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lovelyladyventress · 4 years ago

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Tell me which one of these AUs sounds the most interesting and which one you’d like to read more about? (uhh rep0st?)

I’m reposting this since TUMBLR HATES MY POST/TAGS OR SOMETHING, SORRY IF YOU’VE ALREADY SEEN THIS!

Here I am, back at it again with my AU bullshit. Complete with my ugly ass dauntingly long list of AUs that I’d love to write about but can’t seem to

decide which one to start writing. This has been going on for the past week, dammit! If it’s not too much trouble, could you please help a girl out and let me know either on here or in a PM which one of these you’re curious about or would like to see implemented in an actual story.

Here are four Cloud-centric AU ideas which include (multiple) gay, bi, and (some) straight main/side pairings. Regardless of which one I decide to write first, I (wistful thinking) want to eventually complete most or all of them, even if some of them only end up being one-shots. Thank you! <3

Mercenary Zack and Delivery Boy Cloud AU

Zack, a mercenary, and Cloud, a delivery boy, have been best friends since they were youngsters. Zack is straight but is undeniably (and confusingly into Cloud. Cloud is bi (with a strong leaning towards males) and he’s only recently started to explore that. One day, while Zack and Cloud are hanging out, Zack’s PHS dies and he asks to borrow Cloud’s laptop to check some work-related emails. Cloud says sure, completely forgetting what he’d been “researching” before Zack came over to hang out.

Cloud, suddenly remembering the content of said “research”, screeches out, “NoOoOoO!” whilst comically tripping over himself as he races to stop Zack from opening his laptop.

Zack, being Zack, laughs good-naturedly at Cloud’s behavior and says, “What, don’t want your bestie to see all your fReAkY sHiT LOL?”

Before Cloud can stop him, Zack unlocks the laptop (he knows the password, because, hello, besties) and proceeds to open up about ten tabs of LOUD GAY LEMONY YOU KNOW WHAT (all with actors that are blond and black-haired, hmm s u s p i c i o u s).

Cloud is fucking mortified and literally RUNS out of his own apartment and disappears (disintegrates) into the void while leaving Zack sitting there like a stunned D U M B A S S *insert shocked Pikachu meme here* Hilarity, fluffy romance, and “LeMoNs” ensue.

Main ship and only ship will be Clack/Zakkura. Syrupy sweet, comical, with only a pinch of plot-related angst. Will most likely be a one-shot/two-shot.

Vampire Slayer AU

Set in a world where Shinra keeps the existence of vampires and vampire covens a well-guarded secret from the general public of Midgar in order to keep its citizens calm, orderly, and manageable (see controllable).

Due to the frequency of recent vampire attacks in Midgar’s slums and outlying towns and villages, they charge their best slayer, Cloud Strife, and his partner with the task of finding and killing the progenitor of all vampire-kind in order to end the covert war between humans and vampires and kill off their kind, for good.

That is, until Cloud is double-crossed by his partner, who wants the title of Shinra’s best vampire slayer for himself, and Cloud is left for dead in a forest miles away from civilization. Cloud thinks he’s finally done for this time, until he’s saved by a half-vampire named Vincent, who then proceeds to take Cloud to his maker, Sephiroth, the son of the first progenitor.

Cloud’s only shot at making it out of this alive is playing at Sephiroth’s personal interest in him in a game of cat and mouse until he can get the vampire to trust him enough to let him get close to the progenitor in order to (finally) end the war once and for all and return to his former life.

Main ships are Sefikura with a possibility of some Strifentine. Side ships are Aerti, Scarlet x Elena, and a bunch of others. Angsty, passionate, romantic, and dark. Will probably be a six-shot or more. Who knows?

Life After Meteorfall Canon Divergence AU (I’m excited about this one)

An AU in which both Angeal, Zack, and Aerith (although, just barely) live and help kick Sephiroth’s ass in the final battle. Sephiroth has been defeated by the gang for good (no really, for good y’all), and now the world has turned to healing, mourning, and attempting to rebuild itself after the scars Sephiroth has left behind in his monstrous wake.

Cloud still has lingering feelings for Zack leftover from his time as an infantryman, but desperately hides this fact from both Aerith and Zack because he knows how long they’ve waited and how much suffering they’ve had to endure in order to be with each other. He also cares deeply for both of them and wants them to be happy, despite his own conflicting emotions.

Although Aerith is (slightly) suspicious, Zack is oblivious to it all because he’s finally got the girl of his dreams and has his love-addled goggles on (god dammit Zackary) and asks Cloud to be his best man at their wedding (ugh angst me upppppp baby).

Angeal, however, is not oblivious to it in the slightest. He sees the overly forced smiles, the longing stares, the glances of complete and utter h e a r t b r e a k Cloud shoots Zack when he thinks no one is watching/paying attention to him. And finally, fed up after months of sitting back and just silently observing Cloud falling into emotional ruin, Angeal finally intends to do something about it, honor be damned.

Main ship is Cloudgeal. Side pairings are Zerith, Rude x Tifa (don’t judge me, y’all, I ship SO MUCH this fandom), and possibly many more. Angsty, fluffy, romantic, and with a ridiculously happy ending where everyone reaches a happy, healthy understanding. Will most likely be either a three-shot or a six-shot.

Omegaverse SOLDIER AU (let me liveeeeeee, dammit!)

After failing to get into SOLDIER three times in a row (the max amount of times one can attempt in their lifetime) and having his childhood dream of becoming a hero shattered like glass, Cloud, a Beta cadet, is more than done with SOLDIER and everything to do with the corrupt Shinra Corporation (Uh huh. Suuuuure).

This opinion is only further solidified when Cloud discovers the tragic fate of his hometown: Nibelheim, in an “unprecedented” explosion of its Mako Reactor, burns to the ground, resulting in the deaths of Cloud’s mother and every single person Cloud grew up with. With no home to return to, Cloud, following his best friend Zack Fair’s advice, begrudgingly decides to join the Shinra military as an infantryman and work as a menial grunt for the military’s more prominent SOLDIER members.

That is, until one day during a mission Cloud’s entire unit, including a group of skilled Third and Second Class SOLDIERS assisting them, are slaughtered in a brutal, bloody conflict, leaving Cloud the only one left alive after the mission’s end.

This not only catches the eye of the Director of SOLDIER himself, but several of its First Class members, who are so impressed with the Beta’s strength that they wish to assess Cloud’s capabilities for themselves, personally. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

This leads Cloud down a path filled with convincing lies and hard truths as he discovers the reality of his origins, unveiling secrets about Shinra and his past that he could have gone a lifetime without knowing. He realizes the hard way that sometimes what you dream for, what you desperately wish for, isn’t always something you want in the long run.

Main ships are a tie between Sefikura and Clack/Zakkura (possibly Sephiroth/Cloud/Zack or maybe even a love triangle, ew). I also really wanna try writing out Strifesodos, but I’m leaning towards Banorashipping as a side ship in this cuz its cute and passionate.

A S T R O N G side ship in this is going to be Aerti (featuring Turk!Tifa and Full Cetra!Aerith), along with minor ships like Scarlet x Elena, Tseng x Rufus, and honestly who knows anymore, lol. This will most likely be the longest story on the list, I’m planning for at least ten+ chapters.

Also, not shaming it in any way, but just FYI for the people who are interested, there will be no pregnancy in this story. It’s just not my thing. <3

Again, all of these AU’s are subject to change, but I’d love to bounce ideas back and forth and see what certain shippers would like to see in the fandom. I’m really receptive to discussing fics in general, even if its an idea about one of your own stories you wanna talk about. :)

If you actually read all of that, THANK YOU KINDLY! <33333

#Sefikura #SephCloud #Clack #Zakkura #Cloudgeal #i'm seriously so angry about this tagging thing #WHY IS IT NOT WORKING #*SCREAMS*#IM JUST TRYNA LIVE DAMMIT #why did this post disappear #I THINKS ITS BECAUSE OF CERTAIN KEYWORDS #this is a travesty #I NEED ANSWERS #the text is wonky too #UGHHHHHH

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illnessfaker · 4 years ago

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[ cw: f-slur, rape mention ]

no reblogs pls. this is a long vent.

haha not to be a hysterical faggot crippled shut-in freak or anything but the way ppl talk abt the defensiveness around the f-slur that some gay/bi male users (and some transfem users) on here as if it's some kind superiority pissing contest thing and not primarily about...respecting the boundaries and experiences of those gay/bi male (and transfem) users. like...being on this site as a fag-adjacent person (i say that half-jokingly because it sounds silly on one hand but on the other that's the most accurate descriptor of my gender identity, lol) is becoming increasingly draining and upsetting with how "progressive" homophobia against gay/bi men is apparently becoming, like, a meme among lgbtq people and that's acceptable somehow bc lgbtq people aren't cishets or because it's "only online" and therefore doesn't matter.

like idgaf abt ppl who aren't gay/bi men (or transfem) using the f-slur in every single context possible. if they're affectionately referring to their gay/bi male (or transfem) friends with that word (so long as said friends are comfortable with it) that's one thing. who cares. i even rb'd something where a cis butch (iirc) lesbian was talking about a gay man she knew who she was affectionatly calling a faggot and the things she said warmed my heart. if they're throwing it around at every opportunity or using it as an edgy insult against random strangers on the internet, that's another. the users on here who do the latter also regularly display behavior that like...shows a pretty clear disdain for gay/bi men (or transfem ppl) not apart of their online or "irl" circlejerks and echo chambers, and that is in no way disconnected from their love of using the f-slur, lol.

the "it's only online and so it's unimportant uwu go outside" thing also really feels like such a spit in the face as someone who both lives in a rural area full of cishet white men with guns that might try to kill me if i walked out of the house in drag (not to mention i live with my bf and his family and his parents are homophobes themselves i'm sure), and is also someone with health issues that usually keep me at home and in bed when i'm not working. i didn't always live here but even in my hometown the only "lgbtq space" i had was the high school GSA which didn't do shit other than the day of silence and was attended by people i did not feel safe around (e.g. my ex-friend who was very emotionally manipulative and ended up raping someone.) i don't have any other lgbtq spaces to go to other than online ones. if i never joined tumblr i might still be a self-hating cishet girl, or i might be dead, who knows. like, i've accepted at this point that personhood isn't something i'm allowed in (outside of my whiteness) so fuck me i guess if we need to but the idea that other young, impressionable, and/or traumatized lgbtq people who only can meet other lgbtq people and learn about lgbtq things online for whatever reason don't deserve to have us make an effort on cultivating internet spaces that are as accessible and safe for them as possible, or that their experiences and feelings are somehow unimportant is just...vile. like ofc not everyone needs to "pander" to "logged on" disabled fags like myself maybe but if you have any kind of large following on social media maybe consider that the things you say and do on said social media have like...an actual effect on other people instead of pretending that it's "just online" and therefore consequences for your actions either don't matter enough (to you personally) or somehow don't exist.

but going back to the fag thing, most popular lgbtq tumblr users on my dash i see nowadays just...simply do not give a shit whatsoever about gay/bi men, to the point they're normalizing "progressive" and "acceptable" homphobia against us bc they've convinced themselves due to the bigotry some gay/bi men (often cis, white, and wealthy mind you) exhibit we are "the cishets of the lgbtq community," despite horrific violence still being committed against us every day and despite other lgbtq people being capable of engaging in that violence themselves. ppl make thinly veiled jokes and memes where the punchline is men having sex with each other or effeminacy as if those things aren't primary avenues for gay/bi men being abused, assaulted, and killed (including acts of abuse and assault of a sexually-driven nature), as if said jokes and memes don't serve to normalize the mentalities that drive homophobic hate crimes. it's not like...a coincidence that most lgbtq people who makes these jokes aren't gay/bi men (or transfem). this doesn't even get into how things like homophobia and anti-effeminacy can pretty much boot certain gay/bi men from manhood...or womanhood...or any place in gender altogether.

call me exlusionary if you want but i think it's fair to say that the chances of people who aren't gay/bi men (or transfem*) facing the repurcussions of those mentalities in any meaningful way, the chances of these people actually having lived as or going to live as "faggots" is any meaningful sense is slim to none, and that's why they're so comfortable participating in this shit, and that's why i'm triggered(tm) by them "reclaiming" faggot (which doesn't really involve reclamation bc calling random strangers on the internet or gay/bi men you hate a slur isn't reclamation you morons), because frankly if you're not apart of either of those groups, you're just not a fucking faggot. it's not your word just because some rando on overwatch called you it for picking hanzo in comp. period. end of story. it's also just extremely absurd to try and claim faggotry as something you experience while...readily and happily engaging in homophobia and fag-hate (which isn't synonymous with the former term but i'm talking abt ppl who probably seldom ever engage which discussions and theory surrounding how homophobia instrumentates itself in society - or at least that which doesn't conform to their worldview). within the gay/bi male community there's plentu of masc "straight-acting" gays who weaponize this shit against fem gays and they (should) get held accountable in the same way. you're not special.

and god, being told my gendered experiences as a fag-adjacent person where (white) cafab women are fully capable of engaging in social forms of "oppression" against me and other fags in undeniably gendered ways is somehow an outlier and therefore not reflective of broader social by (white) masc urbanite tbros with definitively more social standing than i'll ever have in my life, as if i somehow developed this understanding of gendered violence just based off my own life and not...the reported and sometimes even recorded experiences of countless other fags who get mocked and silenced because anything that deviates from a watered down, shoddy cis feminist take on gender is fake news(tm) or bordering on saying misandry exists (like no it doesn't exist but acting as if homophobic shit like anti-sodomy laws, for example, has zero to do with gay/bi men's manhood is just nonsensical). convos on here abt gender being mostly dominated by (white) cafab women or sometimes (white) masc trans guys is such a mistake lmao.

anyway i'm tired and stressed and pretty done with having "acceptable" homophobic shit shoved in my face on a daily basis both online and offline but nevertheless i must persist because i'm not lucky enough to have anywhere else to go, really. just...think critically abt ur actions regarding gay/bi male sexuality and gender-stuff pretty please. please.

( *disclaimer just in case that i definitely don't see transfems as some "type" of gay/bi men. there are transfems who identify with gay/bi manhood and/or faggotry. there are transfems who don't. that's entirely up to them. thank u. )

#op #🌙#homophobia #gender #site culture #no reblogs -

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acidproofnotebook · 4 years ago

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OPM Chapter 84, Update 125

As first published online

Translator: u/Mynthence

Title Page: In order to remain solitary, instead of in solitude.

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5

Movements that are a perfect blend of attack and defense.

Even though it’s the same Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist the difference in degrees of completion are plainly evident.

The result is obvious.

Page 6

Fuu!!

Page 7 Page 8 Page 9

grab

Bwoh!?

Page 10

Ubuh!!

Page 11

Wh…what’s…with…

This flashy assault, it’s not like the damn geezer at all…

Page 12

N…not good…

My consciousness is fad…

No….I’m gonna die…

…….tsk!!!

Gwah!

Page 13

What’s with those weird movements

where did you learn them?

Like a beast

Not yet!

Page 14

If I can use the heroes that are unconscious as hostages, there’s still a chance!!

I won’t let you

Ugah

Page 15 Page 16

Bang!

I’ve taken care of all the monsters that came out of the hole

All that’s left is Garou

Page 17

There’s still some monster-like reactions but

Beep beep…

For some reason I can’t ascertain the exact number and location…

Will going through that hole take us to the Monster Association’s base?

The guys from the Monster Association…were they wiped out?

They’re useless…!!!

Page 18

I thought we brought enough forces to capture Garou alive but…

Demon Cyborg…to think that he would be this strong

Silver Fang is here too. With this there’s no chance to take him away…

But if I go back empty-handed after expending all these troops, I might be the next one to be eaten by Orochi…

Page 19

Garou will just have to break through this situation with his own power…

…but it’s hopeless…

Should I start thinking about how to live after leaving the Monster Association…?

Hey brother…if it was you…

Would you still be able to stand up with his level of injuries?

…if I was 60 years younger I could try

…probably

Alright! Just a little bit more!!!

Let’s finish this before the other heroes show up, Bang!

Indeed

Page 20

Gugi…

My arms aren’t working properly anymore…

That geezer Bang, going after his former number one disciple when he’s been weakened…how vicious is he?

Page 21

Not to mention that the geezer that’s beating me up with him is Bomb, the master of the Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist

For the leaders of the martial arts world to come at me two-on-one, do they have no shame or care for their reputations?

Even if I pretend to beg for my life to these guys, I’m sure the Demon Cyborg won’t let me go

In other words, in order to overcome this extremely critical situation, I need to kill all three of them

Page 22

That’s impossible.

Know the pain of my “number one disciple” Charanko

Garou!!

Page 23

Let’s play Hero!

Garou. You’ll play too, right?

Let’s play, let’s play.

Okay

Page 24

Introductory music

Justice Man has arrived!

Justice Man Kick

Ouch!

Hey

Page 25

That’s dangerous

What?

I feel bad for him

………………

Then you should play the part of the Monster

Justice Man Cross Chop

Woah

Why did you dodge

S, sorry Tacchan

I scratched up my hand

You’re the Monster. Why can’t you read the mood?

Hold Garou down

Okay

Page 26

Justice Man Kick!

I’ve defeated the Monster, Garou Poop Man~

What’s this, is it the thing they call a flashback?

This is a fairly private memory I’d prefer to not remember

This should be…Right…Tacchan…the popular kid in my class…

Page 27

Eh? What? Why are the boys fighting?

Did anyone call the teacher?

Garou’s going wild

Garou got mad, even though we were just playing

I can’t…stand it anymore…

What’s with him?

Tacchan

Fight me!

Huh? What are you saying?

It’s just Hero

Page 28 I don’t want to be the Monster anymore! It’s not fun! Fight me, and if I win, you have to promise that you won’t bother me anymore!

Sabuchin, Yochan, hold Garou down

That’s not fair…stop…let me go! I…

Ugh

Damnit!!

