#for stop attacking the plaza

[dailydarrell]

[yahoo201027]

Day in Fandom History: September 8…

Lord Boxman's main investor, Cosma, threatens to cut ties with him if he continues to attack the plaza, Boxman decides to not do that for a full day and must not fall into temptations. “Stop Attacking the Plaza” premiered on this day, 7 Years Ago.

[blueteller]

Halour, I'm kinda curious... What crimes have Cale done, exactly? I see a number of "crime list" videos about him but the wiki don't really confirm anything💀

— 🌄

...The Time Has Come. 😌

I have long promised this list, so perfect timing! Thank you very much for this question! Allow me to introduce you to:

Cale Henituse's Crime List

(Just for the fun of it, I tried to give a different example for every single one of these. Some events repeat, but not the crimes!)

1) Accessibility of Records for Tax Department

Cale looted significant amounts of money from the Magic Tower and many other places, without leaving any legal trace.

2) Affray

Multiple occasions, like pretty much everything that happened in the Molden Kingdom.

3) Aggravated Assault

Cale rarely gets physically involved in a fight, but I think suddenly strangling Prince Adin qualifies.

4) Aggravated Burglary

Every single time "Real Arm" is in business.

5) Allowing Dog or Cat To Be a Nuisance

How else would you call encouraging your animal shape-shifting kids to be involved in criminal activity? Also Fluffy the Puppy was under Cale's command even if he technically belonged to Princess Jopis, I say it totally counts.

6) Ammunition – Possessing, Acquiring or Carrying

Cale intentionally pocketed magic bombs from the Plaza Terror Incident and used them later on.

7) Animal Cruelty

...Does Cale subjecting On to his "nice act" in front of Litana counts? Oh it definitely counts. That poor child.

8) Armed Robbery

That time Cale & co. robbed the Mercenary Guilds in Leeb-An City, for instance.

9) Arson

Setting the Wind Island on fire.

10) Assaulting or Resisting Police

That time Cale & co. went to Sez Kingdom. Pretty sure the knights trying to stop them from kidnapping the king counts as "resisting law enforcement".

11) Being Disguised With Unlawful Intent

Priest Cale in a nutshell.

12) Blackmail

That time Cale talked to Antonio Gyerre.

13) Breaking and Entering

Cale coming to the Sekka Estate.

14) Careless Driving

Debatable since a fantasy world doesn't own cars – but. I count Cale breaking through walls of a maze on a mother-effing Stone Imugi as "irresponsible driving". Just think of what kind of example you're setting for the kids, Cale!

15) Carrying a Loaded Firearm in Public

Cale has Raon following him everywhere, so.....?

16) Carrying Out Plumbing Work Without License or Registration

Cale has an underground villa in the Forest of Darkness. I'm pretty sure whatever construction work they did there would count as illegal.

17) Carrying Out Work Without a Building Permit

Cale had Dragons teleport an entire castle into the Forest of Darkness. Yet again, involves a building with no legal paperwork.

18) Causing Injury Intentionally

Obviously. Like making fiery lightning bolt strike in the middle of an Elf Village attack. Or hitting a radish with a rock.

19) Collecting or Making Documents Likely to Facilitate Terrorist Acts

Everything involving Knight Rex after he became a terrorist.

20) Conspiracy

Cale and Alberu talking about anything.

21) Control of Body Armor

After reading it up, I decided that mana disruption device ABSOLUTELY falls into this category.

22) Control and Use of Dangerous Articles

Cale adopting pretty much everyone on his team.

23) Corrupting Benefits Received By Commonwealth Public Official

Cale using Alberu's golden plaque to trap the White Star with Embrace. I mean, if being infected with that clown doesn't count as corruption, I don't know what does.

24) Cultivation of Narcotic Plants

Cale letting Hong eat plants in the Forest of Darkness. It IS, in his own words, his own backyard.

25) Dangerous Non-Guard Dog Attacks or Bites a Person or Animal with Person in Control

Cale letting Choi Han beat up Adin. ...Well, Choi Han COULD be counted as a Guard Dog, but. They never formalized the paperwork? I say it counts since Choi Han isn't legally registered!

26) Dealing With Property Suspected of Being Proceeds of Crime

Cale renting a house from Odeus Flynn.

27) Dealing With Property Which Subsequently Becomes an Instrument of Crime

Cale buying the Magic Tower before he proceeds to kidnap Mueller.

28) Delaying the Entry of Police

Cale not letting the law enforcement know about the Plaza Terror Incident beforehand. Also, activating the mana disruption device, knowing it would hinder their efforts to stop terrorism. ...Yes Cale & co. prevented said terrorism better on their own but it still counts.

29) Deliberately Omitting Information

Cale making an Vow of Death to Choi Han claiming that he can't tell him anything.

30) Destroying, Damaging and/or Interfering with Any Works of a Water Corporation

Setting the Lake of God's Tears on fire.

31) Destroying or Damaging Property

Cale destroying houses in the Gyerre territory.

32) Destruction of Evidence

Cale and Raon blowing up Hais Island 5 to cover up Ron's infiltration.

33) Directing the Activities of a Terrorist Organization

Cale's entire career in a nutshell, really.

34) Discharge Missile to Endanger Person or Property

Cale blowing up the whirlpools in the Ubarr territory.

35) Dishonestly Cause a Loss

Cale tricking the White Star into the abandoned underground city.

36) Disturbing Religious Worship

Cale messing with the Sun God's Church for being mean to Mary.

37) Driving an Unregistered Vehicle

Cale & co. using Mary's bone Dragon.

38) Drunkards Behaving in Riotous or Disorderly Manner

Cale pretending to be drunk in the Gyerre territory.

39) Endangering Safety of Aircraft

Cale letting his allies abroad an airship during the Jungle battle.

40) Entering a Place Without Authority or Lawful Excuse

Cale rescuing Raon.

41) Extortion With Threats to Destroy Property

Cale threatening the slave traffickers in the Gyerre territory.

42) Failure to Notify the Authorities of Criminal Activity

Cale doesn't notify Alberu of crap, unless it's to make him clean-up the aftermath.

43) Failure to Register a Pet

Pretty sure Cale registered exactly none of his allies. ...Except maybe the Tiger Tribe that one time they moved into Harris Village with Deruth's permission. Everyone else? Not a chance.

44) Falsifying or Concealing Identity

Cale acting as Naru von Ejellan in Endable Kingdom.

45) Forgery of Documents

Cale and Taylor faking an ancient document to fool the White Star.

46) Fraud

Cale promising Plavin Singten benefits for siding with the new Sun Church.

47) Getting Funds To, From, or For a Terrorist Organization

Cale sponsoring his allies, like giving Rosalyn magic stones.

48) Going Equipped for Stealing

Cale making Real Arm uniform.

49) Handling Stolen Goods

Cale using Divine Items.

50) Identity Theft

Cale introducing himself as Bob.

51) Indecent Assault

Cale telling Choi Han to strip that one time. (Yes, it actually happened. ...Not the way shippers wished for, obviously.)

52) Inducement to Be Appointed Liquidator

Cale helping Princess Jopis overthrow her sister on the condition of benefits for the Roan Kingdom.

53) Insider Trading

Cale selling Alberu dead mana from a Dragon.

54) Intentionally or Recklessly Causing a Bushfire

Cale setting that bush monster on fire in Xiaolen.

55) Introduction of a Drug of Dependence Into the Body of Another Person

Cale letting Rosalyn drink coffee on Earth 3.

56) Kidnapping

Cale & co. capturing Venion Stan.

57) Leaving Children Without Supervision

Cale letting the kids look for Mueller.

58) Lighting of Fires in the Open Air

Cale using Fire of Destruction against Sky Attribute.

59) Loitering Near Schools

Cale & the kittens in the Sez Kingdom.

60) Loitering With Intent to Commit an Indictable Offence

Cale letting Clopeh Sekka spot him that first time.

61) Manslaughter

Cale letting Choi Han, Rosalyn and Lock go and destroy the Archduke's Estate.

62) Membership of a Terrorist Organization

Cale making up Real Arm.

63) Murder

Cale killing the White Star.

64) Negligent Manslaughter

Cale letting Ron go on a vacation.

65) Non-dangerous Dog Attacks

Cale letting Choi Han spar with Hilsman.

66) Obtaining Property By Deception

Litana giving Cale free stuff.

67) Offences Connected With Explosive Substances

Cale commissioning Eruhaben to create Dragon's Rage.

68) Other Acts Done in Preparation for, or Planning, Terrorist Acts

Every morning Cale drinks lemon tea.

69) Possessing More Fish Than the Catch Limit

Cale dealing with Whales. ...Whales are fish, what are you talking about?

70) Possessing Controlled Weapon, Housebreaking Implements, and Things Connected With Terrorist Attacks

Everything Cale owns in the Super Rock Villa.

71) Possession of Precursor Chemicals

Cale making Billos buy alchemy ingredients.

72) Prohibited Weapons

Cale utilizing the Dragon Bones in battle.

73) Providing or Receiving Training Connected With Terrorist Acts

Cale letting his people train in his backyard.

74) Public Nuisance

Cale letting Choi Han act.

75) Reckless Conduct Endangering Life and/or Endangering Serious Injury

Cale every time he uses his Ancient Powers.

76) Recruiting for a Terrorist Organization

Cale adopting the Tiger Tribe.

77) Robbery

Stealing magic stones from the Alchemy Towers.

78) Sabotage

Cale going behind the Empire's back while he helps out the Whipper Kingdom.

79) Setting Traps to Kill

Cale Ghost Operation during the sea battle against the Indomitable Alliance.

80) Smuggling

Cale helping Cage and Taylor into capital.

81) Stalking

Cale entering Alberu's bedroom whenever he wants.

82) Stating False Name When Requested

Cale never letting anyone know about the transmigration and calling himself Cale Henituse.

83) Tax Evasion

Willful tax evasion for sudden wealth increase.

84) Terrorist Acts

Cale & co. detonating a bomb at Maple Castle.

85) Theft

Cale obtaining the blood drinking crown.

86) Threats to Inflict Serious Injury

Cale & co. threatening King Bakehe.

87) Threats to Kill

Cale cheerfully informing Adin he's going to personally kill him.

88) Torture and Interrogation

Cale ordering Beacrox to deal with the Magic Spearman.

89) Unauthorized Access to Restricted Data

Cale & co. coming to the Directory. ...Yes Bud was the Mercenary King so technically it was legal, except from the Mercenary Guild's perspective, it was break and entering.

80) Unlawful Assembly

Cale hanging out with Dragons.

81) Unlawful Oaths to Commit Treason

Cale promising to destroy the Alchemy Belltower to Rei Stecker.

82) Unlicensed Driving

Cale riding Dark Tiger Alberu.

83) Willful Damage

Cale employing Archie to destroy Duke Sekka's statues.

Any other crimes I forgot to list? Let me know!

***

BONUS CONTENT

With the help of others, we've expanded the original list of Cale's crimes!

84) Aiding and Hiding Fugitives

Cale helping out Hannah and Jack.

85) Aircraft Hijacking

Cale & co. taking over the Empire's airships.

86) Being an Accessory to Crimes

All Cale's deals with Billos in a nutshell.

87) Child Labor Law Violation

Cale making children work for their meals. Even if he's actually just adopting strays under the guise of formal work, said formal work is still illegal. Just admit you care, you weirdo.

88) Defamation

Cale spreading recordings of Adin being evil acros the Empire.

89) Deliberate Damage and/or Destruction of Currency

Cale happily throwing coins into lava.

90) Ecoterrorism

Wiping whole islands off the map counts as severe destruction of the environment.

91) Fly-tipping/Littering

Cale casually defenestrating Adin. Watch where you throw garbage, Cale. There are trash bins for a reason!

92) Harassment

Cale ordering Beacrox to beat up mountain bandits.

93) Illegal Detention/Imprisonment

Capturing prisoners of war, like the Dragon Half-Blood or the Flame Dwarves.

94) Illegal Goods Trade

Cale selling and buying items at the Caro Kingdom Auction.

95) Impersonation

Cale pretending to be different people in the Indignity Test.

96) Intentional Destruction of Cultural Heritage

Cale setting the Lake of God's Tears on Fire. Also, blowing up the Magic Tower.

97) Plunder of Public Property

Cale & co. destroying the walls of the capital of the Empire.

98) Trafficking Endangered Plants Accross Borders

Cale transporting the Fake World Tree in his badge.

99) Treason of the Crown

Cale treating his Hyung-nim with utter disrespect, such as comparing the Shining Sun of the Kingdom to a squirrel.

100) Trespassing

Cale in Endable Kingdom.

BONUS BONUS CONTENT

Not technically illegal, but:

101) Crime Against One's Well-Being

Cale abusing his health in such horrific ways even a regeneration power cannot keep up with him.

102) Crime Against Fashion

Cale preferring only black and plain clothes when he could look good in anything.

103) Crime of Self-Delusion

Cale thinking he still has a chance at slacker life.

104) Spreading Misinformation

Cale's track record of causing misunderstandings everywhere he goes is frankly terrifying.

105) THAT FACE

Cale's fabulous looks are a crime in of itself. It deserves a spot on the list.

[k4pp4-8]

"Stop attacking the plaza"

[taviamoth]

🚨 For the 5th consecutive night, students at Columbia University continue the Gaza Solidarity Encampment, undeterred by over 100 arrests, and returning with larger tents than before.

The students have declared that they will not stop until the University, with its $14 billion endowment, divests from zionism.

Despite a number of suspensions and censorship, students are not backing down. Tour guides for new students have resigned in protest of the repression. Support rallies continue outside the university.

The liberated zone at Columbia has inspired others: At Yale University in Connecticut, an encampment named Gaza Plaza with demands of divestment continues for the third consecutive night despite suspension threats. At Yale, a number of graduate students undertook an 8-day-long hunger strike to demand their university divest from zionism.

Students at the New School in New York also began an encampment, as did a number of students in Boston, creating three encampments at MIT, Emerson, and Tufts to demand divestment and cessation of attacks on students. Encampments are also taking place at the University of North Carolina, Washington University, and Miami University in Ohio.

[cassiebones]

Character Analysis: Rio Vidal

(because Aubrey Plaza currently has a chokehold on my psyche)

It hasn't been confirmed on the show, but we all know that Rio is Death, correct? They're not even being subtle about it, so I'm gonna take it from that angle.

Okay, so Rio is ageless. She prefers to take the form of Aubrey Plaza because Aubrey is a hot motherfucker. Agreed? Okay.

I have no idea when she would have come into existence, only because I have no idea the nature of Death in this universe. Is she one of many deaths? She must be, because people die all over and she has enough free time to build this hate/love relationship with Agatha, whom she finds the second the Darkhold stops hiding her.

I think she may specifically be Death for witches. She ferries magical humans to the other side, and has done since magic was first invented.

