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roxannarambles · 3 years

Text

title: borrowed time (chapter 1/8)

ship: goldenlight (luz x hunter)

notes: This was supposed to be a short one-shot for the Lunter Week prompt “Human Realm.” It, um, got a little long. Set in my standard canon-divergent AU where L*mity didn’t happen, everything else is the same. Post-Yesterday’s Lie.

summary: When opportunity knocks, Luz never fails to answer. What she doesn’t anticipate is that Hunter ends up along for the ride.

tags: fluff, angst, friendship, crushes, flirting, kissing, mild occasional swearing, The Good Witch Azura, Malin Gael, tropes, brief vague mention of child abuse

thanks: huge thanks to mel for the beta and for enabling my goldenlight addiction

also, shout-outs to the goldenlight discord and their love of steve. (he has just a cameo in this story, maybe next time I’ll do a whole story with steve :3c)

total fic word count: ~52k

It was a calm night on the Boiling Isles, and Luz was curled up on an old beanbag chair in her room, rereading an Azura book for probably the 30th or 40th time. When she was feeling a little glum or homesick, she found rereading them was a source of comfort. She'd zoned out for several hours that way, absorbed in her book even as the night grew darker and the light from her candle was little more than a flicker.

Just as she was nearing the end of her book, there came a quiet little rapping at her window. She glanced across the room, brows raised in surprise.

". . . Hooty?"

Nothing.

Hm. Maybe she was imagining things.

Luz stood and stretched, her muscles a bit cramped from sitting for so long. She let out a yawn.

Rap tat tat tat.

She froze. Her eyes were drawn to her window. That . . . she hadn't imagined that. Frowning, she asked again,

"Hooty? Is that you?"

It didn't seem likely, if she was being honest. Gentle tapping on her window was not Hooty's style. Smashing through it was much more in-character for him.

Which . . . left her with quite a mystery.

Rap tat tat tat.

Luz swallowed. Maybe it was, uh, a bird? Or something? Heck, maybe it was a piece of trash blowing in the wind. Although it didn't really sound like it.

As the sound came again, this time louder and more persistent, Luz decided to stop messing around and just go check. So she crossed the room, unlatched the stained-glass window and opened it cautiously.

Luz had been expecting potentially a number of possibilities: a piece of trash, a bird, a raccoon, maybe a little demon looking to build a nest, or maybe King had somehow got himself stuck on the roof again. What she was not expecting was to see the Golden Guard floating on his staff directly outside her bedroom window, creepy mask and all.

Survival instincts kicking in, she yelped and backed away immediately, scrambling for where she'd left a stack of magic glyphs. Oh, god, oh god where did she put them?

In a half-hushed voice, he spoke;

"Whoa, whoa, hold on, it's ok-- I'm not here to fight."

Her eyes darted up to him and she saw he was holding his hands up to indicate he was unarmed. Which was technically inaccurate since he had his staff, but he strangely sounded like he meant what he said.

Luz narrowed her eyes at him. He slowly reached up and pulled off his mask, tucking it into the folds of his cloak. He looked at her appeasingly.

"If I'd wanted to attack or anything I wouldn't have bothered to announce myself, right?"

Luz frowned, crossing her arms.

"I guess that's a fair point. But, then . . . what do you want?"

His reply took her off guard.

"I came here to talk."

She blinked at him. She tried to imagine what he meant; was he going to issue a threat? Pass along some taunts from Belos? Was he looking to bargain or something?

"All right, I'm listening."

She waited patiently, but he seemed to almost freeze. He began to try and speak but then stopped short, almost as if struggling to get the words out. He looked visibly frustrated, and Luz felt her curiosity spike. What was going on?

After an awkward pause, he finally blurted out,

"Look, I didn't want to be your enemy, you know."

She raised a brow, confused. He hastily continued, babbling,

"It's not like I have anything against you. I mean, I did at first, but I thought you were all just criminals. Horrible people doing dangerous things and putting everyone else at risk, just so you can satisfy your own selfish quest for power. That's what they told me about you: reckless, callous, selfish. Fooling around with magics you didn't understand and not caring about who got hurt in the process."

He was silent a moment. Luz watched him curiously. He carried on,

"But then when I met you, you didn't really seem like the person they described. It didn't really add up. At first I thought it was just a trick, all an act. Of course a criminal would be two-faced like that. Right? So I kept waiting for it happen. For you to show your true colors, to prove they were right."

The look in his eye softened just slightly.

"Except . . . it . . . never happened."

He shook his head.

"You were naive, maybe, but callous? Selfish? A power-hungry cultist intent on destroying society? Tch. Not even close. It didn't make sense."

As he paused, Luz thought carefully about how she should approach this. He seemed potentially receptive to hearing the truth, but she didn't want to get him on the defensive.

Better to ease her way into slowly, she figured. Cautiously, she said,

"It's pretty common for people to imagine their enemies are a lot worse than they actually are. Makes it easier to feel okay about fighting them."

He suddenly set his feet down on the roof and pulled the staff out from under him, startling Luz and causing her to flinch-- but he didn't make any aggressive moves. He simply leaned against his staff and sighed. His eyes were focused on some distant point, his brow furrowed, as if battling with his own thoughts. Luz kept quiet, waiting for him to process whatever was running through his mind.

Suddenly, he spoke again, almost as if ranting to himself.

"Then this palisman kept following me around, and he wouldn't leave me alone, and things got even more complicated. I was supposed to turn these things in, for pete's sake, and here I was protecting one."

He paced on the roof as he thought to himself.

"I couldn't just let it suffer. Not when it looked at me like it actually had feelings, was actually alive. They told me palismen were just magic tools, not actual creatures, but . . . that clearly wasn't true. Even if it was carved from wood, it was still alive. The more time I spent around it, the more obvious that became. And then . . ."

He stared at the staff in his hands, as if in awe.

"I . . . I started to understand him. I thought I was going crazy at first, but . . . he was talking to me. Telling me things, all sorts of things. Soon we could hold entire conversations. And he's . . ."

He trailed off, his expression melting into something almost tender. He gently touched the wooden bird atop his staff.

". . . kind."

His eyes slipped closed. His voice grew much quieter.

"Kinder then I deserve."

Luz wondered if she should step in and finally comment on his tirade, but she wasn't sure what to say. Before she could think of anything, he continued to ramble.

"Now I don't even know what to think. Palisman, wild magic . . . everything. If we've been wrong about all that, what does that make us? What are we even doing?"

He paused and sighed again, staring out into the night.

"That's what I keep wondering to myself. I keep wondering-- what if the human was right? What if . . . I've been wrong this whole time?"

He fell quiet again, his profile a still silhouette against the starry sky. Luz pondered the strange turn her evening had taken; she certainly hadn't expected to have one of her greatest foes standing on her roof, spilling his guts to her in the middle of the night.

Suddenly, Hunter turned, finally looking at Luz for the first time in a long while. He spoke to her in a heavy tone.

"But here's the thing-- I can't stop him. Even if it ends up we've been wrong all along, even if I wanted to turn against him-- I . . . I can't. You've only seen a small fraction of his power. Turning against him is suicide. Like an insect fighting a hurricane."

His gaze shifted away from her. Quietly, he said,

"So . . . it has to be this way. Maybe in a different lifetime, we wouldn't have fought, we might have even been friends, but . . . this is just the way things are."

Luz studied the young witch standing there; his tense, conflicted expression, his miserable posture, the look of defeat in his eye. She realized she probably couldn't even begin to imagine the kind of hold that awful man had over him, but that wasn't going to stop her from trying to help.

"I know this is easier said than done, but we really can help you--"

He shook his head, cutting her off.

"You can't. I know you mean well, but you really don't know what you're up against."

She frowned.

"Then you could tell us. If we worked together--"

He laughed, a short, humorless sound.

"This isn't some heroic quest that the power of friendship is going to overcome. I'm telling you as clearly as I can: anyone who turns against the Coven will be crushed underfoot without a second glance."

He paused, then added,

"Besides, I'm not worth it. Better to save your sympathy for someone you can actually reach."

Luz felt disturbed at how easily he said that, as if he was just stating a plain fact. She gave him a hard look.

"I'm not going to just suddenly stop caring, it doesn't work like that. I want to help you."

His face dispassionate, he repeated to her,

"You're being a fool. I told you; I'm not. Worth. Helping."

Exasperated, she argued back,

"Says who?! Of course you're worth helping. I'm not going to just give up on you."

He turned away, his calm tone starting to waiver just slightly as he stated,

"That's exactly what you need to do. Forget about me. Forget about all of this."

"I can't. I won't."

"Then you're an even bigger fool then I thought."

"Hunter--"

"Don't," he said, and Luz stopped short, startled at how desperately he'd uttered the word-- almost like a plea. He looked at her. Quietly, he repeated,

"Don't. Please don't look at me like that, don't . . . say my name like that. You don't even know me. I'm not the person you think I am."

Luz studied him a moment, the anguish in his eyes. She crossed her arms and answered calmly.

"You sure about that? Because I think you're someone who's been manipulated and used until you've forgotten who you are, and it's the only life you've ever known. But they haven't killed all the good in you. They can't kill all the good in you."

He remained stubbornly silent, but Luz felt like she might finally have a chance to get him to truly listen.

"You're out here tonight, aren't you? Why else would you be out here telling me all of this? You feel trapped and you're trying to find a way out. We can be that way out for you. If you'd just let us try."

Her words hung in the air for a while. Eventually, he glanced away and said,

"I actually came here to tell you something else."

Luz's brow furrowed and she stared at him.

"Tell me what?"

Quietly, he answered,

"They got the portal working again."

Luz felt a wave of dread. She remained silent, unsure if she even wanted to hear whatever he was going to say next.

Slowly, almost hesitantly, he asked,

"You wanted to see your home again, didn't you?"

She opened her mouth to reply but then shut it. Blinked, confused. Finally, she said,

"Yeah?"

He seemed to nervously fidget with his staff, not quite meeting her eyes.

"I could take you there."

Wh-what. Luz's mind boggled at this sudden shift. But they . . . why was he . . . huh?

Unable to articulate it more delicately, Luz bluntly asked,

"Why?"

To her surprise, he shrugged, as if confused by his own actions. Quietly, he answered,

"To be honest, I'm not sure. I guess I figured if you're going to die fighting a hopeless battle, then you should at least get the chance to tell anyone who might care about you what's going to happen to you."

Luz fully intended to immerge victorious in her resistance against Belos, but she would be lying if she claimed her heart didn't wrench in guilt at the thought of what would happen to her mother if she didn't return.

Hunter looked up at her warily.

"But . . . don't think because I'm offering to do this that I'll help you with anything else, because I won't. This is all I can do for you. Think of it as a one-time offer-- you can take it or leave it."

Luz stood there, frozen, contemplating. It was such a huge thing to suddenly consider, it was almost paralyzing. After a few moments, Hunter added,

"And I realize this could easily seem like I'm just trying to lure you in to kidnap you or whatever, so if you don't want to go for it, I understand."

Well, yes, there was certainly that chance. It seemed extremely unlikely to Luz, though; she doubted all the things he'd just dumped on her tonight were a set of elaborate lies. That said, the risk of getting caught, sneaking into the most fortified place on the Boiling Isles, was nothing to sneeze at.

Looking at him seriously, she asked,

"You think you can actually get us in there safely?"

He nodded.

"I know every nook and cranny in the castle, every guard, every crack. I can do it."

She paused.

It was a lot on the line. She'd be putting a lot of faith in his words.

She gazed into his magenta eyes. The person who gazed back seemed tired, weighed down by the weight of the world, and very wary. But there was also a glimmer of something else in his eyes, something soft and almost imperceptibly hopeful.

Luz pulled in a breath. Then she nodded.

"All right. Let's go for it."

Immediately, she could see the surprise on Hunter's face, as if he never actually expected her to agree. A wry smile gradually made its way onto his face.

"Well, you have guts, I'll give you that."

Then he became serious once more, straightening up, tapping his staff.

"All right. You have five minutes to get ready. I'll wait here. Don't be late, in five minutes I'll be leaving with or without you."

Taking him at his word, Luz ducked back into her room. Shoot, all right. What should she bring? Some glyphs, in the very least. She scrambled, trying to find where she'd left them. After rifling through a lot of junk, she finally spied them on the edge of a storage trunk. She nabbed them, picking a good selection to shove into her hoodie pockets. All right, what now? She glanced around her bedroom, thinking. Should she tell Eda where she was going?

She frowned, imagining Eda's reaction. Yeah, no, that wasn't going to work. That would lead to a whole big discussion/argument and it would definitely not be resolved in five minutes. But still, if something unfortunate happened, Eda should at least know where Luz went.

Luz ultimately decided on grabbing a sheet of paper and scribbling out a quick note for Eda to find.

Eda,

Gone with Hunter to the castle. They got the portal working and he said he'll let me use it to talk to mom. I know that sounds like a trap but honestly I think he really does just want to do something good. If I'm not back by morning, guess I was wrong. Or we got caught. Sorry.

Love,

Luz

That should do it. Wow, she was taking a big chance, wasn't she?

Ah well. Too late to start worrying about it now. She wasn't going to let this opportunity go.

As an afterthought, she grabbed her cell phone and pocketed it, in case it came in handy in the human realm. Without anything else to do, she snuffed her candle, then opened her window again. Already sitting on his staff, Hunter was waiting.

He nodded at her.

"Let's go."

Feeling full of nervous energy, Luz climbed on the back of his staff and held on. They silently slipped into the night.

The journey from the Owl House all the way to the castle was fairly lengthy. They had to pass by all of Bonesborough. Even at this hour, the town was rather lively, boasting an active nightlife, especially those browsing the Night Market. Once they left Bonesborough behind, and all of its lights and noise, they proceeded across the quiet expanse of the Chest Valley. As they flew, Luz studied the dark landscape below and pondered what they were about to do. She hoped Hunter really did know what he was doing.

Eventually, the castle was recognizable as they approached, a massive building looming deep in the center of the chest, surrounded by jagged ribs and rocks and fortified with battlements and a large, retractable bridge. The many flickering lights cast the entire structure in a gloomy, foreboding glow. It was, of course, designed to be intimidating to all who came across it, and Luz couldn't help but feel her heart pick up anxiously as they flew toward it.

However, before they actually reached the castle, Hunter took them down, instead landing in a dark stand of pine trees sitting just outside the castle proper. As Hunter hopped off the staff, Luz blinked in the darkness, confused.

"We're not flying in?"

He moved among the underbrush, answering in a hushed tone.

"No. Too easy to be spotted."

Luz pulled a light glyph from her pocket and activated it. She noticed Hunter seemed to be poking along the ground with his staff, as if looking for something.

"What're you doing?"

Distracted, he murmured,

"Hold on a second, let me just . . . ah, here we go."

He reached into a bush, pulling out something that was stashed there; as he turned and showed it to Luz, she realized it was a pile of folded clothing, which included boots, gloves, and a large, birdlike mask resembling the outfit she'd seen lower-ranking members of the Coven wear.

Hunter pushed the clothing into Luz's hands, telling her,

"You'll need this. I tried to get something close to your size, so hopefully it won't look too baggy or anything."

Luz blinked down at the uniform, surprised.

"Huh. That's . . . actually a really good idea."

She hadn't really given much thought into how they'd sneak in, but it made sense.

"Wait," she said, raising a brow and casting him a curious look,

"How far in advance have you been planning this?"

A look of embarrassment flashed over his face, as if he'd been caught out on something.

"I dunno, a few days? I wasn't going to offer to take you here if I didn't have a proper plan in place."

She nodded, acknowledging that was fair. Still, it was interesting information to file away in her brain; he'd apparently been considering this for a while.

Sounding impatient, Hunter said,

"Just be quick, all right? We don't have all night. I'll be waiting over there while you change."

He stepped away from the group of bushes they were in and stood along the edge of the stand of trees, a few feet away. Luz hesitated a moment, examining the shirt and pants and then glancing toward Hunter, feeling a little self-conscious about him being so nearby. But he stood facing away, staring at the looming figure of the castle, apparently absorbed in studying the movements of the coven members. Quickly, she ditched her clothes and pulled on the uniform.

The shirt and pants seemed to fit well, although the outer coat was a bit oversized for her. She struggled to get the high-top boots on, then draped the cloak over herself, fashioning it shut with the silver triangle clasp. Finally, she pulled the gloves on and cautiously stuck her head into the mask. Surprisingly, the mask wasn't as uncomfortable to wear as she thought it might be, and didn't feel too suffocating.

Her feet stumbled over something and she cursed, realizing there was a belt too. She grabbed it and wrapped it around her waist, hastily fashioning it. Then she pulled her hood up, so that her head was completely covered.

After stashing her clothes carefully in the bush, she stepped out, quietly announcing,

"Ok, I'm ready."

