#i am SO normal about the dark castle arc

[asteropewpew]

me: i have no fear

my brain: what if orv webtoon still kept yoo joonghyuk's default face and not frame his expression being in abject despair while he cuts the demon king of salvation down with that heavenly sword of gathering clouds

also my brain: what if orv webtoon also takes out yoo joonghyuk pettily ignoring the inevitable when kim dokja asked him to take out 'that' thing and yoo joonghyuk played dumb and went 'huh the what now i don't know what you're talking about'

me: okay i have MANY fears about the dark castle arc happening in orv webtoon

[localapparently]

i love kimcom so much.. i love them so much..

theyre so..!! honestly if i think about them too much i'll cry.. and I'm rereading a few bits of dark castle to compare the novel and the webtoon and gosh, sleepyc and team's art really allows kimcoms interactions to feel more alive and goofy, silly even,,

epilogue spoilers ahead near the end

and novel's narration are like the gaps to fill in, both sides elevate the story,, i sound like a food critic but like. oh my goodness you read the part where kdj reunites with sys in dark castle after his revival and youre so taken by how sweet and cute it is. and then you read novel and..!!

I wouldn't have been able to run straight here if it wasn't for this feeling. I saw Shin Yoosung crying and thought that parents probably felt like this.

GOODBYEEEE I AM SO DEADDDD LIKE OH MY GOD YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME???

and webtoon chooses to let kdj maintain the same composure he had when he talked to jihye after saving her just moments prior,, and it works because now i read his inner thoughts in novel and I FEEL SO INSANE?!?!?! YOU BITCHHH SAY IT SAY YOU MISS HER?? no wait .. im getting off topic. this is becoming a kdj sys ramble

Honestly even though i call them found family I don't really classify them as a family either, they feel more like a home? at least at the first half of the story.. In an apocalypse where everything feels uncertain and you've lost all your close friends, you'd end up wandering aimlessly, so sticking to a group is moreso a temporary means of survival than friendship of any sort. It's also why kdj is so essential to kimcom as their glue, as the person who gathered them together, he provided them with that temporary party. and having that 'constant' you can return and realign to in that setting is so.. augh...

not to mention that three of the kimcom members are kids and kdj is their form of stability. lgy and sys hug him whenever they see him because he's the first adult that had ever shown them care. jihye is probably shaken from the first scenario but while she clings to yjh and admires him as her master, he probably doesnt do enough to reciprocate her respect or communicate as enthusiastically. now that i think about it, jihye feels kind of lonely, not young enough to get along with the kids particularly closely and not old enough to be buddies with the adults. does she make up for it by being talkative?)

And at this point in the story its evident that theyre not even that close !! singshong's writing style isnt one that elaborates on emotions and descriptive fluff to begin with, but sys is stated to not be so fond of jihye in ch162 because jihye was rude to kdj, they still feel like theyre in their own cliques. sys and lgy stick together as kids of similar ages, jhw and lhs get along normally, hsy is. hsy. lhs for one narrates kimcom as his 'companions' quite early on, but i'm unsure whether that choice is becuase thats just a suitable word for people closer than 'allies' but not close enough to be 'friends'. ultimately its just a buncha people who are trying to survive, and care about the guy that brought them tgt. it doesnt really feel like anything more than that.

and then as you're caught up in kdj's shenanigans, small snippets pass by and they feel a bit warmer yk. like sys and lgy having a coin flip whenever they're uneasy. (sys states that lgy has "done this before", like he's the one that has suggested the past coin flip(s). it feels like its implying that hes initiated this game system just to cheer up sys because shes a lot more transparent about feeling sad that kdj isnt there.) sooyoung of all people, willing to get an outer god contract to save sangah. jihye, hyunsung and seolhwa chilling in the room during proof of stars, and hyunsung was picking his nose like are you fr they are so unserious,.

in jttw arc ch 433, yoosung growing close enough to joonghyuk to not get intimidated by him and (forcefully (forcefully is a strong word but she straight up just puts it on his cheek unprompted and that is so funny of her)) apply seolhwa's ointment, even giggling when he allows her to do it after she brings up doctors orders.

after proof of stars, theres a portion that goes

The party members supported each other. (...) I saw the white lines connecting the empty universe. The stars, that seemed like they would never meet each other, were facing each other.

please know this: i wanted to cry and scream so bad. ive started to spell out kimcoms names rather than address them in their shortforms, that writing inconsistency is how emotional i am right now.

I can't do the justice of listing down every instance where they've grown a little closer, but i'm hoping to remember more on my second reread.

because orv is such a long novel, the way they gradually grow closer also feels realistic.. and by the time you're in the ch400s, its so clear that they wouldn't go anywhere else without each other.. if i start talking about vacation arc i'll just start sitting and staring at a wall again.

"you're explaining how an average found family trope is realised" Youre right!!! youre right!!,, me when the found family is actually found family.. don't shame me like this.. i'm just an emotional person..

Ah and then you get moments where their unity really shines, and they become god pummeling probability festering forces of nature... and its when one guy's life is in jeopardy. even when they weren't all that close yet, its when they save kdj where they feel most strong. and its a bit obvious because its like, common goal makes people group together yknow, but god the adrenaline and relief when they appeared in demon king selection.. the way their names pop up one after another when they vote for jung heewon's skill..

and 1865 !! 1865 was really the epitome of it all!! oh my god they were all so reluctant to return to the hell of the scenarios but they dragged themselves back because of one fucking guy that they loved too much. and i'm rereading 1865 a bit as i write this but the way they all yelled at their sponsors to pick them is so so funny and the whole speedrunning thing really shows their desperation to quickly find him but also feels a bit fun and even exhilirating with how theyd already beaten the game once, and they were going to storm through the whole thing again to reach kim dokja. like a fuckin earthquake. the lines in ch 536

They had to be insane. (...) These people who lost their minds were clearing the scenarios with insane methods.

YEAHHH THATS MY FUCKING KIMCOM WOOOH OH MY GODD THEYRE SO INSANE!!!!

kimcom's bond was strengthened because of their love for kim dokja, kimcom drifted so close because of how much they wanted to save kim dokja. whenever i think about the 'found family' trope between kimcom, it exists because they love kim dokja, and once again i'm reminded of how much that bastard is loved and how he denies that he is anything else but a reader outside the covers of the story.

It's not to say that all of kimcom's bonds were because of him, but it's clear that had it not been for him, they would have dissipated so much quicker.

agh. what was i talking about again..

genuinely i dont know if ive proven anything through this. i just had to talk about it. i havent even talked about the relationship between kdj and each kimcom member but then the post wouldnt end. sys's section would be thousands of words and i would even have a portion for gong pildu and jang hayoung..

i love kimcom. thats it thats the post.

[lizard-shifter-noms]

Still Subject to Change Chapter 18 (NEW)

——————————————————————————-

Hello everyone! i decided to repost arc 1 of SSTC

(the chapters were way too long and had a bunch of typos but hopefully this will make reading easier)

this Story contains Vore, Dont like dont read.

if there are still any grammatical errors i’m sorry.

——————————————————————————

Even Rikaad seemed thoroughly perplexed.

“Why me of all people? If i am being deceived i fail to see the humor in it”

“You are not being deceived, but in his will the old king has stated that his only son is to inherit everything, and as we have been informed you are the only living blood relative left”

What. the. FUCK!

If he WAS the only son of the king why did he grow up in the guard school? Why not in the castle? Why risk the heir like that?

Whose idea was it to put him with the common folk?

If I had the time I would probably come up with even more questions but for now I wanted to know what the HELL was going on!

“So we are all going to the Castle now? I do hope any questions i have can be answered as soon as we are out of the snow”

Norrin nodded.

“Yes of course sire, this awful cold will not do anyone’s mood any good, and explaining it without the danger of being attacked would be preferable for everyone”

As he said the word attacked his eyes flickered to me and I couldn’t help but be offended, putting my face into a silent snarl.

“Let us go then, the sooner we all leave this cold behind the better, some of us don’t have the fitting clothing for this weather”

He walked forward to be right in front of the guards and Arthur followed him.

Without really knowing what else to do I took a hesitant step forward, Robin still hiding behind my arm.

I knew if i didn’t move he wouldn’t either judging by the way he was clinging to me.

The sound of me moving must have startled one of the guards though and a bolt fired from a crossbow whipped past my ear, way too close for comfort.

I jerked my head back in surprise, I didn’t dare move my legs as Robin was still so close.

I huffed and glared at the soldier who still had his crossbow held up, now with the ammunition missing.

“Do not shoot him”

Rikaad had turned around and seen everything, and I belatedly realized that technically? This was his first order as a King.

I didn’t know how to feel about that.

Robin, who was still hiding, suddenly piped up.

“Donovan? Are you okay?”

Glaring at the soldier again I brought my head down to Robin’s level so I wouldn’t have to be loud.

The neck of the Ardua form was strangely flexible, I noted.

“Im fine, it missed”

I reassured him and he moved to hug my snout.

I brought my head back up into a normal position after he let go and saw one of the Guards hand coats they had brought with them to both Rikaad and Arthur.

Rikaads had a nice fluffy neck and Arthur’s looked really long.

Both coats were plain colored in a dark gray and I nudged Robin forward a bit so he could go get a coat too.

He reluctantly went and and the Guards seemed surprised that there was another person but handed him a coat nonetheless.

“Let us all go home then and leave this cold hell behind”

Rikaad took the compass from Oakley out once more and studied it for one last time.

I realized that this was it, they would go home and I would go back into the woods.

They had been rescued, and Rikaad was king now somehow.

That would take some time to properly get into my brain for sure.

This was goodbye, and i didn’t even know how to properly say that i would miss them with all those strange people around either!

So I decided to just turn away, looking once more at Robin who looked lost between all the people that were taller than him.

He looked smaller than ever to me in that oversized coat too and I wanted to stay, make sure he got home safely.

But I couldn’t, A fae Bastard would not be welcomed in the cities.

Before I could walk away though a familiar voice called me back.

“I said, ‘All of us,’ so where are you going? Kamerasca is this way”

I turned back to look and saw Rikaad standing next to Arthur and Robin, all of which were looking at me.

Right, the old king is dead so what he said didn’t count anymore.

I COULD go with them! Rikaad was in charge now!

And if he said i could then i fucking would!

A smile spread over my face and I ignored the Soldiers as I went to walk next to Robin.

“Sire? Are you sure about this? Not to undermine your authority but-”

Norrin was interrupted by Rikaad before he could finish his sentence.

“He is a friend”

And with those words walked past the head guard to be up front of the convoy.

The guard looked at me once with uncertainty and confusion but followed Rikaad anyway.

The walk was awkward, not to mention barely anyone spoke.

I kept close to Robin seeing as Arthur was walking after Rikaad like a lost dog and Rikaad himself was surrounded by guards now.

At least six of them were around him at all times and I was surprised he took all of this news so well.

Or maybe he didn’t and just waited until he could be alone to deal with it.

It was probably the latter, he never liked being perceived as weak or just generally showing any weakness at all.

With this many people around me i had to be extra careful not to step on anyone, it was annoying, especially since i was back to being slow as fuck as i had to keep pace with the shorter legged humans.

Some of the guards kept glancing at me, clearly uneasy with having something this big walking among them.

One of the Guards in particular kept looking back at me AND Robin who was walking next to me and sometimes tried to touch my fur.

I had to be really careful to not trip over him, but being able to stay with them was worth it.

Hell, I would shave every hair on my body completely off just to stay with them.

And at least this Guard didn’t seem outright hostile or scared, just nervous and a tiny bit curious.

They walked a bit closer to Robin, still steering clear of me and went to ask him a question.

“Are Ya sure he’s alright? I have never seen a being this big, an he’s got claws n’ fangs”

I was surprised to hear the voice under the Helmet sounded Female, Since the old King was a petty racist I hadn’t expected him to allow women in his ranks, I had never seen a female trainee guard after all.

“Oh no he’s just fuzzy! Not bad at all!”

He walked right in front of me and I had to stop myself from putting my foot down to avoid stepping on him.

He was really careless with this, while it was nice that he trusted me that much and was willing to defend me in front of others.

I would like him to have some self preservation though.

I turned to look fully at him, which ended up with my head between my forelegs and sort of upside down.

“Can you please TRY not to get trampled by me?

Have some self preservation little man”

He looked back at me with big eyes.

“Sorry, i don’t want to be next to people i don’t know”

Yeah, I could understand that.

And I couldn’t be mad at him for clinging to whatever was familiar.

Rikaad was at the front of this group talking to Norrin.

Arthur was also near the front having ended up in the middle of some other soldiers.

He looked rather uncomfortable and I could guess why, his previous experiences with royalty weren’t exactly good even if he himself was also one.

God it was weird, two of my friends had noble blood and the only ‘normal’ one was Robin.

“Just be careful okay? I don’t want you getting hurt”

He nodded and stepped a few paces aside, still rather close but not so I would bump into him.

The Guard piped up again, this time with a bit more amusement in her voice.

“So tha big beast can talk, does he have a name too?”

At least one of those Knights wasn’t really afraid of me anymore.

“Hmm I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours?”

That seemed like a fair compromise to me.

“I’m called Nea, so, yers?”

It was funny, she wasn’t really afraid anymore and instead tried to make smalltalk, if a bit awkwardly.

“You can call me Donovan, i guess”

She nodded and seemed to want to say more but a male voice called her back into the group of Guards.

“Well maybe we will meet again”

With those words she went back to her position among the other guards.

What a weird encounter, at least not a bad one.

“Donovan, when do you think we will reach Kamerasca?”

I looked back at Robin who had come a bit closer again.

“Not sure, but if they found us out here it can’t be too far”

I reassured him and he pulled the coat tighter around himself.

“I’m glad you can come with us, i would have missed you”

“I would have missed you too”

I stopped for a moment and turned my head to Robin who then hugged my snout.

“Hey, Want a ride? This time you’ll have it all for yourself”

His face lit up at the suggestion and I bent down so he could climb up.

He did manage to get up, only slipping a bit once but after that he sat atop my shoulders and I continued walking.

This time i wasn’t as worried for him to fall off as walking after the troop made me slow as fuck once again.

I couldn’t really look over my shoulder to see him but I could tell he was there by the little weight between my shoulderblades.

“You good? Make sure to not rip out my hair, okay?”

“I’m fine! And I’m not going to tug your hair out! That’s mean!”

The Ginger replied and face planted into the fuzzy mane of my neck.

“Besides this is way better than walking! My feet don’t get cold like this!”

I had to laugh a bit at his complaint of having had cold feet before.

“Hey i think with you up there you’ll be the first to see any sign of Kamerasca!”

Before he could reply Arthur was suddenly next to us, still looking a bit lost, one arm holding the other and he had shrunk back a bit and was hunched over a tiny bit.

“Hey, can I join you guys?

The guards won’t let me get near Rikaad believe me i tried”

Oh so that’s why he was walking up front but not with them, they literally didn’t let him.

Did Rikaad know about it? Probably not.

“Sure, want a ride too? I don’t mind and i’m sure Robin can share”

He shook his head.

“No thanks, last time was bad enough, i still have motion sickness”

Ah well then not, motion sickness wasn’t something i had but from what i heard about it it sucked.

“Then not, it’s not like i can go faster than this anyway”

We walked in silence for some time, snow crunching underneath us and keeping to the side of the knights who no doubt would put me down if they were allowed to.

I wasn’t sure how long exactly we had walked but at some point I could feel Robin sit up straight like an arrow, hands digging in my mane and holding on.

“I think I see houses! And Smoke! Do you think it’s Kamerasca?”

At his joyful outcry everyone turned to look at him, not just Rikaad and Arthur but also all of the Guards.

The leader, Norrin if i remembered correctly even waved at him and showed a thumbs up.

He didn’t seem like a bad guy, but I didn’t like that he kept Rikaad separate from us.

Or maybe I misread it and it wasn’t him that did that but the other guards.

I wouldn’t be surprised, After all, I was a big green beast and who wanted that near their king.

Now that it seemed we would get home soon the pace picked up a bit allowing me to stop slowly shuffling along instead walking slowly.

And Robin was right, after walking up a slight slope everyone could see what he pointed at earlier.

There were some houses in the distance, one chimney having smoke coming out of it, and behind those houses were even more buildings.

We would reach Tunestead soon, the capital city of Kamerasca.

If I strained my neck and looked concentrated hard on it I could even make out the castle against the sickle moon on top of the cliff that went down to the ocean.

I belatedly realized that we would go there, and Rikaad would live there now.

I did wonder where the other two and myself would be staying, especially me seeing as I was giant, for some of the time at least.

If it had been warmer I wouldn’t even have minded to sleep outside for a bit, that was nothing new after all, i did use to be a street rat.

Getting closer I could see the crescent moon shape of the city,

with one end starting in front of the castle doors and the other ending in the forest with the curved back along the coast.

The city also gained more altitude the closer it got to the castle on top of the cliffside.

It was kinda pretty, even if most of its citizens would hate a Bastard like me.

Well right now I was an Ardua, and they didn’t know I could shift.

That meant that they believed this was my normal form, and I wasn’t about to prove them wrong just yet for my own safety.

I tried once more to get closer to Rikaads position but the startled Guards all clutched their weapons and I went back to where I had been before.

I was Not about to provoke about a dozen people with weapons, I liked being alive very much.

Maybe i could talk to him at a later point, at least i hoped so, I really wanted an explanation.

The closer we got the more I realized how big I was in comparison to everything else even if I had seen it before with the tower and whatnot.

Though I did not want to recall any of that nightmare.

But to get to the castle we would either have to go around it and enter the castle grounds from the backside or squeeze me through the narrow streets of the city.

Not to mention that it would probably freak out anyone that dared look out the window.