She was never a child, never a newborn. She was fully grown and cognizant from her inception, born knowing what her job was for her entire life. She existed in ancient times, seen by many mortals as different gods/goddesses. She took the shapes they'd already imagined her to have. She was Anubis, Hades, Shinigami, Osiris, Hecate, Charon...whom were all different entities, but she took their forms to bring comfort to the recently departed.

I feel like Rio had a lot of empathy for the first thousand or so years of doing this job. She listened to life stories as she ferried magical beings to their next journeys. She learned about society, about expectations, about why one might choose not to stay on the mortal coil, or why one might be taken from it by force.

She comforted the ones reticent to leave their physical bodies. She held the hands of too many young witches, taken too soon because of the fear that surrounded them. That's who she had the most empathy for: young, misunderstood witches.

Her empathy fades as humanity progresses. Witches are still persecuted, but many of them get on her nerves. They think so highly of themselves. They think they Death owes them something, that they deserve a second chance at life.

Nobody gets a second chance at life.

And while it's her job, she starts to kind of resent it. The spirits that won't leave piss her off. They disturb the living as often as they can and Rio gets blamed for it. This is why she hates ghosts.

But there's nothing she can do.

And then she meets Agatha. Agatha who is young and powerful and so scared when they first meet. Agatha, who has just caused the deaths of her entire coven. Agatha, who didn't mean to cause so much destruction; she just needs to be properly taught.

So Rio teaches her. I think they would have this kind of relationship where Rio fosters Agatha's talents, where she takes Agatha to places where she can be as destructive with her magic as she wants and nobody will judge or demonize her. And every time Agatha masters a spell or gives Rio that super proud smile, Rio falls a little more in love with her.

She revitalizes Rio's love for her job. And it's not like it's Agatha's fault that other witches keep attacking her. And it's not like she can truly control that siphoning thing every time it happens. It just is what it is.

Agatha feels bad the first time it happens, too. But then she takes on Rio's logic of "well, they shouldn't have done that then," and all is well.

Agatha is alive and safe and Rio gets more bodies to ferry, more work. She actually really loves her work, especially because it means she gets to spend more time with Agatha, who just can't stop getting attacked for some reason...

There are rules to her job, of course.

First and most important rule: Death cannot kill. It is a conflict of interest. It wouldn't be very fair to give herself more bodies to ferry. Soon enough, there would be none left. In theory, at least. It's like insider trading, in a way.

Another one: Death cannot bring back life to one who has died. That is also not fair, and it's actually not even something she can do. She isn't Life; she's Death.

And: Death must ferry souls as soon as possible to the other life. Souls that linger too long become ghosts and it gets harder for them to cross over. It's considered a failure on her part when a Spirit becomes a Ghost.

She regrets ferrying Nicholas. That was her son, too. I will entertain no other theories. She loved that kid. She was just as much his mother as Agatha was. She knew how much it would hurt Agatha, but she also knew that she couldn't allow Nicky to become a ghost. It would be a torturous existence for them both. And if Agatha had her way and reanimated his body, forcing his soul to remain there, it would be so much worse.

It is her biggest regret and the only scar she has.

She doesn't have to lick wounds to heal them. That's just something she does for Agatha. Agatha either doesn't know this or doesn't fight it. I cannot even decide which one is funnier.

Rio is more than her job, though.

She is also a bottom.

Only for Agatha.

Moving on.

When Agatha uses the Darkhold to disappear, whatever beacon spell they'd had on each other since practically the beginning of their courtship is interrupted. She cannot find Agatha. She cannot even see Agatha, not even if she was two inches from her own face. Agatha makes it so they never run into each other, no matter whom she kills.

And then Wanda gets the Darkhold and it's like a fire alarm blaring in Rio's ear. She goes immediately to Agatha's side.

Yes, immediately. You know that was not a three-season delusion that Wanda put her under. "Agnes" had many, many different TV shows running through the spellbound mind. She just wasn't broken out of it until Teen got there.

Herb was so nonchalant about her little "true crime bug" that there had to have been several different medical series, soap operas, firefighter shows, other cop shows, comedies, home improvement shows, reality shows (The Real Housewives of West View?), and a mockumentary or two that came before it.

And Rio was a guest star in all of them, willing Agatha to just wake up. But Agatha didn't recognize her. She just knew that she hated her, in every single mind show. She just hated Rio Vidal.

And Rio was just in a hell of her own making, trying desperately to break Agatha out but not knowing how.

She loves this woman so much. All the threats to kill her and telling others where to find her? Foreplay. I can totally see them trolling each other as they ran around New England, pointing fingers at one another, calling out "Witch!" and snickering as the torches are lit.

Their sex breaks down houses. They have done it in a grave. Rio attempts to murder Agatha at least twice a day at their peak; it's called flirting, Jennifer.

Agatha, obviously knowing that Rio can't actually kill her (and she cannot kill Rio for obvious reasons), feels safest when she's around. Because Rio defends her. She knows the things that Agatha has done and she loves her (not in spite of them, but sort of because of them. Girl's a freak.) anyway.

And Rio hates her mother-in-law, Evanora, with a passion. She definitely has a list of people she hates from all the souls she's had to ferry. A lot of white Puritan men are on that list for their role in the Salem Witch trials. But Evanora is #1 on that list. It's on sight for that bitch.

And I think that makes Agatha soft for Rio. Because nobody has ever defended her against her mother, for her whole childhood. Nobody except Rio.

Which is why Agatha is definitely the one who proposed.

It was a mundane kind of day. Her powers had just killed another coven. Before they attacked, however, one of the witches called Agatha a "Witch-Killer" and said that her mother had always been right about her. She'd heard of how evil Agatha was as a child and this just proved it.

Rio's hands had glowed green and as she took the woman by the throat, slamming her against a tree, screaming at her, telling her about how the true evil was the woman who hated her own child so much as to plan a whole execution after abusing her for her entire childhood. How Agatha was a survivor and so much more powerful than her mother could ever hope to be. And that witches like her had to wake up to it and--then the witch blasted Agatha and it was all over.

Rio huffed as she dropped the empty husk of a body, glaring at the spirit as it floated above it.

"That was your own fault," she said. "If you had just listened to me, none of this would have happened."

The witch just glared and Rio rolled her eyes, collecting the souls of the other witches who had attacked Agatha along with this dumb with.

"I'll be right back," she promised Agatha, who was still thrumming with magic.

"Marry me!" Agatha said as Rio disappeared.

She was halfway through with the job when the words registered in her mind. She got them across in record time, returning to find Agatha on her knees, waiting for her, a purple ring of something she'd made from magic. She was smiling up at Rio, tears in her eyes.

"What did you say?" Rio asked, her heart pounding.

"Marry me," Agatha repeated, her voice tight. "Rio Vidal, will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Rio dropped to her knees and tackled Agatha to the ground, raining kisses down on her while Agatha laughed.

And then they got married and lived happily for a century or two, until they had a son. I have no idea how Nicholas came to be. I have no idea why he is a Scratch rather than a Harkness or a Vidal. But I know he had two mommies who loved him more than anything. Rio probably never thought that she could be a wife to anybody, let alone a full mother, but she loved that boy. And she loves Agatha.

Rio has a big heart and she's a bit intense, but we love that for her.

11/10 character

[ccthelee]

little bit addicted

kathryn hahn / aubrey plaza / fem!reader chapter 6 | wc: 8.3k contents & warnings: nsfw, endless pining, phone sex, tickling bites :), rib tickling, brief knee tickling, brief stomach tickling

previous chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

You wake up before your alarm a bundle of anxious nerves. Exactly like Kathryn predicted, your mind starts to race, overthinking taking over and attacking you at all angles with insecurity until you're forced to physically curl up to stop the raw, itching feeling covering your skin.

At some point in the night, the two of you untangled. You reach out for the other woman in the dark of the room, sliding a hand down her back softly to find the hem of her shirt and then worming closer to push your hands up under it. She shifts in her sleep at the contact and then stirs awake, reaching back for you awkwardly before giving up and just laying there contently instead.

"You're up early," she mumbles, sleep softening her voice.

"I'm not going today," you tell her, so close now that to have no choice but to mumble it almost right into her shoulder.

"Yes you are," she says, and you hear her stifle a yawn. It's simple as that, her breathing goes even again and you're sure she's fallen back asleep.

"I don't think I am," you say after a beat. You pull your hands free from her shirt and roll over, facing away from her to focus on your anxiety alone.

You only have a moment to do so before she stirs again and then rolls over to you, her hands rubbing soft circles into your shoulders.

"You're going. It's too late to cancel, unless you're dying. Are you dying?"

One hand slides up like she's checking the lymph nodes in your neck and you whine, rolling a little further away. She closes the space and tickles at your sides; you startle and giggle, squirming ridiculously under the sheet and grabbing for her hands.

"Wait- while I have you, let me make sure I have this right," she insists. Her hands drop to your sides and she squeezes. Her fingers are dangerously close to your stomach and her thumbs pressing into the backs of your obliques are making you melt into laughter. She keeps her tone light and curious, but you can hear the amusement beneath it. "So this tickles, but this really tickles."

You jolt so hard you nearly leave her grip and the bed entirely when she slides her hands up and digs her fingers unrelentingly into your rib cage.

"Oh my gohohohod, stop!" You grab uselessly at her hands, succeeding in covering them but not stopping them. Her fingers crawl upward, unimpeded by your attempts, and massage into that spot you'd shown her the night before, the one you knew was going to get you into trouble. "N-HAHAHA-FUCK!"

She laughs with you for a second, and you have the hazy realization through your laughter that the restraints were given more credit than they were owed when you'd taught her this trick. The sensation itself makes you freeze up tensely, arms locked away from your body awkwardly like it's a secret factory reset button and you haven't rebooted how to defend yourself yet.

You nearly elbow her and it stops before you can injure one or both of you.

Exhaling shakily, you sink further into the bed for a moment as your heart pounds against the mattress.

"See? Now you're warmed up." The smirk in Kathryn's voice is evident and you don't need to face her to see it. She pats you encouragingly on the butt and then kicks the sheet down to climb out of bed. 

You sit up with a pout to watch her, though it vanishes from your face when she tugs her shirt up over her head and reveals herself to you. She jerks her head in the direction of the bathroom with a raised eyebrow and you nearly fall out of the bed in your hurry to rush after her and join her in the shower. 

-

"Danny wants me to tell him what we are."

You reach into the center console and take a sip from your smoothie, wincing at the bitterness of it. It tastes healthy, so you convince yourself you can feel it working.

Kathryn's eyes dart up to the rear view mirror before they slide over to you in curiosity.

"Danny wants me to tell him what we are, too," she informs you. You chuckle and swirl the cup in your hands a bit.

"What do I tell him?" You ask.

"Why is that my call?" She replies, catching you a little off-guard.

"That is... a good question," you admit. "Friends feels a bit impersonal. And I don't generally sleep with my friends."

"Maybe you need better friends," Kathryn suggests, but you can tell she's not serious; her attention is clearly focused on finding a solution to the conversation the same way yours is. "I don't exactly tie my friends up and make them beg me to tickle them."

Your cheeks burn. You take a long sip from your smoothie and set it back in the cup holder. 

"Maybe you need better friends," you try to turn it back on her. "And I did not beg you."

You can't see her eyes under her sunglasses but you can tell they're sparkling mischievously. You cross your arms and roll your eyes.

"Am I embarrassing you?" she asks it teasingly but you catch her shooting a glance your way and you realize she really is checking in.

"No," you reply, chuckling at yourself before saying, "Actually... it makes me feel less weird about it. The..." You wiggle your fingers, "Flippancy."

"Good. Nothing to feel weird about, anyway."

Her fingers adjust on the steering wheel and you lick your lips as you watch them.

"And in the spirit of honesty, barring you like... telling other people what I'm into, I kind of like it when you embarrass me."

She makes a surprised 'ah' noise of understanding, glancing at you again and then chuckling.

"I've gotten more out of you in a couple of weeks than I have in years with some people," she tells you. "It's a nice change."

The praise makes you smile shyly, turning your attention back out the window again.

"Maybe we could just say 'dating'," Kathryn says a moment later, and you're reminded of your initial question. You turn to her as she pulls up to the curb and idles the car. "For our friends. As for anyone else, maybe more of a 'mind your business' sort of answer will work as a blanket thing."

You chuckle at that but understand the importance of that extra instruction.

"Will I see you again before you go?" She asks, taking one of your hands over the console.

You pout a tiny bit with a sigh.

"Probably not. Now don't you feel bad for kicking me out of bed this morning instead of staying in with me?"

"Aw," She lets go of your hand and strokes your cheek softly, then pats it - gently but still jarring. "No. Get out, you're going to be late."

You laugh and swat her hand away, leaning across the console further and kissing her. She leans back into you and then pulls away to look into your eyes before kissing you again. You're ready to get lost in it entirely when a horn honks on the road near you and you remember where you are - and remember that you just covered keeping your relationship to yourselves.

"I'll call you when I get home," you tell her, slipping out of the car before you can get carried away again. 

She rolls down the window after you to call, "[Y/N]! You owe me a dinner date!"

You glance back and grin, waving a little sadly before making your way into the gym.

-

Danny drives you home after your class and you spend the better part of your afternoon packing. You didn't bring much, but you did have a bit of retail therapy - plus the weather beginning to change mid-trip means that most of what you did bring is becoming useless.

Jade brings you a storage tote from their unit and you make a small 'essentials' bag of what to bring back home with you while leaving the rest at Riley and Jade's place until you come back.

When your lease agreement comes in with a promise of keys-in-hand a few weeks later, you track down a suitable airbnb option and bite the bullet on the last-minute convenience pricing and its strain on your credit card to fill in the gap. The less time you need to stay back home, the better. 

Your flight is painfully early the following morning and Jade has agreed to drive you before work so you make up for it by cooking them dinner and ordering in dessert for an early night in. You're just in the process of finishing the seasoning mix for the steaks when Riley arrives home from work.

"Honey, I'm home!" She announces, making her way into the kitchen and kissing your cheek obnoxiously loudly before getting herself a bottle of water. "Nice to see you here, finally peeled yourself off of the movie star long enough to remember us little people?"

You laugh outright at that and she snorts at her own joke as well.

"Yes, unfortunately for you, I am alllll yours tonight," You reply. "Though, if last night was any indicator, this is necessary for my health."

Riley doubles back and twitches her eyebrows at you.

"Oh yeah? Well don't spare the details, you're giving me blue balls."

You snicker at that and turn away to pick up one of the steaks, pressing some of the spice rub into it. You don't mind sharing - you and Riley specifically have a bit of a no-boundaries relationship with the exception of a few of your personal interests - but you wonder if that's hypocritical. You did sort of ask Kathryn not to tell anyone about that kink of yours which covered a lot of the ground of your activities.

"The sex is just... really good," you say honestly. 

"That's all I get?" Riley whines. She reaches around you and swipes up a piece of cauliflower from your bowl and crunches down on it before speaking around it, "I get nothing? Come on. Did you guys click right away? Did you see her room? Is she into anything weird?"

She waggles her eyebrows and you sigh, throwing her a bone.