Woah, he’s snapped! Call the teacher

Tacchan, run away

Hold him down! Hold him down!

What’s going on?

Perfect timing. You guys help out too.

He got carried away because Taachan’s too nice

Gross

I heard Garou got pissed off at Taachan while they were playing Hero. (lol)

Seriously? What’s he thinking?

Poor Taachan

Page 29

Taachan would easily get carried away

Taachan was good at sports

Taachan liked bullying weak people

Taachan was popular with the girls

Taachan was a disgusting guy

Taachan was popular

I was the gloomy guy who was always alone

I didn’t have any friends

I hated popular people

Why did you go wild?

Teacher, Taachan always

I heard you got mad while playing Hero. Is that true?

They always make me be the Monster

You can’t even tell the difference between make-believe and reality!?

That’s not it. Everyone says it’s my fault because Taachan is popular…

You’re the one who went crazy! How will you take responsibility if the windows get broken!

NO!

Page 30

It’s not that I hate being the Monster.

Is it that I didn’t like Taachan being the Hero?

No that’s not it

I was sensing a crushing sense of unfairness through the Hero game. A game designed in a way that would let the popular kid who was loved by everyone to one-sidedly beat up the weak kid that no one liked.

You did something bad, so go apologize.

I’m calling your parents too

This wasn’t just bullying. The game that faithfully reproduced the children’s TV shows was accepted by the public. You’re free to play any role that you want in this game, but the role of the Hero requires the approval of all those who are playing, so naturally I never had a chance to play that part. And of course, a scenario where the Monster wins doesn’t exist to begin with, so I have to always lose.

Page 31

What’s Justice! What’s Evil! In the end, I get killed because of the majority! I can’t accept that! It’s unfair!

I can’t explain the reason very well but I’m angry!

I just want to let them know!

I want them to experience a weakling’s attack!

I want to deny the positions of good and evil!

Page 32

He’s going to fall

This is the end

Page 33

Like I’d let myself be finished off in a place like this!

Page 34 Page 35

What?

Page 36

Oh!

Page 37 Page 38

What’s with that power…

from that broken body!?

Page 39

Give it up Garou!

If you keep on going… You’ll really die!!!

Bang, above you!

Page 40 Page 41

Woah!?

Page 42

A monster!?

So there were still some left!!!

Page 43

Genos!

Bang, you saw his appearance just now!

He’s a monster now! He even has companions!

It’s okay if I shoot Garou down with him, right?

Page 44

Did you hear that!!?

I’ll take Garou away from here

You can crush everyone on the ground right now!

I leave the rest to you!!

???

Page 45

Rasen Shoukyaku Hou (Spiral Incineration Cannon)

Page 46

Elder Centipede!

Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50

What was that!?

Page 51 Page 52

Disaster Level: Dragon Giant Mysterious Insect Elder Centipede

Page 53

W…what….

Is this a living being !!?

Oh no!!!

We need to protect them!

Page 54

Here we go

Page 55 Page 56

So this is the source of the reaction from before…

It’s not that I couldn’t pinpoint its location…it was too big!

Page 57

To think that it could take a direct hit from the cannon and have no injuries

This is going to be a tough opponent…

That centipede is…

Page 58

What do you think you’re doing, butting in like that!

Just let Elder Centipede take care of things here

He is a great calamity that swallows up everything

I’m fascinated by that unstoppable destructive power

You’re not thorough enough Hero Hunter

Once you defeat an opponent, you need to make sure you finish them off

It seems that all those heroes lying down over there are still alive

Page 59

Well…don’t worry

Elder Centipede will end everything

Stop interfering!

Let me down right now!

Those are my prey!

Hey, quit struggling

Damnit! Go back!

I won’t forgive you!

Hahaha…why are you so mad.

It’s your fault for not finishing the job.

Also…it’s convenient that we can erase two S-class here.

For the Monster Association, S-class heroes are the biggest threat

Page 60

You also directly experienced it

…..

In any fight there’s something called compatibility

According to our adviser Gyoro Gyoro

Out of all the heroes there are only four who can stand up against the Elder Centipede

Page 61

The peerless one wielding the strongest psychic ability “Tornado of Terror”

The one whose hidden military strength can’t be grasped by even the Hero Association “Metal Knight”

Page 62

The strongest man on earth “King”

And…the top hero that pushed Elder Centipede to the brink of death two years ago

“Blast”

Page 63

They say that Elder Centipede decided to cooperate with the Monster Association in order to get its revenge on Blast

It’s eager to pull Blast, who doesn’t come to the forefront, back onto the battlefield.

But…Unfortunately, those two don’t have the ability to break through this current situation.

Silver Fang is without equal in regards to his strength in hand-to-hand combat, but that only applies to opponents that are of a size that can be affected by martial arts.

Demon Cyborg’s abilities are outstanding but

He shouldn’t be equipped with any weapons that can take on a giant insect beast

And his firepower can’t go beyond the capabilities of his weapons

That’s his limit

Page 64

They will definitely be destroyed

Here it comes!!!

Page 65 Page 66

shine

Page 67

Whirl Wind

Water Stream

Page 68

Todoroki Kuuretsu Ken (Roaring Sky Splitting Fist)

Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72

What is that move

We have a special move that takes advantage of the opponent’s openings

We’re counting on you to distract it

It broken that super hard shell into pieces…!?

This is

The pinnacle of skill

Page 73

Not yet Not yet Not yet Not yet Not yet Not yet Not yet Not yet

Page 74 Page 75

Oh….

Goaaaahhhh

Guh

Page 76

Oww…

We let down our guard

But it was effective

The shockwave is circulating throughout its body

Blow up into pieces you monster

It’s a super move that can only be pulled off once by geezers like us

I’m glad it hit

Thank you Genos

Page 77

It’s finished

Page 78

Hm?

Page 79

Seriously?

Page 80

This guy molted…!!!

And didn’t it get bigger than before!?

No way!

Page 81

We can’t beat this thing…!

If we have to protect the unconscious heroes at the same time…

What should we do!? Bang!

Even if we back off, it would probably come after us and…

It’s all residential areas outside of Forest Park…

If we leave, it’ll affect the civilians…

Page 82

Bang

I’ll fight it

I’ll hold off that centipede as long as I can so

Take the injured and escape

Page 83

Genos

Are you saying that you’ll fight that thing on your own?

I can’t agree with that…

You don’t need to push yourself. You know that you can’t win

You young ones have still have a future

Genos

Just don’t overdo it

Page 84

Is that…

Really okay?

Page 85

There’s no way

Page 86

That’s okay

Page 87 Page 88 Page 89

There’s no way!

Cannons don’t work on it!

Page 90

This guy

And the guy from yesterday

Page 91

And Garou

Are all part of the Monster Association

This fight

Is unavoidable

Page 92 Page 93 Page 94

Dual Blade Rush

That’s what it means to fight against them

Page 95

I’m participating in this fight

Grind into pieces

Page 96

If you say that’s being reckless

Crack

Uh…

Page 97

Genos!!!

At this rate

I…

Page 98

Won’t be able to stay in the fight

Page 99 Page 100

Jet Drive Arrow

Page 101

Uooohhhh!!!

Page 102 Page 103

Ugoah

He went into its mouth

Oh no…

Page 104

Digestive juices

I’ll completely melt you in a few seconds

You’re the one that’s going to melt

Page 105

Chou Rasen Shoukyaku Hou (Super Spiral Incineration Cannon)

Page 106 Page 107

…….!!!

He did it!!

Clank

…..

Page 108

Crack crack

Page 109

Crack crack

Crack

grin

Again…

I…

Can’t win…

Can’t protect…

Page 110

We’re getting out of here

sizzle

Brother! Grab those guys and run!!

It’s useless

What’s wrong?

Are you disgusted that you ended up being partially responsible for slaughtering those heroes?

Page 111

That’s not it!

I’m just disappointed by this ending!!!

I…want to defeat them with my own power!

By doing so, I become the symbol of fear…!!

That’s the meaning behind the hero hunting!!!

The symbol of fear? You? Hahaha…

If you were to go back now, you would only end up getting stomped on together with the heroes.

Right now you don’t have the strength to go against Elder Centipede or the officers of the Monster Association.

Page 112

Guh…

Just…you wait…and see…

What should I do…

Page 113

What is it that I lack…!?

Are there still more guys like that?

In front of guys like that…

Am I only able to suck on my thumb while watching them…?

Bang! This isn’t good. If we keep going

We’ll exit the Forest Park!

Page 114

Also…I can’t run for very long while carrying this many people

How old do you think I am

Do or die…

Brother

Page 115

I’m going to go all out for the last time in my life

Page 116

Elder Centipede~!!!

Hey! You pest!!!!!

I’ve brought the “Blast” that you’ve been looking for!!!!!

Page 117

That voice is…King!!?

Blast!?

What…!

!!!?

Look!!

Its movements have stopped

And it’s turned around

Page 118

Blast…?

Yes…that’s right! The opponent that beat you up and made you run away while peeing your pants….the hero Blast!!

If you want to fight against Blast again, come over here!

What’s wrong? Are you so scared that you can’t move!? You’re spineless!!! Hey, if you’re going to shit yourself, do it at home!

A weak little bug like you should go back underground and suck on your mom’s tits!!!

Page 119

King made it to the location in City S where Elder Centipede reappeared!!!

That’s good! King should be able to do something about this situation…

Yes…there are still several heroes in that area

And when I told him that they might become casualties from any fighting nearby

He told me “Give me any information that might provoke Elder Centipede”

He undoubtedly plans on luring the enemy to where he is and fighting it one-on-one

Page 120

When Blast severely wounded it, it escaped and ran away underground

I hope we can defeat it this time…

It was top secret information, but I relayed the information detailing the monster and Blast’s connection to him

Also, I told him that if the battle were to be prolonged or if they were to change locations, the damage to the surrounding areas would be tremendous

And what how did he respond?

Just one word: “Understood”…

Together with the reverberations of the King Engine

Page 121

Draw the enemy this way so there aren’t any more casualties…

If the enemy is wounded, finish it off before it escapes underground…

Finish it as quickly as possible…

Any attacks should be contained within a limited range…and no attacks that might knock the centipede into the residential areas…

That’s all

Page 122

…..

…tama?

Page 123

Saitama~!!!?

It’s going to hit

Page 124 Page 125 Page 126

Ser

Page 127 Page 128

ious

Page 129

Pun

Page 130 Page 131

Page 132 Page 133 Oh

Page 134

Is that you, Genos?

Page 135

So you were here.

Just like King said

Yeah…and it looks like we came just in the nick of time

Good thing we came

Oh…?

Saitama…you look kind of refreshed

What happened?

I kind of feel like I let off a lot of steam

Page 136

I had a lot of stress built up because you kept beating me in those games

So he was still pissed off

Well…I wanted to teach you that your way of fighting with only one style of attack isn’t good…

Saitama-sensei, I wish to ask you a question

What is it?

What do you think I am lacking?

Isn’t it power?

Page 137

….!!!!

Thank you very much!

Ahhhhhhhh….That’s no good…

You probably shouldn’t use Saitama as a point of reference, Genos…

Sensei’s fights show me the path that I should take

The symbol of strength

That is what I should aim for…

I will also reach that place

Page 138

Garou…so you finally passed out

Rest well

We’ll reach Orochi soon

#OPM #manga #manga chapters #translation #chapter 84 #long #transcript

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fuckheadwitha · 4 years ago

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Listening to Rolling Stone's Top 500 Albums of All Time

Rolling Stone released an updated list of their top 500 albums of all time and being trapped in the purgatory of covid quarantine this seems like the perfect moment to tackle what an almost completely irrelevant former counter-culture institution has to say about music (we can’t actually blame Rolling Stone for this list, a huge number of musicians and critics voted to make it). I am going to listen to every single one of these, all the way through, with a level of attention that's not super intense but I'm definitely not having them on in the background as simple aural wallpaper. Two caveats though: I can make an executive decision to skip any album if I feel the experience is sufficiently miserable, and I'm also going to be skipping the compilation albums that I feel aren't really worth slots (best ofs, etc.). In addition, I will be ordering them as I go, creating a top 500 of the top 500 (it will be less than 500 since we've already established I'm skipping some of these).

Here are 500-490:

#500 Arcade Fire - Funeral

I can already tell I'm going to be at odds with this list if one of the most important albums of my high school years is at the bottom. That being said, I haven't actually given this whole thing a listen since probably the early 2010s, before Arcade Fire fatigue set in and the hipsterati appointed band of a generation just kinda seemed to fade from popular consciousness. I actually dreaded re-experiencing it, since the synthesis of anthemic rock and quirky folk instrumentation which Arcade Fire brought mainstream has now become the common shorthand of insufferable spotify friendly folk pop. Blessedly, the first half of the album easily holds up, largely propelled by dirty fast rhythm guitar, orchestration that's tuneful rather than obnoxious, and lyrics which come off as earnest rather than pretentious. The middle gets a little sappy and “Crown of Love”, a song I definitely used to like, really starts the grate. And then we get to “Wake Up”, whose cultural saturation spawned thousands of dorky indie rock outfits that confused layered strings and horns with power and meaning. This song definitely hasn't survived the film trailers and commercials which it so ubiquitously overlayed, but the line about "a million little gods causing rainstorms, turning every good thing to rust" still attacks the part of my brain capable of sincere emotion. This album is probably going to hold the top spot for a while, because although so many elements of Funeral that made it feel so meaningful, that made it stand out so much in 2004, have been seamlessly assimilated into an intellectually and emotionally bankrupt indie pop industrial complex, the album itself still has a genuine vulnerability and bangers that still manage to rip.

#499

Rufus, Chaka Khan - Ask Rufus

Before she became a name in her own right, Chaka Khan was the voice of the band Rufus, and it’s definitely her voice that shines amongst some spritely vibey funk. That’s not to say that these aren’t some jams on their own. “At Midnight” is a banging opener with a sprint to the finish, and although the explicitly named but kinda boring “Slow Screw Against the Wall” feels weak, this wasn’t really supposed to be an album of barn burners. This was something people put on their vinyl record players while they chilled on vinyl furniture after a night of doing cocaine. “Everlasting Love” is a bop with a bassline like a Sega Genesis game, and the twinkling piano on “Hollywood” adds a playful levity to lyrics that are supposed to be both tackily optimistic about making it big out in LA and subtly realistic about the kind of nightmare world showbiz can be. “Better Days” is another track that manages to be a bittersweet jam with a catchy sour saxophone and playful synths under Chaka Khan’s vamping. This album definitely belongs on a ‘chill funk to study and relax to’ playlist.

#498

Suicide - Suicide

We’ve hit the first album that could be rightly called a progenitor for multiple genres that followed it. Someone could say there’s a self-serving element of this being on a Rolling Stone list (the band was one of the first to adopt the label ‘Punk’ after seeing it in a Lester Bangs article) but the album’s legacy is basically indisputable. EBM, industrial, punk, post-punk, new wave, new whatever all have a genealogy that connects to Suicide, and it’s easy to hear the band in everything that followed. But what the band actually is is two guys, one with an electric organ and one with a spooky voice, doing spooky simple riffs and saying spooky simple things. Simplicity is definitely not a dis here. The opener “Ghost Rider” makes a banger out of four notes and one instrument, and the refrain ‘America America is killing its youth’ is really all the lyrical complexity you need to fucking get it. “Cheree” and “Girl” have almost identical lyrics (‘oh baby’ vs ‘oh girl’) but “Cheree” is more like a fairy tale and “Girl” is more like a sonic handjob. “Frankie Teardrop” has the audacity to tell a ten minute story with its lyrics, but of course there is intermittent, actually way too loud screaming breaking up the narrative of a guy who loses everything then kills his family and himself. The song is basically a novelty, and I think you can probably say the whole album is a novelty between its brevity and character. But for a bite sized snack this album casts a huge shadow.

#497

Various Artists - The Indestructible Beat of Soweto

The fact that this particular compilation always ends up in the canon has a lot to do with the cultural context it existed in, being America’s first encounter with South African contemporary music during the decline of apartheid (it wouldn’t end until a decade later in 1994 with the country’s first multi-racial elections). Music journos often bring up the fact Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the all male choir singing on the album ender “Nansi Imali”, sang on Paul Simon’s Graceland like their virtue is they helped Paul Simon get over his depression and not, like, the actual music. But also like, how is the actual music? Jams. Ubiquitous, hooky guitars propel the songs along with bright choruses over low lead vocals, but I didn’t expect the synthesizer on the bop “Qhude Manikiniki”, nor the discordant hoedown violin on “Sobabamba”. “Holotelani” is a groove to walk into the sunset to.

#496

Shakira - Donde Estan los Ladrones

So this is the first head scratcher on the list. It’s not like it sucks. And I think I prefer this 90s guitar pop driven spanish language Shakira to modern superstar Shakira. But I mean, it’s an album of late nineties latin pop minivan music, with a thick syrupy middle that doesn’t do anything for me. The opener and closer stand out though. ‘Ciega, Sordomuda’, one of the biggest pop songs of the 90s (it was #1 on the charts of literally every country in Latin America), has a galloping acoustic guitar and horn hits with Shakira’s vocals at their most percussive.

#495

Boyz II Men - II

So, if you were alive in the 90s you know Boyz II Men were fucking huge, and the worst song on the album is the second track “All Around the World”, basically a love song to their own success, and also the women they’ve banged. You can tell it was written specifically so that the crowd could go fucking wild when they heard their state/city/country mentioned in the song, and I’m not gonna double check but I’m sure they hit all fifty states. Once you’re over that hump though you basically have an hour of songs to fuck to. “U Know” keeps it catchy with propulsive midi guitar and synth horns, “Jezzebel” starts with a skit and ends with a richly layered jazz tune about falling in love on a train, and “On Bended Knee” has a Ragnarok Online type beat. Honestly this album can drag, but you’re not supposed to be listening to it alone in a state of analysis, you’re supposed to have it on during a date that’s going really, really well.

