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reki-of-the-valley · 3 years ago

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Renga Fantasy AU pt. 2

Yeah we're changing that to a fantasy au instead of fairytale au because halfway through the first part it just.... shifted away from the traditional fairytale I was going for. It really fell towards the chivalric romance genre, aka a Faerie Queene AU of sorts

Part 1 - Part 3

Reki never expected to be accompanied by two gods when he started this journey, but this... he didn't think gods could be so... well, these two.

Cherry is high on a white mare, just as elegant as him, his Carla. Joe (the protector of the forest, its god, Reki comes to learn) has a horse of his own, a big, dark stallion, but he's not on it. He walks next to his horse, just having the horse carry his armor which he refuses to wear. And Reki is between them, on foot, unsure how to address either one of them. Is he allowed to speak to gods? Is that even allowed for someone like him?

"What's on your mind, kid? You're awfully quiet for someone in the presence of literal divine beings. Usually your kind is always so full of questions for us." "That's why we avoid them like the plague." "Alright, Precious. Maybe you're not able to deal with the humans' curiosity, but I find it adorable." "Of course a brute such as yourself would want the attention of the humans. Attention whore."

And Reki is stuck between this, between these two bickering gods who are arguing over his head. Because, even if they arent in their full form, they're still so much taller than him.

"What's the Rainbow Queen like?"

The bickering ceases immediately as Reki asks the question. Both gods look at him, look at him like he's just asked the worst possible question. And they look at each other as if they expect the other to answer.

Cherry is the one to answer the question

"The Rainbow Goddess is the Queen of our land, a world that overlaps with yours. Humans have access to it, but most do not know how to enter it. We divine beings walk among you, but you remain clueless to our presence, believing us to be like you. You hear tales of our people, myths of gods and heroes, stories of magicians and faeries, but they remain mythical to the vast majority of you. Children's tales for most except for the chosen heroes, those with the blessing of a being beyond you, a being with the power to remove the mist. And you, child, have been picked by the highest being of our land. You have been chosen by the Queen herself."

"The Rainbow Goddess," Reki looks up to Joe who has begun speaking, more serious than Reki's ever thought him capable of, "is ruthless but also the kindest woman one can come across. Her love is deep, and anyone blessed with it is guaranteed a long, wonderful life. But ever since the disappearance of the king, well... She hasn't been the same. Her blessings have been pretty scarce lately. And she's a lot more cautious now, having isolated herself from the world. She still rules our land, but she isn't quite as implicated anymore. While she used to be very open and present, now she does everything behind closed doors. And the rumors about her-" "That will be enough, Kojiro. And you accuse me of scaring our wandering hero."

Reki looks between the two. Because he isn't scared. He isn't scared of the Rainbow Goddess; she seemed sweet in that hazy dream he had that launched him on this adventure. She was kind with her words, sweet like a mother. In some twisted, magical way, she reminded Reki of his own mother. The Goddess had that same calming aura to her, something maternal as she told him to come find her.

But the gods continue bickering, something that seems so natural between them. Scowls and name-calling, never missing a beat, as if it has been milleniums since the start of their dispute. Because maybe it has been. That, however, Reki is too afraid to ask them.

The journey is peaceful. Between two gods, Reki only assumes he's safe. They should be out of the forest in no time at all. Except it's never that easy. No quest is exempt from challenges. No quest is exempt from horrible creatures that lurk in the shadows.

Reki would never admit it out loud, but the moment he hears the whispering of the woods, he kinda wants his mother. If there's one thing he hates, it's spirits. They're sneaky creatures that do nothing but creep up on people to scare them. And hearing the unnerving whispers... Safe to say, he steps closer to Joe

"A questing hero afraid of the souls of trees. This is going to be an interesting story."

And Reki's half glaring at Cherry, Cherry still mounted high on his horse, looking high and mighty like the god that he is. "I'm not afraid! I just... There's no need to bother them, right?"