"She did tie me up, but that was my idea. Or I guess it was both of ours. I did tell her I was into it, though."

"Not the craziest thing I've heard from you, but I'll take it. Especially since it was right out the gate."

"It was only the second time," you agree, realizing now just how quickly you've knocked that barrier out of the way. 

"Wait, what? You said you weren't going to the other n-" Riley stares at you before realization dawns on her face and she smacks you in the arm so hard you fully drop the next steak you've picked up back onto the cutting board. "You dirty fuck! At the cabin! Oh my god, me and Jade didn't even fuck that night."

You rub your arm with the back of your hand.

"First of all, ow. Secondly, that is not my fault - I even left you guys alone in the room."

"It was a little bit your fault. Between the Xanax and the thunder and being in room directly below Aubrey Plaza, it's sort of a miracle I made it to work at all the day after."

You finally look up at her guiltily.

"I am sorry about that, by the way," you say. "I didn't mean to... throw you to the wolves. Either of you. On the upside, I think it was a test and we passed, so... yay."

Riley waves a hand dismissively. "That wasn't your fault. Besides, between all of us we've been around enough... influencers and models and whatever that I should have been more chill about it."

"But it was Aubrey Plaza," you add understandingly, a grin tugging at your lips.

"But it was Aubrey. Plazaaaa." Riley groans dramatically and grips the counter, shaking obnoxiously like she's exorcising some kind of demon of horniness. "Dude, that was insane. Jade tried to warn me too, I thought she was pranking me."

You snort out a laugh and finish seasoning the third steak, then set them aside to get started on oiling a pan.

"Well I have no intention of letting Kathryn out of my

sight anytime soon so enjoy your newfound friend-of-a-friendship."

"No, for real," Riley agrees, "Jade has a crush on her now - but the way straight men have crushes on each other. It's kind of cute. They were talking about old movies after you left and I literally passed out from listening to it."

You giggle at the image and look up as the door opens again, hearing Jade hang her keys and bag.

"Babe?"

"Kitchen!" Riley calls, turning her attention to you again as you turn on the heat, ready to start searing now that everyone was home. "So what, you guys are like... going steady?"

"Close enough," you reply. "'Dating' is what we've settled on."

"Publicly?" Riley presses.

You shake your head, and suck some oil from your finger before taking a carrot from the bowl to crunch on.

"No. It's only been like two weeks, anyway," you remind her - it's a reminder to yourself as well, one you keep repeating whenever you let your thoughts wander too far.

"This is so wild," Riley sighs, smiling as Jade makes her way in and slipping an arm around her as she hands over her water bottle. "You haven't dated a normal person since... what, high school?"

You snort - but it's true. 

"Keeps me humble, y'know? Very... grounded with my lack of Instagram activity." 

It had only given you extra attention once or twice, the occasional influencer-snark corner of the internet realizing they'd seen you more than once but often being bored enough by your lack of newsworthy behavior to care enough to bother you. It's one of the many reasons you didn't want any sort of public apology from Alycia; a clean break will let you fade into the background without her fans noticing you're even gone.

"You making steaks?"

You turn your attention to Jade and beam proudly.

"Yes," You glance at the now-sizzling pan and pick up the tongs, snapping them playfully at the other women. "Get out, go relax."

As they leave, you hear them quietly negotiate a shower together without the intent for you to hear so you pretend not to and begin to sear the steaks. Jokes about the cabin aside, you know your presence actually has had a damper on their usually-thriving sex life even if they're too nice to say it; you'll be out of their hair soon enough.

-

Alycia texts you while you wait by your gate at LAX and clutch your overpriced coffee between both hands tiredly. You never slept well before a flight, even when you were looking forward to the destination, so this just felt a thousand times worse. 

'What time do you land?'

You check your ticket and then squint up at the screen by the gate to make sure nothing has changed before responding.

'9.'

'I'll be at the shoot by then.'

You shrug at your phone and make an annoyed face as if she can even see you. Ok? Who asked?

'Alright'

You don't want to see her first thing, anyway. You just want to get in, take a shower, email your advisor back about your approval on your extensions, and then start packing as soon as possible. 

Exiting the text, you pull up Instagram instead. You'd been avoiding it since that one incident of stalking Alycia after her drunk texts, not that you were usually particularly active, but you did recently post a few photos in a carousel from the trip. It was, despite everything, worth remembering for a number of reasons.

A candid photo of Jade and Riley looking sweet that you'd taken from the back seat, the southern California sunset and palm trees visible behind them in turn through the windshield. A photo of the chicken bones from sixty wings that the three of you obliterated the night that you had decided to move. A photo of the bonfire at the cabin, with only some shoes visible to indicate any other human life in the shot.

You scroll through the notifications disinterestedly and freeze at the new follower request.

Aubrey.

You stare at it for a long moment and then click through to her page, sure it must be a fake or a mistake. Her obnoxiously large following - which you're included in - stares up at you and you shake your head, exiting the app entirely. You need to finish your coffee before dealing with that.

You look over at the sound of a few men laughing to each other with laptops open, in full suits at the nearby bar, and feel tempted to go get a drink yourself. It's only 7 but you're awash in the timeless zone of chaos that is an airport terminal, so it's not like anyone could judge.

Shaking off the temptation, you down the rest of your coffee instead and open Instagram again, confidently tapping 'accept' and pursing your lips as you refresh.

'Aubrey Plaza is now following you'

That's enough social media for one day. 

You don't even bother going through the stories or your feed, closing the app once more and swiping decisively out of it from your idle tabs. You want to call Kathryn, but she's either asleep or awake - and if it's the latter it's because she has something more important to be doing than tending to your boredom.

You flick airplane mode on and tuck your phone away, settling in to the uncomfortable gate seat and trying to give your mind the space to relax.

-

A mutual friend of you and Alycia's picks you up from the airport and takes you back to your apartment. True to her word, she isn't home, and now that you've had a chance to get in a power nap on the plane, you feel a renewed energy to get started on the packing right away.

You find that Alycia has taken it upon herself to move your clothes out of the closet, already in four overstuffed garment bags on the end of the bed, but she's left the rest up to you. 

The bathroom is a tricky task and you regret starting there when you're about halfway through the drawers and drawers of makeup and skincare. Most of it is Alycia's but in that most is everything you use that she doesn't. You've been siphoning her endless supply of expensive PR packages for months and she's never minded before but the last thing you need is her putting you on blast for robbing her of half of her product closet. Even if she was going to let it expire.

You box up what you have open and everything that directly matches it as backup, bringing it with you to the bedroom to stack next to your garment bags. You're glad you brought at least some of your new clothing back from LA with you because the idea of unpacking what Alycia's already packed makes you feel dizzy.

You take your hunt to the living room and eye the shelves of movies and books, starting with the books you bought for school and then moving through you and Alycia's shared film collection. It's pretty humble; a few blockbusters and scattered pieces you picked up over the years. 

You start pulling a few titles off the shelf with Kathryn's name and then realize how awkward it'll be for her to come to your new apartment and see your movie collection is exclusively her work. You put back 'Bad Moms'. Alycia likes that one. You put away a few candles you picked out that haven't yet been burned, a trinket or two from shelf that you brought into the space when you first moved in, and then you settle on the couch to take a break. You notice that you've worked through lunch but the fridge is too far away and you don't want to spend any extra money before the move.

Loneliness starts sinking in on all sides of you in the quiet, so you get up again, and put on 'Bad Moms'. Realizing you've been in the quiet because your phone is still off makes you feel a little stupid as you retrieve it from

your purse and turn it back on while you grab a bag of some kind of idiotic overpriced vegan chocolate that must have come in a PR box out of the fridge and a can of hard seltzer; not exactly a nutritious meal but it's comforting nonetheless.

Your notifications come through in a whirlwind - you hadn't told anyone you were back in town and even then, you only really spent time with a select few friends outside of events. Confused, you almost miss the couch from

staring at your phone, blindly hitting 'play' on the movie.

A lot of texts from numbers you haven't saved, some with name suggestions that you know and others without fill the top section of your notifications. Mostly just 'hey' and requests to catch up and apologies for being absent. One from Riley sticks out, you expand it to realize it's actually multiple.

'Hey! Did you get in alright?'

'Dude.'

You swipe out of it to reply to later, and scroll to the dozens of follow-requests on your rarely-used Twitter account. Ignoring those as well, you see that the brunt of the attention is coming directly from Instagram.

You're not exactly hurting for a ton of attention on the site but it's not that common for all 500-something of your followers to like a single post of yours. Especially not when it's a non-event photo, since that is your connection to a lot of the people you've let have access.

'OMG, is this at Black Bear? You should come to ours sometime, if you like it up there!'

'Living your best life! Love to see it.'

'Miss you and Leesh, call me back!'

'Looking gorgeous as always'

You open the photo - it's the carousel that you posted the evening before. Scrolling through the confusingly complimentary comments, you find the source of your newfound popularity and your heart thuds in your chest.

'Wow, no tag?'

Aubrey. Her comment seems brighter than the others, just a hint of her leg visible in the bonfire photo in the above slide you've swiped to. 

The comment feels like a challenge, but you're not sure if you should take it or not. It's not like the photos will appear on her page anyway, your account is set to private,  but it would be for you. Your friends, your audience.

You set your phone down and pull another chocolate out of the bag. It would be weird not to tag anyone else from

that particular photo, you decide. You look at her comment again and hit 'like' beside it, then swipe out of the app altogether. Check.

Alycia's home within the hour. The sound of her get in the lock makes you rocket up off of the couch like you're going to get in trouble for slacking on the job.

The pair of you stared at each other from across the apartment for a moment, and then Alycia spoke first.

"I need a favor," she told you, dropping her keys beside the door and pulling her purse off of her arm.

"Mm." You nod once. Kathryn says something on the screen behind you and you steel your gaze on your ex, posture tightening.

"The Paris Hilton party is tomorrow," she reminds you. "I still need you to go with me."

"Ohhh, definitely not," you shake your head. 

"[Y/N], seriously," she cuts you off, "I need the PR or you can't take like... any of the kitchen stuff, or the appliances. And everyone is going to notice if you're not there."

You gnaw on your lip and place your hands on your hips, glancing at the kitchen. A free, fully-stocked kitchen would take a massive dent out of your moving expenses. That, and...

"And everyone knows you just got back from LA. It's going to look bad."

"For you?" You reply, annoyed. "Because that's not a massive priority for me right now. Keeping you looking good."

Alycia rubs her temples and despite your annoyance, your hand twitches in reflex to want to reach out and stop her like you used to.

"I just want this to blow over as painlessly as possible."

So do you, but you're allowed to want that. You ball your hands into fists to avoid saying anything too mean.

"I'll go but I'm not pretending to be your girlfriend." She opens her mouth to speak and you raise a hand to stop her, continuing, "I won't tell anyone we're over, I won't make a big deal out of it, but we are not putting on a show. Am I clear?"

She looks a little relieved.

"Crystal."

You turn on your heel.

"I'm going to keep packing, the truck is coming Wednesday afternoon." You make your way to the second-bedroom-turned-office to give Alycia room to go about her decompressing routine; it won't help either of you if you interrupt it.

"Dress code tomorrow is pink!" She calls after you. 

Of course it is.

-

The event is more vapid than you'd been anticipating, and as the thought enters your mind you wonder when you got so negative. As a thought exercise you picture Kathryn and feel immediately better. Okay, maybe you're not a pessimist after all - maybe this lifestyle has just lost all of its charm for you overnight.

You check your phone again as subtly as possible but there's still no text from the actress.

You'd sent her a mirror selfie earlier after getting ready - the photo looked hot, you looked hot, but you didn't want anything from this night or event on your page so you sent it to her instead to not let it go to waste. You knew based on the time she was probably still busy; if her house was in chaos from her entourage she still had another twenty minutes left before she could properly kick them out.

So she hadn't texted. Your instagram was still blowing up obnoxiously, though. You considered paring down your followers list a little more.

"Hey," Olivia - your friend who had picked you up yesterday - approached, smiling brightly at you both despite possibly being one of the only other people in the room who knew at least part of what was going on between you. You're relieved to see a friendly face.

"Hey yourself," you hug her quickly, ignoring the flash from

the event photographer's camera. "Feels like I just saw you."

"Hi, honey," she greets Alycia with sympathy dripping from

her voice and you resist the urge to roll your eyes. "Let's all get a drink," she insists, taking one of each of your hands to drag you off to the bar.

You stick to water, the last thing you need is to lose your head in a place like this, but no one bats an eye.

You mingle for a few minutes with the other people, some who approach to talk to Alycia, some you know yourself. It's hard to keep track of everyone truthfully, but you keep your cool even when Alycia slings an arm around you for a photo and squishes you in next to a few other women she's been referring to as her 'best friends' for the last several minutes.

"Wait, so how did you guys end up camping with Aubrey Plaza?" The woman to Olivia's left asks the question and it makes you choke on your water.

"We didn't," Alycia replies for you, gesturing between the two of you. "That's all her."

You have to hand it to her, she is (ironically) honest when it comes to talking about her networking. It was one thing you always admired, even from a marketing standpoint, about her. The slight boost one would get from a name drop would be so easily undone by a fact-check from someone with just the right connections at the right time, and the optics of being out of the loop were much less harsh than the optics of being caught lying about being in it in the first place.

You realize the conversation has turned back to you and you shrug.

"It wasn't really like... camping. Just a... friend of a friend of a friend thing. I was visiting some friends in the city and it just kind of fell into place."

That wasn't quite a lie - those were all facts but the order of them had been rather jumbled up. Alycia watches you with an unreadable expression.

"That's it?" The other woman asks. You've already forgotten her name which is embarrassing as you've clearly already met once or twice before if she's following your Instagram.

"I don't know what else you want me to tell you," you breathe with a small laugh, glancing over at the bar. "Looks like they're re-upping on those glittery shots. I'll get us a round before they run out again."

You slip away from the table but don't miss the way Alycia goes to grab your hand, possibly intending to follow you. You don't look back until you reach the other end of the bar and realize she must have changed her mind.

As you wait for the shots, you check your phone again and light up excitedly at Kathryn's name on the screen, almost dropping it in your haste to respond.

'Pretty'

'What's the occasion?'

You chew your lip before deciding to bite the bullet. 

'One last shitty event before I'm free from my unofficial quasi-influencer contract.'

'Full disclosure I'm here with my ex and our friends.'

Friends is a bit of a stretch but you don't feel it's too dishonest. You try to smooth it over with a dreaded triple-text.

'Would much rather be here with you but I don't think pink bakeware is really important enough for your time'

You wait a few agonizing beats and grin giddily when she responds, seemingly unconcerned by the news of Alycia's presence.

'I could be convinced to care. What else are you wearing?'

You've just started typing back a teasing response when your shots are ready, and you tuck your phone away to bring them back to the table.

Olivia cheers and grabs one, tossing it back without even looking.

"Wait, picture," Alycia insists.

