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kitkatt0430 · 2 years ago

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Bangel, Spuffy, and Cordoyle for the ship ask game!!

Bangel

1.) What Made You Ship It?

When I first watched Buffy, I was a teenager and in that target audience range. I liked Tortall’s Alanna/George and other feminist fantasy ships where the younger woman falls for a more mature guy. Bangel was the biggest of the age-gaps, but the same appeal was there that the other ships had. Mainly that I assumed some day I was gonna have romantic feelings of my own and I really did not like the idea of being attracted to guys my own age because the guys that were interested in me seemed to think fart jokes were the epitome of humor, the guys who weren’t interested in me were guys I wasn’t interested in either. And the guys who were my friends would just be weird to date ‘cause... it just would be.

I... would have really liked to know what aromantic meant at that age, I think.

But anyway, there was kind of a fairy tale, first guy wins feeling for Buffy and Angel and even though I’ve grown to be more critical of their relationship as seen through an adult lens... I still have a fondness for the ship as it seemed when I first saw the show. Angel discovering his true purpose from his love of Buffy and Buffy having to learn the hard lesson that love does not always win the day. But in the time they had together, they grew to become better, stronger people. And not even being apart made their love any less.

2.) What Are Your Favorite Things About the Ship?

Buffy can be the slayer with Angel and he doesn’t think less of her for it. It’s something that she didn’t have with Riley, who wanted Buffy but as his idea of what a girl should be and not as a Slayer. Riley wanted Buffy to be strong, but not too strong. Angel wanted to support her as she found her own strength. She had a similar dynamic with Spike, which is why I also like Spuffy.

3.) Is There an Unpopular Opinion You Have On Your Ship?

Angel never stopped seeing Buffy as a child in need of guidance.

While Buffy was the slayer and he supported her in that role, as just Buffy he saw her as being in need of someone to direct and protect her. The first time Angel saw Buffy was when she hadn’t yet learned of her calling, just a pretty blonde cheerleader in the sun... and likely still just fifteen years old.

Angel had a tendency of hiding information from her, following her around when she made it clear it was unwelcome, and making decisions for her without her knowledge or consent. It’s one thing when he’s hiding the fact that he’s a vampire with a soul. It’s another thing entirely when he’s randomly showing up from LA and causing her unnecessary trouble by skulking in the shadows instead of telling her what he knows.

I’m really not sure he ever stopped seeing her as that pretty fifteen-year-old bathed in sunlight. So while I do believe he supported Buffy’s growth as person and slayer... I don’t think he fully recognized that growth when it happened.

Spuffy

1.) What Made You Ship It?

So Spuffy had a lot of the same qualities of Bangel that I liked, but with Spike who was a much more fun character. And more interesting IMO. Sorry Angel.

I like ships with belligerent UST - which Spuffy had - and Spike was a gentleman under his rough exterior so he had this vulnerable and sweet side under it all.

I tend to prefer fanon Spuffy to canon Spuffy, however; not least because their relationship in S6 is an object lesson in why safe words are so damn important.

2.) What Are Your Favorite Things About the Ship?

Much like Buffy could be the Slayer with Angel, she could be that with Spike too. But he respected Buffy as his equal even when she wasn’t being the Slayer. I think Spike saw Buffy as she was, flaws and all, and loved her all the more for being imperfect.

And in turn, when Buffy wasn’t clinging to the ‘vampires bad, souls good’ paradigm, she could see the core of who Spike was too. Just a man who loved too well and too much - I think she saw an intensity there that scared her a bit too, though.

3.) Is There An Unpopular Opinion You Have On Your Ship?

Spike didn’t contact Buffy in S5 of Angel in part because of how she treated him during S6 of BtVS. It was an unhealthy and abusive dynamic for both of them really and he didn’t believe her when she said she loved him in the series finale, so he was probably worried that if he did reunite with her then they might just wind up with a new version of that bad dynamic. He didn’t want to be responsible for dragging her down again - since in S7 even when they weren’t involved romantically, choosing to have a platonic relationship with Spike still caused her difficulties with her friends.

With all the baggage they had, he needed the clean break as much for himself as for her.

Cordoyle

1.) Why Don’t You Ship It?

I don’t know actually? I mean. I like their friendship and the flirting is hilarious but... I just don’t actually want them to date. Cordelia was in a really vulnerable place at the time and Doyle was so uncomfortable with himself that he’d already wrecked one marriage... I guess they were just meeting at a time when neither of them were in a good place to be dating anyone, never mind each other. I think if Doyle hadn’t died and he’d come to terms with being half demon while Cordelia finally really found herself, as she did later that season... maybe then I’d have shipped them.

It’s definitely not a ship I’m avidly against or anything and it wouldn’t be a turn off for reading a fic, but it’s definitely not a ship I actively ship either.

2.) What Would Have Made You Like it?

So if Doyle hadn’t died mid season one, but instead completed his arc in accepting himself as a half-demon with visions then I’d have been more open to shipping him in general. But Cordelia finding herself on the show was in part because of the visions she inherited from Doyle - seeing the suffering other people went through really forced her to find herself and learn to become a more compassionate and less self-centered person. She’d have to go through similar character development in order to be in a better place to date, both for her own sake but in terms of what she had to offer as someone else’s significant other. But also S1 Cordelia needed to learn to be her own hero, after being let down by her parents so badly, and having to wrangle with Doyle’s self loathing on top her own struggles with finding her place in the world would have been a bit much.

I think, ultimately, if they’d both made it alive with character growth to S2, then I’d have started shipping them instead of enjoying them solely as friends who flirt.

3.) Despite Not Shipping It, Do You Have Anything Positive to Say About It?

Their friendship was lovely and I really like the impact they had on each other. Doyle wanted to become more comfortable with himself in part because he wanted to be more honest with her. And Cordelia felt safe around Doyle to really just be herself, even when Cordelia wasn’t entirely sure who that was anymore.

And I do think that if Doyle knowingly passed on his visions, he meant them as a gift. Cordelia was, in many ways, in search of a future and purpose for herself in early S1. The visions gave her a connection to the world that she’d been unable to make on her own and it gave her something of his to remember him by, long after he was gone. A way for her to remember she was loved by a dear friend and that not even his death could take that friendship from her.

#kitkatt0430 answers #ship ask game

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diamondzart · 2 years ago

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Check some of my thoughts under the artwork ;)

One-page comic that illustrates how I imagine the relationship in a trio of Gru, Wild Knuckles (Willy Kobra) and Dr. Nefario. I saw some people thinking about who is the real father figure since the movie itself clearly tells us that it must be Wild Knuckles.

What I really like to think is that he is more of a grandpa and a tutor, while Nefario stands closer to being a father figure and a friend. He is in his early 30s so I’d expect him to still be a bit hyperactive and ambitious, he is sociable and eager to show off with his inventions. I mean, in post-credit scene he is clearly having fun from the opportunity to impress Gru with the airship, and in the first scene in Criminal Records he also could just call for him, but he chose to use his “Smart Goo” device to draw his attention. Obviously to show off 😏

So yeah, when he gets in one team with Gru and Wild Knuckles, he is found between a kid that is sincerely impressed by literally everything he does, and an old experienced man who is thinking more rational and considers him an upstart. And while Wild Knuckles is trying to teach Gru things, there is Nefario that is like “gahahah look I made a gun that shoots pins here ya go have fun at school”. And here is where their conflict lies. Wild Knuckles considers him too turbulent, while Gru is more than happy to have an adult friend who also wants to do silly things for the sake of doing silly things. So every time Nefario gives Gru another weird thing he assembled in one sleepless night, Wild Knuckles gets irritated and insists that these things only distract the kid from learning how to be a real great villain. And for that, Nefario calls him “boring old fart” behind his back.

That’s basically how I see their relationship, yeah. Sorry for the long post.

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phantasmiac · 2 years ago

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in which dabi is captured, and you are his beacon of hope

cw/tw: gender neutral reader, head banging as self harm, suicidal ideation, funeral mention

wc: 1.05k

dabi being incarcerated for his crimes after the villains lose the war. whatever sanity he had left is completely gone at this point. he’s completely mad with rage. enji is alive and well, that’s one thing to go batshit over. but these heroes won’t even grant him the freedom of death. he has to continue living with the weight of his most recent failure, as if it hadn’t been heavy enough to suffocate his entire being before. the men guarding his cell become familiar with the sounds of his sobs and screams; occasionally, they have to bust in and stop him from bashing his head into the walls in an attempt to free himself from his misery. so much for quirk nullifying cuffs.

the first time enji tried to talk to him through shatter proof glass, dabi let him have it. released all his sorrows, told him how much he wanted him to suffer in the depths of hell. the old fart fell to his knees, his face contorting into the ugliest expression while his eyes leaked gross tears. that should have brought dabi some sort of satisfaction, he supposed, but why would it? his words were just ricocheting off the barrier preventing him from killing that bastard, and at the end of their meeting he’d go home to his cushy mansion and golden boy son….. oh, right, and those other two kids. and wife. ex wife? who fucking cares. dabi doesn’t.

those background characters paid him a visit too. didn’t have as much to say to them, but didn’t let them walk away unscathed either. called his mother spineless, his sister a two faced bitch; they cried, just as expected. his brother — just a different color palette from Satan himself — wasn’t all too happy about that, pounding his fists on the glass yelling about “where’s touya” this and “what have you done with my big brother” that. it got the guards to pull him away and remove him from the room. and thank fuck for that because dabi was, quite frankly, having a hard time trying to conjure up some venom to spit at natsu.

but after the first visits, dabi had sworn himself to an oath of silence. if he couldn’t literally be six feet underground, he was going to act as if he was by being unresponsive. call him childish for it, but he’d been holding onto a grudge that existed since before his voice dropped a shit ton of octaves, for YEARS, so this was just the half of it. he was going to make the todoroki’s feel like they were passing by his open coffin at his dream funeral every time they walked through those maximum security doors, until the day his body decided to finally give out.

that was the plan, until you walked through the doors, looking so scared and small next to the giant walls of the metal dungeon they were holding him in. you don’t belong here. you don’t belong anywhere near this world. that’s why he left you that day without notice. so how the fuck did you end up here? you were always too stupid and curious for your own good, but surely you weren’t crazy or powerful enough to break into tartarus just to get involved in his business. no, that was his level of psycho. you’re twiddling your thumbs as you approach him and your footsteps are so loud in a silent facility like this, yet muffled by the blood pounding in his ears. he can tell you’re gathering the courage to lift that dumb little head of yours. you take a deep breath before meeting his eyes.

and god you’re still such a baby for him, even after you’ve probably seen all the destruction he’s caused on the news. your bittersweet smile goes all wobbly and a sob you were trying to hold in escapes your lips.

“hi,” you whisper meekly.

and that’s the way the cookie always crumbles. he scoffs, knowing he’s long walked right into enji’s trap. because if you’re a big baby for him, he’s a complete sucker for you.

“there’s a seat right there, idiot,” he mutters, snapping his head to nowhere in particular. he doesn’t need you seeing the softness in his eyes or whatever. and who knows how good those surveillance cameras are? for all he knows, enji is in some camera room right now zooming in and examining every detail of his expression, searching for a hint of his son inside that monster’s body (there’s no need to zoom, really. cat’s out of the bag now).

you’re quick to scramble for that seat like someone’s gonna come out of your blind spot and tackle you for it. you’re trying so hard to repress all the physical signs of joy currently overtaking every part of your body. “quit acting all cheesy,” or something like that, is what you expect him to say. and touya can see the battle you’re having with your mannerisms, trying so hard to stay cool for him, and it just makes him chuckle. maybe he’ll give the guards a hard time later, when he’s thinking back to how many displays of “weakness” he’s exhibiting at the moment. maybe he’ll successfully turn his brain to mush this time. but right now, your effect on him is kicking in, and he can’t find it in him to be be bothered by all that bullshit.

“you look hot today. this a date or something?”

you gawk at him, clearly not expecting one of his flirtatious comments you used to be familiar with. then you giggle, and it’s like rays of sun peaking through rain clouds during a thunderstorm. his stay in this prison has been nothing short of grim; he figures that’s why you haven’t come to mind once since his arrival, despite the nauseating amount of love he carries for you in his heart. you don’t belong here.

“you’re healing so fast,” you note. “seems like you’ll be in good shape in no time.”

touya knows you’re referring to his scars. but the sight of you here, right now, fills him with a whirlwind of unfamiliar emotions. you’re not human, he thinks. not from this earth. maybe you have some quirk you haven’t told him about that would explain the surreal effect you have on him? yeah, that has to be it. that has to be why he has this feeling of…. hope growing inside of him.

“yeah. yeah, i think i will be.”

#dabi drabble #dabi headcanons #dabi imagine #dabi x reader #dabi #dabi angst #dabi fluff #dabi x y/n #dabi fanfic

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sixeyesgojo · 4 years ago

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I am super duper curious, and I apologise if you're not taking requests at the moment, but how would Dad!Gojo deal with an Arch nemesis daughter? Or perhaps (if more in your ballpark) a Sorcerer daughter that very much looks to be going down the road to becoming a curse user? How would he pull her out of that spiral before things passed the point of no return?

Summary: Gojo trying to handle his "problem child".

Characters: Gojo Satoru & villain!daughter

A/N: HELLO, I FORGOT THIS WAS SITTING IN MY DRAFTS AND I THOUGHT I POSTED IT I'm fine with headcanons whenever, which is why hc requests are never closed (I might take my time to respond though bc busy person). Nie's "stop mentioning the higher ups in your Gojo stuff" challenge, sigh

Let's say her villain origin story has something to do with feeling like being neglected by Gojo. Whether he does it on purpose or not - it's probably the latter because he's just so busy. It doesn't matter much whether she's well taken care of; every child wants to spend time with their parents at some point, right? But it's not easy since he's always busy or away on missions. She sees him being more affectionate towards his students (in her view anyway) and grows frustrated. It doesn't stop here, though. More and more factors come into play and one day...

