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candyquokka · 5 months ago

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: ̗̀➛together | poly! minho x reader x hyunjin

pairing: lee minho x reader x hwang hyunjin

word count: 1.2k

genre: college au, humor, eventual smut, slight angst, best friend!lee know and hyunjin, best friends to lovers, first time writing a poly but lets see how this goes lol

MINORS DNI.

Series summary:

Y/n, Minho and Hyunjin have been best friends for most of their life. But throw in college, complex and new emotions and a rowdy friendgroup- things are bound to take a turn.

(this is going to be a series, and I'll try to update frequently if i have motivation haha. Please give me feedback and comment on the post to be added to a taglist!)

PROLOGUE -> PART 1

chapter summary: just a view of their life before college

warnings: none

It had always been Hyunjin, Y/n, and Minho. The holy trio, never separated. They had been neighbors since birth, so it was only natural they would run into each other. Y/n had been playing in the sandpit when she was five, and a bully had come over and kicked her. Minho and Hyunjin, playing somewhere else, had seen this happen, and rushed to protect Y/n from the bully. And so developed the beautiful happening we call friendship.

Middle school was the generic nightmare: awkward phases, new complex feelings, bitchy teachers. High school wasn't better, but they could manage. Currently the three of them were hanging out at a cafe afterschool.

"Gosh, Hyunjin, you didn't have to be so harsh with her. Its the last day of the school year for goodness sake, you could've politely declined."

"She shoved a chocolate box in my face! What was I supposed to do, not smack a foreign object that could possibly poke my eye out?"

Minho grinned as he watched the banter between them, too entertained to intervene.

"Uh, yeah? Poor girl was shaking, you dumbass."

"What the- I'm the dumbass? I- yah, you're the one who almost fell on your ass when you backed away like an animal from that one guy who confessed to you like a week ag-mmmf-" Hyunjin was interrupted by a bundle of tissues in his mouth, fighting against Y/n.

"Someone confessed to your sorry ass?" Minho flat out shrieked, and Y/n lunged across the table to possibly shove tissues into his mouth too and-

"Welcome to cafe Miroh, what can I get for you guys today?"

A disgruntled Y/n sat back in her seat as Minho and Hyunjin both snickered. Minho ordered everything for them, and they settled back in their seats.

"So are you guys ready to get your summer glow ups?" Y/n said after taking a sip of her milkshake. "Nah, I'm already pretty. You two definitely need one though." Hyunjin mumbles, wincing as Y/n slaps his head and Minho kicks his leg from under the table.

Minho chuckles. "Not gonna lie, Y/n, you're gonna need to ditch the whole nerd look and try something called 'being a little more social and having more than two friends'. Next years our last year, you can't be a loser."

Y/n gasps. "Why are the two of you attacking me, huh? You guys are just salty. I'm going to Paris for like the whole 2 months of summer holidays and you're not." She sticks out her tongue, and Minho takes this as an opportunity to steal a fry off her plate.

"Yeah, but that means we can't have our annual sleepover on the night before school!" Hyunjin whines and flops on his seat dramatically.

"Oh hush you dramatic baby." Y/n flicks his forehead before patting his head, and Hyunjin nuzzles into Y/n's neck, and earns judgemental stares from Minho.

"You two are disgusting, you know that?" Minho scrunches his face in disgust.

Y/n flips him off and throws a fry at him while Hyunjin blows him a kiss before leaning over the table to hold his hands. "We both know you secretly enjoy cuddles too, Minnie."

"YAH GET YOUR ZESTY HANDS OFF ME."

Breathless. That was one word to describe what Minho and Hyunjin were feeling as they waited outside her house, watching her wave at them before walking and hugging both of them. The strong grip around their necks broke them out of their stupor, and she pulled away.

“Oh my god, I missed you guys so much! How have you both been?” Y/n giggled. Minho shook his head before flicking her forehead. “Y/nnie, did you shapeshift or something? You look even uglier!” Y/n’s face dropped as she shoved Minho away, locking arms with Hyunjin and speed walking. “Fine, I’ll just stay with Jinnie here and you can be a loner the whole year.”

Hyunjin places a hand over his chest. “Woah, Y/nnie, how could I imagine being graced with such beauty!” Y/n smiles and rolls her eyes, Minho ruffling her hair as she mutters. “Gosh, did you two take supplements or something? Why are you two suddenly so much taller?”

Y/n’s apparently late ‘face and body developments’ did not go ignored in the school. Walking in the hallways, Y/n was oblivious to the many double takes people were doing to her. As the three entered their classroom, they saw two empty desks, one behind the other near the back. “Dibs the back desk!” Minho and Hyunjin both shouted, rushing to the back and leaving a surprised Y/n near the entrance. She sent them an annoyed glare before sitting on the desk in front of them.

Minho leans forward and taps her shoulder. “Guess you’re the loner again, Y/n.” He dodges the flick aimed for his forehead and leans back in his seat, Hyunjin giggling at the exchange. But his face slowly turns into a look of confusion as another guy with dark-blue dyed hair enters the room, his unfamiliar face turning heads as he slowly makes his way to the only empty seat in the classroom: next to Y/n.

“H-hey, could I um- could i sit here? It's the only empty seat-” Y/n smiles and nods, turning around to meet Minho’s eyes and flick her long black hair in a victorious gesture over her shoulder. “Are you new? I’m Y/n.”

The boy stammers, clearly being anxious. “Uh, I-I’m Jisung, H-Han Jisung. Yeah, I’m uh, I’m new. It's nice to meet you, umm, Y/n.” He cautiously smiles. Y/n grins and turns around. “This is Hyunjin, he’s a drama queen and you don’t need to bother with him. This is Minho. He acts like he’s got a stick up his ass half the time. You don’t need to bother with him either. Do you wanna sit with us for lunch?”

Halfway into the year and Y/n had already rejected a dozen confessions. “These boys may not be it, but damn these chocolates taste fucking delicious.” Hyunjin groans as he bites into one, falling back against his bed as the four of them hung out at Hyunjin’s house. Han Jisung was someone who warmed up quite quickly to the three of them, and constantly broke into their personal space, even Minhos. Currently he was clinging onto Minho like a kuala, whose legs were sprawled over Y/n's lap on the bed.

“S’not my fault I don’t like them. Ugh, I feel so bad rejecting them. Should I just accept one and see where it goes?”

“NO!” The three boys cry out, shocking Y/n. “I need to get new friends, you’re all gonna keep me bitchless.” She rolls her eyes.

“Better bitchless than a broken heart.” Hyunjin voice is muffled from chocolate.

“Shut up you fatass”

“I’m not a fatass Dicksung”

“...”

“DID YOU CALL ME A FUCKING DICKSUNG?? WHAT THE FUCK IS A DICKSUNG YOU FUCKING DRAMATIC BITCH.”

Jisung’s outburst shocks everyone as he lunges at Hyunjin, Y/n and Minho grabbing each other from laughing so much. Suddenly the door slams open as Yeji, Hyunjin’s scary younger sister, stands in the doorway, breathing heavily. Y/n has the shame to smile apologetically as Minho is still wheezing on the bed, and Jisung slowly looks up at Yeji, before quietly getting off Hyunjin and cautiously hides behind Minho. Yeji smiles at Y/n before leaving the room.

“Your sister is so scary, Jinnie. Shes way cooler than you”

“Shut the fuck up Minho.”

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satureja13 · 7 months ago

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'Guess who just got back today? Them wild-eyed boys that had been away Haven't changed, had much to say But man, I still think them cats are crazy They were askin' if you were around How you was, where you could be found I told 'em you were livin' downtown Drivin' all the old men crazy'

The Boys are back in Town - Thin Lizzy

We are back! From a new computer! (EA App stopped working on my old Windows 7 PC -.-) Arturo invited them to celebrate the opening of a brand new Temple in Morensong (and for a belated Ostara/Spring Equinox Festival since we couldn't celebrate together last week. Day and Night were equal on March 21st and warmer days are coming. Hopefully for the Boys too).

They aren't really ready to meet again. Neither Saiwa and Jeb (after Sai's breakdown) nor Jack and Kiyoshi (after Jack's breakdown). But Ji Ho has a plan.

Arturo welcomed them and showed them around. This Temple is much bigger than Kiyoshi's/ the Tree's in Koh Sahpa. Had Kiyoshi gained so much more popularity since he's back from the tree?

Arturo: "Haha no ^^' Kiyoshi's followers wanted this Temple for Kiri, Little Goat and Kumo who hadn't left Kiyoshi's side and cared for him while he was one with the Tree for all those decades. And Little Goat played a big part in bringing him back eventually." Oh... ok Ö.ö So we have a Stable Temple now... For horses, goats and sheep. We've seen stranger things, haven't we? There are 12 easter eggs hidden in the following pics and posts. I write the amount of eggs in the respective pic below in brackets. For example in the pic below you can find 1 easter egg, so I write (1). (The same egg can appear in different pics and angles, but it still counts as 1 egg.)

Kiyoshi is embarrassed. He knows that the others are keeping his distance to him since they know the whole truth about him and Jack and that he became a demon, he's back and and a diety now and they are forced to stay together to avoid a catastrophe in their possible future and he destroyed Jeb and Saiwa's relationship with this damn 'Bird' misunderstanding... He just wanted to live quietly among them and somehow make it up to them and serve them and not to cause a ruckus and being treated as something special and upset them even more. (1)

The Temple is big enough for all the horses and goats and Kumo so they finally have a place to stay in Tomarang! (1)

The Boys' horses are Otherworlds horses and they are free to roam whereever they want to and the Boys can call them via the goats. Not sure if they stay here all together all the time since they have their own problems and misunderstandings and quarrels among them... (see our spin off -> The Stables)

Arturo: "What do you think? It's awesome, right?" Saiwa: "It absolutley is. They will live in a palace!" Arturo: "Come over to the meadow. I prepared games and food." (3) (But only two new eggs, the third egg is already shown 3 pics above. That makes a total of 5 different eggs in this post. Have you found them all? The other ones can be found in the following episodes and I will reveal where they are hidden in an extra post after the festival.)

From the Beginning ~ Underwater Love ~ Latest 🕹️ 'Therapy Game' from the beginning ▶️ here 📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 17-22 ~ 23-28

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chahnniesroom · 1 year ago

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tenderness | chapter 3: inevitable

[noun] /ˈtendərnəs/

1. the quality of being gentle, kind, or loving

2. the feeling of pain, aching, or soreness

pairing: bang chan x female reader

summary: in a world where soulmates are rare and precious, you don’t know why the universe has decided to give you one. you never could have imagined that they would be an idol, and one that you worked with at that, or the challenges that would arise from your bond.

chapter word count: 3.5k

chapter warnings: arguing, implied that reader doesn't have a good relationship with her family

a/n: this is the first chapter with mixed pov! time to see some things from chan's perspective :)

previous chapter | masterlist | next chapter | read it on ao3

The first time that you had watched Channie's Room in person, it was an accident. You had had dinner with Chan and lost track of time until a reminder had popped up on his phone. You had started cleaning up all your things when he had shyly suggested that you stay and watch. Technically, Chan doesn’t need any staff with him as he does Channie’s Room, but occasionally if they were being done in his studio then someone would sit in. After so many episodes, he’s trusted enough to know what he can and can’t do on stream and he doesn’t require any technical support.

It was fun for you, watching him interact with Stays and enjoy music. These streams were fanservice, but you knew Chan well enough by now to be able to tell that he was genuinely enjoying himself. After his customary sign-off and making sure that the stream was actually over, he had turned to you and asked what you thought. You had told the truth, that you liked being able to see this side of him, and that since he was clearly enjoying himself, you enjoyed watching too. It was different to be in-person and you had to make sure that you didn’t laugh at any of Chan’s reactions or the comments that were sent in, especially when he read out a few cheesy pick up lines and quickly glanced over to where you sat.

You weren’t sure if your presence made a difference for him- he had only looked at you a couple times during the stream- so you figured that it’d be a one time thing. But the next week when you were at your desk, you got a text.

[8:14pm - received]

Hey Y/n

I’m planning on doing Channie’s Room in 15 min

[8:14pm - sent]

okay! Have fun :)

[8:15pm - received]

Want to come watch? No pressure if you’re busy though haha

[8:15 - sent]

Oh! Sure, I’ll be down in a second!!

It had gone about the same as the first time. You didn’t say anything and he didn’t acknowledge you during the hour and a half that he was live for. Still, every week you would get a text and every week you find yourself in a chair in the corner of his studio, carefully out of sight from the camera.

—

This Sunday is similar to every other, you have the stream pulled up on your phone with the sound turned off, watching as the comments fly past. He’s eating dinner, even though it’s well past the time that you would consider to be acceptable for dinner. You catch yourself smiling at how excited he is for each bite and have to school your expression in case he happens to look over.

A notification pops up overtop of the video and you freeze.

You come back to yourself when Chan calls out your name. When you blink, you’re still looking at your phone, but the video is blank. The stream is over and you didn’t even realise.

“Y/n, is everything okay?”

“Oh nothing, just saw a weird comment and it caught me off guard,” you laugh.

“What did it say?” Chan asks, instantly concerned.

“Nothing, it’s not important. It wasn’t even anything, I promise.”

And really, it’re true. It was just a text with a date and time. After all, how could you say that it was a text from your eomoni that caused such a strong reaction? It would just lead to more and more questions and you’s not in the mood to deal with that. You know you'll have to bring up your family with Chan eventually, but you don’t know how he’ll react and you don’t know what you’d say anyway.

For now, you paste on a smile and promise that you’ll tell him tomorrow when the time is right.

—

A couple weeks later, it was a rare evening that all the members plus yourself were available to have dinner at the dorms. Minho had taken advantage of an afternoon free of schedules and used the time to prepare a feast of bossam, kimchi jjigae, dubu jorim, as well as a spread of banchan.

Eventually the topic shifts from work related to the upcoming time off they had for Chuseok. They go around the table, sharing their plans, even though everybody knew what to expect. You had talked to most of the boys beforehand and knew they were going to visit their families, while Chan and Felix were keeping each other company at the dorms. By extension, that meant you were also going to be staying at the dorms, something you were more than happy to do.

When the conversation makes it around to you, you are somewhat preoccupied with scooping some more rice and tofu into your bowl. Felix playfully nudges both you and Chan while asking, “Any special plans, you two?”

“Nothing,” Chan replies at the exact same time that you grimace and say, “dinner with my family.”

The whole table stills as the boys look between the two of you and Chan noticeably stiffens. They've never heard the conversations you've had with Chan about meeting your parents, but the lack of information you've shared with them is likely telling enough.

You determinedly mash together everything in your bowl, trying to ignore the stares from everyone and the way your cheeks are heating up.

"We celebrate Chuseok together every year. I'm- I'm required to attend," you mutter into your food.

"That sounds nice. You don't see them often, right?" Felix says cautiously, breaking the tense silence that has settled over the table.

"I-" Before you can finish, Chan abruptly stands up, pushing his chair away from the table. He heads straight toward the door, slinging a coat over his shoulders and shoving his feet into shoes.

"I'm going to the studio." Is the only explanation he gives before the door is swinging shut behind him.

Your knuckles turn white around the handle of your spoon. The braised tofu in your bowl has been turned to paste and though it smelled good a few minutes ago, your appetite has vanished.

You knew that your Chuseok plans would eventually have to be brought up, but you had been dreading it. Even if you had never mentioned anything, it sat as a heavy weight on your shoulders for the past few days. You had spent hours trying to think of the right things to say, but had never built up the courage to talk to him. You knew he really valued family connections in a way that you never would. Chan's curiosity about your family paired with his close relationship with his own had left a bitter taste in your mouth that prevented you from speaking up any time the two of you were alone. You had hoped that it wouldn’t be a big deal, but clearly that wasn’t the case.

You definitely regretted it now. Practically anything would have been better than him finding out in front of the rest of the members because you had absent-mindedly spoken.

