#in any other situation he would be the weirdest person in the room. in this one he is the most Regular

[acescorazon]

Changes

Chapter: 25

Title: Here we go again...

Word Count: 4104

Warnings: Language, Dialogue heavy, Crocodile.

Chapter excerpt:

Crocodile presses his lips into a thin line after noticing Buggy’s reaction. “So, If I do take a break like the rest of the crew, are you going to stick by my side and keep me entertained?”

“What?”

“You heard me. If I take a break, are you going to keep me entertained?  Is your ass going to explore the island with me and keep me company while we’re there? If not, then I might as well keep on working.”

“You want to actually spend the day with me?” Buggy asks, officially feeling dumbfounded as he stares back at Crocodile. 

Crocodile reaches across the table and grabs Buggy by the chin. The action is quick, so quick that Buggy doesn’t even get a chance to react before Crocodile’s thumb and index finger are pinching his chin gently, “Who wouldn’t want to spend the day with a pretty boy like you?” He asks, and Buggy feels a weird mixture of anxiety, confusion, and some other third thing after hearing those words.

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Buggy sits at a small table situated against a window in Crocodile's room, unsure how he even ended up in this situation in the first place, which isn’t anything out of the ordinary for him. The weirdest things have been happening to him for a while now, and more often than not, he finds himself in positions he never thought he’d be in. 

This is one of them: Here he is, sitting across the table from Crocodile and… Well, they’re not doing much, actually. They’re not laughing it up and conversing like good ol’ pals, not that Buggy thought that they would, but he did expect there to be something more than a staring contest between them going on. 

The air in the room feels weighed down with tension and, other than some quiet breathing, only the faint sound of a clock ticking away in the background can be heard. 

...Awkward…

On Buggy’s thigh sits the transponder snail he so bravely came to retrieve. Buggy’s usually fond of these little creatures and finds them rather adorable, but the one on his lap looks like Crocodile at the moment and even scowls up at him every now and again. It would be cute if Buggy didn’t see it as a personal attack, and like a snail of all things is trying to provoke him. Little fucker…He can’t help but think the next time it glares at him just like Crocodile would. He has to continuously remind himself that this is just a snail in his lap and that it is definitely not mocking him.

(...Is it?)

The minutes continue to tick by, and the room remains oddly quiet and filled with this weird tension between the two. Buggy doesn’t get what they’re doing here. Crocodile said he wanted to talk to him, but then he clammed up the moment Buggy came into his room and sat down. It seems like Crocodile (and the transponder snail) would much rather give him mean looks than converse with him. 

Is he mad at Buggy? At that moment, Buggy tries to think of all he’s done in the last thirty seconds that might have offended Crocodile in some way, but then he realizes that he’s probably overreacting again. Crocodile just looks mean as hell and extremely angry (and so does the dumb snail right now.)

Feeling bored, Buggy glances around Crocodile’s room, but there’s nothing interesting about it – It’s more or less a slightly messier version of Buggy’s own captain quarters, with the only difference being some documents stacked on a nearby dresser, as well as several boxes containing even more papers piled up in the corner of the room. 

Buggy briefly wonders if Crocodile is waiting for him to strike up a conversation with him, and if that’s the case, that won’t be happening any time soon. Buggy has no idea what to say, in fact, he doesn’t even know If there’s ever been a time when they sat down and chatted with each other like a pair of pals.

What do they talk about? Cross Guild? Their plans for Prickly Pear? Ancient weapons? Snore. 

Again, how the hell did he end up in here? Why is he here? Can he go yet? He glances over at a clock on the wall and groans internally when he sees that he’s wasted a good ten or so minutes in Crocodile’s room doing absolutely nothing. This is weird even for Crocodile, right? Is he just going to stare at him all damn day?

Buggy shifts restlessly in his seat before glancing over at a small fruit cake that’s in the center of the table - It’s light brown, loaf-shaped and filled with colorful dried fruit and nuts, and for the most part looks rather moist and tasty. His eyes linger on it for perhaps a moment too long because Crocodile finally speaks up once he sees him eyeing it: “You can have it.”

“Oh, I’m not really hung—”

“Take it.”

Why does Buggy suddenly have a sense of deja vu? He’s not sure why Crocodile and Mihawk have been aggressively sharing food with him, but he won’t question it. It’s probably the least harmful thing they’ve ever done to Buggy now that he thinks about it. 

Buggy ends up eating a small slice of the fruit cake offered to him; it’s a bit too sweet for his liking, but he still eats it regardless, all whilst Crocodile watches him eat it with a sharp and focused glare on his face. “Do you like it?” he asks, and Buggy gives a simple nod in response, not wanting to talk with his mouthful (for once) “Good. I’ll pick you up about a dozen or so.” A dozen? Buggy thinks, and almost chokes on the cake in his mouth. Isn’t that a little extreme?

Buggy swallows down the rest of his cake before he responds, “Uh, I don’t really need that many, but thank you.”

“It’s fine, it’s not like I don’t have the money for it.”

That isn’t the problem! The problem is that Buggy doesn’t need that many cakes! How is he even supposed to eat them all by himself before they go bad?! He chuckles sheepishly, “You really don’t have to do that,” He insists, “It would be kind of wasteful, really.” He pauses and thinks for another second, “Well, I mean, I could always share them with the crew.”

He adds after giving the idea some more thought. 

Crocodile scoffs, “No, if I’m buying something for you, I expect it to be specifically for you, not for your men.” While Buggy sees where Crocodile is coming from, they’re talking about a dozen cakes, here! Surely that kind of gift is meant to be shared with others. “If you want me to buy your men some, though, I guess I could do that.”

Oh, it’s pointless to argue with this man. Buggy heaves an exasperated sigh, “Yeah, that’s fine. That’s fine.” He replies, waving his hand, “But you do realize that you don’t have to keep buying me gifts, right? I’ve already forgiven you. I’ve told you this, like, a hundred times now, man. We’re good.” Well, as ‘good’ as they can be. 

Crocodile stares at Buggy wordlessly, “I know.” He simply responds. Okay, well, if they’re on the same page, then why is he still trying to give Buggy all these gifts? Is this still some weird guilt related thing or something? “But I want to give you nice things.” He pauses, “Plus, It ain’t that big of a deal, anyways. I planned on getting the fat kitty back on the island some things while we were on our little detour.”

The fat kitty? Those words almost sound hilarious coming out of Crocodile’s mouth, and Buggy would laugh if he weren’t afraid it’d get him punched. So Crocodile still hasn’t given up trying to befriend Richie, huh? “You really want to be his friend, don’t you?” He asks, resting his chin in his palm as he speaks. 

Once they start talking about something Buggy cares about, he relaxes just a little bit, and his voice takes on a softer tone. There’s a hint of affection behind his words, but it’s for Richie. God knows Buggy adores that cat.

“Mm,” Crocodile confirms with a quick grunt,  “You have to tell me what he likes, though, so I know what to buy.” 

What doesn’t that fat ass lion like? Buggy thinks with a small, affectionate scoff, “Just get him some meat,” he tells Crocodile, “That ought to do the trick.” That is, if Richie manages to stop being utterly terrified of Crocodile, of course. 

Crocodile exhales a cloud of smoke before he puts his cigar out in a nearby ashtray, “Fine, I’ll get him the best damn meat money can buy then,” He replies. Oh, why couldn’t Buggy have been born a lion instead of a man? “While I’m out, I’ll see if I can find an exotic pet breeder, or two.” He mentions, “It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to keep any animals, and I feel rather lonely without one by my side.”

Crocodile being lonely? How is that even possible?! He hates everyone! Well, everyone other than Richie, but he doesn’t really count since he’s a lion. “Oh….” Buggy nods, “Oh, well, what kind of pet were you looking to buy?”

“Crocodiles.”

Crocodiles. Really…? He wants a crocodile for a pet? Buggy’s mind struggles for a moment as he tries to process the reply that just came out of Crocodile’s mouth. He glances over at him and takes in his expression. He’s… He’s serious, isn’t he…?

“... Is that so…?” Buggy asks.

“Yeah.” 

Crocodiles, huh? 

Buggy feels like his life is one big fever dream. He shouldn’t be as surprised as he is, though. Nothing about Crocodile is even remotely normal. Sure, Buggy and his crew keep a lion on the island, but… But it’s different. Richie is like a member of the family, and he’s practically a giant kitten who, on most occasions, wouldn’t hurt a fly! Crocodiles, on the other hand, are… Oof. “Do you really think we have enough room on the island for a crocodile?”

“We have enough room for about fifteen or sixteen.” 

Fifteen or sixteen?! That has to sound unreasonable even to Crocodile! “What are you even going to do with fifteen or sixteen crocodiles?!” Buggy asks, but he probably should have known the answer to that stupid question by now. 

“Keep them as pets. That’s why I wanted an enclosure with a pond built near my tent.” 

“...Right.” 

The thought of one crocodile is already horrifying enough, but fifteen or sixteen? What happens if one of them breaks free from their enclosure and terrorizes the island? What if one tries to eat poor Buggy? Oh, wouldn’t that just be Buggy’s luck? 

It would be! He can see the news headlines: “Emperor of the sea torn apart in a vicious crocodile attack that injures seven others!” 

Crocodile pulls Buggy out of his panicked thoughts just before he can start imagining various different crocodile-related deaths, and for that Buggy is grateful, “I don’t know much about the island we’re going to. I think it’s called Needle Palm Island or some shit. It’s a shame it doesn’t have a dryer climate, though.” He mentions, and all Buggy can think is, Yeah, like you need to be somewhere where you’re practically invincible… Then again, he thinks that whenever Crocodile mentions going to the desert, though. He can’t help it, he just finds the thought of Crocodile being even stronger than he is now terrifying. “It might be the perfect chance to make connections, though. Maybe we can find a few more weapon dealers, or even recruits if we’re lucky.” 

It’s always all work and no play for this guy. Buggy thought they were making this detour so they could rest up a little, not so they could continue to plan for their stupid trip to Prickly Pear or just work in general. How incredibly boring and predictable. Buggy exhales a rather loud sigh on accident, and it seems to catch Crocodile’s attention: 

“Okay, fine.” Crocodile suddenly says after he clicks his tongue, “You and the men can rest. I’ll just keep on working while you and the others enjoy your little break.”

“Don’t you know how to have a little fun, Crocodile?” Buggy finds himself asking. 

“I ain’t got time for fun.”

Wow, Buggy never expected Crocodile to say something like that. He shakes his head, “I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but, come on. We already said we were going to stop for a break, so why not enjoy our time off? Why don’t you actually relax for the day and see what the island has to offer instead of holing yourself up in some dark room the entire time?” 

Crocodile huffs, “Because I would rather do something more productive with my time.” he replies.

“Oh, come on,” Buggy replies, “I’m sure you need a break more than any of us. You’re all work and no play, why don’t you go and enjoy yourself for a couple of days like the rest of us?” Why do I even care what he does? Buggy suddenly finds himself wondering as he looks over at Crocodile again. If he wants to work himself to death, then that really isn’t Buggy’s problem, is it? 

