#like the best lore chap of all time

[night-dark-woods]

i LOVE memorizing things it is so satisfying and soothing to me

[onlyjaeyun]

i’ve been following ur writing for some time now and i do have to agree with that anon who said you did CH dirty. you are a very talented writer so it’s just hard to watch.

you started off CH so strong with the lore and little chapters here and there but as it progressed you kind of just got lazy and it shows. when important events happened in the story, they weren’t conveyed through writing but through the texts (ie the riki and yn fight, that was definitely worth a written chapter) and it was honestly disappointing.

the ending isn’t much to say about either. yn and hoon barely go through development after the letter incident and all of a sudden they’re dating and married with a kid like two chapters later?

idk, if it was a mental health issue then i get that but even then you should’ve just gave it a break and thought everything out more. you could do so much better.

thank you for the feedback!

i wanna put you through the progess of a piece of writing from the POV of a writer okay? now keep in mind: i work two jobs, am a fulltime uni student and the daughter of an immigrant household with two parents who still work most of the day just so you know what else i have to deal with, besides my mental health okay?

now, i started off CH strong right? yes. i uploaded on the daily, fine i chose that. a chapter usually takes me around one hour if i actually sit down and focus on nothing but the chapter itself, which includes IG stories, editing, formatting etc. alright

on top of the daily chapters, i constantly replied to 40+ asks a day, a blessing in disguise because no matter how much i enjoy talking to you guys, the pressure does get worse the bigger that number of my inbox becomes, i hope this makes sense

now, i started CH back in october, right when my semester started, thats why i started off strong but as time went on, my assignments and private life got too busy and i guess i felt entitled enough as a writer to skip a few certain chaps and make life a little easier for me by making them regular chapters instead of written ones.

and this is gonna be my main point: i'm not a machine. i wrote a minimum of 5 THOUSAND words per written chapter, MINIMUM. we're talking about a 5-9 THOUSANDED worded chapter EACH WEEK. which usually took me about 6-7 hours, even allnighters.

yes, i chose to do that and maybe my time management wasn't the best but i had to create a compromise where i wouldnt have let you guys wait for over two months which would have resulted in me losing my motivation completely, and yet still focusing on EXAMS. because you know, i'm a fulltime uni student with TWO jobs 😮‍💨

if YOU think i did CH dirty go write an alternative ending yourself but it should be a minimum of 15 chapters including 5 written ones, with at LEAST 9k words each yeah? i wanna see you manage it all, pls prove me wrong snd show me you're better than me i'm genuinely begging bc it might inspire me to do "better" next time.

as a writer/artist/creator, and i can tell you probably arent one yourself or havent been one for long, the longer smth takes to come to an end the worse the pressure becomes which results in a blockage i dont wish upon my worst enemy i'm being deadass. i dealt with some of the worst writer's block ive had since i started writing literally 12 years ago and you're telling me i should have just "taken a break" and do "better"

i never, ever expected anything from anyone but some of you are so entitled to a writer's time and skill it's giving me a headache. maybe you didn't like the timing and writing of the last few chapters of CH and i guess that's unfortunate but this was so unnecessary because you completely dismissed everything else that could have been going on in my life and even belittled my mental health issues like im some fucking AI writing machine

do better, be nicer, write it yourself if you don't like it i'm so fucking over this

if i had gotten out of my own comfort and wellbeing and have actually written another set of written chapters i would have burned myself completely out. ive been in this fandom for not even a year and have already finished FOUR smaus with 50 chapters each, you do NOT get to tell me what i should or could have done better because you dont even give a fuck about me as a person this is just about receiving what YOU think YOURE entitled to but this is MY art and I will do what I see fit even if it's not what was expected of it because i'm a fucking human being with a life before i'm a writer on tumblr

oh, also: i do this for free ㅤ:) just a reminder :) this is my HOBBY :)

and don't you EVER call me lazy again when it comes to writing because i'm not gonna pour my heart and soul into a fic just for you to call me lazy when i literally wrote 50 THOUSAND words for this fucking fic just for the written chapters

goodbye

[chamotate]

tell me about that theo chap mr homo man

SIR YES SIR!!!

ill be honest my lore for theo is kinda vague bc hes just kinda there as a character that changes people and whatnot

Alright, so Theo comes from a very poor background, living in London's slums with his 4 siblings. He learnt how to sneak around and how to steal. When he met Sharon he was in LOVE. Not just because he was attracted to her, but also because she actually cared about him and shit. She actually made him feel worthy of life. But he was rejected....a lot.... This guy could NOT take a hint.

Anyway time to get chronological.

1933, Theo hears a lot of talk about Germany, he didn't care much about it, he didn't really pay attention to what was said. All he cared about was knowing his best friend got in to medical school and that was awesome. He spent weeks wondering if he could've ever been as successful as Sharon... maybe if he had the money.

1939, Theo hears there's a new war around and they need to prepare men for the front, but he's still too young to go, being only 16 at this point. This doesn't stop him from applying though, after all, what else was there for him to do? Maybe if he could prove himself to be a hero, maybe he could help his family.

Of course, he's not accepted because the dumbass used his real age, but he decides to wait it out. Wait until Sharon is accepted, he couldn't go without her.

1940, Theo liked to hang around the Underground stations. There was something so amusing about swarms of people packing into tiny stations. Occasionally, he would guide a few people, there were loads of new foreigners trying to escape Germany and its neighbouring countries of course. But there was one girl, Ida, that just stuck out to him. It was almost as she made herself more helpless, just for his assistance - to Theo, this meant true love. Usually he would just point somewhere, tell someone what bus to take, where to turn, that would be it. He didn't really know how, but she had somehow convinced him to be carrying all her luggage and following her behind like a dog. There was something weird about her mannerisms, but he just assumed it was just a... cultural thing??

Whatever it was, he was happy to be in her presence. But she was married. (BUDDY BRO IS NEVER GOING TO FIND LOVE.)

She left a few weeks later, without any explanation. Theo assumed he did something wrong... but then he finally realised.

That whole time, she was using him. She wasn't some helpless anti-war refugee from Germany. She was a fucking Nazi who just manipulated him into protecting her until the bombing in Germany ended. How was he so fucking stupid???

1941, he's in the trenches. It was NOT as advertised. He was cold, terrified, he wanted to be home again. He wanted to be safe.

He woke up every night, shaking, his brain tortured him with pictures of his comrades, mutilated. He couldn't escape, even in his dreams. His whole routine was: wake up, kill, eat, kill more, sleep. It was all he knew now. The routine would keep him safe. If he just kept focused on killing the enemy... don't think about the enemy, don't think about what they look like, stay numb and kill... surely he would be fine. That definitely wouldn't affect him at all!!!!

Theo finally had enough. It had been months. He couldn't take it.

Lucky for him, it was all over. He had been shot and he fell back on a rusty nail which cut his side, he yelled in pain. But he felt it was over. He smiled. Laughed even. The last thing he saw was Sharon's face. It was the best way to die. That was the only person he needed to see.

[crackshipparadise]

Until I Found You Chap. 8-Spirits and Nightmares

The next chapter is here! I’m excited because we get some lore, and…

Well, you just have to wait and see.

Thanks to @gigilefache for beta reading!

Enjoy!

It was early in the morning, hours before the facility opened for the day. The founders, Wiatt and Eric, were going through Cryptic books and websites to find any information about the Moonjumper. Sadly there wasn’t anything anywhere about Moonjumper, leaving everyone in a dead end and tired.

“Sara, we looked through all my books and most of the websites. There’s nothing about this Moonjumper anywhere.” Wiatt complained.

Sara closed one of the books she was reading and grabbed another book. “There’s gotta be something, maybe not the same creature, but if there’s a creature with similarities to Moonjumper it’s the best lead we got!” Sara explained.

Wiatt groaned, rolled his eyes, and kept on reading.

Sara groaned and found nothing of use in the other book she picked up, and went to check on Eric and Lewis who were using the computer.

“Eric, Lewis, any luck?” Sara asked.

The two shook their heads, “sorry darling. Nothing online says anything about the creature you saw.” Lewis replied.

Sara sighed and was about to ask Oliver, but saw he was asleep. She knew Oliver never liked waking up early and would fall asleep when he felt like it. However, this was important and she needed his help.

Gently, Sara shook her friend, “Oliver?” She whispered.

“Gah!” Oliver exclaimed, waking up. He looked around only to see it was Sara who woke him up. “Oh, hi Sara.”

“Sorry I woke you up, but I just wanted to know if you got anything?” She asked.

Oliver sighed, “well, I might’ve found something.” He said. 

Sara’s eyes widened hearing Oliver got a break in the case. The rest of the guys stopped and went over to Oliver. “What is it?” She asked.

“There was an old European legend over 300 years ago about this creature…” Oliver explained as he clicked on the page and Sara’s eyes widened.

The picture showed what appeared to be Moonjumper in the woods using his red strings to lead people to him.

“That’s him.” She whispered. “That’s him!”

“That’s Moonjumper?” Wiatt asked.

Sara nodded in reply.

“Darling, how did you find it?” Lewis asked.

“I looked up myths and legends around the world and decided to look outside of the US. Then I found it!” Oliver explained.

“Well, what does it say?” Eric asked.

“Apparently Moonjumper is an old legend. The story goes that he appears only to those who are lost and becomes friends with them before leading them to a world somewhere between ours and the spirit world.” Oliver read.

Sara kept looking at the photo and with what Oliver read. It made sense to why Moonjumper befriended her.

“So is he dangerous?” Wiatt asked. “Because if he is, that means Sara is dealing with something that could harm us again!”

“He’s not dangerous!” Sara yelled. “I mean he was nice and sweet to me, and didn't harm me at all.”

“Well…” Oliver spoke up. “In the old legends, there’s many stories about his puppet strings. Similar to Litho he can control his victims. Some sources say he uses them to lead his victims to the Horizon.”

Wiatt groaned, “Oh great! How many dangerous Puppeteers are you gonna deal with Sara!?” Wiatt yelled.

“Stop calling him dangerous!” Sara yelled back, shoving Wiatt.

Eric and Lewis got up and held Sara and Wiatt, respectively, back before the two got into a physical fight.

“Guys. Guys calm down!” Eric yelled, reassuring the two.

“Oh I’ll calm down when Sara fucking admits she’s putting all of us in danger again!” Wiatt yelled.

“How many times am I going to say it, he’s not dangerous!” Sara repeated, yelling.

“How do you know? You said the same thing about Litho and he almost destroyed the world!”

Sara growled and was ready to pounce on Wiatt, but Eric grabbed her before she could lay a finger on him.

Lewis pulled Wiatt back and tried to ease his boyfriend. “Darling, relax!” He yelled.

“Yeah, you two fighting is going to get us nowhere!” Eric agreed.

Wiatt and Sara growled at one another, causing Lewis and Eric to hold the two tighter. One loose grip and the two would beat each other up until they were bloody pulps.

A knock was suddenly heard and everyone turned toward the door. Eric loosened his grip on Sara, but she didn’t attack Wiatt, she just stared at the door. 

Another knock was heard. Wiatt released himself from Lewis and opened the door.

“What’s going on!” Artemis exclaimed, running in. To his surprise, he saw everyone relaxed. “I-I thought I heard yelling.”

“We were just talking, that's all.” Sara replied.

Artemis sighed. He then set his sights to the computer. “I see you guys got into the Moonjumper story.” He said.

Sara’s eyes widened. “Wait, you know about him?” She asked.

Artemis nodded, though Sara saw he was a bit uncomfortable. “Um, could I talk about it with you, alone?” He asked.

“Sure.” Sara replied as the two of them left.

Once they were gone, Wiatt was about to follow them, but was stopped by Lewis. “Darling, where are you going?” He asked.

“Don’t you wanna eavesdrop on the conversation?” Wiatt asked.

Lewis sighed, “Let’s leave them be for now.” He said.

Wiatt sighed, Sara was the one who brought Moonjumper up and her new friend knew about this creature too. He wanted to know more about this because to him, Sara was putting everyone in danger again.

Artemis took Sara outside the facility to a local park. With how early it was, there was no one in sight. The two sat on a hillside overlooking a small pond.

“So, tell me? How do you know about Moonjumper?” Sara asked.

Artemis sighed and had to think of his choice of words before answering. “Well, you might think of me as crazy after this, but my family is…cursed.” He explained.

Sara raised an eyebrow, “cursed?” She asked, giving a chuckle.

“Yeah. Um…my great, great, great, great grandfather on my dad’s side messed with the paranormal when he was young and my family ended up cursed.” Artemis explained.

“Well, that sounds great.” Sara said, sarcastically.

Artemis chuckled, “well it wasn’t. He befriended Moonjumper and the rest of the spirits, and ended up betraying him.”

“How?”

“Sara, this event happened so long ago, and unlike today no one was big on demons, ghosts, or the paranormal.”

Sara was hit with realization and realized what Artemis’s ancestor did. “Makes sense.”

“Yeah, Moonjumper was angry so a curse was planted on my family.” Artemis explained. He looked down and pulled his knees close to his chest,  “I could be living a normal life one second, and soon an unexplained scenario happens and it all goes crumbling down.”

Sara sighed, she realized she and Artemis were the same. Both had, or in Artemis’s case his own family member, messed with demons and had to pay the price.

She wasn’t even sure if she should tell Artemis her scenario with demons. At least no one died or almost died at the hands of it.