You close your eyes for a second before also rising from the table.

"I'll go after him," you say breathlessly. "I'm sorry for… that. I should have talked to him before. I- I'm sorry. Thank you for dinner, Minho-ssi. Sorry."

You bow quickly to avoid making eye contact with anybody and quickly gather your bowl and utensils. Chan had left his phone on the table in his rush to leave, so you grab that too and pocket it. Once you put everything down on the counter, you stand over the sink and massage your forehead. You really didn't want to have to talk to Chan, but knew he was like you and would be stuck in his head if left alone for too long.

You can hear the boys starting to talk to each other in low voices and that is enough for you to force yourself towards the door.

—

When you finally make it to Chan's studio and inch open the door, he's already on his laptop with his headphones on. Either he doesn't notice your entry or is trying to ignore it, but he's not actively working on anything, just staring blankly at an unfinished track.

When you say his name, he startles and jerks his arm, making his cursor skitter across his computer screen.

He half pulls off his headphones while turning towards you, but pauses when he recognizes who's at the door.

"I'm sorry," you say immediately, stepping further into the room. "I-"

"I don't want to talk right now." Chan cuts you off, shaking his head and turning back to his laptop to continue glaring at the track he has open.

You don't know what to do, so you edge back towards the exit. You're just reaching for the handle when he calls out.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" He's still not looking at you, fists clenched and his whole body tense. "Or was I just supposed to find out on the day of the dinner?"

"I was!" you say defensively. "Of course I was going to tell you! I've been meaning to for days, just haven't… haven't gotten around to it."

Chan swivels around and impatiently gestures towards his couch and you quickly take a seat, acutely aware that this puts you directly in front of him.

"Just tell me? No invitation? Not even going to give me a choice to say if I want to go?" he presses. You shrink into yourself as he continues on, not even giving you time to respond. "I introduced you to my family, even though they're in Australia. You met my sister in person! I don’t know a thing about your family other than that you have one. Do your parents even know about me?"

"They know," you say in a small voice, but don’t elaborate further. Chan doesn't look satisfied by your response, frustratedly running a hand through his hair. He blows out an angry breath and his posture suddenly deflates.

"I just- I don't get it. Is it me? Are you embarrassed to introduce me to your parents?" Chan asks, sounding defeated.

"It's not you-"

"I just don’t understand. Is it because- I know that being an idol is unconventional, but-"

“No, it’s not that,” you interrupt before he can spiral further.

“Then… why?”

"It's not- Chan-oppa, there's nothing wrong with you. Or you being an idol. You're fine. You're perfect. It's me," you say miserably, voice hoarse, "I just, I didn't- I don’t want you to have to see the kind of person I am when I'm with them. I don't like how I am, who I am when I'm around my family."

You bury your face into your hands and swallow hard to try and remove the lump that has formed in your throat. When Chan settles beside you on the couch and wraps an arm around your shoulders, you soften, both at his presence and the warm buzz of the charge.

"I'm sorry," he says gently. "I shouldn't have pushed so much."

"No, I should have told you," you reply, voice muffled by your hands. "I knew I had to tell you."

His hands enclose around your wrists and carefully pry them away from your face. When you open your eyes, you see that he has leaned forwards to try to look at you better.

“I just want to get to know you better. I want to get to know your family, your background. Please, let me in.” He looks so young like this, earnestly looking at you.

In response, you tip forward and rest your forehead on his shoulder. Although you normally avoid skinship like this, especially at the company, anything was better than seeing his concerned but confused expression. You want to tell him everything, but how can you explain the twisted and complicated relationship that you have with your family? What words could describe the facade that you have created to pretend you're not affected by their disappointment?

"I promise, I'll tell you everything eventually. I just need some more time, okay?" you ask hesitantly. Chan agrees immediately. "I want to talk to the boys too. I know they must also have questions. Can we? Have a meeting tonight?"

—

Y/n decides that she wants to tell the group all at once to avoid having to repeat herself and Chan is secretly relieved. It’s not that he doesn’t like one-on-one conversations, but he hopes that the rambunctious nature of the other members lightens the mood. He’s looking forward to getting any information he can about Y/n’s family, his not-so-subtle attempts to learn even a little bit about them have been fruitless thus far.

As Chan and Y/n make their way back to the dorms, he texts the group chat to gather in the living room. By the time they make it back, everyone has crammed themselves on the couches, leaving an empty space on the loveseat for the two of them.

Y/n takes a deep breath to steady herself.

When she says her parents’ names, Chan doesn't recognize either, but Changbin's head immediately shoots up and he lets out an "Oh shh-" that's quickly cut off by a well placed elbow of Minho. Y/n makes a face at that.

"Yeah," she says, clearly unsurprised by Changbin's reaction, but resigned. On the other side of Minho, Jisung speaks up.

"I don't get it, is he famous?" He also receives an elbow to the stomach, to which he whines, "Hyunggg, that hurt!"

“Be sensitive.” Minho scolds. Y/n laughs at that, but there’s no humour in the sound.

“No, it’s okay. I get that you guys are curious,” she says. “My parents aren’t famous, but they are well known in some circles. You guys know the hospital that Hyunjin goes to for check-ups of his hand?”

Everyone nods at that. Even Felix is familiar with that hospital, as he’s gotten treatment there when he injured his back. Chan himself has visited a few times regarding various injuries or procedures. The hospital is large, fairly new, but most importantly, has a reputation for being discrete. It’s definitely a favourite for idols who don’t want to take the chance and be photographed or have personal information shared.

“Your parents are doctors?” Seungmin prompts.

“My abeoji is. My brother too,” Y/n confirms. “But he also… My abeoji owns the hospital.” She looks down at her hands as she says it, as if scared to see what the reactions of everyone will be. Chan feels like his brain is short circuiting and can't get himself to do anything but stare.

"Noona, does that mean you're loaded?" Jisung asks, eyes wide. Minho immediately turns on him, but Y/n shocks them all by laughing loudly at that.

"I wouldn't say I'm loaded. My parents definitely are though."

“That’s awesome! What’s wrong with that then?”

“Well, you know how Asian parents are. They had certain expectations for me, for my future that I didn’t meet. They didn’t exactly approve of me deciding to go into the entertainment industry, so we’re… not close. I see them twice a year, Seollal and Chuseok.”

Chan can sympathise with that, although his parents have always been supportive of him, even when he was a trainee and they were worried or didn’t understand why he never gave up, a lot of families weren’t the same.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Felix says. He stands and pulls Y/n into a tight hug, which she melts into. It soon becomes a group huddle as everyone joins in, surrounding Y/n in love.

“We’ll be your family, Y/n,” Chan promises, and everyone else murmurs their agreement. He pretends not to see the tears that gather in the corners of Y/n’s eyes.

—

A couple days after Y/n’s announcement, Changbin knocks on Chan's studio door.

"Hey," he says when Chan rolls over on his chair and opens the door. "Just wanted to talk to you about Chuseok."

"Okay," Chan says slowly. "What about it?"

“Are you going to Y/n’s family dinner?”

“Yeah, that’s the plan.”

"What are you planning to wear?" Changbin asks bluntly.

"Uhh." Even though Chuseok has basically sat in the back of Chan’s mind for the past few days, haunting him every time he has two seconds to think, he hadn’t even considered that aspect of it. He’s been too occupied worrying constantly about not knowing what to expect and yet not wanting to talk to Y/n about it. "I don't know, something nice?"

"Yeah, you have about 10 outfits, all of them are black, and almost half of them are hoodies. Do you know what Y/n is wearing?" Chan grimaces at that.

"I didn't even know that she was going until a few days ago man, of course I don't know what she's wearing."

"Listen, hyung. Her family… I don't know them personally, but I think you need to either talk to her about it or make arrangements to borrow clothes from a stylist."

"Borrow clothes from a stylist?" Chan laughs incredulously. "Can't I just buy something myself?"

"I mean you can do whatever you want," Changbin says, putting his hands up in surrender. "Be my guest to buy designer brand formal wear that I'm pretty sure you'll only wear once since you'll have to have something else for the next time you see them."

“Designer formal wear?” Chan repeats. “What am I, going to a wedding? This is a dinner with just her immediate family, do you really think they would care that much?”

“I don’t know for sure, but I just think that they’d be the type to really value appearances. Clothing is one part of that. Just… Talk to Y/n, okay? I want things to go well for you and I know that you want to make a good first impression.”

“I- okay,” Chan acquiesces. He trusts that Changbin’s just coming from a good place even though he dreads having to talk to Y/n about this. “I’ll bring it up.”

—

A week before Chuseok, Y/n knocks on their bedroom door while Chan’s trying to work at his desk. By the time he’s taken off his headphones and has started standing, she’s managed to get the door open and enters. Even after his conversation with Changbin, Chan still hasn’t been able to broach the topic of Chuseok with Y/n again, even though it’s been occupying his mind an increasing amount. He feels a rush of relief when he sees that she’s carrying two garment bags, lifted above her head to prevent them from dragging on the ground.

“This is for you,” she says, thrusting the larger of the bags in Chan’s direction. He peels it open carefully to find a black suit with golden details embroidered into it. The jacket is more traditional, the design is clearly a modern version of a hanbok, and the fabric of all the pieces look luxuriously thick. Without even trying it on, he can tell that the outfit has been tailored to his dimensions. It’s beautiful.

“Is this for-”

“Chuseok? Yes. My eomoni is… particular about what people wear. You’ll look good in this.” Y/n assures him.

“What are you wearing?” he asks, curious about the second bag that Y/n had hung up while he was inspecting his.

“You’ll find out later. Don’t worry, I won’t be outshining you.” she replies playfully.

“Hey!” Chan laughs. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

“I know, it’s just fun to tease.”

Chan carefully places the clothes back into the garment bag and zips it up to hang in his closet. He’s dealt with his fair share of expensive clothes, most of which have to be treated with extreme caution as they have to be returned at the end of the day, but this feels different. Not only is it now his to keep, but it’s also one of the first gifts that he’s exchanged with Y/n, giving it special significance.

He knows this gift is more than just clothes. It also represents Y/n opening up, letting him into this side of her life that she’s kept to herself for so long.

“Y/n,” he says, waiting until she makes eye contact. “Thank you.”

“No worries,” she says, cheeks pinkening. She looks down at the ground. “It’s the least I can do, you’re going to have to put up with my family for an evening.”

Chan doesn’t know what to make of finally meeting them, Y/n’s mentions of them have been sporadic and cryptic at best. He’s desperate to learn more about her and he knows that her family, although distant now, likely played a key role in the way that you conduct yourself. But over time, and especially these past few days, he’s growing more wary of what he might learn. He just can’t understand how someone as kind, soft, and thoughtful as Y/n could have such a stilted relationship with her family.

previous chapter | masterlist | next chapter | read it on ao3

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pitter-patt-art · 3 months ago

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Ace Attorney AU August (halfway progress update!)

Okay technically it's the 16th (lol, 17th by the time this is done) so a little over halfway actually, but still I thought since I haven't had anything finished to post the past few days this would be a fun alternative!

I've been going a little nuts (affectionate) over @augustwritingchallenge's AU-gust prompts list this year so August has been a wild ride (about 40k words of one, in fact. so far.) but seeing as I will get attached to even the jokiest of AU ideas instantly, I've completed* a whopping 5 whole fics of 16, lol. Considering the shortest of those is over 3k and the longest is over 12k, I think the problem with not finishing these in a timely manner is entirely on my verbose foolish thick skull, haha, but I'm still having a blast with it.

Here is my ao3 series where I'm posting!

And a rundown / progress report / quick teaser of all the AUs including those I've yet to finish, if anyone's interested:

(*by "completed" I should note two of the already posted fics are basically assuredly going to be continued past the challenge, but let's say "completed enough to post and be on theme")

1. Canon Divergence - complete - 4.5k words ("For the Murder of Mr. Wrong" link)

Mia POV, gen. What if Dahlia succeeded in poisoning Phoenix and framed Doug Swallow instead (and then Mia defended him in court)? Basically a 3-1 rewrite. Fun Fact: I only came up with this AU because before I even remembered AU-gust existed at all, I'd come up with like 4 totally separate AUs in which I poison Phoenix in various ways With Real Consequences because it amuses me, lol, but he survives all those other ones and I eventually realized I hadn't even considered straight up killing him off yet so I figured I should try it at least once, haha.

2. Colorless - complete 1st chapter - 3.2k words ("Grey Matters" link)

Phoenix POV (for 1st ch --prob alternating after), wrightworth. "You can't see color until the first time you touch your soulmate"-soulmate AU. 1st chapter is their first meeting as kids (skipping the class trial itself). Fun Fact(s): I really love a color soulmate AU! Big fan of the "only see the color of their eyes" type of one too but uhhh on top of that working better for things that have wild anime eye colors, you could not pay me enough to try to figure out what the HELL is going on with Ace Attorney eye colors at any given time lmfao. (Also--spoilers for what i haven't written yet but hey if you're here you earned it--this IS one of my very many "teehee what if i poison Phoenix just a smidge as a treat for me" fics. NOT my fault the man ATE GLASS. That's on him.)

3. Dark Academia - complete "1st chapter" - 4.4k words ("The Spirit of the Laws of Magic" link)

Mia POV, lanamia. Magical boarding school setting featuring corruption and missing-student conspiracies and a most likely overthought system of magic with hierarchies and prejudices in societal views of academic/formulaic vs folk/innate magic. Fun Fact: I really thought for SURE i was going to skip this day entirely, lol. (foolish.) I don't think i've actually ever personally read anything "dark academia", technically--so if this doesn't read EXACTLY that way, there you go, but i did my best. I also then thought I could live with keeping this vague but I accidentally thought about it too long so... plus at least two people on top of myself at this point have expressed interest in more of this and so I have some semi-concrete Plans™ now.

4. Zombie Apocalypse - conceptualized (but not started)

Concept: probably gen and Phoenix POV, but also because I'm me and they're them, at least a little bit wrightworth even if it isn't necessarily explicit in any meaningful way bc they are Not Normal about each other lol. A little sketchy on how much of an "AU" this counts for, since it could probably be argued to be canon compliant somehow, but basically just: Universe where they make a Pride and Prejudice and Zombies-type Steel Samurai reboot movie thing (featuring, you guessed it, zombies), and Miles comes over and forces Phoenix to watch it with him just to have someone to bitch about it at, and then during that time Maya blows her way into Phoenix's apartment as well with the exact same intentions except her "day job" isn't quite as time-sensitive-strict so she's already finished watching it earlier and knows all the spoilers. Honestly a good chance Phoenix and Pearl (who came with Maya) end up hiding out in the kitchen together to let Maya and Miles rile each other up in front of the TV, but I'm never exactly sure where they'll take me once I wind them up and set them loose on the page, so who knows. I also hadn't necessarily determined the exact time frame yet but for it to make sense as a reboot-type movie/special episode/whatever it probably should be 7yg-or-later so Trucy may or may not be there as well. (That said, in my struggles to complete an actually short one-shot, I probably shouldn't even include Pearl let alone Trucy, lol.) Fun Fact: I also thought I'd skip this day bc I'm not the biggest zombie guy in the world, and to be fair, I managed to do Way Less with it than the dark academia prompt so, yippie?

