luz’s influence as a student or regress into someone worse as she makes Luz’s school life a living hell. Whatever could come from her, it was kind of fun seeing Lilith act as more of a threat with her…out of nowhere ability to turn into a bat monster. It’s a pretty cool design and I love that it was brought out due to Eda’s constant pestering, proving that Lilith is still the same insecure nut that I love. And it is pretty great that this pilot confirmed that Lilith really did dye her hair to look more serious. You CAN’T tell me that’s not why the Lilith we know ditched the curly red hair.

But that’s about it when it comes to changes towards characters and locations. Let’s talk about the potential differences in the ongoing story.

Luz Stays Trapped Instead of Choosing to Stay: I mean, technically she chose to stay by breaking that key for no reason, but that’s more of a consequence of not thinking things through. She didn’t NEED to break the key, Luz could have just as easily pulled it out. Instead, she kicked the dang thing, leaving herself trapped in this new world. And it’s here that I would like to once again point out how this makes Pilot!Luz different and what’s lost by not including Camila. The Luz WE know would have been more careful. She always felt like someone who fought smarter, not harder, even in that first episode. Luz didn’t fight Wrath head on, she rallied a prison riot that distracted him long enough for her to hit a firework ball into his mouth. She’s intelligent and resourceful, where this one…kind of is? It was smart to send Lilith to the fire dimension, but again, not a great plan to break the key. Plus, without Camila, this doesn’t feel like as big of a deal as it could have been. Camila was the first person in Luz’s mind as she destroyed the portal door in the Season One finale. In the pilot, with no Camila, it feels like a non-sacrifice or even that big of a deal. She’s stuck, sure, but Luz doesn’t really seem to care that much. She feels happy being with Eda and King and doesn’t seem to be in that big of a rush to get home. Plus, it’s not exactly complicated to get back. There was a whole line of portal doors in the beginning that Luz could potentially sneak through and there’s not yet an established cannon that makes it seem like getting a new key would be difficult or even complicated. Once more, it gives the impression that this version of The Owl House would be focused less on personal stakes and more like giving Luz that fantasy adventure she’s always been craving for. It would make for a fun show, but not the SAME show. However, it is worth noting that there could be some potential drama. Especially for one twist that was a JOLT to my system.

EDA WORKS FOR THE EMPEROR?!: WHAT?!

I’ll admit, I feel like the reason why this is so shocking is because of the Eda I know and the Emperor I learned to fear. I mean, Eda, the woman who would sooner eat her own fist before even CONSIDERING helping Belos, even before the witch hunter business, was originally meant to HELP him. Of all the changes that the series could have made, this was by far the biggest. Everything that I thought to be constant turned out to be a lie and I was NOT prepared for it!

But again, the reason why I got that big of a reaction is because it goes against everything I knew about Eda. If this was my first introduction to her, it’d be less of a shocking twist and more of a…hook. Like how Invincible’s first episode (Don’t watch if you’re a baby) ends with a character you THOUGHT you could trust doing this intensely dark thing. The rest of the season is leading you to figure out WHY this was done and how the other characters would react, making you want to see more as the show inevitably leads up to this big conclusion that changes everything you once knew. The same applies here, with the reveal making me wonder why Eda would do this, how long she’s been doing it, how it will affect her relationship with Luz, and whether or not it’d be an easy fix. And much like the ending of Invincible’s first episode (Seriously, NOT meant for babies), this hook makes me interested in wanting to see what comes next. Except I never will know because that came from a version of The Owl House that will never exist.

The pilot is interesting because it shows me what The Owl House COULD have been. I wouldn’t say that it’s better than what we got or even that it’s a better first impression than “A Lying Witch and A Warden.” It’s definitely FUNNIER, I’ll give it that, but it doesn’t make the original pitch better, it makes it different. Everything looks the same and sounds the same, but the overall feel of this pilot makes it something that would have had a different story, tone, and ideas on how to develop these characters. Would I have liked it? Absolutely. It seems like a fun time. But that doesn’t mean I like the show we got any less. This was more like…getting a peek into an alternate universe where a show I already love would have been vastly different. And after over a year without any new Owl House content aside from stuff that fans have made, this was a very pleasant surprise that leaves me excited for the NEW fan content that springs from all this.