“Though, what got you interested in researching Moonjumper?” Artemis asked.

“O-Oh.” Sara replied. “Well, last night he appeared to me and took me home.”

Artemis’s eyes widened as he looked up at his friend. “D-Did he hurt you?”

“N-No! He didn’t!” Sara exclaimed. “He did…kiss me though.”

Artemis blushed, and hid his face and groaned. “I told you he ruins things for me!” He yelled, his muffled being covered.

“He didn’t hurt me like you said!” Sara reassured him.

“I know, it’s just I don’t want him in the way of my life!” Artemis exclaimed.

Sara froze. He and I are the same, She thought to herself. “S-Sorry. I didn’t know.”

Artemis sighed, lifted up his face and turned towards Sara. “It’s okay. I guess you think I’m crazy now.”

“Nah, I don’t think you're crazy.” Sara said. “I’ve seen it, and what you’ve told me. That isn’t crazy.”

Artemis chuckled and smiled. “I’m glad.” He said, putting his arm around Sara.

Sara slightly blushed and smiled. However, inside she knew she had to tell Artemis the truth about her past demons. Right now she nuzzled into the hug enjoying this tender moment together.

After sitting comfortably for a while, Artemis and Sara got up and started to walk back to Dreamworld. “So, is Moonjumper good or bad?” Sara asked.

Artemis thought for a second before giving his answer, “mischievous is how I put it. He doesn’t mean harm.” He explained.

Sara chuckled, “well that’s relief! Now I can reassure Wiatt that we’re not in danger!” She exclaimed.

Artemis laughed, “he’s that scared of spirits?” He asked.

“N-No he’s not. Just…a lot of us at Dreamworld are a bit uncomfortable with bad spirits.” Sara explained, not looking her friend in the eyes.

Artemis frowned, “you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” He said.

“No. I do want to tell you. Just-“ 

“It’s a lot to take in if you told me?” Artemis asked, cutting Sara off.

“Y-Yeah.” She replied with a nod.

“That’s fine. Just when you're ready to talk about it, I’m here to listen.” 

Sara gave a small smile, “thank you.”

Artemis smiled as the two made it back to Dreamworld Entertainment.

The rest of the day was uneventful, with it being a normal day of work and fun.

At night in her apartment, Sara was sleeping but she constantly shifted in her sleep, looking distressed.

Sara was alone walking through a destroyed Dreamworld Entertainment. She gulped as she walked further into the workplace she long since achieved.

“L-Lewis! Eric!” Sara called out.

No answer, just rubble falling off of what’s left of the facility.

“Wiatt! Oliver! Anyone!” Sara called out again.

She kept walking until the lights turned on, showing Artemis. Sara gave a smile seeing someone she trusted was there as she ran towards him.

“Why did you do it?” Artemis asked in a low growl.

Sara froze confused. “W-What?” She asked.

Artemis walked over, and Sara felt frightened seeing him glare at her. “Why did you kill innocent people?” He asked.

“I-I-“ Sara stuttered trying to find the words, but she couldn’t.

“I what?! Are you crazy?! Mad?! What kind of person are you!” Artemis yelled, taking a step towards her.

Sara felt tears in her eyes, as Artemis backed her into a corner. “I-I-I didn’t mean to! No one was supposed to get hurt! I regret it! I’m sorry!” She yelled.

“I’m sorry?” Artemis asked. “You think this whole thing deserves a “I’m sorry?”

Sara whimpered, as she sank down to the ground.

Artemis glared with a scoff, “your pathetic. A mistake. I should’ve let you DIE from those robbers!”

Each word made Sara’s heart break.

Each word, Sara let out a sob.

Blue puppet strings started to wrap around Sara’s arms and legs before slamming her to the ground. 

It felt painful, almost real.

She felt bloody hands on top of her, and she turned seeing it was the corpses of her friends dragging her away.

“I hope you enjoy Hell, Sara Covetman.” Artemis said, before turning away from her, and walking away.

“N-No! Artemis! You don’t understand! Come back! Let me explain!” Sara screamed, but the corpses of her friends kept dragging her away into the shadows. “L-Let go of me! I’m sorry!” Sara removed the corpses off of her, but the puppet strings held her back, choking her. 

“Artemis! Help me!” Sara yelled. Soon the corpses dragged her into the shadows as red eyes looked down at her.

“NO!” Sara screamed as she fell out of bed. She breathed heavily as she looked around seeing she was safe in her room, not at the facility, no dead friends, no…Litho.

Her heart pounded rapidly, almost like at any moment it would break through her chest. She breathed heavily as tears slowly appeared in her eyes. Quickie, she grabbed her phone and called Artemis.

“Pick up. Pick up.” Sara begged, as the tears started to fall from her eyes.

“S-Sara?” Artemis asked on the other line of the phone.

“A-Artemis.” Sara stuttered.

 “A-Are you ok?” He asked. “Y-You sound scared?”

Sara let out a cry, trying to speak to her friend over the phone. “I-I had a nightmare. I-I don’t want to be alone right now.”

Artemis’s eyes widened and on his end of the phone sounded like he opened the door ready to leave. “I-I’ll be right over!” He exclaimed before hanging up. 

Sara looked at her phone and breathed heavily. She waited as tears fell from her eyes. It scared her because that could happen once Artemis finds out about her past, and he’d leave her.

She thought once she ended her contract with Litho things would be better, her friends have forgiven her, heck people like Wiatt and Damien forgave her. However, she knew some people didn’t, and it scared her that her past will come back to light and she’d be seen as a monster.

A knock was heard and Sara quickly ran and opened the door, not bothering to look to see who it was. She stood frozen seeing Artemis. The latter looked horrified seeing Sara crying.

“A-Are you-“ Artemis was cut off as Sara tackled him into a hug. He fell to the ground as Sara sobbed into his chest.

“D-Don’t leave me. Don’t leave me.” Sara begged in between sobs.

Artemis glanced at Sara and hugged her tight. “I-I won’t.” He said. “I won’t.”

Sara cried, holding Artemis as tight as she could. “I-It was horrible, y-you,” she couldn’t explain the dream as the memories of it still played in her head.

Artemis shushed Sara and rubbed her back. “You don’t have to explain. I’m here now. I’m here.” He whispered.

[thedreamworldlibrary]

Magia Chap.12- The Sound of Violins

Next chapter, and some more lore drops this time from a new person.

This chapter was beta read the same time as Chapter 11, however I decided to post it tonight then yesterday so you guys can have time enjoying the previous chapter before I dived into this chapter.

Big thanks to my beta reader @gigilefache! Your amazing as always!!

Enjoy!

The following morning, Sara woke up to a text from Oliver telling her to come to the facility as soon as possible. She quickly got changed and drove to the facility as fast as she could. Once making it, she parked her car and texted Oliver.

I’m here.

Sara got out of her car and went inside, the second she started walking she got another text from Oliver.

We’re in the meeting room.

The female founder nodded and made her way to what will be the meeting room for when the founders hold their meetings with their co-workers. Upon entering she saw Oliver and Wiatt sitting down.

“Hey, is something wrong?” Sara asked as she went over to sit with the boys.

“No, nothing is wrong,” Oliver answered.

Sara raised an eyebrow. “Then why did you text me to come in asap?”

“Because,” Wiatt spoke up, “Lewis has been messing around with the gems.”

The female founder’s eyes widened as she let out a groan. “We shouldn’t be messing around with them till we get answers.” She gruffed.

“I know,” Wiatt replied, “but Lewis and I were talking last night, and we decided it’s best we keep our gems with us at all times.”

“It’s better than Wiatt bringing his box around, so I agreed with the idea,” Oliver added.

Sara looked back and forth at the two boys and wasn’t sure about the idea. It was a good one, but it was also risky having the gems out in the open where many employees would see it. Plus with Litho and Winnie still out there, it would give them an easy chance to snatch it. With a sigh, she shared her thoughts. 

“I think it’s a good idea too,” Sara revealed. The two boys smiled at the girl’s answer. “But how are we going to keep the gems with us?”

“That’s why Lewis is messing with them,” Oliver replied, “he’s trying to disguise the gems, so no one would question it.”

“How does one disguise a gem?”

The three heard the door open and close, turning to see Lewis holding the box. “Oh, Sara.” He exclaimed. “You came just in time. Did Wiatt and Oliver explain everything to you?”

Sara nodded.

“Well?” Wiatt asked, hoping his boyfriend would come up with something.

“Well, darling. I finally came up with a disguise.” Lewis stated as he opened the box to show the gems were now disguised to look like necklaces.

The gems had a gold chain, and to hold the chain Lewis used gold clay. As a bonus, he added a symbol on top of the gems. For himself, he added a star, for Sara a heart, for Wiatt a diamond, and for Oliver, a lightning bolt.

Lewis’s friends were in awe of his craftsmanship. “Lewis, these look amazing!” Wiatt beamed.

“Thank you darling,” Lewis replied as he handed his friends their gems. As the four put their necklaces on, the unthinkable happened. The necklaces started to glow, causing the quartet’s eyes to glow their respective color and levitate for a bit.

Soon the glow faded, and the four slowly went back to the ground. The gems gained a little bit of color back but still faded. The Dream Quartet looked at one another in shock at what just happened, as their eyes slowly went back to their usual color.

“Okay…” Lewis started. “That was freaky.”

“Very.” Sara agreed.

“Guys! Look!” Wiatt exclaimed looking at his gem. Lewis and the others looked down and saw their gems started gaining color again.

“Okay…this is getting weirder and weirder,” Sara commented. “First they lost color, now their color is coming back.”

“Guess messing with them isn’t a bad thing.” Wiatt pointed out.

Sara turned and glared at the boy. “Yeah because messing with them the first time worked so much better.” She said sarcastically.

Wiatt glared and was ready to say something back, but Lewis stopped him and spoke up.

“Darling, wasn’t it you and Oliver messing with the gems first?” Lewis asked.

“Don’t push it Lewis,” Sara threatened, jabbing Lewis in the chest with her finger.

As Sara and Lewis bickered, Wiatt heard what sounded like a violin. He wondered if it was the speakers playing music, but it wasn’t. “Guys!” Wiatt exclaimed. Lewis, Sara, and Oliver turned to the smaller boy. “Listen.”

Soon, Lewis, Oliver, and Sara heard the violin playing as well.

“You hear that too, right?” Wiatt asked.

The trio nodded, “Lewis, is your phone playing music, again?” Sara asked.

Lewis shook his head “no, darling.” He replied, pulling his phone out of his pocket, showing that nothing was playing.

“Then where’s it coming from?” Sara wondered as she looked around.

The four listened longer and Oliver knew where the source of the sound was coming from, “I know where it is.” He spoke. The others then turned to the taller founder. “Follow me.” The group started to follow Oliver to the source of the music. There, they found the music was coming from what would be the repair room for the animatronics.

Oliver gulped, afraid of what was on the other side. His eyes glowed green as electric sparks appeared in his hands.

Wiatt put his hand on Oliver’s shoulder, making the taller boy turn to face him. Oliver then saw Wiatt’s eyes glowing yellow as he prepared a shield. “Let’s prepare what we’re dealing with, ok?” Wiatt asked.

Oliver nodded in reply.

Wiatt slowly turned the knob ready to open the door, as Oliver was ready to use his powers, and Lewis and Sara held their hands tightly as they stood behind their friends. Wiatt slowly opened the door, and his eyes widened as he saw a kid playing the violin. The mechanic was cautious thinking it could be Litho in disguise or a follower like Winnie. He opened the door wider, holding the shield to protect him and his friends.

The kid paused, playing, “I’ve been waiting on you, Mr. Nicholson.” He spoke.

Wiatt froze feeling his blood run cold. “H-How did you know?” 

The kid turned. The group froze seeing the kid turn around. He was a ghost. “I’ve been watching you, all of you.” He made his violin disappear.

“W-Who are you?” Lewis asked, stuttering a bit.

“Pardon me. I’m Alison.” The boy introduced himself, giving a bow.

Sara’s eyes widened recognizing that name, “w-wait. I’ve heard of you, y-your family was one of Litho’s victims.��� She explained.

Alison nodded, “I’m impressed you were able to break free from his control, Miss. Covetman.”

The female founder frowned, not deserving praise from the ghost. “I-I still did awful things.” She said not looking at the ghost boy.

“Still, I can sense you're trying to be a good person,” Allison reassured her.

Sara gave a small smile, but she still wasn’t convinced, at least not yet.

Realizing the ghost wasn’t a threat, Wiatt’s eyes go back to normal as his shield fades away. “Alison,” Wiatt spoke up, causing the ghost to face him. “Sara said you're one of Litho’s victims, correct?”

“Correct,” Alison answered.

“Then, do you have any clues about the gems?” Wiatt asked, showing his gem.

Alison looked at the gem and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I don’t know everything other than what Litho told me.” He answered.

“It’s a start,” Lewis spoke up. “Please, tell us what you know darling.”

Alison nodded, “from what Litho told me, these gems were discovered years before I was born.” He started. “They were discovered in a cave far away from here, by someone Litho considered a target.”

Sara’s eyes widened, “Clara.” She revealed.

“So that was her name,” Alison exclaimed while showing no emotion. “Funny, Litho never said her name, all he told me was a girl and her three friends defeated him, only for him to turn into the monster he is today.”

“W-What else did he tell you about her?” Sara asked, wanting to know more about the girl from her visions.

“Not much I’m afraid,” Alison answered. “Litho never liked talking about her.”

