#i have a great deal of fondness for this man and i will not agonize over this the way i did over the first engineer :)

[thebirdandhersong]

something hilariously ironic and somehow kind of sweet: this is the first time I've ever received flowers from a boy in my LIFE. this is the first time, and they aren't from my ex-boyfriend (the thought never crossed his mind) or my father or my brother..... the FIRST TIME I've ever received intentional flowers from a boy, it's from boy problem no 2. 😂😂😂😂😂 like what on earth!!!!!

[feyhunter78]

The Innocent's Folly pt. 5

Description: Daemon brings Aemond a gift, and you find familiar comfort in Jacaerys

Previous chapter, Next chapter

It’s been three agonizing days and three sleepless nights since you were stolen from him by Rhaenyra’s eldest annoyance. He’s awoken from his sleep, the morning sun breaking, to yet another day where he is alone. Your warmth is no longer there, your body no longer pressed against his, even your scent seems to be rapidly disappearing from the sheets at a rate Aemond knows is not possible.

That strange call that could only belong to his uncle’s dragon pierces the air, and he’s soon rushed into the great hall, his father beaming at Daemon’s return.

Daemon turned on his heel when Aemond entered, a machiavellian smile on his face. “Ah, my dear nephew, just the boy I wished to see.”

His mother is trying her best to hide her uneasiness, and his grandsire is barely restraining his anger.

“Uncle, it is an honor.” He said, noting the dark canvas sack Daemon held in one hand.

“I have recently been by to visit my niece at Dragonstone and found your wife once more in her company.” He tilted his chin up, a gleeful light in his eyes. “It reminded me that I had forgotten to give you a wedding gift.”

“That is not necessary, Uncle, your presence was a gift itself.” Aemond said calmly, he admired the ruthless man before him, but he did not trust him.

Daemon shook his head. “No, in my short visit I had grown fond of your little wife. Such a chatty thing, is she not?” There was a cutting undertone to his words that no one but Aemond’s father missed. “So, I thought I would welcome her to the family and gift you both this.”

He dumped the contents of the sack at Aemond’s feet.

Out rolled a head of dark hair, piercing green eyes, now dead and dull, stared up at him.

Aemond swallowed hard, and he heard his mother gasp, the sound of Sir Criston’s armor clanking as he rushed to her aid. “My wife asked for Alys’ death?”

Daemon chuckled. “Gods, no, the sight was quite frightening to her, drove her right into the arms of her sweet Jacaerys, as she’s taken to calling him.” He dropped the sack on the ground as well. “Though she did not ask for it, I knew it needed to be done. Witches are a plague.”

Aemond sat in his chambers, staring blankly into the fire. He felt nothing when he looked upon Alys’ severed head, truthfully, he had felt nothing but lust when he looked at her whole. It was the reason he procured whores instead of flying to the Riverlands to meet her.

It was a hassle to fly out there, he told himself. Not wanting to believe that he wished to stay in y/n’s embrace instead, that he wished to hear the details of her day instead of scheme with Alys.

That usurper Jacaerys claimed he was duty bound to take y/n away, that it was the honorable thing to do. He knew the Strong boy had always had his eye on y/n, but he never thought she would go willingly. She couldn’t have, he decided.

His heart was an open wound, painful, and bleeding. He would not be able to stanch the flow if he allowed himself to accept that y/n had gone willingly. That she had left him and taken his son with her.

 He was unsure of why the thought stung so deeply, and refused to believe that it had anything to do with the fact that no matter how hard he tried, it was her face he saw when he finished. Her voice he wished to hear, her skin he wished was beneath his fingers.

His mother’s entrance into his chambers knocked him from his reminiscing.

“Aemond I—” She cut herself off, shaking her head. “The blood has been cleaned, the head removed, we must deal with this situation before it spirals further out of our control.”

“What would you have me do?” Aemond asked, trying to smother his pain with the cold comfort of duty.

“Nothing right at this moment. I will need to confer with your grandsire, and perhaps your father.” She pursed her lips, then spoke again. “I hoped that perhaps you were happy, that you wanted y/n and the child, your child, she is carrying, but I see I was wrong to hope.”

He wished to rip out the bleeding, beating thing in his chest, to stop the ache from further spreading. She wasn’t wrong, he was just a fool.

“I have done what was asked of me.” He said, diving further into duty, into that place of black and white, where his emotions held no sway over his mind.

His mother moved closer to him, her hand cupping his cheek. “I am sorry, Aemond. You never should have been put in this position.” Her hand dropped and she turned to leave. “But you are a man. One who claims to have honor, and yet you have dishonored your wife, and your family. Think on that as you picture what joys and pleasures Rhaenyra’s family will be plying y/n with to get her to stay.”

Aemond stared at his mother’s back, images of his sweet wife writhing underneath Jacaerys making his stomach lurch.

You’d first taken to following your lady around as you once did, happy to be back in her service, but after Prince Daemon had presented you with the dead body of Alys, you found yourself clinging to Jacaerys.

When her head was thrown at your feet, you screamed, stomach lurching, as you scrambled to get away from the bloodied corpse.

Jacaerys had come to your rescue, taking you into his arms, tucking your face into his neck as he berated his uncle for scaring you so. He smelled of evergreens and dragon, a scent so uniquely him and as comforting as it had been when you were younger. His arms were strong, his skin warm, and his hand rubbed your back soothingly as you waited for Daemon to take his prize away.

“All is well, dear heart, soon it will be gone.” He whispered, your heart fluttering at the use of his childhood nickname for you.

You stayed in his arms, holding him tightly, until a loud cough separated you and Lord Harwin shot Jacaerys a look.

Jacaerys escorted you back to your temporary quarters, lingering in the doorway until you invited him in. It was nice, talking with him again, you’d been so lonely, and now you were in a castle full of the people you loved. Not all the people you loved, though.

You still found yourself thinking of Aemond, reaching for him when you awoke. Then you remembered the dagger to your heart that was the day you left. The way he so carelessly discarded you and left you to go bed a whore, calling her by the name of another woman.

How far removed in his heart were you?

“They were using you, dear y/n, it is clear to me now.” Rhaenyra said, after another round of you telling her of your life in the Keep.

“Aemond’s cruelty knows no end.” Jacaerys seethed, taking your hand in his when you began to cry.

“Princess, please forgive me, I meant no harm, I thought Queen Alicent was longing to reconnect with you.” You said, eyes shining with tears as you looked at her.

She leaned forward and squeezed your shoulder. “Do not fret, y/n, I know you would never betray me.”

“No, never.” You repeated, shaking your head ardently.

Jacaerys and Rhaenyra looked at each other, exchanging words through glances.

“If I have any information about the queen’s movements that would aid you, I would be more than happy to divulge it to you.” You added, feeling a flame of anger spark within you as you realized how Aemond had played you for a fool.

Rhaenyra smiled gently. “Thank you, y/n, but now I think it would be best for you to rest. This has been a trying time for you.”

She dismissed you and Jacaerys.

As you walked side by side, Jacaerys spoke up, a hesitance in his tone. “There was a time I believed I might have been able to marry you.”

Your head whipped in his direction. “My Prince?”

His face was tinted a light pink, his brown locks falling in front of his face as he bent his head. “It was a childhood desire, but being back in your presence seems to have rekindled my affections.”

You placed a hand on his bicep, stopping him gently. “Jacaerys, I am still married to Aemond, and carrying his child…”

He held your hand, his free hand coming to support your opposite arm, warm hand cradling your elbow. “I am not unaware of your circumstances, but y/n I do not care. I cannot stand by and watch as he squanders the opportunity I would kill to have.”

Your heart stumbled in your chest, your eyes searching his face. “I do not understand, why did you not protest the betrothal then?”

“You seemed happy, and mother has plans to betroth me to a Lannister.” His thumbs caressed your skin, his voice soft. “I did not want to pull you from your happiness if I could not guarantee you a place at my side.”

Tears welled in your eyes once more, and Jacaerys cupped your face. “My dear heart, please, do not cry. I will cease my words, I never meant to hurt you.”

You let out a shaky breath, tears slipping down your cheeks and wetting his hands. “You make it sound so easy to love me.”

“It is, y/n, it is as easy as breathing.” He said earnestly, warm umber eyes trapping your gaze.

“Then why did he want others, why does he not love me?” You whispered, voice breaking as you finally spoke aloud the questions that had been plaguing your dreaming and waking mind.

His face fell, and he shushed you gently, pulling you into his embrace as you sobbed into his tunic.

Tag list: @nyctophilic0vitnir, @svtansdaddyx, @fan-goddess, @dc-marvel-girl96, @shintax-error, @bellameshipper, @the141bandicoot, @the-phantom-of-arda, @haydee5010, @partypoison00, @serrhaewin, @issshhhaa, @pax-2735, @malfoytargaryen, @sahanna, @dellalyra, @mxrgodsstuff, @jkhomes, @unusual-raccoon, @boofy1998, @kravitzwhore, @caribbeangel, @krispold, @issshhhaa, @afro-hispwriter, @ryswritingrecord, @prettykinkysoul, @elissanatok, @sahvlren, @its-sam-allgood, @happinessinthbeing, @8e-h-e8, @feyres-fireheart

[imaginativeamateur]

Can I have Yamato sfw and/or nsfw Alphabets please?

|12 Random Alphabets Collection| Yamato

Pairing: Yamato Tenzou x gn!Reader

Note: It's been a long time since I've written for the Alphabets series :DD Enjoy!

Activities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

Yamato is extremely busy, especially since he took a position in Team 7, and you rarely see him around these days. However, he would always find a way to make it up to you—ways that were beyond your imagination. He likes to show up at your door unannounced and bring you to very new restaurants, ones that you know nothing of, but he somehow manages to know really well. He would offer to take you to the movies or amusement parks. If the weather is not suitable to do so, a home-cooked meal by the lad would melt your heart every time.

Comfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?

Yamato takes a comparably long time to notice if you are feeling blue, but once he realizes that there is something wrong, expect immediate tending. He knows he is not good with words so he decides to let his actions show you how much he cares and treasures his love. The man would let your cling onto him for as long as you need, make you your favorite food, and listens to what you have to say for hours if you want to let it go on him.

Dreams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

He did not dare to picture his future with you at the start of your relationship. He was afraid of losing you and how agonizing he would be if you were not by his side. But now that your body is closer than ever, Yamato believes that you are the only person he wants to spend the rest of his life with. He pictures you and him living a calming life in the home that he builds, him going to bed every night holding you in his arms, and waking up at the sight of you sleeping soundly next to him.

Equal - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

Yamato is the perfect mix of both dominant and passive. Sometimes, he takes the lead, but he does not force you against your will and liking. He pays special attention to your contentment and knows just the right time to retreat and let you step in front. He does not really care if he ends up being one or another, as long as you are happy, he has no objections.

Honesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?

Yamato values honesty in a relationship. In fact, for him, trust is the basic foundation of love. Therefore, he shares everything with you and expects you to do the same, whether it is just a small issue that you face at work. He does not want to intervene, but he just wants to make sure that you are okay.

Jealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

It is very likely for Yamato to get jealous. He is often out and about on long missions and is only able to communicate with you through letters. When he is back, it is natural for him to hold you impossibly close and keep an eye on potential dangers. If he discovers that someone is trying to hit on you, expect him to come up and politely remove that person’s hand from your body and pull you behind his back. “Sorry, Y/N is taken.”

Nicknames - What do they call their s/o?

He calls you by your name and blushes profusely when you call him nicknames. Farther into your relationship, Yamato would switch to calling you “love”, “baby”, or “sweetie”.

PDA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

He is not quite fond of PDA, for he would get flustered when there are people on the streets staring at the two of you. However, he brags about you with his friends a lot. He does it on missions and gatherings, too much to an extent that they doze off and he would still be sitting, talking to himself.

Quirk - Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship.

Yamato is great at maintaining a straight face under almost all circumstances. That being said, he has great patience. When the two of you are arguing, he would step down and resolve the conflict in the most peaceful way possible.

Romance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

Yamato is a creative person, but his plans somehow always take a cliché turn in the end. He had no intention to stutter old school pick-up lines when he first took you out on your first date, but his mind just froze and he did not know how to act. He goes as far as remember important dates and surprise you with a visit to your office and your favorite food. In general, though, Yamato is not very romantic, he does not know why it is necessary for couples to gift each other to show affection because to him, your sole existence is the greatest gift.

Value - How important is the relationship to them? What is its worth in comparison to other things in their life?

There is nothing that can compare to your relationship. Yamato grew up with a very dark past, and he had no one to love and to be loved. When you came to his life, it was like a new beginning for him, he then, was able to understand what love actually meant. Therefore, he would never let you go.

Wild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

He stays awake until he hears you snoring softly, checking if you are fully tucked under the blanket, if the pillow is not too high or too low, if the room temperature is not too cold or too warm, if you are sleeping in a position that would strain your muscles, and many if’s. Only when everything seems good, he closes his eyes and wraps his arms around your body to conclude another day.

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

Taglist: @dai-tsukki-desu @thenightfallingstar @animepickle7 @iam-gaaras-loveintrest @tirzamisu @rinnegankakashi @the-tiniest-one @greenshirtimagines

[gear-project]

DEAR SANTA

Yes, it has been a while since I last wrote you, Santa.

A lot has changed too.

Ishiwatari finally finished Guilty Gear. That's a loaded statement, isn't it?

But isn't it great? Finishing something.

Well, he's "mostly done", but I'm not. Gear Project itself was meant with good intentions, and while there's things still left hanging, I hope to analyze them later, among other things on my To-Do List.

There was also the Pandemic that happened, but I hope all my friends managed to buck up and pull through despite everything. I'm sure you've been having a hard time on the job as well, wearing a mask and all that. (It's hard to breathe sometimes.)

Even if not everyone agrees with my thoughts, it's also my wish that they can come to understand Guilty Gear on their own terms, even if just a little. Even Music and other genres and works, is very much like that.

But, I'm getting off-topic, aren't I?

SO WHAT SHOULD I DO FOR CHRISTMAS?????

I'm the guy who got everything he wanted, aren't I?

Well, I lost some things too... like my Uncle who passed away this year. He was the kind of man who embodied the concept of "family", and with his passing, a lot of people will be in pain and loneliness, but I hope that will pass in time as well, and fond memories replace those feelings.

But, I'm getting off-topic, again.... hah!

I dunno, Santa... what do you think?

I live by myself these days... my "friends" are mostly online or a whole ocean away. Heck, I live most of my life behind a keyboard and a computer. Gaming and Social Media are second nature, now.

What's a self-sufficient guy like me supposed to do on Christmas???

Well, I mean... it's not like I don't have my own problems... paperwork to deal with, bills to pay, fridge to stock, house to clean... those sorta things.

Most everything I "want" (even if I say I want it) probably won't come out until next year. But even based on the idea that I "want" something, I also have a backlog of things to play and do. So it's not like I can't keep busy.

Maybe, what I want for Christmas... is the things that remind you about what Christmas is about. Because it feels like I forgot a whole lot over the years.

I feel like I haven't visited my family in a long time, even if I still talk with them on Facebook. But is that even necessary?

I dunno, Santa... it bothers me. It bothers me that I am not good at keeping traditions like my parents did before me.

Like the "Legends" of Santa Claus will die with my 'unbelieving' generation or something.

No, that's not quite right... people still believe in urban legends and crazy stories. Even Youkai and Ghosts are born from such things... Guilty Gear is based on that idea too.

I guess, what I really wanted to do was just write you, and say 'Hello'.

I know that's a really roundabout way of getting to the point, but you know me, and you know I think about these things a lot. Agonizing over stuff that may or may not be all that important.

I still believe in Santa, because you're the kind of guy who gets stuff done, even when everybody else loses track of their responsibilities.

Whenever people lose themselves, you're there to remind everybody what it means to be happy and kind... even if it's just for a little while.

I guess that's a rather rough way of saying "Thank You", for giving me everything I ever wanted.... at least until I find something else I want.

Does that sound greedy? Well, Mankind these days tends to be rather boring, so we're constantly looking for things we "want" to do or say or think. Even if it's just a trend.

Maybe you're not a trend though. You're something more than that.

Even Ishiwatari believes in Santa. How ELSE do you explain those Christmas color skins in Xrd: Revelator?

