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fromasgardandback · 1 year ago

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My Promise To You II

Anakin Skywalker x Jedi!Reader

description: Y/N helps Anakin see the light

word count: 2.4k

warning: mentions of the Dark Side, mentions of death, poor living conditions, murder, and fluff.

masterlist | oneshots

It had been roughly six months since Anakin turned to the dark side of the force, leaving everyone and everything he knew behind. During the first couple of months Anakin as Darth Vader became ruthless. Y/N didn’t recognize the man that stood in front of her. She didn’t understand that what he was doing was wrong, how the Imperial Order was toxic and killing people. She cried every morning when he would leave their room. She felt trapped, a prisoner in her own way. Yet she knew that going with Anakin would save more lives than she could count. Some nights Anakin would come in angry and start throwing things. He would never throw in her direction or anything complex, mostly a pillow. But he still came into the home they built together with fists of rage. She would ask him, he would say nothing or something along the lines of “everything is fine”. Clearly, she knew that he was struggling. It was clockwork; he would come in upset, angry, or silent; he would throw something towards the window overlooking the galaxy or planet they were on trying to calm down; he would hang his head down, sighing at his internal battle and close his eyes. Y/N learned early on that it is best to let him be by himself until he collects his posture again. She would come up, wrap her arms around his waist or rub his back. She didn’t agree with his decisions, but this was still the man she was in love with. She would care for him, even in the darkest of times.

“Anakin, talk to me. I may not understand, but I will listen.” She whispered laying her head on his back right shoulder.

“I want you to understand. I want you to know what is happening. I want you to be with me ruling, but they see me as a child. I am a ruthless ruler. I am Darth Vader and they are treating me the same as the Jedi Council. I am not a child that sits on the sidelines, I am a powerful Sith Lord. They will obey me!” Anakin growled holding onto the railing overlooking the living room area.

“Can I ask you something?” She pondered waiting for a response. He stayed quiet, nodding in approval.

“You left the Jedi Council for many reasons, not only for saving my life but that the Council would not make you a Master. It seems as if they are treating you the same here.” She paused, thinking of the right way to word such a delicate subject matter. “And you said it yourself. You’re a powerful Sith Lord. Show them who you are, and demand control and authority. And if not, show them who you are.” She turned him to face her, raising her hand to hold his face in a caring gesture.

“This is why I am glad to have you. I know I haven’t been the most attentive lover, but that will change.” Anakin grinned pulling her close to his chest in a tight hug to which she gave back.

Y/N walked around the ship, occasionally stopping to look outside the windows. Everyone on the ship knew who she was. She was Darth Vader’s girl. He referred to her as his wife to everyone. It was easier to explain than the girlfriend who came because she made a promise to not leave him. She was depressed, quiet, and usually never spoke a word to anyone except the dining hall crew. She was kind to them, they were seen as low-life servants. She took pity on them, making an effort to show kindness. Although those who held rank, she was kurt, rude, and annoyed with. She never said hello to them. Some of them would become wimps and run to tell their commander, then to Darth Vader himself. He hated when people would come to him complaining about his girl.

“Do you know who I am? What gives you the right to come to me and complain about my wife? What did you do to make her frown at you? Do not come to me with this again!” Vader’s booming voice echoed in the hallways. No one came to him again. As for the other powerful Sith Lords, they saw this rage and force of power, so they started giving him respect and leadership. Darth Sidious however showed his fondness toward Vader since the beginning, hence why the other Siths don’t like him as much. Y/N thought of them as children playing and not getting their attention from a parent. They whine, cry, and throw tantrums. She would roll her eyes and show them no fear or authority whenever she had to be in the same room or breathing vicinity as them. This was yet another reason they hated Vader, but he always chose Y/N as she did for him.

Anakin walked into their home earlier than he normally did. Y/N could tell before he even walked in the door that something was off, deeply off. The past couple of days he’s been coming in talking about how things are changing and he’s not agreeing with them. The Imperial Army is killing innocent people’s lives for the fun of it. Some will go to random planets and if anyone they encounter gives a sliver of disrespect or doesn’t comply, they kill them on the spot. How could anyone do that? Willingly hunt down innocent lives and for what, power? Every time Y/N heard these “missions” or mentions of them, she would get physically sick to her stomach.

“And you wonder why you’ve been feeling this way? This isn’t you, Anakin. This place, the dark side of the force, everything here and what these people stand for, and what they’re doing. Ani, this is not you.” She stood in their kitchen resting her hands on the countertop looking at Anakin. “You don’t think this way or believe any of their lies. Darth Sidious grabbed onto you in your vulnerable state and made you believe he was Maker and could save everyone from themselves. In reality, everyone was doing just fine.” Y/N let out a long breath she didn’t know she was holding. She walked around the kitchen island to gently hold his face in her hands. He stood there dumbfounded at her words.

“I didn’t know you were paying attention or saw these signs. I thought you were depressed and you kept yourself quiet. I thought didn’t want to see.” He said leaning into her touch.

“I am depressed. We went through something traumatic. I walked through piles of our friends, mentors, and colleagues' bodies. I miss the Jedi Order. I miss fighting for what is right, but instead, I sit here and watch as these troopers, commanders, leaders, followers, these little do-good puppets follow an order that is corrupt and the exact opposite of what we fought to keep. The Imperial Order is not good, is not good for the people, and is not good for anyone and their home planet.” Y/N took a step back leaning against the counter, crossing her arms over her chest. “Anakin, do you see what I see?” She pleaded with him.

“I… I don’t know. I do and I see good that the Imperial Order is doing, but…” He trailed off.

“Ani. If you’re hesitant, then you know.” She looked at him with pleading eyes.

That night Anakin and Y/N left in a pod ship together. They fled to Tatootine where they had heard Obi-Wan was hiding out. They heard through Anakin’s old Padawan, Ashoka Tano, and she would be meeting them there as well. They escaped the Order with a plan to destroy it from within. Of course, they couldn’t do it alone, they needed the help of the Jedi, but since Order 66 happened, most of them were gone or in hiding.

“Anakin, before we leave the ship, I need to talk with Obi-Wan first. You two did not leave on a good note. When he sees you, he’s going to be defensive, and same with Ashoka.” Y/N looked over at him.

“I understand.” He said quietly. There was a short pause of silence.

“Ani, I hope you know that I don’t blame you. I don’t blame you for leaving the Jedi Order. I don’t blame you for what you have done. You were manipulated by an old senile power hungry man. Anakin, I love you.” Y/N laid her head on the seat headrest, looking to her left to see his face.

“I love you, Y/N. I do, but I blame myself for what I have done. I willingly did these things and even though you do not blame me, I always will. I cannot turn back time and fix what actions I have committed.” He said sadly.

“No, but you can write over them and make things right again.” This time she leaned over to squeeze his hand.

They landed on Tatootine, docking the ship away from where Obi-Wan was living in case they came after Anakin and Y/N. She gave his hand another gentle squeeze before walking ahead of him and into Obi-Wan’s home.

“Obi!” She happily hugged him.

“Y/N, I cannot believe it is really you!” Obi-Wan hugged her back.

“He’s here with me.” She said immediately after they parted.

“He’s here? What do you mean? Did you drag him out of there?” He looked more concerned than angry. She sat down with him and explained while Anakin stood outside the home listening in. This was a place he grew to call home, even if his mother and him were slaves here. Even if she died here. She called it home and did Ani. After Y/N explained in great detail their past months, she motioned Anakin to walk in. Obi-Wan gave him a slight smile.

“You’re back.”Obi embraced him.

“I’m sorry.” Emotion overcame Ani as he leaned into Obi-Wan’s embrace.

“The past is the past. Now, how do you suggest we fight them?” Obi-Wan placed his hands on his hips.

Throughout the next few years, they gathered all the Jedi, clones, bounty hunters, and rebels that were willing to fight against the Imperial Army. It was a long journey, many people sacrificed their lives for the cause. Some days it was worth giving up, but waking up and seeing Anakin, Y/N knew she couldn’t Finally, victory had won and the Republic was restored. Obi-Wan, Y/N, and Anakin worked on making a new Jedi Order. One that fixed all the problems that were a reason for others to falter in the first place. To change the Order to become trustworthy and one they all can be proud of.

Anakin and Y/N decided on a little vacation to take the stress off of the past years. One where they could be together in love, and on that vacation they got engaged.

“Yes! Yes, Anakin I will marry you!” She exclaimed happily, wrapping her arms around his neck. Ani held her close, kissing her passionately.

“Y/N, before we walk down I need to tell you something,” Obi said gently holding your elbow back. “I know that when we landed on Mustafar a year ago, I told you not to go with Anakin, but I see now that that was a mistake. Not only are you saving the galaxy and the new Jedi Order, but you saved Anakin. Maker only knows what would have happened if you did not go with him. I am sorry and I am ecstatic to be walking you down this aisle and being your soon-to-be husband’s best man.” Obi smiled a small tear daring to escape his eye as he looked at her with a father and best friend love.

“Obi-Wan. I know where your heart lies. I know that it was out of the goodness of your heart and that if you did stop me I would not hold it against you. I am glad that I could pull Anakin out of the darkness before it was too late. But we are here now, no need to look upon the past, the future has enough for us to handle. I love you Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Y/N hugged him while trying not to ruin her dress and he did the same.

He walked her down the aisle, giving her hand one last squeeze, and taking his place to stand behind Anakin. The officiant spoke and started the ceremony, though neither of the lovers could hear him. They were focused on each other and their love to pay attention to the boring details. They both read their personally written vows to each other, ignoring the “rules” of weddings and giving each other a small kiss after they read.

“Place the ring on her finger.” Anakin followed and placed the ring delicately on her ring finger. “Do you, Anakin Skywalker take Y/N Y/L/N to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love and cherish her through better or worse, sickness and in health, and for richer or poorer as long as you both shall live?” The officiant said, looking at Anakin.

“I do.” He smiled wide, holding up her hand to give her knuckles a kiss which made her blush.

“Place the ring on his finger.” Y/N followed suit, continuing to hold his hand. “Do you, Y/N Y/L/N take Anakin Skywalker to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love and cherish him through better or worse, sickness and in health, and for richer or poorer as long as you both shall live?” The officiant said again, looking at Y/N.

“I do.” She softly said looking at him with love in her eyes.

“By the power invested in me and the planet of Naboo, you may now kiss your bride.” He stepped to the side, giving the couple their moment. Anakin picked Y/N up, twirling her around as she held his face in her hands, kissing each other. He set her down as the guests erupted in cheers. They walked down the aisle, but halfway Anakin pulled her back to him and this time he held her face in his hands kissing her deeply as she rested her hands on his hips. A love that would last a lifetime and be remembered by all in the entire galaxy.

#sarah's specials #anakin skywalker x you #anakin skywalker x jedi!reader #anakin skywalker x female reader #obi wan & anakin #anakin skywalker #anakin skywalker x reader #anakin skywalker imagine #star wars #star wars fanfiction #star wars x reader #star wars prequels #anakin skywalker fanfiction #obi wan kenobi x you #jedi #imperial code #jedi code #marriage #naboo

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sossity · 2 years ago

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So @skellydun is back and doing let’s plays on youtube now--if you like low res horror w/ funny charismatic hosts definitely check him out, he’s really good--and his latest video brought back a memory that I haven’t really thought about for a very long time, and thought I might as well share with the internet.

So growing up we couldn’t afford full destination vacations. Mostly when my dad had time off, we’d stay at home, play games, maybe do a few things nearby or find something cool and semi-touristy we could do in a day trip. But my mom has always had a deep and abiding love for the beach, which was just far enough to make day trips a pain. So what we ended up doing a handful of times in my tween years was go, stay for a couple of nights, be very frugal while we were there, and go home.

But as I said, we couldn’t afford much. And by couldn’t afford much, I mean the decent hotels around our usual beach were by far out of our reach. What we could afford was a couple of nights at a cheap motel. Back then (I’m talking late 90′s) it was still a pretty family-friendly area, even still, but...yeah. There were some that my mom took one look at (or one smell) and walked right back to the car. (Fun fact: one of the ones that actually met our low bar made the news a couple of decades later for an outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease!)