Maybe I should bring that up, I wasn’t keen on having some scared farmer or whatever throw a pitchfork at me.

That would hurt, and I was glad I had managed to dodge it the one time a farmer threw one at me for stealing an apple.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one that had that thought as I could see Arthur was already talking to one of the Guards and motioned for us to go around instead of right through.

At first I thought the Guard would ignore him but another one whacked him behind the head and went up front, no doubt to talk to Norrin.

I was pretty sure the Guard was Nea, at least judging by how they acted, though I didn’t know her that well.

She seemed friendly enough if a bit rough on the edges.

It took only a few seconds of her talking to the helmetless man for us all to change course a bit toward the cliff the castle was built upon.

I really hoped nobody got the idea to toss me off, while one person wouldn’t manage that i was sure if all of them helped they would actually manage.

Better not paint the Devil on the wall and instead focus on where I set my feet.. Eh paws or whatever.

I wasn’t sure what to call them right now, paws was probably more accurate though.

Walking a bit more in awkward silence we reached the cliffside and I could look down to the waves below gently sloshing against the steep rocks.

I kept clear of the edge as much as i could, I didn't know how stable the ground was after all.

And if Robin fell off…

Better not think about something like that.

But he had been pretty quiet for some time now, better check up on him.

“Robin? Are you okay? You’ve been quiet”

There was some shifting and I could feel him sit up again.

“Wha-? Oh, im fine just tired, and confused”

Had he managed to fall asleep without falling off? Probably not and he was just spacing out again trying to process what was going on.

I could use that too if I was honest, but it seemed that part of my brain had just clocked out for now.

Maybe for the better, at least as of now, walking through the cold ass night towards the castle along a cliffside was not what I expected to be doing ever.

I could already see the walls that surrounded the castle area and all of its ground.

I hoped there was another entrance aside from the big front doors.

And that I fit through it too, getting stuck would be really embarrassing.

“Hey Donovan, are you okay?”

I looked down to the source of the voice and saw Arthur looking back at me with concern.

“I’m good, why do you ask?”

I was a bit confused at the question and wasn’t sure what he was talking about, he saw that i was fine,

Nobody shot or stabbed me, which is more than I could have expected.

“Well we ARE going right into the castle, the place that the old git legislated hunting anything Fae?

The place that would have murdered you not even a week prior? Also i don’t think you will fit through the door”

“I wish you had not said that, i was doing good shoving those thoughts out of my head till now”

I knew all of that already, but I had tried my best no to think about it.

At least Arthur had the decency to look ashamed.

“Sorry, just wanted to know how you are holding up”

“Let us deal with all of that tomorrow, i’ve had enough for today and just want to either sleep or get an explanation, and the latter probably ain’t happening”

That much was true, Rikaad was STILL talking to that Norrin guy.

What could they possibly have so much to talk about?

Well that wasn’t any of my business was it?

But I might have been a bit sour about us being excluded, We were his friends after all!

Well at least Arthur And Robin where, I wasn’t sure if I could count myself to his friend group too.

And at this point we had already reached the wall where a gate was built into and I could see arrow tips pointed at me through the embrasures.

Right, more Guards, just my luck.

I hoped none of them would shoot me, but since they saw me walking along with the rest of the troop maybe they wouldn’t.

At least if they were capable of reasoning that if I was dangerous the Guards down here would have stabbed me already.

And I was lucky in the regard that the gate looked just about big enough that I could fit through if I ducked.

Robin would have to get down though, or he’d be shoved off by the arch.

Maybe the people in the embrasures weren’t shooting me because there was a person on my back?

It would be funny if they thought I was some sort of steed and Robin my rider.

Whatever the case, I was glad I wasn’t getting shot at.

The Gate itself started opening with a creak so it was high time to tell Robin he had to walk for himself now.

“Robin? You gotta get off for now or i won’t fit through the gate”

“Aww really? Okay gimme a second”

While he shifted himself out of my mane I went to lay on the floor again so he could just slide off without breaking his legs.

Some of the guards looked nervously in my direction at the shifting sounds but I ignored it, this wasn’t their problem.

As soon as Robin stood on the floor again the gate had opened completely and we could go through.

I went last, right after Robin and Arthur, seeing as I still had a few difficulties getting through it.

The fur on my abdomen dragged across the floor and my back scraped the arch of the gate but I managed to get through, just about.

There was some dust from the stones I had just squeezed through on me but I didn’t dare shake it off, I wasn’t keen on startling someone into shooting me.

Up close the castle looked even more imposing than it did down in the lower parts of the city and while it wouldn’t fit through most doors there was still enough space to move around.

It was a really impressive building with its towers and zines as well as all the decorative walls made from a light gray stone and some sandstone highlights.

“This way, we will prepare accommodations for all of you”

It was the first time the leading Guard had addressed us in a good few hours, and he was pointing around one of the walls beckoning us to follow.

Robin nervously clung to my arm as we walked and I ended up only using three of my legs so he could hold onto the one with the bracelet.

Arthur didn’t seem any better but I doubted he wanted to hold onto me.

We were led along the walls towards what seemed to be a part that had been built on at a later point to the castle.

It kind of looked like a storage area mixed with a barn right next to a door that led into the castle itself.

The door had a set of footprints going in so it was used recently and I wondered what It led to.

Not that I would ever fit through at my current size.

Rikaad was led through the door and i could see him looking back at us, The slightest hint of confusion and worry on his face.

He didn’t really know what was going on either it seemed but went along with it for now.

I hoped he’d be alright, but of course he would be, they wouldn’t hurt their new king.

Rikaad, King, that still hadn’t completely registered in my brain.

After Rikaad and that Norrin guy had disappeared most of the other Guards went in after them and Me, Robin and Arthur were left outside with about three other Guards.

The Guards turned to us and nervously stood nearer to Robin, still wary of the big green beast next to the ginger.

I couldn’t make out any features under the helmets but I did recognize the voice of the one that addressed us.

“So tha big guy here can stay in that building, it was rarely used as far as i know so it might be a bit dusty, and ya two can get a room in the castle”

Nea at least tried to make it not as awkward as it could be and fumbled to pull her Helmet off revealing somewhat long dark brown hair and eyes that were a weird shade of blue.

Not one of my friends moved, Robin just clung tighter to my arm and Arthur didn’t move at all.At this point I didn’t think they would willingly leave, they already couldn’t get to Rikaad and it didn’t seem like they were keen on getting separated even more.

PREVIOUS / NEXT / OVERSIGHT

[beevean]

Man AlucardXGreta sure is a great ship isn't it?

Sure beats the shit out of, say, GutsXCasca, which the show's makers surely knew about given their influence

You know, another ship between a man who suffered sexual assault and a dark skinned woman who almost suffered a similar fate in the pa-aw who am I kidding Greta's little quip about having sex with a guy who was cheating on his wife isn't at all comparable to Casca

I looked up that scene because I wanted to confirm "Alucard's arc of moving on from his grief and loneliness", and it's worse than I remembered:

Alucard: And then, I'm ashamed to say, I put them on stakes outside the castle like I was my father. Greta: Okay...? Alucard: I'm just saying, I am not at my best. It has been... difficult. Greta: Hmm. I can see that. I mean, I had a boyfriend and a girlfriend at the same time once, but they never tried to kill me. Actually, no. I tell a lie. His wife went for me with a pitchfork.

Alucard really told Greta, a stranger, about the trauma he suffered not even two months prior of being raped and betrayed by people he considered friends, falling into the same unhealthy coping mechanisms of his insane father... and Greta not only reacts as if she doesn't care about him oversharing (I can't find the full clip, but she really sounds like she's saying "dude TMI"), but then thinks that joking about that one time she fucked a married man is an appropriate reaction.

And Alucard laughs. Because this season does like him, and pisses all over normal human behavior.

(side note, I guess I'll no longer refer to her as bi representation. I remembered her joking about a threesome. I missed the part where apparently she was just the "other woman" and didn't actually have sex with another woman. Forgive me, S4 was an absolute slog to go through)

Casca, my girl, you deserve so much better than these #girlbosses who only see you as a Stronk Woman.

[howlingday]

Heyo, I saw you’re taking requests on RWBY AU stuff so I’m gonna take a gamble on an idea that I’m also working on myself.

Seeing that I’m a huge MCU-nerd and the MCU is getting darker with the past and first special presentation; an RWBY/MCU Crossover AU where Ruby meets Jack Russell aka Werewolf By Night.

I can see this happening for three reasons; One; they would get along very well and have an interesting dynamic. Two; Ruby would fit in with the supernatural side of the MCU as a huntress and given what she went through post Vol 8, I really think she can have someone to help her out. And three; (probably the most important) Jack fits well into Ruby’s character inspiration but plays a twist in it as well. (Basically if the wolf was good and grew a connection)

Have fun! (Side Note; I can see Ruby also geeking out like she usually would with semblances about Jack being a werewolf.)

"Oh, excuse me!" Ruby apologized after she gathered her books. The comic book shop was normally empty, so she usually put her headphones on and moved as she liked. Stopping in place, wildly moving around corners, sliding up to counters. Here, she was wild and free. Usually.

"It's no problem." The older gentleman said, helping her pick up her books. He hold one in particular and stared at it. The cover was a wolfman with black fur and red eyes, holding a woman with long, blonde hair. He smirked at the image. "Werewolves, huh?" He said, handing the book to her.

She blushed and quickly took the book. "Yeah, it's just something I saw and I thought might be good for a laugh." Ruby chuckled anxiously.

"Well, I'm not one to judge." He shrugged, then extended his hand. "Jack Russel."

"Ruby Rose." She nodded, taking his hand and shaking it. "And sorry, I'm usually the only one in here."

Jack nodded. "Kind of the queen of the castle here, right?"

"No, no!" Ruby waved her hands after setting the books on the counter. "I mean, I don't own the place, so I wouldn't say I'm the queen, but-"

"Easy." Jack held up a hand. "I was just joking. Honestly, I'm only in here because I got bored waiting for my friend. He was supposed to meet me across the street, but he's running late. Thought I'd check out this comic shop."

"Oh, uh, okay." Ruby scratched her cheek.

His pocket buzzed, and he pulled out a scroll. "Oh, speak of the Grimm." He chuckled. "Well, I guess I better going. My buddy is wondering where I am. It was nice meeting you, Ruby."

"And you, too." Ruby nodded.

"Oh, and uh, be careful, Ruby." He said turning to the door. "I hear the moon will be full tonight, and you know what they say about full moons and werewolves."

Ruby flushed at the statement. "Uh, y-yeah, I will!" She then sighed and looked to the romance comic on the counter, embarrassed by the whole topic. She wished it never happened, but there were a lot of things she never wished.

Still, if it turned out to be the worst thing that happened tonight, then all the better, right?

---------------------------------------------------

When Ruby turned the corner, the scent of iron hit her first, almost making her throw up. The walls were stained crimson under the pale, full moon. Scattered about the alley walls were the torn bodies of one of Roman Torchwick's gang. Armed with only guns and clubs, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the ill-equipped criminals.

From the shadows, crawling on all fours, the monster made itsself known. Red ichor dripping from it's dark maw, it growled as it approached Ruby. She withdrew Crescent Rose and readied herself to fight.

In a blink, the beast was above her! She rolled forward, to escape it's landing, cornering herself in the process. It charged forward, sweeping a wide arc with it's stained claws, spraying drops of blood across the stones of the alleyway. Ruby jumped away, then lunged forward on landing, sweeping her own bladed arc with her scythe. The beast lept over, and dove for her. She dodged with a Petal Burst under the monster, towards the opening of the alleyway. On her landing, she turned and fired on the beast. It grazed it's shoulder, making it roar in pain.

As she reloaded, shifting the stock lever back and forth, the wolfman jumped onto the wall, then fell upon the girl. Surprised by his speed, Ruby fell back and kept the weapon between herself and the monster. The stench of blood and death nauseated her, and fear gripped her heart as her baby was tossed away. It leaned in close, and for the first time in many years, Ruby was certain she was about to die. Tears welled as she whimpered.

It made a great inhale as it drew closer, and then... it backed away. It crawled back, keeping it's eyes on her. It's blue eyes. It then lept onto a wall, then on the opposite, and then lept to the roof. It gazed down at her again, before disappearing into the night.

Soon, the wail of sirens brought Ruby back to reality, and she darted for her weapon. As she stored it behind her, so many thoughts ran through her mind. What was that thing? Why did it attack Roman Torchwick's gang? Were there more of them in this city? Why did it leave her alive? And why did it's eyes feel so familiar?

Shaking her head, she refocused on leaving the questions for another time. Tonight was a full moon, and you know what they say about full moons and werewolves.

[duskaris]

OC-tober Day 8: Saviour

I'm still alive I swear. I started writing this last week and just never had time to finish. Why is this my busiest October ever? Idk but I'll try to finish 4-5 more before the end of the month. Anyways this scene is from King Lucille's POV of him officially taking charge of his county's remaining forces. This prompted a bit of political world building that I'll post later that explains the character interactions and why Lucille feels how he does. In terms of timeline stuff, this is in arc 3, about 2 months after day 1's prompt

Prompts: @oc-tober2023

CW: Mentions of war and occupation (It is fantasy, not based on a real world equivalent)

“You excited to be back, your majesty?” Aeryn called out as she arrived at the meeting point. The room was dark and quiet, especially compared to outside the balcony doors, where the sun was shining high in the sky and a crowd of people provided a steady hum of noise. Aeryn was wearing elaborate dress armour, obviously brand new since her previous set had been left behind the day of the invasion. Maybe that was a good thing, as this set was a definite improvement, making the commander seem effortlessly regal in a way he wasn’t sure he could match.

“Of course I am,” he answered quietly after a moment. Aeryn narrowed her eyes at the obvious lie, but before she could say anything Theodosia arrived. She had on a navy blue dress that Lucille had sworn she had worn to court in the capital before, and it suited her just as well now as it had then.

“You look wonderful,” he greeted her.

“As do you, your majesty,” she returned and though he knew she was being genuine, he couldn’t help but feel slightly underwhelming compared to the two powerful women. 

“Are we sure this is the best course of action?” Lucille whispered to the two of them as they reached his side. Aeryn subtly rolled her eyes then gestured for everyone to leave the room. The soldiers on guard and doing last minute preparations left the room quickly without protest, except for Jay who didn’t move. Lucille looked between Aeryn and Jay with a raised eyebrow but Aeryn just shrugged and didn’t elaborate. Once it was just the three of them plus Jay alone in the room, Lucille continued no longer needing to whisper. “These are your soldiers. Your Blades. Your navy,” he said, looking at Aeryn and Theodosia respectively.  “You’ve led them well, why should they now look to me as their leader?” The pair of women shared a look, then Aeryn sighed and responded.

“Lucille, look at me.” She waved her hand around her dress armour, resting it on the carefully crafted emblem on her chest piece. “I am a Blade. I will always be a Blade. Nothing more, nothing less. You are their King. I may have my Blades and Theodosia her navy, but they are not the only ones here. The common folk, the civilians, look to you already.” She paused for a moment, then looked him pointedly in the eyes. “But I know you have no problem with that, so what’s the real issue here?”

“I failed, Aeryn,” he stated plainly. “The country was taken and I could do nothing about it. It was you and Theodosia that managed to barricade yourselves here in Neva. The two of you who started pushing back and reclaiming the surrounding land. What did I do? I sat still as a prisoner in my own castle until the two of you broke me out. Why should they follow a king who was so helpless?” Saying it outloud felt like a weight lifted off his shoulders that he hadn’t known was there. Unfortunately it seemed to have landed on Aeryn, her shoulders slumped and lips pursed.

“Lucy, I was the one who failed. The Blades are our country's first line of defense, and look at us, shattered, less than a third of our normal forces. The rest have scattered into hiding… or worse,” she trailed off. Aeryn took a breath and composed herself. “ No one blames you, quite the opposite in fact. In the days since we brought you back I've had reports of people on the streets talking in a way they weren’t before. They have hope. You are their saviour.”

“I don’t deserve it,” Lucille protested softly.

“Does anyone?” Theodosia cut in. “The fact of the matter is that your people see you as a wise ruler who will get them out of hard times. The people need to see you strong and in charge because as long as you are, they’ll have hope.”

“And as long as there’s hope, we have a chance,” Aeryn finished. “There’s a reason we bothered busting you out in the first place. You are a symbol of our country. A figurehead, if you will. Without someone to secure the throne it wouldn’t matter if we won, we’d be so disorganised trying to figure out a new system of government that they could simply regroup, and we’d be ripe for the taking on their return. With you still alive and leading the war efforts, we can hit the ground running. It doesn’t matter if me and Theodosia are doing most of it behind the scenes, you just need to look like you’re in charge.”

“Well said, Aeryn, though the king here has valuable expertise as well. There is no need for us to do everything for him, he is quite capable in his own right,” Theodosia said, managing to sound totally professional and tease Aeryn simultaneously, a skill he could only be envious of.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” Aeryn defended, her cheeks flushing a light pink. “I simply meant that while Lucille should appear as in charge to the public, we can and should consider each other equals when actually forming plans.”

“I agree,” Theodosia answered. The pair of them looked to Lucille, expectantly. He met each of their eyes in turn. Theodosia was hard to read, as always, but he detected a slight twinkle in her eyes. Aeryn was the opposite, easy to read, but you never quite knew if it was genuine. In this case, he hoped her smile was real.

“I agree as well,” Lucille declared and smiled back, pushing any anxiety he felt down far below the surface. That could be dealt with later. For now, he was the strong, willful king that the people knew him to be. 