He turned and then glanced her up and down, appraising the uniform's fit. He muttered,

"Good, that's not too bad. How's the mask fit?"

"It's good, actually."

His eyes fell on her belt and he frowned, saying,

"Hold on, that belt's too sloppy, they'll notice that. You can't stick out at all."

"Oh, sorry, I was kinda struggling with it."

Before Luz had the chance to process it, Hunter stepped close and unclasped her belt, then tugged it tighter around her waist, before fiddling with the finicky metal clasp to secure it closed.

Luz couldn't help the rush of heat reaching her face, which only got worse when Hunter seemed to realize how handsy his actions were and he glanced awkwardly up at her.

"Ah," he uttered, backing up a little, a light blush on his features.

"S-sorry. It, uh . . . should be good now."

Luz suddenly felt very grateful for the mask covering up her face. She laughed nervously and said,

"Thanks."

He cleared his throat and then looked to the castle, quickly moving on.

"A-anyway, you'll need to follow me close. Don't dawdle or hesitate. We need to keep moving and look like we belong. Act like I'm your commanding officer, ok?"

Luz fidgeted with her gloves as she thought about his directions. Nervously, she asked,

"So we're just going to walk in?"

He nodded, and Luz watched as his staff transformed back into a little bird palisman. He tucked the creature away safely in his cloak.

"Yeah. Don't have much choice anyway, they took my mechanical staff . . . and I can't be seen with a palisman, obviously."

Oh, right. Luz forgot about that. She felt a wave of unease when she considered the fact they were basically waltzing in unarmed. Well, other than the few glyphs she'd pocketed.

He seemed to sense her unease.

"Don't worry. I'm choosing a path that brings us by the fewest number of people. The chances of anyone suspecting anything are minimal. Just play it cool and follow my instructions and we'll be fine."

Right. Ok. Luz took a steadying breath. Hunter was a high-ranking officer here, after all. There was no reason anyone should challenge him.

He pulled the golden mask over his face and pulled up his hood. Looking to her, he added,

"Answer anything I say to you with 'yes, sir.'"

Despite her nervousness, Luz smiled a little. She answered,

"Yes, sir!"

He nodded.

"Good. If anyone asks, you're with the new recruits. But we shouldn't even end up speaking to anyone. Follow close."

He moved away from the trees and Luz followed close behind until they reached a path that led to the castle's main drawbridge. There were a few scattered people moving along the path, including a wagon with supplies that was pulled by some freaky-looking demons, but nobody seemed to pay them any mind. Despite that, Luz felt increasingly wary as they drew closer and closer to the imposing stone castle. She didn't exactly have the best memories of this place.

As they walked across the narrow drawbridge, Luz swallowed and focused on keeping step beside Hunter, resisting the urge to gaze down into the pit below them.

Reaching the towering entrance, Hunter briefly nodded at the guards standing there. The guards nodded back, saluting, and then they were inside without any fuss.

The bailey of the castle was an inner courtyard that had a large number of paths leading to different areas. The paths were lit with flickering torches, like most of the castle exterior, and there were a fair number of people moving along the paths, most of them in uniform. Hunter chose a path that took them along the outer edge of the courtyard, where there seemed to be very few people. A couple of times, they did pass by people in their silver bird masks, a few of them carrying spears, but Hunter just nodded curtly at them as they passed. Luz kept her head down and followed close behind Hunter, avoiding any eye contact.

Once inside the castle keep, they were properly indoors, passing through cavernous hallways with tile floors that were lined in rich green carpets. The walls proudly displayed flags and tapestries and statues, all depictions of the Emperor's Coven and symbols of their might. Hunter navigated them down a series of hallways that Luz couldn't even keep track of, but seemed to be very out-of-the-way and avoided most foot traffic. Luz gradually relaxed, realizing how empty and quiet these halls were. This seemed to be going pretty well. Maybe this crazy plan would actually work.

Despite her increased confidence, the moment they turned into a new hallway and came face-to-face with the guards stationed there, she felt her heart jolt again.

The guards saluted and the left one spoke.

"Good evening, sir! You have business here tonight?"

Hunter nodded, speaking with the confidant voice he seemed to use when acting as the Golden Guard.

"Just giving the Emperor an update on the status of the new recruits."

The guard tilted his head slightly.

"Y-yes, sir. However, the Emperor is currently in a meeting and we were instructed to not allow any interruptions. Were you aware of this?"

Luz swallowed, forcing herself to stand steady and not show any of the rising panic she was feeling. She watched as Hunter crossed his arms, seemingly staring the guard down through his owl-like mask.

"Yes, private, you may be surprised to learn I am in fact aware of the Emperor's schedule. We're to join the Emperor in his meeting immediately. There was an unfortunate incident in personnel filing that bungled the records, leading to our delay."

The guard seemed to cower under Hunter's stare and stammered,

"O-of course, sir! My apologies! I-it's just that, the Emperor very specifically ordered that we allow no interruptions, no exceptions f-for anyone."

There was a moment of silence, when everyone stood there and simply stared at each other. It felt extremely uncomfortable, and Luz watched Hunter closely, waiting for his response.

Finally, in a quiet, almost dangerously calm voice, Hunter asked,

"What's your name, private?"

The guard answered in an unsteady voice.

"J-jacobs, sir . . . w-why do you ask?"

Leaning in further, Hunter continued to speak in a low tone.

"I just thought the Emperor would be interested to know who exactly is going to be responsible for my absence in his meeting."

The guard gave a panicked look to his colleague, then backed away, the spear in his hands trembling.

"A-apologies, sir! P-please, go right ahead, I apologize for the confusion. Please forgive me for delaying you, it won't happen again."

Hunter seemed to regard the man distastefully, saying,

"We'll discuss whether or not I report you later, when I have the actual luxury of time."

He turned and gestured to Luz, saying curtly,

"Come with me."

Luz scrambled to follow behind, shouting out,

"Yes, sir!"

They passed the guards by and made their way down the hall, Luz thanking her lucky stars that Hunter's bluff game was on point. Once they'd put enough distance between them and the guards, Hunter turned and murmured to her quietly.

"Ok, that was a little rough but we're almost home free. When we reach the bottom of these stairs, I want you to wait on the stairs for me, all right?"

She nodded, and then they reached a large marble staircase with several switchbacks. As they descended, she felt like the air was growing cooler. At the bottom, they seemed to reach an underground hallway, lit by torches. Luz waited on the final steps as Hunter moved ahead a few feet. She watched as he signaled to one of the guards further along the hallway. The guard nodded, and then Hunter returned to the bottom of the stairway with Luz.

Luz was terribly curious but kept quiet, listening as a ruckus began to echo through the hall. There seemed to be an argument among the guards. She couldn't make out all the words, but the gist seemed to be one of the guards messed something up and was pleading for forgiveness? After a bit, she could hear a guard storming away angrily. As she and Hunter peered down the hall, it looked like the guard that was leaving was covered in a huge bright-blue stain, and she guessed it had been spilled on him.

Hunter gestured to her and began down the hall, and she followed behind, nervous as they approached the remaining guard. However, when they got there, Hunter just nodded at him and said,

"Good work, Steve."

The guard flashed him a thumbs-up.

"Thank you, sir. I'll keep watch for you." He turned and added,

"Oh, and it's an honor to finally meet you, ma'am, I've heard a lot about you."

Luz hesitated, stammering,

"Wh-what. . ."

"Let's go," Hunter interrupted quickly, nudging Luz along. They entered the room, and as soon as they stepped in, Luz's gaze drifted up to take everything in. Whoa.

The room was huge, dome-shaped with marble walls, covered in relief carvings. A large network of steel pipes crisscrossed along the walls as well, sometimes running directly through the walls, leaving behind ugly cracks where they had been forced through. It was quite dim in here, with only the occasional torch lit. The air was cool and somewhat damp, smelling musty.

As they moved further in, she saw that in the middle of the room stood a large white ring, framed on either side by a huge pair of metallic, golden wings. And then, in the center of the ring, she saw it: the portal door.

The door was staring outwards with its familiar golden eye, almost as if greeting them. Most of the door and its frame had been patched or replaced with pieces of metal and wood. Along the door's eye, there ran a crack, but otherwise it looked completely repaired.

As they slowly approached, Luz felt a tremble run through her. They actually made it. It was right in front of them. She was actually going to see the human realm again. See her mom again.

She stood directly before the portal, then glanced to Hunter. At the base of the stairs leading up to the portal, there was a pedestal with a round glass case. Hunter opened the case, taking out a familiar object-- the key.

He looked to her.

"You ready?"

She nodded, her heart bouncing in her chest.

"Y-yeah."

They ascended the steps up to the portal, and Hunter flicked the button on the key. The white ring sprang to life with some sort of magical energy, and the door creaked open, as if blown by a breeze, revealing the glowing portal within. Luz gazed into the swirling light.

Calmly, Hunter said,

"I'll wait here for you as long as I can. But you'll need to make the trip a short one, if you plan on coming back. I've arranged for most of the usual guards to be occupied, but that won't last long. Once they return . . . that's it."

Despite her strong desire to immediately jump through the portal, Luz found herself hesitating. She looked at Hunter.

"You gonna be all right while I'm gone? What about that one guard that's left out there?"

He glanced across the room and said,

"You mean Steve? Yeah, he's cool. He's keeping watch for me. He's . . . kinda the only person in the Emperor's Coven who's sort of my friend, I guess? Don't worry about me. Just try to make it quick, all right?"

Guess this was it, then. It was now or never. Luz pulled her mask off, looking at him intently. Sincerely, she said,

"Thank you for this, Hunter."

He waved her off impatiently, saying,

"Yeah, just go!"

She turned, facing the bright light of the portal. She took a bracing breath.

And then, just as she was about to step through, she heard the sound of echoed footsteps and the guard's voice. They both turned to see Steve rushing into the room.

Whisper-shouting, the guard said,

"Boss, we're in trouble! All the other guards are returning, and they're coming fast!"

Luz still couldn't see Hunter's face, but the alarm was clear in his voice as he asked,

"Wh-what? They weren't supposed to return for another hour-- what happened?"

The guard Steve waved his arms anxiously and said,

"I don't know sir, but you better leave quick!"

Suddenly, the echo of many footsteps could be heard emanating from the hall, and Steve turned with an "Oh, no."

Luz felt some sort of fight-or-flight response take over, conscious thoughts no longer in control. Without hesitation, she grabbed Hunter by the scruff of his cloak, then yanked them both through the portal, the entire world melding into a bright flash of light.

Onward to Chatper Two

#toh #the owl house #goldenlight #lunter #huntceda #goldenluz #luz x hunter #luzxhunter #hunter x luz #hunterxluz #luzter #hunter the golden guard #luz noceda #tags are probably still broken on tumblr anyway urgghh #mystuff #goldenlight fanfic

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kintatsujo · 3 years

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LOZ AU- The Courage of Running Away PART ONE

warnings: Parental abuse, fantasy religion, fantasy religious abuse

So the original grain of this concept was actually a dream I had once but we'll get to that.

A major aspect of this idea that makes it an "AU" as opposed to "just" a "game pitch as fanfic" concept is that it has a worldmap that looks something like this:

[Image Description: A map of a continent. In the center is Gerudo Desert, ringed by mountains that extend from the bottom to top of the continent. On the west side of Gerudo Desert, from north to south, are countries labeled "Termina," "Holodrum," and "Labrynna," while on the east side are countries labeled "Hytopia," "Hyrule" and "Lorule." Hytopia is indicated to be a sky island above a territory labeled "Drablands." Hyrule and Termina are more directly east and west of one another, as the Drablands are the northernmost country of the continent and Labrynna is the southernmost country. There is an indication of another continent to the east, and off the eastern shore is a sky island labeled "Sky Temple." To the south of Labrynna is a proper island labeled "Windfish Isle." There is a legend in the upper left corner that reads "Really generalized AU map. Proportions not to be taken too seriously and most of the sky islands besides Hytopia just aren't there because it would get too busy." End Description.]

Lorule as a physical country to the south of Hyrule rather than a mirror version of Hyrule is because I am weak for dumb puns. Also in general you can describe this as "this is my AU and I do what I want."

Also the map of Hyrule itself in this AU should be considered to be heavily similar to the Breath of the Wild map because that's what I want shh. Does this mean the other countries are similar in scope despite being based on countries from earlier and smaller games? Well, yeah.

I actually tried out making this worldmap in RPGMaker btw but to get something I was happy with I'd at LEAST need a nicer worldmap tileset for MZ. Do I have the skills to make that? Yep. Have I got the time to make that? Nope.

Anyway so as noted there's actually a NUMBER of floating sky islands in this version of the setting, and its version of Link was raised here, in the sky temple monastery/commune/abbey don't look at me:

[Image description: A floating island with a round temple, some sort of pillars arranged in a circle, and a few other buildings, one of which might be a dormitory. The temple has a statue of the Triforce nested in Hylia's wings on the roof. End description.]

A couple notes here since it's the only good place: In this Hyrule there are Loftwings because I said so. There is also a Rito run mail service and there are also balloon-based airships. Again, because I said so. The Rito are the main people who run supplies to the Sky Temple, but there's also a number of hylians with bonded Loftwings living there. The Loftwings are a little less mysterious in that they clearly roost nearby riders they've bonded with; note the large archways kind of indicated on the side of the dorm building. Link, at this point in the story, does not have a Loftwing, which is important for reasons that will become clear by the end of this post. Also, I'm not sure how obvious it is but I do intend that there's a cucoo/chicken coop set up near the dorm; this is for the eggs but the monk or whatever in charge of them is definitely a crazy bird person and probably also keeps messenger pigeons. There would also be a garden somewhere and as one can possibly tell there's a graveyard. Basically this Sky Temple is what I thought Skyloft was going to be a little more like until I found out it was literally a Boarding School Town. Anyway.

The thing is that this Link was discovered to be the Hero of the age sometime in his infancy.

And this is the person who discovered him:

[Image description: On one half of the page is an establishing shot of a hylian man in blue and white (light gray) robes and a hat, with long hair in a braid and graying at the temples. He's approximately middle aged by the lines in his face, tall and slender and moderately attractive. He is wearing heavy gold diamond shaped earrings to match the symbols of Hylia and the Triforce on his clothing. He is frowning, and he is labeled "Astramorus." On the other half of the page are a series of comic panels: In the first, a young Link is hiding from a Rito behind Astramorus's cloak. Astramorus asks, apparently fondly, "Come now boy, where's your courage?" while the Rito sheepishly assures him "Th-that's quite all right, Lordship." In the second panel, a very small Link dressed in the Hero of Hylia's traditional green outfit is wiping his eyes while holding a sword too large for him. There is blood on Link's clothes. Astramorus, standing so that only the hem of his robes are in shot, asks "Come now boy, where's your courage?" And in the last panel, lit as though by fire, Astramorus now has a much older Link by the back of the neck in a controlling manner, once again asking, "Come now boy, where's your COURAGE?" End description.]

By the way the manner in which Astramorus is holding the back of Link's neck in the final panel is a sneaky thing my dad used to pull sometimes; basically if you squeeze just hard enough to hurt nobody but the person you're doing it to can actually tell so you can even do it in public without people necessarily noticing. It took me ages to go "wait that was actually really fucked up that he used to do that." Shoulder touch is good, neck touch bad.

A note on Astramorus's costume: It's basically an evil version of the costume worn by the priestly guy from the Sanctuary in alttp. Astramorus himself, well, I had the idea for him well before Age of Calamity came out but yes he is basically named after Aster, so you can guess that he's more than just a terrible father.

Astramorus has been training Link since he could lift his sword, including trials he should have been too small for and acquiring things for him to fight-- and kill. Link isn't allowed to speak to anyone unless asked questions or told to by Astramorus, not even the other members of the monastery (although perhaps many of the people there have taken their own vows of silence.)

And he's not allowed to have opinions, and he's not allowed to back down in a fight or say that he's too tired to keep training, and this has been going on since Link was six. Astramorus tells him this is the ideal. That never backing down and never stopping is what courage means and what being the hero means. That starting from a young age is only proof of the hero's purity of heart.

And when Link is nearing seventeen, Astramorus tells him that he's going to present him to the royal family of Hyrule, and that at last the HARD part will truly begin. (Keeping in mind that he was putting a six year old through trials MEANT for a seventeen year old.) And Link breaks:

[Image Description: A comic. Link is putting together a paraglider not dissimilar to the one from BotW.

He narrates: Tomorrow we're supposed to set out so that I can meet the king of Hyrule. Which means that this is my last chance to run away.

Link grinds his classic hat into the ground with one boot, and leaves his sword stabbed into the earth behind him. He leaps off the sky island and toward the sun on the horizon.

Link narrates: I don't care if this is cowardly anymore.