Arch nemesis daughter:

say sike rn

I'm gonna be super honest and say it: it'll probably end tragically

I somehow don't doubt that the daughter would be weak, so if she's already on the enemies' side... yikes

Gojo would probably try to look the other way, as long as the trouble she causes isn't on a large scale - at this point, there is no chance of convincing her to come back anymore

He's conflicted.

On the one hand, the higher ups have told him to put her down. It's not like he gives a shit about whatever the old farts want him to do, most of the time.

This is his daughter, his irredeemable daughter who grew to hate him so much, she defected.

But this is also his daughter, his beloved daughter he watched grow whenever he was able to all these years

He'll often wonder, what he could have done better. He knows why she abandoned his side.... but given the circumstances, would anything have been different... if he had treated her even better whenever he was around?

His conscience says... logaically, it has to be him. He has to stop her. Not only is it his duty as the current top sorcerer but also his responsibility since 1) it's his fault, 2) it's his daughter.

But his heart? It's screaming out to him to not harm her in any way. The guilt in his chest is already enough to suffocate him in the darkest depths anyway. If he took her youth away too-

It's safe to say the two of them will have to meet at some point and it's going to be ugly

They fight

(but of course, Gojo holds back as he cannot bear going all out against his own daughter)

Pick your poison because I see no happy ending for this one, sorry

possible curse user daughter:

he notices changes in behavior right away

If he can help it - and he can - then he'll clear his entire schedule for her to talk it out with her, presenting his view and understanding her, then maybe spend some urgently needed quality time together

but this is not enough to convince her... until...

Let's assume she's already made contact with some curse users who are interested in recruiting her for their... team or plans.

Naturally, they are sus of her because she's the daughter of the strongest, so ofc they'd tail her to see if she's a mole or not

When they see her out with Gojo... suspicions confirmed.

They wait for an opportunity to attack... Despite being somewhat prepared to go up against Gojo Satoru, they won't risk it if they can avoid it.

And then, they launch their ambush when he's absent for a moment

Everything happens in a flash, so she doesn't even realize that she was not hit... until she processes being in the arms of her father, who's shielding her with his body

Of course he's uninjured, right? He must be, he has Infinity, right?

Wrong, something messed with his ability and to her horror, the daughter realizes that he really shielded her from a freaking nasty hit

The blood's streaming down his back and somehow his Reversed Cursed Technique won't work, yet the first thing he does is ask her, "Are you okay?" Because her safety matters the most to him.

It is that moment when it dawns on her: he really does care about her, even if he doesn't show it much.

All the soft moments he bestowed upon her resurface - all the times they spent time together, the gifts she took for granted, the times he made her laugh - everything, and the sensation of barely missing a bad hit, comes crashing down on her and she's perplexed, frozen on the spot.

Of course Dad!Gojo takes care of the enemies but when he's done, he just... sorta collapses next to her, trying to act cool when she clearly sees the blood

Somehow they make it home and she patches him up, which is also the time where they have a heart-to-heart talk and they talk things out (which was his original plan after spending time with her but then those curse users came)

Things are still rocky but they're on better terms now; both sides are trying their best to make amends

Who knows? Maybe one day they will be able to pick up the broken pieces and fix them together.

#nie answers #anon #gojo headcanons #gojo as dad #dad!gojo #papa!gojo #gojo satoru x reader #gojo x reader

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somewhereinthepines · 3 years ago

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Not the same anon someone different lol but yeah I like that perspective for Chris. I was a bit cursed from the beginning of this games story because I sympathised with Chris/Travis’ and the families situation. Cursed and doomed to be until they find the lead culprit the white wolf. And I also sympathised with Ryan, sure he was awkward sometimes but I liked his character? I felt really invested in them and expected the game to give us the option of saving all the Hacketts considering they weren’t necessarily bad people. So when Laura kinda knew this information; knowing becoming a werewolf was a curse and you’d return to normal after the full moon, knowing that they’d been hunting the white wolf etc and still mindlessly shooting Chris’ daughter and snapping at Ryan for being uncomfortable at the concept of killing Chris, idk it didn’t sit right with me at all.

travis & chris are really stuck in a vicious cycle. and it’s beyond sad how you can’t even save them properly. like you can’t save chris without many people dying as a result. and you can’t save travis either, bc even if he survive, realistically he would be put in jail for helping to cover up murders & abusing his position of power. they’re just kinda doomed from the start, and it feels so hopeless, no matter what you do. and while this part was depressing, and kind of unfair, at the very least, they could have done it more respectfully, i guess? i hate how rushed the ending is. and how it literally snuff up travis’s emotions, along with ryan’s. the game just won’t give them a break, and continues to ignore all that piling up trauma in favor of the most bizzare things. *groans* it’s one of the huge downsides of the game, that it has too many characters and too many storylines, but like, ryan is the most playable character and travis is the hackett, that we see the most, so they could have respected their narrative more. i also wish, that they could have given you an option to save all the hacketts, or well, most of them. or maybe, actually pick a side, bc with ryan, it sorta looked like he might turn on laura at the last moment.

well, laura comes off as unhinged in the last chapter tbh. she’s so rushed to murder people. and her reasoning for it is very half-assed too. like she wants to murder chris, only so that max won’t idk turn into werewolf at the next full moon, but like, so what if he did? it would have made sense to analyze all the info, that she could get before just deciding to go on a rampage. and yeah-yeah, she was held in the cage for 2 months. and yeah sure, had lost an eye. but most of it was sort of her own fault…? so like. idk. i can’t say, that i’m a fan of her lol. she’s so impulsive and selfish, and she attempts to be like ‘but i’m trying to do the right thing’, when she’s not? she’s merely thirsty for revenge, and that’s pretty much it. and it’s fine direction to take with a character, but i kinda hate how the game sort of forces ryan to take her side, when he doesn’t have to. no matter what people love to think, he doesn’t have to like her or care about her bf or even nick. he doesn’t own her anything, yet, she acts like he has to support her drive. be 100% behind killing chris and all hacketts. all while he doesn’t even have any proof, that laura doesn’t lie about most of that stuff. idk, didn’t sit right with me either.

sorry for the rant, but i see ryan getting so much shit for not 'caring enough' about dylan or his 'friends', when my point is, why no one cared enough to just let ryan be trauma-trippin' and be sad and devastated? and travis...i feel so bad for him, haha. let poor old fart rest and be far away from them all.

#asks #quarry

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thattimdrakeguy · 3 years ago

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Three Jokers only becoming an important Batman story because DC Comics kept advertising the fuck out of it. Only for it to be regarded as a soaring disappointment barely anyone talks about anymore actually makes me sad sometimes.

They were so certain, and in the end it was like a fart in the breeze.

I got this little Three Jokers poster after ordering a comic for some reason. Was just included, I don’t know why. Pretty sure I got Three Jokers playing cards through the same way.

So DC was putting the money in.

They just didn’t put enough forethought or talent in. Jason Fabok can’t bring a wet fart of a story to greatness by himself.

Seriously who’s great idea was “Let’s make sure this was a whole waste of time and this story basically means nothing, and nothing would be any different if this story didn’t exist” when it came to developing this story? It’s an empty story.

Jason fucking Todd killed the mother fucking Joker that killed him, and I hardly see it talked about anymore. Something that should’ve been huge was used as a schlocky shock ending to get people to read issue 1. Didn’t even feel important afterwards. There’s just some bickering about it that goes no where. A JOKER IS PERMANATELY DEAD, the same one that killed him mind you, and it barely means a thing. And people still talk about when he beat Tim up (ironically the same writer) nearly two full freaking decades ago. I could be missing something, maybe they do. But like, unless you’re chasing his tag constantly, I’m not seeing anything.

We don’t even know who the Jokers are by the end. Yet Batman knows the modern Joker’s identity? How? Where would he even begin to start with that? Everyone that could’ve possibly known it was him died if I’m remembering right. His randomly alive wife, probably has no clue what became of her husband. What are the odds that she’d recognize this dude with a face that got deformed so he didn’t look like himself? There’s literally bodies of people that are made to look exactly like him through the same means. So it’s not her, as if she had a personal line to Batman anyway. The Joker certainly isn’t giving anyone clues about who he is. He likes to make-up random crap. SO HOW? You can’t just say “Oh by the way Batman knew this whole time.” like huh? What do you mean like 1 week after they met later he found out? So did he meet the modern Joker first? That doesn’t make any freaking sense continuity wise.

We got a romance that’s going to go no where, and was only started because--a fan asked Tynion I think? On his old blog? And it happened in one of thee Eternals, or implied anyways. And now it’s brought to this where it goes no where anyways? Why bother, they stick her with Dick so much specifically that it’ll likely never happen in anyway that isn’t cheap.

There’s good moments, and some fantastic visuals.

But fuck it’s still a turd of a story.

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ibijau · 4 years ago

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I’ve sent you an ask like this before but like. reverse au where nhs’ goal is wrh instead of jgy - imagining little nhs with his father’s blood on his saber unable to stop bawling but insisting that he has to go on trial for the murder of his father - being furious when he’s not pronounced guilty because it has to be someone’s fault - little nmj crying sympathy tears and trying to guard huaisang against whatever’s making him cry -

lxc only starts to let go of his jealousy of how frivolous sect leader nhs is allowed to be when wrh attacks nhs in the middle of a cultivation conference and is bravely defeated by now-jgy and lxc sees nhs first realize through his tears that wrh may have been the one to kill his father - he lets go of it entirely as he begins to suspect the decimation of the main branch of the wen clan took a lot more hard work than chance

oops, I went for something centered around the Nie brothers with this orz

It was just the three of them in that room when it happened, and though Mingjue is quite young, he is brought to testify at that trial his da-ge insists on having. When the elders ask, he explains that he had closed his eyes and didn't see much. He doesn’t tell them that his da-ge had just ordered him to close them. If it’s relevant, his da-ge will say something.

But Huaisang stays silent, except for some quiet sobbing.

“You didn’t see, but you heard,” one elder insists. “So what did you hear?”

“A-die was angry,” Mingjue replies, eyes darting toward his brother. “He was shouting at us.” He hesitates. “It’s words da-ge says I’m not allowed to know and if I use them around grown-ups I’ll be in trouble.”

The elders smile weakly at this well-behaved boy of seven.

“Just for today, you can say it. We need to understand, er-gongzi.”

Mingjue glances again at his brother. He only speaks again when his da-ge nods at him through his tears.

“A-die said that I was just the son of a whore and he was tired of me scheming against da-ge,” Mingjue recites, the accusation branded onto his mind. He can still hear the exact tone of his father’s voice, feel the power of his unrestrained aura oppressing him to the point he nearly fainted. “A-die also said that da-ge was a disgrace anyway and he was going to get rid of both of us and have real sons, instead of a Wen and a bastard. Then I heard blades hitting, and A-die shouted a-die couldn't hurt me, and there was a fight, and then everything was very quiet and da-ge said I needed to go get help.”

The elders nod solemnly. Huaisang sobs harder, his face awash with tears. He presses both hands against his mouth in an effort to keep quiet, so he won’t disturb the trial too much, but it’s not very efficient. Their cousin Zonghui, standing next to him, pats Huaisang’s shoulder to try to calm him.

“What did you see, before you left the room?” one elder asks.

Mingjue doesn’t answer right away. It’s fine to take time to remember, they told him early on, so he does that. In truth though, it’s not like he could ever forget the sight of his brother, usually so soft and funny, standing over the still twitching corpse of their father. He hasn’t forgotten that their father was breathing and even moaning when he left. He recalls, also, how different his da-ge had looked with his bloody sabre in hand, that hard look on his face.

When Mingjue had returned with help, his father had stopped breathing, and there was no hardness left to Huaisang who had dropped his sabre and was sobbing in a corner.

“There was a lot of blood,” Mingjue says, which isn’t a lie.

His eyes catch Huaisang’s. His da-ge, who doesn’t let anyone insult him for his mother, who told Mingjue many nice stories about her, since he never got to meet her. His da-ge who encourages him even when others say that the son of a servant shouldn’t be given the education of a young master, shouldn't dare to be better than children of higher birth. His da-ge, lazy and spoiled, but always putting in the effort when he feels Mingjue needs protecting.

It’s Mingjue’s turn to protect him now.

“I onlyremember the blood, and that I was scared,” he claims.

This time, it’s a lie.

But he can’t let them hurt his da-ge.

At the issue of that trial, it is decided that Huaisang acted out of self defence, and cannot be too harshly punished for the murder of his father. He has to offer sacrifices to the heavens and make public penance, but there won’t be lasting consequences, and he still gets to be sect leader.

Uncle Wen would not allow for anything else, Mingjue hears some of the elders whisper.

Uncle Wen went through a lot of trouble to make sure Qinghe Nie stopped bothering him, they also say. And now his sister’s child is ruling the only sect that used to stand up to him.

Huaisang laughs when Mingjue repeats this to him one night, while his da-ge puts him to bed for the night. Everything else has changed, but not this: Huaisang makes the time to take care of his didi, and Mingjue worries for his da-ge. Making time is harder than it used to be, the worries have become bigger than before, but fundamentally it’s still the same.

“Don’t listen to what those old farts say,” Huaisang advises as he tucks Mingjue under his blanket. “And don’t let them catch you listening, either. They’ll think you’re going to repeat things to me.”