“It’s settled then.” Theodosia waved for Jay to let in the other soldiers. “Shall we get on with this?” A pair of guards opened the door to the balcony, letting daylight flood in. Through squinting eyes he could just make out the shape of the crowd below, which had gone dead silent the second the door opened. The noise soon started up again, louder than ever, as Aeryn and Theodosia stepped out onto the balcony together. The pair waved to the crowd then separated to either side. It was his turn now.

He stepped into the light, the sun warm on his skin despite the fall air. He smiled and waved to the crowd below as they cheered for his mere presence. Admittedly, it was a much smaller crowd than he had ever drawn in the capital, but that didn’t matter. As he looked through the crowd, seeing old and young, Blades and sailors, he realised exactly what Aeryn and Theodosia had been telling him. Everyone of them had lost family, friends, and yet here they were, cheering as though none of it ever happened. Determination settled through his blood. He would do this. He would save them, and by extension the country. And yet he was suddenly very aware of the weight of the crown on his head.

He lost the train of thought as Aeryn began the next part of their performance. She took a step forward, and a wave of silence rippled through the crowd; the anticipation in the air was palpable. They watched as she drew her sword, slow and deliberate, and lifted it above her head. She turned towards Lucille, their eyes locking for a second until she knelt down before him. Head bent, she held up her sword for him to take. He took a moment to observe his view of her. Not even at his coronation had she shown this level of deference, this level of loyalty, to him, even if this was all just a show. Aeryn tilted her head, just enough for him to notice, silently asking what in the world was taking him so long. He almost laughed at her impatience and discomfort in being forced to do this longer than necessary. He gripped the hilt of the sword; it was cool on his bare hands. Turning back to the crowd, he copied Aeryn’s action of thrusting it towards the sky. The crowd broke into their largest cheer yet. He snuck a peek at Aeryn, who kept kneeling but had lifted her head to watch him. Knowing no one else would see she smiled and winked at him. No matter how she felt about this public display, he knew she believed in them, in him, and that was all he really needed.

[theuniversedreamteam]

You know what...? Everyone is out here making big deltarune lore theories, how about we just do some small headcanons for once...?

Collection of Small Deltarune Headcanons of mine (Chapter 1 & 2 spoilers)

————————————

By the end of the game, Catty and Bratty will be best friends and will have gotten over their rivalry. Look they already had that moment at the beach. I’m willing to bet that within two chapters their views will have changed of each other

Kris could be a top student easily but doesn’t feel like putting in effort so they’re not. Look Berdly already calls them the classroom number three. That means that out of the whole class, other then him and Noelle, Berdly sees Kris as the smartest. Kid can be very good at school but cannot being themselves to put in the effort.

Kris is dramatic as fuck. I mean, you see that pose they do while sitting down...? Tell me they ain’t dramatic (Also with some of the pranks they played on Noelle...? They be super dramatic. Like, how many kids will put fake blood on themselves to scare their friend if they weren’t dramatic as fuck??)

Toriel will at some point invite Sans over to the house. Why? Well that’s for us to find out

Kris will only find even worse places to put us (the Player) when they yeet us out. Please Kris find better places to put us then the fucking couch. We can so easily escape from there. The cage is good enough.

Basing this on the popup fight alone, Kris is into monsters. Like in a dating way. Makes sense though given the fact that they’ve lived around monsters their whole lives.

Also based on the popup fight, Ralsei is into Lightners, same way Kris is into monsters

Asriel will come home in chapter seven.

Lancer will gain more dads through each and every chapter. Steven from Steven universe had many moms, Lancer gets many dads. He deserves it.

Berdly will not get over his crush on Susie. Unfortunately for all parties involved.

The reason why Kris eats so much weird stuff is because they are a human living off of monster food. Since monster food is not physical, it causes Kris to crave for more solid stuff: like moss.

Susie is a boss monster but doesn’t realize it. I am basing this off of the fact that she said that “everybody bleeds” when, assuming Deltarune follows Undertale logic, no the hell they do not. Monsters do not normally bleed unless you’re a boss monster... or if you’re Sans but we don’t know his deal. So Susie is a boss monster but does not know she is and just assumes it is normal for monsters to bleed.

This may also be why she’s so into physical food too. Because she’s part human in a way.

Now this may be me being hopeful but: Ralsei unlearns his harmful rhetoric saying that Darkners’ purpose is to serve Lightners. Because as soon as I heard it I thought that that sounded very sus and I’m worried for ma boi.

Speaking of Ralsei, the reason why he acted so weird when Susie asked him aboht his room is because he does not have one. He didn’t need one before Susie and Kris came because he had the whole castle, but now he put so much effort on making this place good for everyone else, he didn’t make time to make his own.

Even if he did make one though, Ralsei wouldn’t know what to put in it. He doesn’t have much sense of self.

Oh yeah and Ralsei also has problems with repression because I said so

Lets give this boi some angst-

Oh and Ralsei has tiny claws that can hurt.

Kris lets their nails grow out so that they too can kinda have claws like the rest of the family.

Ralsei does not have parents

Onionson is probably going to become important soon.

Asgore is probably going to have a character arc of moving on from his divorce

Noelle is going to face her mommy issues with her real mother instead of just Queen

Every single kid in class is going to go to the dark world at some point

Yo how cool would it be if Monster Kid gained like magic arms in the dark world...? I would be so happy for the kid

Like in Undertale, Monster Kid grew up with a tripping problem but he grew out of it.

We are going to have to deal with Snowy’s mommy issues at some point when they eventually go to a Dark World with us

We are going to find out that Jockington isn’t actually that cool

Burger pants- uh, Pizzapants’s girlfriend is going to be fake (I’m sure we all knew that though)

Sans is just going to be a normal dude for the whole game

Susie and Kris fail their project (what is the project even on??)

After seeing the soul turn yellow in the Spamton fight, I get the feeling that the soul will at some point turn every color throughout the game like in Undertale.

At some point, the game will close on us as game feature and open up to some fucked up shit. Or to a troll. Either-or works when you’re dealing with Toby.

Mettaton will find their self-confidence again at some point by the end of the game.

We are going to make Ralsei eat moss and he is going to fucking like it

[polar534]

Hockey AU: Parenting Pt. 1

Well after a week of posting I finally finished the first part in the next arc that we'll see of Hockey AU. This one is big. I don't think I'll need to explain much further so instead enjoy. (Just a reminder that not all of the parts for this arc are done so it may be a week or two between updates or longer).

***

Amity was breathing heavily as she collided into the group pile with her teammates. Another game won. Cheers rang out through the stadium, almost deafening the thundering of her heartbeat in her chest.

"FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 9 YEARS, THE OTTERS ARE IN THE SEMI-FINALS!"

Another cheer erupted from inside the pile. They had worked so hard for this. Emotions were high and Amity let the energy buzz through her. This was it! Just 2 more games and they could be in the finals. They could be champs!

Someone collided into her going top speed and soon the entire team had her swept up in a group hug. Lotke was behind her in an instant, hoisting their star player on their towering shoulders as the team skated around their victory lap. From the vantage, Amity had only eyes for one person. Talking with the coach in the players box, their eyes met across the rink and the roar of the crowd and her teammates quieted instantly.

Luz smiled back at her, a huge grin that threatened to split her face in two. Her eyes were sparkling with pride and love.

She slipped away from the small huddle of officials. Her eyes widening, Amity tugged on Lokte's jersey, pointing frantically at Luz and unable to speak over the roar of the stadium. Thankfully, they understood immediately. Gathering the team together, the Otter's skated towards the players box as one. Lokte let Amity slip off of their shoulder and the witch caught her girlfriend just as Luz hit the ice. Within the huddle of their teammates they were in a bubble. No noise, no judgement, just them. Luz flung her arms over Amity's shoulders and kissed her roughly on her cheek, eliciting a giggle out of the both of them. A call rang out for the teams to line up and shake hands and the world tunred into a blur of events and emotions, the high of their victory only wearing off in the locker rooms after.

***

"Don't forget everyone pizza after the game at Mangia's tonight! Oh, and don't forget to let your parents know about Celebration Night."

Amity looked up from taking her skates off. Lokte was waving at a couple of their teammates as they made their way out of the locker room, gear in hand.

"What's Celebration Night?" Luz asked the question that was at the forefront of Amity's mind.

Lokte's eyes widened as they turned towards the only other two people in the little locker alcove they had positioned in to change.

"Oh, it's a big event night for all the teams that made it to the Semi-Finals. There's one for each of the first games, kinda like a way to recognize the team members and their accomplishments. I just wanted to remind everyone so they don't forget to tell their parents or anyone else they want to stand up with them." Lokte explained as they bent down to take off their skates.

"Oh..." Luz said quietly.

Snap

The string of her skate ripped as Amity went to yank it undone. Her hands were shaking.

A pair of footsteps walked by her as she slowly unraveled the broken string. Amity looked up as they seemed to stop in front of her. Mae, the normally timid and shy goalie smiled down at her.

"Hey… Amity. I just wanted to thank you. You've done so much for this team. I think you've pretty much helped every single person be better. You and Luz of course."

Amity glanced back up to where Luz was and saw her straighten with pride. Smiling, Amity turned back to Mae.

"Oh… it's nothing, really. I'm just really glad to be a part of a team. You all mean a lot to the both of us." Amity admitted shyly, unable to meet the goalie's eyes. She picked up her stick and stood up, ready to start packing her bag.

Mae stepped back to allow her some space and her smile grew.

"I'm really looking forward to meeting your parents on Celebration Night. They really must be something to raise someone as incredible as you." Mae said kindly before turning to rush out of the locker room after her friends.

Amity's stick fell to the ground as she stood there frozen. The sound of it clattering echoed in the now nearly empty locker room. The words the goalie spoke bounced around in her head in a haunting echo.

'They really must be something.'

There was a beat of silence before Amity winced with the sharp sound of a fist banging against a locker.

"Luz? Is everything ok?!" She heard Lokte exclaim behind her.

Slowly, Amity leaned down and picked up the stick she had dropped. Her hands found the smooth grooves her gloves had worn into it and her fingers trailed the chipped parts where the puck had bounced off it at just the right angle. She kept herself steady with the familiarity of it, taking a deep breath before turning around to face her girlfriend and teammate.

Luz had her fist pressed firmly into a locker and Lokte was caught between them both, looking worriedly from one girl to the next. As soon as Amity turned around, Luz's fist dropped and her anger melted into worry.

"Amity?"

"I uh… I don't think I'm going to be able to go to pizza with the team tonight Lokte… I'm sorry." Amity spoke after a pause, struggling to keep her voice steady.

"Luz?" She asked quietly, the walls she had been trying to keep up rapidly failing.

Luz immediately darted to the witch's side, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. The warmth was just enough to steady her.

"Right here." Luz said softly, her head leaning into Amity's. The witch closed her eyes and leaned right back into Luz, the girl being the one thing managing to keep her standing. To keep her together.

"Let's go home…"

***

"Are you sure your up for this?" Luz asked Amity gently as they hung back outside of the cabin.

Amity shot her a weak smile, one that only barely made it to her eyes.

"It's fine. Everyone is looking forward to it. Plus we can't just tell everyone to go home, it's a long walk out of the castle after all."

"Of course you did. Come on, or your mom's going to get worried."

"Not anymore it's not! I convinced Eda to add slides from some of the upper floors." Luz grinned mischievously. "Me and King have had the honor of being their test-runners."

Amity laughed, rolling her eyes she grabbed ahold of Luz's arm and hooked it through her own.

Walking through the doorway they had yet to fix up, Camila turned and relief showed in her eyes. In front of her was the patched portal door, held open by the one and only Edalyn Clawthorne, Co-Empress of the Isles.

"There you two slackers are, will you please help me convince Camila, again, that it's ok to have a little fun for once in her life?!" The wild witch groaned as she hung halfway between worlds.

Camila rolled her eyes.

"That's not what I said and you know it. Girls are you sure everything is alright? You were both awfully quiet after your game, if you need to me to stay-"

"Go." Amity said simply, cutting her off with a warm laugh. "We'll be fine. And we both know Eda won't be if she gets too many rounds deep with Perry and you aren't there to keep the peace."

Luz snickered as Eda's eyes widened. The older witch gasped in insult and the hand holding the door retracted to her chest. The portal closed as she stood there looking wounded. In a blinding flash of light and magic the door disappeared into nothingness.

Left in the dark, unlit, cabin the small family all looked at each other. Luz was the first to laugh, followed by her mother and her girlfriend. Reaching into her shirt she pulled out the key that she kept around her neck and clicked the eye-shaped button twice. In an instant the door was back. Standing solely on it's own, the yellow eye in the center glowing softly. Camila firmly grasped the handle and flung it open only to be greeted with a rush of kids flying through it.

"Friends!" Luz cheered as Willow and Gus tackled both her and Amity in a tight hug.

"We heard about the win tonight, congrats! That's incredible!" Willow beamed at Amity who merely nodded in return, a small smile showing on her face.

Gus pulled Luz aside and stepped away from their friends for a moment.

"We need to start planning signs and banners stat. We are cheer con 4 and this is no longer a drill. We are in the red zone Luz. The red zone." He uttered quietly to the human who grew immediately serious.

"Wow. I never thought we'd reach that stage. What do we do? What can we do?!" She whispered back, completely panicked as she realized they were not prepared in the slightest to bring their A game of support.

"I suggest perhaps taking one of those human spell casters on the wall of rink to aid in our presentation."

Luz straightened immediately, a mischievous and wonderful twinkle in her eye.

The flamethrowers sounded like an excellent idea. She went to say as much to Gus before she felt her hoodie being pulled back. She lost her balance and fell, right into Amity's waiting arms. The witch was looking down at her disapprovingly.

"Not so fast Chaos. We won't need any big banners or flags and we most certainly aren't going to steal any flamethrowers."

"We weren't going to steal them... just...borrow them." Gus grumbled unhappily as he crossed his arms and joined Luz in pouting.

Camila sighed, crossing her arms in front of the doorway.

"I heard the words stealing and flamethrower. Am I going to have stay here tonight to watch you kids?" Camila asked plainly, looking more and more tired by the second.

Before anyone could respond, a pale hand flew through the portal attached at the bone by a string of rope.

"Oh no, you're not getting out of parents night that easily Cam." Eda's voice chuckled as the line pulled tight and Camila was dragged through too suddenly to protest.

The door closed seconds after Luz's mother disappeared and all 4 kids were left in the silence and dark.

Luz clapped her hands together, jolting everyone to attention. A smile spread across her face.

"So... I'm thinking maybe a heist movie tonight. Anyone else?"

***

"What happened at the rink today Luz?"

Luz melted onto the counter as she deflated. There was a part of her body that still tensed in anger but as the night went on, all she found she could do was worry. By the time Willow dragged her into the kitchen to 'restock' Luz had been wound so tightly in concern that her body now physically ached.

Amity was an expert at hiding her emotions, but not from her friends. Not from her girlfriend. The tight grip Amity kept on the pillow she clutched in her arms. The way Luz could feel the witch's body winding up and tensing as each new thought entered her mind, even during times of lull in the movie. Amity was even quieter then normal, unable to find the heart to point out the obvious plot holes in the various cheesy movies they watched.

Luz knew her girlfriend was not normally one to remain silent when she could see right through the twist of the movie.

Luz lifted her head and blinked. The light in the kitchen was bright and warm compared to the dark nest of blankets and pillows the kids had set up. Although dim, it helped Luz relax a little more. In the silence left behind by the question, Willow unwrapped the package for the next round of popcorn before she set the timer. The human knew Willow would wait all night if she had too.

"There's apparently this thing called Celebration Night. It's a way for the team and their family to celebrate their accomplishments before the finals." Luz sighed as she finally explained.

Willow's mouth thinned into a straight line.

It wasn't a question.

"I… I already was pretty tense and I know Amity was too. It came out of nowhere but how were we supposed to know, you know?! Lokte already kinda knows our weird little family situation as it is so they didn't think to mention it."

"They don't know is what you're saying." Willow explained curtly, her mouth twisting into a frown. "Why Amity is living with you."

"Which is fine. That's something only Amity can share and only when she wants to, IF she wants to. But that also means that nobody else on the team knows either."

Willow stared at her friend as Luz propped herself up onto her elbows, her hands clenching into tight fists.

They must really be something to raise someone like you.

Luz felt sick. Odalia and Alador Blight had never done anything for Amity. They weren't the reason she became so incredible. That was the furthest thing from the truth. They were despicable. Awful. Manipulative, selfish…

Abusive.

Luz slammed her fist onto the counter.

"It's just that… ugh!" Luz groaned as her fist hit the counter once again. "Why can't they just leave her alone?! Why do they have to exist, out there… still making her suffer?" The defeat in Luz's voice choked her anger into what was merely a whisper.

"Hey. Here I thought parental angst was supposed to be my thing." Amity's voice drifted softly through the room following Luz's outburst.

Immediately both girls turned to greet Amity, lounging in the door way. Her amber eyes were tired and there was a small smile showing on her face. Luz straightened.

"Amity-" Luz started before her girlfriend gently waved her hand to interrupt her.

"It's ok Luz. I think…"

Taking a deep breath, Amity bit her lip. Her breath rattled in her chest as she went to speak next, her eyes locking onto a specific spot on the ground in front of her.

"I think I want to reach out to them."

***

Pssssst. Like this? Actually gave it one of those read-a-roos? Maybe you have questions like, Polar, my friend, my amigo, my internet stranger, the fuck is a Hockey AU? Well dear reader I don't know either! But here is a Master Post of all things I've figured out so far.

[originalwinnercheesecake]

King Andrias Leviathan and the Brilliance of his Character

Amphibia is season three is out now and the fandom is awake, so more posts! I am going to start with an Analysis on The King. Yes “The Night” will obviuosly be the most dangerous Villian the trio face, but it will also probably be reserved as a final boss in the finale; So ANdrias is meant to be the main villian.