"You can have mine," you tell Olivia, sliding her your own shot for the photo. Alycia shoots you a glance at your lack of participation but smartly doesn't call attention, giving you a moment to your phone.

'Not much'

You fire your response off and grin at the screen, wondering how likely you'll be to get away with possibly having phone sex while sleeping on the air mattress in the office with Alycia in the next room.

You feel your phone buzz and then again but ignore it as you tuck it away, pursing your lips through your smile and avoiding Alycia's eye when you can feel her stare burning into you. You catch sight of the time on another woman's phone on the table and give Alycia a small nudge.

"We should be getting out of here soon, you have 'rem beauty' in the morning." It's true, but she also promised you a two hour maximum, so she doesn't have much of a choice.

"Right," she sighs, turning to you fully and then taking your hand in hers. You resist the urge to pull away. "I'll see you guys soon, we should do a dinner, or something."

She leaves to a chorus of goodbyes, pulling you with her to the elevator. You shake your hand free from hers as the doors close.

"That wasn't so bad," you tell her, throwing her a bone even though you're not sure why you bother. Maybe to keep things smooth for your last couple of days to avoid the exhaustion of fighting.

Alycia makes a noncommittal sound and then clicks her tongue.

"Who's the girl?"

You turn to look at her, one eyebrow raising in disbelief.

"The girl? Your girlfriend?"

"I don't have a girlfriend, Alycia," you remind her as the elevator opens on the lobby and the pair of you step out. "I had a girlfriend, but you know how that went."

"Oh, please," she scoffs, continuing for the door. "Whatever you want to call it, then. Who is it? Anyone I know?"

"No," you reply shortly, following her out onto the street. 

She considers this as she taps away on her phone and then amends her question.

"Anyone I know of?"

"I don't know, Alycia," you lie. You can see her racking her brain and part of you wants to tell her just to see the look of confusion on her face. She's undoubtedly thinking of influencers from LA that you might get along with. Maybe even athletes that Jade might know. "There's no... I don't have a girlfriend. If I did, by the way, it would be none of your business."

"Well are you dating?" She presses, nodding to the car that pulls up in front of you. You reflexively open the door for her without thinking and slide in behind her.

"Yes," you reply sharply.

She looks surprised, then shrugs as she drops your gaze.

"Just seems kind of quick," she corrects herself before you can, which surprises you, "I mean quick for you. Not like you."

"I'm trying to remember what having fun is like," you reply, a little meanly but not letting yourself soften it. You turn your gaze out the window and watch the views of downtown pass you.

Alycia doesn't speak for the rest of the car ride and when you get home to return to your new bedroom - next to the desktop computer and boxes of PR and treadmill, you feel drained.

Laying on the air mattress still in your cocktail dress, you tug your phone out and laugh to yourself at the missed texts.

'That all I get?'

'[Y/N]!!'

You hear the sound of the shower turning on in the bathroom connected to the bedroom and grin, hitting 'call' and pulling your phone down to your ear.

Kathryn picks up on the second ring, with a rasp in her voice that you weren't expecting, and you immediately sit up to undo your dress lest you ruin it.

"Hello?"

"What're you doing?" You ask immediately, unable to keep the grin out of your voice.

"Nothing, I was just-" She sounds nervous, and you feel an unfamiliar surge of excitement.

"Kathryn," your tone is half-scolding, half-theatrics.

She half-laughs and half-whines. You can hear her embarrassment and you're surprised with how much it turns you on. You're usually the one on the receiving end - and enjoying it - but her flusteredness is making you feel unexpectedly naughty.

"You must've thought I was watching you on hidden camera with my timing," you muse. It draws an involuntary laugh out of her and you close your eyes to picture you're actually there teasing her in person.

"Cut it out," she huffs. You can picture the specific way her jaw would be clenching to try to keep the smile at bay, the way she'd immediately be bringing her hands to her face and dropping your gaze.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Should I leave you to it?"

The whining laugh she lets out is delicious, you wish you could listen to it on loop. It's some kind of insanity how one woman can bring you to crazed arousal and cuteness aggression at the same time with so little effort.

"C'mon," you coax. "Tell me what you were thinking about."

Finally free from the dress you roll over, nude, and rest on your stomach. A quick glance at the door tells you it's locked, just in case you become too distracted to hear the shower stop, so you reach into your essentials bag from

the LA trip and pull your vibrator free. 

She sighs on the other end of the line and then responds, "That first night."

You shuffle beneath your sheet and get comfortable.

"At the cabin?"

"Yeah," she exhales like she's melting, and you feel your mouth go dry at the image it conjures up. "You were so... determined. When you first came knocking I was going to send you back to bed but it was like..." She trails off and her breath hitches.

"Like I was starving," you finish for her. She makes some sound of agreement that's not quite a 'yes'. "And I was."

You click your vibrator on and the buzzing is louder than you anticipated.

Kathryn's breath stutters into a laugh. 

"Are you touching yourself?" Her tone is teasing, turning that 'caught' feeling back onto you and forcing you to close your eyes and bite your lip.

"Yes," you admit, lowering the vibrator to yourself and rocking it softly back and forth against your entrance. "Is that not what we're doing?"

"Oh, no, I'm watching the news," Kathryn replies, lying with a laugh. You mirror it and then groan at the feeling of your stomach tightening pleasantly.

"Hm, don't make me laugh," you complain.

"There's a request I never thought I'd hear from you."

Your cheeks heat up pleasantly and you feel a single drop of sweat roll down the back of your bent leg.

"Shut up. Keep talking about the cabin."

She tsks softly, but continues.

"I was just thinking about what would've happened if you had let me return the favor. Though, knowing what I know now that might've been a nail in the coffin for getting caught. You are a vocal little thing, aren't you?"

You moan softly, proving her point.

"Says you," you breathe. "'M still thinking about how you taste. Addictive."

She stops talking for a beat and you exhale sharply into the receiver. 

"You close, baby?" 

She almost cuts you off with her high-pitched moan. Your jaw drops and you scramble to shut off the vibrator at the sound of the shower squeaking off as well, and clutch the phone to your ear to listen to the other woman bringing herself to orgasm.

You savor it, closing your eyes and willing the distractions away as she comes down, and then chuckles into your ear.

"I didn't realize how much I needed that," she tells you. 

"Well," you breathe, voice cracking a little. "I'm living vicariously through you - sounded like a good one."

She laughs again at your blunt wording and you hear her shifting around before she speaks again.

"When are you back? I'm more than happy to share the wealth, you know."

At this rate, you're going to fall in love before the end of your first month together. 

"Truck comes Wednesday, I'm hoping to leave in the afternoon so I can get in before bed."

"You want to come to a party on Friday? If you're all... sponsored-events-'d out, I get it."

You sit up. "Really?"

"Yeah. You can come over, I'll feed you, glam team will take care of you and we'll go."

"As your..." You trail off and you hear the other woman fidgeting.

"I know we're not exactly... I just... it could still be fun."

"Hey," you interject calmly, "Seriously, my feelings aren't hurt about the private life thing." You hear Alycia pass in the hall and pause her steps so you lower your voice. "I get it, you don't have to dance around it, just keep me in the loop."

Kathryn exhales. 

"Alright," then more seriously: "Thank you."

You smile and lay back again, staring up at the ceiling.

-

You make it through most of Wednesday unscathed. Alycia picks a fight about the coffee table, you fold and let her keep it. You and Riley can hit up an estate sale once you're more settled in: the important things are your desk for studying and the couch as a catch-all for napping, eating, and relaxing.

Alycia makes you promise to text her when you get to the airbnb so she doesn't have to look you up in the obituaries and after an awkward, stilted goodbye, you're on the road.

It's a later start than you wanted and by the time you're finished helping the movers at your new storage unit, it's past the window to check in for the night.

'??? Alive?'

Alycia's text comes in just as you're pulling out your phone to make a decision on where to stay.

'Missed check in,' you reply. 'Staying with friends tonight.'

You pull up your conversation from that day with Riley and then pause, closing it and opening the thread with Kathryn instead.

'Can't wait to have you back' stares up at you on the screen from your last conversation and you grin, shaking it off to type out:

'Could I ask you a favor?'

She replies as you're locking up the unit and climbing back into your car, with just the gate code to her house and an eye-rolling emoji. 

You feel like you find her place by muscle memory; in your defense you only get turned around once or twice and since it's later in the evening you manage to find parking without much issue. Hauling your overnight bag out of the trunk, you head up to the gate just as you get another text.

'I have an early morning but I'll make it up to you.'

As wonderful as a passionate, heated fuckfest of a reunion would be, you find that the idea of going straight to bed in Kathryn's arms to be equally as appealing of an idea. 

Not bothering to answer the text you let yourself in and toe your worn out shoes off at the door. You're also not at what you'd consider your sexiest - bruised and scraped, worn and comfy clothes for the physical labor and the drive. 

Your bag digs into your tired shoulders and you drop it roughly to the floor at your feet.

"He-" You don't get to finish your greeting before Kathryn's head pokes over the railing at the top of the stairs, and then she quickly begins making her way down.

"Ugh, I missed you," she says heavily, pulling you close and wrapping her arms around you. You melt into her immediately, then tuck your face into her neck. You can feel yourself tearing up, the emotional release of finally being here and having made your clean break hitting you all at once. You choke back the desire to cry and nuzzle into her a little more. She pulls back enough to kiss your cheek, clutching your face and then kissing your forehead, then your lips, then your other cheek. You scrunch your nose and laugh, wriggling away from her a little but it only makes her double down, arms shooting down to wrap around your body again. "No."

You slump defeatedly into her again and then slide your hands up the back of her sleep-shirt, desperate to just be a little closer still.

"I am so happy to do this all night, but could we do it horizontally? Preferably in bed. I feel like one giant knot."

"Right," she pulls away with a little laugh but still just stares at you for a moment before shaking her head with a smile and turning to the stairs. With an arm still around you, she asks, "Did you eat? Do you want something to help you sleep?"

You shake your head, tucked into her side happily. "I'm fine."

She doubles back to get your bag for you and then sits on her bed while you undress and tiredly tell her about the day. You leave out the argument with Alycia even though you can tell she's dying to ask about her. You're too tired to entertain that line of questioning for the night so you let her stew in her curiosity and climb up to straddle her lap.

"I missed you so much," you say. You can hear the heaviness of your own words but you can't dial back the intensity. It's reflected in how she's looking at you, so much understanding it makes you want to cry again.

"Now you don't have to," she tells you instead. Her hands glide over your waist to your hips as she takes you in and then frowns in concern. "Where did you get all of these bruises? You join a fight club?"

You laugh in surprise when she grips your hips and flops you over onto the bed, hovering over you beside you.

"I don't know when the last time you moved was, but it's basically a contact sport out there, now," you reply, carding a hand into her hair as she rolls up your shirt carefully and worriedly touches the red welt across your lower belly from where you tried to wedge yourself out the door with a large box pressed to you.

You're vaguely aware of the sting but she's trying so hard to be careful that it's horseshoed into torture. 

"Hehehey-" You grab her hand and wriggle backward from her in the same moment, alerting her to the misstep. She chuckles apologetically and pulls her hand back to explore some more of your new injuries in potentially less-ticklish places.

"Guess a short dress might be out of the question for Friday," she says, nodding to your legs. 

You prop yourself up on your elbows in time to see her dust her fingers over your knee and you shake like she just performed a reflex test. Her eyes flick up to yours in worry that she's hurt you but when she sees your grin her expression softens to endearment.

"God, you're weird."

You laugh and whine all at once.

"Back when I used to think I could actually put all the spots in list order, I always used to think my knees were the worst," you tell her. "It's like... a top 5 spot for most people I think."

"For weird people," she corrects. You squirm closer and squeeze her knee; she lets out a sound halfway between a yelp and a squawk, writhing back in shock. Not wanting to miss your chance, you squeeze a second time, this time earning a harmless kick in the leg as she lets out a couple of short giggles.

"See?" You laugh as she grabs and tosses your hands aside, descending on your ribs with terrifyingly devastating accuracy. "Ow, wait-"

She stops immediately, hands freezing and the concerned look returning to her face. Her hands slip into the hem of your shirt to push it the rest of the way up but you can't keep it together, giggling at the knowledge that she's not going to find any more injuries.

"You faker!" She pokes at you a couple of times, drawing more nervous laughter out of you as she gathers your hands up in hers. 

"It's psychosomatic!" You lie dramatically.

"Oh, please." She lowers her head to your torso as she pins your hands on either side of you and nips at your ribs. You shriek, but her upperbody holds you fairly still in combination with your wrists under her hands. She pauses and even her breath on your skin tickles when she chuckles at your reaction before continuing to harmlessly scrape her teeth along and nibble at your ribs.

You're reduced to cackling when she switches sides after a beat, unable to form a coherent protest outside of 'no', and 'please', though even those simple single-syllable words are turning into a challenge.

You're already breathless when she drops her lips between your ribs, a couple of inches above your navel, but the panic revitalizes your ability to speak.

"Nooooo, nononono, I'm sorry," you promise. You can't get the grin off of your face but the whine in your voice is genuine. "Kathryn. Wait."

She does, lifting her head to you and loosening her grip on your hands.

"That's..." you chuckle at your own reaction. "Too much."

She sits up slightly so she's hovering over you, pulling your shirt back into place gently. 

"That's where you draw the line?" She asks. Her tone is playful but you can tell she's taking you seriously. 

"I don't know what it is about my stomach but it's like..." You lay back on the pillows to get comfy, feeling her slide up closer to you. "Panic? I don't know. Maybe some kind of past life trauma. I don't feel like unpacking it."

"I'll steer clear," she tells you, waiting until you face her to smile and kiss you. You grin into it and immediately wrap your arms around her neck to pull her down onto you. 

It's not the ever-surface, clothes-tearing reunion that one might have expected but it feels just as intense. You know you're both going to have to just roll over and go to bed but you can't help but moan softly into her mouth, kissing her again and again each time she pulls away for air until she speaks again.

"I wasn't kidding about the early morning."

You pout as she crawls back to the side table and turns out the light, though it vanishes when she pulls you back into her and kisses you again, softer this time. It turns so lazy and gentle that you legitimately fall asleep face to face, wrapped loosely around her on top of the sheets.

[ellitx]

Chapter 19: The Lord's Will

��𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁

previous || next

art belongs to: srr_yo

word count: 3.9k

           The storm was strong, harsh, and maddening. The tempestuous wind annihilated the entire city— from a strong wind to a ferocious cloudburst. It was similar to how the blue dragon attacked the city and everyone presumed that was the cause, but their assumptions drowned upon discovering it was not the Stormterror causing harm to all but Barbatos the Anemo Archon.

           Aether wondered if Jean was aware that it was Venti who was causing all of this. And if she did, did he see him as Venti the Bard or Barbatos the Anemo Archon during his rampage?

           Everyone cowered in fear witnessing the strong aura of an enraged unknown being. From the center of the plaza stood a young man clad in green carrying a damsel in his arms.