Maybe, I haven't been as "good" as I should be on the Nice list. That's the feeling I get. But I want to try harder. Do more. Find something I'm good at again. To make people happy again, even if just a little while.

If you got any ideas, Santa, I'm all ears.

Your Pal, Gear-Project.

P.S. I have my "eye" on Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, but I don't think it's that big a deal. Just something fun to play later on I guess. I'll save up for it.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 252: Suplex of Feels

Previously on BnHA: Deku, Kacchan, and Shouto visited Todobrook Heights one time, just the one!!, so of course it just so happened to also be the one time that Natsuo got straight up kidnapped by a villain for no reason because THAT’S JUST HOW LIFE GOES. Thankfully for Natsuo, the Terror Trio had kind of a Cinderella thing going on where if they didn’t beat a villain before Endeavor by midnight, their character development would turn back into a pumpkin, and I’m not really sure I stuck the landing on that metaphor but anyway! So Shouto used Flashfire to roast the villain alive, Deku used Blackwhip to save some hapless civilians who got caught in the crossfire of everything, and Kacchan used his cool fast explosions which don’t have a new name yet because he’s focused on more important things to rocket over and save Natsuo from becoming roadkill. And then Endeavor gave him and Natsuo a BIG OL’ HUG and my heart went, oh.

Today on BnHA: Horikoshi grabs a handful of raw, squishy feels out of a bucket and just full on slaps me across the face with them. Endeavor has a moment of agonizing, excruciating vulnerability and apologizes to Natsuo for everything -- like, everything -- and says Natsuo doesn’t have to forgive him, and that in fact he doesn’t want him to forgive him, and that he just wants to atone for everything he’s done. And just, I can’t even describe the scene, but it’s just perfect down to the last detail, and exactly what I wanted. And meanwhile Deku, Shouto, and Kacchan stand there watching, and then Kacchan has a fucking epiphany and FINALLY DECIDES ON A HERO NAME!!, and I completely lose my goddamn mind, only to then be brought down to the lowest of lows when he immediately says that he’s not going to reveal it yet because THERE’S SOMEONE ELSE HE HAS TO TELL FIRST. So once I’m done sighing, we cut to later and Endeavor is all “Fuyumi I’m gonna buy a house for you guys so you can all live a happy life with your mom and never see me again,” and yeah. You guys I am in shambles.

hey everyone, whoever is doing Mangastream’s thumbnails every week deserves a raise though

especially since they’re not actually getting paid for it at all lol. their resolve to find the most ridiculous Kacchan expression every week and slap it on their home page is 100% a labor of love. AND IT SHOWS

lol and here I was half-worried the chapter would pick up after all the dust had settled, and we’d miss out on this glorious scene of Kacchan acting like he’s the goddamn wicked witch of the west and the sprinklers just turned on. anyways, I know what I’m thankful for this holiday

HAHAHAHAHA

I’D LIKE TO TAKE A MINUTE AND THANK ALL OF OUR SPONSORS AND OUR GREAT CREW WHO MADE THIS ALL POSSIBLE. SHOUT OUT TO ENDING, YOU’RE THE REAL MVP. BIG “HEY WHAT’S UP” TO TOUYA, WHO STRAIGHT UP DIED JUST SO ENDEAVOR COULD HAVE ANGST AT A CRITICAL MOMENT AND FORCE KACCHAN TO BE THE ONE TO SAVE NATSUO INSTEAD. AND A HUGE FUCKING “YOU THE MAN, BRO” TO THAT MORON SPEEDING BLINDLY IN THE TAXI CAB WHILE ON HIS PHONE AND NOT PAYING THE SLIGHTEST BIT OF ATTENTION TO THE ROAD IN FRONT OF HIM! WITHOUT YOUR RECKLESS DISREGARD FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY AND THAT OF OTHERS, THIS NEVER COULD HAVE HAPPENED. OH GOD, THEY’RE PLAYING THE MUSIC NOW, I GOTTA HURRY UP... AH... I’M SO GRATEFUL TO ALL MIGHT, GIVER OF SO MANY LEGENDARY HERO HUGS, AND TO SLIDIN’ GO, YES REALLY SLIDIN’ GO, WHO ESTABLISHED THIS GAG BACK IN CHAPTER 219. YOU BOTH WALKED SO ENDEAVOR COULD RUN. AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, TO HORIKOSHI KOUHEI, WHO IS ABSOLUTELY FUCKING DETERMINED TO HAVE EVERY PRO HERO IN THE COUNTRY HUG KACCHAN BEFORE THE SERIES IS OVER. YOUR TIRELESS EFFORTS ARE THE REASON I GET OUT OF BED EVERY MORNING. GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOOD NIGHT

anyway

sorry Kacchan this is just your life now. you’re just stuck here. by the way, Endeavor really is just an absolute MOUNTAIN of a man, though?? like, a whole, absolute unit. like remember a few chapters ago when I was joking about how he was eight feet tall? well Natsuo is 5’11” according to the wiki, and you can tell by looking at him that he is a solidly built guy. like, he eats his fucking Wheaties. and Endeavor is still able to FULLY WRAP HIS ARMS AROUND both him and Katsuki together WITH ROOM TO SPARE and just. ?????? WHAT EVEN IS THIS MAN good grief

anyway poor Natsu looks close to passing out though so maybe you fucking should let them go Endeav

SDLFKJSDLFKH

1) seriously though look at how big his hands are jesus christ is he even a human!?!?

and 2)!! the amount of sheer detail which was put into this panel, with the facial expressions and the shading and all, only for Katsuki to open his big fucking mouth with ABSOLUTELY NO REGARD! like, this could have been one of the most heartrending panels in the entire series. but instead it’s forever immortalized with Bakugou fucking Katsuki and his brutal fucking speech bubble interjecting with the most vicious insult his angry toddler brain could think of. this panel has the same energy as Deku receiving a heartfelt thank you letter from a child whose life he saved only to unfold it and read that iconic opening line, “SORRY FOR PUNCHING YOU IN THE BALLS LOL”

oh my

boy took matters into his own hands. after Enji just STRAIGHT UP IGNORED HIS PLEAS lmao. this entire chapter is a gift, and we’re only on the second page. also that katakana there is all “SUPON”, which I don’t know what that means, but I have to tell you that to me this felt more like a “ZWOOP.” but that’s just how I personally read it

eyyyyy and there’s our half-naked lukewarm boi

and look, I’m not advocating for Shouto to actually be walking around half naked, because this is a children’s manga and Shouto is just a baby, and that kind of thing is obviously inappropriate unless you’re [checks notes] one of his female classmates, who just like Shouto are also only teenagers, but it’s okay for them because they have boobs. hey wait

but anyway, I will say that I appreciate that his uniform really did burn off just as you would expect, and that he used his ice quirk to preserve his modesty lol. quick thinking on his part

meanwhile all the people Deku rescued are stumbling out of their cars nauseously and thanking him. I like how all of the other traffic on this highway has apparently just come to a halt now. I wonder if the Endeavormobile also came equipped with some traffic cones and road flares that launched out of the trunk along with the costumes

oh hey a BakuDeku interaction, don’t mind me, I’m just... [folds hands on desk and leans forward]

someone please tell me what he actually called Deku here because I’m dying to know. anyways whatever it was, “dumb-ku” is a great translation. it’s just the right amount of stupid and immature, and I love how Deku just fucking answers to it anyway like shrug, whatever

also love how the first thing Katsuki asks is whether anyone is hurt. swear to god this kid makes me love him more with each passing week

fond sigh

okay guys, I’m getting more and more excited here now, and let me explain why. it’s because Katsuki, despite having achieved (as Deku points out) a complete and perfect victory here, is very obviously agitated and angry still. and I think the reason for that is because even though he’s achieved the goal Endeavor set out for them, he still hasn’t achieved what he wanted from this internship. the other two have! Deku accomplished his goal of gaining more control over Blackwhip, and Shouto is now well on his way to mastering Flashfire. but Katsuki specifically came here with the intent of discovering something intangible that he couldn’t put a name to. and even though he’s gotten stronger just like the others, he still hasn’t achieved what he set out to do yet, and I think he’s getting frustrated by it. and the reason I’m so excited is because I think we’re inching closer and closer to seeing that finally get resolved. ahhhhhhh

(ETA: THIS CHAPTER IS THE MONKEY’S PAW WISH OF CHAPTERS.)

anyway I’ll shut up now and read. here’s Katsuki bragging to Endeavor, and Endeavor doing his best All Might impression what the fuck

that line could have come straight out of All Might’s mouth and it would have sounded 100% natural. well everyone, we did it. we fucking broke Endeavor. I hope you’re happy. lol what the fuck is happening what is this

DFKLSLDGHK

I fucking see those wobbly speech bubbles Endeavor, are you crying, because -- !! holy shit this chapter is taking my emotions all over the place

lol Kacchan’s pissed off that Endeavor isn’t more pissed off about being shown up by some punk kids

Deku’s eyes. this chapter. I just

ohhhhhhhhhhhh shit here we go

for everyone out there who was worried that Natsu would just forgive Endeavor outright after the events of this chapter, I think we’ve arrived at the part where your fears are assuaged. I pretty much expected this was how it would go down, because for all the criticism he’s been getting week after week, Horikoshi has been writing the Todorokis realistically and consistently throughout this entire arc, and this was the natural conclusion based on what we’ve seen up till now. Natsuo won’t just forgive Endeavor just like that, because why would he? and Endeavor just has to deal with it. and it’s all very sad and painfully real

SON OF A BITCH

the fucking words “I’m sorry” really just came out of his mouth at last, holy shit. this is the first time, right? as far as I can recall, anyway. oh shit

oh shit

my fucking jaw. just dropped. just. fuck me, I wasn’t ready for this. sure Enji, just go ahead and pour your heart out. lord

imagine if his voice actor goes all out in this scene like Katsuki’s did in episode 61. holy shit, I never thought the thing that destroyed me would be a sad confession in a fucking shounen manga by the character I used to despise. life is funny

ohhhhhhhhhh

[awkward glance around the fandom] soooo. how’s everybody doing? aheh. [coughs]

oh shiiiiiiIIIIItttt

oh look at that, Endeavor didn’t actually murder his child, who could have predicted that. but maybe I’ll just shut up now though since I’m not here to start any shit

and the pain train to feels junction just keeps on chugging. fuck

YOU SEE!! BRUTAL!! RUTHLESS!! SO REALISTIC IT HURTS. Endeavor is genuinely sorry, but it’s all coming way too late to be of any use! and Natsuo is so pained because he honestly probably would like nothing more than to be able to forgive his dad, and for them to all just be a happy, normal, loving family again, but he can’t. because they’re not. and apologies can’t erase the past, or make up for it. there is no way to change what happened. Touya’s still dead, and the scars from all those years of neglect and abuse are still fucking there, and they’re not just going to go away, even if Enji is remorseful. Enji becoming a good man now doesn’t make up for all the years that he wasn’t! he can’t just undo it! and that’s the tragedy of it!! you feel so bad for the man -- or at least, I do -- but at the same time, part of the atonement process is to accept the consequences of everything he did!

and also, for everyone saying he hasn’t faced any actual consequences yet -- one person in particular sent me a very detailed and thoughtful ask, which I apologize for not responding to yet -- I say this with all due respect: there. look. there are your consequences, right there. everything he will never have. everything he can’t salvage. the pain of knowing he was the cause of all this. the pain of seeing the misery in his son’s eyes and knowing he can’t fix it, and knowing the hurt he’s caused to the ones he loved most. that is karma. that’s a fucking punishment. that’s an agony beyond any physical torture that anyone could ever possibly dream up. his punishment is that after all these years, he finally gets to feel all of the suffering he’s inflicted on them, and he’d do anything to take it back now, but he can’t. that’s it! and we all fucking hate it, and no one is happy! and it’s not fucking fair! haha! but that’s how it fucking is, though. and I swear to god, I keep saying it, but it’s some of the most brutally realistic shit I’ve ever seen in a fucking manga. fuck

anyways, I need to stop monologuing or else I’m never going to finish this fucking chapter, but rest assured my soul is being ripped the fuck apart. hmm

:’)

(ETA: note the conspicuous lack of a Kacchan reaction panel directly after the “I’m never gonna forgive you” panel. everyone else gets one. but not him. in fact, there are no more reaction panels of him until this speech ends, and then we get one zoomed far away where we can’t really see his face. but I’m sure that’s all just a coincidence and means absolutely nothing! oh baby. what a chapter.)

:’)))))))

by the way, quick shoutout to that person in the taxi giving them the Rock Lee Eyes and having just no idea what the fuck is going on sob. thanks to you for keeping me from breaking into full on sobs here. I’m holding it together for you, random deer-in-headlights citizen

[INHALES!!!]

that’s it. I don’t. fuck. anyways. I ranted about all my feelings already, so just. ... you all get it by this point, right?

oh Kacchan. penny for your thoughts. I’m almost done with that essay I keep rewriting. you have a lot to think about right now huh

and Shouto. oh Shouto. safe to say this is a side of his father he’s never seen nor imagined he would see before

YOU GUYS THIS IS SO FUCKING IMPORTANT THOUGH, SHIT

[GRABS THIS PANEL AND FRANTICALLY WAVES IT ALL OVER THE BNHA TAG] I’M!!! JUST!!! SAYING!!! THOUGH!!!!!!!

oh, we’re still going? SURE WHY THE FUCK NOT

WHATEVER HORIKOSHI!!! JUST KEEP COMING AT ME, THEN!! GO AHEAD AND FINISH ME OFF WITH A FUCKING SUPLEX OF FEELS!! YOU SON OF A BITCH

and now Ending’s freaking the fuck out and screaming for Endeavor to stop. lol it’s like the villain version of Can’t Ya See-Kun. Endeavor you jackhole, this isn’t on brand! CUT IT OUT

forget it, Jake. it’s Character Development

now the police are arriving and Deku’s like THANK GOODNESS because the awkwardness was about to go critical here. meanwhile, pay no attention to how Katsuki is staring at him despite having no real reason to be in this panel!

[sidles up next to Kacchan] so hey fella. did any of that hit a nerve, perchance. did it open any metaphorical eyes. dust off any momentous revelations that you’ve been valiantly trying to keep shelved in your mental basement. have the SEEDS of your PERSONAL GROWTH been CULTIVATED. are the JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES of NOT BEING A DICK knocking at your inner door!?

anyway so now we’re cutting to Endeavor talking with the authorities while Chauffeur Armstrong tells him he needs to watch his back

friendly reminder that a bearded hermit flew around town on a glass hoverchair singing a song about Endeavor bringing darkness to the world or some shit not too long ago. that’s still a thing! better watch it Enji

HOLY FUCKARONI

(ETA: shoutout to that “neither does the light” line because that’s some straight up Harry Potter quotable bullshit and I love it and Endeavor’s character development continues to slay me that is all.)

FUCKING!!! CHRIST!!! OH GOD!!! OH JESUS!!!!

HMGGHHHHAAAA SOMEONE HELP ME OH MY GOD I’M SHAKING, AHHHHHHH

(ETA: listen you guys, in all of my “!!!!” I didn’t stop to appreciate all of the other things about this scene. but Shouto has changed into his hero costume which is a great little detail that I love because he obviously didn’t feel like standing around freezing his butt off and being oggled by the crowd. and then we have Natsu coming over to thank them all for saving his life, which is great, and he’s such a sweetheart. and then Deku actually saying “Bakugou” for probably the first and only time in his life lmao. and then, finally, his fucking face when he realizes Kacchan has finally chosen a hero name. he’s fucking ecstatic. he can’t wait!! anyway so Deku is me.)

NO BUT I’M FULLY SERIOUS YOU GUYS, I’M TREMBLING LIKE A FUCKING LEAF, IT’S PROBABLY THE CAFFEINE IN ME BUT STILL, OH MY GOD, I’M PARALYZED, I CAN’T SCROLL DOWN, MY HEART IS POUNDING, MY LIFE IS ABOUT TO BE FOREVER CHANGED, OH FUCKSTICKS, OH SHIT

NOOOOOOOOOOO

FUCK MY FUCKING -- WHERE IS HAWKS!!?!? WHERE IS HE!?!? I SWEAR TO GOD IF THAT FUCKING MAGPIE DOESN’T SWOOP DOWN RIGHT THE FUCK NOW WITH JEANIST IN TOW ALL “HAHA IT WAS ALL A MISUNDERSTANDING” I’M GOING TO --

(ETA: but lmao at the fact that Shouto was all “okay, so you’re not going to tell him, but what about me, your Best Friend?” like he really heard “DROP DEAD ASSHOLE” and thought “well, that was Midoriya though, LET ME TAKE A STAB AT IT.” this is the most earnest child in the universe and this OT3 continues to bring me boundless joy.)