If you’ve never stayed at a run down motel, I actually recommend trying it at least once. Not alone. Especially not alone if you’re a woman. But it’s an odd, liminal experience that I don’t know if I’ve had anywhere else. You can’t sleep. You won’t. (If you do, it’s not that run down.) You’ll watch old tv and sit out on the balcony in the middle of the night in a space where everything’s transitional and time has no meaning besides ‘not light yet.’ It kind of sucks, and is kind of magic, and you’ll be glad when it’s over and you’re drinking coffee at sunrise and moving on. (Also bring your own pillows, don’t walk on the carpet in your bare feet, and wear sweatpants to bed, trust me on this)

So after a while we did find a decent spot that was fairly clean, didn’t have too many problems, and wasn’t too far from the beach, and we went back there a few times. It was nice, and I have plenty of good memories of that place.

Except the last time we went on one of these trips.

It was high summer and our usual place was full. I don’t know if my parents forgot to make reservations, or if it wasn’t something we usually bothered with, but there we were with our bags in our car and doing our old routine of trying to find a place that wasn’t too moldy or visibly stained.

Fortunately up the same road a little bit was another motel that wasn’t full. It even looked similar to the other one, it may have been built at the same time. It even was clean. So we took a room, went off to have fun, and didn’t think too much about it.

Until it was night and we were trying to sleep. And the guys in the room next door (I think they were college-aged) apparently thought this was a GREAT time to have a party! Loud, thumping music, yelling voices, all up against our wall. We were annoyed as hell, but did our best to ignore it for a while.

Until they started banging on our door.

They banged loud and long, and started shouting for help. There were several of them. Maybe they actually needed help, god knows. They definitely sounded drunk and/or high. But yelling and pounding on the door and trying to peek in the window of the family next door was NOT the way to get us to open up.

We absolutely did not help. We sat there with the lights off, trying to be completely silent, hoping they’d think we were out somewhere. My mom was by the bed trying to figure out the motel phone (press these series of digits for an outside line! Then dial the long number on the back of the phone card you have purchased at any convenience store in the area!) so that we could call the cops, but couldn’t get it to work. As I mentioned before, this was the 90s, so no cell phones. So we just...hid. And hoped they’d give up trying to pound down the door and that nothing worse would happen.

They gave up pounding on the door.

In the morning, we got the fuck out of there.

I was already in the car, so I heard this part from my mom secondhand (I don’t think she would have wanted me there anyway): As we were putting our stuff in the car, my mom bumped into the lady who ran the place, as she was already starting to straighten out the rooms. (Again, these were small, cheap places that didn’t have a lot of (or any) staff, maybe 7-8 rooms total.) My mom, of course, told her what happened. Naturally she was like “what the fuck I don’t run a place like that” and right there and then, with my mom, she took her master key and opened up the guys’ room.

The boys staying there were already long gone. Their room was covered in blood.

#don't even know what to tag this really #cw: blood #cw: creeps #true story #iirc they trashed the room too #so yeah we didn't really do vacations after that

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yusei-tales · 17 days ago

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Ergonia's Forest (Chapter 1)

What exactly is love?

"Ergonia," "Help me, Ergonia."

Is it really right to call that 'love'?

"Please… There's no one else I can ask… it's only you I can count on."

At the very least, that mad magician, standing there so desperately begging, must believe that’s what he’s doing. I can see everything within my own space even with my eyes closed. A blond magician stands at the threshold. In the depths of my forest, "Ergonia’s Forest," the only one who could find my home without getting lost and knock on my door is him.

"Ergonia…"

I finally open my tightly closed lips. My voice, intentionally loud enough for him to hear, is tinged with irritation. But there’s no real chill to drive him away.

"Ugh, enough already. You’re making my head pound! This is my space, my house. If you’re going to whine, do it outside!"

Then, I stomp my feet three times, thud, thud, thud, against the wooden floor as I get up from my seat. Maybe because I built this tree house myself, the resonance climbing up my legs is quite satisfying. This is a banishment spell. With three stomps, I can drive out even a king from my space.

"Ergonia, you know that doesn’t work on me. You’ll let me in anyway, so stop with the theatrics."

Except for that cheeky exception.

"A friend who only shows up when it suits him, huh?"

"…"

"You want me to save someone?"

"…"

"Do you have any idea what happens to a magician who interferes with the world? Ruining your own life is your choice, but why should I get involved? You, of all people, know why I live shut away here."

"…"

"Hey, stop staring and say something!"

A jewel glittering from his ear catches the light, swaying with my intensity. That face could have easily charmed those swayed by appearances, and his sad expression could have stirred sympathy in anyone who didn’t know him as long as I have. Long ago, I admit, I enjoyed looking at his face just because he was handsome. Maybe at first, that alone seemed like payment enough. But how long can someone live on just a handsome face? Life (though we’re not humans) is give and take. You have to bring something to the table.

"Whatever you bring, I’m not granting this favor, Laden!"

This request would risk my very existence, and there’s no reward that could equal that.

Therefore,

"I don’t care if you’re completely enamored with some human and are ready to die over it. It’s your business, not mine. Sort it out yourselves. I’m staying here, living peacefully, quietly, conducting my research. So don’t come barging into my forest!"

No involvement. I refuse to get involved this time!

"How can you say that? You haven’t even heard the story yet."

"Like it’d make a difference. Hey, hey, stop looking all pitiful. Humans die eventually, you know. That’s the natural order. It’s foolish for you to cling to it. How long have you lived, and you’re still getting hung up on this? The ‘strongest magician in the world’ has surely looked away plenty of times before."

"It’s Outh's curse."

I’m momentarily silent at the mention of that dusty, old name.

Outh? Come to think of it, I haven’t heard that name in ages. I can still hear the voice that cried, "You can do it! Why are you running away?" echoing in my ears. Is he still alive? That one was annoyingly persistent.

"What’s that fool got to do with it?"

Laden drops his gaze, letting out a shallow sigh. I know his expressions well after all these years. Whenever he has to face something unpleasant, he makes that face and looks away. It’s just one of the rules of a magician’s life in this world—a life law one inevitably learns after living long enough.

"It’s because of me."

When Daria died, he looked like this. When Elgie passed, he looked like this. When Pscheka disappeared, when Shile and Phetan were no longer of this world, when Elge, Arnoa, Jult, Unchen, Bryce, Nadam, and those whose names I’ve long forgotten faded away. During all those times, I stood by, quietly watching Laden, while Outh was always the loud one.

"You could save them! You could show them a better way! It’s nothing to you! Why do you just stand by and watch?"

What started as a plea turned into a demand, then a desperate entreaty, which transformed into reproach and resentment, eventually festering into hatred.

All because Laden possessed the ability to see “the paths ahead”—the power to know future outcomes. Among us magicians, gifted with the shards of light and time from our origin, it was an ability considered miraculous, but for some reason, he never liked it. There were a few who sided with Laden, and I was one of them.

"Quit making easy comments. If you’ve done even one thing for Laden, maybe you’d have the right to speak."

"Ergonia, you’re close to him. You don’t understand my feelings. Have you ever thought about what it’s like to see everyone go? There aren’t many left of us. Really, only a few remain."

"So what? When it’s time, it’s time."

"…That’s why I hate you. You’ll never understand."

Straightening his slouched shoulders, he turns toward me, his eyes fierce as he spits out his venomous words. For once, his voice has strength, like he’s been holding back for a long time.

"Having power but doing nothing is a sin. What’s the difference between doing nothing and not existing? You’re better off gone. You only give false hope. You might as well disappear."

A skinny figure with dark hair and a navy-blue scarf. Once, he might have looked at me with kinder eyes. Maybe I even saw him smile long ago, though it was so long ago that the memory is nearly dust.

"…Annoying brat."

A voice calls out from outside the door.

"I know. I bring bad luck."

"Good you know. But this time, I wasn’t talking about you."

"Then let me in. I’m getting tired of standing out here. It’s damp, I’m carrying something, and my arm is sore. And there are probably bugs down here, so I can’t put it down."

With a defeated tone, he finds a way in, and I finally relent. With a snap of my fingers, the person outside is suddenly inside, standing before me.

"It’s been a while, Ergonia."

The face that’s the same as it was a century, a thousand years, an eternity ago.

Holding a human corpse.

The Witch of the Forest, Ergonia. That’s my title. Who knows how long ago, I created this space apart from the world and nestled within it. It’s a dense forest with a mental barrier, so no one can enter without my permission. My beloved forest. The greatest masterpiece of my life. A waterfall, a spring, moss on the stones, the scent of wet wood after rain, and a small house nestled among it all. It’s a place anyone would dream of. I had crafted my own world, intending to live quietly and peacefully. No chance of unwanted entanglements, no unwelcome encounters.

Being called a recluse is at least tolerable. Ergonia the Witch. Ergonia the Crone. I’d go find and smack anyone who called me that.

The term 'hiding' doesn’t fit. I never ran away. Still, there are a few uninvited guests who visit. Laden is one of those rare visitors.

"One day, you’ll feel the same way I do. Then, against your own will, you’ll step out into the world." Or so someone once told me. Well, I’ll think about it if that day comes.

It felt wrong to place someone else’s body on the cold floor, so I summoned a low table and laid it down there.

In the witch’s hut deep in the forest, a calm conversation unfolds beside a corpse.

"That Pscheka’s gone, and now he’s lost it." I sip on my tea, brewed from herbs, warming me from within. "She was the only one who could understand him. That one’s such a loner."

"A loner?"

"An outsider. No friends. How can you roam the outside and not know that?"

"That, maybe, but I was just surprised to hear such words from you…"

I’m about to clench my fist in response but hold back when I see Laden’s face. Today, he looks like a drowned cat with all his spirit gone, so I don’t feel like arguing.

"A magician involving themselves in another magician’s matters is also a taboo. He’s completely lost it."

"I’m not entirely unsympathetic." His voice is calm, almost too calm, which irritates me a little.

"It’s not about understanding."

"I don’t really like my power."

"Ungrateful talk."

"It gives people hope as if something could be done, only to leave them with nothing. That’s why I hate seeing the future."

"And yet you’ve lived so long because of it."

"Would you like to take it, then?"

"Don’t waste words on something impossible."

Glancing at the body on the table, I ask,

"Do you love her?"

"You know, I’m not one for such emotions. I’ve always avoided entangling myself in anything. I dodged the idea of being loved by anyone and was determined never to love anyone. But now…"

The quiet whisper resonates in the peaceful hut.

"But that kid. They said they fell in love with me at first sight. They said they liked me from the moment we met."

"Huh, intrigued all of a sudden? When you didn’t even spare a glance when a princess from a country proposed to you that way?"

"Maybe."

Seeing how nonchalant they were about it, I furrowed my brow slightly, bothered by the smugness in their expression. I lifted my head slightly, meeting their eyes for a moment before looking down again.

"I thought it would end after meeting just once. But somehow, it's been one year, two years, and now almost ten."

No matter what the real story behind it was, it seems complicated.

"I should've separated us. But I couldn't. I just couldn't bring myself to do it."

Though they spoke as if it were no big deal, I could see their face slightly twist in pain. The cloak they wore slipped from their shoulders, falling down.

"I didn't know what to do."

I gave them a look of disdain, then placed the teacup I was holding down on the table between us.

This masterpiece of mine, made from the wood of a tree trunk, was something I usually only brought out when guests were visiting. I wondered if they even noticed. I could tell they weren't paying attention to such details.

But I had a promise to make now.

"Remember the time when Unchen was disposed of? We barely took him down with Periya, Kanoff, and Reltibe's forces combined. They were good guys, but now they're all gone. When you lose your mind, no one can stop you. So no matter what, you can't lose control. You can't go mad."

"If you're talking about being the strongest, then I don't need to be in the position of being the strongest."

With a soft sigh, Laden weakly smiled.

The fire crackled in the hearth, casting a yellowish glow on their face, casting shadows that grew sharper in the light.

I am Ergonia, a fragment of the god of light. I know that everything has two sides, light and darkness.