           A pair of large angelic wings sprouted from his back, fluttering as feathers fell off and lifted him off the ground. Had he been the angel destined to calm the tempest storm of Mondstadt, everyone would have cheered. But that was far from Celestial.

           His figure loomed. The moon’s radiant glow cast his youthful features yet all was daubed with nothing but fury. No one can approach or stop him. Not even the Knights of Favonius.

           Not even Aether.

           If one dares to approach him, they’d be thrown away like a measly rag doll. Aether could clearly see how his once bright eyes had turned dark and sinister. All that anger was pointed at him, warning him: “If you take a single step and take her from me, I will slaughter you.”

           The crowds cowered, parents holding their children close and shielding them from the sharp gales, while others bowed, kneeling even, to honor and welcome the overwhelming presence of the Anemo Archon.

           Aether, with his restricted strength and movement, turned and saw Jean from the distance. Her face was pale, her hands shaking and clutching tightly on her sword grip. He had never seen her so scared before. No, scared was not the right word.

           She had mixed feelings of confusion, fear, and uneasiness.

           But even as the Acting Grand Master, she’s ready to charge if the archon were to burst into another outrage.

           But how ironic was it that she'd attack the nation’s god who protected them for thousands of years?

           Everyone was scared, some were shocked. Not a single soul has the courage to speak.

             “O winds that sweep o'er Mondstadt's land, hear my words, my fervent command. In the realm where skies and earth collide, a love blooms fierce, none can deride.” The archon’s voice was soft yet thundering, his words echoed and reached the city’s ears.

           “This woman in my embrace, through day and night, she's my true lover, my cherished wife. A bond unbreakable, forged for life. So heed this warning: all who dare to cross the threshold of our lair, for should you trespass, face my might. Anemo's wrath shall take its flight.

           No mercy shown. No quarter given. By my hand, your fate be driven. For love is fierce, and love is strong. And for her, I shall right all wrongs. Let these words echo through the skies, a proclamation, a love that ties. Respect our realm, and you'll be free. But disturb our love, face destiny."

           With these proclamations, Venti's voice rang clear.

           A declaration of love and fear. His power as an archon was blinded with love and obsession.

           A warning to all who dared to defy.

           Pray and obey. That’s the only rule if they wish to be alive.

           And with those words, he vanished into the dark night sky, with only a few feathers left behind. The rain continued, pittering and pattering on the muddy floor. All sounds were muffled except Paimon’s cries which were crystal clear. Afraid and petrified by what happened, he mustered the strength to hush her cries. The only protection and safety he can offer from the god’s wrath.

  —

             “Is there a doctor here? Someone please help my brother!”

           “There were so many casualties… Is this still a safe place for us to live?”

           "I heard the Anemo Archon's wrath spared no one. The Knights of Favonius are overwhelmed, and there's chaos everywhere."

           “Even the Church can’t help us…”

           "I never thought I'd see the day when the Archon's protection turned into a storm of destruction.”

           In the hallowed halls of the Knights of Favonius' headquarters, poignant cries of pain and resilience played out. The air was thick with the scent of antiseptic and hushed murmurs, as the knights moved with purpose, tending to the myriad wounds inflicted by the recent upheaval. In makeshift infirmaries, the wounded lay on cots, their faces etched with the agony of recent events.

           Amidst the sea of suffering, the children and families sought refuge within the sturdy walls of the headquarters, clinging to one another for solace.

           The knights worked tirelessly to mend both the physical and emotional wounds inflicted by the recent chaos.

           “How are you doing, Aether?” Jean asked while washing the dressings that needed to be disinfected.

           “I’m doing well, but it still hurts like a brick…” he offered a wry smile to her while his fingers caressed his bandaged neck.

           “Please don’t push yourself. Rest as much as you can in here, however, the city is not in the best of state and our supplies may not be enough for everyone…” Jean heaved a sigh, putting aside the disinfected dressings.  “It seems our headquarters won’t be able to accommodate any more patients. The Knights of Favonius and I are trying our best to find a secured shelter.”

           “That bad, huh?” Aether frowned and leaned in, his torso bending forward, while his arms relaxed on his knees.

           Jean nodded slowly, staring out at the grim surroundings.

           "If we're lucky, perhaps when everything calms down, we'll rebuild the city..." she closed her eyes tightly, willing her thoughts away from despair.

           “I’ve already sent the emergency message to Grand Master Varka,” a familiar voice popped into the room. They both turned to see Kaeya emerging from the door holding two cloth bags. “He has decided to send three teams to bring more rations and resources on their way back. He will also come with them on their journey back to Mondstadt.”

           “Thank you, Kaeya.” The Acting Grand Master nodded appreciatively, taking the bag that had been placed on the bed next to Aether’s. He sat down, handing a portion of rations to the boy.

           As dawn painted the sky in hues of hope, the headquarters stood as nothing but a shelter. Mondstadt was in a complete disaster. Multiple houses were destroyed, the plaza was a mess, and even the villagers living outside the city were affected tremendously.

           The blonde traveler’s eyes flashed to the small figure lying on the bed. Recalling the previous night seriously made his head ache. Aether opted to take a good night’s rest.

  —

             A week has passed and the day is still the same. Rubbles and debris are still within everyone’s sight and it’s far from finished cleaning all the mess. All of the Knights were doing labor— not only that, but they also temporarily banned travelers from stepping within Mondstadt’s borders until further notice.

           It’s too dangerous for non-citizens to visit when the catastrophe is still imminent. As much as Aether wants to help, Paimon and Barbara would scold him for his recklessness, urging him to prioritize his own safety over assisting others in such perilous circumstances.

           He grouchily grumbled to himself, letting his mind drift somewhere else and possibly hoping an idea would flick the switch for him to do something. Laying on the bed will do no good, and he’s getting tired of nestling on the bed all day.

           Although he could always fall asleep if he just stayed put and waited for his eyelids to droop. But he knew deep down inside, that waiting for this catastrophe to be over wasn’t the best way to go about things either.

           Letting his mind meander in his headspace, he recalled Jean informing him of an update from the Grand Master. She was told their estimated time of arrival would be a week from now. They have contacted merchants from neighboring nations who will bring more rations to them so the knights can use them to sustain themselves while they wait. Some gave anonymous donations, gifting medicines, herbs, and bandages to aid in recovery efforts.

           Since a week had already passed, he was certain more rations should arrive by tomorrow or maybe even today. At least there won’t be any hunger pangs for these people anymore. To witness the Grand Master still aiding the nation despite his lack of presence caught Aether’s interest. If he’s able to live up to those standards, then there’s no doubt he’ll do great things once he comes back. A flash of hope filled his heart, giving him a feeling of motivation. Hopefully, the news about the arrival of the Grand Master will lighten up everyone’s mood.

           As much as he wants to join in helping the knights, he can’t neglect what is important to him as well. He knows Barbara nor Paimon wouldn’t approve of his idea. But if no one sees him, then there wouldn't be a problem.

           It’s almost night time and everyone’s too preoccupied with healing the wounded.

           Aether stirred from his bed, the call of restlessness drawing him. With quiet determination, he quietly left his room, ensuring his steps wouldn’t make a noise. Once he got through the front door, he made his way through the sleeping city streets, guided only by the dim glow of moonlight filtering through the clouds. His destination: the bell tower of the church.

           His silhouette moved against the backdrop of the moonlit sky. With practiced ease, he scaled the rough walls of the church, his fingers finding purchase in the worn stone as he ascended higher and higher.

           The chill of the night air brushed his skin as he continued climbing, each foothold bringing him closer to his destination. At last, he reached the towering bell tower, its shadow stretching out like a dark sentinel against the starry heavens. With a final push, he pulled himself up onto the narrow ledge, his breath coming in quick, ragged gasps.

           Leaning against the pillar to take a breather, he wiped the sweat rolling down his forehead and turned around to admire the night sky. Though the past few days were packed with dread and anguish, the luminous light of the crescent moon almost had him forget his purpose for climbing all the way here to the top.

           From his vantage point high above the city streets, he could see the familiar tower in the distance, its ominous presence casting a long shadow over the land. Aether’s golden eyes narrowed, searching for any signs of the god and his “lover” he claimed. The distance between them stretched out so far that his hope for spotting you from where he was was futile, just as he suspected.

           Forcing away the uneasy feeling in his stomach, he turned his attention to the watch tower from the Knights’ headquarters. A silhouette moving caught his attention and Aether decided to return to his room lest he’d be caught by the knights lurking in the bell tower in the middle of the night.

  —

             Two weeks after the catastrophe, there was a small progress within the city. Several are still wounded yet they’re gradually recovering. The Knights utilized the Church for civilians who lost their homes and few kindhearted volunteers assisted the Knights and members of the Church to feed the displaced families.

           Aether’s neck had already recovered, the mark was gone but the sensation of his perpetrator’s fingers still haunted him till this day. Caressing his neck brings bitterness within him he wasn’t able to save you from the god.

           What if Venti, in a fit of rage or madness, had done something irreversible, something that could have harmed you irreparably? The mere thought sent a shiver down Aether's spine, and he vehemently shook his head, trying to dispel the dark imaginings that threatened to overwhelm him.

           "No," he muttered to himself, his voice barely above a whisper. "Venti wouldn't do that. He couldn’t."

           But deep down, beneath the layers of denial and hope, Aether harbored a nagging doubt. Even if Venti wouldn't physically harm you, the emotional toll of his actions could be just as devastating. And that was a truth Aether couldn't bear to face.

           With a sigh, he stood up from his bed and began pacing around the room. He spotted some villagers going in and out of the city gate behind the thickly curtained windows. What struck his attention were the carriages loaded with debris, and people carrying some vegetables and fruits. Perhaps to make soup for those who are still recovering.

           Somehow it stirred his heart a little to see the citizens still helping each other even after being scarred by disaster. Maybe they know it will bring more danger to move away from their homes right now, but they’re hoping for a miracle where everything will return to normal.

           The majority of the food supplies were already eaten during the crisis and a lot of residents are starving. Yet there are still people who have gone through so much more difficult hardships than what he has to go through.

           Staying inside will do no good. Aether strode to the door and opened it with determination, but the purpose of venturing crumbled to dust when a deaconess’s familiar blue optics glared at him.

           “Where do you think you’re going?”

           Aether swallowed the lump sitting in his throat, a cold sweat threatening to unveil, as he evaded her skeptical glare. “Just going outside to take a breather,” he answered immediately.

           Barbara’s frown wouldn’t expunge and he stood firmly in his place. When she took one big step, he panicked and backed off a little. If she continues walking forward, then there’s no turning back.

           Thankfully, she stopped before him. She looked annoyed and then glanced at Paimon standing beside the door, munching on a piece of bread. Was she with Barbara all this time?

           “He’s been stuck inside for a week. As long as he doesn’t do anything reckless, Paimon’s sure it’ll be fine.”

           Barbara heaved a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose at Paimon’s nonchalant and indifferent behavior. Deciding to give in, she allowed Aether only on the condition he’d be back before it set.

           She sure has gone stern with him but the kindness within her still remains pure. It didn’t take long for Aether to prepare. He only needed his sword and his flying companion. Barbara told him to bring some medicines in case he got wounded, but she hoped he’d return unscathed.

           As Aether stood at the city gate, Paimon floated next to him, her eyes scanning the lush greenery beyond. The landscape seemed unchanged, yet subtle alterations were evident – barricades now dotted certain sections of the road, blocking any passage beyond the city limits.

           The crops at Springvale Village lay sparse and withered, stark evidence of the devastation wrought by recent events. Despite the desolation, however, the villagers toiled tirelessly, their hands calloused and backs bent as they labored to revive the once-lush fields and replenish dwindling supplies. With each passing day, small signs of progress emerged amid the barren earth, a small glimpse of hope amidst the ruins.

           Aether’s feet controlled his body, aimlessly wandering the prairie of the nation of the wind. Paimon was silent, quite unusual of her, but he didn’t ask her. She was lost in thought and so was he, but his mind drifted to the abducted maiden.

           Paimon followed him along, sometimes leaving a few comments here and there not to go to the forest lest they’d be attacked by hilichurls.

           He hadn’t realized they stopped at Stormterror’s lair. Before him was the ever-so-familiar wind barrier. It still kept him from entering further, a warning that the Anemo Archon and his dragon inhabited the empty land.

           His body took over before his mind could stop him. He rushed and slammed his hand against the barrier, screaming at an empty space. “Venti, please! You don’t have to do all of these!! I know you’re a good person but if you lock [Name] there, it’s no longer freedom!”

             No response. That couldn’t mean anything good. He pounded his fist again, the barrier rippling from the pressure, yet he felt nothing in return. Oddly, he heard something behind the barrier… But what?

           Over and over, the traveler kept on banging, crying out for Venti to release you. Paimon watched in silence, her eyes darting to him and the tower as she feared what would happen next. The pain and the stress his actions brought into the fairy's mind might make her stop him at this instant, another unintended consequence that could lead them down a different path.

           She closed her eyes, blocking out the reverberation of Aether's yells. He needed to be calm, she knew. All of this chaos and emotion were only building up more anger in Venti and she wouldn't want that.

           They were starting to disturb the wind spirits who lived nearby. Eventually, the cry ceased after a long while and the emptiness returned. His palm burned red where it touched the barrier; only moments later did he realize how close he came to harming someone.

           If only he wasn't damaged greatly, he'd still have time to save you. No, even if he was wounded, he should have been able to bring you back. How had things turned out like this? He wasn't prepared for anything of this sort. This... is not what you deserve.

           "Aether… we should just go. Venti won’t even spare us a glance." Paimon pleaded.

           "We can’t just leave [Name] there! What if something happens to her?" He shouted in return, glancing back at the pillar. It almost seemed as though she was holding her breath now, but she finally exhaled, turning to face him once more. "Stepping in again will make it even worse! Paimon will be devastated if Paimon loses you!" Her voice cracked, quivering and wavering betraying the fear and concern she struggled to contain.

           She sniffled, averting her gaze as she wiped the tears off her cheeks with her arm. They know Venti has his own reasons for keeping you in there with him, but is that really the right way to treat you? More so, he abandoned his people after the mess he made.

           Nothing will change if he stays in the tower and keeps you locked there with him.

           Aether's hands slipped, knocking his forehead on the barrier’s surface. It was too much for him, trying to figure out what to do when he should be doing his best to stay alive himself.

           There's nothing Venti will gain from it if they did so; perhaps nothing except for their— or worse, your— demise.

           “Pardon me, but are you here to offer your prayers to the Anemo Archon as well?” A voice joined in, halting his silent mourns.

           An old man who appeared out of nowhere drew near, seemingly unconcerned about their whereabouts. But they did not expect to see behind that man a flock of people holding bouquets of flowers, wines, and baskets of bread. Despite how dangerous the area is, they radiated in contrast to the gloomy atmosphere surrounding them.

           "What the...?" Paimon muttered as one of the old men set down his offerings near the barriers. He made eye contact with Paimon and she offered him a wry smile, watching everyone follow along the man's gesture to place down their gifts on the other side of the wall on what seemed to be like a shrine. Was that there all along?