“I do repeat things to you,” Mingjue points out. “And they shouldn’t be saying things like that. It’s not right to speak about people behind their back. A-die said people should speak their grievance in the light, or not at all.”

Huaisang smiles, and pets his hair.

“A-die was a good man,” he says. “Don’t let anyone make you forget that. A-die was the best man in the world. The way he was at the end, that wasn’t him. He was kind, and he loved you, and he was the best man any of us will ever meet… but this isn’t a world for good men.”

Mingjue frowns. His da-ge has always said odd things, but it has gotten worse lately.

“Da-ge is good too,” he mutters, unable to express the worry starting to form in his chest.

What he means is this: if good men are struck down by a cruel world, then his da-ge, who is good, might be at risk of dying. The thought terrifies him, and he would do anything to keep his da-ge alive. He lied for him at the trial, and he can do it again.

Huaisang laughs again.

“Don’t you worry about me!” he snickers, ruffling his brother’s hair. “I’m not good at all. Haven’t you heard people complain how little good I am?”

“You’re lazy not good, not bad not good,” Mingjue corrects. "Not like uncle."

Da-ge's good humour is shattered, replaced by a severe frown which makes him look too much like he did, that night their father died. Mingjue doesn't like it.

"MingMing, you remember the rule about uncle, right?"

"I don't say anything bad about uncle where others can hear," Mingjue meekly recites. "Only da-ge can say if it's safe to talk about uncle. Sorry. I know you didn't say."

"It's fine this time, but be more careful. Uncle is dangerous. He killed a-die, he'll kill us too if he realises we're not on his side. And we're not. Whose side are we on?"

"Each other," Mingjue dutifully replies.

He knows it's the right answer, but only if they're alone. If there are sect elders, Mingjue must claim loyalty to the sect. If they are in front of Wen Ruohan, he must say family. But the truest of truth is that he'd do anything for his da-ge, and da-ge has proven more than once he'd do anything for Mingjue.

"You're a good boy," da-ge said, ruffling his hair once more. "Don't think too much about these things. Da-ge will take care of all the problems for you."

"But I can help!"

"Yes you can," Huaisang agreed, pinching his cheek. "You can help by doing as you're told. Can you do that?"

Past events prove that Mingjue, on the whole, isn't good at doing what he's told, not when he thinks he's told to do something stupid. Sometimes, he makes a big argument about that. He's young, not stupid, and he doesn't want to do things just because grown-ups have ideas about how things should be.

But da-ge looks really tired tonight, and Mingjue doesn't want to become yet another problem on his brother's mind. So he nods dutifully.

It makes da-ge smile, so it was probably okay to lie.

#nie huaisang #nie mingjue #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #jau writes #might continue it later but also might not #It's just that you know...#reversed nie bros my beloved #and also I'm trying to make a small dent in my prompts lol

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hyenahunt · 3 years ago

Text

Conquest: Armageddon - 4

Writer: Akira

Season: Spring

Proofreading: royalquintet (JP & ENG)

Translation: hyenahunt

Hiyori: All the same, what a shock it was... I'd truly picked you up on a whim, you see, but the marks from where you'd bitten me have never faded since.

[Location: Café Cinnamon]

Jun: Ohii-san—

Hiyori: That's right, that's all I am — nothing more than a lovable princess. For my way of life, it was the best and most sensible choice, and I had no complaints.

But when you'd called me that for the first time, it did make me laugh a bit, you know.

To think that even a tactless, boorish blockhead like you could see right through me... It made me wonder just how much that identity had become my truth.

Jun: Um, no, I was just making a pun on your name.

Hiyori: Mm. Of course, you're not capable of such astute irony, are you?

All the same, what a shock it was... I'd truly picked you up on a whim, you see, but the marks from where you'd bitten me have never faded since.

You're now the second-most important existence to me in my life, right after my family.

Jun: ......

Hiyori: ...Ah, maybe not second-most, now that I think about Tsumugi-kun and Eichi-kun and the like... Sorry, do let me correct myself, okay?

Jun: No, um, the order doesn't really bother me but — just knowing that I actually matter to you, and you find me so special that I can't be replaced... it makes me kinda happy.

I mean, whoever's in second place is probably way behind first place anyway, so you might as well just lump together everyone from second place onwards.

Hiyori: Yes, yes, it's just like you with Sagami-sensei.

Jun: Why the hell are you bringing that guy up? He's just some stupid old fart who's got absolutely nothing to do with my life, okay!?

Hiyori: Heheh. The harder you try to deny it, the truer it seems ♪

Jun: In what way exactly...

Oh well, at least after being stuck with you for so long I've gotten kinda used to your vague way of speaking, I guess~?

Hiyori: No but honestly, what's Sagami-sensei like? I'm suuuper curious, you see — it just sounds like some juicy gossip ♪

Jun: There's really nothing much to him; he's neither here nor there... A while ago, I had to take on some job for a kids' show.

And even though no one actually invited him, Jin Sagami came and crashed it saying that as someone with actual experience, he'd guide me along. From there he showed me the ropes and —

Huh? Or was that all a dream?

Ughhh, I don't wanna remember that shit! Nooo!

Hiyori: W-what's wrong, Jun-kun? Are you okay?

Jun: ...In any case, forget about me ~

Nagi-senpai's your number one, who's more special to you than anyone else. Are you okay with fighting him like this?

Hiyori: ? We're not fighting, though?

Jun: Seriously? How can you even say that?

That's what Conquest is all about, no? Eve and Adam having some sorta showy fight and —

Hiyori: Yes. Truly, what a silly little spectacle it is.

Jun: Yeah. I didn't like it either, but if I didn't go along with it, I'd get 'exiled'...

But as for you, lately it seems like all you've been doing is trying to rile up Adam, or rather Nagi-senpai, y'know?

It just looks like a fight from an outside perspective, like you're taking Nagi-senpai's whole sentencing thing seriously.

It looks to everyone like you got seriously pissed off, and wanna get back at him by trying to break away from Eden—

Hiyori: Well, of course I'm furious. That's a given.

I've been angry and upset ever since I even heard the plan for Conquest. Did you not notice?

Heheh, well, it is the nobleman's etiquette to conceal any violent emotions behind a smile, after all ♪

Jun: Um, no, you've seemed pretty upset to me this whole time.

I mean, I totally get how much it'd tick you off, to be threatened outta the blue that you'll get fired if you don't do as you're told—

But for some reason, I always thought it was impossible for you to get mad at Nagi-senpai... To be honest, it leaves me real surprised and confused.

Hiyori: Heheh. Jun-kun, you really are adorable.

Jun: What? By that you mean ''you really are stupid'', don't you? Guessing games aren't my forte, but even I can understand that level of sarcasm, y'know?

Hiyori: Yes. Adorable is a word that can indeed sound like an insult, depending on context.

All the same, veiling one's words in sarcasm rather than being as direct as a pointed blade is yet another display of the nobleman's creed — one of love and kindness.

But of course, there may be people who find it more infuriating than simply getting punched in the face.

If you're of that mindset, Jun-kun, then Ibara and society in general most likely feel the same way, too...

It's a sad thing to close yourself off from satire and jest, you know? In a way, it's like shutting yourself away from love.

But I'm sure Nagisa-kun would be open to it. It's just as you said earlier: the two of us are equals, after all.

Surely he believed I'd be able to understand his true intentions when it came to my 'exile' — so he struck me with all those harsh, heavy words.

Jun: ......?

Hiyori: Jun-kun. You and the general public are all mistaken, you see. I'm not angry at Nagisa-kun in the slightest.

What I can't stand the most is that I'd allowed him to play the villain. No, the one I'm angry with is in fact myself —

The ever foolish, ever stupid Hiyori Tomoe.

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#hiyori tomoe #jun sazanami #enstars #ensemble stars #enstars translation #type: event #s: conquest #era: !!#status: complete #hyenahunttl

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jimlingss · 4 years ago

Text

Moirai [2]

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3

➜ Words: 6.2k

➜ Genres: 60% Fluff, 40% Angst, Isekai!AU

➜ Summary: Death is supposed to be the end. Or at least that's what you assumed when you're hit by a TRUCK. But the moment you open your eyes again, instead of being sent to the afterlife, you've become a baby. And not just any baby. You're the female villain of a video game.

You turn the corner and dart down the hall. “My lady!” There’s a parade of maids chasing after you, Joan included in the bunch, and a frightened guard whose metal armour clanks with each movement. You grin, swinging your wooden sword around at them with a ‘huzzah!’. Pretending you’re a champion, you twirl around the pillar with one arm. But even with your theatrics, they’re still meters away and out of reach. “Please! Come back! You have your dance lessons!” You stick out your tongue. “Then catch me!” It’s been one full year since you’ve started learning swordsmanship and admittedly, it’s become one of your most favourite times of the day. It beats sitting at a desk with the old fart droning on and on about dumb things you already know or having your posture criticized over and over again during dance lessons. You’re frankly getting tired of having information and insults shoved down your throat. Sword lessons are the only time you can be out in the sun and do whatever you want. You can tell that you’re improving too. It’s a pain in the ass to get the guards to take you seriously, but sometimes the tips and tricks they give are pretty helpful. It’s fun. Especially when there are people desperately chasing you. “P-Please!” one of the girls cries out, running out of breath. One of the best perks about being a five-year old is having endless energy in your body. And you’ll happily take advantage of that while you still can. “Pirates never give up! Argh, matey!” But your play time is unfortunately interrupted by a deadpanning voice— “What are you doing?” The familiar sharp voice sends shivers up your spine and you freeze. Your parade halts on their heels as well, immediately dropping their heads to the ground and placing one hand over the other reverently. “Your grace.” “What is going on here?” Your mother’s footsteps echo through the marble hall, ball gown dragged behind her as her scrutinizing eyes lay on the help, the knight and then to you. “I’m so sorry,” Joan is quick to confess, “The lady refuses to attend her dance practices.” And she’s quick to throw you under the bus. If you could, you’d stick up your middle finger at her. Your mother turns, her glare laid upon you. You brace yourself. “This is not how the future Devereux head should act.” Her voice is above a slight murmur, yet chilling and heavy. Her narrowed eyes have dimmed as they look upon you. She doesn’t need to yell to be frightening. “The Chevalier household has their youngest daughter playing piano and they recently went to the castle to show her talent. How will you compete, Anastasia?” “I—” “Or will you continue to tarnish our family’s name by being a child?” You are a child. Technically. The woman looms over you, her demeanour imposing and the burden of the household’s name lays upon your shoulders. You can’t help but feel small. It’s no wonder Anastasia took the Prince’s kindness as love and fell for him so quickly. Moments with him were her moments of freedom. You stay quiet, solemn, knowing it’s not worth arguing. Your eyes instead focus on a younger maid who’s silently snickering to herself and before you can make note for later, your vision blurs. “From now on, your swordsmanship lessons will be retracted until you’ve caught up with the rest of your lessons,” she says while looking straight ahead, not sparing you a glance. “The only places you are to be permitted in for the next month is your room and the study—” It’s unfair. A punishment that doesn’t fit the crime. But your voice doesn’t come out of your mouth. The world tilts on an axis. It swirls. Your head is lightweight. And before you could figure out what’s happening, there’s a shrill cry for you — “my lady!” — and you feel yourself falling back before the universe becomes pitch black. An abyss of nothing. // “Why did she faint?!” When you come to, your first thought is that you’ve died. Again. Illness. Heart attack. Maybe from the plague. Fuck. It’s frightening and you feel an urge to cry, knowing that you yet again didn’t complete your goal of living a long and fruitful life. That the years spent fighting for your survival were ultimately useless. But then you hear far away voices and realize your fingers can twitch. The soft mattress underneath you registers soon after and it sinks in that you’re in your room, bedridden. “Well….your grace…” “On with it! I didn’t bring you here to waste my time!” “Herrick…” Oh right. It’s the Eve of the Solar Festival, isn’t it? A day where commoners celebrate the empire and wish for its everlasting prosperity. You remember since you’ve never gone before. Around this same time last year and the year before that, you fell ill in the exact same way — cold, chest aching, dizzy spells. It’s odd. Usually you aren’t so weak and yet somehow, you always get better in the morning once the festival is over. You don’t remember this ever being mentioned in the original game either. Or at least Anastasia never said anything about it and she would’ve totally milked it for the Prince’s attention if she could’ve. But maybe it’s an outside detail. Something the game developers were going to include in a future DLC. “We don’t know what’s happening to the lady, your grace,” the healer says. Your father bellows from his stomach, “Excuse me?!” “H-Her pulse reads well and she has no fever either. I-It’s a very unusual case.” In your half-consciousness, you perceive the bitter silence. “Heal her at all costs.” Your father’s footsteps fade and your mother sighs. You wish you couldn’t hear. Otherwise, it would be easy to demonize the pair as unsympathetic, psychopathic parents who only consider their daughter a chess piece. You’re sure the only reason they’re expressing so much concern is because you are the only heir after all. They really have no future if Anastasia dies. But it’s still hard to quell the hope that they actually care for your wellbeing. Still, you wish you couldn’t hear their desperation. It wouldn’t have to be so conflicting. Or bittersweet. The only time they show an ounce of their affection is when you’re on your deathbed. You muster the strength to open your eyes once everyone’s left the room. Most likely, you’ll live through this. You still have yet to have any of the game’s encounters or even start. Anastasia was alive for most of it, enough to terrorize the main character, so you’ll live too. Shit. When does the game start again? The opening scene was right before the debutante ball was held for all the girls in the empire. You count on your fingers — give or take, there’s twelve or thirteen years left…. But you remember from the wiki fan page that Anastasia became engaged to the Crown Prince when they were kids. Oh god. If you weren’t so weak, you’d roll over and scream into your pillow. There’s an unsettling feeling boiling in the pit of your stomach. No matter how much effort you put forth, you don’t know how you’re going to avoid that arrangement.