Laden is afraid of facing the future. Once he knows what it holds, he fears being frozen by it, trapped in an inescapable despair. Because of this, he doesn't often use his abilities.

It wasn’t always like this for him.

Though I can’t speak for him, I know there was a time when Laden tried. He once believed that having such powers meant he could change things, so he rolled up his sleeves, traveled, and threw himself into one challenge after another.

But he failed, and failed, and failed again. In the end, he lost all confidence in his ability to change anything. And here we are, the so-called the "strongest" magicians, and yet magic has proven itself to be quite useless.

But in my view, the meaning of having this power isn't much. Even if we use it as we wish and vanish as we please, no one can stop us.

After all, aren’t we fragments of the gods?

We are but remnants of a god’s will, cast aside, chosen ones—how you see it is up to you. But from my long experience, I know we merely exist.

Those who think they have a mission or believe they can change things with their powers—they're the ones who either fade away into the world or are hunted by their fellow magicians.

So by now, after such a long time, the ones who know how to stay under the radar, or the ones who are suited to survive, should have remained (I am one of the prior; Laden is the latter). So why is Outh, who used to stay out of trouble, suddenly picking fights now?

Among magicians, there’s an unspoken rule: we cannot use our powers to threaten the world or harm other magicians. If either happens, other magicians can intervene, taking sides and rejecting the other.

When this happens, one side is usually destroyed completely.

"Does Outh really want to die?" I muttered.

Laden, despite his calm appearance, is the strongest magician. Anyone who tries to mess with someone who can see the future is essentially courting death.

I know, because I witnessed it myself. There’s no scenario where Laden loses.

I still remember Laden, standing there, lost and hollow, holding onto the fragments of the broken pieces of our kind. They grew "mad" for a reason I no longer recall.

A vast field, now an empty wasteland, the sand blowing away in the wind, no life left, except for Laden standing there. In his hand, a translucent, thin shard of glass, gleaming in the last colors of its fading light.

As the shard slipped from his hand, Laden watched it with a distant, almost resigned expression, before whispering something under his breath.

I don’t know what he said, but it was probably a prayer or an apology. After all, despite fighting until the end, the future-seeing magician’s heart is something I can’t understand, nor do I particularly want to. My mind is already tangled with more pressing matters.

Laden might be an interesting subject for research to someone, but I'm not idle enough to study him. The world is full of far more interesting things.

"Ergonia, I can forgive a curse that's cast on me."

"Is that so? Well, you'd probably dodge it anyway, wouldn't you?"

"But this isn’t just a curse. This is pure spite."

"In that case, what? Are you planning to fight back?"

"If we fight, I’ll win. That much is certain."

Laden muttered this softly, then interlocked his fingers and pressed them against his forehead. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again with a slightly more serious gaze.

"So, what I’m asking now is whether it’s alright to do this. Whether it's okay to go down this path."

His voice was unusually subdued, the playful light in his eyes briefly dimming, replaced by an almost fox-like intensity. Ah, it's been a long time since I’ve seen him genuinely angry.

"I’m really tired. Running away, pretending I don’t care. I’ve held it all in because I thought Outh might have reason to hate me. But do you really think killing Outh will break the curse?"

"Wait, wait. Hold on a second. I haven't heard anything clearly yet. I get that Outh cursed you, but what does that mean? What are you saying?"

"I’m not the one he cursed. I know how to break Outh's curse, but if it was cast on me, I’d probably let him hit me once or twice. Pscheka was a good person, after all."

With a deep breath, Laden continues.

"I’ve never been at peace with what happened, either."

So the curse must’ve been cast on that woman over there, lying on the low table. I gesture toward her, and Laden responds.

"Yes. Because it seemed like we were getting along, Outh cursed her…Linne. She suddenly collapsed while talking to me, stopped breathing, and her body’s growing cold. She’s definitely dead by now. But I couldn’t leave her like this. I brought her here, hoping that you, with all your research, might find a way…"

It was a clever move. No matter what Outh did, he couldn't directly harm Laden. But what does he hope to gain from this?

It seems like Outh lost everything, but now he’s bitterly watching as Laden grows close to Linne. Does he want to take her from him, out of spite?

Well, it’s not the first time a magician has gone mad. And nothing makes a magician more mad than love.

I give a little nod and, placing the teaspoon down with a sharp "ting" on the empty teacup, speak up.

"Well, theoretically, if you kill a magician, the magic effect disappears, right? If I die, this forest would disappear. Remember Thelthea? After he died, his healing spells vanished, and so all those who lost limbs and were disfigured suffered."

"Ha ha."

"Does that make you laugh?" I scowl, shooting a glare at Laden. If he really goes mad, I’m not sure if this is just a joke anymore.

"No…I just find it a bit pathetic. I’m called the strongest magician, and yet now I’m thinking of doing nothing more than harming others?"

Laden says this with a slightly regretful expression before quickly returning to his usual neutral face, speaking in the same detached tone he uses when discussing trivial things.

"But if I can save Linne, I don’t care what happens."

What should we do with these magicians.

#The Tale of Magicians(Fragment of gods)#oc:laden #oc:linne #oc:ergonia #oc:outh #Ergonia's Forest #The Magician of Crossroads

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askreysolo · 3 months ago

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oh my Force HAHAHAHA guess whattt.

I found out how to get Threepio to do my homework!!!

I’ve asked him to do it before, but he says his programming won’t allow cheating. BUT…

he will answer all my questions if he doesn’t know why I’m asking!!

example: “Threepio, I am having three friends over for dinner. I have forty-five cookies. how many cookies should we each get if one friend demands to have twice as many cookies as the other three?”

of course, Threepio will give me the correct answer…then follow it up with much concern that we will all get tummy-aches.

and of course, I am starting to think that I have played myself, because converting my algebra questions into word problems is almost quite as much work as doing them myself.

BUT!! it’s the principle! the principle of managing to get out of doing the work!! even if I have to do extra work! I just like figuring out different ways to do things that other people maybe haven’t thought of.

but…Mom says that Threepio will be going away now, to go live with Ben.

I don’t know why. Threepio usually helps Mom out at her job. and here at home, too.

and I like Threepio. I like all droids—I’ve built a bunch of little baby droids at DEC (my after-school Droid Engineering Club) that Mom won’t let me bring home—but, I rather like Threepio a lot.

people think Threepio is annoying to talk to, but people also think I’M annoying to talk to, so, I’ve always been chums with him. he listens to me. and I like asking him questions. nobody else seems to like listening to Threepio, so I think he likes me too.

he calls me “young miss Rey.” I want him to stop calling me the “young” part, but I rather like how he calls me “miss.” It feels sort of grown-up, and I’m somewhat sick of Dad and Ben calling me “kid” all the time. cos I’m not!!! I’m 13!!!

but I suppose Mom still thinks I’m just a kid, too, because she never asked me what I thought about Threepio going away. she decided it all on her own. I wonder if she even asked Threepio?

I think Mom has been worried about my brother recently. she burned dinner a few days ago. well, burned it worse than normal I mean. Mom can’t cook normally, but usually what she makes is edible.

sometimes, I wonder if Mom loves her little boy more. well, he’s NOT little—he is HUGE—but you know what I mean. I know my mom loves me, but Ben’s holos are everywhere in the house—and of course mine are too—except there are holos of Ben as a baby where he looks like a potato and holos of him as a toddler and of him as a little kid and for me it’s as if my life only started when I was seven and I wasn’t even formally adopted till I was eleven because I so badly wanted to believe my birth mum and dad were still out there, looking for me—and maybe I still wonder, in secret, sometimes—but—well, maybe I just don’t know how to put this all into words quite right.

I suppose I just feel sometimes that it’s not fair. Ben doesn’t live here anymore, but Mom seems to be thinking about him all the time. I know something bad happened to Ben when he was younger—I don’t know WHAT—but do you really need to have something bad happen to you in order for people to care? I’ve been through some pretty bad things, too… but Mom calls me her little ray of sunshine and I think I sort of get it now—she doesn’t worry about me quite so much, because she rescued me from Jakku, she pulled me out of danger, and I’m safe now, and I’m her strong and happy little girl, and I’ll always be.

or I’m always supposed to be.

well, I’m glad Mom believes in me!! my mom is very strong, and I’m very proud that she thinks I’m as strong as she is. I know Ben gets very annoyed that Mom doesn’t seem to trust him the way she trusts me—even though he’s so much older.

but, well, maybe I’m annoyed that Mom fusses over him more than me. she already had her time with Ben, and he’s grown-up now. I’m still growing up.

I wish Mom would smile more. I’m used to being the baby of the family and making everyone else feel happy, but I can’t be everyone’s ray of sunshine all the time.

and…I’m gonna miss Threepio… :’( I really hope Ben is nice to him…

#askreysolo #dumb big brother #princess mom #threepio #the jakku hustle #nobody

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omegaremix · 6 months ago

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Vinyl Bay 777 shopping list, 2018.

I haven’t visited Plainview since the sordid community college days. It was when I set my best-friend Brandon up with Manzana, the girl I was set up with through one of my friends in senior year. We were over her house with some of her friends for what would be my final get-together there. It felt unusual because it was my only visit there during the community-college era and I already was far removed from everyone I was friends with, friends who helped make-then-break situations. Plainview was great for what it was worth until things started to decline.

Caboose, a former staffer of my time at Stony Brook Press, messaged me last year and announced he was a newly-enlisted music-phile. I never even thought anything else of him during our days at the Press. He then tipped me off of Vinyl Bay 777. Plainview now has a record store, but it came with a slight warning: it would be too pricey. I was meaning to go since hearing of it and it looked real good. Owned by artist and Italian chef Frank Napoli, he wanted his store to stand out and he’s succeeded. Everything of Vinyl Bay 777 looks great, a strong mission statement where everything is clean, graded accurately, and perfectly organized by alphabetical order and genre. It had a professionally-built website where it gave you part of a superbly-organized feel. It was also where I started feeling a slight crunch: I started to browse their inventory on their site and the average / median prices were set a little high. It’s not the whole story as it would take anyone hours to get a more accurate feel of what Vinyl Bay 777 had in store. It was still in the cards for me to visit any way to get the true picture.

All it took to get there was a drive down to the Long Island Expressway (L.I.E., not named after Ron Morelli’s label, regretably) and it was right off its’ closest exit. Located in an industrial area, you need to curve through some buildings to get to some tight parking lots. There it was with a double-mural painting of various iconic musicians in front of the store. I walk in and it did look amazing. It’s tight quarters, but no other record store was such efficient in space and pulled it off looing good. Rows and rows of vinyl. Even more under. Tables with crates of 12″ and 7″ on top of it. Rolling caddies of cassette bins. On the walls are collectible classic records. Shelves upon shelves of CDs. Close to any category you could think of with few exceptions, they have it. Look around and you’ll see some shelves of music-related books, documentaries, and live shows on DVD. More collectibles, vinyl records pinned to the ceiling, action figures, star-studded memorabilia, and Beanie Babies down below. At the front of the counter were magazines ranging from Boys Life to about four bins of Playboy. Hugh Hefner is turning over right now. So far, so good.

As I started browsing through the store, I slowly realized Caboose was right. The lowest common price of any title in the store was $5.77 with few lower exceptions. $7.77, $17.77, $25.77, $39.77, $12.77. Notice a pattern? They price after themselves. Inifinity Records has a few vinyl bins mixed with various titles for $2.76 and I don’t even know the significance of those numbers. It wasn’t the $__.77 that got to me, it was indeed the overall pricing. They priced their stock higher than any other store I seen. Records, cassettes, and discs priced for only a few dollars in other stores were priced two, three, even four times at Vinyl Bay. That went for most of their stock regardless, no artist or genre was treated differently. You could walk away with several hardcore and punk 45′s for a dollar or two somewhere else. Not Vinyl Bay. The entire small shelf of those 45′s were priced enough that it prevented me from taking some of it home. Cassettes were selling for mostly $5.77 to $7.77 where other places still selling them do so for a few dollars less. Ouch.