Sara sighed, disappointed the ghost didn’t have much info on Clara.

“What else do you know about all this?” Oliver asked.

“When Litho and my family started their contract, we had extended family and friends who tried to get Litho away from us.” Alison continued. “He then made a deal with them that if they were to find the gems, he’d let us go. Sadly, they never found it, and I suffered at the hands of Litho.”

The ghost boy turned away, as memories of his family and friends begging Litho to let them go rang in his mind, as well as their screams as Litho killed them off one by one for failing to find the gems.

Wiatt and the founders frowned upon hearing the story. Sara on the other hand knew that even if someone did bring back the box, Alison and his family still would’ve suffered.

“I think it’s slowly coming together now,” Wiatt said. Sara snapped out of her thoughts as she, Lewis, and Oliver turned to the smaller boy. “From my understanding, Clara is connected with Sara.”

Sara’s eyes widened at that theory.

“We don’t know how you two are connected, but we could believe one of her friends was Cyrus, and you said Cyrus looked like Lewis, correct?”

“Y-Yeah!” Sara replied.

“So it’s quite possible Clara had two other friends connected to me and Oliver.” Wiatt theorized.

Oliver looked surprised, “you think there’s someone like us?” He asked.

Wiatt was able to speak up, but halted. He needed proof to show his theory was correct. “Sara, do you think you can use your powers to be sure?” He asked.

Sara frowned, as she looked at the two boys. She was nervous knowing there was a chance she may see Oliver and Wiatt have a horrible fate. However, she got this far and nodded. “I’ll try.”

She went over to Oliver and put her hand on his shoulder. Sara waited, but nothing was happening. With a sigh she let go of Oliver she went to Wiatt next. She put her hands on his shoulder.

“Well, anything?” Wiatt asked.

Sara frowned when her powers didn’t activate. She let go of Wiatt and stepped back, “I’m sorry.” She said, “Nothing is coming up.

Oliver and Wiatt frowned, seeing they wouldn't prove the theory after all.

Lewis put his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t force yourself darling. It will come on its own time.” He said.

Sara nodded. “It would be nice to know now.”

“I should’ve asked, how did you four come across the jewels?” Alison asked. “Nobody was able to find it for years.”

“I found it at my grandfather’s old mansion, I brought it here and the second we opened it, we got these powers,” Wiatt explained.

“I see,” Alison replied, “from my understanding, this is your destiny.”

The four looked in shock, “d-destiny?” Oliver questioned.

“Clara and three others used the gems before and defeated Litho, now centuries later another four have claimed the gems. Face it, you four are the ones to defeat Litho.” Alison explained.

The four looked at one another before looking at the ghost kid in disbelief. “D-Darling, as much as I’m all into the tropes, I don’t think we’re all for the heroic stuff.”

“Really why is that?” Alison asked.

“We got our ass kicked by Winnie a few days ago!” Wiatt exclaimed.

“Oh right, but I know you four can do this,” Alison reassured them. “Your souls are different from any other human being.”

“Well, they are protected by the gems.” Lewis pointed out.

Alison shook his head. “No I believe it’s more than that.” He said before fading away.

“W-Wait!” Wiatt exclaimed, but before he could grab them, Alison was gone. The group was left shocked and confused. 

Was it really fate and not just an accident?

[meet-the-artist]

So you remember that Rose Quartz Korrie design I made over a year ago? Well I made it better

In hindsight, I should've made her skin a lil more pink but, eh. Rose Quartz had a more human skin tone so I ain't too worried about it.

I've got a little "prototype" design and some notes under the cut

Loved the rose jacket but it was a lil too busy

Major design changes!

-I changed her weapon to chakrams cuz I thought it'd be neat and fitting, given Korrie's playful nature! I haven't seen chakrams as a gem weapon like ever so I thought it'd be cool. I thought giving them the ability to split would be helpful in close combat scenarios.

-Changed her gem location to her navel cuz I thought it was 1. Cuter. 2. Putting her gem on her navel draws your attention to her belly, which is a part of her design that I love And 3. Just thought it suited Korrie a bit better than one on her thigh. I really honed in on the cowboy theming. I like making Korrie wear chaps when I can cuz I really like them. Also roller skate cowboy boots are really fun.

Okay, Lore time

-So a TF2xSU AU exists, @lenny-link is the creator of the AU and I love it a lot! I just wanted to mention that before I rambled about Korrie :)

-Korrie came from a small Quartz kindergarten in West Virginia.

-That quartz kindergarten was meant to have various rose and red quartz. They were made to either be soldiers for Redmond or for the Administrator. For what reason, I'm not sure yet. I'm not sure if this fully lines up with what Lenny has planned for this AU either.

-Point is, Korrie was one of the best gems to come from that kindergarten. Every single gem from that West Virginian kindergarten was either overcooked or undercooked. None of them made proper soldiers. Almost like this was a BETA kindergarten...

-Korrie was overcooked and was the last one to emerge from the kindergarten. She was alone and confused but was found by a group of miners. They didn't know what to do with her but didn't see her as a threat.

-Fortunately for Korrie, she was unofficially adopted by a family of farmers. She'd prove to be useful and they'd keep her around for as long as she wanted but hardly any gem issues arising.

-Eventually she'd go off on her own to find other gems. She's never met another gem and she's always wanted to find someone to understand her.

-I haven't figured out how she'd get involved with the mercs but I do think she'd meet Scout first since they're both on Earth and they'd immediately click with one another

That's all I've got! But I do really like this AU and plan on drawing some fusions involving Korrie and some of the other mercs! I hope y'all enjoyed this post!

[archerinspace]

Ice Queen & Lord Monochromicorn

Based on these cards, I wanted to give my thoughts on them since there was not much Fionna and Cake lore around the time the book was published (2016) and I'm forever searching for more. They'll be under the cut since this will get long but some of these things never cease to amuse me.

Note: All cards will be written out in text as well so if you have a hard time reading them, you can read them in plain text.

Fionna and Cake Marshall Lee and Prince Gumball Ice Queen and Lord Monochromicorn

THE ICE QUEEN Yes! We've come to the best part, baby! Winter's wrath incarnate! Absolute zero on wheels! Goddess of howling winds and lip-chapping, flesh-searing cold! White-haired and dazzling in her icy blue finery, she breaks hearts and crushes souls wherever she blows! What a dame! Far more intelligent and powerful than any other being in the fan-fictional Land of Ooh, the lonely Ice Queen longs for a companion worthy of her magnificence. Tragically, the closest thing she can find is that buffoon Prince Gumball, while the only being who could ever truly sweep the Ice Queen off her frostbitten feet is, well, me, Ice King! But that's not gonna happen, because I exist in the real reality, whatever that is! Oh, my Ice Queen, my fan- fiction figment of fabulosity, one day I shall freeze and shatter all time and space, pulverizing the very confines of existence into harmless snow- flakes, which'll float dreamily around us as we gaze into each other's beady black eyes, together forever at last!

I was NOT joking, he actively would just kiss/marry his self insert which is funny given the circumstances of "The Winter King" from 23 Fionna and Cake. Maybe Cake was onto something about all that.

Yet he continues to bully Gumball. He isn't entirely wrong though....

This panel is from the 2014 AT annual titled "Baby Cakes"

LORD MONOCHROMICORN This classy, sky-high playa plays loyal steed and best friend to Prince Gumball but is actually way cooler than the Prince because he can do stuff like hide inside a cloud, snap his tail like a whip, roll himself into a giant spiral, and speak Morse! I mean, he speaks in Morse code only! How cool is that ?? Like Prince Gumball, Monochromicorn shows exceptionally poor taste in females since he ended up with Cake, the skuzzy chubby kitty who has a bad attitude and can't even fly. I mean, what's that about? Lord Monochromicorn is jet black and cold gray and trails awesome thunderbolts through the sky wherever he goes, How great is that? This serpentine dude will make a fearsome addition to the Ice Queen's court, color-complementing some of her cool outfits and striking terror in the hearts of his former Candy Kingdom compatriots who used to ask him for his autograph constantly because he lied to Cake about playing in a ska band with me a long time ago and she told everyone.

I have no idea what hes on about anymore but as someone who thought Stormy's horse from Rainbow Brite was the coolest horse to have I can only agree with him that Mono is the coolest.

This does make me think his ideal fanfiction situation is Ice Queen is terrorizing Ooh with Mono while Gumball stands there and looks pretty, and maybe also Cake is there just thinking IQ is pretty and he's off playing board games with Fionna or something.

Admittedly I always found it funny Gumball is best friends and has the steed of a thunder war horse while looking like he has a skin care routine and all his braincells are focused on being whimsical and sometimes calmly concerning.

Why is he just making beef with these characters though I think he's truly lost it at this point.

[andvys]

You are still his Blondie.

He is still Steve.

It's only begging of the chap and you're already bathing me in angst.

You shared another first together, last night. And that feels special and... intimate. It isn't something that he wants you to do with someone else - he doesn't want to imagine you with anyone else, at all.

He only wants this, you finding pleasure in him and no one else. He wants to feel special, he wants to feel needed. And so far, you have been good at making him feel such things.

And he tells himself that this is all it is - pleasure. That the gnawing feeling in his chest, the night before, wasn't jealousy. That it was only possessiveness that he had felt because he wants you all to himself.

My boy is down bad and he doesn't even know...

And yet, the warmth in his chest feels so alarming, a flame that he thought had died, sparking - even if weakly.

No. No. No.

“Oh, oh, I'm falling in love / Oh no, I'm falling in love again.”

"l'll prepare a bath for you to soak in then," he says, glancing at you, "it'll relax your muscles a little."

Steve licks his lips as he looks down at you, his eyes blinking as they flash with something other than lust. There is a softness in them that you haven't seen directed at you, ever before, and it makes your breathing stutter.

So he prepared bath for her, looks with softness st her, knows how she prefers her coffee and still has an audacity to say "It JuSt SeX"... 🙄🙄🙄

He never prepared baths for her, he never did her hair, he never made her breakfast, he never touched and kissed her the way he did with you.

NOT EVEN FOR NANCY

This is serious... Rachel, this is serious...

A part of you wants to ask him if he hit his head, if he is mistaking you for someone else, or if the sex was so good that he somehow developed more than just lust for you.

But you don't want to ruin the moment and risk losing this.

If you were a different girl, you could have this every day.

But you're you, and you only get this now, maybe it's a one time thing, or maybe it's something new in your relationship, and if it is, you will cherish any moment he will give you, for as long as he iswilling to have you.

I just... I wanna hug her so bad.

Not gonna lie, I enjoyed they're little banters a little too much. So refreshing to see them almost flirting and not fighting every second.

This whole conversation about Steve's family (thank you for his Italian roots, though. One of the favorite headcanons of mine). And specifically about his parents... The way she always feels so deep for him... And always wants to protect him...

'Why would you be so upset by him getting hurt?

Why would you care so much when you're nothing but friends now?

“WhY WoUlD YoU CaRe So MuCh” 🙄

Sigh.

Steve called Blondie princess 🥺 And will later pretend like it was nothing 💀

Not them having their little All Too Well moment 💀 I think I've seen this film before.

Right, no harm at all.

It's only your heart that he's breaking.

This is so tis' the damn season coded...

Eddie being caring and gentle with her is all I needed.

"Eddie," you whisper with a trembling voice as you look into his eyes through your blurred vision, "p-please don't tell anyone... I-I will lose him if the others find out. And this is the only way I can have him."

You didn't think that this night would be so much different from the one before.

You didn't think that it would end with you sobbing into your best friend's chest.

You didn't know yet, that it wouldn't be the last time that you would do that.

Your long review always make my day, I hope you know that. I always get excited to read them and see your reactions 🥹

The Labyrinth reference! That's exactly what I was going for hehe

I'm glad you liked the little lore about Steve's family -- I totally agree with all the headcanons about his Italian roots (they're definitely there)

I'm cracking up at how annoyed you are with Steve and his thoughts in this chapter. He's such an oblivious dumbass

THE ALL TOO WELL MOMENT -- listen, the "just between us, did the love affair maim you all too well?" may or may not make an appearance at some point -- but who knows

[silvertsundere]

Silver Talks AniManga (10/12/23)

pretty good week and season's starting to wrap up as well so gotta start thinking of the final thoughts for the shows ending speaking of, the post in 2 weeks from now will prob be late but I still dunno if I'll be traveling or not so we'll see when the time comes

Anime

Frieren Ep14

great episode like usual, a lot of food for fern x stark people nad lots of funny fern faces too. we'll be entering an exam arc soon, with a billion new charas, but there's still a couple eps before that

Undead Unluck Ep10

good episode, I was hoping they'd do good for ch 20. that was one of the best early chaps. up until there UU wasn't bad, it was a decent battle manga but nothing too impressive, but ch20 showing off how cool juiz is and expanding our understanding of the world, with both the unification of language and addition of a rule, and setting a limit/goal to aim for with avoiding ragnarok on penalty 101, really helped to give the series some bigger stakes and increase interest in it. the next big episode is gonna come after the unrepair arc, by my calculations it's prob gonna be ep 15, after that we got the autumn arc until the end of the anime which will end on a very cool scene that's one of my favs in the whole manga so looking forward to it

Adult Precure Ep10

during this week we found out that the anime was only gonna be 12 episodes, which shoulda been expected but still disappointing there's only 2 left. also all this time I've been waiting for nagisa and honoka to show up too and they never did, despite honoka's grandma having an appearance. that is until now they ACTUALLY did show up and I was losing my gourd, sadly nagisa only had 1 line and this is all we saw of them. they weren't in the pv for the next episode and 12 is the finale so I'm not very hopeful but fingers crossed for them actually showing up more than just this little teaser

Imas Million Live Ep10

good ep, finally giving the payoff for this shizuka's dad subplot that's been going since the start, even if the result was obviously gonna be this, only a couple more eps left but it's been good (expected since it's imas)

Manga

MamaYuyu Ch14

I thought we'd get a few more cooldown chaps after all the recent action but it was straight into more battles at the end of this. we got a bit more lore exposition tho, and the confirmation of what I figured ages ago, that they're getting transported to this world in pairs

My Hero Academia Ch409

great chap with crazy good pages after pages, hori really put his all into it and certainly deserves the week's rest he's getting. seems like we're finally done with AFO too, only the big final deku shigaraki fight left. oh also of note, with chap 410 mha will officially be in the top 10 longest series in the magazine's history, and I think it's safe to say it'll pass number 9 too (421) and I could even see it passing number 8 (435) but not so sure about that

Akane-banashi Ch90

looks like we're finally done with this little pseudo training arc, it was fun seeing the other brother's progress and akane's wild ideas but I'm looking forward to what she's cooking for the big event it's been a while since we've gotten a big akane story

[saltyr3mix]

Hello!