There's no need to bother them, except sometimes that's out of the hero's control. And when the trio comes across a forester destroying the trees, battle ensues. Because of course it does. Of course they can't just have a peaceful resolution. Because since when is there anything peaceful on a hero's quest? Since when are there not horrible monsters that need to be taken care of.

Now, I'm not an action writer, so you're gonna have to imagine however you want. But there's only one thing I impose on this scene, and it's this:

Joe, tossing a sword to Reki: "Off you go, valiant hero!" Reki, who has never held any kind of weaponry in his life: "What the hell do you expect me to do with this???" Cherry, who is already exasperated: "Well you stab him, obviously!"

Somehow, Reki makes it. He's well and alive and somehow unhurt, but the forester is gone, a monster that disappeared back into the thick woods. And both Cherry and Joe are congratulating him on his first fight (fine, Joe is congratulating Reki. Cherry is very stressed and doesn't understand how the FUCK Reki is still alive, this kid has no fighting training, who's idea was it to send him on a quest to find the Rainbow Goddess? If there's one way to kill a god, clearly, this is the way.)

And Reki would be basking in the thrill of actually having defeated a forest monster and survived it, except he's distracted. He's distracted by the sound of shuffling around him. It's not the same sound as the whispering of the tree souls, it's... it's like footsteps.

Movement finally catches Reki's eye, something flashing past him. He isn't sure what it was, but he has to follow what he saw. He has to go after it. He doesn't know why, but he must. He's drawn to whatever it was that passed him, a flash of blue brighter than the clearest sky, blue more beautiful than the most precious sapphire, blue poorly hidden under a cloak of black ebony.

So he runs after whoever that was. He runs as fast as he can, trying to catch up to the flash of blue, leaving Cherry and Joe behind, losing them in the process of his chase

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archester-creations · 3 years ago

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Take A Break

(my sk8 skecret skanta gift for Not_so_wicked_witch!)

Kojiro was already in the kitchen when Miya woke up, though Kaoru wasn't to be seen. It wasn't very surprising. Like him, Kaoru didn't tend to sleep till late in the evening. Late late. Though, where he was distracted with video games or homework, Kaoru was distracted with work or tech. Of course Kojiro didn’t have the best sleep schedule, either. But he needed to wake up early to get the restaurant ready and he had a good track record of doing so no matter how late he fell asleep. On days like this, the whole family slept in at least a bit. Even Kojiro who somehow managed to wake up just early enough to force Kaoru and Miya to wake up with a ‘proper breakfast’. (In Miya’s opinion, a toasted poptart was proper enough.) There was coffee on the table for Kaoru already and Miya made a beeline for it. Before he managed to stretch out a hand and wrap it around the handle, Kojiro’s hand was over the top and pulling it closer to himself.

“Not a chance.” Kojiro hadn’t even looked over, just turned the stove off. When he turned there was a plate piled high with scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast balanced on his hand.

“But Kojiro,” Miya complained with a pout, though he knew for once it wouldn’t actually get him anywhere. There were things Miya could convince Kojiro to let him do, even after a ‘no’, with a pout. And then there were things like this where it didn’t matter.

“It’ll stunt your growth and you're already short enough, kiddo,” Kojiro said with a teasing smile that made Miya huff and roll his eyes. “Get your mom up for me?” He'd called Kaoru ‘mom’ once as a joke, and it ended up sticking. Sometimes Kaoru complained about it. All of them could tell it was rather halfhearted, though.