End description.]

And THAT one page is what the dream that started the concept was about; some people might remember me talking about it as long as three years ago and it's just been stuck in my head ever since! (Also: I love the idea of there being a Link who starts out wearing the classic outfit and THEN switches to other costumes.)

This is obviously not the end of this AU, lol, stay tuned for where Link finally crash lands (spoiler: He makes it pretty far and you might be able to guess from the map >:3c)

#AU August

#LoZ AU: The Courage of Running Away

Bonus:

[Image description: A headshot flat color sketch of this Link, who has short fluffy light blonde hair and green eyes. He is yelling, with tears in his eyes: "I am NEVER wearing that STUPID hat again!" End description!]

#Loz au: the courage of running away #au august #my art #Loz #Loz au #legend of zelda

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coconi · 3 years

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Fanfic Writer Interview

Heyyy thank you so much for the tag, @chromochaotic! 💗 I've seen this game do the rounds and I always wanted to do it! Doing my own post since I imagine yours will end up creating a few different reblog chains hehe.

Tagging @princesses-and-bitchcraft, @heleentje, @ginneke, @velosarahptor, and @ghirahimbo if y'all feel like it, no pressure!

How many works do you have on AO3? 10

What’s your total AO3 word count? 58,779

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

On AO3, I've written for three fandoms: Breath of the Wild, Twilight Princess, and Fruits Basket.

We do not speak of my old ff.net accounts, but I wrote a couple drabbles/one-shots for Harry Potter and Pandora Hearts back in the day.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Come Morning Light

Swan Song

Treading Water

Meet Me Halfway

A Fire in a Flask

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I always respond to longer comments or those that give me something to talk about beyond my thanks. The rest I sometimes leave as they are because I always feel like I'm just typing the same reply over and over and I second-guess myself ;;;; Plus I don't like to offset the total numbers too badly with my additions.

I appreciate any and all comments though, from wordless emoji dumps to big paragraphs <3

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Definitely Swan Song. It was my first revalink fic and I had a lot of feelings about Link (and Medoh) being left behind at the end of the game, so I needed to get those out somehow ;w; All That You Rely On is also a sad one, but there's more of a silver lining to it.

Do you write crossovers? If so, what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I've never written one. Not exactly opposed to the idea, though.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Thankfully not! I did get one... odd comment where someone went on a mini rant about Hylia for some reason?? But it was perfectly harmless, just disconcerting lol

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Nah, it ain't for me, but I admire those who can write good smut.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Same as Emmy, not that I'm aware of! (Don't try it, demon)

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope!

What’s your all time favorite ship?

I can't say I have an ultimate favorite, but the closest to that would be Elliot/Leo from Pandora Hearts. It's been years and I'm still not over them ;________; (revalink is up there tho)

Whats a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

There's a really elaborate modern AU I have for BOTW with supernatural/thriller elements, but that's a project I don't dare tackle until I get some practice dealing with multi-chapter works. Who knows if it'll ever see the light of day.

What are your writing strengths?

Sensory descriptions and emotions, I believe. People often tell me my writing is comforting to them and I'll never stop being over the moon about it ;w; <333

What are your writing weaknesses?

Complex plots, long stories, writing a wide variety of characters at once, extended dialogue, action scenes, etc. Most of these are due to lack of experience/practice and I'm slowly trying to correct that 💪

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

If done right, it can certainly add to a story, but it's a delicate balance to strike. It has to be organic and non-invasive, otherwise it becomes a jarring experience for the reader. Also, the writer has to actually understand what they're putting down and, if applicable, how multilingualism works (see: that one infamous hola, ¿qué pasa? klance fic sdgkjfd)

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter. At least that I can remember... I might've written misc Pokemon, Digimon or CCS stuff as a child, who knows! Certainly not my brain!

What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written?

I have a soft spot for Treading Water for multiple reasons. It's my longest fic to date, it was the first story I dared to publish without any beta reading, and that was the first time I joined a fandom event as a writer + worked with someone else's prompt! I quite enjoyed writing Revali's journey of understanding through other people's eyes... and him falling for Link in the process :3c

#tag game #fanfic writer interview #writing ask #chromochaotic #this took me longer than it should've but it was a lot of fun! ty 💗#and with this i go to bed #(Tara I didn't tag you since I figured you wouldn't want to do this but if I'm wrong let me know <3333)

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srrrokka · 3 years

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WIP Tag

I got tagged by @exultedshores to post a snipped of one of my wips! Thank you, Shores, you know that this is the only way they shall see light of the day :’)

The following bit is from the first chapter of To All That Is Lost, a Corvo/Daud fic. (Couldn’t find a good moment to crop this so it’s a bit over 3k, just saying.)

I shall tag @screwtheprinceimtakingthehorse, @puppyblueao3, @modlisznik, and @ptera-novaeangliae :3c

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Maybe it was that he became too cocky, too confident after a month-long streak of easy, uninterrupted burglaries and theft—or rather scavenging, considering the flats he entered had been mostly emptied by the plague already—or perhaps it was the gnawing hunger, twisting his stomach into painful knots that spurred him onward into actions bordering on straight up idiotic. Regardless of the cause, Corvo found himself south of the river, uncomfortably close to a Watch outpost swarming with officers and equipped with not one but two arc pylons.

A string of colourful Serkonan curses fell from his lips between one heavy breath and another as he ran out onto a narrow makeshift bridge linking two opposing buildings, and prayed to the Outsider, and any other being listening, that he wouldn't get shot from the street below. He fisted his left hand, ignoring the throbbing headache it caused. Turquoise light flared from under the too long sleeve of his tattered sweater. The moment his fingers unclenched, he was on the other side, slamming the balcony door shut with his foot. He stumbled forward, looking for a way out, his worn leather coat flapped around his shins as he whirled around.

Stairs. Stairs leading to the ground floor. No breaking legs today.

Angry shouting from the footbridge pushed him forward as if he had wings and he nearly flew down the first flight of stairs, jumping three steps at a time. The few things in the canvas bag slung over his shoulder slammed their sharp edges into his thigh where it bounced with every step. But he barely registered the pain.

"Stop! Stay where you are!" Corvo froze at the words, his eyes wide behind the simple leather mask. He nearly ran into the Watchman climbing towards him.

Upstairs a loud bang and the sound of shattering glass announced other officers being right at his tail. He let out a strained breath. If there was no way up or down... there was always left and right.

He swallowed hard and, using the handrail like a springboard, jumped over it and into the drop between the steps. The fall wasn't massive, but it was enough to nearly make Corvo land on his knees, all of the muscles in his body strained with the impact. Probably only due to the adrenaline rushing in his veins and humming like a waterfall in his ears did he manage to not stumble and immediately broke into a run.

The way out was so close, so very close. He could make it. He could live another day.

A light blue shine on the right caught his eye. Whale oil tank powering one of the arc pylons. He forgot about the arc pylons!

"Don't move! There's no escape!" yelled one of the officers behind him and he shot a quick glance in his direction. There were five of them, already nearly at the ground floor.

With a metallic scrape, Corvo yanked the whale oil tank from its socket and blinked down at it as the contents swirled dangerously behind the glass. He had an idea. It was a bad idea. But it seemed to be just the day for those.

He tossed the tank towards the staircase and broke into a desperate sprint.

The heartbeat in his chest counted down to the explosion along with his frantic footfall. He caught one hand on the door frame to aid in taking a sharp turn. But instead it helped him not to tumble forward when he slammed into someone's solid form.

It felt as if time had slowed down for him. Against all logic there was enough time to look at the man in a red leather coat in front of him — his light grey piercing eyes wide in surprise, grab his lapels into a grip so tight Corvo's knuckles felt like they were about to dislocate, and yank him away from the entrance, spinning them around and slamming him against the wall right next to it. The man opened his mouth, a scowl growing on his features, but whatever he had to say was swallowed by an explosion that shook the marrow in Corvo's bones. They both instinctively curled in response, trying to shield themselves as much as possible, as a ball of fire shot out with an angry roar from the building.

Through the ringing in his ears, Corvo heard what seemed like quite a large number of people yelling. He couldn't quite make out the words but when he lifted his head and his eyes met the red-coat's, he knew it was time to go.

They both lunged away from the swarm of Watchmen at the same time as if signalled by a starter pistol. They sped down along the street, kicking up clouds of dust and Void knows what else, as a thunder of several gunshots cracked behind them sharply like a whip. A bullet hit the cobble near Corvo's feet and ricocheted away with a high-pitched whistle. He grit his teeth, willing his legs to go faster.

Regardless of how bad the Watch was at aiming, they would eventually get shot if they continued on in a straight line like that.

As if knowing his thoughts precisely, the man at his side yanked him by the arm to the left, nearly throwing him over in the process. Corvo scrambled gracelessly with him towards a narrow, shaded alleyway. It was closed off by a tall brick wall, too tall even for him to Blink on top of, if he had any energy left for that in the first place.

But his companion didn't seem too perturbed by the fact that he was leading them into a corner. Either he had a plan or he was simply insane. Either way, one thing was clear — there was no going back now.

Corvo was about to open his mouth to voice the concern, when a strong, gloved arm pulled him closer to its owner, wrapping itself tightly around his middle.

In the space between a heartbeat and another, an endless sea of whispers like the last breath escaping a hundred souls surrounded him along with a swirl of ash. The sensation of misplacement that followed was familiar in the most unfamiliar way — weightlessness guided by the purpose of another, not his. Then, as the ash parted, the world caught up to him in a wrong angle, wrong space, wrong altitude.

And with a breathless exhale he fell.

The only thing that saved him from landing three stories down in a pile of broken bones and blood on the hard concrete, was the mindless instinct to grab. The old cast iron balcony railing rattled dangerously under his weight, as the gravity almost wrenched his shoulders out of their sockets and his solar plexus hit the outer edge of the stone floor, making him fruitlessly gasp for air with a painful wheeze.

Above him, heavy boots on either side of Corvo's palms, the red-clad man struggled to keep his balance on the balustrade — arms spread wide, attempting to counteract the wobble Corvo was causing. Quickly enough, he regained his footing, jumped back onto the landing, and, having thrown a glance to the mouth of the alley, grabbed the back of Corvo's coat and helped him clamber up and into the building.

With a ruckus equal only to a herd of blood oxen, the stampede of Watchmen turned the corner and ran into the dead-end below, to their surprise, finding it completely empty.

The wave of relief that came over Corvo, as he watched them scramble aimlessly through a dust-covered window, was like a splash of pleasantly cool water. His lungs were burning, all the muscles in his body were screaming with exhaustion, and his head was pounding, but he was alive and he would continue to be, even if the following morning he'd probably regret his continued existence.

A dry barking cough brought his attention back to the person in the room with him — tall and well built, with a narrow face on the side of which was a long scar that disappeared all the way under the collar of his thick white shirt, and armed to the teeth. But most importantly–

"You're Marked," Corvo found himself rasping out with disbelief between the slowing breaths, and cleared his throat. It wasn't a question, the man was just like him. It never even crossed his mind he could meet another blessed by the Outsider. "Who are you?"

"Depends who's asking..." he replied, voice low and husky. His eyes narrowed as he looked over Corvo with a gaze calculating enough to make him irrationally self conscious about his scruffy appearance.

Having lifted his left hand, Corvo slipped his thumb out of the hole in the side of his sweater sleeve, showing off the back of his hand. The Outsider's mark stood stark black like spilled ink on his skin. "A fellow heretic," he supplied with a self-satisfied note in his voice and bent his fingers, willing a flash of turquoise light to highlight the sharp lines.

It reflected in the man's steely eyes but, apart from the most subtle shift in posture that did not escape Corvo, it invoked no reaction whatsoever. Maybe it was best to let him mull the news over for a moment or two. If the gifts of the Leviathan were as rare as he was made to believe, the man was surely as shocked as he was.

With that through, Corvo peered outside again and found only two officers still standing in the alley. The irrelevance of that number let him relax further and he rolled his aching shoulders as he looked around the abandoned flat. It must have been grand once — high ceilings of white stone and wooden flooring with intricate patterns now filled with grime and dust like everything else. Several pieces of furniture were still there; maybe some other treasures could be found too.

"I'm Daud," the Marked finally said dryly, the arms crossed over his chest nearly audible in his words.

Corvo didn't turn to look and continued rifling through the drawers of a water damaged desk. "Just Daud?"

"You're not from around here, are you?"

He froze, fingers just above the splotchy brown surface of a tarnished brass knob. For the second time that day his heart jumped straight to his throat. Was that one innocent question really enough to give away his complete lack of knowledge about Gristol? "You that famous?"

"As much as getting dubbed the 'Knife of Dunwall' warrants," Daud said darkly and leaned his shoulder on the nearby wall, making some loose flakes of plaster and paint fall to the floor.

"Oh, right, I heard about you. Head of the Whalers." Corvo finally reached into the drawer and shuffled the yellowed papers around.

"And you are?" Daud put a bit more stress on that question, clearly getting irked by him avoiding any solid answers.

Nimble fingers pocketed a silver coin from under the papers and, not having found anything more of interest, he turned around to sit on the edge of the dresser. "Attano. Corvo Attano." With his thumb he pushed the leather mask up to rest on the top of his head and rubbed the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve. "Nice to make your acquaintance," he added with a cocky smile.

"Attano," Daud repeated slowly as if trying his name out. "A Serk, huh?"

"Problem?"

"Not at all. I'm from Serkonos myself."

"A little pale for that," Corvo grinned at him smugly from across the room.

Daud raised an eyebrow, the arc of it a sharp angle. "So are you."

"Touché."

In his most recent memory he wasn't — he used to be quite tan, skin sun-kissed with constant running around in the Serkonan heat — but it must have been decades ago, considering how he looked at the present and how the gap between then and now felt nearly endless. A black void of a sudden cliff's edge.

"So, Attano." Corvo's attention snapped back to the assassin as he spoke again. "How long have you been in Dunwall?"

The desk whined underneath him when he shifted, eyeing Daud with narrowed eyes. Something felt off about this. "No offence, but what's it to you?"

"Just curious," he shrugged.

"Aha, sure. Do you show this interest to every person you meet on the street?" Corvo gritted out and got properly back onto his feet, ready to move at any time. Did the man think he was stupid? "Listen, if you want something from me, say it and stop running circles. But, as far as I see it, I saved your skin and you saved mine so we are done here."

"Straight to the point, I can appreciate that." Daud pushed himself off of the wall and half-heartedly dusted off his shoulder. "I want to offer you employment. You've got some skill, and certain other advantages, which I would definitely use among my men."

That caught Corvo completely off guard. "What, you want me to be a Whaler?" he asked incredulously. "Sorry, Knife, but I am no assassin."

"No one said you have to be an assassin. Other positions are available."

It seemed too good to be true. As far as Corvo and many other people of his status were concerned, the looking a gift horse in the mouth saying was a steaming pile of oxen dung. Always question an overly generous gesture because it might turn out that under the surface it isn't one at all.

But despite that, Corvo couldn't stop a spark of hope igniting at the very back of his mind. Having a job, no matter how shady, would not only give him some means to live but also put a sense of structure into the confusing wreck of his life. The Outsider only knows how difficult and terrifying the last month was for him.

Daud graciously let him consider the offer for a good while but when he finally spoke again it was like putting a marble block on the scale. "I can also offer you a safe corner to sleep in and a reliable supply of food."

A ravenous twist of his empty stomach sent Corvo's thoughts to the two heavily bruised apples at the bottom of his bag — his only food. "You got me there..." He exhaled slowly. There shouldn't be any harm in chancing the truth, should there? "Listen, it's not that I'm not willing. I just doubt I would be useful to you."

Confusion clear in the tilt of his head and eyes scanning, Daud questioned on, "How so? You seem capable enough to me."

"What if I told you I can't remember the last fifteen, maybe twenty years of my life?" Corvo asked, throat tighter at the admission than he expected. It occurred to him then that he hadn't told anyone about this before. He hoped it didn't sound too much like a weird excuse. "I doubt I would be useful to you because I don't even know what I can do."

"That's... rough," Daud managed. His grey eyes darkened under a deep frown. He seemed horrified by that concept, in a faraway, concealed way. Or maybe Corvo just wanted him to be.

Corvo laughed mirthlessly, "Yeah, tell me about it... All I've got is the last month and then nothing until I was a kid." His eyes dropped, fingers fidgeting nervously with the edge of his tattered bag.

"We can always find out what you can do. Or put you through training," the assassin offered.

That wasn't a bad concept. He definitely had muscle memory of some skills, like the mark and various sword fighting techniques he doesn't recall knowing in his youth. But it was unexpected how easily the Knife came to accept his affliction. So with a frown of his own he looked the man dead in the eye, challenging. "Excuse my distrust, but you are very... intent on getting me on your side. Why?"

