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marshallsgirl · 4 months ago

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Hidden Harmony

Pairing: Eminem x Fem¡Reader

Warnings: 🔞 MATURE READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

Recommended song: The Slim Shady LP Album

Author's note: Hey, guys! I missed you so much. A lot has happened. Last year, I graduated from college with honors! And now I'm studying again. Yes. Sometimes I just ask myself: Why are you doing this to yourself? More study? Really? But yes, here I go again. And guess what...I watched the whole Peaky Blinders series for the first time! I loved it. Also, I read Dean Koontz's Frankenstein books for the first time and I fell in love with his writting style. Anyways, I've been working real hard on this story that takes place back in 2001. I got inspired by this: Could we get single dad Eminem who's lowkey broke living with Hailie and he goes to drop her off at school and bumps into single mom reader dropping off her son? I feel like that would be really cute! (Sorry for the anon I'm just shy lol)

Hope you all enjoy it. I love you guys so much! Sending all of you a warm hug🤍✨️

⚝ 𖤐 ✶ ✷ ⛥ ✴ ☆ ⍟ ✦ 𖥔 ✰ ★ ☆⚝ 𖤐 ✶ ✷ ⛥

Chapter 1

The aroma of burnt toast hung in the air, a familiar battle flag in the war against morning. Y/N, her dark hair pulled back in a severe ponytail, scraped the blackened edges with a butter knife.

"Almost edible," she muttered, placing the salvaged slice on a plate beside a perfectly round fried egg.

"Mom, can I have the funny-shaped one?" Six-year-old John, a miniature dynamo with a shock of unruly brown hair, pointed at the toast.

Y/N smiled, the hard lines of her face softening.

"Always the artist, aren't you, John boy?" She handed him the misshapen piece. "Eat up, we're running late."

Her house, a modest brick ranch in a quiet Clinton Township neighborhood, was a testament to efficiency. Every surface was clean, every object in its place. The remnants of her late husband, a firefighter named Kyle, were subtly woven into the decor: a framed photograph on the mantle, a worn leather armchair in the corner, a collection of vintage fire department patches displayed on the wall.

Y/N’s movements were precise, almost mechanical. She checked John's backpack, ensuring his homework was tucked inside, then grabbed her own keys and purse. Her Glock 19, holstered at her hip, was a constant presence, a silent promise of protection. It was a tool, like the wrenches she used to fix her truck, or the chalk she used to demonstrate proper grip at the firing range. She was a firearms instructor, a profession that demanded discipline and control. She taught others how to handle the weight of responsibility, the power held in their hands. It was a job that fit her, a job that suited the strength she had been forced to cultivate.

As they walked to the car, John chattered about his upcoming dinosaur project, his words a comforting rhythm against the quiet morning. Y/N listened, her gaze scanning the street, a habit ingrained from years of training. She’d learned to see the world with a heightened sense of awareness, a skill that served her well as a single mother.

Sometimes, in the quiet solitude of her bedroom, she’d feel a pang of loneliness, a ghost of Kyle’s presence beside her. He’d told her, in the last days, that it was alright to find happiness again. “Don’t live in my shadow, Y/N” he’d whispered, his voice weak. “You deserve love.” But the idea felt foreign, like trying to fit into a suit that no longer belonged.

At John’s school, the air buzzed with the chaotic energy of children and parents.

Y/N knelt to give John a hug. "Be good, listen to Mrs. Changretta, and I'll see you this afternoon."

As John turned to join the other children, his eyes widened. He pointed at a man standing near the entrance, a tall figure dressed in a dark hoodie and jeans.

"Mom, look! I like his shoes."

The man, his face partially obscured by the hood, glanced down at his feet, then back at John. Y/N’s gaze followed her son’s, and she took in the man’s features, a flicker of recognition sparking in her mind. He looked familiar, but she couldn't place him. She decided to walk towards the entrance with John, using the guise of a final goodbye to get a closer look, to try and decipher the elusive sense of connection.

As they approached, Y/N subtly studied the man’s features, a sense of intrigue tightening in her chest. The hood obscured the contours of his face, casting him in a shadow that seemed to hold a secret. Even at close range, she couldn't pinpoint where she might have seen him before, yet the feeling persisted, a gentle tug on her memory. It was like trying to recall a melody, a faint tune that resonated with something deep within her. She also noticed a little girl, near the man, and felt a warm feeling.

"Those are cool shoes," John said to the man, his voice ringing with childlike enthusiasm.

The man smiled, a brief, almost shy expression. "Thanks, lil man"

Y/N stood, her hand instinctively moving to her hip, where the weight of her Glock provided a sense of grounding. She watched the man, her eyes narrowed, trying to decipher the reason for that spark of familiarity. The smile, though fleeting, left a lingering sense of intrigue. It was a glimpse, Y/N thought, a fleeting moment that hinted at something deeper, something unknown, yet strangely familiar. And as the man’s voice faded into the ambient noise of the schoolyard, Y/N was left with a sense of anticipation, a feeling that this encounter was more than just a chance meeting.

Chapter 2

The kid's voice, a high-pitched declaration of admiration, echoed in the sterile air of the schoolyard. Shoes, he thought, a simple, mundane object. But the way the kid had looked at him, with that unadulterated curiosity, it felt… unsettling. The woman, the mother, her eyes were different. Sharp, assessing. Like she was trying to dissect him, to see through the carefully constructed facade. He felt a prickle of unease, a familiar sensation that had become his constant companion. They know, a voice whispered in the back of his mind, a phantom echo of paranoia. He glanced around, scanning the faces in the crowd, searching for… what? He wasn't sure. A threat? A familiar face? Or just someone that did not look like they were judging him. He wanted to be a good father. He wanted to give his daughter the world. But the world, it seemed, was always watching.

He knelt down to his daughter, Hailie, who was eager to join her friends.

"Hey, beautiful," he said, his voice softening. "Mom's picking you up today, okay? Daddy's got a long day at the film set."

"Okay, Daddy," Hailie said, her bright eyes filled with adoration. "Will you come see me later?"

"Of course, baby. I wouldn't miss it." He gave her a quick hug, his heart aching with a mix of love and guilt. "Be good for your mom, and I'll see you tonight."

He watched her run off, her laughter a fleeting melody in the schoolyard's din. Then, he rose, his gaze lingering on the spot where she had been. He gave a final gaze to the woman and her son. Familiar, he thought again, the word echoing in his mind. He couldn't place her, but something about her intensity, the way she held herself, felt like a warning. He was about to turn away completely when he heard a voice, sharp and clear, cutting through the schoolyard noise.

"Excuse me?"

He turned back. The woman, the mother, was standing a few feet away, her arms relaxed, but her eyes still holding that sharp intensity. Her son was gone, already mingling with the other children.

"Yes?" he asked, his voice low.

"I just wanted to apologize if my son interrupted your moment with your daughter," Y/N said, her tone softer than he expected. "He's very social, always making friends."

"It's no problem at all," He replied, a flicker of a smile touching his lips.

"He's a great kid" Y/N said, a hint of pride in her voice. She paused, a small, almost rueful smile playing on her lips. "But, crazy sometimes. Just yesterday, at the park, he told an old man, 'Hey, old man, I'm your son Pinocchio!'"

A genuine laugh escaped him. It was a sound he hadn't heard from himself in a long time. "That's… something," he managed, still chuckling.

"Tell me about it," Y/N said, shaking her head. "My name's Y/N, btw"

"Marshall," he replied, extending a hand. "Nice to meet you."

"You too, Marshall," she said, shaking his hand. "Well," she continued, glancing at her watch. "I should be going. Have a good day."

"You too, Y/N," he said, watching her walk away. He stood there for a moment, the brief interaction lingering in the air. Y/N, he thought. It was a simple name, but it felt… significant. He shook his head, a wry smile playing on his lips. Get a grip man, he thought. You've got a million things to worry about, and this is not one of them.

He turned and began to walk away from the school, each step measured, each movement deliberate. He needed to work. The film set, the studio, the constant pressure to create, to prove himself. It was a relentless cycle, a treadmill he couldn’t seem to step off. He felt the phantom applause of his recent success, a sound that was already fading, replaced by the gnawing fear that it was all a fluke, a fleeting moment of attention. He thought of the divorce, the constant battles, the feeling that his life was a car crash he couldn't escape. He just wanted a normal life. He just wanted to be a good dad. Just one hit wonder? he thought to himself. "No, I will not let that happen."

He turned and got his mind already shifting to the day ahead. The the film set, the constant pressure to perform. But the image of Y/N, her sharp eyes and firm handshake, and the image of her son, his social skills, stayed with him, a small, unexpected intrusion into his carefully constructed world. Now he was on his way to the film set. It was time to become someone else.

The set was buzzing, a hive of activity as they prepared for the scene with Brittany Murphy. Marshall stood off to the side, trying to shake off the lingering weariness from the long hours. He watched as Brittany, warm and approachable, went over her lines with Curtis. He knew this scene was pivotal, a moment where B-Rabbit starts to connect with Alex, her character. Marshall tried to focus, to immerse himself in the character, but his mind kept drifting back to the schoolyard, to the woman with the sharp eyes and the kid who liked his shoes. Y/N, he thought, the name a soft echo in his mind. He felt a sense of displacement, a feeling that he was living in two worlds, neither of which felt entirely real.

"Alright, Em, you ready?" Curtis called out, his voice cutting through the noise.

Marshall nodded, taking his place. The cameras rolled, and Brittany stepped into the scene, her energy infectious.

"Heard you're a dope rapper," she said, delivering the line with a playful smile.

"Who said I was a dope rapper?" M replied, his voice a touch guarded, just as Jimmy would be.

As they ran through the scene, a strange sense of detachment washed over Marshall. He was present, he was delivering his lines, but his mind kept drifting. He saw Y/N's face, a fleeting image, a whisper in the back of his mind. He couldn't quite place the feeling, but it was a mix of longing and a deep, underlying anxiety.

The scene continued, but Marshall's focus was fractured. He was Jimmy, he was Marshall, and he was someone else entirely, someone haunted by a connection he couldn't fully comprehend.

After the take, Curtis gave him a nod of approval. "Good stuff, Em. You nailed it."

But Marshall barely registered the praise. He was still lost in his own thoughts, the image of Y/N lingering like a ghost. He retreated to his trailer, he stared at his reflection in the mirror, searching for a flicker of recognition. The questions echoing in his mind: Who am I? he wondered. The rapper? The actor? The father? He felt like a collection of masks, each one hiding a deeper, more vulnerable self. He picked up his phone, his fingers hovering over the keypad. He wanted to call Hailie, to hear her voice, to remind himself that he was still a father, that he was still real. But he hesitated, afraid of interrupting her time with her mother. He put the phone down, feeling a wave of loneliness wash over him. He was surrounded by people, but he felt utterly alone. The applause, the attention, it was all a fleeting illusion. He longed for something real, something genuine... And there she was again. Why now? Why is Y/N so present in my thoughts, when I need to be focused?

Marshall didn't even know Y/N, not really. They'd barely spoken. He didn't understand why this was happening, why this person, this almost-stranger, was occupying so much space in his mind. It felt like a phantom limb, a connection that existed without explanation.

⚝ 𖤐 ✶ ✷ ⛥ ✴ ☆ ⍟ ✦ 𖥔 ✰ ★ ☆⚝ 𖤐 ✶ ✷ ⛥

Spoiler of the next chapters: Y/N turned, and her breath caught in her throat. Standing before her was the man from the school, the man with the familiar eyes.

"Yes, I am," she replied, her voice steady despite the sudden rush of recognition. "You're… Marshall, from the school."

"Yeah, that's me," Marshall said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips, a smile that seemed more genuine than the one he had given at the school. "Y/N, right?"

"Yes," she confirmed, a slight frown creasing her brow. "So, you're in this film?"

"Yeah, it's my first one," he said, his tone casual.

#eminem x reader #marshall mathers x y/n #marshall mathers x reader #marshall mathers imagine #eminem x y/n #eminem x you #eminem #eminemslimmarshall #marshall mathers #slim shady #the real slim shady #eminem imagine #hailie jade picture #people #it feels so good to be back

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g00bergoo · 1 year ago

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sorry if I messaged outta nowhere just wanted to give a for fun crossover au art request idea and it’s understandable if it can’t be done but pls have a safe day or night and thank you ! ^^

Pomni In a modern detective au scuba diving underwater and investigating a underwater murder mystery in a underwater background environment. while swimming alongside

the Bull Shark Pup aka the shark protagonist from the game Maneater as it helps keeps her safe and is quite friendly and Pomni be gently petting its snout with her other hand.

while the Great White Shark From Jaws Unleashed be silently swimming close to Pomni keeping eye out and ready to attack whatever dares threaten Pomni in her underwater detective investigation.

Details: the ref images I sent were to help show the Bull Shark’s ingame design and what the great white shark looks like even what Pomni wears while underwater.

Pomni would wear a blue red zip swimsuit and diving flippers on her feet and diving mask on her face with a snorkel mouthpiece attached to it. and have scuba tank on her back while she’s breathing from the scuba regulator oxygen mouthpiece in her mouth

and armed with a underwater style like speargun just in case.