Even though I still felt the pinch, I still continued to walk through its stock. They had a great selection of jazz, rock, hip-hop, industrial, metal, the classics, and etcetera across all formats. I did have ideas of what I wanted to pick up, and that’s all that became of my visit. I couldn’t help but to hold back because I have had about 15 or 20 titles I wanted to buy, but Vinyl Bay 777′s pricing add up quickly in my head. There were no dollar bins as their grading system and overall aesthetic prevented it, which I do understand. Vinyl Bay 777 vied to be different and it does. It does so by offering a lot of rarites, obscure, and hard-to-find titles not found often and at high-quality. They don’t sell “Dean Martin, Barbra Streisand, Mitch Miller, Andy Williams or showtunes…big band, film scores, or soundtracks.” They sell top-notch titles. It’s for collectors, not for pick-up-and-go artists like myself. I can’t blame them.

It’s a shame, really, because they do have lots of great stuff and they do aim for quality. That’s something Vinyl Bay will bat all the way to home plate. I do understand if a store prices specific titles accordingly by rarity and condition here and there. Because Vinyl Bay is for connoiseurs. They do take their rarity and grading 100% which explains why the average threshold of pricing is higher than most stores. On my end, I didn’t feel any bit accessible. I shop to win, not shop for only one or two things. I don’t shop according to grade or condition, I shop for quantity and value. I do have the money the spend, but it doesn’t mean I’d want to needlessly overpay on titles I could find in other places for half the price. But I have to say, at least they have integrity. They weren’t the Long Island Vinyl Exchange years ago where half their stock was un-priced and their owner made you pay whatever he said off the top of his head. He was out in less than a year. Remember that.

After 45 minutes, I left Vinyl Bay 777 purchasing nothing. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great store for those who want it and they do a great job for what they’re set out to do. It’s just not for me. As I walked out, I noticed a sign urging customers to write two reviews on different social media accounts and show them to the store for a 15% discount. Too little, too late. Here’s my review. I’m not coming back.

Vinyl Bay 777 shopping list: no dice.

#omega #music #playlists #mixtapes #personal #Long Island #CD #tapes #cassette #vinyl #records

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greypetrel · 2 years ago

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26 for Raina and happy Friday!

Hi Mo, happy next Friday to you!

Super-duper late, but I hope you’ll like it anyway. Merrill finds a stray raccoon on the street and bring her home, back in Act 1.

Tis the prompt list.

Must be you.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like that."

“Hawke!”

She didn’t notice the twine. She wasn’t noticing much of anything, except that the corner between two walls she was resting in was more comfortable than her bed in Gamlen’s house. Sure it was less crowded and loud, the smell was debatable. She was sleepy, and she knew she shouldn’t fall asleep. But she was so tired…

“Sylaise’enaste, Hawke, can you hear me?” The voice said, as a hand rested on her shoulder and the other patted her cheek, with more force than one should. It wasn’t delicate, and it made her wince in pain.

“Sorry! I’m sorry… Creators, is that blood?”

Ah. Yes, it was. She hadn’t had the time to actually notice much of it, right now her head felt light and she couldn’t concentrate well. She recognized the voice as Merrill. Yes, that was Merrill, she lived in the alienage that wasn’t that distant… Or so she hoped: Raina had been walking towards her house when her head had started to spin and she fell onto her butt, crawling in a corner to rest a little before making the rest of the way. How much time had passed?

Two arms snaked under her armpits, moving her torso forward and up, with a loud huff of complaint. The elf hauled her up, wobblying and faltering under her weight: she was shorter than her, and lithely built, not used to carry heavy weights nor people around.

“Hawke, do you hear me?” Merrill huffed. “Can you… Can you stand? Please…”

“My legs are wobbly.” She said, trying to stand on her own made her head spin, and blood stopped reaching her eyes for a while. “Must be you.”

“Me?!” Merrill squeaked, shifting with difficulty on her side, still sustaining her as she pulled Raina’s arm over her shoulders and grabbed her waist. “What did I do? Did I… You tripped on my twine, didn’t you? Oh, I told Varric it was a terrible idea…”

The concern in her voice was genuine, and in a better moment Raina would have felt a little guilty of teasing her. They haven’t known each other for so long, and even if they were in good terms... But she wasn’t in a better moment, and her thoughts worked funny, and it seemed crazily funny and clever.

“A cute, pretty girl hauling me up? Enough to make a girl swoon, you see.”

“I’m not-” A pause. The world was deliciously spinning. “-you’re joking.”

“I always am. But I do think you’re pretty.” Raina said, light-heartedly. And light-headedly, she didn’t really know where they were going, she just felt drowsy and followed Merrill around: with her help walking wasn’t half that bad. “Do I put you ill at ease?”

“N-no. But it’s better if you keep talking, I guess, your head looks really bad.”

“Ouch!”

“Creators! Not in that sense!”

Laughing hurt, but Raina did anyway, grunting in pain right after. It made her want to laugh more, if only. Caught in a never-ending circle of hurting and laughing, Raina just took her time to tell the elf to please don’t bring her home. Not in that state.

“Why not? I don’t know many healing spells, Garrett and Bethany-”

“My mother would kill me.” She laughed again, grimacing right after. “She hates when I get beaten up and… And please, take me to the Hanged Man, I’ve got some coin in my pocket for a room… Or well, I had them, I think.”

Merrill didn’t say anything at that. She didn’t reply, and Raina honestly was too dazed to really get where they were going, or to check if she did make some sense in her rambling. She didn’t want to see her mother in that condition, that she was sure of. Staying awake was difficult, she didn’t need the extra pressure of her mother fussing over her and complaining because look at where her brilliant ideas brought her.

And indeed, look at where her brilliant ideas brought her: forcing a relatively new friend to keep her awake, struggling under her weight as she tries not to make the pair of them fall to their doom down a flight of stairs. They made it eventually to the little house that Merrill was occupying, and Raina was left there on her own, sitting down somewhere, not that she minded much the place right there and then, as the elf ran outside to fetch… Something. Or someone, Raina didn’t really understand well. The world was spinning too much, and truth to be told the woman was too confused and drowsy to really think for more than following instructions. It could have been five minutes or five hours when Merrill got back with a healer, and they started fussing over her.

Actually, she protested the fuss, complaining as best as she could that it was too much over her and she just needed to sleep it off, she was fine.

“You’re not fine, serrah. You lost too much blood and you should pray your skull hasn’t broken.”

“Lucky, then, my head is very hard.”

“I can see it.”

And indeed, her head proved to be hard enough: the bone wasn’t broken, she just bumped it very hard -she couldn’t recall exactly against where or how, just that it hurt a lot. Alongside that, a couple of broken ribs and a good deal of other cuts and minor injuries around her body. For Raina, it was all in a haze, she just protested a little when they tried to move her, because movement made her head spin and made her nauseous. The worst of the nausea, tho, came from the herbs that the healer collected and started treating to make a poultice. The smell smelled revolting, and as much as she tried to keep it in, her stomach twisted and turned so much that she met with her dinner all over again, turning abruptly to maybe avoid the healer. She felt warm hands on her shoulder and back, patting soothingly, and Merrill shushing her and saying it was all right.

In the dizziness of everything, she felt shame and a pang of blame that was all what Leandra would have told her: and right then and there, she was very prone to give her right.

They patched her up and she let them, too tired and ashamed to put up a fight or a brave face. Her head was bandaged and cleaned, a bad cut on her left ribcage sewn shut, and between the two of them they managed to bring her in the other room, and in Merrill’s bed. Raina protested weakly to that, but she was too weak to put up a resistance. As soon as her head was lain on the pillow, she fell asleep.

---

When Raina woke up, her head was pounding badly, and some noises from somewhere around her made the pressure get worse. She opened her eyes and tried to blink sleep away, rubbing them with a -bandaged- hand to make her vision less blurry than it was. When it cleared enough to recognize her surroundings, the first thing that came to her mind was that she wasn’t in her bed.

All alarm bells in her head started to trill, and she jumped up on the bed… And had to place both hands on the mattress beside her thighs, because her head started spinning wildly, and her stomach painfully twisted on itself with nausea. Someone took her trousers off and she didn’t think she could stand, let alone get away from… Wherever she was, she couldn’t really remember much about yesterday evening, after those thugs caught her as she was walking home.

Daggers. She had to find her daggers and maybe-

“Oh, you’re awake! Thank Sylaise!”

To her right, Merrill popped in the room, moving a cloth that made for a door and smiling at her. Too bright and too happy, her voice was too shrill and only added to Raina’s headache. Nonetheless, it made her relax instantly, as memories from the night before started to return. Slowly and with difficulty, catching some glimpses was like trying to move through mud.

“I wouldn’t exactly thank her, it doesn’t really feel good, being awake…”

“I’d bet!” She giggled, hopping in the room and sitting on the bed beside her. “You were pretty battered down yesterday, you know.”

“Yeah, somehow I figured it out…”

She let Merrill place a hand over her brow -her fingers were very delicate, and pleasantly cool against her skin, and she sighed at the contact. The elf bid her to return to bed and stay there, and even tucked her in again. Raina protested the thing, saying she wasn’t a child, and it made Merrill laugh, batting off her hand and tucking her in anyway. It was no trouble, the elf said, and somehow the human had not in her to deny it any further. Even if the more she was awake, the more memories got back to her about what exactly happened. It was still all fuzzy and cloudy but…

Merrill got back into the room when Raina let out a long, dragged groan, remembering what happened. The flirting and the puking, in particular. She met her with both her hands covering her face -she could feel bandages over the left side of her head, but didn’t bother to check if they were dry or soaked through. One thing at a time, maybe losing more blood would have eased the pang of guilt that she felt.

“What is it, Hawke? Do you feel so bad?” Merrill said, kneeling beside her, a ceramic mug held in both her hands.

“I’m sorry.”

“About what? Here, drink… Tomas said to make you drink when you woke up.” She took one of Raina’s hands in hers and closed her fingers, always very delicately, over the mug.

Raina sat up, carefully and slowly not to pour the content all over herself and the sheets -she just missed to force poor Merrill to change them and wash not one but two pairs of them. And as she sipped slowly the water, not to trigger any more nausea than what she was feeling, she slowly replied.

“I’m sorry you had to see me like that, I…” She sighed, deeply. Thinking was difficult, and finding words was like fishing in a frozen lake. “… I’m sorry if I puked on your… Tell me it was the floor and not the bed, please.”

“Don’t mention it!” Merrill giggled again. What was that she found funny? “It was no trouble, really.”

“Tell me I didn’t say anything stupid or too forward.” She groaned again, not finding it particularly funny.

“You were very confused, Hawke, don’t worry. It was no trouble.”

“It was. I occupied your bed the whole… What time is it?”

“It’s the afternoon. You can stay here this night as well, I don’t mind. I placed a cot before the fire, I sleep there anyway when it’s too cold.”

Merrill was happy. Too happy and easygoing for Raina’s taste, and… It was weird. She was kind and gentle, but they weren’t acquainted for so long. Was it normal between elves? Was it her? Or…

“Did you need something from me?” Raina asked, turning to look at the elf, suspiciously.

She was there, smiling happily at her, and just frowned in confusion at the question, the tattoos on her brow scrunching up. It was cute.

“What? No! Why would I need something from you?” She thought about it and continued right after “Is it a human custom I’m not acquainted about? Should I… ask for something now or wait for you to get better?”

And now there were two confused people in the room. Well, that was funny. Raina stopped to look at Merrill, Merrill kept her eyes and… And Raina started to laugh, hard and loud. Or well, she would have, if a wound on her side hadn’t started to pull pretty annoyingly with the movement, and her ribs themselves as well. She curled on herself soon after, groaning in pain.

“Hawke!”

“Oh shit.”

“You should rest, Tomas said to let you rest plenty.”

“I should go back, tho.”

“Nonsense! I don’t mind having you around, really! I…” She sighed, looking down and falling back on her heels. “…I like it here, but it feels a little lonely. I never had that much space on my own, you see. In the clan there was always someone around.”

