#but maybe I should just let myself be reborn already.

[armedwithapencilandpaper]

just finished exocolon*st for the first time and. ough. ow. ugh. urgh. hurts

[mixelation]

some of the reborn au stuff i was working on

context: tori has applied to an internal chunin promotion, and instead of just giving it to her, minato was like "nah, go do the next exam in kiri. it'll be good pr for konoha if you're in the tournament, which i want you to just win. oh, but do it using really obvious and flashy fuinjutsu. and don't melt anyone we don't want to seem scary. idk you should try to be, like, cool and charming for potential clients"

so tori has made herself EXTREMELY stressed over this because while everyone else in her life is like "yeah obviously tori could beat the shit out of any random genin" she habitually underestimates her self. what if there is a deidara or an itachi in the tournament. ever think of that???

anyway this is introducing the other konoha-nin involved

****

Tori arrived to her meeting spot near Konoha’s front gate with two minutes to spare, take-away latte in hand. The genin of Team 2 were already there, looking distinctly nervous. 

They are so small, Tori thought with some anxiety. What if the Kiri-nin metaphorically tried to eat them? Actual thirteen year olds were vicious things, but they were also delicate little babies. Would Tori have to save them? 

“Hey,” she greeted. “Team 2? I’m Tori, the other genin.” They stared at her, nonplussed. Oh no, they’re scared little babies, Tori thought with some trepidation. “Er– where is your sensei?”

“We just got word he has meningitis,” the girl of the team said, sounding upset. She had the cute round face and the orangey-red hair of an Akimichi, flowing over her shoulders in two braids. “The messenger said someone else would be assigned.”

Tori squinted at her. Okay, yeah, that sounded… bad. 

“Viral or bacterial?” Tori asked. All three genin stared blankly back at her. Had she slipped up? They had different and fewer pathogens here. Maybe they only had one type…?

Oh, no, maybe thirteen year olds just didn’t know the difference.

Tori had no idea how one recruited a Jounin for a mission this long, this last second. In theory Minato could command ninja to do whatever he wanted, but he also seemed to operate under the policy that better treated ninja got him better results. There weren't a lot of people who would just be okay with being told one morning they’d be in Kiri for over a month, plus travel time in both directions. She imagined they were about to be set up with some sort of weirdo from ANBU.  

They only had to wait another fifteen minutes for their replacement Jounin. 

Oh my God, Tori thought as she stared at him.

“I’m Uchiha Shisui!” Shisui aimed his introduction at the team of thirteen year olds. He beamed at them, flashing his teeth. Compared to the little genin, he looked more like an adult than a gangly teen. “I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you. Let’s all get along.”

He took a moment to eye Tori’s latte with what she assumed was regular Uchiha judgment. She tightened her grip on it. She needed this latte, okay? Lattes were the only thing keeping her sane nowadays. 

The kunoichi of the genin team was blushing as she stared shyly back at Shisui. Tori felt tempted to pick her up and shake her. 

“Why don’t you all introduce yourselves before we head out?” Shisui said. “Because this is so last minute, I didn’t get a chance to brief myself on any of your backgrounds. Have any of you run missions outside Fire Country before?”

Tori knew this question was aimed at the actual children, because Shisui obviously knew all about Team 4’s missions and where she’d grown up via Itachi. The wording that he assumed they all hadn’t still made her hackles rise. 

Team 2 hadn’t ever been out of the country for a mission, it turned out. Akimichi Himi, the blushing kunoichi, said she’d gone on a month-long trip with her parents last year to research cuisines in Rice Country. 

“That’s super cool, Himi-chan,” Tori said, perhaps too loudly and quickly. God knew Shisui wasn’t good at not dismissing the incredibly interesting and rich lives of young ladies. 

Himi looked at her like she wasn’t sure why she was talking. Tori shut her mouth.

The two boys on the team were Kato Tetsuro and Uchiha Shouten. Shouten also seemed flustered to be speaking with Shisui. Tori had no idea why. Weren’t they cousins?

“I’m Tori,” Tori said when her turn came. “I’ve been outside of Fire Country before. Um, let’s see, I’m running solo because my genin teammates were already promoted. I already took the exam once, so I’m happy to answer questions about it.”

“But you failed?” Shouten asked, raising his head to eye her in incredible judgment. 

Is every Uchiha an asshole? Tori wondered. 

“Failing a chunin exam is sometimes more about politics than a ninja’s quality,” Shisui said smoothly. Well, at least he wasn’t condescending every time he opened his mouth. 

“Is everyone ready to head out?” Shisui asked. “Don’t worry. We can take this trip slow and steady. I want you guys to tell me more about yourselves.” 

And slow and steady they did take it, walking out of the village at a casual pace and then keeping that pace up for the rest of the day. Itachi would be having a meltdown. 

Shisui quizzed them on their specialties as they walked, since he’d been filling in as their mentor for the exam. His attentions were focused more on the young genin team, which Tori didn’t mind. He spoke to them like they were about eight, and if he used that tone on her, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep her tongue in check. 

When they breaked to make camp, Shisui went off on his own to scout the area. Himi immediately turned to Shouten. 

“Oh my gosh,” she gushed. “Shouten, your cousin is a total hottie.”

Shouten rolled his eyes. “He’s out of your league, Himi-chan,” he said. “Shisui-san is a genius. He’s one of the most decorated ninja in the clan, and he’s only seventeen.”

And too old for you! Tori nearly yelled at Himi. She knew it was normal for a kid to crush on older people, but… but!

“Do you think he could help you awaken your sharingan?” Tetsuro asked, and Shouten’s cheeks went red. 

“Never mind that!” Himi said. “Quick, tell me everything you know about Shisui-san. What are his favorite foods? The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, duh! Does he like girls with long hair or short?”

“I don’t know him that well,” Shouten griped, stretching his legs out in front of him. His face remained red. “The Uchiha clan is pretty big, and we’re not closely related. Plus, he’s like super famous. He’s the only one Itachi-sama ever hangs out with. He’s that good.”

What the hell is happening? Tori wondered as Tetsuro leaned back on his hands and started to wonder out loud what kind of training they could get from such a prestigious shinobi that the Uchiha Itachi would deign to be buddies with him. How do these random children know so much about Itachi?

“Oh yeah!” Himi said, turning to Tori. “Aren’t you the same age as Uchiha Itachi? Were you in his class?”

“Uh,” Tori said. 

“Why would she remember?” Shouten cut in. “He graduated in four months.”

“Really?” Tori asked, surprised. She thought he’d been in there a whole year… 

“Do you really not know?” Shisui asked, suddenly appearing behind her. Then he said, in a decidedly more authoritative voice than he’d used so far that day,  “Did none of you make any moves to set up camp?”

The conversation switched to splitting up tasks. Team 2 obviously already had their own system, and while Tori would usually be happy to just sit back and watch other people work, she felt self-conscious about doing it on their first night in front of Shisui. She was pretty sure Shisui saw her as full of herself and overconfident, and she wouldn’t give him more support for that theory. 

She ended up prepping ingredients for dinner under Himi’s command. She didn’t know how she ended up being bossed around by a little thirteen year old, but… well, what was she going to do? Tell an Akimichi how to cook? 

Over dinner, Shisui turned to Tori and asked, “How’s R&D?”

Tori was surprised that he’d both known her current station and also cared enough to ask. Did… did Itachi talk about her? She felt a flash of warmth at the idea. 

“It was a bit of an adjustment,” she said slowly, acutely aware of Team 2 also listening in. She wouldn’t go into why it was an adjustment, not with Shouten staring between her and Shisui that intently. “I’m going for promotion with the hopes of heading my own projects, actually.”

Shisui frowned slightly. “You couldn’t just get an internal promotion? Your mission record has got to be strong enough that you’d get one no problem.”

Shouten’s look was intensifying as he tried to unravel the conversation they were having. Shisui’s posture stayed loose and casual, like Shouten didn’t look like he was attempting to awaken his sharingan as he spoke. 

“I applied, but… um, Hokage-sama told me to do this instead,” Tori said. 

“Ah,” Shisui said, like that made total sense. “Yeah, okay. I thought it was weird he’d be taking you off R&D for a whole month…” Shisui suddenly straightened, flashing a smile at the rest of the genin. “The chunin exam is only a month-long commitment if you make it to the final stage. It’s no big deal if you don’t! Like I said, politics are a big part of these exams. Even your little hero Itachi failed his first exam.”

“No way,” Shouten exhaled. 

“Yep,” Shisui said with a wink. “By the way, Himi, this is really good.”

Himi preened. Tori considered tossing her dinner in Shisui’s face. She didn’t think Shisui was a slimeball who’d purposefully encourage a kid’s crush on him on, but also–!

The after-dinner talk turned into the other genin quizzing Shisui on missions he’d been on, and who the coolest ninja he’d worked with were. Shisui was incredibly vague in most of his answers, as ANBU missions tended to be super classified, but he had no problem dropping a handful of famous names, seemingly just to see the genin’s faces light up. ANBU operatives had tears of anonymity; basically everyone knew who Hatake Kakashi was and that he was a captain, for example. 

“Itachi is like a legend,” Himi babbled. “He’s two years above us, so he graduated before we started, but all the senior students talked about him.”

Shouten glared at his sandals as she talked, clearly… jealous, or something. Poor kid. 

“Oh yeah,” Shisui said, turning to Tori, who’s mostly been sitting out of this conversation. “How did you of all people not know Itachi graduated early?”

“Look, I knew he graduated early,” Tori said. “I just didn’t realize how early. Four months, seriously? You’re lucky he knows how to read.”

Apparently this was a disrespectful thing to say, as Team 2 all looked stricken and then turned to Shisui with wide eyes. Shisui just laughed good naturedly. 

“‘You of all people’….?” Himi repeated. Then she brightened. “Tori, are you a fan of Itachi?”

The tiniest smirk crossed Shisui’s lips.

“Yes,” he said. “The biggest fan.”

Fuck you, Tori thought. 

xXx

Tori did not bother to correct anyone on their assumptions about her and Itachi, mostly because she predicted that would turn the ten day trip even more awkward. Tori did not like the idea of anyone being impressed with her social connections, rather than Tori’s own accomplishments. She kept her mouth shut on her genin team. 

Himi did very smugly ask Tori for her crush list more than once. They were– technically– physically Himi was only a year younger than her. This would be a normal way to bond. But it also made Tori low-key want to scream. 

(Tori almost said Kakashi as a way to make Himi stop asking. He seemed like a normal target for a ninja celebrity crush, and she knew enough about him to have a conversation. But also, if that ever somehow got back to him, she would actually die.)

“How is Deidara not famous?” she did mutter to Shisui one evening while they were washing out cooking ware together. 

“I think they’re probably too young to be paying attention to the really interesting gossip,” Shisui replied. “Maybe you should hype him up. I’ll back you up that you’re a huge fangirl–”

Tori splashed water at him. “Oi!” she said. “Why did you even do that?”

Shisui flipped a pot over, pouring water back into the stream they were sitting on. 

“I thought you might not like them losing their minds,” he said. “I figured– like, if you didn’t like it, you could have just corrected me.”

This was… true. She did prefer it this way, if they had to talk about Itachi. But also: she still didn’t like it. 

“How is the entire world obsessed with him?” she wondered. 

“Beats me,” Shisui replied. 

They made it to Kiri midday of day ten, right on time. Kiri was surrounded by a thick, blue-gray stone wall. The individual stones were not uniformly cut, yet every irregular angle and nook fit perfectly into the neighboring stone. It was impressive. 

There was a guard outside the main gate, specifically for the Chunin Exam. Shisui chatted with her briefly and handed over their papers. Someone was called in to lead them to their accommodations, and while they waited for their tour guide, the guard lectured them on their rules of conduct for the stay. 

It was better than the rules they were given in Iwa. They could actually look around parts of the village, and they were getting an actual hotel room instead of abandoned dorms. No one patted them down for contraband. Shisui was handed a stack of food vouchers, good at any restaurant. 

Then something happened that Tori should have anticipated, but had been so stressed over other things that she hadn’t given it much thought. Kisame showed up to be their guide. 

“Really?” the guard asked, eyeing Kisame up and down dubiously. “Don’t they have better things for you to be doing?”

Kisame smiled, all friendly but showing off pointed teeth. Shisui straightened up, and the other genin shuffled nervously. Tori had no idea if a genin would recognize Kisame, but they’d definitely recognize he was a giant blue shark man. 

“I volunteered,” Kisame said. “I’ve met one of the entrants before. I was curious.”

Shisui’s eyes immediately shot to Tori, almost accusing. 

Oh, they really didn’t brief you, huh, Tori thought. She attempted to communicate this at him with her face. 

“Well, whatever,” the guard was saying. “Konoha, this is Hoshigaki Kisame. He’s one of our Seven Swordsmen. Be polite, or he’ll eat you.”

Team 2’s collective faces went pale, and Kisame laughed. 

He led them into the village, and Shisui stepped forward to lead the Konoha genin, walking at Kisame’s side. He introduced himself to Kisame, making small talk as they walked. Tori watched them, wondering how much Itachi had talked about Shisui to Kisame, before. Kisame was usually pretty easy to read, but he was also habitually polite. It was difficult to tell if he was being friendlier with Shisui than he would anyone else. 

“Iwa was an… interesting experience,” Kisame was saying, and then turned his head to flash his teeth at Tori over his shoulder. 

“Extremely interesting,” Tori agreed. “I hope this exam is comparatively boring.”

“With you here?” Kisame teased, and Tori felt her face go hot. 

“I’ll have you know that I’ve been explicitly ordered to be peppy,” she replied. 

“Peppy?” Shisui repeated, dubious. This was clearly news to him. 

“Are any other entrants here yet?” Tori asked, directing the conversation away from herself. 

“You’re on the earlier side,” Kisame replied, and then he made her work to get as much info on other teams as she could out of him. 

Kisame pointed out their hotel, and then took them on a walk around the surrounding neighborhoods they were allowed to wander freely. It was, as far as Tori could tell, a largely civilian part of town. But it was pretty and comfortable, she thought; she’d always liked all the greenery and little canals Kiri had running through it. The mood of the people they saw on the street was overall happier than when she’d last been here, eyes following them more with curiosity than disdain. Kisame had done a good job saving his village from civil war. 

The outskirts of the perimeter had some training grounds they were allowed to use, as they’d arrived two days before the start of the exam. 

Finally, Kisame said, “And then… well, technically it’s not inside the perimeter, but I could still show you…” 

Kisame had been largely directing his tour guide speech to Shisui, but now he turned to Tori, grinning down at her knowingly. 

“Have any of you genin been to a beach?” 