5. Chess Players - incomplete (currently 3k word WIP)

Miles POV, wrightworth. Miles is a chess grandmaster and back in Japanifornia for the upcoming world cup tournament, but his greatest challenge is actually to FINALLY best Franziska in their annual who-can-get-the-best-Christmas-gift competition. Luckily, he just so happened to hear of an artist who makes bespoke chess sets, so the plan is to get a custom board made for Franziska without her finding out. The plan is not to get trapped in a weird art collective labyrinth with some model-photographer named Cindy who keeps hitting on him but also happens to be protective of the artist he's there to see because "she and her boyfriend kinda-sorta owe him big time", but this is what he gets for coming here without doing any extra research into the artist besides seeing his work and hearing only "his name is White, or, eh, something like that, you know how those artist types are" from Mr. Amano. (AU where we replace law with chess and no I don't think Phoenix could necessarily hack it in the top-world-grandmasters-level of chess tournaments HOWEVER have you considered he DID go to art school so what if he just tries selling custom chess sets until somehow that reconnects him with Miles. Is that somehow a more insane plan than studying law? Maybe. Did Manfred still shoot Gregory but now it was over fucking chess? Maybe. Idk. But I did let Greg live this time at least!) Fun Fact: we can all DEFINITIVELY blame my lovely, terrible, very wonderful friend Ben (shameless friend plug! she's an outstanding writer and has some AA fics of her own too!! @kindlystrawberry on tumblr!!) for making a total joke about "well what about au where they make chess pieces instead" while i lamented not knowing enough about chess to write an actual match and spawning this ENTIRE concept. It is her fault. 100%. She is the guilty party. (I want to finish this one VERY BADLY. Save me.)

EVIDENCE!!!!! Guilty.

6. Reality Show - incomplete (currently 700 word WIP)

Phoenix (& Franziska) POV(s), background wrightworth wedding planning going on as set up but it's also definitely just one of my many excuses to set Phoenix and Franziska up as bitchy worsties who can't admit they enjoy each other's company and will cut you down if you suggest it as such. So far I've only written the quote "set-up" section which is in Phoenix's POV, but that was SUPPOSED to be like 5 paragraphs and cut away and then lead into my actual plan for the main body, which was to be in Franz's instead, so. This is very similar to the zombie one in that it's them watching reality tv instead of being contestants on a show (I don't personally like or watch a lot of reality tv so my creative well was somewhat dry on how to make that work) and then I accidentally thought about Phoenix and Franziska watching something just to judge and tear apart the decisions of every person on it and that was too fun to not consider further, haha. Basically the plan is just they get left alone together and don't know what to do with that and end up wine-drunk and making fun of some reality dating show of some kind and Miles and Trucy come back to them losing it together over something stupid and are like "......uh. what's happening." Fun Facts: I really love the thought experiment of Franziska somehow discovering how often Phoenix's internal dialogue/reads on situations and especially people can be So Bitchy And Judgey despite his affable complexion, and her unfortunately finding his opinions to SOMETIMES be somehow slightly okay. Moderately correct, even--occasionally. I know the section she follows you-as-Phoenix around in T&T is really not long at ALL, but I adore it. There's something about it that so badly makes me want to force them into proximity more (to both their chagrin, I'm sure).

7. Farm/Ranch - complete - 12k words ("Two Little Dickey Byrdes" link)

Gumshoe POV, gumbyrde (tho i still think dickeybyrde is a funnier ship name). 5+1 things--except more like maybe 7-or-8+1 to be honest--so it's more: over 5 times Dick and Maggey sit on a wall together and 1 time they find someone else there instead. AKA: Dick runs his family's small farm (think fantasy farm like in a farming sim or maybe horse girl novel type of thing that has nothing to do with what a real farm is like lol don't worry about it) and Maggey starts working at the next farm over as the latest of her many odd jobs. Fun Fact: oh god this one got so far away from me. it was not supposed to be this long lmao. it's literally the elaborate set-up to a very silly Nursery-Rhyme-I-Didn't-Even-Know-About-Prior-To-This -based punchline!?! still, i was pleasantly surprised by how happy i was with this once it was done... two sittings and about 16 total hours later. haha).

8. Nomad - incomplete (planned/outlined)

Apollo (or possibly Klavier) POV, klapollo. Sort of Jove-Thalassa swap adjacent, but basically: AU where Jove survives the Khura'in fire but loses his memories for [contrived convince sake reasons]. (And also possibly loses some or all of his eyesight just to really go for the parallels?) Therefore: Jove and Apollo stay with Dhurke and Nahyuta and the Defiant Dragons for a time, while Jove recovers, but eventually they leave and head out on their own, just the two of them, and do the traveling musician thing, both because it's dangerous in Khura'in and Dhurke already canonically didn't want Apollo to get caught up in it and potentially get hurt to begin with and because with a functioning actual parent Apollo doesn't need to be taken in by him--and also Jove from what little we know seems like he prefers to be on the move and was already a world traveler anyhow, so even amnesiac maybe he gets a little antsy stuck in one place too long. And so like amnesiac Thalassa, Jove thusly becoming a renowned mysterious musician--and then Apollo, sweet tone deaf Apollo, becoming the sonager of all time (like a momager but...you get it) because he's not that into music but he IS into arguing for better conditions/making deals (contracts!! international legalese!! woohoo!!) with venues and promoters and stuff. And then--oops dang Lamioir still exists and now they have a meet-cute (2 electric bugaloo) (but by then it's later enough Trucy still exists because it will be a cold day in hell when I don't find a way to make her work) and they do music collabs or join up to form a group or whatever and OOPS this means now that Apollo and Jove are with Lamioir when The Gavinners / Klavier specifically meet her and get her to come to do the Guitar's Serenade concert eventually. And Apollo and Klavier ofc thusly also have a meet-cute and then talk and bond etc etc. AND THEN the au STOPS THERE and I DON'T think about how without Apollo Phoenix is totally getting convicted of Zak's murder because there's no way that trial works out as well for him with some other attorney and I also don't think about how reasonable it would then be that maybe Trucy ends up helping Valant with his work setting up the trick for the concert afterward on account of the one father in prison and the other being dead and having left behind a notarized confession clearing Valant's name of suspicion, etc. AND I DEFINITELY do not think about how i could then still so easily get everyone in one place at the concert for Turnabout Serenade and/or any possible funny Sibling (And Thalassa) Reveal that could happen i dont i dont i do not--

9. Accidental Baby Acquisition - conceptualized (not started)

Gen, possibly my weakest / least defined idea on this list, but basically: Phoenix kind of already lives this in canon, lol (insomuch as an 8yo counts as a baby) so I thought, well, how to take it a different direction, then? And I thought, I don't usually go for a Phoenix Fey kind of au because I personally really love the relationships he has with all the Feys as-is in canon and so it's not quite as funny to me as, say, a Miles Fey AU where like Misty and Gregory are married, or any of the ones in that bent, because I'm sorry but that's just SO funny (and sad, but mostly funny) any way you slice it--plus his NAME is RIGHT THERE mia-miles-maya he FITS--anyhow, that completely aside, there are just a lot of reasons I really love the platonic relationships the Feys already have with Phoenix and I don't think it NEEDS to be made specifically familial to still be so very important, y'know? BUT. That said. AU where Phoenix is idk abandoned as a baby or maybe his parents die young or something and it's like a Thing to leave babies at temples or churches or whatever, right? So like--Phoenix adopted by the Feys AU but only because the more i considered it the more i thought it would be WILD for him to literally know Maya her entire life, and it's fascinating to me to consider a Maya who ISN'T basically left all alone to her own devices (and Morgan's) and who has someone absolutely in her corner in the village the entire time even after Mia leaves (who isn't a baby when Mia leaves, love you tho Pearls), AND also and perhaps more importantly, the ships-passing-in-the-night-ness of a scene where, like: Morgan does something sketchy or whatever and Phoenix wants to keep Mia updated but for whatever reason decides to go down to the city and actually tell her in person and so he's waiting outside the courthouse or something (possibly part of or perhaps Most Of the reason he goes in person is because he knows her first courtroom trial is that day and he wants to see her + hear how it went) and when he gets there she's in a heated argument with some asshole in a fancy over-embellished jacket and once that guy leaves Phoenix is like "Sheesh, what's his problem?" You know???? And maybe he really would never even know!!!! Bc he grew up in Kurain!!!! And has no reason to care!!! About some random prosecutor who was mean to Mia!! Aaaah!!! So that, and on top of that, Diego would be there too ofc at that point, and I feel like he would ALSO be quite a funny interaction in this scenario. ("Wow, someone's popular, kitten, you have all sorts of guys waiting on a chance to talk to you, heh?" "Uh.--I'm sorry, WHAT did you just call her")

10. Enemies-to-Allies - incomplete (currently 370 word WIP)

Ema POV, faraskye. Cyberpunk AU where Lana is still under Gant's thumb and Ema, with no other way to stay close to her and getting rejected from any of the sorts of jobs she really wants to do, decides to just join the security force (or cyber police or w/e I decide to call it) and is tasked with hunting down the Yatagarasu, guerilla hacker supreme who is threatening the sanctity of the capitalist overlords. Except Ema's squad gets ambushed and she's captured and tied to a pole, and with her useless fop partner seemingly not coming to rescue her (if he even noticed her absence), she does some quick cost-benefit analysis and decides she didn't really like that job anyway and maybe there's another way she can get her sister back in her life. So she breaks free of her own handcuffs (which she definitely didn't modify into incidental ineffectiveness she's still testing for bugs) and helps fix the "Little Thief" device her captor seems to have broken despite how obviously valuable and impressive the tech is, and they eventually come to something of an agreement. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, and all that. Either Ema as the hardware-engineer one and Kay as the software-programming one as the two sides of the tech coin, or else Kay can just be like doing the physical sneaking kind of spy stuff only--or maybe she knows a little about software but not so much she's a pro the way she is with infiltration and such. Possibly toying with the idea Kay herself is just completely an android, but if not, I think she has some cybernetic cyborg things going on regardless. Possibly from or inspired by her father? I also like the idea that Gant did something maybe more drastic with regards to having dirt on Ema to get Lana to do his bidding--like maybe Ema has a whole cybernetic hand because instead of just her handprint on a leather jacket, Gant has some sicko jar with her entire hand in it in his office safe, or something. I don't know why this would be useful to him but it is certainly an image. I also find it funny if Miss Fingerprint Powder Enthusiast doesn't actually have any fingerprints of her own anymore somehow in this AU, lol.

11. Retail Worker - complete - 6.7k words ("The Bake Anything Boulangerie" link)

Apollo POV, gen. Phoenix gets a job at a bakery instead of the Borscht Bowl Club during the 7 year gap, and Apollo happens to stumble across it and ends up meeting the Wrights while he's still in high school. He becomes a regular at the bakery and is already close to them by the time "Shadi Smith's" murder comes around. And also, yes, sibling reveal right away--at least as soon as Phoenix realizes and can reveal it. As a treat. (Other reveals, though, I might put poor Apollo through on a delayed basis. Also as a treat, lmao, just not one for him.) Fun Fact: I'm being redundant bc this is also in my a/n, but, Baker Phoenix lives rent-free in my brain because Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright was in fact the very first Ace Attorney game I ever played, technically, and Maya and Phoenix semi-brainwashed in that bakery was literally one of my first impressions of them. ........followed immediately by starting a let's play of Justice for All (which i watched through the first case, after which I was like oKAY fine maybe i DO need more context here, i should probably figure out what the actual first game is, and went back to start the series properly at the beginning hahaha). What do you MEAN i have a disproportionate fascination with amnesiac Phoenix, even if I have yet to finish and publish one of my myriad AUs that utilize stupid, unrealistic, plot convenient re-temporary amnesia?? Hm???? Idk what you're talking about. Also everyone who complains about 2-1 is wrong lmao it's objectively (okay subjectively is what i'm saying yes BUT objectively) such a funny place to start without knowing broad plot strokes, it's great. I both knew so much and absolutely shit-all nothing about Maya after PLvPW and 2-1, LMAO. god.

12. Animagus Wings (Joker) - incomplete (planned/outlined)

Miles POV, wrightworth. Angel/Demon AU, except I'm playing super fast and loose with the rules on that because all my knowledge of Christian-mythos comes from firstly and unknowingly the Chronicles of Narnia and more recently and cognizantly Lucifer (Netflix) and Good Omens. I know that's probably more or less what we're all doing with this kind of AU but still, I'm not even sure I want to refer to Heaven and Hell here, I'm kinda on the fence about maybe just keeping it all very vague? I also accidentally semi-worldbuilt more than i intended incidentally on account of "But Then How-Why Names If Angelic Creatures?" Format-wise it would semi-follow gomens s1 where it's hopping through some meetings between long stretches but also a kind of pre- and post- Fall type of thing? And potentially à la Lucifer becoming, like, these are My Mortal Humans and i will be Spending Time With Them, screw you celestial duties, I'm making my own Free Will, etc. And i mean i guess Lucifer is also a crime procedural lmao maybe they still solve crimes in the end too. Fun Fact: I didn't want to do the original prompt for several reasons, and sure fuck jkr is one of them but even before I knew about her I still wasn't really the biggest hp person in the first place? So i wouldn't know/don't remember at all the way it works without having to do the specific research and i...don't want to haha. Hence. And I know the prompt seems to be using it loosely / might just be borrowing the word and not actually referencing hp specifically but tbh either way human-animal shifter things just in general I can be somewhat picky about haha. (Okay okay plus full disclosure the ONLY idea I have for this sort of thing actually ties into my day-3-dark-academia-extended-au-verse and i COULD make my life simpler by just connecting the two days but Heh who would I be if I simplified things for myself... *sigh*) All that to say: I saw "wings" on the wild card list and I thought, ooh, well that's still sort of a related concept! Let's tag that one in! So it's still kind of day 12 prompt-adjacent, if you squint.

13. Found Footage - incomplete (planned/outlined)

Video Transcript POV? Is that a thing? Possibly capped by a little Phoenix POV (but i don't want that to get too long), wrightworth. Larry's new girlfriend of the month bakes weed brownies and Larry does not realize this and swings by the Wrights' apartment to beg some kind of help off Phoenix and forgets the whole tray there somehow (because it's Larry) and they leave to deal with Larry's thing and by the time they figure the brownies out, in some twist of fate Miles and Trucy have been hanging out (last minute babysitter/adult supervision? but she's at the very very least 14 or 15 here and most likely older, and Nick clearly isn't the most strict about like uhhh supervision in general lol sooo idk. he's helping her with a project or smth. it doesn't really actually matter; he's THERE, that's the important thing.) The point I'm very clearly getting at is they accidentally get incredibly high (not dangerously so because I'm not going that far haha but also, neither of them has actually been high before, so they are Affected) before Phoenix finds out what was in the brownies and tries to warn Trucy and hurry home to like, dispose of them or at least put a warning label on them or whatever, but he is too late lol. By a lot. Definitely an underage drugs tag on this bad boy because it's definitely sometime 18-or-earlier for Trucy, let alone 21. (idk about other places but as a Californian I can tell you Japanifornia "LA" could theoretically have it legalized at 21 for anyone (like alcohol) and 18 with Dr's permission--which Trucy definitely does not have in this AU lol.) Basically, Phoenix grabs Trucy's phone to get photo evidence so he can let them never live this down (after making sure they're okay lmao), but he ofc doesn't get technology so he doesn't realize he leaves the phone still recording when Trucy asks him for something / needs his help, so the recording just keeps going and captures a lot of tomfoolery and eventually some inebriated-to-Extremely-sober Feelings-Adjacent confessions (or maybe more like allusions). Idk, this was actually a fic I thought of before August and wanted to use as an excuse to try a Weird Format for fun, but then i saw this was a prompt on the list and...well. Fun Fact: Cannabis was legalized in California on November 8, 2016 (the first election I could vote in!!! ......uh, rip. lol. but yeah babey I helped legalize weed at least!! gotta remember the positives), which means it was legal right in time for Miles' case(s) / Turnabout Goodbyes!!! Yay!! I mean, I suppose that's genuinely seriously one way to try to mitigate nightmares and manage insomnia--not that I think Miles Edgeworth would ever deign stoop so low as to use an aid to manage his severe PTSD and trauma symptoms, psshaw, who do you take him for? (Get these people some help lol. They all need so much therapy.)