Turns out, it’s unavoidable. It begins two years later at seven years old, the D-day that you were dreading, the first domino that begins all the others. “No! Please!” The entire household is stunned at how you’ve grabbed onto the Duke’s leg and wrapped your limbs around his appendage, practically dead weight and not allowing him to move a single step. All your life, you’ve kept a good amount of distance between your parents — never daring to overstep your boundaries or sass them back no matter how much you wanted to. It’s more trouble than it’s worth anyway and it’s better to play on their good side. But you’ve thrown in the towel. This is your last desperate attempt. “I’ll be good, I promise I’ll go to all my dance lessons and all my history lessons and all my math lessons. Please, papa! Please!” You’re practically crying aloud. You wish someone would help you. “I don’t want to go to the Royal Palace!” Edith is shaking her head while Joan is mortified at the sidelines. Your mother’s expression is twisted in disgust while your dad is wholly aghast. Hey — it’s not like you wanted to do this either, alright?! But your pleas fall on deaf ears. To them, it’s merely the whining of a child. A temper tantrum. “My lady, please stop this,” Joan harshly whispers and rushes to pry your grip off of the Duke’s leg. Several others come too, maids and kitchen staff alike. Your strength is no match for theirs. “My stomach hurts!” Your father has no sympathy. “We’ve delayed enough times, Anastasia. If we postpone the meeting with the King again, it would be shameful to our house. Now get up.” He’s done hearing the excuses — and while you’d usually internally call him out for being an ass, the moment you heard he wanted to take you to the palace, you did claim you have a fever. Then you claimed diarrhea. A cough. Hid for several hours. You’re actually surprised you managed to delay it for this long. “There’s no choice, my lady,” Joan mutters quickly as she fixes the ribbons in your pretty hairdo. “You must go with the Duke today.” Deep down, you know it’s true. You’ll be pulled along anyhow. But you wish they would understand that this is a matter of life and death for you. Your silence is a sign of raising the white flag and Joan retracts back to her place as your dad turns to leave the manor. He adjusts his hat as he’s escorted to the carriage and you’re about to trail after him, but your mother stops you. You expect her to reprimand you, give an earful of what you should and shouldn’t do. But you’re surprised when she lowers herself down to your eye level. She catches you off guard when she reaches out to button up your pea coat, attentive and careful in each swift movement. “This is a really important meeting, Anastasia. Do you understand?” Her voice is soft, quiet enough that no one else aside from you can hear. You nod. “You must be on your best behaviour. Your father, me, all the workers here, and the whole House of Devereux will be relying on you.” Wow. Way to not pressure a seven year old. “Today is the day that might change our lives for the better.” As she finishes buttoning, her hands stroke your shoulders down your arms. The Duchess smiles gingerly, tiredly. For a moment, you feel guilty for being so selfish — for prioritizing your own survival and desires when everyone else was quite literally relying on you for their livelihood. You find yourself swallowing hard before nodding again. You get into the carriage without another word. Well fuck. What now? A part of you wishes you ran away when you had the opportunity — even though there was a good chance you would’ve been kidnapped and sold at an underground market or gone hungry or be shipped back right to your parents. Ashea, like any other place, doesn’t take kindly to wandering children. But at least then you would’ve had more control and choice. You know this isn’t just a fun field trip to the palace. The only reason the Duke and the King would meet like this is to seek an engagement. Your engagement with the Prince’s. Half an hour later, you peek out the carriage windows to see the castle at the horizon. Stone walls, seven towers, lookouts, the empire’s flag fluttering in the breeze — it’s a beautiful place with rolling green hills and beds of flowers that wind up the path. It’s a hundred times more grand than the Devereux estate and ten times the size too, stretching across for miles. But it’s also the location where all of it happens. The beginning. The climax. The end. “Anastasia.” Your attention is taken when your father steps off the carriage. You take the servant's hand and hop down onto the cobblestone, following your father closely. He greets an important person or two and you lower your head to them in greeting as they complement how mannerly you are. The two of you are led through open, lavish halls full of life-sized portraits and marble statues, and then through the garden. Even in both your lifetimes, you’ve never seen so many different kinds of flowers and vivid hues in one place. Pansies. Orchids. Marigold. Magenta. Lavender. Marmalade. But you don't get to admire it for long. Not when the gazebo comes into sight. A man with straight posture, dark hair streaked with gray to show his age and deep set eyes sits at the rounded table. Even with the absence of his crown, his status is shown through his navy cape ornate with golden swirls held together by an emerald jewel embellished with the royal crest. Wrinkles around his mouth, he has a fiercely stern expression until he cordially smiles as your father approaches. Beside him is a spitting image, a smaller boy slumped in the white chair, visibly bored. “Herrick! Good to see you, my old friend.” “Your Majesty.” Your father bows and you follow suit, giving a curtsy and lowering your head. But at the same time, you can’t help peeking at the boy. His eyes meet yours and you look away. Oh fuck. It’s the first meeting between the Prince and Anastasia. You’re sure for her it was impactful, nerve wracking, life changing. And it’s like that for you as well, but not so much on the positive side. “Please, the formalities. Is this the daughter you've been speaking so highly about?” “Yes, this is my only child, Anastasia.” You plaster on a perfect, little smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty.” The King hums. “A very lovely child indeed. The Devereux House is blessed.” The Duke smiles. “Thank you.” “Please sit and make yourselves welcome.” The King gestures and the servants nearby scurry over, pulling out your chairs, pouring tea and placing plates of biscuits on their table. In a blink, they’ve finished and you can’t help but muse how much better they are than the servants back at home. The King smiles and looks at his son. “Jungkook, don’t you have anything to say?” “Nice to meet you,” he deadpans before his doe eyes wander out to the gardens. Jungkook is wholly disinterested in you and this entire affair — you don’t blame him. You bet any seven year old would be itching to get out of their seat. But looking at him, you can’t believe you liked him so much in the game. You even had him as your phone wallpaper for a few months. But from the perspective of Anastasia and knowing your outcome and your impending demise, he’s not even cute as a kid. If anything, sitting across from him stresses you the fuck out. You weren’t supposed to even meet him. This was the exact opposite of your battle plans. And yet the engagement is going to happen whether you like it or not. The greatest irony of all is that you know he’ll end up falling in love with the main character anyway instead of you. Aka. the orphaned girl who ends up adopted by a baron. This whole ordeal only serves to make you suffer. The only way you could sabotage this meeting now is by slamming the teapot over Prince Jungkook’s head. And that would either get you thrown in jail for treason and executed or sent back to the Devereux estate on house arrest where your mother would kill you. Oh god. It’s death either way. “Are the sweets not to your liking?” It takes a second for you to register that the King is looking at you. That he’s speaking to you. You go wide-eyed, realizing you haven’t had a bite of the cakes, the biscuits or sipped on any tea. You’ve completely tuned out their conversation. But he’s been watching you and Jungkook from the corner of his eye, assessing your interactions closely. Your palms go clammy as you open your mouth before closing it. “She’s just shy,” your dad swiftly informs with a polite smile. It’s a complete lie, but one the royal monarch believes. “Ah. We shouldn’t bore them with adult talk then.” The man turns to his son. “Jungkook, why don’t you go off and play with Anastasia here?” “Okay,” he mumbles and slides off his chair. You follow suit, a bit relieved that you were dismissed from the overly formal atmosphere. The two of you go deeper into the gardens until the gazes of your father and the King’s fade from view. Jungkook is wearing a white ensemble with a cape which he dirties with the way he’s kicking rocks in his path. He seems burdened that you’re beside him. “What do you like playing?” he asks. You’re perplexed on how to answer. You’re not sure how you should play with an actual seven year old. Then again, you like to run away from the maids and swing your sword around on your down time. But that’s just because you like their reactions. “Sword fighting.” Jungkook blanches as if he just bit into a lemon. “What kind of girl plays with swords?” Suddenly, you’re overwhelmed with an urge to kick the royal prince right in his shin. But as the annoyance floods you, an epiphany comes along with it — if you can’t avoid Jungkook, maybe it’s time to switch strategies. Maybe you can start sowing the seeds of your future survival right here, right now. If one day, he’ll be condemning you of countless crimes and looking down at you as an evil villain, maybe you can turn his perception in the opposite direction. Harmless. Overbearingly nice. Arrows that practically point ‘I’M NOT A THREAT WHATSOEVER!’. You’re a genius. You force the highest pitched giggle you can. “Really?” Jungkook kicks another rock. “Girls have flimsy arms and trip every time you touch them.” Ah. The ancient version of: girls have cooties and so you should stay away from them. Alright, alright. You can work with this. “What do you like playing, Your Highness?” “Anything that’s not with girls.” You pause and laugh, hoping it doesn’t sound too stiff. Jungkook suddenly lifts his head and turns to you with the swivel of his heel. You stop as well and his index finger juts right in your face. “Since I’m the prince, I’ll have mercy on you. We can play servant and king.” “What’s servant and king?” “I’m the king.” His thumb pokes himself and then he’s back to pointing right between your eyes again. “You’re the servant. You have to follow me and all my orders or off with your head!” What a little shit. How is this going to be any fun for you?! But you draw an enormous grin on your face, left eye twitching in the process. “Sounds like fun, Your Highness!” He strolls off. “Let’s go, dumb dumb.” Your teeth grit and you inhale a deep breath. It hurts your pride to be insulted by a literal seven year old, but you can handle it. When it comes to life or death, you’ll easily befriend the hero. “Fetch that stick, peasant!” The prince points at the distance and looks at you expectedly. Your teeth grit. But you muster a smile and dash forward. When it comes to life or death, you’ll befriend the hero……….probably. “Here you go, Your Highness.” You present the stick to him with both hands and the brat smirks. A rush of air leaves his nose and then he takes the stick. You’re not sure what to expect, but your entire body freezes when he hurls it as far as his arms can go. He points between your brows a second later. “Go get it!” Motherfucker. “Yes!” Once Jungkook’s tired of having you fetch like a dog, you trail after him closely. The green hedges are triple your size, acting like corridors of the garden before they open up to certain areas filled with beds of flowers or a fountain. Some paths are unpaved, so you listen to the crunch of rocks underneath his shoes amidst the quiet. When you’re not out of breath and running at his command, it finally sinks in that it’s the first time you’re with a main character of the game. For the seven years of this lifetime thus far, there was only really you. Your parents were supporting characters at best who just took the opportunity to slyly diss the main heroine a few times at royal gatherings. But other than that, you’re currently facing the backside of someone you know a lot about. Who he will become. What his future holds. What his desires are. You pipe up, “Prince Jungkook—” “That’s Your Highness, peasant!” You clench your jaw. “Your Highness…” “What?” You quicken your steps until you’re beside him and he turns his head. “I’ll support you forever if you want to fall in love with anyone! I don’t care about being the crown princess or the queen!” For good measure, you flash a wink and a thumbs up. “What?” His boyish face is twisted up in disgust. “Why would a peasant be a queen?” You hold in your sigh. “I’m just saying. If we ever get engaged or something, it can always be annulled when we’re older. So feel free to love on, Your Highness. Make love, not war!” Your words completely fly over Jungkook’s head. His face reads that he has no clue what you’re talking about. And he turns away from you. “You’re weird.” You scoff. You’re not sure how you can become friendly with a seven year old when you’re internally twenty years older than he is. If you had chocolate on you, you’d use that as a bargaining chip. But clearly, you only have your body, brain and the surroundings at the moment…. What do seven year old boys like? What do they like? As you scan your surroundings, your eye catches something in the bushes. You stop and get closer. At the same time, Jungkook realizes you’re not following him anymore and turns around. “What are you doing, peasa—” His words are cut short by a shrill shriek of absolute terror. Your brows furrow and you thrust your hand closer to him. “It’s a ladybug.” The tiny red and black polka dotted bug is crawling in your hand. Jungkook screams again. He’s stumbling back, nearly tripping onto his butt, doe eyes reflected with complete horror as if you just chopped off his mom’s head. “Get that thing away from me!” his voice cracks up and down two different octaves and realizing his weakness, you grin. You know your plan was to seem as harmless as possible, but it’s just too much fun teasing him. “What thing, Your Highness? Your servant is merely showing you a small forest creature.” “No! Stop!” He scrambles and starts running away. You chase after him while giggling manically. “Prince Jungkook! Where are you going!” “Get the bug away from me!” He turns over his shoulder with eyeballs nearly falling out of their sockets, face bright red, and you take the opportunity to toss the ladybug at him. Jungkook’s shrieks echo, pitched and earsplitting. You’re forced to stop with how hard you’re laughing and by then, he’s ran for the hills, completely gone from sight. Oh god. You can’t believe he’s so scared. You can’t believe you were so scared — he’s just a kid. Your giggles taper off as you wander the gardens by yourself. It’s freeing to stroll at your own pace without a brat demanding you to fetch sticks or barking at you to do this and that. It’s a chance to finally admire the surroundings. You’re sure the first time Anastasia saw the castle, it became her dream home. The place is similar to the aesthetic background graphics of the game and it was always described as beautiful by all the characters. And it really is that way. But this is also the place of her demise and possibly yours. You’re sure the only time you’ll be able to enjoy the palace and be this carefree is right now. You’re admiring the blooming carnations, peony and roses as you turn the corner. The figure standing by the sprouting fountain doesn’t register until after a delayed moment and your eyes lift to see a woman — mysterious in her gray dress. It’s simple attire, but the fabrics are layered on top of one another, light enough that they drape down and flow to the breeze. Her brunette hair is tied into a bun and as if she feels the pressure of your eyes, her bright irises turn towards you. You realize you’re staring and you blink several times, approaching her politely. She pulls her charcoal shawl closer to her and smiles. The light wrinkles around her kind eyes crease. “Are you lost, child?” You shake your head. “No. I’m just looking.” She crouches down to match your height, gazing at you tenderly. “Where are your parents?” “My dad’s talking to the King.” You point off in the distance as curiosity eats at you. She doesn’t look like an ordinary worker but not a visitor of the castle either. “I’m Anastasia.” She searches your expression as if she’s endeared by you. “That’s a beautiful name.” “Thanks! Who’re you?” She’s soft-spoken, voice above a quiet murmur, “My name is Erena Robane.” You frown. The name rings a bell. “Lady Robane?” “No.” Her laugh tinkles. “I’m no lady.” Before you can press your mind any further and pick apart your brain at why her name sounds so familiar, she reaches into the small pouch she was carrying and hands you a wrapped piece of candy. “Would you like one?” Your eyes light up at the pink square. “Yes, please!” You know better, as an internal twenty seven year old, than to take candy from strangers, but the Duke and Duchess never give you any sweets. So you’ll happily take what you can. Erena smiles and drops the treat into your outstretched palm. Not wanting to risk getting it confiscated by Edith, Joan or your mother if you brought it home, you quickly unwrap it and throw it into your mouth. It’s peppermint and it’s pretty damn good. The woman looks at you patiently, waiting for a reaction, so you give her a thumbs up and a “Yummy!” She laughs faintly. “Do you like candy?” “Yep!” You hold out both hands as if you’re trick-or-treating. “Can I have another one, please?” Might as well seize the chance while you can. It’s a dog-eat-dog world. “You have very good manners.” She smiles, taking another out of her endless pouch and dropping it in your hand. Oh man, you’re starting to really like this lady. “My son likes chocolate, but I only managed to get candy for today.” You chew the hard candy in your cheek, crunching down on it. You hope it rots your teeth and makes Edith’s life a living nightmare when she has to deal with it. “Your son?” Her lips part to speak. But she’s interrupted— “Mom?” By sheer coincidence and coincidence itself, a boy with floppy, brown hair turns the corner of the garden. Thin lips, but chubby cheeks and bright eyes of deep mocha. You’ve known him the second your eyes have laid on him. A younger form of the person you fear most. Taehyung. You gasp and immediately spin around, hoping he didn’t see you, pretending you didn’t see him. “I have to go now!” Before Taehyung’s mom can utter another word, you run away. You don’t notice how Taehyung slows as well, brows furrowed at your receding form. To see Jungkook is one thing. But to see Taehyung, the one who will use, coerce and lead you to your doom, is another. Jungkook handed down your judgment, but Taehyung is the one who led you there. He’s the villain. // “You did decently,” your mother informs a few days after the whole affair. “We might have to go to the palace more often from now on.” You nod, unable to dwell in her approval, mind still lost in a daze. Taehyung — a half prince born a year before Jungkook. He has the blood of a royal with his father as the King, but his mother is merely a palace maid. You remember that he seeks revenge for her death after she’s poisoned by the jealous Queen. But if she’s still alive, that means it’ll happen soon. This year. Springtime. You’re slowly recalling the details of the event, the catalyst that begins Taehyung’s descent into madness, how he became the game’s villain. But you can’t involve yourself. You just can’t. You shouldn’t have met any of them in the first place. You shouldn’t get entangled in their story, in their lives. If you want to live, if you want to survive, you have to avoid Taehyung at all costs. So you can’t. You can’t. Can’t. A day passes as you focus on your studies. You can’t. Another two days goes by, six meals eaten. Can’t— On the seventh, your silver spoon clanks noisily against the porcelain bowl, slipping from your grasps, dropping downwards in your deep trance that throbs your temples. Joan turns at the ruckus and you look at her, already standing up. “I have to go to the castle.” The guilt eating at you has won its battle. “Pardon me?” “Today. Right now.” You rush out of the room and down the hall, determination set in your strides. Maybe you can avoid this. Maybe if you do, he won’t become the game’s villain. Then he won’t be a threat to you, and you won’t be a threat to anyone. You’ll live and so will his mom who’s done nothing wrong. The maid struggles to catch up to you. “My lady! Please! Wait! What do you mean?” “I forgot something really important!” “Y-You can’t just go. My lady! You must ask permission from the Duke and Duchess!” “There’s no time to.” You’ve never been more serious and somber. There isn’t an inch of mischief, no childish selfishness. Twenty seven years has amounted to this very moment. And you use your status as the Duke’s daughter to command the girl. “Come with me. If the Duke or Duchess gets mad, I’ll take the blame.” Joan sighs, annoyed as she looks around as if someone else could reason with you. But as you turn to her, looking her dead in the eye, she shifts on her feet and hesitantly calls for a carriage. You’re in it before you can blink again. There must be time. There hasn’t been any news yet. No reports of a death in the castle. You can warn him. You can avoid this tragedy. “We’re here, my lady,” Joan informs, peering out the window at the enormous stone walls and towers looming high above the clouds. The carriage doors open and she guides you out. Your feet land onto the cobblestone. But there isn’t any welcome. No guards that ask what your business here is. No servant passing by. Instead, there’s chaos in the distance. Your head whips to the noise and Joan shouts as you dash off towards it. Yet no one notices you in the midst of the pandemonium. No one would pay mind to a small child. You’re left to linger in the open halls, butlers that quickly walk past, maids whispering amongst themselves— “Did you hear?” Your head turns towards two girls. “The King’s mistress just died!” You came a moment too late.