“There’s no time for that shit.” Crocodile claims, and that’s the exact moment when Buggy stops listening, arguing, and caring. A sigh falls from his lips when he thinks about just how boring, uptight, and stubborn Crocodile can be. He can’t even take a couple of days off just to rest and recuperate?

Whatever, if that’s what he wants... 

Crocodile presses his lips into a thin line after noticing Buggy’s reaction. “So, If i do take a break like the rest of the crew, are you going to stick by my side and keep me entertained?”

“What?”

“You heard me. If I take a break, are you going to keep me entertained?  Is your ass going to explore the island with me and keep me company while we’re there? If not, then I might as well keep on working.”

“You want to actually spend the day with me?” Buggy asks, officially feeling dumbfounded as he stares back at Crocodile. 

Crocodile reaches across the table and grabs Buggy by the chin. The action is quick, so quick that Buggy doesn’t even get a chance to react before Crocodile’s thumb and pointer finger are pinching his chin gently, “Who wouldn’t want to spend the day with a pretty boy like you?” He asks, and Buggy feels a weird mixture of anxiety, confusion, and some other third thing after hearing those words.

Buggy’s heart is pounding in his chest as he jerks back, trying to put as much space between him and Crocodile as possible while still seated. “What the fuck?” the question is out of Buggy’s mouth before he even realizes it. He holds onto the transponder snail in his lap, making sure he doesn’t drop the poor creature during his moment of panic and confusion.  

Crocodile furrows his brow, his expression becoming icy as he narrows his eyes at Buggy, “What the hell are you jumping like that for?” What does he mean?! Why wouldn’t Buggy jump after he just touched him like that?! “You know damn well that I ain’t going to hurt you.”

Does he?!

Buggy straightens up in his chair, trying to calm down a little. Oddly enough, he’s not scared, just really startled by all of this. He wasn’t expecting Crocodile to just… do that. “I wasn’t expecting you to touch me like that,” He says after a long pause. “It’s weird… What the hell were you even thinking?” He asks, “It’s not even just the fact that you touched my face, you also said…” God, does he even want to repeat those words? No. “You were also saying some weird shit, too.”

Buggy didn’t think it was possible for Crocodile to look even meaner than he already did, but he was wrong. Crocodile looks damn near offended by Buggy’s question, like he just said something downright insulting. “Are you fuckin’ kidding me?” He asks in return, “Don’t act like you have no idea what’s going on.”

Motherfucker, I don’t know what’s going on! Buggy thinks as his eyes widen. “Trust me, I’m not acting clueless, I really am.” He replies through gritted teeth, “I genuinely don’t know what kind of shit you’re trying to pull here!”

Crocodile laughs, the sound is loud, cold, and obnoxious. “Really?” He asks, “You really don’t know what’s going on? C’mon, stop fucking with me, clown. You aren’t stupid.”

“I have no clue what you’re doing or even talking about, asshole!” Buggy blurts without meaning to. Ah, fuck. Him and his stupid fucking mouth are going to get him in trouble again, aren’t they?

There’s a long moment of silence before Crocodile laughs again, and this time the sound is a little more rough. He shakes his head, “Okay, since you don’t get it, I’ll just say it loud and clear.” He looks Buggy dead in the eye and doesn’t even flinch as he says: “I’m flirting with you, dipshit.”

What the actual fuck??! Buggy remains quiet and he can’t control the look on his face right now. He imagines his features have hardened and that he’s glaring at Crocodile like he’s lost his goddamn mind, but he isn’t sure. One thing is for sure, though: He absolutely wants to rip into Crocodile after he said that. “What do you mean you were ‘flirting’ with me?” He asks, and it’s at this point where he feels so… angry and confused that he can’t even think about his own self-perseverance or the fact that he and Crocodile are supposed to be friendly with one another.

Crocodile opens his mouth to say something before he closes it a second later. “Alright, alright.” He finally says after doing a little bit of thinking while Buggy glares at him, “Let me try this again.” He mutters, “And quit glaring at me like that, will you?”

Buggy tries to relax his face a little bit, but it seems stuck in place right now. He just can’t believe that Crocodile would say some shit like he’s trying to flirt with Buggy after all that he’s done to him!

Crocodile waits a moment for Buggy to relax, but when it becomes clear that that’s not going to happen, he sighs and lights another cigar. “Alright, look.” He says slowly, “After our little fight back at the island, I gained a lot of respect for you. You know that, I told you that…” He pauses, looking over Buggy’s tense expression again before continuing, “I’m shit at expressing my feelings, but that respect I felt for you started to turn into something like fondness or some shit. I don’t know, okay?” 

What is he even saying right now, Buggy thinks as he grips his thigh tightly, still listening to Crocodile speak when he knows that he should get up right now and leave the room without giving it a second thought. 

“Then you saved me the other night,” Crocodile adds, “Or tried to. Your intentions are all that really mattered to me, and I started thinking.” God, he can’t be for real right now, Buggy thinks as his gut fills with anxiety. This is another cruel joke the universe is pulling on him, right? It has to be. “You almost died trying to save me, and that takes a lot of guts. A lot of fucking guts and kindness considering all the shit I’ve done to you.” 

Before Crocodile can continue, Buggy interrupts him, “Don’t.” He replies, “Just, stop right there, okay? I really don’t want to hear i–”

Crocodile cuts Buggy off this time, “Just fuckin’ listen to me, okay?!” He orders, “At least let me say what I have to say.” Why should he? Why should Buggy give him a moment more of his time?! He doesn’t owe Crocodile a damn thing! “It took me some time, but I finally realized what kind of man you are.” 

And what kind of man is Buggy? Wasn’t he a weak, spineless coward a few months ago? Wasn’t he a good for nothing who didn’t deserve the power and fame that came with his new emperor of the sea status? Just what kind of man if Buggy, huh?

“Quit giving me that look, clown.” Crocodile orders with a frown before he continues speaking, even though Buggy refuses to smile and act like everything is okay,  “You may be a stubborn pain in the ass sometimes, but…” He groans, “Look, you’re also brave, caring, loyal, and pretty damn selfless if you ask me, and I respect you for all that you’ve done recently and for putting up with my shit and even having the heart to forgive me. I don’t usually like my men too emotional and overly sentimental, but…” he looks over Buggy quickly, openly checking him out, “I like that quality in you. You’ve got a warm, nurturing side to you, that I��m starting to like.”

Okay, that’s enough. Buggy really can’t do this anymore. He can’t sit here and listen to the same man who treated him so poorly suddenly praise him. Mihawk was one thing, but Crocodile? Come on. There’s no way this is happening for a second time, right? He isn’t being confessed to right now, right? Right? 

“Crocodile, stop. Just stop with this bullshit,” Buggy says as he stands up from his seat - he just barely remembers to hold onto that transponder snail in the heat of the moment and holds it close to his chest. “I don’t want to hear it. Look, I forgave you for the sake of Cross Guild, but now you’re-–”

“I’m not finished.” Crocodile states, standing up as well, “Don’t try and argue with me or run off, alright? Let me finish, i’m almost done.”

No, Buggy doesn’t want to hear anymore. He doesn’t want to hear him say…

“I want you, alright?” 

That. Buggy didn’t want to hear Crocodile actually confess to him. He didn’t think it was possible for Crocodile to look at Buggy and feel anything other than mild annoyance, but now he’s saying he likes him? What a joke. “You don’t get to say that,” Buggy snaps, his voice rising, “After all you’ve done, you don’t get to say you have feelings for me and that you want me!” 

“But I do!”

“You don’t get that privilege!” Buggy retorts, “You made my life a living hell and have never once shown any genuine remorse! You don’t get to turn around and say you like me after all you’ve done, you dick!”

“I know. I’m fuckin sorry, okay?!” Crocodile asks, and now his voice is starting to rise too as things begin to get heated, “I know I fucked up, okay? But I thought we moved on from this bullshit.”

“Yeah, I’ve moved on, but I haven’t forgotten! I’ll never forget the way you and Mihawk made me feel.” Buggy says, taking a few steps back, “If you think that I’m just going to stand here and let you sprout some nonsense about liking me, you’re wrong!”

“Why does Hawkeye get to do it, but not me, then?!” Crocodile suddenly asks, throwing Buggy completely off balance. It makes him let out a nervous laugh before he responds, “What are you even talking about right now?” Buggy asks, his voice growing small.

“Seriously?” Crocodile sneers, “You think I don’t know what’s going on between you and Hawkeye? You think that he doesn’t tell me everything?” That’s…that’s a lot for Buggy to take in right now. “Why does Hawkeye get to confess? Why does he get to chase after you, but not me, huh? Aren’t we the same?” He pauses, “Why do you think Hawkeye can change but not me? Do you seriously think i’m that much of a stubborn asshole?” 

“I…”

“You don’t think I can show you a different side of me? You don’t think I can be kind and loving like he can? How is that fuckin’ fair? You haven’t even given me a goddamn chance and it pisses me off. You just instantly shut me down, an–” Crocodile suddenly stops himself, “Fine. I understand how you feel,” He suddenly says, changing his tone completely, “I fucked up big time, and I understand that I don’t deserve to have you reciprocate my feelings, but it hurts to see you give Hawkeye a chance but not me. I know it I don’t deserve shit from you, but it still hurts.”

…It hurts…?

“Hurts?!” Buggy repeats, his voice cracking slightly, “You know what hurt? Having you humiliate and degrade me, having you smack me around like a gnat.” It’s at this point that his vision starts to blur and he has to fight back the urge to just breakdown again. “Don’t tell me something hurts when you don’t know the first thing about pain, asshole!” 

“Yeah.” Crocodile nods after he exhales loudly through his nose, “You’re right,” he replies in a softer voice, sounding slightly… defeated? “I don’t know what that kind of pain feels like, but I’m dying for you to give me one single chance to prove myself, and to prove that I can be different.” 

“And why the hell would I do that?!”

“Buggy, please, I’m fuckin begging you to give me one chance. I just want the same chance that you’re giving Hawkeye. Please, I promise that I won’t fuck up again.”

A/N: *Whispers* He will fuck up again. <3

[oros-ash3s]

₊ ˚ ⭒ 𓆩✦𓆪 Sibling Questionnaire 𓆩✦𓆪 ⊹ ˚₊

✧ Who looks more like their dad? ✧

Out of the three of them, Elmira is the only one who has her dad present in her life. Crow was the bastard child of the family, the product of an 4-year affair their mother had with a commoner, while Aurora was adopted into the family when she was young. Which leaves Elmira as the only one who closely resembles their father, with his sharp nose, dark red hair, and pale skin.

✧ Who looks more like their mom? ✧

Crow looks much more like his mother than Elmira does, at least he used to, anyway. It’s a fact that he hated growing up, especially because it didn’t make his “father” any more sympathetic to him.

✧ Who eats the most? ✧

To be honest, none of them. The three of them have developed horrendous eating habits, all of them eating as little as possible. Though, when compared to her younger siblings, Elmira makes sure to eat at least one decent meal per day.