****

for anyone of you who picked up the moral inconsistency between tori being annoyed at shisui for potentially (though not intentionally) encouraging himi's crush and her own treatment of mangetsu....... yes <3

[lunamochii]

Side Chick || Jake Sully x avatar!fem reader smut

Synopsis; You are one of the few scientists that stayed and is loyal to the na’vi. But maybe not? Since Jake still comes to you in the early morning, afternoon, and midnight.

warning; implied poly relationship, dom jake, jake not letting you out of his grasp, smut, not proofread.

note; feedbacks + reblogs are highly appreciated!

repost because it got taken down (:

Years have passed and you’ve watch the Pandora get back to what it’s used to be and you have been loving living in your new body. Standing at the death door, you were reborn from a human to being one of the people. Although sometimes you don’t really feel like it. Especially with Jake coming to you even though he already has Neytiri.

“Somebody will find us..”

Bodies press together your arms clinging on his shoulder as he move his hips. Letting out a groan he came in your hands, lips crashing to each other. You can only moan between the kisses. Your body sprawled out on the luminescent grass, Jake move away from you and your eyes drop at your hands that is covered by his cum. He smirk at you and give both of your nipples a tight squeeze making you moan

“I don’t like how Tarsem stares at you.” Rolling your eyes you push him off and sat up

“So what? This relationship of ours will end soon once Neytiri conceives your child.”

You saw how his eyes darkened making you gulp as you hurriedly stood up. Knowing what you guys do whenever he takes you out for ‘hunting’ you’ll be deem as a traitor if the clan finds out. God help you if Neytiri finds out, a arrow will be stuck at your skull.

“You think I’ll let you run away from me?”

Jake stood up and grab you with full force on the arm, you wince in pain and tried to get away from his grip but he grip it tighter and stare at you directly on the eyes.

“You owe me your life. If not for me, you’ll be long dead now Y/N.”

“Then you should have left me dead!”

You yelled and grab your arm away from him and ran away from there. Calling for your ikran, you quickly got on and fly away. Landing on the camp you are greeted by Neytiri who greeted you before smiling, you did the same and excuse yourself. Your conscience is eating you and the thought of having a chitchat with his woman is making your insides curl, you feel like throwing up.

Night came and the clan gathered all together to share the animals they have hunt, Tarsem, as always giving you looks but before you can even sit down beside the man. Jake came and sat down glaring hard at him you huff and walk towards Norm who is on his avatar form. He notice your change of attitude and decided to pry

“What happen to your ‘finding mate 101’?”

“Oh please, if only I can strangle that man.”

You replied with gritted teeth and Norm laugh knowing full well what and who you meant by that. Back in the days you and Jake have a thing going on but he got closer to the omatikaya clan leader’s daughter which is Neytiri, leaving you with a broken heart. So when you became one of the people you made it your goal to move on from him and try to find yourself a mate. If that bastard will let you which he don’t.

“One day, I will run away. Cause’ fuck it!”

You exclaimed gaining few looks and you just smiled awkwardly so they can go back to their business, it was a long night and once done, you decided to go to your hammock. Just when you were so close something or someone grab you, looking at the side you found Jake smirking at you.

“What now? Can’t I have this night all to myself?”

He snickered and shush you as he drag you to where Eywa knows, you guys stop at a big tree. Your brow shot up recognizing it’s the Tree of Voices. You watch him walk and connected his queue to the tree.

“Connect yours, you will be amaze.”

“Tsk, I’ve already done this.”

You saw him tense but he didn’t look at you, playing it cool.

“With who?”

It was now your turn to have a smirk plastered on your face, sometimes you miss on playing with him. You walk towards him and let your fingers dance on his back as you whisper him the name he hates to hear

“Tarsem”

Jake disconnected his queue and turn around to look at you, seeing you smirking at him it only made his blood boil, grabbing you by your neck he crash his lips to yours and when you didn’t respond he look at you.

“What were you guys doing here?”

“Oh nothing~ I even thought we would mate.”

Playing with his braids he let out a growl and put his hands over your hips, pulling you closer to him your breast press against his chest, you can feel your nipple get hard as he shower your neck with kisses.

“Doing this with you feels like a sin. I’m already a sinner so why not we get this over with?”

You said and the man before you smiled as if he just won a another war against the sky people not knowing this’ll be your last with him. Deciding to run away, leave him here. You will completely banish from his sight.

‘I’m sorry Jake..’

You said at the back of your mind as you kiss him back, letting him use your body as he like. Hands cupping your breast as you grind on his crotch, his back leaning on a big root you got rid of your loincloth and cups his face and deepened the kiss. Moaning into the kiss, Jake grip your hips as he slid his finger down and rub your clit making you moan. Moving away from his lips you trail your kisses down to his neck leaving wet kisses, being careful not to leave a hickey. You can already feel him getting hard so you press your bare cunt more making his own loincloth wet from your juices.

“Ride me?”

“Hell yeah.”

Lowering yourself down you bit your lower lip as you suppressed the moan that is trying to escape from your lips, Jake let out a groan when you finally bottom out and your head resting on his shoulder. His strong arms wrap around your hips as he guided you. Up and down, your breast bouncing with each thrust, you put one hand on his shoulder and the other one on his thigh as you close your eyes and throw your head back.

“Oh god! Harder Jake! Harder!”

“Shit!”

Curse words comes out from your mouth as he grab your other hand to have both of it wrap around his neck as he stood up, your legs cross on his back as he captured your lips and kiss you fervently. Slapping your ass from time to time loving how you clench around his cock. Your moans spilling out from your lips as he move faster and harder, slamming his cock deep down inside you.

“I’m gonna cum… hmm let me cum inside you princess?”

“N-No… not inside…”

He hiss and bit on your shoulder making you yelp as he move his hips sloppily and when he is near he pulled out and his cum spilled over the ground as he moan out your name. Your half lidded eyes stares at him as he kiss your forehead and put you down

“Put your hands over there baby, let me fuck you from behind.”

Nodding your head you did what he told you to, he grip your ass cheeks before slipping his cock inside you. Immediately your legs trembled as he didn’t waste any time and ram you. Hard and fast. Jake is not dumb, he knows you will leave him tomorrow. He had enough with people leaving him there’s no way he will let you out of his grasp. Not when your pussy is sucking his cock this much. Avoiding your braid he yank your hair and lick your cheeks, he left visible hickeys on your neck and reaches your clit with his free hand.

“If you do that I- Jake! Hmf!”

“Cum for me. Cum for me sweetheart!”

“ma Jake!”

Hearing those words comes out from your mouth his left with no choice but to plant his seed inside you, there was no rule in the clan where the olo’eyktan or whoever it is to have one more wife. Pretty sure Neytiri will understand. Ofcourse his lovely first wife will understand. Who wouldn’t love you?

“That���s it. Cum in my cock. Shit, I’ll cum inside you.”

“What?! N-No! Jake!”

Jake inserted two fingers inside your mouth and fucks you with it, he let out a satisfied groan when he felt you cum in his cock and not seconds later he followed. Your eyes widening feeling the warmth inside you, he move his hips sloppily making sure his cum stays inside you. Pulling his fingers and his cock out of you, he watch you drop on the ground. You glared at him and he only smiled sweetly at you, he got down to your level and cup your cheeks

“There’s no escape Y/N. My seed is in you, pretty sure you are bearing my child now.”

“How dare you…”

Your eyes watered and his quick to kiss it away as he cage you into his arms, pulling you on to his lap as he grab your hands and makes you rub his still rock hard cock. He sniff your scent and lick the bite marks he left on your neck. No matter what you do, what you plan, he won’t let you run away from him. You’re his and will forever always will be.

“You called me ‘ma Jake’. Pretty sure you love me..”

“It was just..”

You can’t properly form your words as he started to play with you clit, flinching at his touch and seeing it he let out a chuckle

“Just what?”

You gulp when he inserted two fingers inside you, your hips shaking as he slowly pump it in and out of you. A moan escape and Jake took it as a chance to kiss you torridly and when pull away a string of saliva is seen connecting your lips with his.

“Fine! I’ll be your side chick forever!”

Jake laugh out loud and once when his over with it, he smiled and pulled you closer than ever. You can hear his heartbeat and it’s fast. He kiss your lips once more before sliding his cock inside you again for the third time.

“Don’t worry ma Y/N. You’ll be known as my wife soon.”

[slexenskee]

can i ask for any details about the hotd/jjk fic?

you mean aside from this lil WIP snippet?

I think I'm gonna call it "Write myself out of the history books" a line from All Time Low to match the rest of my 'Dropping Gojo into fandoms he didn't ask to be in' works 😂

His name is Soren and let's just pretend its Valyrian when in actuality it's just one of my favorite Fire Emblem characters (I feel like Gojo would appreciate that though, prolly a Soren stan himself lol)

His dragon hatches in his crib and idk I headcanon that Rhaenyra would wait to let him name it himself because she probably did the same with Syrax? But then 2 yr-old Gojo is like 'her name is Blue Eyes White Dragon' and Rheanyra is like 'wtf no' and also, this is why you shouldn't let kids name their own damn dragons. Rhaenyra refuses to let him name his dragon after what she doesn't realize is a Yu-gi-oh card, and in they settle for Sylvion, which she thinks is just some obscure Valyrian word/reference his 'Uncle' Daemon taught him, but is in fact a Pokemon that bears striking resemblance to his dragon. It's one of Dreamfyre's eggs, mostly bright white, with blue accents and some slight pink in the membranes, hence, Sylvion. Which is also Gojo's favorite pokemon, so he's two for two with references in this life.

He knows damn well that Daemon is not his Uncle, and they (Rhaenyra, Daemon, Laenor) all know he knows even if they collectively don't acknowledge it. He's Daemon and Rhaenyra's 'accidental brothel baby' that she had to get shotgun wedding'd to Laenor for, which is why he's much older than canon-Jace.

The age gaps are: Satoru/Soren (0), Aegon (+2), Helaena (-1), Aemond (-2), Jace (-3), Luke (-4) idk if Joff or Daeron will be in this.

Aegon is in love with him literally at first sight. He's going to PINE FOREVER. Like so much angst when he realizes he doesn't just adore his nephew in a purely platonic sense - which his mother/grandfather already dislike - but is in fact homosexually and audaciously in love with him lol. He definitely tries to fuck himself out of his own gayness, which absolutely does not work, esp when he starts ending up gravitating to regular female whores to male whores who all bear a striking resemblance to his nephew.

Does Gojo know? Hmm yes but not really. It doesn't even cross his mind even though he is also very gay, and also knows incest is casually a normal thing in the Valyrian family. But to him, Aegon is his uncle, and also a man in a 'don't say gay' world, so he kind of intentionally doesn't look too deeply into it. He does notice Egg is very attached to him, but he's not sure how much of that is familial and platonic and just Egg's very handsy personality versus romantic. They played a lot together as kids, slept in the same bed etc back when they were young enough it didn't mean anything, and obviously Gojo never felt that way about what he thought was a 'cute sticky dumpling of a kid who thinks he hung the moon' so it'll be a longgg and difficult shift for him to see Egg in any other way.

Aemond worships him in a strictly platonic sense that totally feeds his god complex. Gojo is literally the warrior reborn to him. He's a one man army and everyone knows it and he's so out of any mortal's league instead of being jealous about it Aemond just straight up adores him like a god. Daemon and Laena don't get together in this fic (RIP Baela and Rhaena) so Laena is still alive and has Vhagar, so idk maybe Aemond has Vermithor.

On a related note, everyone worships him as a god (or a Valyrian devil, *ahem* Hightowers *ahem*) bc to them he may as well be one. He has all his OG powers, he's invincible and untouchable and literally unstoppable. He achieves infamy the world over during Stepstones Round 2 where he absolutely obliterates an entire army and a few islands besides. He straight up asks his 'grandfather' Corlys if he should just eradicate the whole island chain and permanently solve the problem. Of course, the story gets convoluted with the whole medieval 'he said she said' chain of communication so there are plenty of non-believers still. LOL jokes on them.

He adores Rhaenyra. Like he likes Laenor a lot, and is partial to his little brothers (yes Jace and Luke exist, idk if they're Laenor's or Daemon's yet tho. They would't be Harwins bc Rhaenyra took one look at Gojo and was like 'shit he's 100% Valyrian its gonna look weird as hell if his siblings dont look like him at all') and has a soft spot for his 'Uncle' Daemon, but the reason he even bothers to stick around and not just fuck off to Essos to raise his own empire is because of her. I headcanon Gojo to have zero relationship with his parents in JJK - which unfortunately is expected from 'the patriarch' aka his father, but deeply hurt him in regards to his mother, who also cared nothing for him. Yes total double standard, but that's patriarchy for you. Anyway Rhaenyra is the opposite - she cherishes him from day 1, and whether that's because she truly loved him at first sight or just loved the idea of a child of hers and Daemon's who knows. But she doted on him and took care of him in a way anomalous for mother's in Westeros, and Gojo always took note of that. He'd burn the world for her - or in this instance, cower it into submission so she can have her throne in peace.

He doesn't mind playing the 'radiant prince' for her, being the faultless and impossibly perfect heir to the throne, because he knows it strengthens her claim immeasurably when his achievements so obviously outshine her direct competitor (Egg, who in fact does not give a shite about the throne and just wants to run away on his dragon with Soren). He even quietly submits himself to the idea of taking a wife because he knows that's also expected of him, although he plans on copying Laenor and having some threesome magic going on. Will that have to come to pass though? Hmm idk yet

THERE WILL BE ZOMBIES. No Night King, but I absolutely believe that Gojo accidentally would become the Prince who was Promised. His birth once again upsets the balance of yet another world, and shifts events into motion that would have laid dormant otherwise. Does he bring magic back into world with his birth? That would be interesting. Idk yet tho.

I also believe in the Maester conspiracy, so that might be in this fic too

[shiningwonderland]

Ai Mikaze (All Star)

Translator: Nadie (Twitter: NmoniaG)

Proofreader: Raz (Twitter: agnadance)

Editor: Emily (Twitter: magicalmeily)

Love End — Winter Blossom

I’m waiting in the hallway when Senpai leaves the dressing room in his costume.

Overall, the outfit is white and adorned with fluttery feathers that fit our song's theme.

Haruka Nanami: Oh, you look like a prince!

Ai Mikaze: Really? If you say that even I might get bashful.

He tilts his head and the feathers in his hair sway with the motion.

Haruka Nanami: … Senpai…

As I watch him, I have a feeling that he might just quietly disappear, so I grab hold of his sleeve.

The hand underneath his sleeve is burning hot.

I look up and see his troubled expression.

It's not just his hand, his arm and cheeks are also emitting a fiery heat.

I recall Shinomiya-san’s reluctant face from earlier.

