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a-robin-among-thorns · 7 years ago

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Too Old For Your Age

Part 1: Colors

Contains minor spoilers from the manga.

This is the first of the drabbles (although it ended up much longer than I would have thought) I have planned based on this post I made a while back. The tone and content ended up slightly different from that of the original post but I believe I’m mostly happy with how it came out. I can’t really make any promises on when the next one will come but I will try my best.

Word Count: 2,871

“Did you have any fun at Ethan’s party?” Chise asked hopefully as she and Elias entered in the front door.

She was somewhat afraid of what his answer might be. Although they had obviously been present for the party, Ethan’s 11th birthday had provided a prime education opportunity for the human teacher and her oblivious pupil. Elias had in time and practice grown more aware of his own feelings of jealousy and how to act appropriately when they sprung, but he was still no master. He shrugged off his robe and glanced down at his party favor bag sporting a picture of a man in a blue and red costume. “I suppose so, although I can’t say I understood much of it.”

“That’s fine, there’s still a lot I didn’t understand either.” Chise said with a small shrug and a relieved smile.

She made her way to the living room and was about to rest on the couch when she found Elias’ gaze was lingering on her with the clear indication of curiosity etched across his features. She cocked her head in questioning, “What is it?”

“Did you have a good time?” he asked bluntly. Chise frowned. “What makes you say that?”

“You seemed…stiff during most of the party.” Chise was almost surprised he had noticed, but quickly thought better of it. Elias deserved a little more credit than she was giving him. He was growing more perceptive by the day, steadily coming into an ability to read her at the very least and other humans on infrequent occasion.

She thought for a moment. “I think had a good time…” it was true…mostly. When her attention wasn’t focused on the glamoured mage awkwardly meandering around the Barklem Home Chise had enjoyed talking to Stella and meeting a few of Ethan’s younger friends. However, she still had felt…distant. She initially had chocked the feeling up to the difference in age, although that had never before caused any rift between her and the Barklem siblings. Yet when she saw the children engaged in games and stories of colorful characters and playful frivolities, she was almost frustrated at her inability to join along. “I guess…I still don’t really know how friends or children are supposed to enjoy themselves.”

Elias took his turn to cock his head. “Why do you suppose that is?”

That…was a good question. Why indeed?

“I’m not sure…I guess I just I never got a chance to do anything children normally do. Even before…even when I was with my family I couldn’t go to school or play outside.” Her early life in Japan had slowly begun to bleed into her memory over the years. As she remembered more and more she realized that strangely enough her happy memories had been buried alongside the dark ones. Perhaps that was because those few bright moments were only bright in comparison. Anyone in a normal situation would call her earliest days of hiding indoors alongside her mother until her father could ward off hungry assailants terrifying rather than comforting. Not to say there were no truly bright moments. Brief minutes between hiding and running had yielded tumbling over park toys with her father or cooking with her mother. But even so, those few lights were hardly an equal for the seemingly endless night up until a fateful trip across the hemisphere.

Her grip tightened on her own party favor. “I didn’t have much of a childhood when I really think about it.” Why did this cause her heart to sink so much now?

Large gentle fingertips cupped her jaw tenderly urging her gaze upwards. “Did I upset you, Chise? I didn’t mean to pry into something you’d rather not think about.” He said with a hint of worry in his voice as he brushed his thumb across her cheek.

A wave of guilt washed over her. This outing was supposed to help Elias deal with his feelings of envy and here she was getting tangled up in her own. She placed her hand atop of his and made efforts to swallow the knot growing uncomfortably in her throat. It wouldn’t do for a teacher to lose composure in front of her student.

“You didn’t upset me, I just got a bit lost in thought.” Elias hummed in response clearly not convinced by her answer but respecting her desire not to divulge all at once.

The humming continued as he released her jaw placing his hand on his chin in contemplation. “Thinking about it, I don’t suppose I had much of one either.” He said in a somewhat uncertain tone.

“Really? Even when you were traveling with Lindel?” Mention of Echoes brought a grumble out Elias.

“Although that time was formative, I wouldn’t call it a proper childhood. It was mostly spent navigating a very harsh land with more than a few unpleasant encounters.” The hand on his chin slowly dropped to his chest as his eyes fixed on a pattern on the wall. “I wonder…maybe that has something to do with why neither of us could understand much of the party. I believe we may have missed something important in those years.” Although his tone remained neutral a slight wistfulness played on the edge of Elias’ eyes making something in Chise’s chest ache.

Something important…what was it that the other children had that she didn’t that made her so envious? Or maybe it was something they didn’t have? They didn’t have to worry about ravenous other-creatures eagerly waiting to find out if they tasted sweet or bitter. And because of that, they could roam play yards free of invisible assailants.

“If I had to guess I’d say you missed the chance to have fun free of worry. That’s the nice thing about being a kid really. Responsibilities and expectations don’t exist or at least not as great as they do in adulthood. They get to do things for the sake of enjoying them no matter how insignificant they may seem.”

Elias glanced upward in thought, cogs turning in his skull. “Let’s do that then.”

Chise raised an eyebrow “Do what?” “Those ‘insignificant fun things’ children do, let’s do some of them.” “Really? Why?”

“You can teach me what a ‘childhood’ should feel like and you can get to experience some of the things you couldn’t in Japan.” He stated plainly making Chise feel a little sheepish.

“Are you sure? Some of it is definitely pretty silly and don’t we have orders due?”

“If it doesn’t bother you then I don’t mind silly and Silver Lady can take care of anything minor.” He hesitated briefly before adding. “Of course if you would rather not than we do not have to do anything.” Chise didn’t like the idea of dumping work onto Silver although certainly wouldn’t mind…However, Elias was rarely so insistent and eager.

She cracked a cautious smile. “Well, I guess I don’t see why not.” His head bobbed in a happy nod “Now then, how should we begin?”

“Oh! um…” Right…what did children do these days? What had she done, or wanted to do, as a child that Elias would enjoy?

She fidgeted slightly causing the bag in her hands to crinkle. The party favors…She began to rummage lightly through its contents, a few plastic toys, a paper book and- Oh! This was an easy place to start. She pulled out a small yellow cardboard box eyeing it slightly, “Why don’t we start with these? Could you grab some blank paper and meet me at the dining table?”

In a few moments, they were sitting in their respective seats at the dining table, a small stack of cream white stationary and two small boxes of crayons sat in front of them. Chise reached for a box hesitating slightly. Would it be better to leave them in their box or to lay them all out on the table? Probably the table. Elias watched Chise’s motions patiently as she took one of the thin boxes and propped it open. He took the other box and followed her example.

“Have you seen crayons before?” She asked curiously. “Once maybe, although I don’t know what they’re for. They are a writing instrument, yes?” “They’re more of an instrument for drawing…”

She poured the crayons of her box into her hand and placed them on the table, Elias did the same. A faint waxy smell permeated the air. There were ten crayons in all, the boxes had both yielded the same colors; red, green, blue, yellow and black.

“So…there’s really not much to this,” she grabbed a black crayon and a piece of stationery, “you just take one and draw a picture.”

Elias stared at the crayons with a critical eye. “I can only take one?” His hand wavered over the red but retracted, frightened by the commitment of the decision. Chise giggled.

“You can use as many as you’d like, but it’s like a quill, it’s hard to use more than one at a time.”

Elias seemed to relax and picked up the red. “What should I draw?”

“Whatever you’d like, there aren’t any rules. Although you should probably take off your gloves, the crayon could leave a stain, maybe roll up your sleeves too.” Elias nodded and complied placing his gloves on the corner of the table. He picked up the red once again and ran his fingers over it pressing lightly to gauge its strength before positioning it like he would a quill pen. It was almost comically small in his enormous lavender hands. He tentatively placed his crayon against the stationary and slowly dragged it across the surface. “It’s…rougher than a quill.”

Chise smiled, with a creature as old as Elias there were very few new experiences. Watching him work through the kinks of a rare first try was oddly endearing. Until the crayon snapped.

He lifted the fractured halves to his face and sighed. “I’m sorry Chise…”

“It’s ok!” she reassured quickly leaning forward and grabbing his hand that lay on the table, “there’s another red you can use. Besides!” She grabbed the half still bearing a point and scribbled a circle on Elias’ paper. “It still can be used, it’s just a bit smaller.” She smiled at him before releasing his hand and handing him the spare red crayon. He took it cautiously before trying again, making sure to press lighter this time. After a few strokes, he started moving more confidently and eventually switched to the green crayon.

An odd sense of pride welled up in Chise as she watched him grow faster and more assured. She rested her elbow on the table propping her chin against her hand in thought trying to come up with something to draw herself. She glanced out the kitchen window where the early summer wooly bugs drifted through the air, baaing lazily. That seemed easy enough.

She dragged the black crayon lightly in curves creating a puffy cloud body followed by six black legs. The gentle action was calming. She couldn’t recall the last time she had drawn like this aside from little doodles in the margins of her notes.

Hmm, what did their faces look like again? She peered up for the window but caught Elias staring at her intently. He didn’t meet her eyes but held his gaze for a moment before returning to his drawing.

That was…odd.

Deciding that if he didn’t want to explain she shouldn’t pry, she returned to her own drawing.

A comfortable silence settled over them occasionally accompanied by a shift of paper or changing colors. It wasn’t until she had finished coloring in the bug’s face and legs that the silence was broken by a groan from Elias.

“Is there a method for undoing mistakes?” She thought for a moment. “I don’t think so, at least not for crayons and paper.” “Hmm,” he held up his paper eyeing it with scrutiny, “I see.”

Flames bloomed from his fingers swallowing up the stationery in an instant with not a trace of ash left to prove it had ever existed. He took a new slip of paper and nonchalantly resumed drawing.

Chise huffed. “You know these don’t have to be perfect or anything.” “I would still rather start over.” Elias replied with a shrug. She sighed without exasperation and continued onto the bugs wings.

The silence returned as Chise finished her wooly bug. She placed it aside grabbing a new paper and briefly caught Elias staring at her again. She elected to ignore it since he seemed content enough and started drawing a salamander. After finishing rather quickly, during which Elias burned another sheet, Chise excused herself to the washroom briefly which Elias only distractedly acknowledged. When she returned Silver Lady was at the kitchen sink washing vegetables.

“Ack! Silver I’m sorry are we in-” the brownie raised a finger to her lips and smiled brightly before returning to her washing. A half smile found its way to Chise’s lips as she went to sit down before realizing her chair had been moved. It now sat on the side normally reserved for Elias alone who still sat quietly scribbling away.

She could have sworn she heard Silver chuckle.

Very aware of the fluttering in her chest, Chise grabbed a new sheet and sat next to her mage. Elias paused briefly to curl an arm around her shoulders leaning her to his side without a word. Well used to his heedless affections, Chise leaned her cheek against his side. As she did so, she caught a glimpse of his paper. Apparently, he had started over again as it currently only bore two empty black ovals. He gave her a quick side hug before releasing her and returning to the paper once more.

Her eyes lingered on his skull, quietly observing the shadows and contours from the dips and grooves in the bone.

Finally breaking away her gaze, she picked up a black crayon and set to work.

——

Peals of Silver’s bell finally brought the magi out of their concentration after the sun had sunk just below the horizon.

“Dinner time already?” Chise said as she stretched her back and arms.

“It seems to be.” Elias responded, “We should probably wash up before helping set the table.”

Nodding Chise made her way to the washroom. She returned shortly finding Ruth positioned at his seat and the table already clear of their little project.

“Uh, where are-?” Silver with plates in both hands gestured toward the fridge with a small hum.

Held in place by small magnets were their drawings; three by Chise and one by Elias. She Stepped closer to get a better look at the picture Elias had been so finicky about getting correct. Chise felt her cheeks burn.

It was only her head and shoulders but with red hair and green eyes, the drawing was unmistakably her. The drawing had her hair down on her shoulders, a thin line for a smile and wore her red sweater. He had even put in a little blue in the background for a sketchy sky. It wasn’t perfect; the eyes were slightly different sizes, the nose was off center and there were several places where the colors ran together. But either Elias was finally satisfied with the outcome or Silver Lady had seized it before flames could lick it up. Regardless, Chise was…touched it had been spared.

Warmth settled on her shoulder and side.

“I see we had the same idea.” He pointed to her final picture causing Chise’s blush to flare hotter. His skull had proven not as difficult as she would have previously thought, at least from the side, but she had run out of room for all but a little of his horns causing it to look a little funny. She wasn’t sure if proud was the right word for her feelings toward the drawing, there had to be at least three mistakes on her paper for every one on Elias’, but she certainly felt glad she had made it.

She grasped the hand placed on her shoulder giving it a small squeeze. “Your drawing looks very nice.”

He made a satisfied sound. “Thank you, yours does as well.”

“So what do you think of our first childhood activity?”

Elias shifted his head as he methodically analyzed his feelings over the past few hours. “I would say it was enjoyable in its simplicity. Although I did find myself wishing I had more colors to use.”

Chise smiled, “We can pick up a bigger pack next time we’re in town…if you’d ever like to do this again that is.”

He hummed softly as his thumb circled her shoulder blade. “I think I’d like that very much.”

#the ancient magus bride #mahou tsukai no yome #mahoutsukai no yome #elias ainsworth #chise hatori #elias x chise #chise x elias #robinthorn #fan fiction #fan fic #stormy writes #too old for your age #I’m not sure if this classifies as fluff or not #but I had a lot of fun writing it #posting at 3 am cause I’m impatient and an irresponsible student lol #edit: whoops forgot the chapter title #edit 2: fixed the link at the top to not be a horrendous eyesore

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digitaldreams0801 · 3 years ago

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Frontiers Unexplored Edited Version + Sequel Announcement

So... We forgot to mention this here. Whoops.

"Frontiers Unexplored" is currently in the process of being edited for grammar and such in preparation for a sequel coming out in May. Yeah, that's right; we're going back to the Frontier rewrite universe for a full trilogy, and the second book is coming out at the end of May (specifically on May 31st) with weekly chapters again kicking off on Sundays. Woohoo!

The full series is going to be under the title of "Horizon Wars" with the second book being called "Fates Unbound". There will be an updated chapter at the end of the first book with a preview of the sequel about a week before the first chapter of "Fates Unbound" is released.

The edited version of "Frontiers Unexplored" is being posted exclusively to AO3 under the link down below. Why is that? Wattpad and FFN are annoying to work with sometimes, and we want to keep this on AO3 for being the most intuitive of the trio. As of now, we're up through chapter twenty-five on editing and are planning on having the editing process done hopefully by the end of March. It's not required to reread the full story in the name of the edits or anything, but a few chapters are getting new scenes. These chapters are being tracked in the opening note of the story for anyone curious (as of now, it's only chapters 22 and 24, though there will likely be more later on).

So... Yeah. "Frontiers Unexplored" is getting edited, the Frontier rewrite is going to become a full trilogy known as "Horizon Wars", and the sequel, "Fates Unbound", is releasing in about three and a half months. Exciting times. We'll post more about the story here as we get closer to the end of the editing process and when the sequel is closer to being released. Until then, I hope all the fans of this story are ready, because this is just the beginning of the endless tale.

Link to Frontiers Unexplored: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24467377/chapters/59050438

#digital's frontier rewrite bs #digimon frontier #rewrite #digimon #frontier #frontiers unexplored #announcement #sequel #sequel time baby!#i hope you guys are ready for angst because that's all you're getting in this sequel #but until then the edited version is coming along nicely #between the added scenes and the editing process the fic is like 20k words longer than it was the first time after the first 25 chapters #whoops #anyways haha get ready for may 31 everyone #first chapter of fates unbound drops then #and then updates will happen weekly on sunday #party time!

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otagamerkorin · 4 years ago

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Trial by Fire (including very little actual fire and honestly just a whole lot of snow)

Merry (very belated) Christmas @blasphemousfungus! I was your secret santa for @kibasniper‘s Psychonauts Secret Santa! Unfortunately, due to a lotta stuff going on in my life, your present isn’t completely done yet, but here’s the first (honestly kinda massive) chapter of it! I plan on putting it up on AO3 as well, so I’ll ping you then too! For reference, this was highly inspired by mystery_notebook (or I think they might be @tvguts on here?) fic Like It Used To Be, But Better, which is amazing and you should totally check it out. Anyways, I really hope you enjoy it!

Edit: Just realized I completely forgot to give it a title. Whoops.

When they had gone into the asylum, none of the members of Thorney Towers had expected to come back out not only dear friends with a 10 year old, but also under the close monitor of an organization of secret psychic agents. Initially is had only been to ensure that being around Loboto while in such delicate condition hadn’t left any lasting damage. Luckily from what they’d been able to work out from the fours scattered memories of the time, the dentist hadn’t involved them in any of his experiments, but better safe than sorry. The surveillance really hadn’t gotten in the way of their new lives much. A few calls a week, the occasional in-person check in to see how they were doing, not much to write home about in the grand scheme of things.

After a time though, things had begun to get...interesting.

It was actually Boyd who kicked the whole thing off, so to say. It had been a day like any other, possibly even more quiet and domestic than usual considering they’d just hit the weekend. According to the other three, he’d simply been drying dishes after dinner that night when a wayward mug has slipped off the counter behind him. The resulting crash has two effects. 1.) The former nightguard jumped about three feet off the ground with a startled shriek. And 2.) The dishtowel in his hands promptly burst into flames. Luckily he’d dropped the flaming cloth into surprise and a bit of group panic and rapid stomping has quickly put out the blaze, leaving the four gathered in the small kitchen, staring down at its burnt remains.

The lot of them, Boyd especially, were dumbfounded by the whole event and immediately phoned up their new psychic associates, if only to make sure they weren’t all going crazy again. There had to be some mundane explanation for this, right? But after a few quick tests from Sasha, it was official: Boyd was most definitely a psychic.

Signs from the others quickly followed. Fred would frequently find papers and pens floating in orbit around him whenever he got embroiled in his nursing reinstatement exams. Edgar would sometimes find those around him caught up in a sort of bewildering mental fog, leaving them staring around in confusion. And while Gloria had always had quite the green thumb, now the plants in her garden flourished with just the touch of her hand, the woman assaulted with a hundred whispered voices of delight whenever she appeared at the gate with her watering can. Lili was especially happy about the latter, having never met a fellow connoisseur of florakinesis until that point, let alone one who was so friendly.

To say everyone, both Psychonaut and otherwise, was baffled was an understatement. None of the four had shown an signs of psychic powers earlier in life. So why now?

It was Razputin of all people who offered a hypothesis. They were all aware that the large amount of Psitanium around the camp and asylum had been less that helpful for the fours delicate mental state, what with the whole “making the sane less sane” thing and all. Perhaps though, the other half of the phrase may also be in play. What if being around all that Psitanium has brought whatever deeply buried psychic powers the four shared to the surface?

Honestly, it was the best they had to go on. There were hardly any cases of spontaneous psychic manifestation in those beyond adolescence and the four weren’t showing any of the usual symptom relating to those sort of circumstances.

Regardless, it didn’t change the fact that the organization now had a whole mess of new psychics in the mix who needed training.

Which is what brought Milla to the front gates of the Von Gouten Arts Academy for Girls (formally Hagatha Home) bright and early one Wednesday morning. The former actress had bought the dilapidated old academy around a year ago using some of the wealth she’s amassed during her glory years. (It was amazing how much interest a saving account left to sit could accrue.) Since then she’d been fixing the place up, hiring teachers and generally getting the place running even better than before, eventually joined in her endeavors by the other three Thorney Towers residents when they moved onto the grounds with her.

Milla found herself smiling up at the stylized “VG” woven into the metal of the newly installed gate in the stone fence that surrounded the property. Gloria really was doing an excellent job with the place. Rolling her window down, the Mental Minx leaned out and pressed the button of the call box installed in the fence wall. For a moment there was silence and then a familiar voice crackled to life on the other end.

“Good morning! Do you have an appointment?”

“Well, I would certainly hope so Darling.” Milla teased and she could practically hear the smile in Boyd’s voice when he replied.

“Dang, is it really Wednesday already? Well, head right on up Mrs. Vodello! I’ll let the rest of the gang know you’re coming.”

There was a buzz and the whirring of mechanisms as the gate opened and allowed access to the road beyond. Continuing on down the path, she soon found herself pulling into the large round driveway in front of the building. A group of students tending to one of the flower beds out front waved as she parked and stepped out of the car, Boyd likewise stepping out of the guard shack nearby and making his way over.

“Good morning to you Ms. Vodello! You the only one here today?”

“Not quite.” She replied with a chuckle, just in time for the back door of the car to fly open and Raz to stick his grinning face out around it.

“Hi Boyd!”

“Hey, good to see you too Raz! Come on inside, the rest of the gang should be on their way.” He replied with a grin, reaching down to ruffle the boy’s hair as he led them inside.

For as horrid as the place had apparently originally been ran, the former owner had at least had good architectural sense, and the large oak front doors opened into a soaring foyer, complete with a grand spiral staircase. One that Gloria was already beginning to make her way down as the doors closed behind them.

“Well good morning Ms. Vodello! And to you too Raz dear!” The former actress beamed, taking Boyd’s offered arm as she stepped down the last few stairs.

“You came at just the right time. I just finished up with morning announcements. Please, feel free to head right over to the practice room, the rest of the boys should already be on their way. Oh, and I’ve also had some snacks from the dining hall sent on ahead. I hope you both like blueberry muffins!”

“That sounds just delightful darling!” Milla replied cheerfully, smiling wider when she saw the stars in Raz’s eyes at the mention of food. Milla sidled up beside the actress as they started down into one of the academy’s wings, one of Gloria’s arms still linked with Boyd’s.

“So how have the plants been treating you darling?”

“Oh, better everyday! My garden is thriving and I think I’m really starting to get a good hold of this whole telepathy thing! Getting it across to all my little lovelies that there’s really no need to shout every time I come in hasn’t been easy, but I think it’s finally starting to stick. The roses and lilies are still a horrible bunch of gossips, but I doubt there’s much I’ll ever be able to do about that.” She replied with a laugh.

“They do come in useful to make sure none of the students are pulling anything they shouldn’t though!”

“That’s wonderful to hear! How about you Boyd? Have you been making any process in your off-time?” Milla asked, the guard rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Yeah, a bit. It ain’t exactly been fast progress, but one step at a time you know? But hey! At least I haven’t accidentally lit up anything important again since you taught me those exercises. There’s only so many times I can almost burn down Edgar’s classroom before it starts to get ridiculous.”

Milla smiled softly, reaching over to pat the guard on the back.

“Well, learning to fully control one’s powers can be a long path. It took me years to master my own skillset. Like you said, it’s just one step at a time. I think you’ve made wonderful progress though, and I’m very proud of you darling.” She mused and the man flushed a bit at her praise and mumbled a word of thanks, tugging his hat low over his eyes bashfully as Gloria gave him a smile.