           A robed priest walked towards the shrine, chanting and making prayer gestures. It was clearly evident from their actions that these were believers, using the lair as a sacred place of worship that those who visited hoped to receive some form of blessing.

           Aether had multiple questions he wanted to ask the old man, but for now, he kept quiet while everyone prayed and whispered their wishes.

           It was strange watching the group of believers praying in front of the gates, with little awareness that the person Paimon and Aether were talking about was on the other side, practically begging for the god these believers were praying for to free the girl he took.

           It seemed as though the old man sensed their watchful and peering gaze. "Please do not anger the Anemo Archon... for he may be merciful to some but harsh to others..." he said.

           "Harsh to others?" Paimon spoke aloud. The man stared back at her for a moment before answering, "Lord Barbatos is a benevolent archon, but witnessing his wrath during the Ludi Harpastum left many an unfortunate soul destroyed and exiled forever from his land."

           It sounded familiar, a promise, that would let people make offerings in exchange for good luck. The air was tense between them and Aether was at a loss for words.

           “We only wish for peace and harmony. People deserve to live their lives freely with no worries of imminent danger or threat.” The elder answered, tightly holding the cross hanging on his neck to seek guidance. “But if we worship and follow the Lord’s will, he might become merciful. It’s the only way for everyone to be saved.”

           “Will?” Paimon echoed.

           “Lord Barbatos added a will that will significantly change the scripture and history of Mondstadt,” the robed priest added. He stood up and brushed away the wrinkles of his clothes and took out a thick book from his robe. “We found this book on the altar while sheltering everyone. The Church has yet to read the full scripture but we can discern it’s about his spouse.”

           “The night after the festival was already a warning to us,” the old man’s voice trembled. “We dare not to anger him. So please, Honorary Knight, do not accumulate Lord Barbatos’s wrath.”

           Numerous times he encountered you, it always didn’t end well and the archon is always there to step in.

           He frowned and bit his lips. His fingers dug through his skin. It made him uncomfortable that the church never dared to question the sudden addition of sacred scripture and the will of the Anemo Archon.

           Perhaps because he is the archon, they obeyed his orders.

           Sighing heavily, he turned back to the barrier and placed his hand upon it.

           Under his breath, he whispered his prayers for your safety. The wind may have brought it to Venti, but the wind may have not. And regardless if it angered the archon, he’d still find a way to get you out of there.

taglist: @trust-the-oxygen @so-uncute

sorry for the very long wait for an update >.> this chapter and the next one have been sitting on my drafts for months and I didn't have the time to edit and fix it. but I finally have done it!

the next chapter was supposed to be the chapter 19, however after I reread the story, there was a big plot hole and it'd be very confusing how it got there so I had to add this chapter to fix the plot hole lol

also!! i did major edits on the previous chapters regarding Decarabian. i changed his title from “previous Anemo Archon” to “God of Storms” since he wasn't technically an anemo archon back then

[lunas-world-machine]

Something I find terrifying about big run is that, while splatsville is mostly silent, save for helicopter and some ambiance, Inkopolis plaza has sound effects for many of the salmonids attacking inkopolis, and something scary is that you can hear teams going down, as well as the boss salmonid alarms going off. Hell, you can even hear Cohozuna and Horrorboros roars sounding off too. I guess that gives people the horror aspect of big run

@/ancientcowlsandbutts gave me a new link for the audio of the plaza during a big run someone uploaded to youtube, here's the link: https://youtu.be/Gsx_Tht8H8s

And here are some links I found incase that one goes down: this one by i need about 50 quid, and this one by yume's studio (this one does has talking though, and it switches to splatsville halfway through)

Edit: Elaborating on the teams going down part, you can hear the one player left alarm before it stops, implying that either the team went down, or the last person left revived someone

[freesia-writes]

Ch 11: Farmer's Market

~ Master List ~ Previous Chapter ~ WC: 3.1k

.

The Town Square Farmer’s Market was a glorious cacophony of colors, sights, and sounds, and nearly everyone on the island crammed into the large cobblestoned area to peruse the various wares for sale, to snack from a plethora of food vendors, and to socialize in groups both large and small. There were breads and baskets, fruits and flowers, and vegetables of all kinds. Local artisans displayed their creations, and various opportunities and upcoming events were advertised at informational tables. 

One of these tables was occupied by Echo, who had commandeered Hunter and Crosshair to promote a new class that would soon be offered at his Defense Training Academy. While the school as a whole was a rigorous and in-depth program with the goal of preparing a makeshift military to ensure the island’s safety in case of invasion or attack, he’d received repeated requests for smaller-scale civilian opportunities. After a bit of brainstorming and discussion, the brothers had agreed to offer some one-day workshops for personal self-defense. There was very little crime on the island, mostly consisting of young scallywags trying to exert premature independence by stealing or vandalizing, but Echo firmly believed that there was no such thing as too much precaution, and he wasn’t alone in the sentiment.

It was an uncharacteristically warm day, providing a nice reprieve from the chilly weather of late. Cheerful music drifted across the plaza as people milled about, occasionally stopping at the DTA table to ask questions or enroll. When a sufficient crowd had gathered nearby, Echo announced that a quick demonstration was about to take place, catching the attention of other passersby. He explained the benefits of knowing how to protect yourself against a variety of attacks, then gestured to Hunter and Crosshair for the first scenario.

“I hope this makes you happy,” Hunter muttered, playing the part of the assailant. He was better at hand-to-hand by nature and by engineering, and they both knew it. So it took a particularly bitter amount of humility to intentionally allow himself to be bested by the sniper, although the tables would be turned in the next example.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be gentle,” Crosshair hissed beneath his breath, blocking a sudden swing and twisting Hunter around with an awkwardly bent elbow, pulling him against his front and pausing while Echo narrated. They stayed that way for a moment before breaking apart, preparing for the next encounter. This time it was Hunter who would be defending, and he caught a somewhat malicious glint in Crosshair’s eye as they squared up to each other. 

Echo described the setting and approach, then the brothers moved into action. But what was supposed to be a simple surprise attack from behind turned into a swipe of the legs, dropping Hunter on his butt with a less-than-graceful thump. Crosshair was on him in a flash, but he was ready, twisting in a catlike motion to launch his brother backward with a well-placed foot. Springing to his feet, they were on each other immediately, swapping blows and blocks with lightning-fast precision. Perhaps it had been a rough week, or there had been some built-up angst in the silver-haired soldier, but Hunter could sense his frustration rising. 

A flashback came unbidden, transporting Hunter to the training facility on Kamino, where he had tried to convince Crosshair to leave the Empire and rejoin them, but their chat had been interrupted by the sudden activation of wave upon wave of droids. They’d grappled then as they did now, with Crosshair’s attacks being messy and scattered whereas Hunter’s were tight and precise. A particularly wide swing gave Hunter an opening, and he charged, wrapping both arms around Crosshair’s waist and bringing them both to the ground, where he pinned him quickly.

“What is wrong with you?” Hunter panted, tufts of hair falling in his face as he looked down at the narrowed eyes of the sniper. But a wry grin curved across Crosshair’s thin face in response, and he jerked his chin toward the crowd. Following his gaze, Hunter noticed that they had attracted quite an audience, all of whom were staring at them in hushed amazement with wide eyes and open mouths. 

“Thought we’d give them a real show,” Crosshair muttered, pushing Hunter off as he released him. Echo was glaring daggers at the two, having been left out of this particular plan, but his indignation was short-lived as his table was immediately flooded with awestruck onlookers clamoring to learn how to do that. Hunter rose to his feet, brushing off his shirt and extending a hand to Crosshair, who took it with a satisfied grin, then rested a gentle hand on Hunter’s shoulder. “Good job.” 

“You could have told me,” Hunter huffed.

“What’s the fun in that?” came the provoking reply.

“Hot dang, that was awesome!” a bright voice rang out, distracting the two from their lighthearted stare-down. Luciana had pushed her way through the crowd, clapping her hands together as she beamed at each of them in turn. “Where did you pick up all that?” 

“It’s all from Echo’s magnificent teaching,” Crosshair said with affectionate sarcasm. 

“Man. I’ve gotta get me some of that!” Luciana giggled. “Those were the fastest moves I’ve ever seen.” Her congenial pat on Crosshair’s shoulder slowly shifted into a slow stroke down his spine that momentarily threw him off his game with a confusing mixture of aversion and flattery. He sniffed disdainfully, repositioning his shoulders before leaving to join Echo at the table without another word. Unaffected, Luci turned to Hunter, rosy cheeks framing her winning smile as she continued, “Want to try me?” 

“What?” Hunter hadn’t the slightest idea what she was asking. Surely it wasn’t an invitation to fake an attack on her, after what she’d seen? Perhaps this was more of her flirting? She reached up to carefully remove her colorfully beaded earrings, one at a time, and tucked them into her sling purse before tossing it off to the side. Pulling a stupefied Hunter onto a grassy knoll, she tightened the bandana that was tied around her messy red curls atop her head before squaring up to him.

“Come on,” she said playfully, “Get me.”

“Get you…?” he echoed, still dumbfounded. She was wearing flowy white pants and a small, white crop top with lace sleeves that rested below each shoulder. A golden piercing sparkled in her belly button, accentuated by the low-rise of her pants, and she moved forward, pushing him in the chest in an impish challenge. Hunter’s mouth went dry, hands awkwardly clasping and releasing at his side.

“I can take you, Xyrgio,” Luci goaded, making a kissy face at him. “Unless you’re afraid of messing up your hair?”

“I mean… alright…?” Hunter said, calculating the swiftest way to end it with minimal risk of hurting her… or touching something he shouldn’t. He really didn’t see a point to all this, but she didn’t seem to be inclined to let him off the hook anytime soon. Better to get it over with when it seemed inevitable.

Without warning, he leapt around her side, bringing an arm up to brace it across her collarbone, his entire focus centering on avoiding certain areas and being gentle. But she wasn’t so soft, moving far too quickly as she steadied herself with a foot behind, grabbing Hunter’s forearm with both hands and throwing her torso forward, using a calculated pivot point to catapult him over her shoulders. He landed on his back in front of her, too shocked to be insulted as the wind whooshed out of his lungs, and he stared up at her with an open mouth as she stood over him, upside down in his slightly blurred vision. 

“Told ya so!” she chirped happily, giving Crosshair a wiggly-fingered wave as he clapped loudly from the table behind them. “Sorry, was that too much?” she asked, reaching down to grab both Hunter’s hands and attempting to pull him up to his feet. It took him a second to be anything more than dead weight, but he eventually stood up, regaining his composure with a slightly flustered grin. 

“Looks like you know a thing or two,” he muttered, rubbing the small of his back. She adjusted her top, scooping her breasts up to restore the perfectly-curved cleavage, and neatly tugged her sleeves to lay gently across each bicep. 

“When you’ve been as many places as I have, you’ve got to have a few tricks up your sleeve. Especially in my lines of work,” Luci said, giving him a suggestive wink before moving to cup his cheek. “But don’t worry, I won’t beat you up anytime soon.”

Hunter chuckled absently, still not sure what to do. Fortunately, he was spared from any further humiliation by a sudden hug from Luciana, a pat on the chest, and a chipper goodbye as she darted off to buy fruit, or meet a friend, or whatever she’d said as she disappeared. Not a second had passed before Crosshair appeared with the biggest smug grin Hunter had ever seen, and that was saying a lot. 

“Maybe she should be teaching the class…” he remarked, dodging the elbow Hunter threw at him. 

“What was I supposed to do with that?” a flustered Hunter asked, more genuine than rhetorical. Crosshair shrugged in response, pulling a toothpick from his pocket and lazily tucking it into the corner of his mouth.

“I would have kicked her ass.”

* * * 

Early afternoon found the team packing up, the Market dwindling as everyone’s commerce and conversations finished. Hunter and Echo remained, putting the last of the table supplies into a cart drawn by one of the island fathiers, which were used frequently by the locals for everything from farm labor to recreational riding. The two clones paused by the cart, Echo giving Hunter an unreadable look.

“What?”

“You and Cross alright? That seemed a little heated.”

“I never know,” Hunter sighed. “He’s been a little edgy since he started at the observatory. He said it was just to impress the crowd.”

“Well, it worked…” Echo noted with a dry chuckle. 

“Meh. He’s always got something up his–”

“Hello!” Echo interrupted, nodding behind Hunter to Lyra, who had approached from the last stall of the market. A large canvas bag slung over her shoulder was full of flowers and fruits, providing a pop of color against the loose sage green jumpsuit she wore beneath a long beige cardigan. 

“Hi,” Lyra said sheepishly, offering a small wave to both. “I was told I had to come see the fighting.”

“Oh really,” Hunter said, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. “And who told you that?”

“I don’t even know,” she chuckled, “But it sounded like the showdown of the century.”

“It felt like the cheap shot of the century,” Hunter grumbled, hand returning to his back where his spine had hit a particularly hard patch of dirt. 

“Aww, I’m sorry,” she said sincerely, “You hurt?”

“No.” His answer was almost too fast, and Echo bit back a smirk at the thinly-veiled indignation.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I can barely walk after yesterday,” Lyra offered, patting her own backside. She was of course referring to the tumble she’d taken down the beach cliff, landing squarely on her tailbone on the rocky shore beneath, but Echo knew nothing about that, a loud guffaw bursting out of him.

“Oh really?” he said, turning toward Hunter with an overly-dramatic tilt of the head. If looks could kill, he would have been dissolved on the spot, but he was free to waggle his eyebrows and nod enthusiastically. “Sounds like you two have been having some fun!”

Lyra may have been a little awkward, but she was no spring chicken, and she clapped a hand over her mouth, face turning bright red. It was endearing enough to distract Hunter from the eighteen different ways he was considering how to skewer Echo alive, and he shook his head to clear the thoughts as she spluttered.

“Oh gosh, no, not like that, I just meant…” she paused for an incredibly nervous laugh, “I fell when we were hiking, and landed on my butt, and… Geez. Well, nice to meet you.” She finished by burying her entire face in her hands for a moment before lifting it to look at Echo. 

“At ease, soldier,” Echo teased, ignoring Hunter’s suddenly sharp look. But Echo had an excuse for the potentially-identifying language that the others didn’t, with the Training Academy and what he’d shared about his own history of being in the private military of some abstract, remote planet. It was Hunter who remained paranoid in comparison, still carrying his lifelong vigilance to protect his family in any situation. Echo offered her his hand, which she shook as weakly as she smiled, “The name’s Echo. And you must be Lyra.”

“Yes. Echo. Hi,” she offered. “Hunter and I are just friends,” she blurted out, causing Echo to do his best to stifle another laugh. The phrase created an odd sensation for Hunter, but he pushed the thoughts away.

“Yes. I’ve heard,” Echo nodded. “It’s good. Hunter could use some friends.” The aforementioned (ex) Sergeant took advantage of Lyra’s distraction as she shifted her canvas bag from one shoulder to the other to swiftly stick an elbow in Echo’s ribs, dropping his arm back to his side as Lyra straightened and nodded to both of them.