There was something, about Merrill, that tugged at something deep inside Raina. It wasn’t anything maternal, no, that was reserved for Garrett and Bethany. No, it was… Something that relaxed her. Maybe it was how earnest she was, pushing her to be as well. Raina couldn’t say. What she could do, was showing interest.

“Oh? One would assume that living in the wild made up for more space than in the Alienage…”

“Yes, but no.” She giggled. “It’s not very wise to roam on your own in the wilderness. Bears are not friendly. And aravels are rarely occupied by just one person. I shared the one with the Keeper, as her First and with none of us bonded. This house…” She looked around, with a smile. “…It’s more than I would have thought.”

It wasn’t much, by all means. Two rooms and a smallest one for bathing, few furniture that they had found around town and put together as best as it could be, once cleaned. A hearth. The roof was safe, at least, but it wasn’t much. And, come to think of it, it was still more than what Hawke had, all them cramped in Gamlen’s house… Which wasn’t all that bigger anyway, or more densely furnished. Sure, this smelled better.

“Are you sure I’m not bothering you?”

“Not at all!”

“I puked all over your floor, tho…”

Raina grimaced, and Merrill giggled, shaking her head.

“That’s all right, you didn’t do it on purpose. You’ve helped me a lot since we met… I’m glad to help you in turn.”

It was very weird to hear someone say that they did something for Raina without wanting nothing in return. Actually, it wasn’t something she had heard since… Outside her family, maybe since she came of age and started working in the fields and helping the neighbours out to bring some more coins home. Her body seemed to be made of lead, everything hurt and her head pounded annoyingly: Raina still felt some weight lifting from her shoulders, shily and tentatively. She smiled back, a little ill at ease from the novelty, but… Liking it.

“Anytime, Merrill. Just ask. And, I’ll help you wash the sheets, at least.”

“Sure! But now… Do you think you can manage to stay here alone?”

“I’ll be as quiet as a mouse and make a nap. Go, I don’t want to steal your time as well as your bed. I’m big and strong, I’ll survive.” For once, she didn’t feel like making a show out of it. It was weird, too.

“That’s good. I’ll go fetch Anders. And maybe tell your family you’re here.”

And not before assuring that her guest didn’t want some food -she really felt her stomach was closed and didn’t want to be sick again-, Merrill waved her goodbyes, ready to leave.

“Merrill?” Raina called, hearing her pull the lock.

“Yes?” The elf peeked from the door, wide eyes full with worry.

“Thank you, really.”

She smiled, sweet and all too bright.

“Don’t mention it, Hawke. That’s what friends are for.”

Maybe that was it for real. Come to think of it, Raina never had many friends, outside her family. Not anyone that she could fully call friends, with the implicit rule that a big part of her family had to be kept secret as Apostates. Oh, she had her sympathies and trysts… But friends? People who didn’t mind her puking on their floor, offered their bed and knew that both the brother and sister she had left were mages? Maybe, after all, Kirkwall was good.

#dragon age #dragon age 2 #da2 #merrihawke #dragon age fic #merrill #female hawke #ficlet #writing petrel #da fic

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confrontthefamiliar · 7 months ago

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New moon in Taurus: the return to the west

By the new moon in Taurus I was still waiting on myself to go back to finish the last two posts for the full moon in Scorpio and the eclipse in Aries.

The day of the new moon I was hungover but with friends, each one of them heartbroken, each one of them dumped the previous week or so.

I told them I felt better than ever, having been single so long, nearly three years solidly, except for the last three or four flings, that were definitely real relationships but also not.

So maybe it hasn’t really been a year even. I guess technically it has been a winter and a spring. But I was also single last winter and spring. Just had someone close to me. I haven’t had anyone that close to me for a winter and a spring.

There was a fall, a winter, and a spring I was alone before. Singlehood fascinates me. Something I never aspired towards exactly. But something that feels really good right now. I feel better than ever.

But the day of the new moon I felt sick from drinking and boating and boarding the afternoon and night before. All that coors and tequila and whiskey. I saw Truth before I left the west side and told him I was boating. He said, “well that’s because you’re local!”

I spent the eve of the new moon fingering my friend’s old map of California before the 80 got built. He showed me the pieces of his airbnb which were pieces of Nevada City in animals and photography and books and art.

I went down to the west side this time knowing I was looking at what would happen to me that would tell me more about how I was going to get back down there. How I was going to get back to the place I was pulled out of, that I fled, that I left.

When we went to the grocery store to get provisions for the boat I felt the culture of Nevada County, the west side of it in that moment and the east side of it in spirit and thought how you really never need to travel anywhere to see the culture. This was lake people red neck hippie culture and I sang Tyler Childer’s, “Lord it’s a mighty hard livin’ But a damn good feeling to run these roads,” on the drive home.

I got pulled along on the boat because I ran into an old friend who suggested we live together who brought me to look at a house then out to lunch with friends. And then we were all out there on the water and wake boarding and swimming, things I need to get by and feel alive. I live in an adventure place. I have my climbing and boarding.

And then we were talking about our heritage and I remembered that I wanted to know why exactly they built the 80 and what every crevice of our land was and meant and how these towns got built up and who was who and what was what about a community.

The east side of Nevada County is richer, and Easter. The west side is more red neck and agricultural.

Something new for the new moon. I had this thought last night, the night after the new moon. Why do I keep imagining this couple as suffering? Why not visualize them in the best light possible?

I struggled with romantic relationships badly last year and I wondered why it always went downhill. At 31 my solar return was libran! The air sign of Venus! But that was just the main theme. It didn’t determine the outcome. Astrology never determines the outcome. It is up to us, always. It helps to shed light on what is happening in terms of the narrative… this new moon showed a mars conjuncting my natal moon, a lot happening in my second house, opposite my natal pluto.. A year ago I was so worse off. Now I am doing really well. I am in the right place. I just have to find a new place. A return to the west.

And for my transformation now, now that the sun is opposite my Pluto, I ask to shed the jealousy I suppose I am feeling for the relationship he chose over ours. I am good at transmuting jealousy, I’ve already called in so much of what she had into my own life. I suppose I am confounded that she would even choose him. And this is a pattern of mine, of feeling more fascinated by the previous woman or the post woman than the man himself. As a year has now passed since I first walked away, let this be a crescendo of release, of transformation, of healing.

As romantic options continue to blossom up in my path may I find good lasting friendships along the way. May I attract a man one day who will bring me pleasure, wisdom, and strength so that together, we can help to lift up this world into an era of peace and love.

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dojimakaichou · 2 years ago

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SENT FROM @stingslikeabee ― ( Daigo’s birthday 2023 / accepting )

The day of Daigo’s birthday was always eventful around the Addams’ home; with the passing of each year, the rituals grew longer and more chaotic as the children got older and started procuring their own gifts for their father, banking on their specific abilities to please their adored parent. Kazuya started the festivities with a song - a tune of his own, composed in the privacy of his bedroom and which he had not shared with anyone else (but for his mother) and which sought to emulate the environment of Kamurocho. Next, Yayoi showed Daigo a move that she had created from scratch for her MMA classes, tentatively named ‘Daigo Solution’ (a working title) and which involved applying pressure to certain vital points of the body in a way that evoked the impact of a bullet. Hikari came next - her culinary gifts were used for an incredible elaborate cake, using most of her dad's favorite ingredients (with her own grandmother helping in spirit, whenever necessary) and the top of the dessert illustrating one of his favorite kills, strawberry syrup used with abandon to emulate the blood spatters that were akin to art under the assassin’s hands. Edgar was the first one who bought his father something - a very ornate and expensive-looking cigarette case, fashioned out of silver, and which was supposed to have belonged to a hitman under the employment of the famous mobsters of the prohibition era (a claim that was likely false, but Edgar’s smile was incredibly cute while handing Daigo the present). The girls had a joint gift - as every other year. This time, it was a beautiful tapestry, depicting a graveyard under the moonlight and with two figures kneeling on the ground over a surprising bundle - a homage to the very evening where Daigo and Melissa had found the triplets and decided to adopt them. Osamu finished it off with a project of his own - a scrapbook filled with a lot of news articles and printouts associated to jobs that the hitman had carried during his life... And which were never traced to his name. The only reason that the youngest of the spiderlings knew of these was because the tales of Daigo’s former work life tended to be his favorite bedtime stories. Melissa watched the exchanges with a fond look on her honey-colored eyes, heart impossibly tight for the show of affection and dedication of her children. With the exception of some assistance here and there, they had managed the gifts on their own, somehow combining their personalities with something that would be meaningful to their beloved father. Oh, she was proud - the witch had raised these little monsters perfectly, and it was also due to Daigo’s parenting skills in no small amount. It was only late at night, when they were both alone, that the brunette chose to disclose her own present for her husband and soulmate. Melissa had been sitting at the vanity in their suite, brushing her long hair - and then paused when Daigo walked behind her, beckoning him over and linking their hands over a shoulder, conversing with the man through their reflections on the mirror. “I haven’t yet given you my gift, anata,” she tested the Japanese word on her tongue; in addition to the French that she had always favored with family, Melissa had been trying to learn some basic Japanese with the aid of Yayoi (both of them). Smirking with barely contained mischief, the witch elaborated, “Your brother is currently handling the affairs of this collector who passed recently - you may have heard of him; he was focused on torture devices. He has a guillotine that was actually manufactured at the time of the French Revolution.” Her voice was colored with excitement then; the pressure on Daigo’s digits increased as she narrated the other antiques the man possessed, as well as the actual dungeons built and a few other clever additions, “Well, I have managed to secure a weekend at his estate while Gomez works on the legal documents. Two days away - our siblings have agreed to come check on the girls if necessary, so have Shun and Azumi. We are cleared to go and explore each and every of his prized trophies ourselves, my love.” It was only then that the witch placed the brush used for her hair down, and turned around on the seat, facing Daigo. The woman picked up his hands with hers, enjoying their warmth as she always did, and inhaling deeply before kissing the back of his beautifully skilled and blood-stained digits in a reverse of the gesture he usually bestowed her with. Melissa then looked up at him, eyes filled with love and undying devotion to the assassin in the room with her. “Two days of old fashioned torture, just the two of us. I hope it is to your liking, chéri - you deserve the most beautiful screams for your birthday.”

★. ―

Daigo stretched leisurely as he stepped back into their grand home. The gray - colored sky and thick snow outside were his favorite weather, and he had gone out to enjoy shooting blanks in the crisp morning air. His pistols’ muffled noises in the snowy landscape made the assassin grin every time. Daigo sat gingerly and started to remove his boots. Halfway through the process of unlacing them, he gathered that someone else was in the room. Watching.

As the king of the castle looked up, its princess beamed with pride. Her pink - colored lips curved into a smile. “Hello, Hikki - chan,” Daigo said, raising a brow.

Hikari extended her hand for her father to take. “C’mon ― we’re all ready for you.”

Though there were clearly questions on his tongue, the assassin got to his feet. He used to table to help him up : it was no secret that the cold made his poor, battered joints ache ( but he loved it too much to stay inside where it was warm ). Hikari waited patiently for his coarse digits to wrap around hers. She took him into the sitting room, where the rest of their family was waiting.

Daigo grinned as soon as he crossed the threshold. His children stopped their various conversations ( and preparations ) in order to welcome the Addams patriarch. The assassin squeezed Hikari’s hand and sat beside his wife on the couch. He slipped his arm around Melissa’s waist, drew her into his side, and kissed her in greeting.

“How did you get even more beautiful since this morning?” he breathed lovingly after, a bit of pink on his cheeks.

Melissa leaned into her husband. “Our spiderlings have gifts for you,” she murmured, lips brushing his cheek. With a pleasant hum, she redirect her beloved’s attention back to the room at large.

Kazuya took that as his invitation to begin the festivities. Daigo nestled into the sofa with Melissa as their beautiful and numerous family started to honor their father. Some of the displays required Daigo’s participation ( such as Yayoi’s, who could only call on him in her search for a sparring partner that would not be afraid of her ), and he joined in enthusiastically at every request. His love for them shone in his wide, crooked smile and shining dark eyes.