The group of four quickly found themselves at the extra dance studio in the buildings far west they’d assigned at their practice room, and upon stepping inside found Fred and Edgar already waiting for them.

“Oh, hey Ms. Milla. And you too Raz. Sorry, gimme just a sec to finish up some papers.” The tall school counselor called over distractedly, scribbling away on a clipboard from where he was sitting on a nearby bench.

“Apologies for my rather ruffled appearance as well, mi amigos.” Edgar chimed in, wiping his hands down with a long-since-stained painting cloth. Both his hands and the old shirt he wore were splattered with the stuff, having somehow even managed to get some on his face and hair.

“You caught me in the middle of a bit of early morning painting.”

“Just be sure to remember and get some rest dear. We can’t have our best art teacher burning the candle at both ends.” Gloria replied with a smile as she strode over, reaching up to stroke away a smudge of paint on his cheek. The artist gave a soft smile as he leaned into the touch.

“Oh course mi amour.”

“Good. And that goes for your too Fred. Don’t think I haven’t noticed a certain someone sneaking out of bed early the last few mornings.” She called over, and the counselor jumped a bit at being called out, flushing bashfully as he looked at her over the edge of the clipboard.

“Right, you’re right. So, what’s the plan for today Ms. Milla? Seeing as how Mr. Dark and Serious isn’t here, I assume we’re working on our levitation?” Fred asked, setting aside the clipboard as he pushed himself to his feet, the Brazilian woman giving a laugh at his joke.

“Oh come now, Sasha isn’t that bad. But you are correct! Today we’re going to be working more on your levitation!” She replied, settling back as though sitting upon an invisible chair and crossing her legs as she floated up a few feet above the ground.

“Now, last time you all managed to manifest a “Levitation Ball” as we like to call it. This time we’ll be taking the next step and practicing our ability to balance atop them. Razputin darling, if you would demonstrate?” The Mental Minx requested and the young psychic nodded, raising a hand above his head. A large ball of swirling orange energy formed in his palm and he tossed it down, easily jumping up and balancing atop it.

“Now then, we aren’t all trained acrobats like Razputin here, so it might take a while to find your balance and get the hang of it. Consider it like balancing on a medicine ball. Remember, thinking lighter, rounder, happier thoughts can help in manifesting the ball more easily. Go ahead and give it a try! And please let me know if you need any help at all.”

Early on in these lessons the group had felt a bit silly to be using psychic instruction methods typically meant for children, but they’d gotten over it quickly enough. After all, most psychics got their powers much younger than the lot of them were, so starting at a lower level of instruction was only appropriate. It helped that the simple exercises really worked wonders too.

Though that didn’t mean it was gonna be easy. Forming the ball was one thing. Staying on was another.

A fact the group quickly discovered.

Fred gave a squeak as his light blue orb suddenly slid forward, taking the foot he’d just managed to plant atop it along with it, threatening to pull the man into a split as he hopped forward to follow it. In his defense, Edgar and Boyd didn’t seem to be doing much better. The latter had managed to get atop his off-white bubble, but was now swaying about wildly as he tried to keep balanced, arms windmilling in an attempt to steady himself. The former was having much the same troubles, quickly getting dumped back onto the floor each time he attempted to clamber up.

Gloria was the only one of the bunch who seemed to be making much progress. The woman had moved over to one of the practice room’s ballet bars and was gripping it for stability as she gingerly set one foot on her own ball. With a small grunt she hefted herself up, the orb wiggling worryingly beneath her for a moment before stilling.

“There you go! You’re doing wonderful darling!” Milla cheered her on, clapping encouragingly as the other woman smiled.

“Why thank you Milla dear. After some of the ridiculous shoes I’ve had to wear in my years on the stage, this isn’t so bad.” Gloria replied, putting her arms out to balance as her stance wavered a bit.

“Oof! Well, I’m glad one of us seems to be getting it, mi amor. This is far less easy than Señorita Vodello makes it look.” Edgar replied with a grunt, the wind getting knocked out of him as he fell to the ground once more. Milla let out a thoughtful hum, tapping her lips as she watched the struggling group. Suddenly her eyes flashed with inspiration and she snapped her fingers with a grin.

“Well, I think I may know a way to help.”

The whole group, including Raz, whom had rolled over to try and help Boyd stay upright, turned to look at her in interest.

“I’d like you all to form two, smaller levitation balls instead of one.” She directed, miming the shape of two basketball sized orbs.

“Uh, ok. But how is that gonna help?” Fred asked, already focusing on trying to reform his ball into two even as he tiled his head in confusion.

“Well, as you know, those like me, who’ve had a lot of practice, don’t require a physical representation of their levitation in order to float. Most of those who do tend to only create a singular orb to assist them, so they can don’t have to split their focus. I’ve found that others though, who have a nice grip on the psychic side of things, but are having a harder time managing the physical part, tend to prefer use two. Think of them a bit like ice or roller skates.”

“Oh, I think I see what you mean amiga!” Edgar replied in excitement, focusing till his deep red ball split into two smaller ones. Carefully, he stepped atop on, managing to balance one-footed long enough to successfully stabilize himself using the other. Cautiously, he rolled forward a few feet, face splitting into a smile as he managed to keep his balance.

“Well, well, this actually is easier.”

The others quickly followed his example, and the slight adjustment seemed to do wonders. Soon Gloria was twirling lazy loops around the room like a proper skater, Edgar trailing a bit more slowly, but no less enthusiastically, after her. Fred seemed to be doing a tad bit better than before, but was still gripping tight to a much more steady Boyd’s shoulders as the two slowly drifted in circles, Fred’s long legs doing their damnedest to keep him upright.

“Never been great at skating either, but this is a bit better I guess.” The counselor murmured, glancing up to find his partner giving him an encouraging smile.

“Hey, it just takes a little practice! I’m sure you’ll levitating like a pro in no time!” Raz encouraged, giving a whoop of delight as Gloria grabbed him and twirled him around as he glided past.

“Impressive, but I’m afraid we’re going to have to cut the class short for today.”

The whole group gave a jump at the sudden voice, Fred giving a yelp as the levitation bubbles below him popped and dropped him on his ass, and they all turned to see Sasha standing in the now open doorway.

“Sasha, darling! What are you doing here? Didn’t you have other business today?” Milla asked in confusion, drifting over to help Fred up, and the German sighed seriously.

“Yes, but I just got a call from the headquarters. It seems...that Agent Pandor has disappeared.”

Milla gave a gasp, pressing both hands to her mouth, and Raz cocked his head in confusion.

“Uhhh, who’s Agent Pandor?”

“Ms. Tanya Pandor. One of the Psychonauts junior agents and a specialist in subterfuge and information gathering. I’m afraid you haven’t had the opportunity to meet yet.”

“But isn’t Tanya on vacation right now?” Milla asked and Sasha nodded.

“Yes, she had gone skiing at a lodge up in Colorado. The HQ asked her to check in regularly for security reasons. According to what I was briefed with, reports dropped off a few days ago. After a few failed attempts to get ahold of her, eventually the HQ resorted to calling the lodge itself to check in on her, thinking maybe she’d fallen sick. When they checked her room however, the whole thing was empty. It’s as though she just vanished.”

“Oh my! That sounds troubling indeed!” Gloria gasped, mirroring Milla as she held a hand to her mouth dramatically, and the German nodded.

“It certainly is. While Ms. Pandor wasn’t one of our top agents, her skills are none the less important to the Psychonauts and her disappearing is far from ideal. Finding out what happened to her has been assigned as our team’s top priority.”

“Well, is there anything we could do to help?” Fred piped up and the two senior agents looked over at him in confusion.

“What do you mean darling?” Milla asked and the counselor fidgeted nervously with the hem of his shirt as he replied.

“Well, I mean we’re technically part of the Psychonauts to now, even if we’re just in training, right? So that means this agent is one of our buddies too. And it’s only right to try and help out our friends whenever we can right?”

“I agree!” Edgar exclaimed, clapping a hand down on his companion’s shoulder as he turned to face the assembled agents.

“If there’s anything we can do to help and find this missing girl, we’re more than happy to do so!”

Boyd and Gloria nodded along in agreement as Sasha’s gaze scanned over them, the German man’s head tilting in thought.

“Well, I suppose more eyes on the ground would certainly help. And since Mrs. Pandor wasn’t on a mission or anything, this could be a fairly safe environment for you all to get some field experience...”

“Well, I think it sounds like a great idea!” Raz chipped in, folding his arms and nodding wisely, earning an eye roll and a sigh from the older agent.

“...Very well, I suppose it couldn’t hurt.”

“Excellent! Don’t you all worry, I’ll get all the arrangements handled! Just be ready to go in a few hours and remember to pack warmly!” Milla replied, clapping her hands together cheerfully, as Raz gave out a quiet cheer.

The three agents departed quickly after that, leaving the group to make arrangements. It took a bit of scrambling to get everything organized with the rest of the schools staff, but soon enough they found themselves packing.

“I sure hope that poor gal is ok. Hopefully we can find her quick.” Boyd mused, leaning hard onto his suitcase in order to try and get it to lock around the mound of sweaters and other winterwear inside.

“Oh, I’m sure she’s just fine Boyd dear. Those Psychonauts are a tough bunch after all. No doubt she’ll appreciate your concern when we do find her though.” Gloria reassured him, folding up a thick woolen dress to tuck into one of her own bags.

“I must admit, I’m a bit excited. I’ve never been to a ski lodge before.” Edgar pipped up, an excited smile on his face as Fred let out an amused laugh.

“Can’t say I have either. Well, cept for this one time back in college. And with all the drinks that weekend, I can barely remember it. I’m sure it’s not gotta be anything tooooo over the top. Those places always talk themselves up.”

“Holy hell, they were not talking this place up.” Fred muttered, his and the rest of the motley crews jaws dropping open in shock as they leaned out the windows of the truck to stare at the vista unfolding before them.

The place was really less of a lodge and more of a small village, what with the amount of connected buildings that made it up. The whole residence was constructed of pale wood, stone and brass, all woven together into a beautiful work of architectural engineering at the base of the snowy mountain. As they pulled into the parking lot at the place’s edge, they passed beneath a large ornate arch reading “Goldsmuth Lodge and Resort”.

“Yeah, Tanya does not mess around when it comes to her vacations. No really surprised, that girl barely gets any time off.” Oleander agreed, nodding in appreciating at the sight as the car slowed. When Milla and Sasha had announced their new plan to the other higher-up, the man had been assigned to the case as an additional supervisor, as well as another pair of eyes. Raz had tried to convince Lili to come along as well, but apparently there was few things the girl hated more than cold weather, not too much of a surprise coming from a florapath, so his requests had fallen on deaf ears.

Once their oversized vehicle had stopped, their collective group spilled out to stretch, several backs popping after the lengthy ride. They couldn’t very well retain their cover if they came flying in on a Psychonauts jet after all, so they’d been forced to stash it at one of the organizations safe houses and drive the rest of the way instead.

“Well then, let’s unpack and get checked in. The sooner we can find Ms. Pandor, the better.” Sasha announced, adjusting his glasses as he scanned the large plaza for the proper entrance.

There was suddenly a yelp and the sound of tumbling luggage from the rear of the vehicle. Glancing around the back of the truck, they found a mound of bags and suitcases that had no doubt tumbled free when the hatch had opened. A moment later a bag fell away as a familiar blue head popped up out of the pile and swiveled to look at them, the figure immediately giving them a sheepish smile, a hand also emerging from the pile to give them an awkward wave.

“I still can’t believe you convinced HQ to let us bring Loboto along.” Raz mused in amusement, Oleander shaking his head as he walked over to help extract the rehabilitated (in progress) criminal from his luggage prison.

“Well, Cagliosto is certainly in desperate need of some outside socialization. A relaxing place like this could be perfectly helpful with his recovery, darling!” Milla replied with a chuckle as she watched Morry lever the skinnier man up and almost fall over himself in the process. The former mad scientist quickly grabbed the agent by the front of his coat in a panic to keep him upright, the two flushing as the motion inadvertently tugged them chest to chest. Sasha gave as an amused eyeroll as the German could feasibly manage, while Milla and Raz gave a quiet giggle at his side. The two former villains had been dancing around each other for months now, much to the amusement, and occasionally frustration, of everyone watching.

“Well, like Sasha said, the sooner we get inside, the sooner we can really start enjoying ourselves. Here, let me help you there dear.” Gloria smiled, the rest of the group trailing after her as she stepped up to help retrieve the fallen luggage, Loboto giving her a thankful, if sheepish smile in return. While the four had long since forgiven Caligosto for all the asylum business (after all, he had been cursed at the time with, as he himself put it, the “insanity of a manatee”), things were still pretty awkward between them. Gloria though, every friendly, had doing her best to help bridge the gap in the meantime.

It took a bit to gather up all the luggage, and even longer to find the right entrance, but eventually they managed. The walk there had been interesting at least. Everywhere they looked, there was some new, interesting winter activity the place seemed to offer, from ice skating to toboggan rental. Their own rather modge-podge group was also getting a number of curious onlookers, which was far from ideal, but there wasn’t much they could do about it really.

The lodge’s lobby was wonderfully warm compared to the wintery chill outside, and they could already feel the scattered flakes of snow melting on their coats as they strode up to the main desk.

“Hello there! Can I help you ladies and gentlemen?” The brunette behind the desk asked with a smile, Sasha plucking his glasses off to wipe away the fog they’d accrued from the heat inside as he spoke.

“Reservations for Nein, Vodello and Gouten.”

“Alright then, just a moment!”

The young woman’s finger flew along the keyboard in a blur for several moment’s before she paused, biting her lip in concern.

“Oh, well there seems to be a small problem. You ladies and gentlemen called for a reservation rather last minute and it seems your rooms aren’t quite ready yet. My deepest apologies. You are all more than welcome to wait in the lodges lounge till they’re ready, free of charge.” She replied, giving an apologetic bow of her head as she gestured towards a pair of open doors nearby.

“Oh, it’s no problem at all darling!” Milla replied, waving a hand nonchalantly.

“Apologies for the rather sudden reservations. Our little trip was a bit of a recent development.”

“Thank you for your understanding Ms. I’ll come and inform you once your rooms are ready.”

The lounge was somehow even more impressive than the grand lobby they’d just stepped out of. He place was lit in a dim but cozy manner, a long bar stretching along one wall. The rest of the space was filled with a number of comfortable tables, armchairs and couches that encircled a handful of square open-sided pillar fireplaces that dotted the room here and there. With an excited “ooo!”, Raz rushed off to look around with Loboto trailing after him, the bunch chuckling at his antics as Sasha glanced around.

“How about you all stay here for a bit? We need to ask around the staff and see if we can find anything regarding Ms. Pandor’s disappearance.” He proposed after a moment.

“Are you sure? Is there any way we can help?” Boyd asked, fidgeting nervously.

“No, it would be best if you aren’t seen with us too much while we’re actively investigating. To help avoid casting suspicion on you lot as well and all.”

“Keep your eyes and ears open while we’re gone soldiers! Always vigilant!” Oleander commanded, giving them a little salute as the trio went off. Shaking her head in amusement at their antics, Gloria gestured toward the bar.

“Care for some drinks while we wait boys?”

Despite the lodge’s rather bustling crowd, there were only a few people at the bar and they were easily able to find seats.

“Hello there folks, what can I get you?” The bartender, a man looking somewhere in his 30’s, asked.

“Hot Chocolate!”

Gloria’s yelp of surprise at the sudden shout quickly devolved into giggles as Raz and the former villain popped up beside her, clambering up onto the next stools.

“And a cider for me sir.”

As the bartender went to work assembling the groups drink orders, he glanced over at them with a smile.

“Don’t think I’ve seen you folks around before. Welcome. What’s the occasion for the visit?”

The group glanced at each other, all trying their best to hide their slight panic. They hadn’t exactly been properly prepped for people asking them about their motives yet after all.

“Oh, uh, we, uh, came to visit with a friend we heard was staying here.” Boyd stuttered nervously. Picking up on what he was trying, Gloria slipped straight into her old actress skills and gave a sigh.

“Yes, a Ms. Tanya Pandor. She’s one of our old students. Unfortunately, it seems that we may have just missed her.”

The bartender paused, tapping his chin in thought.

“Ms. Pandor you say? Actually, I do remember her. Very exuberant. And you heard right, she seems to have left already. Was the talk of the staff rumor mill for a day or two actually. Some of her coworkers called asking to speak with her on some matter, but when the staff went up to let her know about the call, she was nowhere to bee seen. Must have left damn late at night for nobody to notice her. Which is odd really...”

“Odd, how?” Loboto asked, the group jumping a moment at his voice, seemingly having forgotten he was there, before leaning towards the bartender in interest, the man glancing around before lowering his voice.

“Well, we’re really not supposed to divulge things about the other guests, so you didn’t hear this from me, but I may have been one of the last people to see her. You see, I was assigned as a ski slope guard that day, you know, to watch and make sure nobody got injured and needed medical attention. I was stationed on one of our more challenging hills, the Black Diamond one, when I saw Ms. Pandor go whipping by. I know it has her because she had a very distinctive ski jacket she always seemed to be wearing. This whole black, purple and gold affair. Plus she has been very kind and gracious to the staff. We tend to remember those sorts of things. Anyways, she gave me a wave as she went past and seemed to be having the time of her life. It seems so strange that she would leave so abruptly without saying anything. I do hope something didn’t upset her.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much about it, dear.” Gloria replied with a smile, waving a hand nonchalantly.

“Tanya has always been the spirited type, zipping from place to place. Just a little lightning bolt.”

“Yes, she certainly did seem like that type. I’m sure you’re right. Ah, that’s right, your drinks!”

The group was quickly presented with their fine beverages, including a healthy topping of whipped cream and sprinkles for Raz and Loboto’s chocolatey treats. Edgar and Gloria’s cider was just as delicious, rich and warm. (Fred and Boyd’s spiked eggnog was perhaps not the most professional thing to be drinking during a spy investigation, but nobody was about to call them out on it.) For a time they sat at the bar, chatting away to the bartender about the various activities around the lodge, before Raz suddenly caught the shape of their other companions watching them from a nearby doorway. Nudging Gloria, he nodded over towards them, and the woman took the hint, turning to the bartender with a smile.

“Well, I’m afraid we must be going now dear. We can’t spend all vacation here in the lounge after all. Thank you for the lovely time.”

“My pleasure Ms. I hope to see you all again soon.” He replied with a nod and smile as they stepped away from the bar, his eyes widening in surprise and delight when he noticed the generous tip the group had left tucked under one of the empty mugs.

Following their missing members lead, the group ducked over into a more private corner of the lounge to meet them.

“Did you guys find anything?” Raz asked quietly, Sasha giving a frustrated sigh in return.

“No, unfortunately not. None of the night staff noticed her leaving that day. Which leaves us back at square one.”

“Well, luckily for you, we just might have a clue.” Fred replied with a smile, the trio looking over at him in surprise.

“Wait, really?!” Oleander exclaimed and the counselor gave him an unamused look.

“Geez buddy, give us some credit. We’re not completely useless. But yeah, apparently somebody saw Tanya out on one of the ski slopes earlier that day. Whatcha wanna bet there might be some sort of clue somewhere out there?” He replied, Oleander reaching up to stroke his mustache in thought as he considered the other man’s words.

“I’d say you’d probably be right on the money. Maybe Pandor saw something out there that made her haul ass out of here, though I’ve never known her for the scaredy cat type. And that would still leave the question of where she went. But it’s a lead.”

“How’s about this?” Sasha pipped up, waving a hand to get all their attention.

“The three of us have worked out with the management to take a look in Ms. Pandor’s room, see if she maybe left some sort of clue behind. While we’re doing that, you six could head out onto the slopes and take a look around. A group of casual vacation goers, including a child, would likely draw a lot less attention than the three of us for the time being.”

“Well, I think it sounds like a marvelous plan!” Loboto replied exuberantly, pausing and rubbing his neck sheepishly when they all turned to look at him.

“If that’s alright with you all of course.”

He was met with a chorus of headshakes and “no, that’d be fine”s, so he grinned once more and nodded in satisfaction.

“Sounds like a plan then!”

“Just please all be careful.” Milla replied, eyes full of concern, and Raz gave her a comforting smile.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be ok! Besides, whenever are we not careful?”

The 50-yard stare of no doubt Whispering Rock related war flashbacks that she gave him in return spoke volumes.

“Thank god for government provided tailoring. Trying to find snow wear for proportions like mine is hellish.” Fred sighed quietly in satisfaction, adjusting his perfectly fitting ski jacket to a chorus of chuckles. The 6 of them were currently waiting in line at the equipment rental shop. Once they’d gotten their luggage up to the rooms and finally unpacked, they’d found the new sets of winter gear amongst their belongings, perfectly tailored and clearly a gift from the Psychonauts organization. How said organization knew their measurements was a mystery they neither had, nor wanted, the answer to.

“I must admit, they are rather fetching, aren’t they?” Gloria replied with a smile, giving a little twirl to let the hem of her longer coat poof out for a moment like the skirt of a dress.

Eventually the line cleared out enough for them to enter the small store displaying the various types of equipment available for rental and purchase. Splitting up to look, they all quickly selected their preferred styles. It didn’t take long for most of them to reconvene near the counter, each carrying a fairly simple pair of skis. There was no need for the super high-grade stuff, none of them were professionals after all. When Raz came running back with a snowboard, none of them were really that surprised. Skis had seemed a bit boring for the boy’s exuberant personality to begin with. What did draw their shock however was when Fred came trotting up behind the young psychic, a long light blue board slung over his shoulder.

“Uh, mi amor, are you sure that’s what you meant to get?” Edgar asked, eyeing the board in equal parts confusion and concern, and Fred laughed in return.

“Oh yeah, don’t worry about it. Never said I had been using skis when I went someplace like this back in college. Always been useless with them. Snowboards were a different story though. Used to skateboard a lot back in high school too. Now let’s go see if I’ve still got any of that old muscle memory still rattling around.”

As a group that was inexperienced, and in some of their cases completely unfamiliar, with the equipment, getting into their rented pieces ended up a tad more challenging than intended. Boyd nearly poked himself in the eye with one of his poles and Raz promptly fell backwards into a snowdrift after figuring out how hook his boots into the board, but eventually they managed to get their nonsense together enough to try and get in line for the ski-lift that would take them up to the Black Slope.

Try being the key word.

Just as they were in the process of settling themselves at the back of the line, a slightly nervous voice called out behind them.

