#still have 30 or so pgs just. for that chapter

[agenderhyde]

bored and tired, but really don’t want to fall further behind 🙃

[cierraonline]

They’ve been dating for a while pookie I’m sorry

anywaysssss

Did You Miss US?

chapter two: did you miss us?

warning: none

masterlist | previous chapter | next chapter

XXX

UCONN GAMPEL PAVILION  

University of Connecticut  

Storrs, Connecticut

Okay guys, we’re back…. Did you miss us? ‘Cause we missed you! - Sasha James UCONN's PG

Whistle blows

“Listen up,” Geno Auriemma, the man with the plan—the man who built stars and legends—UCONN’s women’s basketball head coach with nearly 1,000 wins under his belt, announced. “This season, I will not be your head coach—” The older man was interrupted by gasps that filled the room.

Thirty young women stared at him, mouths agape in shock, while his staff stood behind him in support. “Now calm down. I’m not going anywhere, nor am I retiring. This year, your head coach will be one of our own…. Sasha James.” With that introduction, the brown-skinned girl walked into the stadium and stood next to her mentor, essentially a father figure to her.

“Aahh,” all the returning girls jumped up, rushing to Sasha and pulling her into a tight embrace in congratulations.

“That’s my wife!” Paige pointed to her partner with a wide smile, knowing how much this meant to Sasha.

“Okay, get off me,” Sasha laughed as she tried to push away the arms and hands. “Sit down, y’all are embarrassing me,” she added, mainly addressing her best friends. Once everyone returned to their original spots on the bleachers, her expression turned serious. “So, this year we’ll be following my coaching plan for the women’s basketball team, which was approved by the athletic director, David Benedict,” Sasha said, pointing to the white man who raised his hand in greeting, as it was the first time some players had met him. “First on the list is our Europe tour, a team bonding and learning experience.”

“Really!?”

“Shut up!” The girls jumped up in excitement, thrilled at the prospect of traveling abroad for team bonding.

“Now, we have a problem,” Sasha began, watching the players’ faces grow worried. “There are 30 of us, half of whom are red-shirts due to either prior injuries or eligibility situations. A portion of those who aren’t red-shirts don’t get time on the court because skills aren’t being picked up quick enough. With that, we’re just wasting space and resources. At the end of last season, an email was sent out stating that although the season is over, we want you all to be prepared and in top condition. Freshmen, you got the same email after confirming your commitment to the team. So, before we leave for our trip, we’ll be cutting off the dead weight. Today, you’ll be doing multiple drills and rounds, and if we believe you’re performing well, you’ll stay. If not, I’m sorry, but this will be your last day on the team, regardless of scholarship status.”

Internally, the players felt a bit of panic, but overall they believed they were the best—after all, they’d made it this far.

“You will also have to play according to my standards,” Sasha declared, making the tension rise further. “The goal this season is to win like it has been for the past five years that got us to win Big East Conference and the Final Four. I don’t like losing and I won’t start this season. I like no-score games—it brings in publicity, which brings in money for the department and us as players. I need to know I can trust you all to win without relying on our heavy hitters to play a full game with no breaks. Last season, we recycled the same five players. This year will be different. We have five  players planning to enter the draft, and we need to put them in the best position to be seen and recognized.”

“Are you guys scared?” Geno asked from beside Sasha, observing his players’ reactions. “You should be. We’re still falling behind on basic skills that should come naturally to us. We’re not rebounding properly, not making fast plays, and not thinking smart on the court. There’s no more depending on the starting five or your status to save you.”

“Everything will be tested and calculated, and by the end of the day, the staff and I will be left with the best 14 players to continue with the athletic department. That means 16 of you will be ending your college basketball careers today,” Sasha nodded, watching her teammates exchange glances, wondering who would stay and who would be shamefully dismissed. “Let’s start with suicides—15 on each side, meeting in the middle. Let’s go,” she clapped her hands and took a seat on the bleachers.

Giving them a moment to get into position, Geno blew the whistle, and the running began. “Ramirez is lagging behind; her speed hasn’t improved since her freshman year,” Sasha noted to Geno, who nodded in agreement, jotting down the player’s name.

“Ayanna’s speed seems to have improved since her injury,” Chris Dailey commented, pointing at the sophomore.

“Alright!” Geno blew the whistle. “Line up!” The players stood in a straight line as the staff observed them. The goal of this elimination round was to test speed but also endurance—who looked tired and exhausted? This would show who had taken the offseason seriously and who hadn’t.

“Ramirez, your speed hasn’t improved. Anderson, you look tired, and you’ve only ran for 10 minutes. Bennett, your speed is inconsistent. Davis, Geno feels you’re not giving us your best because you’re overconfident, thinking we can’t replace you. Lastly, Jones, Coach Dailey feels your maturity hasn’t shown any growth. I’m sorry, girls, but you’re off the team. Tomorrow, you’ll have a meeting with David to go over the next steps.” 

Sasha moved on to the next drill. “Alright, let’s do dribbling drills. I want a relay race with 12 on each side, from the left side of the court to the right. The winning side is safe from elimination.” Sasha didn’t have time to watch the eliminated players cry over their lost positions. She needed a winning team—budget-friendly, hardworking, and serious about the chance they are given.

“Flores’ handles are sloppy,” Geno shook his head in disapproval as the player lost control of the ball twice before reaching the other side of the court. “Ines is doing better than last season. Keep a close eye on her.”

“Garcia is looking down too much,” Chris Dailey noted.

“What do we think about the freshmen?” Sasha pointed out Kamorea Arnold, who seemed to have a strong grip on the ball.

“With freshmen, we don’t need perfect; we need to see that there is room for improvement and how fast they can implement corrections,” Geno advised, advising for  Sasha to not expect perfection from the freshmen class. “We want people to see that we create stars, but we also nurture growth and progression.”

“Flores, Garcia, Harris, Johnson, and King, you’re dismissed,” Geno announced, prompting one of the girls to sob and plead for another chance. “You’re seniors, but we have yet to see evidence that shows the progress you made since you’ve been in this program for three years.”

“I plan on entering the draft this year!” Harris cried out.

“You shouldn’t have entered the draft when you’ve haven’t been getting much playing time for the past two years and had no playing time in your freshman year,” Sasha said, moving on to the next test. “Freshmen, you’re safe. Please grab your uniforms, practice schedules, and packing lists.”

“Thank you!” they squealed with big smiles, running to where Chris stood at a foldable table.

“Let’s make this interesting,” Sasha continued. “Geno, Chris, David, and I will each choose a player to save.”

“Paige,” Geno nodded at the blonde, who exhaled in relief before running to the table where Chris stood.

“Nika,” David selected the Croatian player.

“Azzi,” Chris smiled at the league’s best shooter next to Sasha.

“Aaliyah,” Sasha chose.

“Thank you,” Aaliyah whispered as she passed by her friend and teammate, heading to Chris for a congratulatory hug.

“Alright, let’s do rounds. I want to see smart plays… choose your teams,” Sasha directed the remaining players, who were more nervous than ever. With a whistle, a game on each side of the court began, and the returning players played harder than ever. Some stood out for the right reasons, while others didn’t.

“Caroline is thinking smarter; she’s stepping into that leadership role we’ve been waiting for her to take,” Geno commented, watching as she quickly passed the ball to another player instead of holding it and risking a blocked shot.

“Amari’s passes are getting faster,” Sasha noted as the player did a no-look pass to her teammate.

“Aubrey’s defense is improving, especially in blocking and holding screens,” Geno added.

“Alright, line up!” Sasha blew her whistle. “Lewis, Mitchell, Nelson, Parker, Rodriguez—thank you for the time you put into this team, but you’re eliminated,” she announced, watching as the remaining players huddled together, sharing tears and congratulations. “The rest of you, let’s start making corrections faster and implementing them. You’ve been here; you know the standards. It shouldn’t take the last round of eliminations for things to start clicking. We need it to click the minute you step onto the court. Got it?”

“Yes,” they answered, nodding.

“Well, go get your stuff. We’ve got a trip to pack for,” Sasha smiled, clapping her hands.

“Don’t ever put us through that again,” Aubrey jokingly pointed at Sasha as she and Amari pproached her.

“I had to try to get rid of you somehow. Isn’t this your fifth year?” Sasha laughed, nudging the girl’s shoulder.

“Don’t get jumped!” Aubrey laughed.

“Go get your stuff before I have Geno kick you out too,” Sasha rolled her eyes, showing off her playfully sassy side.

taglist @averette98 @hedidnotpleaseme @unknown5397 @girlyglitterprincess @sunwalker355 @akiracutie @pinkandlilacroses @bennybabyyy @pbueckerslover @pbueckers @okimreadynow @blackbarbie96 @blue-whiteuc @randomhoex @tyler-adaline @espersonalsj @hidden-kay1 @kayckeny @chip-the-teapot @woso-scotland @rickflagfine88897 @amourrnini @hon3y-girl @apreer @stfuzoeyy @50shadesofdeville @rebecca-woso @yourmom-25s-blog @lxonix-ac @kaliblazin @klexiasblog @selenalei @thenewprophecysworld @areyourlightsup @billiesrighthand @lordfarquad-k @rhearipley-69 @vvaaaall @dandelions4us @kluvsspongebob @bratyee @bilssharky

[call-me-copycat]

Going to start posting panels of MHA SMASH! on here, here's where the masterlist will be!

It's going to be very rough right now, still working out how I want to organize this (as you can see from my pinned post, I really like to organize)

Now, I'm not going to do this in order one by one - I'm going to share random panels I like then add their novel, chapter and page and link it here

So it's going to be a bunch of empty and filled links (⁠；⁠^⁠ω⁠^⁠）

I just like to have an area where I know where everything is

There's also an issue with SMASH having some... Interesting content. That will be put under a "Read More" and will be tagged "Suggestive". Wish it didn't but I guess Neda's just like that :⁠-⁠\ He did get a warning from Horikoshi though so that counts for something

(probably not going to share those chapters very much/at all unless someone's curious and asks for them)

Also pages/chapters with such content will be marked only here to make it clear

❗ = Watch (ex; Mineta saying something)

‼️ = Warning (Ex; Mineta doing something)

🔖 = Favorite of mine :⁠-⁠)

Welcome to MHA SMASH! This is the rarely heard of, only non-canon MHA spinoff! It's a comedy series, and has gotten a warning (or two) from Horikoshi himself! I hope you enjoy it!

°°°°°°°

Novel 1

Ch.1

[pg.5] / [pg.6] / [pg.7] / [pg.8] / [pg.9] / [pg.10] / [pg.11]

Ch.2

[pg.12] / [pg.13] / [pg.14] / [pg.15] / [pg.16]

Ch.3

[pg.17] / [pg.18] / [pg.19] / [pg.20] / [pg.21]

[Extra]

Ch.4

[pg.23] / [pg.24] / [pg.25] / [pg.26] / [pg.27]

Ch.5

[pg.28] / [pg.29] / [pg.30] / [pg.31] / [pg.32]

Ch.6

[pg.33] / [pg.34] / [pg.35] / [pg.36] / [pg.37]

Ch.7

[pg.39] / [pg.40] / [pg.41] / [pg.42] / [pg.43]

Ch.8

[pg.44] / [pg.45] / [pg.46] / [pg.47] / [pg.48] / [pg.49]

Ch.9

[pg.50] / [pg.51] / [pg.52] / [pg.53] / [pg.54] / [pg.55]

Ch.10

[pg.57] / [pg.58] / [pg.59] / [pg.60] / [pg.61]

Ch.11

[pg.62] / [pg.63] / [pg.64] / [pg.65] / [pg.66]

Ch.12

[pg.67] / [pg.68] / [pg.69] / [pg.70] / [pg.71]

Ch.13

[pg.73] / [pg.74] / [pg.75] / [pg.76] / [pg.77]

Ch.14

[pg.78] / [pg.79] / [pg.80] / [pg.81] / [pg.82] 🔖

Ch.15

[pg.83] / [pg.84] / [pg.85] / [pg.86] / [pg.87] / [pg.88]

Ch.16

[pg.90] / [pg.91] / [pg.92] / [pg.93] / [pg.94]

Ch.17

[pg.95] / [pg.96] / [pg.97] / [pg.98] / [pg.99]

Ch.18

[pg.100] / [pg.101] / [pg.102] / [pg.103] / [pg.104]