Lets list off his crimes shall we: Invaded multiple worlds once with the plans to conquer. Has kidnapped multiple residents of at least 2 other worldly species and keeps them prisoner in the castle crypt, Most likely sworn allegiance to a dark entity, deceived/manipulated/used Three young girls and their friends/family. decived and Betrayed those in his inner circle (Yunnan and Olivia), Sold Marcy out Metaphrically just because he could. Smashed Frobo. Tried to murder four near helpless children because he in his words “Friendship/caring about others leads in pain”, Actually Killed/critically injured Marcy, Sold her out Literally (Possesed by the night Marcy), and sent killer robots to Earth. I am going over all of this to make it clear Andrias is not just some Antagonist who differences from our hero’s but in his heart is truly a good person (That’s Sasha and Grime), or some tragic figure just waiting on a redemption arc, he is 110% a pure bonified evil Villain. As Matt has said he does not think Every character needs to be redeemed and he will not be doing that; so no good guy Andrias.... With all of that out of the way is it possoible for a character like Anrias to have any depth

Yes, he actually does. When we first meet Andrias he is shown to be very friendly, telling joke, acting goofy and affectionate, He supposedly loves puzzles and board games, shows a lot of interest in his “new firends” likes and hobbys... These are things that some dangerous people will pretend to do for their victims, but we see in 3x01 ‘The New Normal” Thet even when he is by himself Andris still acts goofy. HE tells a kill boat to go to earth to get him the next book in a franchise Marcy showed him, because *chuckling to himself* he is now genuinely a fan and just has to know what happens next... So his whole act isn’t fake. He is bad not good, But genuinely is silly and has interests in fantasy and play...

Now lets look at his past. Sasha, Marcy, and Anne are the three “prophetic Chosen ones” who wield connections and powers of Calmaity during Amphibia’s three seasons... yeah yeah yeah we have all seen that before. Unlike with most “prophetic chosen ones” stories the three girls are not the only chose ones. The box really just needs a trio of companions where one is kindhearted, one brave and strong, and one very smart and clever; and it has given its powers to different trios throughout time and dimensions. 1000 years ago Adrias and his two best friends, a frog and a toad, where the box’s special “chosen ones”. Based on their colors and what little we know about the (Please give these three their own episode at some point in 3b) Mystery Frog was strength, Toad (probably Barrel) was Wit, and Andrias was Heart. We can also notice that when the three ae shown together in pictures and flashbacks Andrais sits in the middle with Barrel by his side and Froggy girl on his shoulder. This all implys that Andrias was once like Anne, a careless but bighearted individual who was at the center of his friend group. Then something went wrong... We don’t know what yet, but we know it involved the box, the night, and losing his two friends.

According to the Prophecy the three girls have enough power to face and beat the night, but only if they are together.. IF they are seperated/beak apart the night gets the upperhand and can win.... I believe that is the Nights plan. It lets them gather their power, takes one of the three as a pawn, subtly creates fractions in the group until they split... then lives off the power for until a new tio comes along and it repeats. 1000 years ago Andrias and his friends were promised gifted Money, power, and Status due to Clamaity, and probably wanted to use it to protect and take care of the citizens of Amphibia. But the night Corrupted their orals and viewpoint, at some point Frog women and Barrel realized things were going to far and wanted to stop, but the night was able to convince Andrias to keep going, they had the power to take care of these worlds... so long as everyone did what they say, so taking over was right. This caused a rift between the three that split them apart. Once separated from Wit and Strength Andrias was fully under the nights control and he lost his heart in the process...

This happened before, and the Night will try to make it happen again. Andrias is a villian. He once had good in him, but it is all gone now, likely never to come back. He is a chess master and a pawn, and ultimately he is a warning sign to the girls of what even people with the best intention can become.

[vickysaurus]

What if season 5 was two seasons?

So watching through season 5, I kept noticing how fast the pacing had to be with the amount plot threads there were and how often I went ‘I wish we saw more of X’. So as I’ve mentioned a couple of times, I’ve started wondering if it might’ve been better if its story had been spread over two seasons rather than one. Now, obviously I understand that kind of change would not have been in the crew’s hands and no matter what they wanted would likely have been impossible. This is not intended as a ‘they should’ve just done this’ but as a thought experiment. Would a sixth season even have worked? So I’m gonna try and figure out how season 5′s content might’ve been done over two seasons in an alternate universe. In order to keep straight how far in the seasons we are, I’m gonna number the episodes 5-1 to 5-13 and 6-1 to 6-13 for clarity.

-5-1: We’re gonna start off immediately inserting an extra episode: The Fall of Bright Moon. Rather than a time skip, we get to see the first days of the invasion and the evacuation of Bright Moon in the face of overwhelming force. Micah has to switch back into being king, Adora has to deal with losing She-Ra, Bow has to deal with losing Glimmer. There’s a major subplot about Scorpia working up the courage to apologise to Entrapta and the two of them reconnecting. Perfuma probably helps her with that. That sounds like a pretty busy episode, but I think the first two Velvet Glove scenes from Horde Prime should probably be moved to it to not just leave Catra and Glimmer hanging completely.

-5-2 to 5-4: Horde Prime, Launch, and Corridors stay mostly the same. Since I moved the first Velvet Glove scenes to 5-1 and we can probably cut a bit of exposition from Horde Prime with the addition of that episode, these episodes get a couple minutes extra, which is split between an extra Glimmer and Catra in jail scene and some more of Scorpia and Entrapta’s friendship in Launch.

-5-5 and 5-6: An extra season gives us time for worldbuilding and more of the new characters, and since I like the Star siblings I’m gonna selfishly give them a bunch more screen time. The plan to save Catra takes more preparation in this version, leading Best Friend Squad and the Star siblings to go on an adventure on another planet after Stranded, one that is under Horde occupation but hasn’t been destroyed by them. They’re there for either information or some kind of device they’ll need to get on the Velvet Glove, but end up sowing the seeds for a local rebellion on the planet. We’ll see more of that plot later on.

-5-7: Save the Cat. It’s perfect as is.

-5-8: Taking Control’s A plot, enhanced with some scenes from Don’t Go into a full episode.

-5-9: This is where Taking Control’s B plot with the chipped Etherians goes. To go with it, Best Friend Squad is going on another space adventure after a rendez-vous with the Star siblings while they try and escape the Horde. I’m thinking maybe Hordak could be one of the clones searching for them, and while he doesn’t come face-to-face with Entrapta we could see some more of his conflicting feelings building in the course of this. Just a moment’s hesitation on his part allows Best Friend Squad to escape. Catra befriending Glimmer and Bow is a major part of this episode, and it basically bridges the gap between the little overtures between them in Taking Control and Catra as a part of Best Friend Squad in Shot in the Dark.

-5-10: Kyle, Lonnie, and Rogelio only get a cameo in season 5, and that’s something I really want to change. I want to give them a ‘Lower Decks’ episode where they’re basically just trying to go about their lives post-Horde but rapidly discovering the war is impossible to ignore. I feel like we don’t see enough of the normal Etherians in general, and I think these three are a great way to show how they’re doing.

-5-11: Perils of Peekablue. However, the scene at the end where it turns out Micah is already chipped and so are enormous amounts of Etherians doesn’t happen yet.

-5-12 and 5-13: So now I need to have a big season finale happen, and unfortunately Shot In The Dark, while a great episode, is also a little too low-energy to fit the bill. So what I’m gonna do is make it the B-plot of a finale two-parter. The A-plot is set on Etheria, and is basically some big climactic business where the Princesses, General Juliet, (remember her?) and many common Etherians take the fight back to the chipped princesses, and things go well until disaster strikes and Micah gets chipped. Pretty vague, I know. The ‘Lower Decks’ episode we did sets up a lot of the plot here; Lonnie, Rogelio, and Kyle are probably involved in it. The two-parter ends with the big ‘Oh fuck everyone’s chipped’ moment at the end of Perils of Peekablueas the big season-ending cliffhanger. After that scene, we switch to Best Friend Squad landing on Etheria, and that’s how season 5 ends.

-6-1: I think An Ill Wind would be a solid season opener as is.

-6-2 to 6-10: Yeah, I’m gonna take this whole block of episodes in one go, because this is where it gets complicated. Return to the Fright Zone and Failsafe take place in this block, but it’s beyond my ability to figure out the full plot developments of this entire season. While for season 5 I can keep to the structure of Best Friend Squad’s space adventure, season 6 is gonna be a lot more freeform, and would presumably have major plot elements added. Here’s my thoughts on these nine episodes:

-The chipped princesses get unchipped earlier. They provide good heartwrenching moments, cool bossfights, and allow for major villains ranking below Prime without having to introduce new characters, but I think ultimately it does the chipped princesses a disservice since they just don’t get to show character in the second half of the season. Just compare how well we know Netossa as a character with how well we know Spinnerella. So they get unchipped over the course of these episodes and get to be with the Rebellion again afterwards. Mermista and Spinnerella get unchipped the same way as in canon. Scorpia actually gets to talk while chipped and has a heartwrenching confrontation with Catra in which she basically responds in the worst possible ways to Catra’s regrets (the same way we saw chipped Catra basically being am expression of her worst traits) and they have a fight that’s super rough for Catra, but Catra manages to damage her chip and save her. They have a better chat afterwards, and that’s when they make up and hug it out. I think Micah is the last one to be unchipped, and I might actually keep him chipped until Heart, Part 1 so Glimmer still gets that climactic confrontation with him. Now, a possible concern is that this means there’s just not gonna be enough ‘bosses’ around to fight in Heart. Solutions to this could include for example advanced robots, chipped minor characters like Huntara, Dumbface Octavia, and alien monsters. Maybe Hordak? Though I definitely want him back on the Velvet Glove’s bridge in time to give Prime his date with gravity.

-So that’s sort of the major arc, but there are several characters and plot threads that I feel could easily be an episode’s A- or B-plot in this bunch:

*Catra is mortified when she realises she caused Angella’s death and has a big freak-out over it and tries to run away, Glimmer confronts her and they deal with their feelings on the matter

*Another Kyle, Lonnie, and Rogelio episode

*A Wrong Hordak episode where he discovers his own identity and picks a name, also feat. Entrapta’s attempts to reach out to Hordak

*Madame Razz episode where Adora tries to get her help, possibly involving the Crystal Castle and George and Lance

*Sea Hawk and Double Trouble drama kids adventure where they try to save Mermista (I think Mermista vs. Sea Hawk and Mermista being unchipped gets moved to the end of this episode). These two were delightful for the little time we saw them together in Perils of Peekablue and I want Sea Hawk to somehow rope Double Trouble into an adventure.

*All the space adventures and world building I put in season 5 coming to a head when some form of space reinforcements led by the Star siblings come to help.

*And of course Return to the Fright Zone and Failsafe.

-6-11 to 6-13: Heart is now a three-parter, deal with it. Horde Prime is beaten at the end of part 2, or more likely the start of part 3, and the rest of part 3 is that sweet dénouement I crave.

So with all that laid out, let’s return to the question: would this work? I think if it had originally been written to be two seasons, the story could have easily worked for two. As is, I’m retrofitting a single season to be two, so some of the stuff I’ve added sounds rather redundant or vague. There are certainly enough plotlines and characters to make a split work, but of course those would’ve had to have been written into the plot from the start to not feel tacked on. Of course, brevity is the soul of wit, so even if two seasons had been an option, it’s quite possible a single that has too little time is still better than two that have too much.

[t4t-lumpygrab]

omg thank you Lemongrab gang... coming through for me and my infodumps @helloemptyset @vennitrii @rat-with-coffee @lizardkid777 (sorry for the @s let me know if you want me to remove it I am only trying to be friendly and also I am shameless) 

link to the picture I am being normal about

anyway: Charlie symbolism over explaining mode engaged:

-so first off I tried to show their dynamic with their poses. Lg1's pose is based on paintings of captains and other military figures so he looks commanding, with his hand on his sword, and he's stepping on one of the lemon subjects. While Lg2 is submissive and sat down, looking up at him and looks nervous and almost frightened of him, and has no weapon. Which shows the power imbalance of their dynamic and the threat of violence. This is juxtaposed against Lemongrab 1 touching his brother’s cheek in a loving gesture, that ends up feeling loaded and dangerous.  

 -So I tried to build on this dyanmic with their costumes and how the colour is used. Lemongrab 2 is showing more skin than lg1 with shorts and short sleeves, so they look more exposed and vulnerable. I also based their clothes off old fashioned children's outfits and took the top half of their outfit from an old summer dress, and they have lil bows and just generally look more childlike and defenceless. And the feather obscuring their eye is obviously foreshadowing the cannibalism. In contrast Lemongrab 1′s outfit was based on Tudor era clothes and is supposed to be more stiff and regal, with the white ruff on the black outfit being reminiscent of the outfit he wears in Too Old. 

 -the scenery is based on how the castle old is falling apart in Too Old and the Lemonhope arc, showing Lemongrab 1's destruction of his family through the destruction of their domestic house due to neglect, so here the wallpaper is beginning to peel off and revealing cracked stone, so it's like the true dark nature of their dynamic is starting to become unavoidable. Also the wallpaper is green, which is lg1's colour, so it shows how his presence dominates and defines the lives of his sibling and subjects through how he has projected himself onto the space they physically share. 

 -the painting in the background is of pb holding a lemon. But it's actually a redraw of Persephone by Rosetti. The original painting depicts Persephone holding the pomegrante that binds her to the underworld and to Hades, and shows her in the underworld, lost in thought, standing before the gateway back to the surface. I tried to link this to the role she plays in Too Old as a sort of messenger and passenger between the dark and twisted Lemon earldom, and her own kingdom. With the lemon fruit that binds her being symbolic of how she feels tied to lemongrab as his creator, and feels like she has a duty to him.

-the framing of the picture is super important! Lemongrab 1 is laid over it, with his shadow falling on it. And to me this symbolises how he's trying to overshadow his creator. Lemongrab 1 has for most of his life been subservient to pb and felt like nothing more than a mistake she made, but now he wants to take control and be more powerful than her, so it's like he's trying to block her out. And the way most of his body is framed within her picture frame shows that he's trapped by his image of her, and the standards she's set. He's trapping himself by forcing himself to live up to the worst aspects of her personality and rule without imagining a different way to be for himself. Meanwhile Lemongrab 2 is caught between the picture and the window. Windows are used as symbols of freedom and the desire for escape, especially in gothic novels and paintings. So this links to Lg2 as someone who is freer from the standards set by their mother than their brother is, and who will ultimately set the lemon people free. But also the window’s cracked frame and how they’re turned away from it shows that this freedom is something they won’t get to experience for themselves. 

 -also through the window, you can see that the sky is orange from the sunset. This is pretty obvious symbolism tbh, sunsets show a change from the light of the day to the night, which is why Too Old was set in the evening and at night time. It shows the Lemon earldom falling into despair and tyranny, and a movement away from warmth and light to darkness. 

okay my infodumping is finished now lol like and subscribe thank you for enabling me. 

[antialiasis]

Morphic: the Musical

The Thousand Roads forums have a fanfic music thread. While I don't really do those kinds of threads usually because I don't really listen to a very wide variety of music and generally have a hard time associating music that already exists with unrelated fiction, one of the questions in it is this:

Talk about what would happen if some Broadway hit-maker scooped up your fic and turned it into a script. What songs would be in it? Describe a dance number/dance battle?

And immediately, the musical analysis glint lit up in my eyes. This question was presumably intended in a lighthearted jokey sort of way - imagining some fight staged as a dance battle, a hypothetical Broadway hit-maker doing the adaptation. But that's not enough for me, say I! Musicals are a good and interesting medium for serious fiction that I care about and I am going to serious this up.

See, to me, the musical format has two major strengths as a narrative medium. The first is that it can explore the inner worlds of characters in a pretty unique way. Characters get to monologue in a sort of heightened, non-literal manner, intensified by music: we can learn what they're about, what makes them tick, what's going on in their heads in a particular moment, in a way that wouldn't really make sense presented as actual inner monologue in another medium. The music aspect itself then adds a layer to it that's impossible to replicate in any other.

The second strength of the musical format is that it's really good at highlighting recurring themes, parallels and contrasts. Reprise the same melody, the same lyric, a parallel but opposite lyric, and you've instantly connected two things together. Is there a character arc? You can highlight what has changed. Are there two characters going through something similar? You can draw that out. Is there a recurring theme throughout? Use a recurring lyric, a recurring melodic phrase! Nudge the viewer into forming connections! Delicious! And you can do subtler things on the music level itself - particular instruments with particular connotations, recurring motifs...

So naturally I decided I should think up what a musical adaptation of Morphic would be like. It'd be a fun exercise in putting all my thoughts on musical adaptations into practice, but also an interesting way to help sort out some of my thoughts about characters arcs, etc. for the actual Morphic rewrite. And in the process, I may have gone slightly overboard. I regret nothing.

(I'm about to spoil most of the fic here, if this wasn't obvious)

Morphic: the Musical - tracklist

(Note: this musical is not sung-through; there are regular non-musical sections with regular dialogue in between. Morphic would almost definitely not make for a good sung-through musical.)

Act I

[Intro song] (Brian)

A monologue by Brian at the TV studio as he tries to work through what to say, how to explain or justify any of this (which conveniently serves to exposit to the audience as well as introduce his character). He makes nervous false starts and cuts himself off, starting the verse over each time, and through these false starts we learn what's going on, that the press has been calling them Pokémorphs, that this was all Dave's idea, that alcohol was involved, that it was meant as a basis for further research, that there were never supposed to be *children*, that he doesn't know what he'd even do with a kid, that Dave roped him into going on this show because he couldn't.