Small cute Headcanons: The Great White Shark from Jaws Unleashed would help clear a path for Pomni through a underwater old sea mines environment by biting onto old barrels at the bottom of the sea and spitting them out causing a small Explosion to make a path way.

but if ever Pomni was to distracted while swimming backwards in deep thought trying to figure out the underwater murder mystery clues and didn’t notice the sea mine behind her

the Great White Shark would swim so fast and bite onto her scuba tank on her back to drag her safely away from the underwater sea mine explosion range thus surprising Pomni in the process but making her thankful as she pets it’s dorsal fin in thanks

and the Bull Shark Pup would proceed to keep a eye on Pomni so it doesn’t happen again.

Ragatha is the one who helps provide the scuba equipment to Pomni and secretly is in a relationship with her and stays with Pomni on a Yacht In the middle of the ocean. Also cause secretly Ragatha is scuba diving even swimming instructor and originally helped her to scuba dive

and even sneakily joins Pomni whenever she feels like it.

since Pomni originally didn’t know how to swim and was shy nervous wreck around Ragatha despite Pomni’s serious skills as Detective she couldn’t handle her flustered nerves around Ragatha.

also whenever Pomni climbs back onto the yacht after scuba diving while walking around in her flippers just as she was taking off her scuba gear.

Pomni would always get greeted by the Bull Shark Pup launching itself outta the water and into her arms causing Pomni to be surprised and gently carry the wet dripping small Bull Shark Pup in her arms as she was in curious awe while Ragatha is amused and comments on it.

and sneakily the great white shark would swim and circle around the yacht protectively with it’s dorsal fin sticking out in similar jaws fashion but friendly ness sense to it.

keep in mind all of these are cute crossover mini headcanons

I don’t know why I said this but idk thought it sounded cute and why not fuck it also it’s understandable if you can’t do it but thanks for checking out🦈🪸🫧🤿🏳️‍🌈

I might just revisit this idea but I’m terrible at drawing any moving vehicles with motors and sharks. BUT YES GUYS SEND ME STUFF! TALK TO ME! BUY MY COMMISSIONS!

Also I didn’t know if the sharks were gonna be just anyone so I tried to make it Caine and Bubble. Tbh only the bubble one somewhat worked (Caine looks messed up).

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lostgirl1960 · 6 months ago

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•.¸¸. ☀️🌙𝒮𝒩𝒮 𝐹𝒾𝒸𝓈 𝑀𝒶𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓁𝒾𝓈𝓉 ☀️🌙.¸¸.•

Here's a complete list of all the fics I've written for Naruto x Sasuke. Please read the tags on each.

General rules for my writing:

I write them as switches, meaning I don't have top or bottom preferences. Please leave that nonsense at the door.

I don't write them as teenagers. That's not my jam.

Most of my work is rated M or E. Proceed with caution.

No dead dove, no gore, or body horror.

I like to write realistic situations.

I did write A/B/O but that was for shits and giggles.

I primarily write for myself. You are welcome to join me on this wild ride.

•°¯•• 𝐼𝓃 𝒰𝓃𝒾𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑒 ☀️🌙••¯°•

Synapses

Themes/Tropes: Mind melding, telepathy, astro-projection, soul mates, alternate universe - canon divergence, blank period

Rated: M for mentions of nudity and language. | Word Count: 4.6k

Summary:

Something extraordinary happened at the Valley Of The End that changed Sasuke and Naruto forever. Untethered from the limitations of language, who are they supposed to be? [Loosely based on episode 478: The Union Sign. Inspired by GreatLoversLieInHell in the "Where The Sun Meets The Moon" server.]

°·.¸.·°¯°·.¸.-> ☀️🌙 𝒜𝓁𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓃𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝒰𝓃𝒾𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑒 - 𝑀♡𝒹𝑒𝓇𝓃 >-.¸.·°¯°·.¸.·°

Clinical Love Trials

Themes/Tropes: Truth potion, requited love, alternate universe - modern

Rated: E for smut, drug usage, and workplace shenanigans. | Word count: 3.5k

Summary:

Naruto walks into our lab with a vial of truth serum and a grin. What in the world is he up to now? (Shameless smut for you to feel warm about.)

Light Pollution

Themes/Tropes: Love at first sight, musicians, alternate universe - modern

Rated: E for smut, discussions of rape, drug use, car accidents, and other adult themes. | Word Count: 102k

Summary:

Naruto Uzumaki, a 25-year-old college student, believes that for anything worth having, he'd have to work for it. And all he ever wanted was to be famous. Famous enough to make sure Jiraiya can retire, get a house where the roof isn't leaking, and his car isn't hemorrhaging fluids every other month. Any day now, his hours spent in his makeshift music studio and with his dance instructors will pay off. One day, when Naruto's car refuses to start, a handsome stranger named Sasuke Uchiha offers him a ride. Naruto wants to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. He doesn't have time for love when the stars are calling his name. What follows is a cascade of events that teaches him why the only thing visible in the city's nighttime sky is the moon.

☀️🌙 𝒜/𝐵/𝒪: 𝑀𝒶𝓎 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝑅𝒶𝒾𝓃 𝒲𝒶𝓈𝒽 𝐼𝓉 𝒜𝓌𝒶𝓎 (𝒮𝑒𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓈) ☀️🌙

The Dust Settled, May The Rain Wash It Away (1)

Themes/Tropes: Blank period, alternate universe - canon divergence, heat cycles, reuniting

Rated: E for smut, complicated relationships, and drama. | Word Count: 20.6k

Summary:

The fallout from the war has settled over Konoha. Forced on leave for a year, Naruto lives as a civilian and without shinobi-level omega suppressants. Tsunade insists that it’s good for him, but he begs to differ. He doesn’t want to take comfort in the bed of strangers month after month. If active duty means never feeling this way, Naruto is ready for the next conflict. Anything is better than this, but Sasuke returns to the village, Naruto begins to wonder if there’s another way.

Only Fire Can Break The Mold (2)

Themes/Tropes: Alternate universe - canon divergence, Boruto Isn't Real And It Cannot Hurt Me, heat cycles, arguments

Rated: E for smut, depression, and drama. | Word Count: 14.2k

Summary:

Sasuke appreciates the new life he has: a man he loves, friends once thought lost, and burgeoning respect for Konoha’s civilians. After the birth of their child, Sasuke wonders if this is what true happiness is supposed to feel like. He’d give anything for everything to stay as it is, but when Naruto becomes Hokage, Sasuke’s wish is proven to be naivety at its finest. What are they going to do?

#sns #naruto fanfiction #sasunarusasu #naruto x sasuke #sasuke x naruto #fanfiction writers

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now-or-then · 1 month ago

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Promise • p.jm

(AN) I’m sorry, but for reason the “Medic!” meme from Run BTS is in my head.

Summary: A visit to your boyfriend becomes a training session once interest in shown on his dance abilities. This gives Jimin the opportunity to be your temporary dance instructor, but then a sudden injury wedges into the fun atmosphere.

Pairings: Park Jimin x reader

Word count: 1.8k

Warnings: severe(?)injury

♡ Enjoy ♡

My gaze on him never faltered while I followed his swift movements. He danced fluidly over the glossy flooring, in sync with the music; and I'm lost into his smoothness as my mouth remained open from awe.

When the song ends and he finishes I clapped for him from my spot, startling a wide eyed Jimin who whirled around to me immediately.

"How long have you've been here?" He approached me, voice filled with happiness.

I thought about it, telling a white lie—ashamed to say how long I've been standing there.

"Just now. But you were amazing, Jimin!"

Admittedly, I came to the studio and peeked out from the entrance window as I waited for him. But I was too enamored by his dancing, you could see the tons of efforts he's put into it.

He smiled to himself, before speaking again "Well, now that you're here..." Jimin stepped towards me closer with playfulness lingering in his eyes "join me!"

"No."

"Please?"

"I can't dance."

We went back and forth, until he managed to grab both of my hands and spun us around the dance studio. Jimin chuckled heartily as I yelled out his name, but I eventually burst into giggles too. Our laughter had echoed throughout the wide space.

He pouted his pink lips, "Why can't you dance?"

"Because..." I huffed, embarrassingly out of breath, it was odd saying it out loud "I don't know how."

The effects from us playing around made me dizzily sit onto the hard ground, catching my breath. Jimin tossed me a water bottle and I caught it, untwisting the cap to gulp down the cold water.

He took a seat in front of me and crossed his legs, pressing his mouth into a firm line while he seemed to contemplate something.

Jimin eyes lit up, "Then I'll teach you how."

He stood back up to walk away, doing something from across us, what is he doing? Curiosity trying to fully see his actions, I tilted my position and saw Jimin mess with the stereo buttons until a punchy song blared out loud; I think I've heard of it before.

A thought hits me. Please don't tell me he's actually going to—

"Let's start with one of our choreographies, this will be fun!"

Liking the idea of that I let my go of my uncertainties; maybe this will be fun after all. I listened to the upbeat tune more, remembering the lyrics from one of their old songs and its uphill climb to popularity—Jimin had called to gush to me about it as I gleefully listened to him.

"Do you like it?" Jimin turned around, and noticed my interest on the music "Army says that this choreography is really easy to do. And if they can do it, then so can you—get up." He encouraged.

Before I can question who or what Army is, he gets ahold of my hands again but this time to pull me up the dance studio floor.

Groaning like a teenager forced to do chores, I complied.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ✎-

I stared at the supposedly simple dance move. He had started first, and then I would copy it—or attempt to...

He finished, waiting on my turn as I tried to mirror his actions. Fixated on trying to be accurate despite my stiff movements; I tripped over my own feet and almost lose my balance but Jimin quickly caught me.

"Woah, be careful!" He reminded.

My frustration defuses and I nod. Jimin goes back to innocently watching me with slight caution. Repeating the move again but better now, I had no idea if it was done correctly or not but still Jimin cheered for me.

Satisfied with our practice, I watched him switched the fan on afterwards for us.

My face returns to its normal temperature from the workout and Jimin sat beside me. The sounds of the running fan was relaxing, and somehow nostalgic as I'm oddly reminded of when I'd sit in front of the fan and mouth onto it as a kid.

There was just something cool about the effects sounding robotic.

He took off his burgundy hoodie; exposing his bare arms that I tried not to stare at, and occasion sips from his water bottle.

"Are you okay?" Jimin faced me.

"Yeah," I wiped my forehead, "I'm just a little tired..."

He raised his eyebrow, a teasing smirk formed on his face "A little? I thought you'd pass out for a second."

Without saying a word I gave his arm a very light punch, which in return, he faked an exaggerated "Ow!" causing me to laugh. But my mind soon wanders onto the question I've been meaning to ask.

"Why were you practicing at this hour?" I asked softly "If I knew you were busy, I would've waited to pick you up later if you wanted."

Scratching the back of his neck, his eyes avoids my face "I forgot about the time. Is it late? We can stop now and go."

But I stopped him in his tracks, telling him that we can continue where we started. As complicated as the moves were, it was too fun dancing together; and for the first time I felt truly energized.

I should've figured he'd still be here practicing. Though, I hoped he didn't feel pressured. His dance skills—and performance, itself was engaging, and our little practices on the dance moves grew onto me.

His expression brightened at my words, "Do you want to continue now?"

"Ah," I sat up straighter "why not? I'm starting to have fun."

Going with the same routine as before, Jimin decided to make it bit complicated for some diversity. But we were unable to focus, purposefully making our moves silly to make the other one laugh.

At the end it caused laughter between us both.

Throughout our session, the moves started to come to me easily. My confidence raised up another level whenever I've do one correctly, and Jimin unwavering support helped a lot.

I wanted a challenge, even if I failed I'll like to see myself attempt the difficult moves.

Jimin crossed his arms, expressing turning serious at my request, "Are you sure? We can stick to easier moves, if you want."

"Yeah, we can just do a dance move or two! This whole thing is technically my way of getting exercise, but without any equipment." I shrugged.

He cracked a smile, drawing out a sigh, "Okay then, fine."

"Yay!" I hugged him briefly then let go,

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ✎-

The scene rewinded in my mind like a reminder to not to do that action again. Everything was fine, until I slipped during the choreography, and then made the rash choice of getting up the wrong way. Half expecting Jimin to taunt me for my severe mistake, worried covered his face and he had ran to my side.

"Does it hurt?" Jimin helped me to the bench.

I took a seat, panting, "Extremely..."

Overwhelmed, I shifted my weight to my other foot, and winced whenever a sharp pain penetrated through my ankle; making me careful to not move it.

Jimin went to get something, but came back soon with towels and water bottles.

"You look hot," he paused in realization "I-I mean because it's hot in here. Um, let me just..."

He gingerly holds my face with a delicate touch, wiping my sweaty—and probably red, face with the white cloth; my heartbeat quickens at his suddenness as my cheeks bloomed with warmth, my mind lagging from his actions.

Flirt.

Pretending I weren't going to melt into a puddle if he continued, Jimin point to my foot.

Hesitation roamed me, unsure if he knew what he was doing, but I obliged and raised my foot. Jimin placed it on his lap and examined my ankle—brushing gentle strokes against it.

"It doesn't look bad."

Prepared for the worst bruise to be on it, I managed to slip a peek at the ankle but relief washed over me when its spotless.

"But don't worry too much about it, okay? It's not your fault, it happens sometimes." Jimin kissed the top of my forehead and I smiled, watching him dig into the emergency kit.