Haruka Nanami: How much time is… left?

Silence.

Ai Mikaze: … So you found out. In that case I’ll tell you.

He pounds on his own chest.

Ai Mikaze: Honestly, it might be any moment now. Aside from some trivial information, quite a big amount of my memory is already gone.

However, before my memory gets erased my system might actually reach its limit first.

Haruka Nanami: You mean your… body?

Ai Mikaze: Mhm... I thought it would be the last to break so I didn't expect this. How troublesome. In any case, it’s only a matter of time until I can’t sing.

I keep resisting, but the damage has reached the point where standing is already… pretty tough.

And just like that, the moment we’ve worried about is here.

Senpai sways and tilts over, but I go to hold him up.

Haruka Nanami: Should I call the professor? Or maybe—

I consider taking him back to the dressing room but he grabs me by my arm.

Ai Mikaze: Hah… I’m fine so stay with me until the show starts. No matter if it’s for one minute or one second… Right now, I want to stay with you.

His breath is ragged. I've never seen him in so much pain.

I nod and support him as we head backstage where there is no one around.

We’re hiding in the back as he leans on a wall to catch his breath.

In this gloomy and empty place, we can hear the other contestants through a monitor.

He grasps my hand and although the heat remains, at least his breathing calmed down.

Ai Mikaze: I’m sorry. I’m worrying you until the end.

The end...

Those words pierce my heart.

Nevertheless, I remember our promise so I bring myself to smile.

Haruka Nanami: That’s not true. I know that you’ll perform the song well, so there’s nothing to worry about.

Ai Mikaze: Of course I will. I'll do all that I can to deliver this song—your feelings—to everyone properly…

With those tender words he gently lifts my hand.

Ai Mikaze: I'll be singing with all my strength, which means I may not be able to be with you for your debut.

But if it’s you, it’ll be fine. I’m sure you’ll be able to do it.

I want to sing your song and I also want to let you debut. These are the first dreams I ever had. And today I'm finally going to make those dreams come true.

I’ll open the future for you. That’s why… you have to do your best.

I cannot hold my tears back anymore—they start flowing down my face.

Haruka Nanami: I’m sorry… I can’t… keep my promise anymore!

Ai Mikaze: It’s alright. Whether you laugh or cry, I still love you.

Mikaze-senpai wipes my tears away with his finger.

Ai Mikaze: I really love you.

His lips softly touch mine.

Ai Mikaze: Nh… I love you… Haruka… I really… loved you…

He kisses me on my forehead, my eyelid, my cheek, and once more on my lips.

Lovingly showering me in tender kisses.

Without realizing it, his warmth already reaches me through our entangled fingers.

Ai Mikaze: I don’t want to disappear… I really don’t want to disappear! I want to stay with you forever and ever.

But… as long as I can leave even a few memories behind, that's enough. I’ll leave the proof of my existence in you.

Thank you for everything.

Haruka Nanami: No, I should be thanking you…!

Ai Mikaze: Even if I’m reborn as another being… I’ll find you again, no matter what.

Haruka Nanami: … I’ll be waiting.

He nods, narrowing his eyes.

Ai Mikaze: I love you so much…

He gives me one last gentle kiss.

We hear cheering from the monitor. It's Mikaze-senpai’s turn next.

Ai Mikaze: … I have to go now.

Our lips, bodies, and hands part.

Senpai’s warmth is fading away.

Still, there’ll surely be warmth in his singing.

Senpai is heading to the stage.

His cheeks are paler than usual and gently glow under the stage lights.

His posture is perfect. Looking at him now, it’s as if his condition earlier was a lie. 

Ai Mikaze: Bye-bye, Haruka.

Amidst the cheering, Senpai whispers these words into my ear and heads straight for the stage.

The stage is sparkling in blue lights and the person who is heading towards it looks just like a mermaid returning to the ocean.

As Senpai walks up to the microphone and begins to speak, the audience falls silent as the deep sea around him.

Ai Mikaze: I’m going to sing with all my feelings. Please listen to it: “Winter Blossom”.

Tomochika Shibuya: Mh~ You’re right, this is really delicious!

Haruka Nanami: Hehe, right? It’s called “Marine Jelly”!

I see Tomo-chan mumbling as she holds her spoon, so I eat one of the sugar shells as well.

The sun shines softly through the window on this beautiful spring day.

Tomo-chan holds the transparent jelly towards the light.

Tomochika Shibuya: So, did Mikaze-senpai contact you afterwards? He’s studying abroad now, right?

Haruka Nanami: He seems to be very busy at the moment so he hasn’t contacted me yet… But I’m sure he’s doing well!

Tomochika Shibuya: I see. Well, since he seems to be really busy it makes sense that he can’t even contact his own partner.

After the Song Festival I’ve returned to my usual daily life.

About what’s happened…

Mikaze-senpai finished singing and returned backstage, where he collapsed in my arms.

As time passed, all of Senpai’s functions stopped.

He managed to sing my song at his very limit.

The professor came running to us. Because of Senpai's bad physical condition, he was immediately carried away.

At the Song Festival, our song won the first prize.

I successfully managed to become an employee of the agency and debuted as a composer.

According to the official statement "Mikaze-senpai is studying abroad" was what I stuck to. Whether he would return was still uncertain.

Everyone at the Agency was surprised by the sudden news.

Only Shinomiya-san and Syo-kun seemed to have realized what happened and cried with me.

With Senpai, the professor and Aine-san vanished as well. We searched for them in the lab but they were nowhere to be found.

I still don’t know where Mikaze-senpai is.

The president came to me after the Song Festival and only apologized to me with a single “I’m sorry”.

He made an exception and permitted us to become partners without canceling Mikaze-senpai’s contract.

His apology was surely the president’s way of atoning for his failure to prevent so many things from happening.

Fortunately, I received a lot more job offers after my debut. So I tried my best to act normally.

Tomochika Shibuya: I’m glad you seem to be doing fine! I was worried you might feel lonely after Mikaze-senpai’s disappearance.

Haruka Nanami: I’m okay! There's so much to do. Everything's getting serious now that I've debuted.

Tomochika Shibuya: Oh! Spoken like a real adult! My, my, you’ve grown, haven’t you?

Haruka Nanami: I became a professional composer after all! So don’t treat me like a child!

I retort back, but I can’t help but smile at how much Tomo-chan cares for me.

Tomochika Shibuya: Speaking of which, isn’t Mikaze-senpai’s movie about to get released?

Haruka Nanami: Right! I heard they’re doing final editing right now, so it should be done soon!

Tomochika Shibuya: Oh, I’m looking forward to it! I’ll watch it for sure!

Haruka Nanami: Really? Thank you! In that case I’ll send you a ticket!

Mikaze-senpai might be gone, but time kept flowing surely and steadily.

When I went outside, Mikaze-senpai’s song was broadcasted everywhere throughout town.

Senior High School Girl A: Ah! I love this song!

Senior High School Girl B: Me too! You know, I wonder when we’ll get a new song~ It’s about time he releases an album or something.

Matching alongside the melody, those girls started humming the lyrics.

Tomochika Shibuya: Wow, it’s so well received by everyone! That’s great, Haruka!

Tomo-chan chuckles, watching the girls gush about Mikaze-senpai.

Haruka Nanami: Right…

“I’ll watch over you, even when I’m gone.”

Mikaze-senpai’s words ring in my head, realizing that this might be what he meant…

I listen to his voice with these thoughts and a happy heart.

My phone rings.

Haruka Nanami: A call. Wait—it’s from the president!?

W-What could he want?

Shining Saotome: Yeees! This is ME asking YOU for a work related request!!

His voice blasts through the speaker.

Haruka Nanami: O-okay, what is it about??

Shining Saotome: A first version of the movie was finished~

The movie “The Mermaid’s Tears” has been completed and for some reason they’re showing the preview screening today.

Haruka Nanami: Uhm, so it’s today?

As always, that’s too sudden, President.

Shining Saotome: YES! It’s fresh out of the oven! Go and check it out!! YO, better not take your eyes off it until the last minute!

Haruka Nanami: Yes!! Understood!

So the movie is already done but what do I do? I’m not mentally prepared for it yet!

Haruka Nanami: Wha-wha-wha-what should I do, Tomo-chan?? He said the movie’s done so there’s a preview screening and since I was part of the staff I have to go watch it today…

Watching me panic, Tomo-chan shows me a wry smile.

Tomochika Shibuya: Okay, okay! Hurry up and go!

Haruka Nanami: But I really wanted to watch it with you… Ah, I gotta go!

Tomochika Shibuya: Be careful on your way and watch your step!

Haruka Nanami: I will! Thank you!

I wave behind me as I rush to the train station.

I barely managed to arrive at the screening location on time.

Haruka Nanami: Ah, it has been some time, I’m Nanami.

I saw a familiar staff member and composer so I sat next to them.

Staff A: Yeah, it has been a while. Seems like the movie turned out great.

Haruka Nanami: I see… I’m excited.

The movie begins.

On that evening, a girl meets a boy singing on the beach.

He is an excellent singer. A boy with eyes the same blue shade as the sea.

That boy is, in reality, the mermaid prince.

He and the girl gets along well. So much, that he often visits her and sing for her.

When the girl talk about her dreams, she mentions that she wants to become a music teacher.

The prince falls in love with the girl, and she also feels the same in return.

As I watch Mikaze-senpai on the big screen, I recall the memories we had together.

The time when we had just met.

The taste of the jelly we ate.

The somewhat funny udon he cooked while taking care of me. Our accidental kiss.

The happening on the Ferris wheel.

Memories of the Christmas Live.

His sparkling eyes while looking at the aquarium.

The day when he told me that he wanted to sing my song, even though it hurt him.

And finally our kiss on the Ferris wheel…

As the time inside the movie passes, the girl grows up to become a woman.

Due to an accident, she loses her sight. She loves to play the piano, but she is unable to do so anymore. Even her dream of becoming a music teacher can't be fulfilled.

In order to recuperate, she returns to her hometown near the ocean.

The mermaid prince and the woman reunite at the beach where they first met.

“I have very fond memories of this ocean. Those days were the happiest of my life,” she says.

“I want to hear that song again” she adds.

Haruka Nanami: And that’s how it’ll end.

If the mermaid prince lets out his voice, the curse of the ocean will turn him into seafoam.

Mermaid Prince: … May you keep smiling and find happiness. 

Those are his last words.

He sinks into the ocean, vanishing into countless bubbles, as if melting away.

Mikaze-senpai once mentioned that they don’t show what happens next.

No one knows what happens afterwards.

… At least that’s what I thought.

The ocean appears on screen once again, but this time with no colors—it’s all gray.

Haruka Nanami: The movie… isn’t over?

People start muttering all around me.

Most of the people involved in this film are present—

—yet no one seems to know where this footage came from.

It simply shows a gray ocean on screen.

“Is the projector broken?” someone whispers.

I can hear the sounds of the waves.

Gradually, the gray ocean starts to gain back its color.

The blue of the sky and the blue of the ocean.

Are those white flower petals?

Fluttering like snow, the petals dance over the screen.

That’s when someone dear to me appears in the center.

???: Where could you be? I’m right here. 

I dash out of there.

I follow my instincts. My heart is so impatient that I stumble over my own feet.

This hill from which one can see the ocean—this time I’ll pass it down alone.

There he is, facing the sea, singing by himself.

Standing there, singing in front of the sparkling waves, he looks like a prince.

His voice is clear, and echoing like the rippling waves.

I calm my rapid breathing and call out to that person.

Haruka Nanami: …I am here!

He stops singing, slowly turns around, and whispers something to himself.

The ocean breeze is strong.

The loud wind drowns out his answer, but then—

—he stretches out his arms towards me.

A silver bangle sways on his arm.

Those falling flower petals, as fleeting and white as snow, will never disappear again.

I take a firm step on the sandy beach and leap into his arms.

With his comforting arms he catches me firmly.

“I’m home”.

[shunin-gumis]

Mistery on the Moonlit Passage - Track 05

Seasonal Event Story

Location: Cruise Liner - Party Venue

Nanaki: …… 

Nanaki: (Andy told me earlier that the ‘recommended date spot’ on the cruise liner was at the sky deck, but…)

Kafka: So this is the main party venue. Thanks to the holograms, the ceiling looks high, making the venue feel spacious inside the ship. 

Kinari: During the daytime, the scenery can be viewed from the windows, which is intended to increase the open appeal of this area.

Yachiyo: Wow… Isn’t this, like, way more luxurious than anything a poor commoner could ever dream off…? If I keep indulging in such luxury, my karma’s gonna tank and I’ll be reborn as something even lower than a bug…

Nanaki: (Trying to invite the chief in front of everyone might be a bit too difficult…)

Yodaka: There’s also a bar counter at the back. It looks quite well-equipped.

Chief: Seems like the staff might not be familiar with some things, but with proper training, I think they should be able to get a hang of it.

Kafka: Yeah, I believe so too.

Nanaki: (Besides, I’m here for work. I shouldn’t let myself get carried away…)

Akuta: WOOHOO! The buffet food looks friggin’ delicious~ I’m gonna spend my whole entire life on this ship, just munching forever and never leaving this place!

Muneuji: Isotake, you should calm down and eat a bit more slowly. Your cheeks are starting to resemble that of a chipmunk’s.

Chief: But isn’t that your third plate already, Muneuji-kun? High schoolers sure are built differently, huh…

Nanaki: (But since there’s gonna be customers who’ll come here as couples, maybe I can get away with that as an excuse to scout it out as a date spot…)

Chief: Are you also like that, Nanaki-kun?

Nanaki: Huh!? Y-Yes!?

Chief: Hehe, I knew it.

Nanaki: (...! Chief’s smiling face…)

Nanaki: (But I totally didn’t get why they were laughing at all…! I must’ve definitely given off a weird answer…!)

Chief: This is bad! Yachiyo-kun is heading straight for the super delicately balanced Jell-O tower! I have to stop him.

Yukikaze: Chief, please wait a moment.

Chief: What’s up, Yuki-nii?

Yukikaze: Nanaki, don’t you have something to talk to the Chief about?

Nanaki: !?

Chief: Huh? Really?

Yukikaze: Earlier… Was it Andy you were talking to? I’m sorry, I overheard your conversation with the AI.

Yukikaze: I also noticed that you were staring at the Chief the entire time, so—

Nanaki: Ka-Kamina-san! W-W-Waitasecond!

Yukikaze: ?

*Nanaki immediately drags Yukikaze with him at high speed*

Chief: Huh? Where are they going—Ack, wait! Yachiyo-kun, stop right there, STOP!!!

Location: Cruise Liner - Inner Passageway

Yukikaze: What’s wrong? I heard you were researching ‘recommended spots’ on the ship to share with the chief, right? You’re very thoughtful, Nanaki.