[Dave song] (Dave)

This musical properly introduces us to Dave via Jane walking out on him followed by this song, wherein he contemplates chucking baby Jean out the window. It's a dark rock song with big emotional contrasts and raw lyrics that is almost definitely my favorite song in this musical in the hypothetical reality where it is an actual musical and I didn't write it, because I am me. Probably starts with a couple slower lines of desperate disbelief before launching into wild anger about fuck that fucking whore, followed by what I will be referring to as the everything-is-shit verse (please bear with me), just a general cynicism rant about why the world is a shitty place not worth living in, followed by him wildly fantasizing about killing his infant child. What a delightful human being that I adore. The song ends abruptly, he's standing there staring at her in his arms for a moment, then he silently goes to feed her. On the soundtrack you probably might think he just did it.

Fatherhood (Brian)

A montage song covering the timeskip, which probably reprises [Intro song]. Brian initially has no idea what to do with his new squirming horrorblob child and is convinced he will screw it up the way he tends to screw up everything. Makes a couple of false starts again, but then gains confidence as time passes as he genuinely bonds with Gabriel and legitimately thinks he's a pretty amazing kid. There's a repeated line along the lines of that Gabriel's a weird, weird kid, but he's his, initially in a tone of "oh god I'm responsible for him what do" but towards the end is said with pride and fondness.

[Villain song] (Isaac and Jacob)

A duet between the two brothers, exploring what makes them tick. Isaac is all about this heavy pressure and sense of responsibility, originally imposed by his father, that he continues to impose on himself. He's been appointed to take over leading the family/cult and was raised with that constantly in the back of his mind as his future, and he believes that they're God's true righteous people and he cannot go wrong. He has dreams with some regularity that he interprets as visions from God, as he has been encouraged to since childhood by his father. When he has one about murder, it frightens him but he sees it as basically a divinely-appointed mission.

Jacob privately doesn't really believe any of that. He is trapped in this cult and goes through the motions but is not actually driven by any of the things that are driving Isaac. He's fairly quiet for most of the song - as Isaac is going on about his vision, Jacob has a line here and there obliquely challenging it, but Isaac has an answer for everything, and he doesn't press it, instead moving seamlessly on to suggestions for how he should do it. Jacob gets a quiet variant of part of the everything-is-shit verse from [Dave song], expressing the same kind of cynicism in a more reproachful, apathetic way - all in his own head, of course.

Just Like My Hero (Jean and Will)

Jean sings about how she is just like her hero, Sarah Hooter! Starts off describing how they look the same, moves on from there to how she will torch anyone who's mean, etc., just like her hero. Halfway through, Will joins in, and it becomes a counterpoint duet: Jean may be immature and ridiculous, but he deeply wishes he was confident and adored and nothing would get to him, and he admires and envies that about her. His just like my hero has a bit more of an ironic vibe, he'd hardly properly call her his hero, but he looks up to her more than he'd normally admit nonetheless.

Storming the Castle (Jack and Gabriel)

Jack and Gabriel are playing a D&D game with their friends, arguing about the best course of action. Jack is eager to waltz into the bad guys' fortress, storm the castle, while Gabriel urges lying low, says they're too weak. Jack wants to take the leap and try it; Gabriel insists no, we're not taking the leap, it's stupid. "It's brave!" Jack counters. (In the end, Gabriel gives in and they go ahead with it, and it goes fine.)

Unique (Mia and Lucy)

Mia and Lucy play one of their games. The song is about how Lucy needs someone like Mia to challenge her and let her actually indulge her powers, which are otherwise unsettling to people and she's ashamed and self-conscious about them, while Mia needs someone like Lucy to get a real outlet for her hunter's instinct. The word the lyrics are built around is unique; by being the precise way they are, they are each the only person who can provide this for the other.

Mia doesn't sing. She speaks her lyrics in her usual monotone, not even rhythmically. They also don't rhyme. It's technically a duet but really it's just Lucy singing and Mia talking.

[Peter/Katherine song] (Peter and Katherine)

A counterpoint duet between the siblings, contrasting their experience as Pokémorphs. Peter can pretty easily hide that he's different and be treated mostly as a normal kid, and feels free in his privilege, not confined quite the way the others are, able to be a bit reckless and incautious. Katherine, meanwhile, has a very different experience, being extremely noticeably different, getting stared at, and struggling with basic activities, and feels a huge sense of responsibility weighing her down, worrying about Peter and grounding him and reining him in. There's a lyrical contrast involving something something bird freedom plant rooted down something.

Brian's Death (Isaac and Dave)

This is one of those mostly-instrumental pieces that they include on the soundtrack anyway, but Isaac gets a couple of sung nondiegetic lines in here, a sort of frantic excitement, realizing in a brief panic that he shot the wrong guy before rationalizing that God must have planned it this way.

Dave is probably also in there screaming and attempting to call the police, because I am always in favor of screaming and panicking on musical soundtracks.

The Funeral (Gabriel and Jack)

Begins with Gabriel at the church during the funeral, singing about his vague discomfort being there, but slowly becomes increasingly frantic and anxious, working up to a breakdown where he exits and finally manages to cry for his dad. There's a verse about little things, how they ordered pizza the night before he died, etc., culminating in the bit about him having been in the middle of this mystery novel and never getting to learn who did it; the verse trails off quietly there, backing instruments gone, as Gabriel breaks down. Jack follows to comfort him.

Act II

[Montage song] (everyone)

A montage of the days after the attack, where everyone gets a couple lines about how they're coping, scared and grieving.

Dave's lines are like, spoken slightly too desperate annoyance at having to do some work that Brian didn't get to finish, or rebuking somebody who asks how he's doing by saying he barely even knew Brian. He is not singing along with this kind of grief-porn bullshit, fuck you.

[Villain song II] (Isaac and Jacob)

The brothers come up with a new plan. Isaac is agitated, reprising some of his bits from the original villain song in a quicker, more frantic tempo, while Jacob picks up the slack, walking him through a new idea. Isaac takes to it with conviction and goes back to the original melody/tempo, talking again about his God-given purpose. Jacob does not join in with any of that, only with the bits about the actual plan.

The Kidnapping (instrumental)

I'm just going to say this is on the soundtrack too and contains panicked Gabriel noises because I want it to be.

Storming the Castle Reprise (Jack)

Jack tries to rally the others for a rescue mission, echoing the D&D game from Act I. The lines about storming the castle and taking the leap make a reappearance.

Just Like My Hero Reprise (Jean)

Jean, on the bus, miserably contemplates how she is unlike her hero. Again, it begins with a verse talking about how she looks - not a thing like Sarah Hooter anymore - but then moves on to how she's scared and pathetic and running away, unlike anything a hero would do.

Church Sequence (Will, Jack, Mia)

A single track, largely instrumental/dialogue/sound effects, with a couple of brief song snippets:

- Will reprises "Just Like My Hero" as he wills himself to go on. He is cut off mid-line as he is shot.

- Mia slits that guy's throat and she actually sings a few words, for the first and only time, before she is also cut off mid-line by a gunshot. The line is something about, like, warm blood in her face or the guy's satisfying death throes, reprising part of the melody of "Unique".

Strong (Gabriel)

Gabriel discovers his powers. Starts slowly, calling back to the bits from "Storming the Castle" about lying low, being weak. But as the song continues and he makes his discovery, the tempo builds, and he starts reprising Jack's bits instead: he is strong, taking the leap, storming the castle.

Perish Song (Lucy)

Another brief reprise of "Unique", distorted and deafening and terrifying, mourning her sister.

[In the Hospital] (Jack and Gabriel)

The two of them work out their feelings about what happened. Includes Jack going "It was stupid" (i.e. the rescue mission) and Gabriel responding "It was brave", echoing the bit where they said the opposite in "Storming the Castle". Jack blames himself for how it all turned out, feels stupid and weak, while Gabriel actually felt kind of awesome. (This is also calling back to their opposite bits of "Storming the Castle".) They end with a shared duet verse as they realize they've both got that same innate desire to fight and win. Possibly calls back to the weird, weird kid line from "Fatherhood".

Eulogy (Dave)

Dave's eulogy for Mia (which also touches on Will, but this is Mia's funeral). It reprises "Unique". There will never again be anyone like the two of them, two of the only truly unique people on this Earth. (And, while he doesn't say it straight out because hahahaha, he needed Mia, too).

Taking the Leap (Jack and Gabriel)

Jack's suicide attempt and his swirling inner turmoil as he tries to talk himself into taking the leap once again. Gabriel, of course, comes in with don't take that leap. Am I overusing this one line by putting it in like half the songs in this thing? Well, who's going to stop me.

[Peter/Katherine song reprise] (Peter and Katherine)

The two of them contemplate indefinite house arrest (in contrast to the freedom Peter's enjoyed most of his life) and Katherine's failure to stop all this (despite her sense of responsibility). In the end, they both find their own ways to accept the new state of things and support each other through this.

Finale (Dave and Jean)

After Dave breaks down on his couch and Jean comes in to ask what's wrong, Dave sings a reprise of the everything-is-shit verse, going over the many things he's angry about, because that is the only emotion involved here clearly. At the exact point where Dave's song originally went from there to fantasizing about throwing her off the balcony, Jean throws her arms around him and sniffles "It'll be okay, Dad," and after a stunned "What? Jean, I'm--", he continues with a slow, hesitant *inverted* reprise of the everything-is-shit verse, "Everything'll be fine", constructing a little fantasy reality for her (and himself) where everything turns out all right in the end. It's backed by, like, a simple, quiet, slower piano rendition of the original melody, and trails off at the end, never quite coming to a satisfying conclusion before he tells Jean she should go back to bed.

[dreamerandcrazy]

how high is the probability that soo-won is canonically gay? tbh it it would just make so much sense. soo-won loved yona but really he had eyes for hak since young... i just wish that in the eventual soohak reunion (kusa WHERE IS IT) that they'll acknowledge this fact somehow. that hak is still and forever will be soo-won's goal

Oh, anon, you have no idea how much feelings and ideas I have regarding SooHak, but when it comes to Soo Won’s sexuality, I am in the dark just as every other reader, because sadly we don’t have much insight/p.o.v. from Soo Won himself, and I think that’s on purpose and something Kusanagi is saving for later. However, he mentioned once that he didn’t feel love romantically, but he did like people, and Kusanagi also implied he wasn’t interested in romance during the high school omake, so there’s a chance he could maybe be asexual/aromantic? But he has blushed before whenever someone put him in the spot, like Yona in ch. 1, and when Lili threatened to say he was in a brothel, I think during Sei or Xing arc. So I think there’s a little bit of chance he could be, but the chances of him being asexual are definitely higher. But like you said, if Kusanagi decided to write in canon that Soo Won is gay period, it would also make sense, align with past moments that have made us raise our eyebrows, and it wouldn’t affect the story or his personality, except for other than giving us much needed insight on what goes inside Soo Won’s mind.

(I talk a lot about SooHak underneath, so I put it under a keep reading, lol).

It’s important to note that it’s very much canon that he still cares for/loves Hak and Yona, despite everything that’s happened. However, I do get the feeling that the love he has for Hak is slightly different from the love he has for Yona. It’s very interesting how since the start, Soo Won has kept his emotions in check around Yona and co., but like Zeno said, his face just looks more human around Hak. I guess maybe because Hak has always been the most normal part of it all for Soo Won, since they were kids, which is why I get the feeling that they were closer. They raised Gulfan together, they trusted each other more than anyone, and can read each other so well they were able to know what the other was thinking through a single look. The only time in the manga both of them were seen crying, truly crying over adult emotions, was because of each other. Soo Won wasn’t able to raise a sword to defend himself against Hak when they reunited in Nadai arc, but his hands automatically flew to his sword the moment he saw Hak in danger during the battle in Sei. It’s like a quote from a gifset I reblogged recently, “People change, but habits don’t”. Or even as Ik-Soo himself said, “some love cannot be discarded,” and I think that was as true for Yona then as it is for Soo Won and Hak. They both can try themselves their best to convince they no longer care for one another, and will be ok if the other dies, but we have seen that that’s not true.

Also it’s interesting, like you said, anon, sometimes I get the feeling that Hak is still Soo Won’s goal, but like in a dormant way. Soo Won seeks for the power of the humans, and nobody embodies that as much as Hak, in the story. We have seen since the start that Soo Won admired Hak, and wanted to be like him, so I feel like that feeling is still there. They both literally wanted to be on an equal footing just so they could walk side by side, and that is a powerful want, to have someone mean so much to you that you are motivated by them, which is why their dynamic is probably one of the most interesting for me, whether it’s platonic or romantic. But we shall see how it goes. Many fans have been theorizing that in the next chapter or 204, Soo Won might go to see Hak, and I think that’s something the story really needs right now. They have been avoiding each other for over 200 chapters now, and they’re getting to a point where they can no longer do that. I think Hak has come very far in the manga and is also in a point where he’s willing to listen to what Soo Won has to say; prior to this castle arc, people liked to say he was narrow-minded and refused to see meaning in Soo Won’s actions, but Hak only had the grasp of what he’d seen that night: that Soo Won killed Il and was willing to kill Yona as well, after presenting her with that hairpin. He had no idea about what happened to Yu-Hon, or any of what happened in the past, so from that point of view, Soo Won had usurped the throne and wanted to destroy the evidence of him (Yona seeing what happened). The fact that Soo Won also said “the Soo Won you knew never existed” definitely didn’t help Hak see his side, giving him the impression that their friendship had been a lie since the beginning. And thus, his heart shattered into a million pieces. And he had to live with that hurt and betrayal every day to himself, to the point where it was suffocating him and he broke down completely when he and Soo Won came face to face in Nadai. But like I said, he has come a long way since then, and now he has some idea of what happened and Soo Won’s real reasoning for killing Il, so their next conversation, which I pray happens soon, might come more easily, but that will also depend on what Soo Won will be willing to say. Let’s remind ourselves that Soo Won has expressed he is ready to live an unhappy life, and is not exactly desperate to explain himself to Yona and Hak nor ask for their forgiveness, even if his heart longs so much for his old friends. He’s that kind of character that doesn’t mind being seen as the bad guy so long as he can get the job done, which is one of the many layers of his character that we’ve seen over and over in the manga.

I am sorry this answer was so long, but like I said, I have a lot of feelings regarding SooHak and I really need them to talk it out soon. I’m sorry if something I expressed about Soo Won is not to your liking or to anyone else’s, but this is my point of view from what I could get from the manga. SooHak is the kind of relationship that works just as well for whatever it’s meant to be, but I have a feeling Kusanagi will leave us in the dark about that one and let us believe it is what we wanna believe it is. At first I was 50/50 about Soo Won dying, I still think it’s a possibility, but now it’s no longer one I necessarily would like to see happen. I want him to make things right with Yona and Hak before the manga ends, and beat this crimson illness. I think a fresh start is something he definitely needs for himself, he was robbed of his childhood when he was only 9 and was pushed into a role he didn’t exactly want, so I would like to see him come to terms with that and close that page, and begin living the life he wanted to live before all this.

Tl;dr; I think Soo Won might be asexual, but his feelings for Hak are definitely still an important part of his character arc that I believe we will see more of. But how Kusanagi will go about them, we can only wonder. Thank you so much for the ask, I really needed to let this all out lmao, and for anyone who disagrees with what I said, please just do me a favor and ignore this post because I really don’t wish to be part of discourse. Soo Won is a character that’s hard to read, and maybe my view of who he is can be different from someone else’s, so let’s be grown ups about it and just respect each other’s opinions and agree to disagree.

[punkpoemprose]

December 10th- A Convenient Arrangement Part 2

Universe: Canonverse Arranged Marriage AU Rating:T (mentions of sex, negative self esteem, and a brief panic attack) Length: 4889 Words

A/N: Happy Birthday @upthenorthmountain Anna! Here’s a part 2 for the unbirthday fic I wrote you back in April. I’ve been dying to continue this one for a while, and I actually have a 10 chapter arc planned out for it. If anyone is like “hmmm that’s funny, I thought Anna’s birthday was a couple days ago” or “hmmm interesting I thought today was the 12th), you’d both be correct. I am currently two days late and two dollars short, but that’s what happens when I decide to write almost 5000 words instead of like 1k tops like these advent fics are supposed to be. Also sorry that this chapter hurts a little. It gets better. But anyway! Follow up to this [X] Proofreading? We don’t know her.

When Anna awoke, she felt warm, perhaps even a bit hot despite the lightness of her summer coverlet. She was tucked into her blankets comfortably but couldn’t remember crawling under them the night before.

There was a warm light coming through the window, and though she kept her eyes closed for a short while longer, letting herself wake leisurely, she knew that it must be sometime after six. She normally slept in a bit, letting the sun rise without her, but today for some reason she felt a bit strange for being in bed. Perhaps, she thought, it was because she thought that her life should have changed somehow, even from the waking, after her wedding the day before.

She opened her eyes cautiously, letting them adjust to the light with her lids fluttering. She wasn’t sure why she was surprised to find herself alone in bed when she checked, after so many years of waking up alone it shouldn’t surprise her, but there was the memory of touch in her hand now.

She didn’t know why she expected him to be there come morning.

Her eyes felt a bit teary and she blamed it on the light. She wanted to pretend for a moment that nothing had changed, that she’d never met Hans and that she had never had to follow the flow of the cascade of events that followed because of the meeting. She was married now, and while it was blessedly not to the cruel hearted foreign prince, it was to a stranger.

A stranger who had left her alone in their marriage bed, if of course one could call it a marriage bed. They hadn’t christened it as such, leaving it the same bed it had always been for her. The feeling of it though was different, wrong, like it had suddenly sprouted lumps and bumps and strange angles.

She was married, and as she sat up in the bed, glancing around the room, she realized she had no idea where her husband was.