14. Princes & Princesses - conceptualized (not started)

So I've been reading a lot (a LOT) of isekai and/or revenge reincarnation romance fantasy manhwas lately (like, oh, too many, hahaha. they're quite good and they're VERY popular in webcomics at the moment.) Soooo. Soft pitch: Apollo already gets slapped into so many wild backstories he's constantly trying to dodge in an effort to be just a Normal Guy, he's honestly, like, the PERFECT protagonist for one of these lmao. And tell me Kristoph doesn't make a perfect "Upstanding Duke" kind of persona, and Klavier couldn't be the "wild rake" younger brother no one expects much from, and all I'm saying is it wouldn't be that hard to contrive a reason Apollo tries to get Klavier to agree to a contract marriage the way all these stories go, lol. And also, something something, Apollo from the "real world" is an orphan/has an absent family (also like so many of these manhwa protagonists, lol) but then he gets to actually have one in his second life!! I'm such a sucker for that shit. Slightly harder pitch, and the reason I did not let myself actually start writing anything (...yet): so what if the actual plot of the "original romance novel" Apollo is familiar with from the "real world (Earth)" is actually about the slightly older generation and something something instead of admiring Phoenix as a defense attorney, it's just that he instead was Apollo's favorite "love interest" character (not, like, for himself, just the one he most liked to read about) in every way except what a blithering idiot he became when the author had him fall for the female lead--but BEFORE that, he's a cool information guild leader guy who seems like he's trying to work toward some way to improve conditions for commoners in the kingdom (but abruptly there are no more mentions of this after he gets involved with the lead, which is annoying). Aaaand... I guess what I'm saying is, Dahlia is the original female lead because she REALLY fits the whole White Lotus trope, and I'm thinking Klavier is the original male lead because A) hilarious, B) fits in with the idea there's more going on in the ACTUAL world Apollo ends up in that is written in such a way as to make things seem different in the novel (like, that Dahlia and Klavier are actually as nice as they seem and that the terrible things that happen around them are just the trials and tribulations of being main characters and not anything they're directly involved in). And Apollo, the character in the novel Apollo, is an adopted prince of Khura'in, but he's the sickly younger prince and of course not actually of the royal bloodline (and also a man, considering Khura'in is matrilineal), so Rayfa and Nahyuta are the ones the public and other nobles actually know and care about and deal with. But wait! As it so turns out, The Wright Anything Information Guild (I feel like the actual guild name CAN'T have their freaking name on it front and center lol but you get the idea) happens to know some other things that aren't really expanded on in the original novel, and might be key to preventing Apollo's death so he doesn't follow the path of the original story, and also idk maybe Apollo and Trucy are half-fae or something like that and instead of like Aw Yay Bracelet in this AU it's more of a secret Iron Shackle Tool That Will Hurt I Mean Totally-Definitely-Help Us Later (still, in a way, passed down to him by Thalassa, but more as, like... she's kind of a secret hostage and does not manage to hide pregnancy number one so Apollo's now also a secret hostage, but she manages to escape so they don't know about Trucy, only she didn't tell Apollo basically anything to "keep him as safe as possible" or w/e, and......) Well, anyway. It got away from me before I even really wrote anything, that's all.

15. Secretly Alien - unfinished (currently 2.6k WIP)

Trucy POV, gen. Apollo gets sick of very consistently always losing the card games they play at the Wright Anything Agency (usually and in the specific instance the fic starts, Bullshit/BS) and in a stroke of inspiration somehow ropes everyone into playing Among Us instead. ("What! It's still a game of trying to lie/trick everyone else--like you like!--but I actually stand a freaking chance, so we're playing this or I'm going home.") Yes. This is my Among Us AU. Hi. They play Among Us. I'm justifying this one as prime AU territory however because A) Among Us has to exist in this universe, and even more pressingly, B) I found a way to force Phoenix to have--for at least a period of time if not moving forward in perpetuity--an actual smartphone instead of a Nokia-type brick cellphone. Which even under the wild but somehow plausible considering Ace Attorney circumstances I contrived, is just automatically a complete AU lmao. Fun Fact: I am so mad this one wasn't just totally finished day-of, lol. Why I ever thought I could give myself run of an entire WAA 4-person conversation and NOT get instantly derailed is beyond me. (And I want to get the prosecutors there, too?? Someone take the characters away from me.) Anyway. No, I have not written ANY of the actual Among Us part yet. Sigh. Also I haven't personally played amogus since like, 2021? maybe? And I know (now) that it's been pretty updated since then, but, ehhh, I'm just gonna run off like, lockdown-era amogus rules and vibes, lol. If I can get to the game part.

16 - Hobby Drama - conceptualized

I'm going to go out of order this time to say: Fun Fact: I have ALWAYS wanted to write a Reddit-style fic!!! I absolutely love them and I've read some REALLY, really good ones, so I've always wanted to try my hand at it. So theoretically this is the perfect time to make that a reality and write a r/HobbyDrama subreddit fic, buuut I got stuck before starting because I'm torn on two possible routes to take it (I can easily foresee myself caving and just doing both lol). - Option 1: Steel Samurai fandom discourse, always a fun/funny thing to think about, definitely would enjoy having Maya and Miles post some stuff for that. - Option 2: courtroom law fandom discourse, because come ON, how are those galleries ALWAYS SO FULL. The little wiggling rabba-rabba onlookers have GOT to have investment in this shit. And why WOULDN'T they, honestly. I've seen those trials and I have, in fact, spent a Lot of time thinking about them, not that any posts I've made lately would reflect that in any way or anything. Like I know it's hard to tell, but if I can be invested in the Lawyers Fandom, who's to say the people in the courtrooms aren't????? And I LOVE an outsider POV fic actually, I think they're so fun. So anyway. Reddit fic. You will be mine. Just as soon as I can hone my energy

And, what the hell, since it's so late now by the time I complete this "Heh This'll Be So Quick To Throw Together" post, I'll include today's, too:

17 - Flower Shop - conceptualized (at work earlier today. lol)

AU where Daddy Hawthorne is like, 97% less shitty. And the Hawthornes have a flower shop instead of like a gemstone industry or whatever. And he takes both Dahlia and Iris with him instead of dumping one of his daughters at a fucking secluded mountain temple and seemingly forgetting about her forever. On second thought, maybe what I actually mean is he's like 999% less shitty, lmfao. Anyway, Iris POV, but Dahlia (while not a "nice" person by any stretch) is not pushed to such extremes or nearly as desperate as canon, so Valerie lives, Terry Fawles lives, Doug Swallow lives, and Dahlia gets to live a good life overall--because as much fun as I love using her as a villain, she's really such a product of the absolute worst circumstances and I really do find her interesting so I've been kind of wanting to explore her in a less cartoonishly evil light, haha. (Don't get me wrong, I do love the cartoonishly evil light too, but I like spicing things up sometimes.) Like, she does (more) normal teen rebellion things ("Look at my inappropriately older boyfriend, Dad" "I'm going to talk my way out of speeding tickets and petty shoplifting as a bid for attention" etc.) and she still totally orders Iris around and Iris still totally does whatever she asks very much to her own detriment and has to learn to break away and be her own person. Fun Fact: I have a very passionate love for Iris/Adrian Andrews. Is that. Um. Is that a ship anyone else has ever considered before? Is that just me? I'm not sure but very possibly I'll just make this a rarepair fic as a treat, for me alone, teehee. (Like... it's about the becoming the master of your own destiny it's about breaking out of codependent cycles it's about how I genuinely honestly think they'd be each other's type and have chemistry even though they've obviously never interacted lmao... idk what to tell you.)

AND THATS MY AU-GUST UPDATE POST!!!

If you made it this far, take a sprinkle of my undying affection, and may you be blessed with AU inspiration if you so desire it!! (If you do not desire it, hopefully you are not cursed with it. I do not take refunds if you are. Sorry.)

Wish me luck with completing some more fics soon!!! Unfortunately weekends are actually my least free time because I work the most and the earliest hours so I have less time and am more tired, but also on Wednesday I'm leaving for a family vacation, which will either be the BEST thing to happen in regards to AU-gust or the WORST thing lmfao. If nothing else I have 2 flights, and I actually Love writing on an airplane, so fingers crossed for it being Good. <3

EDIT: Now with part 2 for the rest of the month here!

#au gust 2024 #au gust #ace attorney #ace attorney spoilers #OH this post is so long. i did not. mean for that to happen. but i had fun with it and now I've got all my ideas in one place! yay #i kind of feel bad about clogging the tags though so idk what even TO tag lol #wrightworth #narumitsu #lanamia #gumbyrde #phoenix wright #miles edgeworth #mia fey #lana skye #larry butz #maya fey #dick gumshoe #maggey byrde #apollo justice #trucy wright #FUCK IT WE BALL im just tagging it all. i put enough time into this to justify clogging tags lol #i typed wrightworth so many times here despite liking narumitsu aesthetically more but in technicality im definitely #writing the localization characters and not naruhodou and mitsurugi.... so. meh. I'll survive lol #aaau-gust 2024 #welcome to my patt ttalk #patt's prattle #idk why i have so many ramble tags when i am so bad about using this blog haha #i feel like I'm forgetting smth but if i am I'll get back to it later #I'll be posting everything else to the same ao3 series!! if you want me to ramble forever more about any of these literally #i will do it at the drop of a hat this is my entire personality lately lol. minimally ask me and I'll write you an essay

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intriq · 1 year ago

Text

Soulmate au jason todd fic

its here. like i promised. months ago, maybe. chap 1 is done. chapter 2 is underway. flower language for titles with meanings.

NOTE: This mixes the arkhamverse AND the lazarus pit together, so KEEP THAT IN MIND. i was like "haha omg what if i mixed the two together" and everyone was like "YES" and by everyone i mean this discord im in

will make a separate masterlist post for this, maybe. heavy emphasis on MAYBE.

might just smack it all onto my already existing masterlist post, who knows!

this fic will be a series of chapters and parts, and written to Isabella's Lullaby. From The Promised Neverland. enjoy :3

‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎‎‎ ‎‎Blue Salvia

‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ blue salvia; i think of you

When he was Robin, running around with Batman to fight crime on the streets of Gotham, he’d sometimes get distracted. By you, of course. Not that he could see you, but he could hear you.

Specifically, he could hear you whenever you sang to yourself. Your quiet little humming always made him smile, and he’d always get distracted listening to it.

“Jason, were you listening to anything I just said?” Bruce asks, and there’s most certainly an unamused look on his face behind his mask.

Jason is snapped from his daze, giving a sheepish grin as he just gives a silent answer of no, he was not listening. The only thing he’d been listening to was the humming of his soulmate, who always had a habit of singing to themselves when they were doing something or trying to fall asleep.

Getting distracted by the sound of your singing whilst he was patrolling Gotham with Bruce probably wasn’t the best idea, but he couldn’t help it. Your voice was always so pretty, after all.

Sometimes he’d get distracted in his classes, too.

When one day, Jason’s in his boring history class, back in those days when he was younger, he hears you humming again. He smiles, of course. How could he not?

You did have a truly pretty voice.

Or could it be more-so described as beautiful?

Either way, Jason’s focus is solely on your voice now, and not the history lesson the teachers spouting off. It’s nice, and it’s certainly something Jason would rather hear than whatever that teacher was spouting off as he forces himself to focus enough to actually finish the notes he was taking.

However your humming only lasts for a few brief minutes, and Jason is forced to suddenly listen to the teacher drone on and on about some particular subject he didn’t care to pay real attention to.

Even now as the Joker cackles in his ear, bringing the crowbar back down to hit his ankles, hard, Jason grits his teeth in pain for a moment. Before eventually it turns to gasps for air.

The only way Jason could even last and endure the endless torment the Joker put him through was by imagining you. Imagining what you might look like, that is.

After all, the first words you’d ever say to him in the future were inked like a tattoo in the skin of his arm. How could he not let his mind wander to try and put pieces of you together, like some sort of puzzle without a guiding image?

It had been awhile since Jason last heard you humming to yourself. Had you stopped singing entirely, or were you just busy as of late?

His gaze, despite the pain making his vision swirl into an unfocused haze, moves to look at his soul-mark. His soul-mark, which are the first words you’d ever speak to him.

Are you okay?

Those words. Three simple words. Words that gave him hope that someday he’d get out of this hellhole in Arkham.

“Get your head in the game, bird-brain!” Joker cackles, bringing the crowbar back down onto his leg again, making Jason grit his teeth and suck in a harsh breath of air, bringing him back to reality in a dizzying flash of pain. He’s hoping Joker didn’t notice just what specifically was distracting him, considering his Robin suit kept his soul-mark hidden.

But unfortunately for him, Joker had. “Something you wanna share, birdie?” Joker taunts, reaching a hand out to grab at the hem, where the glove covered the sleeves edge. Underneath which held your first words to him.

Are you okay?

Three little words. Words that helped him stay sure he’d make it out of here. Make it out of here to you.

Jason so badly wishes to close his eyes, block everything currently happening out when Joker spots his soulmark. Wants to forget everything when he hears Joker sadistic cackling when he reads those little words. “Ooh, got yourself a soulmate, huh? Maybe they’d like to join in on this little show, hmm? What do you think of that, bird-brain?”

Jason, for once in his life, hopes you don’t live in Gotham. That you don’t live anywhere near this shithole or anywhere Joker has power to find and reach you.

At night when Jason get’s some relief from the torment, the beatings, it’s quiet. He hates it. He’s never liked silence, and now he fucking dreads it. Makes him think about how everything hurts, how badly he wants everything to end. He’s on the verge of breaking, he can feel it. That last little cord that’s about to snap.

He’s so close to giving up.

And then, for the first time in what’s felt like years, he hears it. He hears you. You’re singing again. It’s soft and sweet, your voice. Just like every other time he hears it. Jason tries his hardest to keep his eyes open, to listen to that melody you’re almost always humming. It’s the same one every time.

But in the end, he can’t help the way his eyes droop, or how you manage to lull him to sleep like some child. Jason can’t help but be so easily soothed by your voice. Because for the first time in months, Jason is able to sleep.

And for the first time in months, it’s a restful sleep. One without nightmares. And he dreams of you, what you may look like.

For just a little while, he get’s a little reprieve from all this pain and anguish.

‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

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ominous-feychild · 3 months ago

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Can you tell me a little about The Arcane Rifts?

Mislav (the berserker) and Ludmila in particular (their names stood out lol)

Ahhh, the Arcane Rifts, my golden child--

I--I mean--

The story I give an appropriate amount of love and attention to! 🥰 (or so I say because I think the extra attention I give it is deserved because it's the golden child--)

The Arcane Rifts

I've since included the blurb and other information in my Writeblr Intro if you want more generic information! Sorry I've taken so long to respond to this, haha. I'm going to continue forward here assuming you've read it, but I'm probably going to restate a lot of information here anyway!

The Arcane Rifts is a high fantasy, action, mystery story with hints of horror! It primarily follows its two MCs, Gene and Tazin, as they struggle to live on their own as Socially Othered kids.

Gene is physically disabled--he was born with a twisted and too-short leg that makes it difficult for him to walk. In-story, he uses a cane and eventually gets a foot lift that helps level out his walking. Though it doesn't perfectly fit, the best actual medical condition I can find for him is clubfoot!

Adding to his social-othering, Gene is also autistic (though it "doesn't exist" in Glavnran) and originally from another country, though it's unknown which one in-story. He was found in the woods on the outskirts of Kavo (a town within Glavnran) a year prior to the events of the story, and has barely gotten a grasp of the local language in the time before the story starts.

Tazin is the secondary MC and another kid only two years Gene's senior. He's ethnically Jhandan (Fantasy!Indian), and discriminated against by the majority Glavni (primarily white, Fantasy!Slavic) people despite being born and raised in Glavnran.