Daud considered his words for a short moment. "You're Marked," he finally said simply. "There are very few of us and those who are alive are very powerful. I would most definitely not want an enemy out of you."

"And that's why you want me under your heel. Makes sense," Corvo thought out loud and immediately winced inwardly. It sounded much more malicious than he intended. Fortunately, Daud didn't seem bothered by that remark.

"You would be under my command, yes, but it's not like I would be able to control you, Attano," he reasoned. "You can leave whenever you want to."

"So what are your conditions?" Corvo asked as if he hadn't decided already.

The corners of Daud's narrow lips curled up in a knowing smile. He was undeniably handsome, in a sharp and dangerous kind of way that either made one's blood freeze or run hot, no in between. With slight amusement Corvo found that he fell under the latter category. There was something exhilarating in being under the scrutiny of those icy, attentive eyes.

We learnt something new about ourselves there, huh?

"The Whalers are more of an organised force compared to other gangs — everyone has their own function and a strict hierarchy is in place. As such, I would expect you to follow my orders and those of the ones above you." When Daud began moving in his direction with leisurely steps, one arm behind his back and the other gesturing loosely as he talked, Corvo straightened his back instinctively. With eerie ease he felt himself slip into the alert stiffness he could expect from Watchmen during an official briefing. "To trust you with our secrets, I need your loyalty. But as I said, you can quit at your discretion. Preferably by telling me, otherwise it might so happen that you could be considered a traitor and hunted for sport." The last words were accompanied by a dark glint in the master assassin's eyes. That was not an empty threat.

None of what he was asking for was unreasonable, Corvo had to admit. And considering he wouldn't be forced into killing people, it seemed like a great deal all around. Then again, casting his mind back to the officers he blew up — probably gravely injured, if not dead due to his actions — didn't fill him with too much remorse, so maybe they could make an assassin out of him still.

Lightly, he tapped the heel of his boot on the wooden panelling several times, rolling all of it over in his head for the last time. Then on a long exhale he said, "Alright. I'm all yours."

#yo stuff #Fic: To All That Is Lost #dishonored #corvodaud

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metatroncoded · 3 years

Note

30 (sam & dean platonically)

21 (samruby 🥺💕)

yes yes YES my angel!!!! i'm gonna split these up into separate posts but i do have the sam and dean one here for you<3333 sorry i made it angsty but i. well. i. have no excuse!

just as a reminder before we get to it though:

okay onto the show :3c

dean and sam - as a comfort

It was killing him.

This, this blood - burning away at the good parts of him, leaving sick, fetid flesh in its wake. It hurt, hurt like nothing else had, like nothing else ever could.

If he could just drink a little more, have one more sip - he knew it was bad for him. He knew it would only make things worse.

But it hurt. Sam had never known pain the way it touched him now. Even the sharp bite of the cuffs digging his wrists was kinder to him than the war raging on in his bloodstream.

His skin was hot, hotter than it had any right being. Sweat sloughed off of him like a second skin, drenching the thin bedsheets in the warm stench of death.

What he wouldn’t do for a glass of fucking water.

It came as a small relief, then, when the door to the panic room opened. Sam couldn’t bear to move, not with his body strung tight as it was. Any twitch of a muscle could send torturous spasms down his spine and ignite the fire even worse than before.

“Hey.” Dean’s voice, tense but warm. “You don’t look so hot.”

Sam couldn’t help but laugh, and the sound tore at his throat. “Just the opposite,” he managed to cough out. “Everything’s on fire.”

He couldn’t see Dean’s face, but he could imagine the grimace. He knew he didn’t paint a very pretty picture, not sweating gallons of demon blood out in the bowels of Bobby’s house.

The creaky bed sank just a little as Dean gingerly sat down next to him. “You’re not gonna try to claw my eyes out, are you?” He went for levity, but the joke fell flat - Sam had already done much worse to his brother in the pursuit of a cause he no longer believed in.

Which hurt worse? The demon blood that was trying to take his life on the way out, or the knowledge that he’d let Dean down - that he’d proved John right? He’d be better off dead anyways.

“Hey now, don’t talk like that.” Dean sounded stern - had Sam said all of that out loud? “I don’t care what Dad said.” Sam strained his head to the side, to catch a glimpse of his older brother. “He was wrong.”

It would have made Sam feel happy, if he wasn’t busy having his insides liquefied. Kind of hard to feel anything other than agony when that’s happening.

But - Dean was right. Their father was wrong. If he could get through this - and he would, Dean was counting on him - then they’d fix this. Together. They were a team.

It almost surprised Sam when he felt the bed shift under him. It shocked him even more when a pair of cool, dry lips pressed themselves gently onto his disgusting, sweaty forehead.

“You can do it,” Dean whispered. “Prove our old man wrong for me, okay?”

He would.

He had to.