FUCK

LISTEN YOU KNOW I LOVE THAT TODODRAMA, BUT YOU CAN’T JUST DO THAT TO ME!! I’M A HUMAN BEING!! IF YOU CUT ME I BLEED!! WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS. I’M GOING TO STRAIGHT UP CRY ALL OVER AGAIN YOU HEARTLESS PIECE OF SHIT

looool

“and his friends.” you hear that, Kacchan. now COME BACK OUT HERE AND TELL US YOUR HERO NAME RIGHT NOW YOUNG MAN!!!

Endeavor you better save this chapter. I’m counting on you dog

oh. oh shit

hahaha. well fuck

first of all, look at Mr. “la dee dah I’m just going to build my family a new house on a whim because I’m so fucking rich” over here, like, damn, Endeavor. and second of all my heart is just a bludgeoned hemorrhaging mass of feels at this point and I’m not even going to try to salvage it. and third of all, this is exactly the type of resolution I wanted, pain and all, and I’m so goddamn satisfied with it it’s almost ridiculous. because the man fucking gets it. for everyone who continues to doubt Endeavor’s intentions, look no fucking further than this. this isn’t a narcissist trying to gaslight his victims and get back in his family’s good graces and make it all about him yet again. this is a man who understands that the best thing for his family right now is for them to be allowed to piece their lives back together without him. and so he’s enabling them to do that, and voluntarily stepping out of the picture while still providing for them. and damn but I respect that so much. fuck yeah, Enji. this was the right thing to do. it doesn’t make up for all the mistakes you’ve made, because nothing can do that. but you’re a better man now, and this right here is exactly the type of thing people mean when they say actions speak louder than words. so, respect

and that’s it! we’ve officially experienced all of the human emotions in this chapter! oh and also that’s it, as in the chapter is done. so yeah. well that sure was a whirlwind now wasn’t it

[the-lewdest-concubine]

Clusterfuck

@playkinshara     @desk-work-expert

Szayel doesn’t have his usual minder.  He pouts at first—he’s gotten fond of Nanao over his many visits, but then in dealing with the new one, an overly gentle girl who’s a new recruit and up to her ears in new responsibilities, he realizes that he may have an out.  

He’s at the height of his feelings—it’s a deep instinct.  He’s been suppressed too long, so now going through a cycle is even more intense than he’s experienced for a while.  It’s a little too much for his new poor caretaker—she tries, but he’s needy and his demands for constant touch and comfort overwhelm a bit.  She knows this can happen, but she’s new, and when she goes out to take a little bit of time for herself, he notices that she was careless with the locks, and he slips outside, trying his hardest to cloak himself in a now empty hallway and make it to the exit to freedom and somewhere with someone who will tend to his needs.

Once he leaves the center, he realizes that he doesn’t actually know much about Soul Society, and he certainly doesn’t know that the territory he’s walking into belongs to the Third.  He’s spent some time talking to Nanao about the organization of the world she belongs in, so very different from his own.  He sees at least some civilization.  A few betas in uniforms; they notice him, but his state isn’t something made to compel them, which is good otherwise the world would fall into chaos. But in a few steps, he notices the scent of an Alpha in his viscinity, something that is amplified in his world now and he feels his heart pound and he’s excited.  

He forms a plan in his head; he’ll draw him to him, and if he likes what he sees, he’ll approach. If he finds him unsuitable—he’ll flee, and in the ruckus, surely *someone* will come out who he’ll find desirable.  It’s been a while since he’s had people fight over him; it used to happen in Hueco Mundo a great deal before they formed the agreement with Soul Society, and in a way, Szayel misses seeing the way that strong, capable people turned into savage animals who bent to his needs and curried for his favor.

He quickly goes to where he senses and he lets his own scent and reiatsu flow out, calling, not in a manner that would overwhelm those he’s not calling, betas (he’s not desperate yet), or immature Alphas who’ve yet to properly rut themselves that make up some of the new recruits.  He knows it will be unmistakable to the man who comes into his view now.

Szayel stops, frozen there, wide eyed now that he sees him.  Tall, beautiful as well as handsome, blond and well dressed, and even more, wearing what he knows is a captain’s uniform.  Then everything catches up with him and he’s giddy now.  This is *exactly* what he wants, and he lets himself announce his presence full blast and if he induces him, so be it.

Clearly Szayel is not thinking straight as he is not at all thinking about Yylfordt, about his own station, about science, or about anything that usually occupies his mind and causes him to make the plans to go to the center when he’s no where near his heat. All he can see and desire is the man right in front of him.  And right now, he can tell that he’s noticed.

--

Shutara is in the agonizing part.  She’s already come to terms with the fact that the doors are in fact holding her. Compared to times past, Nanao has let her fruitlessly scrabble at the locks and spells and she’s even broken a few nails trying to dig her way out of places that she thought might give.  

Now, she’s just angry. At everyone.  At herself for coming here.  At Nanao for sitting there.  At the Guard for existing.  At the room, the doors, the furniture, her clothing *everything*.  She’s *seething* and if she were out, she would be the most dangerous being that Soul Society has ever seen on it’s lands since wartime. And that is precisely why she’s there.

Nanao’s phone rings, and the sound gives her one more thing to be annoyed at.  

The mousy beta on the line explains the terribly embarrassing situation.  Her first job, and she’s let her charge escape—and not just any charge, but the *only* omega espada who is usually in Nanao’s care.  It’s an emergency, and they need her to look for him, as she knows him best during this, and that if things turn out badly, it could fracture the carefully built new alliance with the new leadership in the hollow world.

Shutara pretends that she can’t hear any of this, but her senses are overly sharp in this mode, an apex predator with a singular drive.  But if things go right, she may get what she desires: out.

After Nanao mutters a few words to the woman on the line Shutara perks up, looking at her, attempting to hide at least some of her annoyance.

“What was that?” she asks. “They don’t generally let you accept calls while you are in here with me, and butterflies can’t make it through these walls.”  She cocks an eyebrow.  “Nothing serious, I hope.”  It’s hard to keep irony from dripping in her voice.  

[fuwafuwamedb]

Dodging Death Pt 3 (Hakuno, Emiya, Caster Gilgamesh)

Previously: 1 2

____

She came and went.

She came and went from the house each day, making him spend hours alone. At first, he’d been fine with this situation. He could look around the building while she was away. Though the place was meager, it did hold many marvels and he was quite enjoying the toilet.

Better than that, the woman had a device she could harness the winds of storms with. They would blow fiercely at his fur, leaving him fluffed and purring by the time she was done.

Hakuno often left the TV on for him as well, finding him following her to the door.

“Don’t watch too much,” she’d tell him.

He would watch great odysseys play out before his eyes. He would watch humans showcase the great strength of this divine, boasting of their prowess and then facing great downfalls because of their own arrogance.

Great plays.

Yes, there were many marvels in this place, but he was getting bored.

Terribly bored.

He began to greatly dislike this body of his as the week turned into two. Two weeks turned into a very long and agonizing third week.

Now he wanted to go with her.

Where did she go almost every day? Who was she seeing when she was out there? Why did she partake in so much water when everyone knew that water was filled with dangerous toxins?

His magician needed to be answering so many questions, he thought as the rain began to fall and thunder began to boom in the distance. Those strange beasts that he’d encountered his first night in this place were roaming the roads. They growled passed, threatening anyone who came close.

Was Hakuno safe?

“Come on,” a voice declared, opening the door behind him. Gilgamesh turned his attention away from the window that he was perched near, noting the woman helping a figure into the building. “Come on, I’ll let you dry off and we’ll wash your clothes.”

The door shut, the figure moving to sit in Hakuno’s infamous study spot.

That was her throne.

What on earth did this fool think they were doing?

“I’ll grab a couple towels and start some hot water. Do you want instant coffee or tea?”

The white haired man yanked his shirt off, shaking his head. “Tea’s fine. We can call Cu Chulainn to bring me a change of clothes too.”

They could call that fool to come take this man from their sight immediately is what they could do.

A man was daring to unclothe himself in Hakuno’s home. He was daring to sit in her place at her living room area and he was daring to not introduce himself. The pure audacity of this man…

No, he did not like this one bit.

“G, give him some space,” Hakuno told him, plucking him up from his warpath.

“You have a cat?”

“Yeah, I got him a couple weeks back. I guess I’ve declared myself a cat lady.”

“I have little doubt that you’ll become a cat lady,” the man told her. “…He doesn’t seem to like me.”

The statement came as Gilgamesh growled at the man.

What they needed was that blue haired fool here. He’d only seen the man a couple times, but the fool was tall and he had muscle. What Hakuno needed right now was muscle. She needed someone here to beat this man from her home and to take her to safety. Either that, or to merely chuck her throne out now.

It was sullied.

Tainted.

Her space had been invaded and his poor Hakuno was now to deal with the outcome of that.

“I’ll put him in my room.”

Excuse me?

Sure enough, he found himself being set upon his woman’s bed. Hakuno was grabbing a few of her bathroom blankets before heading for the door. He pawed, he meowed. Anything and everything that he could do in this situation.

The two were talking the whole time.

He could hear them speaking.

“Hakuno…”

“You don’t have to explain.”

“I do need to talk to you about something. Give me a little time to get some clothes back on…”

“I’ll be here. You can stay on my couch tonight if you want. I can call someone. Maybe Sakura or Rani? I know you’re fond of Sakura.”

“About that…”

No.

There would be no about that’s. He’d seen those eyes, watching his human. He’d seen the way that man had sucked in a breath when taking his shirt off. Whether he would ever admit it or not, he’d decided to pursue Hakuno. He was trying to appeal to Hakuno.

She was not his to appeal to!

He yelped as he tried pawing at the door again, feeling his nail hit something in the wood grain.

Immediately, he could hear someone hurrying to the door.

Hakuno peered in, finding him sprawled on the floor.

As degrading as it was, he was licking his paw, finding the ache something terrible.

“Are you alright, G?” Hakuno knelt down, going to hold him, but he couldn’t have that. Not when there was a monster in this house.

As her king, her guardian, her pillar of strength; as the one who would show her a true future, it was his duty to remove the cretin from her home before it was too late. The man would not be seducing his woman away. She was his magician. She’d chosen him.

So he hissed and spat at the man, finding the other sipping tea on her couch in nothing more than a bathroom fabric.

He snarled with all the depths of Kur in his voice.

Let it be known, in that moment, he was more fierce than any hell hound or beast that could have been created by the gods.

And the man chuckled.

Raising his hair to the very tips of its length, this man’s laugh went over like a bucket of ice water.

“Hakuno, he really does hate me.”

“Sorry about him,” Hakuno told the man.

DO NOT APOLOGIZE!

“I don’t know what’s wrong with him today. He’s always really well behaved around Cu Chulainn. Maybe you smell like Sakura’s perfume or something. Cats have a good sense of smell.”

THE HEATHEN WAS NAKED IN HER HOUSE!

“Maybe,” the man relented. “I moved so it’s not the spot I’m in.”

Hakuno didn’t let go of him. Holding him close, Hakuno stroked at his head as he continued to threaten this man within an inch of his life. Whenever the man would speak, he’d let his voice grow louder, spitting here and there and swiping his way.

His lions had done that to a few maidens.

Beasts were intuitive animals. They knew things that humans simply could not.

He prayed to every god and then some that Hakuno would realize that this man was no good. He remained careful, lest he hurt Hakuno unintentionally.

She was his.

His magician, his snuggle partner in bed, his TV companion, his studying partner; he’d seen many times when her fatigue would become too great and he’d intervene. He needed to, just to keep her safe from Ereshkigal.

His poor human.

“He’s really acting up,” Hakuno murmured, holding him close.

The white haired man nodded, moving to stand up as the strange clothing wash and dry machines chimed.

“Are you going to head home?”

“I think it’s clear I’m not wanted here.”

He wasn’t.

In fact, he’d been here long enough that he could smell him. The odor wasn’t… unpleasant, but it certainly was not his Hakuno’s.

His Hakuno.

Looking up at the woman holding him, he found himself hesitating as he found himself thinking of her in that manner. How long had he thought this way? What exactly…

But Hakuno leaned up and kissed the white haired man on the cheek after he got dressed. She smiled at him and Gilgamesh felt his stomach twist unpleasantly. Trapped in her arms, he could do no more than growl at the sight of the man blushing and Hakuno giving him a small smile.

She was not to glow at kissing a man like that.

She was not to give his smiles away to a man like that.

The fool, Cu, tried to warn me of this.

The insightful man must have known that this mongrel was coming close to Hakuno. He must always have sensed it and he had been powerless to be here; but he could not hold the man accountable for being proper about giving Hakuno her due space.

On the other hand, he was always here.

He was always here, and he was not going to lose Hakuno to some fool like this.

“Hakuno-“

He let out another snarl, trying his best to mimic his lions back home.

Those poor beasts. How many times had they growled and snarled at women unworthy of him? He would be doting upon them when he returned. This was too much for a beast to handle.

“I think you should get going,” Hakuno told him. “I’m sorry again about Rin splattering her drink on you when you were talking to Sakura.” 

“Let’s talk tomorrow,” the man told her, heading for his shoes.

You should pee in shoes, the fool from before had said.

How he wished he had been so forward-thinking on such matters. The fool managed to put on two unsullied shoes and walk right out that door, sporting the affection of his Hakuno upon his cheek. The man was heading out into the night, knowing he would be talking to his Hakuno when he was not present.

He looked up to find Hakuno sighing.

“You shouldn’t act up. Emiya is really a great guy.”

He was a fool and a mongrel. He was no doubt someone who mimicked others in order to show value in himself to others and would give her up if things got bad.

He wouldn’t though.

He…

Why am I boasting myself right now?

Gilgamesh barely paid any heed to the fact that he was being set on the ground. He looked up at Hakuno as she brushed a bit of hair behind her ear, warning him to be good while she made them dinner. Her soft features made his chest hurt. Her lips pressing to the top of his head only made him mewl pathetically before purring.

He liked her.

It was early. He didn’t know how powerful her magic could be and there was no reason to be this attached.

They slept close to one another, with him often upon her chest at a certain point to protect her, but…

Gilgamesh followed after the woman without thinking, weaving around her legs.

She spoiled him.

Seeing him at her ankles, she simply fed him bits and pieces of food. She cooed to him a little and called him hers. Her love. Her man. Her handsome devil.

He was quite that.

Without any kind of hesitation or concerns, she simply called him upon his value and endeared herself to him with food and attention. Her hands worked magic upon his being, itching at places he could not reach in this state.

Hakuno…

The woman was so plain.

She was being courted…

Gilgamesh purred louder, rubbing against her legs.

If he could not follow her from this house, then he would make it clear physically that she was his. He would drown her in his hair, coating her legs in as much of his loose hair as he could. She’d be coated in the stuff, unable to deny who lingered at home and stole her attentions. Any suitor who came calling would see and know.

The white-haired man could note it first. Perhaps he could do him the courtesy of informing others.

“You’re being so sweet to me,” Hakuno murmured, kneeling down and scratching at his ears. “I’m still a bit upset about Emiya.”

She focused too much on nothing.

Gilgamesh licked at the woman’s face, cringing inside at being unable to do anything properly.

As a king and human, he would have simply locked her door and seen her to safety in her room. He would have wrapped her in blankets and reminded her of whom she’d acquired in her act of good will.

Before the night was done, she would have been throwing any thought of that man to the wind and simply been purring for him, instead of him purring for her.

“I wasn’t ready to ask Emiya to date me anyway,” Hakuno murmured to him.

The room seemed to lose all warmth at those words.

She was considering him.

She was actually allowing that white-haired bastard to come near her, to woo her into becoming his wife.

He had hated the man before, despised his attempts at coming onto his woman in their home, but to think that the man was already so close to being successful? And she was going to go crawling to him? She was going to prostrate herself to him!