#494

The Ronettes - Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes

A singles compilation of the Ronettes, the only ones I immediately recognized were ‘Be My Baby’ and ‘Going to the Chapel of Love’, the latter of which I didn’t know existed since the version of the song I knew was by the Dixie Cups, which was apparently a source of drama since the Ronettes did it first but producer Phil Spector refused to release it. I feel like as a retro trip to sixties girl groups it’s full of enough songs about breaking up (for example “Breaking Up”) getting back together (for example “Breaking Up”) and wanting to get married but you can’t, because you’re a teenager (“So Young”).

#493

Marvin Gaye - Here, My Dear

This album only exists because Marvin was required by his divorce settlement to make it and provide all of the royalties to his ex-wife and motown executive Anna Gordy Gaye. It’s absolutely bizarre, phoned in mid tempo funk whose lyrics range from the passive aggressive (“This is what you wanted right?”) to the petulant (“Why do I have to pay attorney’s fees?”). There is a seething realness here that crosses well past the border of uncomfortable. I don’t think it’s an amazing album to listen to, but it’s an amazing album to exist: Marvin Gaye is legally obligated to throw his own divorce pity party, and everyone's invited.

#492

Bonnie Raitt - Nick of Time

I have never heard of Bonnie Raitt before but apparently this album won several grammys including album of the year in 1989 and sold 5 million copies, which I guess goes to show that no award provides less long term relevance than the grammys. The story around the album is pretty heartwarming, it was her first massive hit after a career of whiffs, and Bonnie Raitt herself is apparently a social activist and neat human being. I say all this because this sort of 80s country blues rock doesn't really connect with me, but the artist obviously deserves more than that. I unequivocally like the title track though, a hand-clap backed winding electric piano groove about literally finding love before your eggs dry up.

#491

Harry Styles - Fine Line

I do not think I have ever heard a one direction song because I am an adult who only listens to public radio. I’m totally open to pop bands or boy bands or boy band refugee solo artists, but I don’t like anything here. It’s like a mixtape of the worst pop trends of the decade, from glam rock that sounds like it belongs in a car commercial to folky bullshit that sounds like it belongs in a more family focused car commercial. This gets my first DNP (Does Not Place).

#490

Linda Ronstadt - Heart Like a Wheel

Another soft-rock blues and country album which just doesn’t land with me. But the opener “You’re No Good” is like a soul/country hybrid which still goes hard and the title track hits with the lyrics “And it's only love and it's only love / That can wreck a human being and turn him inside out”.

Current Ranking, which is weirdly almost like an inverse of the rolling stones list so far;

#rolling stone #500 greatest albums of all time

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keichanz · 5 years ago

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Biggest Fears

yeaaaahhh, so...i ended up just buying the standalone Microsoft word because i’m a finicky bitch with preferences and MS word has spoiled me lmao.

i tweaked the prompt for this one; originally it was darkest fears, but i thought fuck it and made it biggest fears because honestly who the hell cares anymore i want this fucking thinG DONE.

Spooktober Day 29: Biggest Fears

“Mama! Are you watching?!”

“I’m watching, honey,” Kagome called back to her son from her place on the park bench, lifting her head to put truth to her words and watch as he disappeared inside the brightly colored tube slide then reappear at the bottom, grinning and giddy.

Smiling as her youngest laughed and zipped toward the ladder to slide down the, well, slide, once again, Kagome waved to show she was watching and then shifted her gaze to search for her daughter. Izayoi hadn’t moved from her location on the swings, surrounded by Rin and her friends as they chatted and ignored all the little kids and grownups around them. Unsurprisingly Raiden and Kohaku along with a few other boys she didn’t immediately recognize weren’t far away, roughhousing with each other like boys do and generally just having a good time being kids. It was heartwarming and Kagome was glad her daughter had such good friends.

Checking on Tai to find him at the bottom of the slide playing with some other children his age, Kagome felt her phone buzz in her hand and dropped her gaze to read the newest text, secure in the fact that her children were safe.

what r u wearing?

Kagome snorted loudly and quickly typed her reply.

new phone who dis

oh shit don’t tell my wife

She laughed aloud that time and couldn’t stop the stupid grin from spreading as she responded.

That you’re a no good cheating mutt?

u spelled charming and sexy wrong

Your wife is a saint.

yeah i kno, dunno why she puts up with me

You make pretty babies.

is that all?

Kagome bit her lip to stifle the urge to giggle madly. Well okay you might have one or two uses…

oh yeah? care to enlighten this no good mutt?

Liiiiiiike…killing all the spiders :)

not really what i was thinking tbh

She snickered, an impish grin curling her lips upward. Oh no? well what other uses do you have other than jar opener and resident Tall Person among the Short People

think real hard baby 👅🐈

Shoulders shaking in silent laughter, Kagome swiftly typed up her response and she could practically hear his exaggerated groan.

Why are you licking the cat? Do I need to call animal services or

Hitting send, she sat back with a rather smug grin on her lips and waited. Only a minute or so passed before her phone buzzed and this time she burst out laughing at his predictable reply.

fucks sake woman ur damn lucky u ain’t here right now

Cackling gleefully, Kagome typed, OOOOOHHH okay I think I got it now...

A minute passed. Then, i swear to god wench

Kagome felt positively devilish as she sent her response, the contents of which being three emojis.

🍆🍆🍆

Her husband’s reply was instantaneous and there was no mistaking the proud grin that spread across her features as she read it.

😂 god i fucking love u

I know 😘

“...Kagome...?”

“Hm?” Turning her head with a smile, Kagome opened her mouth to greet whoever it was that said her name. Her gaze landed on a slim figure standing a little uncertainly next to the bench, and when caramel brown collided with twin pools of familiar cinnamon, Kagome gasped.

“K-Kikyou?”

Relief flitted across the woman’s face and she offered a friendly, if a bit awkward smile. “So it is you. It’s...been a while.”

Kagome was too dumbstruck to do anything but stare and nod, eyes wide and mouth slightly parted in shock.

Kikyou’s smile faded somewhat and she shifted on her feet, looking a bit uncomfortable. She glanced at the playground, glanced at Kagome, and then hesitantly asked, “May I...?”

She gestured to the bench Kagome was seated on and finally snapping out of her shock, the other woman shook her head and gave a strained smile as she wordlessly scooted over to make room.

While she said a quiet thank you and settled beside her, Kagome thought to herself that her formal rival hadn’t changed a bit. Still drop dead gorgeous with the same sleek black hair, model-perfect body, slender legs, and a flawless complexion Kagome had always been jealous of. She looked older, of course, but she had aged extremely well and didn’t look a day over twenty.

Sitting back with a sigh and crossing one leg over the other, Kikyou rested her hands in her lap and offered another smile. It was small but genuine with perhaps a bit of uncertainty, and her brown eyes held a wealth of burgeoning hope that had Kagome suddenly remember her and Inuyasha’s conversation on their deck the night she’d come knocking on their door.

Having absolutely no idea what to say, Kagome managed to return the smile before looking away, cursing herself for the awkwardness that settled between them. No doubt Kikyou could feel it too because she didn’t say anything, allowing the silence between them to grow until Kagome felt like you could cut the tension with a knife.

God, what did you even say to your husband’s former high school flame that had tried to sabotage your relationship before up and vanishing to another freaking country?

Kikyou sighed and looked toward the playground, hating this tension between them, but unsure of how to clear it. A flash of silver caught her attention and automatically her eyes sought it out, lighting on a child with sterling silver hair and very familiar dog ears that strongly hinted at who his father was.

Her eyes lit up and she smiled. “Is that your boy?” she asked softly, nodding toward the toddler as he chased after a cute little girl with brown pigtails.

Blinking, Kagome followed her gaze her and face softened, instantly finding him among the laughing, playing children.

“Yes,” she answered, her smile warm as she watched her son play. “That’s Tai. Five years old and a complete handful, but I wouldn’t have him any other way.”

Kikyou sighed and it was a little wistful, but her tone held neither contempt nor jealousy as she commented, “He looks just like him.”

It was obvious who she was talking about and Kagome’s smile broadened slightly.

“He definitely has his looks,” she agreed, “but thankfully that’s all he inherited. All of his attitude, on the other hand, went straight to his first born.”

Kikyou grinned. “Is she here?”

Kagome nodded toward the swings where her daughter and her friends had claimed for themselves. The girls were swinging now with the boys pushing them and their peals of laughter were pleasant as the sound drifted over to them.

“Oooh,” Kikyou murmured, brown eyes glinting knowingly. “His looks and his temper? Tell me, how many broken hearts has she left in her wake?”

Kagome laughed. “More like broken noses.” At Kikyou’s look, akin to confused alarm, she smiled wryly and explained, “Remember Kouga? Well, unsurprisingly his son is a lot like his father and he’s been chasing Izayoi for a while now. Not too long ago his posturing went a little too far and, well…” She shrugged. “Let’s just say my girl is more than capable of taking care of herself.”

Amused, Kikyou’s eyebrows rose into the fridge of her bangs as a little smile flirted with her lips.

“She is her father’s daughter,” she commented, perhaps a little somberly.

Kagome’s smile dimmed a little and she nodded, her gaze drifting to the girl in question.

“Yes,” she breathed, and the two fell into another awkward silence as they watched the children play. Tai was on the jungle gym now and showing off his hanyou skills to the awe-struck human tykes. They were both 100% their father’s children, and Kagome wouldn’t want them any other way.

“Kagome,” Kikyou suddenly said on a sigh and said woman turned her attention to the figure beside her. “May I be frank with you?”

Having a good idea where this was headed, Kagome sucked in a sharp breath and nodded wordlessly.

Kikyou flashed her a quick smile of thanks before shifting on the bench so she was more or less facing her. Kagome did the same, figuring the least she could do as give the other woman her full attention, however she still made it a point to keep an ear and eye out on her children.

“I won’t insult you by beating around the bush,” Kikyou began, doing the other woman the courtesy of looking directly into her eyes. “And I’m not expecting everything to just be okay after this, but for what it’s worth, Kagome…I am truly sorry. For how I acted, for what happened, for what I put the three of us through…for everything.”

Kagome swallowed thickly and said nothing, sensing her companion wasn’t finished.

“I realize now that my behavior was immature and inexcusable,” Kikyou continued, confirming Kagome’s suspicion. She smiled bitterly and dropped her gaze to her lap.

“For years I’ve harbored the guilt of how things ended between us and I suppose it’s not very fair that I ask for your forgiveness, and Inuyasha’s, for what I did. But, here I am.”

She shrugged and Kagome’s heart went out to her. All this time, for over ten years… She couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to bear the heaviness of guilt for so long.

“Kikyou…” Kagome began but the woman shook her head. Kagome forced herself to remain quiet, fisting her hands in her lap.

“I was scared,” she admitted, much to Kagome’s surprise. “As a teenager, my world was rather simple and it consisted of three things: shopping, my friends, and…the boy I liked.” Kikyou lifted her gaze and found Kagome’s again.

“So, when Inuyasha started showing interest in another girl—in you—I was terrified and I did things that I am not proud of. And I realize the irony only now, years later when I am an adult with a mortgage and a husband, of how much of a fool I truly was.”

“You can’t pin the entire blame on yourself, Kikyou,” Kagome said, her voice rough, unable to stay quiet any longer. “We were all young and did things we regret. We all made…not very smart decisions, and we let our emotions get the best of us.” She paused. Then, “I was scared too, you know.”

Closing her eyes and releasing a shaky sigh, Kagome bit down on her lip as she gathered her thoughts, a slight frown creasing her brow. Kikyou patiently waited, holding her breath, her cinnamon eyes holding a smidgen of hope that not all was lost.

“When things started getting really complicated,” Kagome began, “My biggest fear at the time was that Inuyasha would get tired of it all—the drama, the fighting, the misunderstandings—and just…decide it wasn’t worth his time anymore. I was scared he’d not only write me off, but forget me entirely and move on with his life without me and I remember how I cried myself to sleep sometimes, thinking about it all.”

Kikyou swallowed thickly and rasped, “You must have hated me.”

Kagome was silent for a beat and then admitted in a whisper, “I did.”

Kikyou closed her eye and nodded. She wasn’t surprised. Because she hated herself, too, for what she did.

“But,” the mother of two continued and Kikyou’s eyes fluttered open, the breath caught in her throat. “I also envied you, Kikyou.”

At the woman’s completely baffled look, Kagome had to smile before elaborating, “You can’t tell me you didn’t notice how completely torn Inuyasha was. He didn’t want to hurt either of us by picking one over the other so it was obvious to me he still cared for you. And I asked myself, why? Why would he still care for someone who’s put us through so much torment and gave us nothing but grief? I was jealous. I didn’t want him to care for you; I wanted all of his attention for myself, for him to pick me, and forget you, and I absolutely hated the fact that you had something with him that I didn’t.”

Kikyou frowned as she tried to determine just what that could be and Kagome’s expression softened. She used to think that her former rival in love was vindictive and knew exactly what she was doing the entire time. Now she realized that she had just been a desperate and brokenhearted girl, fighting to keep her first love’s affection for herself.

Perhaps she and her husband’s old high school flame had been more alike that she’d originally thought.

Kikyou was still looking lost so Kagome finally explained, “Thinking back on it now it’s petty, and I’m a little ashamed to admit this, but I envied you, Kikyou, because you knew him longer than I did. You had memories with him that I didn’t. You got to see every side of him before I did, got to know him before me, and it drove me crazy knowing that you were his first kiss, and I wasn’t.”

The freelance writer digested that in silence, her eyes a little wide in wonder. She’d never realized that was how Kagome had felt. But then again, she’d never taken the time to really understand, had she? No, her only goal had been to get Inuyasha back by any means, uncaring who she hurt in the process, and that was one of her biggest regrets.

Sighing, Kagome finally smiled, and though it was small, it was genuine as she locked gazes with her formal rival and decided it was time to extent the olive branch. They were both adults now, with husbands and a career; it was time to put the past behind them and make a fresh start.

“Thank you for apologizing, Kikyou,” Kagome said sincerely, glad they’d had this conversation. “And I’ll gladly accept it, but only if you accept mine, too.”

Kikyou blinked in surprise and Kagome shrugged. “I wasn’t exactly a saint either. I said some pretty hurtful things to you, Kikyou, things I didn’t mean, and I definitely wasn’t my best self. I could have ignored you and not add fuel to the fire by taking your bait, but I didn’t, and I’m sure it didn’t help matters. In fact I made them worse, and then graduation came around, nothing was resolved, and then suddenly you left and Inuyasha was devastated because he didn’t get to say goodbye.”

Unbidden tears sprang to Kikyou’s eyes and she blinked rapidly, fluttering a hand over her mouth. She definitely had not been expecting that.

Kagome gave a wavering smile and reached out to take Kikyou’s hand in her own. Stunned, the other woman let her, staring down at their hands in a combination of wonder and confusion.

“See, Kikyou,” she murmured, throat feeling tight with emotion. “I’ve been dealing with guilt too, because if I hadn’t been so selfish in wanting all of his attention for myself, maybe he would have had the chance to talk to you before you left and things wouldn’t have gone unresolved for so long.

“But you’re here now,” she continued, eyes bright with unshed tears and her smile broadening. “And you were brave enough to approach me first asking for forgiveness, and I’m giving it to you now. Will you forgive me too, Kikyou? For being a selfish brat and denying you two the closure you so desperately needed?”

Kikyou gave a choked laugh and wiped her eyes with her free hand, a smile curving the corners of her lips upward.

“Look at us,” she rasped. “Two grown women blubbering on a public park bench about events that happened in high school.”

Kagome giggled and reached up to dab at her own eyes with the sleeve of her jacket. “Inuyasha always did tease us that we were too emotional,” she said and they shared a laugh, both of them no doubt thinking about how he’d be freaking out right now if he saw them.

Relieved and so utterly grateful, Kikyou got herself together in short order and beamed at Kagome, taking her hand and holding it between both of hers. She squeezed, drawing Kagome’s attention.

“Of course I forgive you, Kagome,” she said and laughed lightly at Kagome’s relieved sigh. “We were young and dumb—”

“And full of c—”

“Ohmigawd, don’t say it!” Kikyou squeaked and Kagome snickered, eyes flashing with glee as she covered her grinning mouth with a hand. Kikyou relented and dissolved into giggles as well and the two of them sat there laughing quietly, feeling comfortable, all previous awkwardness completely vanished.

“And full of the cafeteria’s awful Mystery Meat,” Kikyou finished with a grin and elicited an indelicate snort from an equally grinning Kagome. “And maybe it was that dreadful concoction of questionable food the school fed us or something else entirely that made us act the way we did—”

“Teenage hormones?” Kagome put in.

“I was thinking PMS,” Kikyou opined and once more the two giggled quietly together before the writer continued, “But now it’s in the past, we’ve realized the mistakes we’ve made, so now I’d love to say let us let bygones be bygones and finally put the whole thing behind us.”

Relieved, Kagome smiled and gently tugged her hand from Kikyou’s before extending it.

“A clean slate,” she announced and felt something loosen in her chest when the other woman without hesitation clasped her hand. “And a fresh start. I like the sound of that.”

Feeling like she was going to break down and cry all over again, Kikyou gave a trembling smile, squeezed Kagome’s hand, and breathed, “Me, too.”

Half an hour later, after making plans for the four of them – Kikyou, Kagome, and their respective husbands – to meet up for lunch this weekend, the two women bid each other a fond farewell and went their separate ways. Kagome collected her children and started the fifteen-minute walk home, trailing behind them on the sidewalk and watching with a small smile as her daughter and niece swung Tai back and forth between them. Raiden, Kohaku and their friends left to head home as well, and Kagome had pretended not to notice Raiden tug Izayoi aside to whisper something in her ear before kissing her cheek and leaving the half-demon in a blissful state of euphoria.