“Hmm, now I don’t claim to be an expert on skiing, but something tells me this isn’t how it’s supposed to go.”

Turning to look back, they found Loboto had not only somehow managed to put both of his skis on backwards, but was now also slowly sliding away from them down the slight decline, ski poles digging into the snow in an attempt to stop himself. Boyd, being the closest to him, darted out to try and grab the man, but missed his hand by a hair, and he began to pick up speed.

“Whoa! Look out there!”

Someone suddenly darted behind the former mad scientist, catching him by the shoulders and stopping his uncontrolled journey. As the person carefully pushed the man back up towards the group, they got a better look at them. It was a young man in his early 20’s, with pale skin and messy sandy blonde hair.

“There ya go!” He announced, settling the dentist back in front of the rest of the group and crouching. down to look at his skis.

“Ah, here’s your problem! Here, this should help.”

With deft fingers, he unhooked Loboto from the skis, flipped them around and had him step back in, hooking him securely into place.

“Uh, thank you. I’m a bit of a beginner.” The blue skinned villain thanked him, cheeks flushing the tiniest bit of dark blue in embarrassment, the younger man glancing over at the sign announcing the coming hill at his words.

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly recommend this hill to someone still getting their snow legs, but I can’t fault you for wanting to jump into the challenge head first!” He replied with a merry laugh.

“Oh, don’t worry, we’ll be very careful. Thank you for your help, Mr...?” Gloria replied, the young man jumping to attention when he realized her pause was requesting and answer and reaching out a hand to shake.

“Oh, just call me Josh! A pleasure to meet you folks!”

He quickly exchanged handshakes with them all, Raz included, as the line to the chair lift drew shorter.

“You certainly seem to know your stuff.” Edgar complemented him, glancing over as Loboto turned his ankle this way and that to look at the ski mechanism in fascination.

“I would certainly hope so, considering all the years I’ve worked here! I know all the ins and outs like the back of my hand!”

“Well isn’t that wonderful. This seems like a splendid place to work.” Gloria replied with a smile.

“Oh it is, I couldn’t be luckier. Oh, looks like it’s you guys turn!”

Turning to look, they found the couple behind them settling into their chair on the lift, the next one incoming. As they stepped up to wait on it, Josh stepped away, giving them a wave as he turned to leave.

“Hopefully I see you guys around! If you’ve got any questions, just let me know. If want to know anything about the lodge or hills, I’m your guy!”

“We definitely will!” Fred called after him, the group raising their arms to wave back, before prepping to climb aboard the lift.

The benches ended up only being able to fit 3 people, so they ended up separated into two groups, Fred, Boyd and Edgar in the first chair, with Raz, Gloria and Caligosto grabbing the second. For the former, the ride up was honestly pretty pleasant and peaceful, the view from up so high showing them a beautiful vista.

“Wow, we really are up high huh?” Boyd, wondered out loud, glancing down over the side of the chair at the forest spread out below them.

“Si, we certainly are. Hmm, I wonder, is this the sort of view you normally have mi amor?” Edgar asked, looking at the lanky man between them with a cheeky smirk. Fred gave the painter an unamused look as on his other side Boyd let out a snorted laugh, breaking into giggles.

“Seriously? Your pulling out the tall guy jokes?”

With a grin and chuckle, the Hispanic man leaned up to give the taller man a peck on the cheek as their other partner leaned against his shoulder in a giggling fit.

“Apologies mi amor, I couldn’t resist.”

In the other chair however, things were going...less pleasantly.

Raz gazed down at the trees below as they rode along, humming some song the piano player in the lobby had been playing. Feeling something bump his leg, he glanced over, seeing Loboto’s legs jittering back and forth enough to jostle against him. Now that he thought about it, the whole man was shaking. Glancing up at the dentist’s face, he found the older man’s gaze fixed straight down at the ground. His hands were fisted in and tugging nervously at the strings of his ski hat (they’d all agreed the shower cap might be a bit too conspicuous), causing the large pop pom on top to bounce rhythmically. And judging by his harsh breathing, the guy was probably about 2 steps away from hyperventilating.

“Um, Loboto?” The young boy asked, seeming to snap the dentist out of his daze, at least partially, both he and Gloria looking over at him.

“Are you ok?”

“Now that I notice, you do seem a bit...tense, dear. Are you feeling alright?” Gloria added gently

“Oh, just fine! Happy as a clam! No reason at all to feel nervous!” He replied exuberantly, the smile on his face horribly forced, eyes darting to the drop below them every few seconds.

Raz stared at him, mind puzzling over the info. The slightly loony man was usually fairly fearless, sometimes to the point of his own peril. So what could have gotten him so stirred up?

Glancing down at the ground far below them, something suddenly clicked in the boy’s head. A memory rose to the front of his mind, one of a night at an asylum what seemed so long ago, and a certain dentist’s supposed demise at the hands of a turtle powered tank. Raz felt the pit of his stomach drop, guilt sweeping over him at the realization.

“Uh, hey, is there any way this about the time you...you know?” Raz asked gently, hand gestures miming the image of a person falling off something, and flinched when the man’s head snapped around to look at him, smile wide.

“What?! No, no, of course not!...Maybe...probably...” He replied, his vibrato visibly deflating as he tried his best not to look down.

“Oh, Loboto dear, it’s alright. There’s nothing to worry about.” Gloria fretted, catching onto the issue and reaching out to pat the blue man’s back.

“Yeah, these ski lifts are like, totally safe!” Raz exclaimed, in an attempt to help.

As though mocking them, the lift jerked for a moment, sending them swinging a bit. Loboto sucked in a sharp breath at the motion, hand instinctively tightening where it had been wrapped lightly around Raz’s forearm in a grip that would definitely be leaving bruises the next day. Gloria grimaced when she saw Raz wince, raising a hand to tap her chin in thought.

“Oh dear, well this isn’t good.”

After a moment an idea hit her, and she leaned over to catch the mad dentist’s gaze smiling gently.

“Loboto dear, have I ever told you about the first time I ever took to the stage?”

The man paused in his panicking, seeming to calm slightly as he gave her a confused look, Raz looking at her in equal confusion but seeming to roll with it.

“Um, not that I’m aware of?”

“Well, let me tell you. I’ve preformed on hundreds of stages of the years, all over the world. The theater was my lifeblood. But the first time I performed in front of people, oh, I was terrified.”

“R-Really?” The man replied, eyes widening.

“Oh, absolutely. It was the worst case of stage fright I ever felt. I was absolutely petrified. My palms were sweaty, my head was spinning. I completely froze up on stage. And that wasn’t the only time. No no, I’ve had stage fright hundreds of times in my career. I almost refused to go on stage for my own awards ceremony, I was so nervous. But let me tell you something very important I’ve learned.”

She leaned in close, taking the man’s hands gently in her own, both he and Raz leaning in in fascination.

“There’s nothing wrong with being afraid. Everyone fears something. I’m scared of messing up on stage, overwhelmingly so. Young Raz here has his own fears, as do you. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Being brave doesn’t mean the absence of fear. Anyone who says so is an idiot. No, to be brave is to look fear in the face and still continue on in spite of it.”

Leaning back, she looked out at the forest surrounding them.

“This really is a lovely view, isn’t it?”

“Yes...Yes I suppose it is.” The dentist replied quietly, gazing out at the landscape around them seemingly with new eyes. He still seemed nervous certainly, gaze fixed firmly on the horizon in an attempt not to look down, but his shaking had stopped and his breathing had steadied. From behind his back, Raz gave the actress two big thumbs up and a grin.

As they neared the peak of the hill, they could the others laughing about something in the chair ahead of them, quickly hurrying off of it to make room as they reached the landing. As soon as it was their turn, Loboto practically threw himself off the ski lift, clearly trying to reach Terra Firma as quickly as possible. Gloria and Raz followed at a more normal rate behind him, pausing for a moment when the boy looked up at her.

“Not gonna lie, that was kinda awesome.”

“Why thank you my dear.” She replied sweetly, before giving him a little grin and leaning in closer as she lowered her voice.

“I’ve had a lot of practice at that speech. You’d be amazed how many new actors and actresses get opening night jitters. Still works like a charm.”

Leaving the boy to sputter in surprise for a moment, she skied on to where the others were waiting at the hills peak.

“So, what’s the plan?” Fred asked, adjusting his feet in the snowboard as Raz caught back up with them.

“Keep together and keep our eyes out for anything suspicious I guess?” The boy replied with a shrug, earning a nod from the rest of the group.

“Sounds like a plan bud.”

After some quick adjustment of clothing, equipment and whatever else, they set off.

It became quickly apparent that none of them were even close to professional skiers, though some were faring better than others. Fred’s muscle memory did seem to be kicking in, handling his snowboard with surprisingly few complications, while Gloria’s seemingly natural graceful-ness was doing her skis well. Raz took a spill every now and them, but likewise, his acrobat training seemed to be translating pretty well to snow-sports.

The others weren’t faring quite as well. Edgar seemed to be developing a habit of falling over onto his back pretty often, his large upper body pulling him over whenever he began to lose his balance, while Boyd seemed to be having the opposite problem, having taken more than a few headers face first into the snow already. Loboto was surprisingly staying up pretty well, perhaps his long legs were to blame for his better balance, but every few second he would begin to weave wildly back and forth on the slope before correcting himself, only for the cycle to repeat again shortly thereafter. The whole lot of them were certainly getting a lot of curious looks from the more advanced skiers that would occasionally pass them, the occasional trail guard they passed seeming even more concerned.

With all the chaos, it’s a wonder any of them ever saw anything.

“Whoa, wait everybody!” Raz suddenly cried about halfway down the trail, skidding to a sudden stop. He was nearly bowled over by the others in their attempts to stop, Edgar managing to fall onto his back once more and slid a few feet past him with an exasperated sigh.

“Dios mio, this is becoming tiring. What’s the matter mi amigo?”

“Look at those trees over there.” He replied, pointing to part of the forest that lined either side of the path. Glancing to where he pointed, they spotted what he seemed to be gesturing to. A swath of low branches in a certain area were snapped and bent, as though something had run into them or pulled them out of the way.

“Yeah, that definitely looks like it could be something.” Boyd replied with the critical eye of a security guard, the whole group moving off the path and towards the woodland to examine them. Upon closer inspection, there was most definitely something amiss. While the branches closer to the path broke inwards towards the forest, others further in seemed to break outwards.

“Hey, what’s that?” Raz asked, squinting further into the woodland. Unhooking himself from the snowboard, he darted further into the trees, moving to the edge of the breakage, and crouching down, seemingly digging around near one large trees roots. After a moment he seemed to free whatever he was holding and started back in the others direction.

“Look at this guys.”

He held it up for them to see, the group leaning in for a closer look. It seemed to be a long scrap of torn fabric, patterned in thick, alternating purple and black stripes, with a flash of gold along one edge.

“What do you guys think it is?” Boyd asked in bewilderment, squinting at the piece. Beside him, Edgar gave a sudden small gasp.

“Wait, didn’t that bartender say that Señorita Pandor wore a jacket in these colors?”

The group gapped at him for a moment before turning back to the scrap with renewed interest.

“Holy hell guys, I think we just found an actual clue.” Fred sputtered in amazement, Raz’s eyes lighting up.

“Hey maybe there’s more stuff to find back there! Come on, let’s go look!” the boy crowed, moving to run back into the trees.

He didn’t get very far though, as the wind suddenly kicked up, nearly knocking him over as it ripped through the trees with a swirl of snow.

“Geeze, I though trees were good for avoiding wind. Come on!”

He tried to take a few more steps forwards, only to get knocked back by another gust, being forced to take a few steps back to the group this time. Quickly the wind began to build, howling around the lot of them and kicking up the snow into near white out conditions.

“Damn, they’ve got some crazy weather in these parts!” Boyd called over the noise, Fred replying as he threw up his arms as much as he could to block his face.

“Not the sort I’ve ever seen before!”

“Wait.”

They all quieted, turning to look over Loboto, who was currently looking around in confusion.

“Now, I may have been called crazy one or twice in the past, but does anyone else hear something odd?”

The group stilled, listening hard over the wind. All at the same time, they seemed to catch it, Fred glancing around the group in sudden nervousness.

“Does that sound like growling to anyone else?”

Indeed, the sound mixed in amongst the howling of the wind was much deeper and guttural, rumbling through the air.

Crack

They all froze at the loud sound of splintering wood, all slowly turning in unison to look deeper into the woods. A shape appeared through the blur of snow, the growling growing louder and the shape becoming clearer as it drew towards them. Eventually it stopped at the edge of the broken branches and their hearts all collectively stopped as they made out what it was.

A massive beast, easily 8 or 9 feet tall, bipedal, and clothed in long white hair, only it’s slightly darker face and palms peeking out through the thick fur. For a long, drawn-out moment, there was nothing but the howling of the wind. The only thing to interrupt it was a tiny, likely instinctual whisper from Raz.

“Holy shit.”

The beast didn’t seem to like that very much and its growl deepened. With one massive hand, it reached up and tore a branch from the tree beside it with the sound of screeching wood, before reaching back and hurling it at the group. With a collective cry of surprise and panic they all managed to throw themselves out of the way of it, the large chunk of wood landing amongst the other broken branches nearby. Its failure seemed to enrage the beast even more and it reached down, clawing and tearing a truly gargantuan chunk of snow up out of the ground. It lifted it up and above its head, clearly reeling back to launch it at them, and Raz let out another, this time very foreign sounding, curse.

“Oh, that looks like a real bad time! Boyd! I’m gonna need some help!”

With that, the boy darted out in front of the rest of the group, the security guard seeming to pick up on his plan and following along behind him. Just as the beast hurled the massive snowball, Raz threw his hands up to conjure a psychic shield, Boyd’s own hands joining just beside his to release a spray of flame outside the barrier just as it contacted.

The snow clump exploded around them. Most of it dissolved into steam under the sudden onslaught of the fire, what remained splattering against the curved wall of psychic force in a spray of water and slush, flying off on either side of the group.

“Where is it?! Can anybody see what it’s doing?!” Raz called out, trying to squint through the cloud of steam now surrounding them.

“I don’t know, I can’t see!” Boyd replied, waving his hands to put out the small flames sparking on his gloves.

As the steam was cleared by the slowly calming wind, Raz blinked in surprise at the scene before him, shield disappearing as he lowered his hands.

The beast had vanished, seemingly into thin air.

For a moment they all simply sat there, most of the group having fallen to the ground in the scramble to get out of harm’s way, the air thick with unspoken disbelief. Till finally, Fred said what they’d all been thinking.

“Was that a goddamn yeti???”

“In my professional dentist opinion...yes.” Loboto replied, staring equally slack jawed at the spot.

“What?? Where did it go?? A beast that big does not simply disappear into thin air??” Edgar sputtered, clambering back to his feet as though a higher viewpoint would somehow reveal the 9 foot tall creatures hiding place.

“I...I don’t...-“

“Oi! What are you lot doing back there!?”

The whole group let out a collection of shrieks and yelps at the sudden shout, whipping around to look behind them.

An older man armed with a hefty walking stick stood at the edge of the ski trail, staring into the woods at them with a grumpy scowl on his face.

“Wha- who are you?!” Raz asked, at a loss for words, and the old man’s expression seemed to sour even further.

“Ambrose. I’m the grounds keeper here. And I should be asking you the same thing!”

“Did...Did you see...?” Boyd asked, dazed by his seeming unconcern for the fucking yeti that had been in front of them 20 seconds before. The old man leaned to glance at the place he was gesturing to, brow creasing.

“See? I don’t see anything. All I see is a bunch of troublemakers putzing about in the woods. Get out of there! You’re supposed to stay on the trail!”

Like a bunch of scolded children, they all quickly gathered themselves and scurried back out onto the path in front of the man, who pointed an angry finger at them.

“Now don’t let me go catchin you messing about in there again, understood?”

They all obediently nodded and, seemingly satisfied, he turned away with a nod, grumbling the likes of “people these days” as he slowly hiked further up the path.

“...Ok, so we’re all in agreement that we gotta tell the rest of the gang about that right?” Fred asked, seemingly still dumbfounded, and was answered by a chorus of nods.

The rest of the trip down the hill was largely uneventful. Somehow, an encounter with a mythical creature has seemingly improved their snow-sports skills, and they managed not to have any more major spills on the rest of the way down the mountain. The sun was setting by the time they reached the bottom and, after getting their equipment situated, the six ventured back through the main lodge in search of their three companions.

They did eventually find them back in the lounge, tucked away in a corner table with their drinks.

“Ah, hello everyone!” Milla greeted them with a smile and wave as they made their way over.

“Did you have a good day out on the slopes?”

“Uh, yeah, it was, uh, pretty, pretty good.” Fred replied, sharing a look with others.

“How’s about you guys?”

Sasha gestured for them to sit, voice lowered as he spoke.

“Well, we looked over Ms. Pandor’s room and it was just as empty as we’d been told. Not a trace of her. The only things we found was the Psychonauts bug she put in the rooms phone when she got here. Which means that she likely didn’t leave willingly, if she didn’t have the chance to remove it. That or she simply forgot it when she left.”

“Yeah, and that sort of absentminded-ness doesn’t sound like her. Girl might leave her workspace a mess, but I’ve been on missions with her before, and she’s a neat freak when it comes to hotels and stuff. All the tidying she does, she probably leaves them cleaner than it was when she got there. Gotta ask her if she’s got some sort of service industry trauma from college or something...” Oleander added, trailing off into rambling at the end.

“So did you six find anything out on the slopes?”

The group glanced at each other and eventually it was Gloria who haltingly began, realizing just how insane what she was about to say was going to sound.

“Well, there may have been a bit of an incident out on the trails...”

“We got attacked by a yeti!” Raz suddenly blurted, bringing the conversation to a screeching halt. Sasha turned to look at him with a truly flummoxed expression, seemingly completely thrown for a loop at the boys’ words.

“...R...Run that by me again??”

“Well, it’s a bit of a long story.” Boyd replied with a sigh.

It took quite a while to explain the events that had befallen them all, added to by the fact that dinner arrived in the middle of it, but eventually they got the whole incident out in the open, the three senior agents staring at them in bewilderment by the end.

“Are you sure it wasn’t some sort of polar bear or something? Those things can get big as hell when they’re on their hind legs.” Oleander offered and Gloria shook her head.

“Now I know how this all sounds, Agent Oleander, but we know what we saw, and that was most definitely not a bear.”

“Plus, we found this!” Raz added, reaching into his jacket and pulling out the fabric scrap, handing it over to the trio.

“The bartender we talked to said he saw her wearing a coat like that!”

“Well, I’ll admit, this definitely looks like Tanny’s sorta style.” Oleander admitted with a shrug, handing it over to Sasha to look at.

“Regardless of what this beast you saw might be, there is most definitely more going on here than a simple wayward agent.” The german acquiesced.

“Well, how’s about we all get a good night sleep and continue the investigation tomorrow. You all must be exhausted.” Milla offered kindly and Edgar gave a groan as he stretched, back popping loudly.

“After the beating we took out there, you don’t know the half of it Ms. Milla.”

Luckily for them, their rooms at the lodge were, just like the rest of the property, amazing. They’d been separated across 4 adjacent, and connected, rooms, with the senior agents sharing one and the former asylum members another, leaving Loboto and Raz to bunk solitarily. Their mother organization had, knowing and being blessedly supportive all sorts of relationships, even been kind enough to book the four a California King, while Sasha, Milla and Oleander were more than happy to settle for a King.

“Ugh, we literally just started doing spy stuff and I already feel like an old man waiting for retirement.” Fred groaned, stretching and feeling some muscle in his back twinge.

“Hehe, implying you aren’t already an old man.” Edgar teased him with a chuckle from where he was kneeling in massage position over the lanky man’s hips, his own aching back already having been kindly tended to by Gloria before her bath.

“Hey, keep up that talk and I’ll have to revoke smooching privileges.” The counselor shot back, pointing a finger over his shoulder threateningly at the larger man, even as he melted blissfully beneath he ministrations of the artist’s talented hands. Edgar finally managed to work out the last knot at the base of the man’s spine and Fred gave a little groan of relief, going boneless on the mattress beneath him.

“You boys better not be having too much fun in there without me!” Gloria called from the bathroom and Edgar laughed, smoothing his hands lovingly up and down the thinner man’s back a few times before climbing off him.

“Alright, all done. Time to move mi amor.”

Fred gave a little grumble that sounded a lot like “Sleepy. Don’t wanna.” and the painter rolled his eyes fondly, grabbing him and, like an owner with a lazy puppy, simply dragged him out of the way, patting the spot that opened up.

“Your turn.” He called over to Boyd, who’d been looking out onto the rooms snow covered balcony that overlooked the lodge’s main square, and the guard abandoned his post with a grin.

“Oh thank goodness.” He replied, shucking his shirt off and flopping onto the bed with a sigh, sending the nearby Fred bouncing slightly. He gave another grateful sigh as he folded his arms beneath his head and Edgar set to work.

“Damn, today was a crazy day. The more I think about it the less it makes sense.” He mused, earning a snorted laugh from a slightly more awake Fred as the man reached out to run a sleepy hand through the guard’s hair.

“That’s an understatement.”

“Well, I must admit, I find it all a little bit exciting.”

The three men glanced back to find Gloria emerging from the large bathroom, dressed in a fluffy towel and currently braiding her long damp hair.

“Yes, there’s a been a bit of danger I suppose, but what adventure doesn’t have some danger?”

“Sure as hell beats grading papers at least.” Fred agreed, earning a collective laugh.

“Would you like one when I’m done, mi bella?” Edgar asked, gesturing to the massage in progress, and Gloria shook her head, stooping down to give him a kiss on the cheek regardless.

“No, but it’s sweet of you to ask.”

Soon enough they all found themselves properly prepared for bed, lights flipped off, and beneath the plush covers of the bed, tangling together in the warm heap they’d so quickly become accustomed to.

“Goodnight you guys. Love you.” Fred murmured sleepily, answered by a small chorus of similar sentiments.

Before long, the four found themselves drifting off, eager to see what new, and potentially yeti-related, adventures awaited them in the morning.

#psychonauts #psychonautssecretsanta2020 #you guys wanna split a cab #lobotoly #calimorry #sasha/milla/oleander #god knows what their actual ship name is #razputin aquato #sasha nein #milla vodello #morceau oleander #caligosto loboto #gloria von gouton #edgar teglee #boyd cooper #fred bonaparte #Plus a whole mess of OC's #secret santa #My writing

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notwhelmedyet · 1 year ago

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Part IV: I Finished the Typesets While You Weren't Looking

As you could probably guess from the absence of updates for several months, I steamed on ahead without updating y'all 😅

Let's cover the important details I might want to remember later:

General approach: I used the same workflow I usually do (set up as much as possible in the HTML source document prior to importing to Scribus), with the difference that this time I split out each chapter. That allowed me to easily place my header image and initial capital in the same place in each chapter and also stopped Scribus from blowing up when I imported multiple 50 mb images.