Ch.19

[pg.105] / [pg.106] / [pg.107] / [pg.108] / [pg.109]

Ch.20

[pg.110] / [pg.111] / [pg.112] / [pg.113]

[End]

Novel 2

Ch.21

[pg.7] / [pg.8] / [pg.9] / [pg.10] / [pg.11] / [pg.12]

Ch.22

[pg.13] / [pg.14] / [pg.15] / [pg.16] / [pg.17]

Ch.23

[pg.18] / [pg.19] / [pg.20] / [pg.21] / [pg.22]

Ch.24

[pg.24] / [pg.25] / [pg.26] / [pg.27] / [pg.28]

Ch.25

[pg.29] / [pg.30] / [pg.31] / [pg.32] / [pg.33] / [pg.34]

Ch.26

[pg.35] / [pg.36] / [pg.37] / [pg.38] / [pg.39] / [pg.40]

[Extra]

Ch.27

[pg.42] / [pg.43] / [pg.44] / [pg.45] / [pg.46] / [pg.47]

Ch.28

[pg.48] / [pg.49] / [pg.50] / [pg.51] / [pg.52]

Ch.29

[pg.53] / [pg.54] / [pg.55] / [pg.56] / [pg.57]

Ch.30

[pg.59] / [pg.60] / [pg.61] / [pg.62] / [pg.63]

Ch.31

[pg.64] / [pg.65] / [pg.66] / [pg.67] / [pg.68]

Ch.32

[pg.69] / [pg.70] / [pg.71] / [pg.72] / [pg.73] / [pg.74]

Ch.33

[pg.76] / [pg.77] / [pg.78] / [pg.79] / [pg.80]

Ch.34

[pg.81] / [pg.82] / [pg.83] / [pg.84] / [pg.85]

Ch.35

[pg.86] / [pg.87] / [pg.88] / [pg.89] / [pg.90]

Ch.36

[pg.92] / [pg.93] / [pg.94] / [pg.95] / [pg.96]

Ch.37

[pg.97] / [pg.98] / [pg.99] / [pg.100] / [pg.101]

Novel 3

Ch.38

[pg.7] / [pg.8] / [pg.9] / [pg.10] / [pg.11]

Ch.39

[pg.13] / [pg.14] / [pg.15] / [pg.16] / [pg.17] / [pg.18]

Ch.40

[pg.19] / [pg.20] / [pg.21] / [pg.22] / [pg.23]

Ch.41

[pg.24] / [pg.25] / [pg.26] / [pg.27] / [pg.28]

Ch.42

[pg.29] / [pg.30] / [pg.31] / [pg.32] / [pg.33]

Ch.43

[pg.35] / [pg.36] / [pg.37] / [pg.38] / [pg.39]

Ch.44

[pg.40] / [pg.41] / [pg.42] / [pg.43] / [pg.44]

Ch.45

[pg.45] / [pg.46] / [pg.47] / [pg.48] / [pg.49]

Ch.46

[pg.50] / [pg.51] / [pg.52] / [pg.53] / [pg.54]

Ch.47

[pg.55] / [pg.56] / [pg.57] / [pg.58] / [pg.59]

Ch.48

[pg.61] / [pg.62] / [pg.63] / [pg.64] / [pg.65]

Ch.49

[pg.66] / [pg.67] / [pg.68] / [pg.69] / [pg.70]

Ch.50

[pg.71] / [pg.72] / [pg.73] / [pg.74] / [pg.75] / [pg.76]

Ch.51

[pg.78] / [pg.79] / [pg.80] / [pg.81] / [pg.82]

Ch.52

[pg.83] / [pg.84] / [pg.85] / [pg.86] / [pg.87]

Ch.53

[pg.89] / [pg.90] / [pg.91] / [pg.92] / [pg.93] / [pg.94]

Ch.54

[pg.95] / [pg.96] / [pg.98] / [pg.99]

Ch.55

[pg.100] / [pg.101] / [pg.102] / [pg.103] / [pg.104]

Ch.56

[pg.105] / [pg.106] / [pg.107] / [pg.108] / [pg.109]

Ch.57

[pg.110] / [pg.111] / [pg.112] / [pg.113] / [pg.114]

[End]

Novel 4

Ch.58

[pg.7] / [pg.8] / [pg.9] / [pg.10] / [pg.11]

Ch.59

[pg.12] / [pg.13] / [pg.14] / [pg.15] / [pg.16]

Ch.60

[pg.17] / [pg.18] / [pg.19] / [pg.20] / [pg.21]

Ch.61

[pg.22] / [pg.23] / [pg.24] / [pg.25] / [pg.26] / [pg.27]

Ch.62

[pg.29] / [pg.30] / [pg.31] / [pg.32] / [pg.33]

Ch.63

[pg.34] / [pg.35] / [pg.36] / [pg.37] / [pg.38]

Ch.64

[pg.39] / [pg.40] / [pg.41] / [pg.42] / [pg.43]

Ch.65

[pg.44] / [pg.45] / [pg.46] / [pg.47] / [pg.48] / [pg.49]

Ch.66

[pg.51] / [pg.52] / [pg.53] / [pg.54] / [pg.55] / [pg.56]

Ch.67 🔖

[pg.57] / [pg.58] / [pg.59] / [pg.60] / [pg.61]

Ch.68

[pg.62] / [pg.63] / [pg.64] / [pg.65] / [pg.66]

Ch.69

[pg.67] / [pg.68] / [pg.69] / [pg.70] / [pg.71] / [pg.72]

Ch.70

[pg.74] / [pg.75] / [pg.76] / [pg.77] / [pg.78]

Ch.71

[pg.79] / [pg.80] / [pg.81] / [pg.82] / [pg.83]

Ch.72

[pg.84] / [pg.85] / [pg.86] / [pg.87] / [pg.88]

Ch.73

[pg.89] / [pg.90] / [pg.91] / [pg.92] / [pg.93]

Ch.74

[pg.95] / [pg.96] / [pg.97] / [pg.98] / [pg.99]

Ch.75

[pg.100] / [pg.101] / [pg.102] / [pg.103] / [pg.104] / [pg.105]

Ch.76

[pg.106] / [pg.107] / [pg.108] / [pg.109] / [pg.110]

Novel 5

Ch.77

[pg.7] / [pg.8] / [pg.9] / [pg.10] / [pg.11]

Ch.78

[pg.12] / [pg.13] / [pg.14] / [pg.15] / [pg.16]

Ch.79

[pg.17] / [pg.18] / [pg.19] / [pg.20] / [pg.21]

Ch.80

[pg.22] / [pg.23] / [pg.24] / [pg.25] / [pg.26]

Ch.81

[pg.28] / [pg.29] / [pg.30] / [pg.31] / [pg.32]

Ch.82

[pg.33] / [pg.34] / [pg.35] / [pg.36] / [pg.37]

Ch.83

[pg.38] / [pg.39] / [pg.40] / [pg.41] / [pg.42]

Ch.84 🔖

[pg.43] / [pg.44] / [pg.45] / [pg.46] / [pg.47]

Ch.85

[pg.49] / [pg.50] / [pg.51] / [pg.52] / [pg.53]

Ch.86

[pg.54] / [pg.55] / [pg.56] / [pg.57] / [pg.58]

Ch.87

[pg.59] / [pg.60] / [pg.61] / [pg.62] / [pg.63]

Ch.88

[pg.64] / [pg.65] / [pg.66] / [pg.67] / [pg.68]

Ch.89 🔖

[pg.70] / [pg.71] / [pg.72] / [pg.73] / [pg.74]

Ch.90 🔖

[pg.75] / [pg.76] / [pg.77] / [pg.78] / [pg.79] / [pg.80]

Ch.91

[pg.81] / [pg.82] / [pg.83] / [pg.84] / [pg.85]

Ch.92

[pg.87] / [pg.88] / [pg.89] / [pg.90] / [pg.91]

Ch.93

[pg.92] / [pg.93] / [pg.94] / [pg.95] / [pg.96]

Ch.94

[pg.97] / [pg.98] / [pg.99] / [pg.100] / [pg.101] / [pg.102] / [pg.103]

- Extras -

...

...

- Polls -

...

...

Tags:

♡ @faededaway

♡ @never-wake-up

[keiksy-cake]

Hetalia Collezione: America's pg 2

Tl;Dr: use this link for all my collezione tls so far!

Hi everyone, I've been thinking to upload my collezione tls to MangaDex (I've already uploaded "chapter 0"!) As you know, a lot of my early work is a bit unreliable, and most of my work is generally inconsistent haha. So because I wanna make sure my stuff is good quality before it gets auto reposted elsewhere out of my control, I hope to re-do a lot of said early work to improve, correct, and standardize everything as best I can. I've already done a few pages, and thank God I saved the vast majority of my cleans too haha. It also means I wanna try to finish the missing pages in order so I can upload chapters as a whole, hence why I finally have America's second page. (I'll still also work on the poll thing tho!)

I've also been meaning to have all my collezione tls available in one place, and bc I was unable to edit my previous post that I said would have "all" the tls far, and bc tumblr just recently made it impossible to upload more than 30 or smth pgs at once (I used a loophole before haha); I decided to make a google doc! You can add it to your drive, dl it as a pdf, make a copy, idc; but the link should be available to everyone and I'll be able to edit it in the future with new tled pgs and new version pgs! It's ofc in the link above, PLEASE lmk if it doesn't work for you! The first page btw is just a long disclaimer bc I always write too much haha.

[thenixkat]

[This Post contains spoilers for the end of Dungeon Meshi]

Chapter 97, pg 8

[ID: A panel from Dungeon Meshi showing Chilchuck (short humanoid in a dark top), Izutsumi (cat person; only the back of her head is visible), and Laios (tall humanoid, in this panel depicted as fat as an imagined scenario) with the words 'Human's Body' behind his head.

Chilchuk says, "That means you're gonna gain a ton of weight,"

Izustumi continues, "Because your body is still human." /End ID]

Oh no. SO tragic. Our hero might get a bit fat from having an insatiable demon appetite. Truely we should be worried about him putting on some weight and not rupturing his organs due to eating more than his stomach can hold b/c he literally can't feel full.

[ID: A panel from Dungeon Meshi showing Senshi (bearded humanoid wearing a horned helmate) talking to Chilchuck with a distressed Laios in the foreground.

Senshi says, "We need to closely monitor his food intake from now on so that things dont get out of hand."

He also says, tho the words are in the background of the panel and partly obscured, "Obesity is the result of an unhealthy lifestyle and it is a contributing factor to a number of diseases."

Laios says, "Wait just a second..." /End ID]

Ok. Cool. Cooool. Cool. Yes yall should be monitoring Laios' intake to make sure he doesn't become obese (which in Laios' case with his current overweight BMI would only mean gaining about 30 or so more pounds) b/c we don't want him to get fat b/c that's harmful to his health automatically in every context because being fat is bad and unhealthy always. And not b/c he could literally rupture an organ and very quickly die b/c he can't feel full.

Cool. Cool. Remember folks to have a good relationship with food, eat properly, get in moderate exercise, and don't be fat. That's a great message to end this on.

But also if Senshi is so knowledgeable of the dangers of obesity, why doesn't he change his unhealthy lifestyle, monitor his food intake better, and drop some weight himself. Since, with that BMI of 36 his ass is obese. Class II obese even.

Come on Senshi, you can reduce. Drop all that fat. Trim the excess muscle. Reduce the density and thickness of your bones. Come on, you can achieve a healthier BMI for someone your height and age if you try hard enough.

[rorywritesjunk]

Down in the dark where the waves won’t go, I’m bound to find my way.

Sunny and Buggy disagree over the next steps of their life together leading to them spending time apart.

Rating: PG-13 to be safe for swearing and arguing. Warning: Each chapter will have a specific warning. Epilogue!!! Happy ending!!! AAAA!! Word Count: 2,111 A/N: The direct sequel to "No locked upon land...", the fic that started it all. I do not use "You" in this as now that Sunny is an established OC I decided not to go that route. The ending!! Happy!! Also I'm of the belief that you never remember every person you've ever met in your life. You may cross paths multiple times and not realize it. Hence how I chose to end this. Thank you for reading this! It was fun and painful and great to write!