“Sure.” Miya shrugged a shoulder and moved to get Kaoru from the bedroom. This was typical too. No matter how late Miya managed to sleep, Kaoru was normally the last up. On the way to his parent’s bedroom, Miya glanced into Kaoru’s office to see if he could spot whatever he’d been working on the night before. There was a cloth on the table, dark gray in the shadows with something under it. He clicked his tongue and continued. The door had been left open, probably in an ineffectual effort to rouse Kaoru with the smells alone. Or maybe Kojiro just liked the illusion it gave of still being close to Kaoru, no doors closed between them. Miya wasn’t sure and he didn’t really care enough to ask. He knocked lightly on the door and wasn’t surprised when Kaoru didn’t stir. A sigh left him, shoulders sagging forward and a smile twitching his lips. So annoying. He stepped carefully into the room, steps light till he reached the end of the bed to crawl on over the covers. Before he scooted around and shoved himself under the covers because Kaoru liked the room a little too cold to be fully human. When Kaoru’s eyes blearily opened a bit in confusion, Miya moved closer to him and spoke at a normal volume. “Mom, breakfast’s ready.” Kaoru startled.

“Jesus,” Kaoru sighed, voice still rough from the lack of sleep. Miya laughed and Kaoru pulled him closer to himself, still soft enough with sleep that his retribution was simply smothering his son.

“Hey!” The complaint was muffled against Kaoru’s nightshirt- something not originally his but stolen from Kojiro an unknown amount of time ago. He was squeezed tightly once and then released. Miya took a dramatic breath in when he was. There was a snort from Kaoru.

“I thought I’d have to wake you both up,” Kojiro teased when they came into the kitchen and Miya stuck his tongue out at him. The three of them sat around the table, Kaoru reaching for his coffee before he reached for anything else, making a pleased hum as he took a sip. It was quiet as they ate. A third of the table still waking up, the other two content in the quiet. Miya dragged the toes of a fuzzy sock against the hardwood floor, his other leg tucked up under him. Across from him, Kaoru’s legs were crossed, his body angled in the chair and hands wrapped around his mug to soak the warmth into his skin. Next to him Kojiro was putting some eggs on his toast, also sitting at an angle, a foot kicked up on Kaoru’s chair in the space Kaoru wasn't occupying and the other tapping a steady rhythm into the floor. Air came easily in the space between the three of them. Soft like the beginnings of a sunrise. Oranges in the way Miya’s eyes flickered to his phone when Reki texted him. Pinks in how Kojiro smiled softly at Kaoru. The lighter blues in the curve of Kaoru’s back as he read the newspaper, glasses perched low and golden on his nose.

It wasn't until Miya and Kaoru started to wash the dishes- Kaoru washing and Miya drying and putting away- that any conversation really got started.

“So what do you guys want to do today?”

Miya shrugged. “Finish the sidequest I’m stuck on.”

“Finish my project,” Kaoru said.

Even without looking back, Miya could see his dad’s expression in the flatness of his tone. “ Lazy Saturday, Kaoru. Mean anything to you?”

“A day of wasted time?” One of Kaoru’s eyebrows lifted. If he was still wearing his glasses, Miya knew it'd be over the rim. Miya could barely suppress his snort.

“It’s good for you!” Kojiro argued. “Give that big brain of yours an actual break.” Kaoru rolled his eyes like it was an inconvenience. Whether or not it actually was, Miya figured was a matter of opinion. At the very least, there were no pressing deadlines his mom needed to meet.

“Fine, I’ll take a break.”

“That’s all I ask,” Kojiro said.

“But I’m going right back to it tomorrow.” ‘Tomorrow’ definitely meaning midnight. Or sometime before midnight. Really, it depended on when Kojiro released him from the ‘break’. But it probably wouldn't be before ten.

“I figured you would.” Kojiro kissed Kaoru’s cheek on his way past. It definitely wouldn't be before ten. On his way past Miya he ruffled his already messy bedhead and Miya swatted at his hands. “Kaoru, when you two are finished I'll help you with your hair. Yours too, kid.” Kaoru hummed in acknowledgement and Miya nodded. Two more dishes and they were done.