I initially pulled the text in september, edited, flopped about being anxious about asking for permission and then reached out to Ealcynn...only to learn she'd made a complete edit pass a week after I pulled the text. I then went back and merged her edits for her gift copy. Whoops! this is why you should ask before getting neck-deep in a project.

I discovered a bug in Scribus while typesetting this - hyphenation exception lists from Document Setup don't persist across edit sessions. I put in a bug ticket and it's apparently fixed in future versions. But I figured out a workaround in the meantime - you can set universal hyphenation exception lists via Scribus->Preferences and that works fine. This saved me from manually unhyphenating lots of elvish names when I did my final pass.

About 80% of my typesetting time (minimum) was spent on that final pass, where I remove hyphenation that shouldn't be there (ends of paragraphs, ends of pages, names I forgot to put on my exception list) and adjust word spacing & max/min glyph extension to remove widows and orphans wherever possible. Sometimes there are too many 3 line paragraphs in a row and there's just nothing you can do, but I managed to remove almost all of them around page turns. A few had to be left across spreads in order to make that happen, but it was a necessary sacrifice.

Some people just use the default "keep paragraph together" options in their typesetting program. Those people are very sensible. But consider: I hate the way it looks when the pages don't all end on the same line. Isn't it worth nine or ten hours of a little typesetting to avoid those uneven lines?

Extra Decorative headers: Given how ornamented the chapter titles were, I wanted my colophon, author's notes, copyright page and title page to also be pretty. But the extra ornaments I could find in the source book weren't a very good fit for the shapes I needed. I looked around a little at other nouveau books, but couldn't find what I wanted. Eventually I decided to do exactly what I swore I wouldn't do at the beginning of this project: juxtapose my amateur art skills next to alphonse mucha's masterpieces. whoops.

As inspiration, I turned to the vellucent bindings published by Cedric Chivers. I decided to add a beech leaf element, to tie in with my planned cover art & the floral motifs of the chapter titles. While I won't pretend I'm 100% happy with these (they feel so awkward and untidy compared to the mucha art), they fulfill the necessary functions and I have other projects to work on someday - if I stretched this project out till I felt like my art could stand shoulder to shoulder with Mucha's we'd be here my whole life.

I settled on a computer heavy workflow for these. First I sketched a design based on the Chivers bindings. Then I scanned that sketch, adjusted it where necessary in GIMP and then mirrored the image. I printed the revised sketch and taped a piece of tracing paper over it, which I then inked using a dip pen. I was very happy with the discovery you can get good results inking on tracing paper, it saves for so much time with the lightbox.

Of course, then I decided I wanted to do the titles pages in color, and had to use the lightbox anyway. I was very happy with how those turned out though - I got to play with my thickened watercolors as inks and it is so much fun making color transitions. I landed on a early fall/late fall motif for the two volumes by coloring the design in greens/yellows for ATWW and reds/browns for DR.

The Colophon: Originally I designed a fun archway shaped colophon for the books, but as I kept going I realized I wanted to include more information in there than I could reasonably fit on one page...so for the first time I've split out the copyright page at the front, describing where the fic was first published and how I came to bind it, and the colophon at the back, describing my font choices, binding style etc. I wanted to play with a shaped colophon and do a circle, but it is very hard to make a typeset circle look actually circular...so I went ahead and added a frame.

....and yes, now that I'm looking at it (with the damn thing already printed out and sewn into two books) I see that the divider managed to cut off the tails of some of the letters 🤦 luckily there's still time to fix Ealcynn's copies, this is exactly why I'm doing mine first.

Layers: The other thing I'm doing differently in this fic versus any other I've bound is attempting to print on both a color and laser printer for the same pages. Logistically this is a bit of a mess, but I want my colored frames in color and the text looks much better printed by the laserjet. In order to make that happen, I had to export two versions of each document - one with only the text and one with only the colored headers/drop caps. Thank heavens, I discovered Scribus has layers that allow you to do exactly that.

I set each header image in the background layer and made two additional layers - text for my black/white elements and initials for the drop caps. By toggling which layers were visible and exported for printing I can easily export only the colored or only the black and white parts of the book.

typesetting 'A Fire Shall Be Woken'

So I've been nibbling away at this project in secret for a month but I finally reached out to the author Ealcynn (who I don't believe has a tumblr?) and got the go-ahead to post updates so! here we go!!

Over the past year I have fallen absolutely in love with a LoTR AU fic series called A Fire Shall Be Woken, which is essentially a "for want of a nail" AU where Legolas was exiled from Mirkwood and has never met Aragorn. It is very well written and intricately detailed and it makes me cry every time I read it & after reread #3 I decided I should probably bind a copy.

Around that same time I discovered Cloches de Noël et de Pâques, a french book from 1900 illustrated by Alphonse Mucha. There's a wonderful quality scan available online and each page has a gorgeous floral frame & I said to myself: well. I'm never going to find a fic that's a better fit for these illustrations than this series.

So, step one, I went through the book and picked up some of my favorite frames that has winter/autumnal vibes, since both fics take place from October-December. There are about 80 pages of frames, but less than 40 illustrations because they are repeated with varying color schemes. I needed 19 illustrations to have one per chapter. I recruited some friends in the Renegade Publishing server to vote on the order, though I ignored a lot of their sensible advice to put my favorites at the front and back of each volume.

Then I had to do basic image editing to clean up the covers. The scans were good quality but were very grey. Each page had a dark and light side due to the curvature of the pages during scanning. So for each image I:

Cropped to size & auto-adjusted the white balance to brighten the background to white

Selected the transparent frame between sections and filled it with white

Used a layer mask on a duplicate of the image to lighten the dark side of the page, using an opacity gradient to make the transition seamless.

Covered the text frame and top illustration with smooth-sized white frames of matching sizes. I tried just filling these with white but at the reduced size I'll be printing the imperfections of the original linework were jagged and distracting.

#long post #a fire shall be woken #bookbinding adventures

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detective4blog · 4 years ago

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@nio-bee-um well yeehaw man

Rules: Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Send me an ask with the title that most intrigues you and I’ll post a little snippet of it and/or tell you something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Ah boy, time to see how many WIPs I truly have........laughs nervously. (Also dw I'm breaking this into ships as well 😭✌️) oh and sidenote all my WIPs are on Wattpad and that site never fucking loads my descriptions so yeehaw, half of these are me guessing 💔

Johnitary:

John, Desr: AU (?) of John being on a dating app and meeting Jim. Idr if this is before or after The Great Game.

Rubber Band: I don't remember what the fuck this one was about whoops.

There's a few Oneshots in drafts too but I don't title those so moving right along.

The Crossovers™:

Shoulder Touch: Criminal Minds and Sherlock crossover, Spencer Reid/Sebastian Moran. It's cute as fuck tbh shut up.

The Hunter, The Angel, and The Psycic: Yes I spelled it like that shut up. Supernatural and Pysch crossover, Dean/Castiel/Shawn. Don't ask.

Mormor:

Restarting. . .: Why did I do the three dots like that? Anyway. Cyborg Sebastian AU, he nearly died and lost memory. It's an oldie actually.

Ordinary Tiger: Ugh I need to rename this one. This isn't actually a full on draft but it's a WIP bc editing. Coffeeshop AU with some ordinary!Sebastian. Oh and a sprinkle of pastel AU bc fuck it. Jim's the same fuckin bastardly simp. Basically the live in fic™ but Sebastian is actually an adorable ordinary person.

Johnstian:

Broken Bullet: My take on the post-Reichenbach fics that frequent this pairing. Anyway.

Wolf Eyes: I do not know anything about this one since I didn't write shit down in it and my description ain't loading, I do know it's Johnstian bc I remember talking about it with Crow.

Mystrade:

Side note I completely forgot half of these existed till now

One Week: Fake dating vacation, Idr why they were fake dating exactly. Oh and pining.

Time Together: Greg considers retirement, Mycroft is a pining idiot, and Greg is a flirty little shit. The only word written for this is "surprisingly". Wow.

Jars or whatever the fuck Ethan Mars/Norman Jayden was called:

Handcuffed: Soulmates AU, I think it's the "world is black and white till your soulmate touches you", takes place during the "Fugitive" chapter

Codywan and Cody/Obi Wan/Satine:

Dialtone: Modern long distance AU, also has Rexwalker. I think they meet at a party or somethin' similar.

Fairylights: Another Modern AU but this time it's Satine/Obi Wan/Cody. I think they were roommates in this one.

Blissful Chaos: Not modern AU but it is Cody/Satine/Obi Wan. I think AU where Satine lives for one and for two Palpabitch doesn't get to do shit so post-war.

Fics I Don't Have The Heart To Delete:

Purriness and Bugaboy: Starts crying. Miraculous Ladybug fic, reversal AU I think (Adrien is Ladybug, Marinette is Chat Noir, but Adrien is still the flirty superhero???). I think this was one of the first real fics I wrote.

Dinner?: Whatever the fuck Oswald/Edward from Gotham is called. I gave up on it bc I didn't know what I was doing lmao bye.

And that's it that's all my WIPs that are not oneshots!

I do not know enough people to tag so fuckin. @satan-incarnate-666 @hitoshi-toshi @bookshop-cryptid @conduitstreetcat @anyone (also no pressure!)

#ask game #:0 #friendo send a taggo #lmao #WIPs

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mariana-oconnor · 4 years ago

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WIP Meme

Post the file names of all the files in your wisp folder no matter how silly the name

Get sent an ask with a title and then answer it with a snippet or tell something about it

I was tagged in this by @claraxbarton and also ages ago by @cloud--atlas but at that time I had about 7 WIPs that were just 'Could be my WHOB' that I couldn't talk about. I've now narrowed that down to one, so that's going better. Thanks guys.

This has been a terrible writing week, so let's see if I can get re-invigorated in some of these.

Admittedly, a lot of my WIPs are... the same as they were the last time I did this, because they are the kind of things I pick at and thanks to the WHOB I haven't really started anything new recently, apart from all of those possible WHOBs, which I guess I can list here now I've decided which one I'm going with. Which means that the likelihood of any one of these ever being finished is minuscule, but there we are.

Here are the titles in no particular order:

A Midwinter Knight's Tale

OrigFic - Omens? The Dragonkeeper?

CBGTBD - Chapter 1

WH fic - Clint is a werewolf

WH Magical Realism Tattoo fic

The Mystery of Blackthorne Manor

Dragon Rider fic

No Body's Perfect

The Star of Madripoor

WinterhawkOlympicBigBang Attempt 2?

Potential Winterhawk Olympic Big Bang

WH Fake Marriage Amnesia Spy Fic

A Long Time Ago (We Used to Be Friends)

WH Royalty Soulmate AU

Clint Barton: Accidental Thief Lord

Save the Acrobat, Save the World

TTWR6 - Missed Connections (Awaiting editing)

Winterhawk Selkie fic (I really need to fucking finish this)

Winterhawk FWB fic (stuck in editing hell, i.e. I am procrastinating from editing it by writing my WHOB and crocheting a lot)

That's a lot of fics...

ETA: whoops, forgot to tag people, but then I never tag people so... consider yourself tagged? If you want?

#WIP meme #my writing #Idek #Mostly Winterhawk #Mostly never going to be finished #But have at it #My actual WHOB is not included in this list

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nekokoaa · 5 years ago

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Wolves Among Us - Bakugo x Reader (XI)

Wolves Among Us – Bakugo x Reader

Series Warning: Fantasy AU, Fluff, NSFW

(Chapter XI/??) All chapters in AO3 and masterlist

Hey guys! It's been a while! Sorry about that. School's a killer. Thank you guys for being so patience and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

PS: The title of this chapter is a play on the phrase “the pot calling the kettle black”. I honestly didn't know what to name this chapter but I thought this fit the best and I was trying to be all creative lol

Chapter Warning: I guess a bit of blood?

Taglist: Edit*** Totally forgot to add this whoops DDX If you read this chapter ignore the tag lol******

@freedom-for-bum @reallyfuckingangrylatina @risarisarisaa @ashherssss @mels-heart @xa-dia @shanty-lol @amkxh @chims-kookies @fantasticapple @thalia-luna-hawthorn

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XI: The Human Calling the Wolf Beast

Staring at the cavernous hole between his legs was a reminder for Izuku how old and raggedy the outhouse was. Tall wooden walls closed around him. They were rotting with age as a green substance took over the wood’s natural gray color. Izuku had questioned how this place was still standing with the amount of snow storms they had over the months and even the spiders cuddled within their webs in the upper corners of the outhouse had deemed this place safe against the outside forces. The urge to sleep was still upon him that he had not yet realized he had emptied his bladder. He stayed staring into the abyss under him, the sights beyond it shrouded in darkness, he would not know of the amount of defecation huddled at the bottom, nor in this state, did he care.

With a quick shake of his cock in his hands, he stuffed it under the rims of his pants, lifting the waistline until it hugged just under his waist. He exited the outhouse, its door creaking loudly as soon as it was touched, and he kneeled in front of a pile of snow and began to lather his hands in it. It was something his mother taught him whenever there wasn’t any water around to wash his hands. He knew most men would’ve carried on without their hands ever touching water after using the bathroom, and he wanted to believe he wasn’t like most men as what his mother would’ve said. You’re not like most men, Izuku. He heard from time to time again usually whenever he helped her with cooking or cleaning, it wasn’t said as an insult but rather a delightful compliment, pleased at her son for what he has grown up to be.

He wondered what she was doing now. He left her without a word but left a note by the kitchen table under the constraints of a fork. Perhaps, she would read it and leave searching for him or would trust his judgement, ultimately trusting him. Whichever the case, Izuku knew his mother tended to be as soft as him (it was where he got it from), but he believed hidden behind that softness was uncontained determination and once she worked towards a goal, it would be completed with failures and all.

He had a similar outlook. His goal was to find you and so he did, but now he questioned what would come after. Would you still be able to come back to the village despite them declaring you dead?

Izuku sighed inaudibly as the snow crunched under his boots before he reached the backdoor of the cabin. He kicked his boots against the wooden floors, the snow falling from his hooves and left behind at the door. Unfortunately, the cabin didn’t have any lanterns on the walls of its hallway, so the trail of darkness continued to pour through the cabin. Izuku had thought ahead and the tray of a candle he left at the floor was picked up and relit by a match. He walked down the hall, past the kitchen while the floorboards creaked under his weight and in between the bathing room and the kitchen was his room, its door was left ajar. Right across his room was your room and before he could retire for the night, he heard faint sounds coming from behind your door.

At first, he hesitated. He wasn’t sure about a man going into a woman’s room in the late of night. Yes, he grew up with you and there were plenty of days where he slept in your room as a child and vice versa but now as adults, as sexuality buds, even being in close proximity of a person’s room of the opposite sex was a little nerve-wracking.

He was about to abandon the idea to check up on you, already grasping his doorknob and pushing his door open until:

“H-Help…!” A terrible shriek had come.

It wasn’t a second longer until Izuku threw your door open. He expected the worst, like a robber had snuck in while he was using the bathroom or perhaps that wolf from hell was back to torment you and him again. But instead, he stumbled upon you on your bed, tousled limbs in the air as if you were possessed. You were shrieking, tears drowning your face, and dripping onto the mattress as well as your blood that was oddly seeping through the bandages.

He called your name in distress, placing the candle down on a table before grabbing you up by your arms. You started fighting his hold, thrashing your arms to where it nearly hit him in the face. “Wake up! It’s a dream!” He sounded desperate, afraid that if he used any more of his strength that he would hurt you in the process.

“Katsuki…!” You began calling for the wolf from hell and Izuku’s heart sank. How could you still think of him in a positive light when he put you in this position? When he hurt you? He gulped, putting those thoughts behind him when your eyes had shot open. He assumed the fighting would stop, but your eyes being open wasn’t a signifier that you were awake. The screaming remained, the fighting remained, and the calling of a certain wolf’s name remained.

Izuku was suddenly reminded of a moment in time where you had woken up from a fright. Around the age of 5, you woke up crying, reaching out to a startled small Izuku besides you. You were aware you were awake, but you cried for your mother instead, even though she was already dead by that time. Young Izuku, as chivalrous as he was during that age, started to shush you, pulling you into a hug and rubbing your back as you sobbed into his chest. It worked as a spell, quieting you down to whimpers as soft as Izuku’s whispers. “It’s okay, ____... I’m here. I’m right next to you…”

So, he held you close to his chest despite your thrashing and his hand held the back of your head, your hair fell between his fingers, and his lips softly pressed against your temple. He brought his other hand over your back, large fingers treading over your shoulders.

“Shh… I’m right here. I’m here…” His breath bounced against your heated forehead when he spoke, his voice smooth like pudding as he pressed his lips to your head again. And just like long ago, you settled down in his arms, returning his hug weakly, your fingers clutched at his back until his shirt crinkled in your grip.

No matter who you called for, as long as Izuku was there, he would embrace you until all was well again.

…

You have never seen the sky so blue before as it hovered over your body, infinite vastness of sapphire stretched past the horizon, beyond the mountains and hills below. The wind swooshed below you, whipping through your hair as it wildly hit your cheeks. It tangled within the air above you, moved by the force from below. Your stomach felt like it was floating in your body, weightless as it twisted and churned the feathery feeling that danced around in your midsection.

How long has it been since you were falling? You couldn’t recall, but it felt like eons since you were on the ground.

…

Izuku was up tending your wound for hours. Before he knew it, the sun had risen into skies covered with thick clouds and heavy snowflakes plummeted to the ground. The chattering of the doors and windows were a reminder of how strong this storm had grown overnight. The cabin could no longer keep the cold out as it was seeping through the tiny cracks between the walls. Already, Izuku could feel you shivering yet he did not know whether it was from the cold or the fever that developed overnight. He knew your wound was quite grave, but he didn’t know it would’ve resulted in a fever. The odd part for him was that no matter how much pressure he added or how tight he wrapped the bandages; your wound wouldn’t stop bleeding. At this rate, you would die from blood loss in just a few hours.

Izuku’s panic urged him to move swiftly, wrapping clean bandages for the umpteenth time around your arm. He was already running out of stock and soon decided it was time to go out to the nearest town to buy some more bandages, ointments, and hopefully stitches.

“I won’t be gone for long,” he whispered, bringing a hand to briefly brush your bangs off your forehead. It was devastating how some strands stuck to your skin because of your sweat. Your skin lacked your usual vibrant color and was left with a pale variant of it. The skin under your eyes were darkened, leaving a sickly appearance if one were to gaze at you. At times, you would wake up, spewing incoherent mumbles before falling back to sleep. It was like your body was desperately trying to conserve all of your energy to heal you, so you couldn’t stay awake for more than a few minutes.

Just as you grew sicker by the hour, Izuku’s hatred for Katsuki grew to new heights. He began cursing the wolf for what he has done to you. As much as he blamed Katsuki, he blamed himself for the lack of courage he had to save you from him. He should’ve been more protective of you when he started to notice your obsession with wolves. Maybe he could’ve convinced you not to pursue your curiosity and you being deemed dead by the village wouldn’t have happened. Regretting the past did nothing to the results of the present. And so, he would have to live with his guilt until you somehow recovered from this.

Izuku soon left you, throwing on his heavy coat stuffed to the brim with cotton and lined with sheep wool. He slipped on his boots that he left near the door of your room and grabbed a small pouch packed with his money off the table. He quickly made his way to the front of the cabin. Already, he could hear the whistling of the harsh wind outside blowing through the trees and against the cabin, but he wouldn’t let that stop him. His mind was already set on going, he risked his life once for you and he wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.

The cabin door was thrown open by the force of the wind once Izuku had unlocked it. The snow began assaulting the wooden floors, piling on top of itself until it created tiny hills. Izuku panicked at the amount of snow that was already in the cabin and he threw himself outside to try to get the door to close.

But he didn’t get far as he was stopped by a figure that was standing just a bit from the cabin. Not even the snow pelting the ground or the fog lingering in the area was prominent enough to hide the beauty of the woman standing in front of him. Her skin was as pale as the snow around her while her cheeks were the opposite and tinted with bright pink. Her lips were small, her nose was small, but her eyes were large, bright, and rich in brown and her eyelashes worked as curtains for them. Her hair was in a bob that curled at the ends against her cheeks and the color of her hair reminded him of almonds. His favorite snack.

“What are you doing out here? It’s dangerous!” He tried to yell over the howl of the wind, but it was impossible. The storm was too powerful. So, he grabbed the woman by her shoulders and ushered her inside the cabin and with all his might, he pulled the door against the wind and locked it shut, letting out a heavy sigh of relief when he leaned his forehead against it. He felt it was vibrating softly, just another reminder at how brutal the storm was. He thought this woman was crazy for being out there, but he assumed the worst. Maybe she needed help or didn’t have shelter from the storm. He was about to question her, but she spoke first.

“You’re Izuku, right?”

“H-How…?” His words faltered when he turned around to face the woman and spotted almond colored wolf ears sitting on top of her head. He blinked at them for a moment, questioning their appearance as they weren’t there when he first spotted her. He almost shrieked at the sight of them, but he held his composure, breathing deeply before he narrowed his eyes at her. There could only be one reason why a wolf would suddenly show up at this cabin.

“What do you want? You couldn’t possibly be here to see her.”

“What makes you think I’m not?” She wasn’t surprised at his hostility. He was human after all. “I wanted to see if she was still alive…”

Why do you care? Was what he wanted to say but he held his tongue for reasons struck by fear. She wasn’t as threatening as Katsuki, but she was still a wolf. “Of course, she is. But she’s hurt… I’m sure you know how. You were probably there.”

“Yes, I was.”

“I’m sorry, but I was going to go out and buy some medicine for her. So, if you would—”

“It won’t work.”

“What?”

“She won’t be healed by that.”

“What do you mean…?” Izuku hated the look on her face. How her brows knitted together and formed the creases between her eyes. It didn’t match with her beauty. She looked up at him like she was begging for him to hear her out. He found himself complying, no longer able to stand her expression. With a nod, he led her to your room and he couldn’t forget the look in her eyes when she saw you. The color of your skin spoke of your lifespan. At best, a day was all you had left.

“This is horrible…” Izuku heard her mumble as she squeezed her hands into fists. She couldn’t believe the drastic change of your appearance. Just a couple of days ago you were vibrant and gushing about Katsuki to her. Even though you were upset at him, she still saw the love blossomed in your eyes whenever you spoke of him. You always found a reason to talk about him even if it was just a rant. And the moments where you would suddenly daze off, she had no doubt in her mind that it was Katsuki filling your thoughts.