✧ Who has been in the weirdest situations? ✧

Definitely Crow. Having left home when he was only a teenager, he ran into quite a few odd people during his time on the streets. Elmira and Aurora both had very structured, orderly lives under their father’s command, which left them with not much room to get into weird situations.

✧ Who sleeps the most? ✧

Elmira, which isn’t saying a lot, seeing as Crow can’t sleep and Aurora is the definition of a workaholic.

✧ Who has the most stable romantic life? ✧

Crow, who actually has the experience for that statement to be true. Both Elmira and Aurora have never had the time to date, even if they wanted to.

✧ What is the worst habit of each? ✧

Elmira is easily persuaded by others, and doesn’t follow her gut instinct, instead just following along with the orders she’s given.

Crow is extremely defensive and apathetic, especially to those he doesn’t care for. He always puts himself first, because he’s the only person he can truly count on.

Aurora is angry and driven by rage. She sacrifices her health, her mental well-being, her relationships, all in the search of revenge.

✧ Who is the most dramatic? ✧

Aurora, who also loses her shit over practically any inconvenience.

✧ Who had the weirdest phase? ✧

Probably Aurora, who had a full-fledged emo phase as a teen.

✧ Who is the best cook in the family? ✧

Elmira is the best, and can cook quite well. She made many meals for Crow and Aurora while growing up. Both Crow and Aurora are terrible cooks.

✧ What is their best memory together? ✧

Though there are not many memories the three of them can name as happy, there are a few that they have as children that they all look back fondly on.

✧ What is their worst memory together? ✧

The day that Crow left — the day the three of them recognize as his death. After he disappeared, everything only got worse at the Koroleva estate.

✧ What is their dream trip together? ✧

Nowhere.

✧ Would you rather: Not be able to shower OR not be able to change clothes? ✧

Elmira: “I’m not extremely particular to fashion if it comes at the expense of my personal hygiene, so I’d say…. change clothes.”

Crow: “Shower. No question about it.”

Aurora: “Shower.”

✧ Who's older? ✧

Elmira is the oldest out of the three!!

✧ Describe each other in three words. ✧

Elmira: “Z… I mean, my brother, is caring, empathetic, and resilient. Aurora is hard-headed, determined, and goal-oriented.”

Crow: “Elmira? Stuck-up, small-minded, and ‘family-oriented’.” [He sneers the last word and laughs.] “And Aurora, hmm… Naive, hot-headed, and stubborn — as fucking hell.”

Aurora: “Elmira is bossy, responsible, and closed-off. And that… traitor?” [Her expression twists up in obvious distaste, eyes border-lining hatred.] “Dangerous, savage, and disgusting.”

✧ Who's their role model? ✧

Elmira: “I don’t have one that I can think of.”

Crow: “Myself.”

Aurora: “Father.”

✧ Who usually has the worst ideas? ✧

Elmira. I don’t even need to say anything else.

✧ Who is the certified "Bug Killer"? ✧

Aurora is DEATHLY afraid of bugs, ironically enough, considering what she does for work, and always has Elmira kill them for her. Crow likes chewing on whatever bugs he sees lying around.

⟢⠀ ty for the tag @seastarblue, as per usual ^^

I already did this on my alt account @dioles-writes, but I thought I’d also do another one here!! this may or may not have been my attempt at soft-dropping my new WIP, with the three most complicated siblings ever: Elmira (she/her), Crow (he/him), and Aurora (she/her).

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

taglist || @seastarblue @vesanal @steh-lar-uh-nuhs @bioniclechronicles @ohagi505 @lostcryptidinthewoods @lancedoncrimsonwings @blackboxwarrior-mkultra @whump-till-ya-jump @sharkblizzardblogs @sugaredparchment @fangedcinnamonroll

[gia-is-a-punk-rocker]

Okay so you know the Kermit situation? The thing where Kermit the frog would be the weirdest person in the room in any other situation, but since he’s surrounded by the big and chaotic personalities of the other muppets, he comes across as the straight man?

The doors are the inverse of that

[dark-frosted-heart]

Alfons vs Roger event (Part 2)

Roger using keigo is weird and I don't like it.

As usual, can’t guarantee 100% accuracy on this

Kate: I’ve covered my face with a veil, so I shouldn’t get found out, right?

At the viscount’s mansion, I disguised myself as Lady Claire, the viscount’s niece, with the help of the people aware of the situation.

Alfons: I think it’s perfect with your face hidden. Though personally, a little bit of exposure would be more intriguing.

Roger: Yeah? Everything’s the same if you strip.

Kate: Minus one friendship point from the both of you.

Alfons and Roger: ………Huh?

Kate: If you’re not being “good”, I’m taking away points.

Roger: Hey now, our judge’s pretty cocky, isn’t she?

Alfons: Hehe, how scary. Well, no matter. What’s important is…

Alfons and Roger: Turning the tables.

Kate: Earn them properly!

(They sync up in the weirdest ways…)

(Is this really okay?)

–

Lady: Happy birthday, Lady Claire!

Alfons and Roger smiled beside me as I sat on a chair with my face hidden behind a veil.

 Alfons: Lady Claire has caught a cold so she’s lost her voice. She will thank you properly another time.

Roger: We will take care of the present. Thank you wishing her a happy birthday.

Lady: O-okay…

(Perfect…)

The two’s clever attitudes caught the eyes of those around them.

Alfons and Roger are both villains who always push me around.

I can’t even count the number of times they’ve teased me to the point I was red in the face from anger.

(However, when they’re serious, they’re more reliable than anyone else)

Kate: That’s 10 friendship points…

After quietly whispering that, they gave refreshing, gentleman-like smiles.

Alfons and Roger: Thank you.

Alfons: Lady Claire, we’re running out of space so I will move the presents to the other room.

Roger: You can’t carry them all by yourself. I’ll help you, Al.

Alfons: Thank you, Roger. You’re so thoughtful.

Roger: Of course. Come, let’s go.

(Yes, nice chemistry!)

(Perhaps it won’t be long before they actually get along)

—At that moment, I heard them whispering as they walked away with the packages.

Alfons: That hurt…

Roger: That’s my line…

(...Eh?)

When I turned around, the two of them were stepping on each other’s feet.

Alfons: Please move your feet out of the way. I have very long legs, so it’s difficult for me to avoid them. 

Roger: What a coincidence. My legs are longer than most so it’s hard to avoid them.

Moreover, their shoes were covered in footprints, as if they’d been stepping on each other for a while.

(Good grief!)

--

Alfons and Roger carried the presents while continuing to step on each other’s feet.

When there was no one else around, the two looked at each other.

Roger: Al…

Alfons: Yes, I’m thinking the same… Really now. We’re too loved by evil, aren’t we?

--

(Okay, it looks like we’ve finished with the greetings)

After receiving the presents and having dinner with the guests, I sighed in relief.

Somehow, no one noticed the switch.

Alfons: Lady Claire, we’ll be escorting our guests out now.

Roger: I’ve prepared some drinks in the other room.You must be tired, so please rest there.

Alfons and Roger: Be at “ease”.

--

Kate: Phew…I’m glad it ended without any problems.

I wanted to remove the veil, but it was better to be careful until I left the mansion.

(Anyways)

I couldn’t help but laugh when I recalled the two’s immature behavior.

Having a partner who you can be open about your feelings with without consequence sounds like a happy and heartwarming thing. 

(But I need to decide on a winner. And do away with the servant stuff)

As I thought about this, the door opened without a knock.

Kate: Oh, Alfons, Roger…

But it was someone else who entered.

He wore a tailcoat and his hair was swept back. At a glance, he looked like the son of a noble.

However, this man clearly reeked of evil.

I’m not Kate at the moment and shouldn’t speak under these circumstances, but I couldn’t help it.

Kate: Who are you…?

Man in tailcoat: You don’t need to know my name. However, I’m going to have to ask you to stay quiet, Lady Claire.

The man smiled wickedly and pulled a gun out from within his coat.

Man in tailcoat: You’re the beloved niece of that Viscount Morris. He’d easily give up an asset or two to save you.

(Meaning you’re holding me for ransom?)

(Ah—Could it be that)

I don’t think Alfons and Roger would have possibly missed this person’s ill intentions that even I could sense.

(Perhaps Alfons and Roger “purposely” created this situation)

~~ Flashback ~~

Alfons and Roger: Be at “ease”.

~~ End flashback ~~

(If that’s the case, all I can do is get as much information as possible)

Kate: Do you…always do something like this?

Kidnapper: Yes, that’s right. Kidnap, extort, kill, and dispose.

(This isn’t the first time he’s done this)

Kidnapper: But I’ll let you live if you behave. Now come over here.

Kate: !

To keep the man from coming closer, I threw a teacup on the table at him.

Kidnapper: Ah, hot…!

Kate: Too bad for you. You won’t get a single penny from kidnapping me.

Kidnapper: You…fucking imposter! Know that I know—I’ll kill you.

The moment the man cocked his gun, the window facing the balcony opened with a bang.

Alfons: Killing sounds nice. I wish you didn't have to die first, but I guess that's not going to happen. Look, your gun’s disappeared.

Alfons knocks the gun away with his saber and Roger picks it up.

Roger: Well, this gun’s a fake that we swapped out filled with blanks.

(Alfons, Roger!)

Roger: What. Thought you’d be crying prettily, little lady, but you’re tough. 

Kate: I believed in you. The both of you.

Alfons: Aha! You really have the worst taste in me.

Roger: Pfft, haha. That’s the best kind of blunder.

Alfons and Roger cover my back.

Alfons: Now then-

Roger: Let’s get this over with.

[metal-harbor]

Aghhh I want to hear everything about it!! Sonic and Amy's friendship is so important to me in this au, especially when his former friendship with Knuckles (and even Shadow) is so fractured, and his one with Tails now so different (if still positive). His place with Amy hasn't been replaced!

Do you see things coming to a head in any way wrt the dynamic between Shadow, Tails, and Sonic now? It has to be rough walking on eggshells around Shadow in this situation.

I think he definitely appreciates it more than he’s able to show, in return I think she finds his smile and upbeat attitude refreshing (especially since living with team dark…)

I think Sonic actually feels a little jealous - something he really isn’t used to feeling. At this point Shadow has actually been in Tails’ life for longer than Sonic had before his disappearance, and he knows that means that the two have inevitably grown closer.

The weirdest thing is the three of them trying to navigate being in the same house. Shadow is frequently away on excursions which makes things easier, but it also just makes it feel so much stranger when he is around. Sonic doesn’t really know what to say to him when he comes downstairs in the morning to see Shadow sat at the table. Usually, Shadow will immediately just get up and leave whatever room Sonic is in which leads to some tension between Shadow and Tails. Tails thinks Shadow isn’t making enough of an effort to be civil, and if he could just get past this attitude then everything would be a lot smoother. Shadow thinks he is already asking too much in asking him not to beat Sonic to a pulp, and that he should understand that is only because he has come to respect Tails. While their closeness is strange, Sonic still feels bad coming between them.