No one cries. The arrangement is short and unluxurious, the bare minimum of what would be acceptable for a royal family. A priestess in front drones on impassively about the afterlife, but as you look around, no one grieves. After all, they wouldn’t shed tears for a mere maid. This is merely a charade to quell away scandalous rumors and to give nobles an excuse to come to the castle and be acknowledged. You’re overwhelmed in black, a tulle skirt and puffed sleeves. Your parents stand on either side of you, your father in a jacket with the house’s emblem and your mother with a veil covering the right side of her face. Like many others, your family has come for appearance sakes. But for you, it’s different. The woman inside the closed casket has shown you a kindness that you so seldom receive. And because of your hesitation, because of your self-preservation and selfishness, this happened. Once the burial ceremony is over, your parents mingle amongst the nobles, laughing cordially behind gloved hands as you follow after them and cutesy. It feels like you’re a show pony, brought around to show what the future of the Devereux looks like. But after a while, you manage to slip away from the scrutiny. And by sheer coincidence and coincidence only, you find him. At first it’s the noise of heart wrenching sobs. It’s unrestrained wails and choked hiccups in between that attracts your attention. You twist through the familiar hedge corridors and the moment you turn the corner, your eyes lift to a small figure underneath an oak tree. He sits alone. He cries to himself. The boy with floppy, brown hair has his knees pulled together. He incessantly rubs at his eyes as if that alone could stop the tears that well and pour. He cries enough for the tens of people at the funeral, substituting their apathy with his anguish. His entire body wracks and the moment he whimpers “m-mom” in-between, it’s shaking to your core. This is the beginning. The start of his path of destruction. In this entire castle that stretches across the horizon, only his mother ever loved him. The half-prince. The Forgotten Prince. The one dirtied by regular red blood, not blue enough for the golden crown. Taehyung mourns, vision blurred by his grief. But as he rubs his eyes with his small fists, black shoes appear between the gaps of his hands. He looks up. Your arm is extended in front of him. Taehyung looks down to your folded, pink handkerchief. He looks stunned for a moment, as if he’s surprised that there was someone here. That someone actually heard him. That someone came. He takes your handkerchief and sniffles. “I’m sorry,” you murmur. Sorry that she passed away, that he has to endure this, that you didn’t save her when you could’ve. This isn’t just a game you’re playing anymore. All these people aren’t just characters. You’re living a new life. And all these people have emotions, desires, thoughts of their own. You’re not sure how you can comfort Taehyung. What you can say to make it better. “Your mother loved you a lot. I’m sure she wouldn’t want you to be crying so much by yourself.” He hiccups, snivelling uncontrollably. “B-But if I don’t cry for her, who will?” You don’t know what to say. Tears continue to slip down his cheeks and as you linger awkwardly, you decide there isn’t much that you can say. So you sit beside him. You sit underneath the canopy of the tree and branches of rustling leaves, on the soft bed of grass, looking out at the garden. This is all you can do. You don’t notice the way Taehyung looks up in-between his mourning, glossy eyes pinpointed on the profile of your face. The pair of you sit next to one another in the silence of his sniffles until it levels. Until he can breathe again— “Anastasia!” There’s a sharp call of your name, one that can only belong to your mother. You immediately come to your feet again as if a dog whistle has been blown. But as you hurry away, you turn over your shoulder. Your eyes connect with Taehyung’s brown ones, and for a moment you slow. You leave a second later. You twist down the hedges and turn the corner, nearly bumping straight into her. She looks down at you with her brows furrowed. “Where did you go?” You smile. “I got lost.” It’s futile. You know it now. Trying to avoid the three that will lead you to your demise is like trying to wish you’d suddenly vanish off these lands. You know it won’t be the last time that you see Taehyung. It won’t be the last of Jungkook either. Or whoever the heroine will be. It seems like the more you try to run, the more you inadvertently become involved. But you’ll hold your head up high and face whatever is to come head on.

#bts fanfic #bts scenario #jungkook fanfic #taehyung fanfic #jungkook scenario #taehyung scenario #jungkook fluff #taehyung fluff #BUT WHO'S GONNA BE THE ENDGAME GUY HMMMM?

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harrysweasleys · 5 years ago

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all to myself // f.w

summary: it’s fred’s birthday and he only wants to spend it with you

warnings: implied smut

word count: 2.4k

a/n: ok so here’s the deal. this was actually supposed to be a fred fic that involved the yule ball and then i realized i already wrote that one. so that was a brain fart. anyways, i replaced it with another fred fic but this was a non-requested idea!!! either way, enjoy! x

—————————

“Freddie, we’ve gotta get going,” you giggled, your skin erupting in goosebumps under his delicate touch, sloppy kisses being placed up and down your neck.

“Why don’t we skip dinner?” he mumbled against your skin, his soft hands slowly beginning to slide up under your shirt and grazing your skin with his fingers, “Much rather spend it alone here with you.”

You feebly attempted to push him off of you, not really wanting to lose the contact but knowing you had places to be, “Because we promised your mum. Also, it’s George’s birthday too, incase you’ve forgotten.”

He chuckled against your skin, “Y’know, darling, we could just say you’re sick.”

“Fred,” you groaned, successfully sliding out from under him and sitting upright on the bed, pulling your loose shirt back down from where he had hitched it up, “I need to get ready. We have to be there shortly. Then, after we return, you can have me all night.”

His eyebrows shot up and he smirked at you, “All night, you say? Quite tempting, I must admit.”

You gave him a quick wink and stood up off the bed, walking over to the dresser where your dress was hanging, smoothed out and ready to go. You had bought it nearly two years ago when shopping with Ginny, but had never found an occasion to wear it. Tonight felt like the right time.

You took it off the hanger and glanced at it. It was quite a lovely dress. You hoped Fred would like it. After all, there’s no one in the world you’d rather impress.

“I guess I should go get changed too, then,” Fred threw himself back onto the bed, groaning and sighing dramatically, arms spread out as he watched you walk with your dress in your hands.

You laughed at him, entering the bathroom, “Yes, go get changed. I’ll be ready in a few.”

Closing the door behind you and ignoring his antics, you stripped down and put on the dress, admiring yourself in the mirror. Even you had to admit, it was quite beautiful. It hugged your body perfectly, the silky smooth material shining under the bathroom lights. You grabbed your wand — which you had in the waistband of the sweats you were previously wearing — and brought it up to your hair, flicking it with a quick enchantment and having your hair fall straight over your shoulders. Although Fred loved you in your natural state, you knew he also loved it when you dressed up. Especially if it was for him.

Within five minutes, your makeup was done and you stepped outside of the bathroom, breath catching in your throat when you saw Fred sitting on the edge of the bed looking mighty fine.

His eyes widened immediately once they landed on you, scanning you up and down with his mouth slightly open, “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you? You’re actually trying to murder me.”

You blushed furiously, thankful for the makeup you had applied for hiding it. He stood up and walked over to you, letting you see his outfit fully.

“You look pretty good yourself, handsome,” you grinned as his arms wrapped around your waist and pulled you into his body. He was wearing a dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows — he knew exactly how to rile you up and you’d be damned if you said it wasn’t working.

“I’m regretting agreeing to this dinner,” he mumbled, leaning over to place a kiss to your temple, arms tightening around you, “Not gonna be able to control myself.”

Your body felt like it was on fire as he leaned down once more, placing his lips against your neck and causing you to shiver. The idea of skipping dinner and staying in bed with him was incredibly tempting, even you had to admit that.

“C’mon, love,” you mumbled, subconsciously tilting your head once more even though every part of you knew you had to get going, “Your family’s waiting for us.”

“Let them wait,” he said softly against your skin, his hands sliding down the back of your dress further and further until you grabbed his arms and brought them up again, pulling away from him and raising an eyebrow.