“How did you find us anyway?”

“Her blood. I followed the scent of her blood.”

“Ah—O-Okay,” Izuku scratched the side of his head. It wasn’t that he was confused but more taken aback by her response. It wasn’t everyday where you hear of someone tracking by the scent of blood. Wolves were truly different when compared to humans. “So… would you mind explaining what you meant before? Why wouldn’t medicine work for her?”

She sighed heavily, turning her large brown eyes on Izuku. “Katsuki—I’m sure you know—the wolf from yesterday? He—He’s special. He’s not like the rest of us. He’s the direct descendant of our ancestor and next in line as pack leader. Because of that, Katsuki inherited abilities from him. We call it ‘The Curse of Fenrir’.”

“The Curse of Fenrir…?” It sounded terrifying to Izuku, but it grew his curiosity.

“Yes, sometimes we just call it ‘The Curse’ but if a human gets hurt by Katsuki, any damage inflicted by his claws or fangs would never heal.”

“Never heal…?”

“At least not with medicine or on its own. Katsuki himself would have to heal the wound by cleaning it.”

“So, the only way for ____ to be healed is if that wolf does it.”

Ochako nodded, “I tried to convince Katsuki to do it but… he’s still upset about what happened.”

“She’s going to die any day now and he won’t heal her? I-I have to go convince him… I—” Izuku began gathering his things and before he could trudge past Ochako, she grabbed his arm and stopped him.

“I have no doubt if Katsuki sees you, he’ll kill you. Right now, you should stay by her side. I’ll try and talk to him again—"

“I can’t just sit here and watch her die. I have to at least do something!”

“I’m not asking you to. Katsuki,” she tried to find the words with a brief bite of her lips. “Katsuki cares about her. He wouldn’t let her die. I know he wouldn’t.”

“This is the same wolf who did this to her. I refuse to believe I have to only rely on such a b-beast to save my friend.”

It was odd. Ochako the other day was calling Katsuki the same thing yet hearing it from Izuku had lit a small flame of anger within her. It didn’t feel like it was only towards Katsuki but towards her kind as a whole.

“Beast? You hardly know him, or us, matter of fact,” she spoke with a growl in her voice.

“After what he did, how can he be anything other than that?”

“You sound as if humans never acted irrational before. For all the havoc you guys cause, from destroying lands, nature, and my people, why aren’t you considering yourselves beasts?”

Izuku’s silence spoke volumes. He stared back at Ochako, stunned by her words.

“That’s because you humans only ever look at yourselves and never consider the differences around you. We may be ‘beasts’ but that doesn’t mean we don’t have emotions like humans. We live just like you, eat just like you, we have family like you. Katsuki getting angry for seeing a woman he likes in the arms of another man doesn’t make him a beast because I’m sure you humans would’ve reacted the same way.”

“I was only speaking of him.”

“Speaking of him is speaking of all of us.”

Izuku frowned. The anger in his eyes falter significantly and what was left was pure guilt about his words. “I’m-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—"

“It’s okay,” she sighed. “I’m just... tired of this divide. We’re practically cousins by species but it seems like we’ll never get along.”

“Maybe a lot of forgiveness and forgetfulness would do the trick?” Izuku shrugged his shoulders with a smile all too pure that it evaporated any anger she previously felt towards him. She had never seen a smile so kind, at least, from a human (other than you) that was directed at her.

“Probably, we’ll need a lot of it, for sure,” she laughed.

…

Katsuki had enough. It was easier to say that he could forget about you after your ‘betrayal’ but he found himself wondering about your wellbeing more than he would’ve liked. No woman had ever had this effect on him before. He was always able to forget about them. But for you, he couldn’t help but feel attached to you. Even as he laid on the sheep wool bedding, turning around he half expected to see you asleep by his side. But when he saw nothing but the cave’s walls ahead, he knew he could no longer handle being away from you.

Katsuki knew of his abilities and he knew when he had slashed you, it was possible that it would’ve been the last time he saw you alive. His stubbornness kept him from chasing after you. In fact, he was afraid to admit that at that time, he believed you were better off dead than in the arms of another man. It scared him greatly at how attached he felt to you that he would rather wish for your death than for you to be away from him.

But he came to realize at that moment when Ochako stormed out of his cave in tears after his threats and the air of his cave was reduced of your scent the longer you were absent from it, he questioned if this was truly how he wanted to live. A life without you seemed impossible when you were with him and now it could very much be his reality.

…

“I’ll try to convince Katsuki. I know he won’t let her die.”

Izuku was seeing Ochako to the door. His eyebrows furrowed at the sound of the raging wind outside. The door was chattering at the force of it. “Are you sure you’ll be okay traveling in this storm?”

“Yeah, of course,” she chuckled softly. “I’m a wolf, remember?”

It didn’t matter what she was, Izuku was still worried. He leaned against the wall and buried his hands within his pants pockets. “I know, still, be careful out there, Ochako.”

Ochako smiled. She never had someone so concerned about her wellbeing before especially not a human. All they did was run at the sight of her or try to kill her but to have one worry about her even after knowing her capabilities as a wolf was a refreshing feeling. “I will be.”

Izuku gave her a small smile before she left into the blistering weather and faded into the fog. It was a hassle closing the door but Izuku managed with his strength and locked it before he retired back to your room.

…

As the night started settling into the day, the storm had reached its peak. The winds were blowing at high speeds capable of knocking anyone off their feet. Fog and snow obscure all sight as no one could barely see a few inches in front of them. Walking outside was a death sentence for any human.

But not for wolves.

Katsuki hiked through the forest as if he weren’t phased by the forces of nature. The winds may be slowing down his speed, but the fog and snow only slightly obscured his vision. Even his sense of smell was still functioning normally as he followed the scent of blood that was being carried with the wind. It was sweet and awfully familiar, and it made his mouth water with desire. Katsuki knew exactly who it belong to.

He followed the scent until it led him to a cabin that was slowly being buried by the snow. A quarter of the front door was already submerged in it, but it didn’t stop Katsuki from figuring out another way in. He followed where the scent of blood was most prominent to the side of the cabin and there was a window in which he effortlessly lifted open and climb inside.

His crimson eyes had zeroed in on nothing in the room but the person lying in bed, pale and nearly lifeless. That person was you. He refused to believe that’s what you’ve become because of him. You were a person so vibrant and beautiful that it could nearly make Katsuki cry at the sight of your presence and now you lacked the light that made you shine—that made Katsuki love you.

He walked to you. The wooden flooring creaked under his weight with his slow steps. Even as he tried to walk without making a sound, being gentle was just one thing Katsuki couldn’t do correctly. He regretted the moment he got closer to you because he saw the discoloring around your eyes and the cold sweat damping your pale skin. You were lying on your back without any covers and the wound on your arm that was wrapped in bandages were being soaked with your blood. The sweet smell lingered around the room no doubt making Katsuki’s mouth water, but he was too deep in his sorrow to act on his urges.

What kind of lover was he to hurt you like this? To make you suffer until you were tethering in and out of the underworld? He yearned to see your smile again, your smile that made his heart flutter in ways it had never before, to look at him with your bright eyes that embodied the feeling of love only for him, to have you in his arms again, so small and fragile yet fit perfectly within them. And the sound of your voice when you would call his name had him wishing he could listen to it on repeat.

Katsuki’s hands formed into fists, his claws dug into his palms so hard that it punctured his skin and his blood slipped between his clenched fingers and fell upon the floor. He fucked up. He fucked up so bad that he couldn’t see how he deserved to stay with you. You didn’t deserve someone like him. Someone who would hurt his lover because he couldn’t control his anger. How could he possibly protect you if he couldn’t protect you from himself?

A low growl had sounded from him and already the wound on his hands had healed up on their own. Katsuki sat on your bed and grabbed your injured arm. He unwrapped the bandages and revealed the gash that showed no signs of healing. He grimaced at it, not because of its grotesque appearance but because he was the one who had caused it.

He didn’t hesitate to drag his tongue on your wound, gasping and growling at the delicious taste that had his saliva spilling from his lips. But he couldn’t enjoy it like the last time he had taste your blood. He moved desperately, diligently with a goal to cure you of this curse.

You, on the other hand, had stirred in your long slumber with your eyebrows furrowed and teeth biting lips. Your pale complexion became flush in color, panting and mewling at the feeling of Katsuki’s tongue against you. He couldn’t tell if you were in pain or pleasure, but he couldn’t stop the fuzzy feeling building within his loins. You moaned softly, breathlessly and Katsuki glanced at your face with his glowing red eyes as he licked and licked until his face was drenched in your blood.

“K-Katsuki… aahn…” Katsuki could see it. He could see the soft rolling of your hips. It was not pain you were feeling. It was far from it.

Yet he continued to lick, ignoring the desire rumbling within him. After how badly he treated you, you still thought of him as a lover. He was still someone you thought of the moment you felt pleasure and that stirred something within him that he couldn’t quite name.

He growled softly, nearly losing himself in your moans. He cleaned your wound until there was nothing but three discolored scars left. He made sure it was clean of all your blood. He wasn’t going to leave one drop of it on your skin. And when he was done, he pulled away and found you panting, flushed, and mumbling his name deliriously in your slumber. He soaked in your appearance knowing that this was going to be the last time he’ll ever see it. He decided back at his cave that he was going to heal you and then leave you. It was the best form of action he had to take for your sake. You weren’t safe with him.

Though it was a struggle for him to leave you. Your complexion was returning to normal and your breathing was finally in control. You were already starting to look like yourself again. Even the feel of your skin underneath his palm when he had reached out to caress your cheek was reaching normal temperatures. Katsuki whispered your name. It sounded so soft that it could break before it reached anyone’s ears, but it was also weighed with guilt, love, and hesitation. For once in his life, he was unsure. Can he actually live without you?

“I’m sorry…” He grunted out when he had hovered over you and pushed his forehead against yours, noses touching and lips barely brushing against each other. He repeated those words until he was satisfied as his face contorted into one of pain with knitted eyebrows and gritted teeth. He ripped himself off of you with a growl and still he was unsure. But hesitation didn’t stop him from turning his back on you. He was leaving. He had to.

Katsuki dragged himself to the window and he rewarded himself with one final glance at your sleeping form to burn you in his memory.

But what he didn’t expect to see was you staring right back at him with those beautiful half-lidded eyes that he ached to see.

“Shit.”

Oof.

I'll be honest, I love-hate writing this chapter and I'm not sure why lol WELP I'm excited for the next chapter cause It's gonna be awesome. I'm tired of this angst, aren't you guys? Thank you guys so much for reading!! Until next chapter, loves.

#bnha #bnha fanfiction #boku no hero academia #mha #my hero academia #bnha x reader #mha x reader #bakugo katsuki #izuku midoriya #uraraka ochako #bakugo x reader #bakugo katsuki x reader #bakugo katsuki fanfiction #wau bnha #fanfiction

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snkpolls · 6 years ago

Text

SnK Chapter 117 Poll Results

The chapter poll closed with 1325 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

RATE THE CHAPTER 1,235 responses

Isayama continues to please. In fact, “Judgment” is the highest rated chapter this year with 62.3% selecting the highest possible rating. In recent month, only chapter 112 scored higher.

Honestly, just incredible

Excellent Chapter although it did favor the action over plot continuation. I really just want information rather than awesome action. I'll just have to do my waiting but the action is very enjoyable.

Finally a great action chapter which does a good job showcasing Erens new abilities.

Fuck yeah, Shiganshina3.0 with an entirely new field of play. Excited to see how the new teams play out.

It was nice to have another action-heavy chapter after being without one for so long. The only downside is they feel way too short.

god I love this manga so damn much

Seeing Marley invade Paradis with those planes is absolutely chilling. It's a whole new era for the Walldians

We're in the Endgame now

GIVE ME NEXT CHAPTER

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT? 1,292 responses

With 30% of the vote, the moment when Eren reacts to Reiner’s attempt to eat him takes the top place for favorite moment. Following up with half as many votes is Zeke’s arrival as he displays his big brother complex. In third came Eren’s defensive use of the Warhammer Titan’s power.

The most memorable moment was definitely Eren's scream of sheer determination and will to live as he was ripping Reiner's jaw apart, in a complete rejection of the self-loathing and fatalistic mindset his old nemesis was seemingly trying to push onto him.

It was nice to see eren harnessing his titan abilities and proving that he is a strong character

Eren ripping half of Reiner’s face off was neat

Reiner vs Eren was very repetitive and shonen typical and just there to show how 'badass' Eren had become. Besides, the Marleyans are getting too much screentime at this point. The only cool thing was Zeke's entrance.

I loved the fight and zeke's onii-chan part uwu

I thought it was neat that it was confirmed that the Shifters' Titans have brains that control the Titan, rather than the Shifter controlling it themselves. I still want to know more about the Titan Chemistry Research Department, and all of the in-universe info about how Shifters interface with their Titans.

Onii-chan saves the day.

When Pieck took Gabi in her mouth? 👌👏 And that cannon?? 😍😍😍😍 And when she finished putting on the cannon and stood up in all her majesty I just straight up died. I also loved seeing Eren use the War Hammer to make back spikes, that was so neat.

WHO WAS THIS CHAPTER’S MVP? 1,288 responses

With lots of characters joining the fight this chapter, who was the MVP? The overwhelming majority at 62% think Eren fighting off three titans on his own earned him the title. Pieck was also a popular choice, at 16%. Magath rounded out the top three at 8.9%

EREN MVP WON ALONE AGAINST 3 TITANS

Magath is a great leader. We need to see more of him.

I was so happy to see Zeke! And that phrase, ahh!

Hugs for Reiner. Poor guy can never win a fight :( And love Pieck for being the MVP, as usual!

porco did nothing wrong shout out to my boy porco

Eren is collecting Titans like they're limited edition Pokemon cards

It's time to stop confusing Gabi with Eren. Gabi proved to be actually smart.

Magath is the MVP of this chapter and anyone who says otherwise is delusional.

My wife Pieck was very cute and smug.

Zeke's arrival was so sick. Oni-chan

Not gonna lie this chapter was fire af. Kinda surprised about Magath being a legend, but it may have been a mistake for him to not kill Eren.

Zeke showing up at the end was hype.

PIECK AND PORKY ARE THE BEST.

the mvp award should go to the jeagerists for getting themselves killed in the stupidest way ever

WHICH JAIL CELL EXPRESSION WAS THE CUTEST? 1,290 responses

Our quick glance at the 104th was enough to know they are alive and well for now. We wanted a fun way to ask about their stunned expressions at the noises they assumed to be the rumbling. Mikasa’s was declared cutest with 27.4%, Armin was second with 23.1%, and 16.9% didn’t want to play along.

"Which jail cell expression was the cutest?"What?

GET MY FUCKIN SONS ARMIN AND MIKASA OUT OF THE FREAKING JAIL THAT SHIT JAEGERISTS PUT THEM.

I hope Onyankopon will rescue everyone in jail.

Just get Falco and the prisoners out of there, they'll get titanized/crushed

WHICH EREN VS. REINER FIGHT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE SO FAR? 1,288 responses

Reiner and Eren’s practice fight in training has served useful, as they’ve fought as titans no less than four times now. 36.9% selected the fight from last chapter as their favorite bout, with 26.9% choosing their first rumble. 23.4% loved the recently animated Shiganshina fight the most, and only 12.8% chose the brief Marley exchange of blows.

Anime-onlies and manga readers collectively screaming about Eren vs Reiner in Shiganshina... You've got to wonder if this was planned somehow.

Eren vs. Reiner identical non-productive fights are getting boring.

I Want More Eren Vs Other Shifters

Reiner VS. Eren 4.0 is now a thing ladies and gents. But we now have a new fighter which is big bro Jaeger.

Eren vs. Reiner in a fearsome battle in the middle of Shinganshina that culminates in Reiner seemingly gaining the upper hand before his head is blown off by an outside force. Am I talking about the most recent manga chapter, or the most recent anime episode? You decide ;)

It's about time Eren's and Reiner's fight ends. Give us a conclusion, Isayama

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT REINER ORCHESTRATING ANOTHER ATTACK ON SHIGANSHINA? 1,288 responses

Although about 50% of respondents thought it was at least somewhat understandable that Reiner brought the fight to Shiganshina again, a good chunk of votes trended toward pretty neutral or unsure about whether Reiner is a hypocrite or not.

He sincerely believes Eren is miserable BECAUSE he's projecting his own emotions onto Eren but also needs to consume the Founder as Magath mentioned

He wants to do something right because the only thing hes good at is getting his ass whooped.

Honestly, all I can say about Reiner is that his isna big hypocrite.

Reiner should win a battle in his life, please Isayama.

He's definitely projecting, but lowkey if he eats Eren he finally gets to die, because they'll give the Founder to another Warrior.

People should really stop assuming that just because Reiner & Co. are deserving of sympathy, they are right. Downtrodden as they are, if they win they'll still destroy Paradis without a second thought, and all the blatherings about stopping the 100 years cycle of violence, are just that, and justifications after the fact.

I thoguht Reiner would kick Eren's ass but whatever

Reiner should really give up fighting Eren... he always loses. Unless he likes getting his arse kicked, I don’t know why everyone just lets them fight over and over again.

REINER DON'T GO DOWN THE PATH OF ZEKE PLEASE

WHY DO YOU THINK EREN CHOSE TO FIGHT, RATHER THAN LISTEN TO YELENA AND GET AWAY? 1,285 responses

Yelena wanted Eren to run, Eren wanted to fight. But why? 38.4% think he’s trying to protect those in the building, 25.8% think he believes running to be pointless, and 16.8% thought he just wanted to fight his best sparring partner, Reiner, once again.

"Until my enemies are destroyed," remember?

All of the above

He doesn't care what she thinks. Eren will do what Eren wants

He feels confident enough in his ability to shut that shit down by himself. He's also visibly pissed at Reiner for messing up with his plans by pushing for this surprise attack and wants to end him personally.

He's fought him three times already, might as well just fight him a fourth time.

I think it's both that it's pointless to run and he wants to protect those in the building. For the former, he knows Marley will just keep on persisting and will do everything they can to find him, so escaping is pointless. As for the latter, he cares about his close friends that are still inside and thus doesn't want them to get hurt, so for their safety, he wants to be the one to take on Marley by himself.

If you don't fight, you don't win.

I think this chapter proved that Yelena wasn't the one who "manipulated" Eren like some people claimed first, because he refused her order and choose to fight instead of "run away" or "trusting her plan".

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT GABI REVEALING THE ROYAL ZEKERET™ TO MAGATH? 1,289 responses

The Marleyan forces have finally zeroed in on what the true Zekerets are, all thanks to Gabi. 52.2% of readers forgot that Gabi was aware of the royal blood situation, and 22% didn’t expect it to come together this way but liked how it ended up.

Forgot she heard it, if this is what all her buildup has been leading too... 🤢

Honestly thought Pieck figured it out in chapter 116 with her line of questioning so I assumed they already knew or at least had their own doubts about the use of the FT Power but this makes sense as well.

I'd forgotten about it. But I think this confirm the fact she was here during EMA conversation will also be important

I kinda expected her to do so, but still I am glad she did it !!!

She has now served her role as a plot device. Please go permanently off-screen now.

Miscalculation brought back

MAGATH SAYS HE WANTS TO END THE HUNDRED YEARS OF RESENTMENT. WHAT DO YOU THINK HIS INTENTION IS? 1,277 responses

General Magath is the leader of the enemy forces, but seems to have good intentions in mind. What’s his true goal? The large majority of respondents, at 45.6% think he wants to wipe out the Eldians on Paradis. 21.7% think he wants to liberate Eldians, and trailing that at 20.4% is the idea that all he wants is the Founding Titan.

Chances are he's wants to wipe them out, he seems to care about the ones under his command, but he seems loyal to Marley first.

He just wants to end the war, he is a good man

Can't know for sure. He is sympathetic to his comrades but Marley has always pushed for more power so that may continue their imperialistic goals. I highly doubt Magath will make a complete 180 and will begin giving countries their own autonomy. Most likely, he will use the FT to further this effort in accumulating resources. No one should wield the power of FT. Too strong!

He wants to liberate Eldians AND annihilate Paradis

He probably wants to change Marley's policies and stop with the imperialism + Eldians-as-weapons, but he also seems willing to use Paradis as a scapegoat so far so I'm rooting against him.

He wants to protect Marley and introduce reforms. It’s noble in theory but I’m wondering if he was manipulated by Willy as per of a larger plan. He’s inspired by the Helos legend but he knows that it’s a lie. He has sympathy for Eldians in his own country but whether he wants to save all Eldians remains to be seen.

I think he wants to destroy the Eldians on Paradis but he also wants to persuade the higher ups in Marley to treat the Eldians more humanely

No clue. He doesn't seem like a genocidal maniac, but I don't think he'll allow Paradis to get off that easily.

Is it too optimistic to hope that he wants to change Marley's ways and to bring peace?

Why is "wiping out all Eldians" an option when he said he wanted to bring marleyans to the wars instead of the Eldians? I'm not completely sure about his intentions with Paradis but it's clear he cares for Eldians and he's ready to do anything to save Eldians and his own country.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF PIECK’S NEW WEAPON? 1,279 responses

The Cart titan has been said to be versatile, and we’ve seen many upgrades and attachments, with this chapter being the biggest of them all. Most of respondents, at 53.6% thought it was super awesome.

...How did they put it on so quickly?

Further cemented the Cart's place in my heart as best titan

I worry about Pieck. She is intelligent, fast and dangerous with her new weapon. That why Zeke may try to eliminate her fast.

I'm not into guns or gunfights so I don't really care.

Bitches love cannons

It’s a very powerful weapon but it requires time to reload. That a considerable weakness.

It's beautiful

so creepy i had a nightmare about it

PEW!

BIG DICK ENERGY

REINER DOESN’T HAVE FACIAL HAIR IN TITAN FORM. YOUR OPINION? 1,291 responses

Isayama pls!! It’s impossible to know why Reiner’s beard keeps disappearing. It could be a quirk of his titan biology or perhaps the Golden Week crunch meant cutting a few corners. Either way, only 8.7% where glad about the omission.

reiner's facial hair come back pls

WHO BEST REPRESENTS HELOS, “THE HERO WHO WILL SAVE THE WORLD”? 1,282 responses

Helos was a hollow statue, but will there be a hero for the current generation? 32.2% don’t believe so, but 35.5% think Eren will fulfill that role in the story. 12.3% think Reiner will become that hero to the world, and 10.8% feel it’s Magath.