Greeting. Ladies, gents all of the above,below and in-between. Tis' I Salt. yes like the rock, that you put on chips. why thats my name is a story for another day. Today im here to introduce myself.

You can call me Salt, or R3mix. (still pronounced Remix).

Im a minor. and currently identify as an ace, lesromanitc, non-binary/ don't know whats up with my gender anymore so i am experimenting.

Im an ambnivert, ENFP, Aries. Not that that stuff matters i just think its neat.

i draw and write for the many fandoms im in and even have a few stories of my own! The fandoms im currently into are Welcome to Dreamworld, FNAF, Undertale/Undervrese, TOH and MYCT (Outsiders, Pirates, Newlife, Rats.)

i mainly post fan art and fic updates, go on long rants about characters that take up way too much of my brain. And occasionally share some oc's!

My Ao3 : https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salty_R3mix/works

Some of my on going multi-chap fics and their summery:

-These walls scream you name - Demon Owen causes problems featuring very angry Magic, Apo in denial, traffic series members as watchers. (outsiders)

-To learn from the tragedies - At the end of episode 11 of WTDW all the animatronics get time traveled back 10 years. (welcome to dreamworld)

-Is this truly me? (am i going insane) - Pirates find a cursed sword that gives them memories of past lives/severs.(myct)

-Shattered Dreams - I re-wrote WTDW episodes 12-13 to make it extra angsty and sad. (welcome to dreamworld)

-Salts self indulgent OC's x Outsiders au - in the title. i threw a bunch of my own and some friends myct related oc's into the death maze for fun. (Original work and Outsiders)

My amazing partner who talks about a lot of our lore and silly little ocs in the best ways: https://www.tumblr.com/dragon-phoenix-along

Some other folks to be aware of are hurtmionedanger, voids-call, and crikkit-kitterton who are some of my besties and we will often get into random antics with each other.

Anyway, thought i would update this since it was kind of old and i had been updating some other things so yeah! This is me i guess.

[art-i-know-yes]

A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYONE'S (that i watch) AND THEN MARTYN'S EP 4 LIMITED LIFE

END OF TANGO'S EP

OK ALL IM GONNA SAY IS OMG CHAOS

TANGO BEING HUNTED BY THE ENTIRE SERVER

Joel killing Tango and Jimmy being like "WASNT ME"

Props to the rest of T.I.E.S for trying to protect

"This is for peace"

just bombs

Skizz just bargaining

the MUSIC is killing me

running through the walls

what about MY heartbeat

Tango driving the Bad Boys insane

ESCAPE INTO THE RAVINE BABY

ooo the mob farm

"hi everybody. im afraid."

your teammates want to kill you

Tango doesn't even know where he is

he has 40 minutes

THEY TRIED THO

momma's respect

baby dug

GRIAN'S EP

"what-what's this? are you a bad boy?" *switches skin* "of course I am!"

they tried really hard

oh no Scott is GOLDEN

"tastyyyy"

"he knows etho is the only that can protect him"

oh so Joel was just killing people like scar was last session

he was trying

oh so that's how that happened

hunting green names for sport

"last ep behavior" is hilarious to me

all the accidental clocker kills

oh so that's what THAT was

got that green name tho-

"im squealing-"

grian uses that kind of tactic reasoning right

you're destroying his pretty house

i-i was. bit expecting that to work

the Bad Boys are rrreeeeaaaalll desperate

not too sure about the friends

grian's gremlin laugh is so funny

wooooowww

potato pier

they have so many lives so they just decided that vertical was going to be the best tactic

Jimmy's Ep (finished b4 Grian's ep)

no ily for scott

so. jimmy is just. wild. this season huh. kidnapping bigb.

fire bread bridge

pearl is soooo gonna follow

*sigh* guess we know who's going red first

"yeeeahh mellow yellow. we're all friends here" "i couldn't kill you even if i wanted" but i can kidnap you

ALWAYS CHECK FOR FOLLOWERS

the bois are building and jimmy is. going through something right now.

jimmy's emotional support frog Judge Judy and Executioner

"excuse me"

"how do we know he's still a bad boy" "ive been threatening and kidnapping people"

being a bad boy is a family business

bad boy bread bridge bakery

MARTYN'S EP

him and his puns

"filthy reds"

"how much time you got? 18?" "17:48" "disgusting."

being scott's bodyguard

of course it's grian with the fishing rod

oh joel was kinda close

mean gill protection services

"the other kids are bullying me!!!"

"why am i following"

the bread bridge is getting wild

martyn watches too many of his subs vids

hunting green names for spoooorrrttt

do you trust that tho

it's it'sssss wabbit season!!

the FEAR in joel's voice

"chaps let's talk about it"

"i need the time back, i need the time back-"

"OHH MARTYN"

cooooLAAATTERRRAAAALLLL

"oh my word"

"oh grian noo"

did- did they not. notice.

loooooorreeee????

LOOOORRRREEEE!!!!

im not smart enough for lore

Scott's Ep

scott having the most time is great

"is that why you're hovering"

"little 'ol meeeee"

grian tried spleefing a lot

scott is left undefeated

people lost more time trying to kill greens than had gained

*runs in fear*

also scar being peaceful this episode

"Why do you KEEP BRINGING THEM TO MY BASE"

rip to pufferish of peace

"Hmm? hmm!"

"the arrows caaNNN REACH"

absolute amazing bucket clutch

the yellow skin is very cute

"oh yeah no I was slippery"

AY YO

what.

the clockers are the most unsubtle team ever

and pearl did that one huh

"yeah it's pretty close"

momma can't do her chores when her kids are there

always with the aesthetics

aww cute

ahhh innuendo

wild session

btw i watch tango's first bc he posts suuuper ahead of everyone else so. anyway i watched his and part of grian's when the episodes came out just finished the rest of them lmao. i have a short attention span.

[bagheerita]

Writers Truth & Dare Ask Game

🎱 ⇢ post your AO3 total stats User Subscriptions: 103 Kudos: 6,416 Comment Threads: 1,083 Bookmarks: 1,312 Subscriptions: 692 Word Count: 1,674,954 Hits: 115,408

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction?  Ever since I was a small child I've made up stories in my head where my favorite characters get to meet each other and go on adventures.

🌵 ⇢ share the link to a playlist you love my writing playlist on youtube

🕯️ ⇢ on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy editing? why is that? 11. editing is basically rereading my own stuff, and I'm the bitch I wrote that for so what's not to love? Though it usually sucks when I get to the end of what's written and have a that can't be it, where's the rest of it? moment, but hopefully if I'm in the mood for it I can add more on❤

🛼 ⇢ describe your latest wip with five emojis Um... 🤔😻😭😭😭(i opened another new gdoc when i should be trying to finish something)

🥑 ⇢ you accidentally killed somebody, which mutual(s) do you text for help? Like, IRL or in a fic?

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love I have just over 200 bookmarks and they are all fantastic

💌 ⇢ how many unread emails do you have right now?  0. I check for new emails multiple times a day.

🌻 ⇢ tag someone you appreciate but don't talk to on a regular basis @sorchakitty Hi! It's been awhile. 🙂

🐇 ⇢ do you prefer writing original characters, reader inserts, or a mix of both?  ...Neither? I mean, I prefer canon characters, bc that's why i write fanfic, I'll add in OCs when they're necessary, but I usually prefer trying to find some background canon character I can use instead if possible.

🧃 ⇢ share some personal lore you never posted about before Um, when I was a kid the three states I never wanted to live in were Florida, California, and Texas. Guess what, my family moved to Texas.

🎲 ⇢ what stops you from writing more in your free time?  Usually when I have "free" time I'm wiped out.

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings I tend not to have firm headcanons... but in general I really like exploring D/s dynamics and I tend to prefer when the traditionally more masculine/outwardly dominant character is more submissive in the bedroom, though I also write almost all pairs as switch. I think it's a reaction to reading yaoi/BL manga for years.

🧸 ⇢ what's the fastest way to become your mutual? Post about Wraith stuff.

🪐 ⇢ name three good things going on in your life right now 1. the company delayed notifying the bank about my loan, so I don't have to worry about making a payment until next month. 2. I have a new foster kitten who is super cute. 3. I just "bought" an ebook that sounds like it's going to be really good.

📚 ⇢ what's the last thing you wrote down in your notes app?  Buy eye drops

🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character Sometimes I think John Sheppard is extremely overrated.

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project? how to skin a deer

🦷 ⇢ share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on

❄️ ⇢ what's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best? I'm a sucker for regency/victorian AUs, and I desperately want one with Wraith as main characters. I'm trying to write it, but I'm not very good at the time period appropriate language and mannerisms, for all that I love reading it.

🌿 ⇢ give some advice on writer's block and low creativity You need input to create output. If you can't output (and you know, other factors like sleep aren't the issue) try reading or watching something new or different to generate input.

🥐 ⇢ name one internet reference that will always make you laugh  I've seen the first 5 seasons of Red vs Blue so many times I quote it to myself in all situations.

🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work? Detailed, incisive critique, with citations. 😉 Really, anything where someone quotes a piece of the chapter or mentions specifically what their favorite part was, because I can usually be like "OMG, YES, ME TOO!"

🍦 ⇢ name three good things about a character you hate Ugh. I think the only character in SGA that I unequivocally hate is Lucius Lavin. 1. Richard Kind is good actor. 2. He's probably not the worst person in the galaxy, underneath the rape-y exterior? 3. He's only in 2 episodes.

🥝 ⇢ do you lie a lot? what's the most recent lie you told? I do not.

🦋 ⇢ share something that has been on your heart and mind lately  everything is expensive

🦴 ⇢ is there a piece of media that inspires your writing?  not one that I can think of specifically. I mean other than it being fanfic for SGA, so... maybe I should say moderately mediocre media inspires me lol.

🍅 ⇢ give yourself some constructive criticism on your own writing You really need to work on writing conflict.

🐚 ⇢ do you like or dislike surprises? generally dislike, because I like to plan things out, but it can be fun sometimes

🪲 ⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here

Scylla narrows his eyes in thought. “The name does not sound familiar,” he says. “Though I do not know much about the Fayn or their allies. They were the enemies of the Wraith.”  “Why are you here again?” Toriel asks, even though Dorsey tries to glare him to silence.  “I am familiar with their technology,” Scylla explains with a dryness worthy of McKay at his most withering, “not the individuals themselves.”

☁️ ⇢ what made you choose your username? It was my nickname for my cat, since she was a "house panther" or bagheera + ita. Kipling's racism aside, I adore The Jungle Book and if I don't feel like explaining to you why Kaa is the fucking boss and disney sucks, I usually say Bagheera is my favorite character. Also when I first got into AO3/tumblr I was really into Avengers and Black Panther is my favorite/the literal fucking best avenger, so it was fandom adjacent at the time.

🐝 ⇢ tag your biggest supporter(s) and say one nice thing about them Um, I was going to say my sister, but she's not on tumblr. so, less personally, I'll say @eos-x and @anonmadsci set up discord servers for Wraith-focused SGA chatting which is probably why I'm still in the same fandom after several years. Thanks!

🌸 ⇢ do you have any pets? if you do, post some pictures of them My cat Amun, better known as Bug, often called Old Man.