It wasn't exactly common for Kojiro to do either of their hair. Miya’s hair was short enough that he did it quickly himself and Kaoru frankly forgot about his own half the time, keeping it perpetually in an unbrushed low ponytail until he went to S or had to be around others. (Much as it annoyed even him.) So it was almost special when Kojiro did their hair, even in its mediocrity. Even if neither admitted it as they sat cross legged on the couch. They used Miya and Kojiro’s shared green hairbrush, since Kaoru’s white hairbrush was small and kept in the glove compartment of his car. Since his hair was much shorter, Miya’s was always taken care of first. The brush ran through it and Miya almost purred as it tugged gently at the knots. When Miya’s was done, he leaned against Kaoru’s side with his gameboy, tinny music coming lightly from it as he played. Both because it was longer and because it naturally tangled more, Kaoru’s took longer. Just like Miya, he practically purred with a pleased smile as Kojiro tugged at the knots as gently as he could. Kojiro was amused to no end with how similar Miya and Kaoru could be. (Though the same could be said about Kaoru with how similar Miya and Kojiro were.) He finished Kaoru’s hair with a black hairband, up in a bun just to annoy him later when he’d take it down. (And now as well, Kaoru sending a flat glare at Kojiro’s reflection in the tv.) When he was done, he clapped his hands together, making Miya look up. “Alright, any ideas?”

“We could play a game,” Miya said.

“Like a video game?” Kojiro asked.

Miya smirked. He could see the expression mirrored via Kaoru’s reflection in the tv. “Scared, old man?”

“Not a chance,” Kojiro scoffed. It was half a lie. Somehow, despite having Miya for four years now, Kojiro hadn’t gotten any better at video games. Kaoru certainly had, though. It’d seemed so natural for his husband. Like he could just speak to the game as if it were Carla. Really he wouldn’t be surprised if that’s exactly what it was. Tech was like Kaoru’s second language. Him, though, he’d always been better at the more physical stuff and most video games just weren’t that.

“We could play Mario Party to try and give your clumsy gorillaness a chance,” Kaoru said with a smile.

“Gee thanks,” Kojiro said, pulling at a strand close to Kaoru’s scalp. “What about a card game instead?”

“Bo-ring,” Miya complained.

They ended up doing both. The wins were fairly evenly split, with Miya only winning three more than Kaoru and five more than Kojiro. Including a card game he stole victory from Kojiro in. By the day’s end there were dishes from the sandwiches they’d made and multiple soda cans piled on the floor next to the table with three wii controllers and cards scattered on said table. Kaoru gathered up the cards, prompting Kojiro and Miya to help for the next few minutes to get everything back in order.

In the kitchen, Kaoru found Kojiro leaning against the counter in front of the microwave. There was a bowl next to him. The microwave counting down the seconds, the light showing the bag slowly expanding inside. When Kojiro noticed him, he lit up with a smile, outshining the microwave’s faint light. He could probably cook with that expression alone , Kaoru thought briefly before subtly shaking it away. “Miya’s picking a movie,” Kojiro told him.

“Is he?” Kaoru asked.

“So we’re alone, for a bit,” Kojiro shrugged nonchalantly and Kaoru rolled his eyes but stepped closer. Kaoru cupped Kojiro’s cheeks and kissed him softly. Hands went to his hair, fingers slipping under the strands to scratch against his scalp. A pleasant tingle went down his spine and he hummed against Kojiro’s lips. His hands fell to Kojiro’s waist, holding him close. Mouths opened, Kojiro moaned as Kaoru lightly bit down on his tongue. There was no fumbling like there’d been years ago when they’d first gotten together. No need to rush or spike of adrenaline. Just a slow dance they both knew the dance to. Comfortable in a way kissing had never been for Kaoru. Not until Kojiro.

“I got the tv set-” Miya broke off at almost the same moment his parents did. Except his was words and theirs were lips. His nose scrunched up in disgust. Yes, he knew his parents kissed, but that was very different from walking in on them making out like teenagers against the kitchen counter. As flat as he could, “Guys.”