Sonic also has the uncomfortable feeling of being indebted to Shadow; he saved Tails life at the sacrifice of his own anatomy, he has given up his voyaging lifestyle to stay in once place to keep his brother safe, and he comforted him when Tails accepted Sonic wasn’t coming back. He can’t even thank the guy because Shadow won’t talk to him.

The realisation that Shadow and Tails have similar interests is also unfamiliar; he had never really imagined Shadow as a guy with hobbies. They have a truck they’re fixing up together in their free time or when they need time away from a project. They talk about quantum physics, the mathematical probabilities of time travel, theoretical chaos energy studies - things Sonic had no idea Shadow knew anything about. Tails stands in Shadow’s personal space and no one seems to notice; he’s allowed to grab Shadow’s robotic arm with no reaction, Shadow will take Tails’ goggles straight off of his head when he needs to borrow them, Tails is the only other person allowed to work on the dark rider. I think it makes Sonic feel a little replaced in Tails’ life, as he will now go to Shadow with any problem he’s having instead of Sonic. In turn he feels guilty for disrupting the peace that Shadow has come to feel - he feels like an intruder in what was once his home.

There will come a point in the story where Shadow has to rely on Sonic, and it becomes clear Shadow still acknowledges and respects Sonic’s abilities. There also may or may not be a point where, after a particularly long day, an exhausted Shadow opens up to Sonic about how tired he really is. Maybe he’s even a little glad Sonic has returned, it means that in the disturbingly realistic scenario that Shadow can no longer fight, at least there will be someone around to keep the safe.

[camifnoodles]

hows 999 going

Ok ok ok so I’ve 100%ed it as far as I can tell so I hope you don’t mind me using this ask to do my full thought dump dfhshkd, I’ll put it under the cut bc idk how spoiler tags interact with ask format

I’ll split my thoughts up into the same categories that I do when I’m thinking about Barbie games (tho those aren’t not public anywhere rn lol): Gameplay, Story/Progression, Visuals, and Audio

There’s also a replay value section for the Barbie ones but I’m personally not really a visual novel “replayer” so it doesn’t really feel fair to be like “well I won’t likely replay it so.”

Gameplay

Dude, I LOVE escape rooms. In real life, online, physical games, video games, I can’t get enough of the stuff. If I’d known the main gameplay was straight up escape rooms (I was expecting smth more close to Ace Attorney I guess?) I’d have played it way earlier. Sorry story lovers I know the story is what hooks fans and I did care about the story too of course but I was also like “yes yes Akane collapsed again that’s very troubling when is the next escape room tho.”

The puzzles themselves were also a really satisfying difficulty level, I think. There’s been some irl escape rooms I’ve done where the difficulty was inflated in kind of bullshit ways, but I didn’t get arbitrarily stuck anywhere. And yet they were difficult enough that I was super proud that I was able to solve every part of this game with zero (haha zero) outside help!

I guess, with the exception of the final puzzle, the difficulty felt rather flat throughout? Like it doesn’t really get easier or harder at any point outside of bringing back concepts that you’d previously worked with. But I don't think that's a terrible thing. I thought it was silly (/lh) how deceptively simple said last puzzle was, while the player’s probably sitting there overthinking the whole thing (I certainly was for a bit).

As for the visual novel sections, that’s more story, but I REALLY appreciated being able to jump around and not replay the entire game at least 4 more times to get all the endings.

Story/Progression

I do still stand by my point that Junpei could have stood to be less immediately aggressive about everything, but I do think it was probably exacerbated by the English translation and English voice acting lol, and also circumstantially I can give it a bit of a pass.

I will not lie, my FIRST exposure to the series was watching my roommate’s bf play part of the middle of vlr (so I have a few spoilers going into that one) and being thrown in the middle with zero context I wrote it off as kind of a stupid series for a while until I properly tried it out myself lol. But I get it now! They really do just throw 9 of the weirdest geniuses you can find into situations, of course they all suddenly go on tangents like that.

ANYWAY. I think they do a pretty good job of having a strong setting and letting the details of it be uncovered as you play! There are plenty of games where either the situation is too mysterious to get invested, or they won’t stop throwing unnatural exposition at you, so I was relieved to have a good balance here lol.

Also I think the idea of incorporating the fact that the player already knows what happened in other routes they’ve already played as an actual factor in the story is a REALLY cool idea. I’d admittedly have liked for JUNPEI’S experiences with it to somehow pop up more clearly before you’ve triggered the true ending, so I hope they play around with it more in the sequels too.

As for critique, this may have been a me thing, but my biggest thing is that there was a huge disconnect between how much Junpei cared about Akane and how much I cared about the fact that he cared. Not like I didn’t like her—I loved her character and overall role as the true main character. But like, Junpei would be like “no… with these digital roots Akane and I can never be in the same group…” and I’d think “ok I feel like you’re making a bigger deal out of that than is necessary.” Idk, maybe they didn’t do a good enough job of selling me on their bond in the very beginning? Obviously Clover and Snake also were attached to each other so maybe Junpei’s inner monologue was just annoying about it lolol

To again clarify this has nothing to do with their characters. Either way imo it made the bad endings where she dies in your arms kind of fall flat because I definitely wasn’t invested in her in the… WAY that the game wanted me to be.

For the rest of the characters, Snake is still my guy that guy’s the GOAT, but I did like everyone! I was neutral on Ace which was kind of convenient, considering. Lotus was the one who grew on me the most I think. Kind of similar to the Junpei aggression thing, she really rubbed me the wrong way at first but the more I settled into the situation that they were in the more I understood where she was coming from. I forget if I said it before but her “realistic to the point of cruelty” was a great contrast to Akane’s “idealistic to the point of hindrance.”

Uhhh who else, I’m also pretty neutral on Santa ngl, Seven was also a GOAT. Clover’s narrative path was really interesting and I really like that so much of getting the true ending is helping her avoid completely drowning in her grief.

Also I think I read that Ace kills everyone in the endings where you’re stabbed? Even in the one where you see him already dead? Someone said that he was faking but. Idk it’s not really important enough to make a deal out of but that’s why I was like “who is this mysterious person?”

This is so all over the place but I’m not really good at having organized thoughts in less than 7 business days.

Visuals

I think the art is fun! The backgrounds are nice and the characters are all modeled nicely. Obviously there was a bit of a sprite quality issue playing a DS game on a PC, but with the exception of parts of Clover’s sprite you really couldn’t tell.

I do have to say it tho bc I was thinking about it a lot while I was playing: character design-wise, I think Zero Escape respects women narratively, but doesn’t fully respect them as like… people? People detached from the male fantasy? Not like it isn’t par for the course but they do put Lotus in. That. Also the male character designs are varied in body type and features and stuff and then the female design is “three cute girls.” But again it’s par for the course.

It’s also an issue with a decent amount of jokes; maybe asexuality go brr but with the exception of the “you cool with a mother?” one they were not funny to me at all.

Anyway back to the art, with the exception of a few hand sizes and that one where boobs don’t work like that they’re also super nicely drawn. I especially like the way facial expressions get handled there! I’ve started VLR and I have to say uh… not a huge fan of those “CGs” so I know to be grateful for 999’s.

Audio

Music’s good! Don’t really remember any tracks in specific but I remember enjoying the “boom crash guitar sting bad things have happened” song a lot.

As for voice acting, I think the characters’ voices fit them very well in both English and Japanese. I started playing with JP audio because I tend to prefer it, but I was getting too impatient with how long the dialogue was so I switched to English at some point. And I do have to say… in English sometimes it felt like the tone was off? Like the characters were saying their lines as if they were in a different situation from the one they were in. Or like as if they were feeling a different way than what the narrative seemed to be pushing for. I don’t think it’s the VAs' faults tho; it kind of felt like they may have been reading their lines without the full context for the scene.

Shoutout to all the “…” lines tho, it’s always so funny to see what they try to do with it like “My brother… might be dead.” “Hmm…” “Hm?” “Grr…” “Eughk.”

Uhhh in conclusion

It was really fun! I liked the gameplay, the story was interesting, and while I can’t say I particularly care about the main relationship that I know everyone is feral over I have a feeling that playing the other games will help me understand that better.

[theladyalchemist]

A TALE OF THE DARK KNIGHT & THE PHEONIX 🕷️

A short fictional/non-fictional story I wrote about an argument I had with my ex boyfriend who has his Pluto and Mars conjunct my 12H Pluto..which is also conjunct my ASC and Chiron 12H. I mentioned these aspects instead of our 8H synastry because I kinda felt like those placements related more to this particular situation.

“Be your fucking self!” He says with rage in his voice. I sit listening to him call me out over the jail phone, body filling with anger as he speaks with demand. “This n*gga is crazy” I thought as I carry on to defend myself, unsure of why he keeps saying those exact words to me. “Am I being myself?” My subconscious thought wondered as the phone hung up. I then proceed to roll one under stress, turn on my rock music, and let the anger release with each puff. I personally considered myself one of the weirdest girls from Dallas based off my music taste alone, so I couldn't really grasp what he meant. I was like every other black girl from Dallas who grew up listening to UGK, Slim thug, Trill Ent., Gucci Mane, Future, Kevin Gates, Jodeci, Tyrese, etc…yet most times I find myself dancing all over my room to Willow Smith, Deftones, Lana del Rey, Justin Bieber, Girl in Red, Coldplay,Avril Lavigne and the list of Popstars, Rockstars, and country singers goes on. Music I couldn’t play around my “so called” friends because it was considered weird. I’m also the black girl who can be the life of the party at a club, but I would prefer going to museums, art galleries, arcades, hiking, amusement parks, going to the beach, going to music festivals, open mic nights, trying new foods, meeting new people, rooftop parties, traveling and the best of them all.. going to fashion shows. The kind of black girl who writes poetry/short stories nobody knows about, and keeps a diary. The black girl who’s too black for other races and not black enough for black people. The girl who goes missing on social media for months, comes back for a few days, and then goes ghost again. The girl all alone in a world of casual sex/relationships, because I believe in being with one person and continuing to be there even when things get tough. A girl obsessed with horror movies, and dark romance.“Till death do us part” is a term that makes me wet. A hopeless romantic. The girl who can only have sex with a man who will go through hell with me and walk out with the key. The girl who knew what and how sacred sex was at just 8 years old. But also the girl with insecurities surrounding sex from being brought up in a family who suppressed my sexuality. “Go change out of that skirt!” They would say, whenever men would come over. Calling me fast whenever I would dress up showing my skin. Telling me “he’s just going to have sex with you and leave you”, everytime I would have a boyfriend. Traumatizing me with the horror stories of my mother being raped by 3 men as a child, and projecting the outcome onto me if I showed any parts of my feminine side. The girl who is now a 24 year old virgin, afraid that men would take advantage of me and not knowing how to let go of the men that do. A girl who has been both stable and unstable trying her best to be a woman. To own her authenticity even if the world doesn’t accept her.