If Dean believed in him, he could do anything.

~~~~~~~~~

“Is he any better?” Call him an asshole, call him a shithead, call him a terrible brother - it doesn’t matter.

“Well,” Bobby paused, clearly deliberating. “Looks like he quieted down for a bit. I dunno if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.” He closed the door to the basement behind him, and Dean was kind of surprised that Bobby hadn’t been followed by Sam’s frenzied screams like usual. “There’s always a calm before the storm.”

Dean felt sick. “He’s my brother, Bobby.”

That was the wrong thing to say. Bobby shot him a glare somethin’ fierce. “Then act like it. He’s been crying out for you for days.”

No. “I can’t,” Dean said, his throat suddenly dry. “I can’t see him like that.”

“You think it’s any easier for me?” Bobby wouldn’t listen to any of Dean’s angst today, that much was for sure. “He needs to know you’re there for him. He can’t do it alone.”

The thought of seeing Sammy like that - trussed up like a fucking chicken lest he rip his own skin off, the way he thrashes and wails and begs for death down there, it’s like he’s already locked away in his own personal tomb.

Dean knows a thing or two about being dead. If he goes down there, if he sees that - it’s Hell all over again.

“I’ll visit him tomorrow,” Dean says.

He doesn’t.

#crimsonrainseekingflower #ask meme #my writing #my fic #sam winchester #dean winchester #bobby singer

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fatal-rewrites-warriors · 3 years

Text

Rising Storm Teaser

Alright I promised this in the end notes on Ao3, so here’s the prologue for Rising Storm! This is all I have written for this book, so it’ll be a long time before I post it, but there’s some interesting reveals in the prologue and I thought it’d be fun if you guys had more fodder to speculate with :3c

A sliver of moonlight shone down into the alleyway where Brick crouched, huddled near the door of a human home where the wind couldn’t reach them and they could absorb the hint of warmth that came from inside. It was a poor night for hunting, as most winter nights were. One day, they knew, there would be a winter they didn’t make it through.

Hopefully it wouldn’t be this one.

They stood, stretching aching joints with a panged hiss. Tonight they would go home hungry. Maybe tomorrow would be better.

As they headed back to the sewer entrance, though, they spotted a large and familiar body slinking along one of the buildings. They lengthened their stride until they were nearly nose to ass with the massive black and white tom. From the glazed over look in Bone’s eyes, though, he seemed to be elsewhere entirely.

“Hey, Bone,” they said sharply, drawing his look. They sighed as Bone’s head snapped over, eyes flashing yellow. “The hell’ve you been? You smell like you’ve eaten. Anything left?”

He flicked his tail across his face. “None of your business.”

They hurried to his other side, now out of reach of his flicking tail. “Well sorry for not wanting to starve to death.”

“If you’re too pathetic to find your own food, then that’s your problem.”

Brick rolled their eyes, but their retort caught in their throat when they caught a whiff of cat scent on his pelt. They plunged their nose into his fur for a better smell. Bone leapt away with a hiss.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” he snarled.

“Oh ho.” Brick bared their teeth in a wicked grin. “You’ve been seeing that forest bitch again, have you? Scourge isn’t going to like that, Bone. Maybe now you’ll reconsider sharing?”

He flattened his ears. “…It’s from her.”

“Then I suppose you wouldn’t mind staying out a little longer and helping me look for something for myself, hm?”

Bone stopped, staring furiously at Brick. “Pest,” he sneered. “Too smart for your own fucking good. I’ll relish in seeing Scourge rip you open one of these days—hopefully sooner rather than later.”

Before Bone could consider making true of that threat with his own claws, Brick spotted a shambling form out the corner of their eye. They arched their back, only to recognize the hulking figure of the forest cat who had come to them months earlier. It was Tigerclaw, and he looked absolutely miserable. Perhaps as miserable as the whiny little tom who followed at his heel, a tom Brick distinctly remembered wanting to claw the ears off of.

“Well, well, well,” Brick purred. “Lookie who showed up.”

Bone shot them a look, then glanced over his shoulder. Tigerclaw crossed the road to meet them, raising his chin in a vain attempt to regain the impressive silhouette he’d made when he’d first come to the Town. Brick, however, had never once see Tigerclaw as impressive. The tom was in their territory now. He was at their mercy.

“Well lookit you,” they said, looking over all the wounds Tigerclaw had suffered. “Plan go awry?”

“I need to speak to Scourge,” he growled. “Take me there now.”

“And why should we?” Bone growled. “Clearly you haven’t made good on your side of the deal, or else you wouldn’t look like roadkill right now.”

Tigerclaw briefly closed his eyes. When they reopened, they blazed with a barely restrained fury.

“The plan is not over,” he said calmly. “However, even I can admit that things have changed. I’ve spoken to Blackfoot, though—we have a new plan, and I want Scourge’s help.”

“Yeah? What happened to the old plan?” Brick sneered. “What’s so much better about this one?”

“My clan has refused me, despite the fact that I will make them great,” he said. “However, there’s another clan…I can take control there. But I want a few cats from here to properly solidify my rule.”

“Oh? And are Blackfoot’s warriors not enough?”

“This is a chance for my cats and Scourge’s cats to come together,” he insisted. “We will work together, learn from each other, and when the time is right? We will take the forest together, and the Town cats will never have to scrounge among humans again.”

Bone was nodding slowly, but Brick regarded Tigerclaw skeptically. They knew a sweet talker when they saw one—it took one to know one, after all.

“Better to let Scourge hear it,” Brick said before Bone said something too hasty.

“Of course,” Bone said. “Come on, then.”

Bone took the lead. Brick dropped back to take up the rear, letting Bone and Tigerclaw murmur to one another.

“What’s with your scent?” Tigerclaw’s companion, Darkstripe, sneered.

Brick bared their teeth. “Oh, that? That’s what happens when humans get their hands on you—they take pieces of you, and you never smell the same, never have kittens, never even feel the same.”

Darkstripe’s ears flattened, eyes widened. He hurried up, outpacing Brick and getting closer to Tigerclaw.

They led the forest cats down into the Stone River and into the Ringing Cavern, past the posted guards and down the path beneath the eyes of cats nearing a hundred strong. Brick remembered wishing they could see the look on Tigerclaw’s face as they trekked down the cavern. It was apparently for naught—Tigerclaw was good at hiding whatever he may or may not feel about the cats that lined the walls.

“Am I staying out here again?” Darkstripe growled, sounding not unlike a moping kitten as they came to the entrance to Scourge’s lair.

“Tell you what, scamp?” Brick purred. “You come in and see just how much you like it in there.”

Bone shot them a look, but didn’t tell them otherwise as they led them through the tunnel. If they didn’t get to see Tigerclaw react, well, they would love to see the annoying little idiot that followed him everywhere freak out instead.

And sure enough, Darkstripe stopped and gawked the moment he saw the pile of bones, shiny clean in the moonlight that filtered through the top grate. “Tigerclaw—!”

“Later, Darkstripe,” Tigerclaw said, flicking his tail across his mouth. His eyes were fixed on the pinnacle of the pile, though, where a figure sat. “I see Scourge will be meeting me face to face this time?”

“I couldn’t tell you if that means you’re lucky or unlucky,” Brick remarked.

Scourge rose from his seat atop the pile and picked his way down. He was a bit older, getting up in his years, with a thin, white furred pelt and an old, ragged collar which hung loose around his neck. Most notably, rings of bone had been pierced along the inside of his front legs, rattling as he strode over. Brick studied his face, a tension gripping them. Normally, Scourge had pale blue eyes—pink in some lights.

Right now, though, they looked a little bluer than normal.

Scourge sat, absolutely dwarfed by Tigerclaw’s massive form. “To what do I owe the pleasure, then?”

Brick’s eyes shifted to Tigerclaw. He studied Scourge carefully, as if he were judging whether this cat was truly a threat or not. They almost willed him to swing the other way. To dare disrespect their leader.

But he merely dipped his head. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” he said. “You recall the plan I proposed to you?”

Scourge’s owlish eyes did not as much as blink in response, his form still, his tail motionless. “I do,” he said, his voice flat and monotonous. “Yet something tells me that you did not succeed.”

“Do not be hasty—the plan has simply changed. I ask for some of your cats to take to the forest with me, where I will lead a mixed clan. There your cats and my cats can learn from each other—and we will be closer to becoming one.”

Scourge blinked once. “I don’t recall ever agreeing that we would become…one.”

“No, but I hardly think we should fight,” he said. “There should be an alliance between us.”

“Hm. How many cats, Tigerclaw?”

“Five,” he said. “Five and no more.”

While Scourge silently stared off to the side, Brick piped up. “Well I could always go,” they said. “With four other cats of my choosing—and they can answer to me before they answer to him.”

“That sounds more than fair,” Tigerclaw said, dipping his head respectfully. Brick fought the ears to claws his ears off then and there.

For awhile longer, Scourge was silent and frighteningly still. Finally he turned his head back, eyes big as an owl’s, and slowly cocked his head. “You want to leave, Brick?”

“Face it, Scourge, I’m one of your most trusted cats,” they retorted. “You won’t let Bone too far from your side and you won’t trust Ice or Snake to clean a fucking bone right. Unless, I don’t know, you want to send someone like Mitski out there.”

“I could gut you for speaking to me like that.”

“Or you can simply spare yourself my voice for awhile. I think we both prefer that option.”

Out the corner of their eye, they saw Tigerclaw watching with intrigue. Sizing them up. Eyes taking in ever little detail about the hierarchy in the Town. Brick could have laughed for all the good that would do him. It would take a month’s time of watching to even begin to understand what was really going on here among the Strays.

“Pick four cats,” Scourge finally said. “Your choosing. Bone will see you twice a month, the waxing and the waning half moons.” Without looking at Tigerclaw, he added, “Leave us to discuss this.”

Bone led Tigerclaw and Darkstripe away, leaving Brick to face Scourge alone.

“You’re an intelligent cat, Brick,” Scourge said, speaking slowly. His first show of emotion in the way his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “What do you really want with the forest?”

“To see it. Is that not enough? I’ve walked the Town paths so long my pads are toughened by the stone and grit,” they said. “Maybe for a month I want to walk somewhere softer.”

“No. I think you’re afraid.”

“Forgive me, Scourge, but is that not the point?”

Scourge’s tail curled with amusement, and for a moment his eyes flashed with something new, something malicious. He stood and began to circle Brick.

“But you weren’t always afraid of me, were you?” he murmured. “What changed? Do I lift my chin with greater authority? Are my plans sharper, smarter? Have the numbers under my paw grown a little fast for your liking?”

He stopped behind them. “Or perhaps you’ve seen something you shouldn’t have seen? Noticed something you shouldn’t have noticed?”

“I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about,” they said simply.

“Oh, you do. Because you’re keen.” He finished the circuit, sitting before them once again with those owlish, emotionless eyes. “Too keen. Pick your cats and leave.”

Brick nodded once. “Yes, Scourge.”

They knew who they would pick, and planned to seek them out tomorrow. In the meantime, though, they needed to eat. Their stomach gaped like the Ringing Cavern, and growled like the beast that had once lived there, the Beast of Many Bones. They didn’t go to Bone for help, though. They had a destination in mind and wanted to make the journey alone.

They walked well into the day, leaving behind the stony landscape and exchanging it for the friendlier homes where the house cats lived. In fact, as they passed, a few spotted them and scrambled to get out of sight. They were a common sight here among the Houses, and no cat would ever pick a fight with them.

Finding their destination, they leapt onto a fence and then up onto the roof of one of the smaller homes, parting their jaws to scent the air. The scent of a nearby molly was fresh here.

As they climbed to the peak of the home, they spotted her silvery pelt. She sat perched on the red brick chimney, her eyes glazed as she stared at something in the distance, something they would never see. They leapt up beside her, and she was shaken out of her trance.

“I didn’t expect you to be out, Princess,” they remarked.

“Brick,” she greeted tersely. “I didn’t expect you to be visiting.”

“Mm. I wanted to ask if you would hunt with me. How are the kittens?”

A long silence followed, her eyes narrowing. “Dead,” she finally said.

They felt a pang of hurt…mixed with relief. Kittens made her a target in the Town, but that didn’t mean they wanted to see them dead.

“You doing alright?” they asked.

“What do you care?”

“What do I care?” they echoed. “I’m hurt.”

“Brick.”

Quietly, they pressed up to her side, causing her to relax into them. With a sigh, they placed their chin on her head, purring in hopes of comforting her.

“I’m sorry,” they said. “Don’t act like I don’t care, though. You’re my sister, Princess. I’ll always care.”

She relaxed further, letting out a sigh.

“Thank you, Brick.”

#rewrite excerpts

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z3ld4 · 4 years

Text

Mercy Me - Part One

Summary: Jacqueline Laymore can’t really tell when it started to hurt to call Spencer her friend. But that didn’t really matter after she got kidnapped. Right now all that matters is getting home and getting Spencer Reid.

Warnings: Angsty? Mentions of self harm, suicidal ideation, death, kidnapping, is catholic guilt a warning? culty vibes, mentions of torture, and a very small mention of rape and gouging one’s eyes out.

Word Count: 1.3k (its a babey for the first part)

A/N: this is one of my first fanfictions on tumblr and in this fandom, so idk be nice or like really mean, criticize me, i don’t really mind. i used to write aphmau fanfiction nothing really hurts at this point. also this is an original female character fic because i for real can not write fic in the y/n format and i’ve had this idea for a while. it took a lot of effort to post this without puking in anxiety first but i hope it goes well ig.

If Jacqueline was going to die right then and there, she would have frankly been pissed. Sitting in the bathtub with blood seeping out of shallow cuts on her thighs would not be a great way to go. It’s especially stupid because they weren’t even new. Jacqueline knew better than to cut in the tub.

Especially since she’d been clean before the incident.

She wondered if that was the time to back up and take a second to think. Think about her wrongdoings.

Of course, Gabriel doesn’t give her the release of death and instead shot himself in the neck. Her eyes, always the worst part of her body, follow the arterial spray as it stains the yellowing ceilings. She almost wants to take the revolver and shoot herself in the head, but that would contaminate the crime scene.

Jacqueline is smarter than that. But the revolver is so close to her. Yet just out of reach.

Everything seems to be just out of reach when you’re kidnapped.

But everything is moot compared to the digging feeling in her stomach telling her that the gun still has five more rounds.

She doesn’t. Of course, there is more to her life than being a martyr for another’s sins. That isn’t what Father Julien said when she was younger, but Father Julian also tried to gouge out her eyes in the town square.

Father Julian did a lot of things, talking about the grace of God wasn’t one of them. But what can you really expect from a man that creates a psychopath? Jacqueline dug the heels of her hands into her eyes, creating swirling patterns behind her eyelids. Phosphenes. She can hear him say it. Spencer always made sure to tell her the weirdest facts he could remember. She can’t remember most of them but sometimes his voice pops up in her head reminding her of them.

A lot of things pop up in Jacqueline’s head these days. She smoothed her hair back with the water on her hands and stepped awkwardly out of the tub. Taking two towels from the rack on the wall, she wrapped up her hair and body. Carefully stepping around Gabriel’s body and blood pool she enters the bedroom. For a cheap motel, it was quite clean. Frankly, it wouldn’t be half bad if the carpet wasn’t a brown color and she didn’t come with the guy who kidnapped her. She dug through Gabriel’s luggage until she found yet another, white cotton sundress. It wasn’t a bad dress, quite pretty in reality. It was the situation that made it the ugliest rag Jacqueline had ever seen. It fell to just below her knees and the bodice fit her waist perfectly, the spaghetti straps dug into her shoulders but it could have been much, much worse.

Jacqueline would have liked the dress in another life. However, Gabriel had a thing for the whole ‘white equals purity’ thing and tortured her in a dress similar to the one she was putting on.

She stopped putting the dress on. Blinking through the tears forming in her line of sight, Jacqueline searches for a shirt and a pair of pants that could maybe fit her. She found Gabriel’s taupe button-up and slipped it over her shoulders, buttoning the front up to the third button. After digging a little more she finds a pair of army green pants, a little too high waisted for such a masculine man but she puts them on. Luckily Gabriel also had a pair of hiking boots which Jacqueline took the shoelace out of and used it as a belt.

The sandals that she wore when out with Gabriel would have to do, though it looked a little silly. Jacqueline took her hair out of the towel and ruffled it up a little, she always hated leaving her thick, wavy hair without product in it but it’s better than brushing it. The bangs brushing against the bridge of her nose are going to make her cry though. She used to hate how she looked in bangs but now, with Gabriel’s praises ringing in her ears, she almost likes the way they frame her face.

Almost.

Jacqueline grabbed Gabriel’s wallet on the way out of their hotel room.

The secretary looked at Jacqueline funny as she checked out. Granted, it was well deserved, Jacqueline looked like a mess of men’s clothing. She also was leaving without Gabriel, which sounded a little unheard of considering he didn’t even let her speak when they checked in.

Jacqueline wanted to call the police so the maid didn’t get a nasty surprise. She didn’t have a phone on her but she walked to the payphone on the street corner and quickly called 911.

“Hi, Hello. Y-yes… I… I need to report a suicide at Maple Leaf Motel, room 3C. My… My p-partner shot himself in the neck!” She wailed into the phone before hanging up. She was always good at faking things. Right now, faking composure seems to be the only thing keeping her sane.

Time to catch a flight to Quantico, Virginia.

Or, more likely, hitchhike. If there was anything Jacqueline had learned in her nine years with the BAU is to not hitchhike. But she had about two hundred and fifty dollars and the clothes on her back. And if anything she could pay for some gas and maybe use the self-defense that Morgan taught her. She knew that from where she was it would be around twenty days by foot. A twenty-hour car ride. And maybe a five-hour flight depending on the airport. The closest 'big' town near Maple Leaf was Lexington.

And deep down, Jacqueline really wanted to take a road trip. Nebraska is quite a pretty state. Though walking would be a little excessive considering she's technically been off for two months already.

The fact that she’d been with Gabriel for two months sent shivers down Jacqueline’s spine. The bureau wouldn't take her vacation days away for being kidnapped but you never really know with the government, do you? She started walking to the library when she realized that she could email Strauss and talk about her job and how fast she can be reinstated. Luckily the library was a few blocks down the street.

"Hello, dear! What can I help you with today?" The elderly woman behind the help desk smiled. Jacqueline figured that they didn't get that many people inside the small library.

Jacqueline forced a smile and walked up to the desk, "Can I use one of the computers? I need to email my boss about my... vacation."

The librarian gives Jacqueline a sugary sweet smile. "May I, Deary," The librarian corrected.

"Right," Jacqueline drawls. The librarian walked her to a clunky old computer and logged on before shoving Jacqueline down into the seat. Jacqueline goes through google to find her email service and quickly write one to Strauss. Strauss responded quickly, a short email reading:

Dear Agent Laymore,

You're thought to be dead. I can not grant you the ability to step into your building for recertification and discussions of reinstating you until you prove otherwise.

Erin Strauss

Jacqueline responded:

Dear Erin,

You're supposed to be nicer to people who are held as a hostage. Anyways, I guess a way to prove my identity would be that I can sing 'On My Own' from Les Mis perfectly, I know you have heard me do it. And that your husband divorced you after he gave you half of his liver due to your liver cirrhosis. You told me this one night when I was crying over my brother killing himself and getting disowned. I am the only person on the current team (I assume, though I'm sure Rossi knows ;D) who has that information on you.

With love,

Dr. Jacqueline Laymore PsyD

Ps. Please don't give my job away because I made a joke.

Erin responded with a very annoyed emailing detailing what they will discuss once Jacqueline reaches Quantico. With a valid ID of course.

Now the hard part, finding someone who wasn't a serial killer to hitchhike with. For at least twenty-four hours. In a car.