He warned me that he's not an actual doctor or nurse, causing me to stifle a laugh took out something. Even though he wasn't one, throughout the whole process Jimin attempted to brighten the mood of the situation by his jokes and funny comments.

"Alright," he glanced up at me with a toothy smile, "I'm finished with the check up!" He perked back up to his silliness but still eyed my ankle in concern.

"But on a serious note, we might have to see a real nurse if it still hurts."

A nurse. I groaned, they were the last person I wanted to see; debating if my sprained ankle could heal on its own or if I should go to one in case it becomes worse—I sighed knowing my decision. And hoped it was a good one. Before my inner ball of panic can untangle further at the thought, Jimin rubbed my back in circles.

"It's fine, I promise to stay with you the whole time." Kindness radiated in his tone.

Inching his hand onto shoulder, I rest mine over his while we sat like that for a moment in our own comfort.

Thank goodness I had him as a boyfriend.

On way to the nurse office direction, I clung onto Jimin arm and he hummed a sweet melody near my ears. It tickled its way down the side of my neck while I listened to the warmth in his voice.

By the time we made it to the nurse entrance, I felt immense ease now than before.

He looked my way, "Do you think you're ready to go in?"

I nod, bravery shielding my nervousness once we walked inside.

Hours flew with Jimin by my side, and when everything was finished we left the building. Switching seats with him, I let him take control of the car and closed my tired eyes while he drove on the smooth road to either of our home.

"Thankfully, you're okay. But I guess that means no more dancing for you."

"Maybe. Ignoring the injury, I still had fun today." I said genuinely, it hurts to move my ankle but the second it gets healed I'm dancing with him again.

I opened my eyes, and saw Jimin glance at me with an affectionate expression from the driver side.

Leaning my head off the car window, I turned to him "And thanks for helping me through this injury—and with the dance session." I glanced outside the car, "How could I repay you?"

He tapped his fingers onto the steering wheel, and then sighed. Without looking at him I heard the smile in his voice.

"By just staying safe. As long as you're fine, then I am too." There's a pause in the air, and I hummed in reply, my heart still soared at his responses even though we've dated for years now.

Jimin jokingly lifted his pinky finger when we're at a stoplight, "Promise?"

I linked my pinky onto his.

"I promise."

#bts army #bts oneshot #bts fluff #jimin x reader #jimin

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justawanderingpoet · 5 months ago

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Rebels and Roses: An Addams Family Fanfic

The following is an excerpt from my Addams Family Fanfic which is an OC x OC. It will be available on Wattpad and AO3 soon.

Dagger was no stranger to exhaustion. He grew up as the oldest of four in the Addams household. He's had his fair share of sleepless nights because of crying babies and Pugsley’s explosions. But now he felt a new kind of exhaustion. The kind that began as plain boredom and crept its way throughout his being until there was no remedy other than to rest.

That was how he felt as he listened to student body president Evangeline Tremaine speak on this month's charity gala hosted by the University, with a list of generous donors, including the Tremaine’s.

Her voice was such a constant echo throughout the room that it became background noise to his ears. Lulling him to a state of utmost peace and relaxation.

“Thank you for the lovely insight Eve.” The instructor, an older woman with sleek grey hair and squinted eyes hidden by her glasses chirped.

“It’s my pleasure Mrs. Taylor, as student body president it’s an honor to establish traditions on our campus that can do good for the less fortunate.” Evangeline spoke in a sing-songy voice.

Being part of the student council wasn’t his idea, but after a few run-ins with the Dean of Princeton University and a generous donation to the science department from his own parents. It was decided that rather than being expelled he would join a student organization to promote unity. Hence why he was currently sat in a student council meeting hoping the school would catch on fire so he didn’t have to listen to Evangeline any longer.

“How wonderful it is to see so many young people invested in such a good cause.” Mrs. Taylor said with a wide smile across her wrinkled face. “Now you all best head on home before it gets too late.” Mrs. Taylor finished and all the students began to file out the room.

Dagger stood from his chair to follow behind the herd of students exiting the room. As he was passing Mrs. Taylor's desk and Evangeline, who was standing beside it saying goodbye to everyone, he was stopped.

“Oh Dagger, dear, do you have a moment?” Mrs. Taylor called him.

Dagger watched as the last student left the room, the door shutting behind her, leaving him alone with Mrs. Taylor and Evangeline.

He turned to face the two women. “Yes ma’am.” He said to Mrs. Taylor while trying not to roll his eyes.

Mrs. Taylor, seemingly too old to understand sarcasm, continued happily. “Well dear, I understand that you’re new to the student council.”

Dagger nodded along, urging the conversation forward.

“I know it must be difficult joining an organization so late in the year, so I’ve assigned our very own student body president,” She pointed towards Evangeline, who was beaming at being called by her title, “to assist you in arranging the decorations and catering for the gala.”

At this Dagger had to fight the urge to outright sigh.

“I trust you two will get along swimmingly.” Mrs. Taylor said with an air of finality.

Evangeline, of course, butted in. “Don’t you worry Mrs. Taylor. I for one am most excited to take Dagger under my wings.”

“Wonderful!” Mrs. Taylor cheered. “Anyways I’ll be heading out now.” Mrs. Taylor exited the room with a wave as she gathered her belongings.

Dagger watched her leave fully prepared to follow in her footsteps and hastily leave the room himself, Evangeline though did not seem on board with this plan.

“Well, Dagger, It appears we’ve never properly met,” Evangeline said, “I’m Evangeline Tremaine, but you can call me Eve.” She introduced herself while reaching out a hand for a professional shake.

He responded, “I know who you are.” Dagger found himself staring at her hand for a moment before she put it down awkwardly.

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threeletterslife · 2 years ago

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33 | Legends of Darlaria

⨰ summary: You wake up in yet another unfamiliar place. This time, however, these strangers seem to recognize you. With your previous judgments and aspirations thrown out the window, you're now forced to face where your loyalties really lie. Who will you betray? And which General will you choose to stand by his side?

⨰ pairing/rating: yoongi x reader & jungkook x reader | PG-15

⨰ genre: 70% angst, 30% fluff | war!au & magic!au

⨰ warnings: profanity, depictions of violence

⨰ wordcount: 6.9k

⨰ join the taglist! (pm/send in an ask/reply/reblog)

⨰ previous | series m.list | next

⧖⧗Many, Many Circas Ago⧗⧖

That night, Instructor Shin came to you in your dreams—quite vividly too, for your dream worlds have always been picturesque.

She was staring at you with her sharp eyes, but her gaze was strangely gentle. It felt so real—especially as she held her black pointer bedazzled with her emerald birthstone, which twinkled in white light. May you one day change Darlae for the better, she whispered, her ruby-red lips moving just enough to enunciate her words.

You tossed and turned in your sleep.

She smiled at you—it was one of her rare smiles that brought slight wrinkles upon her face, but it made her look incredibly kind. And may you one day still remember me, your strict, old, incompetent instructor, who nearly stopped you from achieving greatness in the Darlaean Army.

When you woke up at the break of dawn, there were dried tear streaks on your face and a new fire burning inside of you. You’d forgotten your dream for a moment—amongst all of the fuss with the rankings and the training and the duels. Your life had picked up its pace and while living in survival mode, you’d simply unremembered what made you join the Darlaean Army in the first place. But Instructor Shin’s words reignited what you lost.

She believed in you and so did Hajin, her father, and even General Son, who was willing to give you a second chance. So how could you so easily give up on your dream? How silly of you to simply let go of all the efforts you’ve put into your training! General Son was right; there was no place for cowardliness in his army. Heroes got nowhere from fear!

But perhaps you could compromise. Sometimes, fear drove people to do great things; you couldn’t exactly think of any examples, but maybe you could be the first instance. Maybe you could leverage your fears—your fear of hurting others, your fear of getting hurt yourself, your fear of dying unaccomplished, your fear of losing the life you’d built for yourself in the 12th city—to drive yourself to stay in General Son’s army.

You gritted your teeth. You had exactly three days to pull yourself together and rise from the deep end, so you decided to put yourself through hell to prepare.

The only problem was, fear was a damn hard thing to shake off.

“Okay, okay, that was good, Y/N,” Hajin said, nodding her head as you masked a flower petal into a pebble and threw it hard at the wooden dummy before you. “But it was a pebble, Y/N. No one in their right damn mind would surrender to a tiny piece of rock.” She hummed, circling around you in the small practice arena. “It was an improvement, though.” She sighed. “Try to think bigger. Think, what is a showstopper?”

You nervously tugged at your necklace. The dirt arena was littered with harmless objects that were standard when it came to these duels. Cadets were expected to use alchemy to create non-lethal weapons to force their opponents to surrender. But to you, the term non-lethal truly meant something that couldn’t harm anyone. “I’m sorry,” you sighed, wiping the sweat off your brow. “It’s just… if I turned that pebble any bigger… I mean, what if I accidentally give my opponent a concussion?”

Hajin snorted. “It happens. They shouldn’t take it personally. And if they do, it’s on them. You’re dueling! Something like that is expected to happen! Look, I gave someone a black eye last week, but they healed it in several days! So don’t worry too much about hurting someone.”

You bit your lip. It was much easier said than done. You wished with all your heart that you could stop giving a shit about hurting your opponent, but there was always a degree of unpredictability in these duels—you never knew what arbitrary objects would be placed in the arena and you never knew who your opponent was until the duel began. What if something happened and you seriously injured them? What if something happened and you were seriously injured? It was such a selfish thought to have, and you hated yourself for it.

The truth was, there were soldiers out there, sacrificing their lives for Darlae and here you were, unable to participate properly in a small duel. On the battlefield, no arbitrary objects were littered on the ground for Darlaean soldiers’ ease of use. On the battlefield, Darlaean soldiers survived on pure instinct and adrenaline—at least that was what was rumored amongst your squadron, for no cadet truly knew what a soldier went through when they marched to battle. On the battlefield, it was kill or be killed.

But this wasn’t the battlefield, thank Guseul, it was a damn little arena. You weren’t expected to kill anyone, and now that you thought about it, your primary goal technically wasn’t to injure. In fact, your real goal was to make your opponent surrender.

“Look,” Hajin said, breaking you out of your thoughts, “you need to win this damn duel because I’m not letting my best friend leave me. So, you’re going to take this very, very seriously, all right? It’s just like when you taught me alchemy, Y/N. You told me to stay true to myself when I cast my whims. You let me continue to use light magic; you honed my strengths. You made me embrace them. So do the same!” She grinned. “What kind of alchemy are you best at? What can you use to make your opponent surrender? Surely, masking some rose petal into a pebble isn’t the best you’ve got. You’ve ranked first amongst 100 cadets before! You have it in you, Y/N!”

Hajin’s words of encouragement made you feel a little better.

“You’re the masking master!” Hajin cheered you on. “You can mask everything into anything!!!”

That wasn’t exactly true as of yet, but you were trying to get there anyway.

You smiled, a new idea suddenly materializing in your head. “Thanks, Hajin. You’re the best.”

She grinned. “Now get to work, cadet! Time’s ticking!”

The sunlight was too bright. The dirt was too loose. And there were one too many spectators. You could feel their gazes, boring into your back, and in that moment, you felt so small, so tiny, so insignificant. Your hands were shaking, and you hoped no one was observant enough to notice.

“YOU CAN DO IT, Y/N!” Hajin yelled from the crowd. You couldn’t find the energy to smile, but her words did ease off a little bit of the tension. Still, your heart felt like it was in your guts, and you could barely see past arm’s length.

You clutched your trinket, trying to feel the magic course through your veins and calm your nerves. While taking deep breaths, you carefully surveyed the objects scattered around in today’s arena. There were cotton balls, a few towels, a roll of gauze, an apricot seed, a mug from the dining hall, and what looked to be someone’s lost sock to name a few. You looked away from these objects, not even bothering to study them at all.

Instead, you looked ahead to study your opponent, who was all the way on the other side of the arena. Unlike you, she didn’t seem too nervous at all, which made sense since rumor had caught on that you automatically surrendered every duel you were put into. For a second, you felt a little guilty that that wouldn’t be the case today—that was, if you were able to pull off what you spent countless hours practicing. Your opponent—Eunhae was her name—began studying the objects on the ground, which made you sweat just a little more. She was ranked fairly high—somewhere amongst the top 20 cadets—so you knew she wouldn’t surrender so easily. You could practically see her already calculating what to shift and what to mask.

Nervously, you looked to the stands, glancing momentarily at General Son. He rarely came to these duels—his officers were the ones who usually supervised them—but he was undoubtedly here for you today. Even worse, the man was staring straight at you, your eyes making contact with his sharp ones. You jumped a little and looked away.

For a split second, you wondered if this was all a good idea.

But there was no time to second guess yourself.

A vivid purple streak shot up in the bright noon sky, courtesy of one of the judging officers.

The duel had officially begun.

Your ears began to ring.

Eunhae charged at you, her long, brown hair flying behind her. She had her teeth gritted, her fists clenched.

But everything felt like it was moving in slow motion.

You watched as Eunhae laggardly crouched down, carefully picked up the mug from the dining hall, then gradually size-shifted it, where it became the size of her head. Your eyes widened slowly as she sluggishly heaved the giant mug at you with all of her might.

Your breath hitched.

Then all at once, everything was moving too fast.