Armin, mark my words

It's between Magath and Reiner. Magath because it has been nailed on him since he was mentioned, and Reiner because he's a half-Marleyan who wants to put an end to Eren's genocidal ways

Erwin/Levi...doesn't matter they're dead/dying, at this point I feel like they were the only ones capable to save the world. I'd say the 104th too but then, look where they are too.....

Heck, going by what's happening I have a sneaky feeling it's gonna be Falco.

Most likely Armin. Him being a "hero saving humanity" was foreshadowed already in RTS

I think resemblance between Helos and Levi isn't incidental.

Helos was proven to be fake, seems they indicate there will be no real hero

Honestly? Fuck it. Nicolo. I'm all-in on this.

Jean the Stallion

I don't know who, but not one of those three that's for sure... Historia? Where are you, our queen?

My Boi Reiner is super awesome here! He shows signs of becoming the new Helos!

Helos was a fake. There was no true Helos. It was just a story, so saying another Helos will save them makes no sense as Helos was just a facade in the first place.

EREN’S EXPRESSION AS REINER ATTEMPTED TO EAT HIM WAS INTENSE, BUT IT ISN’T THE FIRST TIME WE’VE SEEN THIS. WHICH PANEL DO YOU THINK BEST CAPTURES EREN'S TENACITY? 1,286 responses

Based on the overall results, it appears that Eren’s expressions seem to get more and more intense as the series unfolds. Over half of the fandom feels that his most recent expression of resolve has been the one that best captures his tenacity. At a distant second, his expression as he transformed in the basement at the festival takes second place.

EREN IS A GOD

God, I want to punch Eren in his shitty smug face so hard.

Eren's defiant glare cleansed my skin, reaped my crops and impregnated me with 13 babies!

Finally we see Eren having a different expression, showing more of a human side we have been missing lately

I’m gay for eren

God, I'm just dying to see Eren's endgame.

Love Eren! He's awesome! The best hands down! And I can't wait to get inside his head! I know it'll make me love him more! Lol

IS EREN’S EXPRESSION AS REINER TRIES TO “PUT HIM TO SLEEP” TO END HIS SUFFERING EVIDENCE THAT EREN OPPOSES ZEKE’S EUTHANASIA PLAN? 1,282 responses

Almost 40% of respondents believe that Isayama’s placement of these panels was a deliberate way for him to clue us in on Eren’s opposition to Zeke’s plan. 27% don’t want to trust the panel placement just yet and feel it could very well be misleading. 21% feel that he’s simply showing his determination to see the plan through at all costs.

I'm not sure but it was really freaking cool

Eren's determination to fight, win and live!

He is mad because he is fighting to save his friends and future generations. So yes.

didnt notice this before, but yes this is a good theory

I don't even know how these two thing could be related lmao. He just wants to finish the fight so he can proceed with his plan. He can't do that by being eaten by the enemy

Eren didn't hear Reiner's words, so we can't say

Zeke's euthanasia plan requires Eren regardless of the ideals behind it.

I think whatever Eren's plan is, he is determined to do whatever it takes to not die before accomplishing it

It's pretty obvious he wants to unleash the Rumbling on the world. Idk why this is even a question.

I don't think it has anything to do with eren's thoughts on zeke's plan and more to do with his anger at reiner and marley

I feel like people may be looking too deep into this somehow

I actually didn't think of that! Now that you mention it, it's possible.

It's pretty obvious without this that Eren completely opposes Zeke's euthanasia. What I think is more interesting to think about is Reiner's previous question about what Eren "gets" from living any longer: what exactly pushes him to go to such lengths for whatever goal he has now? His country? His friends? His freedom? His family? All of those?

WHAT IS REINER'S MAIN REASON FOR WANTING TO EAT EREN? 1,285 responses

Eren isn’t the only one who’s attempted to eat more shifters, and this time he’s on the receiving end. Did Reiner purely want to eat Eren for tactical purposes, or does he truly want to save Eren from the curse of a cruel life? Most readers at about 60% think Reiner’s just projecting his own thoughts and worldview onto Eren.

All the options above I think. Reiner thinks he knows Eren, but he clearly forgot one important thing: Eren is stubborn and once he's in his rage mode, he will never back down!

Both C and D. He truly thinks Eren is in misery, BECAUSE he's projecting. Can't have one without the other.

Eating Eren is just a part of Marley's plan but I think it's the revenge that motivates him.

He has nothing left except his role as a warrior fighting for Marley. And he is determined to fulfill this role to the very end

I think he may be projecting his own misery into Eren but he doesn’t realize he’s doing it so he automatically assumes that Eren is in misery. Or it could be that he believes all shifters are going through the same thing he is and are suffering

He just wants to have his job done: eat Eren, become a hero and die.

WHAT WILL EREN GET "FROM LIVING ANY LONGER"? 1,282 responses

When Reiner attempted to end Eren’s life, Eren fought back against the idea his life holds nothing but pain. What is the light at the end of the tunnel for him? 37.6% believe he’ll end up saving his people on Paradis, and 23.7% expanding that to saving the world. 17.9% think Reiner is right and he’ll only find more pain, and only 8.8% think Eren will go on to destroy the world.

Become Lelouch

Bring his 4D chess plan that somehow liberates the Eldians in a way that's different from what Zeke, the Yaegerists, the other Paradis military members and Magath are planning.

destroying the world to free Eldia from the oppression and probably to build a "future" for Historia and the child, which means to be the only ruling race

He'll save at least his friends, and hopefully help to save the world. by destroying its current foundation, and that includes the Eldians of Paradis

Eren just wants to catch 'em all... JK. He'll put an end to the curse of Ymir - Eldians will no longer be able to turn into titans.

He will destroy the world, cause this is probably his thinking of freedom for the eldians on paradis, but it will give more sacrifices and victims and more pain for others, like Connie who actually suffers, cause Sasha dies, because of Eren's selfishness.

A beautiful wife and their newborn baby

Eren wants to save the Eldians in Marley and Paradis

He will save his friends and future generations of Eldians. Eren doesn't care about himself, he cares about others.

Weird combination of protecting Paradis, those he holds dear and being willing to destroy the world for it.

I really hope world peace and a life in harmony without the titan curse although I'm scared it won't have a happy ending.

F R E E D O M

WHAT EMOTION DO YOU THINK BEST DESCRIBES EREN’S EXPRESSION WHEN ZEKE APPEARS? 1,285 responses

Onii-chan is here, but how does Eren feel about that? So many interpretations from the same panel! The most popular answer at 36.3% was astonishment, followed closely by worry, and then relief.

He actually called himself onii-chan

Realization that everyone who drank the wine is screwed

A complex mix of all the above

Surprised, I think he didn't expect Zeke to be there cause of Levi

He somehow feel relieved because he was lacking stamina, but at the same time I think he worries of lives of his friends and people who will end up as titans, if Zeke screams.

Mixed feelings. Relieved that he is saved, but sad because he's ultimately going to betray such a great onii-chan

i kept staring at this panel bc it's been so long since we've seen such a vivid expression on eren's face; it's kind of hopeful too?

This chapter really illustrated how well Isayama can draw facial expressions to convey the characters thoughts

God Eren you're so sexy when your facial expressions are ambiguous

ZEKE'S APPEARANCE IS A SIGN TO EREN THAT LEVI MAY HAVE BEEN DEFEATED. DO YOU THINK EREN CARES? 1,286 responses

Eren and Zeke planned to meet up here, but that would have to mean Zeke escaping Levi, likely in a brutal way. Now that that’s happened, does Eren have regrets? 55.8% feel he cares about Levi to some degree, 27.1% feel that Eren cares about his mentor a lot, and only 14.2% don’t think Eren cares about the manlet one bit.

He cares, but it was a calculated risk like all the others he's been taking lately. I think he's still shocked that Zeke made it there though.

From where I stand on Eren’s decisions, I think he cares. But I feel like since we don’t know what his plan is yet, we can’t really fully answer this

Hard to tell, since he’s been treating his friends like shit, why would he care more about his mentor?

He knew what could happen to Levi and his men during Zeke's escape but he still agreed on a meeting time and place with his bro, not to mention the Jeagerists openly called him their "biggest threat" and were ready to finish him off. So Eren's definitely accepted the possibility of Levi becoming a casualty.

I don’t think Eren really cares about Levi, I think he’s worried about Zeke turning the Shiganshina people into Titans.

I think he still cares but tries to numb it all down and not care anymore. so he might be fooling himself, deluding himself...I think he did the same with his friends. Thinking that there's a higher goal and that it's all worth shedding your friends aside for it - I think he might be trying to convince himself of that.

In this situation there is no time for him to care about Levi.

ZEKE IS NOW CLOSE ENOUGH TO TITANIZE THOSE INFECTED BY THE WINE. DO YOU THINK HE'LL DO IT? 1,285 responses

It was nice knowing you, Pixis. Now that Zeke has joined the battle within the walls of Shiganshina, it’s not looking good for anyone with a red or black cloth tied around their arm. More than 80% of respondents believe that those who drank the Zekejuice will soon be turned into titans, while only 19% choose to remain hopeful about their fates.

I would say Zeke titanizing everyone who drank the wine is inevitable, but the fact that Falco ingested the wine keeps being brought up. Zeke isn't aware. I feel like he has to know about Falco's state before any decisions are made. Whether that helps or not, we'll find out. After all, Zeke was shown to be close to Colt, who's Falco's big bro. Big brother feelings resonate with Zeke. It's a 50/50 chance imo.

Yeah, with Zeke joining the fray and all those soldiers that ingested his spinal fluid locked up, I expect Zeke will scream and turn Falco + all, if not most, of the spinal fluid-infected Paradis soldiers into Pure Titans next chapter. From there, Zeke will give Eren the Pure Titans needed to attack Marley's forces in Shingashina right now.

IS THIS THE FINAL BATTLE? 1,282 responses

Now that the fight has started, how many think it’s the last brawl? About ⅔ at 66.2% think the story will continue, whereas ⅓ at 33.8% think the story will end when this battle does.

Honestly this better not be the final battle. Marley vs Paradis is too black and white, I need a large commentary on the human condition

This really does feel like the final multi-titan battle. It might not technically be the final fight, but this feels like the RtS of the post-Marley arc. It's the climactic battle we've been building towards

People can say whatever they want, but everything indicates to me that Eren will become the last antagonist for the final war against the whole world.

This specific fight may not be the final battle but I have a feeling there are more to follow right here. Poetic really, that the series began in Shiganshina and will end there.

WHAT WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO SEE NEXT CHAPTER? 1,289 responses

117’s come and gone, on to 118! The most popular answer, at about 30% want to see this fight continue more than anything else. 23.3% would like an update about Levi and Hange, 16.2% want the 104th in action, and 11.7% are at the altar of Annie.

please god either of the blonde best girls would be nice.

Armin and Annie joining the battle

I want to see what happened with Hange and Levi and also information on Historia. I also kind of hope to see Eren double cross Zeke.

Eren's plan, Levi, Armin being the genius he is , Annie, Mikasa fighting

Erwin. There is nothing I want more and idc how unreachable my dream is.

Continuation of the battle, and maybe Armin using his titan power to jail protect everyone in the jail cell. If Eren could partially titanise to protect himself, Armin and Mikasa from canon ball fire back in the first arc, Armin could do the same!

Bertolt. More Bertolt.

Some scene where Eren or someone reflects on all those lost, because honestly, it's my only chance of seeing Mina in the main story one more time.

I'd love to see all of them (except Floch), but in the context of what's going on right now, I think it'd be cool to see Annie join the fight just because it's been so long she's been in that crystal, and with practically every Titan in Shingashina right now (not to mention the recent Annie teasing), she's the only one absent from the fight, and I want to see her participate. I also expect to see Zeke using his scream next chapter, because it just feels like the perfect opportunity for us readers to see the Founding Titan in action again.

Floch, 104th, Annie, Yelena, Zeke, Eren, (no levi dont care about him)

I want Mikasa to shine, and I want to see Historia again

WHERE IS MY FUCKING EREN FLASHBACK YAMS, I NEED THE SAUCE PLD

I'm sick of Eren and I don't care what happens to him. I want to know what happened to Levi.

All of the above, but fuck floch

I'm expecting Zeke will scream next chapter, and Falco will be the among the ones that will turn into a Pure Titan

Is it too much to ask for all of it?

Onyankopon FREE MY SONS AND DAUGHTER. FREE ARMIN AT LEAST.

AT THIS POINT, AROUND WHICH CHAPTER DO YOU EXPECT THE MANGA WILL CONCLUDE?

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE CHAPTER?

Overall..pretty amazing chapter...just want to know the aftermath of zeke's arrival at this point.

Zeke is best boi and I needed that onii-chan panel in my life. My depression is cured.

Greatest Titan Battle yet!!! And Eren is easily the best character in Attack on Titan and one of the best manga protagonists ever!!!

Zeke loves eren and I think its so sweet, eren be gentle with him!

I want to see reiner getting his "revenge" over bertholdt's death , since we know that bertholdt was an important person in reiners life

FLOCH! Where is my lover? I don't have the power. On my side forever. Oooh Missing my Floch Lover!

It been a while since Isayama didn't shine with his drawing specially. The facial expressions and symbolism between some panels are so powerfull meaning and puts us in struggle to decoding it for a bit. One of the most deepest one (for me) was yelena saying "you're different from others Eren, you're special".

I do not foresee a great future for Eren as facial surgeon.

Marley and the warriors is so hypocritical. Porco's line really go to me because they attacked Paradis multiple times first. Hope eren beats their ass.

This chapter was okay but I’m getting bored of Eren vs Reiner. Also, I would really like to see the 104th out of that damn cell and I would also like to never have to lay my eyes in Zeke or Floch ever again.

Intense and amazing in many ways, Marley FTW

Pieke and Gabi made me feel for them more than I expected.

In need of an update on Historia. Looking forward how Zeke and Eren fight together. Will they actually kill the warriors? Will those who are in the cell break free and come to stop the battle or join in? Did the Yeagerists manage to get their hands on Levi and Hanji??

THE GATE GUARDS DID NOTHING WRONG I WILL NEVER STOP FIGHTING - I WILL SCREAM THIS FROM THE HEAVENS. JUSTICE FOR THE GATE GUARDS

Isayama has gotten very good at action scenes hot damn

I guess Reiner was right with saying that Eren is the most unreliable person who's entrusted with the coordinates and the power of the founding titan, because it could be possible that Eren will use this power for the bad.

I think 104th will escape and Chad style Dab on Marley and pop their airships to end up losing Connie and then get 99999x Thunderspears to create their own rumbling because Eren didn't have the coordinate after all.

Now we need Wack a Mole Eren

I was really hoping porco would eject out of the jaw titan when he was skewered, and retransform only to get nearly killed by Eren either impaling him or using him as a meatshield against Magath.

Where's mah boi Levi and Hanji at?

we were blessed with so much eren this chapter and i’d like to thank not only god but also jesus

Pieck has the biggest dick in the city. Take that Eren's WHT spears.

I really like how the Attack Titan screams so loudly it causes Gabi and Colt to resort to shutting their ears. Pretty sick xD

I sad-cringed at the "oni-chan" comment so much man. Poor Zeke

I think it was a well written battle in the sense that there was still a good amount of tension because Eren wasn't just effortlessly slaughtering the warriors. Instead he defiantly held his ground while outnumbered, outgunned and surrounded which imo showcases his strengths - tenacity and willpower - best of all.

I want all 9 titans to come together in an epic all-out brawl! Please make it happen Isayama!

If Pieck and Zeke don't engage in an Artillery duel next chapter, I'll be sorely disappointed.

This is just the begining of beautiful friendship - 104th and Marleyans. You shall see the truth soon ;)

When I finished the chapter I started crying because of what Reiner said while he was trying to eat Eren. In my opinion, Reiner has been such an accurate depiction of suicidal ideation that it's scary. It's just really painful to see, but I'm glad it's done so well and I really commemorate Isayama for treating it respectfully. I suppose I hope Reiner gets to see the kids again before he dies. At least... give him one last smile before he has to say goodbye.

I am most looking forward to see if Mikasa joins the fight or not, we still don't know what she thinks about Eren now!! And I want to know what Armin figured out, and I really want to know where the FUCK Historia is, and I really really want to know what happened to Levi and Hange. In that order.

Very good and well rounded, comedic moments were funny and not forced, Fights looked great as expected. Unique twist seeing new anti titan weaponry but enjoyable to see it being used.

This chapter really illustrated how well Isayama can draw facial expressions to convey the characters thoughts

It was an artistically beautiful chapter, as has been the norm recently, and I am so excited to see more.

It's so cathartic to see Eren finally let loose again

Magnificent, but seriously when is Annie coming back

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 1,236 responses

This chart changes ever so slightly from month-to-month. While Tumblr is up a few percentage points, Reddit continues to bring nearly half of all respondents. Thank you again to everyone who participated, regardless of what platform you are on!

#snk spoilers #snk 117 #snk poll #snk polls #poll results

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imnotinclinedtomaturity · 6 years ago

Text

Love Yourself (Chapter 29)

title: Love Yourself summary: A lot of things about Dan’s life are pretty great. He gets to make the music he wants, he’s got a great fanbase, and his manager is his best friend. A few things about his life suck a bit more. He’s currently lacking inspiration, he’s rather lonely, and he’s stuck in a rut. Dan’s been going to the same coffee shop for years. It’s quiet, it’s quaint, it’s near his home. Most importantly: none of the employees give a shit that’s he a world-famous singer. Things change when he meets the new barista. chapter words: 5k story words: 233k (so far) chapter: 29/? rating: m warnings: language, alcohol, sex mentions, some bi/homophobia, eventual explicit smut, some depression genre: singer!dan, coffee shop au, barista!phil, slow burn [[ao3]] [[first chapter]] [[previous chapter]]

a/n: it’s holiday break, so i guess i’m back to my 2am posting schedule whoops lol. as always, much love to @auroraphilealis for all her help. earlier today, i asked her to edit before i wrote more of this chapter because i wasn't sure how much more to include without making things seem rushed and she was like "actually, i think you should end it here" so yeah, it's a bit short, but i was secretly thinking it before she said it, too, so it must be right lol. i'm v v v pumped for the next few chapters though omg do we have things in store.

Dan hurried out of his bedroom, pulling his potato sack of a sweater over his head as he left. The two minutes since the lift had dinged with Louise’s arrival already felt like too long, and at this point, he knew any further delay was risky.

He hadn’t bothered to find trousers — the only ones he’d seen on the floor were his tight as fuck jeans from last night, and he certainly wasn’t going to try to pull those back on. And lord knew he wasn’t going to take the time to dig around for something more comfortable. He’d known Louise for far too long to trust that she wouldn’t bang on his bedroom door if he didn’t make an appearance quickly. And if he didn’t answer the bedroom door fast enough… well, it was probably safe to assume that her and Phil would suddenly be much better acquainted.

Socks, pants, and a massive sweater would have to do.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Dan hollered as he rushed down the hallway, just in case she hadn’t heard him slam the bedroom door behind him as he made his hasty exit. Adrenaline was still pumping through him, not allowing him to lose sight of the whirlwind of the last twenty-four hours. Both the sex and the productive, healthy talking had left Dan in an excellent mood, and he felt like the happy energy was bubbling out of him.

“In the lounge!” Louise called back. “Bring your computer charger, I forgot mine!” she tacked on.

“Fine, you needy goose!” Dan shouted, not sounding nearly as aggravated as he’d intended; he didn’t have it in him to actually be annoyed with Louise demanding things right now. He diverted into his music room, and quickly grabbed his charger from where it was still plugged into his laptop next to his guitar.

Dan shuffled down the hallway quickly, unable to make himself slow down and walk at a proper pace. He was still going slightly too fast when he turned into the lounge, causing him to accidentally slide around the corner and crash into Louise, who was pouring herself a glass of water at the bar cart.

“Hello there, bear,” Louise greeted with a smile, her arms automatically wrapping around him for a quick hug.

Dipping his head down, Dan pressed a chaste peck to her cheek. “Hi, Lou,” he said cheerfully with a wide, beaming smile that did nothing to tone down how good he was currently feeling.

Louise’s eyes darted behind Dan, peeking through the door over his shoulder. “I assumed Phil was still here…” she trailed off, her words not quite coming out as a question.

“Oh, he is,” Dan confirmed slyly, flashing Louise an impish grin. “He had a small problem that he needed to calm down from before he could be social, though.” Dan winked, sounding extra cheeky, even though Louise had definitely known Dan long enough that his words needed no further explanation.

“Daniel James Howell!” Louise gasped dramatically, a look of mock-outrage on her face. “Were you actually in the middle of sex when I showed up?” Her eyes scanned down Dan, properly taking in his outfit — or lack thereof — for the first time since he’d slid into the room. Her eyes were stern and her hands were on her hips, but Dan could see a smile tugging at her lips.

“No!” Dan defended hastily, although a smile was pulling at his lips as he remembered what him and Phil had gotten up to not too long ago. “We’ve been… done for a while. Not my fault he got all worked up when I checked my phone.”

Louise’s eyebrows quickly knitted together, and her head cocked to the side. “Usually not a sexual thing, Dan…” she noted, a humorous lilt in her voice.

Unable to resist, Dan wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Not unless you’re naked and it looks like you’re riding him…”

“Wait. Have you — did you —” Louise abruptly stopped mid-sentence, eye narrowed and lips tipped up into a hint of a mischievous smile. Dan raised his eyebrows questioningly, and Louise started over, “Did you talk or just mess around today?”

A shy giggle escaped Dan’s mouth, and he shrugged, tipping his head to the side. “Both, actually,” Dan admitted bashfully. “He pushed for us to talk, then we messed around, then we talked again.”

Louise stared at him for a moment, looking contemplative. Finally, she seemed to settle on a response, and a sly smile spread across her face. “Okay, I have to know first. What do you mean by mess around?”

Dan laughed loudly. He’d known the gossip who was determined to know every detail of his love life would have inevitably push for more on that particular detail, but he’d kind of expected the manager in Louise to push for more information on their conversation first.

Given how insane the last twenty-some hours had been though, Dan was glad to discover that best-friend-Louise was here, not just manager-Louise. It felt nice to revel in the newness of his relationship — a relationship that was going shocking well and maturely — instead of the massive fuck-fest that was his overall life right now.

“No sex yet, you nosy snoop,” Dan teased, mouth pulled into a wide and saucy smirk. “I’ll call you as soon as he pulls out if you’re that desperate to know.”

Immediately, Louise crinkled her nose and narrowed her eyes, her expression just barely bordering on horrified. “Not that fast, please,” Louise grimaced, her nose scrunched up in mock-horror. “Wait until it’s… back in your pants, at least.”