It was sheer lunacy.

I need to do something.

They were going to talk tomorrow.

He could hardly eat his dinner. He could hardly think of anything else as Hakuno happily ate and went to shower. He crawled to her room, trying to think carefully about how to resolve this issue.

He needed his body to be human again.

Hakuno returned and climbed into bed, pulling him into her arms and sighing gently. Her lips pressed to the top of his head again.

He needed his human body or something right now.

Just the chance to speak with his human voice would have been enough. He just needed to stop her from making a large and unstoppable mistake.

She could not become that man’s wife.

A surge of mana hit his veins as he lay there.

Glancing down, Gilgamesh watched as his body began to grow larger and larger. The golden hair was receding. His paws were fattening.  There were soon fingers on his hands. He could feel his legs stretch and shift in the blankets, as human as ever.

Within moments, Gilgamesh found himself sitting half upright next to the slumbering woman.

The magic’s worn off?

He looked down at himself, noting the strange feeling in his gut.

Either he was experiencing a bit of stomach trouble or he was still under whatever spell Ishtar had cast his way. It would be pesky, but it seemed that the magic had times where it was ineffective. It needed time to recharge.

It was a full moon outside. He’d make note of that for now as he tested out standing upright.

This body of his was back.

He was back, for an undisclosed time.

“Hakuno.”

It was his first word after being thrown through that turmoil. It felt good on his lips. The woman lying on the bed looked like she would be good on his lips.

He moved to her side and settled back on the sheets, debating how to awaken her.

Perhaps, he thought, he should awaken her by shaking her body gently.

“Hakuno,” Gilgamesh murmured, leaning in close and shaking her shoulders slightly. “Hakuno, I need you to wake up.”

The woman groaned.

Her arms lashed out, wrapping around his body a moment before he found himself falling back to the sheets. His person was pressed against the mattress. His eyes drifted up only to feel Hakuno rest her head upon his chest.

“Handsome,” Hakuno murmured.

His arms wrapped around her tightly. His lips pressed to her temple, brushing her hair back as he felt her stirring. 

His indeed.

She made the thought of claiming her as something more than a mere magician appeal to him. 

“Good evening, Hakuno,” Gilgamesh murmured as those eyes opened.

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Marigold Fever (Last Part)

She sleeps for a long while and Sokka is hesitant to leave her. At the very least, her sleep look peaceful. She lays on her back, clutching lightly at the sheets in her sleep. Every now and again she utters a soft cough. He watches her roll onto her side before Zuko beckons him out of the room.

“She probably won’t appreciate waking up and seeing someone staring at her.” Zuko comments upon re-entering the hallway.

Sokka imagines a fistful of fire in his face and nods, “yeah, you’re probably right.” He decides to wander off to his own room. He has to admit that he is still rattled from almost having someone die in his arms. Someone who he is growing fond of at that.

He lays upon his own bed, one arm behind his head and the draped over his middle and stares at the ceiling.  It had been too close a call for him to rest easy. And there is something else. Something he can’t place that bothers him.

Though he isn’t sure that bother is the right word.

He tries to put it out of his mind and think of something more pleasant. Evidently his mind doesn’t leave the slumbering princess. Azula isn’t exactly the sort of person who he’d have thought that he’d find pleasant. Yet, he has grown comforted by her presence and her snide remarks, accompanied by chipper comments from TyLee. Before her health had taken a sharper decline, Azula almost seemed to be in good spirits.  

Perhaps it is bizarre given the circumstances, but it had been nice to hold her so close.

He hopes that she will recover soon.

.oOo.

She doesn’t know what time it is but she does know that it had been early morning when she’d…

Her head is fuzzy and her thinking is still jumbled. Light streams over her face, it is warm and consoling. A tingle prickles in her belly at the thought that she might be dead. Didn’t they say something about light and warmth in dying. She writes that off relatively quickly. She can’t imagine that she’d be seeing the light side of the spirit world, in passing.

She sits up and tries to rid some of the haze in her head. For a moment she holds her position with her head dipping and her eyelids drooping. She thinks that she may fall asleep again.

She must have briefly nodded off because her head is against the pillow once more and the sun is hanging lower in the sky. The rays it casts on her floor have shifted some.

This time, Azula forces herself out of bed. She still feels light-headed and the room sways some. She puts her weight against the wall and waits for the spell to pass. She utters a few coughs, a residual lingering irritation in her throat.

It takes her another cough and a moment to realize that the petals had either withered and shrunken or retracted and disappeared altogether.

She doesn’t feel like wandering back across the room to check the mirror, but she brings her fingers to her neck. It is smooth. Still somewhat swollen, but free of the bulging impression of the vines.

She isn’t one for crippling emotions but it is a fight to keep herself from collapsing in sheer relief. Azula wanders into the hallway with the last of the fog in her brain clearing. It has cleared enough for her to put two and two together and her stomach lurches.

She had anticipated a slow and agonizing death.

She had made plans for that.

She hasn’t made any regarding what she would do if her love were to be reciprocated.   

.oOo.

Sokka frowns, his drawing is not going how he wants it to. His lion-turtle looks more like Appa, but if Appa was having really bad fur day. His skin prickles, at first he can’t place why. He looks up and jolts, nearly toppling his chair.

Azula stands in the doorway, still in her night robe--he supposes that, at this late in the evening, there is no point in her changing out of it. She regards him with languid gold eyes. He doesn’t know what she is doing here but he doesn’t intend on shooing her away.

“What are you drawing?” He can hear the strain in her voice.

Before remembering that he is not satisfied with his art, he pridefully holds up his masterpiece and declares, “it’s a lion-turtle.”

“I hate it.” Azula comments dryly and with all of the social elegance he expects of her.

“Actually, me too.” He admits rubbing the back of his head.

“Can I set it on fire?” She holds her hand out.

Sokka holds it protectively to his chest. “No!”

She laughs, but this only irritates her throat and she is hunched over coughing. The fit passes. It must have depleted what little energy she had left, because the firebender sits herself on the floor.

“Here.” Sokka gets up. He helps her into the chair.  “How are you feeling?”

“I suppose, fine...for having almost died.” She flips the lion-turtle drawing over with a matter-of-fact, “his intense stare was creeping me out. Seriously, can I burn that monstrosity?”

“Kozu didn’t do anything to you.”

Azula crinkles her nose. “Did you really name that thing after my brother?”

He realizes that she has just changed the subject.

“Any more petals?”

Azula shakes her head.

Perhaps he is absently putting the pieces together because it dawns on him that he is probably the first person she visited after waking. And she is in his room, she has sought him out in particular. She has her head down, face buried in her arms.

If the petals are gone then that means…

Does he really love her?

He peers at her, meeting her gaze when she turns her head up.

He thinks that he does.

.oOo.

Azula supposes that she has her victory.

The flowers are gone and she hasn’t had to utter a word of confession.

She is under the impression that Sokka will coax a vocalization out of her anyways. Likely after she has recovered. That is if he can put two and two together. She believes that he already has, he is giving her the stupid lopsided grin.

“Stop that.” She murmurs.

“You like me don’t you?”  

Foolish of her to assume that he would wait. “Less and less every time you speak.”

He wasn’t supposed to smile more. But he does. He isn’t making things any less awkward for her. She longs to avert her gaze, but she holds it. He loses the shit-eating grin and pulls up a chair for himself. “Why didn’t you say something?”

Azula shrugs.

“You said that you would if he was single. I have a whole folder of heartbreak art to prove it.”

Azula shrugs a second time. “Didn’t want to make things weird.”

Sokka blinks. “Spontaneously dying in the middle of the floor kind of makes any situation weird.”

“Yes, well, I’d be dead so I wouldn’t have to deal with any of the awkwardness.”

He laughs. “You’re incredible.” She can’t tell if he means so endearingly or incredulously or some hybrid of the two.

“Yes.” She agrees. Truth be told she also didn’t fancy the idea of rejection. Not after having received it from her father and at one point her uncle, mother, and ex-friends. It still clings to her even with most relationships decently patched up.

But he hasn’t rejected her. She feels her neck again. The vines would still twitch there if he had. Still, she has no idea what to do with that.

He sighs, “you really aren’t good at this romance thing, are you?”

She shakes her head.

“Well good thing that you have found yourself a professional.”

“Zuko told me that he walked in on you with a rose in your mouth and…”

Sokka’s face grows red. “Well that makes two of us!”

She blinks twice. He isn’t wrong. “I didn’t put mine there.” Technically she had though, in some sense.

He knows it too. He stops laughing again. “It’s not as hard as you think.” He flashes her a reassuring grin.

“You’ll find that I’m not the cuddly, clingy sort.”

“That’s the beauty of love!” Sokka sweeps his arms out in a grand arc. “You don’t have to be. For some reason, I like...I love you anyways. I’m kind of tired of clingy anyways. Suki is great, but sometimes a man needs his man time.”

“As long as I never find out exactly what that entails, have at it.” She comments with a wave of her hand. She puts her head back against the table, feeling drowsy all over again.

“Besides,” Sokka continues, “I think that this is rather romantic don’t you think.”

She cocks her head.

“Stumbling upon a heartbroken man doing art.”

Azula rolls her eyes. At this he grows serious again. “What I mean is, I don’t need you to be a Suki. I don’t need you to be fluffy or cuddly. I think that I’d probably hate that actually, it would be a little creepy. I just need you to be…”

“Alive?” Azula fills in.

“That too.” Sokka chuckles. “I just need you to be Azula. Just do what you usually do. I fell in love with that, so...uh...keep doing it I guess.”

She hides her face in her arms, under the guise of not feeling well. At least the fading disease has given her a subtle means of hiding an absurdly flushed face. She can’t recall a time when anyone has said something like that to her.

“Do you want to go back to your room?” He asks. “Your bed is probably more comfy than this desk.”

Azula picks her head back up and then stands up, simultaneously pushing her chair out. She motions for him to follow.

“Do you want me to get you something to eat or drink? You missed lunch.”

Azula nods. “Let Zuzu know that he’s not safe from me yet. I’m still going to kick his ass at kuai ball this summer.”

“I’ll deliver the message.” Sokka promises once they reach her bedroom. He leaves her in the doorway with a parting kiss. She brings her fingers to her lips. She supposes that she hadn’t entirely hated it.

No, she rather liked it.

[justanotherdumpingground]

Chapter Reviews: May 21-25, 2019 + Thoughts on Upcoming Books

High School Story: Class Act Chapter 15:

The greenhouse is so pretty that I can stare at it for minutes and not get bored. Oh, how I wish I have a place like that. Anyway, I spent diamonds on the terrarium because I'm curious about it and wonder how it will be used in the next book. Pity I couldn't spend time with Skye as a result, though it's not like I have enough diamonds either way. Anyway, let's see how the tour to Europe in Book 3 will turn out. As long as it doesn't involve disrespecting the local culture, though. Man, I'm so glad this book is done. The student election drama is so darn boring, with a weak progression in the storyline. If it wasn't for Skye, I would've lost my cool. She's the only saving grace of the story, and I'm glad I get to be official with her. Wishful Thinking Chapter 7:

I don't care much about the power outage thing, though I'm glad Jaime came to help things out. What frustrates me is the premium option to spend time with a minor character with a recycled model, so hard pass, Tony. Can I punch Alec now? He's being nothing but unreasonable, only getting MC's ideas when there's something in it for him? His behavior towards Jaime is just... ugh. As for Ellen, I need a heart-to-heart talk with her and call her out on her pride as well as reprimanding her for sabotage and theft. Note to self: buy that premium option to follow her. A Courtesan of Rome Chapter 18:

Man, it's been so long since I last played ACoR! I never thought I missed it. I know the middle chapters are weak because of their emphasis on romance over espionage, but I still had fond memories of how badass the MC and her family are. Anyway, let's get to it, shall we? I literally agonized over the choice to free Victus or Syphax, especially since I like them both, and Syphax is my MC's love interest. I really wanted Victus to reunite with the rest of his family, but because I also roleplay my MC, I wonder what she would do in that situation. For now, I picked Syphax, and Victus said that she and Syphax are the future of the tribe, which shook me speechless. I feel like Victus is willing to make way for the future generation. Finally Cingerix shows up, albeit as a legionary. I understand his frustrations at his situation, but time can't be turned back. I cringed at the options to be harsh towards him when playing as Delphinia. Threesome with Caesar and Cleopatra? Sounds interesting, if only I have the diamonds. I'm not surprised the MC didn't kill Caesar with poison, because he died by stabbing. What's interesting is how she'll deal with meeting her brother again. Nightbound Chapter 6:

Once again, I'm at the mercy of idiots, or more specifically werewolves who refuse to see reason. If it wasn't for Katherine, Nik, and Cal saving MC's ass, they would've been dead. About time Vera shows up, and I should've known that she's taking care of Kristin at the hospital. Seriously, I respect her for that. Here's hoping she shows up more. Speaking of showing up more, that should also apply to Krom, Garrus, and Ivy. My ever-supportive pit crew needs more love than the story provides. I need to tag them along with MC throughout their misadventures, badly. Is it just me, or does this story have a slow pacing? I wonder when the next monster tear will appear. Passport to Romance Chapter 11:

Not much I could say in this chapter because there's not much going on in the airport. The outfit's tacky, Ahmed's suggestion to have a trolley race is stupid, and I couldn't afford to invite Sumire to the lounge. Honestly, Elliot never ceases to annoy me. His family owns an airline, and he waited until the next day to use it to provide his friends a flight on a private plane? What is wrong with this guy? Can he just set his grudge against his brother aside? And what does Elliot even do for a living aside from mooching off his brother? Open Heart Chapter 15:

Seeing Aurora and hearing about her struggles of being the Chief of Medicine's daughter makes me want to give her a hug. She needs to cry the stress out of her. It's definitely bad that she had to put up with sycophants like the ones seen earlier in the story, and I'm glad I finally get to comfort her. At the same time, I'm sick of being forced to hate her for most of the time. Sure her aloof behavior isn't helping matters, but the MC should also get off their high horse. She Nevertheless, her story is far from done, and I want to see what decisions she'll make. Not to mention that I'm willing to give her the chance to be nice to her fellow interns, not just towards patients. Every time I see a choice to act mean to Aurora, I cringe. Getting the help of the senior physicians was fine, though I hated the outfit, so I didn't bother buying it. Since the physicians have a neutral opinion on the MC, it makes sense to encourage them to testify without any bias. As much as I respect Ethan for his skills, he's too biased in favor of the MC, especially since mine just hooked up with him. On MC's little talk with Landry as he moved out, the part where Landry said the competition's going to come down to him and the MC annoyed me. He didn't regret sabotaging the MC, but justified the reason he did it in the name of competition instead. Jackie nailed it in the previous chapter, when she said she wanted to reach the top spot fair and square. It's one thing to stay in the competition. It's another to sabotage another competitor and put patients at risk of misdiagnoses in the process, all because of a petty desire to suck up to Ethan. Even if it wasn't his goal to do the latter, it shows horrible judgement on his part that deserves to be censured. I won't forgive him for this, especially when the narrative wants us to forget about it. Bloodbound Chapter 2:

Scholar Jameson really creeps me out when he talked about the MC being a Bloodkeeper, which sounds like he and Gaius are using her to free the First Vampire and usher in an era where vampires will enslave humans. Ugh... At least the new lore stuff got me hooked, even when I failed to get Gaius to reveal my plans. I'll replay this chapter someday. Great, the portrait fragment system is back, and this time it focuses on Rheya. I wouldn't be surprised if she's the First Vampire. If so, that's kinda underwhelming. I expected the figure to be super old, but Rheya dates from the 8th Century BC (800-701 BC), which means there are ancient civilizations that predate her. I was confused when MC suddenly wakes up in the same room she was found in, only to be woken up by the love interests. I mean, yay they came to the rescue, but that left me wondering about the whole scene. And double yay at Lily for her tech savvy! Since the next chapter involves going to Vegas, this probably means there won't be a cameo appearance of Grant Emerson, which I anticipated. Oh well. I hope the cameo is a fun one. More Thoughts on Platinum:

After reading the summary for the second chapter, I groaned that this story will most likely feature a female rival I'm forced to hate, a problematic cliché Pixelberry loves using just to encourage players to vilify women and girls as rivals. This is a worrying trend that should stop, especially because what PB writes is sometimes influenced by fan reception, which always distorts the writing of characters and fails to provide meaningful commentary. It reeks of narrow-minded superficiality that reflects badly on players and writers alike. At least it was funny to see the OH female MC models recycled to the point that it could pass for an alternate universe where her medical license is revoked, and she chose a different career path. This won't hold water for me because my OH!MC's male, though they might as well be relatives. Red Carpet Diaries Book 3:I'm still angry that RCD gets a third book after the fiasco that is the second book. I'll just play this book for free diamonds and a few characters I like.