“Kristoff?” she called quietly, her voice quiet and croaking from disuse overnight.

It still felt strange to say his name, to know that it was what her husband was called. It had happened so quickly she hadn’t even known it until awfully long before the ceremony, and now she could feel an ache in her chest that she couldn’t explain with anything except his absence. It was an ache named Kristoff.

There was no sound, no trace of him, and so she pulled herself from the bed and came to the realization that she was, in fact, still wearing the underlayers of her wedding attire. She’d shed her corset, but the chemise, petticoats, drawers, and stockings were still all fully in place. More proof to the fact that, while he’d been kind about it, her husband hadn’t wanted her on their wedding night.

She couldn’t help the tears that welled up in her eyes, they came for both joy and despair. She was married to a stranger, a kind one, but a stranger nevertheless. He’d seemed interested in getting to know her the night before, to at least become friends. She’d never really had friends before, and while the promise of not feeling so alone anymore was a comforting one, there was something about waking up without him that made her feel as though it was just a promise to get through the night. She was glad that he wasn’t just interested in her station, or her body, but she couldn’t help but feel alone and unwanted in the moment.

Had he waited for her to fall asleep before he left? Had he stayed until morning and rose earlier than she had?

He doesn’t owe you anything.

The thought was true, and yet she wished that he would have woken her instead of letting her think he’d run off.

Maybe he did.

She huffed, her eyes stinging with tears as she scrubbed them from her cheeks quickly. A lady’s maid would be arriving soon to help her dress and to serve her breakfast, and she wouldn’t let them see her cry. Even if she liked the staff, even if they were kind to her, she knew how rumors spread in the castle walls.

The last thing she wanted for herself, for her sister, for their kingdom, was the rumor that the princess was already unhappy in her marriage.

***

She found him by chance.

Thinking that it was perhaps better to pretend she knew exactly where her husband was, she didn’t ask the staff if they’d seen him. Instead, she’d went hunting through the halls for Kai or Gerda whom she knew were not particularly gossipy and who knew almost all the goings on in and out of the castle doors as the heads of staff.

She’d instead seen him as she passed by a second-floor window that happened to overlook the stables and paddock where he stood, brushing a large and rather neatly kept looking reindeer. It, she thought, must be the “friend” he’d mentioned the night before.

It took her a moment to decide whether to feel happy or embarrassed as she watched him. She’d never really been the sort of woman, let alone princess, who believed that the structure of things needed to stay as it was, but there was something in her that was embarrassed at the fact that her new husband was spending the morning with a reindeer instead of getting to know her when a groom could very well take care of the animal.

The warmth in her cheeks did fade quickly in the walk down to the stables though.

He doesn’t owe you anything.

The thought repeated in her head a few times as she went down the stairs, through the halls, outdoors and to his side, until when she arrived, she was feeling a touch defeated but significantly less upset. The reindeer seemed to notice her approach before he did, its head picking up a bit and turning towards her. She thought, as she stood just to its side, that it had very expressive eyes for an animal, and it reminded her a bit of her horse Kjekk who could also seem strangely human at times.

She supposed it was just many years without company that caused her to think so, but perhaps not, as in the moments she stood there, looking into the eyes of the reindeer but without being noticed yet by her husband, she heard him quietly talking to the animal.

“I’m not really sure what to do buddy.”

He said it with such finality that Anna realized that this was the end of their “conversation” and not the start. She felt a bit silly, maybe, looking at the reindeer and feeling like she’d interrupted something. So instead of listening any longer, perhaps hearing more than she should, she cleared her throat.

Kristoff seemed to realize then, that the Reindeer was looking at something, and that the something was her. And that, by association, she had just cleared her throat, meaning that she had heard him talking to the reindeer. She saw the gears spinning in his head as his eyes filled with recognition and then something hard that made her wish she’d just stayed in bed.

“Oh sorry, I’m…”

She stopped. She wasn’t sure what she was. Sorry? She was, but she’d already said it. Confused? She was, but he didn’t need to know that. Annoyed? That at least felt true as he was staring at her like she’d done something terribly wrong, even though he was the one who promised to try to make things work the night before, but who she’d needed to track down in the morning.

“I’m awkward,” she supplied, adding another quiet apology after for good measure, “Sorry.”

The dark look, the suspicion, the confusion, lifted then.

He laughed at her.

She felt embarrassment flare again, her face going hot and her stomach twisting in an all too familiar way. She wanted to walk away, to flee back to the castle, to her gallery, and pretend for a moment that nothing had changed, but her feet wouldn’t move under her.

She was too focused on his laughter and the voice in her head that always seemed prepared to remind her of where she stood.

You’re always the joke. The fool. The spare.

 “You’re in good company then,” he said, his tone warm and mirthful in a way that had been comforting to her the night before, “I’m pretty awkward too.”

***

She held his hand loosely in her own, and while he wasn’t holding back, there was an occasional squeeze of his fingers against the back of her hand. The squeezes reminded her that no matter what her treacherous mind might be saying, he was not opposed to the contact, just adjusting to it as she was. They hadn’t discussed that yet, the contact, and how he seemed hesitant about it while she craved it. It was something they’d need to talk about soon, especially when every brush of fingers made her feel like she was breathing for the first time but was also so overwhelming to her that she sometimes forgot to breathe altogether.

Before her incident, before her sister’s realization that the castle gates would need to be open, no one had really touched her. She had a lady’s maid, but there was never any real reason to be dressed well enough to require her services. She’d brushed out her own hair, bathed herself, donned her own skirts, and went about her day before plaiting her hair, removing her clothes and putting on nightclothes before she slept. So now, even with the previous affections of the man she wished she could forget about, she could sometimes feel the effects of going so many years without contact.

Much to her chagrin it often felt like that need to be touched, that ache in her heart for physical affection, was amplified by the small touches that Kristoff was giving or allowing her. They would need to talk about it soon. Just as they needed to talk about his intentions to leave soon for a trip back into the mountains that he assured her would be brief.

He wouldn’t explain his reasons for going to her yet. He’d only mentioned retrieving some of his belongings until they “better figured out” how “this all” would be working out. He’d promised that he’d stay at least another night before leaving, and that they could talk about his leaving before he went.

It was a kindness, she knew. He was not her prisoner, but her husband. He was free to come and go as he pleased, and he did not need her consent to do so. The warning though was appreciated.

“This is the kitchen,” she said in the most pleasant voice she could manage, her excitement about showing him around the castle was dimmed somewhat by the fact that he’d soon be leaving the place for what she hoped truly would only be a day or so.

She pushed open the door with one hand, holding his with the other, tethering him to her as she walked him through the household.

When the door opened the smells of fresh baked bread and something fresh and sweet struck her. She’d had breakfast, but in her malaise she’d chosen porridge over anything particularly enjoyable. He, she’d learned, had not eaten anything, unable to find the kitchens or, more properly, the dining room in the morning and finding himself unwilling to ask anyone how to get there. He’d chosen instead to go to the stables because he could find his way there.

Anna suspected although he hadn’t said, that it was the only place he felt comfortable.

She heard, over the sound of the staff working away, the grumbling of his stomach behind her.

She turned to him, giving what she hoped was a sympathetic smile.

He was looking down at the floor, the tips of his ears pink.

Embrassed.

She knew how that felt. So she gripped his hand a bit tighter, hoping that it gave him strength the way that him doing so for her had during their wedding ceremony.

“Excuse me,” she called warmly, noting a bit uncomfortably how the room went quiet when the staff took note that she’d entered their space.

Before the wedding she’d often come down to the kitchens on her own. They’d had less staff then, a hiring increase part of Elsa’s attempts to smooth things over, and to help with the new onslaught of guests and dignitaries they would be feeding with the gates open, had changed the previous easygoing manner of the staff. Those who knew her saw her differently now, and those who did not probably thought the worst.

“I don’t mean to interrupt, please go about your work, but my husband and I would like to take an early lunch in the garden. We were hoping to grab some things, but you needn’t bother yourselves. I do know where everything is.”

There was an uneasiness in the atmosphere that made her chest feel tight. She hadn’t really counted anyone amongst the staff as friends in the past, they all treated her with respect to rank rather than with camaraderie, but her interactions with them had always been at least somewhat comfortable in nature. This, the feeling of fear and discomfort, was enough to have tears threatening again.

She fought against it, squeezing Kristoff’s hand for comfort again, but this time for her own.

I’m not alone. I’m okay. They’ll warm up. Everything will be fine.

She tried to repeat the mantra as she walked through the kitchen with Kristoff, feeling eyes on her. She walked over to the cabinet which held the basket she’d been using since childhood whenever she felt the need to dine outdoors, or in her gallery, or really anywhere other than the dining room or her bedroom where the staff normally saw her fed. The familiar feeling of the wicker in her hand was strengthening in a way she hadn’t expected, the sensation allowing her to pretend again, for a moment, that everything was normal.

“What would you like?” She asked softly, releasing his hand and putting on her best expression of ease as she looked back at him.

He looked uncomfortable, but not as embarrassed as he’d been when they entered. She hoped that some of her faux poise had given him some real sense of confidence in the space. He was of course, whether he liked it or not, the prince consort to the princess of Arendelle. He should at least have the confidence to step into the kitchen of his own home without feeling like he didn’t belong.

Maybe this isn’t his home.

She squashed the voice again, relegating it to the back of her thoughts as she smiled at him.

“I was thinking bread and cheese and fruit, but if you want something a little more ample I’m sure we can find it.”

He shook his head, and while she wasn’t sure whether it was because he was fine with her plans, or because he was unwilling to argue, she set to collecting the foods she’d mentioned.

When they left the kitchens after just a few short minutes, it didn’t feel fast enough.

***

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you where everything was last night,” she apologized as she popped a strawberry in her mouth.

They were in season and rather sweet. She’d just had a few slices atop some brie on a slice of fresh bread, which in her personal opinion, was food for the Gods, right up there with chocolate and coffee. She licked juice from her thumb and watched, with interest as Kristoff carefully sliced a bit of cheese for himself and spread it onto bread. He’d seemed almost confused by it, staring at it for a bit before endeavoring to serve himself which surprised her. She wasn’t really sure what foods he liked, just as she was unsure of everything else about him, save for what little detail he’d shared.

She wished that she would have been a bit more relaxed the night previous, that she would have paid attention to what he was eating at their wedding feast instead of preoccupying herself with pretending to eat. Doing that and pretending she was happy had taken all of her focus. She’d been so scared, and even though she still had her concerns now, she took comfort in knowing that her previous fears had all so far been for not.

Of course, though, as the little voice liked very much to remind her, she’d not feared enough before. Kristoff was a kind man, someone who she could learn to at least like very much if not love, but she needed to be careful. Even if that was the last thing she wanted.

His nose scrunched up terribly when he took a bite of the cheese covered bread, and Anna felt her panic rise in her chest for a moment. She wasn’t sure what she was afraid of. A sudden change of attitude? Their lunch being poisoned? She wasn’t sure, but her pulse quickened, and her chest constricted.

“Is it… is it supposed to be like that?”

“Like what?”

“Kind of… smooth? And… fungal?”

She snorted. The tension leaving her body as a breeze rustled the leaves on the tree above them, not covering the sound of her shock and amusement, but at least muffling it a bit.

“Yes. I don’t think that’s how I would describe it, but yes. It is supposed to taste like that.”

He shook his head and set the bitten piece down on the plate, looking a bit disgusted before pausing a moment and picking it back up.

“I didn’t know you didn’t care for brie. Sorry! You don’t have to eat it if you don’t like it.”

That too seemed to cause a look of confusion to cross his face, followed shortly after by a flush as he set it down and looked away from her for a moment. His eyes were trained on the scenery, and she decided to look out upon it as well.

It was a nice day, the sun was warm but not hot thanks to the passing of clouds above and a light breeze of the Fjord. She could smell the perfume of the garden’s flowers in the air, and were things between them a little less strained, she might deign to call the scene romantic. They sat close beneath a tree, on an amalgamation of a few clean saddle blankets she’d taken from the stables.

The scene was picturesque, save for them and their discomfort with one another.

How was it easier to talk to a stranger in bed than in a garden?

She hoped that she hadn’t embarrassed him, though she knew that she had. Again. She wasn’t really sure what it was she’d said or done, but she wanted him to feel comfortable with her. She reached across the space between them and took his hand again.

“You took care of me last night,” she said squeezing his hand, “You were kind and we talked, and it made me feel like everything was going to be okay. Please let me return the favor if I can? I want us to be friends.”

***

Kristoff let his fingers lace through hers. It was an unnatural motion for him, something he’d never done except for with Anna and she’d encouraged it before. Now he made the move to do so, hearing the need for comfort in her voice and not being sure how to provide it.

He squeezed gently but couldn’t bring himself to look at her. Not yet.

You don’t belong here.

His thoughts had been an endless refrain of reminders all day. He was common, he didn’t deserve to be in the castle. He’d accidentally fallen asleep in her room, atop the blankets, after tucking her in. Her fingers had still been through his, and he’d just felt so glad that she was sleeping and that he had been dealt the good fortune of actually liking his wife, that he’d allowed himself to lay at her side for a few short moments with his eyes closed.

He’d never made it out of the bed and to his room. It didn’t matter really of course, given he didn’t even know where his room was, but it did matter when he woke before her and panicked, not knowing where he was or where he belonged.

He’d thought about waking her, but it had seemed wrong. Who was he to wake a sleeping princess? Who was he to sleep in her bed all night? Who was he to even be in the castle?

He’d set off for the stables as soon as he managed to get ahold of himself well enough to figure out how to leave her room quietly enough to not alert her. He’d been lucky to find his way into and out of what appeared to servants entrances to make it outside after a short time of wandering about the hallways on his own. He’d been even luckier still to find that no one had thought to bring his meager bag of possessions into the castle, leaving them instead with Sven who was in the same stable he’d left him in the day before, albeit with more hay.

He’d changed his shirt in the stable, putting on the simple clothes he preferred over the clothes he’d worn the day before to his wedding, and had spent the rest of his time before Anna found him, caring for Sven. He hadn’t really thought much about breakfast, his concerns laying more in how he was going to manage to get himself out of someplace he clearly didn’t belong without pissing off the Queen, or worse, hurting the feelings of the Princess.

My wife.

He thought of her as that now, as she reached across the space between them and took his hand. He could feel the heat in his face as she asked him to let her help him, to talk. She meant well, he knew it, he could feel it in the way she held his hand.

You don’t belong here.

The thought came again, but he tried to silence it, holding her hand a little tighter like she was all that was holding him there, to that spot. It didn’t help much, because it was true. She was all that was holding him to that spot, to the castle, to any of it.

“I don’t belong here,” he said finally, “I… I don’t know how to act. I don’t want my actions to reflect poorly on you.”

She tugged on his hand in return, not unlacing her fingers from his, but yanking him as if to get his attention. He couldn’t look at her. He was ashamed of himself.

Ashamed of wanting to go.

Ashamed of wanting to stay.

“This over cheese?” she asked, “I don’t have the world’s most refined palate Kristoff, you don’t have to like everything I do to fit in.”

It was sweet in a way, that she didn’t understand. There was an innocence in her that he could tell had been shattered by whatever happened before he was summoned from the mountains, but it was still there, if a little cautious and broken.

She saw the best in him, he realized. He’d shown her a better picture of him than she’d imagined the night before and she was holding onto it.

It hurt him to think that not hurting her, not taking her without consent was all that it had taken for her to think that he was worth her attentions.

“It’s not the cheese Anna… or, I guess it is.”

He didn’t know how to explain to her that things that were normal for her were completely new for him. That even though she’d shown him to the kitchen today it would take him weeks to remember which hallways to turn down to make his way there.

“I’ve… I’ve never had brie or anything I didn’t make myself or buy at the market after selling something I made myself to get it. I have one room in my house. One. I wear almost the same thing every day. Anna, I know that we need to make this work, but I’m never going to belong here.”

When he looked at her, finally in his expression of the thoughts he’d had all day, feeling like he could meet her eye.

She looked like he’d struck her.

***

He’s making excuses to get away from you.

The peace she’d been struggling to make with her most cynical voice was lost. The memories of the night before where he’d been do ready to try to make things work, where he’d been kind and thoughtful, were wiped away from her thoughts as she shut down.

She felt cold despite the sun, her heart pounded in her chest.

Oh Anna. If only there were someone who loved you.

She felt like she couldn’t breathe. The panic she’d held down so well for her wedding, for the night, for the morning, resurfaced all at once. Her eyes went bleary with tears and she choked on breaths she tried to take as she tried to pull her hand away from his, but he wouldn’t release it.

Her head started to hurt, she could feel a pounding in it and in her chest as she tried to move her hand, tried to breathe, tried to think of anything else but the cold creeping into her bones again.

She felt him then, his hand release hers only for him to move towards her before she could pull away, and then his arms were around her, supporting her.

It was too much and not enough all at once as she fought to breathe again, as she tried to take comfort in the strange staticky feel of the gooseflesh rising on her skin as a reaction to his touch instead of the cold.

He’s holding you.

The kinder part of her mind was the one informing her now, forcing air back into her lungs, making her smell the sweet flowers and the warm bread and notice the look of concern on his face.

Your husband is holding you. You’re scaring him.

She forced herself to breathe through her mouth, a hiccoughing sound coming out as she did so. She leaned into his touch despite the strange feelings than ran through her skin and spine at the contact and breathed.

***

He held her close, pulling her in tight to his chest, letting her head loll a bit against his shoulder as she fought to breathe.

He didn’t understand what came over her, but it had come on suddenly, like a dark cloud. It had been worse than the resignation he’d seen in her in their wedding bed. It was worse because then the act of taking herself out of the situation mentally had seemed to him, like a choice. But whatever had happened to her in the moment before had filled her eyes with a sort of blank numbness that had terrified him.