“Be your fucking self!”, the agonizing words he said replaying over and over in my head. I then imagine me screaming “I AM!” So loudly that the earth starts to shake. “He doesn’t understand” I thought to myself. It was better to tell myself that he didn’t understand than to admit he could be right. If he was right then that would mean the suppression I saw within him, I also had within myself. Was he my mirror? How did he unknowingly know that I had so many things inside me that I kept suppressed? It was the feeling of someone reading your diary without your permission, and then using your secrets against you. I hated him for the ways he went about things, yet craved him for ripping out every part of me that wasn’t real. Parts that I couldn’t see. He seen through her illusion and killed her before she could kill me. The girl I’ve let take over me for so long, lying on the ground with a knife in her heart bleeding out to her death. With the power of his words there she layed, finally dead. And there I rose, covered in her blood, reborn again.

[chocolatte-and-despair]

Since you don't mind writing for the old prompts can you make and oc for the Day 17 - Unrequited love AU from the 2022 list?

Yandere unrequited love | Adrian & Viktoria

Life really was a joke. The day you had gathered the courage to confess your feelings to the new friend that you made, he told you that his heart belonged to someone else. You knew it was wrong, but you really wanted to punch that pretty face of his.

It was his fault for making you feel like this, but here he was, falling in love with someone else. The world really was cruel.

You weren't sure why you said what you did. Maybe because you desperately wanted to hold onto him. Or maybe you wanted to find out who this other person was to make him fall in love. You told him you will help him out.

Stupid, right? Telling your crush you will help him get with his crush. But you weren't exactly the brightest person around, so here you were, making stupid plans on how to create moments he would get to be alone with his little crush.

You know the worst part? She was such a sweetheart. A real beauty with a heart of gold. If you weren't already in love with Adrian, you probably would have fallen for her too.

You must have been a horrible person in your previous life, for a horrible thing like this.

"... Are you sure this will work?"

"Of course, you idiot! Just listen to me, damn it!"

Your ideas to get him together with Viktoria were strange and best, and illegal at worst. You suggested him to beat up any competition, to steal her stuff and pretend to find it for her, and other stuff that could put him in trouble if caught.

I mean, you would have done that, if Viktoria wasn't such a sweetheart. Anyone else would have got a knuckle sandwich in this situation.

The funniest thing? It was working. Viktoria was getting closer to Adrian. Maybe Viktoria was an idiot? Well, you guessed it was good that things were working out.

It didn't take long before the two of them to get together. They were complete opposites but they fit perfectly together.

Adrian, the cold and collected upperclassman, and Viktoria, the cheery and friendly popular girl who was in your grade. There was nothing left for you to do anymore then, right?

Wrong. Adrian continued being your friend, as he got even clingier and kept inviting you to hang out with him and Viktoria, even on their dates.

Weirdest part? She never seemed to mind. Him on the right, and her on the left, the two of them would spend time with you, and spoil you with gifts, sweets and attention, as if you were part of their relationship.

But you weren't. And this was starting to weird you out. I mean, have they ever heard of personal space?

"... Viktoria, can you stop following me? This is the boy's changing room."

"Call me Vikki~ besides, you boys don't mind, right?~"

Viktoria was truly strange, always following you around, making sure she's tightly holding onto your arm, and if she's not able to, she will always blow your phone with messages. How did she even get your phone number? You hoped that it wasn't Adrian who gave it to her.

Adrian was not much better. He was always hovering around you two, as if he was a protector of sort, making sure that others avoided you. This was unfair! If he was scaring everyone else, how were you going to move on?!

You couldn't even try to distance yourself from them, as the same day you started to avoid them, they both appeared in front of your house, and forced you into a cuddle session to fix 'your relationship', whatever that meant.

"Oh, boo boo, you should have told us if you're struggling~ don't push us away~"

"But I'm no-"

"... Vikki is right... Now, shush..."

Like really sucks, doesn't it?

[sadnesslaughs]

One of the weirdest exams wizards have to pass is the “No Sneezing Test.” As you watch others take it before you, you start to understand why such a test exists.

(A response to a writing prompt)

Mordan nervously held the watermelon, focusing his healing magic on the seeds inside. He didn’t really understand the purpose of the test. How was he supposed to heal a watermelon? Why was he wasting his mana on this? He thought. Mordan’s energy flowing into the watermelon as the class watched, waiting for Mrs. Keller to tell him that he’s passed her test.

Mrs. Keller carefully stepped before Mordan, placing her finger by his nose. As soon as her finger struck the bridge of his nose, Mordan scrunched his face, feeling a slight tingling sensation as her energy swept through his nostrils, causing him to lose his focus. “Aaaaahchooooo.” Mordan sneezed, causing the watermelon to explode into a hundred little pieces, splattering the room in its juicy remains.

“And that class is why you don’t sneeze while performing a spell. Had that been a real person, the room would be filled with organs.” She explained, checking her finger, making sure he didn’t get any spit on it. Confirming it was clean; she pointed to the chalkboard. “Mana control is the most important skill a mage can have. It’s the difference between casting a fireball and setting a town alight. Now, what should have Mordan done in this situation?”

Diana raised her hand, eager to get the answer right. When Mrs. Keller picked her, she grinned. “He should have cancelled the spell and allowed himself to sneeze. That way, it wouldn’t have disrupted the flow of his magic.” She clasped her hands together, almost as if she was praying she was right.

“Wrong. If a person’s stomach is being stitched by your healing magic, disrupting the spell could prove fatal. Same as on the battlefield. If you’re shielding your allies in a fight, and lower your shield to sneeze, suddenly everyone is in danger, all because of you.”

Burt didn’t bother raising his hand, having figured out the answer now that Mrs. Keller had made it obvious. The student cooly running his hand over the left side of his head, tangling his fingers through the hair on the non shaved side. “Easy, you don’t sneeze.”

“Correct. I’m glad you’re actually listening today, Burt. We wouldn’t want you to burn off the other side of your hair, now would we?” “I shaved it!” He said, trying to hide his magical mishap. It was the worst kept secret in the class, everyone knowing Burts shaved side wasn’t the result of some new fashion trend, but a way to coverup the burnt patches he had from mistiming a fire spell.

“Sure you did. Would you please demonstrate a spell of your choice? Let’s see if you can pass the test.” Mrs. Keller said, ordering him to the front of the class.

Burt felt the class’s gaze fall to him, knowing he had to pretend to be confident. “Easy. My mana’s under my control. You can call me the Mana master.” A few chuckled at his comment, happy that someone had broken the tense feeling that the test had set. When Burt stood before the class, he focused, extending his height.

As Burt grew, Mrs. Keller flicked a small blue orb at his nose. The blue orb sitting by his right nostril, vibrating. Burt had to ignore his instincts, telling himself that he couldn’t scratch it. Against all odds, Burt was handling the sensation well, maintaining his growth spurt, standing at ten feet tall, without giving into the sneeze.

“Oh, is that a fairy?” Mrs. Keller said, pointing to the window.

Burt’s gaze flicked to the window, losing his focus. “AHHHCHOO.” The sneeze sent him shooting up towards the ceiling, smashing his head into it before returning to his normal height. Dazed and sore, Burt sat on the floor after the contact, head wobbling in circles, trying to shake off the impact.

“Mordan, heal him.” Mrs. Keller ordered.

Mordan grabbed Burt’s arm, pulling at it. After a few tugs, Mordan gave up on moving Burt. The scrawny mage unable to get him back to his seat, so he performed the healing spell before the class. Holding Burt’s head as he eased his pain.

The class gasped when they saw what Mordan was doing, everyone thinking back to the watermelon incident, expecting Burt’s head to pop at any moment. Luckily, no heads popped, and Burt eventually staggered back to his desk.

“Ok, next. Diana, show me a spell.” Mrs. Keller waited, watching Diana adjust her heavy glasses as she stood before the class. She waved her hand, creating a small ball of water. As soon as Mrs. Keller raised her hand to create a spell, Diana lost her composure, not even needing the sneeze to send water everywhere, soaking the classroom. “Diana, at least wait for the spell to affect you before you lose your composure.” Mrs. Keller said, wiping water droplets from her cheeks.

“Sorry, I got nervous. I wasn’t sure what to expect and everyone was staring at me.” She lowered her head as she returned to her desk, not even caring that her chair was dripping with water when she plopped back into it.

Mrs. Keller considered asking another student to step forward, only to notice some of them were shivering from the recent shower that Diana had created. Shaking her head, she tapped the large white font on the chalkboard, nails clicking against its perfectly curved letters. “Mana. Control.” She slowly stated, making sure that phrase stayed in their brains. “I want all of you to practice controlling your magic. Get someone to pull your hair, kick your shins or just shout at you. Anything that will distract you from your spell casting. When you come to your lesson tomorrow, I expect you all to be able to pass the sneeze test. Anyone that fails will spend their weekend practicing with me. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Mrs.” The class said, voices low, lacking any real confidence after what they had seen today.

“Good. Go and prepare then.” As they left, Mrs. Keller went over her notes for the next lesson, preparing some tips they could use if they still didn’t get the hang of it by then. As complicated as it sounded, it wasn’t a hard thing to master. With enough focus, anyone could pass the sneeze test, even those with little self-control.

[quietwingsinthesky]

📚🍬🔪🦷

what's the last thing you wrote down in your notes app? 

(oh, it’s this little bit i’d completely forgotten about that i think i scribbled down immediately after finishing hellbent.)

“And what color were Clara’s eyes?” the Doctor asks, slipping it into the rhythm of their conversation like any other question. Even’s fingers drum against the metal of the staircase they’ve seated themself on, two soft thuds of flesh and two clacks from parts that aren’t very good at pretending to be fingers anymore. They tip their head to the side.

“You don’t want my memories of her, Doctor.” Even drums again. One-two, three-four. “We weren’t exactly friends.”

“Nonsense. You’d have loved Clara,” he says it on reflex. He waits for something to follow, some internal feeling that he’s correct in his assumption or entirely off base. Nothing comes.

“You loved Clara,” Even corrects, gently. It sounds like pity, and it grates.

“See? You’re already telling me things.”

“You knew that already,” Even says. “You knew, or you wouldn’t be asking in the first place.” They shift forward, crossing their arms over their knees. “Please don’t ask,” they whisper.

Post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character.