By the end of the affair, the father’s cheeks were wet. He scrubbed at them obstinately with the back of his hand, clearly moved by his children’s thoughtfulness. Melissa’s fingers rubbed soothing circles into the assassin’s arm. Their spiderlings exchanged proud looks. Daigo was the sort of man who claimed to have everything. The best gifts for him, their mother taught them early, were the ones that simply showed how much they loved him ; Daigo’s tears were a sign that their fond message made it through.

After a moment, he cleared his throat and stood. Daigo laughed brightly at the sudden rush of his daughters, who hugged him readily. Edgar joined in, as well. Kazuya and Osamu hung back, opting instead to pat Daigo’s arms affectionately. The assassin sighed gratefully into the dark hair of one of the girls. He loved their family ― more than anything in this life or the next.

The next few hours were a delightful blur. With the taste of strawberries on his tongue, Daigo pulled a cigarette from his new case. He watched their home’s ghostly residents hang the girls’ tapestry in the main hall with their other important pieces of art and framed photographs. Inevitably, he was welcomed into the kitchen by his wife with the promise of chocolate. She stole his half - finished smoke for herself, kissed his lips, and gave him a generous slice of the sickeningly sweet dessert. Daigo chuckled and moved away to eat with their spiderlings.

Soon, everyone drifted off to sleep or rest. The assassin followed Melissa into their suite to get ready for the night. He washed his face, brushed his teeth, and promptly stripped out of his clothing. Daigo stretched, mindful of old scars that pinched with the cool, dry air of the season, before he returned to the main room. He moved toward the large bed at the center with the intention of turning down the blankets for them ; as he went, however, the witch silently asked him to pause. Daigo complied without question.

As he listened to Melissa describe her present for him . . . it was impossible to hide his excitement. Daigo tried to imagine the score of fantastic devices that would be at their disposal, but he was sure what he thought was even less than what reality had to offer. A collector of that measure surely possessed pieces they never enjoyed prior, too. ― and, of course, his wife was entirely prepared. The assassin’s only worry would have been their precious girls, who did so poorly when their parents were away from them.

Daigo inhaled sharply at the sight of Melissa kissing his hands. Long strands of hair slipped over his shoulders as his head tilted to the side. As the witch finished her gesture, Daigo sank to one knee ( not unlike the pose he once used to ask her to be his forever ). He gazed at her, awe - struck, fingers turned to clutch her own.

“I love it, Melissa,” Daigo said softly. With an additional squeeze of her hands, he released her digits and instead snaked his arms loosely around her perfect figure. Time seemed unable to touch her dark beauty. “You know me so well. I can’t wait to see what horrors we face in those walls. A pity that we can’t invite death inside of it . . . the triplets’ black hearts would shatter.”

He smiled as a bit of delicious red coloring pooled at the top of his cheeks. “Would you care to practice now, darling?”

#ooc. Bday floof 2. <3 #stingslikeabee #⤿ ❤. ✕ WORLD ✕ MELISSA & DAIGO #⤿ VERSE. ✕ ADDAMS FAMILY 01 ✕ FATHER OF SPIDERS #food tw #nudity tw #( sort of. )#suggestive tw

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empirexsin · 2 years ago

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when can i see you again ? @williopolis

slouched against willow’s couch for several hours. has been sat in what looks like an uncomfortable position, back half-way down the couch, as he sits face-forward, watching the screen of her television. they watch tv shows and movies. they make fun of people and do their best impressions of people they watch, or fictional characters, or people they’ve interacted with that day. and sometimes dan gets his phone out too, to tell willow about one of his new special interests. by this, it means, the latest thing he has become obsessed over. it usually fits into two categories: absurd or conspiracy. ‘ i was reading this...thing- ’ an article. ‘ they say that there’s this company - in masachusettes - and they clone people. and...and we’re just walking around, thinking our favorite celebrity is just living their best life - but really they’ve died and we’re watching a clone of them on mtv ’. he speaks as if it’s true. real fact. voice changes a little when he’s interested in something. a mixture between serious and excitement. as if he can’t wait to get the rest of his sentence out, because he’s expecting an equally fascinated reaction.

“ i’ve been here all day, and i saw you twice this week, that’s a lot of time isn’t it? ” he answers her. dan ends up seeing willow when he’s not working. on his days off. and when he’s working he fidgets, thinking about whether she’s texted him and if he has the accessibility to check his phone and reply. except this week he had three days off, but had spent one evening with a former elderly victim in her home. he’s not meant to. but her grandson had stolen her car, beaten her up in a fit of rage, and since that incident, the woman has grown fond of him as if he’s replaced her grandson. emails his work email to ask him if he wants to come over for dinner in front of the tv. and he does, sometimes. sits in her big floral armchair that feels uncomfortable in its texture. and he pets her two chihuahas that he expects aren’t old dogs at all - but somehow mimic the same poor mobility skills as their elderly owner. and mrs greenwood knows about willow. if only because dan texts her so much. ‘ me and my husband were friends first ’ she says, and dan doesn’t exactly think too much into that. usually because when he visits, she’s always watching judge judy, and so dan can get easily distracted and diverts he subject to that while they’re eating their microwave, tv dinner.

his and willow’s friendship has built significantly in a short amount of time. especially after he initially went to arrest her for vandalising a vehicle. instead he’d ended up giving her advice instead. ‘ you’re not doing it right...you have to kick the mirror, not pull it. you’ll be here all day if you try pulling it. kick it a little - like that film, kill bill ’. ever since then they’ve gone out for dinner, drinks, lounged together in one anothers homes. a weird feeling when he had willow initially in the space of his reasonably new apartment. if only because the last time he’d shared his space with someone was when his wife was still alive. but he’d got a new place to live since then. new everything. for new memories. memories that seem to be invaded by willow having a presence in them now. how he’ll find her hair in his bathroom. hair ties on the kitchen spice shelf. almost as if she lives with him, despite having her own apartment.

“ i don’t know, ” he says. he has put his coat on, as if ready to leave. and he should leave. it gets late and then he craves the feeling of laying down, flat, on a bed. his bed. “ whenever you want. you’ve...still got the key to my place haven’t you? ” he straightens his posture a little, “ just drop by whenever. just...not until after eleven am. i like going for a run and then...sleeping in again ” doesn’t think he’d be a good host if willow had let herself into his apartment, only to find dan, asleep in his bed, stretched out, dishevelled, and snoring lightly into the quiet, cool air.

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timemeridian · 10 months ago

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I’d been holding back my expressions & shares due to perfectionism or some notion that I had to roll them out like a product launch which is weird as shit because I’m an actual person not a fucking brand or company. Sometimes the programs run deep & I don’t think I’m except from this shit no matter many hours I’ve spent in meditation or outside on the land. I see myself clearly & it’s not always comfortable but it is necessary. Everything I experience doesn’t need to be translated into an eloquent poem either. I’ve been telling people it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just needs to be real. I’m following my own advice. I’m talking to myself on here more often than not prolly idk but I know people be peepin not saying anything & I find that kind of weird yet I can’t act like I’ve never done the same. Boundaries. Interact or be left to your own devices. I remember this is “social” media & yet it’s become a Ponzi scheme riddled with businesses & life coaches that profit off of people who don’t know themselves. Relationships require effort but so does everything else. You want me to start a business, build a home, be on top of my diet, exercise & meditate daily, say affirmations, take all these supplements blah blah blah fuck that & fuck you! We're trying to thrive in a system not built for it, finding temporary relief but nothing that truly sustains. Societal overwhelm is real & I wish I had a solution to this shit. I don’t. All I know is that spiritual mastery isn’t real if you haven’t mastered being human. It’s simply a self diagnosis with escapism as the medication.

#personal #fuck off #be human #be real

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candycryptids · 10 months ago

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Hide and map for the oc meme! Dealers choice for character v-v)/

This took me an embarrassing long time to get to despite being so zazzed for the ask (sending you flowers btw) (under a cut for length) (We’re gonna dive into Chuu and Mochiie, two of my Final Fantasy Oc’s ;w;)

“Hide; what does your OC hide, why do they hide it?”

In the case of Chuu, she hides quite a bit; her origins, her projects, her workshop… Largely because her projects border illegal-unethical and being uh. An ex-engineer for Garlemald prior to the Calamity doesn’t look Great when you’ve skipped country and moved into one of the several countries that were harassed by Garlemald lmao. The FC she fell in line with isn’t exactly on full legal lines either, which is why it’s perfect (they’re not inclined to turn her in even if they find out because they’ll all go down with her, but more likely than turning her in, they’d probably Get It.

She also hid the Questionable Project of Cloning herself, until it was nearly done. Or, rather, she Built Tuesday, meant to be ‘her, but if she was a boy and just a little uglier’ because she has ego and she has to be The Prettiest. (Besides her girlfriend, Talia) and you might think ‘that’s not that unethical’ and you’d be kinda right except they took the concept of Anima (from the Relic Weapon Questline. Where you imbue a weapon with a soul.) and then. Reworked it to fit into her Pet Project. To clean and cook. And. To go to places she could not for Legal and Safety reasons. Fun thing she doesn’t hide is her Inability To Read Common. She just can’t. She could learn to, she’s very smart, but she refuses. Instead she invented her own writing system and makes someone else read her letters to her and dictates anything she wants to mail (to Tuesday, usually, if he’s home. Otherwise she just Calls via linkpearl, because she has No phone-call anxiety unlike me)

(I’m guessing Map was an autocorrect on Mask cos I couldn’t find map anywhere in there >w>;;) “Does your OC wear a mask, literally or Figuratively? What goes on beneath it? Is there anyone in their life who gets so see who they are under the mask?”

Mochi dons a figurative mask of being Brave and Heroic and Resourceful as the Warrior Of Light as time goes on. At first it wasn’t a mask, because things were challenging and hard but he had support and he felt Capable. But then the Massacre of the Waking Sands happens and he breaks down hard. (I have screenshots! I might add a link to them later, but they’re in his tag 💖) It sets that shift from being a hero is fun and adrenaline pumping to, everything feeling very. Real. And lethally dangerous. (As if being Kidnapped and fighting a false God isn’t dangerous while the people who were captured with you got tempered and then subsequently put to sword… but they weren’t people he KNEW.) So he starts putting up the front of being Unshakeable, a Paladin, the Sword and Shield of Hope, the Unbreakable Fists of Freedom. Etc. The Hero (not Man) who will take down the Empire and any Primals that threaten the peace and safety of This Star’s peoples. Which becomes a heavy weight to carry- especially when he gets to grappling with… not everyone with the potential to be, to do, good, can be swayed to pursue that potential (Zenos). Not everyone can be saved etc.

So Zenos gets to peek under that mask- an angry, and terrified Au’ra with the edges of control issues when things don’t work like he believes they should (You CAN do good you just won’t) and Zenos relishes in this because that’s always when their clashes are the most fierce (When Mochi stops putting on bravado and face and starts fighting without etiquette or restraints.) (it’s complicated. I haven’t gotten this far with Mochi yet but it’s what I imagine it’s going to shake out like ~v~)

And, someone who he actually cares about (someone who he’s not at odds with) that sees under the mask is probably Thancred and Urianger? They know the kinds of burdens Mochi carries and even if Mochi doesn’t let the mask slip around Thancred I feel like he’s sharp. He can. Tell. So if he perhaps invites Mochi to spar somewhere far from everyone where there’s enough room to cut loose and go until everything burns and he collapses with a dagger or a gunblade pointed at his chest it’s. A nice reprieve. (Alternatively. He just invites Mochi to have a drink or 15 at the Rising Stones.. it’s not healthy, but at least Mochi can blame his tears on the bottle.)