[happymetalgirl]

Infernal Coil - Within a World Forgotten

Man I have been itching to talk about this one for a long time now. Ever since hearing the pulverizing storm of thick guitars, blast beats, and cavernous vocals on “Crusher of the Seed” about a month or so before this album’s release, I was excited for this thing. I had never heard of Infernal Coil before, and as it turns out, that’s because the duo (who go by Folús and Blight) had only released one EP (Burning Prayer of Infinite Hatred) back in 2016, which presented a bold and rather close to fully-fledged sound that quickly got them signed to Profound Lore to release their debut full-length, Within a World Forgotten. Their EP presented a confident portrait of a band who knew exactly what they wanted to do with death metal. Offering up a thick, but spacious blend of death metal, sludge, and grindcore, Infernal Coil made very clear of their disinterest in balancing their extremity with too much melody of groove to make it more digestible, channeling the deathly sludge of Primitive Man’s most recent effort (Caustic) as well as the cavernous growls of something like Leviathan’s Scar Sighted.

Well on their debut LP, Infernal Coil head only further into the extreme and unbalanced realm of grinding death metal they were working in on their 2016 EP. I just mentioned earlier hearing traces of Leviathan on their EP, but on Within a World Forgotten, those similarities, to Scar Sighted especially, have been magnified with more dissonant guitar passages and even more maddening echoed howls of death, and I’m not complaining. Bearing very notable resemblance to two of my favorite albums of the past 3 years, I was definitely inclined to have at least some fondness for this album. And it certainly delivers everything that Profound Lore was probably hoping the band would after hearing their self-released EP, but also shows the band displaying a wider array of talents than what the confines of their 13-minute EP allowed.

The first three songs (“Wounds Never Close”, “Continuum Cruciatus”, and “Crusher of the Seed”) are a merciless grind of ripping, haunting death metal that I could see either Wrest or Primitive Man being proud of, and the band wastes no time standing on ceremony, kicking off the minute-fifty-three opening cut, “Wounds Never Close”, within the first second into a harsh and pessimistic void of reflective suffering. The song’s lyrics speak of a dread of some metaphoric fatal, inevitable wound that could be seen as a foresight into humanity’s future downfall, and the punishing instrumentation certainly embodies such an infliction. “Continuum Cruciatus” only furthers the lyrical despair of the first track with a slightly more contemplative tone, but of a death no more tranquil as Folús writes “cleave us blood beyond our blood, drown me in the river it creates”. This song is a bit more nihilistic black metal where the intro track was grindcore, but it’s worked in smoothly by way of the duo’s continuously apocalypse-summoning performances. The third track, “Crusher of the Seed”, paints a similarly prophetic and critical picture of humanity, referring to the death of “beings of no peace” amid a never-ending onslaught of blast beats, deep growls, and wave after crushing wave of low-tuned guitar distortion.

On the fourth song, the nearly ten-minute “49 Suns”, Infernal Coil continue to direct their lyrical attack on humanity’s obliviousness to its own impending doom, as shown by the opening line: “To see this hell for what it really is...the vast murmurous gloom of dreams”. But amid the song’s terrifying echoes of metallic darkness, the band also play with more dynamic shifts and even find a way to work in a quieter, yet similarly melancholic ambient and acoustic guitar section as the second half of the song that does well to contribute to rather than detract from the cacophonous grind surrounding it.

The band jump right back into their blistering grind of sludge and death with “Reflection of Waldeinsamkeit”. The German word in the title refers to a specific feeling of solitude associated with being alone in the woods, but Folús’ meditations are hardly serene. The opening line of the song seems to be him speaking to the natural world around him in a willingness to die in payment for what humanity has done to it: “my sacrifice for the torture you endure”. The song ends with him sinking into this sacrificial melancholy: “my eyes close to dream of the ashes I will become.” The instrumental is driven by the rumble of a down-tuned guitar and Blight’s pummeling blast beats and tom work, while both band members continue to build horrifying echoes of agonized screams.

“Bodies Set in Ashen Death” continues the album’s assault and maintains its menacing atmosphere but also incorporates a surprisingly synchronous riff near its beginning and end as it makes its portrayal of mankind’s demise more upfront in the lyrics detailing the decay of the human form, with Folús asking, “Where does your faith lie, as we behold the overwhelming disease of selfishness.” The duo work in another very Leviathan-esque clean guitar passage complete with eerie echoes of whispered defeatism about halfway through the track.

The closing song, “In Silent Vengeance”, opens with a tense, ominously distorted spoken word passage amid thick, dark ambiance. The band seems to draw out their punches on this final track, and it is a fitting choice, as Folús’ lyrics deal with the welcoming of humanity’s end, with Folús writing “the shackles of our soul lie broken as we taste man’s last choking breath”. The track ends with echoes of frail weeping amid the unsympathetic howling of wind that seems to resemble the aftermath of Earth’s forceful and remorseless purge of mankind.

Within a World Forgotten finds Infernal Coil chronicling the demise of humanity at the hands of the world it casually abuses and destroys under the guise of entitlement, through a sludgy death metal heaviness so unrelenting it completely fills and becomes the atmosphere. While the homogeneity of this album might certainly be a flaw on album of another style (i.e. Satan’s latest effort), the consistent instrumental approach is kind of the point on this album, and its main means of conveying its atmosphere. And considering the ruthlessly defeatist lyricism across the album, it’s a fitting and constructive choice. While it might be clear that what the band is writing about is something I also find very important, I do feel it is important to make clear my own thoughts about humanity’s impact on the natural world. While we do have a great responsibility as the Earth’s most ecologically impactful species to do well to mitigate our negative and potentially cataclysmic effects on the rest of life here, a defeatist approach like what is portrayed here is not something I would ever advocate, and I imagine the band probably don’t feel that way either, but find worth in matching the extremeness of that approach with their music, as do I. As for us and our environmental impact, let’s continue to strive to make it better. And as for Infernal Coil, congratulations on a fantastic debut record. 

[the-foxwolf]

Lili, my Lili

For once in my Tumblr career so far, I will say the following. This article will in fact have some pro-Liliana bias in it. Some. I have written pages and pages and pages about Liliana, so by now I hope you all have realized I tend to be fairly good at keeping it held back. Even so, I will try to keep it at a minimum. But this article is meant to discuss Liliana and her Character Growth since we first truly met her in Agents of Artifice, arguably the real first literature that features her

Gather `Round! It is Story Telling Time!

(Liliana of the Veil: Innistrad) (Art by Steve Argyle)

Baseline- Agents of Artifice

Before we go into this, let’s discuss a baseline from where she started, where we really met her for the first time: Agents of Artifice. This is the first time we really get the chance to see her at any length and spend time with her. What kind of person was she at this time?

(Liliana’s Caress: 2011 Core Set) (Art by Steve Argyle)

The following statement from Liliana’s Indignation by Kelly Diggs summarizes quite succinctly the events of Agents of Artifice:

Jace. She'd befriended him on false pretenses, played on his emotions, manipulated him into joining an interplanar crime syndicate, then into overthrowing it. By the time it all went wrong, she'd grown genuinely fond of him, and betraying him had torn out one more strand of her threadbare sense of humanity. Not that that had stopped her, and anyway, if she hadn't done it they'd both be heroically, uselessly dead. Still, she could see why he might bear a grudge.

It doesn’t quite do the whole thing justice in that she did so much worse to him that apparently she didn’t see important enough to even merit remembering.

With that baseline, let’s move on.

Innistrad 

We don’t see Lili for a while after this. We see her pursuing the Chain Veil, dealing with the Raven Man, with Garruk, and hunting down her demons. No real character development going on for a while. Not at least until Shadows over Innistrad. During Origins, she still had not changed. She knocked on Jace’s door knowing exactly how to manipulate him into helping her clear out the Onnake. It wasn’t until Shadows over Innistrad that we finally begin to see some real Character Development.

Return to Innistrad

 Throughout the course of the Shadows Over Innistrad storyline, we see very little change in Liliana. One thing for certain that we see is that Liliana is constantly lying to herself. The phrase: “She didn't need him. She needed someone to need her.” Comes up a few times throughout the arc. But this serves little purpose beyond showing the audience that she hold at least some feelings toward him and that she lies to herself constantly. 

(Liliana, the Last Hope: Eldritch Moon) (Art by Anna Steinbauer)

Ravnica

In the events of The Flood, by the R&D Story Team, we see Vrazka’s point of view of an intimate moment between Jace and Liliana. We notice Liliana hasn’t changed a bit yet. She’s still trying to play with his feelings to have him under her palm. However, we must recognize that this event took place almost immediately after the conclusion of the Shadows arc. Jace is complaining about chess, a game Emrakul, or at least its avatar, forced Jace to play. Point being, this event takes place shortly after the fight with Emrakul. 

The events of Homesick, by Chris L`Etoil, are more difficult to interpret. To me, it seems Liliana is starting to grow fond of the Gatewatch. She’s started teasing them. Talking with and about them as though they were friends. I’m not convinced she is necessarily friends with any of them yet, but her tsundere quality is starting to show and her initial cold iciness has warmed up to a lukewarm chill. Making friends. Or least getting close to it. Good. Progress. She has not had a friend...ever. Literally. Before she ignited she had tutors and targets. But no one outside her family she saw as a peer or as an equal. As an Old Walker and up until now, everyone has been a tool. But now... the Gatewatch are still tools, but she is actually getting along and enjoying their company. Take note, the events of Homesick take place THREE MONTHS after the events described in The Flood. We know this for certain at the very least because the events of this story immediately lead up to the Kaladesh story arc...by which point she and Jace had “reminisced” about old times at least three times. 

And do not tell me their “reminiscing” was merely conversational. Read this section over. Even a fool can tell their “reminiscing” was much more than that.

"You should go back. The others will notice if you don't come home tonight," said the woman.

Jace shrugged. "It's just past sunset. I've got time."

"Oh." The woman looked Jace over, visibly weighing some decision in her mind.

(Liliana, Death’s Majesty: Amonkhet) (Art by Chris Rallis)

"This is just two old acquaintances, relaxing after a victory," the woman responded. "Reminiscing about the good old days."

Jace absently tugged on his right glove. "Those days weren't all good."

"We weren't, either," the woman said in a hushed, dangerous tone.

In a moment, the game transformed, chessboard tossed on the floor, metaphorical dice on the table. She was a gambler, floating an offer for one more round, one more bet, just for the hell of it, c'mon, fellas, what's the worst that could happen.

"We're not together," the woman in violet added. "But you don't have to leave just yet."

Jace looked up from his drink and met her gaze with a hopeful look.

The woman topped up both of their glasses and lifted hers. "To new good old days," she said.

To Vraska's relief, the illusion dissolved, and the riverbed returned.

Kaladesh

Finally we starting seeing some growth. Measurable growth. We see a lot of that in Puppets, by James Wyatt.

A single spell could drain the life from the soldiers and add their walking corpses to her retinue... Killing these soldiers would be easy—but, strangely, that had not been her plan. Perhaps Jace and—she shuddered a little—and General Meat-Shield are rubbing off on me.

Tezzeret himself comments on Liliana’s strange new behavior.

"I think [Jace] softened you, Vess. The necromancer I knew four years ago would have marched in here at the head of a zombie army. And she might have lived to tell about it.

Even though she recognized the inefficiency of not slaying everyone in her path and building an gang of zombies, she refused. As Tezzeret said, Pre-Gatewatch Liliana would not have hesitated for a second to wipe them out and bring them along. This is honestly a mind boggling change for her. Leaps and bounds different than the person she was before the Gatewatch.

Amonkhet

We see a change so grand in her it even shocks herself. Liliana does not seem to grow incrementally, but rather in great bursts as the trust bubbles out of her without her consent. Lili is a master of lying to herself.

In Hour of Devestation, by , we see another facet of Lili change- her heart. Looks like she’s finally let herself have feelings for Cloak Boy.

(Jace’s Defeat: Hour of Devastation) (Art by Kieran Yanner)

She looked again at the space where Jace had been, his agonized screams echoing in her mind. She felt something wet at the corner of her eyes, but willed it away, refusing to show weakness to anyone.

But these new feeling and emotions in her heart extend beyond just Jace. She genuinely has come to care about The Gatewatch. As Bolas defeated them one by one, we see Liliana exhibit some new, alien, behavior.

She didn't know what made her turn to the others, but she did it anyway, the words coming before she could stop them...

She was unused to the swirl of emotion she felt....

"Please. If you stay here, you will die. This is not the way." She hated the pleading in her voice, but she let her words stand....

Her choices always led her here. Another betrayal. Another disappointment. Another trap. It was the comfort she found in the dead. They could not be betrayed. They could not be disappointed. They could not look at her with hurt and anger in their eyes....

(Liliana’s Defeat: Hour of Devastation) (Art by Kieran Yanner)

She surrounded herself in a glowing nimbus of dark energy and vanished into the void, her tears finally free to fall in the empty spaces between worlds.

Feelings for Jace. Concern for the mortality of the Gatewatch. Now we see that her association with the Gatewatch extends beyond mere utility. If utility was all she truly desired, she would have accepted Bolas’  help. But she did not. Vitally important fact.

Dominaria

While we see some Character Growth in Return to Dominaria: Episode 1, by Martha Wells, most of the Character Growth so far has been seen in In Return to Dominaria: Episode 2, by Martha Wells, where we see Liliana practice something she’s not familiar with... honesty. 

She might have used the moment to lie or try to manipulate him, but she hadn't. It had surprised him, and made him think they might actually have a chance to kill Belzenlok and then Nicol Bolas. If they could really work together as allies, anything was possible. 

Her first instinct was to lie and manipulate Gideon into helping. But BeefslabTM is an honest man whose trust requires honesty. In what is a pretty tremendous event, she decided to just drop her veils and tell him the truth. There are other examples so far in the story, but I’ll leave it short for brevity’s sake. This event is particularly impactful because her first instance of intentional honesty in who knows how long was with Gideon, a man whose moral compass frustrated Liliana.

(Deploy the Gatewatch: Eldritch Moon) (Art by Wesley Burt)

We see something else that is rather surprising: Liliana owning up to her actions- taking responsibility for her crimes. When thinking about Josu, when she realized he is still alive.

It was easy to see now that she had been single-minded and selfish about it, ignoring warnings, rushing as if minutes were meaningful, wanting only to succeed where others had failed and make herself the hero of her family. But it was a teenager's selfishness, a childish self-absorption. It didn't deserve this. Josu didn't deserve this.

She tried blaming The Raven Man, several times. But each time, she corrected herself, telling herself that she was the one who took the action. All The Raven Man did was provide the poison. It was Lili who chose to try and be a hero, who chose to trust a shady stranger, who did not have the patience to check her work.

Conclusion

Three major changes we have seen from Liliana since the events of Agents of Artifice are:

The ability to be honest

The ability of self restraint

The ability to care for others beyond just their utility

She had none of that at the very beginning of this article. I understand that some of these scenes could be interpreted differently. Even so, I feel very confident in saying that Liliana has changed- for the better. 

Hit that “Reblog” button if you liked what you read. For more short stories, articles, and discussion from me at Story Telling Time, hit that “Follow” button.

See ya next time!

[inhumansforever]

Lockjaw #4 Review

spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers

The wild ride comes to an even wilder conclusion as Lockjaw and D-Man face off against the dreaded Annihilus!  The final issue of a terrific miniseries  from the creative team of Daniel Kibbelsmith, Carlos Villa, Roberto Poggi and Chris O’Halloran.  Recap and review following the jump.  

A mysterious signal has sent Lockjaw on a quest to ensure his siblings are all safe.  The down on his luck retired superhero, Dennis ‘D-Man’ Dumphrey, has stumbled into accompanying Lockjaw as the adventure has traversed nearly every corner of the multiverse.  