“It’s okay,” he said, not really knowing if it was, “Breathe Anna. It’s okay.”

He had never hugged anyone other than Sven or his family, and none of them were human. There was something about holding her so close, hearing her breathing, practically feeling the thundering of her racing heart that felt more intimate to him than the kiss they’d shared at the end of their wedding.

Maybe it was because they were alone, and because her emotions were so raw, but the intimacy of it made him stop and think for a moment about his doubts. He didn’t feel like he belonged in the castle, and for all intents and purposes he didn’t. He was common, common as they came, he only made sense as staff, not the husband of a Princess.

Yet, comforting Anna felt right. Holding her through whatever she was experiencing… it felt like what he was meant to do.

You promised you’d try. You want to be a good husband to her, even if you weren’t her choice.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, more into her hair than anything as he turned his head a bit to address her as she breathed.

“I shouldn’t have said that to you. My insecurities shouldn’t stop me from trying to make this work. I meant what I said last night. I think I’m going to like being married to you Anna. I’m going to try to make you happy if I can, and that means letting you try to make me happy too.”

She didn’t calm particularly quickly after he said it, a bit of time passed before he realized, slowly but surely that she was holding him in return, her arms wrapped around him loosely but otherwise still.

“Do you not want to move?” He finally asked, feeling good about the fact that her sobs had stopped.

“No,” she said, her voice small, “I don’t. I’m sorry. I’m not used to people wanting to touch me.”

That, he decided, was what hurt the most.

[vintagedaydreams]

True Love Never Runs Smoothly Part Six (Carlisle)

Part Six for the Carlisle version!

Yes, I know that I usually update Marcus’ story first, but Carlisle’s just came so much easier this time around. So! Treat for those who are following this story arc!

This chapter was not beta’d, nor was it proof read. #Wedielikemenhere

Without further ado – or delay – the Carlisle update.

@kettnerjanea @jelly-fishy-babie @the-graceful-ace @amwolowicz @batsdothings @waxingmoonstone @littlebabybatthings @mauvette268 @sagittarius-flowerchild @katsav17 @batsuperflashmartianwonderman @imyourapocalypse @bethanymccauley @bepo-is-sorry @raindancer2004 @ashiemochi @artaxerxesthegreat @bloodsweatandsnapple

  You were not in a good place. Okay, physically, you were in a beautiful room in an ancient castle in Italy, but mentally and emotionally? You were just this side of traumatized.

Realistically, you knew that vampires drank from humans. And realistically, you knew that not all vampires enjoyed your company, (the last few weeks in Forks had been testament enough to that), but to have a vampire attack you and try to drain you while in said beautiful and ancient castle in Italy?

Not cool.

Very scary.

All you wanted to do was go home. Go home and seriously forget that anything remotely supernatural existed. Your life would be so much easier. So much…quieter.

That’s what you wanted. Quieter. Easier.

And that’s why you were leaving. Today. Screw any diplomatic anything. You were out.

You were changing back into the clothes you wore here, since you didn’t want to take anything that wasn’t yours and never packed anything for this sudden trip, when a knock resounded through the room.

You froze, not sure if you wanted to scream or cry.

Couldn’t they just leave you alone?

“Come in,” you finally sighed, tugging your shirt on and plopping down on the bed.

The door opened and Aro glided in. Literally glided in. How the man wasn’t gay was still a mystery to you. He was the most feminine vampire you’d met so far – including Rosalie.

“Cara mia!” came the delighted exclamation, as if he hadn’t seen you in years. “How are you doing?”

You crossed your arms, more as a comfort gesture than any hostility.

“Fine, all things considering,” you said after a moment.

Aro’s happy smile faded and he nodded, gesturing to the bed next to you for permission to sit.

As much as you would have liked to decline, it was his castle after all. So you grudgingly nodded.

“It is the ‘all things considering’ that I’d like to talk to you about,” the flamboyant monarch said after he had seated himself with more pomp and circumstance than you were sure was necessary. You were just a human after all.

When you didn’t say anything further – honestly, you were a little scared about what he was going to say next – he continued on.

“My brothers and I have been talking and we do not feel that an Innocent such as yourself should be made to suffer from the side effects of a Neglected Bond.”

Your stomach twisted uncomfortably.

“And….what does that mean?” you whispered after a few minutes of Aro just sitting there, staring at you.

“It means that we have come up with two solutions to your…predicament. You are free to choose whichever solution you desire, though I am sure that with your spirit and your independence, you are not going to like either one. However, in a situation like this, with these players and these circumstances, these were the only two solutions that my brothers and I could come to any sort of agreement on.”

You waited with baited breath and Aro seemed to gather his thoughts.

Which you knew was bullshit. The man was a three thousand year old vampire – he didn’t need to stop and gather shit. He knew exactly what he wanted to say and how he was going to say it.

Dramatic asshole.

“What are the choices?” you finally ground out, tired of waiting and breaking the silence first.

“First,” Aro started, all business and any earlier levity gone, “you must promise to chose and abide by one of these choices. It is not only out of duty as Rulers, but also out of concern, that we have set these decisions. We are giving you freedom to choose, which is something that very few beings get. You have the ability to choose whichever path you feel is better for you, but you will have to obey the stipulations that come with each choice to the letter. Any variance that we are alerted to, and we will choose your fate. Do you understand?”

You gulped, not used to being on the receiving end of this kind of attention from such a powerful being.

“Y-yes,” you swallowed, heart kicking up a few notches as your imagination started to run wild. Everything from being turned by the end of the day, to dying as a human, filled your mind.

“Now, cara mia,” Aro soothed, voice honey sweet and more affectionate now, “know that we have your best interests in mind. Neither choice was meant to hurt or inconvenience you, but rather to help you. A Neglected Bond is not a pleasant thing to go through. And while you should – hopefully – feel less of the symptoms since you are human, there will be some side effects all the same and those may affect you more drastically since you are human.”

You gave a shaky nod, eyes wide and heart hammering.

“The first choice,” Aro started, manner again businesslike, “is to stay here in Volterra. My brothers and I have been around for collectively, around nine thousand years, give or take a few centuries. We have gathered a lot of information and ‘tricks of the trade’ so to speak, and have a few ways around some of the more nasty effects of the Bond. We also have members of our Guard that can help as well, making us a rather indispensable resource for those Neglected.”

You weren’t sure what your face was doing, but it must have been telling enough, for Aro gave a small chuckle that was devoid of humor.

“I didn’t think that would be the route you wanted to take.”

You couldn’t help the blush that spread across your cheeks.

“It’s not that I’m not grateful,” you started hastily, not wanting to offend the vampire that had been ridiculously good to you since you came here. You just didn’t want to stay here any longer! Nothing with them, but this place…it just reminded you too much of all this Bond catastrophe.

At least at home, you could try and pretend your life was normal. Much easier to go back to what you were doing before, than try to carve some normalcy out of an ancient vampire castle.

“Rest assured, Young One,” Aro said with a friendly pat to your hand, “I am not offended. I understand your reasoning. Like I said, I did not think that you would want to stay here. However, I am almost certain you will not find the decision so easy to make once you hear of the second option.

Your other choice is to return home, but to have daily contact with the Cullens – Carlisle more frequent that the rest.”

Now you knew what your face was doing – it had to match the rage and betrayal that was rushing hot and heavy under your skin.

“Of all the dirty, underhanded tricks!” you snarled. “You know how they have treated me, how he has treated me and now one of your stipulations is that I am in constant contact with them?! How is that not going to harm me?! How is that having my best interests at heart?!”

A loud, deep growl sounded out from the vampire in front of you and all of your rage fled in the face of pitch black eyes and bared fangs.

“It is because we have your best interests at heart that we are making you choose between these two paths, Y/N,” Aro growled loudly, sounding more predatory and…monstrous, that you had ever heard any vampire sound. Even the one that had attacked you in the corridor.

It looked as if his control was hanging by a thread and you felt a fission of fear run through you.

“It does not please me to think of you back in Forks, with the coven that is responsible for your current condition. However, Marcus seems to think that you would do well, flourish even, back at home where you have some comfort and confidence.”

The way his voice snapped towards the end made you think that if it were up to Aro, you wouldn’t have a choice and you would be staying in Volterra. Permanently.

Which almost sounded like a better idea.

“You will need to decide soon, cara mia,” Aro’s voice broke through your thoughts, once again sounding soothing and affectionate.

You looked up and were met with ruby red eyes.

“The Cullen Coven is heading back to Forks later tonight – after dark. If you are wanting to return to Forks, it must be with them. Otherwise, if you are staying here, we can make sure you have ample time to say your goodbyes to Bella and young Edward.”

You worried your lip between your teeth – Aro was right. The choice was not quite so easy once you were aware of both choices!

And they really weren’t giving you a lot of time to make a decision either. No rush. You just had a few hours to decide your future and how exactly you wanted to negate some of the nastier affects of the Bond.

You frowned.

“Aro? You’ve explained to me how staying here in Volterra would help with the Bond’s affects, but how would me going with the Cullens and seeing Carlisle almost every day help if he’s the reason behind the Bond being affected like this?”

“Even though my dear friend is the cause of this, his very presence will help stabilize the Bond. While the Bond can read intent, it takes awhile and for the most part, at least at the beginning, close proximity to your Intended can and will relieve the symptoms. Simply being around someone from Carlisle’s venom every day and the vampire himself at least every couple, should satisfy the Bond for now.”

“For now?” you echoed warily. “Then what happens?”

Aro hummed, a small smile lighting his face. “That is for another time.”

At your indignant protest, he held up a cold, marble hand and said firmly, “There is a very strong chance that Later will never happen in this situation. Rest assured, we will be monitoring everything and should it get to the point where we need to step in for your safety and health, we will. But it’s best to not even get into that until the time comes. Unnecessary worry solves nothing, Y/N.”

You gave a slight glare, but let it go. If the man didn’t want to tell you, there was nothing you could say or do that would make him tell you. Though, you didn’t think that knowing all the facts about something that was affecting you negatively right now was ‘unnecessary worrying’. More like ‘smart battle tactics’.

Damn dramatic vampires, always having to keep you in the dark about something.

Would it kill them to actually be forthcoming about something before it became an issue?

Probably.

But no matter. Right now, you had a decision to make. Stay here in Volterra, never see your home or work or friends again and have some vampire voodoo make it to where your Neglected Bond was manageable or go back home to your house, work and friends but have to stay in constant contact with the group of vampires that pretty much made your life a living Hell for the last few weeks.

Both of these choices sucked.

“Why can’t I just go live in England by myself for the rest of my life?” you muttered on a sigh, running a hand through your hair.

It would make your life so much easier – consequences of a Neglected Bond be damned.

“Caius will be pleased to know that you are not a fan of either my choice or Marcus’,” Aro commented lightly from beside you and you gave him a Look.

“Good for Caius,” you deadpanned, feeling a well of frustration bubbled up inside of you. Vampires did remember that human brains couldn’t compute and think things as quickly as vampire brains could, right? Like, humans were much slower at everything. Including decision making. (The fact that you were naturally a procrastinator didn’t matter right now.)

Aro suddenly stood, making you startle and look up at him.

“I will leave you to it, Y/N. A guard is stationed outside your door – simply notify them when you have come to a decision and they were notify the proper people.”

“Thanks,” you said automatically, mind already racing through the pros and cons of each decision, feeling the deadline moving steadily closer.

Damn vampires!

-----

So, never again were you going to make life altering decisions about your mental and emotional health on so limited a time frame.

Your bottom lip was bleeding from you chewing through it and you were pretty sure your hair could win a country music award with how much it was all over the place from you pulling at it and running your hands through it.

But you did it.

You had come to a conclusion.

It wasn’t easy and you hoped to never have such a sucky choice again in your life, but you did it.

You would be going home to Forks with Edward, Bella and the Betrayers Six.

As much as being in Volterra would probably be better for you in the long run, right now you needed familiarity. Stability. And your own bed.

The rest would sort itself out.

Besides, you were supposed to be in contact with someone who shared Carlisle’s venom every day. Edward would fill that void just fine.

And then every couple of days, Carlisle could…stand on the back porch or something.

As long as he was close, that should satisfy the Bond. Probably. Maybe. Perhaps. You really needed some more information on this.

Especially if it was going to dictate your foreseeable future.

With a gusty sigh, you straightened your spine and headed to the door to alert your guard you were going home.

Hopefully, you could find Edward and Bella before having to see the rest of the Cullens.

After alerting your guard as to your plans, you were instructed to stay in your room until someone could come fetch you.

Fetch you? Out of everyone in this castle, you were not the one acting like a child!

But you agreed and took a seat on your bed again.

This was actually helping you to realize you made the right decision. If you stayed in Volterra, you wouldn’t be able to stay in your room 24/7. You’d go insane!

A knock sounded at the door and then Edward entered.

“Eddie!” you exclaimed in legitimate relief and joy, hopping off the bed and running to hug him.

A normal person!

Well, as close to normal as any vampire could get at this point.

A low chuckle echoed through the room and you couldn’t help your entire body relax. It just felt so good to be with someone familiar!

“Make sure you don’t touch Aro on the way to the plane,” Edward said with a huff of laughter. “You’ll end up hurting his feelings at your anxiousness to get away.”

You pulled back enough to see Edward’s face, your mouth opening to deny that you were that anxious to get away – Aro had been so good to you, the last thing you wanted to do was hurt his feelings! – but Edward gave you a crooked grin, beating you to it with a soft, “Teasing, Y/N. Aro knows you are just happy to get home.”

You scrunched your nose up at Edward; he would tease you right now.

But it worked and you felt yourself feeling more like yourself than you had in weeks.

You could do this. It was going to suck, especially at first, but you could it.

“Everyone is ready and waiting by the jet,” Edward said quietly as he ushered you out the door and down the hallway. “I thought we would arrive last and then we could leave as soon as we get there without having to wait for anybody.”

You nodded in thanks, squeezing his arm in gratitude.

“Bella is already there?”

“Yes,” Edward confirmed, “she’s holding her own against them. I think she was honestly excited for me to leave and get you – she’s been dying to have some ‘quality time’ with everyone. I guess the last time she yelled at them wasn’t enough for her.”

You gave a snort of amusement, so thankful to have the support of both Edward and Bella. They really were going to be your rocks through this.

It didn’t take long for you and Edward to come up on the jet. The rest of the Cullen Coven were standing fairly close together, though you noticed Jasper and Alice a bit farther away from the group.

Bella stood farthest away, facing the golden eyed vampires with her hands on her hips.

You seriously loved that woman.

“She’s taken,” Edward murmured to you with a grin and you rolled your eyes and shot back, “You’re a lucky bastard.”

Edward’s chuckle was drowned out by the starting of the jet’s engines. The Cullens slowly began migrating to the ramp leading up to the jet, giving Bella a wide berth to your great amusement.

To your surprise, though you weren’t sure why it surprised you, Aro was there to see you off.

“My brothers would have loved to be here as well,” he assured you and you fought not to roll your eyes. You could just bet. “However, they are needed for a sudden, unexpected trial. I did want to see you off before I go and join them; do be careful and remember what we discussed, alright?”

You gave a small smile, not really enjoying the reminder of the whole ‘listen to our rules or we’ll decide your fate’ thing, but…it was nice to know that you had a group of people watching out for you.

You untangled your arm from Edward’s and walked the few steps forward to give Aro a hug. He really had been amazing to you since your arrival days ago.

“Thank you,” you murmured into his chest as his arms came up to wrap around you as well.

“Of course, Cara Mia,” he returned, giving you a last gentle squeeze before you took a step back. “You are an honorary Vampire and one of us now,” he continued with a smirk. “Please, do come visit us soon – no matter the outcome of your Bond.”

You gave a soft laugh, seriously touched that he seemed to give two figs about you.

“You can count on it, Aro. Thank you.”

The King bowed his head and then called to the small number of guards in the area before making his leave.

Edward came back up to you and gently steered you towards the plane where the ‘family’ of vampires who had made your life Hell for weeks, hated your guts for something completely out of your control, and then suddenly tried to get in your good graces after a scolding from vampire royalty, were waiting.

What an amazingly awkward plane ride this was going to be.

[ikeromantic]

A Kasugayama Christmas Carol

I think this is what happens when you’re playing ikesen on your phone and watching A Christmas Carol. I have no other excuse. This bit of holiday fluff is 3700 words (yes. omg)

Starring: 

Kenshin Uesugi as The Scrooge

MC as ‘the assistant’ or Cratchit

Shingen Takeda as Tiny ‘Tim’

Yukimura Saneda as Nephew ‘Fred’

and Sasuke as all Ghosts 

Kenshin did not like celebrations. They were a waste of time. Efforts could be better spent on war: preparing for war, training for battle, making swords and armor, building walls . . . And yet, every year in the dead of winter his assistant always wanted to celebrate. “It’s a holiday,” she would whine and ask for time off. Try to decorate. Make fancy food. What a waste.

This year, he decided it was enough. This year, no one would have a good time. Scrooge them, he thought. So he was ready when the girl from the future waltzed into his office, hands full of ribbons and origami stars. 

“You will get those out of my sight,” Kenshin ordered. His mismatched eyes were small and cold, and very cruel.

His assistant winced. “But Kenshin - can’t we have just a little celebration? I’ll even bring you some pickled plums and special sake.”

She was good, he thought. Tempting him like this. “That sounds - wait, no! You get back to your desk and work on those intelligence reports. I want to know who we’re fighting in the spring. How many warriors I’ll need to muster. How many swords . . .” Just thinking about the coming battles made him feel a little better.

It didn’t seem to make the girl any happier, but Kenshin didn’t feel at all responsible for her joy. She could cheer up and do her work, or do her work with a frown. 