🎨 ⇢ link your favourite piece of fanart and explain why you like it That would be literally impossible because like 90% of the fanart I've seem is also my favorite. I love people drawing Todd, and anyone doing fanart for stargate ❤❤

🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately? I'm pretty flexible about character interpretations but... if character would NOT do that

[teddybeartoji]

ARIII WHEN IS OUR WEDDINGGG I AM TOO IMPATIENT I NEED YOU NOW RIGHT NOW

i know i say this every time but you need to understand that every time i say it it just intensifies okay. like i wAS PSYCHICALLY ROLLING IN MY BED GIGGLING AND BLUSHING i read this first thing in the morning (so like at 5am lmao) and it was just THE sweetest thing to wake up to i just ahhhhh i have so much love for you i don't know what to do with myself

also the fact that u liked this a lot is sooooooooooooooooooooo i don't know heart-warming bc i was very not sure about this one lmao i was certain that prince!gojo lovers would prefer the first part and this was just meh buT LO AND BEHOLD MY OWN PERSONAL KNIGHT HAS ARRIVED. YOU'RE PROTECTING ME FROM MY OWN THOUGHTS I AM FOREVEL GRATEFUL MY BELOVED ARI

okay so i'm just gonna answer you and then elaborate on some more things bc i'm the yappiest of the yapper sue me

it's very very very important to show that even though prince!gojo can be a little cocky shit, who finds the majority of the king-to-be lessons rather boring - he absolutely adores his town and yes, the classes and the books are lame but he's determined to become a good king. and i've been mentioning or hinting idk that his dad - the king - isn't the best guy around. and prince!gojo's dream is to be better than him.

and he's such a softie he really is a puppy!!! he loves his friends so much he's gonna explode with the love.

that character who seems scary and violent and uncaring but they have such a gentle heart. yeah no this is a weakness of mine too lmao it's such a good trope it always breaks my heart and then glues it back together (we'll just ignore the remaining still visible cracks)

AND EEEEEEEEEEE I'M SO HAPPY and proud ngl THAT YOU LOVE THE READER HEHEHEHEHHE (this made me realize that this is borderline an oc isn't it lmao doesn't matter we'll continue calling them the reader)

knight!reader will absolutely appreciate it!!!!! in the spring chap they're gonna talk about the kids a little more hehehe

OKAYOKAY so in my head the reader doesn't resent the doctor at all. ok like for five minutes sometimes but overall they (think) they understand why the doctor didn't take them in. they 'understand' that they didn't deserve it. this knight needs a reality check fr YOU ARE LOVEDDDDDD BE SERIOUS NOWWW i love them so much though this little knight very much living inside me they feel like home

++++ i love the idea of the doctor apologizing!!!!!! i'll try to fit that somewhere...... i fear i might have to add some smaller parts lmao WE'LL SEE WE'LL SEE

hehehehhe gone like the summery wind. now this is totally up to everyone but for me the knight is more spring than any other season. i feel like a lot of people who don't like spring (btw i only know irl ppl who don't like spring i feel like tumblr is a spring loving place i feel safe here)(btw spring is my own favourite season too) say that they don't like it for the muddy weather, the rain, the clouds, the still chilly breeze but they're overlooking the birds chirping? the warm sun peeking out? the grass showing itself from under the melting snow and the mud? the flowers? oh my god the spring flowers????? it's the softness under the brash weather and people are just too quick to judge aren't they? if they'd just spent like a day outside in spring - taking in the "bad" things about it too, they'd love it. the rain is so refreshing, the breeze is so so crisp but it doesn't bite it merely nibbles and the mud? just think about the grass that's gonna grow from there. it's not that bad. it's quite remarkable really.

+ i just realized i started rambling about spring but i totally forgot to like actually reply to you... well but you know how the summer wind always changes to quickly into a way colder autumn wind? like one day it was nice and warm and then bam it's not the same. you got to enjoy the last breeze without knowing it was the last one. slipped right through your fingers hm.

more lore. most of the townsfolk actually didn't have anything against the little knight. they just knew that since the young knight kept getting into trouble with the castle knights - they would be probably punished too if they decided to try and hide the kid. so yeah many older ppl in the town actually recognize the knight and they're very proud. they just don't know how to say or show it - feeling ashamed that they were such cowards for leaving the poor kid on the streets.

everything feels so vivid and warm i wanna dive into this fic & sleep in it (future ari here i just wanna say that i do not in fact want to dive into this fic anymore i’ll stay in summer ☹️☹️) jasahsajsashajhsajsa poor little ari:(((

i also realized that this fic is literally just about the knight and not the prince asahsjahsahsaghsga. poor gojo is getting overshadowed by the cool knight. (not that he would mind that)(he would actually fucking love it)

oh he’s so down bad its embarrassing HE JUST WANTS TO SEE THEM SMILE LITERALLYYYYY HE'S SOOO IN LOVE HEHEHHEHE

this is the part of the movie where i click pause to squeal into my hands <333 MY EGO HAS GROWN TRIPLE IN SIZE ARIII HEHEHHEHEHE YOU'RE SOOOO CUTEEE KISSING U ALL OVER THE FACE RN

prince!gojo is what someone like knight!reader NEEDS and that’s exactly why i think they’ll end up pushing him away. :DDDDDDDDD and you're 100% as always shit is gonna get wild. the knight is sooooooo accustomed to violence they don't even bat an eye to it but then this little princess of a prince comes along and they're just about ready to have a panic attack.....

THE PRINCE BUYING THE EYE COLOR MATCHING OUTFIT HE'S SUCH A DORK I KNOWWWWW and u best believe he really did that

THE KNIGHT AND THE SUN YIPEEE the prince definitely thinks of them as the sun you know. like when others might see the rain and the mud when they look at them gojo only sees the warm golden light. just like an angel you know. and beams always always light up the scars and gojo doesn't shy away from them he adores them.

I WILL MAKE THEM CALL HIM A GOOD BOY THIS HAS TO HAPPEN I THINK I ALREADY KNOW WHERE IT SHOULD HAPPEN TOO HEHEHEH UR A GENIUS ARI

he’s so…. nothing gets me like a good ol declaration of protection genuinely . (future ari back again in retrospect this line hurts more than the ending of this fic like can u even IMAGINE the guilt he must feel. fuckkkk) :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD it hurts i was writing it and it hurt me i was in severe pain i'm glad we're in the same boat lmao

RIBCAGE MENTIOOOOOONNNNN love as hunger love as i want to live inside you love as i need you close closer than close

knight!reader i hate to break it to u but u are experiencing what human beings refer to as positive emotions ahshasgahsgahshgag this made me giggle they're a loser fr

I CAN'T BELIEVE U ALSO THOUGHT ABOUT DE HERE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ARI MICKEY NATION GOING STRONG STRONGER THAN EVER BABY IT'S DISCO TIME even i didn't even think about that while writing it............ it just seemed very natural lmao yeah idk harry is very much rubbing off on me (🤨🤨)

just the idea of someone who isn’t afraid of beasts or blood or pain, but so so scared of intimacy…. YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHH this is the loserville after all

GOJO IS SOOOOO A GIRL!DAD IT'S VERY SERIOUS TO MEEEE he loves them so much

MCIKEYDH MIEUCJE MICVEYE MICKEY MY VISION IS GOING BLURRY IM ABT TO PASS OUT????? LIKE ACTUALLY LEGITIMATELY WOWWWW OK . ok . i will be normal about this . BE GOOD???????? DO U WNAT ME TO DIE??????????????,,, ASGAHGADGASDJASHDAGSHDHA ARIIII I LOVE YOU YOU'RE THE SWEETEST SWEETHEART ALIVE DID U KNOW THAT

ARI I KNEW YOU'D LOVE THE LITTLE COO THAT WAS SPECIFICALLY JUST FOR YOU

also it is very canon that the knight is good with the kids they're just so afraid to scare them:((((((((((((((((((

OMG AND YES MINI-SHOKO I REALLYYY REALLY WANT TO MAKE A PART ABOUT THE KNIGHT AND SHOKO I NEEED TOOOO LIKE I PERSONALLY NEED THEM TO RECONNECT YOU KNOW ACTUALLY I KNOW U KNOW AND I KNOW YOU THINK THE SAME

i love how u characterize them both like i literally can't say this enough: i adore them both and they feel so . multifaceted and real…. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM DID U KNOW I BLUSH SUPER HARD LIKE I'M RED ALL OVER RN THIS IS EMBARRASSING WHEWWWW (ari when the fuck. are we getting married?????)

TEASER X TEASER HEHHEHHEHEHE I'M GLAD YOU AGREE

knight!reader/prince!gojo vs gender and they just keep winning every single time btw this comment is very very very important to me i need you to know that this is a gender bender household everybody can be everybody okay

reading ur writing really does feel like eating a really sweet refreshing treat it makes me sooo happy im nomnoming it :33 AND THISSSS EEEEEEEEEEE HOW DOES IT FEEL BEING KISSED STUPID u have to let me know

UH OHHHH THE FORESHADOWING HAS ARRIVED i loved writing that or like that anyway. thought it might be a bit weird but fuck it we ball. i think now i'm really just narrating this story i am the knight's inland empire

UGHHH I'M JUST SO HAPPY THAT WHAT I WRITE ACTUALLY MAKES SENSE AND IT COMES OUT LIKE I WANT IT TOO AGAIN YOU'RE AN ABSOLUTE ANGEL ARI you give me motivation and praise like noone else (i think i'm getting addicted to this)

OKAY OKAY so i feel like the knight genuinely wants to be softer right? i think i said that somewhere already but yeah. but it's just soooooo hard. it's so fucking hard but the silly little prince is making it easier step by step (even though the knight literally said that 'they're not getting anywhere' be serious rn) but there is always that voice in the back of their mind that's just ready to snap at them ready to give them a fat fucking reality check

gojo being reader’s metaphorical summer i’m still not sure what that makes them though. probably spring right i'm literally in love with us. SPRING BABYYY although again this is 10000% a thing where if u later rethink it and you think that they're another season that's so fucking valid i just want to hear about it lmao

i can picture everything so vividly your writing is just Like That but in this case i really don’t want to feel the scene as strongly as i am rn 😭😭😭 I’M SENSITIVE TOO OK me and prince!gojo are holding hands w our stupid sniffly little selves ahsahgsgaghsahgsghashgagh this is cute i think? IT'C CERTAINLY A COMPLIMENT AND I ACCEPT THAT THANK YOU I'M GLAD (?) IT MADE U FEEL SOMETHING

THE ONE AND ONLY ARI SAYING THAT MY WRITING IS BEAUTIFUL I CAN DIE IN PEACE NOW it literally means so so so much i've said it already and i will say it a lot more i love you so much

the knight and the rain though.. and the way they pointed it out earlier that it's gonna rain too..... and the prince was oblivious to it....... and how they had only seen each other in the sun but now the rain has changed it all.... literally washed away their little shimmer

sugu my dearest i love him so much too he's so important!!! also he will be in the next part!! he'll get more screentime i promise i also promise that the next part is also very angsty but let's just think about sugu rn okay. btw also i'm thinking about maybe splitting the winter part in two bc i have many many thoughts and i think a split might be good but that also means that the first part of it will be pretty much only angst lmao WE WILL SEE i need your opinion too

knight!reader is so troubled and self-loathing and so quick to imagine themselves as some kind of beast i just somewhere said that the knight is good with kids right. they are. but. there have definitely been moments where they did accidentally scare them...............

the heartbreak & shame that he must feel after telling them that he’d protect them and then failing to do so. ohhh this is gonna break him a little isnt it??? a prince who has the kingdom at his fingertips but has to watch someone he cares for get abused. OHHHH YEAHHHH we're gonna dissect this in the next part so i won't say a lot but it will break him yes. . period. sad emoji face.

ANDD MY FAVOURITE PART YAYYYY

and in the end — you're not even a real knight.

i knew almost immediately that i wanted to go this way. because well. how could they be? what kind of a king would knight a troubled kid like them?? even if they're good with a sword that kind of a past would most definitely be like a black spot on them.... and the 'knight' has never called themselves a knight. they've never claimed to be one. and they're not one in their head either.

they are a knight in other people's eyes though bc being a knight isn't about the title it's about protecting those who need to be protected feeding those who need to be fed it's about being polite it's about taking care of people and isn't that all they've been doing this whole time??? they are a knight. they just don't know it. im not worthy to be a knight ; i could never be a true knight this applies too!!!!! that's what goes on in their head. why would anyone even assume that they're a knight? unbelievable assumption (PLEASE BE SERIOUSS)

ANYWAY YES. THIS HAS BEEN SO FUN ARI I LOVE DOING THIS WITH YOU AND I LOVE YOU AND YOUR COMMENTS AND YOUR THOUGHTS AND IDEAS AND YOUR PRAISE AND I'M HORRENDOUSLY DOWN BAD thank you so so much truly i mean that from the bottom of my heart you live in my head<33333333

AUTUMN - THE SMILE

a reuniun between a prince and a knight, filled with laughter, giggles and tears. you should've seen it coming.