(Context: Glavnran is under the thumb of the Jhandan Empire and has had a history of both war and exploitation by Jhandar. This has led to the hatred of the Glavni people toward anything Jhandan--however. I do not say this as in to say the discrimination Jhandan people face is fair, understandable, or reasonable--just that it's the origin of the tensions. Tazin is a literal 9-year-old, though, and obviously just gets handed that hatred because of the color of his skin... and a minor accent.)

There's Asks on both Gene and Tazin and you asked about other characters, so I'll hold off on giving more info about them in particular, but!

The Arcane Rifts focuses on the two boys meeting, deciding to work together to survive on the streets, and accidentally getting way in over their heads as they accidentally draw the attention of both the cops and the local gang.

The main plots focus on the children, the khonitva, and Kavo's chief of police--Nikolai--investigating the boys on top of some magical stuff going on in the background.

It's a dense story, but I promise you it's worth it!!! Or, it will be whenever the current version has more than 5 chapters available read...

Mislav Baran

My beautiful babi boy and definitely not Gene's later boyfriend.

So, bad news: while he appears a bit in Book 1, Mislav isn't a main character there. He only becomes a MC in Book 2, after... spoilers! happen! 😙👌 In order to answer your questions, though, I will be giving away mild spoilers! 🥰

First, an introduction: Mislav (the berserker) is, surprise surprise, a berserker! Let me actually grab a snippet straight from tAR for this!

What Damaris didn’t know was that Mislav was a berserker, which meant he was stronger than any normal kid. Especially when he got angry. Being a berserker meant more than getting stronger with anger, though. It boosted all of his physical abilities and his senses. To top it all off, he healed from injuries more quickly. So imagine what it was like when he got angry. Although he’d show off his strength sometimes, Mislav hated that he was a berserker. Not only was it his own curse, gifted to him by Zhrizn—Glavnran’s evil god of nature—after he’d orchestrated the deaths of Mislav's family, but the people of Kavo hated berserkers. They said they were wild, destructive creatures that did nothing but hurt and kill.

Woah, so there's a lot to unpack there, haha. 🤭

But before I do... let me give you the next two lines from Gene('s narration).

Those were the reasons why Gene never told Mislav what he thought of a berserker’s abilities. They made for a perfect weapon of war.

Wait, wtf, a kid thought that??? Aaaaaanyway! We're talking about Mislav, not Gene! 😉🤭

Yeah, a berserker's abilities are perfectly suited for combat and recovering from it. However, at the beginning of the story, Mislav is just nine. Y'know--nine years old. He's not seeing any combat or war!

(Y'know... besides the whole "Adilzhan killed his entire family somewhat in front of him" thing. Oh, wait, right. That.)

So, Adilzhan. He's an avatar of Zhrizn (aka does his bidding), and it was presumably on Zhrizn's orders that he killed Mislav's family.

And then... stopped.

To spare Mislav? What's so special about him? Who knows! Me. I do.

Regardless, after sparing him, Adilzhan half took him in. Yeah. Took him in. After slaughtering his entire family and burning down the farm Mislav grew up on. That certainly won't be causing any sort of weird complexes in the poor kid growing up.

Despite their, ah, rough introduction, Adilzhan has been a shockingly generous "parental" figure to Mislav. Rather than forcing Mislav to live with him, Adilzhan sent him to the local orphanage and gives him anything the orphanage can't. Then, he's even ignored Mislav's uh... well.

Blatant attempts to "get revenge".

To be completely transparent: "berserker"-ness has turned (perhaps unsurprisingly) into an accidental allegory for anger issues--especially in the poor, traumatized Mislav.

So what does a kid with severe anger issues accentuated with a curse that actively tries to make them worse do when their family's murderer is constantly trying to be nice to them? Well, lash out, of course!

For example, by the beginning of book 2 Mislav would/will have:

destroyed a bunch of Adilzhan's stuff... several times.

straight-up ambushed/attacked Adilzhan (though only twice!! And only in the first several months of knowing him!!!... because he quickly learned it wouldn't get him anywhere--)

kicked/headbutted him while Adilzhan tried treating his (Mislav's) injuries

purposely sabotaged Adilzhan in moments of danger/stress, leading to Adilzhan getting injured when he otherwise wouldn't have gotten!

And yet, shockingly, Adilzhan never would've lashed out at the kid. Worst he would've done is put Mislav in the magical equivalent of "time out" while he took care of whatever problems the kid made.

By the beginning of book 2, when Mislav is 15, he's mostly moved past the state of constantly lashing out at Adilzhan. Like, sure--he hates him. Always will! But he's learned that, despite the past... Adilzhan is genuinely looking out for him. And was kinda a halfway decent parental-ish figure?

And, oh boy. Does he hate that. And understandably so!

But he's come to accept it.

Oh, Right, That Was Background Info.

So Book 2 Mislav! While Gene and Tazin were busy being criminals together on the streets, Mislav spent his time being raised halfway between the orphanage and Adilzhan himself. However, like all of the kids in Kavo's orphanage, he got kicked out at the age of thirteen (yeah, it's messed up, but tbh that's just how bad Kavo is).

So did he move in with Adilzhan at long last?

Hell no!

Mislav joined a gang, the yuertel!

Wait, what???

Yeah! Don't worry about it, it's all good. Anyway!

One thing I didn't mention earlier about the "berserker curse" is that it does more than just enhance the individual's physical capabilities and senses--it also will slowly corrupt their physical appearance as they tap into its power.

Which... that was another reason that Mislav toned down his anger with Adilzhan. Allowing himself to stew in it made it more and more likely that he'd act on it... and acting on it advanced the curse's control over him. And if you don't remember, the people of Kavo really don't like berserkers.

So, for most of his life (since the deaths of his family), Mislav has been doing his best to bottle up every single negative emotion he feels and avoiding people to keep them from figuring out the Truth. Aaaaand, y'know, self-sacrifice like hell. Because, surely, if bad actions accelerate the curse, then being a good person will de-cellerate it, right?

Yeah. He wishes. Literally.

Ludmila Morozov

So, Ludmila!

She first appears only at the very end of the first book, but Ludmila is actually a super important character to the series! She becomes a major character starting book 2, and is a main character in book 3!

Ludmila is an ice mage--or vykolt as the Glavni people call them--though you wouldn't be able to tell considering her fierce personality, haha. (Well, actually, she's incredibly icy, too, but.)

While Gene and Tazin were busy spending the first book of tAR in the khonitva and getting themselves on Kavo's Most Wanted list, Ludmila spent her time in Damaris's orphanage, getting evicted as she turned "of age", and joining/becoming the leader of the yuertel!

Oh, yeah, so the yuertel...

Ludmila didn't start the gang, and in fact got an actual job assisting the lumberjacks (and -jills) after first being kicked out of the orphanage. She only quit after an incident disillusioned her from Kavo's police- and work-force at large. Afterward, she was informed of the yuertel's existence by her childhood friend--Rada--and joined them when she couldn't find another job she was okay with working.

When she first joined, the yuertel was a ragtag bunch of kids with no idea what they were doing. After she joined--... well, they were still a ragtag bunch of kids with no idea what they were doing! But their previous leader saw her compassion for the others and stepped down to let her lead instead. Y'know, with his guidance, considering he was just a little better with people than her, but she was around a lot more than him and could do more for them than he could.

The yuertel isn't what you'd first think of when the word "gang" comes to mind. While they get up to criminal activity, they minimize collateral damage when and where they can, because hurting others isn't Ludmila's goal. They just need to do what they do to survive--malice and wanton destruction was the khonitva's thing, not hers. Though if a stray icicle hit Nikolai or a member of the khonitva over the head, she wouldn't complain.

While Ludmila wants the world to be a better place, all she sees is more ways to make it worse... or to work for those she feels sit idly by, allowing for things to get worse while sitting on their hands. So, instead, she carved out her own corner where she takes care of the people she cares about while nobody else pays them any mind.

Point is, she's a bit of a hypocrite.

Kavo--and, in fact, Glavnran in general--is a terrible place. It's full of crime, discrimination, ableism, and so many -phobias that it's ridiculous. She realized there was nothing she could do about it, so she sought to help her friends float by if nothing else. But she's a little ignorant of the fact she's guilty of the very same thing she hates in Nikolai and the rest of the police force.

Complacency.

At least... she is before book 3. But that's spoiler territory. 😉

A little more background info: Ludmila got sent to the orphanage after the murder of her mother. (Which, I so want to write a short story where Nikolai and Adilzhan investigate the murder buddy-cop style, Nikolai hating and suspecting Adilzhan of it all the while...)

Her mother, Tosha, was a fellow vykolt and actually was an avatar of Ertzat, the Glavni psychopomp god of ice, winter, death, and other associated things! They were distantly related to Gennadi (the un-elected mayor), and that combined with her priestess status meant the two were decently well-off before Tosha's death. Ludmila was close childhood friends with Rada even before then, and their parents' deaths occurring at approximately the same time led to them ending up at the orphanage together.

Idk what else I can say about her without getting into spoilers, haha...

I love Ludmila! Despite her hypocrisy, I'd say she's genuinely a good person stuck in a miserable circumstance like a lot of my characters tbh. She's a massive "sister friend" angsty type, and absolutely CANNOT get along with Tazin after the duo joins because of them both being stubborn af, haha. They're two bulls locking horns!

(And, beautifully, are a fire/ice rivalry, haha.)

I've seriously had this half-done in my drafts since publishing my Writeblr intro... I'm incredibly disappointed in myself.

Tag list: @honeybewrites @the-golden-comet @illarian-rambling @ashirisu @urnumber1star

@the-letterbox-archives

Divider from @cafekitsune

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dayseternal-blog · 5 months ago

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Hii do you know some fics where Naruto pretends to not know hinata's feeling for him

hmmm

in these two, Naruto pretends to not have feelings for Hinata, it's dark!Naruto -

"Psychosis" from "NaruHina Erotica Oneshots" by @makuro767 - Rated E, Canon-Divergent AU, One-shot. There's madness in the blood of Namikaze. If the Uchiha was cursed by Hatred, then Namikaze is cursed by Love

and

"Incubus" from "NaruHina Erotica Oneshots" by Makuro767 - Rated E, High School AU, One-shot. It’s not a fairytale love story. It’s not a teenage romance. She didn’t even know if this can be considered romance.

since it's dark!Naruto, it like.....doesn't matter what Hinata feels for him. So, not exactly what you're asking for.

hmmm, you might like this funny one haha, but it's sorta the opposite?, or going both ways?:

"Dense II" from "Blue and White Eyes" by kiiam - Rated T, Canon-Divergent AU, One-shot. Naruto had been called dense by many people. He was considered very, very dense.

I feel like there should be a better one than these?????? I'm sure that I've read one where Naruto's pretending to not know for the funsies...

oh, here's another dark!Naruto one where he pretends to not know Hinata:

“Insanity” by Sadistic One - Rated E for GRAPHIC MURDER, College AU, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. The smell of his cologne and slight musk was the first thing that caught Hyuga Hinata’s attention. She eventually found out that smell belonged to a young man named Uzumaki Naruto. Ever since that encounter, she couldn’t stop following him and watching his every move. She needed to know who he hanged out with, his hobbies likes and dislikes. She even transferred to his school to study him more closely. But as those months went on, she discovered Naruto was not who he portrayed to be to his peers, but a cold-blooded murderer. Is this enough to put a stop to Hinata’s obsession or will it draw her closer to her own insanity?

wait, here's another dark!Naruto that pretends to not know Hinata's feelings:

“October - Horror” by @chloelapomme - Rated T, High School AU, Multi-chapter, Complete. When despair turns into a feeling of love so intense that obsession is the only thing that can help you protect the one you love.

okay, so 4 dark!Naruto fanfic recommendations and only 1 somewhat normally characterized fanfic. I guess Naruto pretending not to know Hinata's feelings is only something a crazy Naruto would do lol

If anyone thinks of others, please add on!!!!!

#anon #naruhina fanfic recs #dark!NaruHina

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zmzebra-writes · 9 months ago

Text

Title: Well if he won't become my wife, then I guess I'll have to man up and be the wife instead Chapters: 1/? Summary: Rinne and Hiiro talk about their relationships with others and Hiiro tries to give advice on Rinne’s relationship with Niki.

It was a warm summer day, but Rinne and Hiiro were prepared for that as they ate popsicles in the Sky Garden. It had been a while since they had been able to catch up with just the two of them.

“Hey, brother?” asked Hiiro as he chomped on his popsicle.

“Yeah?” replied Rinne as he gnawed on the remaining stick.

“I’ve been wondering, but what’s your relationship with Shiina? You always talk like you’re married, but Shiina denies it. I can tell he cares about you, but it is very complicated to me.” Rinne raised his eyebrows. “Is it because of idol rules? Aira told me the ‘no relationships’ one is pretty strict, which is why I have to be careful in public.”

“How is the little girlfriend anyways, Hiiro? He treatin’ you well?” said Rinne.

“Brother… you’re dodging the question,” said Hiiro. Despite wanting to talk about his wonderful boyfriend, he wanted to know the truth about his brother’s relationship first. If his brother and Niki really were married, he should be calling Niki his brother as well.

“Haha, not going to let me get away this time, huh lil’ bro?”

“Brother… This is important.”

“Mm I get it,” said Rinne, “I’ll keep it simple for you, but like Niki says, we aren’t actually married. I keep asking him, but he keeps turning me down. Always says something about the law or whatever.

“But that won’t stop me from trying,” remarked Rinne with determination.

“Because you love him?”

“Yes, but also because it feels like the best way to thank him for all the things he’s done for me. He took care of me when I first came to the city after leaving home, even when he was barely able to take care of himself. He’s a kind, incredible person, but I doubt he can see it,” explained Rinne.

“He can’t stop thinking he’s a burden, but if we were married and Niki was my wife, he wouldn’t worry about burdening me as it is the responsibility of the husband to take care of his spouse through thick and thin.”

Hiiro thought about this for a while as he took in his brother’s words and gnawed on his own popsicle stick. “Hmmm… Maybe Shiina just doesn’t want to be your wife?”

Rinne choked at his brother’s blunt words. “Ha! Yeah he does act like that, huh… so harsh little bro…”

Hiiro, seeing his words being misunderstood, waved his hands quickly. “That’s not what I meant! I mean, I did, but, um, how to explain this…”

Rinne waited patiently for his brother to sort out his words. He knew his brother didn’t mean any harm and he was curious where Hiiro was going with this.

Eventually, it looked like Hiiro had found the right words to say. “When I first started dating Aira, I called him my girlfriend because I thought he would like it since he stopped denying it when you called him that.

“But then, after telling Mayoi and Tatsumi that he was my girlfriend, Aira got really red and went off about how he wasn’t my girlfriend, but instead was my boyfriend. So it turned out he wanted to be the boyfriend, and I’m alright being the girlfriend if that means I get to be with him.”

Rinne took in his brother’s words. “That makes sense, though I never would have expected that from your little boyfriend. He looked like he would enjoy being a wife.”

“Umu! But I believe what Aira says, and I’ll stay with him forever, if he lets me.”

“So you’re saying that if I really love Niki, I should ask him to be my husband? And you would be okay with that?” Rinne looked seriously into Hiiro’s eyes, “It’s usually pretty important that us Amagis pass on the family name, and with you being Aira’s girlfriend, I’m the only one left to do it. Personally, I don’t really care too much about tradition, but I know the village is still important to you.”

“Umu! If it will let you be happy with Shiina, I think you should do it,” said Hiiro, “Love is more important than pride.”

Rinne still wasn’t completely sold. “Hmmm, I don’t know Hiiro…”

“It’s worth trying at least. Like Tatsumi told me when I wanted to confess to Aira, the worst thing that can happen is he says no,” comforted Hiiro.

“You’re right… Wait, did you just say you went to Tatsumi over me to ask for advice on asking out the little boyfriend?!” Rinne felt hurt and like his older brother privileges were being stolen out from under him.

“No offense brother, but you don’t seem very good at asking out people you like.”