Her head dropped, the smile falling from her face. The expression of pure disappointment almost made Kenshin change his mind - afterall, would it hurt so much to have a bit of cheer in the castle? But no. He was a man that never lost a battle. Not even a battle of wills.

It was well after dark when the girl stuck her head into his office again. “K-Kenshin? Sir?”

He looked up from his battle diagrams. “Yes?”

“C-could I go home now? It’s a holiday and - and my friends are waiting for me. I was supposed to get off work two hours ago but I was trying to finish everything first. I-It’s just too much for one day. Sir.” The words tumbled out of her mouth in a flood. 

“You can leave when you’re done.” Kenshin bent back down over his own work, annoyed at the disruption. 

He heard the girl slide the ricepane panel shut, her tread slow as she returned to her desk. “I pay her too much,” he muttered. “Such defiance. Deserves nothing.” But as he thought it, he remembered he didn’t actually pay her at all. She’d been a chatelaine for his enemies - he captured her, brought her back and, well, she had to have something to keep her busy. So all in all, hiring her was a pretty good investment.

Midnight neared and it was only then that the girl wearily stood, stretched her arms and back, and then trudged toward Kenshin’s office. This time she didn’t even open the door. “I finished,” she told him. Her voice was low and weary. Exhausted. 

“Then I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow to start on the next batch!”

“Lord Kenshin . . . please . . . could I have tomorrow off to spend with my friends? I - I mentioned it’s a holiday?” Her pleading took on a desperate note. 

“I suppose you’ll be spending it with those other poor fools. Tiny Shingen and my nephew Yuki. Wasting a whole day to make merry!”

She squeaked something that sounded like a yes. 

Kenshin frowned. This wasn’t what he liked hearing. Normally, her voice was sweet. He liked to hear it call out to him through the day, masking irritants like chirping crickets or squawking birds. She knew his tastes very well . . . “Gah, fine! Take the day off! But it’s coming out of your salary.”

“My Lord, you don’t pay me. So . . . I guess I’ll see you the day after tomorrow?” 

“I said so, didn’t I?” He tapped his fingers on the desk in annoyance. He’d like to give her one last, good glare before she took off but the door was shut. 

“Th-thank you, my lord! Have a h-happy holiday!” Her rapid footsteps, almost skipping across the boards gave the lie to her earlier exhaustion.

“I should work her harder,” Kenshin muttered. “Then she wouldn’t have time to make friends besides me. I mean - that she would miss because she’s busy working. I don’t have friends.” 

The lonely warlord eventually put his own work away and settled down for a nightcap. Warm sake and some pickled plums. Then he went to his room, dressed for bed, and lay down. Usually, he’d fall asleep as soon as his head met the mat, but tonight he just couldn’t seem to get settled. 

Wind made the branches outside creak, and the window panes rattled. Eventually though, his eyes drifted shut. Welcoming darkness. Dreams he would not remember come morning. Or so he thought.

Ghost of Sasuke

No sooner had Kenshin began to drift into dreamland than he was woken by the clanking of heavy chains and a grumbly voice. 

“Keeeenshiiiiiiin,” the disembodied voice groaned. And the clanking grew louder and closer.

The warlord’s eyes went wide and he stood, grabbing his beloved sword Himetsuru Ichimonji. “Who’s there,” he shouted, swinging the blade in a wide arc.

“It’s me. Sasuke. Don’t you remember me, Kenshin?”

And then in the darkness, a face materialized. Glasses, fluffy brown hair, and a pale green neck scarf.

“What’s wrong with you? Why do you look so pale? And your skin . . .” Sasuke’s skin gave off a pale glow. Kenshin pointed the tip of his sword at the ninja.

“I died, Kenshin! Because of youuuuuuuu . . .” The Sasuke-ghost wailed, and his hands shot out of the darkness to grab at Kenshin’s nightrobe. 

The warlord scrambled back, away from the spirit. “No! That’s not possible. I think I’d remember if you died.”

“Your training . . . killed me,” the Sasuke-ghost whispered.

Kenshin shook his head. He had trained Sasuke hard - hard enough to turn him into one of the best ninja in a generation. But he hadn’t killed him. Had he?

The ghost came closer, chains clanking. “Now, because of you, I am bound for eternity to suffer. Because I went along with all your violent schemes. I enjoyed war too . . . and now I will pay for it. Forever!” 

“I don’t believe a word,” Kenshin growled. “You’re not really here. This is just a bit of undigested plum. An upset stomach from a bad batch of sake. Spirits aren’t real. And my ninja isn’t dead!”

“It doesn’t matter if you believe me or not.” The spirit drew back into the darkness, disappearing from sight. “I only came to warn you, Kenshin. Tonight, you will be visited by three ghosts. The completely original and definitely not trademarked Ghost of Holidays Past, Present, and Future. You must listen to them. Or else.”

Kenshin laughed coldly. “I am not afraid of you, spirit. Or these . . . not . . . trademarked . . . ghosts. Let them come!”

There was no answer. 

The warlord waited, crouched and tense. Nothing else happened. Tired and even more annoyed, he went back to bed. “Have to stop eating pickled plums so late at night,” he murmured. Then rolled over and tried to get back to sleep.

Ghost of Holidays Past

His eyes barely shut when a strange laugh startled him awake again. 

“Ho ho ho,” the laughter boomed, and a finger tapped Kenshin on the shoulder.

The warlord leapt up and started to reach for his sword, but the absurd sight in front of him stopped him in his tracks. A face that seemed old and young all at once, with a beam of light pointed up from its head. He thought for a moment that it was Sasuke again - the thing had glasses on, just like the ninja, but this spirit wore a strange gown and wide, dangerous smile. 

“Who - what are you?” Kenshin inched away from the thing, beginning to feel a bit nervous.

“Didn’t I - I mean, Sasuke, warn you I was coming? I am the Ghost of Holidays Past, Kenshin. And I have come to show you things you’ve forgotten.”

The warlord got to his feet. “I haven’t forgotten anything. So you can leave. I am tired and I want to go to bed now.”

“Oh, I think not Uesugi. You are coming with me.” And the spirit grabbed his hand. The thing’s skin was cold and clammy, like holding to a fish. It led Kenshin out of his room and into a bright-lit hallway. There, people were wasting time and making merry. There were bunnies with colorful ribbons on their necks, and a girl . . .

Kenshin gasped. For a moment she looked like his assistant - the Oda captive and timetraveler. But then he realized it was Isehime. And the boy beside her - was him? It was hard to tell. The face was young and he couldn’t make out the eyes but . . . the boy was wearing his clothes and playing with Isehime and the rabbits. They were laughing together. 

“Do you remember now? The joyful times you had before?”

Kenshin blinked. He absolutely was not crying. It was just dust and the bright light. Yes. He scrubbed a hand over his face and turned to the spirit. “I don’t want to see this anymore. I’m going to bed.”

The Sasuke-similar Ghost of Holidays Past nodded. “I can’t force you to watch. But I think perhaps I’ve jogged a memory loose.” He let go of the warlord’s hand.

Kenshin stumbled back to his room and slid the door shut. What an awful vision that had been! His memories of Isehime came rushing back - all of the good times they had before cruelty and politics ended their youth. Had it been worth it to waste all that time in fun? He shook his head. No. No. That was for children too foolish to know better.

“Enough, spirits,” he growled as he got back into his futon. “I don’t want you showing me anything else.”

Ghost of Holidays Present

Kenshin’s order barely left his lips before another spirit arrived. Just like the last one, it wore glasses too. But this one had a big, bushy beard and a round belly.

“Ho ho ho! I am the Ghost of Holidays Present, here to show you what you’re missing!” The spirit stopped speaking for a moment to adjust his beard. It was slipping sideways as he spoke. “We have a journey tonight, Uesugi. Now come on!” The ghost leapt onto the window sill and held his hand out.

“This is foolish,” Kenshin grumbled. But he stood up and took the spirit’s hand anyway. “You aren’t going to show me anymore visions of . . . her - of Isehime - are you?”

“No. That was past. This is present. You see, the time-differential really isn’t that complex when you take into account the potential for flexion in dimensional space as relates to - ah - I mean, ho ho ho! Let’s uh, go!” The ghost grabbed the offered hand and pulled Kenshin out the window.

“Are you sure you aren’t my ninja?” Kenshin asked, eyeing the spirit as it led him through Kasugayama.

“Who me? No! I’m just your friendly neighborhood ghost.” He poked his round belly. “Your ninja isn’t fat like I am right?” He *carefully* tugged his beard. “And he doesn’t have a beard, right?”

“That is true,” Kenshin agreed. “Just when you were talking. It sounded like the nonsense he says sometimes.

“It’s not nonsense,” the ghost began, but stopped to point. Ahead, there was an open window. Warm lantern-light spilled out onto the snowy ground. Inside, Kenshin could see his assistant. Only . . . she was beautiful. Her hair was down and she was smiling so brightly it made his heart clench in his chest. 

“What - what is this? What are you showing me, spirit?”

“Kenshin, this is the holiday-that-is. Watch.” The ghost let go of his hand.

A figure came up behind the girl, a large man with light brown hair and grey eyes. Kenshin remembered him - a former warrior everyone called Tiny Shingen - a joke, as he was not at all small. He was smiling too. Kenshin’s assistant turned around to look at him and Shingen lifted her up, starting to spin her around. But he stopped, pain twisting his smile into a pained grimace. He began to cough and grabbed at his chest.

“Oh, Shingen. I’m so sorry. If only I had more . . . firewood, yes, firewood to ah, to keep our little home warm. Then you wouldn’t cough so!” She went to a small stove and picked up a kettle to pour Tiny Shingen a cup of tea. 

Another man entered the room - one Kenshin knew all to well. His always cheerful nephew Yuki. He was Kenshin’s last living relative, but honestly, the warlord couldn’t stand him. He was always giving away things and being . . . kind. Not the type of behaviour a war-focused warrior ought to be engaging in. Seeing him here made Kenshin think the boy had too much free time on his hands. He ought to make him train more. Maybe send him out scouting . . .

The girl gave Yuki a hug and he squeezed her tight. The sight sent a dangerous current through Kenshin. No one ought to be touching her like that. So intimately. She was his captive! His assistant! But . . . she looked so pleased. Had she ever smiled at Kenshin that way?

The three of them huddled around the small stove for warmth. But they all looked so happy. Chatting and laughing. As if even this meager life was worth living. 

Kenshin couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed from joy or pleasure. Or hugged. He wondered if he still knew how. He tried out a ‘happy’ laugh. It sounded like a dry cough. Worse than Tiny Shingen.

“Um, what was that?” The ghost gave him a side-eyed glance.

“Nothing.”

“Ah, right then. I think that’s enough. Let’s go back to your room.” The spirit turned to go.

Kenshin grabbed his sleeve. “Wait! Tell me, spirit. Is this really happening? Or is it just a vision, like what I saw from my past?”

The ghost nodded. “It is really happening. Right now. These people are celebrating and joyful, just to be together. Even though you’ve denied them so much . . .”

Kenshin nodded slowly. Perhaps . . . war wasn’t the only thing. He could try to relax. Just on holidays. Maybe pay his assistant. Or. Give her a hug. He smiled at the thought. It might even be pleasant. 

When he got to his window, he stopped and asked the ghost. “Is there one more of these visits tonight? I - I think I’d like to see more of my assistant.” He wasn’t sure why he felt hesitant to ask, but these sights stirred something uncomfortable in him.

“There will be one more visit, Kenshin Uesugi. One more spirit. The Ghost of Holidays Future.” And then in a sudden poof of smoke, the Ghost of Holidays Present was gone.

Kenshin climbed back into his room through the window and sat down on his futon to wait. He was almost excited. 

Ghost of Holidays Yet To Come

Kenshin did not have long to wait. There was a rustling outside his window. When he turned his head to look, all he could see was darkness.

“Come, Kenshin Uesugi. I have things to show you.” The voice came out of the darkness, echoing and cold. Nothing like the previous ghosts of the night.

Still, Kenshin really wanted to see more of his assistant. What she would be doing the next year, for example. Perhaps this ghost could show him a future where Kenshin and the girl played with ribboned rabbits and hugged each other. 

He stepped out into the darkness. In it, he could just make out a form. Heavy robes covered the body, and over the face, a mask. Horned, with bulging eyes and sharp fangs. Like a shinigami, he thought. But he was Kenshin, God of War. Demons did not scare him.

The ghost said nothing, only turned and began to walk.

“Should I follow? Where are we going?” Kenshin hurried after the spirit.

There was no reply. But soon, it became apparent where they were headed. Out of the darkness, a crowd of stone monuments and the gentle slopes of ancient kofun. 

Kenshin stopped. “Wait, spirit. Why are we going to visit graves? Aren’t you supposed to show me holidays?”

The ghost turned and from the depths of its sleeves rose a bony hand, fingers curled in a universal come-hither gesture. 

Feeling unnerved, and wishing he’d brought his sword, Kenshin continued on. Into the dark graveyard. The figure stopped before a fresh dug grave, the marker laying on it’s side nearby. 

The ghost took a lantern from its vest and lit it with a flick of its fingers. In that dim, flickering light, the warlord could just make out the characters carved into stone. Uesugi Kenshin. 

“What? No! I am the undefeated God of War. Nothing can kill me. I should know. I’ve tried.” He put a hand to his mouth surprised by the honesty this spirit coaxed from him. He looked up at it. “What - what is it that kills me? Poison? An assassin? Sickness?”

“Bitterness,” rasped the cold voice. And it gestured to several fresh graves nearby. On them, Kenshin could make out the names of his assistant, and her friends. His nephew Yuki. Tiny Shingen. And Sasuke. 

“Then. This is all my fault?” He knew he’d caused countless deaths on his many campaigns. Soldiers that came to his banner, and numberless enemies. But this was different. If the spirit was right, they would die because of the flaw in his soul - not from some hostile force. 

He swallowed, feeling again the hot sting of unshed tears. “Why do you show me this? Do you think I can change? I have reasons! I have lost . . . so much. If I open my heart again, then what?”

The spirit gestured with a bony finger back toward Kasugayama. There, silhouetted against the city’s lanterns, the form of a girl. His lovely assistant. Could things be different between them? Could he learn to be more than her captor and taskmaster? Kenshin wasn’t sure, but he decided in that moment to try. He was, afterall, the undefeated God of War. It would be ironic if he was his own undoing.

“I think I understand,” he said wearily. “I want to change. I do. I don’t know how but . . . I will try.”

“And you will have help,” the ghost said quietly, in a voice so like Sasuke that it made Kenshin look twice. It laid a hand on the warlord’s shoulder. “Now go home and sleep. Dawn comes.”

Kenshin obeyed. He felt bone-tired, his chest hollow with regret. 

Holiday Epilogue

The morning dawned bright and early. Kenshin woke to the song of birds, and the bustle of the castle. He felt energized. Purposeful. He got up and put on his best clothes, then began summoning servants. There were so many things to get done! Food, wine, music - and decorations! Yes! 

His vassals clearly thought he’d lost his mind, but they knew better than to disobey. His years of harshness served him well in organizing a feast - and not just for his vassals. For the whole town. He wanted everyone to celebrate with him- on this new day, where anything could happen.

When the people gathered and began filling their plates, a gentle sweet voice spoke up behind him.

“Kenshin. Did you really set all this up?” 

The warlord turned, and there she stood. The captured Oda princess, his assistant - no, if he was honest, his slave. But no more. He knelt and took her hand. “I am so sorry for all I have put you through. Today - today is the first step in making it up to you.” He turned his mismatched eyes from her hand up to her gaze. She was wide-eyed, cheeks pink. “Can you forgive me,” he asked.

“I already did,” she smiled. And there it was. That brilliant warmth that made his heart pound. 

“You are too good for this world,” he sighed. “I want you to know - if you want to leave, you can. But if you stay . . . if you stay, I’d like to treat you like a princess. An Uesugi princess.”

She pursed her lips, thinking. “I don’t want to go. I have friends here now. But, what about them? Tiny Shingen needs medical care. And Yuki - he needs etiquette lessons and some time in a hot bath -”

“What did you say, boar woman?” Yukimura shouted at them from across the courtyard, where the feast was laid out. 

Kenshin stood. “Nephew! Come here! I want to apologize.”

“No thanks! I uh, already forgive you too! But I prefer to stay out of stabby range.” Yuki chuckled as he said it, but he didn’t get any closer. 

The girl smiled and squeezed Kenshin’s hand. “It will take time to show him you changed.”

The warlord nodded. “I suppose it will. But in the meantime - I will have the best doctors look after Shingen. Is that . . . alright?”

“I’m sure Shingen will appreciate that,” she replied.

“Is that a goddess with my name on her lips,” asked Shingen as he stepped out into the courtyard. 

Kenshin felt a spike of jealousy, but he took a breath and smiled. “Please don’t flirt with my assistant. Just . . . go get some sweets and wait for the doctors to arrive.”

Shingen’s smile was wide. “I haven’t even started to flirt, Kenny. But alright. I am feeling peckish. I’ll be back later to see how my angel fares.”

Sasuke flipped down from a nearby roof to land in a one-knee crouch, superhero style right in front of his lord. “I might have a better idea for Shingen’s care my lord. If I can offer.”

“I thought you were dead. I saw your ghost.” Kenshin reached out and grabbed Sasuke’s cheek, pinching it. “You feel real enough though.”

For some reason, Shingen and the girl were laughing. Yuki was too, from his spot across the yard. 

“I assure you - I am very muth alive. Pleath let go of my cheek.”

Kenshin released his ninja. “So you are. You can tell me all about this idea later. Today, we celebrate. It is . . . a holiday.” And he smiled down at his assistant, who still held one of his hands.