Title comes from "Sailing Song" by S.J. Tucker

Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Chapter 3 + Chapter 4 + Chapter 5 + Chapter 6 + Chapter 7 + Chapter 8 + Chapter 9 + Chapter 10 + Epilogue Taglist: @hey-august @lostfirefly @ane5e

Epilogue

It was weird sleeping in but Buggy insisted on it the night before. He said he would get the baby up and even make breakfast (she wasn't too sure on that part) but that she deserved to sleep in. The last year had been hard on them, from the fights to their brief separation to Sunny telling Buggy she was pregnant. She never saw him fall to pieces so quickly before until that moment. 

He had been shocked into silence for just a few minutes before he shrieked and rushed to go tell the crew, leaving Sunny behind in the pantry. She could hear the excited cheers from the crew. Apparently they were just as excited as their captain.

“Shh, shh, why are you fussing? You're not supposed to fuss when daddy carries you! It's not flashy!”

She cracked an eye open and looked over towards the door. Buggy held Gold against his chest while carrying a tray of food with his hands out in front of him. The baby was fussy even though Buggy was trying his best to calm him.

“Gold, buddy, come on, Mama's sleeping and you're gonna wake her up.” He huffed softly as he tried his best to soothe him. “I already changed you and you didn't want the mush she made you last night, so what do you want?”

She grinned and burrowed herself under the covers. She'd let him suffer a bit more. He didn't have to carry a baby for 9 months or spend over 30 hours in labor. All he did was cry when the baby was finally born and he finally saw his son with his little fluffy blonde hair and little red nose.

“Goldie, kiddo, you're killing me here.” Buggy whined. Sunny sighed and finally rolled over to face them, only to burst out laughing at the sight of her husband covered in flour, eggs, and she was pretty sure there was some jam in his hair. He glared at her as he set the tray on the bed and passed her the baby. Gold’s eyes lit up and he was happy to snuggle in her arms. She kissed him on the forehead and smiled. 

“You okay there, Buggy?”

“I cooked you breakfast!” He told her. “The skillet was too hot and I burned my fingers, and then the water boiled over when I made your tea. The eggs spilled onto the two of us so I had to change Gold again and then he sneezed as I had a scoop of flour and it got everywhere.”

Sunny distracted herself by looking at the tray of food and tried not to erupt into giggles. The piece of toast seemed to have a little hand print in the jam. She looked back at Buggy as he scooted himself into bed beside her and took a bite of the toast.

“Honey, you have jam in your hair.” She pointed out. He groaned and slumped against her as Gold watched his daddy curiously. “There's a little hand print in the jam…”

“He grabbed my hair at one point.” Buggy whined. “I didn't realize he had sticky fingers! Babe, I just washed my hair!”

She kissed the top of Buggy’s head and smiled. “You're a good dad.”

He lifted his head up just enough to look into her eyes as he pouted at her. Dealing with a sticky baby from time to time was something Buggy still couldn't handle. Everything else? Whatever, he could deal with diapers and spit up, but for some reason anything sticky like jam had Buggy wanting to have a meltdown over it. 

“Can I go wash my hair?” He whined softly.

“Yes, honey.” She told him as he started to get up. “Thank you for breakfast and for getting the baby ready.”

Buggy looked at her funny and shrugged. “I'm his dad, it's my job to look after him.”

“Yea-”

“I don't care what your family thinks should happen. He's my kid, I am going to raise him. It's not all on you, babe.” Buggy told her as he went to look at himself in the mirror. Maybe he didn't need to wash all of his hair, just that section of it. “The idea that I'm babysitting my own kid is shit and if your aunts and uncles say anything then I'll say something back!”

Sunny doubted he would say anything but she wouldn't discourage him. She loved him even more now after seeing him take care of Gold. Buggy almost always had his son in his arms or near him when he was working. The only time Sunny saw the baby was when it was feeding time. 

“I love you, Buggy.” She told him as he tried to wash the sticky jam out of his hair. He looked back at her curiously before grinning widely at her.

“How could you not?” He asked as he winked at her. “I'm the greatest husband and dad in all the sea, babe!”

~*~

He didn't mean to get lost again.

Buggy had only taken a few steps away from the first mate to look at something when a crowd walked by and he was by himself. Where did Rayleigh end up? This was his second time getting separated from the crew on an outing. If Buggy was lost again, he'd get a talking to and won't be allowed to step off the ship ever again. He tried to look around but the first mate was nowhere to be seen.

Buggy tried not to panic but it was a little hard not to. 

He stuck his hand in his pocket, gripping the pretty bracelet he had found a few weeks ago. He didn't quite remember how he found it but it was one of his favorite things. The weight in his pocket was a comforting reminder of what he was striving for in his pirate journey: find as much treasure as possible.

“Are you lost?”

Buggy’s head jerked around to see a girl who looked about his age. She was smiling at him but he wasn't sure why. Was being lost amusing to her?!

“No, I'm not lost!” He insisted as he straightened up. “Why would you just ask someone that?!”

“You just looked lost.” She told him with a shrug. “I'm Sunny, my Mama's right over there. You can stay with us until your mom or dad show up if you want!”

Buggy stared at her. She just… offered to have him stay with her not knowing who he was when he could be some scary, dangerous pirate. He was about to say something to her, call her stupid for that, but a woman walked up, her blonde hair in a ponytail, arms covered in tattoos, startling Buggy into keeping his mouth shut. She looked more like a pirate than someone's mother.

“Sunny, what's going on?”

“He's lost, mama!”

“I-I’m not lost!” Buggy squeaked, not taking his eyes off the pirate. She cocked her head to the side before crouching down in front of him, looking him over curiously. He tried to look like he wasn't nervous but… he was for some reason. His captain was the strongest but this lady looked like she could be just as strong. 

“Oh? Well, you can hang out with us until someone comes looking for you.” She smiled. “I'm Windy. We were about to get a snack. What's your name, honey?”

He couldn't help but stare at her. The way she smiled and called him honey was… familiar and comforting to him for some reason. He glanced at Sunny. She was smiling at him as well and he felt himself relax just a bit. Maybe he could stick around with them until Rayleigh showed up.

“B-Buggy.”

“Buggy? That's a cute name.” Windy said as she smiled at him. “Let's get you kids a snack while we look for your adult, Buggy. How does that sound?”

He shouldn't talk to strangers. The crew told him and Shanks not to, but he did feel safe around these two. He wasn't sure why but they didn't seem to be a threat. There was a familiarity in that smile and how she called him honey, but he couldn't place where. He swallowed heavily and nodded. He could stay with them until he found Rayleigh.

~

To keep him from getting separated from them, Sunny held his hand the entire time. Buggy allowed her, saying nothing as his cheeks burned as they sat on a bench while Windy went to get them both a snack. The little girl looked at him and smiled brightly. He looked away.

“I bet Mister Rayleigh will find you.” She told him. “If not, you can stay with us.”

“I can find my way back to the ship if I have to!” Buggy shot back. “This place is just big, okay?”

Sunny tilted her head to the side and smiled. He hated that she kept doing that. Why were these two being so nice and helpful? Did they want something in return? He huffed softly and looked back at her. She gave his hand a squeeze and looked back at the people milling about the area

Windy came back a few minutes later, handing them both a tasty piece of fruit before standing beside her daughter and keeping an eye out for Rayleigh. She met the first mate once before, back when she was a member of the Cook Pirates, so spotting him wouldn't be too hard.

She glanced at the kids. Sunny was asking Buggy questions about living on a ship, being a pirate, all kinds of things, even asking what was the best treasure he found so far. The boy was answering back, an air of arrogance about him as he talked about rescuing the captain one time from a nasty pirate crew and how he found a treasure chest that was almost bigger than the ship! Sunny’s eyes were sparkling as she listened and Windy was happy to see her daughter making friends with someone. 

The snacks were enjoyed and the kids were chatting when Rayleigh made an appearance. His face was a mix of anger and relief as he crossed his arms and looked at Buggy. The boy straightened up and looked back at him, wondering what the punishment was, but Windy patted him on the head.

“Rayleigh, it’s been a while!” She laughed. “My daughter found your boy and was close to adopting him into our family. Better keep an eye on him or she’ll kidnap him.”

“Maybe he'll learn not to wander off.” Rayleigh grumbled as the kids stood up. “Let's head back, Buggy. Tell them thank you.”

Buggy looked over at Sunny and Windy. The pirate seemed amused while Sunny looked disappointed about him leaving. They just met, they weren't friends or anything, so why was she looking like she wanted to cry? He scratched the back of his head and glanced up at Rayleigh for reassurance. He sighed and looked back at them.

“Thank you for looking after me.”

“Any time, Buggy!” Windy chuckled. “It was nice meeting you. I bet you're going to be a famous pirate someday.”

Buggy puffed out his chest and looked smug about that. Rayleigh put his hand on Buggy’s head and directed him to Sunny. The little girl just gave him a sad smile and waved at him as the boy glanced up at his guardian again. What was he supposed to say to her? He just thanked them! 

“Thank… you for helping me, Sunny?” It was more of a question, but he wasn't sure. Her eyes lit up and her smile got bigger. Buggy forced himself to look away again because he didn't want to look at her any more. She had a pretty smile.

“You're welcome, Buggy!” She replied happily. “I hope we can stay friends!”

He didn't really know how, they wouldn't see each other again, but he just shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets, toying with the bracelet he found for a moment. It was pretty, but he didn't remember how he got it, so maybe… 

He could offload it on her. It wasn't worth anything, he was pretty sure about that, so he pulled out the bracelet and reached for Sunny’s hand. She looked at him curiously as he put it in her hand. He said nothing, stared at her for a moment, then turned and hurried off before Rayleigh turned to follow. Windy just chuckled softly as Sunny looked it over and put the bracelet in her pocket. 

He was kinda weird but Sunny thought he was nice. Maybe she'd see him again.

[mdzs-is-rotting-my-brain]

🎃 Xiantober MDZS Re-Read.🎃

Day two, three, four, and five.

Aggression Pt2

Aggression pt3 *

Arrogance Pt 1

Arrogance pt 2

Arrogance pt 3

*Between Aggression Pt 3 and Arrogance pt 1, I tweaked my back and took a couple of edibles to help with the tense muscles. Please enjoy my unhinged notes on everything after the end of Aggression pt2.

I also forgot to track which note came from which chapter. I am sorry for the mess this post is about to be.

The cultivation world had a strict definition for the category of “ferocious ghosts”—they had to kill at least one person a month and continue the behaviour for at least three months. The criterion was set by Wei WuXian himself, and it was probably still being used.*

"Agression pt3, ExR

So the Cultivation world just accepts both the use of Wei WuXian's tools that he made while a "demonic" cultivator. But Wei Wuxian himself is evil?

(This feels a lot like the Nuclear Warheads conversation happening over the last few years. "We the good guys (western Imperial societies) can have the power to end the world as we know it. Because we responsible with it.

Those other guys. (Typically darker than pantone 757, and typically colonized and or oppressed) would use it recklessly and dangerously"

Never mind the obvious harm the "good" guys have already done.

The Cultivation World used that logic. Even before Wei Wuxian was killed. They justified the attack on him by claiming, without proof, that he was able to hide the evidence of hundred-holes curse. Despite it never having been done before. They claim he is the first one to be able to do it. They use his genius against him to justify their own slaughter.

Does the Jiang Clan use these tools as well despite their leaders cries of "revenge" and "hatred"?

Why wasn't there a category of fierce ghosts before Wei Wuxian invented Guidao? Did each Sect and Clan just have their own internal system and Wei Wuxian was the first to create a generalized system of categories.

Does every sect use this system? Including the Jiang Clan?

with the last cut being the deepest and most hate-filled one Aggression pt3, pg 30, ExR.

There is so much about Mo XuanYu's story that is never told. Most of it is sad.

Wei WuXian casually looked at his wrists. Another cut had healed.

He's so fucking smart.

Lan SiZhui stared for a second, and asked in spite of himself, “Why?”

Its impossible to say if Lan SiZhui found this face familiar. It wouldn't be of course. But the expression might be something Wei WuXian made before. Something Lan SiZhui feels he knows.

Aggression pt3

Although he didn’t know why, in order to figure out what the creature was, they had to think in the direction of “left hands.” After Lan SiZhui realized this, he felt surprised and looked at Wei WuXian. He couldn’t help but to think, suddenly saying this… It doesn’t seem like a coincidence.

He's so smart. Lan Wangji taught him to listen and learn from those around him. No matter where they came from or how they look.