But that’s enough talking about a show that could have been made. Time to get back to a series that came into existence and I still love so much. See you all then as you all milk this gift that the internet has given you.

#the owl house #luz noceda #camila noceda #eda clawthorne #king clawthorne #amity blight #lilith clawthorne #the owl house pilot #what i thought about #the owl house reviews

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veronicaphoenix · 1 year ago

Text

IKIGAI (or A REASON FOR BEING) — CHAPTER ELEVEN

“The one who falls in love with you is gonna be very lucky,” she assured him. “It’s a shame it’s not going to be me. I’m taking our promise to the grave.”

Chapter tags: best friends, graduation, referenced alcohol intake, sexual innuendos, angst, slight comfort amidst the drama. | Word count: 4.151 |Cross posted on AO3. | Series masterpost. ✧.*

CHAPTER 11

Lia is 18. Noah is 19.

Lia looked down at the white stilettos adorning her feet. She bit her lip and after too much thought, she shook her head and let the fabric of the dress fall.

“No, I can’t wear this. I’ll be more comfortable with my boots,” she declared, her voice showing a hint of nervousness.

“Lia, my dear,” said Hana with a raised brow. She was standing behind Lia, her reflection also there in the mirror but slightly shorter than Lia’s. “You cannot wear your old boots to your prom.”

“Of course I can,” she replied, lifting her head to make eye contact with the old lady through the reflection in the mirror. “No one will notice. The dress is long enough to cover them.”

Not really. There was a slit on the side that revealed most of her leg. Whoever would put their eyes on her would instantly notice her black boots.

“That’s not the point, sweetie,” Hana gently argued, slumping her shoulders and looking sweetly at Lia.

She knew Lia was nervous and feeling shy. It was the first time she was getting dressed formally. It had taken her weeks of going to different shops and finding a dress that she liked and that she felt comfortable in. The one that she finally chose had been taken to the tailors to fit her frame, and now that she was wearing it in her bedroom, standing in front of the mirror, Lia became self-conscious as it showcased the curves of her breasts in the delicate V-neck. The dress was plain but beautiful, and the thin straps accentuated the elegance of the gown. Lia hadn’t wanted to overdo herself too much; she was excited at the fact that she graduated, but not that much about the party. She was happy about not having to attend any more classes and deal with high school bullshit. She would start a course on graphic design after summer, something that had her quite excited, and she would keep on selling her own stuff online.

“I don’t even know how to walk on those,” she said, a bit sad as she wobbled slightly trying to find her balance. She shot Hana a look of uncertainty.

“You learn, Lia. Why don’t you take a walk along the hallway?” Hana suggested, encouraging her.

“That’s going to be useless,” Lia complained, but she did take a few steps around the room, circling her queen-sized bed. “At the end of the night my feet are going to be dead.”

“You’ll have to get used to it. What would you wear on your wedding day, then? Or in…?

Lia turned to face Hana with her brows raised.

"I'm not getting married," she declared, her tone unintentionally sharp. Hana seemed taken aback by the unexpected response, and Lia quickly softened her expression. "Or at least I don't want to think about that now."

“Alright. It makes sense,” Hana replied, choosing not to press the matter further.

“I’ll give them a try, though,” Lia conceded. “I’ll just ask Noah to keep my boots in the car in case I need to change.”

“That’s a good idea. Now come on, the boys are waiting downstairs.”

“Great,” Lia couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “As if this wasn’t embarrassing enough…”

“They’re eager to see you.”

Maybe, but the idea of being the center of attention didn’t appeal much to her, especially if she was dressed like that.

She took one last look at herself in the mirror. The dress was beautiful, it hugged her delicate curves, and it was light. She was wearing makeup enough to prove that she had tried, and her hair was falling on her back and chest with little curls at the ends. Hana had helped her to get ready, taking advantage of the feelings that rose whenever she was with Lia. She never had a granddaughter, and Lia, despite not sharing the same blood, was the closest that she would ever have to one.

Seated comfortable on the living room sofa, the guys waited for her. Jolly, Noah and Nicholas had been the ones to decide to go with her to the prom. Jesse and Matt had previous appointments and couldn’t make it, and Folio had gone on a fishing trip with his dad. Not that Lia minded too much. It had been Jolly’s idea to follow her to the party. She would have preferred to go alone, endure the silly dance and annoying speeches on her own, but he had insisted otherwise, and had successfully persuaded Noah and Nicholas to tag along.