Nanaki: Huh? Wait, you didn’t hear about the ‘date’ part…?

Yukikaze: Hmm?

Nanaki: N-No, it’s nothing.

Yukikaze: Are you sure you're not going to tell the chief? If you want, you can tell me and I’ll pass it along to them. 

Nanaki: Uh… That’s a bit—

Nanaki: Well… everyone looks like they’re having fun, so maybe I’ll save it for the next time…

Nanaki: (I’m worried that if I do that, the mood’s gonna be ruined because of me…)

Nanaki: Sorry, I think I made you worry for no reason. I’m just gonna take a breather outside.

Yukikaze: Nanaki… ~~~(end flashback)

Location: Cruise Liner - Party Venue

Nanaki: (...Okay, if I don’t bring up my feelings and just stick to telling things objectively…)

Yukikaze: After Nanaki and I spent some time chatting with everyone at the party, we each went our way to the sky deck at different times. 

Yukikaze: That's all.

Nanaki: Y-Yeah, that's about right, I guess.

Ryui: That’s too brief.

Yukikaze: There wasn’t much else to say.

Nanaki: (...But there’s one thing that’s been bothering me.)

Ryui and Muneuji: …

Nanaki: (Everyone’s on edge…)

Netaro: Mhm… I see nyaow…

Netaro: I’ve figured out the truth!

[little-engineer-who-cant]

Jason confronts Bruce

Part 5 of Sirens Scream Names Forgotten by Tomorrow, Laid to Rest in Infinity

(also posted under cut)

“You cannot create a monster and then condemn it, hate its ugly features, its terrible gait. When I look into the mirror, I do not see myself but all of you who made me.”

- David Jones

(Shoot him.)

(That’s not the plan.)

(Fuck the plan. Shoot.)

(You’d have me waste all this?)

(It’s what you want, isn’t it? No one walks away.)

(Ideally, I will.)

(You’ve been dead for how long now? No one is walking away.)

(I-)

(It was never going to be you.)

He’s staring down the barrel of his own gun at the man who should have been his father when he finds the truth.

(You came back from the dead. You were never making it out alive.)

(No one walks away.)

No one walks away. He’s cheated death to ensure it. 

(Reaper made flesh.)

(Pull the trigger.)

So he does.

—

There are burns on his arms. The hair singed right off. He reeks of smoke and despair, cloaked in failure as he hunches over the metal railing. He aches of broken bones that are healing, of bruises on his ego, his body, his memories, his everything. But that’s nothing compared to the sting of failure. Of all the times to grab me, old man, it had to be now? At least if Bruce had let it all happen, Jason wouldn’t be alive to care about the aftermath. He’d be back in the ground-

(where you belong-)

-making nice with the worms and decay. 

But that’d be too easy. That’d be nice and neat, a pretty little bow on the tragedy of Jason Todd. Born to die, again and again, until he finally got it right.

(Maybe you’re still trying to be the perfect son.)

(I can’t be. I’m not Dick.)

(No. You’re not even Jason.)

It’s an old truth. That doesn’t make it sting any less. What’s really fucking with him, running in incessant circles in his already insane mind is the why. Why did Bruce grab him? It wasn’t like he was Bruce’s son anymore.

(When a man puts a dead thing in the ground, he expects it to stay there.)

But he’d clawed his way back out. And like every warning sign on the way up from Hades, he hadn’t come back right. Would Eurydice have been the same, if she ever broke the surface? He’d done that, come up from the water, reborn and remade. Jason Todd, Talia and Ra’s had christened him. A dead man. 

(You’re not making sense.)

(Isn’t that what you wanted?)

It’s easier not to think, to let his body turn and twist and ache in whatever direction it decides to take him. It’ll make sure he’s safe, that instinct is too ingrained to ever die. As long as his mind is blank, he’s not thinking about Bruce. 

The Pit stays quiet. No use trying to drive a man towards a cliff when he’s already leapt off the edge.

Jason has never fucking once wanted it to talk more than he does in that moment. Just for a reminder that he’s not alone.

—

Weakness, plain and simple. When he comes out of his haze, he’s staring at his worst weakness in the form of her bedroom through the window. Perched precariously on the concrete sill, he leans his forehead against the pane and watches his breath fog it up until he can’t see inside. Can’t see if she’s home or not. Can’t see if she’ll see him.

(Weak.)

But the voice is weak too. It can’t goad him over something he’s already accepted, something he already knows. She’s his pressure point, the chink in his armor and it’s all because she-

Click.

The window unlatches and he leans just far enough away that he won’t tumble when it opens to reveal her, the off-white hue of distant neon light catching in her dark hair like a halo of starlight.

“Hey,” she whispers, leaning her elbows on the still and looking up at him, seeing the dirt and blood, smelling the smoke and sulfur, hearing the sirens that herald emergency vehicles screaming towards that fire.

“I shouldn’t be here,” he mumbles, resting his head against the rough brick exterior, the edge of her window digging into the back of his mask. 

“Come’ere.” She holds out a hand.

“I shouldn’t be here.” It’s the one thing he knows for sure.

“I don’t care.” 

“They can find you.”

“Let them. I’ve faced worse.”

“You shouldn’t face what’s after me.”

“If it means keeping you, I’ll welcome them all with a smile.” Her stubborn expression hasn’t changed. Hasn’t even flickered. “I’ve lost a lot of people that I’ve loved. I’m not losing you too.”

“You’re insane.”

“Maybe. What a pair we make.” He takes her hand, she pulls him in the window and they press their foreheads together. Her fingers come up and gently, carefully, reverently undo the clasp on his mask, peeling away the vengeful Red Hood to show the exhausted man underneath. And he is exhausted. 

“I let him get away,” he confesses, like a bullet to the gut. “The Joker- I-” Her fingers rest over his lips, silencing him.

“It’ll take time, but he’ll get his due.”

“You say that like you know.” Her smile is full of teeth, knives gleaming in the dark as her blue eyes flash through with the soft pink of an unknown power that absolutely terrifies him. Carefully hidden away, only to be drawn out to hamstring someone without warning, to hobble, to cripple, to destroy.

“For you? I won’t give Fate a choice. And he’ll beg for one.” Was this how Paris felt when Troy burned for Helen? Like any price was worth paying to keep those eyes on him with all that promise, that devotion, that dedication to do anything. Her fingers stroke down his jaw and he follows those streaks of heat like he’ll die if they leave his skin. 

It’s an incredible dichotomy, the violence of her words mixed with the gentle affection in her touch and it’s more intoxicating than any drug he knows. 

“I don’t want you in danger,” he protests, but it’s weak in the face of a woman stubborn enough to defy gods.

“And I don’t want you to get hurt. But here we are.” But here we are. With him hurt and her in danger. “Come to bed, the world can wait.” There’s so much he doesn’t understand, so many questions he needs answered, but in this moment, he can’t ask. Can’t be reminded she belongs to other people too. He needs to pretend, just for one more night, that she’s no one’s but his.

—

It’s quiet and dark and he loves it here, curled around her in a cocoon they’ve made of blankets and their bodies. It’s quiet and dark and he cares more about that than the fact that he’s overheating under the blankets. If he got rid of things he loved for the sake of his own comfort, he’d be in a very different place in life. He’s got the quiet and the dark and her, he’ll endure any discomfort to keep them.

“Penny for your thoughts?” she asks, voice a bare breath that stirs the room and him towards a semblance of life. But he doesn’t have any right now, none that he can speak. None that she can hear and live to see another day. 

“I can’t say what I want to,” he admits in the silence of her room, breathing that truth into the back of her neck. 

“Hm?” her head twists, trying to look at him, but he digs his forehead into the nape of her neck to stop it. 

“I can’t say it,” he repeats, arms banding more tightly around her, clutching her like a child holds their most comforting toy. “Or you’ll get killed.”

“Jason, let me turn around.” He clings harder, petulant, pressing a kiss to her spine and tasting salt. “Jason.”

“Silena,” he growls, curling further, squishing her more firmly into the circle of his body while he tries to shut the world away. 

“Can I at least look at you?” He shakes his head. He likes it here, in the dark of her room, buried in the softness of her hair. Childish of him, absolutely, but right now he can’t face the thought of seeing her eyes pick him apart. “Fine, then…” she grumbles something under her breath in what sounds like Not-English but he’s not concentrating enough to tell exactly what dead language it is. “Give me.” She pries at one of his hands with that ever surprising strength of hers.

“Silena-”

“Please can I hold your hand at least?” That he can do. He can keep her like this with one arm, that’s not a problem. So he gives her a hand, letting her pull it up and towards her face, what is she-

She presses each one of his fingers to her mouth, kissing the calloused tips, her breath warm and grounding. The sensation hits him like a pile driver, tears welling in his eyes as he buries his head deeper. Maybe not seeing her was a mistake, maybe then he could have stopped her before- Her mouth presses delicately into his palm, a gentle and reassuring hum vibrating against his skin.

“I love you too,” she whispers into the hand that has taken hundreds of lives, destroyed thousands more, a hand that could so easily smother her with just a bit more pressure but she puts her life in it again and again- “I love you too.”

[whiskeysmulti]

Anon? Don’t know her.

Let’s see… my favorite detail about some of your portrayals… I’ll try not to repeat myself too much, but I’m sure I inevitably will have to at some point.

-

Ahhhh what haven’t I said about Gokudera before at this point? I think I’ve already stated a number of times the things I like about him, but I’ll reiterate that my favorite detail about him are the things that I don’t often see in other portrayals, particularly the fact that he should be at risk of losing his hearing or at least have an issue with tinnitus if he uses his bombs a lot. Sure sure, it’s just anime/manga but a bit of realism doesn’t hurt anyone (cept for him) and it’s quite interesting to build off of, so it’s fun. So I suppose, my favorite details can be summarized into: what details did Amano not go into much less even touch that you incorporated into him. Like his inability to sleep very well or the fact that he doesn’t really eat that much in general. Lil details like that are always so fascinating for me to see and therefore I love it.

-

Hmmm for Dino, I suppose it’s the fact that you have a pretty good balance between him being silly, him being cool, and having that cocky ass smug attitude which pisses Hibari off sometimes. There is no fear to be seen or awkwardness. Just a guy calmly and expertly manipulating Hibari into listening or preventing him from doing things.

-

Favorite detail about Tsuna is that he makes it so easy for me to hate him. FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES THAT IS A JOKE!!!!! Honestly speaking, Tsuna tends to be pretty careful about the things that he says, and he doesn’t really have a knack for angering people that often. He may have blown up on some people (ie Haru or Lambo) but he always does apologize for it soon after.

The reason I bring this up (and I honestly can’t recall if I’ve mentioned it before) but it’s unrealistic? Homeboy has not had a single friend in how long up until Reborn came into his life? He hasn’t talked to any girls until Kyoko talked to him for like 5 minutes one time and that was enough for Dr.Shamal to pity him enough to treat him??? The fact that he hasn’t fucked up more often with stupid shit he said astounds me, honestly. He’s a young kid and he should be very socially inept and maybe struggle more with how to interact with others. He should be struggling more with actually making friends and maintaining them or what- but it just happened so naturally and smoothly.

I honestly like the fact that he says dumb shit sometimes that pisses Haru off. It just feels more realistic to me and I love that… even if it stresses me out sometimes LOL.

-

Well, there honestly isn’t much canon information on G so really, at this point he’s an OC of your own creation LOLOLOL Any of the primo generation are basically OCs of our own creations at this point. IF YOU WON’T GIVE US INFORMATION, WE’LL HAVE TO MAKE IT UP OURSELVES, YOU COWARD!!!!! (jk I love you Amano~) Though, with the way that I like to think of the Primo vs Decimo generations being like healing from generational trauma kind of vibes, I like the fact that you had it set that G and Daemon were actually quite close up until the betrayal happened. It’s a very nice parallel from how Gokudera just barely trusts anyone, and definitely does not trust Mukuro. Lil parallels like that are just so fun to me and therefore it’s my favorite.

-

For Enma, I could just cheat by saying that my favorite detail is that he’s just a cutie patootie and I LOVE HIM!!!!!! Jokes aside, I actually forgot that he’s quite fond of cats, so your portrayal reminded me of that, so my favorite detail is the fact that you do put some focus on his liking of cats. It is my favorite because ‘oh wow I forgot about that fact. Ohhhhhhhh’. Yes. I’m a weird but simple bean.

Anonymously send me your favorite detail about how I play my character.- no longer accepting!

.Whiskey. Omg Neo thank you so much! The fact that you picked up on those details when I was so afraid some of the headcanons wouldn't work, or that I was stressing something the manga mentioned once and it wasn't that important to the character, or whatever. So hearing this means so much.

As we've discussed before, the way I write, I try to bring the character to life. I don't want to just be one of those strictly canon compliant blogs that feels like they just memorize the character's lines and that's it. I aim to try to make the character feel more realistic which is where a lot of these headcanons come into play or picking up on those details that were only mentioned once and brushed off by Amano (Dera's poor health habits and recklessness being borderline suicidal, Enma being quiet and soft spoken but a gentle animal lover under it all, Tsuna making so many mistakes because this is the first time in his life he's had actual friends and doesn't know what to do without Reborn telling him so he should actually be completely socially inept at this point if it weren't for Nana teaching him basic manners, etc.) I put so much work into those headcanons and questioned myself and almost didn't use some of them because I feared the fandom would come for my ass for being too OOC which I've seen happen to some Headcanon Heavy and Divergent writers I followed before. So I always question myself if what I'm adding fits the character or not. I know a lot of stuff can be written off as "my blog, I'll do what I want" but you've seen the way I write, I'm more "I'll do what I want with this character within reason because I want to keep their personality in character and build from it, not break it down or change it."

So thank you so much, you don't know what it means to me that you caught those details and you actually like them.

[toxinfrog]

MIITOPIA SPOILERS BELOW

Okay, I just had a thought about Miitopia’s ending, and I’m sure it’s not original or correct, but if I don’t post it, I’ll never get it out of my head.

Okay, so the “Save them” ending for Miitopia: the good ending, the one where you give the dark curse a new face and let them be reborn and get a second chance at life. All well and good, happy ending, sorry to spoil it if you’ve read this far after ignoring the spoiler warning: But I want to focus on what happens right before you pick out the face.

The great sage addressed the hero, and acknowledges the kind choice, before the few lines were spoken that just hid in the back of my brain, waiting for a random midnight to jump out and consume my entire being.

Great sage: Well, you will need to give him a face.

Great sage: But I believe that should pose no trouble for you.

Main hero: None at all!

Okay, so maybe I’m looking too deeply into this…but excuse me?!?