Aggression pt3

It was him. Inside of the Lan clan’s uniform jacket, there were compact stitchings of incantations using thin threads of the samecolor, included for protection. However, against strong ones like this, it could only be used once before it became invalid. During the emergency, he could only kick Lan JingYi and use his body to protect Lan SiZhui’s neck.

Wei "I have bad memory" WuXian. Maybe Wei WuXian was never bad at remembering things. Maybe just the things ppl wanted him to remember we're traumatic and in the past. The two places Wei WuXian does not dwell.

Aggression pt3

Wei WuXian found it both funny and annoying. He clapped his hands again, this time lighter. However, these walking corpses were probably born in Mo Village and died here as well, not having experienced life fully. They instinctively followed the summoner’s commands, but were also horrified at the summoner, lying on the ground and afraid to get up.

Lvl 99 arch-fey litch king would like you (shambling corpse) to not be intimidated by his presence and help the children please.

Could you imagine god just popping into your living room and saying "hey, can you go help these high-schoolers fight a demon arm-why are you screaming?"

Aggression pt3

The crueler the being was, the better Wei WuXian could control it. These walking corpses hadn’t been trained by him and couldn’t withstand direct manipulations from him. He didn’t have any materials on him, which meant that he couldn’t immediately make tools to ease the walking corpses. He couldn’t even muddle and assemble bits and pieces.

The book straight up said "the more resentment you carry in life, the easier it is to control you." But here comes this man painted like a hanged ghost, enjoying acting mad, and says "that's not doing you any good. Let me make use of it and you'll feel better"

Aggression pt3

Because female corpses were often especially fierce after they were modified.

Something, something, lifetime of suppressed resentment coming out after death. A resentment Wei WuXian makes room for, and allows them to express.

( @mxtxfanatic wrote a meta about Wei WuXian and his interactions with the rest of the female characters for Xiantober. Check it out! https://www.tumblr.com/mxtxfanatic/763431582363205633/wei-wuxian-the-girls-girl?source=share

((hopefully the link works, I'msorry if it doesn't!))

Aggression pt3

the echoes of two strums on a stringed instrument came from far away.

Eeeee!

Aggression pt3

I (platonicall) love Lan WangJi and his kickass introduction both here, and in the next chapter. He was such a refreshing break in characters similar to him in western books that I'd read before this.

As soon as he heard the two faraway strums of the zither, Wei WuXian turned around and began to leave.

Lol. Bye!

Aggression pt3

Wei WuXian made eye contact with him for one second, and was immediately touched by the minuscule amount of contempt in its eyes.

He loves stubborn things.

There were countless cultivation clans, but only a few were distinguished. Without the contributions from its ancestors, if an average clan wanted to become famous and receive respect in the cultivation world, it would have to show its abilities. Only if a clan captured a fierce monster or a terrorizing being, could it have then been treated seriously.

Who enforces this? How do small Clans rise to power if most of the territories are controlled by the Five Great Clans? What happens to Old Qishen Wen territory? Does it divided up among the other Four? Is there a world map of this? What's to stop a smaller clan say, in the Yunmeng Jiang territory l, tired if being frequently ignored by its Sect leader, rising to prominence? How would they be received in the wider Cultivation world? They have, essentially usurped the king, how would their allies take it? Would it lead to Clan wars? If the Jiang and the Jin were tied by marriage would they then have to pick a side?

How does this work?

Am I otherthinking this?

Arrogance pt1

He gathered a long stick and a fishing thread, hanged the apple on one end, and dangled it in front of the donkey. The donkey smelled the apple’s refreshing scent from in front of him and wanted to eat it, chasing the apple which was always a centimeter away from him. Its speed was faster than the best horses Wei WuXian had ever seen, leaving only dust behind it.

I aspire to this level of confidence!

Arrogance pt1

“Do you remember who created the Compass of Evil? I’ve never heard of anything that can interfere with its pointer’s direction.” “What do you mean? Are you implying anything with that tone of yours? Of course, I know that Wei Ying created the Compass of Evil. But, it’s not as if his creations are flawless. Aren’t we allowed the option of doubt, at least!"

They've never failed, but they aren't flawless. Sure this won't come up again.

Arrogance pt1

If there was ever a poll to find out whose popularity was the most lasting in the cultivation world, the winner would be no other than Wei WuXian.

That bruised a couple of egos. For sure

Arrogance pt1

so he had to put everyone through the inconvenience of using the imprecise version one.

His petty, salty, ass.

Arrogance pt1

What can we do? He’s a sect leader. No matter which clan you choose to offend, you shouldn’t offend the Jiang clan, and no matter which person you choose to offend, you shouldn’t offend Jiang Cheng. Let’s just pack up, leave, and feel sorry for ourselves!”

the storm clouds are gathering.

Arrogance pt1

using the king of all flowers to suggest that they were the king of all cultivators.

I'm absolutely sure this won't come up again

The young master already had an arrow on his bow and was preparing to shoot it, when he realized that the deity-binding nets only caught humans. After an initial moment of disappointment, he quickly became annoyed, “I find you idiots every single time. There are more than four hundred deity-binding nets in the mountain, but you guys have already broken ten or so, and I haven’t even seen the prey yet!”

This is such an intriguing way to introduce a character and exposition and world building.

Last chapter there was a "zoom out" (idk how else to describe it) the narrative takes on a more neutral tone to paint a scene for the reader, and then we jump right back into Wei WuXian's narrative "flavor" to introduce us to the scene.

And here comes Jin Ling. New narrative "flavor" and instead of going on another "zoom out" Jin Ling tells us everything we need to know about him, this moment, and the world at large.

After a few days of traveling slowly and listening to the intriguing conversations at Buddha’s Feet, Wei WuXian gathered a lot of information about the changes to the cultivation world. As the final winner of the hundred-year-long cultivational disruption, the LanlingJin Sect was the head of all clans and sects

Hold on. Wait....stop. everyone press on the brakes. Why was it bad when the Wens wanted this? How is this different?

Even before this, the Jin Clan was arrogant, admirers of extravagant splendor. After the years of being at the top and while strengthening the sect, it had trained all of its disciples to do whatever they wanted to. Even a slightly weaker clan would have to submit to their humiliation, much less a small, rural clan such as this one. This was why, although the people trapped in the nets were red with fury, because of the mean words of the boy, they could not talk back.

How is this different? Is it because it was done "democratically" and the Wens were being "aggressive"? This doesn't really dissuade me believing the watchtower were supervisory offices. Would were going to be.

The tone was made of twenty percent surprise and eighty percent disgust, making Wei WuXian blink.

He is so confused. This boy isn't even old enough to know him and is already disgusted.

if he (Jin GuangShan) could get his hands on one, he wouldn’t miss the chance.

Chekov. Gun.

After he grew tired a woman, he would forget about her completely, without any responsibility or whatsoever.

Did he really not worry that any if those children would come to him for revenge? The novel states that he would pursue anyone and Qin Su is proof of that. Educated, refined. If Qin Su had been a son instead of a daughter, would Madam Qin have have him seek revenge for her soiled honor? Would someone else? Did he think he was above such consequences?

The answer is obviously yes. Of course. No one thinks they have to pay for their actions until the check hits the bank and fucks over the entire Cultivation world.

This was too humiliating, and so, the LanlingJin Sect told the public that the old leader died from overworking himself. All of the other clans decided to keep silent about the matter and pretended that they didn’t know anything. Anyways, those were the real reasons behind his “fame.”

Okay, do, two things.

1) how did the rest of the Sects find out how he died? Who told them? Why was that information known but Xue Yang was not?

Again, it is obvious that Jin GuangYao was the one that spread that information as a final way to fuck his father's image and legacy. No on could pretend he died in some honorable battle or against some great devil. But what's interesting to me is that no one asks why that information was released. The situation is so embarrassing for everyone involved that they just pretend to go along with the official narrative while knowing how he died.

It's so intriguing to that Jin Guangyao had so much control over information in Koi Tower so quickly after being named and titled. And he then used that to manipulate the Sects into helping him murder innocent farmers and doctors.

Two.

No one. Absolutely no one in this "three or four days" of gathering Intel,did anyone tell Wei WuXian about Jin Ling? And with so many Clans here he didn't think the Jin wouldn't also come? He didn't think ask about what happened to his shijie's son?

Most likely not. It's the past, he doesn't live there. He doesn't know if he'll ever meet Jin Ling. If he does, he does. He's not going to be a neurotic mess about it.

During the siege in Luanzang Hill, aside from Jiang Cheng, Jin GuangShan was the second-greatest contributor. And now, Wei WuXian had taken over the body of his own illegitimate son. He really didn’t know if they were even with each other.

"My dad killed me in a previous life."

Wei WuXian thought that even if not for his own sake, he needed to return the humiliation for Mo XuanYu’s body,

I'm gonna lecture you about manners to defend the previous owner of this body, but not for myself!

What kinda logic is this? 🤣🤣🤣

"What an attitude! I suppose that you didn’t have a mother to teach you?”

Wei WuXian, please you're a genuis.

Wei WuXian examined it attentively, somehow thinking that the sword seemed familiar to him.

pleeeease!!

It was a makeshift “spirit-locking bag” that he had created a few days ago, using the scraps and pieces of things.

He just diy-ed a bag of holding.

I want those Content-creater writers to write Wei WuXian making make-shift spirit trapping pouches from odd bits lying around the house.

Although the cultivation method that he used in the past was often criticized and, in the long term, it harmed the cultivator’s health, it could be mastered quickly. It was also especially attractive because there were no limitations as to the cultivator’s spiritual powers or talent, making it so that there were always people who secretly practiced it to find a shortcut. The boy presumed that, after being chased from the LanlingJin Sect, Mo XuanYu had chosen the dishonorable path, which was a reasonable conclusion to draw, saving Wei WuXian from a lot of unnecessary trouble.

Oh you wanna believe the rumors about me? Sure, go ahead. rides away on donkey

Even his (Jiang Cheng) posture emitted an air of arrogance and overconfidence.

All that build up to slammed in the face with "he's a brat"

so many years, no matter how much hatred Jiang Cheng had held for him, it would have disappeared long ago. He didn’t expect that not only did it not disappear, it became richer, as if it was a jar of aged alcohol. At the present time, his hatred had grown to affect even people who cultivated like him!

the sword’s glare, causing him to trip. He fell toward the ground, right on top of a pair of snow-white boots.

What a way to be reintroduced to the love of your life!

What first came into his sight was a long, slender blade, crystalline and translucent, as if it was made of ice.

There are many crimes I will not forgive the Untamed from making. What I won't ever let go of is why they couldn't do this! It'd be so pretty!

“And I was wondering who it was. So, it is you, Second Young Master Lan.”

First of all, wouldn't he know? A paragraph above, Wei Wuxian was mentioning how he fought alongside Lan Wangji during the war. I'm assuming it was the Jiang and Lan. So how would he not know Lan Wangjis sword? Is he being petty? (Probably.)

Also, wouldn't the proper term.here be Hanguang-jun?

As he walked past the former, slightly brushing their shoulders, he made eye contact with him for a short moment, pretending that it was unintentional.

Bitch! Please. You're so desperate for this man to notice you!

nothing could help the bitter facial expression that made him look as though his wife had passed away.

I have seen this making the rounds. And it is funny, I laugh at every time. But it also.is a wonderful to tell the audience that Lan Wangji is mourning. He has gotten up, and gotten on with his life. And he is mourning. I would think he is chiefly mourning Wei WuXian, but there was also a war. And he must have lost friends and family members. It's only been 13 years since Wei Wuxian died. In the longevity of grief, that's just long enough to begin to forget the faces and voices. I love, though it's given in such a lovely, funny way, Wei WuXian sees that pain and clocks it in single moment.

Lan WangJi was silent, staring straight ahead, standing motionlessly in front of Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng was already exceptionally handsome, but as they stood face to face with each other, he still seemed a few degrees inferior.

We are still in Wei Wuxian’s "flavor." This is his observation. Based solely on the evidence that Jiang Cheng hunts all "demonic" cultivators, and that Lan Wangji did not judge him by the makeup on his face, nor that he was using "demonic" cultivation.

Powerful cultivators from prominent clans usually didn’t care to pay attention to lower level preys. However, Lan WangJi was an exception. He never cared for the prey of a night-hunt, and wouldn’t refuse to go just because the creature was not threatening enough to increase his fame. If anyone wanted help, he would be there. He had been like this ever since he was young. “Being wherever the chaos is” was the comment that the public gave him for his night-hunts and, also, praise for his moral character.