“And Tatsumi is?” Rinne needed to defend himself by dragging his little brother’s unit mate into the mud with him, “I don’t see him with any dates!”

“Maybe, but it was that or Mayoi.”

“Ah, yeah. That makes sense.”

Hiiro nodded. “I didn’t want to put Mayoi on the spot.”

“Mm yeah that’s the only reason,” Rinne reoriented the conversation, “So you think I have a shot? And you are okay with the Amagi name dying with us?”

“Umu! You taught me to listen to my heart when it comes to important decisions and I believe that if this will let you be happy, it must be right.”

“Thanks, lil’ bro,” said Rinne as he ruffled Hiiro’s hair.

#fanfic #rinne amagi #hiiro amagi #rinniki #hiiai #enstars #ensemble stars #my writing

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blazterrr · 1 month ago

Note

Do you have any theories on yakumo backatory? :3-🍰 Annon

Whoever you are, bless you. I mean, seriously. I have more than one, and really I have no idea which one I stick to, so I'm just gonna drop all I got. And this panel is what I'll be mainly using for

Why that specifically? Well, in the start of chapter 339, where I took that from, we do get to see panels of what seem to be the backgrounds of Shiki members, or that's what it seems like at least. Taking Kujaku and Fourth for example in this image

Both having their backgrounds presented + the text for each one of them fits them as well. That explaination wasn't that proper please forgive me my english is lowkey ass—

But anyway, back to that panel of Yakumo, let me point out some stuff from it and give some information for each:

Wagasa

A wagasa, also known as an oil paper umbrella, is a type of paper umbrella that originated in China but eventually spread across other countries, including Japan. Besides the ones shown in that panel, we can also see Yakumo holding one in chapter 321 (TWO for blood or smth incase if necessary-)

Since we only saw him using one for like... Two panels only, it probably won't be too accurate to say, but judging from how the head wheel and hand wheel look less thicker than a Chinese Wagasa, then his is most likely a Japanese one.

Onto the history and traditional stuff: When Wagasa were first introduced to Japan from China, they were initially used to shield the upper classes from sunlight and present/meddling evil spirits, which is why they were often red, just like seen in the image. But besides that history, in religious celebrations and weddings, they also used to shelter people from rain and sunlight, and to drive evil spirits away.

Besides red, that was mainly used to symbolize driving evil spirits away, there are other colors aswell: Purple ones to symbolize longevity for elders, and White ones were used in funerals.

How would any of that information be related to Yakumo? Well:

1) He might be either Japanese or Chinese. And if none, probably follows the culture/traditions.

2) Incase if he died years ago and then was brought back to life, maybe he was a part of mentioned upperclassmen, or at least belonged to a family that is one.

3) Following the "past life thing" in case if he had one, maybe he had a deep belief of evil spirits, or was involved with any of them. Orrrr if he did belong to some family, maybe they had a strong belief that those exist in the religion/tradition they follow.

4) Maybe that Wagasa was never his in the first place but someone else's that he knows and got that from.

(These are probably worded pretty badly, but bear with me it's 4:45AM lolol.)

Temari Balls

Finding the name of it sure did take me time with Google images because I had no idea what they're called before doing research, but anyway:

They're a folk art form and Japanese craft that originated in China and got introduced to Japan around the 7th. History wise, they were constructed from the remants of old kimono, and as time passed by traditional temari became an art, with more decorative and detailed ways of stitching them. With the introduction of rubber to Japan, they went from toys to art objects, and even became an art and craft of the Japanese upperclassmen and aristocracy.

Since these balls (haha balls) were made with pieces of silk fabric, that pretty much does have a relation with Yakumo being a humanoid spider who is able to use his silk to create clothing and... other stuff like in this official art where he tells Kujaku about it.

And speaking of art being decorative detailed, Yakumo's design seems to fit that description too (seriously have you seen him??? Gorgeous, beautiful and allat).

There was also a mention that temari balls became an art and craft of the Japanese upperclass and aristocracy, which could be an another hint that Yakumo might've belonged to them/was a part of them in one way or another. Or, if doing art and craft like these was that impressive to those people, then there could be a what if Yakumo was a middle/lower class and then at some point got noticed by an upperclass. That's about the history part, anyway.

Onto the tradition part: Temari balls are highly valued and cherished gifts that symbolize deep friendship and loyalty. There are also the colors and threads used for the making that are symbolic of wishing the recipient a brilliant and a happy life.

I think the closest we've seen to "friendship" coming from Yakumo with anyone else is his duo with Six. It may not be known exactly if they're friends, or if they consider each other as that, but we've seen them interact together as if they're very much used to each other's shit, so there might be some close bond with these two. I mean, aside from Isou, I think Yakumo is also someone Six seems to be pretty much comfortable to be around judging from their interactions. Is it a sign for friendship or nah? In my opinion, there is definitely something with these two like some sort of bond and high tolerance.

The loyalty part might be related to his interactions with Six, but the meaning could also go to his loyalty to Shiki, with him sticking up to finding that part for the key Mashiro's ass is after to complete the general plan of the organization (that's how it is in the plan at least—).

For the "happy and brilliant life" part — In the end of chapter 323, he said: "We don't have any lingering attachment to this world". Past life or current one, he probably doesn't view any of those as "brilliant or happy", considering how people (including 002 ig) view and treat togabito beings. Could be he decided to be a part of Shiki to look for one? A better world with a better life? Or he lost all hope from the meaning of life or smth /j

Back to the traditional stuff: Temari balls are also often given to children from their parents on New Year's Day, and the mother who made them puts a small piece of paper with a goodwill wish for the child, and they (the child) can never be told what wish their mother made while making the ball.

I dunno if I really wanna stick to that theory, but if Yakumo had a mother, what if she used to make a ball for her son every new years and he would have a bunch of those and had a deep attachment to those. Maybe he believed that if he stayed loyal to the tradition and never ask her about the wish then his life would stay as happy and peaceful.

Now, about this

As you can tell, his spider legs that are usually seen on his forehead... Are not there! (Shocker.)

Since that image is most likely presenting his past, then what if Yakumo wasn't born as a togabito and only fell under the definition of one after being experimented on? Kind of like how it happened with Manji, who used to be Ban.

Or, a different way to view it, what if Yakumo hid the fact he's a humanoid spider by pretending to be a part of the ordinary human beings, and had to hide his spider legs just like in that image.

... Or maybe some togabitophobic people chopped them off??? Dunno lol.

Kimono

And now, something I haven't mentioned until now: his kimono. Really pretty, gorgeous even, but see there's this rule of wearing it: "Always wear the left side over the right side. Only dead people have their kimono worn right over left". Like this, basically:

If you look at Yakumo's design, he is wearing it in the proper way of the living, right over left, just like the woman I've shown:

There could be two theories rising from that:

1) Yakumo never died in the past or his recent life in any way.

2) He did die in the past, but is wearing his kimono like that in order to bland in with the living, basically fooling others who barely know him (or they know him but he just wants to fuck with us).

And a side but not too major theory I had for him in general: Maybe he used to be a god, or anything close to it? Or was blessed by one? I got that idea from his personality of having an enjoyment to do things flashily and show off, just like how he did so in the arc with Team F when killing the guards and 002 and even showing her his special threads or... Yeah you get what I mean. And there is also the fact that he had a speech/moment referencing the short story "The Spider's Thread" by Akutagawa that gave me that idea, but I'm not too sure how to explain it.

So in summary (???) I guess what I brought up as theories for his backstory are:

1) Belonging/Related to a upperclass / noble family in one way or another

2) Follows or is somehow close with tradition and/or religion

3) Might have been a human before becoming togabito

4) There might be a chance he died in the past but then was brought back to life

And I think that's all.

Excuse me if it's messy, I'm not that good with explaining myself and my theories, but feel free to talk to me about it lolol.

#blazterposts #nanbaka #nanbakamanga #yakumo #nanbakayakumo

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mylittleredgirl · 8 months ago

Text

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @geneeste. :) i may have done this one before, but tumblr blog search was traditionally unhelpful and i have several very important things i should be doing, so here we are <3

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 219

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 655,471

3. What fandoms do you write for?

stargate atlantis is the runaway lead, then sg-1, 90s/00s treks, the x-files, and a grab bag of other things. only two fics so far for m*a*s*h but the forecast looks good!

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

no sooner met (star trek voyager, j/c, eight years of friends-to-lovers in 5k or less)

career day (stargate sg-1, clone!sam/jack, damn that sure was a choice to go back to high school amirite)

next chapter (the good place, chidi/eleanor, the intimacy of reading)

first date (star trek voyager, j/c, falling in love again)

occupational hazards (the good place, chidi/eleanor, eleanor would rather not be the architect)

5. Do you respond to comments?

eventually!!!! i tend to keep nice ones on my home page for a while to cheer me up and then sometimes they get buried. i wake up nights like "damn the good place fandom really went all out with amazing comments on that random fic in like 2018 and i never replied," so maybe i need to go through my inbox and belatedly clear my cosmic debts.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

twilight (stargate atlantis, sheppard/weir, what if john didn't break the cycle). strong on style but real weak on comfort.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

weaving loose ends (stargate sg-1, sam/jack) ends with a wedding! in twenty years of writing romance fic, that has maybe only happened once?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

not yet! but the year is young.

a fic of mine did cause a dramatic fandom schism once, in the dancing with the stars fandom no less. a splinter fan group created in exile! a mod claiming to be personal friends with the stars! everybody storming out and then blocking each other! so my fic did cause hate, but somehow i personally escaped unscathed. i didn't even get blocked. (lesson: in some spaces, rpf is encouraged until They Fuck. second lesson: if you start a fire and then stay very quiet, everyone forgets about you.)

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

i do!! i guess!! but i'm struggling with it right now and it's giving me a complex. and "what kind" is like......... vanilla het fic for the most part tbh. gauzy curtain vibes, even. basically, i have to really sit and think about whether to rate something M or E, you know?

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

nope!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

nope!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes, but not since the x-files days. rip geocities webrings we salute you for your years of service.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

no, but i think i'd like to! passing chapters back and forth sleepover style like "haha write your way out of THIS" would be fun. (or collaborating in a more mundane way, i guess....)

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

john sheppard/elizabeth weir (stargate atlantis). first fic in the tag and i'm still fuckin there. three years on tv and a lifetime in my goddamn brain.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

realistically, i'm feeling pretty down on the chances that i'll ever finish ANY wip that's longer than 20k, but the two long ones withering on the vine that i'd like to finish are a sam/jack sg1 episodic soulmate fic and "what if janeway went undercover with the maquis instead of tuvok: the novel."

16. What are your writing strengths?

stealing one of geneeste's answers because "character complexity" is a good one! i don't feel satisfied with any fic unless i feel like i have learned something new about a character, or highlighted it in a new way.

my more specific strength, according to @coraclavia, is missing-scene fics that weave through an entire series canon to make a thesis statement (they are In Love).

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

😭 i can't write anything long 😭 i really wish i were different 😭 i envy those of you with staying power who can return to a story after going to work or writing something else and keep plugging away at it. i used to write sprawling things when i was a teen, but since becoming Adult With Job now many years ago, i've totally lost that skill!!

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

haaaahahahaha. talk about a weakness. i literally couldn't bring myself to write a fic that required dialogue in Ancient from stargate, a language that -- i cannot stress this enough -- is not even real. i'm like "well maybe i'll study latin for three years and then analyze all the episodes where they speak it to reverse engineer the differences so i can write the bastardized space latin correctly" GIRL WHY. JUST FUCK IT UP.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

first completed story that i recall would have been star trek voyager in my early teens, and by the grace of rural internet and some kind of prescient sense of self-preservation, it does not live online. first internet-published fic was several years later, for the x-files. for better or worse, that one can still be found.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

i think pieces (stargate atlantis, sheppard/weir, catharsis through sex pollen) might be the new best, and i had a lot of fun writing erasers on pencils (stargate sg-1, clone!sam/jack, catharsis through truancy).

i am sure many of my fic-writer-meme friends have done this already but @ussjellyfish if your answers have changed since whenever you did it last; i'd love to hear how @havocthecat, @anretc, and @coraclavia would answer this; and blowing dandelion meme seeds over the fence to the mash fandom: @remyfire!

#when i say i write short one-shots i just did some napkin math #and my average word count is below 3k and several of my longest 'fics' are collections #NOT BEATING THE ALLEGATIONS #fic asks #mai fic #i think i might find this under one of those tags the next time someone tags me so i will know for sure i've done it...

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kylobith · 10 months ago

Text

Last updated: 22 September 2024

Greetings, traveller!

Since I am planning to write more from now on, having retrieved a bit of creativity over the past few months, I thought it would be handy to create a masterlist to make it easier to find them here.

At the moment, my writing is focused on Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings in general, so brace yourselves for quite a few of those, even if they're just drabbles! I am currently working on a five-part story on Éomer, but I expect to write a bit more on my favourite character, Faramir.

I do expect to write some drabbles centred on the characters of Baldur's Gate 3, probably centred around Astarion, Karlach, Gale and Halsin.

Eventually, I might dabble in The Boys as well for obvious *cough* Karl Urban *cough* reasons.

I will add some of my old ones on Stranger Things as well, some of which I must admit I don't think I will finish (just lost the inspiration for those I'm afraid!)

If I have enough time to write in the future (it's tricky for now), I might even accept some commissions for short stories, but we'll see about that in time, no promises haha

Expect to find fluff and angst, but also some smut from time to time. Everything will be properly tagged.

Note: Some older fanfictions with multiple chapters will only contain the Ao3 link. I don't know yet if I'll really post every single chapter on here.

Anyway, if you take the time to read my stuff, I'm extremely grateful and I hope you will enjoy whatever I put out there! If you wish to be tagged on new releases, don't hesitate to ask and I'll make sure to do so :)

Everything is available on my Ao3 account

Enjoy!

Tolkien/Lord of the Rings

Engraved On My Heart

(Éomer x FemOC) Éomer unexpectedly bonds with Éorhild, a maid in his service. Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 (Note: Part 1 was published on my sideblog, but the other parts will all be posted on this blog instead) In progress

Long Live The King!

(Faramir x Éowyn) Faramir supports Éowyn as she mourns Théoden. Completed

By the Blade

(Boromir x FemOC) War prompts Boromir and Nauriel, the daughter of the master-at-arms, to rally under the same banner despite a lifelong rivalry... but swords are not the only things bound to cross. Part 1 In progress

Lord of the Rings Week 2023

Event organised by @lotr20 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Return of the King. One to three prompts per day. Day 1: Home (Poem - Merry, Pippin, Faramir, Éowyn, Sam, Rosie, Éomer, Lothíriel) Day 2: Language | Culture | Beauty (Faramir x Éowyn, Éomer) Day 3: Fear | Courage (Éomer, Merry, Pippin) Day 4: Friendship | Loyalty (Legolas, Gimli, rest of the Fellowship except Boromir) Day 5: Loss | Despair (Boromir, Faramir, Denethor) Day 6: Triumph | Healing | Hope (Sam, Frodo) Day 7: The Return of the King 20th anniversary (The Fellowship, Arwen, Faramir, Éowyn, Elrond, Théoden, Éomer, Théodred) Completed

Lord of the Rings Week 2024

Event organised by @lotrweek. One prompt per day. Day 1: The Road Goes Ever On Day 2: Histories and Legacies Day 3: The Green Earth in the Daylight (art instead of writing) Day 4: Gifts, Burdens and Choices Day 5: Here With Me Day 6: Songs and Tales Day 7: Free Day - Hobbit Day! In progress

Baldur's Gate 3

The Little Tiefling

(Gale of Waterdeep x Tav) While Tav is resting, Gale seizes the opportunity to bond with his daughter by reading her a story. Completed

The Trick

(Gale of Waterdeep x Tav) In all his life, Gale never imagined undertaking such a difficult task. But he must. Short prequel to The Little Tiefling Completed

Under the Oak Leaves

(Halsin & Gender-neutral drow Tav) After the Tiefling party, Tav feels melancholic and isolates themself from the camp. Halsin finds them and is set on alleviating their pain. Completed

Little Town Tails

(Halsin x Fem!Tav) After saving up for years, Halsin settles and opens his veterinary practice in a quaint little town. Beyond patients, he finds friends and love, but also trouble. When a business mogul agrees with the mayor to buy local shops for the implementation of his coffee chain to make Heawick more touristic, Halsin's practice is threatened. It will take more than a good word to save his lifetime project. Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 In progress

Memory Lane

(Astarion & Gender-neutral Half-Drow Tav) Astarion is submerged by a desire to recover memories from his past. Before Cazador, before his transformation. And Tav is determined to help him. Could it be that there is somebody out there still waiting for him? Completed

The Unwanted Saviour

(Rolan x Fem!Tav) A restless night turns into a tacit confession. Upcoming

Star Wars

The Inner Battle (Ao3 only)

(Kylo Ren/Ben Solo & OC Bounty hunter) One year after the destruction of Starkiller, the First Order still dominates the Galaxy. Kylo Ren ventures in the Mid-Rim territories, tracking a target on Ord Mantell, whom he knows will help him achieve a secret mission he has been planning since the beginning... In progress - Editing Note: Chapters might be eventually posted on Tumblr, but for now it's a bit tricky due to the fic's size (I have about 50 chapters written!)