As Tai’s laughter rang out in the crisp October air, Kagome smiled and pulled out her phone, bringing up her messaging app with a few taps of a finger.

Inuyasha.

Only thirty seconds or so passed before he responded; he never kept her waiting and it was one of the many things Kagome loved about him.

what’s up baby

Feeling warm all over as her heart burst with affection for her husband, Kagome quickly typed her response, a mere three words.

I love you.

She didn’t wait for his response; closing the app, Kagome brought up the keypad and dialed a familiar number before bringing the phone to her ear. When her mother didn’t answer, however, she wrinkled her nose and tried another number.

“Hey, Sango,” she said when her friend picked up. “Listen, would you mind watching the kids for an hour or two? I want—” She paused as her friend interrupted and her eyebrows slowly lifted into her bangs as an amused smile lifted the corners of her lips.

“Oh…he did? And Miroku agreed? I see. Yes, don’t worry, everything’s fine. It’s just…well…I had an interesting chat with someone and I just…I dunno, I want to spend a little time alone with him, is all.

“Not right now,” she said apologetically as her house came into view. “I promise to call you tomorrow though, and tell you everything, okay? Trust me, you’re gonna need a glass of wine for this conversation. Or two.”

Kagome laughed at Sango’s begrudging agreement to wait and with a promise to see her tomorrow, the school teacher hung up and pocketed her phone, increasing her pace to lay a hand on her children’s shoulders and quietly tell them to head to Sango and Miroku’s house. She assured them everything was okay at their questions and she just wanted to talk to their father alone for a bit. Izayoi still looked unconvinced, however she nodded and waited for Tai to hug his mother before taking his hand and leading him across the street to their aunt and uncle’s house. Rin waved and jogged down the street to her own house, and Kagome watched for only a minute before turning and going home to her husband.

The house was quiet when she entered through the side door and she was shrugging out of her coat when two arms suddenly snaked around her waist and a mouth dropped to her neck. Kagome smiled and leaned back against him, reaching up to slide her hand into his hair and find a soft ear, rubbing the flesh gently. She was rewarded by a low growl reverberating against her back and a sharp nip to the ear that had her gasping as her heart beat a rapid tattoo in her chest.

Turning around, Kagome lifted her chin in time to receive her husband’s hungry kiss and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he effortlessly swept her up into his arms. She gasped, he growled, and with a shared, intimate smile, Inuyasha carried his wife upstairs to their bedroom, murmuring against her lips how much he loved her and how goddamn lucky he was to have her.

Kagome’s response to that was a trembling smile, a loving kiss to his lips, and a whispered plea to show her how much he loved her as she tugged the door shut firmly behind them.

#biggest fears #spooktober prompts #day 29 #oneshot #inuyasha #kagome #kikyou #inukag #keizfanfiction #fanfiction #listen i was actually tearing up writing the part between kagome and kikyou al;djkfalkdj #like #theY ARE GONNA BE BESTIES NOW ITS SO EMTIOANL FUCK WHY AM I CRYING #also as a random note #i was gonna make up a fake screenshot of inu and kagome's text conversation but i got lazy hahaha #i could still do it though if a few people ask me

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laventadorn · 5 years ago

Note

Part 1/2 I was wondering if you had any ideas/headcanons wrt Eileen/Tobias? JK doesn't really go into how they met, but given the little info he gives us its pretty clear the type of marriage they had. But, I was wondering why Tobias acted the way he did. Not that he needs a reason, but I love backstories. Do u have one for the Snapes? Personally, I sawa bit of parallel with how Seamus described how his muggle dad didn't know his mom was a which until after the wedding. I can sort of see...

I wrote one for my first HP fic, in fact! Heavily influenced by Jane Austen lmao

I would change some aspects of this now, but this was the version I dug up from my Ancient Writings:

(readmore, y u no work)

Eileen’s parents’ marriage was arranged, as many pure-blood marriages are. The Princes were a very old, distinguished line, but impoverished, while her mother’s family was relatively new, in a pure-blood sense, but wealthy. Her parents set up the marriage with Mr. Prince, who was rather older than their daughter, but she agreed to it. However, within a short time she was unhappy, since her husband, raised to frugality, was rather miserly and she was spendthrift; and being younger, she wanted to do a great many things that it was not in his temperament to agree to. When Eileen was about five or six, her mother ran away, abandoning her child and her marriage, eloping to Europe with a lover. Her husband was so humiliated and enraged that he forbade anyone in the household to speak her name ever again. He destroyed all evidence of her existence in the house—the possessions she had left behind, the paintings they’d had commissioned, even renouncing her personal house-elf. Even when he learned, three years later, that she’d died in conditions of poverty and hardship, it didn’t soften him toward her; instead, he only believed she had got what she deserved.

When Eileen was seven, he remarried, this time to a widow, one of the Blacks, who had endured a childless marriage of some fifteen years until her husband was killed rather stupidly trying to learn how to ride a dragon. She had no wealth, but Mr. Prince still had his wife’s fortune, and Mrs. Black’s impeccable bloodline meant more to him in any case. She and Mr. Prince were rather meant for each other, however: both were nip-farthings, both joyless and cruel, and both rigidly traditional. They believed in duty, propriety, and unstinting obedience from their children.

Mrs. Black, now Mrs. Prince, thought worse of the former Mrs. Prince than even her husband did. To her, a woman’s infidelity was the worst of vile sins, and she pitied her new husband for having married such a filthy whore. She was sorry that the former Mrs. Prince had left behind a little girl, since naturally the daughter of such a whore would turn out just like her.

But Mrs. Prince was determined to do her duty by Eileen. She raised her to be a proper pure-blood wife—dutiful, obedient, graceful and silent. She beat into her the importance of propriety, telling Eileen how vital it was that she give no one any cause to say how like her mother she was, however much she would surely have the same sort of base, wicked urges as that slut. She also impressed upon Eileen the necessity of marrying into a pure-blood family of stature, since her mother was a fine example of the rubbish that rose to the surface of bad blood.

Within a few short years, the new Mrs. Prince had rewarded her second husband with twin sons. These boys had the benefit firstly of being boys, always a plus in pure-blood families, as well as the added bonus of not having a piece of trash for a mother. The practice of favoring the sons over the daughters was standard in pure-blood families, but the sins of Eileen’s mother worsened her lot. Nothing Eileen ever did was right enough or good enough or proper enough in the eyes of her family; and at school she had no friends, since the pure-blood daughters of Slytherin were fully aware of her mother’s story and had been forbidden from associating with her. Eileen was not pretty, and her home life was too miserable to make her good enough company to compensate for her other defects. Her father pretended she did not exist, her brothers teased and tormented her, and her stepmother ruled her whole life with a fist of iron.

Eileen retreated into her schoolwork, into books and knowledge. In second year she did make one friend, a Ravenclaw named Constance Marlowe. Constance was a very tranquil person. Her mother was Muggle-born, and she would tell Eileen about her Muggle grandparents. Eileen had never met Muggles. Her father and stepfather loathed them, but they loathed Eileen, too, and loved her brothers and the pure-blood families who treated Eileen as if their cruelty was simply preempting every nasty thing they suspected she would ever do.

Then in fifth year, while visiting the sea shore on summer holiday, Constance drowned. Eileen went to her funeral, to which many of Constance’s Muggle relatives had come. They looked like regular people, although they dressed funny. After that, Eileen hated the ocean, but realized that Muggles were capable of human thought and speech, which her family had always led her to believe they weren’t.

When school ended, she returned to live at her father’s house, since pure-blood women of her family’s stature did not get jobs; they got married. But with Eileen’s reputation, her looks, and her father’s desire to spend as little money on her dowry as possible, she received no offers. Her blood was not even decent enough, balanced as it was by her mother’s betrayal. So for more than ten years, Eileen lived in her father’s home, a companion to her stepmother, an object of mockery to her brothers and the children they went on to have.

By the time she was thirty, everyone, even she, was certain she would never marry. Her stepmother even came to relax her restrictions, since she had kept Eileen wrapped so tightly out of a duty to maidenly propriety. A thin, unattractive thirty-year-old witch was not likely to be prey to any lascivious attentions or whims. Uncaring now of the reputation she had so viciously guarded, Mrs. Prince let Eileen out of the house for longer periods of time … although she might not have, had she known Eileen was visiting Muggle haunts.

On one of these jaunts, when she was about thirty-one, Eileen met Tobias. She had gone, in fact, to the seaside town where Constance drowned, perhaps out of a morbid desire to torture herself. He was there, too, trying to get away from his life for a bit, since he’d just gotten divorced.

He had married young when his girlfriend got pregnant unexpectedly. He’d done his duty by her, quitting school and going to work at the mill, but a few months before the day he met Eileen, his wife had sat him down and said she’d fallen in love with some other bloke, but she wanted to do right by Tobias because he’d always done right by her. She and he weren’t in love, hadn’t been since the very early days, even if they’d rubbed along together easily enough, and he said as long as he could keep seeing his girl, they’d be all right. So they divorced amicably, and she married the other bloke, who was a bit older and balding and sort of fat, but a jolly sort, which Tobias had to admit he was not. Lorraine’s new husband looked a bit like Santa Claus to Tobias, and he knew his daughter would like her step-father, if she didn’t already. And although as a young man he’d agreed to the marriage of necessity and had never really been bitter about it, happy enough with his wife and daughter for company, he had wanted more from his life than he’d wound up with at thirty-five: divorced, uneducated, in a dreary, pointless job.

As she was talking with him, Eileen realized she wanted more than anything to get away from her family. She realized how purely she hated them, as if the hatred ran through her blood. She decided to scandalize them utterly: packed up her marriage chest and ran away, to live with Tobias without marrying him, hoping to drive her father and step-mother both to an apoplectic fit, but at least one or the other if she could manage it.

So she and Tobias simply lived together for a while, until Eileen got pregnant. She had been guarding against this, but the magical world had an old wives’ tale that wizarding babies wanted to be born so badly that sometimes, you couldn’t stop them. When she told Tobias, he wanted to get married, and although she didn’t really, she didn’t want her child to suffer the ignominy of being the bastard of a whore. So they were married, very quietly, only Tobias’ ex-wife in attendance with her family. Not wanting to give birth to a daughter that would live the life she’d had, Eileen mixed a very Dark potion to ensure the birth of a son.

So Severus was born. She put an ad in the Daily Prophet, hoping her family would see it, in case it would give them an aneurism.

Before Severus was born, but when she was close to due, Tobias asked her if the baby would have magic. Eileen said, “It is likely, but he may not.”

“What happens if he doesn’t?” Tobias asked.

Eileen shrugged. “Then he doesn’t.” She wanted her son to be a wizard, but she was no longer in the magical world; a Squib child would not matter to her now. She had brothers; she was not even the end of the line.

It was impossible to tell if babies had magic, so for several years after Severus’ birth it was a moot issue. Eileen continued to work spells, because Tobias said he didn’t mind, he actually thought it was pretty interesting. And then one day when Severus was about four or five, he worked magic, and out of nowhere Tobias blew up at the pair of them. Eileen was so shocked she actually flinched away, because although she knew Tobias had a temper, he’d never turned it on her. Severus burst into tears. And then Eileen pulled herself together and reacted, rage and hatred boiling up out of her through her wand, and she turned it on her husband, the way she’d always wanted to do to her brothers, her father, her step-mother, the children at school, and she blasted him across the room and into the bookshelf.

Severus screamed. Eileen stood frozen, looking at Tobias’ unconscious body slumped under an array of books. She blasted them off him and found he was bleeding from cuts all over his front. She hastily flooed them all to St. Mungo’s, where he was swiftly patched up. Although the Healers gave her funny looks, they did nothing to her because she was a witch and he was only a Muggle, and there weren’t legal protections in those days for the Muggle spouses of wizards and witches.

Tobias wasn’t the same after that. Eileen didn’t know whether it was the shock of her turning her magic on him, or Severus’ own magic manifesting, or even the trip to St. Mungo’s, because his face as he looked around the hospital as they left had been haunted. After that, he began to drink more. Although he’d always had a few on the weekends and even more on holidays, he was soon never seen without a drink in his hand or the scent of alcohol on his breath. He wouldn’t tell Eileen what was wrong, and it was impossible to get anything from the mind of a drunk person; even trying it made one disoriented.

She expected him to leave them; expected to wake up one morning and find him gone, but for some reason he never did. They settled into a life where Tobias would go for days avoiding her and Severus, hardly speaking to them when sober, muttering when inebriated, with occasional outbursts of temper that Eileen would sometimes curtail, but at others simply weather out. As a young child Severus was at first frightened, then hurt, and once he grew older, resentful.

Once, when Severus was about seven, she did wake up in the middle of the night and find Tobias in Severus’ room, watching him sleep. Tobias was just drunk enough to be honest. He looked up at her with haunted eyes and said, “Do you hate that I can’t do it?”

“Do what?” she asked, bewildered.

“What you can do. What he can do. Do you hate me because I can’t?”

Eileen just stared at him. “Is that why you act like this?” He didn’t say anything, just looked back at Severus. “No, I don’t hate you. That would be like hating the sky because it’s blue.”

When he spoke, she almost didn’t hear him. “Sometimes I hate you, though. Both of you.”

It took Eileen much longer than it should have to understand what Tobias was really telling her: that he hated them for being able to do something he never would. He hated them for having the power of magic when he was only a Muggle. That look on his face in St. Mungo’s had been shock at an entire world he’d never guessed existed; and now that he knew of it, he also knew he would only ever be on the outside looking in.

But she had not understood this in time. She resented his drinking; he resented her powers; they resented each other’s resentment. And at the heart of it, they came to hate the other for a second chance that had turned to ash, just as the first chance had.

Eventually Eileen realized that the same barrier that stood between her and Tobias had blocked him off from Severus, and she simply quit trying to bridge it. She drew Severus into the circle of her magic, eschewing any acknowledgment of the non-magical world he was half a part of. She had always meant Tobias to show him that part, and now Tobias would not. She taught Severus about his magical bloodline, the House of their family’s allegiance, the world he would enter once he was old enough, the powers he would wield. Although she punished him if he looked in her books without her permission, she taught him hexes and curses and spells that would get him respected among his Slytherin peers, that would receive him the notice of families he would need to impress in order to gain entrance into the society that should have been his—both of theirs, had her life gone much differently. She raised him more as she had been raised, in a manner typical for pure-blood daughters: with strictness and not much indulgence, because she’d loathed the men her brothers had become, alternately indulged and ruthlessly punished as they had been, as the beloved sons of two cruel, cold-hearted people.

In teaching Severus about the world she had left, sending him off into the future he ought to have, Eileen realized she had never been happy in the world of magic. She had known the truth of that, lived it all her life, but never articulated it to herself. But she was not happy in the Muggle world, either; she did not understand it, couldn’t navigate it. It was too vast and unfamiliar for her even to know where to start. As she prepared Severus for Hogwarts, Eileen realized the only time she had been anything close to happy was in that seaside town when she had met Tobias, and she had believed, for a handful of days, that the future would be different from the past.

But it hadn’t been. Now Tobias was gone, and only Severus was left. And even though she had tried her hardest to make it otherwise, she realized that Severus was just as out-of-place as she had ever been; she, the daughter of a whore, the pure-blood wife of a Muggle with a wizard for a son. Severus was the child of two people whose lives had been wasted for them by others; sent as hardly more than a baby into the world of pure-blood politics with such a tiny arsenal of anything they would see as promise, in love with a naïve Muggle-born Gryffindor. If Severus wanted the Muggle-born, he would cut all his chances of entering good society; and if he got the Muggle-born, he would find himself in the midst of people who regarded his magic with jealousy and suspicion.

That was the true curse of the half-blood, she thought. You were always trapped between worlds that didn’t know how to claim you.

*Snape doesn’t have those uncles anymore cuz they died off somehow, and he doesn’t have contact with his dad’s first family. He doesn’t strike me as someone who has a large extended family he pals around with, although I’m sure they exist. I have 1 jillion cousins I know absolutely nothing about, not even their names.

#laventadorn's adventures in writing stuff

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memoriashell · 6 years ago

Text

home

Characters: Xion-centric; ft. a good chunk of the real org. xiii and sea salt trio feelings.

crossposted on ao3 with the full extent of my notes

Notes: This started out as a canon divergent, ‘what if the vessels had a larger role in the plot’ and ended up as self indulgent Xion getting to be more active in kh3′s plot. Also warning for the usage of a lot of repetition / repeating text. Alternatively titled ‘it’s a good thing Roxas and Axel spend 90% of kh3 not being around but I was really tempted to be canon divergent there too’, the novel.

Summary: A puppet has a part to play, in the end, and finds her way home.

( home is where your heart lies, or something like that )

When Xion awakens, there is pain, and a murmur from somewhere— someone else— vaguely familiar enough that puts her on edge. She might have had some sense of awareness, while she slumbered in... there, so this, this feels... wrong. Bad.

They tell her to ignore it. Forget it.

So she does exactly that ( not by choice though, not by choice ). She does not want to forget about seashells and sunsets and ice cream and—

They make her forget, and she ignores the tugging feeling that she needs to go home.

You have a job, it would do you good not to fail this time. They whisper in her ears, you were chosen for a reason ( what reason, she wants to question, but she bites her tongue because something about staying silent seems more fitting ).

Xion stares at her reflection, golden eyes staring back at her blankly.

Vexen won’t stop watching her.

He’s not the only one, really. Xigbar watches her curiously, like there’s something else there to her. Saïx watches her like he expects her to break.

But Vexen watches her like he’s observing. Waiting. It’s discomforting, but less so than that feeling of—

— go home, go home, home; but where is that, she whispers. Isn’t home where she already is?

( She misses the gleam of regret in his eyes ).

“Focus, Number Thirteen.” He tells her, and she tries not to flinch at the coldness in his eyes and the feeling of that’s wrong, that’s wrong, that’s wrong. She’s not Thirteen—

She’s just another pawn, a vessel— a puppet, one might say. She is not deserving of that number. ( Is it even her number? Logically, Xion has no reason to question it, yet she can’t help the feeling that there’s something wrong about being called that ).