Well, let me set up my usual fallback of Supernatural to allow me wiggle room for my Doctor Who take, but: my unpopular opinion is that Jack is an adult. He’s treated as an adult in canon. Making him into a child in canonverse stuff will have me squinting in suspicion for most people. obviously, not my trusted and beloved mutuals who are Understanders (and. more importantly. who I know are not harboring some unexamined ableist ideas.) but. everyone else does not get a pass and will be gazed upon with disdain :D actually, the bigger crime of making Jack a child and simplifying him is that you’re being boring, the fun of him comes from how messed up his situation is and how his sudden jump to adulthood is both horrifying but also one of the few ways he can grasp at control.

anyway, that’s a settled hot take in place so that i can say one for doctor who that im not sure is a hot take or not because i don’t know the fandom as well. but anyway, it’s that 90% of eleven and river’s scenes together did such a disservice to both of their characters that it actively uninvested me in the romance they were trying to sell. I feel like i may have said this before, but it’s like there’s a switch they flip when it’s time for the episode’s mandated eleven and river flirting time where they both turn into much more generic characters acting in ways that feel very ooc so that the show can. i don’t know, really. create tension, I suppose? But the tension falls flat because they aren’t acting like themselves so you can’t get invested in this relationship because it doesn’t feel like it’s being built off of them connecting. And it really stands out as just, truly awful, because you’ll also have some fantastic scenes actually exploring their relationship and the effects it has on both of them, the positive and the negative, and yes, I am talking about the broken wrist scene from Angels in Manhattan again because i wish all of elevenriver was like that, and it’s not, and i’m mad about it-!

what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

okay, i know it says research but it is much funnier to me if i just say that. sometimes. you need to describe a character touching something and you need the physical stimuli in your hands to really describe it, right? right. understandable. okay, so going from that, sometimes you need your character to say, lick a chair and describe that, and you realize you have no idea how to because how would you know what licking a chair is like? and then you look at your dining room chair from across the room. and you have to make a decision here. about what matters more to you. your dignity or your accuracy.

and if you’re a good writer, i think accuracy always wins.

share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on

breathing exercises are bullshit. you need to find a chant. you need to find something you can memorize and then when you feel yourself getting anxious, you need to start repeating it over and over and over. anything at all. what matters is that you’re saying it, out loud, and you can hear yourself saying it and you need to like the words so you’re focusing on what you’re saying, and this will save you. When I was in middle school, I did exorcisms. In high school, I’d repeat monologues from Hannibal to myself. Nowadays, I’m usually using the “heart. lungs. liver. nerves.” chant from slay the princess because it is short and ominous in a way that can be funny after a few repetitions and helps laugh the anxiety out of me.

and in a pinch, if you don’t have anything memorized, pull up the nearest piece of written text you have and start reading it out loud and don’t stop reading it until you’re calm again, and keep going a little after that just to make sure. Could be a fanfic you’ve got on your phone or could be an actual book. I’d reccomend the Iliad, because half of that book is just reciting name after name after name and you will start to hear how ridiculous it is rather than hearing your own anxiety, and it’ll help. you say “so and so brought 50 ships and he was the son of that guy who was king of this. and also this other dude, son of yet another guy we will never mention again, friends with holy shit another guy-“ and eventually you’re going to start giggling your way out of an anxiety attack.

[rantzadventures]

Task 3

THE EASY QUESTIONS:

01. What is something your character can’t help but to spend money on? Workout gear. Hunter enjoys working out so he's always on the hunt for new workout gear and what's currently in. He's always buying new running shoes as he comes across new ones he always enjoys.

02. What is your favorite day of the week? Why? Hunter’s favorite day of the week is Friday. It's the beginning of the weekend and Hunter always has friends over Friday night for pizza night. A tradition he's come to love.

03. How would you describe your character in five words? Hunter is adventurous, loyal, honest, trustworthy, and hardworking.

04. What is the weirdest thing your character ever googled? The weirdest thing Hunter ever googled was who ate the banana and took a dump in the hallway. Hunter’s mother was taking care of one of her friend’s children and they were still wearing diapers and while getting changed took a dump in the hallway while they were headed to the living room. Making his way to his room Hunter walked in the hallway not knowing who took a dump in the hallway as he was still young enough not to comprehend it was an infant and was curious to look it up on google as the phrase came up.

05. If your character was a pizza topping, what would they be? If Hunter was a pizza topping he’d be a spicy Italian sausage.

06. If your character was a ghost, who would they haunt? Why? If Hunter was a ghost he’d haunt his brothers. Growing up they always teased they would haunt each other if given the chance to come back as a ghost.

THE HARD QUESTIONS:

07. What is your characters greatest accomplishment? Why? Hunter’s greatest accomplishment was graduating college and getting his Bachelor's Degree.

08. If your character could relive one day in their lives, which would it be and why? If Hunter could relive one day of his life it would be attending his first Colorado Rockies game with his dad. It was just the two of them, with no distractions. He was about ten or eleven and he always cherished that day. As much as he loves his brother’s he’s glad he got that one on one time with his dad.

09. How does your character recharge after when they are feeling drained? One thing Hunter likes to do to recharge is journal. It helps him get everything out of his head, whether its feelings or thoughts and on to paper. If he’s anger he likes to through the pieces of paper in the fire or shred it as he feels like that's the most healthy way for himself to let go of any negative energy.

10. If you could change one personality trait, what would it be and why? What would you change it to? If Hunter could change one personality trait it would probably have to be loyal. In the past because of his loyalty he got burned with friendships and he's learned to be more cautious and not so loyal to people he’s eerie of. He’d probably change it to undependable as he wouldn’t want people he just met to think they can count on him.

11. Name one person that defined your character. (It could be a teacher, a aunt, uncle, anyone who shaped your character) What did that person do? How do you honor that person today? Jeremy Rantz. Since they were young Hunter and Jeremy were inseparable as they were the closest of the four boys. Hunter looked up to all his brothers, but when it came to the important life lessons, Hunter would always ask himself, What would Jeremy do, or think about what he did if Hunter ever came across a similar situation and knew Jeremy had gone through something similar as well.

12. What is your characters biggest fear? Why Hunter’s biggest fear is ending up alone. He’s afraid he's going to outlast living his brothers. When his parents and brothers are gone, who will he be able to go to for advice or ask for help as he’s afraid to lean on his spouse one hundred percent.

CREATE YOUR OWN: Using your character’s bio - or their audition form, make up FIVEquestions then answer them as if they were written here.

13. What was your favorite sport to play growing up? Why? Hunter’s favorite sport to play growing up was baseball. His pops played growing up, his brothers played in school and Hunter grew up in a baseball family. It only made him want to play more and prove to himself he was the greatest in his family.

14. How was it growing up with HCM and did your family members treat you any differently? Learning Hunter had HCM, it taught him how to slow down. He couldn’t do things he wanted to do anymore like continuing to play sports and going pro. After learning he had HCM it only brought Hunter closer to his family, as his brother Jeremy learned he too also had HCM and it was something he bonded over with Hunter.

15. What made you want to open your own business? From a young age Hunter knew he wanted to open his own business. Seeing how his parents ran their farm and the businesses they created, Hunter knew he didn’t want to answer to someone else. He knew he wanted to build something from the ground up. Something he could be proud of.

16. Why run? And what made you get into running? Running is something Hunter found to be therapeutic. Running let all the stress go away and going for a run always calms his nerves when he’s feeling nervous or anxious. Supporting local charities and running 5K’s is what got Hunter into running, and found a love for the sport.

17. Why do you think you’re so adventurous? Being adventurous is a way for Hunter to get out of his comfort zone and see what he likes and doesn’t like. His brothers would always dare him growing up and as scared as he was to do things, he didn’t want to let his brothers know. And trying new things as a young child only grew his curiosity as to things that interested him as an adult, bungee jumping and skydiving were just a few things Hunter tried when he was of age.

BEFORE YOUR SUBMIT --

18. Does your current layout reflect your current character? Are the photos of your current playby? Yes, and yes.

[bats-after-dark]

I couldn't sleep last night so I just kept imagining what the CNC fic could be like. Are we getting multiple domestic but inappropriately horny situatuons? Whose salad will wilt first? What will happen to poor little Huaien’s poor little spaghetti brain?

I hope it's not creepy that I'm this happy over this happening. Maybe this is me not having anything to cooperate with but still wanting tl cheer you on.

HELLO HI wow i also slept poorly last night, but I don't think I made any progress on CNC fic thoughts. (or I did and I have now forgotten them—which would not be entirely atypical.) It is not creepy!! Normally, I would have more non-fic-project thoughts to fling at you, but my work is pretty busy right now, so I'm sort of.....short on thoughts? HEAD EMPTY ONLY CNC FIC.

My current sense of things is that this starts with an entire day of Huaien getting worked up about the collar and what it means for his evening. It opens with a bit about Huaien getting up, running sword forms in the dark, taking a bath, etc... It's honestly kind of boring? Idk I think it works, but it's very much relying on Huaien's spaghetti brain to keep it interesting. Anyway, he gets dressed, Xiaobao does his hair, maybe he will beg for kissy? But they eat breakfast (Zhaocai's salad is suffering), drift through the day, try to kiss while Xiaoyu makes faces, etc. I think that Huaien makes it to....late afternoon? before he corners Xiaobao, gently jingling, in an alcove where anyone could walk by and see and feels him up. I can't decide if this is normal petting or uh. Okay, it's not normal petting, it's probably Huaien lightly choking Xiaobao while groping him with the other hand. which! in Huaien's defense! is what Xiaobao wants when he's wearing the jingle bell collar. not sure if he stops because he doesn't want to give Xiaobao any satisfaction or if someone is about to walk by.

Huaien goes and meditates about that, anyway. he does his little tasks, he walks around the house, he Arranges the Things He Needs for their scene. I'm thinking they don't do this in their actual personal bedroom, but I'm not sure? I might do a little research because my sense is that wives and husbands might have had separate bedrooms, but honestly, I don't watch enough dramas with established het couples in ancient fantasy China to be sure. Huaien regularly sleeps in Xiaobao's bedroom because he is a feral cat, and I think they do their weirdest sex stuff in Huaien's bedroom. this is also the room where Xiaobao does Huaien's hair, of course.

I suspect that Huaien basically drags Xiaobao away after dinner, but—the one element of this that I'm struggling with is sound. Because those houses do not look remotely soundproof, so is. is everyone listening to Xiaobao whimpering and cry and beg. did someone try to help Xiaobao at some point and Xiaobao had to explain himself. it cannot be that because it would probably kill me??? the idea of some poor member of the household staff ohgodZhaocaiNO trying to save Xiaobao and just walking in on their kink shtick and Xiaobao is all, *spits out gag* "Do I look like I'm not having a good time???", as Huaien plots this person's imminent demise. so yeah they're either waiting till late or everyone in the household just knows to keep away by now or some third worse thing that I haven’t thought of yet.

(Just had a very vivid vision of Xiaobao pretending to try to run away into their courtyard and Huaien dragging him back in, so hm. hm. much to ponder.)

would love your thoughts on inappropriately horny domestic situations!!!!

[thefilmed2008]

The Rusted Link - A Linked Universe fanfic

Chapter 1: “Citing sources not of God nor man.”