Jolly was casually indulging in a bag of chips while Nicholas remained engrossed in his phone. Between them, Noah exuded an air of nonchalance, lounging in an apathetic posture — slouched, legs wide, arms resting on his thighs, and hands dangling. It was one of the only times he had worn a formal shirt, and he felt uncomfortable. His gaze wandered aimlessly around the room, but his thoughts were singularly focused. A subtle tic in one of his legs persisted until Lia appeared at the top of the stairs, at which point it miraculously ceased.

His eyes went to her, and he swore his heartbeat stopped for a second or two. Next to him, Jolly whistled after leaving the bag of chips on the table between the tv and the sofa, and then he stood up. Nicholas followed, and Noah had to be patted on the shoulder by one of his friends to react and do the same.

Lia rolled her eyes at Jolly’s whistle, but the warmth that spread across her cheeks betrayed her attempt to appear unfazed. She avoided looking at the boys as she made her way downstairs in delicate steps, followed by Hana, who was making sure the soft fabric of Lia’s gown trailing behind was not getting stuck anywhere. As Lia reached the ground floor and finally lifted her head, her eyes met Noah's. There was something in the way he looked at her that sent a pleasant shiver down her spine, making her heartbeat quicken.

He was looking so… handsome. His hair was tied in a small bun at the back of his head and he struggled to straighten the black button-up shirt he was wearing. He licked his lips, and she would never know how much it cost him to smile at her through the knot in his stomach.

“That’s a very nice dress,” Nicholas told her.

The room fell into an awkward stillness until Hana intervened, ushering them towards the door before they risked being late. Lia couldn't help but voice her concern.

"Guys, I know you have better plans than coming with me. If you want to stay and…”

“I thought we were done discussing this,” Jolly chimed in. “I even bought a tie and I feel proud of myself.”

Lia snorted at his comment and shook her head, her hair swaying around her bare shoulders.

Jolly and Nicholas made their way out towards the car, and Noah came to stand beside her.

“You okay?” He asked.

“Yeah, it’s just a bit difficult to walk with these on,” she confessed gesturing to her heels.

“I bet…” he muttered, a hint of amusement in his voice. “You look beautiful, though.”

A big smile crept into her face as a surge of warmth spread through her at his words.

“Thank you.”

He extended his arm to her, and she gladly took it.

The girls Lia was talking to in the middle of the gym’s dancefloor weren’t her friends, not really. But she had managed to become acquainted with them in her last years in high school and had a good relationship with them. She knew she would probably never see them again after that night. Most of them were going to college and she wasn’t.

They had been discussing their future plans and studies when one of them noticed Jolly entering the gym and striding confidently straight to the corner were Noah and Nicholas were standing, looking slightly out of place, obviously, holding their glasses with cheap ponche in their inked hands. The girls didn’t know the guys. They had never talked to them, but they knew how close Lia was to those guys, specially the tall one, who had been giving her rides to school every morning for the last few months.

Amidst the chatter, one of the girls casually said:

“It’s actually so hot to see tattooed guys in formal clothing”.

Lia's ears perked up, sensing the topic might be heading in an interesting direction. In a matter of seconds, she realized they were referring to Noah, Jolly, and Nicholas. An involuntary blush crept up her cheeks, and she stole a quick glance at the trio, praying that they weren’t looking in their direction.

Noah was.

“You’re definitely not the only one thinking that,” Clara pointed out, aiming her painted eyes at Lia. “You’re blushing, Lia.”

She huffed, attempting to play it off.

“They’re my friends,” she replied, taking a sip of her Fanta. “I don’t want to think about them that way.”

“Oh, come on.” The teasing had just started, and Neha probed: “You’re telling me you’ve never thought about Noah as something more than your best friend? I don’t believe that crap.”

Lia felt a twist inside at the directness of the question. Maybe, just maybe, she had entertained such thoughts, but admitting it out loud was a line she wasn't ready to cross. Determined to deflect the conversation, she replied, "No, I haven’t. Believe whatever you want."