Kaoru took another step away from Kojiro, clearing his throat. At least he looked awkward about it, cheeks so pink they rivaled his hair. Kojiro just laughed. Very strongly, Miya considered stretching out on the couch next to Kaoru while they watched the movie so he’d have to sit on the floor. But Kojiro was comfortable to lay on. So instead he just rolled his eyes and grabbed m&ms from the cabinet before heading back for the living room. The microwave beeped and neither Kaoru nor Kojiro knew if it was the first time it had. But they had a feeling it wasn’t.

When they walked back to the living room, bowl of popcorn in Kojiro’s hand, Kaoru wasn’t surprised to see the movie Miya picked. The main menu showed a castle, Merry Go Round of Life playing from the screen. Miya'd been on a bit of a Ghibli kick, lately. Out of all the media Miya could be into right now, Kaoru didn’t mind the Ghibli movies. They settled in on the couch, Miya between his parents, to watch Howl’s Moving Castle. Two hours later, Kojiro was somehow the only one awake. Both Miya and Kaoru were against his side, having adjusted themselves so Miya was tucked into Kaoru’s arms with his head beneath his chin. Kojiro turned off the tv and dragged the blanket from the back of the couch and over the three of them before he laid back against the arm of the couch, careful not to wake either. It was likely he’d regret it later. But… Kojiro looked down at his favourite people, wrapped in his arms with a smile. Gently as he could, he squeezed them tighter. Any future discomfort was more than worth it. He sunk further into the couch to join them in sleep.

#sk8secretsanta2021 #sk8 the infinity #sk8 #miya chinen #chinen miya #kaoru sakurayashiki #sakurayashiki kaoru #kojiro nanjo #nanjo kojiro #fluff #married machablossom #cherry and joe are miya's parents #movie night #writings

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hirazuki · 6 years ago

Photo

Every single con I say I’m gonna take more photos with people, and every single con I get distracted by catching up with friends/acquaintances, meeting new people, walking around, browsing all the awesome art and merch, eating, etc., and totally forget 😞

I got photoshoots done for both Lotor and Azula, but it’ll be a couple of weeks probably until I get those back, so in the meantime have these goofy photos!

ANYWAY it was a great weekend, despite all the extra hassle with the new security measures and moving the main attraction to a secondary (and smaller) location (wtf people???? and then they were all, “Oh we didn’t expect so many people to turn up for Critical Role, all their events are at max capacity omg” I mean really. You invited them X_X) -- I was a super duper casual modern clothes Sasaki Kojiro on Thurs, Lotor on Fri, Azula on Sat, and then because I have absolutely no chill, Lotor again on Sunday (lmao you can see that my skin is rebelling in that third row of photos XD my face and body were both so done with me).

Both Lotor and Azula got lots of love (and nostalgia for Azula and childhood ;___;), which made me so happy! Everyone was really nice and I had fun geeking out irl, ran into an incredible Shiro cosplayer, as well as a brilliant Sokka-as-Kyoshi whose photos I have yet to track down. Got @errantgoat‘s art book signed by Matt Mercer as planned -- I had been having repeated nightmares of getting in line only to realize I had forgotten it at home lmao -- and met three of the CR cast and they were so sweet and wonderful.

Time to unpack and do post-con maintenance on all my wigs/outfits (ughhhhhh), and then get ready to do this all over again next month ahaha :D

#I know a bunch of people got photos of/with me so #if anyone sees this and you ran into me at con I'd love to see the photos!#bc this is all I got bc I'm an idiot lmao #and yes I did get gas in full cosplay bc I was so so close to running out haha #it'd be worse if I ran out and stalled in full cosplay downtown XD #esp since I already ran a red light /IN FRONT/ of the police (tho tbh it was actually the police's fault #for blocking off the street I was going to turn on without any signage so I didn't notice it was blocked till I was in the intersection X_X)#I did it while wearing Azula so I guess it's in character at least???#also #I wasn't the one who wrote the smart ass captions but enjoy them lol #azula #lotor #eccc #eccc 2019 #cosplay #hira cosplays koji #hira cosplays azula #hira cosplays lotor

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