☆. contains: prince!satoru gojo x gn!knight!reader; fluff; angst :D; just a tad bit of violence toward the reader but they can take it (right?); knight!suguru makes an appearance as always, talk of shoko and her childhood

☆. word count: 6k

☆. note: got very real in the end. it'll pass, though. surely. tagging my beloveds too bc i want to. @twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat & @elusivemoon & @staryukis

+ here are the masterlist, the previous part & the soundtrack

it's autumn.

the yellow and red leaves paint the town in their warm colors. the people are wearing matching scarves, some already mittens too. the wind can be unforgiving during this time of year - it hides itself behind the last few drops of sunlight and reemerges the second a cloud appears.

it is sunny today, though. a few clouds here and there but not doesn't scare anybody. the town is as bustling as ever. and the prince is out on his daily walk again. he loves being outside, the castle makes him feel so restricted, so caged in. outside - whether it's the shadowy woods or the lively town, he feels free, even if it's a mere moment. he loves taking in the sun - he isn't wearing his blindfold again, aware of the hard fact that he'll get a sickening headache after, but he just can't help it. he wants to see the world around him without the silly restriction his eyes beg for him to wear. he wants to see the leaves, the vines growing on the houses, the river flowing along with the fish in it, the townsfolk. he knows the people, he loves the people; the old lady selling flowers on the corner, the blacksmith with one eye, the doctor, who taught shoko everything she knows, the kids playing ball, the cats nudging themselves against his calves. he loves it. and the people love him, too.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

sure, there are many, who'd like to see him dead but those are just power-hungry dogs and the prince knows that. he loves his people and they love him. whenever he comes out, he always plays with the kids. always. he plays ball with them, he plays house with them, he even planned a tea party for them once. he always visits the flower shop lady to look and smells the flowers, even when they're the exact same ones from the day before. he always buys some, insisting that he pays when the lady says otherwise. he buys loads and loads – some for his own room, some for his mom, some for the dining room and some for suguru and shoko. they always roll their eyes at that but the prince knows they appreciate the gesture; he's seen shoko admire them on the balcony of her room, observing every single petal in detail and he has seen suguru smelling them, when he thinks the prince isn't looking. suguru's nose is sensitive, so the prince takes his time picking out the ones with a smell that won't make his nose scrunch up.

suguru walks with him often, but not today. his knight duties called – the king's guard specifically requested him. 'how fancy' the prince said with a grin, earning a punch to his shoulder. he's proud of his friend, though, always. suguru makes an excellent knight and he couldn't be happier to have his best friend with him at all times (at most times).

he likes to visit the blacksmith, too. and every single time he begs, begs, to try out the job. he wants to get his hands dirty, he wants to try new things. he gets excited; it's freeing. a few times, when the prince is alone, the blacksmith allows the boy to help him.

the doctor is someone he also visits regularly. just to check up on her and to talk about shoko – he is insistent on knowing everything about her childhood but she herself won't tell him all that much. he always brings the doctor freshly brewed coffee from the tavern across the street. from her, he has learned that shoko had a rather tough childhood. well, he did know that much. he did learn that the doctor took in shoko when she was just eight; gave her a warm house and a bed and made her into an apprentice. shoko never budged an eye at the blood and the screams, which threw the doctor off a bit but she supposed it's from the life on the streets.

he has also learned that shoko had a friend, who was ready to do anything for her and for others for that's sake. with a deep sigh, she confessed that she regretted not taking in the other kid. shoko was more quiet, more well-behaved in a sense but the other kid – they kept getting into fights with the knights of the castle. "i kept scolding them over it. but no, they just kept going. later i learned that all of those beatings and slashings were for other kids." her head hanged low as she spoke. "they kept taking the blame for the younger kids, so that they wouldn't get hurt. stole food, so that they wouldn't starve. i didn't know that."

the prince nodded along, surprised to hear about this noble kid. his age, too. "where are they now?" he asked in a whisper, a little scared of the answer.

"they left. around the time they were twelve, i think. shoko was miserable. brought me and her flowers and bread; the most polite troubled kid i ever saw." she sighed."i was stupid."

the prince never mentions all that he knows to shoko; of course, he wants to know more but if she needs time to tell it to him herself – so be it. he offered her a room at the castle after he and suguru made her patch him up after a little accident. it's funny really, one of the prince's fondest memories.

though, the prince can't lie about being very fascinated the mysterious kid, who left town. why did they leave in the first place? why take the blame? who is this person? where are they now?

it's an old conversation that popped into his head as he's making his way to see the very same doctor today. why today? a cold breeze makes a shiver run down his spine and he looks up at the sun. it's so bright. fuck, he's definitely gonna get that headache. a group of kids run by him, laughter filling the street. he thinks about how there are no street kids now – he made sure of that. his father wasn't a fan of his idea of lowering the taxes and building a house for the alleged troubled kids. he hired some people that take care of them and that's another place he'll visit later today. he loves the kids so much and he just wants them to have a good life in his town. he won't be like his father — he will be better.

a warm smell of pastries suddenly floods his nose and he hums – it's thursday today. it's when they bake the biggest batch of goodies. his mouth is already salivating just thinking about it. he'll have to bring some to his friends too. as he's reaching his destination, a familiar glint of armor catches his eye. it's you. standing before the doctor's house, looking up at her with what can only be described as hope, as she's pointing toward the castle with a small smile. you give her a small nod and go for a hand shake for good measure but the doctor grabs your hand with both of hers and holds it to her heart. she tells you something that makes your lip quiver just a bit, just a litte. nodding again, you bow your head and bid your goodbye. the doctor is left standing at her door, watching you walk toward the flower shop.

the prince is stopped in his tracks, only managing to stare at you from a distance. he hasn't seen you since your little meet-cute. not for his lack of trying, though. oh no, he's been all over town, trying to find his little knight but to no avail — gone like the summery wind.

but now. here you are.

you make your way to the flower lady, greeting her with another bow of your head. so polite. the woman just beams at you and the prince feels his own lips twitch into a smile. you two engage in conversation that he cannot hear but once in his life, he doesn't want to interrupt. the flower lady says something that makes your head fall before she bursts into loud laughter, something teasing he thinks. it's like she knows you, why else would she be so comfortable with a new knight in town? he catches a faint, the faintest, little smirk playing on your lips and his knees are ready to give out.

after the short conversation with the woman, you make your way through the town with the prince tailing you. he watches you take in the people, the kids, the houses. the familiarity of it all. many of the older people seem to recognize you, bowing their heads as you pass by them.

reaching the stream that runs through the town, you lean against railing and tilt your head toward the sun. you bask in it. the light warms your skin, accentuating the scar across your eye. it looks cool. you have the same cuirass on from the months before, the little specks of rust still there. he looks at your hands, the bandages covering your fingers and the back of your hand. he's so curious about them. how'd you fight? how'd you protect? who'd you save? where have you been? it's eating him alive, he just wants to fucking ask you about the—

"you do that often, your highness?"

hm?

you address him without turning your head and it makes the prince jump a little. you knew he was here? he looks behind him just make sure you are, in fact, talking to h—

"yes, i'm talking to you."

"wha— how'd you know i was here?" his voice is a pitch higher than usual, genuinely surprised by having your attention on him.

"well, you're bound to spot the royal idiot standing with his mouth wide open in the middle of the street, your highness." you tease.

"i was not standing in the middle of the street! i am perfectly on the side, i don't know what you're talking about." he takes a step toward you, so– so eager to finally have you here with him.

"that's what you took from that sentence?" your fist raised in front of your lips, surpressing a grin.

the prince is more observant than you'd think. his fingers twitch by his side, eager to remove your hand and let your smile shine.

"i haven't seen you around."

"oh, were you looking for me, your highness?" it's supposed to be another tease but it doesn't fall through becaus—

"yes." the prince deadpans. humming, you try to brush off his straigh-forwardness.

"missed me, your highness?" you decide to give it another go.

"yes." and it doesn't work. you feel heat crawling up your neck, so you raise a hand to massage it. to hide it from the prince's keen eyes.

...

"you're ridiculous. don't you have other people to play around with?"

"oh, tons and tons. but they're not you." he leans toward you, tilting his head, boring his pretty blue eyes into yours – he really does look like a puppy like this. you've never seen one, you've only met teeth-baring wolves in the woods. you don't know what to do with him.

"has anyone mentioned, you have a terrible staring problem, your highness?" you retort.

"i just can't help it. and, anyway, i'm trying to figure out whether this is a dream or not."

"why would this be a dream, your highness?"

"i was momentarily convinced that our whole little date was a dream after i woke up, too, actually. but thank god, suguru was there to tell me that you did, in fact, save me. and, and you – yes, you – kindly refused the money and even told me to go and buy myself a new outfit." it's so off-putting how matter of fact it sounds. like he really thought it was a dream. you wonder, whether that's a good or a bad thing.

"well, did you?"

"i did. it matches your eyes. if i had known my little knight was in town, i wouldn've worn it." he sighs dramatically, rolling his eyes before setting his gaze on the river below.

another breeze bristles through the two of you, rustling the prince's hair. the desire to fix it is weirdly strong, you push it aside. a cloud appears and moves in front of the beaming sun, casting a shadow upon you.

"i'm not your knight, your highness. nor am i little." straightening your back, you try to remind him of that. it's hard, he doesn't really take you seriously like that. it irks you.

"yeah– yeah." he brushes it off with ease. no harm done. the cloud moves a little and a few sun beams drop down onto the prince, leaving you behind into the shadows for a moment before lighting you up again.

"by the way, can you stop doing that?"

"doing what, your highness?" you inquire with a raised brow.

"that. exactly that."

"that what? use your words, your highness. you're a big boy, i know you can do it." it's funny to tease him. the honored prince.

he turns to you, his lips pursed. "your highness."

"your highness?" you push.

"you know exactly what i'm talking about and i need you to stop it."

"why would i, your highness?" of course, you know what he's talking about. he was crying about it the last time you saw each other. his name.

"because, because, because," he pushes himself off the railing, fully turning his body to you. "i want you to call me by my name."

"i won't, your highness." it's a statement. you won't budge. you won't.

"but why? i need you to say my name." his shoulders fall as he looks at you. like a puppy.

"why are you so hell-bent on that? i cannot do that, your highness. it's wrong."

"it's less wrong than calling me an 'idiot' every two seconds?" that — is a good point. you won't tell him that.

"what do you think will happen if you say it, hm? there's nobody here; nobody to shame you for it and even if somebody tried – i'd protect you." the last part tugs the corners of his mouth up, nailing them there, showing off his pearly whites.

"what do you think will happen if i say it, hm?" you shoot back.

his parted lips close. "other than world peace and an end to the famine? i just get to hear it, simple as that."

he's doing it again. kind of trying to claw inside your ribcage. thankfully you're wearing armor; you won't let it happen. you can't. it's crazy, how much his sincerity irks you. and his jokes. and his smile. and his eyes. and the way he won't leave you alone. and the way he keeps bugging you about the name. you won't, though. you will not.

"i can drop the 'your highness', if that'll make you leave me alone."

"yes!" he does a little celebratory movement with his fist and the urge to punch him is back. "that's a start. we're getting somewhere now." flashing you a smirk, he leans back onto the railing.

"we're not getting anywhere, stupid."

the prince smiles to himself as you two have another moment of silence. you're both looking at the same two fish in the river, swimming in circles with each other.

while you're distracted with the river, the prince decides to take another good look at you up close. his eyes scan you from head to toe. another glance at the scar – it's deep and it's old. your eyes look a bit tired, but the prince convinces himself that the little glint in them is because of him. there's an almost healed cut in your bottom lip. there's another scar on your neck. he looks over your cuirass, wondering how heavy it is. your sword hanging from its scabbard. how heavy would that be.

"what happened?" he asks, pointing to your bandaged fingers that you keep fiddling with.

"fought a bear."

...

"what?! you can't just casually say you fought a fucking bear and then just stoically look in the distance?" he's ready to bounce off the walls, three words filling his adrenaline gauge immediately.

"nothing special about it."

it's taking you everything to hold back your laughter.

"wha— what the fuck do you mean 'it's nothing special'? you fought a bear?!"

he's unbelievably naive, actually, because does he seriously think you fought a bear and got away with some scratches on your fingers and nothing else? he's deluded. just for you.

"how big was it? was it mad? did you kill its babies? oh, i hope you didn't kill its babies, that's so bad. wait, did you kill it? why'd you fight it in the first place? c'mon, please tell me. please."

it all comes out in one breath and he looks like he's about to pass out.

"well, i was sent for it actually."

"you were sent for it?"

you hum in agreement.

"a few days after being in town, the flowershop lady sought me out with a problem of hers. the knights of the castle didn't take her seriously, that's why she had to turn to me."

the prince nods, already hooked to your story. he knows the older knights, his father's knights, can be assholes.

"she told me – a bear, like a really, really big one at that, had visited the town on a quiet night. and that it'd stolen some of the flowers from her stand."

he nods again, albeit faintly this time.

"so i went to find it. for her. took me days, the journey was rough." you sigh deeply before glancing at him, almost stopping your false little story because of his confused expression. he's cute. no, he isn't. "t'was an easy fight, though. you know how good i am with the sword. i returned with its head just yesterday. that's why you haven't seen me around."

he looks at you blankly, like a kid, who's parents are trying to convince him that santa claus is indeed real.

"i'm just fucking with you, my liege. i didn't fight a fucking bear, s—" you bite your lip to stop the word from falling from your lip and for your sake, the prince doesn't seem to notice.

"that's so not funny, you know. i really thought you went and fought a bear." he dangles from the railing, sporting a jutted out bottom lip and big doe eyes. poor boy.

you just can't stop the small smile that spreads across your face.

"you thought i fought a bear and got away with a few bandages! it's your own fault, really. you're too naive."

his own lips begin to mirror yours. "so mean. i'm just being positive, okay."

"yeah, okay."

it's a second. where it's all quiet – just you and him, looking at each other and smiling. it's weird. and so good at the same time. you don't know what to do with yourself. he bumps his shoulder into yours before leaning back down. he stays close, an inch between you and you fight the urge to pull away. you're scared. not used to this. it was just a fleeting touch and he doesn't seem that affected. (he is). your eyes flick from the river to the fish to the flowers by the water and to the sky above you. you don't know what to do with yourself.

suddenly high-pitched giggles erupt from somewhere behind you, catching your attention. three little girls in their little pastel dresses, they all have flowers behind their ears. the prince turns around and takes the world's biggest bow possible, making the girls titter once more.