Did the Great Sage and the Main Hero both just imply that the casting call process is not just a game mechanic for putting our favorite Miis into situations, but also an actual, in universe ability that the Main Hero just HAS?!?

I’m sure I’m misinterpreting something or looking far too deep into an otherwise innocuous set of lines that were probably changed slightly between translations, but partially because this is driving me nuts, partially because I kind of want to prove myself wrong by deeply considering the idea, and partially because I just want to entertain this idea for fun, let’s briefly consider the implications, if true:

The casting call process is happening in-universe. This leads to the strange concept that most characters only exist nebulously as a concept until they are casted and gain a face. They obviously have to exist to some extent before they are casted, as The King of Greenhorne is clearly referred to by The Mayor as well as The Dark Lord well before he’s casted.

The Main Hero could have been the one assigning every single role aside from their own, or at least some of them. This has some weird implications, but probably the least weird of the bunch: It seems that they can grant faceless entities a face.

The Main Hero is aware of this power. In other words, there is a good chance that they already knew what several major NPC’s were going to look like moments before actually meeting them. Not really sure what to make of that.

The Great Sage is aware of this power, and that it should work on the Dark Curse. This has the strangest implications: It means that the Great Sage is aware that some faces, perhaps even their own face, could have been chosen directly by the Main Hero. If they were aware of this back in Karkaton, it adds a second layer to them taking on the dark curse in the place of the Main Hero. Imagine the dark lord, except instead of needing to steal faces to control monsters, they could just cast miis as monsters without ever running out of faces or needing to go get more: No wonder The Great Sage allowed themselves to be possessed, considering the alternative of a truly infinite and unstoppable wave of monsters.

Anyways, sorry for rambling for so long about three lines that probably weren’t meant to be looked into that deeply.

[shenashygans]

THE SUNDAY CURRENTLY -11-

Good morning! It's still morning, right? How was your week? Lemme summarise mine. Because it's Sunday today!!! Another TSC by yours truly~

Writing

The Sunday Currently! Idk if this is really my 11th TSC post. I forgot? I promise to write longer than last week. But I can't promise that I will do it today :) So how was your week? Mine is.. meh. It's been pretty calm. Which is good!

Feeling

Cold! I was up (5th floor) and out (the podium) earlier to capture the sunrise. And Goddddd. What a view. What. A. View. Always worth the wait! But I think I was waiting for a good 10-mins out in the cold, morning air. It's fine. I got to see the sunrise for the first time this year. I always see it when it's up already kasi.

Loving

My beautiful sunrise & sunset shots! It became my morning & afternoon routine when I found out someone likes seeing them. But I mostly, those shots are for myself. It reminds me to be thankful that I get to see the sun every day. Oh, the litol things~

Wanting

To quit my job. I know, I know. I've been saying this a million times. But I want to quit, and find a new one here. I know, I know. I told myself that I will go home after quitting. But as a balisang Gemini.. idk idk. Let's just cross the bridge when we get there, I guess?

Needing

To have a general check-up. Suki na ako sa hospital last year. This year din ata siguro? Chzz. UAE's healthcare facilities are chef's kiss, but why am I still scared going there? Huhu. Too afraid on what they'd find wrong with me? Too scared to catch something when I visit there? Ahhh

Smelling

Myself. I'm wearing my Santal 33 dupe perfume. The spaghetti my colleague made for us. The burger my other colleague made for us. So I'm smelling mostly food rn :))

Wearing

My (not complete) uniform. And shorts. Maybe that's why I'm feeling cold?

Listening

To the sound of the leaf blower. It's too early to be this loud. The songs I've been listening to, well, the playlist are from Peej Radio and Ben&Ben Radio. I love discovering new/old songs/artists.

Wishing

To call someone and talk their ears off. But life is shitty, and you really can't get what you want. Wishing for more better days for me, the people around me, and the people I care about.

Hoping

That my immune system won't let me down this year. Almost done with the first month.. so far, so good. I hope (and I pray) that all will be healthy this 2023 🙏🏻

Thinking

On what to do on my day off? Should I just go to Dubai? Tapos uwi din agad. Nag-sayang lang ako ng oras 🤣 should I get a driver's license here? Saan naman ako kukuha ng pera? ChZz.

Reading

I'm still on a reading slump. Idk. I binged read Freida's books and stopped abruptly. Maybe this is my mind saying, "tama na kabaliwan muna" :))

Watching

Coco! Yes, I know. I've watched this too many times. I'm watching Weak Hero Class, too. Maybe, The Glory next or Reborn Rich. Depends on my mood. I'm still waiting on Hobi my love so sweet's docu on Disney+ next month! Time for me to download it hehehe

Eating

Mostly veggies, fish, seafoods, and fruits! It's because we're trying to eat healthy. Well, my roomie is trying to be healthy. Damay damay daw. But I'm eating istapeggy & burger right now. And it's delicious! We tried Pani Puri for the first time, too! SOBRANG SARAP DI KO MAEXPLAIN. I want more, that's for sure.

See? I can post naman weekly if I remember it. Have a great week ahead! See y'all next week ☺️

[yeniasworld]

On the 14th of whatever month y’all like to call February, 2024, it only took 16 carriages to trap me—imagine that. Sixteen. And here I am, trapped, unshaken, unbroken, and unapologetically aligned with God, the universe, and all the ancestors who dared dream me into existence. You can call me Yenias, Omomane, Sainey Kanteh—whatever fits your confusion. But here’s the gag: even I don’t know what this “Omomanče” means yet. Maybe it’s divine, maybe it’s chaos. Either way, it’s mine.

Let’s talk about Sainey for a second—the “me” that used to please everyone but himself. Baby, if Sainey had played it safe, who would he even be? Some watered-down version of nothingness? Please. He had to burn through everyone else’s lives, their traumas, their hate, their doubts, to understand himself. That’s why I laugh when y’all talk about fame like it’s the pinnacle. Fame? Chile, I’m still overweight, broken, and homeless out here, and you want me to glamorize fame? Fame is just another damn game the universe plays when it’s bored. And guess what? I’m the entertainment, and I’m starting to own it.

90% of the world won’t get this. They’ll never understand why I’m the way I am or why I changed my name. I could explain it in every language, every frequency, and still, they wouldn’t get it. Hell, even my blood family is scratching their heads, wondering what happened. But that’s the thing: it wasn’t for them. It was never about them. It’s about me knowing myself on a level most people are too scared to even imagine. I went through the darkest holes and the brightest lights, came out reborn, de-aged, and restarted. Ten years of healing, five years of extra mess, and now I’m free.

Free, but also done. Done being a people-pleaser. Done playing society’s little games. Done being what y’all think I should be. I’m a fully cooked masterpiece now, baby—no refunds, no exchanges. I’m an artist, and a healed one at that. I don’t owe anyone my time, my light, or my energy. If you’re not here for this new chapter, well, that’s a “you” problem.

And then there’s my twin, Sana. You, my dear, are your own story. I prayed for you, fought for you in ways you’ll never fully know. I split my fame energy, my light, and my prayers for you so you could have your own normal-ass life. A football career? Do it. Break a leg—literally—because you’ve been doing that since you were a kid. You’re healed now, balanced. You’ve got the stars and ancestors backing you, so take your shot. And to the other siblings, both on my dad’s side and mom’s side, I’ve sent prayers your way too. I want y’all to thrive, even if we’ll never truly know each other like siblings are supposed to.

And now to the ex-family, ex-friends, and all the folks who thought they had me figured out: I’m just a number in your missed calls now. My life? Off-limits. My energy? Unreachable. You’ll see me on every screen but never hear from me again. I’m like a private caller ID you can’t block but can’t pick up, either. It’s not hate—it’s just facts.

February 14th, though. Let’s go back there. That was the day I felt myself unraveling, dying internally, just for the universe to pull me back from the brink. I was getting ready for a voguing ball (iconic, right?) but missed it because I was too busy losing myself. Every step I took after that day felt like surrendering—giving up the last bit of control so the universe could mold me for this fame, this purpose, this madness. And here I am, almost a year later, finally on the edge of stepping into it fully.

But let’s keep it real for a second: I’m broken. I’m about to lose my home. Court date on the 21st, baby. The drama is nonstop. Universe, you’ve put me through it, and I’ve come out stronger, but this? This financial mess? This “might go to jail or end up homeless” mess? Fix it. Quickly. I’ve already lived the internal hell of homelessness and jail in my own mind. I don’t need a physical repeat, thank you very much.

So here I am, asking the universe for one last favor before the crossover is complete. Let me step into this new life fully, free of these last burdens. I’ve done the work. I’ve surrendered, transformed, healed. Now it’s your turn to do what you do best: deliver. Because I’m ready. I’ve been ready. And whether the world is ready or not? That’s not my problem.

Yeni out. See y’all on the other side.

[pathologicalrunaway]

speaking of my au: here's a little something (characters + weird incorrect quote-styled dialogues)

__

eeny:

moth hair

young and innocent. silly lil bean. likes learning new stuff (there's a lot)

meeny:

two braids

shy, a bit introverted. can read and is good at understanding how others feel

miny:

two short ponytails

proactive and energetic, always ready to help. a bit unattantive

moe:

mohawk

somewhat tactless. curious. a bit reckless and impatient at times

resh:

looks like a normal person (not corrupted). moth-like hair but longer and a moth-style outfit (you can die with style but you can't be reborn with it). capeless, which makes them rely on the moths a lot

doesn't know what they'd like to be called. miny recognised them as 'mx king' and they never tried to correct them. until a certain point

tired, grumpy, sarcastic and easily annoyed. despises themself and snaps at others. totally lost: doesn't know what they want, who they are and what they should do. suicidal and confrontational and tries to appear rude and dangerous in order for their pain to go unnoticed (failing miserably)

_____

eeny: i'm sure it'll be fun!

resh:

resh: i wanna die

resh: *is having a moment, contemplating isle, deserted and empty*

eeny: what's going on with them?

moe: they're experiencing shrimp emotions

resh: *falls from a manta and hits the ground*

miny: anything broken?

resh: my dignity

resh: leave! me! alone!

resh: *slips on the ground, falls in the brook, gets extinguished immediately*

moe:

moe: sure, call when you need us

miny: hey guys, it's grandma hour!

eeny, meeny and moe: yeeey!

resh: what are you talking about??

*10 minutes later*

miny: so, this is grandma hour!

resh, who hasn't been in such a cozy home-like environment in centuries and can barely hold back tears: cool

meeny: sometimes i wonder what it'd be like to have a parent. someone who cares about you, someone who waits for you to come home, someone who supports you no matter what and protects you from dangers. someone you can trust and who'd never leave you. i wonder what it feels like, to be loved like that.

resh: *sighs* it feels nice

eeny, meeny, miny and moe: *trying to process the implications of what they've just heard*

eeny: be careful with the krills

resh: pardon me?

miny: that's what we call dark dragons. we've figured out that if you give funny names to scary things, they seem less scary.

eeny: you can try if you want!

resh:

resh: the Trial of Walls

moe: they said funny, not stupid

moe: also who tf is afraid of the trial of earth

meeny: don't go there, moe! there must be a safer way!

moe: oh, don't make such a fuss! i'll be alright

resh: yeah, let them go. if they get eaten, it's their fault

moe: *gets noticed by a krill*

resh: MOE *runs to help*

resh: *is having a panic attack*

eeny: mx king?..

resh: don't call me that! i'm not a king, not after all i've done!

eeny: how should we call you then?

meeny: maybe mx prince? they've mentioned being a prince before

miny: maybe mx ruler? it's more general...

moe: maybe cake mix?

resh, suddenly stopping crying: w h a t

resh: you're annoying. stop trying to help everyone all the time

miny: is this your way of saying "thanks for saving my ass four times this morning"?

resh:

resh: no

resh: why's that kid sitting in front of a door all alone? not that i care

moe: why're you asking then? not that i care

miny, already standing at the door with the kid: ARE YOU GOING TO HELP OR NOT?

miny: who do you love most?

resh: no one. i hate all of you equally.

eeny: awwww they can't pick a favourite 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺❤❤❤❤❤✨✨✨✨✨✨

*the moths and resh finally meet the elders*

the elders:

resh:

sah: ...the fuck??

resh, covering meeny's ears: don't swear in front of the kids!!!

+ bonus:

resh: i've only had eeny, meeny, miny and moe for a day and a half but if anything happened to them, i would kill everyone in this kingdom and then myself

eeny: huh?

resh: i said i hate your guts and wanna kill you

[ahungeringknife]

Repostober 3

I don't remember if I ever posted this before but I DO know it's old (like 2016 jfc) and I still :eyes: about it. This really helped me figure out stuff about the actual main characters (Relora is their mom) and the MC's relationship with his patron god.

*marge holding a potato pose* I just think she's neat

------

In her dreams there was smoke and the smell of cinnamon spice. There was the sound of swords and spears clashing against each other. There was rivers of blood that washed under the cracks in doors and splattered on walls. And there was screaming. So much screaming.

When she was awake it was much quieter.

A hot wind rustled the leaves of the carefully manicured trees around the oasis and caressed Relora’s face like rough hands of a lover. She closed her eyes against it and whispered into the wind a single, perfect, impossible, wish. That Spayar was alive. She didn’t want to tempt her chances with ‘safe’. Alive would suffice. She heard someone come up behind her and turned.

It was Javin. “How long have you been out here?” he asked her as he came up to her. Javin was tall and light skinned with strange, straight black hair, and black eyes. His mother had been a Xai slave, his father from the noble caste. A bastard son with a slave and still had more reputation than Relora to most Dirinnans.

“Not long,” she lied. She liked being out on the patio that overlooked the oasis and the desert around it. It was like from here she could see Riten, and in the west there were the Nevarsk mountains, huge and looming like the teeth of the gods. Javin didn’t like her being out here in her condition. The sun was always a killer and out here in the Amber Sea it was especially brutal. There was no covering on the patio and the pale stone could be blinding and cook you in no time if you weren’t careful.

“Why don’t you come back inside?” he coaxed her and took her hand. She really didn’t want to but she followed him anyway. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m alive, aren’t I?” she asked.

“You know what I mean,” Javin said and looked back at her and her huge stomach.

“Then who are you worried about?”

“You, of course,” Javin said, insulted. He led her into a sitting room where not a few others were also sitting and relaxing, talking, playing some sort of hand games or just by themselves. She let herself be made to sit and Javin took a knee in front of her. “Spayar was my friend,” he reminded her. “I told him I’d look after you.”

“I’m able to do that myself,” she said, knowing she sounded ungrateful but also knew it was just the hormones. Not that it wasn’t untrue. As soon as she’d been able she’d fled from her mother’s side and taken care of herself. Hadn’t been hard, her mother had hated her.