“Mmmm,” Dan hummed knowingly as he flashed her another devilish grin. “You’re the one that seems so intent on knowing.”

“Not that fast!” Louise defended with a scoff. Her eyes were wide as saucers, and she was shaking her head adamantly. “You freak,” she added moving to sit on the sofa.

“Fine, fine,” Dan relented, his hands held up in playful surrender. A giggle was threatening to break through his voice, though, ruining his attempts to sound exasperated. “If you really think you can wait, then I guess I’ll just force him to cuddle with me afterwards.”

“I’m sure that will be so hard, given how enamoured he is with you,” Louise replied sarcastically.

“It’s not that dramatic,” Dan whined.

“Yeah, right...” Louise trailed off sarcastically, shaking her head and rolling her eyes at the same time. Dan couldn’t help but feel slightly insulted by how much Louise seemed to think him and Phil were more serious than he was saying. Even if it was true.

Louise’s demeanor shifted, then. Her smile was still soft, and Dan could tell that Concerned Friend Louise was still here, but he could see from the subtle way her shoulders pushed back and her voice lowered that Manager Louise was coming, too. “The talking then, tell me about that if you won’t dish on the sex,” Louise pushed.

Averting his eyes to the bar cart, where the flowers were wilting without a proper vase, and the pile of glass was scooped beneath it, Dan mumbled, “Do I have to?”

“As a friend, I’d let it go,” Louise offered with a sympathetic smile, voice soft and understanding. “But as your manager, I kind of need to know if you came to any decisions about where you want to go from here.”

“Fuck, I know,” Dan whined, reluctantly giving in. Glancing over his shoulder, Dan peeked down the empty hallway and ruffled his hair anxiously. “Phil should be out here in a minute. Then we can all talk together.”

Louise’s eyebrows shot up. “You want him to be here when we talk about your next steps?” she asked, a hint of disbelief lacing her tone.

Dan couldn’t help but chuckle — Louise’s skepticism certainly wasn’t completely unwarranted. He’d never, never, let any of his partners join their business discussions before. But Phil was different. Dan had always known that Phil would be different, and after their talk today, he had some idea of how to actually show Phil that he was different. It was hard, and kind of uncomfortable, but Dan was determined to do this right. “Like I said, we talked. I’m trying something new.”

“Aw,” Louise cooed, her hand reaching out to pinch his cheek. “Is little Daniel —”

“Please don’t make a big deal of this, Louise,” Dan cut her off. With an annoyed huff, Dan smacked her hand away and cocked his head out of her reach.

Louise narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, still looking like she was on the verge of taunting him. Dan was well aware of how abnormal this was for him, how whipped and adulty he must sound, but he really didn’t want to get into it. Not right now, not when Phil was bound to barge in at any minute. Silently, he pleaded with wide eyes for Louise to drop the subject.

“Fine,” Louise agreed. “For now,” she amended, shooting Dan a sidelong glance. Letting the topic go, Louise snatched the laptop charger from his hands and plugged her computer in by the armchair. Dan followed her the rest of the way into the lounge and collapsed onto the far end of the sofa, leaving room for Phil to sit. Barely looking up from her computer, Louise mumbled, “I need to pull some stuff up anyway, so we’ll wait for Phil.”

With the exception of Louise’s clicking and typing, the room was silent. Dan fiddled with the hem of his jumper, wishing that he’d remembered his phone. The internet was probably a risky place for him to lurk at the moment, but he was itching to be scrolling through something — even if that something was tumblr post after tumblr post speculating about his recent announcement.

He wondered what people were thinking, how many more had realized that Phil was the boy from last night, if Isabella had said anything yet. He wondered if Isabella had figured out a way to spin his coming out so that it somehow about her, or if new outlets were reaching out to hear her version of the story. Scrolling through twitter and tumblr might not answer the questions beating around his head, but fuck, at least it’d give him something else to concentrate on.

The sound of clumsy footsteps jarred Dan out of his thoughts. Dan glanced up in time to see Phil hovering awkwardly in the doorway. A smug smile tugged at Dan’s lips when he noticed that Phil had pulled on a pair of Dan’s loose, thick pyjama pants instead of his own tight joggers — clearly, Phil still had something to hide.

Apparently Dan wasn’t the only one who’d noticed Phil’s wardrobe change; Louise eyed Phil’s pyjamas with a knowing look, quiet laughter bubbling. Dan made the mistake of catching her gaze, and suddenly they were both cackling over the ridiculousness of the situation.

“G-glad you took a moment to c-calm down there, Philly,” Dan choked out through his laughter. His cheeks hurt from smiling too hard, and he knew they were probably flushed as well.

“Yeah,” Louise added, her own giggles making her words hard to understand. “I guess that m-moment was w-well helpf-ful.”

A bright red flush rushed up Phil’s neck, flooding from his cheeks to the tips of his ears. His blatant embarrassment only seemed to fuel Dan and Louise’s amusement, and they both redoubled into another bout of laughter.

Phil groaned, high pitched and whiny, as he buried his face in his hands. He collapsed onto the sofa, his face still hidden, and sagged against Dan.

“Poor Philly,” Dan cooed, laughter still shaking his shoulders as he pulled Phil closer. It was so fucking refreshing to have a partner that he could tease, a partner that wouldn’t stomp their foot and huff and throw a tantrum when Dan and Louise made a joke at their expense.

“None of today is the impression I wanted to make on Louise,” Phil whined through his fingers, sounding positively morose. Both Dan and Louise giggled again, Louise humorously shaking her head.

“I reckon there’ll be other chances,” Dan offered, trying to sound reassuring despite his mirth.

“Ughhh,” Phil mumbled unintelligently.

Dan smiled fondly at Phil, just barely resisting the temptation to pry his hands from his face and kiss his rosy cheeks.

Slowly, their laughter dwindled and Phil’s ears faded to their normal pale color. Louise cleared her throat, drawing Dan’s attention away from Phil. “As much as I have been wanting to get to know Phil,” Louise said with a pointed look, her voice switching into manager mode, “we have a lot to chat about, and some of these decisions need to be made fast.”

Both Dan and Phil straightened up at Louise’s sudden shift, putting a respectable distance between themselves.

“First things first,” Louise said, her gaze shifting back and forth from Dan to Phil. “Isabella responded. Sort of.”

“And?” Dan asked warily. Nervously, his hands tightly latched onto his legs, his fingertips harshly digging into his bare thighs. Dan was too amped up to notice the pain, but Phil must not have been. Gentle fingers wrapped around Dan’s hand, and pulled it down. Pliantly, Dan let Phil guide their hands to his lap, his fingers automatically seeking out the hem of his baggy jumper instead.

“She’s keeping her meeting with Tatler tomorrow,” Louise continued with a frown — a fact that didn’t escape Dan’s notice. With a deep sigh, Dan prepared himself for whatever news Louise had. “Judging by the fan’s tweet that she replied to, she’s going to talk about her version of finding out about your sexuality. So prepare yourself for that.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Dan grumbled.

“Hang on, let me just show you,” Louise mumbled, tapping around on her phone before tossing it to Dan. It was opened to Isabella’s twitter, of course. Tilting the phone so Phil could see too, Dan apprehensively read the tweet.

@prettyfashionista: @IsabellaDeLaRenta Did you know that @danielhowell was bi when you were dating?”

@IsabellaDeLaRenta: @prettyfashionista You’ll have to read my interview with @Tatler tomorrow to hear all about it ;)

It wasn’t surprising that Isabella was determined to say something about Dan’s coming out, but his heart sunk all the same. “Great,” Dan mumbled with an eyeroll, throwing Louise’s phone back. Whatever that story was, it was bound to be a load of bullshit.

Louise caught her phone and continued without acknowledging Dan’s disgruntled comment. “I’ve spoken with Tatler’s legal team though, and they are aware that if they run any version of the stories Isabella described in that contract, then charges will be pressed.”

“Fucking fantastic,” Dan grumbled, still not pleased with the direction of the conversation so far. Pressing charges wouldn’t do any good; if the story got out, then the damage would be done. Besides, even if Tatler refrained from releasing any of the shit in the contract, there was still plenty of crap Isabella could spin to make Dan look like the villain.

“As you can imagine, both the media and your fans have lots of questions.” Louise seemed to click a few times on her screen before fully returning her attention to Dan. “Especially since Isabella is going to talk to Talter, and say god knows what, I think it’s important for you to properly talk about this somewhere.”

“Like an interview,” Dan deadpanned, even though he already knew the answer.

Louise nodded. “I’ve got several options lined up, just waiting to be confirmed. If you’re okay with it, then we can talk about what you’re willing to do and eliminate some of those options.”

Dan sighed and gave a firm nod, steeling himself for what he knew he had to do. Interviews weren’t his favorite part of fame — especially when he didn’t have something concrete to promote as an easy conversation topic to fall back on. As much as Dan knew that an interview — or two or three — was the right thing to do, he also knew that there would be no easy questions or topics. Not even his album, which he’d made explicitly clear was at least partially about a boy, would be comfortable.

“Let’s hear the options, then.” Dan shifted forward, his elbows moving to rest on his knees, his hands steadfastly crossed in front of him.

“Okay, well the biggest decision is how you want to talk,” Louise explained without looking up from her computer. “There are some tv options, a few website ones, and,” her eyes flickered to Phil. “One radio option.”

Dan followed Louise’s gaze, sending a questioning look at Phil.

“Don’t ask me,” Phil defended lightly with a smile and a shrug. “I’ve been ignoring my bosses’ emails all day. But I did see a few from the BBC with your name in the subject line…”

“Well, given the decision to not confirm, um, us right now...” Dan’s gaze flickered between Phil and Louise, whose eyebrows raised in surprise at Dan’s admission. “I don’t think the radio show is the best idea. Plus,” Dan continued before Louise could push him to decide — he didn’t need the pressure, as soon as he’d heard the options, he’d known in his gut what he wanted, needed to do. “I want people to be able to see and hear me. So that leaves television,” he concluded, resolute and unwavering.

“Of course,” Phil agreed understandingly at the same time as Louise asked, “Why?”

Dan caught Phil’s eye. It didn’t surprise him that Phil — who was both in the public eye and queer — would understand why Dan was adamant to discuss this particular topic in a place where editors couldn’t easily chop up his words. And Louise, who was straight and sheltered from the scrutiny of the media, wouldn’t.

Turning his gaze back to Louise, Dan explained, “If I’m going to do this, if I’m going to talk about my sexuality, then I want people to hear this from me.” Dan drummed his fingers on his closed fist, automatically letting out a sigh when Phil’s hand landed on his lower back and began tracing soothing circles just above his pants. “I just — I don’t want websites or magazines or whoever to have the chance to twist my words, and most radio doesn’t have enough coverage for my entire audience to hear it. I want people to hear every word I have to say. It’s too important.”

Louise nodded with a note of finality, her hands clicking around on the computer some more. “Okay, that leaves… three television options. And then that narrows it down to the question of when.”

“The sooner the better,” Dan answered confidently — much more confidently than he’d realized he felt. Now that he’d actually come out, deciding to talk about it felt a million times easier than he ever would have anticipated. “Whatever the fuck Isabella is going to tell Tatler tomorrow, I want to be able to respond as soon as possible.”

Louise clicked silently a few more times before finally looking up. “Alright, what are your thoughts on… The Tonight Show?”

“Brilliant,” Dan agreed with a sigh of relief. He’d been on The Tonight Show a few times since he’d released his first album, and each time it had been a wonderful experience. “Jimmy’s great, he’ll be well understanding and supportive. When?”

“Tomorrow night?” Louise answered with a slight grimace, her voice raising up tentatively.

“Holy shit,” Dan murmured. Needing an outlet for his stress, Dan ran an agitated hand through his hair, tugging on his curls. “The Tonight Show’s in America, Lou! That means I’d have to leave…” Dan trailed off, shaking his head. When he’d said soon, he hadn’t anticipated now.

“On the redeye tonight,” Louise confirmed solemnly. “I’ve already got a ticket on hold, I had a feeling you’d pick this one.”

Dan sighed, resigned to his fate, and dropped his hand to his lap, his fingers tapping out a familiar beat on his knee. It was soon and rushed, but far better than any other option — he knew that without even hearing which other interviews Louise had to offer. “Make it two, I’m not going without you.”

Red lip drawn between her teeth, Louise shot Dan an uncertain half-smile. “It’s Darcy’s first ballet recital tomorrow and I’d be a horrid mum if I missed it…”

“Louise!” Dan balked, outraged at the mere idea of Louise sending him to do this alone. “You can’t expect me to go to New York alone right now!” Less than twelve hours ago, Louise had held Dan while he fell apart — she couldn’t seriously expect him to go halfway across the world by himself. Not to handle this of all topics, even with his surprising newfound confidence.

“Both Tom and Matt — my boyfriend and Darcy’s dad,” Louise clarified with a quick glance at Phil, “are out of town this weekend. If I don’t go, then Darcy will have no one at her first recital,” Louise pleaded, sounding guilty but like she was begging Dan to understand. It was clear that she felt truly horrid. Horrid enough that she might give in if Dan pushed a little bit more.

It wasn’t that Dan didn’t feel bad for Darcy, he just… well, when he pictured himself sitting alone in a hotel room in New York City before going on late night American television to talk about his shitty ex-relationship and his sexuality, he felt even worse for himself.

Before he could start to plead, though, Phil interrupted him.

“I could go,” Phil offered, sounding far too casual for the magnitude of what he was suggesting.

Dan and Louise simultaneously snapped to look at Phil. Dan’s jaw was sagging open as he tried to process Phil’s offer. Out of the corner of his eye, Dan could tell that Louise’s expression wasn’t tons more composed.

“To America,” Dan clarified stupidly. “With me. This weekend.”

“I don’t want you go alone, and if you think Jimmy Fallon is the right choice, then I’ll support you,” Phil agreed easily. His knee knocked against Dan’s purposefully.

“But you have a liveshow this weekend,” Dan replied, still sounding shocked and wildly unintelligent. His brain was having trouble processing Phil’s offer to give up his weekend to fly to a different continent to be Dan’s emotional support while he talked about his sexuality— especially since they’d just had a fight about the fact that Dan had come out without properly telling Phil.

“Liveshows,” Phil retorted with bit of laughter in his voice, “can be done from anywhere, including New York.”

“Oh,” Dan muttered as he finally let himself imagine what Phil, not Louise, coming with him could be like. Let himself imagine having Phil standing backstage as he talked to fucking Jimmy Fallon about being bisexual in front of a live audience. Let himself imagine him and Phil going out somewhere after filming was over, maybe a nice restaurant or bar. Let himself imagine actually getting a whole new kind of support from a relationship.

“You’d do that?” Dan breathed, still in awe. Butterflies were beating at Dan’s stomach, causing Dan to feel overwhelmed by everything he felt for Phil. These emotions were new, and he barely knew what to do with them, but he was so, so happy to finally feel the all-consuming warmth that people talked about.

“Of course,” Phil murmured back. His eyes were bright and full of just as much affection as he held Dan’s gaze. “Supportive and healthy relationship, right?”

“Right,” Dan agreed softly, a slow smile spreading across his face. He’d always thought artists who wrote love songs were exaggerating or selling out, but given the album he was working on, he’d have to reassess his opinion for fear of being a hypocrite. “You’re seriously amazing.”

“So are you,” Phil promised quietly, his thumb gently grazing the side of Dan’s thigh. In perfect sync, both boys leaned in, naturally tipping their lips towards each other.

“Sorry to interrupt lads,” Louise chimed in, yanking them out of their sweet moment. Dan snapped his head to face Louise, only to find her still fully in manager mode with her fingers poised on her keyboard. “The flight leaves in five hours, and if you’re serious, then you should be booked and packing right about now.”

Dan’s mouth opened and closed, gaping like a fish, before he turned to face Phil again. Even without Dan voicing the question that was on the tip of his tongue, Phil gave a singular emphatic nod. That was all the confirmation Dan needed; breaking eye contact with Phil, Dan shifted his gaze back to Louise with a matching nod. “Book the tickets.”

*****************************

When Dan made it to the airport three hours later, he was out of breath and tired. He hadn’t seen Phil since Louise had kicked him out to go pack as soon as the tickets were booked. Phil had left quickly with a chaste kiss and a promise to meet Dan at the airport; now that Dan was here, all he wanted was Phil to be next to him again.

Phil hadn’t been out the door for more than three minutes before Louise forced them to switch into planning mode — not hotels or any of the logistical pieces that Louise could handle while they were in the air, but the very detailed particulars of Dan’s late night appearance. As inauthentic as it felt to craft answers to a million possible questions that he might be asked, Dan knew he’d be grateful for this planning session tomorrow.

The conversation hadn’t been dropped when he’d started packing, either. Louise followed him into the bedroom, and began proposing thousands of possibilities of what Isabella might tell Tatler. Together, they worked through how he could respond to different false accusations and attacks, and decided which bits of his side of their relationship he was willing to share.

Realistically, Dan would only have a few hours between Isabella’s meeting at Tatler and filming his segment of The Tonight Show, so the more preparation he did today, the better. And the majority of those hours would likely be spent backstage, too close to prying ears to properly talk things through with Phil.

By the time Dan had crawled into an uber with his luggage, he had been too sick of talking to even carry on a conversation with the driver. Thankfully, Phil had sent a reassuring text to Dan that his uber was only a few minutes out, and that he’d meet Dan at the airport soon.

The wait for Phil was agonizing. At least three people were wearing the black Ugh beanies that Dan had sold on his last tour, and he was eternally grateful that he’d snagged a bench next to a large pole that he could hide behind. There was no doubt in Dan’s mind that him and Phil would not be able to make it all the way to New York without running into at least one of their respective fans — him and Phil both had massive fanbases, so it seemed inevitable that they’d run into fans at some point. Dan sincerely hoped that the universe could just hold off until Phil was here to help keep up the conversation, though.

From his seat just a few meters from the doors, Dan finally saw Phil tumble through the nearest entrance a few minutes after Dan had checked in, his suitcase precariously trailing behind him. A wave of relief rushed through Dan as the anxiety that was chewing at his edges dulled. Without hesitating, Dan hoisted his backpack on his shoulder and rushed towards Phil. For a moment, Dan didn’t care about any fans that might still be loitering nearby. He launched himself at Phil, arms wrapping around his neck, eager for a hug from his boyfriend after the stress of the last few hours.

“Ooof,” Phil grunted, although Dan could practically hear the smile in Phil’s voice. Clumsy arms circled around Dan’s waist, and Dan was distantly aware of the dull thud from Phil’s suitcase toppling over. Steadfastly ignoring it, Dan squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face in Phil’s neck. He took a deep breath, inhaling Phil’s strawberry shampoo and spiced cologne — it was the most relaxed he’d felt since getting out of bed that afternoon.

“Hi babe,” Phil greeted after a moment, his hands loosening from their resting place. Immediately, Dan tensed up, and his hold around Phil’s neck tightened.

“Not yet,” he mumbled, his voice coming out far more desperate and needy than he’d intended for it to. Now that Phil was hugging him, Dan realized how much he had been craving this, how much he needed the warm comfort of Phil.

A soft chuckle tickled Dan’s ear, but Phil’s arms tightened around him again, and Dan relaxed back into Phil’s embrace. Dan knew they couldn’t stay like this long — they needed to get through security and, plus, at some point the risk of someone photographing them would become too high. But for just another moment, Dan let himself not care — not care about their tight itinerary, not care about fans, not care about anything but the warm comfort of Phil.

Phil hugged Dan close and tight, not letting go until Dan unwound himself from Phil’s neck and stepped back. Even then, Phil reached out for Dan, this time lightly stroking his thumb over Dan’s cheek. “Are you sure about this?” he asked, voice low and quiet.

“Definitely,” Dan nodded before turning his head and pressing a chaste kiss to the flat of Phil’s palm.

“Let’s go then,” Phil said encouragingly, bending down for his suitcase before leading Dan back over to his guitar.

“Yeah,” Dan agreed. His fingers brushed lightly against the back of Phil’s hand, his pinkie wrapping around Phil’s for the briefest of seconds. Someday, he’d hold Phil’s hand in airports — and restaurants and bars and fucking Tesco — but for now, Dan reached for the handle of his guitar case. “Let’s go.”

#phanfic #phanfiction #phan #phan au #coffee shop au #barista!phil #singer!dan #au #ly 29 #ly #love yourself #iminclinedtowriting

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lampsabout-moved · 6 years ago

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The Persona 3,4, and 5 Rewrite FAQ Masterpost

Everything under the cut! Including my plans, current fics, and spoilers for all three!