Every bone, muscle, nerve in your body screamed at you to surrender, to make it stop, to feel that sweet sense of relief and comfort that you were going to be safe. Instead, somehow, somewhere, something in you made you jerk away, and just in the nick of time, you managed to dodge the attack as the mug crashed into the arena’s walls behind you.

There was an ear-splitting crack!

You felt like you were going to throw up.

Eunhae picked up one of the gauzes.

You were stumbling away, attempting to avoid being cornered, but your feet felt so heavy; were you imagining it, or were your black leather boots sinking into the dirt? When you looked up from your daze, you saw an arrow—where the spearhead was the harmless white gauze—spiraling straight at you.

You frowned.

Eunhae cursed under her breath.

Failed masking happened rather often during duels when the stress levels were high. You let the gauze-arrow hit you on the arm, trying not to expend energy unnecessarily. While trembling, you rubbed the impact area with your hand, not because it hurt, but as if to calm your nerves. It wasn’t exactly working.

Somehow, you were already panting. The breathing echoed in your ears in slow, loud huffs. A single drop of sweat rolled down your face, over the hill of your cheeks and down the slope of your chin.

It felt like you were running out of time.

Any minute now, after she recovered from the shock of her failed masking, Eunhae was bound to attack again. You knew you wouldn’t be able to keep up—stamina wasn’t your greatest strength, but it was definitely hers.

Your trembling hand reached up to clench the pendant of your necklace.

Immediately, just a tiny bit of courage flooded back into you.

Right.

The plan.

The plan that you weren’t so sure was allowed.

But you didn’t exactly have many options now that you were already here.

Focus, now…

Deep breaths in, deep breaths out…

And soon, the world fell silent, save for the loud beating of your heart.

The only thing in your vision now was Eunhae, running towards you in slow motion once more. Her face was contorted, and there was sweat beading on her forehead. She was already holding a new object—ready to attack you with it—but that didn’t matter to you at the moment. She was so close to you now that you could see the splash of freckles across her nose. Her lips were parted, and her dark eyes seemed to see no one but you.

But more importantly, she wore the standard cadet uniform—the black, stiff cotton material, the silver and purple stitchings, the shiny leather boots. It was identical to yours and that of the 70 other cadets left in the program. It was the uniform you saw every day, the uniform you hand-washed, the uniform you folded, ironed, and donned each morning. You spent more time in your uniform than not; thus, you knew every stitch, every crease, every stretch of the fabric like it was on the back of your hand. You could recreate the uniform from memory if you wanted to—even with brand-new material: velvet, corduroy, wool… It wouldn’t be so challenging, considering how well-versed you were in designing apparel.

Perhaps you could even recreate it with more untraditional fabrics like chenille, taffeta, or brocade.

Or what about with outrageous material like rubber? Wood? Perhaps stone?

Yes, stone—that was perfect! You could practically feel the cool, hard sleeves, the stiff body of the uniform, the heavy boots… The smoothness, the dark gray color, the sheer heaviness… Yes, that charcoal color would suit Eunhae quite nicely—possibly bringing out her freckles. Gone would be the cotton and the silver purple stitchings, and gone would be the leather on the boots, too. Everything would be stone.

Dense, immovable stone.

Somewhere along your vivid train of thought, you must’ve closed your eyes—it happened often when you were attempting to mask something big. There was that familiar migraine seeping in, too. When your eyes finally fluttered open, relieving yourself from the darkness, you came nearly face to face with Eunhae. Her eyebrows were deeply furrowed, and her teeth were gritted in concentration. Her forehead was now wet with perspiration. And her eyes, they were screaming with what looked like anger.

You let out a tiny squeak, your whole body tensing up as you squeezed your eyes shut again—too afraid to face your impending doom. You waited for the blow to come, to feel some sort of pain in your side, but when nothing happened after several seconds, you slowly opened one eye, then the other.

Less than an arm’s length away from you, Eunhae was wobbling from side to side, on the verge of losing her balance. She grunted, her face completely red as she struggled with the new weight of her uniform. The sweat from her forehead began rolling down her face.

Your lips parted in shock.

“Y-You!” Eunhae stuttered, trying to move forward, but when that proved to be futile, she tried another tactic. With all of her might, and with a mighty scream, she swung her arm at you. You flinched on instinct, but her arm fell limp before ever reaching you from being encompassed in a stone sleeve. Eunhae was struggling to keep her arm up—she was trembling from head to toe—and she was successful for perhaps half a minute before her whole body collapsed onto the ground.

With a loud groan, she heaved her body forward, straining her muscles in an attempt to move, but she could barely keep her head lifted from the ground. Her face was growing near purple now as her stone uniform kept her pinned to the ground. Sweat continued to roll off of her body, streaking the gray stone with a darker charcoal color.

You watched her struggle, which felt so incredibly wrong, but there was nothing else you could do. You would lose everything if you lost—you had to make sure you walked away victorious. So you stood your ground before the poor girl, staring down, shaking in your uniform boots.

Sweat rolled down your neck, disappearing underneath your cotton uniform. The masking had to hold until Eunhae surrendered. It was all you needed to win. You couldn’t bear looking her in the eyes, so you closed your own, your fists clenched at your sides.

“You can’t keep me like this forever!” Eunhae shouted, but she sounded desperate.

For a second, you feared that she would somehow be able to unmask her uniform material back into cotton, but the logical part of you countered that with a simple fact: Eunhae was an expert at size-shifting, not so much masking. But, if she just so happened to be angry enough to unleash powerful light magic, that would also be a different story.

Nervously, you cracked open one eye, wondering if this was even enough to stop a cadet like Eunhae. There was unbridled rage in her eyes as she lay on the ground, unable to move. But the longer you stared at her, the look gradually morphed into one of capitulation.

Finally, Eunhae let out a long, labored sigh. “I’ll give you this one, then.” She was completely limp. “You win. I surrender. Now get me out of this thing!”

You collapsed to the ground in shock, and it was your loss of concentration—not quite exactly her request—that unmasked Eunhae’s uniform. As the stone eroded away and the familiar cotton material faded into existence, you stared at the dirt, unblinking. Grumbling, Eunhae sat up, stretching her limbs and brushing herself off while looking quite disdained at her loss.

There was an eerie silence.

Normally, there would be clapping by now.

Now you were shaking, though you didn’t know why, and suddenly, it felt like you were the one donning the stone uniform. You could hear your breathing echoing in your head, and your legs refused to listen to you anymore. It was as if all of the energy in your body had been zapped away.

Were you allowed to do this? Was masking your opponent’s uniform on the grounds for disqualification? Is that why everybody was so silent?

But then, you heard a joyous cry from the audience.

“YOU DID IT, Y/N, YOU WON!”

It was Hajin—bless her—and in no time, others followed the princess’ lead. Your victory was welcomed with a roar of applause. The world began spinning. You were still shaking, but when you turned slightly to the side, you saw General Son, standing up with the rest of the audience, clapping for you. He wasn’t smiling, because he never smiled, but he was nodding in approval, and that was all you needed for all of your worries to wash away.

You were safe.

You could stay here.

Who knew that the Fashion Studies class you took years ago would be so useful in the army? From your first victorious duel, you learned that you didn’t have to resort to violence if you didn’t want to. There were definitely officers who didn’t approve of that notion, but they couldn’t do anything about it since General Son never found it wrong, though he did later admit it was unorthodox.

Still, he confirmed that you were no longer on probation, and with the momentum of your first victory, you went on to win a majority of the rest of your duels. As a year flew past, your ranking gradually, gradually increased until one day, your name was next to that shiny, silver number 1 once more. But you never really gave two shits about the rankings. In your mind, this was all for a bigger cause—the cause of one day changing Darlae for the better. The change that Instructor Shin believed you could make.

But you did have to admit, though a bit begrudgingly, that it always felt good when your opponent would take one look at you from across the arena and surrender right away. You didn’t let those instances get to your head, though; you worked hard, just like everybody else. If it just so happened that your masking skills were more advanced and your hexes were mostly successful, then that was that. There was no need to make a big deal out of it. But Hajin always liked to, anyways.

She was your biggest supporter, attending every one of your duels and cheering you on the whole time. As more circas passed, she grew into her light magic, and though she still occasionally cast an unpredictable whim, she was a much stronger alchemist than before. Her father was proud of her as any father would be, but he was just as proud of you, who he practically took under his wing as his second daughter.

And then there was General Son. He was always watching you with those sharp eyes of his, not saying much in both words and expression. But you knew he had a lot of thoughts—whether they were good thoughts or bad thoughts, you were never too sure. Still, he seemed satisfied with your performance in his army, and you liked to imagine that he looked mildly pleased every time you saluted him when he walked past.

Just like that, your life as a cadet in the Darlaean Army became routine once more, with the occasional ups and downs, but nothing life-changing. And before you knew it, you were already 17.

Hajin slumped over her bed in a deep pout. “I can’t believe he’s making us wait another two years, Y/N. Two! I swear on Guseul’s heart that I’m going to die waiting for the day we can finally go to battle!”

“Your father��s just trying to protect you,” you said, patting Hajin’s shoulder. “You’re his only daughter. Also his last living family member.”

Hajin let out a loud sigh. “Everyone else in our cohort has already been moved to the 1st city!” She groaned, hiding her face in her silk pillowcase. “We’ll be the oldest ones in the new cohort! It’s going to be so embarrassing!” She suddenly sat up, turning to face you. “This isn’t fair! We were ranked in the top ten!”

“I know, I know,” you said, patting Hajin’s back. “It sucks, but I mean, we’ll be able to explore the tunnels for two more years, isn’t that the good part? Why do you want to go to battle so much, anyways?” You didn’t mean to sound so exasperated when you asked the latter question because you knew full well what Hajin was going to say. But before you could open your mouth to apologize, Hajin was already speaking.

“I just need to avenge my mother’s death!” she announced valiantly as predicted. She sighed, looking out the window, where the dim moonlight filtered in. “That’s all I want. I just need to be out there and fight the same bastards who killed her.” Her voice grew quiet, which happened quite rarely and only when she was dead serious, which was also a rarity. “You didn’t have to stay with me, you know, stuck in this damn training program. You finished first in our cohort; you should’ve graduated and marched on to the 1st city.”

The truth was, Hoseok had invited you to another private chat in which he’d given you a few options. One of them was, of course, graduating from the training program for adolescents and moving on to becoming a true soldier who would march to battle. But the other choice, the one that Hoseok wanted you to choose, was to stay in the 12th city with his daughter before he finally deemed her ready to leave the royal nest.

“She still casts unpredictable whims from time to time,” was his biggest worry. “She must be absolutely formidable before I let her on that battlefield.” You knew it would break Hajin’s heart if she found out her father withheld her from graduating due to her erratic alchemy skills—when those who were far worse than she had already graduated—so you never mentioned it to her. The plan, if you stayed, would be to help train Hajin’s light magic skills until her alchemy was sound, and that would all be under the guise of her father’s protectiveness over his only daughter, which was also true.

“But I don’t want to hold you back either, my dear. I don’t want to withhold such a promising soldier from my nation; General Son tells me he sees the future in you. But ultimately, my dear, the choice is yours.”

And you’d chosen to stay. Mostly because the prospect of going to battle terrified you, though you never admitted that to anyone—not even Hajin. It was too humiliating. But another part of you couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Hajin, of leaving her father, of leaving the secret tunnels, too. It would be like entering a new chapter of your life, which wasn’t always the worst thing that could happen. But you simply didn’t feel ready. What good was an unprepared hero, anyway?

You sighed, staring outside at the moon along with Hajin. “Well, I wasn’t going to leave you here. And besides,” you said, a small smile forming on your lips, “we can eat all the deviled eggs we want for two more years. Isn’t that paradise?”

Hajin didn’t laugh at your joke; she was too lost in her thoughts, which was something that you usually did and not the other way around. Then, she spoke in a quiet murmur: “Y/N, why do you want to fight in the war?”

Your eyes widened. “Oh, I mean, um… it’s…” You sighed, not having expected Hajin to ask such a question. “It’s going to sound silly.”

Hajin finally turned to you, and it looked like she was finally back to her old self because she was grinning madly. “Try me,” she snorted. “How silly can it really be?”

“Well…” You hesitated. “Okay, fine. Ever since I was little, I’ve always wanted to be some sort of hero. I guess I just read too many fairytales, but that’s beside the point. I want to accomplish something big, you know? Make a difference. I dunno. How cool would it be if I could contribute even just a little bit to Darlae’s freedom from the war?” You tugged on your necklace. “It’s stupid, I know. Your reason is much cooler—”

“No way!” Hajin’s eyes widened. “Your reason is so… mature. It’s high level, you know? Above seeking vengeance and all that crap. Oh, Y/N,” she laughed. “You could definitely do it. You’ve already made a difference in my life! I just know you’re going to do something great. Oh, I know! You’ll become an officer—I don’t need to be a divinist to know that!”

You laughed along with her. “Aw, thanks, Hajin. I wouldn’t say it’s a mature reason—I mean, I’m 17 and I’m still dreaming of heroes. But thanks. Really. That was kind of you to say.” You nudged her playfully. “You’re more officer material than I am. You’ve got the energy and charisma. You’re a people magnet!”