Spencer's voice called out in the back of Jacqueline's head, reminding her that there is a 0.0000086% of being killed or raped while hitchhiking.

51 notes · View notes

midnights-calm · 4 years

Text

Honey and Ginger

Hi there! This fic is base off of two writing prompts by @thecinnamonroll-varian. Hope you enjoy!

--------

Everything was fine. The Saporians had been returned to jail and Corona was still in one piece. Sure, there was the occasional glare or remark about his past, but Varian didn’t think about it too much.

Besides, he had other things to worry about. Like helping Xaiver organize his herbs, or putting up the new sign in front of Monty and Atilla’s shop. And he can’t forget that he promised to help Dad gather supplies to fix the roof. Not to mention he still had to figure out how to bring back the King and Queen’s memories. He didn’t have time to focus on people’s glares.

*Cough Cough*

...Or a small cough. It wasn’t a big deal. Just a dry throat that could easily be fixed with a glass of water. Simple. Now what did he do with that book that he said Catilena could borrow?

***

Varian brought his elbow up to cover his cough, pausing in adjusting the sign. He had enough time before heading over to Xaiver’s to drink some water, but the relife had lasted for the trip. He did his best to keep quiet and hide the shivers raking his frame. If the older man notices anything he didn’t say so. But then again he was a bit wrapped up in recounting the tale of a curse involving a cauldron. Once the coughing subsided, Varian adjusted his position on the ladder and returned to his work.

“Hi Varian!” The boy paused and looked over to see Rapunzel and Eugene headed his way. He gave them a wave in return.

“Hey guy! What brings you guys out here?”

Eugene shrugged. “We were just enjoying a stroll and found you. Whatcha up to buddy?”

“Nothing much, Monty asked me to replace his sign.”

“Didn’t you fix that for him last week?”

“Yeah, but he said that it broke again. So I offered to make him a new one.” Varian shrugged, swiping his sleeve across his forehead. When did it get so hot?

“Varian, are you feeling alright?” Rapunzel asked with a concerned expression.

“Yeah I’m fine!” He chirped. “It’s a bit warm out, but it’s nothing some water can’t solve.”

The couple didn’t look too convinced, but before they could say anything, Monty came out.

“How’s that sign coming, boy?” He snapped.

“A-almost done, sir! I’ve just gotta straighten it out.”

Monty huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “Well hurry it up. I need you to take a look at one of my displays. It’s been wobbling since your last visit.”

“I could take a look at it for you Monty.” Eugene chimed in. “I’m sure that it’s a simple fix.”

“No need, the boy here’s probably got everything to fix it himself.” Eugene quirk an eyebrow. The way Monty was treating Varian wasn’t sitting right with him.

“Alright, finished.” Varian called, hopping off his ladder. He immediately stumbled back a step, before shaking his head. A sudden dizzy spell, so what. “Lead the way.”

Rapunzel and Eugene shared a look, before following Varian and Monty.

***

“Are you sure it’s broken?” The alchemist asked. “It doesn’t look like anythings busted.”

“Well Atilla said that his last batch of muffins came out over done, so something must be wrong with it.”

“Or maybe he had left them in for a bit too long?” Eugene offered with an arched brow. After fixing the display, Monty immediately had Varian fix his register, before dragging him over to look at the oven. At this rate, the older man seemed determined to have the boy fix every minor inconvenience in his shop.

Rapunzel nodded, keeping an eye on Varian. She noticed him coughing more the longer he worked, and letting out small shivers as time passed. Not to mention how his skin seemed to have paled since they had run into him outside. It was really starting to worry her.

The old man huffed. “Preposterous. Atilla would never.”

“Oh, I-I think I found your problem.” Varian said, repressing another cough. He cleared his throat before he continued. “Looks like there’s something blocking the smoke stack. It’s keeping heat trapped in the oven itself. Not to worry though, I’m sure I can get it ou-”

The alchemist quickly brought a hand to his mouth as he broke into another coughing fit. This one was longer and more painful than any of the previous. Rapunzel swiftly moved over to rub soothing circles on his back as Eugene rushed to fill a glass of water. Monty, on the other hand, just crossed his arms and looked annoyed.

“Don’t be spreading any germs around my shop boy.”

“So-sorry.” Varian gasped in between coughs. “M-must’ve breathed i-in s-some ash.”

Eugene glared at the shop owner, before offering the glass over to the boy. “Here. Drink this.” He said as Varian took the glass. The younger took slow, careful sips letting the cool liquid soothe his throat. Once he emptied about half of it, he lowered the glass and took in a deep breath.

“T-thanks Eugene.”

“No problem kid.” Eugene replied, flashing a concerned smile. “Are you sur-?”

“Ahem!” Monty cleared his throat, causing Eugene and Rapuzel to scowl. “The oven if you would?”

The brunette let out a frustrated sigh, before collecting himself.“Monty buddy, can’t you see tha-”

“R-right sorry about that!” Varian wheezed, quickly getting back to removing the blockage. Rapunzel felt more concern bubble up to the surface as she kept her hand placed on the Alchemist’s back.

“Varian, are you sure you should be-”

“A-Ah-ha!” He cheered, straightening out and revealing a small piece of tinder. “G-got it!”

“Good to hear. Now I need you to take a look at-”

“Oh would you look at the time! Rapunzel didn’t we have that thing we thought we could have Varian look at.” Eugene interrupted. Rapunzel glanced at him, before understanding crossed her face.

“T-that’s right!” She jumped in. While she didn’t like lying, she knew monty would continue to force Varian to work. “C’mon boys we should probably get going!”

The princess grabbed both males hands and quickly left the shop. They keep a hurried pace until they’re a handful of streets over. Normally, that distance wouldn’t phase him, but now it has Varian wheezing. Rapunzel stops upon noticing the alchemist’s state.

“Are you sure you’re okay Varian?”

“Y-yeah…” He gasped, trying to take in as much breath as he could. “Just- uh, just give me a second.”

Eugene wasn’t convinced. He stealthily removed his glove and placed it on the younger’s forehead. Varian flinched away from the contact, but Eugene got what he wanted.

“Kid, you’re burning up.” He stated plainly.

“I-it’s nothing. R-really, I’m fi-.” Varian tried to say, but another coughing fit stopped him.

“You’re clearly not. Varian please, let us help.”

“No!” Varian shouted, causing all three to flinch. Realizing his mistake, he hurriedly corrected his volume. “I-I mean n-no thank you! Besides, you guys are probably busy anyways. A-and I promised to help my dad.” The couple looked like they were about to argue, when a voice called out from behind them.

“Varian!” The trio turned to see Quirin making his way towards them. “There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you, son.”

“O-oh Dad!” The alchemist stammered. “S-sorry about that! I got caught up helping Monty.”

His father chuckled. “Of course. I forgot that you said you’d be there.” Varian chuckled, before it dissolved into another coughing fit. Quirin’s smile faded, and he quickly closed the remaining distance between them.

“Varian? Son, tell me what’s wrong.”

“N-nothing.” Varian choked. “ t’s just a cough.”

“Varian, please.” Rapunzel pleaded. “You have a fever. Let’s take you back to the castle.”

Quirin flinched, returning his focus back to his son. “Varian, why didn’t you tell me you were sick?”

“Didn’t want to bother you.” The boy muttered. He was very dizzy all of a sudden, and his balance felt off. He shook his head, and groaned. Next thing he knew he was falling forward. Strong arms caught him before his head could meet the ground.

“Varian!” Three voices called out. He tried to pinpoint each owner, but a spike of pain shot through his brain. The last thing he felt before drifting into unconsciousness was someone lifting him up and carrying him someplace else.

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

So this was four pages in itself. I’ll post the rest later :3c

#tts varian #sickfic #varian #concerned raps and eugene #quirin shows up at the end

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luminousinthedark · 4 years

Photo

I know I’m a little late but, Happy Birthday to the APS server!! :D This was actually for another event on there but I couldn’t resist posting this as a gift as well. To add another contribution along with the art, I’ve written a oneshot of a very sleep deprived Marinette and Adrien if you want to check it out! xD

Here is a sneak peak. The rest is below the cut or on Ao3 :3c

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24444775

“I brushed my hair with my toothbrush this morning.”

Marinette sat smugly in her seat, arms crossed over her chest, thinking she won this round. This felt exactly like the times she joked with Chat Noir on the rooftops. She was sure he would get a kick out of this conversation if he were here.

“Oh yeah? Adrien challenged, leaning on her desk. “Well I washed my body with shampoo instead of using body soap.”

She gaped in astonishment. He grinned in satisfaction, ready to take the victory.

“Tch,” she waved her hand around, clearly not beaten,” child’s play. I almost walked to school still wearing what I wore to bed.”

“That’s nothing to be embarrassed about!” he chided.

She leaned closer, their noses almost touching. “In my birthday suit.”

Adrien’s eyes widened comically while she settled back, taking home the prize of his dignity while he broke composure and blushed heavily.

“I’m sorry,” Nino broke the competitive atmosphere, nearly at a loss for words. “Can someone run by me again, what exactly is going on here?” Bringing a hand up to his mouth in deep contemplation, he studied his two friends. The two promptly ignored him, as they went right back into bantering back and forth, trying to one up the other.

“Nino please,” Alya shushed, her big rimmed glasses barely hiding behind the phone she held in front of her, recording the whole encounter. “Let our embarrassing, sleepless friends do their thing.”

Shaking his head, Nino was about to return to listening to his music when their teacher walked in and began class.

But it didn’t end there.

“I once pounced on someone’s back, thinking they were my friend, when they turned around and was most definitely not someone I knew,” Marinette recounted as she shoved her mouth full of leftover noodles.

Trying not to snort milk through his nose, Adrien spat it out onto the grass underneath them. Wiping his chin, his chuckles ran deep, his lack of sleep really beginning to show.

Nodding her head slowly, Marinette stared off into the distance, reliving the memory. “The look of horror on their face is one I’ll remember, always.”

Pointing his fork at her food, he shot a sly smirk her way, “Sounds to me like they were an impasta.”

She shoved him over into the grass, his cackling gaining volume while he just laid there. His joyous mirth bled over into her annoyed frown, causing her lips to quirk and her own giggles to spill out. “Oh my god, you’re such a funky noodle. Finish your salad so we can head back to class.”

It took a lot of effort and energy on his part, but he was soon sitting upright and finishing off the rest of his healthy lunch.

Taking a moment to pause, Marinette could feel the welcoming hands of sleep gripping the edges of her consciousness, barely there and ready for her to drop her focus at a second’s notice. Pinching herself and slapping her cheeks, she warded away the feeling for now.

“When I first got my phone,” Adrien spoke up, only to be interrupted by a wide yawn, “I hadn’t quite memorized my phone number and gave it to Chloe when she impatiently asked for it.” He chuckled, running a hand through his hair, messing it up. “When she called, some random old guy answered the phone and she shrieked and hung up. Apparently, I switched two of the numbers around.”

Marinette snorted, relishing in her old enemy’s mortification.

Rubbing at his eyes, Adrien yawned once again, settling himself deep into the plush, green grass, facing towards the sun. He reminded her of a cat in that moment; thoughts of Chat Noir completely taking over her lack of logic.

“God, you’re such a cat,” she teased fondly, pushing her empty dish aside and curling up next to him.

Nearly outshining the sun with his bright smile, he turned to look at her through narrow eyelids, a peak of dark green showing through. His blond hair was tousled in every direction. “I have to stay true to my nature, my Lady.”

“Was that supposed to be another joke?” she yawned, then rubbed at her eyes as well. Nothing and everything was making sense to her now, so she just scooted closer to his side.

“Purrrhaps,” he slurred, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close to him. She complied easily, feeling sleep ready to claim her.

“You and your...stupid cat puns..silly kitty,” Marinette grumbled, drifting off.

Bellies full, the warm sun shining down on them, with their trusted partner by their side, it caused the two teens to peacefully fall asleep. After not getting enough rest the past week from late night akuma’s and daily life routines, it was enough to make them crash.

“There they are!” Marinette distantly heard through the thick fog of her mind.

There was a rhythmic thumping sound under her ear, coming from her breathing pillow that she snuggled closer to.

Wait.

Her eyes shot open as her body tensed up.

This wasn’t her bed.

Carefully lifting her head, she looked down in panic at just who she was sleeping on top of. But that wasn’t the most alarming thing.

A perfect circle of her drool had formed in the middle of Adrien’s shirt.

Groaning, Marinette dropped her head back onto his chest and wished for the ground to swallow her up.

“Oh my god!” Alya laughed breathlessly, finally reaching them. She then began fumbling for her phone to take a quick photo. “You two are so dang cute.”

Glaring up at her through heavy eyelids, Marinette felt a blazing hot blush encompass her whole face.

“Dudes,” Nino approached and stopped next to Alya. “You guys never came back from lunch and everyone wondered where you were.” He raised an eyebrow, as if he were a parent scolding his children, “so this was more important than class?”

Marinette whined and tried burying her face deeper into Adrien’s shirt, hoping to disappear. This caused him to stir and grip his arms tighter around her.

“Just five more minutes Buginette,” he murmured into her hair sleepily.

It felt as though a lightning bolt had shocked through her system, remembering the conversation they had earlier as they fell asleep.

She was wide awake now.

Marinette squeaked.

"Alright Nino," Alya said with determination, grabbing his shirt and leading him away. "Let's leave these two ‘good friends’ alone,” she emphasized. Nino snickered and shook his head.

It took a moment but then Adrien whispered a curious “wait” as he stilled underneath her.

Gulping, Marinette waited for the inevitable “you’re Ladybug?”

Instead, she got...

“I think she meant very good friends,” he huffed out in a matter-of-fact tone.

She let out a disbelieving snort, groggily sitting up and smacking his chest.

He chuckled, rubbing the area and sitting up as well. “What, did you think I was going to say something else, my Lady?”

Mouth dropping open, Marinette hid her face in her hands and groaned in defeat.

Of course he remembered.

“Why does my shirt feel all wet?” he asked a second later, assessing the damage. Marinette just wanted to die. “I know people drool over others in a metaphorical way but this is next level.”

Marinette couldn’t help the laugh that burst out of her. “You and your dumb puns,” she chuckled, knocking his shoulder and wanting to wipe that smug smirk off his face. “This is just another embarrassing story to add to my ever growing list,” she sighed.

“It’s not that embarrassing,” he reassured with a smile.

“Yeah sure, getting drool all over the love of your life before you confess isn’t humiliating at all,” Marinette rambled.

Adrien’s head shot up to stare at her.

“...your what?”

#i don't usually post my stuff on here but #i'll make an exception this time #happy birthday aps!#best server i've ever been in #it's pouring with love and positivity #my art #fanfic #miraculous ladybug #adrien protection squad #aps anniversary #<3

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sabraeal · 4 years

Text

Happiness Is Just Around the Corner

The Wide Florida Bay | Previous

Written for @bubblesthemonsterartist for her birthday! This was...not the fic I thought I’d be writing, but this is where this subplot needed to start >:3c

There is an improbable amount of fireworks on the lawn.

“Oh, I’m pretty sure none of it’s legal,” Kiki assures him, taking a long drag of her Sam’s Summer. “Shiira took his ducklings up to New Hampshire yesterday, and they came back with two coolers worth of...something.”

Zen coughs on the dregs of his Magic Hat. “What? Should we even--?”

Kiki’s flat stare is more effective than a hand over his mouth. “You really think we’ll get in trouble.”

His gut instinct is yes, because there’s not a day in his life where his brother hasn’t caught him with his pants down just to prove a point. It would be just like him to send a cruiser around so that he could experience the heart-stopping terror of being on the other side of a two-way mirror. Sure, Haruka would be down at the station before he could even ask for a phone call, and all of this would slide off his permanent record like water off a duck’s back, but still-- trouble.

But he doesn’t say that. He takes a deep breath, thinks. It’s quiet here on campus. They’re rowdy, sure, but it’s just the frat there, not some rager with Omega Delta Nu. The campus cops are probably bored out of their skulls, but they’re not going to nail the honor’s frat for a light show.

“No,” he admits, begrudgingly. “Not unless they light something on fire.”

Her mouth twitches, following the spark in her eyes. “Well, there’s a non-zero chance of that.”

Ugh, of course Kiki would be excited by the prospect. “Well, as long as we don’t get--” Obi crosses the lawn, aviators looming over a wide smile, and hovers just at Shiira’s shoulder, perusing the goods. “UH.”

“Fuck.” Kiki hops off the porch, straight down into the landscaping. “I’ll handle this.”

Zen settles back against the porch swing and sighs, taking another swig of Magic Hat. “Yeah, please do.”

Kiki’s already halfway across the lawn by the time he’s finished talking, so quick that when Obi picks up a particularly patriotic package of pyrotechnics, she’s there to snatch it out of his hands. Even from here, Zen can see the jut of his pout, hear the faint whine of Ms Kiki on the air.

Mitsuhide’s lighting up the grill, surrounded by a crowd convinced cooking works by consensus. He takes a handkerchief out of his back pocket-- stars and stripes, stuffed there early this morning as Obi solemnly announced, you are America’s hat today, big guy-- and wipes the sweat beading on his forehead. Zen can’t tell whether it’s from the heat or from the effort needed to withstand six guys offering advice on proper grilling technique.

A cool breeze tumbles through the porch, carrying the muted voices of a dozen conversations. Zen closes his eyes, letting the smell of smoke and the heat of the day wash over him, the swing rocking gently on its chains.

It’s nice, having all this. People he can anticipate. People he can depend on. Friends. The real kind, not just kids whose parents went to the same prep school as his.

This isn’t where he’s supposed to be.

A year ago that would have sent him scrambling-- last minute tickets and crumpled up itineraries paired with the crushing guilt of never being enough. But now--

Now he knows this is where he wants to be. And there’s only one person to thank for that.

“Hey.” His eyes slit open, and there she is, brilliant smile and bright hair, peeping around the post. “Enjoying yourself?”

Zen drops his legs from the rail to make room. “I am now.”

Shirayuki’s mouth slants, playfully wry, and his heart strains against his sternum like a dog testing its leash. “It looked like you were before too.”

“Well, sure.” He wishes he had Obi’s obnoxious aviators right now, if only so she couldn’t see the eager way he watches her as she comes up, tucking herself neatly onto the opposite end of the swing. “But even more now that you’re around.”

Freckles disappear behind a bloom of pink, settling in on either cheek. “Ah, w-well,” she stammers, staring at her bare toes. “It’s good to know you don’t regret staying here.”

“Instead of being with my family?” He laughs, incredulous, draping his arm over the back of the swing. His fingers just barely brush the freckles on her shoulder. “More like I’m thankful for the excuse.”

Her smile dims. “Oh, um, right. You and Izana...”

She hesitates. There’s a wealth of ways she could end that thought, but instead she says, “It must be nice. I mean, the place your family has, not...”

The fraught relationship you have with your brother. She doesn’t have to say it for him to know exactly what she means.

“It’s all right, I guess,” he allows, wishing she’d sit closer, that she’d give him a good reason to put his arm around her for real, and not just let him awkwardly hang here. “I mean, it’s just a house. The beach is nice though. Private, of course.”

That doesn’t stop his mother from inviting the paparazzi if she thinks it will make a good photo op. Last year he’d made the cover of the Inquirer, face scrunched and unattractive as Izana has splashed sea water in his face, with the words Final Frolic for World’s Most Eligible Bachelor? There had been a two-page spread inside, dedicated entirely to the relationship rumors Izana had accrued since Valentine’s Day.

Well, he didn’t have to worry about that this year. No paparazzo was going to stake out a college frat to take pictures of an illegal fireworks show. Now Haki could deal with having her picture slapped across the tabloids because mother thought candid shots made for better family photos.

“Ah, right...” Her laugh stutters out, awkward and endearing. “That sounds...good?”

Shirayuki’s still next to him, the heat from her skin humid against his fingertips, but she’s never felt so far. He grunts, frustrated, shifting closer.

“There’s an old carousel on the island too,” he offers, haltingly. He’s not sure why the impulse takes him to tell her; why he thinks she, specifically, might like it, save that when he looks at her it’s the same as when he saw those hand-carved horses the first time, well-loved and shining beneath antique lights.