Javin knew that too because he didn’t take offense. “I know,” he said patiently. “But you’re in a delicate state right now. Spayar would be reborn just to kick my ass if I let anything happen to either of you,” he glanced down at her stomach again.

“Heh… yes he would,” she agreed.

“Stay inside the rest of the day, hmm? Havarsi says we should be getting word from Ûrdovük today. So we should know some more things. Maybe it’ll have good news.”

“Right,” Relora said but hardly believed herself. It’d been nearly an entire Watch without a single sign that any of their missing friends had been found. No one had even heard rumor that anyone who hadn’t already been accounted for was even still alive. Not that it was exactly easy to say who might be dead or captured since those damn warlocks had destroyed all their tunnels and buildings.

“Have faith,” he said, patting her knee.

“Javin, that’s all we are, is faith,” she said.

“Then keep it like that,” he said and got up. He kissed her on the cheeks and between the eyes. “I’ll come get you when Havarsi says we get news,” Javin squeezed her shoulder and she nodded. He left her there and Relora was left in the sitting room.

It didn’t take long for others to come over to bring Relora into their conversations. They asked how her pregnancy was going and each one of them made a wish over her stomach for her unborn baby’s benefit that made her smile. They talked about what they were doing out here at the oasis. Everyone had a job to do and they were just taking a break. They also spoke about how lucky Relora was since the Watch of Light was predicted to be coming to an end so her baby would likely be born during the Watch of Rain. That, of course, was lucky. Double so since Relora was also born during a Watch of Rain and Rain children born of Rain mothers were especially lucky. Of course she was due very soon and this Watch had been especially long.

While they talked they worked. Those who did sewed and those who didn’t did something else, like carving or knot work. Relora wasn’t good with her hands in any of those ways and someone ventured out to the kitchen for her. They came back with fruit that needed to skinned and deseeded and a perfectly sharp little knife for her. It was nice to talk and work even if her big stomach made it difficult.

Around sunset Javin came back and found her almost exactly where he’d left her. “Sorry, sorry,” he said, “I must steal Relora away.”

“Go do something useful, Javin,” one of the men complained.

“Yes, we’re busy. So should you be.”

“Pft, once a noble’s son always a noble’s son,” it was not meant to be taken seriously and everyone laughed, even Javin.

“I’m sorry. My hands are just so soft and delicate. What if I pricked myself with a needle? Or cut myself with a knife?” Javin complained in dramatics. “I would be ruined!” The group laughed again as Javin helped Relora stand. “Havarsi was right. News came in from Ûrdovük from our friends.”

“Good news though?” Relora asked as she followed Javin out of the room.

“I don’t know. He just said he’d gotten a letter and I came right to get you.”

“Thank you,” she said softly.

“All we can do is pray, right?” he gave her a hopeful look.

“Right,” she agreed softly as they walked across the common house to a private office-like room where Havarsi was standing at the window, stroking the head of his sandpiper owl.

“There you went,” Havarsi said, turning to them. Havarsi was old, his curly black hair with streaks of white throughout and his dark skin was loose around his mouth and jowels. But his black eyes were still sharp. He was low born, a fisherman by birth who’d married the daughter of shepherds. They’d never had any children. Neither of their caste positions were easy lives and they’d decided unless their children could move up and not across in the caste system they would have none. Since there was no vertical growth to be had in the caste system they’d never had children and it was why Havarsi had helped start the rebellion back before Relora had even been born. Nevi had been murdered far before Relora had joined but she’d heard all about the powerful hexite Nevi had been.

“I told you I was getting her,” Javin said.

“He said you had news from Ûrdovük?” she asked, almost too scared to want a real answer.

“Yes,” Havarsi said, nodding slowly.

“And? Good news. Any news?”

Havarsi went over to the low table and picked up the tablet. Unlike most, the rebellion used the art of clay tablets to send messages. The writing style was old and modern Dirinnans couldn’t read it but all prominant people in the rebellion knew how. Modern writing for Dirnine was intricate caliography that took up a lot of space and didn’t get to the point quickly but clay tablet writing was compact and you could fit a lot of information in very little space. “Came in with a caravan passing down to Sengai,” he said. “There was a raid on our eastern safe house, but everyone managed to escape. Fifty new recruits since last-

“I don’t care about that,” Relora snapped. “I want to know if they found any of our people!”

Havarsi’s face was emotionless, he gave away nothing. Her heart still dropped when he said, “They still have no information on if anyone from Dockery is alive. There’s still rubble-

Relora spit. Right into her hand and slapped it onto the clay tablet. Javin stared at her horrified and Havarsi was more than a little shocked. It was incredibly bad manners to spit on writing since ink could be diluted by your saliva. It was a clay tablet but the insult remained. “Don’t care,” she said and walked out.

“Hey— Relora-

“Don’t mind it Javin. She’s emotional and pregnant. She’s just upset,” she heard Havarsi tell Javin before she was out of ear shot.

Relora went to the kitchen and carefully made her way down into the cellar that had been carefully dug out so no sand could make it through the cracks in the walls. On a shelf against the wall were various satchels filled with food that wouldn’t go bad for a long while in case something happened and everyone had to get out quickly. They were cautionary but this far out in the Amber Sea the Monarchy didn’t care enough about them to reach their great jeweled hands out here to squish them. She grabbed one of the satchels and went back up the steep stairs and walked out of the common house.

She didn’t plan on going far, just to the other side of the oasis where there was a shed. She just didn’t want to be there anymore. Maybe she was being an irrational pregnant woman but she didn’t care. She walked away from the common house, around the oasis to the shed which was empty save for some tools and sat down in the shade. Across the water she could see the common house half hidden under the trees. Outside the sun was setting and she watched it. From the satchel she pulled out a candle and a fire starter and lit the candle, placing it on the counter in the shack. She sat on the stool at the counter and stared out the grated window at the Nevarsk in the west that cast long shadows and swallowed the sun, bringing an early twilight to this part of the Amber Sea. As the sun winked out between the grags of the Nevarsk Relora allowed what Havarsi had said sink in. No new information. She sniffed and before she knew it was crying into her hands.

It had been an entire Watch and they had no information on Spayar. Not a whisper. She didn’t even know if anyone was still looking. Or maybe they only were because Relora had asked. Because you didn’t just tell a powerful hexite like Relora no. They were looking knowing they would find nothing. And she could do nothing to help except wish. She couldn’t go back to Ûrdovük to help them look for Spayar because she was pregnant. Fazaar had put his foot down when she’d wanted to stay after the Dockery raid. She wasn’t staying. They’d lost so many at the Dockery raid. Both rebel soldiers and fellow hexites and that had been before the Monarchy had sent their mages to rip the block apart just to try and kill a few more. Relora had been a lucky one to escape and when she’d shown up at the eastern hideout Fazaar had been there. He’d told Javin to take her out to the Amber Sea where she would be safe. Safe to have her baby. Away from the caste system, where no one would care they’d been born to a rebel, an untouchable, or a hexite.

Relora put her arm around her stomach as she cried. Spayar was probably gone and all she had of him was the child growing inside her. She knew it would be a mage too. Because she’d woken one day and started sucking on coins. Any coins she could find even though everyone had laughed at her. She hadn’t cared and they’d stopped when she told them it was because her baby would be a metal smith like his father. Spayar had told him his mother had coated her hands and stomach with fine gold leaf when she’d been pregnant with him. It had been the only thing that had quieted him in her body so she could sleep. He said even when he’d been little she’d kept an iron coin in her cheek and his pacifyer had had a ring of iron on the back. It had been the only reason his family had risen to the top of their caste, almost able to push through to the next one if not for the invisible ceiling between them. Mages always pulled their families up from the lowest to as high as they could go in their caste.

Fazaar had sent Relora out here to have her baby so it’d be out of the caste system. If no one could prove who their parents were it meant no one could tell what caste a mage belonged to. It was a boon for the mage and it was why so many ended up in orphanages. Orphan mages could go on to be anything. Most of them ended up becoming dogs for the Monarchy so it hardly mattered and they lived in near slavery to the Monarchy. But out here the mage son of a powerful hexite and a metal smith could become a force for good for the rebellion. A powerful mage who might also be a hexite? Fazaar, Havarsi and the other leaders of the rebllion probably didn’t even care Spayar was dead. This wouldn’t be over soon and they knew it’d be decades yet before they toppled on the Monarchy. They had time for a powerful mage.

The entire thing just made Relora cry harder and she curled around her stomach. Her baby wouldn’t be a slave to the Monarchy. They’d just be a tool of the rebellion.

Eventually she exhausted herself. She drank some water and curled up on the wooden floor of the shack and fell asleep.

She didn’t know what woke her. Something. It had been sharp like the bark of a hyena but hadn’t been a sound. Relora sat up slowly, her head aching and looked around. She didn’t remember where she was a moment before knowing. Right. She’d been angry at Havarsi for giving her no news about Spayar and had come across the oasis to spite those men in the common house.

It wasn’t light out but she needed to go pass water from the night before. She hobbled out of the shack and squatted down around the back, her back to the wall. She she did she looked out across the dark landscape of the Amber Sea and its slow rolling dunescape that mirrored the tall crags of the Nevarsk. She rubbed her eyes, thinking she was seeing things, as she looked at the top of a dune. There was a lion up there. Lions didn’t come this deep into the Amber Sea. There wasn’t enough to hunt. But it was a lion. Then Relora nearly fell over when the lion shifted and half spread a huge pair of wings.

A sphinx!

Relora pulled herself up the wall of the shack to her feet, staring the sphinx. It was a duality creature. Both insanely lucky and beautiful, but it was a creature made by Sevok the lier. What was it doing here? What was she supposed to do? The sphinx looked across the Amber Sea and then around and right down at Relora. At this distance she couldn’t see its face too well but it was distinctly human-like. It looked down at her with golden eyes and then turned and started walking down the other side of the dune. As it did it flicked its tail in an almost ‘follow’ motion.

Relora was too shocked to move. Then she found her legs and went back into the shack and grabbed the water jug before going out to follow the sphinx. She crawled up the dune. At the top she was hit by a sharp feeling in her groin like she’d been stabbed. She looked down but saw nothing. It hurt like hell for a few seconds before easing and passing. She saw the sphinx down at the bottom of the dune and it looked up at her, swishing its tail. Relora started to slide down the dune and the sphinx started to climb the next dune.

Up and down and up and down they went. Every now and then a pain would shoot through Relora and a few times she fell to one knee but always got back up. The sphinx always waited for her. Then they came to a flat part of the Sea and there was no more climbing, which Relora liked because her legs were starting to hurt and cramp from the climbing. Instead, somehow, impossibly, they were at the base of one of the Nevarsk. Relora looked up the mountain. The sphinx did not go for the mountain. They went around to where the desert became trees. From a distance they looked green but as she followed the sphinx she saw they were gold and wrought iron. Or rather there was one huge tree that was black and gold and it was so large that it dominated her sight as she approached it. The trunk was as wide across as a Riten elephant and opalescent with thin, peeling, bark that had turned luminous at the edges.

Relora stared up in awe at the legendary tree. It was called the Dehvask tree. It was said the first King had been born from under it and and he’d gone on to create Dirin and the Monarchy, carving their country away from Riten and the once neighboring country of Betton before it had become part of the Federation. It was also said that the gods could be found under the Dehvask tree. Their favorite food were the fruits that grew in its branches.

There was a figure under the tree and Relora hung back. In the grey dawn she’d been walking in it was impossible to see who it was. They were long and lean and leaned against the Dehvask tree eating something. It took Relora a moment to realize it was eating one of the fruits of the tree. The sphinx went up to the god and they offered some to it. The sphinx took it gently in its mouth and slumped at their feet, gnawing on the fruit. Then the figure turned and noticed Relora. They raised their hand up to her in greeting, index finger held apart from the other three.

Slowly Relora approached the tree. “Hello?” she said cautiously and glanced at the sphinx which was ignoring her.

“There you are,” the god spoke with candor and a bright voice that was plesant to listen to. Finally she looked at him and felt the blood drain out of her face. It was Sevok. He was a handsome low lander with dusky dark skin and a head full of a thousand ringlets. His eyes were like sapphires and blood trickled from his mouth. Not from inside his mouth, but from around from where he’d torn away the stitches his father, Jai, had sewn his mouth shut for his disobediance.

“What are you doing here?” she asked softly.

Sevok stepped forward and she flinched when he reached out and put golden hands on either side of her stomach. Her baby woke and kicked her hard, right where Sevok’s hand was. “Shhh, little one, no need for that,” Sevok cooed and stroked Relora’s stomach gently. The baby quieted. He looked up at Relora, “They’re going to die,” he said.

“What?” she squeaked.

“I’ve been speaking with your patron,” he said. “She sees more children in your future, and they’re all going to die here.”

Relora was afraid before rationality kicked in. “Die of old age? Then of course they are.”

Sevok’s smile was sweet and terrible. “No,” he said. “This land will kill them. Every. Last. One. And those are the ones that don’t die in your womb.” She swallowed. “Your patron says you do more work when you suffer. Isn’t that cruel?”

“What do you want with me?” she asked.

“Do you want to continue to suffer? Do you want your children to die? If the Monarchy doesn’t find them and bend them to service your little rebellion will instead. You know that. The civil war here will kill them.”

“I don’t want them to die, or to suffer. I have suffered enough.”

“Yes, you have,” Sevok agreed and brushed his golden hand against her face. “I can help with that.”

“What? Do what?”

“I can make your child immortal,” Sevok said and drummed his fingers on the side of her stomach.

“That’s impossible.”

“I’m a god,” Sevok smirked. “You doubt me?”

“You’re a liar. Of course I doubt you,” she scowled at him.

“Ah, but I also tell the truth,” he tutted.

“What’s in it for you?”

He giggled. “You know, no one ever asks that,” he beamed at her. Even with the bloody face he was handsome. “Smart girl. I will make your child immortal but they will be mine.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I will be their patron.”

“And if I say no they will die?”

“Yes. Once they’re grown. Once they’re old enough for you to love them and they have made others love them. Once they’re so close to showing everyone an end is in sight. Then they will die.”

“And my other children? They will die too?”

“Yes. I’m not sure of the specifics, but they will.”

“How do I make sure they’re safe too?”

“Leave this place. This country. Go where you can be free.”

She swallowed. “Why do you want my child so much?”

“Because,” he smirked. “I know greatness when I see it,” his smirk grew into a broad, cunning, grin. “And I would pluck it from my brothers and sisters before they even knew they existed.”