“No more games, let’s go,” you grinned, locking your hand with his and walking towards the living room, “Just gonna grab the keys and we can apparate.” He groaned, pouting like a toddler who had been told they can’t have what they wanted. Although, this was how Fred behaved most days. He really was needy for your attention and touch — about as needy as you were for him.

“Why’d you need keys if we’re apparating?” he furrowed his eyebrows, his face no longer pouty as he realized he wasn’t going to get what he wanted just yet.

“Incase something happens,” you shrugged, not sure why the habit of bringing keys never died down even after you learned to apparate, “Now, let’s go.”

He sighed, rolling his eyes and pulling your body close to his, “Fine, fine, let’s go.” He leaned in a pressed a kiss to your lips before pulling his body away and holding your hand in his, the two of you momentarily being engulfed by darkness before appearing in the dining room of the Burrow.

“Oh — bloody hell,” Ron screeched, falling off of his seat and nearly knocking poor Hermione to the ground, his eyes bulging slightly before returning to their normal size, “Y’know you two can use Floo? That way you don’t give anyone — particularly me — a heart attack, thanks.”

You grinned as he stood up, placing his hand over his heart, “Good to see you, Ron. And you, Hermione.” She returned the greeting kindly.

Ron nodded in your direction, mustering up a sarcastic smile, before turning to Fred, “Happy birthday, mate. They’re all in the living room.”

Fred thanked his younger brother, who was now over the fright, and brought Hermione along with him to follow you two into the living room. Upon entering, Fred barely stepped inside before he was engulfed into a massive hug, his mother telling him happy birthday and how much she had missed him these last few weeks.

“Blimey, mum, can’t breathe,” Fred pretended to croak, patting her awkwardly on the back as she was much shorter than he was. You chuckled, Mrs Weasley clearly didn’t mind her son’s sarcasm at the moment.

“Oh!” she pulled away, enveloping you in a tight hug as well, “So nice to see you dear!” Molly Weasley gave, quite possibly, what could be considered the greatest hugs of all time. She was one of the most comforting and accepting people you had ever met and you’d gladly accept hugs from her every hour of the day.

“So lovely to see you too, Mrs Weasley,” you hugged back, smiling kindly as she pulled away before scolding you for not calling her Molly as she had repeatedly told you to do so.

Greetings went on for a while — Fred did have a large family, after all. All of his siblings and their spouses had shown up, crowding the Burrow with their much appreciated presence.

Colourful decorations were hung from the windows and staircase bannister, illuminating the room. Balloons floated around, sparking brightly under the lights. You had been here for multiple Weasley birthdays, hut every time, Mrs Weasley seemed to outdo herself on decorations. It was always lovely to see.

“I’d make a joke about staring into a mirror, but I’m the better looking twin anyways so it wouldn’t work,” Fred grinned as he approached George, the two hugging for a moment before wishing each other a happy birthday, George insisting that he was actually the better looking twin.

You laughed at their bickering before they already dived into business talk, planning their next line of products as you chatted with Hermione and Ginny.

——

The rest of the evening was filled with laughter, butterbeer, a rather incredible four tiered cake that Mrs Weasley had so lovingly made, and of course, a display of fireworks arranged by the birthday twins themselves.

No one celebrated Fred and George Weasley like Fred and George Weasley.

After the fireworks died down and the bugs started to come out, everyone made their way inside and sat around the living room, telling stories that made your stomach and cheeks hurt from laughing so hard.

You were comfortably situated on the soft carpet, resting your back against the couch and between Fred’s legs, who was playing with your hair and running his fingers along the back of your neck every now and then, distracting you from the conversation entirely. He was being incredibly subtle and cheeky, and you knew he was doing it on purpose.

“Could never look at a spider the same way,” everyone in the room laughed as Ron recalled his story of Fred traumatizing him as a child. A story that you had heard countless times but cracked you up nonetheless.

“Doesn’t beat the time George put blue hair dye in my shampoo,” Bill raised his eyebrows as if challenging Ron’s story, a laugh bubbling in your chest as you leaned your head back against Fred’s hand, the soothing feeling of his hands in your hair was causing your head to become heavy. That, and the more physical contact you could get with him, the better.

“Reckon you looked better with blue hair, mate,” Fred piped up, pointing to his twin across the room, “One of Georgie’s best works.”

“Why, thank you,” George placed his hand over his heart, “But I think I outdid myself later that week when I put green hair dye in Ginny’s shampoo. Never seen her as livid.”

You watched in amusement as the siblings around the room argued about old pranks, before sitting up and deciding to take a seat on the couch instead, where you could lean into Fred’s side instead. His arms wrapped around you, placing a quick kiss to your temple before turning his attention back to his family, his hand toying with hem of your dress.

You hummed silently, feeling perfectly at bliss, enjoying the chatter of the family until the party died down.

Bill and Fleur were the first to leave, soon followed by Charlie, then Percy, then Harry and Ginny. You could tell by the way Fred’s hands seemed to linger over your body when no one was looking that he was becoming eager to leave as well.

“Ready?” he mumbled in your ear, wrapping his arms around your waist from behind, goosebumps rising on your skin at his touch.

“Fine, we’ll go say bye to your family,” you spun around, tapping him lightly on the nose and grinning at his pleased expression, pulling away and leading the two of you back into the living room after saying by to Ginny and Harry at the door.

“Finally,” he chuckled, “Drivin’ me mad, love.”

Fighting the blush that was threatening to rise, you walked back into the living room where the remainder of his family was sitting around, enjoying each other’s company and conversing in small talk.

As much as you’d love to sit around and continue chatting, the bed at home was calling yours and Fred’s names and you weren’t sure how much longer you could wait.

“We’re gonna head out too,” Fred wrapped his arm around your waist, “she’s got early work tomorrow and isn’t feeling too great.”

You wanted so badly to turn and scowl at him for his ridiculous lie, but you kept a straight face and poked him in the side, out of view of his family. He jumped slightly, a smirk etching his way onto his overly proud face.

“Hope you feel better dear,” Molly Weasley hopped off the couch and made her way towards you, pulling you into a hug and then moving on to Fred, “Happy birthday, Freddie.”

Arthur, George, Ron and Hermione came over to bid you both a goodbye as well, each hugging and wishing to see you both again soon. The whole time you were planning the next get together, Fred’s hand moved lower and lower down your back, showing his impatience.

“Right, goodnight,” Fred said quickly once silence had overcome the room, grabbing your hand and apparating back to your cozy apartment.

You lost your balance at the sudden change in scenery, not expecting him to take you away so soon. You were nearly certain Arthur Weasley was about to say something before you two disappeared.

“Well, you took off rather quickly,” you smirked, removing your shoes and walking over to place them by the front door where Fred was doing the same, quickly undoing the laces as if his shoes were on fire.

Patience was never his strong suit.

“Had other engagements to attend,” he stood up straight after both your shoes had been removed, wrapping his arms around your waist and tossing you over his shoulder, your hair falling loosely and the blood rushing to your head as you laughed.

He quickly took off towards the bedroom, throwing you down on the bed as you continued laughing, clearly enjoying how riled up he was. It was true, you did the love the fact that you had such a strong effect on Fred without even putting that much of an effort. He was putty in your hands, as you were in his.

He unbuttoned his dress shirt, discarding it to the side and leaning over you, lips pressing up against yours with all the passion and lust that had been building up throughout the evening. His hands were warm as the grasped your hips, moving down to play with the hem of your dress, his lips still moving against yours.

Any and all thoughts you had were pushed out of your mind and your entire body was consumed by him — his touch, his kiss, his smell. He was intoxicating in every aspect and you couldn’t get enough.

“You’re too dressed for my liking,” he mumbled against your lips, hands moving up from the hem and sliding up your back, pulling you off the bed so he could reach the zipper and slowly pull it down, the cool air hitting your skin stimulating your senses and speeding up the beating of your heart.

“Impatient, are we?” you smirked, your hands roaming his bare chest and pressing your body up against his, absolutely loving the contact.

“Course. It’s my birthday,” he shrugged, lifting you up and placing you back down on the bed now that your dress was completely forgotten on the door, “Which means tonight, I have you all to myself.”

#fred weasley #fred weasley imagine #fred weasley imagines #fred weasley one shot #fred weasley one shots #fred weasley fic #fred weasley fics #fred weasley x reader #fred weasley reader insert

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canary3d-obsessed · 4 years ago

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Restless Rewatch: The Untamed Episode 03

(Masterpost)(Previous Episode)

Warning: Spoilers for all 50 episodes!

Wei Wuxian demonstrates the purple nurple technique of the Jiang Clan

Should’ve Used Trivago

The Jiang Clan’s reservation got cancelled while they were on the road, so they are going to wander around this small inn for hours being fussed about it, rather than trying another inn. Yes they say the other inns are all full but…so is this one, now.

The Jin Clan sends an advance party to fancy up the inn for them.

Fuckboi Wei Wuxian

Wei Wuxian decides to use his considerable powers of prettiness to get them a room. He drops some poetry on Mianmian and brazenly flirts with her before shifting to properly introducing himself and asking for a room.

This actually works.

...until her boss shows up.

(Much much more after the cut!)

Worst Person // Best Jin

Jin ZIxuan is an ass and a snob.

I guess we have to give him credit for having a beautiful sidekick and never hitting on her, given that his dad is a rapist and one of his half-brothers is (reputedly) a sex pest and the other half brother is (definitely) an incest perp. But I feel like it doesn’t take much to be the best Jin of his or his father’s generation.

The Jin folks are snobs and talk about how great their fancy and expensive stuff is. It’s an interesting contrast with true connoisseur Nie Huaisang, who loves everything that is fine and beautiful and can quote stacks of poetry off the top of his head, but is not even a little bit of a snob.

This Tea Smells Like Farts

Ok, let’s talk about generation names in the Jin clan. Ru is the name for Jin Ling’s generation, hence his courtesy name Rulan. The name for the current generation is apparently Zi (子), because both Zixuan and his jerk cousin Zixun have that as their name. Sect Leader Jin Guangshan would seem to be using the generation name Guang, but then names his son Jin Guangyao so…the whole system breaks down.

Anyway, my point here is that even considering generation names, if I had a baby and named it Zixuan, and my sister-in-law promptly had a baby and named it Zixun, I would slap her.

Find you a lover who does not make you feel like this

Jin Zixuan is mildly intrigued by his betrothed, and expresses it by being rude to her in front of Wei Wuxian, starting a chain of events that will culminate with Wen Ning’s fist going all the way through Jin Zixuan’s chest.

Side Note: Look at these young Jiang Brothers and their casual shoulder hugs. Sigh.

Wei Wuxian’s Combat PlayBook

When Wei Wuxian wants to throw down, he starts with smack talk, moves along to boundary crossing, then to direct threats, and then brings out a weapon if he hasn’t won already.

Here he starts shit with Jin Zixuan by complaining at him for taking up too much space and having too many sycophants. Then he goes for the unwelcome shoulder touch.

Having been sufficiently provocative to get someone to draw a sword and threaten him with physical violence, he shifts to formal verbal sparring.

This gets the other guy to back down, because even at this age no-one actually wants to tangle with Wei Wuxian, and Wei Wuxian gets to claim the moral advantage, although he still doesn’t get to keep his hotel room.

Actually Not A Fan of My Sister’s Betrothal

Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli have the first of many, many moments of heterosexual ineptitude together. Wei Wuxian quickly rescues them.

Hi, I’m Young Master Cockblock.

Neither of the boys understands what Yanli sees in Zixuan and neither do I, at this juncture. He does improve later after multiple beatings from Wei Wuxian.

This Is The Day Your Life Will Surely Change

Yanli’s encounter in the Inn is the first step toward the inexorable end of the three of them as a unit, although it’s still a long ways off. They are all growing up and she and Wei Wuxian are both going to fall in love at summer camp, like in a 1980s teen movie but without the virginity betting (presumably).

Meanwhile poor Jiang Cheng is going to be swept along just trying to keep up with events, which becomes the story of his life for the next two decades.

Welcome to Transylvania

We meet Wen Ruohan. He is boring and he sucks. Also I’m summarizing the Transylvania parts out of order because they break up the rhythm of the story. And are boring and suck.

We meet Xue Yang. He seems nice.

Wen Ruohan’s living room is like a shitty nightclub where everyone is too drunk to dance except Xue Yang.

Dee Jay: Undead undead undead, Bela Lugosi’s dead

[OP can’t get a video to embed in this post with looping enabled, so the alternate version of this joke has its own post right here. That will teach OP to get fancy.]

Anyhoo

We meet Wen Qing. She is the bestest most wonderful girl in the world but this isn’t actually when we find that out.

Right now we just find out that she is absurdly pretty, that she loves her brother deeply, and that she is helping Wen Ruohan with his “take over the world by murdering cultivators” project. OKAY, PROBLEMATIC, BUT SHE IS THE BESTEST GIRL OKAY?

Gatekeeping

The Jiang Clan don’t get another inn but they do manage to change into immaculate white robes while they’re out on the street, so - nice work, Jiang Clan. Be free!

They get stuck outside the gate because they don’t know that the secret to getting into Cloud Recesses is to set the gate guard on fire.

Walking Thirst Trap Hanguang-Jun

Lan Wangji shows up and everyone except Yanli, who is already in love with Sir Golden Pants, makes thirst faces at him. Including Jiang Cheng tho he will never admit it. One girl in the background is actually biting her knuckle.

Note: Lan Wangji knows exactly how fine he is. Look at his fucking hairstyle.

He is sixteen years old. The only person in the entire cultivation world with fancier hair is Nie Mingjue, and that’s because he indulges his dìdi’s braiding hobby.

Wei Wuxian loudly stage whispers that LWJ is their key to getting in and LWJ is is like, not fucking likely, person I didn’t glance at yet.