Persona 3 Rewrite, titled “Pull The Trigger” (https://archiveofourown.org/works/18834676/chapters/44696302) -Hamuko is the main character, and protagonist! She does all the major plot important things, cause it’s what she deserves. -Minato is not excluded though! He is still a part of S.E.E.S, and is a senior student. He takes the role of the Navigator. His Persona is Eurydice, to mirror Hamuko’s Orpheus! -Fuuka is no longer the team’s Navigator! I’ve reworked Lucia into a battle oriented Persona! She uses the nuclear skills from p5, and has a big fuck off sword. -Yukari/Hamuko/Aigis RIGHTS! -Minato/Akihiko RIGHTS! -More LGBT Rep! -Not as many social links, mainly cause i’m not a big fan of the P3 SL’s, keeping the party members and a few favorites. -Both Elizabeth and Theodore are included, with the added addition of Theodore staying out of the Attendant fight. They are represented by the Temperance social link. -Shinji still dies, sorry! -Ken isn’t used in combat as much, cause he’s 9. Same with Koromaru. -Operation Babehunt? Don’t know her! The gang meets Aigis when Hamuko spots her on the beach. -The Awnser’s time loop isn’t just hand waved??? It’s def more explicit with (SPOILERS), Metis’s whole deal of being Aigis’s Shadow? -Little stuff, like Pharos ending everything conversation with “Time Never Waits”, Hamuko using ultimate personas after finishing social links, Rio’s inclusion, Hidetoshi’s exclusion, Fuuka being trans, etc, etc Persona 4 Rewrite, titled “Part The Fog”! -First off, Kanji is mlm, and Naoto is a trans boy. Those are the stories that Atlus wrote, but refused to follow up on. Naoto’s arc is about accepting himself as trans, Kanji’s is about him recognizing himself as gay. -Kanji is now the Navigator! Featuring a redesigned Take-Mikauzachi! Rise takes his role as an active party member. -Soukanji rights!!! Yukichie rights!!! Naorise rights!!! -Yosuke, Yosuke is bi. His social link itself is about overcoming his internalized biphobia and homophobia. It’s not his shadow’s main focus, but it’s a part of it. -Rise’s shadow is no longer a pole-dancer! her shadow takes the form of a clown like Rise, putting on a LOVELY carnival (her dungeon) to get people to look at her for who she really is. She finally takes off her make-up in the boss fight, splitting into a bunch of different rise’s and begging her to tell her who “The Real Rise Is?”, kinda like P4TA. -Adachi is dead. Full stop. He does not come back for P4AU. -Speaking of spin-offs, Kanami Mashita! After the events of P4D, she gets a Persona of her own, Laetitae! -Biggggg social link changes. A disguised Kanami, Amnesiac Labrys, and Sho all apear as Social Links. Kanami being The Hanged Man, Labrys being Strength, and Sho as the Moon. Other SL’s changed accordingly. -Marie is still present, and is more integrated into the story. She is one half of Izanami, and willingly erased her memories after seperation. She herself carries Fog with her, and appears...off. She has a too-long shadow, her smile’s a little too wide, her eyes a little too yellow, rain seems to follow her. -Teddie is not a perv character. He’s close to the plot so I couldn’t write him out??? But he’s not as pervy as he is in canon, just a flirt. Also Teddie’s Bi, so jot that down. -I really liked the concept that Rise’s non “Risette” personality was harsh and aggressive? So she’s really rough around the edges when she first meets the IT, only warming up to them after her dungeon is completed. Think Severa from FE13. -Overall, a lot more actual truth finding, a lot less homophobia and transphobia. Persona 5 rewrite, titled “Invitation To Freedom”! -this is the one im most excited for HOLY S H IT -okay so, -redesigns for everyone’s phantom thief attire. especially the girls. Ann’s design is more like, a mix between her persona and Shego from Kim Possible? If that makes sense? Less dominatrix, more cutesy evil queen. (Makoto is more knight like, but is still spiky like a biker, Futaba resembles a video game merchant mixed with a tech super villain, and Haru is full on Musketeer.) -MORGANA ISN’T CREEPILY INTO ANN. NO MORE ANN BEING CONSTANTLY SEXUALIZED. G O D -speaking of Ann, her entire awakening scene is reworked. No more writhing for my girl. She still kicks the sword and kills Cognitive Ann tho. -Pegoryu rights!! Shihoann rights!! Okujima rights!! Kasutaba rights!! -Akechi joins during Kaneshiro’s palace, along with Makoto! Makoto gets herself in too deep thanks to her being over-protective, and Ren folds, saying that they need someone with detective work to help them, and as much as he hates it, Akechi’s probably been onto them for awhile now anyway. -Akechi is still the traitor. -There are not one, not two, but three players in Yaldaboath’s game! Whose’s the third player? Kasumi Yoshizawa! -Kasumi actually has her own team of Phantom Thieves! They interrupt The PT’s antics the palace, messing with them in Mementos, being rascals. her team includes Hifumi Togo, Sho Minazuki (the weird uncle who followed her into the metaverse), and an OC! (She’s currently based oN Hatsune Miku because I do what I want.) [This was inspired by a tumblr post I saw once,] -When I say that Kasumi messes with the PT, I mean like. They have this elaborate plan to steal Madarame’s treasure, but whoops! Kasumi has already swiped the thing and is a making a break for the exit! -Along with the standard chapters, smaller ones will be added to give the reader Kasumi’s perspective! She is also a wild card. -Goro lives and has a palace, sorry atlus!! -That one scene where Ryuji gets beat up for scaring everyone? Not fucking happening babey! -All those extra cells in the Velvet Room? there are only three! This is how Kasumi and Ren figure out each other are Royal (Codename still pending) and Joker. Miscellaneous

-I am currently in the process of adding more Personas and Demons to a growing roster so I can give each Arcana an even amount! Most info on the actual Personas, their skills, and the associated Social Links, can be found here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1uHJv26RnGryvx_yhfzloPzIQUAB_cYOtwyzWGAxKdlQ/edit?usp=sharing EDIT: i completely forgot that most of the new personas im adding are from Bayonetta!

-also im indecisive so uhhh help me decide P4 protag and p5′s protag’s name!

https://www.strawpoll.me/18128738 (P4)

https://www.strawpoll.me/18128740 (P5)

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shieldfansunite · 6 years ago

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Fanfic Questions

Taken from @ao3commentoftheday

Fandom Questions

1. What was the first fandom you got involved in?

Heroes of Olympus !! Yup I started writing fanfic for the HoO fandom.

2. What is your latest fandom?

The Hunger Games. Right now I'm writing with a Hunger Games OC <kinda oc kinda just merged fandoms>

3. What is the best fandom you’ve ever been involved in?

This is hard, I think HoO, just because people interacted a lot with my writing. I love the AOS fandom but not a lot of people comment.

4. Do you regret getting involved in any fandoms?

Kane Chronicles. I only write stuff for it for like 2 months, and now I have no inspiration for it. Yet a lot of people keep asking me to write more.

5. Which fandoms have your written fanfiction for?

Heroes of Olympus, Percy Jackson, Hunger Games, Agents of SHIELD, and Kane Chronicles. I can't think of anything else.

6. List your OTP from each fandom you’ve been involved in.

I have a "one OTP per fandom" rule so here's the short list.

PJO - Percabeth

HOO - Jasper

KC - Sadie and Anubis

7. List your NoTPs from each fandom you’ve been in.

As far as NOTPs go I've really only had them for SHIELD. And they are Fitzaida and Skimmons.

8. How did you get involved in your latest fandom?

Honestly I just went "I want to rewatch Hunger Games and read the books" and next thing I know I'm writing OC fanfics about them.

9. What are the best things about your current fandom?

Shield is my current fandom and I think the few people who do comment really leave long meaningful comments instead of small things.

10. Is there a fandom you read fic from but don’t write in?

Marvel. I've never written something from Marvel but I want to.

Ship Questions for your Current Fandom

11. Who is your current OTP?

Fitzsimmons obviously.

12. Who is your current OT3?

Not romantic but the Bus Kids. Daisy, Jemma, and Fitz.

13. Any NoTPs?

Fitzaida and *romantic* Skimmons.

14. Go on, who are your BroTPs?

Fitzhunter

Fitzenoch

Fitzdaisy

Skimmons

Fitzdeke

15. Is there an obscure ship which you love?

I love Raina and Gordon, and the Coulson and Audrey *the cellist.*

16. Are their any popular ships in your fandom which you dislike?

Skyward, it used to be a NOTP but at this point I just don't like it.

17. Who was your first OTP and are they still your favourite?

Fitzsimmons and yes. Forever and always.

18. What ship have you written the most about?

Hehe Fitzsimmons.

19. Is there a ship which you wished you could get behind, but you just don’t feel them?

Philinda. I mean it has cute moments and everyone loves them but I just, they're meh for me. I really want to be hyped for them but I'm not.

20. Any ships which you surprised yourself by liking?

Dekedaisy. Or Lemonsquake. Honestly I don't like how much I like it 😂

Author Questions

21. What was the first fanfic you ever wrote?

It was a multi chapter one shot fic collection for HOO. I believe.

22. Is there anything you regret writing?

Yes. 2 fics. Horus' Heir, and Ocean's Twins. Neither are finished and I hate how I left them but don't have the effort to finish them.

23. Name a fic you’ve written that you’re especially fond of & explain why you like it.

From the Rubble. It's a AU version of season 5 episode 22 and I love it because it challenges me to have to look up things and is emotional and angsty.

24. What fic do you desperately need to rewrite or edit?

So I am rewriting one right now. *From the Rubble.* Also I want to rewrite some of my WIPs and finish them.

25. What’s your most popular fanfic?

A Heroes of Olympus dabbles collection fic on wattpad with 106k views.

26. How do you come up with your fanfic titles?

I have NO clue. I just think if random ideas till something sticks.

27. What do you hate more: Coming up with titles or writing summaries?

Summaries. Because I want to have something catching to make people read, without spoiling things.

28. If someone were to draw a piece of fanart for your story, which story would it be and what would the picture be of?

I would LOVE a sketch of From the Rubble. With Jemma by his beside, where he's asleep or awake and they're looking at his x-ray. Or when he's in a wheelchair and yeet.

29. Do you have a beta reader? Why/Why not?

I have one for From the Rubble, Bella. Just so I can make sure it's good and emotional and flows.

30. What inspires you to write?

A lot of things. My fandoms. Prompts. Au ideas I think of etc.

31. What’s the nicest thing someone has ever said about your writing?

That I could write an episode of SHIELD. I cried.

32. Do you listen to music when you write or does music inspire you? If so, which band or genre of music does it for you?

I do. I have different playlists for characters. *Some are my OCs, some are canon* and I'll listen to it when writing about that character.

33. Do you write oneshots, multi-chapter fics or huuuuuge epics?

I try and challenge myself to write all. But more my One Shots become multi chapter and my multi chapters become huge epics 😂

34. What’s the word count on your longest fic?

23,764 words and counting for my fic From the Rubble, and I'm only on chapter 3. I probably have longer ones on wattpad but idk. Also

35. Do you write drabbles? If so, what do you normally write them about?

I usually find dialogue prompts and write a drabble based on it when I'm in a writers block rut. Usually Fitzsimmons though.

36. What’s your favourite genre to write?

I love writing angst. Whoops.

37. First person or third person - what do you write in and why?

Usually third person, but when I am doing more emotional based things first. Basically if there's action, third. If its little action and mostly emotion firt.

38. Do you use established canon characters or do you create OCs?

Both. I usually write canon character but try and expand on OCs on occasion.

39. What is you greatest strength as a writer?

How fast I can write. I can usually write 5+ pages or more in an hour if I'm really focused.

40. What do you struggle the most with in your writing?

I struggle with revising and editing because I get excited to share my work.

Fanfiction Questions

41. List and link to 5 fanfics you are currently reading:

1. https://archiveofourown.org/works/16032374/chapters/37421072 *consequences*

2. https://archiveofourown.org/works/3711769 *actually haven't technically started this one*

3. https://archiveofourown.org/works/10702368 *because little Fitz*

4. https://archiveofourown.org/works/7252501/chapters/16466803 *I started this forever ago*

5. https://archiveofourown.org/works/18466984/chapters/43752301 *promised a friend I'd read this*

42. List and link to 5 fanfiction authors who are amazing:

This is hard because I don't read fanfic as much as I write. But Nindragon on Ao3 and biochemsimmons on Instagram. I can't think of any others I have read. Sorry.

43. Is there anyone in your fandom who really inspires you?

I mean this is hard. A lot of writers really I aspire me. But I think Bella does the most. Just because we share angst ideas and I get muse from them.

44. What ship do you feel needs more attention?

PLEASE write more Deke and Daisy stuff people. I'm begging.

45. What is your all time favourite fanfic?

Consequences *link above*

46. If someone was to read one of your fanfics, which fic would you recommend to them and why?

From the Rubble. Because it's an idea I'm committed to so I am putting a lot of effort into it. I'm making myself edit it a lot and writing longer chapters. I think it's the best I've done.

47. Archive Of Our Own, Fanfiction.net or Tumblr - where do you prefer to post and why?

Ao3. I hardly use tumblr and fanfiction.net confuses me and I forgot it existed.

48. Do you leave reviews when you read fanfiction? Why/Why not?

I try to! I know how important they are to writers so if I like the fic I try and say something about it. Even if it's small.

49. Do you care if people comment/reblog your writing? Why/why not?

I love when people share my work with others. Comments mean so much to me and the more comments I get the more dedicated I am to a fic.

50. How did you get into reading and/or writing fanfiction?

Um I read HOO and had to wait for the next book. No one I knew liked it so I started looking for things relating to it, like edits. Stumbled on fanfiction and thought "I like writing. I'll try this."

51. Rant or Gush about one thing you love or hate in the world of fanfiction! Go!

I hate when I work really hard on a fic and no one really tells what the think. And if I get a comment its "update." Because I want to know how my reading affected you. I also love being able to change different things I don't like in my favorite show 😂

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itsaboutbee · 6 years ago

Text

The Hero’s Hero (Chapter Two - The Lantern Cafe)

Hii!! So I managed to finish the second chaper of this... YaaaY! This is really long... and I usually never write chapers, only one-shots. A bunch of this was written at the same time chaper one was written but I finally finished it. I still don’t know how many chapers it’s going to be... whoops... well neither do I fully know where I am going with it but I have an idea. And yet again @evelinaonline and @ninjagoruinedmylife preread it, though this time they haven’t read the final edited version! B) I HOPE YOU ENJOY AND FEEDBACK IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!

Title: The Hero’s Hero

Fandom: Ninjago

Word count: 2116 *sobs* I’m sorry, this is so long

Summary: The story of how Teddy met Lloyd... continues.

(The story is under “read more” or if it shows it in german “Weiterlesen”)

(Two days later)

Teddy was just walking out of a meeting, a tablet clutched to her chest. When again someone called her name, once again scaring the crap out of her. This time she tripped over her own feet, falling face first towards the floor. The tablet in her arms stopping her from catching herself. Yet before she could hit the ground, an arm snaked around her waist and she was lifted back to her feet.

“You are really jumpy you know.”, Lloyd smiled.

Teddy smacked him on the arm with her tablet and he didn't even flinch. “Maybe if you stopped sneaking up on me, I wouldn't jump so much!”, she spoke up.

“Hey, it's not like I'm doing it on purpose! I'm a ninja, it's literally my job to be sneaky.”, he put his hands up in defence.

“But like can't you at least walk a little louder when you're not doing the whole ninja thing?”, the girl tilted her head slightly.

“Honestly by now it's just a habit.”, the blonde scratched the back of his neck. Teddy snorted.

“Do you have anything from the laptop yet?”, he quickly changed the subject.

“Yes, I do. But I really don't have time right now, my next meeting is in like,” she looked at the tablet. “SEVEN MINUTES!” she quickly started to walk towards an elevator.

“So when do you have time?”, Lloyd followed her.

“I have my lunch break at two. Do you know the Lantern Cafe one street over?” Teddy pressed a button on the elevator panel.

“Yes.”, Lloyd answered.

“We can meet there if you want, then I can show you everything I found. I wanted to go there anyway for my break.”, the girl looked at her tablet again.

“That would be great, but are you sure you want to sacrifice your lunch break for me?”, Lloyd raised an eyebrow.

“Sure, it's not a big deal. We had bagel day today, so I had food at 11.” with that the elevator door opened and Teddy walked out. “I'll see you then!”, she waved.

“Okay!”, Lloyd waved back as the elevator door closed again.

(Later that day at the Cafe)

Lloyd sat in a booth in the Lantern Cafe, starring at his phone.

“Why are you wearing a fedora?”, a female voice asked from the open side of the booth. Lloyd turned to see Teddy.

“If it's suppose to be a disguise you're missing the moustache and sunglasses.”

He laughed and picked up the pair of sunglasses he had been wearing earlier.

“Can't have everyone recognize me, right?”, the blond took the hat of and placed it on the table.

“Let's hope the terrible disguise method works as well for you as it does for Steve Rogers.”, Teddy sat down in the booth as well.

“You know you really don't look like someone who'd be really into comics and such.”, he quirked a brow.

“It's the dress and heels isn't it?”, she took the menu in hand.

“Kinda, I guess.”, the ninja leaned on his elbow while looking at the girl.

“You should have seen me when I was still in school.”, she absently answered while reading.

“Why? Did you wear pants back then?”, he smirked.

The girl laughed and looked at the ninja, “No, not really. I've always liked dresses better, plus I do wear pants sometimes. It's just, I looked more the part. I still wore glasses instead of contacts, my hair was longer and I didn't straighten it. And my dresses were a lot uhh less formal.” She looked back at the menu, searching it once more.

Lloyd knitted his brows together, “You straighten your hair?”

“Yep, I naturally have really curly hair and I cut it off while it was straightened and now it's just really short if I have it curly. I don't like how it looks... It makes me look chubbier than I already am.”, she put the menu down and looked at the blonde.

“You're not doing a very good job.”, he smirked. “And I think you look great, you'd probably even look great with really short hair!”

The girl pulled one of her still fully curled strands of hair straight and let go, so it bounced back into place. “Yeah, I know- Wait no, that sounds like I think I look great! I mean about the being bad at straightening my hair part!”, she tried to explain.

Lloyd laughed and was about to say something more when a bubbly waitress walked up to their booth asking what she could get for them. Teddy ordered an iced coffee and Lloyd green tea. After their drinks had arrived Teddy scooted closer so she was sat directly next to Lloyd.

“Why did you do that?”, he gave her a confused look.

“How else am I suppose to show you what I saved?”, she pulled her own laptop out of her bag and placed it on the table, opening it and shutting it on.

“Oh right, I forgot what we were here for for a sec...”, the ninja scratched the back of his neck.

The girl opened the files she had saved from the busted laptop. After showing Lloyd a little more than half of the files she found and him not really having any reaction he finally had a reaction.

“Hey, wait, wait, wait what's that one?”, he leaned in to see better.

Teddy looked over the file while Lloyd looked at her in anticipation. “Uhm It... it seems to be a map with different locations all over Ninjago marked.”, she answered.

“What locations?”, the blonde leaned in closer to see better.

“Well one of them is the museum, then there is the high-school and the mall and- Hey! There is Borg Industries.”, she pointed at the different places on the screen.

“Is there anything about why these are marked?”, his eyes wandered over the screen.

“No, not really, but there are-”, she turned to Lloyd, “Wait, I thought the laptop was yours?”

The ninja turned to her, wide eyed. Teddy could practically see the gears turn in his head.

“D-did I say that?”, the ninja asked smiling awkwardly.

“Yes, yes you did. But if this was your laptop you'd know what is on it, so this can't be your laptop.”, the auburn haired girl looked at Lloyd with a more serious expression now.

“I- You-”, Lloyd stumbled over his words.

“Lloyd you know that this is illegal right? You can get in serious trouble with the law for this. I can get into serious trouble for this! I could loose my job if anyone finds out about this! We could both be sued!”, Teddy had an expression of complete disbelieve on her face.

Lloyd looked down with a frown and rubbed the back of his neck once again.

“By the first spinjitzu master you can't be serious... Where did you get this from?”, the girl started taping on her laptop rapidly.

The blonde looked back up at Teddy, “It- I got it on a mission.”

“What kind of mission?”, Teddy was still taping away on her laptop.

“Uhhm we... We broke into a warehouse in which we knew the bad-guys were camping out in. Sadly they escaped but we managed to get the laptop... which as you know also got busted in the process.”, the green ninja explained while trying to figure out what Teddy was doing on her laptop.

“I'm gonna get murdered.”, Teddy kept typing.

Lloyd looked surprised at that remark,”What? You're not gonna get murdered! Why would you even think that?!”, his surprise quickly turned into concern and he carefully grabbed the girls arm and with that stopping her from typing.

Teddy looked at the blonde boy with a worried look, “How... how can you be so sure about that?”

“No one knows about you helping me, well Mr. Borg probably does because he sent me to you... but apart from that no one knows.”, the blonde squeezed her arm slightly.

“What about your ninja friends?”, the girl knitted her brows together.

“None of them know. They were all busy so I was sent to figure things out with the laptop on my own. I promise you no one will hurt you.”, Lloyd looked completely serious.

Teddy sighed and leaned back in her seat, she kept her hands on the table but leaned her head back so she was looking at the ceiling.

Lloyd removed his hand from her arm and thought for a second. He put his and over Teddy's and squeezed it slightly. “I'm being serious, I would never let anyone get hurt because of me... especially someone like you.”

The girl lowered her head again, “Someone like me?”, she asked with a questioning look.

“Yeah, you know someone normal... someone who can't protect themself.”, Lloyd tried to explain.

“Oh okay wow... Thanks!”, Teddy pulled her hand out from under Lloyd's and gave him a sarcastic look.

The blonde pulled his hand back to himself, “Was that bad? I'm not that good at giving speeches yet but I'm trying...”, he raised his eyebrows up slightly.

“I mean... it wasn't really nice of you to assume that, but in my case you're right.”, the auburn haired girl explained while gesturing with her hands.

Lloyd gave a sad look and looked away, “I didn't mean to insult you...”

Teddy sat up straight again and smiled softly, “I know you didn't, but how are you going to stop anyone from hurting me when I live in a completely different part of the city?”

The green ninja thought for while but then an idea hit him, “Give me your phone number!”

Teddy gave a questioning look, “My phone number? What am I supposed to do? If someone comes at me with a knife text you 'Hey Lloyd I'm gonna get stabbed now'?”

“Exactly!”, the blond boy looked very proud of his idea, “It'll also be so much easier when I need your help again too!”

“When you need my help agai- You know what, never mind... But what would you even do once I texted you?”, Teddy gave him a challenging look.

“Fly over with my dragon?”, Lloyd answered with an unsure look.

The girl laughed and rolled her eyes, “You ninja with your oversized lizards...”

The blonde gave an exaggerated offended look and exclaimed: “RUDE! They aren't oversized lizards! Lizards don't have wings!”

“Besides you don't know where I live.” Teddy waved off.

“Then just tell me that too!”, Lloyd smiled happily.

“WHOA! Okay just because you're the green ninja and a hero doesn't mean I'll just trust you with everything immediately. I've only known you for a few hours after all.”, the auburn haired girl crossed her arms with a playfully sassy look.

The green ninja jokingly pouted, “Do I seem that sketchy to you?”

Teddy snorted: “Well with that hat...”, the girl pointed towards the fedora.

The blonde laughed: “You really don't like the fedora do you?”

The two's playful banter and laughing continued for some time until Teddy's break was about to end. Both of them paid for their drinks, Lloyd even offered to pay for Teddy's drink as a thanks, but she refused thinking it wasn't necessary. They walked out of the Lantern Cafe and Lloyd held the door open for Teddy. They were standing in front of the Cafe to say their goodbyes.

“I guess I'll see you around?”, the blond boy smiled slightly with a quirked brow.

Teddy looked at the ninja and sighed, “Give me your phone.” She held her left hand out.

“Huh? Why?”, the blond looked confused.

“Just do it. It's not like I'm gonna steal it. I couldn't, even if I wanted to you know.”, she looked expectedly.

Lloyd fumbled with his pocket for a second to get his phone out and unlocked it. He handed it to Teddy and she started tapping on it. The blonde ninja stared at her confusedly. After a short while the blue eyed girl handed him the phone back and he looked at it trying to figure out what she even did.

Teddy spoke again with a smile: “I'll see you.”

She turned and started waking away.

Lloyd tapped on his phone for a good few seconds with a confused expression and knitted brows, “Hey what did you-”, he looked up only to see that Teddy was already gone, “-even do?”

The ninja turned, now even more confused. After a short while he started to walk home too. Even on his way home he kept taping and searching his phone for what the girl did. He once even almost ran into a lamppost and ended up not finding anything.

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