It turned out that the signal was sent by Lockjaw’s sister, Doc Jaw, a highly intelligent doggo from he anthropomorphic universe (just roll with it, okay?).  Anyways, Doc Jaw had sent out this signal hoping it would beckon Lockjaw so he could save his brother from the Negative Zone where the evil Annihilus was trying to use him to gain an unlimited portal through which he hoped to conquer the multiverse.  What, what?  

But first Lockjaw must remember how to teleport tot he multiverse and recalling this information requires venturing into the dreamscape where the memory can be unlocked from his unconscious.  Huh?  

Whatever.  In the dreamscape, Lockjaw and D-Man meet Sleepwalker, defender of the dream-realm.  As Sleepwalker explains the dreamscape offers visages of distant memories and Lockjaw is able to see the circumstances of his origin.

Many years ago, an Inhuman of the lower caste named Myrren Barabus ventured beyond the confines of Attilan into the forbidden world of mankind.  There she saw  a mistreated dog and mistook it for a human infant.   Myrren took the dog back to Attilan hoping to save her.  

Myrren was arrested by the Royal Guard and the dog she abducted was handed over to the Genetic Council and it’s unscrupulous Surgeon Supreme.   The Surgeon Supreme had been made privy to King Agon and Queen Rynda’s efforts to expand upon the potentialities of Terrigenesis by exposing their unborn child to the Terrigen Mists whist still in the womb.  Before they conducted this experiment, however, Agon wanted to ensure the process was safe and tasked the Surgeon Supreme to conduct preliminary trials on in vitro Terrigenesis.  

The Surgeon Supreme utilized animals as test subjects in his experiments and the dog Myrren had unwittingly brought to him proved a successful subject.  The Surgeon Supreme used cloned cells to make the dog pregnant and then subjected her to a specially rendered form of the Terrigen Mist.  The experiment was a success and one of the puppies gestating in her womb was endowed with Inhuman powers.  

This pup was Lockjaw and along with enhanced strength and size and the ability to teleport over vast distances, he was additionally empowered with a preternatural sense of awareness.  Even as a pre-born pup, Lockjaw was able to ascertain that his siblings were at risk of being test subjects for the sinister Surgeon Supreme’s ongoing experiments.  So to save his brothers and sister, Lockjaw used his teleportation powers to transport each to a safe location… his brother was taken to Brooklyn, his sister was taken to the Savage Land, his other sister was brought to the Larval Earth and anthropomorphic universe, and his other brother was taken to the Negative Zone (which Lockjaw had mistakenly believed a safe location).  

Seeing and reliving these memories is difficult for Lockjaw, but does achieve a goal.  Doc Jaw has been monitoring his and D-Man’s journey through the dreamscape and when Lockjaw relives the process of depositing his brother in the Negative Zone Doc Jaw is able to get a fix on the frequency of the teleportation which can now be used to enable Lockjaw to return there and save their brother from Annihilus.  

Which they do… barely giving D-Man a moment to catch his breath…  And before you know it, the duo are facing off against the dreaded Annihilus.  The villainous lord of the Negative Zone is just as fond of exposition as Doc Jaw and he explains that he utilized technology stolen from he High Evolutionary to recreate a temporary version of Lockjaw’s teleportation powers rom his brother (or something like that).  

But Annihilus wants the real deal, he wants to use Lockjaw himself and thus have unlimited access to the multiverse; and is pleased that D-Man has been so foolish as to so deliver his dog to the Negative Zone.

D-Man declares that Lockjaw is not his dog, he is his own dog.  And with this, the time for exposition is done and battle is on.  

Lockjaw attacks Annihilus, mayhem ensues.  D-Man can barely breath in the toxic atmosphere of the Negative Zopne.  He realizes he still has the special inhaler Doc Jaw had given him.  He doesn’t know what this inhaler does, but is desperate enough to try it.  It turns out that the inhaler contains a temporary DNA recombinant formula that transforms D-Man into an anthropomorphic dragon-like creature.  Holy crap!

The dragonnized D-Man jumps into the fray.  Lockjaw’s powers seem to surge during the battle.  The whole lot of them are transported all over the multiverse as the fight rages on.  They bounce from Asgard to the Ultimate Universe to the DC comics universe and even the realm between universes where Val and Franklin Richards have been kicking it with their parents ever since the Secret Wars event (great to see them again!).  

The finally end up in prehistoric times.  Lockjaw head butts Annihilus off of a cliff.  Yet Annihilus can fly and he goads him for his stupidity.  No sooner does he do this  then a giant Megalodon springs up from the ocean below and gobbles Annihilus up!

The villain has been defeated and Lockjaw’s brother has been saved.  D-Man’s dragonization wears off and Lockjaw teleports him back home where his sister is quite relived to see him.  D-Man is a good guy and has been a good friend; and Lockjaw is confident leaving his brother in his care.  

Lockjaw then returns home to Arctillan and waddles by Luna, Karnak, Black Bolt and Medusa to make sure all is well.  

He gets a knowing nod of approval from Back Bolt and then snuggles up for a well-deserved rest whist thinking about his beloved siblings.  And it is here that the adventure comes to its conclusion.  

Bananas.  Lockjaw is a wonderfully wacky character and Daniel Kibblesmith and company craft a story that is equally wonderful and wacky, very wacky.   The plot is hugely complicated, overly intricate and relies too heavily on exposition to explain itself.  Yet the plot is sort of beside the point.  It’s just there as a means to tell Lockjaw’s origin, introduce his siblings, offer up some action, show off the more bizarre corners of the Marvel Universe and re-present D-Man as a character we need to see much more of in the future.  

The convoluted nature in which Lockjaw’s origin is shown notwithstanding, the origin itself is extremely cool and inventive… it succeeds in rooting Lockjaw into the darker, more unsavory backdrop of The Inhumans of Old Attilan.  Like Black Bolt, Lockjaw is the product of cruel experimentation, both victims of science without scruples and the ruling Inhumans’ unyielding quest to advance their genetic evolution.   Kibblesmith does a neat job of linking up Lockjaw’s backstory to Black Bolt’s origin (as it has been told in previous tales) yet does so in a fashion that remains true to the tenor of the story at hand.  Which is a rather fancy trick considering how easily the matter of animal cruelty can derail a story (looking at you, Wes Anderson).  

The art by Villa, Poggi and O’Halloran matches perfectly the tone of the story, fun and silly but with pronounced hints of real peril.  The script makes some serious demands of the art squad, packing in a lot of action in a lot of different settings... including illustrating the interior of a dog’s womb... but Villa and the gang are more than up to the challenge.  

Despite the overly hectic plot, this series was just a joy to read and I just loved meeting lockjaw’s brothers and sisters.  Most surprising was how much I liked D-Man and I do hope his story gets picked up on elsewhere some time soon.  

The Death of The Inhumans is right around the corner and I’m already steeling myself for the direness that tale is certain to bring about.  In the meantime, I’m just going to bash in the unadulterated silly fun that this series has offered up.  

Four our of five Lockjaws for the issue…

Five out of five Lockjaws for the series as a whole.  

[waterlilyvioletfog]

Lyanna Was Fond of Flowers- A Meta on Lyanna, the Tourney of Harrenhal, Consent, the Tower of Joy, and Finally, Roses

[@nobodysuspectsthebutterfly um here? A gift? This is as good as I can write it right now. Please tell me if I did alright!] 

Lyanna Stark was sixteen years old when she died. I don’t think I can stress this enough: Lyanna Stark was not old enough to order a fucking pillow pet when she died. There, that’s as bluntly as I can put it. You got that? She was not old enough to dial a phone number and ask for an as-seen-on-TV stuffed animal. That’s how young she was. 

With this firmly in the front of our thoughts, let us proceed into the depths of the tangled woman-child best known as Lyanna Stark. Don’t worry, It’s better under the cut.

Rhaegar Targaryen, Crown Prince of the Seven Kingdoms rode up to Lyanna Stark, the daughter of a Great Lord, at the Tourney of Harrenhal, 281 AC. The greatest tourney of its time, with prizes several times what was offered by Tywin Lannister at the Lannisport tourney of 276, this was a Big Fucking Deal. Hundreds of people flocked to Harrenhal. Hundreds of people were in attendance to this moment, a moment that would go down in history like Paris gifting the apple to Aphrodite. This is the moment, Westerosi historians will all agree, that e v e r y t h i n g changed. Picture it if you would- a lovely April afternoon, bright banners in every color imaginable, hundreds of strangers packed into the stands to watch the jousting, like some medieval superbowl. Picture a man more beautiful than anything, with streaming silver hair, ride up on his white horse towards a pretty young girl. 

It looks like a song, doesn’t it? The prelude to a grand Opus, the prelude to a master gardener’s final work, his last best hope of making a ripple in history. You see that too? Good. That means that you understand some level of the context this story is in. 

It all looks like a song to Lyanna, too. The prologue to a love story. Her love story. She’s fourteen years old, and this is a man she met only a few days ago under the silent gaze of a tree and maybe a few men in white cloaks. The Crown Prince extends a crown of flowers in her direction, a crown of blue roses, winter roses, her very favorite sort of flower. We’ve drawn this moment half a hundred times before. There’s always someone just out of frame of the painting though, someone just out of sight. 

A woman. Another woman. The first woman. Princess Elia Martell of Dorne. Now Princess Elia Targaryen of Dragonstone. Her daughter is at home, her son a bun in an oven, if even that. We can’t quite see her expression: is it rage, is it hurt, is it guilt, is it disappointment? Perhaps it is fear. I’ve heard people say that they could feel the weight of a moment, that they could feel the strings of fate tightening inextricably around them- perhaps Elia could feel them too, could see the eventual carnage and destruction, perhaps she could see her children’s blood upon the walls of her home, perhaps she could hear her own screams. We’ll never know, I suppose. The painter has blurred out the faces of everyone except for the prince and the maiden. Don’t be fooled: he wants you to forget about everything but the song for the moment. Don’t forget Elia Martell, who walked among vipers and was unbitten. 

There’s someone else in the painting, too. There, lurking in the shadows, is our future king. Lord Robert Baratheon of Storm’s End, a hulking blue-eyed brute. He’s nineteen and his betrothed has just been handed a flower crown by a gorgeous man. He’s nineteen and his future wife just received a declaration of love from a married man. Can you see him, our Menelaus? I know he can be hard to see; I didn’t see him either, in the beginning.  

Lyanna accepts the flowers. She can’t very well tell him to go away and give them to Elia, can she? 

The smiles have died. The party is at an end. Our players return, like birds, to their nests.

Fast forward another year. It is 282 AC. Aegon VI Targaryen has been born, and Princess Elia Martell, it is revealed, will not be able to give birth to any more children. Rhaegar is faced with a dilemma: he believes that in order to save the world, he must have a son and two daughters. He has two of the three children, but still he needs his Visenya. His wife cannot give him his Visenya, but she must still be born. Can you see it? Can you see the Silver Prince brood as he plays his high harp? Can you hear his self-absorbed sighs of torment? 

Lyanna Stark is in the Riverlands. Why, we can’t be sure. It most likely is because her brother Brandon is getting married in a few weeks, but who knows? Lyanna is further south than that, on the grounds of Harrenhal. Perhaps she and the Prince arranged this; how else could he have known where to find her? If so, who contacted whom? And why? Perhaps it started out as something innocent, a maintenance of a friendship formed under the gaze of a tree. Perhaps it turned into laughter, and teasing, and flirting. Perhaps it turned into something not-so-innocent as Lyanna confessed that she didn’t want to marry Robert. Perhaps there were murmurs of sympathy from a pretty prince, because he hadn’t particularly wanted to marry his wife either. 

Perhaps there was a promise to a fifteen year old girl that she didn’t have to marry a drunken man-whore if she came to meet him at Harrenhal in a month. He would protect her, squirrel her away not far from his family home of Summerhall. She could live there for the rest of her days, or at least until he could remarry again. And the fifteen year old believes him, because he’s the Crown Prince and she knows that he can make all these things happen. She believes him, because she has faith that she is in a love song. Lyanna believes him, because beautiful people never lie. 

And if, for an instant, she feels a moment of doubt, this is what she realizes: she has been carrying on an emotional affair with a married man for a year. Her reputation would be ruined if anyone found out. If she refuses him, he could ruin her, he could burn her alive, he could tell his father that SHE was the Knight of the Laughing Tree and watch as she gets dragged to the pyre. And perhaps- perhaps- she has already lost her maidenhead to this Silver Prince because no one really knows what happened at Harrenhal. 

Can you see it? Picture her, if you would, the painting of a fifteen year old girl, with a long face and infinite grey eyes full of songs. Picture her, biting her lip, agonizing over her decision: does she stay or go? 

She goes. She goes alone, without telling anyone where she’s going, because then they could find her, then they could stop her. Lyanna’s watched Downton Abbey, she knows better than to leave a note. 

(But maybe, ponders a butterfly, maybe she did write a note, and maybe it was sent and maybe a three-eyed crow in the far, untouchable North, stopped the letter from going where it was supposed to go. The saviors, after all, could never be born if that letter reached where it had been sent.) 

And so Lyanna Stark disappears for a year and a half to the Tower of Joy.  

Little is known about what went on in the Tower of Joy. We don’t know when they got there, we don’t know if Rhaegar raped Lyanna, we don’t know if she knew about Brandon and Rickard, we don’t know if she tried to escape, we don’t know whether she was happy there, we don’t know if Rhaegar genuinely cared about her. We do know that Rhaegar and Lyanna had sexual intercourse at least once. We do know that Rhaegar left at some point. We do know that the Kingsguard stopped Eddard Stark and his men from entering the tower as Lyanna screamed for them. We do know that she knew about Rhaegar’s death at the Trident and the Sack of King’s Landing and the fate of her son’s half-siblings. We do know that Rhaegar left her in hostile territory, 15-16 years old and pregnant, with only a wetnurse to help her through the birth itself. 

Lyanna Stark dies in a bed of her own blood, in her brother’s arms, begging him for the life of her child, clutching desperately to the dead petals of long withered winter roses. Lyanna Stark, sixteen years old, dies. Lyanna’s bones are brought back to Winterfell, and so is her son. And we know what happens next.  

Can’t you see her, lying there? Don’t you see the bed with its pale sheets, and a gaunt young woman sweating and bleeding her life out onto them? Can’t you smell the metal tang of blood and the salt of sweat and tears? Can’t you hear Ned Stark’s sobs, his terrified promises, the squalling of a newborn, the murmuring of a wetnurse by the name of Wylla? Can’t you feel the tension, as Wylla, Howland, and Ned decide upon what’s to be done? Can’t you hear the last strains of Lyanna Stark’s song:

Lyanna, your song is the song of girls everywhere. You did not do everything right, but you didn’t do anything wrong. You trusted a man you shouldn’t have trusted, and now you lie dead in your bed. Oh Lyanna, oh Lyanna, willful and beautiful and dead. 

Can’t you smell the roses? 

The gardener cackles as our hearts plummet into our stomachs and the orchestra falls silent. Lyanna, prelude to all, with a prologue of flower crowns and an epilogue of dead rose petals, it is fitting that you were fond of flowers.

[terriblesportsimagines]

May I ask if you could do a scenario when akashi's (KNB) son went to the kindergarten for the first time and his mom was wired because he is just a tiny version of sei? Like he really loves order and hates disobeying and kind of mature and quite for his age (still a baby who can be tricked with a kandy tho and like cartoons xD) and it happens that ryouta 's son is there and a tiny sei made him cry because well, like father like a son You can ignore it if you don't like it .. thank you ❤

Oh man, at first I was like “How am I going to write this ask?”  And then I fell in LOVE.  This is easily one of my favorite things I’ve written for this blog and I giggle every time I read it.  I hope this is what you wanted and I hope you enjoy!

Akashi Seijuro

You were nervous.

Well, a little more than that, since sending your baby offto kindergarten was a big deal.  You weren’t used to being away from himand it was going to be so hard.  But that wasn’t really why youwere nervous.  You were nervous because you knew your son, and knew histemperament and you were afraid it would not reflect well in a schoolenvironment.

He… didn’t play well with others, at least when othersdidn’t fall in line.  Admittedly, you probably hadn’t socialized him aswell as you should have, and the only children he’d been exposed to were thoseof your friends, which were all older or younger, and your husband’s friends,which were similar age, but who, for the most part, let him have his own way.