Urianger is good at getting Mochi to open up just by Being there, either quietly researching in the same secluded room as him or sipping coffee (black, he doesn’t need cream and sugars, the man’s drinking this for the caffeine Only) while Mochi sits there writing correspondences to the Tribes or to his Squadron until he just starts talking out loud. He asks rhetoricals and complains and mourns and Urianger listens quietly and doesn’t comment when Mochi moves to sit next to him with his tail wrapped around his ankle :/ (he’s a guy that employs casual touch frequently)

Uhhh…. Anyways that’s what I got Big Kisses if you read this mwah mwah

#this got pretty long tbh tbh #but probs not as long as I think #questions answered huhuhu #ffxiv wolc #Mochiie Kaisuri #ffxiv Mochiie #ffxiv Chuu #ffxiv Chuusday Gears #this is awkward I can’t remember how I tag my own guys oh my god

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passerine-writes · 1 year ago

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Silent Sparks - Volt 53

Warnings: More mentions of nightmares and mini therapy session at the end Word count: 5180

Notes: Italics - Tsukare signing Bold italics - Family member/friend signing 'Italics with apostrophes' - Thoughts

Masterlist

Volt 52 | Volt 54

After a few more nightmare induced sleepless nights and spending the extra hours packing, I stood outside of the newly built dorms with the rest of my class. I stood in the back with Kirishima, Denki, Hagakure and Bakugou. My eyelids were heavy, my body begging for sleep but I had to hold off for a while at least.

"Given everything that has happened, I'm glad we were able to bring Class A back together." Dad said at the front in a tired voice.

"So, we all got the go ahead to move on-campus." Sero said happily.

"It took a lot of convincing for my parents." Hagakure exhaled, slumping over.

"I was pretty concerned about mine." Jirou said delicately.

"It makes sense. You got some of the worst of the gas attack. You and Shinsou would've been way worse if it weren't for Yao-momo and Tsukare." Ojiro pointed out.

"We're glad to see the teachers got to come back, too. I was afraid you wouldn't be allowed. The people at the press conference seemed pretty upset with you guys." Tsu stated with a finger to her chin, Uraraka agreeing quickly.

"I was surprised, as well. But circumstances have changed." Dad agreed with the frog-like girl, scratching his head in thought for a moment. "Now then. I will explain how your dorm assignments will work shortly. First however. We haven't forgotten about the provisional hero licenses you were supposed to get during the training camp." Excitement started coursing through me at the thought of earning one.

"Oh, yeah! That's what we were there for." Sato mused.

"So much has happened, it totally slipped my mind." Mina agreed in her own way.

"This is important. Listen well." My blood chilled at the particular look in his eyes. "Kirishima. Yaoyorozu. Todoroki. Midoriya. Iida. Hitoshi. You six are the ones who broke the rules and went to rescue Bakugou and Onryo that night." My mind felt fuzzy at the thought of it. I should probably bring that up to Dad at some point. I clenched and unclenched my fists, jaw tightening as the only thing running through my head was what I endured. What the blond behind me had to bare witness to. I ignored the sudden tightness in my chest and paid attention to Dad. "Based on your reactions, I assume the rest of you were at least aware of their plan. I'm going to set aside a number of issues and just say this. If it weren't for All Might's retirement from the hero scene, I would expel everyone here except Bakugou, Onryo, Jirou and Hagakure. The six of you who went, of course. But also the remaining eleven who didn't stop them. You betrayed our trust. Even if it was to keep your friends from getting into trouble. In order to regain our confidence, you'll need to obey every rule to the letter and live as model students. That's all. Now. Look alive. Enjoy your new home." Dad ended his lecture and started walking to the dorm entrance.

I turned and plopped my forehead on Kirishima's bicep, feeling slightly dizzy for a moment. I went to move to stop Bakugou as he dragged Denki off but Kirishima stopped me, probably not wanting to chance a 'code yellow' as my family likes to call it. A sudden burst of electricity went off and I rushed to Denki's side as he went into 'yay mode'. Multiple people laughing but I held mine back and focused on making sure he didn't trip over his own two feet.

"Ear bleed!" I scolded myself for responding to the nickname and looked at Bakugou. He jutted his head to the side, beckoning me over to him. I shared a look with our red headed friend and he nodded, understanding the message of 'look after Denki' while I caught up with the other blond.

"What's up."

"Why'd you take the heat when we were-" I glared at him, effectively shutting him up.

"You wouldn't get it. And I really don't want to talk about it. I'd rather just forget that shit ever happened." He side eyed me.

"Try me." I stopped and looked at him confused. "You said I wouldn't get it. So try me. I just had to spend the last week and a half with dozer head cause of original eye bags."

"Why did you have to stay with my Uncle Higari?" Bakugou 'tched' and stuck his hands in his pockets.

"I'll tell ya if you explain why you took the heat back there." I took a shaky breath and shook my head as I thought of what to do.

"Not with everyone around, I don't need the whole class knowing my personal shit." He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I know you haven't been sleeping either, so 1 a.m. swing down to the kitchen." He gave a curt nod and we walked inside.

"Each student dormitory holds one class. Girls are on the right and boys are on the left. The entire first floor is a common area. That's where you'll find your kitchen, baths and laundry rooms." Dad explained once we got in, most gawking at the sheer size. "Living quarters start on the next floor. Four boys and four girls on each level. Everyone gets their own room. You should be comfortable. You've got your own AC, toilets, fridge and closets." I looked at the small layout we were all handed and saw that I was on the second floor and Hitoshi was on the fifth floor. "These are your dorm assignments. The belongings you sent ahead have already been placed in your new rooms, so spend the day unpacking and getting settled. I'll tell you more about your next few lessons tomorrow. For now, get to work." Everyone agreed easily and we all set off to our rooms.

Mine was right beside Midoriya, so at least I had someone I was close with right next door. However I was a little nervous about not having Hitoshi just down the hall from me for more then the occasional sleep over.

I put my cork board up first, pinning multiple pictures of me and my family, friends, pets and paper memorabilia to the object. I hung a few posters of bands I liked. I set up my mini coffee bar on top of my mini fridge, the keurig, a few different flavors and a sugar container. I set up my drum pad, string lights, knick knacks, stuffed animals, blankets, keyboard, shoe rack and rolled out a small carpet. Then I finally put away my clothes, which was by far the most time consuming part.

Kirishima and I plopped down on one of the couches along with multiple of the others.

"Ah. I'm so beat." Kiri groaned beside me.

"You and me both. You done unpacking?" Sero asked.

"I think so."

"Feels good, right?" Izuku chimed in.

"I know we could've died. But it's kind of exciting to be living here." Everyone agreed but I sat in silence.

"A unified class. It's the perfect way to increase our cooperation and discipline. How smart!" Iida said excitedly with rapid hand gestures and chopping motions, the small bit making me laugh which earned me a few odd looks.

"Sorry. I promise I'm not laughing at you Iida. I'm just confused on how you and your brother are so similar but so different." Iida stared at me with wide eyes before Midoriya went into fan mode.

"Woah, you've met Ingenium? I never knew that! What's he like?"

"He's similar to Iida in the sense of their smarts and appearance, however Tensei is a little more laid back. I've met him a few times, he's friends with my parents and most of the teachers here. He's come over a few times but usually my parents will go to his house." Everyone hummed enthusiastically at the information.

"Hiya, boys. All done with your rooms?" Mina asked as her and the rest of the girls walked over.

"Yup, we're just unwinding now." Denki replied, waving to greet all of them.

"Well, the girls and I have been talking and.." Mina started.

"We have a great idea!" Hagakure squealed, cutting Mina off.

"Oh dear gods, Hanta I think we should run." Sero nodded quickly, but we stayed and heard them out.

"Let's go around and see who has the coolest room!" Mina cheered and I watched as my best friends face dropped, I already knew that Midoriya's room was decked out in All Might merch.

First was my room, I stood on the side as everyone looked inside and walked around. Mina and the rest of the girls blown away for some reason. Hitoshi just flopped onto my bed and stared at the ceiling, so I jumped and landed on top of him.

"You asshole." He wheezed out.

"You love me." He rolled his eyes and pushed me off.

"Tsukababes! It's so cute in here! Look at all these pictures!" She was smiling until she found a particular picture. "Tsukababes, who's th- oh my GOSH!! IS THAT A BABY TSUKABABES!? YOU'RE SO CUTE!" She squealed at a frequency only dogs should be able to hear. Everyone except Izuku and Hitoshi gathered around to look, all of our friends squealing over child me. I knew exactly what picture it was too, Pops took it when I wasn't paying attention. I was laughing at something on the television with a bowl of ice cream in hand.

"Okay, next room!" I said with as much excitement as I could muster.

"No, wait, you can't go in there! Please, it's not fit for—" Midoriya screeched so loud that my hearing aids whined with feedback. I stood back as all of the girls squealed at his excessive All Might collection.

"It's All Might everywhere!" Uraraka stated. "You're such a fanboy!"

"You haven't even seen the half of it Uraraka." She gasped in excitement at my announcement, poor Izuku bright red in embarrassment.

Tokoyami guarded his room, not wanting to let us in but Mina and Hagakure pushed him out of the way. It was dark with purple lights and alternative decoration.

"It looks like a peaceful place to meditate." I commented in hopes of making him feel better.

"Thank you Tsukare, please take no offense to this but I would appreciate if you all left." I gave him a mock salute and dragged my christmas colored dummies out of the room, knowing the rest would follow.

Aoyama's room hurt my eyes, it was like someone puked glitter and used it to paint the room.

Then we moved to the third floor, Ojiro's room. Ochaco made a comment about how bare it was, some of the other girls chiming in about how he hopefully just hasn't unpacked yet.

"Nothing wrong with being a minimalist! It can make life easier." Ojiro sent me a small smile and I gave him a pat on his arm.

Iida's room was filled with a concerning amount of books. Uraraka being correct when she said it looked like a library.

"Iida, you have too many glasses." I backed up Uraraka, the class rep sighing.

Denki's room was... interesting. It was filled with miscellaneous patterns and color schemes.

"This is the store in the mall that I'd avoid." Jirou commented.

Koda's room was perfect because he had a bunny. I sat down on the floor, ignoring the girls squeals and watched with a bright smile as the critter hopped into my lap and nuzzled into my stomach.

This bunny is so cute!

Thank you! He really seems to like you.

I've never held a bunny before, so I'm glad!

"Koda knows sign language too?!" Denki asked in shock.

Our classmate simply nodded quickly and shirked back a bit.

"Hey, why don't the girls join in for their rooms too? Fair competition and stuff?" I asked lightly as I noticed a lot of the other guys sulking.

"I'm into it!" Mina clapped happily. And that's how the first dorm room competition for our class started. "Okay, so, like what're the rules? Are we figuring out who has the best taste in the class? Or just the overall coolest?"

"We're doing this?" Jirou asked in shock.

"Uh, this doesn't have to be a competition." Ojiro pointed out, nervous as well. Jirou looked uncomfortable and Todoroki just looked done.

"Jirou, you alright?" I said as we trailed behind the group.

"I just.. don't want to be judged for some of my decoration." I raised an eyebrow and she stopped walking, the group moving ahead. "I have a pride flag, one of those tiny ones, on my desk and I'm not exactly out to the class."

"I think the class knows, with how you're dressed, most of the students here can tell. So it's not really hard to guess." She smiled bashfully and rubbed the back of her neck.

"I had a feeling you would catch on.. I just don't know how my crush would feel." I raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Well we can always find out. And worst case scenario, you have a bunch of other fruity bitches behind you. So, do you wanna say fuck it or do you want me to try and block it with my body?"

"Can you block it with your body?" She asked me hesitantly and I brightly nodded, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

"Let's head off to the next room, and I'll help you stay in the glass closet until you're ready." She snorted and covered her face with one hand, quietly agreeing.

"Where is Bakugou?" I heard Iida ask from the front.

"He probably thought it was lame." I called up, Kirishima quickly nodding.

"That's exactly what he said!" I chuckled and shrugged, not really surprised.

"You okay, Kiri? You look beat." He nodded and rubbed his eyes.

"Yeah, just could use some z's."

"Then we'll do your room next!" Hagakure cheered, her and Mina running to his dorm.

"You can sleep all you want after!" The pink haired girl cheered.

"Not that I care, but you might not get what I'm goin' for." Kiri said shyly before opening his door. Posters and decorations rested on his walls with a punching bag in the center. "A den of manliness!" He said while flexing his bicep.

"Looks good, Kiri." I commented.

"So bold! Makes me wanna work out!" Uraraka cheered.