Hajin beamed. “You really think so?” She plopped back down on her bed, rolling her eyes. “Tell that to my father, will you? Then maybe he’ll let us go to war.”

You laughed, plopping down on the bed right next to your best friend. “I don’t think he’ll budge.”

“Bummer,” Hajin sighed. “Whatever.” Then, she turned to her side, grinning at you mischievously. “Wanna have a late-night deviled egg party?”

You would be crazy to resist.

Even though you and Hajin weren’t technically allowed in the 1st city as both of you were still cadets in the training program, that never stopped the two of you from simply using the secret tunnels to infiltrate the 1st city’s sewers. But all there was to see in the 1st city was soldiers training. Though you found it fascinating, Hajin found it boring.

“What’s so fun about watching a bunch of soldiers train?” Hajin sighed. “We see that in the training grounds all the time.”

“No, but they train so differently,” you answered, your voice tinged with excitement. “Look! They don’t do the stupid duels at all. They’re focusing on masking scraps of junk into weapons! See how that soldier just masked that blade of grass into a dagger? See how it pierced through the wooden block without unmasking itself? Amazing,” you breathed. “That’s not easy to do.”

“I’d rather watch a duel. They’re more exciting,” Hajin snorted. “Come on, let’s get back to the 12th city before anyone finds out we left.”

“W-Wait!” you said, eyes widening. “Look! We can’t miss this—they’re practicing formations! See how impenetrable it looks? It’s a formation meant for defense! And see how perfectly identical every soldier’s stance is? That must take hours and hours of practice!”

Hajin just laughed. “Only you could be so excited by army formations,” she teased.

But it wasn’t just you.

General Son also had a penchant for formations, which he made obvious to you after he caught you and Hajin snooping around the 1st city. He wasn’t angry, only stern, but when he found out that you had been drawing out his army’s formations and studying them on your own, he invited you to his study in the 12th city to “discuss”—though what about, you weren’t quite sure. But the invitation, of course, only came after you and Hajin ran a couple of laps around the training grounds for breaking regulations—it was only a formality.

The discussion ended up being hours long and was more like a lecture than anything else. The General asked you to explain what you had gleaned from snooping around the 1st city and observing the different formations, and though you were nervous, you were able to explain each one and the purpose you believed it had. He had no discernible expression on his face when you finished, but you must’ve done something right because he began to spread out a few of his own battle plans, which were a work in progress.

“See this, cadet?” he asked, running his fingers through the five obvious sectors drawn into the paper in black ink. “This is the battlefield. Memorize it by next time,” he said. “A good soldier must know the terrain she fights on.”

The mention of a next time filled you full of excitement, and you spent the following several days thinking about nothing but the battlefield. You woke up in the morning and stared at the copy of it that the General had given you. During your training—which was now too easy for you—you tried to draw it from memory in your mind. And at night, you dreamed of it—the five sectors, the soil, the hard dirt, and the soldiers charging through it.

General Son didn’t show much of a reaction when you completely redrew the battlefield from memory during your next “discussion.” But the more time you spent under his guidance, you realized that he had particular ways of showing his praise. When he deemed you ready, he simply moved on to the next thing he wanted you to learn. He pushed you harder than any other person in your life—nearly rivaling your own spirit—always sending you back from his study with a stack of books to read for the next discussion, along with formations to review and comment on. You spent your days training—though you always finished early—and your nights studying battle plans and formations.

Hajin found it tedious.

“You look like you’re having fun,” she snorted, staring at you hunched over, studying your books in the moonlight streaming through her large window. She shuddered. “On second thought, I don’t think I could ever become an officer. I can’t handle the logistics! I would never want to spend my free time studying battle plans and doing extra reading. But you’re fit for the job, Y/N. I think General Son thinks so too.”

You didn’t want to believe that at first. It seemed impossible to you that the General of the Darlaean Army could ever see someone like you as an officer. You weren’t even sure if you could handle it! What kind of officer was afraid of going to battle? What good was knowing the battlefield like the back of your hand if you were too afraid to fight?

Despite your doubts, the General believed in you—at least it seemed like he did. He began granting you special access to the 1st city to observe the soldiers’ training. He also invited Hajin as a formality, for she was also a well-respected cadet yet to graduate from the training program, but she declined. “I’d rather give up a week’s worth of deviled eggs than go sit and watch soldiers train for what feels like an eternity!” she told you quite vehemently.

So, by yourself, you diligently traveled to the 1st city once a week to study the applications of the formations you’ve read about and to learn about the different charms that the soldiers used. Most of these charms were cast as whims because in a battle, where anger and passion drenched the air, light magic became much more powerful. It was still difficult for you to get rid of that scholarly instinct of using dark magic, and since the General never commented on your tendency for casting hexes, you continued to use the magic that brought comfort to you.

Sometimes, you wondered what the General saw in you to privately teach you the ways of battle planning. You often wondered if you deserved the treatment. Hajin was aware of your self-doubting tendencies, and she was always kind enough to point out that you were, indeed, a talented cadet, and you have been, for circas now, ranked first on the board—that the newer cadets feared dueling with you because you never lost.

But you weren’t as charismatic as the majors, captains, sergeants and privates you observed in the 1st city. And you sure as hell would never be as charismatic as the General. There was something about him that elicited fear and respect. He never had to raise his voice; just one look from him and he could have even the strongest soldiers cowering. He was brutal out on the battlefield, you’ve heard. Perhaps actions spoke louder than words.

Of course you knew not to compare yourself to the damn General of the Darlaean Army, but self-doubt was in your nature. Still, your fear of disappointing the General was somehow greater than your self-doubting tendencies. You continued to make an effort in your private discussions and visited the 1st city with a fiery passion in your eyes, ready to commit everything you saw into memory.

And slowly, as you began to catch up to his expectations, General Son became just slightly amiable. He no longer watched you with his sharp, discerning eyes, and he gave you short, laconic compliments when you deserved them. You had the feeling that he was warming up to you. Perhaps he wasn’t sure if he could trust you before, especially with the stunt you pulled when you had refused to participate in duels.

He asked you quite often about Hajin and her progress with her light magic, which you suspected Hoseok put him up to. It was no secret that General Son and Hoseok were quite close. You’ve heard them call each other by their first names, which was shocking considering one was the king and the other was the general of the nation. You don’t think you’ve ever heard anybody else refer to General Son as Taegi except Hoseok.

Though General Son didn’t exactly show you the same kind of warmth that Hoseok did, he showed you generosity and patience. The discussions no longer felt like lectures; they were truly discussions—an exchange of ideas and feedback. Sometimes, General Son invited over a few of his majors to participate, which made you incredibly nervous, but every time self-doubt sank in, you reminded yourself of Instructor Shin’s words: may you one day change Darlae for the better. You were going to do it—someday in the future. This was simply your journey of mentorship and preparation.

It became increasingly clear that General Son trusted your opinions, and you naturally trusted him, for he commanded the entire army with a steady hand. Gradually, things fell into a routine again. You still had your moments of diffidence, of course, but that was part of the routine, too. And soon, before you knew it, seasons passed until the leaves of the trees reddened and the weather became chillier.

You would never forget this particular day in Circa Opal. The day that altered the routine of your life.

You were walking back to the castle from a long discussion with General Son. In your uniform pocket was the smaller, size-shifted stack of books he’d assigned you to read and the shrunken scrolls he wanted you to annotate. The air was brisk and the sun was setting, which were all the more reasons for you to quicken your pace as you promised to meet Hajin for another one of your secret tunnel exploring rounds, which had become rare with your busy schedule. The plan was to explore Hajin’s favorite: the 6th city. She was undoubtedly already waiting for you, wearing her purple pantaloons that you’d gifted her two years ago—her “exploring pants” as she called them. You could just imagine her pacing around her room impatiently, wondering “Where the hell is she???”

You smiled to yourself, practically running now to get to the castle faster. The red leaves made a satisfying crunch underneath your feet as you sprinted. But in your haste, you bumped into someone nearby and the force of the collision caused both of you to fall to the ground.

You felt a dull impact on your behind and winced, but you’ve been through worse during training. Luckily, your miniature textbook and scrolls didn’t fall out of your pocket, which was a better outcome than what you would’ve hoped. But the stranger—the boy—whom you’d bumped into wasn’t so fortunate. He’d been carrying a large bag of what seemed to be filled with all sorts of equipment, which dropped to the ground from the impact and landed with a raucous crash! At the same time, a twinkling blue stone slipped from his pocket and landed on top of a few fallen leaves on the grass.

“O-Oh! I’m so, so sorry,” you said, quickly scrambling to pick up the sapphire from the ground and wiping it clean from the dried leaf debris. “I wasn’t looking where I was going! Here, you dropped your birthst—”

Your breath hitched as your eyes met his. The rest of your words became lost in your throat.

He was beautiful.

As the two of you slowly stood up together, you couldn’t help but notice his big, doe eyes, perfect nose, gently tousled hair, delicate, pinkish lips… The warm glow of the setting sun backlit his face, softening his features, and the mild autumn breeze mussed his raven-colored hair, where strands of it fell over his dark brown eyes.

Time slowed down as he reached out to take his birthstone from you. And when his hands brushed yours, there was a shy spark that ignited in your chest. Your eyes widened as you looked up at him in shock.

His own tender eyes met yours, and he blinked slowly, his lashes long enough to kiss his face. It was as if you were in a trance.

“Thank you,” he whispered. His voice was quiet, silvery, perfect as you would expect from someone like him.

Your lips parted as you readied yourself to respond, but no words fell from your lips.

Who was he? Why haven’t you seen him before?

He surely wasn’t a soldier, for he wasn’t wearing the uniform, which meant he most likely worked for the royal family or perhaps even for the army. He looked too kind to be a soldier, anyway.

A soft splash of rosy pink emerged on his cheeks as the two of you continued to peer into each other’s eyes. His hands began fidgeting with his birthstone. “You…” he said, face brightening in recognition. “You…” he whispered again, eyes softening.

Did he know you?

You surely didn’t know him; you would’ve remembered if you did.

“You…?” you barely managed to get out when the boy suddenly picked up the bag he dropped from the ground and began stepping backwards, though slowly.

You wanted to tell him to wait, to at least ask for his name, but how could you? He was already walking away from you. Maybe something about this encounter terrified him. It was rather odd. He was a complete stranger, but he strangely felt like comfort. There was this foreign tug on your heartstrings—a fleeting feeling that maybe you will get to know him in the near future. Did he feel this too? Was that why he left?

You couldn’t help but watch him walk away, your head tilting as you stared at his back. It was stupid to think such a short encounter could blossom into something more. But…

No. Nothing was going to happen. This fate-like encounter was nothing more than a figment of your imagination—perhaps it was acting up after all of those tales of romance you read when you were young. Perhaps the boy left because there was nothing to stay for. With a sigh, you turned around and began walking away, towards the grand castle and to Hajin, who was undoubtedly waiting for your arrival.

But unbeknownst to you, soon after you turned around, the boy stopped in his footsteps to watch you leave. He had a bright look in his eyes, a look of mostly curiosity, really, but there was another thing. A look of longing. It was gone in a second, however, when he finally blinked. Then, he began walking away too, as if the encounter had never happened at all in the early days of Circa Opal.

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⨰ a/n: sorry for the short delay! had to attempt to proofread :') but hehe we finally get to meet jk!!!

please consider telling me your thoughts with a comment, an ask or a reblog :) i love hearing readers' impressions/rambles/predictions! if you want to join the taglist, send in a private message, ask, reply to this post or reblog with your request!

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treepan0 · 7 months ago

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screw it rambling about my Xenoverse group "the D team" because why not, of course more below the cut. and I will include those related to the teammembers.

the D team gets its name from one of my favorite childhood shows, albeit in a subtle fashion. More often than not outside of the original Xenoverse questline, the D team storyline wise takes unwanted quests.

going from normal life pre-timepatrol and onwards.

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Snails:

the oldest of the group creation wise is Snails, I made him while sketching out of boredom. he's a calm and reasonable type with a deep and passionate love for machines, especially planes. his name was a joking place holder, originally just "Snail" as a joke on Slug's, but became plural due to Nail.

his back story is he simply chose to travel off of Namek well before the drought ever began, only to join the time patrol later on. most of the time he's written wrangling the rest of the team in order with Sparrgal, mainly because of Shiver and Spring.

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Spring:

a mischievous majin, she found her normal life before the time patrol boring. she's inspired off of old cartoons in design, and gets her name from something I feel nostalgic for. she likes food, rain, learning random things, stories and adventure.

she's a cheerful goofball who's known for surviving, off of sheer dumb luck.

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Rasp:

her name was created by messing around with Raspberries, but Rasp is also a verb and a noun so it works. she has some anger issues, and can be loud at times, but means well.

well before the time patrol she was a street brawler, however it was a near death brush from King Piccolo that made her become a proper fighter. which would later give Rasp her role on the time patrol much later down the line.

she found Sparrgal cute but needed someone to tell her; he liked her back in order for her to finally mull over taking the next move, as she didn't want to push him into anything.

when she originally came to conton city she chose to learn under Raditz first, now he's her instructor and close friend.