"I am going to force this world to be worthy of you when you are reborn." Lan Wangji, probably

Lan JingYi spoke straightforwardly, “Isn’t Sect Leader Jiang here as well?”

Everyone says that Lan JingYi is a Lan Clan Wei WuXian. And I disagree. He is Lan Wangji. His forthrightness, his honesty, and his intolerance of slander against his Clan or his sect or Hanguang-jun. He just doesn't have "You're not qualified to talk to me" Attitude that Lan Wangji does.

Lan WangJi seemed as if he didn’t want to engage in conversation.

Jiang Cheng isn't even good enough for Lan Wangji to talk to, Petty.

Lan SiZhui a look. The latter understood and told the juniors to speak among themselves.

Lan SiZhui, "mind your business"

"Young Master Jin, night-hunts have always been fair competitions amongst the different clans and sects. However, to set up nets all over Dafan Mountain is clearly hindering the cultivators, causing them to fall into the traps. Is this or is this not against the rules of night-hunting?”

Lan SiZhui is no slouch either. He didn't tell Jin Ling directly what the rules were. He asked him to confirm them. If Jin Ling answers that he does know the rules (which he would have too). Then he knows he was breaking them and being unfair.

Jin Ling’s grim expression was exactly the same as his uncle’s, “What can I do? It was their own fault for stepping into the traps. I’ll solve everything after I finish capturing the prey.”

Lan WangJi frowned. Jin Ling was about to speak again, but he suddenly realized that, shockingly, he could neither open his mouth nor make any sounds. Seeing that Jin Ling’s upper and lower lips became inseparable as if they were glued together.

And how does Jin Ling respond?

Victim blaming. He broke the rules and made the hunting grounds inaccessible for anyone but the Jin and Jiang clans.

Fortunately Lan Wangji has no time, tolerance or patience for such behavior and shuts it up.

[dispatchvampire]

Accidentally In Love (Chapter 1)

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes x FemaleOC

Warnings: Potentially lethal levels of fluffiness right now, potential for smut later. A little blood, canon levels of violence potentially. Plus size female OC, body descriptions.

Rating: PG-13 (right now for language, but look for this to change)

WC: 2200-ish.

Summary: 

Echo's living a normal life in NYC, a 911 dispatcher, the most excitement she gets is from the calls she takes. And then love comes crashing in one day when she's riding her bike through Central Park.

Steve and Bucky weren't looking for anything on their daily run around the park besides fresh air and exercise. The streak of purple eye candy on a bike that lapped them pretty regularly was a nice addition but not mandatory, at least until some impromptu roughhousing results in some civilian casualties in the form of the most beautiful woman either of them had seen in a long, long time.

A/N: AU, Post CACW, Bucky’s Chill and we have always lived in the Tower. Just call this a throwback to the found family, everyone lives in Stark Tower fics.

This is supposed to be a super-fluffy love story. Still undecided if I'm gonna keep this one going but posting now for giggles and grins. It's got some CSI:NY characters crossing over because why not.

I'm just messing about and playing in my WIPs folder. Not Beta'd: we die like men! (honestly, I tried but if you catch something I missed, let me know)

Chapter 1

Five miles at a time. Everything in the early morning hours was measured five miles at a time for Echo Nerys and her trusty mountain bike. From 6:30 to 8AM give or take, she was a glittery purple streak on a circuit through Central Park from end to end that she’d measured precisely both for distance and scenic value. The moment she left her job at NYPD Central Dispatch at 6AM, she was changed and on the bike, ready to go. She even had an appropriately timed playlist on Spotify. 

She’d started as early in the spring as the weather allowed for, in her long compression pants and jacket, getting her face chapped as she and her body remembered what it felt like to be on two wheels and free. A figure in all black in the early hours of the morning fast enough to pedal past the majority of the criminal element and yet still taking hits off her asthma bong when she paused to get drinks from her backpack. 

Now, though, with the summer slowly stretching out down the coast, she’d tied up her puff pigtails and ditched her all black for the wildly purple tie-dyed bike shorts, sports bra, and tank top, all matching, because why not and her favorite pair of sunglasses that made her look like a trained killer. Even her earbuds were purple. There were some who said she didn’t really have the body for the tightly clinging gear, but fuck those people, she was going to be comfortable and safe while she worked out and they didn’t have to look if it offended them. Her body, not-toned stomach, thick thighs and semi-floppy arms, was her own and had been through many of its own wars, and she could wear what made her happy. 

She’d picked up riding the previous summer and had taken it inside for the duration of the winter, riding in the basement gym of 1PP, but she didn’t have a whole lot to show for it physically other than shaplier calves and slightly thinner thighs. She wasn’t in it for the way she looked, but how good it felt to finally move after being sick and stuck with her joint pain for so long. Now that her meds were mostly managed, she was hell on two wheels, six days a week if she could manage, five if she wanted to go easy on it, and it felt amazing.  

On her pace, she saw herself coming up on a group of joggers just cresting the hill, the tallest among them, a hottie from the Homicide Squad, Donnie Flack. All black-haired, blue-eyed Irish, he was every dispatcher’s crush and untouchable as a museum piece because of his wife in the Coroner’s Office. No one wanted to test a forensic scientist’s ability to exact revenge. It was just poor planning. And he was such a sweetheart, it was impossible not to be his friend. 

“On ya left!” she hollered out as she approached the group, powering up the hill despite the way her knees screamed and her thighs burned. It was the principle of the thing, really, as she stood on her pedals and waved as she sailed past them with a jaunty grin. Now that she’d caught up to them, she saw it was a couple other guys from Homicide and one of the guys from down in Trace Evidence. 

“Lookin’ good, E!” Danny Messer, Flack’s whip-thin, mouthy bestie from Crime Scene Investigations, hollered back with a huge grin and a wave as Donnie stuck his fingers in his mouth and wolf-whistled. Messer was good people, and his wife was a doll. Echo lived in their building a couple floors down and had babysat their kids more than a couple times. 

Once she was out of sight, she concentrated on her speed according to the handlebar speedometer and focused on her Beastie Boys as she took the path around the edge of the Jackie O Reservoir. It was so beautiful, with duck families out in force, moms with their collections of babies trailing behind. The water made the air feel a bit cooler as the wind rushed over her skin as she progressed toward the Butterfly Garden. 

Next up on her list of gorgeous sights was the two guys in front of her that she’d dubbed Hotness 1 and Hotness 2. She passed them a few times on her rides, most mornings. Hotness 1 was tall like Donnie, but broader, with muscles upon muscles. He looked like an escapee from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, if Galatea had been 6’3” and blonde with cornflower blue eyes and an ass that would have reduced Michaelangelo to abject weeping. 

Hotness 2 wasn’t any easier on the libido, with his blue-grey peepers and long dark hair he kept in a bun at his neck to go with his panty-melting smile and muscles. His bangs broke free of their confinement framing his face as they drifted over his model-perfect cheekbones and brushed against his sharp jawline. Not that she’d been ogling. Much. 

Alone, they were the kind of flawless that caused traffic jams. Both of them together was an obscenity charge waiting to happen in their running shorts and sinfully well-fitting t-shirts, and more than one jogger—both male and female—had pulled up lame, run into a tree, or tripped over their own feet watching them go by.  

“On ya left!” she called as she approached them, smiling as they waved when she flew by. If she happened to be standing on the pedals and sticking her ass out a bit more than was strictly necessary, well, could anyone blame her? Really? Besides, their smiles and waves of acknowledgement were totally worth it.  

Just past The Loch was the Glen Span Arch, which always felt like a fairy garden to Echo. A stone bridge over the asphalt path with the stream running next to it and abundant trees, it was easy to imagine falling into a rabbit hole like Alice diving into Wonderland and never coming back. With the sun dappling through the leaves, it was here she felt like she was the only person in the world and life was perfect. 

At least it was, until a grizzly bear in a blue shirt and black shorts descended into her path from down the hill. Echo hit the brakes so hard the back tire came up off the path and ditched out on the bike to keep from hitting him. She went one way and flung the bike the other, doing her best to guard her face and head from what would likely be a hard hit.

“Fuckshit!” 

It was over in a second, she was in the creek, soaked to the bone on some very hard and unforgiving rocks that were currently poking into her ribs and hip, with no idea where her bike was. Or her sunglasses. Or phone. Taking inventory from toes upward, she was happy to report that for the most part, she’d likely sustained bruises but otherwise, she’d live. At least, until she tried to push herself up and her hand slipped on the wet rocks, sending her face first into the flowing water. 

“Ah Christ! Hold on!” a deep, unfamiliar male voice hissed as he hooked his hands under her arms and bodily lifted her from the stream. Literally picked her up like a discarded toy, and like she weighed just as little, cradling her to his surprisingly firm and muscular chest. “I got you, sweetheart.” If she wasn’t so busy reeling from the hit and sputtering from the water coming out of her sinuses, his warm, rumbling voice as he brushed his lips over her temple would have definitely done the job. “I gotchu, darlin’. Are you okay?”

“I think so?” Echo took a second to compose herself after he set her on her feet with his arm protectively around her waist, scrubbing a hand down her face to deal with the water and unfortunately blood coming from sore spots on the bridge of her nose and her chin. When she looked up from her bloody hand, she wondered exactly how hard she’d been hit in the head, because in front of her was the concerned face of the most beautiful man she’d ever seen, looking her over like she was the most delicate bone china and he’d just yeeted it off the dining room table. He cupped her jaw in his hand, thumb gently brushing over her cheekbone, it was familiar and more than a little terrifying. Who the hell was this guy and why the hell was he touching her? 

At her tiny, horrified squeak, his blue eyes widened, looking over his shoulder at his friend, Hotness 2, who had a cell phone pressed to his ear. “This is your fault, ya jerk. You plannin’ on helpin’ or what?” 

The grey-eyed Adonis with the long dark hair held up a strangely metal-looking finger and spoke tersely into the phone before hanging up and coming over to them with a disgruntled look on his face for his friend. “Medics inbound. Settle down, Stevie.” The moment those steel-blue eyes turned on her, though, it could have been the sole cause of global warming because damn, if she didn’t melt a little on the spot from their tenderness. “I am so sorry, dollface. I didn’t see you. Are you okay?” 

When he reached for her face to examine her bloody chin, she recoiled out of reflex, not fear, but unfortunately that was the moment that everything went to shit for the second time in ten minutes. 

“NYPD! Step away from her!” Flack had his gun out and his badge around his neck, with Danny doing the same as he cautiously approached her with the rest of the heavily armed, sweaty contingent. Apparently Tall, Dark, and Yummy wasn’t moving fast enough because then Donnie barked, “Now, asshole! Move away from her or I’ll shoot.” 

Both hands up and out to the side, 2 stepped back, eyes never leaving the gun trained on him. “You don’t wanna do this, pal.” He seemed amusingly calm, which made about as much sense to her as any of the rest of this, which was none at all. Blondie slowly straightened up further but kept an arm around her waist to hold her up.

The very fact that the man spoke seemed to incense her friend further. “You think I give a fuck about your opinion?” 

“Hey, that’s not necessary…” The man standing with her gave her a reassuring squeeze before stepping over to stand with his friend. 

With them occupied, Danny crept up next to her and moved her off to the side, surrounded by the rest of the guys from Homicide and Evidence. “She’s secure, Flack.” 

“Good.” The detective nodded before turning his attention back to his quarry. “Now what the fuck were you doing feeling up an injured woman? You get off on that?”

Hotness 1 was all calmly defiant righteousness, standing shoulder to shoulder with his buddy. “We called a medic for her, they should be here in a couple minutes. We weren’t looking and didn’t see her on the path until it was too late.” 

“This true, Echo?” Danny asked softly as he gently seated her on a nearby boulder and seemed to be checking her over for more injuries than just her face and her pride.

She went to nod but that rattled her head too much. “Yeah, Messer. I guess. It was just a regular crash. My fault as much as theirs, really. No real harm done.” 

Frowning ferociously, Flack clearly was not content with her answer. “IDs, I want ‘em. Now.” 

Blondie nodded slowly, alarmingly unperturbed about having a .40 caliber pistol pointed at his face. “Front right pocket. You wanna get it or should I?”

“Don’t get us shot, Stevie,” the longhaired man admonished his friend. From his long-suffering expression, this was apparently not the first time this type of thing had happened to either of them. 