My POV:

        I felt like I was wandering into the dark. I felt like I was thinking thoughts no mortal should have ever thought. It was always startling to fall through reality. It felt like I had died, but other than that it was a surprisingly smooth transition (I’m pretty sure dealing with fourth dimensional beings and being ripped out of your plane of existence would get you used to it.) After my vision returned I saw that I was in a lush green field dotted with flowers, a bit down-hill from where I was sitting was a small ranch and above me was a bright blue sky. ‘A bit weird, but at least there are living things here.’ I thought, after that I stood up and decided to walk towards the ranch (depending on how well my inevitable adventure will go, that was either a good idea or a bad idea.) An hour or two later I finally made it to the ranch. When I looked up at the sign I understood where I was, ‘yeah I can work with this. Not the weirdest thing I’ve ever dealt with.’ You want to know what ranch it was? Lon Lon Ranch. Well after that bit of relief I stepped through the threshold. After the music started I damn-near tripped over nothing but emotions, but I righted myself and I continued on. I eventually reached a window and peaked in, inside there were twelve people, eight of them were sitting at a table eating what I presumed was breakfast while two of them were standing around the room while another two were standing at what appeared to be a sink, nine of them were blonde, one of them had pink hair (Legend, the best little guy.) while only one of them was brunette, eight of the blondes, the pink haired one,  and the one brunette had various armors, little trinkets and medieval clothes on, although two of them had pretty modern clothes on like sweats with a beanie and jeans with a short sleeve shirt, the twelfth person however was a tall redheaded woman with fair skin and a rather bland dress with various patterns woven into its bottom. ‘Oh Linked Universe, well let’s just hope I don’t die (again).’  I thought. Suddenly the oldest looking one of them (who just so happened to have the most armor on along with having a dead eye,) side-eyed me like he knew I was there, I could not have ducked down any faster if I tried. I knew they probably wouldn’t hurt me, but I trusted people before and I paid the price, I wouldn’t make that mistake again. Suddenly I heard heavy footsteps heading towards the door which was right next to me. I fumbled for my pistol which I had learned to always keep on my person no matter the situation. No sooner had I flipped the safety off than the door opened and I came face to face with a tall, well built, man. He was 6’0 at least. And he had an aura that screamed “No matter what’s happening I am always in control.” It was so thick that it was getting hard to breathe. I could only think one thing, ‘Who is this man?’

Time’s POV:

        Me and Malon were washing our dishes and talking, the other links were eating breakfast while Texts and Worlds were standing around. When all of a sudden I heard a low noise coming from the window and when I looked over I saw a figure. And it quickly ducked down, I excused myself from the conversation I was having with Malon to go investigate. When I opened the door I was greeted with a boy who looked about fifteen years old, he had dark brown hair that looked unkempt, with white hairs that outnumbered my own, and he had eyes that seemed to be too tired and knowing to be from someone his age (Even compared to the other Links,) they also seemed to be deathly dull and faded, with the sparks of life barely recognizable along with their color. (My guess was that they were Hazel at one point in time), he was about 6’3 (though, with the number of stretch marks on his skin that was probably not his natural height), he had torn and faded jeans, smudged and cracked black and gray glasses, no shoes, and he didn’t have a shirt on, revealing unhealthily pale skin that was littered with bruises, scars, scratches, scrapes, and burns, and his feet were shot to hell. (He almost looked worse than Wild. In fact, he looked like a walking corpse.) It was apparent that something also happened to his legs due to the sound of the bones cracking every time he moved, and the number of horrendously deep scars that showed through the rips in his jeans. He was also trembling like I was a hungry wolf or something. He was pointing a metallic object at me (Texts and Worlds called them guns I believe) “Easy there, I’m not gonna hurt you.” I said “W-Who are you?” He said, I could hear the tremble in his voice. He was clearly terrified.  “My name is Time, what's yours?” He hesitated before saying “A-Andrew.” “It’s nice to meet you Andrew, what are you doing here?” “I-I don't know, I j-just woke up in a field not-t too far from here.” He also had an odd way of speaking, sometimes he would hang on words or sounds for too long, like his mouth wasn’t going fast enough to keep up with his brain, and his speech was filled with stammers and stutters.

 I had to help this kid.

Chapter 2: Linking up.

My POV:

        “Do you want to come inside? We have a few spare rooms.” ‘What?! Why are they offering? I just showed up then I immediately pulled a gun on them, what are they planning?’  But despite all the red flags, this was the only building I could see for miles, so I decided to take him up on his offer. “F-Fine, but no funny business. Alright?” “Alright.” “Good.” I flipped the safety back on and returned the gun back to its place.

Time’s POV:

        Well now that that was over with, me and the kid entered the house and it seemed like everyone heard the commotion because as soon as we entered the house they were all swarming us. Goddess this was gonna be long. After I got everyone settled down they started introducing themselves. “Hi. I’m Hyrule.” “Hello.” The boy said sheepishly, though the look in his eyes said that he was excited. “Hey. I’m Legend.” The kid looked even more excited. “I’m Wind.” “Hello. I’m Sky.” “Howdy! I’m Twilight.” “Nice to meet you! I’m Four.” “…” To be expected, Wild didn’t even know how to read or write true Hylian anymore. “Another one? Good goddess.” When Warriors was grumpy he made sure everyone knew. I’d have to talk to him about that later. “Who are you?” Worlds moved from his spot next to texts. He was probably the least trusting of strangers. Though, given what he went through, I’d say it was warranted. Of course Texts didn’t say anything, he just scribbled down stuff in his notebook, he had stopped talking shortly after we met him. Oddly none of the other Links elicited the same look of excitement in the kid’s eyes like Hyrule and Legends did (Maybe he was from their timeline like Texts and Worlds were?) everyone else got looks of knowing sympathy (Weird. Had he heard of our legends?) Another thing I noticed was that he was really stiff and he looked anxious, somewhat dizzy, like he wasn’t used to so many people talking to him, even one at a time. Then he started stumbling.

My POV:

        It was disorientating coming face-to-face with so many people who I originally thought were only fiction, my head felt like it was twisting inside out. It was hard to keep my footing and that’s when I tried to remove myself from the situation, only to make it worse. I walked (Read stumbled and tripped) my way over to what I could only assume was the kitchen table. Then I started to fall, my ears were ringing and my vision started to haze, I heard yells… I think. It was hard to make out. Some part of me didn’t want to stop falling, it was peaceful, and I hadn’t had peace in so… so long. Then boom. An arm caught me, I didn’t look up, I didn’t want to look up, but then I heard a voice “Are you okay?” It was a calming voice, a soothing voice, and it wrapped me in a warmth I hadn’t felt since before THE OTHER. I eventually looked up to see the red-haired woman from earlier, she smiled at me warmly and asked. “Hey there little guy. How are you feeling?”

Time’s POV:

        The kid started stumbling and tripping his way towards the kitchen table, that’s when he started to fall. Most of us were so startled that we were frozen in place, but some of us rushed over to catch him. Luckily we didn’t have to, Malon rushed over to him so quickly you would have thought that she had Pegasus boots on, after she caught him she asked if he was alright. “Y-Yeah, thank you.” Andrew let out a grunt as she helped him up. “You’re welcome. So I’m guessing you’re a new hero?” She asked with a melancholic yet hopeful tone. “His story would seem to suggest that, along with all the wear and tear his body seems to have been through.” I said. “He might just give you a run for your money in the injuries department Wild!” Legends joked. Wild just huffed and rolled his eyes.

  Chapter 3: Well this is new

                                   My POV:

        This was not the weirdest situation I’ve ever been in, but it certainly was a new one. But I had to admit that after being alone for so long and being hunted down tirelessly for so long that time became redundant this was a nice change of pace. I was at the dinner table with the Link’s eating food that Malon had cooked up, and I gotta say, she is one hell of a cook. I liked how peaceful it was. But eventually the peace had to end. “So how old were you when your quest started? I was twelve.” Legends said “I don’t want to talk about it.” “Come on! I want to know too!” Exclaimed the youngest of them, I finally broke. “I was five! Okay? Are you happy now?” That shut Legends up and also got me a couple of sympathetic looks from the rest of them. “Who did you fight? Was it Ganondorf?”  Asked the sailor, I was gonna lose it. But I decided to answer. I didn’t want to describe THE OTHER, I didn’t want to remember it, so I decided to tell them about HABIT.

                                       Time’s POV:

        Damnit! Why did Hylia have to throw someone so young into a battle against such a terrifying beast? Just listening to him describing it was harrowing, it was like all the worst parts of Majora and Ganondorf rolled into one maniacally sadistic, impossibly cunning, and damn near invincible ball. And the worst part about it was that it wasn’t just evil, it was silly evil. It was horrendous to even think about. Not even Majora would eat a Baby, let alone in front of its own mother!

        Suddenly Andrew got up. “Where are you going?” Malon asked, “I’m going to get some fresh air.” “Oh, okay.” Andrew nodded and went to open the door, but when he did we all suddenly got sucked into another portal.

Chapter 4: “In strange eons even death may die”

Normandy, France, June 6th, 1944.

Black Forest Germany, Unknown month, 1945.

The land of ashen waste/Dr Corinthall’s domain, unimportant.

The Boardwalk/Slenderman’s domain, unimportant.

The Bridge To Nowhere/HABIT’s domain, unimportant.

The Cabin/Andrew’s domain, April 45th, 2023.

My POV:

       It was getting kinda annoying having to go through so many back roads to get home once I fell through reality- oh I made them worry about me, didn’t I? Oh well not like I’m gonna see them again. *bang* *bang* *bang* I think I may be corrected. I stood up and got out my gun, I then flipped off the safety and went to answer the door. “Hey guys!”

Time’s POV:

        It was hell. Not even Majora would find joy in this place, when we arrived here we were met with nothing but silence and colorless, lifeless woods. “Be on guard! We don’t know what could be lurking here.” I advised. “There is no life here. This place… it was never meant to be kind to life.” Four said as he fell to his knees. “It hurts… It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! Make it stop hurting! Please!” Hyrule cried as he fell to the ground coughing up blood, Wind rushed to his side. “The Goddesses weren’t involved in the creation of this… unholy place. They couldn’t have been.” Sky said, I had half the mind to agree, the only reason I didn’t was to keep myself calm. “Oh god! Oh shit shit shit shit why here? Anywhere but here!” Worlds said, he looked terrified. “What do you mean? Where are we?” “A space between dimensions. A land forsaken by all gods, only damned souls and demons live here now.” We all whipped around to look at Texts as he finished speaking. He looked utterly hopeless. “No mortal soul was ever meant to see this place. The Candleverse was only ever meant to imprison unending spirits.” We all wanted to deny it but when Texts says something with certainty in his voice it is always true. “I-I think we should set up camp for the night. Legends go gather wood, Warriors go with him, if what Texts says is true then he’ll need it. I’ll do the rest.” “O-O-Okay.” Legend said. “Hey it’s gonna be okay.” Warriors assured Legends. I hope he’s right.

—Four Hours Later—

        Black and White and Black and White. There wasn’t even Gray, it had felt like days had passed yet it had only been four hours (Or was it five?) It truly felt like a prison, a cruel twisted version of one, but one nonetheless. Hyrule never got better, in fact he got worse. Eventually we heard a noise coming from the forest, at first we thought it was the wind, but then we realized that it was more like breathing, and it sounded like it was getting closer. Then my vision became filled with what Texts and Worlds would call static, its buzzing was persistent and upsetting, eventually a scream rose above the static. “Ahhhhhh! What the hell is that?!” I instantly jumped to my feet and grabbed hold of the voice and ran, I yelled out “Run! Move! Get the fuck away from whatever it is!” “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!” I heard Texts yell, then *shlick!* I whipped my head around, then I saw it; Texts stabbed through the chest with what looked to be a black tendril, he was being whipped around wildly while his notebook was glowing with a holy light. “Babble!” “Fly you fools!” Then there was a flash of blinding light, and I and the person I was holding were sent flying with enough force to kill a Lynel.