Relora took a deep breath and pain hit her again. It was probably just the baby as it kicked her again. She closed her eyes and when she opened them looked down at her stomach. Her precious child. All she had of Spayar because he was gone. There was no doubt he was gone. If she found another and had more children it wouldn’t matter. This would be all she ever had of his love. She didn’t want to see her child die. Then it would be like what she and Spayar had had had never been. She looked up at Sevok. “You can have them. But you must promise me they will survive.”

“They will be immortal,” Sevok said.

“Which could mean fucking anything,” she growled. “I don’t care about immortality. I care that my child will not die.”

Sevok giggled again. “They will live for as long as they’re able. They will be powerful and respected because they will command it.”

“Will they be like me, or like their father?”

“More than their father, but not quite like you. Now do you agree?”

Relora took a deep breath. “You can have them,” she said.

“Excellent. Come,” he took her hand and led her under the Dehvask tree. There he pulled down one of the branches and plucked a fig shaped fruit from the boughs. It was a huge fruit and the skin shimmered like a mirage. He put it in her hand and it was heavy, heavier than a simple piece of fruit should have been. “You’ve been here before,” he said and reached up to grab the branch and hung from it like a monkey.

“I haven’t,” she said.

He giggled. “Yes, you have. All hexites have been to the Dehvask tree. Before you were born, before my father stitched your soul into your body, you were here. There you were given a choice. Eat the fruit of the Dehvask tree, or forego it. All Dirinnans are given the choice you know? The Dehvask tree is special to you people because Hehvahnstek likes you so much.” Relora didn’t like the sound of that. Hehvahnstek was a strange god. He was the god of the Watches and commanded when the rain fell and when it did not and he was also the god of growing and the god of withering. Hehvahnstek was almost as bad a patron a Sevok. “He planted the Dehvask tree in the body of a great New sphinx. Its starlight blood ran into the sands and became the Amber Sea, its gold and silver body allowed the Dehvask tree to grow and Aigin created the first Dirinnans from the wet sands of the Amber Sea. And so you were allowed to taste a thing gods had made and become almost like a New thing.

“Almost everyone says no. In fact, everyone did, until Behnv.” Relora’s eyes narrowed. Behnv was the name of the first King who’d ruled the Monarchy and lashed the Dirinnans into castes like cattle. “He was a hexite, did you know? And then no one ate from the tree for a long time after. Until recently. Old souls remebering their old homes and hating. They wanted power to fix what horror had been given to their home, so they gourged themselves on fruit from the Dehvask tree because it would give them power like a King.”

“And what will more do?” she asked him.

“Your fate will take you far from Dirin,” Sevok said, swining from the branch contently, a near happy smile on his face. “Dirinnans who leave the grace of the Amber Sea cannot try for the Dehvask tree. But eating one as you are now will do two things; it will allow your future children the same opportunity all Dirinnans have even if they are born far from here; and it will give you more power.” He snickered. “The living aren’t allowed to eat from the Dehvask tree. Only the dead.”

“Will Hehvahnstek be angry if I eat the fruit?”

“No. Yes. Maybe. Who can say. He tends the water fields with Perunez and squabbles over wind tides. He probably won’t even notice.”

Relora didn’t know who Perunez was. She looked at the color shimmering fruit. She winced as another pain hit her and she groaned, leaning over. “Has my baby eaten from the Dehvask tree?” she asked him once the pain passed.

Sevok’s smile was all cunning. “Maybe,” was all he said. “Who tries the fruit of the Dehvask tree is their own business. Now are you going to eat that?”

Relora looked down at the huge fig shaped fruit again. “If you know my fate will take me from Dirin do you know if Spayar is alive?”

“Who?”

“The father of my child.”

Sevok rose a perfectly sculpted brow at her. “Now why would I care if he’s alive or not? He’s a petty mage.”

“He’s the father of the child you want so badly,” she said, temper flairing.

“I still don’t see how that’s relevant,” Sevok said. “Regardless, I don’t know.” Relora glared at him, squeezing the sacred fruit so hard her fingers dug in to the tender flesh. Nector made of light started to leak down her hand. “Careful there. You only get one.”

She looked down at the fruit and took a big bite. It was cold in her mouth. So cold, like what she imagined ice tasted like. It numbed her tongue and made her jaw ache from the cold. As she ate the pain in her groin grew and she felt the baby kick her as hard as it could in the guts. Or she assumed it was the baby. The pain was sharp and then eased and then flared again without any rhyme or reason and she did her best to ignore it but the pain was so great tears flowed free from her eyes even as she ate. There was no end to the Dehvask fruit. No matter how much she ate there was always more. Sevok just watched as he hung from the branch, legs curled up under himself gleefully. The sphinx also watched from under the shade with it’s strange humanoid face and glinting golden eyes. Nector dripped down Relora’s arms and dropped into the red sands surrounding the Dehvask tree. It shined like starlight and became diamonds as it hit the sand.

She couldn’t finish it and she realized that was the trap of the Dehvask tree and the fruit that it bore.

The Dehvask tree gave power to any Dirinnan who cared to eat from it. Unborn hexites ate from the tree as bodiless souls and they ate until they could fill themselves with the power the Dehvask tree gave. It was the power of godhood. To directly change and alter things because you wished them to be that way. But eventually a flimsy, untested, unsewn, soul could eat no more and it allowed itself into the hands of Aigin’s six armed seamstresses who stitched the soul to its new body and it was allowed to fill itself with life, with knowledge and pain and greed. Souls had no greed. Only the living did and it was why the living weren’t allowed to eat of the fruit of the Dehvask tree or they would eat it unending. Souls only ate what they could fill themselves with. A person would eat until they could no more. But the Dehvask fruit never got smaller and Relora’s stomach never grew full. Instead she could eat unending until she put aside her greed, to know herself well enough to know she had had enough.

How much was enough? How much of the fruit did you have to eat before you became a demi god? Before you because a lesser god? Before you became a true god?

Only the pain made her stop. She doubled over as the worst pain yet hit her right in the gut and she saw stars and gagged on her power and blood. Her breath was ragged and saliva mixed with blood dribbled out of her mouth, open in wordless agony, and onto the barely eaten Dehvask fruit. She looked up at Sevok, her eyes still overflowing with tears. “Is this normal when a mortal eats this?” she asked him.

Sevok’s grin was devious though she supposed all his looks were devious. He was by nature a devious being. Aigin and Jai had made him to be nothing but. Another stab of pain and she convulsed, nearly dropping the fruit. “No. But it is pretty normal for pregnant ladies,” he said.

“What?”

He giggled. “Contractions,” he said.

“Did I do enough?” she asked.

“One bite would have been enough.”

She was shaking but didn’t drop the fruit even as she reached down and grabbed at her groin under her belly. “And what now?”

“Now,” Sevok said, “you are more powerful than you were before. So much more powerful.” Another contraction crashed into her and she almost fell over. Instead she just gasped in pain and bent over. “Never expected a little nothing girl like you to eat so much,” he said. “Let’s hope your child gets even half your ability. But now, you’re no use to me. Can’t have you dying here because of neglegence. Wake up.”

Relora opened her eyes as another contraction stabbed at her. She heard people calling her name. She was lying in the sand outside the back of the shack at the base of one of the great dunes. Above the sky was strange and only half there and she could only see a few of the stars in the dark. A dream? She’d had a dream. What a terrible dream.

Feet ran up to her and she looked up at them. No Javin but the other hexites who’d been hiding out here at the edge of the Amber Sea. “Relora,” Sehvarh said.

“What are you doing here?” Haf didn’t ask her, they were asking one of the others.

“I had a dream,” Jermine said.

“As did I,” said Hevst.

“Did we have the same dream?” Haf asked them.

Relora smiled a little through a pain. “What did you dream of?” she asked them.

“A sphinx,” Jermine said and the others were nodding. “I was following a sphinx in the rain and we came upon you and you were dying.”

“I jumped right out of bed and ran here,” Hevst said.

“What are you doing out here?” Sehvarh asked her now.

Relora pushed herself up so she was somewhat upright. “A sphinx came to me too,” she said. “It led me to the Devhask tree,” everyone’s eyes widened. “I don’t remember what else,” she lied. “I just remember in my dream I thought I was dying.” She laughed helplessly in pain. “Instead, I’m in labor.”

“Oh!” and Sehvarh immediatly leaned down to help her.

“Sorry, sorry,” Jermine said and the two of them helped her sit. She gasped and moaned in pain.

“We need to get you back to the common house,” Sehvarh said.

“Someone run ahead and wake the midwife,” Jermine said as he and Sehvarh helped Relora stand. She grit her teeth as another contraction crashed into her and she saw stars. She’d been told about the pain of child birth but she honestly hadn’t expected it to be quite so acutely horrible. Nothing but the act of it prepared you for child birth. No amount of warnings or cautionary words or stories from other mothers prepared you for it. Haf ran off, kicking up sand as he did. Hevst stayed and helped the other two hexites half carry Relora back to the common house.

Lights turned on in the common house before they got near and she saw a few people come to stand out on the patio. Once they were close enough several of the larger men came out from the light that spilled out across the sands of the Amber Sea and took Relora from Sehvarh and Jermine. They carried her into the common house to the midwife who told them to place her gently on a wooden board that was at an angle from the ground with a place to put her feet. A large, deep, bucket filled with water from the oasis was put beneath the board and Relora whimpered in pain at another contraction.

Her midwife, Seri, checked her over. She put fingers in places Relora would really rather she didn’t and wiped the sweat off Relora’s face and removed most of her clothes so she wouldn’t overheat inside in the heat of a Watch of Light. “You’re very far along,” Seri said.

“Is that good?” Relora asked, panting and grimacing.

“It means you’ll be able to start pushing soon,” Seri said. Seri fiddled with something on the board and dislodged some sort of lock so Relora was allowed to recline a bit more and not put so much pressure on her feet so she could rest. At least for a little while before Seri moved the board back up into position.

It was day break when the quiet of the Sea was shattered when Relora screamed. All Relora knew was pain as her body felt like it was about to be ripped right in two. She had thought the contractions were bad but they were nothing to the labor of trying to give birth.

Between a trial to push her child out she slumped against the board, hair clinging to her face and her skin glittered with sweat. Seri had moved the board back up to a nearly forty-five degree angle so Relora had to sort of squat. She said it made birthing easier because gravity helped pull the baby out of the mother. Relora didn’t know or care if it was true. She just knew it hurt. Seri wiped her face of tears and sweat and gave her some cool mint tea. After she drank and looked up at the ceiling.

She had a strange sence of clarity then. She was a hexite. Before she’d just been a stronger than average one. But now she’d eaten deeply from the Dehvask tree and Sevok said she was even more powerful. She knew, somehow, that she had eaten for hours, and it had made her more.

“I wish my child was born,” she whispered.

“Alright, let’s try again,” Seri said, having not even heard Relora. “Ready to go, dear?” Seri asked.

Relora breathed deep, closed her eyes, and nodded. “I wish my child was born,” she said again opening her eyes and reached up to touch her third eye in the middle of her forehead.

She still sobbed and gave a half scream when Seri told her to push down. It took several more great pushes and cries before she felt a great pressure come lose in her body and gasped in relief. Her body ached and shook. “Almost there,” Seri said, right beside her, holding her arm. “Once more,” she encouaged and Relora gave a half hearted spasm and the afterbirth came out too. Seri moved quickly and lowered the board to horizontal and then pulled the deep bucket away from the board.

Relora lay there just breathing and trying to compose herself just a little bit. She had never felt so exhausted. She’d never felt so much pain. She lifted her head weakly when she heard the first cry of little lungs who’d breathed their first breath. She tried to sit up. “Just stay there, I’ll bring him to you in a moment.”

“Him?” Relora asked weakly.

“Mhm!” was all Seri said and Relora sagged onto the board. Seri came over and Relora opened her eyes and looked at Seri. The midwife was holding a swattling of red and gold cloth framing a little brown face and squinty black eyes. “The cause of all that screaming. Quite a cutie, isn’t he?” Seri teased her. Relora reached out and Seri let her touch them. “Let’s get you onto something more comfortable and then you can hold him, how’s that sound?” Relora nodded mutely, staring at her new son.

Seri called someone in to help her and Relora was gently peeled off the board like dried laundry on a rock. She was wrapped in a red and blue kitenge, leaving one breast exposed, and half carried across the birthing room to a more comfortable bed filled with cattail fluff. Relora basked in the comfort of it and Seri came over to her and offered the infant to her. Relora gladly took the child to her breast and looked down at him with all the love and affection she could muster. He was looking at her with his beautiful black eyes and she loved him more than anything in that moment.

Seri fussed over her a little before calling in more men to come get the birthing bucket. It would be thrown out deep in the Amber Sea for whatever wanted to eat it. Relora hardly noticed. She was so captivated by her new son and how perfect he was. She stroked his face and he yawned, making her smile. He was so tiny and perfect and she was already forgetting the pain he’d caused her. It seemed so meaningless now that he was in front of her now. Who cared that he’d caused her pain? He was here now and she would never let him go.

Eventually she slept and woke to the cries of those around her. At first she thought it was trouble but as she woke she heard that the voices were joyous. She turned and adjusted the shutter on the window. It overlooked the patio and the oasis. Outside it was pouring and nearly everyone was outside running in the rain. Next to her her son was woken by the commotion and he started to squirm a little. “Look little one,” she said and showed her son the outside. “It’s raining out. You were born on the first day of the Watch of Rain,” she smiled and stroked his bald head. He just whined and squirmed and she offered him her breast, left exposed for this very reason. She giggled when he immediatly latched on and started to suckle. She wiped at his mouth with her thumb when he sucked so hard he coughed a little back up. “It isn’t going anywhere,” she told him and her son was just looking up at her as he nursed. She stroked his face and laid back down tiredly dozing as the rain fell outside.

[dihalaman]

A New Loop

Feeling super sentimental about leaving next week. I feel blessed and grateful bu I can’t help clutching my heart to draw a definite line between an end and a start of different arcs. I wish not to let go of precious things first but even so, everything changes with time, just as I do. It’s inevitable that what I look to get back into would always look different next time and that’s okay.

I should already get used to this part for how short my life chapters have been chopped into, as a forever nomad. Maybe it just hits especially different with the timing coinciding with the tail end of my 20s. And youth, at least its first half(?/quarter?) seems extra bedazzling in caffeine jitters. Things are also bound to feel poignant if you’re keen on romanticizing (@ me) 

Anyways, I’m watching this loop closing and I’m wary that I’ll simply be a third person in front of my own memories.

So to say, I’m still so glad that they happened at all, and I’m even happier that some actually end up a full circle. If they really close, loop they will in a perpetual rewind, which is not resistant to visits anyway. Meanwhile, we, bearing the traces of their touch, are here, reborn and thrilled to find new stories to write. Everything’s a vessel of continuation, and it’s nice that we’re evergrowing yet still recognizable in our changes. At least that’s what I’ve been pep-talking myself into, I guess. Now’s quite a proper time to lament a little, but everything’s fine. It’ll be fun.