Rolling his eyes, Flack held out his hand. “Alright, smartass, wallets now.”

While the Homicide Hottie (as they called him in Dispatch) held court with her two new acquaintances, the ambulance rolled up and the medics  began cleaning her wounds and checking her over as her worried neighbor stood guard over her. The last thing she wanted or needed was stitches and additional facial scars, but it looked like she might not get a choice in the matter. 

“Messer! Get over here!” The note of concern in the detective’s voice had her looking over immediately, only to find all the guns put away and all their postures seemed substantially less aggressive, though no less agitated. 

“Ma’am, could you hold still please?” The female medic with the gentle hands turned her face so she could clean the wounds better. 

She didn’t know if it was the movement or what, but all of a sudden, she was going down, hard. The last thing she remembered was the ground rushing up to meet her. Again.

[four-loose-screws]

Helloooo... I hope I won't bother you asking this but I heard that in the jpn version of Veyle's diary it's precised she is the only of Alear's sister ?

It's no bother to me at all! The ally notebooks are proving to be one of the most fascinating cases to study in Engage - my guess is the localization team had to make a number of compromises to 'accuracy' of translation due to the limited space on each page.

So here's Veyle's first page, where we will find the answer to your question:

The Japanese sentence does indeed include 'yuiitsu', which decisively means 'one and only.' Immediately sparks some confusion, because we know Sombron had a lot of children, but the next word immediately clears that up - it's 'imouto' - younger sister. In Japanese, 'younger sister' and 'older sister' are each their own unique word (same for brother btw). So it doesn't take up any extra space in Japanese to specify older vs. younger, creating a tricky problem in English localization when the number of characters in a text box is limited.

That makes this make sense - Alear has Veyle as their one younger sister, and they can still have any number of older sisters.

Update 11/30: A couple of readers chimed in to point out that the game clearly states in Chapter 24 that Alear did indeed have at least one other younger sister, who was killed by Corrupted. So the ally page says "one and only" within the context of Alear's surviving siblings, who is only Veyle by the time the events of the Engage happen.

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

There's also a few other things to note about Veyle's pages, while I am here. The information cut due to space limitation does not end with just this one case!

Link to JP notebook pages on the Pegasus Knight Wiki

Pg. 1:

The sentence about Veyle defeating her evil side was longer in Japanese: ソンブルの策略により敵対したが、(She was an enemy due to Sombron's scheme, but) ヴェイルの意志で悪しき己を撃破。(defeated her evil side by her own will.)

Pg. 2:

None, localization is a straightforward translation.

Pg. 3:

The Japanese further details that her Corrupted are very complex / advanced / intelligent compared to the standard zombie-like Corrupted: 【特技】精巧な異形兵を作ること ((Talents) Creating intelligent Corrupted Her background mentions that she was born in Gradlon, and was alone for the past 1,000 years. 【来歴】グラドロンの地で生を受け ((Background) Born in Gradlon,) 邪竜の御子たちの末妹として育つ。(raised the youngest of the Fell Dragon's children.) 母は優しき心を持つ魔竜族だった。(Her mother was a mage dragon with a kind heart.) 千年の時を孤独に過ごし、父親に (She spent 1,000 years alone, and her father) 駒として扱われ望まぬ戦を重ねたが、(made her fight against her wishes over and over again as his pawn, but) 善良な心を失うことはなかった。(she never once lost her pure heart.)

Pg. 4:

JP also describes her as shy: 遠慮がちだが本当は大の遊び好き。(She is shy, but also very playful.) And there was also more to the sentence about her wanting to be useful to people: 人の役に立つことを何よりも望み、(She wants to be useful to people more than anything, 困っている人は放っておけない。(cannot ignore a person in need.)

Pg. 5:

The JP line about the Pact Ring also mentions that she treats it as her most valuable amulet / charm, as she did with the dragonstone.

(I took a screenshot of the page on YouTube, due to it not being on Pegasus Knight.)

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Full English localization:

[all-the-things-2020]

Late Night Talking - Chapter Two

Summary: Emily and Dieter go on their first date.

Rating: PG-13

Tagging @rhoorl because Working Title inspired me to write this

I spent most of that Friday getting ready. A mani-pedi and eyebrow wax at the salon, a mini makeover at Ulta, and a blowout and style at my hairdresser. I’d debated buying a new dress, but decided to spend my money on the beauty treatments instead. I wore my favorite dress, a comfortable but clingy teal blue wrap that showed just enough cleavage.

By the time I was done at the hairdresser, it was almost 3 o’clock and I headed for Pasadena. Traffic on the 210 could be a bitch at any time, but was especially bad on Fridays, so I didn’t want to take any chances. Better to get there early and have to kill some time than to be late. Objectively, I knew that if I got caught in traffic, I could text Dieter (everyone in SoCal understood getting stuck in traffic) but I didn’t want to have to make him wait. So I left ridiculously early and for once traffic was light. I pulled into the parking lot behind Vroman’s at 4:08.

Well, might as well browse the store a bit, I thought, rather than sit in the car. It was summer and too bloody hot to sit in a car without the A/C running. I walked into the bookshop and took a deep breath. The smell of brand new books filled my lungs and helped settle my nerves a little. Just a little, though, because I was on the verge of an anxiety attack every time I realized I was actually going on a date with Dieter Bravo.

I hadn’t told anyone about my plans other than Sam. I was fully aware of the rumors about Dieter’s past, and I knew at least one if my friends would try to warn me off. I was also very aware that he’d done a stint in rehab and had stayed out of the headlines ever since. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

I wandered the aisles, reacquainting myself with the layout of the store so I could impress Dieter with my knowledge of the place. I’d talked it up so much but it had been a while since I’d had the chance to visit and I didn’t want to look like an idiot. Really, though, I was just nervous and trying to keep myself busy. Finally, at 4:30 I gave up and went into The 1894.

I took a seat at the bar and ordered a glass of wine. Maybe that will settle my nerves, I thought. I asked the bartender if I could save the seat next to me. “I’m meeting someone at five,” I told her. “I got here early.”

She shrugged. “Sure, but I can’t stop anyone from sitting there if we run out of seats.”

I understood, but so far the place was only about half full. Most people hadn’t gotten off work yet. I sat my purse on the empty seat next to me and sipped my wine. Twice people came up to me and asked if the seat was available, and I told them no, someone was sitting there. They moved on without a fuss, but it was a little annoying. When the third person walked up, I was about to roll my eyes and make a smart remark, but before I could turn, a familiar voice said, “No fair starting without me.”

I picked up my purse and he slid onto the seat, leaning his arm on the bar. He was wearing a pale blue short sleeved button down shirt, the top few buttons left undone, and a pair of dark blue slacks. Nothing too fancy, but a definite step up from the t-shirt and jeans from the other day. His hair was mostly tamed, but still a bit messy. It was a good look on him.

“Hi,” he said, with a smile.

“Hi,” I said, smiling back. “I got here super early. Traffic wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I got here faster than I expected, too,” he said. “Guess the freeway gods wanted us to start things early.” He winked and I melted inside. “That dress looks great on you, by the way,” he went on. “The color really brings out your eyes.”

Now I really was blushing, and it wasn’t from the wine. “Thanks,” I said. “You look nice, too.”

He shrugged. “I clean up fairly well.” The bartender came over and asked if she could get him anything. “I’ll have the same,” he said, pointing at my wine glass. “And put it on one check, please.”

I picked up my glass and took a sip. “The feminist in me wants to insist I’m perfectly capable of buying my own drinks,” I said, “but my bank balance is telling her to shut up.”

He laughed and laid his hand on mine. “Tell your inner feminist I respect her very much, but I agree with your bank balance that she needs to mind her own business for a while.” He rubbed his thumb against the back of my hand and I took another sip of wine to allow myself to recover a bit of composure. Fortunately, the bartender brought his wine and he let go to take his glass.

“Cheers,” he said, tipping his glass toward mine.

“Cheers,” I replied, as we clinked our glasses together. He maintained eye contact as he took a drink.

“Nice choice,” he said after he’d swallowed. He pulled a menu closer and waved the bartender over. “Can we get a meat & cheese board, and some olives?” She nodded. “Sorry,” he said. “I got sidetracked this morning and didn’t get lunch before my meeting.”

“No worries,” I said. “Who knows if or when we’ll get around to dinner. I don’t know about you, but I can spend hours in this place.” I nodded toward the bookshop proper.

He smiled. “Great minds think alike,” he said. There was that smile again. I found myself smiling back, sure I looked like a total goofball. He reached out for my hand again and gave it a little squeeze. My insides turned instantly to goo.

“So, um, how was your meeting?” I asked.

His face lit up. “It was really good,” he said. “I’m in talks to do a TV series.” He took a sip of wine. “The producer has a couple of different options for my character, wanted my input on which one I liked best.”

“And let me guess, you can’t say a word.”

He grimaced. “Nope, sorry. They’d feed me to the … what’s that thing that ate Boba Fett in Star Wars, that giant sand worm thing?”

“Oh, yeah, I know what you mean,” I said. I searched my brain for the arcane Star Wars knowledge that I knew lurked in there somewhere. “The sarlaac? Is that it?”

Dieter shrugged. “Sounds about right. Whatever it’s called, they’d feed me to it.” Just then the bartender brought our food, and he popped an olive in his mouth.

“By the way, thanks for not giving me the Look,” he said. He nodded toward his wine glass. “Everybody knows I’ve been to rehab, so I usually get the Look from someone when they see me drinking alcohol.”

“It’s none of my business,” I told him. “You’re an adult and so am I.”

He smiled. “Well, thanks again,” he said quietly. “I’m in a pretty good place right now. I have my rules and they’re working for me. A lot of people judge me too harshly.”

We nibbled on the food, ordered another glass of wine, and chit chatted about work, the weather, and other boring stuff that actually seemed important and enthralling because it gave us each a glimpse into the other’s life.

He offered me the last morsel of cheese on the board, but I declined and he ate it, then drained his glass. “So,” he said, clapping his hands together. “Are we going to buy some books or what?”

I finished my wine and smiled. “Let’s do some damage to my bank account,” I said. He laughed, asked for the check and paid it in cash, leaving a ridiculously large tip that made the bartender break into an appreciative smile. I wasn’t sure if he was normally a large tipper or if he was just trying to impress me, but either way, I was happy for the bartender, who had been running herself ragged as the bar started to fill up with people stopping by for after work drinks.

“Shall we?,” he said as we stood up. He let me walk a half step ahead of him, and I felt his hand at the small of my back, gently guiding me through the maze of tables and customers toward the bookstore.

“Where do we start?,” he asked when we reached the sales floor.

“Anywhere you want,” I said. “Fiction? Nonfiction?”

“Definitely fiction,” he replied. I took his hand and led him toward the fiction shelves, glad I had scouted out the store layout earlier.

We wandered the shelves, pulling out a book here and there.

“Have you read this?”

“Oh, I love this one.”

Our reading tastes were not exactly the same, but we overlapped quite a bit. I pulled a copy of The Eyre Affair off the shelf. “Please tell me you’ve read this,” I said.

He shook his head, taking the book from me to read the back. “No, I haven’t. Wait, what the hell is this?” He laughed. “Dodos?”

“Don’t knock it,” I said. “It’s virtually impossible to describe this book without it sounding like the stupidest thing ever, but trust me, it’s brilliant.”

He raised one eyebrow and gave me a look of disbelief. “Interactive Shakespeare,” I said. “Time travel. An independent Wales. Neanderthals. And Jane Eyre is missing!”

He laughed. “Okay, okay, I’ll take your word for it.” He started to put the book back on this shelf but I snatched it from his hand.

“No, I’m buying this for you,” I said. “You have to read it. Non negotiable.”

“And what if I don’t like it?,” he asked.

“Then I’m afraid I’ll have to kill you,” I teased.

“I knew it,” he said, with an exaggerated groan. “My characters almost always die. It’s this face. People just want to kill it.”

“I like your face,” I said.

He leaned against the shelf. “Really?” He seemed surprised. I just gave him a look and he laughed. “Okay, so if I don’t like the book I die; what happens if I like it?”

“Then you become One of Us and must be initiated,” I said.

His eyebrows shot up. “This initiation … am I gonna like it?” He stepped closer to me.

“Oh, yeah,” I said. “You’ll love it. But you’ve got to read the book first.” I tapped him on the chest with the book. He chuckled and shook his head.