“Focus.” Saïx snaps at her again. “I don’t have time to babysit you. Get in position to defend yourself.”

She doesn’t understand this. Isn’t allowed to try and understand. Puppet girl has a part, vessel does not get to stray from that role, girl will dutifully obey the command she is given and will not question otherwise.

( You cannot question that which you do not know ).

In the end, she is just another vessel after all.

She is not the only Replica among the Organization.

Though this should be a fact that is, on some level, comforting; it does not do anything of the sort for her.

Even though Xion does not know why, that face— that face haunts her, makes her guts twist and her heart...? ( What of her heart? It does not exist to begin with ).

He is callous and rough one moment, something she cannot quite name in the next—

I’m the real one, Riku whispers when he thinks no one else is around. I’m real.

Somehow, she feels like they are more alike than she realizes.

She does not know Larxene very well.

( Xion falters a little when she has that thought because, she did not know anyone here— why would she have thought she knew anyone? Save Demyx, who acts like everyone is an old friend, she has no reason to have come to think that ).

It is with great reluctance that she is taken out to do recon, a different kind of ‘training’; out to Arendelle, which is more sun and water than she is used to seeing

— and the feeling someone else should be here with her.

Vessel keeps her hood up, follows silently in the shadows of her senior, flinches at the jabs the elder makes at her expense and does not try to speak back.

There are moments too, that, even with disdain, she will correct her posture, her stance, her fighting style; indirectly answers the soft questions about their hearts or therefore lack of, when the people around them talk of emotions that they don’t exactly have.

( It feels wrong feels wrong feels wrong — )

It is ‘cold’ the next time they visit, with snow and ice that is also much different than she is used to seeing; but they don’t have time for such luxuries when they have a task to see to, even if that is simply to watch and wait.

Xion has never seen boy with the keyblade, who with a single simple gesture of his body screams home at her more than anything else she has ever known and causes a tingling feeling in the back of her mind,

and home home home home—

This isn’t right her head screams — her heart, her heart... does not exist ( neither does she, some part of her whispers, just a vessel without meaning ).

Even hours later, when they are back home and she is stuck staring blankly at a wall while she awaits for someone to give Xion her next task, she cannot stop thinking about him.

( She has no explanation for why her throat had felt so tight when she saw him ).

She tries not to flinch at the odd utensil Vexen prods her with ( apparently, she is not immune to cold, she had just gone numb to it after a while because their cloaks had not been sufficient to protect against prolonged exposure to that, or so that’s what he says ).

“Stay still.” He’s stern; harsh, but not as harsh as... as what? She’s not sure where that train of thought was going, but she doesn’t have time to linger on it as he demands her attention once again. “Lord Xemnas expects that you stay in good condition, vessel. It would be good of you to learn your limits; be more observant of your surroundings in the future.” A frown on her part, as if she would really know what that entails, but he’s too busy jotting down notes for her to try and interrupt.

“How interesting...” He murmurs, but doesn’t speak further on it than that ( she would ask him to elaborate, but Xion gets the feeling that it would not be said in away understandable for her, so she bites her tongue ).

She sits in silence while he makes his diagnosis and wonders what being a vessel actually means.

Research Entry 572: Regards to the Replica No. i and Other Notes of Importance

Thus far, the work to create an improved version of the Replica Program seems to be successful. While it is a shame that I could not have been present to observe No. i’s original existence— for I lack good notes to make comparisons to— I have great confidence that these are improvements of the previous vessels based on what information can be salvaged from my former reports. I will have to continue depend on other’s reports of the Replicas in order to conclude the success of the former project and determine what else needs to be improved, what further refinements can be made, in order to grant them ‘humanity’.

Truly, what emotion she seems capable of conveying is something— the miracle of a heart, perhaps, or that boy’s influence. I will have to make further observations and testing before I can establish what is the true cause at hand, or if it is perhaps a mixture of the two. The other replica we are currently using, a version of the Riku Replica, is quite an interesting subject in itself, but I will save those observations for a different entry, for it is far different than she is.

At least it seems as though No. i has been a successful experiment, both then and now. Though lacking qualities that would make her a nobody, she is still not quite close enough to a human, so perhaps it can be concluded that a vessels are different from both nobodies and humans. Perhaps further testing of that theory and a refined hypothesis would lead to an answer. Perhaps it is for the best that project is left in the past with the rest.

Back to the subject of No. i, she seems to have finally stabilized, to no fault of her own. The necessity to keep her memories and ‘heart’ initially set her back, and is still causing some difficulties, but it seems that her identity has been shaped, nonetheless. The frequency with which her appearance falters is less often, but it is possible that it is not permanent, should her memories return to her again. That is not an immediate concern, and shall be dealt with should the problem arise. I admit, I was surprised to see that she has gained a stable identity, but this is further proof that she is not simply a vessel, but human, I believe. The fact she has adopted the name given to her and taken on an appearance based on her heart, that is the true miracle here.

I suppose I will record what Demyx has reported here, for it holds some relevance to No. i. As expected, the vessel has taken on No. 13’s likeness, but remains in slumber as the heart remains separate and thus unable to awaken. A partial success, then, we will have to see if it awakens in time. It is rather unfortunate I cannot see this process for myself, as No. 13 and No. i are quite unusual subjects, having ties to that keyblade wielder.

I have also been informed that child does not require my assistance, for he has deemed himself familiar enough with the vessels. Was it not your arrogance that got you killed, Zexion? Regardless, I will leave No. 13 in his capable hands, and see to it that my research continues on this side of things. There will be time to speak with the rest of them, when this is all over. For now, I must continue to do my part so I may atone for my role in all this.

I only pray that No. 13 can awaken in time, because... should she follow the same fate that was intended for her original vessel, he may be the only one who can stop her.

— Vexen

“...break...you kn...help...str...”

She strains to try and pick up on what is being said— she’s not the kind to eavesdrop, even as uncertain and curious as she is, she does not have that will to do so most of the time.

And had she not heard her name, she probably would have withheld the urge to do so.

Xion presses her ear to the door, tries to focus on figuring who’s saying what—

“What are they talking about?”

She inhales sharply and jumps— its probably a good thing that she is so quiet most of the time, even when startled she hardly even utters a squeak. Her hood hides the weak glare she shoots at the source of the voice ( and almost startles a second time— since when has Demyx been that quiet? ), and opts not to answer the other as she walks away. She’s not going to hear anything else, she knows, and the last thing she wants is to be caught because he can’t be quiet.

( Of course, he doesn’t give up so easily; she hears footsteps following her like a puppy, and something like fondness stirs in her for a moment )

“Have you been out?” Upon sensing the silent query from her, he elaborates. “Besides for recon.” A wordless shake of her head ( the idea of being out for recon seems unusual—or not, she’s not quite sure, actually ).

“No? That’s kind of weird since you’re not benched.” Xion shrugs, she is not so dumb as to believe Demyx doesn’t know better—something that she doesn’t know ( but she doesn’t know what that is exactly, so she can’t do much more than watch him skeptically ). A hand settles down on her shoulder, snapping her away from her thoughts; peers up curiously at him as she waits for him to speak. “Say, why don't you tag along with me? They aren't having you do anything better, so it's not like you'll be missed.”

Something tells her she doesn't get a say, another part of her questions what he's trying to do( trying to make friends with a nobody like her ).

“Where are we going?” She asks with reluctance, a hint of childlike curiosity. When she gets no response more than the opening of a corridor, she follows up with another question. “Is this where you usually disappear to?” He doesn’t answer, just gestures for her to follow him as he heads through the portal.

It’s bright when Xion steps through to the other side, wincing as she takes a moment to adjust, before opening her eyes to the sight before her—

“Ta-da!” He exclaims, a gesture of his hands ( that goes ignored by her, who has been frozen by the feeling of the wind in her hair, the smell of salt, and the sound of waves crashing ). Her non-existent heart clenches—

her gaze freezes on the sight of the setting sun and

all wrong, all wrong, all wrong, her head screams, there should be three people here, where the sun meets the sea.

( She doesn’t know when— why she starts crying )

“Again.” Saïx orders, and she complies— replica girl takes position, swings a weapon alike his as she harnesses the energy of his magic, uses her own magic to mimic the shockwaves he makes. Her keyblade slams into the claymore and the illusion is temporarily shattered, until her magic is restored enough for her to reform it.

She is tired, but she continues regardless— there is part of her that can fight, instinctively, but instincts will not be enough to gt her though a serious fight, so she is stuck training, again.

( Make yourself useful, play your part right, puppet. Vessel may have some will of her own, but when she knows what her purpose is, she does not have a reason to go against it ).

She jumps back when a flurry of red flames are sent in her direction— red? That doesn’t seem quite right, despite the fact that it is far from the first time she has seen that attack ( rubs her eyes and they are back to a sea of blue ). She takes a moment to hang back and recollect herself; no time to question what she’s seeing, waits for his form to revert before she tries charging in. Keyblade collides with blade, holds there for a moment as she is stared down by green eyes before she is sent flying back and—

distinctly, she has the feeling he is holding back; a feeling that is similar to something she doesn’t quite know.

( Someone pleads with her to stop, and Xion only wishes that she could comply with it.

Somewhere deep in her soul, she too wishes she could stop ).

Girl plays her part very well. She is quiet, hidden beneath her cloak, does not spare a glance to their opponents

( They are your enemies. Do not spare them a second thought, she is told firmly, and like always does not question the orders she is given— the look in Saïx’s eyes when he gave her this order, however, does linger in her mind.

It haunts her, so she does as she is instructed and ignores to the best of her ability ).

It is hard to ignore bright red that keeps catching her eyes, the brunet that she had seen on that day—

a face that shatters her world and—

home home home home.

She ignores the feeling of her reality being threatened and clings onto the fact that they are supposed to be the victors here

( Does she even want them to win...? )

It is some irony who they are fighting, but it is easier to just throw herself into fighting without question, express her frustrations through her weapon instead ( it is easier to swing a weapon instead of thinking about why they share a face, easier to strike again instead of questioning the tug of her heart ).

She summons her keyblade and uses their magic and fights because Xion no longer knows what else to do; fights because she feels numb ( and play your part, puppet, whispers the back of her mind ). She has trained for this day, knows which order of actions she needs to take, which attacks to do when.

She attacks the girl alike her because it is less painful than facing the others; some part of her does not want to hurt her either— does not want to hurt any of the three, but that is too complex a thought for a time like this.

They succeed, of course, but she feels no joy; feels nothing with her heart ( except stop stop stop stop ). She hangs back and watches, ignores the prickling pain in the back of her mind—

Vessel does not know when she moved, only that her hand is in pain and stop stop stop stop please don’t take—

The words her superior speaks do not make sense to her ( who would be friends with a pawn like her? ), despite the fact that it resonates with some part of her; ignores that and stands up, she has her orders and puppet will do as she is told.

Her hands tremble and her throat feels tight and all puppet girl wants to do is ask why—?

Her world shatters and crumbles around her when he hears him speak through a face that does not match the voice; wails with pain when static fills her ears and you’re home, this is home, home home home home home—

( And suddenly, everything falls into place )

Despite the knowledge that her newfound memories have given her, a part of her can’t help but feel she’s betraying them by fighting like this; using what she has been taught to give her an advantage, so Xion hangs back a little at first

( She has an easier time fighting when she thinks about how he strung her along like the puppet she is—

That doesn’t make it any easier when she sees the glimmer of contentedness in his gaze when she delivers the finishing blow )

Like this, he teaches her, guides her unsteady hands, shows her how to defend herself. A potion is slipped into her hand when Xion makes the mistake of trying to counter his attack while in berserk mode.

“Keep your distance and use your magic.” Saïx warns, expression as solemn as ever. “You’ll be of more use to just force them to run into my attacks by using your own.”

And then, her posture is changed one last time, begrudgingly.

“If you’re going to strike me down, do it like this.”

( Had it been said to anyone else, such course of action would have seemed suicidal )

Perhaps it is unsurprising, when their fight has finished, that Xion breaks down in tears and cries— feels with a heart she has always had from the start ( in retrospect, everything makes sense, at last ).

She pushes herself close to her two friends and clings to them; no more being separated, she refuses to lose them again.

( Home, her heart sings, she’s finally at home ).

All of it feels sort of surreal; not forgotten, existing on her own terms—

( Finally being the three of them, at the beach, like they had promised so long ago ).

She had seen the beaches a few times in all of her existence, but none of it equates to this; being able to smile and laugh with her two best friends—

Her and Roxas screeching when Axel dunks them in the cold, salty sea water—

The three of them sitting in the sand, eating ice cream like old times.

( The sun sets on this chapter of their old lives, and she cannot be any more content than that )

#xion #kh #kh spoilers #kh3 spoilers #* mine #* zhi writes #owrjeiflskj this could be better but i just... want it out and done with u.u

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diveronarpg · 6 years ago

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Congratulations, BECKY! You’ve been accepted for the role of GONERIL with an approved FC change to URSULA CORBERO. Admin Jen: Truly, Becky, you have left us speechless with this wonderful application! Your take on Grace was a bit unusual, and certainly not what I was expecting as I had established her in my mind as very cold and clinical. But the way you integrated emotions into her portrayal was brilliant -- it gave her a touch of volatility and extremism that accentuated the terror that Grace embodies so perfectly. I loved your future plots especially the evil scheme that you elaborated on and your writing sample left me trembling in both fear and admiration; everything just came together so intricately! I can’t wait to watch as she burns Verona to the ground! Please read over the checklist and send in your blog within 24 hours.

WELCOME TO THE MOB.

Out of Character

Alias | Becky

Age | 22

Preferred Pronouns | she/her

Activity Level | I’ve sold my soul to you now, I can’t ever leave

Timezone | Ok so I wrote BST on Odessa’s app but the rest of the UK gang put GMT (time is a social construct and I’m actually a cosmic entity floating around the globe giving u all forehead kisses)

Current/Past RP Accounts | x x

In Character

Ok so I know you didn’t exactly accept her as an FC for Grace but I’m hoping you warm to edgy-looking neo-noir Úrsula Corberó once you’ve read the app. I admit that my idea of Grace may not be quite what you’re looking for but I wanted to give applying for her a shot because I love me Hot Mess of a character! (but I am also happy to come up with alternatives if not)

Is evil something you are? Or is it something you do?

Character | Grace ‘Goneril’ Daly

What drew you to this character? | So like any good prophecy/vision/intervention of fate, I woke up one morning with a mighty need to play a character who is Odessa’s opposite, the black fur coat leather skirt cigarette ash psycho babe to my honey sweet lace and silk angel of retribution, so I’ve sort of been slyly waiting for Grace’s bio to be released.

It’s her contrast to Odessa that initially drew me in with the chance to explore another character whose existence and presence in Verona revolves around her father’s ties to a mob, but resulting in a drastically alternate result. It will be very different playing a character who doesn’t particularly have a motive for killing (beyond self-preservation and power-lust) and is loyal to only herself.

Whilst I would usually play a character like Grace as being a cold-hearted, emotionless ice queen, I feel as though Grace is better suited to burning. She is a slave to her emotions, the rise and fall of them dictating her mood, all while highly strung and fuelled by a chaotic form of energy. You can very much tell when she is happy and when she is not. She’ll cry in front of you just as gladly as she’ll laugh and kiss you. She’s unkind, ruthless, impulsive, emotional, and she’s ready to antagonise people to her tar-black heart’s content.

Character inspo: Azula from Avatar, Jennifer Check from Jennifer’s Body, Bellatrix Lestrange from Harry Potter, War from Good Omens. Trope inspo Alpha Bitch, Ambiguous Disorder, Blatant Lies, Daddy’s Little Villain, Go-Getter Girl, Hair-Trigger Temper, Improbable Weapon User, Jerkass, Sadist, Spoiled Brat, Virtue is Weakness.

What is a future plot idea you have in mind for the character? |

i. A masterplan;

Step One: Grow to become an important part of the mob you were all but born into. Turn yourself into the perfect player, capable with weapons and unblinking in the face of danger. Step Two: Leave them. Join their rivals. Prove yourself to them by dispatching of a few former associates, low hanging fruit. Become just as relevant within their ranks. Step Three: Collate what you have learnt about the two mobs. Their strengths, their weaknesses. Make a few friends with similar goals to yourself. Corrupt them. Step Four: Start your own mob. You now know your enemies intimately. You know what it takes to break them. Bit by bit, steal Verona out from under their noses. Laugh at their mistakes and dance in the ashes of their burning empires as you build your own. Step Five: Be remembered forever.

ii. The double agent;

Traitor. Grace wears the title with pride, her smile sharp when she comes face to face with both Capulets and Montagues alike. Slinking from one mob to the other was a seemingly effortless transition, welcomed by none other than Damiano himself. She fed him information about Cosimo and his crew, spilling secrets around the end of her lipstick-stained cigarette. It was an easy way in, but now that she’s settled amongst her new comrades she finds herself looking back across the bridge with interest. Power is power but information is advantageous – Grace isn’t above feeding Montague-whispers back to her old associates, not if it means she wins friends on both sides of Verona. That way, it’s impossible for her not to win this war.

iii. Sisters, sisters

Regina and Catherine. Both are equally as disgraceful to the Daly name – one can’t even bring herself to be enthusiastic about the opportunities that lie, shiny and golden, before them, and the other flutters her lashes and talks of peace, of all things. Grace has never paid them much attention, but now that she’s sided with the Montagues she’s realised that the Capulets could do with having their numbers thinned. Whether she’ll try to convince them to switch sides with her for the Montague brownie-points or simply wipe her sister off of the face of the earth forever remains to be seen, but if Regina and Catherine think they can keep their heads down and get away with making the Dalys seem anything less than destined for greatness, they’ve got one hell of a storm coming.