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Sparrgal:

he used to be a guard and then a bounty hunter, until he got recruited by the time patrol. he's a more calm and closed of personality, sometimes even being silent for entire missions.

he used to carry a spear around with him, until he accidentally broke it the same day he unlocked super saiyan. (if you didn't catch on yes he is the saiyan passingly mentioned in August's backstory, no they haven't encountered each other since that day.)

his name comes from spargel which is the German name for white asparagus, the usual green is called grüner spargel and is valued less. as a result most germans get upset if you compare the two, this actually affects his character in a way as he despises Paragus for obvious reasons, and despises anyone who dares to compare them.

at the end of the day Sparrgal genuinely cares about others, and would rather not be compared to such a heartless monster. only Rasp and Spinn have seen his softer side, he doesn't like physical affection with friends and mainly reserves it for his family. (yes that does include found family, he's not a monster like Paragus)

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Shiver:

the elder son of a lesser baron below King Cold, however he was raised in a situation where he was ignored or afraid, leaving a lack of the traits and skills expected of him. he thinks less of himself but that doesn't mean he takes no action, He'd rather do something rather than nothing.

he hasn't told a soul his past Chronoa had to look into it herself, if only to ensure he does as he's asked. It's his timeline's version of Cooler that keeps him in control, but most have no idea why. In reality Shiver is overly sentimental and only listens if you listen to him in turn, Cooler has listened to him many times before and has gotten Shiver attached to him, whether he wants to admit it or not.

he's very emotional and often quiet when he doesn't know you, he can accidentally cause trouble due to his sentimental nature, as well as his habit of taking others under his wing in an instinctual manner. (in other words he's secretly a mom friend in nature, even if he acts like a trash gremlin at times)

though most don't know this as he struggles to express himself properly, and comes off grumpy and sad without meaning to at times. usually you can tell when it's genuine when his expressions are strong, as his more diluted expressions rarely mean much as he's a more expressive person.

gee kind of makes you wonder why his relationship with Frieza isn't great, not at all like Frieza would totally use that to seriously hurt someone in a canon compliant timeline. (I usually treat it as a subconscious imitation of cold though)

If it was not the combined efforts of Snails, Sparrgal and Cooler he probably would have tried to adopt so many people on sight. he's direct and straight to the point, he never hides his intentions in his words like Frieza and Frost.

In general to summarize Shiver & Cold is squabbling leading into a fight as Shiver defends Cooler, Shiver & Frieza is how he ended up dead and indebted into the time patrol.

Shiver & Cooler is a very loyal and determined friend that is a fraction of the other's height, Shiver & Frost is everyone holding Shiver back because they know Shiver will try to earn his trust, and shower him in affection.

And Shiver & Kuriza is surprising a child's father with how you interact, because he definitely thought you were a heartless monster that would hurt children.

the reason I have never called August or any other character a self insert, is because that's Shiver's role and no one else's when it comes to dragon ball, and as you can tell I'm more of a platonic focused self shipper. with the exception of Raditz, but that's a given.

how I am as a person I don't care for my self insert not being the same gender either, because I don't actually care how I'm perceived. not like it's easy to explain either, my autism just affects my relationship to gender to a severe degree that, I feel a detachment from it at times.

aka I just went pronoun default and never thought in detail, I've been mistaken for a number other things, and never felt offence for that mistake specifically. (only when it comes from being denied certain things or being undermined, which I think is reasonable)

he got his name because you can shiver from the cold, and in reaction to being afraid. There's also a joke about his name, but he sadly struggles with social situations to the point it doesn't work, just know his name can be taken in the wrong context.

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related characters

Spinn:

Spinn is the daughter of Sparrgal and Rasp, she's inherited a lot from them both. she's often found either messing around with Trunks and Goten, spending time with Broly, or she's terrorizing Nappa. honestly Turles is thankful she's never come up to him, she'd probably try to terrorise him as well.

she has a slight lisp that affects her 'B's and 'V's, and calls Broly uncle despite not being related. she's named after spinach, and spinning.

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Gallanthus:

unlike his brother, Shiver, Gallanthus is still alive he's simply banished to Earth. Gallanthus doesn't remember much of his life before he was banished, but he respects Yamcha greatly as he was the first person to give him a chance.

he's a pretty kind and softer personality, who enjoys exploring the nice stuff from earth. gets his name from the scientific name for snowdrops, that translates to "milk flower", which says a lot about him.

to summarize the name choice he looked up to the Ginyu force as a kid, and still sees Frieza as a dear childhood friend, despite everything that happened between them.

So in a way he very much reflects the usual symbolism for the flowers, as he is a very hopeful, kind and sweet personality. The factor of innocence is more of being oblivious to the reality of some people, as he did with Frieza when they were younger.

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Perr:

Rasp's cousin who she hasn't interacted in a long time, as they've grown distant. the ability she has to take other's energy, so she's never felt physical affection before, maybe there's someone out there to change that.

she has two versions one that is an antagonist that relies upon manipulation, and another that's just genuinely kind. the time patrol does not advice letting the former iterations interact with Z Broly, the later however is fine.

the genuinely kind one tends to be my main focus for her, despite the fact I made the mor antagonistic version first. Perr's kinder version often takes on the role of a friend that listens without judgement, and occasionally teaches different techniques for calming one down alongside Sparrgal.

I don't wanna talk about her awful version, she's just terrible in my opinion and needs to chill. anyway you can often tell the difference because the good one has solid emotional control, the bad one gets really mad if you roast her to an extreme degree.

I like to imagine that's how the time patrol weeds the good ones from the bad, they let someone like Baby, Frieza or Cell talk to her because most versions of them don't have emotional attachments for her to manipulate like that. (like I said the bad one is awful)

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Auggy:

originally a what if fusion between my oc August and Baby, she's affectively a bad outcome for them both. Both components are still kind of there, leaving her mind conflicted causing her to be irritable at times.

in my main writing whenever I need to use the time patrol, she's often used the the conton city hero. (Huh I wonder why lol)

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Additional stuff

Shiver apologizes constantly whenever he's on a mission with Cooler as an enemy, it's almost to the same effect as using Ginyu against Frieza in FighterZ (because I often apologise for what isn't my fault, it's a side effect of the emotional abuse I endured)

the time patrol has Broly listed as Sparrgal's instructor, when it's kind of the other way around. sadly Sparrgal, Rasp and their family are the only time patrollers who actually genuinely care for him at the moment

If Shiver is really annoyed with Cell he will start whistling, a weakness he knows from his time spent with Snails. Unlike Gohan however Shiver cannot tune his whistles well so everyone finds Shiver whistling annoying, not just the namekians this time

Spinn has called Broly on Nappa when he tried to scare her, to this day most mentors in conton city are afraid the the half saiyan screaming uncle, now that they know who that is to her

Spinn wouldn't see Goten and Trunks as friends in a normal timeline, nor any of the canon kids but I don't see a lot of time patrollers having children, due to the complications that might come from it

Gallanthus' existence is inspired from someone I actually care about, but with a personality of his own instead

#shiver (oc)#spring (oc)#snails (oc)#sparrgal (oc)#rasp (oc)#Gallanthus (oc)#spinn (oc)#perr (oc)#auggy (oc)#dragon ball #dbz #dragon ball z #dragon ball super #dbs #dragonball xenoverse 2 #dragonball oc #ocs #original characters #lore dump

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kalevalakryze · 2 years ago

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Baylan Skoll was never chosen to be a padawan, in this essay I will...

(this is only going to look familiar to a handful of you)

Warning, long post below with excerpts + notes about "The Jedi Path" by Daniel Wallace

"Everybody thinks they know what a Jedi is-that we all serve in the Army of the Light and fight the Sith Lords, or that we're all lightsaber battlemasters and starfighter aces. It just isn't so. Jedi can serve the Republic in other ways too. The Jedi Service Corps is an honorable alternative for any graduating Initiate, and he or she should be proud to serve among its ranks. When most initiates hit early adolescence, they seek to pair up with Masters to begin their Padawanship apprenticeships. If you are not selected, then what? You can try again the following season, but eventually, the Temple Instructors may tell you that you've run out of chances-and then the Reassignment Council steps in. So I'm thinking there was just something Baylan couldn't get; Maybe even the connection to a Jedi Master, he just didn't seem like the kind of Jedi that should have been on the battlefront, he was more of a homebody Jedi, like Yoda, or even Jocasta Nu. Maybe, after failing so often, the Reassignment Council steps in, and I see him joining the Educational branch, staying at the temple to help teach and to help in the archives, one of these devouts of the pillar of knowledge. A Note in the Book From Palpatine: "I imprisoned the surviving Jedi Service Corps Members on Byss. Even the strongest were easy to turn to the dark side." Maybe Baylan was one of these survivors, and while it's clear he didn't go full dark, what did he have to do to survive? Knowing that the younglings he'd so caringly guided were lost to the Force, that the world he'd devoted himself to studying and understanding was gone, and that this new world was just dark, and it was an 'adapt or die' situation The Jedi Path section about the EduCorps: The Education Corps, or EduCorps, consists of Scholars, teachers, and archivists. All Jedi are expected to be teachers to some degree, but the EduCorps goes far beyond that. They work under the supervision of the Temple's Chief Librarian and spend most of their days cataloging and translating. So my thoughts here are, as an archivist who spends his days combing through Jedi Holocrons, he would hear about the Mother, or Abeloth, would read about these Mortis Gods and have an intimate understanding. And when the Jedi were killed, he could recall these stories, he was the last one alive who'd ever heard them from the holocrons, after all. He would be able to remember the powers these holocrons detailed the gods as having, would trust that if anyone could save their history, it would be them, but only the Mother sounds powerful enough to stop the Empire. Finding Shin was a mistake. He was no Master, after all. He'd been granted the rank of General in the republic like all the others, yet he didn't command an army, he worked in libraries and traveled to conquered/liberated worlds to read their texts and to enter their stories into the history of the republic. He goes to a planet in the expansion zone, and he meets a child, there are so few left in this world, no one for him to share his stories with, that when she displays force sensitivity, he takes her, just as the Jedi had done to younglings all those years ago. And he trains her, he gives her a Padawan's braid and he calls her Initiate, and when it's time for her Initiate Trials, he is happy to accept her as his Padawan, like no one had ever done for him. And Shin is so attentive and an amazing student, just like the younglings in the temple, but he cannot burden her with the knowledge of Abeloth. Does not want to ruin the perception he knew she was creating of the Jedi, but he also keeps her training limited, 'The old ways led them to ruin so we will create our own,' 'yes,master' etc etc

#just some thoughts that have plauged my mind this fine morning #baylan skoll #shin hati #star wars #the jedi path #the jedi #educorps #ahsoka series

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tinyozlion · 2 years ago

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Suggested Policy of Ignoring Stupid Shit

(the following section contains *Minor Spoilers*)

[ -Back to Part 03]

Everyone in this show is too goddamn young. They are simply too goddamn young. This is my hill, and I will die on it.

It’s one thing to have a cast full of troubled but highly marketable teenagers in a show aimed at teenagers– it’s a whole other thing to try and convince me that all the influential *adults* in the series are under the age of 25. These are characters who we are to understand have led full lives, and had active careers in the military before the start of the show– you know, during their literal infancy.

For example: Treize is meant to be 24 at the start of the series. He’s a colonel in the Alliance Military, a position that usually requires about 20 years of service to attain. He also has a daughter that I’ve seen quoted as being either 7 or 9 years old. It doesn't matter which is true, because there is no positive integer you can subtract from 24 that makes a good age to father a child. (…Alright, okay, in the great variety of human experience, that’s an exaggeration.) What’s of more significance is that at the time, Treize was an instructor or sergeant in the military academy, in charge of a squad of mobile suit cadets.

So which is a more reasonable age for that scenario, 15 or 17? Keep in mind that the minimum age requirement for enlistment in the US army is 17, with parental consent.

--Ah! But this is Animé, where only teens and pre-teens are fully alive. Those who turn 20 become old, and venerable, able to draw on the rich wisdom of experience that comes with being not quite of legal drinking age. And if you’re over 30 obviously you must fade and go into the West, your time has ended. No, no, better to have characters too young for the events of their own lifespan to have occurred than to suffer an OLD PERSON on television.

--Up with this, I will not put. It is bullshit. Please join me adding *at minimum* two years to everyone’s age, up to a suggested 5-10 years to the age of adult characters– if ONLY so that we don’t have to stretch our suspension of disbelief to include a preternaturally articulate 4 year old receiving full military honors.

___

Gundam Wing would like us to believe that everything in the series happened over the course of a single year. MS Gundam probably set the precedent for this with its One Year War, but MS Gundam also lets people get older and change hairstyles and be subject to the effects of linear time. While Wing certainly had more constraints on its production length, it really would have benefited from some believable time-skips.

…Mind you, after 2020 I think we can all attest that A LOT CAN HAPPEN IN ONE YEAR. But that doesn't account for all the downtime that happens in Gundam Wing-- times when everyone had to lay low, times where characters had to heal from massive physical trauma, times where everyone was stuck in a stalemate waiting to see what happened next, times during which whole space battleships had to be built and global armies had to be mustered.

On this I call bullshit a second time. In addition to giving the characters more realistic ages, we should also be allowed to expand the time frame of major plot events, based on vibes.

--That concludes my suggestion. May this policy serve you well, in this and other fandoms!