“Okay, but now I get to pick out a book for you,” he said. He took my hand and led me up and down the aisles, making a show of picking out just the right book. All the while, our fingers were entwined and he idly rubbed his thumb against my palm. Finally, he decided on a novel by an obscure Lithuanian author that sounded rather depressing to me, but which he insisted was better than the cover blurb would lead you to believe.

We continued to explore the shop, finding something interesting in every aisle. I picked up a tiny Jane Austen doll, which he insisted on buying for me. He admired a leather key fob with a Steinbeck quote, which I insisted on buying for him. Eventually, we each had a small stack of books and little trinkets picked out for each other.

“Ready for dinner?,” he asked.

“Yeah, we’d better get out of here before I find anything more to buy,” I said. We went to the registers, made our purchases and then traded bags.

“So,” he said when we’d stepped outside. “Any good restaurants around here?”

“I know a nice tapas place in Old Pasadena,” I said. “But we’ll have to drive there. It’s like five or six blocks away.”

He laughed. “Oh, you are such a Californian,” he said. “If you’d lived in New York, you’d know five or six blocks is nothing.” He slipped his arm around my shoulders. “Come on, it’s a nice night, let’s take a walk.”

We walked west on Colorado Blvd. It was still light out but starting to get dusky in the shadows of the tall buildings. I’d always found downtown Pasadena a bit “big city” and overwhelming, which I mentioned to Dieter. He laughed. “I’ll take you to New York City sometime,” he said. “Then we’ll talk about what constitutes a ‘big city’.”

I held my tongue, but the fact that he’d casually assumed we’d have a future together of some sort gave me a thrill. Even if we were just friends in that future, I’d take it, although of course I wanted more.

The walk to the restaurant was leisurely, after Dieter realized I couldn’t walk as quickly as he could (the curse of being a short person walking with a tall person), which was perfectly fine with me. He kept his arm around my shoulders as we navigated the foot traffic that always filled the sidewalks in Pasadena, especially on a Friday night. Only one person stopped us to ask for his autograph, although several others did a double take as we went past them.

We reached the restaurant and fortunately didn’t have to wait too long for a table. Most of the customers were crowded in the bar and lounge area, but we were tucked in a corner at a table.

“Nice place,” Dieter said, looking around appreciatively. As soon as he opened the menu, he grinned. “Ooh, they have oysters!”

I made a face. “What’s that face for?,” he said.

“I’m not a big fan of seafood,” I admitted.

“Well, I’m still getting oysters,” he said, with a wink. Our waiter came over and Dieter ordered a gin martini and a half dozen oysters to start with. I opted for potato empanadas and a mojito. By the time the waiter came back with our drinks and appetizers, we’d decided on a pizza to split for our main course.

“Trade you,” Dieter said, offering me an oyster after he saw how good my empanadas looked.

“Ugh, no,” I said. “Those things are disgusting. I’m very picky about what I put in my mouth.”

He nearly spit out his martini and I felt my face go red as I realized how that sounded. “I just mean, I’m a picky eater,” I protested, but he was already laughing so hard he had to wipe his eyes with his napkin.

“Oh, my God,” he said when he’d managed to catch his breath. “That was priceless. But the offer still stands. Those empanadas look really good.” He made puppy dog eyes at me and I shoved an empanada into his mouth.

“Mmph,” he said. When he’d managed to swallow it, he picked up an oyster and waved it in front of my face. “Come on,” he said. “Just try one. I bet you’ll like it.”

I shook my head.

“If you eat one, I’ll give you a kiss,” he offered.

I pouted at him. “I was hoping I’d already done enough to earn a kiss,” I said

“I meant, I’ll give you a kiss right now,” he clarified. “You’re definitely getting a kiss before the evening’s over.” He did that thing with his jaw that always turned me on.

I closed my eyes. “All right, in that case, I’ll do it, but if I don’t like it I get to spit it out, okay?”

“Deal,” he said. “Open up.” I opened my mouth and he tipped the oyster in. I shuddered a bit at the slimy texture and briny taste. “Just swallow it,” he said. I did and almost gagged, but I managed to get it down. I opened my eyes and he was smiling mischievously at me. He leaned across the table to press a gentle kiss against my lips. He tasted like gin and oysters and empanadas. “Worth it?”

“Definitely,” I replied with a lazy smile. “But I’m never eating one of those things again.”

“Fair enough,” he said. We talked about favorite (and not so favorite) foods while we waited for the pizza to arrive. After it arrived, we talked about movies and hobbies and a million other things. Finally, we’d eaten as much as we could and the waiter dropped off the check. Again, Dieter took care of it, this time with a credit card. I made a feeble attempt to ask what my share was, but he waved me off. “Tell your inner feminist she can pay next time,” he said.

We walked slowly back to the parking lot behind Vroman’s enjoying the cooler air now that the sun had gone completely down. We reached my car first and I dug out my keys, unlocked the doors and put my bag in the back seat. “Well,” I said, not sure exactly what to say.

“Well,” he said back, stepping closer, almost pressing me against the side of the car. He sat his bag on the ground and took my face between his hands. This time, the kiss was still gentle, but lasted longer. It was followed by a flurry of shorter but fiercer kisses that made my toes curl. I slid my arms up around his neck and his hands fell to my waist, pulling me closer.

“Mmm,” he murmured. “I had a wonderful time tonight.”

“Me, too,” I replied. He kissed me again.

“We should probably say good night,” he said. I nodded, and kissed him back.

“Someone’s going to wonder why we’re making out in the parking lot,” he said.

“Yeah, we should probably stop,” I said. We didn’t stop.

Finally, a woman and her kids walked past and she made a snarky remark. Dieter laughed and pressed his forehead against mine. “Okay, I think that killed the mood,” he said. He stepped back. “Text me when you get home, so I know you got there safe,” he said. “I’ll call you tomorrow and we can figure out where to go next time.”

“I will,” I said, fumbling with my car keys, which I’d somehow managed not to drop during all that. I opened the car door and dropped into the drivers’ seat. Dieter leaned in to press one last kiss against my cheek.

“Drive safe,” he said, then picked up his bag and headed for his own car, two rows over from mine. I couldn’t resist watching him walk away, admiring the view.

When he got into his car, I turned away and slid my key in the ignition. I’d need the long drive home to calm myself down.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

NOTES: Vroman’s is a real bookshop in Pasadena. If you ever get the chance to visit, do so! And do it soon: the owner is retiring and the shop (as well as Book Soup) is up for sale. Fingers crossed they find a new owner who wants to carry on the 100+ year tradition of this indie bookshop. The restaurant is loosely based on a little place I had lunch with friends during a conference in Pasadena. The Eyre Affair is a real book and it is AMAZING. The obscure Lithuanian author is completely made up; I figured Dieter would be into something out of the ordinary.

[eastofthemoon]

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12

Rating: PG

Series: Voltron Legendary Defender/Avatar the Last Airbender

Summary:   After the fight with Zarkon, Shiro accidentally gets tossed into  another  reality where humans have the ability to bend the elements. His  best  shot at returning home is with someone called the Avatar, while  he waits  he might as well take on the job of being the Firelord’s  bodyguard.

“Do you think they’re doing alright?”

Zuko glanced up from the paper he had been signing. “They’re speaking to my father, I doubt they’re having a good time.”

Katara sighed. “I know, but they’ve been down there awhile.” Aang winced from his seat. “It has. Maybe we should go check on them?”

“It’s not even been 30 minutes,” Sokka said as he twirled his boomerang in his hands. “Don’t be so nervous.”

Suki raised an eyebrow. “Says the man who fiddles with his boomerang when he’s trying to calm his nerves.”

Sokka paused in his twirling. “I’m not nervous, I am fidgeting. There’s a difference.”

Zuko groaned over where this argument was about to go when thankfully the door opened and Toph appeared.

Katara instantly rose and went over. “So, how did it go?” She then frowned. “Wait, where’s Shiro?”

“In the garden,” Toph said and crossed her arms, “recovering.”

“Recovering?” Aang said. “Is he hurt? Did Ozai do something-”

“No,” Toph said and then sighed. “Well, yeah, he did but Shiro isn’t physically hurt. It’s complicated.”

Zuko raised an eyebrow as Sokka approached. “What do you mean?”

Toph stroked her chin. “It went as expected. Shiro went to talk to Ozai and as we suspected he didn't know a thing and was just trying to see if he could use Shiro to help him regain the throne.”

“Of course,” Zuko said darkly.

“Shiro was going to walk away but then,” she bit her lower lip. “Ozai said something that seemed to spook Shiro.”

Aang narrowed his eyes. “What was it?”

She raised her head. “He said Shiro was a killer, just like him.” She raised her head up. “I immediately felt his heart rate go up, like he was panicking? I’m pretty sure I heard him grab Ozai. He let him go, but it was a long pause and I got to admit I was debating if I should step in or not.”

“But that’s crazy,” Aang said.

“I agree,” Suki added. “He’s a good fighter, but he’s not a killer. He’s probably one of the nicest guys I’ve met.” She turned to Sokka. “Right?”

Sokka grimaced as he rubbed his neck. “Well...”

Zuko crossed his arms, “You’re remembering the Agni Kai aren’t you?”

“How can I not be?”

Aang and Suki exchanged baffled looks.

“Are we missing something?” Aang asked.

“Yeah,” Sokka said as he rubbed his neck. “You two didn’t see how he was during the Agni Kai. He was intense. There are reasons people are still calling him’ the dragon’.”

“And his universe is going through its own war at the moment,” Katara replied as she rubbed her arms. “We all know what kind of impact that can have on people.”

Aang frowned and nodded as he gripped his staff. “Maybe I should go talk to him-”

“No,” Zuko said as he placed a hand on his shoulder. “I should.” He turned to the group. “I have a feeling I can better relate.”

The group exchanged glances, but all nodded.

“He should be in the garden,” Toph said. “Probably hanging out with Appa and Momo.”

“Cuddle time with furry critters is good for relieving stress,” Sokka commented.

“Right,” Zuko said as he left. “I’ll go find him. Could one of you fill Uncle in on what happened?”

“I’ll do it,” Toph said as he crossed her arms.

“And in the meantime, who’s up for a game of cards?” Sokka said.

“Only if you’re not dealing,” Katara chided.

“Why?”

“Because you cheat!” Everyone shouted.

Zuko repressed a chuckle as he left and headed for the garden.

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

There was nobody in the garden, which was what Shiro needed. Upon arriving, Momo had jumped onto his shoulder. Shiro glanced up and upon seeing the lemur’s concerned face staring back at him, he gave a small smile.

“Worried about me?” Shiro asked.

Momo chirped at him.

“I’m okay,” Shiro said quietly, although it was mostly to convince himself.

He walked over to where Appa was currently napping and sat next to him. The flying bison cracked open an eye.

“Mind if I join you?” Shrio asked.

Appa gave a snort before shutting his eyes and turning his head.

“I’ll take that as an ‘No’,” Shiro said softly and leaned back.

He breathed in and out. He needed to clear his head. He had to just..not think about what he had just heard. But how could he not?

Because it’s all true, he thought darkly.

He sighed deeply listening to only Appa’s snoring and the light purr like sounds from Momo. Before long, Shiro heard footsteps.

He opened his eyes and saw Zuko.

“I take it you spoke with Toph.”

“She gave us the details more or less,” Zuko said as he sat down next to him. “Are you alright?”

Shiro sighed. “I’ll..be fine.” He shut his eyes. “It just brought up some memories I prefer not to recall.”

“Memories or the nightmares you’ve been having?”

Shiro froze. Momo hopped off his shoulder as he straightened his posture. “You know about the nightmares?”

Zuko raised an eyebrow. “I know from personal experience it’s impossible for a person to get scars like these,” he pointed to his face, “and not get nightmares.”

Shiro opened and shut his mouth. Right, I suppose he would know.

“Do you get yours often?” Zuko asked.

Shiro rubbed his neck. “It’s not as bad as it used to be, but I will admit they aren’t nearly as bad as the…”

“Flashbacks?”

Shiro paused, but slowly gave a nod.

Zuko was quiet as he crossed his arms. “I’m assuming the others told you how I got my face burned.”

Shiro rubbed his neck. “Um, no actually.”

Zuko blinked and looked genuinely surprised. “Wait, really?”

“They told me it was something to do with an Agni Kai, but they wouldn’t tell me any more than that.”