You loved your little man, but there was no mistaking theresemblance to your husband.  He was like a miniature Akashi Seijuro, withall his strange quirks.  Quirks which were going to cause tension in akindergarten environment.  Honestly, there were sometimes you wondered howhe could possibly be only five years old.

He was obsessive about order and though you’d done your bestto bring it down a touch, had a bit of a superiority complex.  He wantedthose around him to fall in line and do as he said all the time, andunfortunately, you know most children would not enjoy being told what todo.  He was also a sweet little boy with a fondness for candy and agenerous heart.  It was just getting through the layers of Akashito see that.

He was a confident little boy, and so despite your hummingand hawing, trotted off into the school without any problem.  Seijurostood beside you, and arm around your waist as you watched your baby take hisfirst steps of independence, worrying at your lip the whole time.

“He will be fine, _____,” Seijuro commented lightly,amusement in his tone.  “He’s my son.  He’ll have them all in line bylunch.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” you muttered, wringing yourhand.  You wanted to stay and watch, wanted to supervise.  You’dwarned him, told him that other children might not like to be bossed around,and might not adhere to his version of order.  But that was all you cando.

The day passed with agonizing slowness.  You did yourbest to keep busy, and Seijuro worked from home, even managing to draw you awayfor a little alone time, since you had the time.  Still, you halfexpected to get a phone call from the school with some problem or another andit had you on edge.

When the time came to finally pick your son up, youand your husband made your way back to the school.  Unlike some, he wasn’twaiting outside, so you went in to find his classroom. 

You heard the wailing long before you ever reached theroom.  Fear stung the back of your throat – it didn’t sound like your son,but it was familiar, and you just knew your son was at the heart of it.

Sure enough, when you entered the room, your husband behindyou, your eyes immediately found the short red hair of your son.  He wasstanding awkwardly in one corner of the classroom, chin down, while anotherlittle boy, one with bright blond hair, sobbed hysterically a few feetaway.  A familiar blond man knelt beside him, trying to console him, whilethe teacher stood by and murmured at your son.

You sighed, hurrying forward to catch your son about theshoulders.  His little face shot up and the solemn look in his eyes madeyour heart clench, especially when he reached for you right away. 

“Akashicchi!” The blond man complained and when you lookedover he was glaring at your husband.  “We went through this last time!”

Seijuro blinked slowly.  “We did,” he said.  “AndI’m not repeating myself.”

Your hand shot out and smacked your husband solidly in themiddle before you turned your attention back to your clinging five yearold.  “Okay sweety, what happened?”

“He was a meany!” The blond child wailed.  “He’s alwaysa meany!”

“He wouldn’t play with me,” your son replied, nonplussed,though he clutched you tighter. 

“I wanted to be the king!  He never lets me be theking!” The blond boy refuted, glaring as hard as his little gold eyes couldmuster.  “He said he would behead me for t-t-treason!”

Despite how serious it was for the two boys, you had to tryvery, very hard not to laugh, and you could see amusement lurking inyour husband’s crimson eyes.  Kise, less so, but that was mostly becausehe was too busy rolling his eyes at Seijuro.

“I’m the king,” your son commented, dead serious,tone every bit as imperious as his father on his worst day.  “I amabsolute.  He said I was stupid and no one wants to be friends withme.”  At this his eyes dropped to the floor and you could see, behind theserene mask, a very real fear.  “He said Kei, Ai, Hiyashi and Daisukedon’t even like me.”

You had to wonder where he’d even picked up thatphrase because you were pretty sure you’d tamed that out of your husband yearsago.

Both you and Kise winced at this, and you could see thisupset your son a great deal.  The other Generation of Miracles’ childrenwere probably the only friends he had, and certainly the ones he saw the mostand were the most comfortable with.  That included Kise’s son, most of thetime, although of the six children, these two butted heads the most.

“That wasn’t very nice,” Kise said on a sigh, stroking hisson’s head.

“He said he was gonna kill me!” The blond boyshrieked, pointing an accusing finger at your son. 

You sighed.  “I don’t think he meant literally.”

“He tried to organize an uprising,” your son said veryseriously.  “He needs to die.”

You immediately turned to your smirking husband.  “Youand I are going to have a talk about appropriate and five year oldswhen we get home.”

Seijuro just snorted.

“Okay, I think everyone here needs to apologize,” youannounced a moment later, shaking your head.  “Sweetheart, you can’tthreaten to kill people, even when they don’t do what you want.”

“I wasn’t actually going to kill him,” your songrumbled.  When you squeezed him in warning, he sighed heavily and said,loudly, if sullenly, “I’m sorry.”

Kise, picking up where you left off, patted his son’sback.  “And you need to apologize for what you said too, little man. No matter how mad he made you, you shouldn’t call people stupid or tell them noone likes them.”

The little blond boy sniffled, pursing his lips andnarrowing his eyes in what looked very much like challenge.  “…Sorry.” Hebit out, then added a moment later, “Next time I’m gonna over throw you. I’ll be absolute.”

Your son’s chin came up to meet the challenge.  “I’llcrush you.”

“I’ll crush you.”

Oh good, there were two of them.  Maybe it wasn’t agood thing that all your kids spent so much time together?

You couldn’t help but giggle a little later in theirlives when neither one came out on top, and it was, in fact, little Kuroko Aiwho lead with a sweet smile and iron fist, much to both fathers’ despair.

[hot-mysticc-mess-blog]

Slow Burn

If this were a Panic! At the Disco song it would be titled The Fourty-Three-Thousand-Eight-Hundred Hour Burn Time of the Bath and Body Works Three-Wick Candle that is Jaehee and MC’s Relationship

Rating: G

Pairing: Jaehee x MC

Words: 4,024

[Bracketed] text is content transcribed from Jaehee’s good ending.

Jaehee has been telling herself she just hasn’t found the right man for years now. One day, the right one would come along and her heart would flutter and she would live happily ever after…or, far more realistically, end up in a reasonably comfortable marriage. Girls, on the other hand, she has always had a fondness for. She remembers being little, playing with other children on the playground and wanting to be the prince just so she could save the beautiful princess stuck in the tower. “Girls can’t be princes,” they’d say.

…no, she supposed they couldn’t.

She assumed her first kiss would be with a boy, but the first time she actually imagined it she was fourteen and her fantasies revolved around the captain of the women’s soccer team. Surely, these were just intrusive thoughts. Girls were beautiful, the occasional thought of running her hand over every swell and curve of a woman’s body meant absolutely nothing. Mostly, Jaehee avoided the topic of romance all together. In the eyes of everyone around her, she was a strong student and very modest. She was someone her parents would be proud of, and was happy to keep it that way. In the end, her first kiss and her first time were both with men and both fairly average experiences. 

Through high school and part of college, everyone approved of Jaehee’s choice to focus on her studies. Afterward, when she started getting criticism for her lack of suitors (and advice, so much unwanted advice) she brushed it off, compensating for it with her long hours and high-profile job. She may be alone, but she was a confident and financially stable woman, and all would be well. 

That was, until MC showed up in the chatroom.  

At first, Jaehee was suspicious. Among a group of high profile people, someone breaching their way into a private app with top-tier security measures should always garner a good amount of suspicion. After learning a little more about the situation, she was convinced the woman must be incompetent. Maybe she was very young? Teenagers were known to be impulsive, perhaps that was what convinced her to be led by a complete stranger to break into someone else’s apartment over such an obvious ruse.

Except once MC arrived the chatroom she was cautious in dealing with the rest of the members. She came to trust them all quickly, but it was reassuring to see the woman did have some sense. She was kind and bubbly and in no time had committed herself to a huge role in an organization she had no real reason to join. MC encouraged all of the RFA, but she seemed to pay special attention to Jaehee.

Jaehee looked forward to chatting with her during her breaks.

After only a few days, MC was already standing up against Mr.Han for her. A major executive of one of the largest companies in the world getting angry at his secretary for not doing the job he paid her to do, and this woman was brave enough and foolish enough to tell him ‘There must be a reason why Jaehee didn’t do it…Calm down first.’. Initially, it made Jaehee nervous. The last thing she wanted was to be responsible for a conflict among members of the RFA. Thankfully, Jumin’s cool head and MC’s politeness kept that from happening, but MC never stopped voicing her concerns or encouraging Jaehee to try new things and take breaks when the workload got too heavy.

Jaehee started calling MC whenever it felt like she was drowning.  The woman’s “cheer up!”s made Jaehee feel awake and ready to take on whatever task was set in front of her no matter how little sleep she had gotten the night before. She could talk about anything with MC and know that she would never be harsh or judgemental, even after only a few days of knowing each other. When there were things she did not want to talk about, MC did not pry. The increasing list of a special requests for a growing guest list told her how smart and well-spoken MC was, and how hard she must have been working for the party. This woman was amazing.

This woman made her heart flutter.

Feeling this way about another woman wasn’t normal. Jaehee Kang was a business owner, a primary member in a high-profile charity organization, and the only remaining member of her immediate family. Image meant a great deal to her. Her status as a Catholic woman meant a great deal to her. She tried to convince herself these feelings were platonic. Jaehee had never met MC, they had never done or said anything that couldn’t be said between two friends. Female friendships were often particularly emotional and intimate. They were just friends, and that would make everything okay.

Unfortunately, that did nothing to change the fact that Jaehee had never felt this way about anyone else before.

It was a big decision to quit her job, or rather get herself fired, but that had been a long time coming. A long time of unbearable hours and tasks that were well outside of her job description. Jumin Han took whatever she could give, more than he should have. Babysitting his cat was a questionable task, but some assistants did that. Then he gave her the job of presenting the coffee shop proposal, a task she should never have been put in charge of. Doing the research for a presentation was one thing, but making her do the job? Asking her to purposefully slack off on it, sacrifice her integrity, for his own personal vendetta against his father’s carousel of girlfriends? It made her…angry.

MC was a stark contrast to her boss. She was kind and bright, always cheering her on. She pointed out how much Jaehee had liked this project, that Jaehee did not have to give up her soul to her job, and she was right on all counts. Jaehee had something she wanted to do now, and under the warmth of MC’s encouragement she was sure she could do it. She would open her own café, and she had never felt more certain of who she wanted to run it with.

 Of course, if MC rejected her proposal, that would be okay too. Surely, MC would be supportive even if she did not want to the responsibility of running a whole café, but Jaehee hoped desperately MC would, and spent a few more hours than she needed to agonizing over the possibilities before deciding when to ask. The party would be the best time, the very first time she would be able to meet the woman in person. She wanted to be able to watch MC’s expression when she asked.

Though she was the one to tell MC to be patient, the last couple of days before the party were nerve wracking. She pressed her outfit twice after getting it back from the dry cleaners, ran over her to-do list for the party three times, and even managed to do some much needed deep-cleaning of her apartment. The night before, she tried to go to bed early only to end up with a cup of coffee in her hands trying, and failing, to pay attention to her favorite Zen musical at 3am. She was going to get to see MC. She was going to show her how well she was doing now, and offer a wonderful woman a piece of her dream. The last time hours passed this slowly, she was still in college.

Jaehee slipped through the large double doors after checking off the last of the names on the guest list. As expected, MC had done a spectacular job gathering up a large number of diverse guests, including plenty of charity organizations and rich benefactors to fund them. She worked her way around the room in search of MC, hoping to make her proposal before the auction began and the party kicked into full-swing. She mingled with guests in the process, and it took some getting used to not to introduce herself as Jumin Han’s Chief Executive Assistant. A hand reached out and tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned, expecting to find another guess only to meet up with Yoosung’s familiar stare. His tie was a little off-kilter and he looked worked up enough that Jaehee would not be entirely surprised if he started bouncing.

“Jaehee, I finally found you! MC’s here! She’s—” he swiveled his head around, expecting to find her with Zen still, only to spot a well-dressed elderly couple in their place. His eyes bugged out as his looked around frantically. Jaehee had no idea what MC looked like, but she found herself scanning the room too. Zen sauntered up, moving urgently through the crowd with surprising grace.

“Jaehee! You had something to ask MC, right? Trust fund kid is over there hogging her! He wouldn’t let me go with them, either. I don’t know what he’s up to, but if its anything shady I’m gonna—” Zen speaks of Jumin with his usual venom.

“Oh, thank you. Excuse me you two,” Jaehee side stepped them both and made her way to the microphone. She knew Jumin had wanted MC as an assistant, but she didn’t think he would work this quickly. She’d need to distract him. Setting aside all of her worries, she smoothed down her skirt one last time before stepping up to the mic.

[“One- Two- Mic Test. Is Mr.Han in the party room? If you are, Mr.Han, you must return the RFA member you just took with you. Oh, there you are. Pardon me, everyone. I was looking for someone. Mr. Han has been hogging one of our organization members so I had to take the mic. I assume that Mr.Han has begun personally recruiting candidates to fill his empty Assistant position. But if anyone knows someone who’s qualified to be Mr.Han’s next Chief Assistant, then please give recommendations.”] She had found him earlier in her speech, but if it had been unclear the throng of women beelining toward the edge of the room acted like a neon sign. Jaehee did her best to hide her self-satisfied smirk. MC stepped away from the new crowd, looking up toward the stage in confusion.  

Beautiful, is Jaehee’s first thought as her heart begins to race, she’s so beautiful.

[“Now that I know I know where Mr.Han is, I’ll leave the mic. Thank you for your cooperation.”] Jaehee kept eye contact with MC as she moved from the stage to greet her. If she looked away for even a couple seconds, it would be all too easy to lose her in a crowd this large. Now is the time, and she wouldn’t let anything else get in her way. The words spill from her mouth the moment she gets close enough to MC, and the woman listens with endless patience as Jaehee rambles her way into her proposal.

[“Found you…MC. Look at all the people here. It’s all because of you. You did so well…I don’t know what to say. I am very happy right now. Very happy to finally meet you. It’s the first time I’m meeting you…but I feel like we’re old friends. Do you remember...all the conversations that we had? I really wanted to see you, I mean it. I was so curious what you’d be like that I barely slept yesterday. But seeing you in person like this…I actually feel more excited. Feeling excited at seeing a girl, how strange. Love between a man and a woman is beautiful…but I think a friendship between two women can be just as powerful. I’d like to become better friends with you. This is a bit awkward, but I look forward to being friends with you. Oh…and I knew Mr.Han would try to recruit you, from the moment I heard he took you somewhere. But more than that…I have a better proposal to make.

Now that I’m not working for Mr.Han, I will no longer be working at a big corporation. Instead I want to make a fresh start from a very very small place. I’ve made the decision that it’s better for me to work among people than live inside a cubicle. I had several thoughts…but to be realistic I checked my bank account. I was quite surprised with how much I saved during the past two and a half years. The amount itself isn’t much…but it is enough to create a comfortable space for my own. And…if you’d like I’d like to create it with you. So that…it’s not my small space, but ‘our’ space. All you need to contribute is your ideas and positive mind. It’ll be at least 20 times more fun than being an assistant. MC…won’t you create a space of our own with me? Will you be my partner?”]

The smile MC gave Jaehee was one of the most fantastic things she had ever seen, and she knew the answer to her question long before the words left MC’s mouth. Jaehee remembers it as one of the best days of her entire life.

Opening a cafe, as it turns out, is a fantastic way to get into fights. The first fight they had ever had was about cups. The little building they leased was still barren and grey with half-functional lights. Their floor was plastic tarps over concrete, and they could barely move around between all of the mug and paper cup options laid out on the floor like some horrible prank. The walls reeked of paint fumes and they were working nearly 16-hour days, with the knowledge that they were sinking nearly all of their savings into an establishment that was statistically likely to fail. 

“These cups are cost effective, efficient to wash, and the perfect size for most drinks!” 

“This one is the exact same size, Jaehee!” MC started pacing back and forth to try and relieve some of her aggression, only to spin on her heel and head into the back room. “I need a minute! I’ll be back.”  

Jaehee knew how foolish she was being as soon as MC left. They were both tired, and while cups were an important part of the café, there was no reason for them to be yelling like this. She brought MC onto this project for her ideas, it would be foolish to ignore them entirely. MC came back into the room after a few minutes, and both of them were tripping over their apologies almost immediately.

“You’re more stylish than I am, MC, I’m sure your cup choice makes more sense.”