“Oh!” She blinks. “My grandparents took me to one of those, once! Back when we visited...”

Her mouth works silently for a moment before pulling tight, the bittersweet twist making her smile more grimace than grin.

“Well, you’d love this one,” he assures her, sweat pricking at his palms. “It’s the oldest in the US. But it’s still really nice! I’ll take you next--”

His words slam to a stop, running headlong into the barrier of his teeth. She’s staring at him now, eyes wide and mouth parted, and-- and what can he say? I’ll take you next year, when my brother suddenly approves of you.

Yeah, he knows better than to hold his breath for that.

“I’m glad, anyway.” She folds her legs up on the swing, one arm hooked around her knees, and tilts her head back. “It’s nice for all of us to be here, together.”

Her eyes are closed, face serene in the evening light, like she could just sit here forever, breathing into the twilight. His heart flutters just looking at her, at the way she relaxes next to him, content with the slow rock he eases them into. No one can just be the way Shirayuki can.

“It is,” he agrees softly, because anything but a whisper might break this moment, might let the rest of the world in. “It’s going to be weird when you...”

He tries to stop himself, but her eyes fly open before he can. Of course, the one moment he’s gotten her to himself, and he’s gone and ruined it by bringing that up.

“I just mean...” He laughs, tipping his head back on scroll of wood behind his head. “It’s going to be strange when you and Obi are gone next year.”

A month from now, really. It looms over him, a ticking clock that chimes every evening, telling him he’s wasted another day if it wasn’t with her.

“Oh!” Her head snaps upright, cheeks flushed. “I-- I guess. I didn’t really think...” She bites her lip; he wants to kiss it. “Mitsuhide won’t be here either!”

He blinks. It’s true, but he’s never actually thought about that. Mitsuhide has always been in the house, it seems, never the president but a calming influence just to the side of him, and now--

Well, it’ll just be him and Kiki next year. And the rest of the frat, of course, plus all the new pledges.

Still, the future is distinctly more lonely than he’d like.

“He’ll be close, though,” he says, if only to hear the words out loud. “Harvard is a bit of a drive from here, but now that him and Kiki are, you know...”

Banging. That’s what he means to say at least, what he would say if he didn’t, last minute, remember who he was talking to. The last thing he needs is to get a scolding about taking feelings seriously and supporting their friends. Especially when he’d rather be talking about another relationship entirely.

“...Together,” he settles on, and she hums, approving.

“I’m glad that happened.” She rests her chin on her knees, surveying the lawn. Kiki’s abandoned the fireworks committee, instead shooing away the flock of fraters that have congregated around the grill. “They’re good for each other.”

“Made for each other,” he agrees, tickling her shoulder with his thumb. She squirms, a giggle bubbling out from her lips. “Just like...”

Us. He wants to say it, so bad it’s almost an ache, but-- it’s not fair. Not when they’re not really anything, when they can’t be anything, because--

I don’t know if being with me like…like that will be…good for you. I don’t think either of us are ready for that sort of…of attention.

-- Because everything about his life makes things complicated.

“I’m...happy for them,” he says, because he is, because there’s no two people in the world who deserve every bit of goodness they can wring from life more than they do. Even if that leaves him on the outside, again.

“Me too.” Shirayuki smiles, soft and fond, and it’s impossible to believe it’s barely been ten months since he met her, that she isn’t someone he’s known his whole life, not when she just slips seamlessly into every part.

Her hand reaches out, taking his, cool in the evening breeze. “I’ll miss you too.”

His breath catches in his chest, painful. Maybe she feels so familiar because he’s been waiting for her his whole life, too.

“I-I mean, all of you, of course,” she stammers, pink flooding her cheeks, and oh, he wishes he could just lean over now and kiss her, like he was some normal boy with a normal crush and normal expectations of privacy. “I’m excited to go, but...it won’t be the same without everyone.”

Good. He smothers a grin. This whole trip is a great opportunity for her, he knows that-- how could he not, when Izana keeps reminding him about the connections she’ll make-- but--

Two years seems excessive. After a year, she’ll realize that too. And then she can come back for senior year, live in the frat, graduate, spend the summer with him in the Vineyard, and--

“We should do something together,” she says, fingers knotted around his, shoulders rounded shyly.

“Yes!” he blurts out, squeezing way too hard. “Definitely”

“All of us!”

“Ah...” That wasn’t what he thought she was going for. “I mean...”

“One last big adventure.” Her lips spread giddily. “Just the five of us. For now, of course,” she adds, “we’ll be coming back.”

“Oh, ah...” He blinks, staring down at where her hands are tangled with his. She has little over a month left here, and what he really wants is to be doing this, this whole...being together thing, but--

But it’s not like this is going anywhere either. Two years is a long time, but they’ll be sitting here just like this when she gets back. Well-- with more kissing, he hopes.

He can wait. He’s not the only one who will miss her. “Yeah, that sounds...nice.”

His eyes flick up, catching her just as she sinks teeth into the soft pillow of her lip, leaving a dent that begs to be soothed. Zen swallows, hard.

Well, a friendly getaway will have its opportunities for some, ah, private time too. He just has to create them.

“I was thinking,” he starts, lifting a hand to ruffle his hair, trying to be, you know, casual. “What if we--?”

“Hey.” Kiki perches herself across from them with a deftness that says she’s been hanging out with Obi too much. “Burgers are off the grill.”

“Great,” Zen grits out with a glare. “We’ll be down in a minute.”

Kiki hums, brow raising dubiously. “What are you two up to out here?”

“Nothing.” He glowers at her, wishing she would just take a hint. “Just talking.”

“Ah.” Her mouth twitches. “I see.”

“We were just talking about taking a trip!” Shirayuki blurts out excitedly, red-faced and glowing. “All of us! One last adventure before me and Obi go to Lyrias.”

Kiki blinks at that, cocking her head. “What were you thinking?”

“Oh, um, I don’t know.” A giggle burst nervously from her as she smooths the hem of her shorts over her thighs. “We hadn’t really gotten that far.”

All right, it’s time to drag this conversation back on track. Zen clears his throat. “Kiki, doesn’t your dad have that house in the Berkshires? We could go for a weekend, maybe take in the--”

“Why? We’re already in western Mass. What will a forty minute drive get us?” She wrinkles her nose. “It isn’t even peak foliage season.”

Privacy, he wants to say, but he knows how poorly that idea would fly with her. For someone who always seems to find time to be alone with her boytoy, Kiki’s awfully invested in seeing that he never has any with his girl...thing.

“Hm, I wasn’t really think a trip-trip either,” Shirayuki admits, crushing his dreams of a nice afternoon alone in a hammock, just the two of them and their bathing suits. “But something like an, ah...activity. Like an amusement park.” She perks. “Do you have something like that out here?”

“Six Flags!” he blurts out before he can even consider what he’s saying. “It’s only a half hour away, and the coasters are supposed to be some of the best. I mean, if you, ah, like that sort of thing.”

Which he doesn’t, but there’s really no need to mention that. Not when she lights up like she does, hands clapping together over her heart.

“That sounds perfect! I’ve never been to one of those.” She leans in, conspiratorial. “Opa always got vertigo on the Turkish Twist.”

He may not know what that thing is, but it sounds gut-wrenching enough to keep in head in the trash for a good ten minutes. Zen plasters a smile on his face, steadfastly ignoring the arch look Kiki gives him-- god, that’s the last thing he needs, Kiki deciding it would be funny to tell the story of when they rode the Tower of Terror in middle school-- and says, “I’ll go on any ride you want.”

Kiki makes an unearthly noise, somewhere between a cough and a choke, and he braces for it, for the you know, Zen can tell you the location of every trashcan in Hollywood Studios--

“When were you thinking?” she says instead, mouth just barely twitching at the corner. “It’s going to be busy this weekend.”

“Oh!” Shirayuki’s eyes round, matching the curve of her mouth. “I didn’t think of that. It doesn’t have to be right now. Maybe in another...week? Or so?”

Kiki whips out her phone, flicking through with one finger. “How about...the seventeenth?”

“Ah...” Shirayuki squints, eyes rolling upward like her brain is an open book she can skim for answers. “Y-yes. I think that’s all right.”

Zen stares. “Did you just...pick a random date?”

“No.” Kiki clicks her screen off, slipping it back into her pocket. “This weekend will still have traffic from the fourth. Next week we’re supposed to submit our paperwork to the student affairs office for this semester, and I know you haven’t started. I don’t want to go during a weekend rush, and Thursday is far into the week where if we have any last second problems with student affairs, we won’t have to reschedule.” She holds out a hand, ta-da. “The seventeenth.”

It’s not fair how she can just...do all that. “W-well, all right. But we still have to make sure that Obi and Mitsuhide--”

“Hey, Obi,” Kiki calls out, catching his attention as he cuts across the lawn toward them. “What are you doing on July seventeenth?”

In full sunlight, in the view of every member of the frat, Obi stumbles over absolutely nothing. “W-what?”

“July seventeenth.” she repeats archly as he slinks up beside her, arms resting on the rail. “Are you doing anything.”

When he thinks of Obi at rest, he thinks of languid limbs, of a frustratingly canted smile and glittering eyes, but--

He’s not any of that now. His troublesome mouth lays in a tense line, the corners of his eyes creased and wary. “Why?”

“We want to go somewhere, all five of us,” Shirayuki informs him giddily, mouth stretching from ear to hear. “And Zen suggested Six Flags--”

“Oh no.” He holds up his hands, shaking his head. “No way. Hard pass. I don’t do amusement parks.”

Kiki arches a brow, unimpressed. “Is that so.”

“Yeah.” He tosses his head, mouth straining towards casual derision and falling short. “Not my scene.”

“Oh really.” The mild look Kiki levels at him had leveled lesser men, but Obi only flinches. “Too cool for them, huh?”

His shoulders twitch. “Sure, we’ll go with that.”

“Ohh,” Zen grins, enjoying the way Obi squirms like a cat with his head caught in a fence. “So you mean that’s not really the reason? You have some other secret, terrible Bugs Bunny trauma in your past, maybe?”

“Well, I have to tell you,” Obi says loftily, “I’ve never really cared for Yosemite Sam.”

Shirayuki frowns. “We really don’t have to--”

“I think we all know this is just to obscure your Lola Bunny fetish,” Kiki deadpans.

“Excuse me?” Obi presses a hand to his chest, aghast. “Space Jam is a formative experience. To say any of us don’t owe Lola Bunny--”

“Hey.” Mitsuhide hops up the steps, wiping the sweat pouring down his neck. Zen valiantly doesn’t notice how Kiki stares. “The burgers have been done for a bit. What’s keeping all of you?”

“Obi is allergic to fun,” Kiki informs him, earning a shocked gasp from Obi.

“That’s not it!” he protests. “You just want to go to Six Flags--”

“Oh, Six Flags!” Mitsuhide’s mouth break into a guileless grin. “I love amusement parks.”

Obi stares, jaw slack. “Big Guy, don’t do this to me...”

Zen grins. “I dunno, Obi. Looks like you’re outvoted.”

Shirayuki shifts beside him, wringing her hands. “Oh no, I don’t think-- if Obi doesn’t want to go, we can just pick--”

“Nah.” Obi waves her off, one hand clasping at his shoulder. “You guys can do what you want. I’ll just sit this one out.”

“Obi--”

“I better check in on Shiira,” he says, stilted. “Don’t want them blowing up the front forty by accident.”

Shirayuki half stands, but it’s too late, he’s already sauntering away, laughing at he calls out to the brothers on the lawn.

“Don’t worry, Shirayuki.” Mitsuhide assures her with a clap on her shoulder. “He’ll come around.”

“I...” Zen watches the way her mouth sets, too knowing, a grim white line cutting through the flush of her face. “I don’t know about that.”

#akagami no shirayukihime #snow white with the red hair #slightly obiyuki #slightly zenyuki #The Wide Florida Bay #my fic #modern au #college au #this was honestly supposed to cover both convincing obi #and their trip to the amusement part #but that was a little too ambitious #especially right after bingo #so instead here is the set up #for a minor subplot to come

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infriga · 4 years

Text

Writer tag game

I was tagged by @novantinuum !

Author Name: I’m Infriga on tumblr but I go by Ppleater on AO3 because it’s a username I liked to use in the past lol.

Fandom(s) you write for: Steven Universe, Gravity Falls, and in the past I’ve also written one or two things for Red vs Blue, Gintama, Chuck, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles, and SGA. Most of my older stuff is on FFN, where it will stay because it’s old and embarrassing lol. I want to write a One Piece fic some day but christ is it a hard fandom to write for. There are so many puzzle pieces and moving parts and layers to everything in the OP world that anything bigger than a oneshot is daunting. Also Luffy’s mind is an enigma so I can only imagine how difficult he’d be to write.

Where you post: AO3. I used to post on FFN years ago, but not anymore because let’s be honest, ffn kinda sucks in comparison.

Most popular one-shot: My RvB fic I guess. The long cliched title is Five Times Tucker Knew Church Was a Robot, And One Time He Forgot That Church Was Still Human. It’s not all that popular, but it got more attention than any of my older oneshots on FFN haha.

Most popular multi-chapter: My Gravity Falls fic about kid Stan and paranoid Ford, 1 Step Forward, 20 Years Back. It was my first multichapter fic, and boy was I floored by the response it got!

Favorite story you wrote: I’m really bad at picking favourites! I like both my GF fic 1 Step Forward, 20 Years Back, and my Steven Universe fic Aid to Navigation at the moment. They’re both more recent fics and I feel like I’ve shown the most improvement in writing both of them, which is part of why i like them more, but I like them both for different reasons so I can’t really choose between them.

Story you were nervous to post: Man I’m nervous posting everything I write lol. I guess I tend to be more nervous about my hurt/comfort stuff for some reason? Especially the hurt parts. Like the chapter where Stan gets thrown down the stairs by Bill in my GF fic, or the upcoming chapter 5 in my SU fic. I really enjoy writing that sort of stuff, and I love reading it even more, so I’m always a little like >:3c but I can be a wee bit sensitive about stuff I get really into writing because I’m invested in it so I’m also a little like <:3c every time, you know? Still, if there’s one thing I’ve learned by getting more involved in fandoms is that it can be worth it to just put stuff out there and own it even when I’m nervous about it, so I usually just force myself to press the post button before I can chicken out. It’s worked out pretty well for me so far.

How do you choose your titles? I’ve developed 2 main methods which, funnily enough, I used for my two recent multichapter fics.

Method 1 involves word play, such as using a pun or a saying that fits one of the themes of my fic, and I adjust it as needed it to match the story. I felt like the saying “1 step forward, 2 steps back” fit the whole portal confrontation in general, and Stan getting turned into a kid involves taking some pretty literal steps backwards, so I changed it to 20 years back to give it a de-aging spin and make it even more of a play on words. That one admittedly came pretty easy to me. I also came up with more puns,wordplay, and jokes for the chapter names to match.

Method 2 involves using symbolism. I like to figure out something I feel would be symbolic of my fic and I look for interesting and relevant terminology or topics related to whatever that symbol is. In Aid to Navigation I settled on lighthouses as the symbolic element because I felt it suited Steven’s character, since he lives on a beach, helps guide people, and literally glows. An aid to navigation is basically any structure that helps ships navigate on the ocean, which includes lighthouses in particular, and it felt really suitable for Steven’s character and the themes of the fic. Other terminology that popped up and caught my interest while looking into stuff related to lighthouses ended up serving as inspiration for the chapter names and some of the story progression.

Of course, sometimes a title just pops into my head automatically and I end up liking it right away, but that’s pretty rare lol.

How many of your stories are complete? 2 on AO3, my RvB oneshot and my GF fic, and an extra 7 oldy moldy ones on FFN which are all oneshots. I technically write more now than I used to, but while my word count has rised drastically the number of individual fics I’ve written isn’t too high yet. I just found I enjoy writing longer multichapter fics a lot.

In progress: Just Aid to Navigation at the moment. I’m the kind of person who usually likes to finish a writing project before moving to a new one.

Coming soon:

I’ve tried coming up with future projects but honestly it seems like I tend to just be sort of... Gripped with a sudden idea that just feels right. I always have tons of concepts I like, but most never actually become anything. Only a few strike me as something that I really want to turn into a story right away. I might make a series of connected oneshots for Aid to Navigation involving interactions and scenes that I couldn’t fit in due to there not being enough time to explore every character the way I wanted (like I wanted to write a scene with Lars and Steven for example, but it didn’t seem to fit anywhere), but beyond that I have no idea what I’ll end up writing.

Upcoming story you’re most excited to write: Do upcoming chapters of a current fic count? The chapters I felt most excited to write for Aid to Navigation are the next one which is already finished and awaiting the accompanying picture, titled “Red Sector”, and the following one after that, which will be titled “Leading Lights”. All I’ll say about them is that both types of lights serve as warnings.

Top five favorite authors:

I like so many damnit, it’s hard to choose!

I’ve loved everything I’ve read by @novantinuum

I’ve bookmarked a lot of GF fics by @impishnature

Same with @fanfoolishness and their SU fics

One Piece fics by @taizi are my favourites in the fandom

There’s probably more people I’m forgetting and if that’s the case I’m sorry and I love you all, but if anyone wants to see more authors I’ve read stuff by I have fic rec/fic recs/fanfic rec/fanfic recs tags (wish I could remember which one I use at a given time so I wasn’t so inconsistent about it otl. Someday when xkit is working again I’ll try to organise them better). Also I have like, 400+ bookmarks on AO3 that you can look through as well.

Tagging: Uh, I tag all the writers I mentioned above I guess, if they want to do it and if they haven’t done it already!

#tag meme #fic recs #writing #Steven Universe #Gravity Falls #I'm only gonna tag those two cause I aint tagging the rest of the stuff i've written for lol

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fly-sky-high-bug-games · 4 years

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Hi! I saw you answer an ask about your OC Alyssum and I was instantly pulled in. I went to your list of muses to go read some stuff on her but the link isn't working for some reason. Care to share? 😁 also what other hcs do you have about her (optional w/mugo) 👀

I THINK THAT’S MY FAULT, I keep tagging her as available muse but she’s technically listed as “npc” on the muse post because I didn’t want to introduce her yet (so far story wise, she only appears through dialog and hasn’t popped out yet, hard since she’s at Highgrove and setting is in Hallownest). However, her muse has been... oddly strong lately, I keep drawing and doing tiny rp scenes with her with few friends just to test the waters with her and BOY IT’S KIND OF... INTERESTING.

She might be “oopsie haha murder” kind of character but she’s also playing the nobility part quite well. She’s “polite”, invites bugs for a tea, a little chatter (maybe even a friendly one, she’s capable of it), possibly propositions, no refusal, nice job offers~ or death. One always gets to choose, acting like they have an option but forcefully narrows it to few and plays on mental and emotional state at such circumstances. Tricky~

I have yet to develop the details of her faction and who’s in it but very few people will be. Wasps I already covered, I just have to work around clan leader that’s in contact with Alyssum. Others would be black market dealers (lead merchant), underground snail-mail (postal snail), one of the weavers who’s good with seals and couple of others~ I need to brainstorm on this still. :0

Damn, I already rambled about this and didn’t talk about her much, hold on *throws Alyss tidbits under read more if tumblr allows it to work...*

She was looked after by Magnolia and basically raised by her, some time after she turned to be a queen. Fun tidbits about Magnolia family as a whole, they are not related to one another (mostly) but consider themselves a big family because they took down the previous queen and king of Highgrove while raising from poverty. However, Magnolia and her followers were never kind and forgiving, but with promises that there will be change in balance of the hierarchy, they got a lot of followers and supporters from commoners to usurp the royalty and did so successfully.

Alyssum was young when this happened so while she was somewhat birthed under poverty, she was fully raised as a noble. I don’t have much of her childhood worked out but there isn’t much to say aside from that she was raised and thought under the cruel but rich conditions of the kingdom.