Are you comfortable with killing off your character? | I sure am, same goes for Odessa now, it’s time to make like Grace and embrace reckless abandon

In Depth

In-Character Para Sample:

She is the thing watching you from the edge of the road, where long grass shivers with the motion of something far more alive than it has any right to be; a pair of eyes that glint in the final rays of the sunlight’s reaches, bleached white enamel teeth ready to sink themselves into those who mistake the night’s cloak as a thing to hide under rather than be consumed by.

She is fresh fruit in the heat, a slow rotting taking place at the centre disguised by mouth-watering scents and a flesh that glistens under the sheen of morning dew. Decay is a dance, slow and tantalising, the heart turning to a sticky dark mess that slides through the fingers of anyone who dares to try and save it.

She is a doctor who has never been able to stop her hands from shaking at the prospect of a new body, eager to pick up the scalpel and press it down into soft flesh, revealing a mass of life clinging to the bones. Her favourite colour is red, the sort that looks black in the evening, droplets turning to pools that spread through pressed shirts and silk pyjamas like tears on pillows. There’s blood on her hands, not always metaphorical. She licks it off, rarely quite satisfied.

Grace fucks like the meeting of hips will reveal the monster that lies beneath her, as though touching there and there and there will unlock ribcages and unleash what’s trapped inside of hearts. But to understand why, you must crawl inside her skull and make sense of what lurks there beneath the smoke of burning houses and vultures picking at once-satisfied things–

“Please take a seat,” Damiano says, and Grace lingers before lowering herself onto the chair, her gaze gliding over the mahogany desk between them before raising to study the man himself.

He smells like her father. That’s the first thing she notices, the faint cologne. His smile doesn’t reach his eyes and the signet ring on his finger keeps catching on things, releasing a dull metallic sound each time. His presence is more regal than Cosimo’s and yet she finds herself thinking the exact same thing – you aren’t worthy.

These men had all inherited their empires, passed down like heirlooms, and as a result they had become lazy. Content. Uninspiring.

“I’m very happy to be here,” she chimes pleasantly. “However… unexpected it may be.” She doesn’t tell him how much she wants this. Doesn’t explain that being welcomed into the inner sanctum of the Montagues is as pleasing as a night of post-murder hot sex. “I’ve always been a huge fan of your work.”

Damiano doesn’t laugh, but he doesn’t need to. Grace is well aware that she wouldn’t have gotten this far if he didn’t intend to offer her something. “I have a proposition.”

I bet you do, she thinks, her well-orchestrated plan playing out like the sweetest of songs. Black-nail-polished fingers press to her chest, feigning surprise. “For me? Damiano, you’re spoiling me.” The words curl up from her lips like tendrils of cigarette smoke. She punctuates them with a light laugh.

The deal is a simple one: information for protection. Spill some secrets to join the ranks. Grace does so without blinking, switching silver for gold, and slowly the pieces begin to fall into place. As with any self-proclaimed god, she grazes her knees on carpet to say thanks to Damiano, sacrifices those she’s left behind, and fills her head with only the loveliest visions of tearing his and Cosimo’s empires to the ground.

Extras:

Pinterest board

Time for more of ‘Becky attempts to write headcanons’:

Her parent’s little angel turned little devil. Spoilt from a young age, she soon learnt that she could get away with near enough anything provided she smiled sweetly to her parents and told them just how much she loved them. When her sisters were born, the attention that had been on her drifted and Grace found that she had to work harder and harder to hear her name on her parent’s lips.

Grace grew up restless. Her ambitions would flit like moths around a lightbulb, becoming half-planned dreams and broken things. It wasn’t until she was rushed to hospital following a road traffic accident* (which resulted in the removal of a kidney) that she decided to train to become a paramedic. *Her parents later suggested that it was no accident and had in fact been planned by the Montagues,

As a paramedic, she always manages to be first on the scene when an incident linked to the mobs is called in. Strategically, if someone fails to complete a murder she can finish the job herself, or silence any witnesses. Similarly, it also gives her the opportunity to plant fake evidence or remove weapons from the scene. For those evading the eyes of the authorities, she can also help those who have been hurt and can’t risk a trip to the hospital.

She is resourceful and will use whatever is to hand as a weapon. Has been known to dish out the odd black eye, broken nose, crushed windpipe, and acrylic nail scratches. Her father himself trained her to use a pistol and rifle under the guise that he was teaching her to hunt (which, technically, wasn’t a lie – they just never specified the quarry).

She lives by 3 important rules. One: trust only those you would die for. Two: protect what is yours. Three: if something is boring or unimportant, do not waste time on it.

Grace needs to be needed and wants to be wanted. She can’t stand shrinking into shadows and being forgotten. No, she must remain the life of the party and attract the attention (be it good or bad) of everyone.

She was once arrested and fined for drunk and disorderly behaviour on whilst on holiday in England. She slept it off in a cell and was released the next morning with a hefty fine.

She is a big fan of piercings and has a stick n poke shark on her ribs.

Inspo quotes:

“I’m a slave to my emotions, to my likes, to my hatred of boredom, to most of my desires.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise.

“Her mood is cruel, her nature dangerous. Her will fierce and intractable” – Euripides (translated by Philip Vellacott), Medea

“But if these years have taught me anything it is this: you can never run away. Not ever. The only way out is in.” – Junot Diaz, The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao

#accepted: goneril #accepted

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lovelyladyventress · 5 years ago

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Tell me which one of these AUs sounds the most interesting and which one you’d like to read more about? (long post)

Here I am, back at it again with my AU bullshit. Complete with my ugly ass dauntingly long list of AUs that I’d love to write about but can’t seem to decide which one to start writing. This has been going on for the past week, dammit! If it’s not too much trouble, could you please help a girl out and let me know either on here or in a PM which one of these you’re curious about or would like to see implemented in an actual story.

Here are four Cloud-centric AU ideas which include (multiple) gay, bi, and (some) het main/side pairings. Regardless of which one I decide to write first, I (wistful thinking) want to eventually complete most or all of them, even if some of them only end up being one-shots. Thank you! <3

Mercenary Zack and Delivery Boy Cloud AU

Cloud, suddenly remembering the content of said “research”, screeches out, “NoOoOoO!” whilst comically tripping over himself as he races to stop Zack from opening his laptop.

Zack, being Zack, laughs good-naturedly at Cloud’s behavior and says, “What, don’t want your bestie to see all your fReAkY sHiT LOL?”

Main ship and only ship will be Clack/Zakkura. Syrupy sweet, comical, with only a pinch of plot-related angst. Will most likely be a one-shot/two-shot.

Vampire Slayer AU

Life After Meteorfall Canon Divergence AU (I’m excited about this one)

Omegaverse SOLDIER AU (let me liveeeeeee, dammit!)

A S T R O N G side ship in this is going to be Aerti (featuring Turk!Tifa and Full Cetra!Aerith), along with minor ships like Scarlet x Elena, Tseng x Rufus, and honestly who the fuck knows anymore, lol. This will most likely be the longest story on the list, I’m planning for at least ten+ chapters.

Also, not shaming it in any way, but just FYI for the people who are interested, there will be no pregnancy in this story. It’s just not my thing. <3

If you actually read all of that, THANK YOU KINDLY! <33333

#Sefikura #Clack #Cloudgeal #ff7 fanfiction #FFVII fanfiction #good god this does not even come CLOSE to covering all the ideas I have for cloud ships #DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON AERTI CENTRIC AUs #SOMEONE HELP ME #I'M HAVING AN AU ATTACK #I NEED ASSISTANCE #HELP A GIRL OUT OKAY #at this point ima just throw my AUs in a basket and blindfold myself and pick one lol #someone save me from this AU hell im in #forgive all spelling errors this was hella rushed #lovelyladyventress

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cipherr · 7 years ago

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3, 7, 8, 10, 16, 24, 32 !! (also i know you aren’t as far along with her but any of these for our girl Kyhilia after Razhie as well if you want !! ;3c )

YASSSS THANK U BLESS U I LOVE U :’DDhmmmm i would do Kyhilia as well but it’s kind of tricky considering we haven’t really gotten a chance to develop her personality or story yet, and also THIS POST IS REALLY LONG AS IT IS LOL (speaking of, we gotta sit down sometime and rly plan out how we want her to be, once we get a little further on in the story :3ccc i know we have some vague ideas but beyond ‘VICIOUS AND MERCILESS’ we haven’t gotten very far LMAO) so i’m thinking once we do that, i will revisit this and make a nice new post just for her :D because i love her already too and SHE DESERVES HER OWN POST TBH

so, i’m gonna answer these for this lovely lady who fought for her own damn survival with tooth and claw and razor-sharp wit, no fancy space magic, and who really just needs a vacation and a raise (please just give her a break oh my god)

(this got SO long and i feel SO bad about it that i’m putting it under a cut LMAO)

3. Do they fit in with their faction or were they sort of born into it?she’s only ever known life in the Empire, in fact she’s not even entirely sure of her own origins herself. her earliest memories are of essentially being kept as an ‘exotic pet’ by some scummy Imperial noble, which was where she spent pretty much her entire childhood up until her late teens. whether she was taken from her native planet Shili or born into the slave trade, she has no idea. regardless, her former owner got himself in a lot of trouble, and that’s how she found Imperial Intelligence; she actually helped the operative who was sent to the estate reach him and kill him :’) so while she was a slave because of the Empire, she was also given the opportunity for freedom through the Empire…in some sick, twisted way, it worked out for her. the irony was, of course, not lost on her during Certain Events That Transpired In Chapter 2 (that you haven’t seen yet lmao but hoooo fuckin boy are you in for a trip)

7. Are they loyal to their faction? this is…INCREDIBLY difficult to answer, and part of why it’s taking me so long to make this post LMAO because this is the one aspect of Razhie’s character that i’ve had to give the most hard thinking into, since all things considered… she really should not be loyal at all. she should never have been in the first place. she was given the opportunity to defect...and didn’t take it. now here i gotta admit it: a lot of this was before i really started getting into Razhie as a character. i just played the game and made whatever decisions that came naturally. i don’t want to change her in-game “canon” history, so she’s going to live with the decisions “she” made, and now i get to come up with justifications for all of them :’D it’s a work in progress, needless to say. and my answer here is subject to change as i figure out even more about her character.

THAT SAID,as an alien, and a former slave at that, she never really had any true love or loyalty to the Empire. however, she learned pretty quickly while growing up that when it comes to the Empire, obedience is the best way to survive…and she’s all about surviving :’) she did place some semblance of trust and loyalty into Imperial Intelligence, because they were the ones who helped her leave behind her old life, and her role as a Cipher agent gave her power–something she’s never had. even as an alien, even not Force-sensitive, Intelligence made her influential. so she’ll play the loyal servant of the Empire and do its dirty work from the shadows, given that her alternatives were much, much worse. so if anything, she was loyal to the work she did. she had a job to do, and she was going to damn well do it. besides, no one ever said she was a good person (at least she certainly didn’t start out that way. she’s had a lot of character development and she’s resorted to more diplomacy, thanks to Vector’s influence over her heart lmao) but as she said to Kaliyo once: “I get to lie, cheat, and murder, legally and for profit”–like it or not, she must play the hand she’s been dealt, and despite all that’s happened to her, she is very good at her work. and of course she comes to learn that there are countless good, innocent, and worthy people in the Empire, and those in power (namely the Sith) just squander them, so she will fight for them as well. after all, for better or worse, the Empire is all she’s ever known.

unfortunately, every time Razhie starts to put in trust, it comes back to betray her. she stayed with Intelligence because at least there, she has some agency of her own… or so she thought, until Watcher X, and the Castellan Restraints, and “keyword: onomatophobia,” and suddenly she’s feeling more trapped and powerless than as her days as a slave. so, when the Black Codex fell into her hands, and she had a choice to make–stay with the new Sith Intelligence, or defect, or ‘disappear’–her sense of self-preservation made it pretty clear. she chose to become a shadow agent and work for herself. but one does not simply stop being ‘loyal’ to the Empire, and one does not simply walk out of Imperial Intelligence, and the last thing she wants is to be hunted down by her own kind. so it turns out that working for herself still led to working in the best interests of the Empire, but at least now she gets to answer to no one. and she’ll take all she can get :’)

what’s more, she absolutely does not like the Sith at all (and you may recall me mentioning once that she has a sister who is a Sith :3c but that’s a post for another time lmao) and very much disagrees with the current form of government that the Empire has (where it’s basically controlled by a bunch of egotistical Sith that are more concerned about power and in-fighting and killing each other and going rogue than actually doing their jobs) so with the disappearance of the Emperor (this is a recent development, and like i said, haven’t done KOTFE or KOTET yet so there are Big Changes Coming lmao) she’s (tl;dr) kind of…holding out for what the Empire could be, a future where those in control are actually reasonable, rational beings, not some unstable Sith… and she’ll do it herself if she damn well has to.

8. How do they feel about the opposite faction?the Republic likes to think of themselves as better than the Empire, and she’s seen firsthand that they are capable of just as much atrocity as the Empire is, they just try to hide it under the guise of being the ‘good guys.’ Razhie knows that war is ugly, and she sees the worst in both sides. her time with the SIS left a bad taste in her mouth, and even after being given the chance to defect, it was a no-brainer in her mind. so basically she doesn’t have the ABSOLUTE BURNING LOATHING for the Republic that many Imperials do, but she has a job to do, and (for the most part, these days) she works in the best interests for the Empire ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ basically, she doesn’t think the Republic is all its cracked up to be. it’s all shades of grey, anyway.

10. What is their specialization class? Was there a reason they picked that discipline?she is a sniper specializing in engineering! she wanted to take full advantage of the technology and (literal) firepower that Intelligence could supply her with, and as she usually finds herself against multiple opponents at a time, it’s a lot easier than just having to rely on her sniper rifle alone :’) she takes every edge she can get tbh

16. What do they do in their spare time?SPARE TIME WHAT’S THAT LMAO honestly i’d imagine she loves nothing more than to lay low on her ship and just decompress whenever she gets the chance, enjoying not being shot at for once. she values her quiet time :’D another big one would be sightseeing…especially since Vector makes multiple sweet comments about seeing new places, going on vacations with the husbug would be quite nice n.n

24. If they could be part of another group, what would it be? You can choice from Old Republic, Expanded Universe, or Cinematic Universe.i’d imagine she’d make a good smuggler! her…special talents in lying, cheating, taking things that don’t belong to her, usually right out from under the person’s nose would just go to waste in any more ‘respectable’ professions :’D but really, given her personality and how much of her life has been built around being an infiltrator and a spy, i can’t really see her doing anything else!

32. Do they have any special skills?basically, all her special skills make her very well suited to being a spy :’D thanks to the training she underwent for Intelligence, she’s adept at using pretty much any kind of weapon you could throw at her. she can talk her way out of just about anything, and shoot her way out of everything else. she has no problems with resorting to seduction (and she’s VERY good at it lmao) and has a talent of figuring out just what is necessary to manipulate a person–their weaknesses, faults, etc–basically on the fly. she can play a situation to turn out exactly how she wants, and if something goes wrong, she improvises. she’s charming, intelligent, manipulative, quick-thinking, and knows about a hundred different ways to kill people–but can de-escalate a situation almost as easily. she didn’t make it this long as a secret agent for no good reason, after all :’D

OK I AM DONE TALKING NOW but yeh thanks so much for asking because it forced me to sit down and really work through more of the roadblocks i’ve been hitting in developing her character, i still have a lot of work left to do but i love her as a character SO MUCH and i’m really excited to see where it all ends up :’D

and if anyone else actually read this whole thing…pat yourself on the back, holy fuck. thanks for caring :’D

#THIS LITERALLY TOOK ME HOURS #I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT LMAO #this is LONG AS FUCK i'm warning y'all now #thank youuuu so much :'D #ask meme #razhie fetale

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kuroko26 · 7 years ago

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WHITE ROSE WEEK-DAY 5

Day 5: proposal

On a day usual for many huntsman and huntresses, team RWBY found themselves in a two weeks mission on the swamps of Mistral. It was supposed to be a simple Grimm extermination the mayor of the village said, that it was just a pack of Beowulf he said but that small pack not only was not small, but it also had Ursa, Boarbatusk and a Death Stalker to boot! It was practically a miracle that a Nevermore wasn’t part of this!

But thanks to a good teamwork, kick ass summoning and just good old ass kicking, team RWBY prevailed against the creatures of Grimm, sure they haven’t finished yet but most of the problem have been solved and that was good.

Except for a certain pair of huntresses, this just brought another set of problems. Previous taking this mission, Weiss has made all manner of arrangements to attend a exclusive event at a Buffet where food and wine of all the kingdoms was going to be served and she planned to attend with her girlfriend Ruby and have the best time they could ever have.

For Ruby it meant something else. While it also meant the chance to have a great time with her lover, to the redhead, it was the perfect chance to enact her plan to propose to Weiss. After such a long time together, she thought it was time to bend on a knee and pop up the question.

But not everything was bad. Due the fact that this mission got extended and the people might have omitted a few details, the mayor has offered to pay for all expenses, he even let them use his hot tub from time to time.

And so, on a free night before heading once again to deal with the last batch of Grimm, the four girls were about to take that chance to enjoy themselves in that hot tub but first, Weiss, Blake and Yang went to get some snacks and beverages while Ruby waited for them in the hot tub.

The scythe wielder decided that if they couldn’t make it back, she would make the best of the situation, her with her beloved team; after all, she carried the ring with her all the way from Vale because she was afraid of actually misplacing it back at home and regardless of the risk, this could be considered a happy accident.

Meanwhile, Weiss was having similar thoughts about this issue as she was also planning to propose to her girlfriend of many years and the event she worked so hard to get entrance, was the perfect place and moment to enact her marriage proposal, as she lamented to both her teammates.

“Klein even took all the bother of getting Nana Schnee’s wedding ring and sent it to me! Everything was set up to be a wonderful night and now all my plans have been torn asunder!”