[galpalaven]

I think I fall under the very small minority who actually loved the expack so let me put my writing degree to use and break down what exactly it was that I enjoyed so much about it --- and acknowledge some places where it fell a little short.

Obviously it goes without saying, but lemme put a big ol' warning just in case.

Spoilers for FFXIV: Dawntrail

I'll be the first to admit that I was apprehensive as hell in the lead up to this expansion. G'raha's last minute backing out of the trip really took the wind out of my sails in that last patch before the drop, so the first... third of the expack was soured in my head.

I'll also be the first to admit that, as someone who is RPing in my mind, the angst of my WoL being upset because her boyfriend decided without mentioning it to her that he wasn't coming after she'd already pledged herself to the cause of helping this stranger on her quest was juicy.

It's possible that this low expectations for the pack actually colored my overall opinion, when it turned out to not be absolutely terrible writing. Still, let's get into some of the drawbacks I felt while going through the MSQ

Cons

SLOW

Now, this is both a curse and a blessing.

After Endwalker, it would have been REALLY hard to keep going at that level of danger and drama. It is just not possible to keep something interesting story-wise when you keep it at that level constantly. You have to let your characters and your audience breathe -- it's just a fact of good writing.

In Japanese, there is a concept known as ma, which is described as the silence between claps. It's also used as a fundamental part of the story beats of Japanese literature. Think of any Studio Ghibli film, or even any anime with random beach episodes -- these are things that include that breather in the story, to allow the story to grow and breathe, and allow the audience to rest. If you don't, you run the risk of your readers developing compassion fatigue and getting bored.

THAT being said -- it is quite slow at the start. A lot of running little errands that feel kind of meaningless that made a lot of the beginning of the adventure feel like a chore. While this fed into my RP angst quite a bit, that was me making it more palatable for myself. It dragged for a while, even though I felt like it picked up as we got farther in.

No Scions :(

I understand from a writing and technical standpoint why they decided to distance the Scions a bit from the central storyline, but that doesn't mean that I liked it.

One major complaint I have of A Realm Reborn was that it is just so inherently lonely -- the Warrior of Light has no friends and no constant companions at that point. While Dawntrail at least gives us a new set of companions whom I have come to love, it did bring up those feelings of loneliness again. I'd have liked the Scions to be more active in the story, though they do end up showing up near the end of the expack. I'm not sure how they would have done that, however, though it would have been nice for maybe at least Estinien to have come along with us and the twins and Krile.

Still, I am glad we got to have a reunion at the end of the expack. It was nice to have my boy back, at the very least.

New Characters are New

TBH, this isn't entirely a bad thing, but the new characters are new and change is often something we rail against naturally.

While I personally really like the new characters, they are not going to be everyone's cup of tea. Wuk Lamat is overbearing and naive, Erenville is "dour and ill-tempered", Koana is stubborn and stoic.

That being said, I didn't like most of the Scions until Shadowbringers, so while it makes it hard to stick with it, it's important to note that these characters are at the beginning of their story. We should give them the same time that the Scions had to grow on us before we make any forever judgements.

We're Not The Main Character

I also felt the disconnect in this story that I didn't feel through the last several expansions -- not since ARR have I felt like my character isn't quite connected to what's going on.

This time, though, it's intentional.

While I think it was a necessary step to take to bring the story down from Endwalker, it can make it hard for the audience to relate and care if they're not the central character. Playing the side character to Wuk Lamat's MC is tough for some people, and it's a valid reason to feel disconnected, even if it's really hard for our character to realistically be the Chosen One forever.

Pros

Solid Plot

I know people who didn't and don't care for the story of this expack won't agree, but from a technical standpoint, the story hit all the beats it needed to. The first half of the story following the contest for the throne has a much lower-stakes but technically sound rising action into the smaller climax of the early story.

Then, crossing the threshold into the other part of the continent, we cross into the rising action leading up to the real future plot of the series. And it really left me feeling interested in where we're going to go from here! I knew based on the patch content past 6.0 that the future of FFXIV was likely going to involve the other reflections, and we got confirmation here.

Maybe it's the Azem in me, but I'm super excited to see where they go with it. After the amazing payoff of SHB and Endwalker, I have faith that they will be able to build up a good story again given time.

I'm looking forward to seeing Ryne again and Zero and seeing what roles they'll have in the future, because I'm sure there's no way we've seen the last of them. I've been so curious about the remaining shards and what kind of worlds they are, what kind of lives and civilizations are built there, so I'm happy that it seems like we're leading up to learning cross-dimensional travel. I'm also super intrigued by the Lalafell revelation? Are they aliens? What the fuck??

As central as every other race has gotten to be, I'm glad lala fans are going to be getting their moment moving forward.

We're Not the Main Character

I dunno about you, but it was kind of nice to have an adventure where my WoL got to just indulge in being an adventurer, and not have the weight of the entire universe on her shoulders. I like that she was an unknown in Tural, and that she was more or less just there for moral support. It did more to make her feel like a person than the story of ARR ever did -- for once she was no more or less important than anyone else, and that felt nice.

Upset as I was about G'raha not coming along, getting to kind of roleplay being an adventurer at a normal time in history, when the major problems are just wildlife or local feuds, felt good. Felt fresh. And yeah, I got a bit bored doing the fetch quests, but there was a part of me that kind of appreciated it (while wondering when it would start to pick up -- and pick up it did!).

THE CHARACTERS

OOOOOHHHH the character writing HIT as good as it always does.

Granted, it didn't really start to hit until about midway through, but it did hit. And let's be honest, the beginning of every story might leave you feeling a little disconnected or unsure -- that's just because it hasn't had a chance to hook you yet.

Wuk Lamat, Koana, and even Bakool Ja Ja all get lovely character arcs in just the first third of the expack.

We see Wuk Lamat grow from a naive, silly young woman to a humble, graceful leader -- who still has a lot to learn, but her favorite thing is learning, so that's great! Truly, she takes the power of friendship to its extreme. Plus, there's something nice about being this almost all-powerful adventurer and taking a back seat to help someone grow and learn and show them what you have learned works best for helping people and helping whole entire civilizations grow and find prosperity.

Koana starts off as Mr. Gentrification, and throughout the course of the contest learns that even though some technologies are good and helpful, tradition and culture is what makes his people them. And he learns to love them and he sees for the first time that his baby sister has the right idea, upholding this peace and working to better every community within their borders while upholding cultural traditions. Plus, it's adorable how he seems to get a lil tiny crush on the WoL (even if my girl is in a happy relationship with G'raha).

Even Bakool Ja Ja, who I wasn't really expecting much of anything from, got his own character arc. I really do love "villain becomes your best friend after you knock him out good once" as a plot device, and this is no exception. Plus, the entire story arc of the Blessed Siblings was so deeply fucked up that it really shook me because I was not expecting it at all, but I'll talk more about that in a bit.

Erenville, my love, he is my WoL's new best friend who I wasn't expecting to like that much but deeply and truly won me over by the end. I cannot begin to tell you how hard I cried in the Golden City when his story arc got fulfilled my god -- I am so easily swayed by good character writing, and the only other expansion that has made me weep like that was Shadowbringers, so I know that it did something right, because I'm not actually often moved by fiction like that. I hope he sticks around for a while, because I think his dour demeanor is such a fun addition to the team makeup. He's a quiet, calm presence that I think my WoL really appreciated, especially during the early parts when she was still upset about G'raha's decision to stay behind.

Fathers: The Expack

Maybe I'm biased, but familial trauma, ancestral trauma, and family ties that go above and beyond blood -- those are some of my favorite narratives to explore. And that really wasn't the direction I was expecting it to go, but it felt really good to get away from the heavy war overtones we had the past several expansions to get to something a little closer to home for a lot of us.

It was so interesting to really see these different family dynamics -- from Wuk Lamat and Koana, who grew up loved and happy and feeling worth existing despite how we find out that Koana was abandoned, and Wuk Lamat... wasn't abandoned, but believed she was -- to Zoraal Ja, who clearly internalized his father's love for his siblings in the worst possible way, and felt so entitled to his love and acceptance that he believed his siblings lesser and he believed that he was the only one who deserved his father's love and his father's throne. And it's so bizarre to see how his own insecurity bled into his own child, into the idea that he didn't deserve to be a father because he hadn't a kingdom and a legacy to hand down.

(We won't get into what other things I think about Gulool Ja's conception, as it's.... quite dark.)

Bakool Ja Ja and Mamook was also an insane twist that took me off guard. The fanatic worship of the Blessed Siblings turning into forced conception and likely forced weddings among the people who lived there was so deeply disturbing -- not to mention the catacombs of cremated babies like.... my god. Suddenly the desperation he had to win, and the way he had no idea what he wanted with the throne should he get it made complete sense. His father clearly hadn't raised a leader -- he'd just raised him as a warrior. How could he complete the tests Gulool Ja Ja set when they were all about community and learning to appreciate others, when his entire life he'd been raised to be perfect and superior, with no room for error lest he lose the love of his family that he so desperately craved?

The last few expacks were much more plot focused, which was fun and wonderful, but this one was far more focused on relationships and family and culture, and it was a really interesting shift that left me feeling so refreshed and, as we lead into the next series of patches and the next part of the story, I'm ready and eager to see where we go! As a writer myself, I am all about character, so it was a lot of fun to get to see these characters and see the story Square wove with them.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

I think overall this was a good start to a new story.

I think it's a hard shift to swallow at first, especially since we've all been used to very plot-heavy story-telling so far, but I really do think that this expack didn't completely fail. I think it is a beginning, and so we can't appreciate all the pieces we've put on the table yet. Think of it like an unfinished puzzle -- how can we appreciate the full picture, when we've only got the edge pieces put together up to now?

Yes, maybe keeping in mind that this is a start and not a finish colored my impressions the whole time -- but I think that's kind of the point? Don't compare this to the full, finished product that Shadowbringers and Endwalker were, compare it to the start of our story -- to A Realm Reborn, which is the equivalent here.

The story had all the strong character writing that Square Enix has given us in the past. The plot was slower, because they are trying to start another slow build, and so the pacing is different. The world was still beautiful, we had a lot of really fun gameplay, and I think we have an interesting hook to move forward on.

I think FFXIV Dawntrail was a success in all the places it mattered.

does anyone want my opinions on dawntrail

[ryssbelle]

Branching Timeline: Faron's Blessing 2

Sorry for the long wait, I'm sure you know why lol, I'm going to try to schedule myself better so that I can update both BT and DTBS in an orderly and quicker fashion. No promises tho lol also, witness the return of my bad writing lmao

@tortilla-of-courage @attllhak @kerto-p

LOZ Master Post

___

When Hylia had warned Zelda about something coming she had expected a horde of monsters, thundering footsteps trekking across the fields of Faron woods, she couldn’t imagine how she’d be able to defend herself and Link had that been the case. The weightless feeling in her chest seeing the face of her friend and would-be protector, Impa, was something she graciously welcomed, though a nagging feeling in the back of her mind told her this wasn’t what Hylia was talking about. The Sheikah woman before her looked to be on edge, glancing around her as if anything could be lurking around the corner, which wasn’t too out of the realm of possibility given the situation they were in.

“Impa! Are you okay? What are you doing over here?” Zelda exclaimed, her eyes shifting to the trees, scanning the foliage, if Impa had come here it could only mean one of two things: She was worried about them, or she’d seen Ghirahim come this way. Since Link and Zelda had left the temple to fulfill their duties together, Impa had been given the new duty of searching for and repelling Ghirahim. Of course should they run into him it would be good to have the woman by their side, but with her actively out in the field keeping him as far away from them as possible they, theoretically, should have nothing to worry about. Well other than Ghirahim finding out their ruse, then again that’s what Impa was for!

“Your Grace,” Impa began, quickly correcting herself when she’d noticed the grimace of discomfort on Zelda’s face, “Zelda, I’m sure you’re aware what me being here could mean, but I would suggest you remain calm.” Impa spoke gesturing with her hands as if to tell Zelda to keep her volume low, her eyes glancing behind the goddess reborn to look at the shivering hero behind her, the boy still locked in his trial. Zelda wrung her hands nervously, of course she knew what it would mean, she wished everyone would just get to the point instead of leaving her in nervous suspense constantly. “Now, I’m not sure if he saw either of you, but Ghirahim was in these woods, I lost sight of him near lake Floria-” Zelda was already groaning, her hands flying up to her face to rub anxiously at her forehead, fists digging at her eyes, and finally fingers dragging down her face. “Of course he had to be here! Of course! We can’t just have one little moment of peace can we?!” Zelda ran her hands through her hair, pulling at clumps as she began to pace in a small circle in annoyance. “I just wish he’d leave us alone! Maybe this time I’ll just kill him when I see him? Maybe then he’ll get the point!” Zelda ranted on to herself, Impa watching as the spirit maiden spiraled into what could only be described as muted madness. Impa had to put a stop to this. “Zelda!” She commanded, grabbing the girl by her shoulders forcing her to look into her eyes. “You need to calm down, I just wanted to warn you, you insisted you and Link could do this alone, and I allowed you, but if you’re going to lose your cool at even the mention of our enemy I’m going to have to insist on remaining by your side and his.” Zelda couldn’t help but feel a little hurt, she understood where Impa was coming from however. The woman was right, she couldn’t break down into a fit so easily at the mention of, currently, her mortal enemy, she had other people and things to worry about to let something like that get to her. Zelda took a calming breath, resting her hands at her sides, her eyes filled with determination. “That won’t be necessary.” Zelda spoke with conviction, earning a soft, proud, smile from Impa, who placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Good, I’ll take my leave now, just remember to stay on your guard, your life isn’t the only one at stake anymore.” With that she leapt into the forest most likely off to find the demon lord once more, Zelda felt only slightly more confident than she was before, of course, her confidence at the moment wasn’t at an all time high to begin with. With all her training at the knights academy, with all the foreboding dreams, and guidance from both Impa and her former self she still felt uneasy about the whole situation, from the beginning she knew what was at stake. That’s why she, Hylia, started this whole thing to begin with.. Her eyes drifted back to her lifelong best friend, she'd spared him glances before but seeing him now she finally started to realize something was wrong. Be it the pooling sweat on his brow or the way his hands shook on the hilt of his blade, she knew something was very wrong. She didn’t get a chance to question what it could be, the ground shaking with a roar of thunderous footsteps barrelling towards the pair, only one of them was in no position to fight. Zelda took her place in front of Link, guarding his body with hers, her rapier at the ready, there was no way she was going to let anything get near her champion.