Stranger Things

Swords and Hoops

(Steve Harrington x Reader) Steve meets you at the Palace arcade after you come back from your holidays in California. Completed

Steady (Ao3 only)

(Eddie Munson x Steve Harrington) As they recover from the final confrontation with Vecna, Eddie and Steve bond and realise that they bring out the best version of each other. But not only... Completed

Time After Time (Ao3 only)

(Eddie Munson x Steve Harrington) Sequel to Steady. Steve and Eddie start over in Seattle, yet a new obstacle comes to stand in their way: coming to terms with their queerness. In progress

The Holiday Fling (Ao3 only)

(Eddie Munson x Fem!OC) Summer of 1987. Arwen Lewis spends her holidays in Arkansas after moving to the USA from Wales. One night, she meets Eddie Munson, who turns what was supposed to be a camping trip into the best summer of their lives. In progress

Rock You Like A Hurricane

(Billy Hargrove x FemReader) [NSFW] [Smut] Billy pays you an unexpected visit when you're home alone. The night ends quite differently than you thought... Completed

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throughtrialbyfire · 7 months ago

Text

20 Questions for Writers

thank you so much to @wispstalk and @dirty-bosmer for tagging me!! <3

gonna tag @mareenavee @changelingsandothernonsense @thequeenofthewinter @skyrim-forever @trickstarbrave @oblivions-dawn @orfeoarte @gilgamish @totally-not-deacon @archangelsunited !! no pressure as always, and if i havent tagged you and you wanna do this, go ahead and say that i did, i'm tagging you in my mind <33

answering under the read more!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

five atm! but i'm planning on splitting my one-shot-as-chapters fic into individual fics. i think i'll have around 11, then, if i don't take out some.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

99,173

3. What fandoms do you write for?

TES and CoD Zombies! though i don't write a lot for CoD Zombies, just when i get in a certain mood for it here and there. old special interest wont grant me a moments peace lmao

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

i only have five uploaded, but i'll put them here!

1. An Inner Sanctity - 41 2. If By Sun and Moon I Swore - 38 3. Cycle of the Serpent - 23 4. The Mark You Left - 15 5. Portraits Under Forgotten Suns - 2 (this is the one i'm gonna split up into their own fics :3)

5. Do you respond to comments?

yes!! i even carry on convos in the comments sometimes for the hell of it, i love interacting with ppl <33333333

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i think the one-shot for the prompts "forgotten/devotion" for tesfest '23 about the shipwreck of the brinehammer, since the main character dies lmao

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

the one for the prompt "in bloom" from tesfest '23!! it was just a little fluff fic for my ocs athenath and ja'dato <3

8. Do you get hate on fics?

luckily no, the spaces i've found myself in these days are really positive :3 especially compared to when i wrote on FF.net in like 2009

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

none of it is published, but i do sometimes! it's a good way to flex my muscles (haha) in blending thought and action, balancing descriptors (how vivid is Too Much), and seeing how certain characters interact with each other in a vulnerable state. maybe i'll post some someday, idk. mostly i just do it for funsies, so idk what kind you'd classify any of mine.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

i havent in many years, so no, but that could chance if the mood strikes me

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

nope, but when i was writing for a different fandom in high school, my writing for a particular character wound up on ppls RP accounts as their versions backstory, as well.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

no, but if anyone wants to translate my fics, feel free!! just give me a heads-up!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

yep, on my old ao3, a good friend and i turned an RP into a fic! i enjoyed it immensely bc we wrote really well together!

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

idk, i just groove where the dynamics take me <3

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

i hate to say it, but An Inner Sanctity needs a major overhaul that i don't have the energy for right now. when i started writing that fic, i didn't have a solid grasp on athenath's personality. now that i do, i'm gonna need to rewrite all the chapters i've had ready for it, and pivot the direction of the fic to get it where i wanted it to wind up eventually. i really do want to finish it, though.

16. What are your writing strengths?

i get a lot of compliments on my imagery/descriptions/atmosphere! i love describing shit, so i'm glad ppl enjoy reading those bits of my work <3 oh!! and character/narrative details. i wrote a ~180k word fic in my senior year of high school solely off my mental notes for it, and it still wasnt finished when i dropped it a year or so later due to Circumstances

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

biting off WAAAAAAAY more than i can chew!! i have so, so many things planned for CotS and who knows if those things will get picked up on by folks or even work later down the line. GAHH

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

if you can realistically do it, go for it. if i could fluently speak all the languages i've tried to teach myself, i'd probably include them in fics where they would fit!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

naruto, i was writing naruto fics on a defunct dress-up site when i was a kid AHAH.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Cycle of the Serpent. theres seldom a time i'm not thinking about those elves. yes, i will admit with my whole chest that i'm a tad desperate for people to read it and interact with it, but i think if i could explain everything (without spoiling it obviously) i have planned for this fic and just how much is going on in the background of the details i throw in, the reasons certain characters behave the way they do, and the amount of time i've spent working on it (the doc for it is at roughly ~96k and we're not even at the Real beginning of the solitude arc) and the sheer amount of hours i've spent making sure details line up, you'd understand why i'm losing all my sanity daniel-amnesia-the-dark-descent style over this story. i started writing it as a for fun "no one's ever gonna see this" exercise that also helped me greatly in recovering from long covid brainfog, and i think even if one day i look back and think of it as "not the best thing i've ever written", it'll still be one of the most passion-driven things i've ever written, and i'm happy about that. <3

woof, what a ramble. if you made it to the end of this, thank you, and i hope you're having a good day!!

#bishop.txt #tag games

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autumnshighlady · 2 years ago

Text

I’ve Always Liked to Play With Fire (part 12)

NESTA ARCHERON X ERIS VANSERRA X FEMALE!READER

summary: the reader’s location is revealed, and Nesta settles into autumn

warnings: the usual IC slander, Rhys slander, mentions of abuse/beating, misogyny

word count: 5.3k

DO NOT REPOST ANYWHERE

a/n: sorry for the long wait! i made this chapter shorter than originally intended because it would have been way too long haha

feedback is appreciated, just no hate pls! these are just my opinions, i’m more curious to see how you all like the writing and characterization and storylines!

part 1 // part 2 / part 3 / part 4 / part 5 / part 6 / part 7 / part 8 / part 9 / part 10 / part 11 /

read on ao3

Spotify playlist

✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧

READER POV

Cold, thick, darkness. It was all you had felt for the past few hours, the chill seeping into your bones unlike anything you’ve ever felt. Your mind was hazy, unable to form a coherent thought. Every limb felt stiff and cold, unable to move more than a few centimetres – not that you could focus long enough to try.

Your eyes cracked open a sliver, just long enough to see a pair of boots walking towards you. You felt your body being hauled up, arms brought above your head before your vision faded to black.

*********************

Every muscle ached with stiffness, the air somehow colder than before. The motion of opening your eyes felt like prying two stuck pieces of parchment apart. Your mouth was as dry as a desert, and you had no idea how long it had been since your last sip of water. You expected to cringe at the light of whatever room you were in, but you didn’t. A few torches were lit, casting a dim, eerie, yellow glow in the otherwise dark room.

From what you could see through your blurry vision, walls of stone surrounded you. They were jagged, marked with scrapes as if giant claws had torn at them for a thousand years. The torches added no warmth to the freezing room, and you realised you still wore the dress from the Hewn City. The star-veiled train had been removed, leaving your upper arms bare without its soft covering. The dress felt ten times heavier on your aching body.

You went to move your shoulder, only to be met with the clank of metal. Alertness rising quickly, you tried to move your arm but realised it was locked in place by a chain secured around your wrist. The chain was tight, making your fingers numb. An identical chain was locked around your other wrist, spreading your arms out to each side. They were bolted into the wall, secure enough to prevent almost any movement.

Panic rose in you as you tugged rapidly, breath heaving at the realisation of your surroundings. You were in a prison cell, chained up with no visible door in sight. The more your vision cleared up, the more your memories came flooding back. The last thing you remembered was feeling Azriel’s scarred hand ripping your own from Nesta, his shadows engulfing you right as your vision went black.

“It’s no use.” A familiar, deep voice sounded from the corner of the room as you pulled on the chains again.

You inhaled sharply, the shadows parting to reveal the Spymaster of the Night Court emerging from the darkness. His hazel eyes almost glowed in the dimness of the room, and he twirled Truth-teller in his right hand. His stare was cold and merciless, making even your blood still. This was not the grouchy Illyrian who trained you and rolled his eyes whenever you said something stupid. No, this was the shadowsinger in his purest, deadliest form.

“Those chains are meant to hold beings much more powerful than you,” Azriel’s voice was somehow colder than the air in the room. “You aren’t getting out. Don’t mind the drowsiness, I gave you a sedative a few hours ago. It will wear off eventually.”

It was an effort to keep your breath from rising rapidly. You shifted your weight, feeling another set of cold chains around your ankles as well.

“Az, what are you doing?” Your voice rasped, throat aching from the dryness. You thought he would offer you water, but he did nothing. He only stared at you with that cold gaze.

You swallowed, looking up at him through your half closed eyes, dropping from exhaustion. “Why am I here?”

“Because I told him to bring you here.”

Your head snapped up at the sound of the High Lord’s voice. Rhysand appeared from a cloud of dark mist, hands casually in his pockets. He was still dressed in his attire from dinner, minus the jacket. It must have only been a few hours since the ball at most, you figured. Yet it had felt like days since Azriel had snatched you away.

“Why?” You whispered, arms already aching from the strain of the chains. Rhysand did not hide the rage from his violet eyes this time. No, he had no audience of citizens that forced him to keep his composure. Deep down, you knew any laws of what he could and could not do to you were void.

Rhys stared you down, smirking at the way your body shook under his gaze. Any strength you had was gone, your body finally giving out. You couldn’t even feel Nesta through the bond. A hole could have been in your sternum for all you knew, given how much it ached not to sense her presence. Your mind flashed back to that look the High Lord gave you as you danced with Eris, a look of knowing and hatred spilling across his features akin to the look on his face now.

The High Lord did not move as he spoke at Azriel, who had not moved from the corner of the room. “Leave us.”

Azriel’s brows furrowed, and he took a step forward. “Rhys–”

“You are clearly too close to the situation, seeing as you failed to see what was going on.” Rhys growled, not looking at his spymaster. “Leave. Go back to your duties.”

No… You begged. As much as Azriel was looking at you with coldness, you had spent more time with the spymaster than you had with the High Lord. You knew what he would do, what he was capable of. With Rhys, there was no telling how far he would go, or how he’d use his powers against you. Azriel was the better option for you, and Rhys knew it. Please, please refuse. Stay.

Your silent pleas were in vain. Without even looking at you, Azriel nodded at Rhys before melting back into the shadows. Your heart sank, and you cursed yourself for even having hope that he’d stay. Azriel was content to let Rhys send you to certain death on a mission you were not equipped for, this time would be no different.

For the next minute, neither you nor Rhys said a word. He only stared at you, as if waiting for you to break and plead to get out. Despite your lack of strength, you refused to give in. Intimidation attempts by males was something you were used to, High Lords or not. But you also didn’t have it in you to make any kind of snappy remark. It felt as if all the life had been drained from your body by some invisible force. It had sucked it out of you, leaving you hollow.

“You know why you’re here.” Rhysand spoke calmly, leaning his shoulder against the stone wall a few feet away from you. He cocked his head, waiting for you to respond.

But you didn’t give in, only closing your eyes and taking a deep breath. There was no point in playing dumb, not in your current position. It was just you and the High Lord alone in this dark prison, not bound by any rules or laws. You only prayed you could last long enough to give him a hard time.

He sighed, clucking his tongue. “Well,” He said. “ If you’re not going to admit it, then why don’t I walk you through it, shall we?”

You only sighed, wishing for nothing but a sip of water. Your wrists were already beginning to rub raw from the metal, joints straining at the strain. You let your head drop, neck aching with just the weight of holding your head up for those few minutes.

“Your sudden change of heart was interesting,” Rhys began. “Since you hated us so much. I had hoped you began working for us because you saw the sense in it, but now I think it had to do with something else. A certain female Archeron perhaps?”

All the training Azriel had given you about being questioned went out the window at the mention of Nesta’s name. You flinched, and the High Lord chuckled darkly.

“That’s what I thought.” He continued. “Anywho, I sent spies back into the Spring Court after you left so abruptly, just to check that your reports were true. It seems you failed to mention that not only was Tamlin actively rebuilding his court, but that you were the one behind it. Please, tell me if I’m wrong.”

Again, you said nothing. You wished that the ground would open up and swallow you whole. This was not how things were supposed to go. You could only hope that Eris had gotten Nesta out successfully. He most likely had, given Rhys likely didn’t have the balls to try and stop Nesta after her display of power. You only prayed that Eris would uphold his end of the deal and keep her safe.

Somehow, you knew he would.

The High Lord continued his monologue, every word making the pit of fear in your stomach grow. “So you’ve been lying to us about the Spring Court, I wondered what else you had been hiding. I fully intend on finding out what that is.”

You took a minute to calm your breathing before raising your head and meeting Rhys’ violet gaze. “So what?” You rasped.

He raised an eyebrow. “I beg your pardon?”

“So what if I helped rebuild the Spring Court?” Your challenge was weak given your exhaustion from whatever Azriel had put in you, but you put every ounce of bite into it you could muster. “It was my home, Rhysand. I want to see it get better, and Tamlin giving his people food and shelter does not affect you in any way.”

Rhys hummed, flicking a finger to the side. The chains around your wrists jolted, pulling your arms even farther apart. Searing pain shot through your shoulder, and you couldn’t stop the cry of pain that left your mouth. It felt like your very bones were being stretched to the maximum, and you gritted your teeth.

“Perhaps,” He said. “But nonetheless, you disobeyed my orders. Your job was to report Tamlin’s every movement in the Spring Court, and you lied.”

“Get over it.” You grumbled.

“You’re going to tell me what else you’ve been hiding , (Y/N). And don’t think about asking Nesta for help through your bond. She can’t reach you here.”

NESTA’S POV

Nesta had just finished pulling on her warm leather gloves when a knock sounded at the door. After another hearty breakfast that she practically devoured, a servant had laid out a forest green dress, along with a pair of thick brown tights, accompanied by a coat and gloves of the same shade. After the unsettling revealing attire of the Night Court, Nesta was thrilled to finally be offered something more modest like she was used to. The dress fit suspiciously well, and was warm enough to fend off the chill that came through the window.