Feeling a sudden need for space, Lia excused herself and made her way out of the gym, the hum of the music fading as she walked to the nearest restroom. Alone with her thoughts, she took a deep breath, glancing at herself in the mirror. Her reflection revealed a mix of excitement and uncertainty that she didn’t really like. She splashed some water on her face, hoping the cool sensation would clear her mind.

As she stepped outside and rejoined the party and the twinkling lights, the rhythmic beats of the music and the chatter of excited voices, Lia felt a presence approaching her, and she didn’t understand why she was disapointed when she heard a a voice she didn’t recognize calling her name.

Lia found herself face to face with a boy from her class. His name, if she recalled correctly, was Matt, someone she'd exchanged mere pleasantries with during group projects but never really engaged in a substantial conversation.

"Hey," he greeted, a nervous smile playing on his lips. “I’m glad to see you here. You look lovely.”

“Thanks,” she replied, her gaze shifting to take in his appearance.

He wasn’t so bad, either. His navy-blue suit clung elegantly to his long frame, and his tousled hair, expertly styled with a touch of cream, added a dash of sophistication. The passage of time had not been lost on any of them; they, including the rest of classmates, had all undergone a transformation from awkward teenagers to young adults in the last couple of years, some evolving more rapidly than others.

“I never thought I would see you in a dress,” he confessed, his eyes subtly scanning her up and down.

Caught off guard by the remark, she felt a flush creeping into her cheeks, though not as pronounced as when she had shown herself to the boys back at home.

“Shit. Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that,” Matt hastily clarified. “It’s just that… I saw you there and…”

“It’s ok. No problem, really.”

“Um, would you like to dance, maybe?”

She took a moment to assess the situation, considering the unspoken tension with Noah and the boys watching from the sidelines. Nevertheless, a desire to break away from the familiar prompted her to respond with a grin.

"Why not?" she replied, allowing a playful tone to lace her words. "Lead the way, Matt."

The dance floor beckoned, bathed in the soft glow of the changing-color lights. Matt guided Lia into the open space, the music providing the backdrop to their momentum. As they began to move to the rhythm, Lia stole a glance over her shoulder, locking eyes with Noah and her friends.

In that moment, amidst the dance and the pulsating beat of the music and as she twirled under Matt’s arm, Lia found herself caught between the known and the unknown, her heart dancing to a melody that echoed the unexplored depths of her feelings, that traced back to a promise made in the shore of the lake where she used to spend her afternoons as a teenager.

Meanwhile, Noah and the guys engaged in a conversation, their voices a low hum beneath the lively ambiance of the prom. Jolly, his mouth occupied with a sandwich, glanced at Noah and noticed a serious expression etched on his face.

“Why the long face, man?” Jolly inquired casually, his attention momentarily diverted as he reached for another sandwich from a tray.

“That moron is looking at her like he wants to eat her up,” he added, nonchalantly observing the dynamics unfolding on the dance floor, the way Matt’s hand was positioned on Lia’s lower back.

“Maybe that’s exactly what he wants,” Nick chimed in, his tone carrying a hint of mischief.

Turning his face to him, Noah shot him a killer look.

“Whoa,” Nick muttered, taking a step back at Noah’s sudden intensity.

“Man, what?” replied Jolly, raising an eyebrow as he opened his hand in a gesture of innocence. “You gotta stop being so overprotective. She’s eighteen. Let her live her life. She deserves it, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, I just don’t want any motherfucker to break her heart. That’s all,” he admitted, his gaze fixed again on Lia and how alluring and beautiful she looked.

He had slowly started to notice her changes in the last few years, and he couldn’t ignore the woman that she was becoming, not just in the physical sense but also when it came to her mindset. She was more strong-willed than she’d even been, more confident, and the most important, happier.

“Sure it is…” Jolly mumbled with a knowing smirk as he moved to gather more food.

It was him who, a while later, went to find Lia and took her back to the dancefloor given that Matt had lost interest in her after ten minutes in the dancefloor. Lia actually held a power in her eyes that allowed her to communicate things without the need to speak, and Matt got the clue that she wasn’t interested in anything more than this night’s dance, and that he shouldn’t push her further.

When Jolly reached to where she was standing and she accepted her hand to walk back to the dancefloor, he noticed she was unable to keep her balance.

“Are those shoes already making you hate patriarchy a bit more than usual?”