#Parsing Post #Gundam Wing #TinyOZlion PGW

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mywifeleftme · 2 years ago

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196: Earth // The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull

The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull Earth 2008, Southern Lord (Bandcamp)

The most money I’ve ever spent on a vinyl record is on the stupid fucking quadruple LP Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness boxed set, but that was only because I allegedly scuffed the first track on the first side of LP1 of my friend’s copy while putting it away at a party, so I had to buy him a replacement and got his old dinged one—but I’ll write about that another time. The most money I’ve ever spent on a vinyl record I wanted was on Earth’s The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull, and specifically on one of the editions bound in faux Bible leather that Southern Lord reissues from time to time. From the first time I heard the record back in 2008, from the first time I read the title really, Bees has held a strange fascination for me. Despite being a broke college kid, I ordered a Bees Made Honey hoodie using my first credit card and hemmed and hawed over whether to snag the leather record, though I didn’t even know how to use a turntable. I didn’t end up actually scoring a copy till more than a decade later, by which time I’d already pretty well carved the thing’s grooves so deep in my brain I didn’t need to listen anymore to hear its contents.

The inner sleeve.

Still, there’s the pleasure of handling it, opening up the gatefold and reading the hoary language in elaborately-filigreed gold text:

“from strength sweetness from darkness light the bees made honey in the lion’s skull”

A1. Omens and Portents 1: The Driver A2: Rise to Glory B3: Miami Morning Coming Down II (Shine) B4. Engine of Ruin C5: Omens and Portents II: Carrion Crow C6: Hung from the Moon D7: The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull D8: Junkyard Priest

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I grew up just religious enough to really fear God and love His language, especially as filtered through all the fantastical art that’s borrowed the diction of the King James Version to command a sense of gravitas. It’s a tone of voice that still compels me, and it’s the perfect dressing for this era of Earth’s looming, desertified music. Starting with 2005’s comeback Hex; or Printing in the Infernal Method, Earth has been working on a form of Western-inspired instrumental post-rock that looks to the Bible and fire-and-brimstone writers like Cormac McCarthy for words to match the weathered lurch of Dylan Carlson’s lithic guitar. Bees continues this direction, and it’s broadly considered the best of the band’s later efforts: something elemental captured in the songs; extra pristine production; sterling contributions from Steve Moore on a variety of pianos and organs, plus famed jazz guitarist Bill Frisell; and above all the languid pulse of drummer Adrienne Davies, the sheer weight of her pauses (best exemplified on the title track).

When Davies joined the band in 2002, she became the long-term musical partner Carlson had never really had, and her playing has become as distinctive a signature of Earth’s sound as his. In the exhaustive 2023 documentary Even Hell Has Its Heroes, her interview is the most enlightening from a musical perspective. An amateur when she began casually jamming with Carlson, she soon found that all of the drumming instructors and guides she consulted emphasized focusing on how to refine the angles of her playing, minimizing the time and effort required to play a beat. But for Davies, playing in a band whose rhythm swells and resides like the breathing of a massive steer, this advice ran counter: her arms wave in slow, swooping arcs, drawing out the tempo in the air before falling into the drums, letting gravity provide the consequential force.

Despite the band’s mugshot stares and stupendous volume, that signal phrase holds: “from strength sweetness / from darkness light.” There’s no violence in this songs, only some obdurate quality of endurance; no aggression, only flickers of the transcendent among the amps. That’s the notion embedded in its title, a nourishing work transpiring within sinister ruins.

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196/365

#earth #halloweek #drone #drone metal #post-rock #ambient americana #dylan carlson #southern lord #'00s music #minimalism #music review #vinyl record #seattle music #adrienne davies

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all-the-things-2020 · 1 year ago

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Further Along the Way - Chapter Five

Summary: In which Din learns about staff meetings.

Rating: PG

The staff meeting was held in a lecture hall just off the administration building. Din ducked into the closest ‘fresher on his way to make sure his shirt was still wrinkle free and his hair hadn’t escaped from the carefully combed style Mariana had fussed over that morning. “I swear, cyar’ika,” she said, “your hair has a mind of its own.”

Satisfied that he looked presentable, Din walked into the lecture hall. It was about half full, which meant he wasn’t too early or, more importantly, too late. Colonel Braxden waved him over to a seat in the first row. Garrick was seated a few rows back and gave Din a friendly nod. Most of the staff were male, but there were quite a few women already in the hall, and Din was certain that more than one was eyeing him in a very unprofessional way. I should have brought the helmet, he thought idly.

Braxden stepped behind the podium, called the meeting to order and ran through some routine business before he gestured to Din to join him. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce our new weapons master, Din Djarin. Mr. Djarin will be starting next week but I asked him to join us today so I could introduce him to you. I’m sure you’re all aware how difficult it is to begin in the middle of term, so please extend any assistance you can offer.”

Din felt the staff sizing him up. He sized them up right back. It was an old habit, and as his eyes drifted over the assembled staff, he saw some of them stiffen, some of them shrink down in their seats, and more than a few of the women smile boldly. He ignored all of them, concentrating on the few who looked him dead in the eye. Those were the ones who would try to challenge him. Except for Garrick, of course, who gave him a genuine smile.

Braxden signaled for Din to sit back down, which he did gladly. The rest of the meeting droned on and Din was at a complete loss since he had no frame of reference. When the Colonel dismissed them, Garrick found him immediately.

“Don’t worry, they get better once you know what’s going on,” he said. “Still not exactly the highlight of the week, though.” He laughed. “Are you sticking around all day or will you just come back for the afternoon assembly?”

“I’ll be back about an hour before the assembly. We’ve still got a few errands to take care of,” Din replied.

Garrick nodded. “Uh, oh, here comes Sergeant Honnal.” He tilted his head toward a tall, red-haired woman who was striding forcefully toward them. “Tress said she’d be the first one to pounce, like a querral-duck on a June-bug. Good luck!” He chuckled and slapped Din on the back. “See you later.”

“Mr. Djarin,” said Honnal, extending her hand. “A pleasure to meet you. I’m Sergeant Amalie Honnal, military history and theory instructor.”

Din shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Sergeant Honnal.”

Honnal stepped in front of him, blocking his path. She smiled brightly. “If you need anything, just ask. It can be intimidating at first, I know. And please, call me Amalie.”

“Thank you,” he said carefully. She must have seen the holovid, considering the way she was looking at him. Damn you, Garrick, why’d you have to leave me here alone?

“So you’re a civilian,” Honnal said. “I was surprised the Colonel didn’t hire a military officer. You must have some very good qualifications.” Yes, she’d definitely seen the holovid.

“I was raised as a Mandalorian,” he said simply. “And I was a bounty hunter for many years.”

Honnal raised her eyebrows. “Mandalorian? I thought you all wore armor and helmets and all that.”

“I did. But I’m dar’manda now.”

“Our gain,” she said, looking up at him through her eyelashes. “It’s a shame to hide that face under a helmet.”

“That’s exactly what my wife says,” he told her. The look of disappointment on her face made it hard for him not to laugh. Mariana was going to tease him about this, but he knew she’d love to hear the story.

“Ah,” Honnal said. “Well, she’s a lucky woman.”

“I think I’m the lucky one,” Din said quietly. “Again, it was nice to meet you, Sergeant. If I need anything, I’ll let you know.”

***********************

Mariana took pity on Din and accompanied him to the Academy for the student assembly that afternoon. Tress had commed her that morning to say that the girls were already clamoring for another playdate with Ad’ika, so it was no problem getting her to watch him for a few hours.

“Stop fussing with your jacket,” she admonished him as they approached the campus gates. “You look fine.”

“I’m nervous,” he admitted. “I’ve never done this before.”

“You survived the staff meeting,” she reminded him. “I’m sure you can survive a room full of students.”

“An auditorium full of students,” he clarified. She slipped her hand through the crook of his elbow and hugged his arm tight. It was quite endearing to see her big, bad bounty hunter so worried about facing a bunch of teenagers.

She knew he would be fine, but he was still a bit thrown off balance by the reaction to the holovid. He’d told her about Sergeant Honnal’s attempt to hit on him, and the looks he’d gotten from some of the other women at the staff meeting. It clearly embarrassed him, even though she’d assured him he’d done nothing wrong.

It was her first time on the Academy grounds, and she took a moment to admire the sleek stone buildings. It was much newer than the Collegium she’d attended, but it had the same scholarly feel. A good school always felt like a school, no matter the style of the buildings.

They stopped by Garrick’s office on the way to the auditorium. The lieutenant jumped up from his chair with a grin. “Brought reinforcements, eh, Din?”

Mariana laughed. “Well, Tress said it might be a good idea to make myself visible on campus …” She’d even gone out and bought a new dress to wear, one that simultaneously flattered her figure and showed off her baby bump. It wouldn’t be very long before she’d have to resort to loose fitting maternity clothing, but for now, she could still pull off a moderately sexy look.

“He told you about Honnal?” Garrick asked.

Din actually blushed, and Mariana leaned into him, slipping her arm around to rub reassuring circles on his back. “Yeah, poor baby,” she said, making a pouting face.

Din rolled his eyes at her. “You won’t think it’s so funny if she tries it in front of you,” he said.

“I hope she does,” Mariana shot back. Din raised his eyebrow and she smirked at him. “You’re not the only one who likes to fight, cyar’ika.”

“Didn’t know you were so feisty, Mariana,” Garrick said. “Remind me to stay on your good side.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Din muttered, which prompted Mariana to jab him in the ribs with her elbow. “Ow!”

Garrick laughed. “Stars, you two are hilarious!”

“We try,” Mariana said with a shrug. She was in quite a good mood today. Maybe it was the dress. Or maybe it was finally feeling like their life together was beginning properly. They had a home, a steady income, no one was actively trying to kill them or steal Ad’ika … just a normal couple with a kid and another on the way.

They chatted with Garrick for a while longer until an announcement came over the PA system reminding all students that the weekly assembly would begin in precisely fifteen minutes. “Have fun,” Garrick said with a chuckle. Mariana was glad he’d befriended Din; he needed someone to help him loosen up a bit. Around her and Ad’ika, he had no problem being himself, but around others, he still acted like he was encased in beskar. Having someone to pal around with would be good for him. She suspected he hadn’t done much of that in his life.

The auditorium was behind the administration building. Students were already streaming in through the main doors, but Din led her around to a side door, where the Colonel was waiting to greet them.

“Mr. Djarin,” Braxden said with a nod.

“Colonel Braxden, this is my wife, Mariana.” The Colonel shook her hand cordially.

“A pleasure to meet you,” he said. “My wife and I give a dinner party once a month and we rotate which staff members are invited. I’ll have her put you both down for the next one.”

“That sounds lovely,” Mariana said. “And thank you, Colonel, for giving my husband this incredible opportunity.” Din started to fidget a little out of embarrassment but she gave him a surreptitious kick. He always got uncomfortable when the situation called for charm and diplomacy; his previous modus operandi had always been to shoot first and ask questions later. She loved him dearly, but subtlety was not his strong point.

“I think he’s going to be a valuable addition to our staff,” the Colonel said. “I hope the students feel the same way.” He gestured for them to enter the auditorium and followed them in, then led the way to the side of the stage. A podium stood at the front of the stage, with a short row of chairs behind it. “Usually, it’s just me and the administrative staff up on stage for these assemblies,” Braxden explained, “but I’ll have you join us this time, Djarin. Normally, you’ll be supervising the cadets with the rest of the staff.” He turned to Mariana. “You can have a seat there in the front row; we always reserve it for parents and visitors.”

A few other people were sitting in the front row, including a snooty looking couple and a military officer with so many medals on her uniform jacket that Mariana was surprised the woman wasn’t listing to one side from the weight of them. “Good luck,” she said to Din. She fixed his hair, which was starting to stick up a bit in the back, and pressed a kiss to his cheek. He squeezed her hand and tucked her hair behind her ear. Oh, stars, this poor kid is going to have crazy hair, she thought, not for the first time.

“I love you,” he whispered, kissing her just in front of her ear. Then he turned and followed the Colonel up the steps onto the stage. Mariana took a second to calm her breathing — a kiss in that spot always got her worked up — before settling down into an empty seat. It was a nice auditorium, with plush velvet seats, but they still weren’t the most comfortable.

She looked behind her at the rapidly filling seats. The students were all in spotless uniforms and the staff were a mixture of military and civilian, but again, everyone was neatly dressed and looked highly polished. She spotted a red-haired female officer standing at the end of one of the rows, ushering cadets to their seats, but also shooting looks between her and Din. Sergeant Honnal, she thought. Mariana leaned back in her seat and rubbed her hand over her belly. Honnal’s eyes narrowed and Mariana bit back a smile. Oh, yes, definitely her.

******************************

Din surveyed the auditorium. Close to five hundred students, a score or more instructors, and a handful of guests. Beside him sat the Academy physician, Dr. Killian; the Colonel’s assistant, Major Langley; the military liaison officer, Captain Plensol; and the civilian liaison, Ms. Dawkins. The Colonel stood at the podium and began addressing the students at 1530 on the dot.

“Cadets, welcome to this week’s assembly. Examinations are only four weeks away, so I advise you to start revising now to avoid last minute cram sessions. We all know how that worked out last term for the second years.” There was a subdued chuckle from some of the students that was quickly hushed by the staff stationed around the auditorium.