“Well I’ll add this to my list of wildly successful introductions,” she said with a self-effacing sarcasm that brought a little grin to Echo’s face. “And I’ll see you both soon, perhaps?” 

“At the first self-defense class, right?” Echo said in earnest. “It could be quite useful, you know. Especially hanging out with these types.” He jerked his head in Hunter’s direction. “Although he did get thrown by a girl earlier so maybe it would be unnecessary…”

“Ooohhhh-kay. Thanks Echo. Lyra, you’ve met him. Echo, this is Lyra. Both of you, nice to meet each other… All that... Time to go,” Hunter burst out, having had as much as he could take of Echo’s merciless ribbing. The mischievous brother and Lyra shared a smile and wave as Hunter gently took her by the elbow, steering her back toward The Market, which was almost entirely cleared by that point. “Sorry. He’s an idiot,” he muttered, letting go of her arm quickly as though just realizing he was touching it. 

“It’s alright,” she chuckled, “I kinda set him up for that.”

“Yeah,” Hunter agreed, giving her a warm glance before returning his eyes to the path ahead. “He doesn’t need much ammunition to take it and run.”

“He sounds like fun,” she said sincerely. Then, more quietly, “It seems nice to be surrounded by family.” There was a wistfulness to her tone, and a heaviness settled on her shoulders that Hunter wanted to ask about. But her body language was clearly closed, so he didn’t press.

“Most of the time,” he quipped.

They shared a smile, then continued walking toward the business district called The Cobbles, weaving their way through the tall structures of town on the wide paths that zig-zagged down the side of the hill. It was somewhat steep at times, but the locals had built everything cleverly into the side of the land, taking advantage of the gentler slopes and trees to nestle each home and apartment building along the trails. The Town Square wasn’t much higher than The Cobbles, since both made up the relative center of the village, and they were passing the central garden in about fifteen minutes. It was a small, stone-walled community area full of flowers, vegetables, herbs, and a few trees, with a large fountain in the middle that contributed a soothing sound. 

Lyra paused at the gate, wrapping both hands around the strap of her bag. Hunter followed suit, glancing at her in curiosity as he’d assumed she’d either join him to his butcher shop or continue past The Cobbles to her cottage. 

“I bought some flower bulbs today, mostly for my garden, but I thought a few would be a nice addition here,” she explained. 

“Got it,” Hunter nodded, absently running a hand over his dark, tousled hair. He’d left his bandana behind him for the most part, except on occasion, and with Omega’s insistence had sometimes opted for a man bun atop his head, with scattered pieces still falling around his neck and shoulders. “Uhh, you going to the lunar festival?”

“Yeah, for a little while at least. It’s… quite the party…” she said, clearly conveying her distaste. It wasn’t judgmental or dismissive, just an acknowledgment of something they both shared – an aversion to excessively loud, raucous situations with large crowds and lots going on. “You?”

“We’ll all be there.”

“Okay, well if I see you, there’s one particular food stand with goodies from Plata that you absolutely have to try. If you want.”

“Deal.”

She rummaged in her bag, seeking the bulbs she’d mentioned, and it seemed as though neither of them could bring themselves to walk away. Hunter shifted his weight, tucking a hand into his pocket, and then finally took a deep breath, giving her one last smile and nod, and turned toward his shop.

“Oh, Hunter?” she said softly. The way she made his name sound surprised him through and through, sending a wave of warmth and tingles through him with its smoothness and the slight grit in her voice. He swung around to face her again with an inquisitive look.

“Yeah?”

“You got thrown by a girl?” She said it so simply and innocently that he couldn’t help but laugh, rubbing the back of his neck before lifting his eyes to the sky.

“Yeah. The bartender from the tiki bar on the beach… uh… She wanted me to try to attack her, or something… Because Echo was advertising his classes and Crosshair and I were displaying some techniques.. And I… Well, she… She was insisting, and I didn’t…” His increasingly flustered attempt to explain was as frustrating to him as it was adorable to her. “I was trying to be gentle and careful and… well, she wasn’t.”

“I’m sorry,” Lyra said, lips pressed together somewhere between a smile and a smirk. 

“I should have known better,” he admitted dryly. 

“Bah,” she shook her head, her usual warm self. “Women can be treacherous.” With a grin and wave, they went their separate ways.

.

Previous Chapter ~ Master List ~ Next Chapter

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[yahoo201027]

Day in Fandom History: September 8…

Lord Boxman's main investor, Cosma, threatens to cut ties with him if he continues to attack the plaza, Boxman decides to not do that for a full day and must not fall into temptations. “Stop Attacking the Plaza” premiered on this day, 6 Years Ago.

[skyward-floored]

This is the longest one yet, buckle up (comes before the one where Volga confronts Cia)

———

Skyloft is beautiful.

...Or, at least, Link thinks it would be, if there weren’t currently a battle sweeping across its placid fields.

He wipes some dirt off his cheek as he slices past another monster, the warm sunshine and springlike weather in sharp opposition to the blood and screams surrounding him. A flower gets crushed under a moblin’s foot as Link goes to attack it, and he distantly wishes he could have come here before all of this destruction and death swept through.

The Skyloftians aren’t letting their islands being overtaken without a fight though, and they fight just as fiercely as the men Link brought with him.

One cuts down a bokoblin that was trying to sneak up on him, and Link nods his thanks before spinning around and slashing at another. He can’t help feeling the pressure of leading his men here without any higher officers above him and an unfamiliar force as their allies, but they’re making it work, and the battle is close to being won.

But if they’re going to win, they need to defeat the commander of the enemy forces.

A sudden roar rings out from somewhere outside the keep they’re fighting to take, and Link’s heart wrenches into his throat, the sound horribly familiar. He leaves the keep in the other soldiers’ capable hands and runs outside, making his way along charred grass and scorched earth.

Fire shoots into the air nearby, and Link freezes as he reaches a plaza, locking eyes with Volga when he turns his way.

He’s only seen the dragon knight once since Cia spilled the secret of his parentage, but only from a distance. He hasn’t fought him at all since that first day, merely watched Impa fight him from a distance, busy with his own mission and battles, but that was it.

This is the closest he’s gotten to Volga since he learned who he is.

Link hesitates as he looks at the dragon knight, his throat growing strangely tight, but Volga has no similar reservations, charging forward with his spear raised.

The first thrust nearly takes off his head, but Link dodges, and the two of them whirl around each other, Link avoiding flames and jabs from the spear while Volga dodges his sword. Link falls quickly into the familiar rhythm of battle, ignoring the thoughts crashing through his head and the endless echoes of both Cia and Impa’s words.

He has a job to do, and he won’t let the fact that something in his chest feels like it’s going to either shatter or explode stop him from doing it.

He refuses to think about who Volga is to him right now.

Volga swings his spear and Link blocks it with his sword, grunting as their weapons lock. Link is by no means weak, but Volga is incredibly strong, probably due to being a literal dragon, and Link finds himself being pushed backwards, scrambling for purchase.

His foot slips just the smallest bit as he tries to make a move, and Volga sees the opportunity and leaps on it.

He roars as fire explodes around them, and Link cries out as he‘s thrown backwards from the force of the flames, heat and light and pain whirling around him.

Proxi yelps in alarm, and Link’s skin aches, the fire searing through his gloves and no doubt forming burns on his hands. Volga’s flame is so intense that even Link’s practically fireproof skin can’t stand up to it, and he’s almost afraid to look at the impact it left. Link dizzily raises his head, and feels an almost tingly feeling run up his hands where he’d lifted them to try and shield himself.

He hazards a glance down at them, and stares, eyes going wide at the orangey-red scales shimmering over his fingers like the lava in the Eldin caves.

Every other thought in his head is immediately silenced.

“What..?” Link whispers, lifting a shaking hand closer to his face, spreading his aching fingers.

Upon closer inspection, it doesn’t look like his hands have actually grown scales, merely gained a faint impression of them, shimmering and glowing in the sunlight. His skin is doubtlessly burnt underneath, but he can barely tell through the almost jewel-like luster that’s fallen over it.

Link doesn’t have time to examine his hands further though, as something else slams into him, throwing him backwards and sending him crashing into a wall.

More fire accompanies it, and Link coughs as pain sears up his middle, the edges of his tunic singed. He clutches a hand around himself, ignoring the pain from the burns and the strange appearance of his hands, and curses his distracted state as he feels around for his sword.

Weird hands can come later, Link!

Footsteps approach, and Link scrambles to get to his feet, biting back a cry when he ends up sliding back to the ground. He looks up and sees Volga staring at him, his spear raised as if to run him through.

But he doesn’t attack, merely stands in front of Link, smoke trailing from his form.

Link blinks, then realizes Volga is also staring at his hands, the faint shimmer of scales fading, but still visible. His stomach suddenly heaves with nerves, and Link swallows, Cia’s words flashing through his head again.

Apparently there’s a bit more to being half dragon then he thought.

“What are you?”

Link looks back at Volga at the words, the dragon knight still staring at his hands. His brows are drawn with an emotion Link can’t puzzle out as the scales finally fade, nothing but reddish skin left in their wake, and Link drags in a shaking breath.

“Your hands should be nothing but charcoal right now,” Volga continues as Link tries to sit up, gritting his teeth when his middle flares with pain again. “Yet your skin... what are you?”

Link bristles a little at the question, and tries to draw on the legendary courage he supposedly possesses in order to get his thoughts in order and actually speak, instead of continue to merely stare.

“I... I’m part dragon,” he says finally, unsure of how else to put it.

Volga tilts his head, still staring, face expressionless. Link is reminded of his conversation with Impa as he looks at him, where the Sheikah leader had told him of the darkness she’d observed surrounding Volga, unlike when she knew him.

Looking at his shadowed eyes, Link sees what she means.

“How is this possible?” Volga rumbles, voice impossible for Link to read.

Link swallows. He can think of several ways Volga could take what he’s about to say off the top of his head, none of them good. Proxi softly chimes from inside his hat, quietly encouraging him, and Link closes his eyes.

“You... it’s because you’re... my father,” he says thickly, still breathing heavily through the pain, his arm curled tightly around his middle. “I’m— I’m your son.”

The words feel strange as they leave his mouth.

Volga stares at him, his eyes narrowing as the silence stretches between them.

Link sits quietly as he waits for a reaction. If Volga decides to attack in any way, Link won’t be able to dodge in time, Volga too close, the pain in his middle too intense. There’s a potion in his bag, but he doesn’t have time to pull it out and drink it. His sword is out of reach on the ground behind Volga, and none of his men are in the direct area, busy taking keeps further away or blocked off by the wall he’s been slammed against. Link and the dragon are alone for the moment.

He’s entirely at Volga’s mercy.

“Who told you this?” Volga rumbles finally, his voice low and stern. “How do you know?”

“Cia,” Link gets out weakly, fighting the urge to cough. “Weeks ago.”

Volga is silent, smoke trailing from his nostrils, and Link watches him in silence, breath hitching when a tremor runs through him. The dragon knight appears deep in thought, his thumb lightly rubbing his spear, and doesn’t say anything for such a long time that Link isn’t sure what to do.

“...Impa,” Volga murmurs finally, voice distant as his spear lowers a hair.

“Yes,” Link says quietly, trying to see Volga’s eyes through the shadows that lie over them. “She... she’s my mother.”

Something in Volga’s disposition seems to shift at the words, hard lines easing, his tense posture softening, expression turning into one that seems almost wistful, in a way.

Link watches him cautiously, unsure of what’s going through Volga’s head. He’s never seen the knight act like this, still and quiet. And despite the part of his brain reminding him of their first encounter and yelling at him to fight back and get out of here, he remains where he is, watching Volga think in silence.

“A hatchling,” Volga murmurs after what feels like forever, so soft Link almost doesn’t hear him.

Then suddenly Volga whips around and leaps into the air, turning into a dragon with a burst of flames.

He flies away without so much as a backward glance, and Link watches him go, a bit stunned at the abrupt departure. He stares at Volga flying away until all he can make out is a faint impression of fiery wings, then leans back against the wall, breath still shaking in his throat.

Proxi pokes out of his cap as he finally pulls his potion from his bag, and she sits on his knee as he drinks it, watching him in silence.

“Are you okay Link?” she asks softly.

Link exhales as the potion does its work, soothing his aching hands, healing the burns and weaving through the pain in his middle. A cheer goes up from somewhere nearby, which probably means that the battle has been won, the monsters in disarray without their commander.

Link stares up at the sky, looking back at the spot where Volga disappeared.

“Link?” Proxi asks again, her tone much more worried then before.

“I’m alright,” he says quietly. “Sorry Proxi.”

“It’s okay. He sure left in a hurry,” his fairy notes, wings fluttering in the breeze. “Do... do you think he believed you?”

Link sighs, thinking back to what Volga said. His reaction had seemed so incredulous, but he hadn’t attacked him again, despite Link being cornered and unable to easily fight back. And had he merely imagined the softness in his tone when he’d spoken of Impa and a hatchling, or had Volga truly..?

Link shakes his head, brushing the thought aside.

“I don’t know if he did or not. But at least he knows now,” Link says, Proxi fluttering into the air as he raises himself upward. “And he heard it from me. Not Cia.”

He can’t help but smile just a hair at that realization. Impa had told him that she assumed Cia didn’t want Volga knowing anything about a son, but now he is fully aware of the possibility, even if he didn’t believe him.

Your move, sorceress.

Proxi settles on his shoulder, and Link sighs, realizing now just how how weary he is from the battle. He looks at his hands, now healed from any marks from Volga, then turns to retrieve his sword and prepares to head back.

The wind blows his bangs, and Link pauses for a moment, glancing back at the sky where Volga disappeared.

Then he turns away, footsteps lightly crunching across the burnt grass.

[deusvervewrites]

Sorry for this nonsequitor but i cant find the actual post to reblog the conversation , so ask it is

There was a post (which im FAIRLY sure was on your blog , atleast as a reblog) talking about 'mha suffering from shonen Adults are Useless syndrome hardcore' and bringing up that between Aizawa stopping attacks and Thirteen sucking up stray attacks, if they stayed at the top of the plaza during the usj not only would the enemies be at a tiring checkpoint needing to climb the stairs but theyd have a better vantage point (there was alot more to it to the point i Agreed but again i cant find it)

Yet Aizawa left the defendable Highground

It occurred to me that going for an evac strategy instead of defending / camping the top could be because of Kurogiri. What exactly would stop him from opening a portal at the top behind or from the side in a blind spot? Yes Erasure should BUT 1. They dont know how long it takes to make a portal or go through, him blinking very well could be enough time and 2 theres still the 'cut the portal halfway strat' they tried on All Might and Aizawa thought of it as a possibility too. Too many unknowns

There is also the whole 'blocked off from UA comunication' thing the post didnt address

I'm not sure if you're thinking of one of my posts but I definitely have posts that are about or mention those topics.