After smoothing her skirts and standing up, Nesta walked over and opened the door. As predicted, Eris was on the other side, looking charming as ever. His red locks were tied back, save for the few thin strands that framed her sharp face. He was dressed in a green tunic the exact same shade as Nesta’s dress, a brown belt slung across his waist.

Nesta scoffed as she took in the prince’s attire. “Must you always dress us in matching outfits? It’s weird.”

Eris’ green eyes sparkled, as if he were delighted she insulted him. “On the contrary, my dear,” He said in mock hurt, leaning against the doorframe. “It is but a symbol of the love we have for each other, no?”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re obnoxious.”

“And you get to enjoy it for the rest of your immortal life.” He winked, pushing off the doorframe and extending his arm. “Now come, we have much to get done before dinner.”

Nesta sighed, wrapping her arm through Eris’ and begrudgingly allowing him to lead her out of her room. The hallway was wide, dark wooden arches overhead with torches along the sides. This was the first time she had left her room since coming to Autumn, she realised, slowing her footsteps.

Despite his long strides, Eris seemed to notice Nesta’s hesitation, and slowed his steps to meet her own. It was a simple gesture, but one that she appreciated. For months, she had been the one forced to exert herself, mentally and physically, to catch up to everyone else. To be the one who had to adjust, and simply get over it, rather than get a bit of basic understanding from those around her. But not now, not with you or Eris. You had always made Nesta feel like she had a chance to catch her breath, to stop trying to mould herself into someone else’s expectations.

She felt similar while with Eris. He did not push her, or give her the illusion of a choice to get what he wanted. Thus far, he had spoken plainly with her, not skirting around the truth but also respecting her space. He was a complex male, and Nesta wasn’t stupid enough to think she knew him at all. But in the time she had been under his care, she felt safe. Not caged like a feral beast waiting to be unleashed.

And so Nesta let him lead her down the hallway, approaching the open living space. It had a massive fireplace, several lavish couches surrounding it. A medium sized table stretched in front of one of the massive windows, a bowl of fruit adorning the red cloth. She noticed the large bookshelf tucked away in the corner, two armchairs on either side of it.

“You are safe here, within these grounds.” Eris assured her calmly, noticing the tenseness in Nesta’s arm. “Like I said, my father cannot get in, and those within these walls work solely for me. I will show you around the house and prepare you as best I can for tonight, if that is okay with you.”

Nesta nodded, her gaze trailing to the clearing across the water that she had gazed at through her window. The white and bay horses were still there, laying down in the soft grass with their legs folded under them. The leaves rustled with a gentle breeze, sunlight peeking through the clouds and casting golden beams across the clearing.

Eris stopped walking, noting Nesta’s lack of attention. “Nesta?”

“Can we…” Her voice trailed off, but Eris did not rush her to speak. He waited patiently while she took a breath. “Can we go out there?”

“Of course. But do you not want a tour of the house first so you know where to find everything?”

She shook her head, trying to find the words to make Eris understand. “Later, yes. For now I just… I’ve had enough of being stuffed inside a house. I want to go outside.”

Eris did not scoff at her, or argue that she was never locked up, like some from the Night Court would have. He simply nodded, steering her towards the large wooden doors instead of the next corridor. With every step towards them, Nesta felt her heart quicken at the anticipation of stepping outside for the first time in days.

When they got to the door, Eris turned his head towards Nesta. “Go ahead.” He said softly.

Hesitantly, she reached forward, as if her body couldn’t believe Eris was letting her do this. Part of her knew it was pathetic, to be so overjoyed over such a simple thing. But she tried to let herself indulge in it, this one simple joy of being allowed to let herself out.

Taking a deep breath, Nesta pushed the door open. The wooden doors swung seamlessly and revealed a cobblestone path into the clearing. The fresh air flooded Nesta’s lungs, the crisp air so different from the stuffiness of the room. A small garden was set up beside the pathway, a few vegetables sprouting from the earth. She took a step down the walkway, the small heels of her boots softly clicking on the stone.

“It’s beautiful, is it not?” Eris said quietly, his arm squeezing Nesta’s slightly.

She nodded, still in awe of the scenery before her. The crystal blue water rippled slightly in the breeze, a few red leaves floating atop its surface like decorations. The horses in the distance continued to lay down, their eyes half closed.

“I’ve never seen horses do that.” Nesta said in awe. She was no stranger to horses, but they had always been in stalls or paddocks in her village. And certainly never laying down.

Eris followed her gaze. “They feel safe enough here to lay down. Horses are flight animals, and will only lay down when they are certain there is no threat.”

“Are they yours?”

“Yes. I do not keep them in a stable like most other horses. They prefer to be here, out in the open. And so I let them roam free. The white mare is Calypso, and the brown one is Diadoro. Calypso is the one I usually ride. There is a third one, a large chestnut mare named Ginger, but I have not seen her in a few days.”

“Where is the third one?” Nesta asked, and he shrugged.

“Probably off in the woods somewhere. I’ll start to worry at the end of the week if I don’t see her.”

Before Nesta could respond, Eris gently led her further down the path. They stepped onto the grassy clearing, following it around the edge of the water towards the horses. She tensed up, not wanting to startle the animals that could kill her with one swift kick.

“What’s the matter, afraid of horses?” Eris teased, scoffing gently.

“No.” Nesta huffed, glaring at him. “Just not… used to them.”

“Did you never ride one growing up?”

“No. My mother taught me that it was not ladylike.”

Eris snorted, rolling his eyes at her comment. “A pathetic excuse. I can teach you, if you’d like?”

She laughed, not truly meaning it. “Out of the kindness of your heart?”

The second the words left Nesta’s mouth, she felt regret pool in her stomach. Eris’ jaw tensed, furthering her regret. While she did not fully trust him still, Eris had done nothing wrong to her. In fact, he was risking his neck helping her. He took a beating from his father for bringing her to the Autumn Court, and did his best to put off meeting Beron until Nesta felt ready. He did not make her feel like a burden, or a broken puzzle that he had to put back together. And she would pick him over Rhysand any day.

But Eris said nothing, merely continued on and let go of her arm. Nesta came to a standstill as Eris strode over to the white mare, Calypso, who opened her eyes at his approach.

“Hello beautiful…” Eris’ voice was soft and gentle in a way that Nesta hadn’t heard before. His formality was gone, and he cooed gently praises to the creature.

Calypso nickered softly, touching Eris’ extended hand with her nose. He stroked her face, then turned around and sat down in the grass. To Nesta’s shock, he leaned backwards and rested his back on Calypso’s large shoulders. The horse didn’t flinch as he did so, merely closed her eyes and lowered her nose to the grass to resume her nap.

Eris smirked, noting Nesta’s shocked stare. “They trust me. Which makes you the odd one out here.”

She was about to snap back, but a low whinny from behind her made her turn around instead. Diadoro, the brown horse, had raised his head and was looking directly at her.

The Prince laughed. “Somebody wants your attention but is too lazy to get up and come say hi.”

“Will it bite me?” Nesta was still unsure of being so close to such a large creature.

“Oh definitely. He’ll consume your entire arm and digest it in his fat belly, actually. Then he’ll grind your bones in his teeth for fun.”

“You are vile.” Nesta hissed at him, grossed out.

His eyebrows flicked up once. “I know.”

Ignoring the redhead male, Nesta turned back to Diadoro. His brown eyes were soft, gazing right at her as if he could see right into her rotten soul. She swallowed, trying to push down every horrid thing she hated about herself so he couldn’t see it in that freaky way that only animals could. So many people had looked at Nesta in so many different ways – hate, disgust, judgement, pity. But never this soft curiosity, with the exception of you. You, Eris, and Diadoro apparently were the only ones whose eyes didn’t curdle with judgement upon seeing her.

Diadoro nickered, as if sensing her thoughts were about to spiral into guilt and worry for you. He blinked, the white star on his forehead gleaming in the sunlight. His black mane was blowing in the gentle breeze, and he extended his head forward towards Nesta. Hesitantly, she took off her glove, tucking it under her other arm as she reached forward.

Her fingers brushed Diadoro’s nose, his gentle breath warming her hand. His nose was softer than the finest silk, and Nesta began to relax as she stroked it. Diadoro blinked slowly, nuzzling into her touch.

“He’s a sweet creature,” She heard Eris say from behind her. “He’s got some spice to him, but only when he’s protective. He’s a gentle giant, with a loyal heart.”

Nesta crouched down beside the horse, running her hand down his thick neck. She expected him to pin his ears or quickly stand up, running away from her like the monster she was. But Diadoro simply relaxed into her touch, showing no signs of getting up.

“Diadoro is probably the only pure soul in this court. Which we should take the time to get you educated on before tonight.” Eris said. Nesta turned to look at him, expecting him to stand up and resume their journey. But like Diadoro, Eris remained seated.

“What are you doing?” Nesta asked, puzzled.

Eris shrugged. “Sitting?”

“Aren’t you going to prepare me for tonight?”

“I see no reason why I cannot do that here. Diadoro and Calypso certainly won’t spill our secrets, Lady Archeron.”

Nesta rubbed the gelding’s head. “Am I supposed to sit on the ground?”

Eris smirked playfully. “If you insist on a chair, my lady, it would be my pleasure to bring you one. Actually, more of a displeasure, since I am quite comfortable and do not feel like standing up.”

Nesta huffed, but smoothed her skirts and sat herself on the ground with her legs crossed. The grass was surprisingly dry and springy, no dirt or bugs finding their way onto the fabrics. Diadoro, seemingly offended that she did not lean into him, curled his head around and put his nose in her lap. Nesta flinched at how his mouth was resting right on her ankle, but the horse simply sighed. The weight of his head in her lap was heavy, but soothing. Slowly, Nesta removed her other glove and wrapped her hands around Diadoro’s face, stroking gently.

“Good girl.” Eris purred in a voice that sent a shiver up Nesta’s spine.

“You said Diadoro was a male.” She said, looking up at Eris.

His smirk was positively feline. “He is. I wasn’t talking to him.”

Nesta could only stand to look at him for another second before turning her attention back to the horse. Her braided cornet did nothing to hide the redness in her cheeks, and if Eris made a comment about it she would rip his head clean off. Luckily, the prince merely continued like nothing had happened.

“Anywho,” Eris’ voice came back to its usual cocky tone. “My father is still conflicted over having you in his court, and tonight is your chance to convince him to let you stay.”

Nesta frowned. “I thought you said that he was practically salivating over the idea of us marrying.”

Eris pulled an apple slice from his pocket, feeding it to Calypso before continuing. “He is. But he is also a… traditional male. He is not happy that he and Rhysand did not agree to it first. In his eyes, you are Rhysand’s property to be given away to me with his blessing. Since both Rhysand and my father were denied that, we have a problem. Beron knows that Rhysand did not want you to leave his court, and by having you here he risks the wrath of the Night Court.”

“But I came willingly.” Nesta protested.

Eris shook his head. “Your opinion on this means nothing to my father. Whether you went willingly or not, he does not care. Since you were not given away, Rhysand could technically wage war to bring you back. And as much as my father would love to smite Rhysand into the dust, it is not a war he can afford to fight right now. But you have to convince him that it would be.”

“So let me get this straight,” Nesta fought to push aside the terrifying thought of Rhysand and his circle barging into the Autumn Court to claim her like she was a piece of property. “I have to convince your father that I am worth going to war over keeping?”

Eris nodded. “Correct. He will not give you over easily because it would make him look weak. But he also does not think enough of females to see them as valuable enough to go to war over.”

Every hateful thought and awful thing Nesta had said and done came rising to the front of her mind like a tidal wave. The parts of herself that she hated clawed their way to the surface, screaming at her for inconveniencing everyone around her.

And they were right. You had risked your life to get Nesta out of the Night Court, possibly forfeiting your own in the process. Eris had been beaten bloody by his father for rescuing her. Everyone who helped her had suffered, all because Nesta didn’t want to train in the House of Wind and live in Velaris. And she hated herself for it, for being so weak.

“Eris,” Nesta spoke slowly, her voice hollow. “I’m not worth all this….”

Eris scoffed, glaring at her with his emerald eyes. “I object,” He said plainly. “And not just because you are a powerful female with power from the Cauldron itself. I’ve known (Y/N) many years since she and Lucien became friends, and she is an excellent judge of character. If she thinks you are worth it, then you are. And I think so too.”

Nesta’s heart ached at the mention of you. She missed the sound of your voice, the presence of your being on the other end of the bond. Every day, she reached out to you and every day she was met with nothing but a dark void. She cleared her throat, shoving her feelings back down. “So how do I do it?”

“There are a few rules when it comes to interacting with my father. Many of them you probably know already from growing up with an influential family. Always wait until he tells you to be seated, dress to impress, all of that stuffy nonsense. But never speak to him unless he speaks to you first, and never let him goad you into any sort of reaction. Beron Vanserra loves his mind games, and will look for any excuse to throw you out. And it’s best to just do whatever he says.”

Nesta’s voice went quiet. “Will he hurt me?”

Eris looked at her, a tense seriousness in his gaze. “Not at first,” He said calmly, as if talking to a frightened animal. “If you upset him, he will likely hurt somebody else to take the edge off. But he will not hesitate to hurt you with his words, and you would be wise to submit to him and let him think he hurt your feelings. You cannot stand up for yourself. Let him think he’s breaking you, but do not be too emotional about it. It is a fine line, I understand, but an important one. If you are too emotional, he will see you as weak. But standing up to my father would be challenging him, something he would surely execute you for. So no, he would not harm you physically at first. But if you decide to stay…”

His voice trailed off, making Nesta nervous. “Eris,” She said sternly. “Tell me.”

For once, the Autumn prince looked nervous. “If you decide to stay, he will want to wield you like he would a sword. You would have to train your magic intensely so that you could be of use to him as soon as possible. And he will want proof of improvement. If you fail to do so then yes, Nesta, he will likely harm you. He would not kill you, not when he could use you to his advantage. But using pain, fear and torture to get what he wants is common. He would also want us married as soon as possible so you can start having children.”

Nesta shuddered at the idea of being bred like livestock over and over again. As a child her mother taught her that one day she would have to bear children for her husband. But this… this was different. This was for the sole purpose of distributing her power through Beron’s line, not because he wanted grandchildren. Beron would be even crueller to her children than her grandmother was to her, a bitter thought. Diadoro nestled his nose deeper into her lap, bringing her back to reality.

“It is unpleasant, I know.” Eris said. “But if you train your magic, you can defend yourself. And it is my goal to be rid of my father before things can get to that point. Once I am High Lord, and you are my wife, you do not have to be subjected to such a fate. You are not a broodmare.”

Nesta studied Eris carefully, fixing him with a steady look. “But you would like me to provide you with children.” She said it as a fact rather than a question.

“If that is your wish.” Eris spoke slowly, as if carefully calculating his words. “It would be my honour to have you bear my child. You are an attractive female whose company I enjoy, even when you shoot daggers at me with your eyes. And I will not deny that your magic appeals to me – like calls to like, Nesta. But there is no pressure to go that route, I am perfectly content without children or with them. And we have centuries to figure that out, Nesta.”

Nesta nodded, turning her gaze back to the horse, who was now sound asleep in her lap. She hadn’t thought about what this plan with Eris would look like long term, her marriage to him. Truthfully, not much thought had been given to what her future would look like. For months, Nesta had been stuck in a whirlwind of self-hatred and confusion. Even just making it to the next day was difficult, let alone coming to terms with the fact that she was now immortal and would possibly live for centuries.

Eris was handsome and charming, for all his faults. She had grown up expecting to be in a loveless marriage like her parents, where their children were the only thing that kept them together. Perhaps that would be her and Eris, but a small, naive part of Nesta prayed it wasn’t. She did not know if she wanted to be loved by him, necessarily. But to have someone in her life that looked out for her and respected her just like you had… perhaps Eris would fulfil that role. Only time would tell.

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