"well, hello to my very favourite girls." he's wearing that sickeningly sweet smile again. he kneels down and beckons them closer. all of their eyes flick over to you and the need to step away is killing you. but as if noticing your uneasiness, the prince tugs on your hand, pulling you down with him. he sends you a reassuring smile and motions for the girls again. this time, they don't hesitate.

one of the girls reminds you of shoko. it's a bit uncanny, really. brown hair and big brown eyes. and she even stares at you the same way, just like she did when you were small; with a sense of curiosity instead of the usual distain you were used to. you try to give her a cautious smile, so afraid she'll be frightened by your sharp teeth, by the scars.

she beams.

the little girl flashes you a grin as if she's ready to compete against the sun or the young prince beside you. her little eyes shine, her little hand reaches out. "can i touch it?"

"touch it?"

"th-the scar." she nods. she's excited?

"oh."

the prince is quietly observing you from the corner of his eye while braiding one of the other girls' hair. the girls taught him that. he's very good at it, too. the third little lady is talking his ear off about the next tea-party they're having. he loves them.

"uhm, you can. yeah." clearing your throat, you lean a little closer to her. the small hand stretches out, her fingers ghost over the long bump across your eye.

"does it hurt?"

you shake your head. not anymore.

"cool." she takes a step back, still looking at you.

the prince swears there are stars in your eyes, and he's determined to make them stay there.

"do you want a flower, too?" one of the other girls asks. she has on a purple dress and she has the biggest bundle of flowers in her hands. there are reds, there are blues, yellows and pinks. it's such a colorful bouquet, you wonder where she found them all.

"i– sure."

"i think..." the prince's hand reaches for the flower, his fingertips ghosting over yours. "this..." he raises it next to your ear. "should go here. what'd you think girls?" they excitedly nod their heads. "yes! yes!"

and to top it off, he whispers a 'be good' to you.

a grumble, is what escapes your tight throat but the quiet giggles that emit from the girls help it relax. the prince's nimble hand pushes a hair behind your ear and places the flower aside it.

"would you look at that, hm?" there's a teasing lilt in there somewhere, you're sure of it. you just can't hear it right now. surely. his eyes are glued to you, making your lips purse. the heat is back, back on its way up your spine and to your neck. this is so silly.

'so pretty' is what one of the girls whispers, followed by a small 'yeah'.

your eyes flick over to them, still waiting for them to just run off but they're there. admiring the knight with the flower behind their ear alongside their prince. the heat is now clawing its way up your neck and onto your face; the warm tint on your cheeks makes the prince coo. that's enough.

standing up, you glare at the prince, who simply cannot put away his smile. switching to the girls, you merely lean over them. "run along now." it was supposed to sound harsh, demanding, but once again you're greeted with their warm smiles and giggles. they wave to their prince and they wave to you before running off.

a tug on your bandaged hand makes you jump. "are you coming to the party?" it's the mini-shoko. tugging on your arm like when you were young.

your eyebrows raise – you don't know the answer to her simple question. it should be a no, but how can you say that to her? you just want her to smile, to keep smiling.

an arms slings over your shoulder, making you glance at the hand and then at the face. he's so close like this.

"they're coming!"

"really?" her eyes have doubled in size, genuinely excited and ready for another knight to attend the party.

"i promise!" he sticks out his pinky and waits for her to do the same. they link them together with mirrored smiles before she, too, runs off. the prince turns his head and your noses almost brush together, making your eyes widen.

"it looks good."

"fuck off." shoving him off of your shoulder, you give him a firm punch against his chest, loud laughter rumbling through it. god, he's annoying.

settling back to your spot resting against the railing and closing your eyes, you take another moment to enjoy the sun. you can feel his eyes on you; it's impossible not to.

"stop staring."

"i can't."

you slightly open one of your eyes and peer at him. his leaning on the thing, cheek mushed against the palm of his hand, eyes set on you. he looks beautiful.

"why don't you wear the blindfold?"

"i don't like it."

"how come?"

"i wanna see the world."

"and you don't with it?"

"yes and no." he rubs his eyes before closing them and mirroring your pose – head turned up to the blue sky. "yes, i technically see everything and no, in a sense that i want to look at people and i want them to look at me. i want to connect with them. with the world. with you." he tilts his head toward you, peeking at you. you shy away from his gaze, scoffing under your nose.

"i heard it gives you headaches?"

"it's worth it."

he means it. you hum.

"it's gonna rain soon." you say it more to yourself than to him.

"no, it won't." he opens his eyes and stares at the clouds slowly drifting in wind above him.

"yes, it will."

"what, you a psychic all of a sudden?"

pointing behind him, you gesture to the way darker clouds now moving in the town's way.

"oh..."

idiot.

"you sure you can be outside when it happens?"

"hm?"

"i heard that little boys like you get washed away in the rain. 'm jus' looking out for you." your eyes are glued to the other side of the river in a stoic manner, whilst the prince gapes at you like the fish in the water.

"i— am not a little boy."

oh, and his voice cracks.

...

his cheeks flush but it's worth it because the next thing he hears is like the sweetest melody in the world – you laugh. you actually laugh.

"right... not a little boy but a pretty little princess instead." and you can't help it, another chuckle bubbling up your throat.

he's in awe. the sun peeks from the grey clouds and soaks you in it's golden light. his knight.

"i—..." and he can't contain his own laughter. "okay, first of all – i'd make a gorgeous princess, for all you know!"

"oh, i don't doubt that." you scoff.

the prince takes a step from the railing and spins himself around, hands outstretched holding his imagenary gown, he bends his knees and bows his head like a true princess.

"the girls have taught you well, i see." your hand rises again to hide your foreign expression; rough, scarred fingers covering the softest grin. "you really are ridiculous..."

"just for you." his voice is always so confident, like he really means it. for you. but he isn't. he isn't for you – you seem to be forgetting that. mistakes like that tend to get punished.

he does another twirl but his feet can't keep up with him and he stumbles backward, a moment away from falling when cold fingers wrap around his wrist, steadying him.

"i don't understand how you're so good with a sword when you can't even stand up without the danger of cracking your skull open."

"you think i'm good with the sword?" he beams.

"that's not— that's... i mean, you're good for a person, who has been training for the most of his life, yeah."

it's the best compliment; you trying to conceal it under some fake little comment won't stop him from him writing it down in his little journal later.

his wrist is still caught in your palm and he doesn't plan on letting you go – swiveling his hand to properly grasp onto yours. it doesn't burn. with a smile he pulls you down the small hill, down toward the river.

"hey!"

your little complaint falls onto his deaf ears; he's determined to keep you with him. forever and ever.

the dark figure staring at you from the distance is hidden by the sound of the prince's addicting laughter. you've let yourself go for a minute and you're about to be punished for it. are you ready?

he drags you right to the calm stream, never letting go of your hand. it feels right. your hand in his. he bends down, you with him, to see what he's up to - only to be splashed right in the face.

"wha— you little fuck."

giggles emit from his throat as he takes a step back, watching you dip your hands into the water. "come here, boy."

it's so easy to forget with him. to forget everything. that you're not supposed to be acting like this. playing like children. especially with the prince. you're not supposed to be laughing. having fun. you're not supposed to.

you splash him back, child-like laughter falling from your lips with ease. it's your fault.

this little chase goes on for a couple of minutes before the prince takes another stumble, bringing you down onto the grassy bed with a thud!

this time – your noses really do bump together, an immediate flush spreading across your face. your armor is heavy on his chest but he doesn't mind. doesn't mind when it comes to you. when you try to get up, his fingers latch onto the metal, gently pressing down on your waist.

his blue eyes gaze up at you but you don't really know what is it that swims in them. you're not acquainted with stuff like this. you don't know what the fuck this man is thinking about right now, but you do know that this is inappropriate. you shouldn't be doing this.

"this is stupid." you try to push yourself up again.

"stay."

you glare at him, gauging the meaning behind his word. is he joking?

"stay." he whispers.

your eyes flick down to his lips. his flick down to yours.

his heart jumps in his chest when you don't push away a third time. he does sense a small scolding ahead though. and he's right because your lips part, curving just the right way—

he knows what you're about to say. what you're gonna start your sentence with. it's coming. he can almost hear it. the smooth 's' on the tip of your tongue—

"boy!"

...

your eyes widen and your lips sow themselves shut in the blink of an eye, forcing the prince watch you swallow his name; push it deep down – as far as it could possibly go. never to be seen again. the weight of your armor lifts from his chest, but another kind remains heavy on his heart.

"boy!" the same voice calls. the prince doesn't need to look to know, who it is. a big figure looms over the two of you, ontop the very hill you spent the last thirty minutes on. even though the man's voice is directed at the prince, his eyes are set on you. scrambling to your feet, your head falls into a shameful bow before the king's guard.

how dare you?

it takes no time to close the distance between him and you. the sheer size of the man hides the prince behind him. from you.

the prince's mouth opens – ready to defend his knigh—

a slap!

the man's back of the hand meets your cheek, jolting you, awakening some well-hidden memories deep in your body. your eyes shoot up to face your foe. you know this man. his eyes are cold; cold as the sudden autumn wind, a wind you know will give you a fever and nail you to your bed. your cheek throbs – a dark pink pool of shame; pure shame and digust of oneself.

"a thieving child dressed as a warrior? hah, this isn't the time to play house."

how dare you?

a sharp intake of breath and the prince is hurling towards you but a strong hand keeps him in place.

"don't." suguru. his arm drapes over the prince's chest, holding him back.

slap!

on the same side. the pink tint rapidly turning into a deep red one.

how dare you?

the prince thrashes in suguru's grasp. a raindrop falls onto his forehead, dripping down by his eyebrow, hiding his already watery eyes – 'a sensitive boy' his mother always said.

the heavy brash rain washes away the light that had been shining in your eyes, turning them back into a pair off dull ones; the beating heart behind your ribs rattling in its cage. stupid.

"never did have any respect for your superiors, did ya? you oughta kneel before your prince. and beg for his forgivess."

"no!" the prince barks.

a tch!

his heavy fist lands against your worn back, stumbling you forward. he doesn't need to tell you twice. you don't wanna hear it twice. with a throbbing red cheek you step before the prince and slowly fall down to your knee, into the mud. where you belong. you reach for the prince's hand, raising it to your face.

"forgive me, my prince."

after what seemed like entirnity, your eyes meet. it's not you. it can't be. chapped lips graze the back of his hand, trembling in your hold while you keep your cold gaze on him. the flower behind your ear has wilted, laying limp, just about ready to fall and sink deep into the ground.

the knife in his chest turns and he can't breathe. another tear brimms in his eye, spilling over the plump of his cheek and blending together with the rain soaking his shirt. it hurts.

"why don't you accompany the prince inside, his father is expecting him." the man orders the dark haired knight.

suguru doesn't look any better than the two of you; his lips indefinitely turned downward, guilt seeping from the hands holding his best friend. he knows he can't do anything for you and he's sure you know it too, it doesn't take away the god awful feeling, though. he feels the prince turning more into a puddle by the second, his grasp on him faltering.

he tugs him a step back, the prince's hand slipping from yours.

"please."

it's only for your ears, yet you don't know what he's asking for. you stand with a head held up high, the cold raindrops easing the burning in your cheek (but not in your chest). you watch them saunter away, watch the prince glance behind him exactly three times. three times too much because he just doesn't get it. he doesn't understand that this is it.

this won't happen again; it cannot happen again. he's just a boy — a boy, who wants to play house, knowing there won't be a punishment for his fun. a mere slap against his fingers that he'll respond to with a frown but nothing more. but a knight? playing house? it's absurd, laughable even. it is disgraceful.

who do you think you are?

who are you to touch the prince with your dirty hand? who are you to stain him with your tainted touch? how dare you muddy their little doll? their precious prince? you're some foul creature seen on the street; an agressive dog, ready to chew up the prince. he's not for you to touch, to have — he's theirs. he is everything and you are nothing.

and in the end — you're not even a real knight.

[joydone07]

Appellation - Chap. 1

For @folk-ever-lore

Sabine could see how her daughter was growing more and more independent, and while it could prove to be a good thing, not yet. She was too young for that. At least at the moment. The gap between them grew even wider day by day, and Sabine could do nothing but watch, as most attempts to get closer proved to be futile.

Sabine couldn’t deny the fact that Paris had aged Marinette beyond her years, just like it had done for everyone else, but she wanted Marinette to still enjoy being a child, even if just for a little while, so they would try their damn near hardest to make it possible. Something that wouldn’t happen in the borderline neglectful household.

Sabine and her husband may greet their child every morning, and the occasional dinner together, but that just wouldn’t do. They were planning on having a talk with her soon. Very soon. It was ironic how just a few words could hold the weight of the world, and the choices made could change everything.

——

Things had been tense that morning, with a foreboding feeling settling over everything. If Marinette could tell, she didn’t comment on it. The amount of thoughts running through Tom and Sabines head were enough to make anybody concerned, but there wasn’t much they could do. Everything would be in regards to what would be best for Marinette. She may hate them for suggesting the mere idea, but hopefully later on she would come to know that the decision was made as the best one for her, being their child.

As the time began to crawl closer and closer to the end of the school day, Tom and Sabine went ahead and began closing the bakery. Letting the customers know was quick and simple, with only a few kicking up a fuss, but once they said it was family matters the customers went out quicker. Finally flipping the open sign to close, they could do nothing but anxiously wait for their daughter to return home.