The problem here is that they should still evacuate. They have 20 untrained children against 75 Villains, and no way of gauging how dangerous any of them are. The sensors are not going off so there is no way of getting reinforcements, and no way of knowing whether the main campus is secure or also under attack.

Furthermore, they do know that Kurogiri's portals aren't instant because they watched it open to let the Villains in. Regardless, Aizawa blinks anyway when he runs in to subdue the Villains letting Kurogiri overpower Thirteen and scatter the students. While this is partially because Bakugou and Kirishima jumped in front of Thirteen's attack, you know what would've been much more likely to stop a Villain than Thirteen alone? Thirteen and Eraserhead, together. But because he ran off ahead he couldn't reapply Erasure to Kurogiri in time.

And since Thirteen can destroy pretty much anything, they could've destroyed the stairs, cutting off the enemy approach so they wouldn't even have to worry about being cornered while dealing with Kurogiri.

That's not to say that the USJ was Eraserhead's fault--he didn't make the League attack. And Thirteen, as a fully licensed Pro Hero, should have known better than to fall for the oldest trick in the book. Also, the Noumu was there, and that alone would've caused a lot of problems, regardless of strategy. But sending in a long-range support fighter to take on an entire horde while leaving the destructive close-range specialist alone to evacuate the students was suboptimal.

[theromanticscrooge]

Lord Boxman, the Lonely Tyrant of Boxmore

Note: I've been wanting to return to writing beefy character essays for awhile and I was finally able to start back up after rewatching O.K. K.O.

Lord Boxman started out wanting to build a robot army strong enough to defeat POINT. Look at his early interactions with his first sapient robot Mr. Logic. This was his original business partner; someone he 'invented' to help fill in what gaps and blind spots he might have. Someone he wanted active feedback and suggestions from. Boxman himself was a lot more open-minded, patient, and collaborative at this point in time. He immediately called Mr. Logic his 'best friend' and treated him with warm, open affection.

Mr. Logic advised Boxman that he shouldn't immediately jump at his goal because he didn't yet have the manpower or resources to pose a legitimate threat. Instead, Mr. Logic proposed using Boxman's inventing abilities to tweak and improve upon his current inventions, to sell these inventions to other villains, and build a villain supply chain store. With time, hard work, and concentrated efforts, Boxman would eventually have the resources and power to successfully launch an attack later. It was a big-picture, long-haul plan. The Mr. Logic-Boxman team led to building the main Boxmore company headquarters and establishing Boxman as a trusted robot minion supplier.

Unfortunately, Boxman isn't a big-picture man. He didn't stop to consider that heroes could also start up and maintain a hero supply chain. Suddenly, POINT wasn't an abstract, 'someday' goal-post anymore. The heroes were right in Boxman's backyard with the presence of Mr. Gar and the developing Lakewood Plaza Turbo. Boxman thought he had ample time to become an indomitable powerhouse, but if the heroes had the same advantage, he'd never be able to catch up and had to address that problem now. When Mr. Logic said to "ignore Lakewood Plaza," Boxman was too lost in himself to listen. He felt threatened and intimidated enough that it stoked his insecurities and anxieties.

When Mr. Logic ventured out to investigate Lakewood Plaza, it could be seen as someone talking to the "other" that their parent, friends, or whomever painted with broad strokes and demonized. Boxman told Mr. Logic that his role was to fill in the "logical inconsistencies" with his plans, but he never asked Mr. Logic what he wanted to do with his life. With Boxman, everything was tailored to realizing Boxman's dreams and ambitions. When Mr. Logic spoke to Mr. Gar, it was a partly about what the Plaza was for and what Mr. Gar hoped for the future with the other part inviting Mr. Logic to share his plans for the future; plans about and for himself, not just the sustainability of Boxmore.

After Mr. Logic had his perspective broadened and returned to Boxmore wanting something fundamentally different from Boxman's new "Destroy the Plaza!" direction, it was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. Boxman was already knee-deep in plans to stop this new existential threat; to have full control over his environment and his life. When Mr. Logic challenged Boxman's worldview, Boxman saw it as a challenge to him personally. Seriously considering Mr. Logic's arguments here meant that Boxman would have to self-reflect in a way he wasn't equipped to. So if Boxman had to shave down Mr. Logic's personhood to a black and white concept of "obstacle in my way" to safeguard his ego, that's what needed to be done.

GIF by zevzevarainai

The episode "Lad & Logic" is a fantastic launchpad to unpacking Boxman's screwed-up dynamic with his other children. His creator-robot minion dynamic is an allegory for an emotionally abusive parent that sees their children as extensions of themselves rather than full, autonomous beings with their own wants and desires. Mr. Logic was fully self-actualized and wanted something different than Boxman. Despite what he said out loud, Boxman knew that Mr. Logic was on even footing with him. Everything came down to power dynamics. So, when Boxman invented his next set of robots, he opted to be their "parent" because of the power imbalance he could exploit.

Shannon, Darrell, Raymond, and others strictly and obediently follow their father's wishes because they were deliberately conditioned and threatened to. Boxman pits them against each other to vie for his favor. The only TV they're allowed to watch at home are movies he carefully filmed to reinforce his "father knows best" agenda. It's similar to strict Christian parents banning their kids from watching certain shows or reading certain books because they may contain "undesirable" properties. Anything that encourages their child to question Christianity or endorses more critical thinking about their household values period is a threat to their authority and maintaining a "functional" household.

While Darrell, Shannon, and Raymond seem satisfied with their lives, unconditionally love their father, and gleefully attack the plaza, every time Boxman threatens them with the "furnace" or yells at them for failing, it's an exaggerated, blunt example of bad parenting. The "furnace" is a catch-all punishment for not being able to meet or exceed Boxman's expectations with anything and everything. He leaves some amount of ambiguity in his demands so that he can tug the proverbial leash every time he feels he needs to.

Granted, it's important to look at everything that led up to Lord Cowboy Darrell. Boxman's most egregious display of favoritism was when he built Boxman Jr. and refused to acknowledge how stung Darrell was. He kept pushing how much stronger, more competent, and better Boxman Jr. was overall. Generally, Darrell's respective relationships with Shannon and Raymond were strong enough to buffer against Boxman's picking favorites tactic. They'll fight each other for Dad's affection, but there was always an implicit understanding that they had each other's backs under normal circumstances. Jr. is different in that he had no significant relationship with his other siblings, only Boxman. And Boxman blatantly showered the newest addition with praise and affection the others never received.

Pushed to his limit, Darrell took matters into his own hands and staged an effective coup d'etat against Boxman. Through his disillusionment with his father, Darrell stepped up and became the focused, tight-knuckled business operator that Boxman could never be. Boxman tried to fill the mold that Mr. Logic helped him create and focus on appeasing his board of directors. But his all-consuming obsession with destroying the Plaza was always his true life's goal and work. This was such a core part of his character that he was miserable and hollow if he gave up on that goal. In contrast, Darrell can follow orders and do what needs to be done with whatever task he's given. The result of Lord Cowboy Darrell was one potential future of Darrell as a self-actualized villain without Boxman putting him down and actively demoralizing him.

After K.O. convinces Boxman to talk to Darrell and tell him he's proud of his achievements, it leads to the pivotal moment that Boxman couldn't give Mr. Logic. For once, Boxman looked at one of his kids and saw them as a separate, autonomous being rather than an extension of him. For that brief moment, he placed Darrell on equal footing. Darrell took over Boxmore partly out of spite but also out of an earnest interest in following in Boxman's footsteps. Without Boxman, he's a better Boxman; with Boxman, he's a co-conspirator that's as eager to destroy the Plaza as Boxman is.

GIF by the-green-sailor

Enter Professor Venomous. In stark contrast to Lord Boxman, Professor Venomous and Fink call themselves "boss" and "minion" respectively but it's really a father-daughter relationship. Venomous makes a point of bringing Fink along to important events or letting her tag along where relevant. He brings along what extras are needed to accommodate Fink whether it's a high chair, crayons, or even glorbs for a high-powered attack on some heroes. At their best, Venomous makes a point to talk to Fink on her level and she speaks very highly of what kind, affectionate gestures he does for her. Where Venomous trips up is discipline. Fink can do whatever she wants. Babysitters are run over by her reckless energy and disregard for other people that aren't Venomous. Any sign of a complaint or a tantrum is pacified with an expensive gift. When Venomous starts getting overwhelmed, the gifts replace all usual attempts at parenting or communication period.

After re-watching O.K. K.O. recently knowing that Professor Venomous was K.O.'s biological father from the jump, perhaps the "boss" and "minion" labels were Venomous' coping mechanism for knowing he abandoned one of his kids. It was easier to interact with and care for Fink as long as she was his "minion." That's a different enough relationship that he can compartmentalize it and distance it from what guilt or regrets he had from his past as Laser Blast.

When Boxman became business partners with Professor Venomous, it led to obvious shifts in his approach to parenting. After his night out with Venomous and Darrell and Shannon babysitting, he gave them T-shirts as rewards for their efforts. No pushes at playing favorites or nitpicking for once.

GIF by loser-jpg

With Professor Venomous in the picture, Boxman finally had the business partner he wanted and needed. While Mr. Logic's approach worked beautifully for kickstarting Boxmore, Boxman needed Venomous to cultivate it into exactly what he wanted vs what it was when tied to a board of directors. For a short time, Boxman and Venomous were building a blended family that was more successful together than separately. Boxman encouraged exercises and attempts towards Fink and Darrell getting along better. The Boxbots all received personalized upgrades from Venomous to improve and augment what weaponry or abilities they had. Fink now had access to what 'toys' Boxman could invent that were several grades above what Venomous could just buy. In short, Boxman dating Venomous led to him becoming a more proactive parent in a surprisingly organic way.

Venemous' intense self-destructive and literally destructive stint as Shadowy Venomous further elucidated what impact he had on Boxman. When Boxman had to step up as the responsible parent, the first problem he addressed with Venomous was how he'd been failing Fink recently with the "You missed Fink's recorder recital" comment. He was also emotionally strong enough to realize that Venomous was causing enough problems in the household that things had reached a boiling point and he had to leave. Breaking up would be emotionally devastating for him but Boxman was prioritizing the emotional well-being of his house and kids overall.

Even the devastating scene where Boxman leaves his kids to go off on an ambiguous "finding myself" quest was meaningful improvement on his part. Similarly to his confrontation with Lord Cowboy Darrell but with all of his kids this time, Boxman told them that they didn't need him. He was cutting the dependent and toxic grip on his apron strings. The Box kids are resilient and capable enough that they could carve out their own path.

There's a quote that Boxman brings up in another episode: "I'm a villain. I'm not a monster." In context, the quote was a punchline for a dark joke about Boxman potentially being a cannibal. Though, it interestingly applies when looking at Boxman's actions during his confrontations with Shadowy Venomous. Shadowy was the kind of monstrous villain that wanted mindless destruction and to see the world burn. Seeing the absolute lowest his partner could reach led to Boxman establishing what lines he wouldn't cross.

He wants to destroy the Plaza, not the world, and a pretty face isn't enough to convince him otherwise when he finds the self-assurance and confidence he needed. It's the pique of his character development as a father. While there is a lot more room for exploring this part of Boxman's character, there's enough substantial story here that it's an interesting look at a "bad dad" that was actively working on becoming better. Boxman and Venomous get back together later but only after Venomous proves that he's working through his bigger issues in a meaningful way with real, tangible results.

Over the last several years, there have been several stories tackling generational trauma that include parents realizing their failings and working on course-correcting with those failings. This has been a point of contention about a recurring to the point of tired stories in recent Pixar animated movies and the core of what made Everything, Everywhere, All at Once the powerhouse that it is. It's not too far of a reach to include Boxman as another one of these stories or even a decent starting place for digging into stories or characters dealing with generational trauma.

In Boxman's case, he could be seen as an example of an insecure parent that uses their role as a parent to reassure themselves in a constantly changing, unpredictable world. He only starts to get better when he starts changing and adapting to fit into that unpredictable world rather than trying to make his little corner of the world continue to conform to just him alone.

[turntechgaykid]

My bnha Rewrite/Redesign:

(*I will be trying to keep this as close to cannon as possible while still editing it to make the story and characters more intriguing)

in my Rewrite Izuku grew up in a small apartment in Japan with just his mom, in between their apartment building and the bakugo household was a school that both izuku and katsuki went to, where they bonded over their love of heroes.

When izuku turned 4 he learned he was quirkless, but katsuki developed a very powerful quirk and because of that and the prejudice against quirkless people they began growing apart, by the time they were in middle school katsuki began actively bullying izuku.

but one day after school izuku was attacked by a villain, luckily tho he was saved by pro hero: All might, tho in his attempt to speak to the hero he had grabbed all might as he was about to fly away.

quickly all might realized he was being held onto and landed on a rooftop, during this izuku asked him if all might thought he could be a hero even if he was quirkless. all might said no and left izuku there but what neither realized was that during the commotion the villain escaped and ended up attacking an capturing another kid, katsuki.

A while later near a business street, many heroes showed to try stopping the villain who'd now started a fire as well. izuku witnessed all this and rushed to try and save his old friend.

afterwards izuku is confronted by all might and offered his quirk but Izuku decides he is going to prove he doesn't need a quirk to be a hero.

Izuku (who spent his summer training/studying) gets high points in the practical exam but gets only rescue points in the entrance exam (he meets Ochako an Iida same as he does in cannon) so when he gets his acceptance letter from UA it's to join the support course not the hero course

(* Izuku being in the support course means he won't be there for the quirk apprehension test or the Battle trial arc with class 1A)

(He an Mei become fast friends) Izuku is present for the USJ attack tho, bc he overhears Ochako discussing it an, being excited at the chance to meet Pro heros: 13 & Eraserhead, decides to sneak onto the bus and join the class.

The villains arrive as they normally due, Izuku gets caught in the crossfire of Kurogiri's teleportation an ends up in a secluded area surrounded by villains, he manages to get away an decides to try an help Aizawa when he arrives at the central plaza tho he sees Aizawa trapped under a villain (nomu).

Izuku also sees a villain (shigaraki) leap at a girl (tsu) nearby, he moves quickly to push her out of the way almost getting attacked himself before both students manage to get away.

Finally all might and takes on the villain while the students get Aizawa to safety, All might is overwhelmed by Kurogiri and nearly teleported away before Katsuki jumps in and incapacitates him.

Shoto jumps in an uses his ice to assist while Katsuki notices Izuku an is pissed and confused then tho the nomu attacks, the students being rescued by all might. All might and the Nomu go ahead to head an Izuku begins to panic as he knows about all might's time limit. Luckily tho the heroes arrive just in time an force the villains to retreat.

Afterwards izuku is taken to the infirmary and while getting patched up is ripped a new one by Nezu, Aizawa & Power loader telling him he should be expelled for such reckless behavior, Izuku apologies an explains himself he then begs to join the hero course and brings up how he saved that girl from the villain. Aizawa an the others conced an agree that IF Izuku wins the upcoming Sports festival as well as stay out of trouble he can transfer.

Part 2