But then Wei Wuxian says a smart cultivator thing about the puppet dude, and Lan Wangji turns around and has the first of many long mutual staring sessions with this boy he totally isn’t going to like at all.

Jiang Cheng has a bad feeling about the future: a 2-frame gif

Unrelated gardening note: the red-crack puppet is more commonly grown in Gusu and Dafan, while the black-line puppet is native to Yiling

I Must Arrange a Date with this Uninteresting Boy

The rest of the evening is a series of tests that Lan Wangji puts Wei Wuxian through. Wei Wuxian doesn’t know this and Lan Wangji probably doesn’t exactly know it either.

First he sends WWX back to town to get the invitation. Yes, go get it. Not your entourage; YOU, talky person who thinks he can manipulate me and is smart and looks...intriguing. Go find it and come back.

When Wei Wuxian complains, Lan Wangji silences him, which is literally the most boss move he could have used on smooth talking Wei Wuxian.

You tried, Fuckboi.

Would you like to try some more because I think I would like you to try some more

Jiang Cheng is the Better Baby Brother

Sorry, he just is. Wei Wuxian is all about being taken care of and adoring Yanli without actually doing much for her. Jiang Cheng is the one who thinks about her feelings and giving her what she needs, even to the point of arranging that wedding rehearsal dinner so she can be with her favorite brother again -- the favorite who isn’t him, much as she also loves him.

Date Test 1: Can You Get In.

Once Wei Wuxian is definitely gone, Lan Wangji shows up again and collects the entire retinue, guaranteeing that Wei Wuxian will be stranded outside the gate when he gets back. LWJ doesn’t wait by the gate; he goes and waits up on the roof instead of going to bed or whatever else he’s supposed to be doing. Because he already knows the route Wei Wuxian will be taking.

Wei Wuxian passes the “get in through the wards” test with no problem besides a minor headache and bent fingers.

Is that Xiao Zhan’s hand or did they use a double-jointed hand model?

Date Test 2: Fight Me (Lan Wangji’s Combat Playbook)

As soon as Wei Wuxian shows up on the roof, Lan Wangji picks a fight with him.

LWJ fights all the time; he’s perfectly comfortable when he’s fighting and it’s a good venue for him to express himself. His style is graceful and aggressive.

Attack attack attack strike a pose, vogue, you know it.

He starts by going all in on swordplay, but that doesn’t gain him the advantage; Wei Wuxian fends him off without ever drawing his sword. Which is probably the hottest thing that has ever happened to Lan Wangji in his young life.

Do you like me better when I’m horizontal?

Next Lan Wangji deploys the pettiness by breaking WWX’s wine. Then when Wei Wuxian starts insulting him he upgrades to next level pettiness by dropping another silence spell, this time with the added bonus of preventing WWX from drinking.

Wei Wuxian’s Combat Playbook, Redux

Meanwhile Wei Wuxian is running his own fight routine, starting with a charm attack, which doesn’t work at all.

Are you admiring the moon?

He keeps trying to de-escalate for the first phase of their fight, until they reach a pause and he reflects that Lan Wangji has real skills. As soon as he makes that determination he goes on the offensive - with words.

He very formally says he’s too busy to continue fighting, and turns away, which is a pretty solid roast when you say it to someone who’s been trying really hard to kick your ass. Then he continues defending easily until Lan Wangji uses the wine against him.

At this point the gloves come off, with Lan Wangji lecturing Wei Wuxian, Wei Wuxian making ad hominem attacks, Lan Wangji forcibly shutting him up...

...and then throwing him on the floor in front of Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen.

Sincere Grief for the Death of our Colleague

Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen feel really bad for their disciple who has been horribly turned into an undead creature. Ha ha j/k

Date Test 3: Face the Authorities

Lan Wangji gets to pick Wei Wuxian’s punishment. This probably won’t awaken anything in him.

Surprise surprise, Wei Wuxian actually passes the Authority test with flying colors. Lan Qiren doesn’t like him, but listens respectfully to his thoughts about the undead cultivator. And Lan Xichen clearly does like him.

When Wei Wuxian learns that Lan Wangji was nice to his sister, his entire demeanor changes, to such an enormous degree that Lan Wangji starts to run away.

He’s not going to let this boy (who has passed all the tests oh no he passed all the tests) make out with him in front of his family like he is obviously planning.

But once again, Wei Wuxian’s cultivation knowledge captures Lan Wangji’s attention and breaks through his reserve.

This Hardy Boys moment is the beginning of their cultivation partnership.

Lan Wangji is brave but is extremely constrained: by the authorities in his life and by his own rigid reserve. Wei Wuxian is brave and is also free. His companionship gives Lan Wangji an opportunity to engage with a much broader range of the things that interest him than he’s ever had before.

After Wei Wuxian has been sent to bed, Lan Wangji stands outside and -- just as WWX had suggested at the beginning of their date/fight -- admires the moon, with an expression that’s anything but upset.

Sure, sex is cool (probably), but have you ever analyzed a walking corpse with a beautiful boy in the moonlight?

If you’ve got your true honey Life can be pretty funny If you've got money, money to burn Rooty toot toot for the moon It's the biggest star I've ever seen

The Fine-as-Hell Brothers

Alone together, Lans Xichen and Wangji talk over the various things on their minds.

Xichen: What the fuck is up with you? ...Rooftop fights and dropping spells on boys?

Wangji: You and uncle were ignoring me so I was making my own fun

Xichen: Yeah, we are dealing with this zombie situation; shit’s going to hit the fan

Wangji: what are you going to do about it?

Xichen: fuck-all

Wangji: Well, you can rely on me

Xichen: I totally do. So how about you get to know this Wei kid, he seems like a fun ride.

Wangji: *death glare*

Xichen: You know, since Dad died you’ve become even more uptight. I wonder if I’ve been too strict with you?

Wangji: Um, you think? 3000 fucking rules, dude. Fortunately I’m not going to go off the rails and fall in love with my polar opposite and cause havoc in the cultivation world or anything like that.

Xichen: good, me neither

Outtro

Writing prompt: Lan Xichen’s secret nightly letter to his Mom’s memory or spirit (your choice), in which he confides in her about his day. May be written in flute solo form.

(As always if you use this prompt feel free to post a link to your fic in comments!)

Soundtrack: 1. This Is The Day by The The 2. Bela Lugosi’s Dead by Bauhaus 3. Rooty Toot Toot for the Moon, Greg Brown version 4. Madonna, Vogue

Bonus: FineAsHell-Jun

Episode 04 Restless Rewatch coming soon!

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fireemblemtcg · 4 years ago

Text

“The Cipher Frontier!” Issue 58: “Cipher Will Never Die!”

"The Cipher Frontier! With Emma, Shade, Yuzu, Randal, Alice, Val, Niamh & Poe" was a regular column on the Fire Emblem Cipher website which summarized upcoming news concerning Cipher and other Fire Emblem materials. It was presented by the eight mascot characters. The following is a full translation of the 58th and final issue of the column, which was originally published on 31 March 2021.

More Fire Emblem Cipher translations!

Hello, everybody!!!!!!!!

It's been over five years since Cipher launched - and, for that matter, The Cipher Frontier! itself...

And today... we bring you the last one!

Sniff... So this is really it...

Aye, it certainly is a bitter occasion.

With the moment upon us, I find myself overcome with emotion. Yet at the same time, I cannot help but sorely wish that this day had never come at all.

Well, it... It doesn't bother m-m-me... Not... one...

BWAAAAAAAAAAAH! I C-C-CAN'T TAKE THIS!

E-easy, milady! You swore before we began that you would not cry!

I, too, owe very, very much to all of you, so... I am very sad.

Where there is a beginning, so too shall there be an end... It is an inevitability.

Still, one might argue that as long as there are still decks to play with and opponents to challenge... Cipher may be played for eternity. So think not on this as the end, for this is but a milestone of life.

Sniff... So this isn't farewell?

Not in the least! All of our players can still continue to get together to play Cipher. So as sad as you might be now to see the game end, the feeling won't last! And I, for one, would like to close out our final day with a smile.

To that end, I propose that we all share some parting words. You first, Emma!

Alrighty! Well, I've been here since the beginning, but... Back then, I was an absolute noob, wasn't I? I didn't have the faintest idea what a "Tea See Gee" even was!

But then I learned so much from Shade, and I presented news, participated in Tryout and Gathering events, and watched Live Broadcasts - and all of that gave me the chance to grow so much.

And then as the days went by, we got to meet Yuzu and Randal, Alice and Valjean, and Niamh and Poe, and we all always had a riot of a time playing Cipher together... It's all been like something out of a dream!

Lastly, I just want to say thank you...

To all of you who've been reading our column to date, thank you tho thuch!

Ha! Is that a slip of the tongue I hear?

Why, I do believe it was... And of all the words to flub, at that.

H-heh heh heh! I guess I am still just a kid after all... But mark my words, I'll be working even harder to become a mature, full-fledged knight! Okay, let's try this again... Thank you all!

Well, I'm next! I was primarily tasked with hosting this column and presenting news.

But the work introduced me to more and more friends, and to a constant stream of announcements that were news to me myself... To lose it is like I've also lost my reason to exist, but at least I am left with fond memories of it all.

My desire to convey the appeal of Cipher to others hasn't wavered in the slightest, but... this is the last time it will ever happen here. Alas. Still, I will always be rooting for all of you, even if we don't see each other.

There will always be a bond between us - always. Remember that whenever you play Cipher and see our cards. On this, you have my word! This has been Shade, shepherd of wayward lambs, saying farewell!

Alright, then. You're next, Yuzu!

...

Huh? Yuzu! What's gotten into you? Would you just get out here?

Er, forgive me. When everybody's gaze turned upon me, I could not help but immediately seek shelter...

Oh, yeah. You never did like public speaking, did you, Yuzu?

Of course! We had a devil of a time convincing you to come out at all for your very first column.

E-enough! That was many years ago: a d-d-difficulty that I have long since moved past!

Hrr-hrr-hrr... heh-HEM! L-l-let us, er, begin anew.

I am Yuzu. My contribution to this column was to introduce cards that afforded new styles of play... only to let a haze of utter passion promptly consume me and hence spend my every waking hour crafting decks from them and trialling them in matches.

You always were one to cry, "I must test these cards at once!" and throw yourself into obsessive research.

As such, I have acquired an eye for strategy, forged in the fires of Cipher, to incorporate into my prior mastery of the martial arts - and with that, at long last, I have come to an understanding of the very heart of warcraft.

Further, as a consequence I may declare with confidence that, should I ever find my brother, I shall be able to hold my head high for all that I have grown in his absence. For that, you have my most heartfelt gratitude. So end my parting words!

Thank you, Yuzu. Right, it's your turn, Randal!

Huh? Oh, right then!

I've got a motto: always take your games deathly serious, and always make your own fun on the job… And, well, this has been my chance to prove those words true.

I mean yeah, I'm a wanderer at heart; I might've stuck around a bit too long... but that's just because this was all a hell of a lot of fun.

Oh, I agree... It was a HELL of a lot of fun!

GAH! It's... It's you!

Well, well. We have a stranger among us!

Pah! "Stranger," indeed. This hair, this face, this ribbon... None of this ring a bell?

Eh? Do you... do you mean Randal?

Indeed! I am...

...His son, no? It is nice to meet you!

OI!

What are you on about?! I AM Randal, just from the past - younger than the one you know!

It's happening again! The exact same argument!

This really must be the end, if HE'S here...

This is how you treat me? I have to hear that the last column is happening at the eleventh hour and make a mad dash to make it in time?! Bloody hell...

What is this? A being under the thrall of the Boundless Chaos? How intriguing. I must conduct a thorough examination at once...

H-hey! What are you doing, Niamh?! You look deathly serious... Oi, that's enough! Stay back! I... I've got a sword!

Well, er, I'm just about all out of time, but I just want to say it was a hoot being on the Frontier. Hope I see you all again someday. Adios!

He vanished?! Still more intriguing...

Sigh... What a pain in the arse, if I do say so myself. Although... I must admit, we do agree on one thing: I'd also be glad to see you all again.

This might be one farewell, but here's hoping we cross paths once more! And if we do, hey, why not play a match with this old fart? And that's all she wrote from ol' Randal!

Thank you. Next, let's hear from Alice and Valjean!

Heh heh! At last! Shall we, Val?

Yes, milady.

The two of us made our debut circa Series 10, and ever since that day, the Frontier never failed to be a most thrilling time. Would you agree, Val?

Yes, milady.

My objective in making this journey was simple: to experience much in my travels, such that I might someday return home and become a great ruler indeed. But instead, I first became a most superior, most brilliant Cipher player! Utterly invincible! Favored by fortune! And whatnot. Didn't I, Val?

Yes, milady.

I remember... that every time a Cipher release day came, I would be up all night from their eve, crafting decks and playing matches with the others. Oh, it was such fun! Wasn't it, Val?

...Yes, mi... mi... milady! Sniff...

V-Val?! What is the matter with you?

I am most moved. That my most capricious liegelady could at last find in Cipher such an engaging hobby, such good company, and such a source of training - and that she could grow so greatly as a woman.

Val...

We have been truly blessed to have had all of this: all of you, who welcomed us so warmly into the Frontier fold, and all of the Cipher players out in the world. I wish to offer you my gratitude for everything.

To be honest... I have something to say on that matter myself. Thank you, truly, for everything. I will never, ever, ever, EVER forget even a single day that we spent here together!

Nor shall I!

...Having said that, milady, I fear that you are still yet unready for the throne! From today onward, we must redouble your original leadership training efforts! I fully intend to prepare for you an intensive study regimen.