“Definitely,” she replied. “But it’s not that.”

“What is it, then?”

"The girls brought alcohol. They’re hiding it in one of the classrooms... And I might have had a couple of vodka shots," Lia confessed, a touch of guilt accompanying her admission. She scrunched her nose as she looked at him.

Jolly's expression shifted to a mix of surprise and mild disappointment. "Lia... Are you serious?" he asked.

"No. I mean, yes. But I’m okay," Lia reassured, her words slightly slurred as she fought off the dizziness induced by the impromptu shots. "Just feeling a bit dizzy. Can you keep holding me?"

In that moment, Jolly found himself torn between scolding her for the reckless choices and acknowledging her vulnerable state and the fact that she could be spotted by any of the teachers. Without a word, he tightened his grip on her.The distant hum of the prom music, the soft glow of the lights, and the clandestine undertones of a high school celebration merged into a tableau of contrasts, where carefree moments met with a subtle undercurrent of responsibility.

Noah kept looking from afar, feeling something strange. Surely it was the proud feeling of seeing his best friend graduating, increased by the fact that he didn’t.

“Has something happened? He looks upset,” Lia asked Jolly after noticing Noah’s attitude.

Jolly kept his hands on her, steadying her. His eyes had been scanning the room, praying that no adults had their eyes on her.

“No. I think he’s just bored,” he answered a few seconds after, guiding his gaze to Noah. Then, lowering his voice, he said, “but I’m starting to think he likes this girl and he’s not having the balls to tell her.”

Lia, who was still seeking stability on his embrace despite the fact that his grip was enough to keep her from tumbling to the sides, raised her chin to look him in the eye. He was nearly as tall as Noah. It was a good thing she was wearing heels today, after all.

“What girl? He hasn’t told me anything.”

Jolly didn’t say anything, but it was in those two seconds that he spent looking deep into her brown eyes that he knew that his two friends were in for a ride. Oh, oh. If he only knew what was yet to come…

“Jolly, what girl?” She insisted.

He just kept on staring at her.

“Okay. I’m going to ask him myself,” she determined, but the moment she slipped away from Jolly’s grasp, she stumbled, and Jolly had to rush to hold her by the arm.

“Alright, kitten. I think we need to get you home.”

“I will go say goodbye to the girls, then,” as she turned around, she felt something going up her stomach and throat and her head started spinning. The music and the movement around her weren’t helping. “Oh, my god.”

“Let’s go outside before you puke, Lia. Come on.”

He held her close to him and help her get to the boys. Her vision was getting blurrier with every step she took, and the moment she reached Nicholas and Noah, she didn’t see the furrowed brows of his best friend and how he shot a glance at Jolly, a question in his expression, before she collapsed in his arms.

“Lia, what the hell?”

“I’m drunk,” she admitted, wrapping her arms around Noah’s body.

“Shit,” Nicholas muttered.

“We need to get out of here before the teachers notice,” Noah declared, already making his way to the exit while carrying Lia’s body glued to his. She started to laugh, and the laugh followed them home. Her state got worse as the car ride started. She was suddenly adamant on playing some songs in the car at full volume and kept unbuckling her seatbelt and leaning forward to touch the radio buttons while Noah kept grabbing her waist and pulling her back. At some point, she removed her shoes and let her head fall on Noah’s lap, only to be put back up with the words “if you lay down you might puke.” She didn’t feel like puking anymore. Everything was suddenly vibrant and exciting!

By the time they made it home and they stumbled wearily through the front door, the soft glow of the porch light revealed Lia’s disheveled appearance. Her hair was messed up and she was a laughing mess, too, but despite the chaotic journey, a stroke of luck had spared Lia (and the boys) from puking in the backseat, leaving her in a state of inebriated merriment.

Barefoot and exposed to the frigid touch of the concrete driveway at those hours, Noah, hiding his exhausting in a playful smile, suggested giving her a piggy ride, and she quickly clambered onto his back.

“This is so much fun! Everything looks different from up here!”

Noah, with a bemused roll of his eyes, secured her in his grasp, hands firmly gripping her thighs. Together and following Jolly and Nicholas, they ventured into the interior of the house, the raucous laughter fading into the background as they navigated the threshold between the night's chaos and the domestic tranquility within their home.