——

Marinette knew something was wrong, but couldn’t really put her finger on what. Being the person she was, Marinette began going through different scenarios of what may have happened. Nothing was going on with the bakery, if so, she would have known.

Marinette paused. What if that was the reason? It had never really crossed her mind before, as the bakery always seemed to be bustling with customers to the point that her parents were always busy, but what if it actually wasn’t doing that well?

She didn’t like not knowing things, especially ones that big. Praying that she was wrong in her conclusions, she quickly became sidetracked and fidgety all throughout the day to the point that the teacher noticed.

“Marinette,” Madame Bustier called out once she saw her star student finally start to walk out of the classroom, “is everything okay? You seem as if something is wrong. You know you can tell me anything, right?”

Embarrassed that she wasn’t able to hide things from her teacher, she began to stutter out an answer. “Fine is everything- I- I mean everything is fine, Madame Bustier, I’m just not feeling the best today, but everything should be fine tomorrow, I promise.”

Still not looking convinced, the teacher slowly nodded her head, allowing Marinette to run out of the classroom, anxious to find out what was going on.

Skirting to a stop, she realized that the patisserie had been closed down for the rest of the day, further cementing the belief of something being wrong. Cringing when the bell alerted them of her arrival, Marinette trudged towards the stairs, only pausing when she heard her mother calling her name from the living room.

“Is everything alright, Maman?” Marinette asked, with barely concealed fear in her voice, “I noticed that the bakery had closed earlier than normal.”

Taking a quick glance at her husband, Sabine went about explaining things.

“Nothing is wrong with the bakery, Marinette, it's more so what's wrong with us. This isn’t how parents are supposed to act towards their child. Tell me, do you remember the last time we all did something together, besides eating dinner? That’s not acceptable. Now, I plan to tell you something, and feel free to resent me afterwards, but-“

“Maman!” Marinette interjected, “I would never resent you nor Papa! I promise, everything is just fi-“

“Marinette,” her father said, finally speaking for the first time since she had gotten home, “Please, just wait for a moment. There is something important that you need to be told. In all honesty, you should have been told years ago.”

Taking a calming breath, Sabine started up again.

“A few months before I had met Tom, I had ended up in a one-night stand, with someone named Bruce. I know this is probably uncomfortable for you to listen to so I’ll be quick about it. The truth is Marinette, is that Tom isn’t your biological father. Bruce is.”

All was quiet as Marinette digested the sudden influx of information. It was what seemed like hours before she spoke.

“Papa, you will always be my dad, it doesn’t matter if biological or not, but why are you telling me this now?”

Tom’s relief was quite visible after hearing the first statement, as he was worried that with the newly revealed information he would be replaced.

Taking a deep breath, Tom responded, “We want you to live with him.”

Taglist Form

@tim-drake-is-underrated @t1dwarrior-of-earth @iloontjeboontje @couffeeine @toodaloo-kangaroo

[tooka3142]

no strings, right? pt:3

Summary: party time babey, but crosshair really seems to hate parties, or something. Word count: 1.4 k Notes: anyways, hey again, here is a half-assed chap x Warnings: none, making some lore up lol. 1|2|3|.....

Ran immediately showed you to a lavish room with a circular bed so large that all of the batch could probably sleep on it at the same time. Hunter and Crosshair trailed behind awkwardly, and you could feel Crosshair’s glare against the back of your neck the entire time. Everytime you glanced back at them, Hunter gave you a half apologetic look.

‘I hope this suffices.’ Ran purred, reaching past to you, his chest brushing against you back to open the door to some private quarters.

You looked around the massive room. It was the most opulent room you had ever stood in. The carpet was plush underneath your dirty boots, a glimmering chandelier throwing shards of lights on the sleek chrome walls. A large window took up an entire wall, showcasing the best of the glimmering buildings that Whorlport had to offer. It was breathtaking. Spending so much time in the grimy streets and parlors, slinking job to job beneath the towering buildings of Ord Mantell City had robbed you of the beauty of what Ord Mantell had to offer. For a second, all you could do was stare out the window.

‘It’s lovely, Ran. Thank you.’ You said. Total tool or not, Ran was extremely rich, which was very convenient.

‘I had a dress and some things sent up for you before you landed.’ Ran smiled at you, a greasy leer that made you want to throw up. You knew that expression well — on him, and other men who thought they ruled the world.

The dark shimmery fabric on the bed caught your eyes, a pair of glossy heels next to it. Ran had always been partial to the Coruscanti women’s fashion of high heels, unfortunately for you. 

‘I’ll be on the VIP floor. I trust you’ll know your way there?’ Ran asked. You nodded. You knew your way around the Casino well; it was where he had set up a meeting to graciously finance you in the first place.

Finally, he left. You didn’t bother closing the door, and walked to the bed, slumping onto the soft mattress.

Hunter knocked on the doorframe and made his way inside. He looked as out of place as you felt. ‘I just talked to Tech. They should be here in a couple of hours.’ Hunter said, surveying the room with narrowed, scrutinising eyes that only a soldier could have. ‘Is that enough time for your friend?’ 

You ignored his subtle jab. ‘Yes, the quicker we get out of here, the better. Better not mention it to him, though.’ You flopped onto your back and sunk into the bed. If only you could stay here and not go down to Ran.

‘So you aren’t friends?’ Hunter asked. 

You sat up. ‘Like I said,’ You picked up the dress next to you, rubbing the fabric between your fingers. ‘Our relationship is more contractual. I think he thinks we’re closer than we are.’

Hunter chuckled. ‘I can see that.’ You looked outside the door. Crosshair was leaning against the opposite wall in the corridor, his arms crossed and his gaze squarely on you. That look always made the embers in the bottom of your stomach continue to smolder.

You looked away, breaking away from his intense stare. ‘Why’s Cross out there?’ 

Hunter looked behind his shoulder for a moment. ‘He’s sulking.’

‘Ah.’

‘Serves him right.’ Hunter remarked.

You laughed. ‘You know, I think you’re right.’

---

‘So, what do you think?’ It had been so long since you had dressed up and you felt out of place. The comfort of your well worn trousers and jacket provided more than just protection — it gave a feeling of security, one you desperately wanted now.

‘You look lovely,’ Hunter said sincerely. 

‘Thank you,’ You replied, smoothing the dress down. The fabric was heavy and brushed against your ankle. Nearly all of your back was exposed but luckily your front and arms were covered, a high collar being of some comfort.

Crosshair rolled his eyes, gnawing on a toothpick. He barely looked at you.

‘What, not to your liking Cross?’ You sneered half-heartedly.  

Crosshair raised an eyebrow. ‘Maybe you’d look better if you weren’t getting dressed up for that idiot.’

‘Crosshair,’ Hunter warned. ‘Grow up.’ You simmered. Why was Crosshair so frustrating?

‘You always did look better in a dress,’ Ran showered you with compliments the minute you got within arms reach, not catching onto how he made your skin crawl. Crosshair and Hunter looked out of place in their carbon-scorched armour, loitering around you and Ran, close enough to overhear the conversation.

‘You know me, Ran,’ Your smile was tight. ‘Your lifestyle isn’t quite for me.’

‘It could be,’ his fingers held your chin, holding your head in place. Whenever Crosshair did that, it made your heart flutter and flip, but now your stomach churned unpleasantly. Maybe before you’d met Crosshair you were able to stomach Ran, but now it was much more difficult. Every comment and touch he gave you made you think of Crosshair, the agony worse because Crosshair was only meters away from you.

Ran swept you around the room, his hands always too low, always too tight. For hours he showed you off to his clients and associates, draping gleaming compliments around your neck. You were his success story, and you hated it.

Using any excuse to break away you made for the closest waiter and alcohol. Swiping a glass of fancy champagne off a tray you downed it, and then drunk another in quick succession. Anything to get a break from Ran and his syrupy comments and his sticky fingers. Your skin was uncomfortably warm and you massaged your temples. 

 ‘Sick of being his trophy?’ Crosshair sidled near you, his rifle securely in his hands.His drawl was grating on your nerves.

‘Seriously?’ ‘He saved our lives! Maybe you should thank me.’ You shot back. Maybe it was the alcohol getting to your head (it definitely wasn’t just the champagne), but you were so sick of Crosshair’s constant bleak cynicism. It would be fine if he could sulk in a corner somewhere, but no, he always had to announce exactly how you had messed up or pissed him off whenever he had a spare moment — and even when he didn’t. 

Crosshair laughed, a sharp mocking sound that hurt.‘Thank you? What for? For having to subject us to watching him parade you around the room — his little bounty hunter pet?’ Crosshair sneered at you, his lip curled, ire twisting around his tongue. ‘It’s pathetic.’

It was frustrating; he had the entitlement to be jealous, even though he’d done everything to make sure your relationship to him was casual. No strings. Your face and ears and neck and chest were on fire. Crosshair smirked harshly at your embarrassment.

Vexation glowed hot in your chest. ‘I don’t like him! I’m doing this because he saved me!’

Crosshair sniggered and replied bitingly: ‘Could’ve fooled me. Soon he’ll probably ask for you to go to his private quarters.’ He looked at you properly, his narrowed eyes sliding up and down the length of your body. ‘Maybe he’ll want to finance you again.’

You were fuming. You put up with his overbearing superiority complex without much argument, even though his arrogant face and callous cavilerity wore away at your patience every day. Not anymore. The audacity he had, to insult you in the rudest way possible hurt more than you ever wanted to admit.

You forced a sneer, even though you could barely swallow the growing lump in your throat, and you could feel tears beginning to shine on your eyes. ‘Well, at least I’ll finally have a man who can actually make me come.’ Your voice was harsh and you knew it would hurt him. Good.

Crosshair’s eyes widened for a moment, his glare deepening viciously. It was like his features were set in stone, etched so deep that they would leave permanent creases in his skin. He was livid, but managed to crack a hard, cruel smile. ‘You’re so pretty when you lie, doll.’ His voice was throaty and his eyes flashed furiously. You couldn’t meet his eyes, instead stomping back to Ran so hard and fast that you thought the heels of your shoes might break. You swore you heard him laugh harshly.

‘I was wondering where you were.’ Ran murmured in your ear, his fingers trailing up your arm like a large pasty spider. You swallowed, trying to compose yourself.

You forced a sweet smile at Ran. ‘I just needed a drink.’ You didn’t listen to Ran’s response, looking over your shoulder at Crosshair. He lifted a finger in mock greeting, his shoulders stiff. Hunter lingered nearby, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. He wasn’t the only one done with the party.

It would only be a few more hours, at least.

[sunlightocean]

Okay ngl, the overblots in twst are getting kinda,,,, boring at this point. Like I get it, they're a plot device and explains the characters backstory, but it kinda feels like we're getting them just,, thrown at us for no reason.

According to the overblot entry in the wiki, an overblot happens when a magical user uses too much magic combined with negative emotions. In a good amount of the chapters, the overblots just sorta happen.

Like, in chapter one, Riddle overblots because of his anger at Ace, as well as the collaring of too many students at once. That's understandable. In chapter 3, Azul overblots because he kept on using his unique magic, which is very prone to creating blot, to steal other magic from people without any restraint. That's understandable as well.

But for the rest,,,, it just sorta,,, happens.

For chap. 2, Leona overblots out of no where. Maybe using King's Roar on the entire magift stadium, plus his negative emotions contributed to the overblot? It's not said in the chapter, nor is it a very good reasoning. (I assume) Leona's been training his magic since he was a kid, it wouldn't make very much sense.

Hell, it would have made more sense for Ruggie to overblot. He used his unique magic on an entire stadium worth of people, that should be enough for someone to gather a large amount of blot. The potion Ruggie used wasn't specified/looked into, all we know is that Azul gave it to him, and it can boost your magical abilities greatly. Nothing about reducing blot or anything.

Same thing happens to Vil in chapter 5. He just sorta, snapped after his attempt at poisoning Neige failed and he got outted. He didn't really use any magic. It would have helped if, idk, he used a large spell on the drink he tried to give, not a lot but still, would've helped explain a bit. It was probably just a normal handmade poison. Pomefiore talent and all that. Idk, not a lot of detail.

Chapter 4 is,,, questionable??? at best. Jamil overblot is caused by Azul over throwing his plans as well as his fight with Kalim. His control on the students he hypnotized with his UM probably contributed? Nothing is really said or put into detail, but there's a good chance that helped with the blot accumulation.

Chapter 6??? Uh,,, I can't really say anything??? I haven't been able to play it yet, because I'm busy with school, I'm only into part 14. So when I finish the chapter I'll update this post. But for know you get this.

All in all, the overblot is getting overused at this point. Nothing is really put into detail throughout the chapters, or the game in general, which makes it hard to really get a grasp on the overblots. The lore in twisted wonderland is very very vague,,, and as a lore explorer im kinda salty about it,,, but then again, it's Disney, I don't expect them to explain much, they just throw angst at us at a desperate attempt to keep us hooked. (Which that succeed at like,,, 56% of the time)

I'm nervous/scared for chapter 7, cause Malleus is next in the chain of overblots, and he's baby. I really can't expect Lilia to do the same thing Jamil did 'cause he's an old man who's as ancient af,, but Disney's pulled some sh*t, they'll find a way to throw our theories out the window in one way or another.

So Disney, if you're seeing this, (which I highly doubt but hey, a girl can dream) please explain the lore better,,, I'm on my knees, plus a good chunk of the twst community is with me on this.