I-I-I beg your pardon?! You will not speak to me so! If I see even a single incorrect mark, you would do well to prepare yourself, for I will work you to the very bone for the rest of your days!

By all means, do it. But be prepared, for I have a lifetime's worth of admonishments at the ready.

Heh... Best of luck to the two of you!

Your turn, Niamh!

I was present from the 37th column onward... To be precise, it was in the "Love and Bonds Special Talk CD" audio drama that came as a set with an artbook, sold at Comiket 93.

My inquiry and research into the miscellaneous phenomena of this world, and the Boundless Chaos in particular, shall continue, but...

...

Well?! Don't tell me that's all you have to say!

...No. To me, my inquiry into Cipher represented the introducton of a new, major challenge into my life. Cipher decks... Gameplay... Which solution is correct, and which is optimal... As yet, I still have found no answers. As such, it is vital that going forward, I collaborate with a broad sample of Cipher players and find an answer...

So what you're saying is, you enjoyed playing Cipher with everyone, and you're gonna keep playing forever!

That, er... Ahem! That's pretty much it.

Cryptic remarks if I ever heard them, but certainly Niamh-ish.

Right, let's keep this going with Poe!

Only a year and a half has passed since I was welcomed to this column, and sadly, in the end our association has been brief. But I was able to have a very fulfilling time with you.

Attending that Winter Comiket thing with all of you, playing the "Recite and Play: Heroes Iroha" card game being sold there... They were very happy days.

And in all of that, I have always been monitoring Niamh...

...

Hee hee... You have been a good girl here, have you not? I do nothing to good girls.

If one of you becomes wicked, at that time I shall... Heh... Heh heh heh heh heh...

So, I pray that we never have an unpleasant reunion, and end my speech. Thank you. This has been Poe!

Heh... Let's keep that warning in mind.

...With that, have all of us spoken?

Tsk tsk... We aren't actually finished just yet! Since this is our last column, allow me to call upon a special guest!

...A guest? Wait, you don't mean...

Ta-daaaaa! Here he is!

Hello, everyone! I am Kawade, the producer of Fire Emblem Cipher.

K-K-KawadeP!

My, what a surprise!

The publication of the final Frontier coincides with, at last, the end-of-March termination of event support for Cipher. So I thought I would share a message for all of our readers and Cipher players.

If you count from when Cipher was first announced, roughly six years have passed. That's a long time, yet it's just flown by... These have been very busy years, but also wonderful ones, absolutely full of memories and events.

In that time we've constantly taken on new challenges - not just the production of Cipher itself, but Twitter content, live broadcasts, and staging events all around Japan.

And through all of that, we've had the chance to meet so many fans of Fire Emblem and Cipher... That was not only the most fun part of all, but a part that made us happy.

Although, we were unfortunately unable to hold any of our planned events for our final year, and for that I am truly sorry to all of you.

Still, we staff stuck with it to the very end, and as a result were able to complete Cipher as a fantastic game that can be played for years and years to come. For that, we are proud of ourselves.

It was thanks to all of you, who kept on supporting us, that we could continue our work to this standard all the way to the final series. I am overcome with gratitude to you all!

Production might have come to an end, but Fire Emblem Cipher will never die! It would make me happy if, every now and then, you might bring your cards out and play with them. Thank you all, truly, for everything!

And that concludes KawadeP's remarks!

Whew!

That, I believe, is everything that we wished to share.

Aye, I've got nothing to add.

So I suppose this is it: the end of the Cipher Frontier's long run.

Er... Shade? Can I say one last thing?

Hm? What is it, Emma?

Thank you for taking the lead in hosting this last one... And thank you so much for all the things you've taught me!

(Emma...)

H-hey! That's enough of that! You're about to make me cry, and that wouldn't be ending this day with a smile, would it?

Heh. I guess not!

So hey, let's give them one last, enthusiastic That Thing before Shade bursts into tears!

Very well, then. That Thing it is! This has been The Cipher Frontier!

With Emma...

Shade...

Yuzu...

Randal...

Alice...

Val...

Niamh...

...and Poe.

Now, then...

Let's do it, everyone!

One...

Two...

CIPHER!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING, EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!

...

FIRE EMBLEM CIPHER The Cipher Frontier! With Emma, Shade, Yuzu, Randal, Alice, Val, Niamh & Poe

Emma Emma continues to train in order to become a full-fledged pegasus knight. Her tireless Cipher training also continues, but she has yet to show much improvement at the game.

Shade Veteran mage that she is, Shade continues to teach the next generation. Many seeking to become almighty Cipher players have come to her, only to struggle bitterly under her tutelage - yet at the same time, to Emma and the others, she remains a nurturing guiding hand.

Yuzu Yuzu embarked on a journey of martial training, all the while following whispers of her brother's whereabouts... although evidently, she does return from her travels from time to time, bearing souvenirs, to partake in Cipher matches with all of her friends.

Randal Randal made a truly once-in-a-lifetime wager, only to go into hiding thereafter. Some rumors attest that he won, and that with that windfall he secured for himself a carefree life of quiet leisure in some southern land - others, that he met with a catastrophic loss, and was hence forced into labor in someplace.

Alice Alice's travels continue, as she seeks all the experience that she needs to become a true leader. Although at first she struggled, she grew to thoroughly enjoy it, and so she will persist in her journey without ever taking a break to return home... Or so she tells herself, at least.

Valjean Valjean continues to travel all across the land with his liegelady. Witnessing Alice grow ever stronger and wiser by the day, he cannot help but feel conflicting feelings of joy and loneliness beneath the privacy of his helm.

Niamh Even as she continues in her pursuit of wisdom, Niamh silently carries out research into Cipher. Her seminal monograph, "A Compendium of Cipher Decks," is over 100 volumes in length, and by all accounts is still in print to this day.

Poe Poe vanished in her hunt for evil, and her whereabouts remain unknown. However, according to the afterword of "A Compendium of Cipher Decks," she and Niamh have since fought to the death on many an occasion.

The End...???

#fire emblem #the cipher frontier!

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mst3kproject · 4 years ago

Photo

The Monster of Piedras Blancas

At some point I realized that I'd done an awful lot of fishman movies on this blog, so I decided I needed a tag for them. I chose #it's beginning to look a lot like fishmen, after a rather amusing musical version of The Shadow over Innsmouth that you can find on YouTube. Most of them are less fun than said video, and this one very much so. It qualifies itself for MST3King by featuring Forrest Lewis from The Thing that Couldn't Die, Don Sullivan from The Giant Gila Monster, and Jeanne Carmen from Untamed Youth.

Some lonely people feed the birds or stray cats in their neighbourhood. The lighthouse keeper of Piedras Blancas doesn't have any of those, so he feeds the fish monster that lives below the rocks. As long as he does this, it only occasionally kills people when they wander into its territory, but trouble begins when the grocer fails to save enough meat scraps to satisfy it. Soon the hungry beast is lopping heads off right and left and draining the bodies of blood! The local constable thinks he may have a homicidal maniac on his hands, but marine biologist Fred identifies a shed scale at the scene as belonging to a Diplovertebron, a beast thought to be long-extinct.

Diplovertebron is an actual creature with its own Wikipedia article and everything. According to said article, it was a lizardy sort of a thing that lived in what is now the Czech Republic three hundred million years ago, and was around half a meter long. It's a very obscure and not terribly threatening animal, and I have a hard time imagining why the writers chose it, of all extinct creepy-crawlies, to be their monster's ancestor. It doesn't even have a very interesting name. 'Diplovertebron' is quite technical-sounding and has too many syllables to roll nicely off the tongue. Why not pick something that at least sounds scary?

The Monster of Piedras Blancas is a bloated, sedate movie. It knows that movies need breaks between the actiony bits... but its actiony bits have no real action, and the talky scenes it inserts to space them out are deathly dull and contribute almost nothing. There's a bit where two characters discuss a victim's time of death in great detail, taking into account things like a spilled bottle of ink, that would have reduced Joel to tears. It almost becomes a joke when Fred and the Doctor discuss the minutiae of Diplovertebron scales, while the constable sits there growling impatiently at them. When even your characters think the movie is too slow, you have a problem.

Everything that might possibly be exciting takes place off-screen. This is fine and even expected during the 'building suspense' parts – of course we don't see the deaths of the fishermen or the grocer. The bit where we first see the entire monster, when characters open a walk-in fridge and it lumbers out holding a severed head, is honestly pretty well-done. After that, however, we should finally get to see some monster-eating-people scenes... but since this is yet another stupid rubber fishman suit a la the She-Creature, all it's actually capable of is slapping a few guys and then fleeing. It supposedly kills a couple of gun-toting rednecks, but the fight happens elsewhere while the audience watches Fred and the doctor fart around in a cave. We don't see the monster again until it inevitably kidnaps the lighthouse-keeper's cute daughter at the climax.

The severed head is pretty plasticky and looks nothing like the guy it supposedly came from, but an effort was made and I respect that. There are veins sticking out the bottom of it and a really creepy bit where we find it in the monster's lair with crabs crawling over it.

As the movie draws closer to its climax, the men in the town sit down and have a good think about how they're going to defeat it. They know they can't overpower it, and it seems to be reasonably intelligent, so they've decided they're going to have to outwit it. Their big plan for doing so is... throw a net over it.

I expected this to fail spectacularly, but what actually happened was even dumber. I will not spoil the last thirty seconds of this movie for you, because it's funny as hell, but let's just say that fishmen are like pumas – if you ever meet one in real life, you can just push it the hell over.

As you might have guessed, Lucy is only in this movie so that she can be saved from the monster and can kiss Fred as the words the end appear on the screen. The only interesting thing about her is a brief moment of stunning misogyny. She comes running to the doctor to tell him her father has had an accident and needs help – and before going to do so, the doctor makes Lucy take a sedative. Her behaviour was not in any way hysterical or unreasonable. A little reassurance would have done the job just fine!

This scene suggests that the townspeople don't think very highly of Lucy, and there are other bits that tell us she's probably supposed to be at least ten years younger than twenty-nine-year-old actress Jeanne Carmen. On the other hand, they seem to think she's capable enough to look after her injured father alone and with only a locked door to protect her from the marauding monster. Then again, if they didn't, it couldn't carry her off to be menaced. Yet again, a movie's leading lady is a plot device rather than a character. This seems particularly true of fishman movies. Think of the Creature from the Black Lagoon series.

As I mentioned upfront, I have seen a lot of fishman movies. This is the fifteenth since this blog's inception! I thought there were a lot of bigfoot movies around, but if you check the tags you'll see that fishmen outnumber him two to one! This brings up an interesting question – namely, why?

Why fishmen? Sea Monsters have a long and fascinating history that includes not just the classic serpent and kraken but such things as savage merpeople, scaly pig-fish covered with eyes, and according to one sixteenth-century map, very large Yorkshire terriers. Then along came the 1930s and the popularization of the Loch Ness Monster as plesiosaur, opening up the range to prehistoric sea beasties. Why not one of those?

I'm guessing the answer is 'because they're expensive'. Those would require puppets and stop motion and other special effects. A guy in a costume is much cheaper to build and operate.

Okay, but even if you have to restrict yourself to human-shaped monsters, there are plenty of those, too! There's the aforementioned merpeople, but also vampires, werewolves, zombies, mummies, and their ilk! Dracula and Frankenstein are both in the public domain! And make no mistake, people have made lots of movies about those... but they have also made a whole lot of movies about fishmen! Why fishmen?

The answer, most likely, is that Creature from the Black Lagoon came out in 1954 and it was huge, being one of those movies that requires an entire separate Wikipedia article for its cultural impact! The tidal wave of other fishman movies that followed it are like the glut of monster-on-a-spaceship movies that followed Alien, or the fad for teenage slasher movies in the 1980s, or those cheaply animated direct-to-DVD movies that cluster around every Disney and Dreamworks release. A fishman movie had made money, and now everybody was lining up to milk the scaly, mucus-coated cash cow!

That was a terrible mix of metaphors right there. Yuck.

There's also something uniquely horrifying about one of the genre's major tropes – the fishman's interest in human women. This, too, began with Creature from the Black Lagoon but as we've seen it carried over into other films – Bog and Creatures from the Abyss are notable examples (and then there's The Shape of Water). In The Monster from Piedras Blancas this idea is present in that the monster kidnaps Lucy instead of just killing her like it did every other human it met, but it's not emphasized the way the monster's interest in Kay was in Black Lagoon. Fish are proverbially cold and slimy, and the idea of sexual contact with one is almost reminiscent of necrophilia unless you have some very specific interests (see previous parentheses). The fishman's lack of genitals make it that much more disturbing.

So now that we've sorted that out, my final question about fishman movies is this: could a fishman beat bigfoot in a fight? They're both big, broad-chested creatures that movies like to outfit with claws, teeth, superhuman strength, and bad tempers. I think it would depend on where the battle happened. If they're in the water, then the fishman has a clear advantage – bigfoot can drown. If they're on land, things are a little more even. The fishman's slime would make him difficult to hang onto, but if his gills dry out he'll have a hard time breathing. Bigfoot's fur gives the fishman something to yank, but his large feet make him hard to knock down. It might depend on whether or not the fishman is venomous.

Why hasn't anybody made that movie? Picture it – dozens of fishmen swimming upstream to spawn, and bigfoot dragging them out of the water to eat like bears with salmon! I'd absolutely pay for exorbitantly expensive theatre popcorn if it meant I got to see that on screen!

#mst3k #reviews #episodes that never were #the monster of piedras blancas #50s #it's beginning to look a lot like fishmen

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