“I’ll put her to bed,” Noah said to the boys with a confidence that masked a flicker of uncertainty within.

“She’ll be okay?” Nicholas asked from behind him, still a shadow in the doorway.

"Yeah," Noah responded, though the reassurance carried a subtle undercurrent of hope rather than certainty. With that, he squeezed his inebriated cargo’s left thigh to get a confirmation giggle from her before proceeding to climb up the stairs.

“Why don’t you give me piggy rides more often?” Lia asked, perched comfortably on Noah’s back.

“You just have to ask,” he answered her, navigating his way to her bedroom.

“Okay, I’ll pay you back by riding you later,” she quipped, and pressed her cheek against his shoulder, oblivious to the sudden tension that gripped her best friend.

Noah’s blood froze momentarily, and his gaze shifted to the living room below, where Nicholas and Jolly exchanged amused glances, having overheard Lia’s comment. The irony wasn’t lost of them as it was on her, given that she was already “riding” Noah on his back.

“She’s so gone,” Nicholas commented, shaking his head.

Noah let out a sigh and kept on moving up until he managed to get her to her room with the weight of her intoxicated comment lingering as they reached her room.

Once there, he gently deposited her on the bed, her smile still present amidst the haze of her inebriation. Noah, looking down at her, decided it was time for a change – a literal one.

"You're so taaaaaaall," she exclaimed as Noah’s figure bent over her. “When did you get so tall?”

“A couple of summers’ ago. Come on up,” he helped her sit up, the drawl of admiration for his height still floating in her big eyes.

He eyed her, considering the options to get her to change into her pj’s. She was obviously not wearing a bra under that dress, and the realization made him sigh, desperate.

Such a torture.

Noah gently coaxed Lia to her feet, his fingers intertwining with hers as he guided her to a standing position. As they stood in the quiet intimacy of her room, he laid out his plan with a touch of considerate reassurance, "I'm going to unzip your dress, and then I'll turn around, okay? I'll go and get a t-shirt in the meanwhile. Will you be able to put it on yourself?"

"Yeah, I think so," Lia replied, a hint of stability returning to her voice even as her body swayed with the remnants of the night's revelry. "I keep my sleeping shirt on the second… or third… or fourth drawer, I think."

While Lia stepped out of the dress, Noah retrieved one of the t-shirts Lia used to sleep in, and walked back to her, and even though he tried to avoid intruding on her moment of vulnerability, his side eye discreetly caught a glimpse of her semi naked figure, her long hair falling on her bare back.

“There,” with his back to hers, he handed her the t-shirt. He remained a steadfast presence behind her, respecting her privacy with a careful averted gaze.

"My head is spinning," she confessed as she slid the clothing piece over her head and down her body.

"I know, you should have kept it lighter," Noah replied.

He turned around at the same time she did, and his fingers instinctively went to her, sweeping away loose strands of hair that had fallen on her face. The gentle gesture made Lia close her eyes momentarily and hum.

“You want to go to the bathroom and wash your face, remove the make-up?”

“I’m too tired,” she complained, her pout revealing the weariness that clung to her.

“That’s okay,” Noah reassured her with a comforting tone. “You can shower tomorrow morning and sort yourself out. Let’s get you to bed. I’ll come in a while and leave an ibuprofen and a glass of water by the bed for you to take when you wake up tomorrow.”

With a nod, she made herself comfortable under her bedsheets, bought recently in a shopping spree after she had sold a bunch of designs online in a row.

“Noah,” she called as he was patting the covers over her. A loose strand of hair had escaped from his bun and was hanging lose close to her face. She would have liked to tuck it behind his ear, but she had already hidden her hands under the sheets.

“Yeah?” His voice was a mere whisper in the night.

“The one who falls in love with you is gonna be very lucky,” she assured him. “It’s a shame it’s not going to be me. I’m taking our promise to the grave.”

With a smile, she turned to the side, pressed her face to her pillow, and closed her eyes.

#ikigai #the inevitability of love at second sight #noah sebastian #bad omens fic #noah sebastian fic #noah sebastian x ofc #bad omens fanfic #bad omens fanfiction #bad omens

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heyyallitsbethfanfic · 7 months ago

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Kirito's Quest Reward / Something Comforting