“Now Weiss, I think you’re overreacting a bit, sure, the plan couldn’t be applied but you still can take the plunge and ask my baby sister the big question and this nice bottle of Mistrali wine will set a nice mood for it! Relax!” Yang reassured her future sister in law while showing to her the aforementioned wine bottle.

“Like Yang said, you can’t cry over spilled milk so why not make the most of the situation?” Blake asked.

It was good to have both Yang and Blake’s support on this endeavor as she confided in them before planning the whole proposal and getting the blonde huntress blessing.

Suddenly, the conversation was interrupted by a cry for help that came from the nearby window and prompted the three women to look for the source of that scream: a 10 years old looking boy.

“Help! The Grimm are coming and they have surrounded some of the citizens near the village!”

Ok, that didn’t sound good and so they hurried up to get ready and make Ruby did as well, which the redhead did quickly thanks to her semblance, not forgetting the precious ring and reunited with her teammates, ready for action.

The enemy this time were an alpha, a creeper and two ursas bigger than the last Ursa they fought. First thing was to get the trapped people to safety and lead as many Grimm as they could far from the village. Thankfully, no one was hurt and things seemed to be going well but it’s not good to chant victory early.

As the Ursa were finally destroyed, the team of huntresses didn’t sense the approaching of a King Taijitu until it was a range close enough to eat them in one bite. Luckily, all four could dodge the attack barely on time and with the help of the freezerburn move, they gained a bit more distance and time to plan a strategy.

“Ok, let’s get one of the heads stuck in those rocks over there, cut it and then we deal the other head and we need someone to act as a distraction hmmmm Blake?” the leader said.

“Leave it to me” the faunus replied before taking off. Weiss decided to help Blake while setting all to trap one the heads of the snake like creature with Ruby and Yang providing cover from the other head.

The task went actually well but before they could destroy the trapped head, the Taijitu, or more accurately, its black head, got a head start on them and giving time for its twin to free itself and resume the attack on the four huntresses who took some damage this time, thankfully diminished by their auras.

But this attack carried on another problem for the silver eyed warrior as on the white head’s quick attack, not only it managed to snatch a huge part of her cape, the box with the ring fell right into its mouth…not good at all.

“OH. HELL. NOOO!” Ruby shouted with all her strength before diving straight to the jaw of that monster too fast for her teammates to react before it closed its mouth, which it did.

What happened next was composed of shouting of their leader’s name in an anguished tone, desperate attacks on the offending head and it would have been easier if it wasn’t for the twin head attack but in the middle of the confusion, a strange light emanated from the beast’s mouth until suddenly it was destroyed completely. Out of it, emerged Ruby with her silver eyes glowing for all to see and once she put her look on the other head and it was done for.

The not so fabled silver eyes power, capable of striking a Grimm down with just one look, had made a quick work of their enemy. Even after “getting the hang of it” like the scythe user would phrase it, Ruby rarely used this mysterious power which made her teammates wonder while also getting both worried and angry, what prompted her to use it in this situation.

As Ruby rose from the ground and shook a bit of dust out of her shoulder she was tackled by her very upset lover.

“What in the hell was that Ruby Rose!? How dare you make us worried like that!”

“Ah Weiss….” Blake tries to get the white haired woman’s attention without success.

“Honestly, we have talked about doing things like that before, but it seems you haven’t learned, have you!?”

“Weiss!” This time, Yang tries to get the former heiress attention who was actually shaking her lover in the middle of her frantic rant.

“Do you want to kill me with a heart attack!? Is that what you want Ruby Rose!?”

“WEISS!” This time, both Yang and Blake shouted.

“WHAT!?” Weiss responded with the same force as the former call only to be pointed at Ruby, who lost consciousness in the middle of Weiss rant.

“Oh”

“Oh indeed” Blake replied before noticing a little box that fell out of Ruby’s hand and showing it to her teammates, which were surprised and marveled by the tiny object in equal proportion but then they decided to put it in a pocket and get their leader the first aid she could need back at the village.

Some hours later, Ruby finally regained consciousness and like other times before, her lover was at her site, patiently waiting for her to recover consciousness and to further assist her.

“Weiss?” Ruby’s answer came in the form of a slap to the head, followed by a very passionate kiss from the one she called out for.

“You really are going to be the death of me, you know that?”

“I know what I did was stupid, even for my usual stupid but Weiss, believe when I say it was worth it because….” The red haired huntress realized the prized box was out of her sight and started looking for it frantically until her beloved put it in front of her.

“Looking for this? It fell from your hand when you passed out and Blake retrieved it for you. I get this ring might be valuable but your life is more important. Don’t ever forget that” the Schnee completed her plea by caressing her lover’s cheek.

“Weiss, I get what you mean but I really worked hard for this and I couldn’t bear losing it and I just well, reacted” as Ruby explained the best as she could before taking the little box and getting out of bed.

It was now or never. She stood before Weiss and bend on one knee and opening the box with the ring on it.

“Weiss, I know that when we met each other, I didn’t make a good impression but you really have caught my interest since day one and a part of me knew I started getting a crush on you since that day. Time passed and we have been through so much, but we have managed to stick together and build this relationship of many years so I want to take our relationship to the next level and be with you for the rest of my life” Ruby makes a pause to take a breath of air before continuing while Weiss just stood there silently.

“So I ask you: Weiss Schnee, would you marry me and make me the happiest woman in the world?”

The former heiress eyes started to water and the she just couldn’t help herself but to get on her knees and plant a kiss on her lover’s lips.

“My Ruby…of course I will; in fact, I was planning to do the same. That’s what going to that special buffet was all about”

“So that’s why you were upset about missing the event huh?” everything being clear now for the redhead.

“Indeed that was the reason I was upset about missing our reservations but this isn’t so bad. We can celebrate our engagement once we get back to Vale”

“Yes we can…with the whole family and friends right?”

“I wouldn’t want it otherwise…I love you Ruby”

“And I love you too Weiss”

And so, the lover’s decided to celebrate their relationship’s new level with a simple make out session, lost in their own world unaware of a pair of spectators at the door that saw the whole scene from the beginning.

These spectators decided to take their leave but not before one of them mumbled:

“Well, that was a thing”

————————————————————————-

Well day 5 done and two more to go.

And just for clarification: unlike Ruby, Weiss didn’t bring Nana Schnee’s priced ring with her. It’s safe back at their home in Vale but she still wanted Ruby to know her intentions just in case something happened because Weiss always wants to be prepared for anything….or at least that how I imagined it.

See ya!

#white rose week #white rose #rwby #ruby rose #weiss schnee #day 5 #proposal

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shooter-nobunagun · 7 years ago

Text

The Executioner [Bloodborne AU]

//Continuing directly from the last chapter, to meet the leader of the Vilebloods herself and perhaps find out why it is they got that summons...spoilers for this area!

“I am Annalise, Queen of Castle Cainhurst. Ruler of the Vilebloods, and sworn enemy of the church.”

They all stood there in awe, transfixed by a strange combination of her foreboding presence and the mysterious aura that she seemed to be casting over them. The room lined with countless candles and armor from knights long past, though Sio felt that they could come alive at any moment.

“Visitor… I claim no subjects, but here lieth Our throne. Kneel afore us… …or get thee gone.”

Sio shivered and almost took a step back; the Queen’s tone was pure venom, and every instinct in her body told her that this woman could not be trusted. Still, in this world where there was precious little information to come by...they needed all they could, even if they came from dubious sources.

She glanced around nervously; nobody was kneeling, much less bowing, despite the ominous command. Adam’s expression was inscrutable, and Vidocq’s could only be described as pure hatred. Still, Sio herself was rather reluctant to just bow down to a figure she’d never met before, especially one as foreboding as this Queen Annalise. Suddenly the figure in the throne sat upright, the movement startling the huntress.

“Such impudence. Defiled, are We, yet still Queen. We shall not give audience to an ill-mannered beast. Get thee gone.”

“So much for doin’ things the easy way...guess we’ve no choice,” Adam muttered, before nudging the girl and one by one they sank to their knees, some more reluctant than others. Sio nearly fell over in her haste, but managed to steady herself just before she planted face-first into the cold stone floor.

“Visitor… Moon-scented hunter… I am Annalise, Queen of Castle Cainhurst. Ruler of the Vilebloods, and sworn enemy of the church. Yet, Our people are murdered, and We are prisoner to this wretched mask. What is it thou’rt in search of?”

“Uh, we—” Sio was about to tell their tale to this queen, but Adam was faster.

“What’s this all about?” The mysterious invitation fluttered in the air, Adam not so much as handing it over as simply thrusting it towards the queen. “A summons? To see you? I’m no member of the Vilebloods—nor do I have any interest in joining.”

For a moment the tension was so thick that the very air nearly suffocated them; Vidocq gave a side-glare at Adam’s brusque tone, but if the hunter took any notice, he didn’t hint at it. The silence was unbearable, and for a second Sio thought they’d have to draw their weapons, until...

“...Ah. Thine face we do not recognise...but thy blood...is the same, moon-scented hunter.” An odd creaking noise came from the throne, until Sio realized the Queen was actually laughing.

“My...blood? That’s impossible; I’ve never been here before—”

“—but thine father has. Hunter Muirhead...you are his progeny.”

There seemed to be a collective gasp from the entire group—Adam especially, the man’s eyes narrowing in a combination of disbelief and disgust. “What...! My father wasn’t the kind of man who’d join with the likes of you!” It was true that he knew little of his father, aside from what disjointed memories he still held and the stories his mother had told him; but they all seemed to point towards a dutiful, if somewhat stoic, man who had left simply because he didn’t wish his family to suffer the beasts. “He isn’t...wasn’t, someone who’d kill on a whim.”

Somehow throughout his entire tirade, the Queen didn’t seem to take any offense; she merely sat there, un-moving and silent, until Adam seemed to have spoken his mind.

“Foolish hunter; dost thou truly believe all men to be invulnerable? Thine father was quite astute in his loyalty to us. His death was a true loss...”

The very room seemed to spin, but Adam kept his composure. It was an insult to his family...yet suddenly it made sense. Why his father never came back; why his mother could never seem to answer him; for how could she, knowing the man who had once vowed to provide and protect his family had given into the bloodlust of possibly one of the most hated covenants? Queen Annalise must have promised him something in return for his father to entirely abandon his own morals.

“...And now you’re thinkin’ I’ll do the same, aren’t yeh? I may be his son, but I’m not him. I’m not interested in joining your...vampires.”

“Thou'rt dear to Us. We would see no harm befall thee...”

Those words sent shivers of disgust down his spine. “Me, or my father? Either way, the answer’s no. Now come on, we’re leaving.” Without even waiting for a response, he turned tail and left, the young huntress tagging along close behind.

"A wise choice...There is no more to be said...away from mine gaze.”

“Well, that was a load of bull,” Hunter muttered under his breath as the group slowly trooped out, “but at least we figured out where tha’ invitation came from. Though I can’t say I fancy the idea of how she knew about you...”

“Perhaps your father mentioned something?” Mahesh casually interjected, but Adam’s blood boiled at the mere thought of the Queen getting close enough to his father to find out something like...that. “Well, at least she didn’t decide to kill us. Could’ve been much worse.”

“U-Um, Adam...” He stopped briefly and gave petite huntress just the slightest of glances, not really in the mood for talking. “Uh, I’m...sorry, about your father...I’m, I’m sure he didn’t...mean to abandon you and your mother...”

“...Don’t worry about things you don’t need to, squirt. That was long ago...guess at least I can put some puzzle pieces in place now. But,” and he gently took her hand for just the briefest of moments, “thank you.”

Sio didn’t say a word, only nodded slightly but with a content look on her face.

They had nearly cleared the hallway before he appeared; tall, but not threatening, wearing the white uniform and a badge whose symbol was indicative of a covenant they had just defeated.

“...You are hunters, are you not?” The man, dark-haired and dark-eyed, armed with a massive bow stood before them in the exit. He didn’t appear to be hostile, but it was clear that he wasn’t just going to let them pass. “I knew it; for that’s precisely how I started out. The Queen...you went to see her?”

“Yeh, but I’m not bloody joining her; I’ve no interest in becoming a vampire,” Adam answered evenly, still taking stock of this stranger who had appeared before them. “You?”

“...Beg pardon; you may call me Tell. William Tell. A protege of Master Logarius, hunter of Vilebloods.” He gave a slight bow, though his expression did not change.

“...So you’re an Executioner...” Adam bowed slightly as well, but did not take his eyes off this William Tell. He seemed like a good potential for an ally...or a dangerous enemy, depending on their goals. “I’m guessing you’re after her then? The Vileblood Queen? If you wanna fight her, I ain’t stopping yeh...”

“That is my goal, but now that you’ve uncovered her location, I’m not in a hurry. She won’t be leaving anytime soon...but it seems, you are?” His dark eyes swept over the group, neither judging nor amused yet Sio felt herself shrinking back slightly at the intense gaze. “I was thinking perhaps as fellow hunters, we could exchange any interesting information we know...give each other a helping hand, you can say. Especially from you, Noble Vidocq. I’m surprised you left the safety of your castle...but I also expected nothing less of the heir.”

The blonde grimaced slightly, though Sio couldn’t tell if it was from irritation or worry. “Hmph, is it that difficult to believe that a noble is capable of combat? When it comes to knowledge, I will not be stopped by any beast or man.”

“Admirable, for certain. You could very well restore House Vidocq’s name to its former glory, should you kill the Queen.” Though Tell had said this without any sort of malicious tone or hinting, all blood seemed to drain from the noble’s face, leaving him paler than the snow falling outside.

“Y-You...what—”

“Oh? Was it something I said?” There was a look of subdued confusion from newcomer. “Ah, I see...they don’t know, do they?” Tell glanced around at the rest of the party members, who looked just as confused. “You are working together with them, but you didn’t tell them the truth? How odd.”

“The...truth?” Sio had a feeling that whatever it was, Vidocq was not going to be pleased about forcing to reveal it. The pieces were there, in front of her...the Vilebloods, Queen Annaliese, House Vidocq and the noble’s own research in to the old blood at Byrgenwerth. It was frustrating to be on the precipice of an answer, for she knew they all fit together somehow but without that crucial piece...

Ignoring the looks of confusion and resentment, Tell went ahead anyway. “The Cainhurst Vilebloods only came into being because a member of the Byrgenwerth scholars betrayed his fellows and brought back a sample of the forbidden blood with him, to this castle. And it was then that the first of the inhumane Vilebloods were born, and threatened the church’s teachings. And this traitor also went on to propagate a certain noble house.” The Executioner turned towards Vidocq.

“The family that you belong to, is that not? Eugene Françoise Vidocq, heir to House Vidocq. And in doing so, you carry that dark stain on your family’s history...”

Fists clenched, then slowly un-clenched as the silence continued, nobody daring to say another word as Tell and Vidocq stared at each other. So this was why Vidocq had been in such a foul mood the entire time they were here in Cainhurst...and yet was so insistent on coming here, despite the unfortunate connotations.

“...Oui. It is true, that one of my ancestors was a traitor to Byrgenwerth...and it is true that my family has hidden that fact for many generations now. However, you are incorrect on one fact, Monsieur Tell.” Those blue eyes suddenly becoming fiercely defiant, a change from the cold callousness he usually carried himself with. “My goal in coming here was not to kill the Queen; I am here to gather information and add to my knowledge of the old blood and the Great Ones. And if that happens to lead me to my family’s skeletons...then so be it. Knowledge is what will lead House Vidocq to glory, not some pointless murder. Besides, she is immortal; simply running a blade through her won’t do anything.”

William Tell’s expression was still, and Sio couldn’t tell if he was thinking to leave them alone or turn against them, until—

“...Heh, well said Vidocq, well said.” A slow clap echoed through the stone chambers, Tell’s lips curving into a small grin that seemed very out-of-place with his stoicism. “You are much different from your predecessors, that much I can sense. Perhaps you will be the one to succeed, in your own way... Very well. I shall join your...interesting group.”

And without even waiting for a response—either good or bad—he fell into place aside them, casting a glance towards Adam as if to say ‘well, lead the way’. The silver-haired hunter could only stare in disbelief for a few more seconds, before nodding his head towards the snowy exit. Half of him was grateful that Tell had joined without putting up a fight and adding to their strength, but admittedly another part was irritated at how people seemed to be inviting themselves into this group without any of his input. Numbers could be useful, that was certain, yet he knew from past experience that a large group could also bring more troubles.

Especially regarding the worsening issue of Sio and her ashen blood...he gave a subtle glance back, the girl now seemingly more at ease as they left the undead queen and was now talking shyly with Beckham, Hunter keeping an eye on Mirza in case the latter decided to make the young huntress his next target. His blood boiled at the thought of Mirza doing anything...suspect to her, whether or not it was intentional. The man had already developed a bit of a reputation as a skirt-chaser and something a hooligan, and that was before he even decided to go off and hunt beasts, despite his family’s wealthy status. Ogura was just an innocent girl forced into a terrible situation—the battle against Logarius, and their subsequent interactions only strengthened that forbidden feeling that now, Adam was all but ready to give into. The only thing holding him back was his uncertainty of how the girl truly felt...though there were times where he swore she understood and teased him back, he couldn’t quite tell if it was just her way of getting back at him, or if she was testing his feelings... His mind suddenly thought back to that almost-kiss that, in all honesty, probably would have happened if it hadn’t been for Hunter’s timely (or un-timely?) interruption, his cheeks turning unusually heated as he imagined what could have been. Probably soft, that was for certain—warm, maybe even passionate? Or perhaps she’d be a little clumsy, especially given their height difference and the fact that when not in battle, she always seemed to be tripping over her own two feet.

“Oy, Muirhead? Somethin’ up?” He jerked his head up at the sound of Hunter’s voice, only to realize that everybody else had already gathered around the lamp while he had walked straight past it in his daze. “You alright?”