“Jaehee, I’ll trust your decision. You’re the one who has done the research, I’m sure these will be great.” 

 “We just need to take a break,” comes from both of their mouths at the exact same moment. MC bursts into laughter, and Jaehee follows close behind.

“Well,” MC said, voice still breaking from the occasional giggle, “let’s take that break and then…we can make a list of things we want to see in the design? There has to be something in here we both like.”

“That sounds perfect MC.”

They picked out everything together, the location, the wall color, even the molding when they found out it needed to be replaced. The fights they got into only seemed to pull them closer once they made up. They were learning how to deal with each other, even at their worst.

“People who open a café together stay together,” MC teased once. It was a terrible joke, something Jaehee expected from Luciel rather than her best friend, but Jaehee found herself genuinely laughing. MC could always make Jaehee smile, and the longer they spent together the more they touched. At first, they never touched each other. Even when they closed the deal on the building for the café, they both shook the realtor’s hand, but not each other’s. Instead, they showed their affection through smiles and laughter. The first time they touched, they were doing renovations on the building. MC was putting up some shelves and Jaehee was walking behind her with a set of utensils for the kitchen. MC shifted like she was going to step back into her, so Jaehee put a hand on her arm to let MC know she was there. Suddenly, it was something they had been doing forever.

Then, it was the primping. Both of them worked long hours, and during the renovations appearance did not really matter. However, after opening the café, they found themselves scrambling to remain put together while running around. Jaehee worked an office job, she had mostly just done paperwork and made phone calls. She never had to worry if she sweat off her makeup or that her shirt would come untucked anytime except when she went to the restroom.

“Jaehee!” MC called out to Jaehee just as she was about to leave the kitchen one day. MC paid no mind to Jaehee’s confusion, running her fingers through Jaehee’s hair to smooth the flyaways before borrowing a bobby pin from her own bun to pin back the hair around Jaehee’s face. “There. Your hair was a mess. It’s getting really long now though!”

They had crossed yet another line, but this was still normal. Friends helped each other get ready. It was still normal when MC came all the way to the café with a mostly-zipped dress just to have Jaehee help her. It was still normal when Jaehee brought all her makeup over to the café so MC could help her with her eyeliner. It was still normal when Jaehee found herself watching MC carefully safety pin a gap in Jaehee’s shirt. What was not normal was the feeling it gave Jaehee between her thighs.

Jaehee tried to convince herself it was a fluke, a totally unrelated and meaningless reaction. She was more than happy just to look at MC, to have her around, to be her friend and keep her close and happy. The feelings never lessened though. Sometimes, Jaehee even found herself giving in. She would ask MC to help her put on lipstick, and watch in awe in the mirror as the most amazing woman she had ever met concentrated so intensely on her lips for just a few seconds or let her heart skip a beat when MC asked about her day as if she hadn’t been there watching for the entirety of it. Little mundane things that friends do, things she knew she should think nothing of. 

The decision to move in together was purely practical, Jaehee was quick to announce to the entire chatroom after Luciel had called her and MC a ‘cute couple uwu’. Their leases ended two weeks apart from one another, and it would be much easier to make business decisions if they were together most of the time (though for the most part they already were), or at least heading back to the same place. Plus, it took away some of the strain of paying the rent, which left more money they could invest back into their café. The fact that it felt like the best decision Jaehee had ever made was just an added bonus.

After spending so much time together because of the coffee shop, domestic squabbles were nothing.  MC made sure Jaehee got to bed on time, and they both ate a healthy breakfast together (sometimes on the way over) even if their lunch habits still tended toward convenience store meals. In a lot of ways, it was refreshing to have each other around after work. Most of the day they were busy acting as managers, it was nice to come home and have the opportunity to be together as friends.

Their schedules were hectic, and during the day plans got changed and switched around, but at night suppliers were closed and the streets were dangerous and it left them with time they could always spend together. On Tuesdays, they had a standing movie night where they sat on the couch together and shared the huge fluffy blanket they had both simultaneously fallen in love with at the store. On nights they couldn’t sleep, the two of them tried out the sample bags of coffee companies sent their way and chatted until someone yawned and the other sent them back to bed. They fought about whether or not to keep the windows open.

For the most part, they were incredibly happy. They both knew there was something more to their relationship. They would find themselves up in the middle of the night again, but inches from each other’s face, looking into each other’s eyes and smiling like idiots. And yet, they were just friends. They were just friends when they cuddled up together on the couch. They were just friends when they brushed their teeth together in the morning. They were even ‘just friends’ when they woke up on top of each other, half-dressed and still slightly wine drunk after an RFA party.  

Like most things between them, the change comes to them like the first step off a ski lift: sudden, fast, but a long time coming.

“Jaehee!” MC called, closing the front door while trying to keep the plastic bag in her hand from twisting around. Jaehee knew that voice well, she had a treat.

“What did you get?” Jaehee came out from her bedroom, already dressed in sweats and trying to peek into the bag. MC moved past her, shoving what looked like pints of ice cream into the freezer. She kept one out, tucked the bag into their bag saver, and grabbed two spoons for them to share with.

“It’s coffee ice cream from the Blue Bird Parlor,” MC explained, “they had five different bean varieties, so I got us one of each.”

Jaehee acknowledged it with a smile and a soft hum. “Are we still watching The Jalapeño Topping Was Pretty Spicy? I know you don’t usually like watching Zen’s musicals on movie night.”

“It’s fine, Jaehee. Is it in the DVD player already or should I put it in?” MC set the ice cream down before getting changed, only to find the main menu screen already up on the television when she looked up. “Well, that answers my question. Let me get changed and I’ll be right there.”

The two of them snuggled up on the couch, blanket over their laps while they ate spoonfuls of ice cream. Their spoons bumped together and they caught each other’s gaze. For a few moments they were stuck as they often got, marveling at each other, at something beautiful that they could never quite reach. But that night, something broke. 

MC brought her hand up to Jaehee’s cheek, cupping it gently, the tension between them palpable, pushing the boundaries between ‘friends’ and ‘more’. This might be just another Tuesday move night to anyone else who had been watching them for so many years, but they knew otherwise. Jaehee’s favorite scene was coming up. Zen, captured by the enemy and in chains awaiting death. They offered him safety if he joined their cause. He declined, of course, like all good protagonists. Both of them enjoyed that he just so happened to be shirtless, but Jaehee said it was her favorite because she could see the refusal in his eyes.

 Jaehee lets out a little breath, rolling her lips together as she watches MC intently. Years ago, she said she would be happy just getting to look at MC, but was she really? The kiss MC presses to her lips is so gentle and quick that Jaehee sits stuck in her own head for a couple of beats before coming to her senses. By that time, MC has let go and is already back to resting her head on Jaehee’s shoulder, watching the screen intently.

“I love you,” Jaehee says, so quiet it’s nearly a whisper.

“I love you too.” They would talk about this, what it meant for them, later that night curled up in bed together. It had been five years, what was another hour? This was Jaehee’s favorite scene, after all. 

[poweredbycoffeeandwine]

Snapshots from Haven

 Elina Trevelyan x Cullen Rutherford - Pre-relationship - DA Inquisition AU. Here lies all the fluff, and a mabari named Atticus, because I can.

Atticus grumped at the front door; his owner sat, coffee cup in hand, small half smirk on his lips as he observed.  The usually stoic, no-nonsense mabari had begun a strange new ritual of pacing, leash in mouth, at a new time of day. Cullen Rutherford made a career as a soldier, and his personal life mirrored that militant style. He had never questioned the need for structure and schedules, even at his leisure things were done according to plan. What was surprising, however, was noticing the aberration in his faithful companion. They were much alike; his four-legged friend and he. He thrived on on routine, and always questioned changes with his massive head cocked to one side. Cullen found it  strange to remember a time when he didn’t have his loyal mabari. Old memories had faded from agonizing to a dull ache.

The choice to leave the military had not been an easy one, but the PTSD and the daily battles it caused had made the decision obvious. Coming home to his brothers and sisters, broken, battle wary and heartsore, was almost too much. They had suffered at the unexpected death of their parents, but they had moved past it, healed by mutual love and affection; grown beautifully despite trials and hardships. He never wanted to bring that taint to them.

He almost fled into the night. No reasons, no goodbyes. It had been a magical Santinalia holiday. One he hadn’t thought to experience again. He had felt like such an outsider - a guest, apart from the brilliant light his siblings and their families had created. Watching the glowing faces of his siblings, as they exchanged presents, his infant niece sleeping in the arms of his sister looking fragile and at peace. The shame inside him clawed it’s way up and made him feel like a charlatan. Someone pretending to be Cullen. Holding all of his belongings in a couple of suitcases, creeping down the stairs of his sister’s home, he made out her figure sitting on the bottom step. Mia had known, because of course she had, and was waiting for his escape.

Her warm hazel eyes held no pity or disappointment, only sadness and maybe a hint of anger. She didn’t yell at or judge him, she only held out her arms. In that moment she reminded him so much of his mother; her grace and unconditional love. He took solace in her, and explained his demons as well as he could. Everything laid bare for her to examine. They cried together - for innocence lost, for him, for her, and when the sun peaked into the window with the dawn, he agreed to stay.

His sister suggested he consider meeting a counselor and perhaps find a therapy dog to help him cope. He promised to give thought to the therapist, but readily agreed to seek an animal. Atticus had become more than Cullen could have hoped for. He had saved him, he was family, a constant companion and best friend. Nearly two years had passed since that night, and he could not be more pleased with the life he had created. He still had hard days, and likely always would, but he was content. A comfortable home, his siblings, a few close friends, and a job he enjoyed were things he wouldn’t have dreamed for himself just a short time ago.

Cullen had rarely taken time from work, and that is why he was at home on a Tuesday morning, sipping on his second mug of coffee. Cassandra, his partner at the precinct and friend, essentially forced him to take some leave. He knew when to pick his battles, this was one he wouldn’t win. He usually could not sleep past 4, and after a light meal he took Atticus for his walk. Early morning had always been his favorite time of day. There was a freshness to the world, it was undisturbed and it reminded him that everyday he could choose to start again. To leave his ghosts behind. This morning had been no different, there had been a light storm customary with the changing of Summer to Fall. The weather had shortened their walk, but even over the last couple of days when their time was uninterrupted, Atticus hovered at the door at 8 o’clock.

“Well, boy,” he said, clearing his throat, “did you not get enough outside time?”. As he picked up the newspaper to see what reaction he would get; he chuckled at the annoyed huff the dog gave. It turned into a full laugh when he tossed the leash at his feet, and placed his paw on his knee. “All right, I suppose we could go out again.” Atticus sprang up from the ground with a happy bark. He gave the leash to his master and sat dutifully while it was attached to his collar. Cullen grabbed his umbrella and stepped out into the crisp autumn air.

Haven was a quiet tourist town full of picturesque shops and spas, and he had grown quite fond of it. Atticus’ favorite path lead them near downtown towards the bakery. The owner, Flissa, always had a small treat just for his pet. Cullen allowed the adoration and the tiny cookie because… how could he say no to the charming animal? They continued past the coffee/book shop towards the small side street that led to their favorite haunt. There was a park, with flowers, trees, and a pond. Atticus was too well trained to chase the ducks and other birds, but Cullen could tell there were days his puppy side surfaced and he wanted to.

The light drizzle of rain had begun again. It was the kind of rain that didn’t bother short term, but Cullen opened his umbrella since he was walking based on Atticus’ whim. Reaching their turn, his pet began to pull them forward and across the street. The mabari hardly ventured that direction, but he allowed him to lead on. Once they reached the opposite side he made a great show of examining a fire hydrant in front a a pretty shop, “Snapshots from Haven” the sign above the window read.. Cullen, in turn, looked at the display in the large window.

Deep greens, rich browns, blues and gold blended; creating a painstaking whimsical forest scene. Various pictures were showcased amongst the trees. A series of loving couples, weddings, newborn babies, young girls in tutus twirling across glossy and matte prints. At the center was a beautiful portrait of a familiar dog beneath a large tree, leaves of different colors falling gracefully around him. In the background there were birds touching down in the pond. What startled him most was the solitary man standing nearby. He recognized himself, and it looked as though he was waiting for something. His profile staring off into the distance. It was eerie just how life like the picture seemed.

He started at the sound of a tiny cough from just behind him. He turned and found himself looking into the deep chocolate eyes of a woman he was sure he’d never seen before. “It’s a great shot, isn’t it?” Her voice was soft and sweet, “Never thought I would meet the subjects of my favorite photo. Hope you don’t mind?” She looked slightly nervous, as if he would be upset at the invasion of his privacy.

He was openly staring. The woman was striking. Her raven hair was pulled into a ponytail, small fly-aways framing her face. Her lips stretched into the most breathtaking smile ever directed at him.  She was also absolutely soaked. “Yes, of course. I mean no. I have no problem with it. I only wish I’d seen it sooner.” He took a step closer, telling himself it was to give her some measure of protection from the drops of rain misting from above. “Do you own this shop?”

“Um, yeah, I opened it about six months ago. Last year I was here to photograph a friends’ wedding.  After I left I couldn’t get this place out of my mind. I packed up my studio in Ostwick, and here I am.” Cullen couldn’t help but notice how prettily she blushed.

“You’re beautiful….I mean your work. It’s beautiful.” Cullen stammered, turning red, and rubbed the back of his neck. “I, uh, should let you get on your way. Rain and all, is wet, you’re wet.”

She laughed, a wonderful tinkling sound that he would love to hear again. “I don’t mind the rain. In fact, I was going to grab a cup of coffee and call it quits for the day. Perks of being the boss. I’d love the company if you and your handsome companion would be so kind?” She motioned towards Atticus. His dog was sitting perfectly still, a knowing look in his intelligent eyes. The only movement was a nearly imperceptible wag of his stubby tail. “My what a good boy you are, so perfect and agreeable.” She fell to her knees in front of him, paying no mind to the puddle on the sidewalk continuing to coo and praise him, leggings and boots suffering.

Maker preserve him, but if she carried on that way, he knew he was in trouble. “We would certainly join you for coffee. I’m Cullen, and this is Atticus. Mind you, he will let all of those compliments go to his head, and there will be no living with him.” He held out his hand to help her stand, and he swore his heart skipped a beat or two when she took it.

“Lovely to meet you both. I’m Elina Trevelyan.” She replied, mischief sparkling in her eyes. She tucked her hand into the arm he offered with a smile. “I see where he gets his impeccable manners from.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure, perhaps it is the company that inspires us,” he managed with a great deal more blushing. The rain ceased shortly after reaching the shop, so they decided to sit outside at a table that had escaped most of the water. They sat and talked for hours about books, movies, and favorite locations around Haven.

“You haven’t been up the peak to the waterfall yet? I honestly can’t believe it. I’d bet you could get some beautiful photos there.”

Her lips quirked off to the side as she replied, and Cullen was transfixed by them, “No, I haven’t been able to go. Sara warned me not to make the trip alone, and she and Dagna have been too busy to take me. I am hoping they will agree to it soon before the snows come.”

A far off look in her eyes had him opening his mouth against his better judgement, “Atticus and I could take you. I’m on vacation from work. It really would be no trouble, and I’ve been meaning to go.”

She squealed, grasping his bicep with both hands hugging his arm, “Really?? Cullen that would be amazing!”

“Sure, we can go whenever you are available, I really have no other plans.”

“Can we go Friday? I have a few sessions and editing to complete over the next few days.”

Cullen fighting a smile threatening to overtake his entire face answered, “Yes, that works. Do you want to meet here, or should I pick you up at your studio?”

Elina beamed back at him, and grabbed for his hand. “I don’t have any of my cards with me, so this will have to do.” With a final flourish, she returned his hand to him, and stood. “I’ll see you Friday, Cullen.” She tossed a wink at him, collected her bag, and walked away.

He looked down, dumbstruck. On his palm she had written her name, number, and the small message, “I can’t wait.”  It felt like high school, but he couldn’t help feeling giddy. With his other hand, careful not to smudge her neat flowing message he knelt and gave Atticus a pat. “Don’t think I am clueless about what you’ve done.” He pretended to scold, “Well, what do you think, boy? Do I have a chance?” The mabari gave him a doggy grin, and licked his cheek. They walked home together, Cullen, for once, pleased for deviating from a schedule.