The Colonel went on with a few more routine announcements before glancing back at Din. “As you are all aware, we have been without a Weapons Master for two months, after the sudden departure of Captain Dunbar. Some of you have been enjoying the respite from training, but I can assure you, that respite is over. Cadets, please welcome our new Weapons Master, Mr. Djarin.” He gestured for Din to stand. “Mr. Djarin will be starting next week and I would like to remind you all that even though he is a civilian, I expect you to accord him the same respect you would give to any officer on staff. You will address him as Mister Djarin, or Sir, at all times. Is that understood?”

The cadets nodded and a murmur of “Yes, sir, Colonel, sir” rose from the crowd.

“I’ll leave it up to him to acquaint you with his rather … unique … qualifications, but suffice it to say that you’re all going to learn quite a bit from Mr. Djarin that not many people in the galaxy have the opportunity to learn.”

This prompted a few giggles from the female students, which abruptly cut off after a glare from the Colonel. Din glanced down at Mariana, who winked at him. He felt his mouth twitch as he fought back a smile. Glad she’s enjoying this, he thought wryly.

Braxden thanked him and Din sat back down while the assembly continued. He tried to pay attention to the Colonel, but kept stealing glances at Mariana, who was watching him intently. He felt quite warm under her steady gaze, and nearly fell out of his chair when she mimed a kiss, which made Langley chuckle under his breath.

When the assembly was finally over, she bounded up the steps onto the stage and slid her arms around his waist. “Sorry,” she said quietly. “You just looked so uncomfortable, I couldn’t resist. I shouldn’t have teased you.”

He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his forehead against hers. “Don’t worry, I’ll think of some way to pay you back, cyar’ika,” he said.

Her eyes flashed. “Ooh, I’m scared,” she said, scrunching up her nose. He couldn’t resist kissing the tip of it, but before he went any further he realized they were still on the stage and very few people had left the auditorium. He glanced up to see a large portion of the cadets watching wide-eyed, poking each other in the ribs and smirking.

“Um, cyar’ika, we have an audience,” he whispered.

“As long as Sergeant Honnal is part of it,” she said, sliding one hand along the waistband of his pants, which almost caused him to yelp.

“You are positively wicked,” he said, letting his own hand stray toward her hip.

“Just staking my claim,” she replied, taking his other hand and pressing it to her belly.

He gently rubbed his hand across her stomach. “How long is Tress keeping Ad’ika?,” he murmured.

She laughed. “As long as we need her to,” she replied.

“Good,” he said. “Let’s go home.”

#the mandalorian #star wars #grogu #baby yoda #pedro pascal character fanfiction #din djarin #din djarin fanfiction #din djarin x original female character

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star-arcana · 1 year ago

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Prince of Persia The Lost Crown Immortals Showcase Nr#7; Neith: The Prodigy of Kush!

Hello, and this is the last Immortal in my long series here. Prince of Persia The Lost Crown will get its demo tomorrow, so we will honor it with the last Immortal here, our General Neith!

Neith is the child of two Kushite [For historical context, the Kushites were the ancient ethiopians, the Persians called them Kushites and their land Kush, while the Greeks called them etiopians and their land Etiopia] parents, the mother was a teacher and the father a diplomat, and the youngest child of the family with two elder brothers, thus the little one in the family of 5!

She had a sheltered upbringing that was rather privileged within the Kushite Empire, until the partial conquest of their lands by Persia and occupation.

There, Neith's family found a new ruler they had to follow in Persepolis, as her father was requested to go there to join the Persian leadership in their homeland. Thus, Neith with her family went to Persia to live there and leave her old homeland, all for a foreign country that now ruled, partially, hers.

But that did not lead to her being with her family as outcasts, instead they were treated as normal people by the Persians and could live the very same life they had before from home.

From here, Neith decided to join the Persian Army against the wishes of her older brothers, and despite the pushback, she became one to make a name for herself and, if you wanna know what happened?

SHE BEACME ONE OF THE BEST WARRIORS AND MADE HERSELF FAMOUS AS ONE!!!

Her name was known as the one who became the greatest of recruits since our dear Vahram, the leader of the Immortals and had two victories against one of their instructors, Artaban, in her belt and a place within the same elite group as the two aforementioned Immortals.

Still, even if home as she knew it is far away, she kept the gods and her heritage with her proudly and would not trade it away, instead, she remains a Kushites at heart, while serving Persia? A bit sus and contradicting to some, but to her, she stays true to herself and the gods of Kush!!!

Will she remain this way during her adventures at Mt.Qaf or ultimately forget who she is and embrace the darkness...find out in 8 days and tomorrow, we have the Demo on ALL platforms available.

This concludes my series! Any more questions can be asked to me here or on my DM... Have fun and play PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE LOST CROWN!!! AVAILABLE AS DEMO ON 11TH JANUARY AND THE FULL GAME ON 18TH JANUARY!!!

Have fun, everyone! I go to sleep now soon!!!

#prince of persia #the lost crown #star arcana revelations #immortals showcase #immortals #neith #vahram #artaban

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poppyseedspshelpmesleep · 2 years ago

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So here's the first chapter of my current work (a crackfic of the finest order). Chapters 1-3 are already posted on my ao3 poppyluv_3, I've just decided that I want to use my Tumblr account more and will probably be posting chapters 2 & 3 here sometime later. Chapter four will be up soon along with something extra I've been working on once I cleared my slump of writer's block lol.

Fair warning, I'm a novice writer and doing this crackfic for fun, also still finding my writing style so stuff will switch up whenever as I feel like trying something out.

Prologue chapters: 1

Chapters: 2, 3, 4

Also feel free to check out this Silly Shenanigans series on ao3 here.

The Chosen One

Chapter One | Obito and Kakashi: First Meeting

One might think it a little early for a certain Uchiha to be up and about. Should anyone ask, said boy would then say he was on his way to class. Why so early?, you may question -but the fact of the matter is this: The universe will always make it so Uchiha Obito is late.

*—---*

The day before, their instructor had told them to expect a new classmate. There had been an odd tone to his words as he spoke, but Obito stopped paying attention once the man said their classmate would be a whole two years younger than them. Probably closer to three years younger than Obito himself, but that was beside the point.

He could not afford to be late on the day an apparent genius would be joining their class. Sure, the teacher hadn't said it himself, but Obito had heard the rumors. Hatake -something, who was just sooo talented the academy had no choice but to bump him up a few grades. 'Cause apparently this wasn't the first time this kid was skipping ahead, either. Which Obito found hard to believe, because he was only eight himself and in third grade -most of the others in his class were almost eight as well! For this Hatake kid to have skipped a grade twice already, and all while not even meeting the academy age requirement since he was only five years old, well, people might call Obito dumb, but not even he was dumb enough to fall for that obvious lie.

So yes, he was trying not to be late today. Unfortunately, just as the sun started to really light up the streets, Obito heard a caw from near directly above him. Suddenly aware of a bag of pistachios inexplicably clipped onto his clothes, he paled.

The bird cawed again. Another joins it. Soon, what could be mistaken for a swarming black cloud forms above him. Obito gulps.

The first crowd drops to hop at his feet, and Obito holds his breath. As soon as it starts inching closer, he turns around and runs.

The murder follows.

////

Of course, the rumors turn out to not be a lie. Hatake Kakashi was just as much a genius as the others proclaimed, easily answering any questions when called upon, expertly throwing shuriken when they went outside to practice, the whole shebang. How he got past the age requirement was still anyone's guess, though.

Weighing his options, Obito eventually convinced himself to approach Kakashi, who was proving himself to be more and more amazing with each passing day. The semester had really only just begun, but it was looking more and more to Obito like he wouldn't be moving on with the rest of his class. Again.

Kakashi was pretty quiet, and there was this look in his eyes- like he was judging you, but he obviously knew what he was doing. Besides, Rin seemed to always be watching the silver haired boy nowadays, so maybe if Obito was around him, she'd see him, too!

…so yea, Obito was gonna talk to Kakashi. And it totally had nothing to do with his crush on Rin, or with how Kakashi was just really cool looking and amazing at pretty much everything-

A minute movement from the corner of his eye and Obito swerved, intent on making sure it wasn't another crow having come to collect its due.

Nothing.

Obito brushed imaginary feathers from his jacked and took a deep breath. Okay, so maybe he just wanted to talk to his new classmate. Both to get Rin's attention, yes, but also because Kakashi seemed pretty cool, too. And maybe the prodigy would be willing to help him out, that would be the best possible outcome.

…could Kakashi's coolness be contagious? 'Cause that would be awesome!!!

////

Obito's resolve to approach Kakashi had been interrupted by the teacher calling them back inside, but that didn't matter. He would just have to find Kakashi after class.

Which was notoriously difficult. Others had tried approaching their new classmate already, but Kakashi had a tendency to just disappear as fast as possible.

Maybe Obito should wait…?

No! Like his granny always said 'you'll never know until you try,' and Obito would not let Kakashi's skittishness change his mind!

As soon as class was done for the day, Kakashi was up and out of his seat. For once though, he didn't bolt right out the door, instead going to talk with the teacher. Deciding to linger by the doorway, Obito got front row seats to his departing classmates being pushed aside by a bright green dart.

Said dart turned out to be a boy about a year younger than him, with a rather ugly looking jumpsuit and -unique hairstyle, Obito mentally corrected. The boy struck a pose with a thumbs up, grin somehow gleaming. Transfixed, Obito missed what he said.

"Maa.. not today, Gai. My father's picking me up."

Obito blinked at the voice, and the green boy- Gai? deflated dramatically, reminding him of some of his older cousins. Then just as suddenly, Gai perked up again, face lighting up.

"We should have our Dads race instead! That way we may witness how much further we have to go, still! Come, Rival, the Spring of our Youth has only just begun!" Obito could just hear the uppercases in that, how-?

"To see the possible Fruits of Labor the future has in store for us," a fist brought dramatically to his chest, head turning and eyes closed "would be an Eye-Opening Opportunity!"

Kakashi hummed, moving towards the doorway where the strange boy was waiting. Obito just watched, and, registering that his target had just left, felt oddly cheated.

Like a spell broken with Kakashi's departure, the students still in the classroom began to murmur.

"Isn't that the kid that failed the entrance exam last semester?" Someone to his right said.

"I heard my sister talking about him to her friends- apparently he's got some special talent or something,"

"That kid? No way, my cousin said his dad's the eternal genin, no way he's got some cool ability." Obito frowned at that comment, grabbing at the goggles hanging around his neck. It was only a matter of time before those kids remembered he was there and started saying something mean about him again if he didn't leave, but-

"I don't know, if he managed to get Kakashi's attention, then he's gotta be somewhat special, right?" The words came out quietly, but even so, Obito felt them settling in his mind as truth. Kakashi had been in their class for just about a week now, but in that time, he hadn't seen the other boy talk to anyone, not even when approached first. Obito tried to ignore the weird feeling settling in his stomach, he'd just have to talk to Kakashi the next day. No biggie.

The group of three turned to look at him. Then, as if able to read each other's minds, they all turned up their noses in sync and walked away. Obito blinked, trying to will away the tears. Somehow, his current class had decided the best punishment for him was the silent treatment. And the reason he was being punished? Being so late they missed out on a fieldtrip to outside the village.

He really had tried to be on time that day. It's not Obito's fault that the clan decided they just had to go over emergency procedure drills right then, and had accidentally knocked down one of his granny's walls.

Then again, no one asked Obito to stay and make sure all of his granny's belongings were found, but also- it was his granny. Still, the only one to understand was Rin. She was too kind, really. Probably why everyone was so reluctant to say something mean around her. It was like how his cousins acted when around his granny, Obito had noticed. Like they knew it was wrong and didn't want to do any wrong in their presence.

He scoffed, making his way out the building. What did it matter, in the end? Even if they knew it was wrong, they still did it when no one they cared about was looking.

Obito paused to stare at the sky once he made it outside, blinking away angry tears. Movement from his left peripheral caused him to turn and find Kakashi lounging on a tree branch. "WHAa…?!"

Wide eyes stared blankly at him before drooping. A loud boom sounded from the distance. Kakashi seemed to sink into the branch.

A moment of silence, then "..hello," Obito said dumbly.

Kakashi blinked at him. "Hi."

"...I thought you were going off with that green kid to find your parents."

The silver haired boy turned around on his branch, hugging it like a sloth. Obito stared, perplexed.

" ….. 'ma dad's too shy, he won't want to compete."

That didn't explain anything. "So?"

"So I told Gai to convince him for me. That's what he gets for not showing up when he said he would." There was a gleam to Kakashi's eyes as he spoke, and Obito gulped, oddly reminded of that feeling just before the crows started circling him this morning.

The branches rustled as another boom shook the earth. Kakashi sighed and Obito decided he could wait to have a proper conversation another day.

////

It wouldn't be until later that evening, when his granny's favorite street cat decided to pop in for a visit and engaged Obito in a staring contest, that he would realize Kakashi's stare had been nearly identical.

#poppyseedshelpmesleep #Hatake Kakashi #fanfic #I don't know how to tag still help #ps how do I center something on a post so its centered both on mobile and desktop #cause I'm mostly on mobile and dont want to use space in case it gets iffy on desktop #also #WHY do I like italicizing so much??#whyyy #The Chosen One fanfic #Silly Shenanigans au

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