“Yeh, ‘m fine...let’s get out of here. No point in staying around, unless anyone wants t’ go back for the queen’s head...” Neither Vidocq nor Tell made any indications however, perhaps satisfied that she would remain trapped there for eternity, with or without Logarius. The lamp swirled, and he fell into that strange, dreamy trance that overtook everyone whenever they traveled like this. Why was it always so strange, anyway...how the lamps worked, how they even traveled...he’d never questioned it, but for some reason this time, that odd feeling lingered even after they arrived back, all in mostly one piece.

“Ah...Muirhead? Is everything okay?” He looked down and there she was, vest still torn and bloodied from the battle but at least her wounds were bandaged up. “Do...do you want to talk about it?”

She didn’t need to clarify any further; though technically speaking, they hadn’t gotten any closer to defeating the beasts than before they went to that castle, they had picked up a surprising amount of information—least of all a new hunter, who was settling in as if he was already familiar with the dream. The truth behind Vidocq’s family, and his own father’s past...sighing heavily, he stored all his gear away and peeled off the now-dirty coat, opting to sit by the fire in nothing more than a plain shirt and worn leggings, giving a slight nod of his head to indicate it was all right for her to join him.

“Not sure what else there is t’ say squirt...I mean, the queen made it pretty clear what happened...an’ I don’t think she’s the type t’ lie, despite her reputation.”

“Well...I, I didn’t mean to pry,” her hands begin that nervous tic of poking each other, but she seemed determined to not lose her gaze. “But, just...I may not be the best at talking, but I’m a good listener...s-so, I uh, guess what I’m trying to say is...i-if, if you want to talk about...anything, I’d...be more than happy to listen.” She glanced shyly at him, eyes wide but sincere and Adam felt weird tingly feeling go through him.

“...Heh, I appreciate the thought, squi...Sio. You’re very kind,” he gave her a small smile, “though at this point I think a certain noble might need more comforting than I do.”

“A-Ah, uh, w-well...I-I, I don’t know...s, somehow, I think I’d rather...talk to you, instead,” she muttered nervously, hugging her knees to her chest. “Though, I do feel sorry for Vidocq...and maybe a little guilty that I had such...harsh thoughts about him. Guess I should’ve known there was a reason he’s always in such a bad mood...”

He clapped a warm hand on her shoulder, surprising the girl but she didn’t brush it off. “Heh, well it’s like you said earlier, that’s not an excuse for being an asshole, right? ‘Sides, he’s got Hunter and the others to chat with, ‘f he wants to. Though, from what I can gather, don’t think he’s th’ type to talk about his feelings. If I were you, I’d probably just leave ‘im alone for now. Likely he’s feeling ashamed about hiding such a secret, especially after that Tell fellow just spilled it out so casually.”

“True...speaking of which, I wonder why Tell joined us just like that?” She cast a curious look over at the tall hunter, who was busy sorting his weapons and it seemed, getting ready to inscribe a new rune. “I don’t sense any bad vibes from him...but then again, we’ve only just met him.”

Adam shrugged. “Who knows; I’ve been doing this long enough to know that sometimes, it’s just best not to question others’ motives. Could be he wants the strength of a group, could be he just doesn’t want to travel alone.” There was a rustling sound as the girl next to him produced a small packet of white pills, Adam’s brows furrowing as he watched her down close to handful, grimacing at the taste all the while. “Hey...you feeling all right? You worried about...that?”

“M-mm...w-well, I’ve always been worried about it...” She took one last swallow of water, swishing it to wash out the taste of the antidote. “Shoot...I’ll need some more soon—” she stopped in surprise as he handed her his own supply of antidotes.

“Just take it; I hardly get poisoned, and you need it far more than I do.” And before the girl could protest, he reached over and tucked it neatly into her pouch. “...Is it worsening? You’ve been going through these pretty quick...”

At that reminder her maroons teared up, nose scrunching and Adam regretting bringing up her illness. “...Y, Yes...I-I, I’m...doing okay now...b-but, like you said...I’ve been having to increase the dosage a lot more, lately—” A sudden cough racked her petite frame, causing him to scramble for water, the girl finally calming down after a few seconds. “Th-thanks...”

“You sure you’re all right?” The hacking cough was greatly alarming, as the symptom was indicative of the disease’s progression. “Sure you don’t want Hunter to take a look?”

“N-No...I’ll, be fine, really...” Still, she seemed much weaker all of a sudden, as if the cough had drained all her energy. B-Besides, what else can he do? We all know...what’ll happen, eventually...if I don’t...find, the cure...”

“Get some rest; that was a hard battle and a long trek.” He laid her head in his lap, and the girl closed her eyes without a single protest. “Just sleep; you’ll feel better when you wake up.” Finger absently ran through her silky hair, Adam nearly falling asleep himself from the fire’s warmth and the girl’s weight in his lap. How could this be so wrong...this comfort that she brought him, soothing all his doubts and actually strengthening his resolve to make it through the night. He knew they were starting to grow short on time; not just with the beasts, but her blood sickness was progressing faster than he’d thought...

‘Don’t you worry, Sio. I promise, I won’t let you turn into a beast.’ His fingers stopped just short at the nape of her neck, gently brushing the smooth porcelain skin that was far softer and more delicate than he’d ever imagined.

“She’s a pretty little thing, isn’t she?” If it weren’t for the fact that Sio was asleep in his lap, Adam would’ve already drawn his weapon. “Ho, no need for such alarm, Muirhead...I was merely making an observation.”

“What do you want Mirza.” He didn’t even bother trying to be cordial with this man—he was up to something, that much was for certain. Shit, how could he have been so careless as to let his guard down—Hunter’s teasing jabs were one thing, but Adam knew that Mirza was not one to be taken lightly; despite his seemingly lackadaisical exterior, the man’s mind was cunningly sharp, and his eyes missed no detail that could be used to his advantage.

“My, someone’s in a foul mood. Still wound up about your father? At least you can rest knowing it wasn’t entirely his fault for being seduced by the queen...she does have a certain method, after all.” To Adam’s immense displeasure, the man did not take his leave, but instead took up a spot next to the fire. “How’s the girl?”

“Piss off already, why don’t yeh?” Though normally Mirza’s words would have earned a glare at most, for some reason right now, with her so vulnerable and his own skeletons being exposed, Adam was not in the mood for niceties. Even if it would mean more complications down the road by crossing this man...he’d cross that bridge when they came to it. “What happened to my father is none of yours—or anyone’s business. It’s all in the past, long before I even became a hunter...it wouldn’t have made a difference whether or not I found out the truth.”

“Hmm...how typical of you. Always looking at the pragmatic answer, and pushing aside the emotional one. Ah, but save for one...hmm?” Before he could elaborate further however, Hunter came striding in and Mirza inexplicably got up—though it wasn’t to make room for the surgeon.

“Just remember Muirhead...I have an eye for pretty little things...especially ones who are more than they seem...”

A cold fear ran down his spine, though Adam willed himself to not react to Mirza’s foreboding parting words. The womanizer aspect was not new—everybody knew of it—but the way he hinted that Sio was more than she seemed...

‘It can’t be; he’s aware of her condition...?!’ To what end Mirza would use that knowledge was still unknown, but knowing him, it wasn’t likely to be good. Blackmail at best, and at worst...he didn’t want to go there.

“Oy, how’re you two holdin’ up?” Hunter glanced down at the young huntress, who had fallen into a deep sleep. “Ah, restin’ ‘ey? Well tha’s good...truth be told, we could all use it. No cure’s greater than a good night’s sleep...well, ‘cept the blood treatments maybe, though can’t say the same for the associated risks.”

“Hunter. Is she...do you think...?” Emeralds gave a concerned glance, and Hunter’s own gaze turned a little grimmer.

“Well, not gonna lie; ye know as well as I do that there’s no real cure; all we can do is keep givin’ her medicine and hope it’ll stave off the effects long enough until the hunt ends. But failing that, we may have to start looking into blood ministration...risks or not, soon the antidote won’t be enough anymore. She’s gettin’ worse, isnae she? She had another episode during that fight with Logarius...”

A slight nod, Adam unable to bring himself to voice the answer. Hunter gave him a pitying stare, before sighing and patting the girl’s head himself. “Poor thing...she dinnae deserve all this, ‘specially one so young.”

“...No. But I won’t let her end up like everyone else; I swear, we’re going to end this nightmare before that happens, or so God help me,” Adam whispered, aware that Hunter could fully see the way he held her protectively but he no longer cared. “My biggest concern now is keepin’ the others at bay...’specially Mirza. Not sure why we agreed to let him come with us...”

“Well, I didn’t make that decision—but would you rather turn him loose? You know what they say—keep your friends close, your enemies closer. Though, I’m surprised you’d suspect him, of all people.”

Adam gave a snort. “The others are all fairly easy to read: Geronimo’s a Hunter of Hunters, Beckham’s your standard huntress, and Vidocq’s just some noble trying to redeem his family’s dark past. I can’t say about Tell since he’s just joined, but I don’t sense anything immediate from him. But Mirza...he’s always been a sly bastard. Never could quite tell what he’s really thinkin’...”

The surgeon nodded in agreement. “True; though he’s never outright done anything, so I think if we just keep an eye on him, should be alright. In any case, I highly doubt he’d try to pull something wit’ you around. He’s not stupid enough t’ take ye head-on.”

“Let’s hope not,” Adam muttered darkly, casting a surreptitious glance around—the aforementioned was now mercifully gone from the room, likely outside in the gardens or the courtyard. “I don’t need anything else to deal with. Still, this blood ministration you mentioned...if it really came down t’ that...we’d need a source, wouldn’t we?”

A slight nod. “Yeh...that we do, Muirhead. But anyway, let’s not worry ‘bout it now. The lass seems t’ be holdin’ up alright...an’ when that time comes, you leave everything t’ me. I’ll figure sumthin’ out.”

“Hunter...” Though Adam was aware that the surgeon had always been more altruistic than most, the gesture touched him nonetheless.

“Aye, th’ lassie’s quite dear t’ me as well. Ah, but don’t worry, ‘s not th’ same level as ye, I’d wager.” For once Hunter made that remark without any teasing hints, but rather a more nostalgic tone. “Should go without sayin’ at this point, but I damn well hope you know what yur gettin’ yurself into with Ogura, Muirhead.”

“Don’t remind me...” He muttered, leaning back slightly so Sio was lying on her side. “Don’t even know half the time what the hell I’m doin’... I’m surprised you’re not more against it.”

The doctor shrugged, but it was without malice. “Eh, normally I would be, but I’ve seen enough to know when it becomes futile to protest. ‘Sides, I trust you, Adam. An’ if there’s anybody in this fucked-up world left who has a chance of makin’ it out alive and then some, it’d probably be you an’ Ogura.”

“...This is all theoretical anyway, I don’t even know if she really wants to—let alone with someone like me—” It wasn’t like he had exactly been welcoming when they first met; memories of their early days were filled with arguments and clashes, the two of them butting heads so often that Hunter retorted even the packs of monstrous dogs that roamed the streets of Yharnam had more order than the two of them. Yet somehow he’d come to see her as an equal, more than just a bumbling newbie who had no idea what she was getting herself into; and just now that last battle had more than proven that she could hold her own, and then some at that.

“I think you don’t give yurself enough credit, Adam.” He blinked at the surgeon in surprise, as Hunter’s comments towards him tended to be either reprimanding or else sarcastic remarks about how he was going to get killed before his next birthday. “Oy, I’m being serious here! Sure your manners could...use some work,” a raised eyebrow at the generous leeway Hunter had given him, “but at the ver’ least yur a decent man, and unlike others, actually keep yur word. An’ well, ah...forgive me fer soundin’ a bit cheeky, but I think you an’ her make a good match.”

Despite the lingering concerns, Adam couldn’t help but blush, having to turn away from Hunter as the other thumbed his nose in amusement at his reactions. “Th, thanks...I guess...” Though it was a bit reassuring to know that at least one person had their back, and that he wasn’t completely insane for thinking that pursuing Ogura was actually possible. “Just keep this to yourself, alright? Don’t want to make her nervous and get the wrong idea...”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about that, Adam. In any case, that’s your job, not mine.”

“Hn...I suppose so.” ---- “Mmm...huh.” Her maroons opened to the flickering flames, and the reflective shine of the Stakedriver’s blade. A warm cloak was neatly tucked around her body, its scent as familiar and comforting as the lap her head was resting in. It took a few more seconds before she realized that she was resting in its owner’s legs. If it had been any other time, Sio would have sat up immediately and fled in horrifying embarrassment, but this time it felt so natural and...right. One of his arms had been gently draped over her waist, and the weight was comforting, as if she was being shielded from any and all harm. In spite of herself, Sio felt her mouth curving into a smile, but it froze in terror the second she caught sight of a pair of glittering, dark eyes, their reflection staring very intently at her in the Stakedriver’s blade.

Mahesh Mirza. That strange man whom Adam had found in the woods, back in Hemwick Charnel Lane...even though both he and Hunter had assured her that nothing would happen when they were around, still there was something about him that made her extremely wary around him. Though he was polite enough towards her, just the way he always seemed to be watching her, leering whenever she was by herself and speaking in a way that made her not trust those honeyed words... The huntress remembered when they’d first met, how he so boldly kissed her hand without any warning and then claimed how she seemed too fragile for a hunter’s life.

From this angle, there was no way he could see that she was awake and watching him in the Stakedriver’s reflection, or at least she hoped so...Sio wanted to just squeeze her eyes shut and return to that pleasant dreamland she was just in, but something inside told her to keep watching, as he observed her. Strangely, that seemed to be all Mirza was doing; simply watching her, though not in the curious way the Doll sometimes did, but it felt predatory...like how hunters stalked their prey. The hidden staring contest continued, until after what seemed like an eternity he finally turned away, off to do whatever it was he did in his spare time.

“...Squirt? You feelin’ better now?” She turned towards his voice, staring into a pair of half-lidded emeralds. “Oy, what’s wrong? You all right?”

“H-Huh?”

“You’re shakin’ like a a leaf...did you have another nightmare?” He peered at her worriedly, smoothing a hand along her back as she willed herself to stop trembling.

“Oh...n, no, it’s not...that...” She hadn’t even realized how shaken she’d been when she was lying awake, staring at Mirza as he watched her. ‘Maybe I should tell Muirhead about Mirza...but I don’t want to cause unnecessary trouble in the group either...’ No, she would just keep a cautious eye out for now; besides, she had no real proof that Mirza was really out to cause trouble, even though both Muirhead and Hunter agreed that he wasn’t the most trustworthy person.

“Sio? What’s wrong? I promise I won’t make fun of yeh,” he attempted a reassuring smile, to which Sio could only vaguely return. “Still worried?”

“Y-Yeah...b-but, I’m...feeling a little better now...thank you, Adam...” His touch was soothing, calming her down from her own anxious thoughts. “You know, at first I thought I’d made a mistake just coming to Yharnam so foolhardily...but then again, I was able to meet people like you and Hunter...so, maybe it wasn’t all that bad.” She burrowed shyly into the edge of the cloak, especially as she heard a low chuckle from the man.

“Well, I’m glad to hear that. You’re not half-bad yourself, squirt. I’m glad that you joined us.” Was it just her or did he sound more self-conscious than usual? She didn’t have anymore time to contemplate his odd behavior though, as the sounds of the others’ voices started filtering back in. “Anyway, if you’re feeling better, we should probably talk about where to head next. I’ve heard talk of taking a closer look at Yahar’gul...I know it’s not you’re favorite place, and frankly it isn’t mine either...but given what Hunter says they saw the last time we were there, I think it’s worth checking out.”

Sio swallowed thickly at the name—’Yahar’gul’. That dreaded place where she’d been captured and thrown to her death, had it not been for Muirhead and Hunter’s quick actions. “Yeah...makes sense. You don’t need to worry about me, Muirhead. I can take care of myself, even like this.”

“Hah, that I have no doubt at this point. And also, uh, you...don’t need to call me by my last name anymore. ‘Adam’ is fine, now...”

Even without looking at his face she could tell he was blushing; it was uncharacteristic of the usually stoic man, but Sio found it a rather adorable change. “Well Adam...I’d be more than happy to oblige, but only if you stop it with this whole ‘squirt’ deal. It would be nice to hear my real name more often than just the rare serious moment...”

He laughed, a genuine sound of joy that surprised her. “All right, fair enough...Sio. That sound better to you?”

Despite her efforts to maintain a stern front, Sio couldn’t help but laugh back herself. “A lot better than squirt, I can tell you. Though I suppose I wouldn’t mind too much if I heard it once in a while...you know, on the occasions where you slip up. I know it takes time to get used to it.”

“We’ll just see about that, squi—I mean Sio—blast it...” She just laughed at the silver-haired man, as she slowly got up and started putting on her armor and weapons.

“Don’t worry Adam, practice makes perfect.” She grinned saucily at him. “Yahar’gul, huh? Guess we should prepare ourselves then.”

If the other noticed any change in demeanor between the two, they didn’t say anything. Still as they grouped around the headstone, she felt better than when they had been at the castle, even though the sickness was definitely progressing. Though it had taken her longer than she’d wanted, it seemed at last they had earned a mutual respect...and perhaps even more, if that fluttery feeling in her chest was anything to go by.

‘No...come on Sio, you already said you didn’t come here to look for a husband!’ But it couldn’t hurt to just entertain the thought a little, could it? ‘Though I wonder what my parents would think if I came back not only a successful hunter, but with a man to boot...’

“All right, everybody ready? We’re going back to Yahar’gul, so make sure you’ve got what you need.” Adam adjusted his new coat, still stiff until he broke it in. Yahar’gul would be even more difficult than the castle they’d just left, he could sense this. But somehow, Adam also had a feeling that they would make it out all right.

#documentation #hunt or be hunted #//oh god im so behind on fics #//i feel bad #//like i really do want to write them all out #//but that takes time #//and that is scarce these days

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