"You two get it!" I laughed softly before tugging him into a fake chokehold and affectionately noogie-ing him.

Shoji's room was.. bare. I looked around and something in my brain told me it was also a trauma response for him. I held out my fist for a knuckle bump to cheer him up and I think it worked.

We went up to the fifth floor and my jaw dropped at Sero's room. it was perfect and homey.

"Hanta, if I ever need a place to crash at night, don't be surprised if you wake up and find me in your hammock." I said in adoration.

Todoroki's room had all of us shocked, he even redid the floor. All of it traditional japanese styling, tatami floor, the door to his balcony, the lamp, everything. My brother had to drag me out since I was standing there in shock for so long.

Sato's room was next, I could already smell something aromatic coming out of it. The set up was basic, but I quickly found out the smell was coming from the miniature oven in the corner. I ran over with the girls to Sato after he offered some of the chiffon cake.

"Sato, this is immaculate. Can you teach me how to make this some day?" He looked at me and the girls in shock as we praised his baking. Momo even asking if he would bake something to go with her tea one day.

"Last up for the boys rooms! Shinsou!" Mina said excitedly.

"Just make it quick. Onryo, no stealing any of my coffee flavors." I pouted but nodded, the first thing I did was flop on his black bed sheets.

Half of the class seemed to think it was cool and the other half thought it was scary. Most of his decor being on the darker or monochrome side, with the occasional accent of color. His keurig being one of those things.

"You both have coffee makers? Shouldn't you two focus more on sleeping?" Shoji asked facetiously.

"Caffeine doesn't have that effect on me." I answered.

"I can't sleep anyways, might as well have some semblance of energy." My brother stated, we earned blank stares from him and we both laughed. I looked over at the pictures my brother had on his wall and I couldn't help but smile at a picture of me, him and Midoriya at our middle school graduation.

"'Zuku! Come check this out!" My green haired friend came over and sat beside me, smiling at the picture I pointed at.

"I remember that! My mom was crying so much she couldn't take the picture so she asked Mr. Aizawa to." I snorted at that, remembering how much him and his mom are alike. "I still can't believe you were crying that day."

"Tsukababes? Crying? No way."

"It was.. It was an emotional day for me." My brother sent me a knowing look and I felt my eyes prickle with tears but I held them back. "So who's room is next?"

We went down to Jirou's room and I gave her a silent nod, pushing to the front to hide the flag.

"Woah, what's got you all excited Tsukababes?"

"Jirou's my music buddy! I can't wait to see what instruments she's got!" I ran in and gasped, sitting on the desk just a little in front of the cup of pens with the lesbian pride flag in it. "Jirou, this is fuckin' sick!" I gently lifted one of the guitars propped next to me, examining it happily. " You got the Olympic White Fender Stratocaster? How- this was made over eighty years ago and was owned and played by Jimi Hendrix himself! " Jirou's face turned into a look of shock.

"Wait, you know about the Stratocaster?" I nodded rapidly.

"Yeah! How did you manage to get it? This is so rare!"

"My dad gave it to me as a present for getting into UA. His dad bought when they released." My fingers ghosted over the face of the guitar, gently setting it back on its stand.

"It's, I, wow." Everyone started talking but I could only focus on the decor. "You're room is like, the perfect mix of alt, rock and a sprinkle of heavy metal." Jirou held out a fist and I bumped it with my own. I waited for everyone to clear out first before walking out with Jirou.

"Thank you." She whispered to me and I softly nodded.

"Of course."

We walked into Hagakure's room and it was..

Well it was pink.

Along with Mina's.

So much pink.

Uraraka's room was bland but comfortable.

Then we went up to Tsu's room.

"Is Tsu sleeping?" I asked the girls curiously and Uraraka looked nervous.

"She wasn't feeling good so she's in her room." Uraraka stated and I got an idea.

"She can show us later when she's feeling better." Denki commented and the group moved on.

"Hey, you guys finish up without me and let me know how they look, I'm gonna grab some water and a snack for Tsu!" I said before jogging back to the elevator.

I filled a glass with cool water and grabbed a pack of pop-tarts and a juice pouch.

'Maybe getting something in her system will help her feel better.' I thought to myself before going back up to her dorm.

I tapped on the door with my foot, hands currently occupied with the items.

"Hey Tsu? It's Tsukare." The door slowly opened and I saw the green haired girl standing there, eyes widening as she opened the door to allow me in, gently shutting it behind me and hopping back over to her bed.

"Ribbit? This is quite the surprise Tsukare." I took in her room, a cute frog plushie catching my eye as I set the items down on her desk.

"If I can call you Tsu, you can call me Onryo. Uraraka said you weren't feeling good so I thought a little snack and something to drink might help you feeling a little better. I have some over the counter stuff if you think any of that would help." She gave me a small smile and sat down on her bed.

"Thank you, Onryo. You're too kind, ribbit. My heart is what isn't feeling good though." My head tilted to the side and I gestured to the bed, silently asking if I could sit beside her, to which she nodded.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" She sniffled and nodded. "What's going on?"

"When you and Bakugou were kidnapped, I told the others not to go because I knew the teachers had it handled. Especially because Mr. Aizawa and Present Mic are your dad's. I told them that if they did that, then by them breaking the rules, it would make them comparable to villains." I pulled her into a side hug and she rested her head on my shoulder. "I just, I feel worthless, because I didn't have any impact on them. What I said didn't matter. How am I meant to be a hero if I can't even convince my friends of doing something abiding by the rules?" I rubbed her arm as she let it out.

"It wasn't your fault. I'm only gonna speak for my brother and Izuku, but once they put their minds to something, the only way to stop them is to get our parents or just knock 'em out. You tried your best, and it stopped anyone else who might've wanted to go, so try and be proud of that much. Okay?" She sniffled again and nodded against my shoulder.

"Thank you. You're a really good friend Onryo." My chest tightened a bit and I gave her a big smile.

"Any time, Tsu."

We sat there for a few more minutes until she felt better. I asked if she needed anything else and she asked if I could walk her outside, so I did. We waited for a bit until Uraraka came out with my brother, Izuku, Todoroki, Iida, Kirishima and Yao-momo.

"So uh, where are we going?" Kirishima asked before gasping at the sight of Tsu and I. I gently rubbed her back and my brother shot me a confused but curious look.

"Right here. Tsu said she had something she wanted to tell everyone." Uraraka said and the shorter girl stepped forward.

"You guys know I'm pretty straightforward and always speak what's on my mind. But sometimes, I don't know. I'm at a loss. Remember what I said back at the hospital? When you were talking about the rescue." There was a pregnant pause.

"Yeah. Every word." My best friend stated, and I could tell the same pit in his stomach started weighing him down.

"My heart was hurting. And the things I said must've upset you." Tsu said again, choking on her words. Uraraka and I both rubbed her back.

"It's okay, Tsu." Uraraka soothed.

"Despite my warning, you still went and saved Bakugou and Onryo. I didn't know that until this morning. I thought I'd stopped you. But it turns out I was worthless. A complete failure. And suddenly I had no idea what to say. I didn't think I deserved to joke around and have fun with everyone like usual. But— It made me... so sad to be without you." Tsu started crying and my heart clenched in my chest, she didn't go into that much detail a short while ago. "That's why I wanted to talk to you. Even if I'm still not sure how I'm supposed to be feeling. I wanted you to know so we can hang out and talk and have a good time again." She croaked out the last few words while wiping her eyes.

"It's not just you who thinks that. Everyone... felt pretty bad and... wanted things back the way they used to be before. That's why we did the room contest. To bring us closer together and make us feel like a class again. It's all we could come up with, so please don't think we were trying to trick you or anything. Look, what I'm saying is, let's all work hard at our training and be good friends again, okay?" Uraraka cheered, Tsu still crying.

I stepped back as Kirishima ran over crying, the class rep and vice president coming over as well. The three apologizing and telling her it's okay. Todoroki, Midoriya and Hitoshi stood in the back saying their pieces and I slowly walked away to the row of teacher buildings a few minutes away and entered with my key card. Pops poked his head around the corner curiously before smiling brightly.

"Hey little listener! Visiting already?" I nodded and gave Pops a hug, wrapping my arms around him tightly. "Hey, what's this about? I'm not complaining but are you alright?" I nodded into his chest and he simply held me.

"Sunshine? Hey kiddo, wasn't expecting to see you visiting yet." I let go of Pops and hugged Dad just as tight. "Are you okay? It's only been a few hours." I nodded into his chest and he simply held me, one hand on the back of my head, the other on my upper back.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just.. I'm not ready for this change. It's weird not being home with you two and Toshi and the cats. I don't know how I'm gonna handle this." Dad nodded and Pops came up from behind, sandwiching me into a hug.

"We'll figure this out just like we always do. And you're always welcome to pop in or sleep here, but let's try and give this a fair chance before ruling it out. Okay?" Dad asked, I begrudgingly nodded and he hummed.

"And you or your brother text or call one of us if you keep having nightmares, alright?" Pops mumbled to me. I nodded again, feeling slightly guilty that I've been worrying them so much.

I ended up staying on the couch with Pops, Dad and the cats for a few hours. Pops went to bed early of course, however Dad and I still sat out there until he left to go on patrol at midnight.

I eventually walked back to the dorms, getting there shortly after the clock struck twelve. I got in to find it all empty, the still silence relaxing but overwhelming at the same time. I went to my dorm room, made a cup of coffee and went back down to the common area. I didn't realize how much time I had spent scrolling on my phone until I saw Bakugou coming over towards me.

"You're lucky I want some damn answers, ear bleed. Finally got some shut eye for once and I'm waking up for this shit." I pocketed my phone and leaned against the kitchen counter. "Still don't get why the fuck this had to wait and I couldn't just know this earlier."

I don't wanna announce to everyone what the hell happened in Kamino.

Who fucking cares if any of these extras know?

I don't need them knowing the details.

Whatever. So why'd you take all the fucking heat back there?

No matter how I word it, you're gonna take it the wrong way.

What, you think I wouldn't have been able to take it or something?

I knew that's how you were gonna take it. Look, that's not how I mean it. But back there, that wasn't my first broken bone, that wasn't my fist punch, or kick, or smack, or someone taking a knife to me. I grew up with that shit. I grew up getting muzzled. I grew up being a fucking punching bag. So yeah, I took the heat because I knew I could physically handle it. They wouldn't have done that shit to you anyways, they wanted to psychologically break us first to try and get us to join. I know their thought processes because that's what I was raised with.

I could've handled it. Shit like that is why I was with dozer head for the last week and a half.

Why were you with him exactly?

The fucks it to you? You plan on running around telling everyone?

You know I don't play like that. And didn't you just say 'who fucking cares if any of these extras know'?

I don't need all these extras knowing my personal shit.

Okay. So why were you staying with my Uncle Higari for the last week?

Original eye bags came around to talk to our parents about the dorm system. He saw my old hag hit me and told her to watch it because he's not against arresting her or taking me away from them and filing with CPS. Then she did it again. So eye bags made a phone call, told me to pack a bag and dropped me off at dozer heads house. It's not like it was the first time she's swung at me or my old man. I was more surprised that she didn't hide it in front of your old man.

So that's why you would always change in the stall, so people wouldn't see.

Yeah. Some days after a hard day training, it'd be alright but I didn't want to be popped in the system or talk to CPS or go to my grams house.

I get it. But my Uncle Higari is nice, really down to earth, he'll give you the space you want and not be overbearing. But if you get yourself in trouble, he'll have your back. So what's the situation looking like now?

Currently I'm in his custody until it's deemed safe by someone for me to go back. Can't believe I'm actually fucking tell you this. My parents are finally getting a damn divorce, so I'll probably be with my Dad full time now anyways. Why the fuck do you care so much?

Just because we butt heads and are at each others throats doesn't mean I hate you still. You've changed in the last few months, even I can see that. Might not be your biggest fan, but that doesn't mean I want to see you get hurt.

Well I'm going the fuck to sleep.

I gave him a thumbs up and he walked back to the elevator. I washed out my mug and went to my room as well, already knowing I was in for a long night.

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