The binding seal on her wings she earned not long before she met Mugo, almost like a sign for maturity and set under higher position in the family and not just as a student. The seals are powerful magic that uses soul, sewed in with magic by the weaver and afterwards trained to use it. It manifests through the shape of petals: swirling, cutting, chipping, slashing or severing, depending on the number of petals created, used, how fast, how they’re choreographed... It’s all soul but she can use regular flower petals that make less damage but not much soul required. Alyss can also use the wings as a shield since the binding is right on them and actually getting through them with anything is worse than trying to cut the metal open. (like, I imagined in game moves, if you know how THK blocks twice then slashes, she does similar things with wings, where she blocks two times but then bursts open the wings to blow the opponent back to the other side of the screen)

But you know, she’s a lady~ Of course she won’t get her hands dirty. :3c She has others to do that for her~

As for her and Mugo... (OH BOY HERE WE GOOOO~!)

I have to say, their relationship and love was rather genuine, it kind of makes me sad it ended up the way it did... With Magnolia, Alyss (and even Zeeke and his family) still visiting Hallownest some time before Pure Vessel was sealed and before infection went crazy (I canonize, by human years, that that was 20ish years before current events, since Hornet seems 15-18ish years old but who knows with bugs~ I just needed approximate idea for the setting). They were at City of tears but Mugo met her somewhere close to it, as she was hiding away from the nobles to explore the outside on her own and spotted Mugo.

Sure, Mugo crushed on her first but when she tested him by giving away her symbol necklace and pedant of White Magnolia for him to sell at black market and get good money, he refused because it was a memento from someone dear to him. It still is... he didn’t take it off because this is when their love was true and pure... Alyss never forget that either. It was very touching to her.

Their relationship was fine, both shared nothing in common but that was such a fun time for both because of it. They were clicking because they were like two different puzzles pieces that do fit together... but sadly, the pieces didn’t give the right picture when one by the other. (don’t you hate when this happens when you’re trying to puzzle grass or sky together?? *shot*)

Alyssum explained to Mugo how Magnolia works. He didn’t like it one bit, as he ran away from Highgrove partially because they usurped the old rulers and rendered his family’s status almost homeless. Meanwhile, Alyss didn’t like that Mugo kept throwing himself in danger for his job, even if it’s a hobby that means a lot to him, all for sake of survival and geo.

They dated for some time, had fun, but slowly things started kind of... falling apart. The closer Alyss was to heading back to Highgrove the more she pressured Mugo to come with, become part of the family and live with her under riches the Magnolia offers. His counter proposal was, if they’re really in love and she is aware of Magnolia’s wrongdoings, that she would leave them instead and live with him while making the adventures she loved hearing about from him, together. Basically, Mugo put his love for her over riches or anything but Alyss wanted him for herself under the comfort and safety of Magnolia. She couldn’t throw that away, not after building the status and becoming a favorite to Magnolia herself. She thought this was selfish of Mugo but Mugo tried to explain it was for her changing a new leaf and starting over as something good, not ruled by fear and power.

So they started to disagree... argue... and finally physically fight. Of course, Alyss won. Mugo isn’t a fighter. At that moment, it was either she has him or no one does. For Mugo, he could only bark threats. So he did, angered, throwing words he couldn’t even imagine himself doing. When she lighted up her wings, he threatened he will cut them off. So in retribution, she cut him, scaring his face. He saw something or someone completely different then. Mugo ran for his life, leaving Alyss alone.

That was the last time they saw each other, 20ish years ago. Mugo hid away at the lake of Unn and suffered depression and withdrawal for a very long time. As for Alyss... she pulled off something she shouldn’t and Mugo didn’t know about...

He only got one last letter from her, to met her one more time at the Crossroads before she leaves for Highgrove, saying she wants to try one more time and... that she had a surprise for him. He didn’t respond. She waited for him there then left when he never showed...

That was that. :U Until now, at least~ :3 She got to hear about her ex thanks to Zeeke’s shenanigans at the Colosseum~ Oh, what are the odds of the noble meeting and having issues specifically with a certain, scruffy moth~

20 years is quite a bit of time for someone with a heartbreak and power to grow... kind of crazy. Of course she never let go of it. And now she knows he’s still alive too~ Wonder what Alyss will do. :3c

#man I got carried away BUT I ENJOYED TELLING ABOUT THIS #trying to turn this iceberg of lore a bit and open up more about it #so thank you so much for letting me ramble! :D #I will eventually make a muse page for her that works #muse: Alyssum #building lore tablets #I hope read more works.... that was a lot of text #alaska-ren

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inkforhumanhands · 4 years

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2, 4, 10, 12, 15, 20, 21, 23, 27 ;3c

2: (truth) What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you in the past week? (dare) Refresh your dashboard and send an anonymous compliment to the person who posted whatever’s at the top of your dash.

Truth: this was technically like a week and a half ago but it was really embarrassing/awkward so i’m going with this one. i missed several email reminders to turn in my work hours for TAing this month, which i needed a professor to sign, and i finally noticed the emails while i was in a class that ended at 5:00 and i thought the office closed at 5:30. it was also a friday before a long weekend and the form was already late so i couldn’t turn it in any later. i emailed the professor asking if he was still on campus so i could get his stamp of approval (and i was late last month too so this was twice in a row: embarrassing). he said he was, so as soon as class ended i went there and got his stamp, and i booked it to the office.

i get there at 5:25, turns out they closed at 5:15. i knocked on the door just in case they would open it and this lady i’ve never interacted with told me to go away and that the person in charge of the TA stuff (let’s call her OL) had gone somewhere. so as i’m slowing leaving the building with my tail between my legs i get a call on my cellphone from OL and she’s like “wait no come back i need you to turn it in” and i went back and turned it in and apologized a million times.

i was about to leave when i noticed that a Canadian professor i’d had for a class once two years ago was there so i awkwardly said hello and we code-switched to English. this professor is also in charge of the department’s mental health committee. she asked me if i had filled out the survey that she had sent out the previous day and i said “no not yet” and then she started talking about how important it was and blah blah blah and then OL comes over and she says, also in English, “Oh no, Drew is fine he doesn’t need mental health services” (which is like not true lololol but whatever) and then Canadian prof said that she didn’t mean it like that (in Japanese, but her Japanese isn’t very good tbh). So then OL code-switches back to Japanese and tries to finish her joke, that I don’t need mental health services because i have a mame shiba. But Canadian prof. didn’t understand her apparently and started talking over her and i was like “@OL lolol yes my dog heals my soul” and OL was trying to fix the miscommunication with Canadian prof. and it was just. a taxing experience The End.

4: (truth) What is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you? (dare) Post the oldest selfie on your camera roll.

Dare: Not a selfie but this is me teaching while looking not at all like a teacher lmao

10: (truth) What was your favorite band five years ago? (dare) Tag a blog that posts very different content from yours, but that you couldn’t imagine not following.

Truth: Let’s see, 2015? I don’t think I had a favorite favorite then but I was very into Envy, うみのて (Uminote), Grimes, and Sorority Noise

12: (truth) What are your five favorite girls’ names and five favorite boys’ names? (dare) Copy and paste the 14th line of text from the last document you worked on in Word or Google Drive.

Dare: I can’t tell if this is like literally LINE and not SENTENCE but if we’re doing line then “dialogue using linguistic resources flexibly. In addition, we discuss the possibilities of“

If it’s supposed to be sentence there is no 14th sentence because it’s only an abstract. (bet you were hoping for fic lmao too bad)

15: (truth) If you could rock any unusual article of clothing/makeup technique/hairstyle, what would it be? (dare) Go to the blog of the last person you reblogged a text post from. Reblog your favorite of their selfies.

Truth: Those fucking eye jewelry things! Like the little gemstone-like things guys stick under their eyes. No idea what they’re called.

20: (truth) What does your bedroom look like? (dare) Take one selfie and post it. You only get one shot! (No old selfies or retrying, even if you think you look bad)

Truth: Notice there is no bed. I store my futon in the closet during the daytime.

21: (truth) What three fictional characters would you most like to meet? (dare) Write your name down on a piece of paper and draw a quick picture of yourself. Take a photo of it and post it.

Dare:

23: (truth) What are your three biggest turn ons, and your three biggest turn offs? (dare) Put your music player on shuffle. Without actually listening to it, write the lyrics to the chorus of the first song.

Dare: I’m cheating for this because I literally couldn’t tell you what the chorus is without listening to it... and that goes for pretty much any song lmao

Night Swimming by Soccer Mommy- okay literally this song doesn’t have a chorus so i’m just picking one of the verses

Try to break your walls

But all I ever end up breaking is your bones

Bruises show

Standing in the living room

Talking as you're staring at your phone

It's a cold I've known

skipping 27 because i already did it

#ask games #happybeans #asks #id in alt text

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tfw-no-tennis · 4 years

Text

huntoxhunto

we watched 2 whole more eps but we’re abt to vacay so i better recap this biz now before i forget

ok so we finished the zoldyck arc and uhhhh gotta say we werent expecting like any of that to happen lol

ok ill back up so we start w/killuas mom (i dont think we ever heard her name) confronting gon & co....and canary (i lov her) is not dead which i assumed but thank goodness.

zoldyck mom was totally using nen. also she is off her rocker gotta say. tho that visor is super cool, albeit confusing - is it connected to a bunch of security cameras or something? how does she see all that shit?

granpa is wild. his tunic thing that says ‘one kill a day’ or w/e is kinda hilarious, it reminds me of the ‘apple a day keeps the dr away’ saying...a murder a day keeps the....idk away????

i love that killua makes it abundantly clear that he couldve like escaped at any time lol. also tho why didnt he just escape....baby boy just leave

killua getting all serious and threatening milluki if he messes with gon....my boys got it BAD

this family has so many communication issues hvbjadkfbjaskdfj nobody is on the same page at all

the butler guy continued to remind me of kuro one piece this whole time...i was waiting for him to bust out the ridiculous cat claws

oh my GOD wait the flashbacks of EVEN BABIER KILLUA were so precious ;_; he was soooo tiny and cute oh my god. so precious. and canary was also so tiny and cute

baby killua really just wanted a friend :(((( and canary wanted to be friends w/him but knew that mom zoldyck would kill her if she overstepped like that :( thats so tragic mannnn

also canary is so cool man. her beating up all those guys was epic

ok that whole scene with killua and his dad was like, such a rollercoaster lmao

like....it was all over the place for me...first of all the ambiance was wack, the room lighting was weird and im p sure killuas seat was an electric chair??? and the dad was in a coffin thing..???? like....interesting aesthetic choices all over the place here

also i see now where killua got his hair and also his catboy tendencies. the zoldyck catboy genes seem to trace back to zoldyck dad, who has kinda scary cat eyes

also im guessing that the dad is the blood zoldyck and the mom is the one who married in. they sure seem to put a lot of emphasis on like, family legacy or w/e, but the two parents certainty go abt it in different ways

the whole convo b/w killua and his dad was wild, it totally didnt go where i was expecting it to. his dad was weirdly chill while also being super intense?

killua happily telling stories abt gon was so sweet....baby boy baby

and his dad telling him ‘never betray your friends’ was rlly interesting...i wonder what his reasons were for saying that

cause then he tells killua he can leave, and killua does, but then dad zoldyck tells mom zoldyck (i rlly need to find out their names) that he thinks killua will come back on his own time....inch resting

i wonder if dad zoldyck made killua promise that bc he was trying to set killua up for failure - as in, he tells killua to never betray his friends, thinking that killua inevitably will & be distraught abt it, and then turn back to the zoldyck family when this happens. idk

also its interesting to me that zoldyck dad wants killua to lead the family someday. like, illumi is right there, hes the oldest and clearly dedicated to being an evil assassin, and he seems p good at it...i wonder why killua is the favorite....the grandpa (i think) did say that killua is Special(tm) which...yes he is a special baby boy i love him. i wanna see more zoldyck family flashbacks/interactions so we can see what led them to this point

oh lord that reminds me of illumi briefly appearing in the killua flashback and hes just like, suddenly there, wearing some gay ass sweater....like ok dude did you just come back from the Evil Assassin Library or st?????

that reminds me too, ruth tells me that apparently in the manga illumi and hisoka got married or something???? to which i say, thats fucking wild, but also it makes sense, those two are both horrible and disgusting and they absolutely deserve each other hbvajvhsdfjbak peak evil nasty gay rep, i love it. i cant wait to see whatever the fuck the context to that is bc, thats fucking wild

ok back to the plot so like its so wild to me how smoothly everything went hvubsjduhfbjsh like....killuas dad was rlly like ok u can leave and killua just went to the butler house and then canary woke up and was like ok gon & crew lets go to the butler house to see killua, fuck the rules, (and she didnt even get killed for ‘disobedience’ or w/e, or more likely - in most big shounen, she wouldve been attacked by the other evil butlers and gon wouldve had to fight them)

killua Rlly was like fuck this place im leaving my boyfriend and his parents are here to pick me up [puts on gayest outfit he owns and skateboards away] hvbhsjdfbjdkf

i love killuas weird gay preteen fashion so far and i cant wait to see more

killua telling the butler guy to let him know as SOON as gon gets there cause he wants to see him AS SOON AS HE CAN ;_; bro they r....in love

of course the butler is trickey tho lmao, any other shounen this wouldve turned into an 8 ep long fight scene sequence where gon has to fight the butlers in order to see killua

and the of course gon is the same way, gon is like i need to see killua RIGHT NOW take me to him!!! ohhh my god babies

the whole coin game was wild, it was funny when the other butlers got involved too lmao

when gon was like ‘hey leorio can i see your knife’ i was like OH NO I DONT LIKE WHERE THIS IS GOING. and i was right bc OWWWWW baby boy oh my god!!!! but that seems to have solved it even tho thats NOT how swelling works at ALL-

anyways gon is a cute smart good boy and i also find it funny how killua eventually gets impatient and just busts in on this whole dramatic situation (and the tension immediately deescalates as a result lmao)

tangent but god its so funny seeing all these butler guys deferring to killua, an actual 12 yr old....i wanna see the hilarious and hijink-filled results of killua being raised as a rich spoiled assassin prince. thats a lethal combo thats gotta result in some wildly skewed perceptions on how things work, especially paired with gon ‘probably eats dirt for fun and sleeps in trees’ freecess

godddd gon and killuas lil reunion is SOOO cute they were so happy to see each other ;_; bro they are SO cuteeeee augh. two tiny babies

killua being like oh hi also uh kurapika andddd [looks at smudged writing on hand] lorpo

hvhhbajfbs dont do my man leorio like that killua hes a hardworking father

the fact that they just like. LEAVE...thats so wild. i cant believe how little fighting this arc had. this all wrapped up SO much faster than i could have ever anticipated lmao

where the heck was alluka!? i assumed she’d show up here but uhhhh guess not......in the silhouette shot of all the zoldycks she and killua were holding hands ;_; my fucking uwus bro

we also didnt see the grandma or great grandpa so im guessing theyll appear later

gon being like fuck it im not using my hunters license til i punch hisoka in the fucking face hvbhahsfbjsk thats hilarious

also a convenient way to let him have his hunters license but not utilize it til later in the story...its so early for him to have achieved that big chunk of his goal, which just shows that hxh is Not your typical shounen and isnt gonna just be centered around gons quest to become a hunter

so we finally found out what hisoka said to kurapika....just as i thought, it was st to do w/the phantom troupe. so theres a handy setup for the yorknew city arc later. bam

hisoka just being like ‘hey meet me in this (presumably) very large city on this date. no i will not tell you where in the city to meet me. bye seeya there’

tbf hisoka is very hard to miss

god when they arrive and kurapika is just like ok well we got killua so im out lol bye everyone....bro hvbjkhgbfjhdksfhjk that felt so abrupt

and then leorio was like oh yeah same i gotta go study time to take the fantasy MCAT or w/e

AND THEY BOTH LEFT....now gon and killua r chilling but im like oh my god no leorio kurapika come back, we need some (questionable) adult supervision over here

and like immediately killua is like ok gon do you have money. and of Course gon doesnt have money. so killua is like well you need money and you need to train so you can deck hisoka, so lets go to a fantasy version of an underground fighting ring! this is why kurapika and leorio needed to stay

tho they probably wouldve just gone along with it

they did all promise to meet in yorknew city, but thats apparently like 6 months away. are gon and killua rlly gonna spend 6 months at heavens arena

the part where killua draws the diagram demonstrating how much of a n00b gon is....hvbajdkhfbhajskf

AND THEN when he drew himself into the diagram and was like :3c wow im so modest HBJHSKHDFHBJS that was so funny

it was like that post thats like ‘you can tell when a cats pupils change and they just shift into Silly Mode’ thats what killua looked like...catboy

so thats basically it i think, gon and killua are heading to heavens arena to join fight club or whatever. tournament arc time!

PREDICTION CORNER:

i doubt this is the last weve seen of the zoldyck family. i mean we havent even met 3 of them, and we barely saw the ones we did meet...idk when theyll come back but i suspect theyll be making some big money moves later on and fucking shit up somehow

i think maybe illumi or someone will like, spy on killua sometimes to keep track of him. or theyll track him by other means

ill use the prediction corner to reflect on incorrect predictions so heres a few. i rlly thot killua was gonna be more edgy than he is but hes rlly just a good boy huh. like hes a gay baby assassin catboy but hes so cute and good too. he just wants to live his life and hang out with his tiny bf like... omg :’)

also i thot hisoka held a totally different narrative role lbvahkfjhjjaksfl i thot he was like main villain guy....hes more like an annoying creepy clown dude who (probably) shows up a lot to bother the main cast. we’ll see, but thats what i think of him now

like i thought hisoka would be like p1 dio, where hed be/quickly become a powerful antagonist who would amass a bunch of followers/minions (when actually the only person he seems to hang out w/is illumi, and theyre more like equals than an evil guy/minion dynamic)...or like i thought hisoka would be very well known as a scary evil guy but nope he was just another participant in the hunter exam, albeit a weird freaky one whose rancid vibes everyone seemed to pick up on

anyways actual predictions, i think hisoka is gonna be at heavens arena, which would be super funny. gon is like im gonna train to beat hisoka and he shows up to do that and hisokas just there like >;) hey

i think if i had to guess, the zoldycks will show up again (in a plot important way) at the end of the yorknew arc/before the greed island arc. i know basically nothing abt any of the arcs but i do know the order they go in so theres that

i do think illumi will show up earlier than the other zoldycks tho, since he seems to be out doing his own thing more than the rest. also we still really havent resolved the whole mind control thing that im still convinced of

i think nen will finally be introduced/alluded to heavily in this arc...or like, characters will use nen and gon will be like whoa whats that

i think killua knows what nen is...maybe? it would make sense since im sure all the zoldycks can use it (at least, we saw mom zoldyck use it, probably)

can killua use nen already? that would be pretty funny. i dont think so tho. maybe u learn nen at a certain age. i have no idea what nen is

also isnt gons nen power the power to like, turn into a really buff version of himself or something. how the fuck does that work

ok enough nonsense its bedtime zzzzz

#the rambling continues....#lj watches hxh #hxh

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