         — Unknown amount of time later —

World’s POV:

        My entire body hurt and ached, it felt like I was hit by a bus (Again), eventually I got up and looked around. It looked like a bomb had exploded, my ears were ringing and my vision was somewhat hazy but it instantly cleared up once I saw a few other forms laying on the ground unconscious. I immediately rushed over to the forms, when I got there I saw that it was Four, well actually five… Fours, one with red clothes on, one with green clothes on,one with purple clothes on, one with blue clothes on, and one that was completely black with a purple tint. Suddenly the dark one got up “W-What happened? Where’s everyone?” It had glowing white/pale yellow eyes and no mouth. I opened my mouth to ask what it was when a drop of something fell on my face, I brought my hand up and wiped it off, that’s when we saw that it was blood, then we both looked up and saw it, Babble’s mangled and broken corpse impaled on a tree branch, or what was left of it anyway, there wasn’t much left of it to identify it as Babble’s but the one thing it did have was his notebook, the notebook that got us out of sticky situations so many times before. The dark Four started sobbing while I could only stand there and look up at the blood dripping corpse of my friend.

—Two Hours Later—

Wild’s POV:

        I awoke to the sound of sobbing, I got up on unsteady feet and headed towards the sound, there I found what I could only describe as a shadow Four lying in the fetal position covering his face and sobbing so much that he was hiccuping, Twilight had a thousand-yard stare, I also saw Sky sat facing away muttering prayers to the goddess Hylia and rocking himself back and forth while Wind was trying to calm him, Legends, Warriors, Time, and Hyrule were nowhere to be found. I then looked to my side and found out what the fuss was about; there were five corpses lying on the ground while Worlds was digging graves for each of them, four of them looked like Four while the fifth one was barely recognizable, but it held something that was: Text’s notebook.

Chapter 5: Strangers in a strange land.

—Two Hours Earlier—

Time’s POV:

        When I woke up I was met with a hallowing sight; a being in the form of Hyrule that had black skin, dark gray clothes and hair, and light gray eyes and cloth trimmings, carrying the real Hyrule on its back. “What did you do to Hyrule?” I quickly jumped up to my feet and pulled out my sword. “Calm down, I do not intend to harm my guardian.” This thing talked like a cold, analytical machine, but it also carried the sort of care and kindness that a mother would have, but I still would not let my guard down. “What do you mean ‘you’re guardian’? And who-or-what are you?” “I am Hyrule’s shadow, but you may call me Sinatra, and Hyrule is my guardian. I give him strength whilst he gives me form. It is a mutualistic relationship.” “Okay but will you hurt me?” “No. You are my guardian’s friend. Plus it would not be beneficial to me in any way.” “Good. Well with that out of the way; where is everyone else?” “I do not know. This place is wreaking havoc on my guardian’s mental state, and as such using any more magic than is absolutely needed is risky at best and guaranteed death at worst.” I sheathed my sword and started thinking about what to do next. “Well we just gotta keep on moving then.” He nodded at the suggestion and asked me to lead, we then started walking.

—One Hour Later—

Legend’s POV:

        I was getting kind of scared. It had been an hour (or was it seven?) Since me and Warriors woke up, and during that time we'd been assaulted by monsters, including a green colored thing, I had grown wary. Warriors was holding up better than I thought he would, considering he was the pretty boy of the group. “How’s that dowsing spell going, have you found anyone yet?” Warriors asked. “Nah. It’s like this place just keeps eating up any magic I throw out.” “Well that’s just dan-“ “Hold up. I think I got something.” We both stopped dead in our tracks as we heard the crunching of leaves growing closer. We both readied ourselves for a fight when suddenly Time and a black and gray Hyrule carrying the real Hyrule showed themselves.

Time’s POV:

        Me and Sinatra had been walking for an hour or so. (Thankfully the mind boggling effects of this world did not affect him.) When we had finally found Legends and Warriors. They looked ready to kill Sinatra when they first spotted him, it took some explaining for them to finally settle down enough to put down their weapons. “Okay so what now?” Legends asked. “We continue on and search for shelter.” Then we started walking.

[over-dramatic-diary]

here we go again

Hi, little non-existent gay people in my laptop.

So I am feeling pretty anxious right now, and would like a place to vent it. So here we go.

To make a long story short, my living situation for the summer is not ideal. Now, I am safe, I am not in any danger. And the place is not ratty or buggy or leaky, and is a cheap place to live for the few months I need it (long story for another time). However, the rent is fitting. It is an old duplex which is the definition of the landlord special. I can deal with a cheap place. But let's say my roommate is a bit... unconventional. He lives literally as cheaply as possible. The only decorations in the house are mine, and the only furniture he owned before I moved in were a cheap-as-all-hell couch, his bed frame, and his dresser. But the weirdest part? He sleeps in our tiny living room most nights.

I ask rhetorically: is it such a big ask for him to sleep in his own bedroom? He literally uses the living room as his office and his bedroom. I should've been more weirded out when he told me he uses the living room storage closet as his closet, but that seemed fairly normal to me. Come to find out, he sleeps on that cheap-ass, bright blue leather and chrome hardware couch most every night. What am I supposed to do if I bring a gentleman caller over? Corral him out my bedroom window? And the most infuriating part is that I pay more rent than my roommate does.

Now it is still cheap rent, significantly more affordable than any of my other options (dear god rent has gone up), but that makes me even more irritated that I never get to use the living room. Especially being that one of my core personality traits is being a social butterfly.

As a side note, I apologize if this is a bit too stream-of-consciousness. If I am to be completely honest, I recently had a procedure that means for the past and next few days I cannot smoke, and I, shall we say, manage my anxiety better when my friend Mary Jane is at my side.

Either way, I am debating on two possibilities of what to do:

My first option is to text my roommate and ask him to rectify the problem once I am back. For context, I am in my hometown for my procedure. It would likely be as follows:

Hi [redacted]. So I was wondering if you usually sleep in the living room. I won't lie to you, this makes me a bit uncomfortable. Partially because it eliminates a bit of my privacy, being that the primary way in and out of the house is through the living room. Partially because I find it a bit grating that I pay a bit more of the rent than you do for the fact that you take the smaller bedroom, and yet you treat the living room as your bedroom and office. Now, I know that I am only subletting for the summer and thus maybe don't have quite as much sway in those decisions. But I will say that if I had known that that was a usual occurrence, I would have asked that we pay equal amounts of rent. I don't even have qualms with you keeping your [redacted] in the living room and your asking that I don't keep my tv in the living room, so that I don't really get to use the living room as I might wish. However, I would like to ask that for the majority of the time that we live together, that you spend your nights in your own bedroom. Please let me know your thoughts.

My second option is to ask him essentially the same thing when I arrive back in town. I honestly think I will do the former, so it will be a little more formal, as he seems to like that mode of discussion better. Not to mention the fact that I believe that any conversation about money he will cave to, so long as I keep paying my portion of the bills.

Well, it looks like this blog may simply be a place for me to sort out my jumbled thoughts in this chaotic and occasional mess of a mind that I have.

Well, thanks for listening, even if the only person listening is the wide open abyss that is the internet. May my words swim aimlessly among the sea of fanfiction and hack videos.

[potatoesandsunshine]

rotating them in my mind (perc'ahlia........)

[thelampisaflashlight]

The ghouls, but I reveal how I actually headcanon them personality wise. Below the cut.

Aether: Plays at being timid/submissive, but uses it to provoke bigger/wilder responses, because he likes seeing people go absolutely bonkers when he flips the switch and goes ham himself.

He enjoys instigating things and then letting the other person take over, because it’s that much more entertaining when he starts taking control again.

It’s like a cat showing its belly.

You were never in control of the situation.

An absolute nightmare when paired up with Swiss during trips to bars, because neither of them are playing around with the macho meathead bullshit.

Dewdrop: Fairly subdued overall, but he’s easily stirred up/teased into doing some crazy ass shit.

Definitely loves chaos and all it brings, though he’s not opposed to the idea of softness and a quiet day to himself.

More of a “Just because I’m alone doesn’t mean I’m lonely.” type which often gets misread as him being aloof/cold for not always enjoying having company.

The friend who gives you a heartfelt pep talk, but calls you a little bitch (affectionate) at the end of it.

Side hug kinda guy.

Multi/Swiss: Buys fancy mixed drinks with his dinner and enjoys them without joking about it in that, “Aw, couldn’t they have given it to me in a different glass?” kind of way.

Not afraid to be vibrant and colorful in the way he acts or speaks, and encourages his friends to do the same and appreciate the good things in life without feeling a need to hide it.

Will make people argue in circles for hours if they try to give him a hard time.

“Yes, but if that were true, this-” 

He’s quite proud of it.

Rain: He’s a sweetheart, and genuinely quite sweet, but he will also do the weirdest shit knowing no one will believe it was him who did it. 

Never anything malicious though.

Unless you count biting.

Because I feel like Rain is the biter here, not any worse than Dewdrop, but he’s the type who waits until he sees an opening that will maximize reactions with minimal effort.

In short; “I would very much like to make you scream.”

Mountain: The guy who keeps you safe at a metal show by standing behind you the whole time like an ominous obelisk of a man. 

Resting bitch face to the max until he’s leaning down and asking if you’re gonna finish the rest of your donut and let’s out a slow, “Yoooo...” when you let him have it.

I cannot emphasize enough the slowness of the yo.

Would let you sleep in his bed... without him in it.

Teamed up with Rain, you are 1000% in for the weirdest adventures, and you’ll never be able to recreate the experience with anyone else.

Cumulus: An absolute sweetie, who could probably bench every member of the band with ease.

She’s the person who asks if she can try picking you up, and then proceeds to do so both emotionally and physically.

Lifts Cirrus all the time because she can.

Shows affection through hugs, kisses, and headbutts.

Mildly concussed?

Good.

Cirrus: Confident in who she is, and straightforward with how she thinks and feels, although she can often be a bit too blunt.

Joins Aether and Swiss in getting rude people to talk themselves into a corner in the best/worst way possible.

Has “You’re in her DMs, but I’m living in her head rent free.” energy and she knows it.

Sunshine: Gives off a playful and innocent air, but with an edge that indicates that that’s definitely not always the case.

Doesn’t play games when it comes to the safety of herself or her friends, and can go from joking around to deadly serious at the drop of a hat.

I don’t know why, but I can see her getting into a bar fight alongside the others if they saw someone being a dickhead, and would wear any bruises she gets from it as a badge of honor.

Has a solid punch, but you really have to look out for her legs, because she kicks like a horse and will knock your ass across the room.