“Huh,” Zuko said softly as he watched Momo dip his hand into the water. “You might as well know.”

Shiro held up his hand. “You don’t have to tell me.”

“You’re probably going to learn it from someone at some point, it’s not exactly hidden information, and I rather you hear it from me.”

Shiro narrowed his eyes, but remained quiet.

“During a war meeting I spoke out against a general’s plan to use newly trained soldiers as bait in a battle.” He turned to Shiro. “Believe it or not, that general was Bujing.”

The man I fought, Shiro thought. He recalled the arrogance of the older man. Yeah, he would be the kind of guy to have that plan.

“You weren’t wrong for speaking out,” Shiro said.

“No, but it wasn’t my place to. I was young and was only supposed to observe quietly.” Zuko took a deep breath. “My father was outraged at my behaviour and an Agni Kai was declared to settle the matter. I had assumed it would be with Bujing, but that wasn’t the case. Ozai was my opponent.”

Shiro’s eyes widened. “You… had to fight against your father?”

“No, because I refused. To ‘teach me a lesson’ Ozai gave me this,” he pointed to his burn. “It was a few days after while I was still recovering that he banished me and said I wasn’t allowed to return home unless I captured the avatar.” He gave a shrug. “You can guess how that turned out.”

Shiro was silent as the gears turned in his head. Zuko was no older than Keith. The war ended three years ago. Did that mean?

“How old were you?” Shiro asked.

“13,” Zuko replied darkly.

Shiro sucked in air between his teeth and shut his eyes to cool his temper.

“I should have killed him,” Shiro said with a growl.

Zuko scoffed. “You’ll need to get in line. Katara, Sokka and Toph instantly started to make ‘murder plans’ when I told them. It took Aang and I days to get them to calm down about it.”

Can’t say I blame them, Shiro thought.

He took his own deep breath. “Okay, my turn.”

Zuko touched his shoulder. “You don’t have to.”

Shiro shook his head. “No, it’s only fair.”

If Zuko felt comfortable enough to tell him the details, how could he not return the favour?

“You know the galra I told you about? I was on an exploration mission when I first encountered them.” Momo came over and sat at Shiro’s feet. “We weren’t a large group. Just me, the pilot, and two scientists; Sam Holt and his son Matt. It wasn’t supposed to be anything other than a mission of scientific discovery, but we were captured by the galra.”

“Because they thought you had information?” Zuko asked.

“I don’t know,” Shiro replied.

He never really understood why they had been captured.

“But the end result was Sam got taken away while Matt and I got sent to the gladiator ring.” His body tensed. “Matt was so frightened. I knew he wouldn’t survive so I injured him so they were forced to take him out of there, but I don’t know where.”

“So, you were left there alone?” Zuko muttered.

Shiro nodded, “I was there for a year before I was able to escape,” Shiro said. “I don’t remember much about that time, but I do know three facts.” He held up his cybernetic arm. “It’s where I got this as well as my scars, every fight was to the death,” his fist tightened, “and I was granted the title of Champion.”

Zuko’s face hardened. “You mean, every fight you won-”

“Had to end with someone being killed,” Shiro finished. “I’ve met former prisoners who remember my time there and they said I was their inspiration, but I’ll admit I’ve yet to understand why.” Shiro lowered his arm as glanced over to the pond. “Your father is right about one thing. I am a killer just like him.”

Zuko scoffed, “Shiro, I haven’t known you for long, but you are nothing like him.”

Shiro’s eyes hardened. “Zuko-”

“You’re not.” Zuko repeated firmly. “You had to kill to survive, meanwhile my father tried to burn an entire nation to the ground just because he wanted to feed his ego.”

Shiro was quiet.

“Besides, that fact that you feel guilt over it is proof enough,” Zuko continued as he touched Shiro’s shoulder. “Ozai doesn’t question it for a second.”

Shiro’s shoulders slumped. “It’s easy to say that, logically, but-”

“It’s difficult to believe it?” Zuko asked.

Shiro nodded.

“Have you ever discussed this with your friends?”

“No,” Shiro said softly as he shut his eyes. “We’re in the middle of a war and they have enough on their shoulders. I don’t want to burden them.”

Zuko’s eyes narrowed. “You’ll just make things worse though.”

Shiro glanced at him, but kept quiet.

“Keeping things in doesn’t help anyone,” Zuko continued. “You probably think you’re protecting them, but all that’s doing is letting things build up inside and trust me, it will come out.” He turned to him. “At the worst possible times.”

“Personal experience?” Shiro asked.

Zuko didn’t reply, but he could tell from his face that the answer was a yes.

“I know you’re right,” Shiro said softly. “Just hard to know when I’m ready.”

Zuko took a breath and then rose. “Well, I know what we can do in the meantime.” He turned to him. “Starting tomorrow, I’m teaching you how to meditate. Uncle taught me when I was first recovering and I can’t deny it was a big help to me.”

Shiro raised a hand. “I appreciate the offer but-”

“It’s not a request,” Zuko said firmly, “it’s an order since you are currently acting as my bodyguard. I’m sure Aang would be willing to assist too.”

Shiro debated if he should argue, but Zuko was clearly not going to back down.

He really does remind me of Keith, Shiro thought. I wonder if they would get along?

Shiro rose and tossed up his hands. “Alright, you win.”

“We’ll start in the morning then,” Zuko said. “Let’s go back and check in with the others.”

Shiro nodded silently as he followed feeling just a little bit better than he had before.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Friday, April 19

(Faith engages Caleb in a fight, but she's not fazing him.) CALEB: (looks Faith up and down) Well, you're the other one, aren't you. Your Cain to her Abel. (Faith throws a knife at Caleb) No offense meant to Cain, of course. (Faith attacks Caleb with her other knife, but he grabs her arm, and holds her in place. Faith is forced to drop her knife, then knees him in the crotch, and Caleb lets her go.) (Faith backhands Caleb across the face, then speaks through gritted teeth.) FAITH: Never was much for the good book.

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[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Goodbye by Enigmatist (Angel, Spike, not rated)

Understanding by Enigmatist (Spike, Anya, not rated)

Something To Be Proud Of by badly_knitted (Buffy, Giles, Willow, G)

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The Setup - Ch. 1 by acb6293 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

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Goodbye to Everything That I Knew - Ch. 30 by fortes775 COMPLETE! (Buffy/Spike, R)

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With Sprinkles - Ch. 40 by dogbertcarroll (Xander centered, Anime xover, FR15)

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[friendly-books]

Dresden files Peace Talk Live Blog

Content warning: Brief mention of SA I go off on a rant.

Dresden files Peace talk live blog

“My brother ruined a perfectly good run by saving “Justine is pregnant.” pg. 1 What a way to start a book

“He was one of the men who were so good-looking that it made people check around to see if they were being pranked.” pg. 1 Bi Harry 45

“Sorry to spoil your man time, Hemingway.” pg. 2 Ha

“I’ll have you know I’ve been a full time dad for well over a month, and Maggie isn’t dead yet. I clearly have mad parenting skills.” pg. 11 Ha and aw dad Harry

Carlos!

“The supernatural world had been kind of topsy-turvy lately. Some lunatic had managed to wipe out the Red Court of Vampires completely, and the resulting vacuum had destabilized balances of power that were centuries old.” pg. 16 Yeah Harry I wonder who would do that. Truly only a lunatic

“Marcone?” I demanded. Gentleman Johnnie Marcone, former robber baron of Chicago’s outfit was now Baron Marcone, the only vanilla human being to sign the Unseelie Accords. He’d managed that a few years ago, and he been building his power base ever since.” pg. 8 First Marcone mention and in the first chapter! Harry you were one of his signatures

“That was all him. Tell me that the Council doesn’t want me to be our emissary.”

Ramirez blinked “Wait what? Oh…God no, Harry. I mean…no. Just no.” pg. 8 Ha

“I took off the weighted vest with disgust and tossed it on the beach. It made an extremely weighty thump when it hit.” pg. 8 Nice Rock Lee moment

“I wonder if Harry Dresden is still Harry Dresden or if the Queen of Air and Darkness has turned him into her personal monster” look

I get that one a lot these days. Sometimes in the mirror.” pg. 9 Aw :( poor Harry

Mister!

Maggie!

I love Maggie and Bonnie

“As dumpy as it had been, that grotty little apartment had been my home. Damn the vampires, for burning it down. Damn Marcone, for buying the property and putting his new headquarters on the ground where home used to be.” pg. 21 I also miss Harry’s house. Also Harry, do you wonder why Marcone built his headquarters on your own house.

Is…is Harry sick?

“Runes and sigils of green light spangled the walls.” pg. 27 I don’t think Harry’s magic has always been green?

Ebenezar!

No wait Thomas is here and Eb doesn’t know they’re related oh no is there any chance they can all sit down and talk? Can we please all be grownups and communicate with each other just this once

“What is that thing here?” Ebenezar demanded

Thomas lifted his eyebrows. “Thing? Pretty bold assertion of righteousness from the White Council’s hatchet man.” pg. 30 Eb that’s rude to call Thomas a thing

“There has been a motion raised before the general Council to strip you of your status as a member of the White Council entirely.” pg. 33 Oh no

“If you look up unnecessary risk in the White Council’s dictionary, my picture is there. And my address. And all my personal contact information. And my permanent record from middle school.” pg. 34 Ha

“I’m being set up” pg. 36 Yep

“Stars and stones”

“Don’t say that,” he said, his tone slipping into a more familiar, grouchier cadence. “You don’t even know what it means.” pg. 40 Interesting

“Maggie,” he said quietly. His voice sounded rough. “Hello, young lady.” pg. 41 Aw

“How’d that work out?” I asked him. “Let’s ask Mom. Oh, wait. We can’t. She’s dead.” pg. 43 Poor Harry poor Eb

“Your mother is dead,” Ebenezar said. “Your father is dead. The woman who bore your child is dead. And you are the common denominator.” pg. 45 EBENEZAR! >:(

“but only a fool squared off against Ebenezar McCoy.”

(Yes. I am aware of the implications of that statement; I’d been doing it for like ten minutes.) pg. 47 Ha

Murphy!

“I don’t get to be me anymore,” she whispered” pg. 52 Poor Murphy :(

“So instead, I kissed her.” pg. 53 Harry/Murphy kiss!

“He was on the tall side of medium height, good-looking,” pg. 56 Bi Harry 46

Boo Rudolph

“And Marcone owns Rudolph,” Karrin said. She pursed her lips. “Or so we assumed.” pg. 64 He is!? When was this assembled?

“New colors”

“He made an alliance with a powerful guardian entity.” pg. 68 Interesting

Lara and Mab

“There?” pg. 71 How did Lara get three favors from Mab?!

“The embassy was on fire-and my daughter was inside.” pg. 74 Oh no :(

Earthwalk sounds terrible

“Why is everyone so shocked that I have a girlfriend?” pg. 80 Ha

Hope Carpenter!

Why ware the svartalves trying to take Maggie?

“Who did you lose?”

“Austri” pg. 87 Oh no poor Austri

“It was Thomas” pg. 90 What!? Why would Thomas try to assassin someone?

“And that’s why you’re sending me back?” Maggie asked” pg. 96 Aw poor Maggie :(

I love that Harry has plans for Maggie if he were to die again

“She hugged me tight again” pg. 99 Aw my heart :)

“He says you are,” Maggie said. “That you’re a good man. One of the best he knows.” pg. 99 My heart :)

Justine!

“Justine went limp and wept.” pg. 106 Poor Justine :(

“My friend. I recall you telling me about how one should respond to loyalty, once upon a time. That when you get it, you gotta give-it back, or else a man starts looking at those people like they’re things to be used.” pg. 112 Interesting shows Ebs teaching

Aw Harry and Eb are fighting :(

“If I do what is right, they’ll throw me to the wolves, huh?”

“Look in the mirror,” Ebenezar said harshly. “You are a wolf. That’s the point.” pg. 114 Ouch

“Outsiders” pg. 117 Oh no

“My mentor, my teacher, the most feared wizard on the planet, was frightened.” pg. 119 Oh no

Eb is so cool

This fight is so cool

Now they’re being chased

“why it’s damned stupid thing to trust vampires’ course.” pg. 126 You’re bringing this up now?! Now?

“Power against the Outsiders” pg. 128 So cool so Harry can fight the Outsiders. Wait did Harry’s mom plan Harry’s birth? Is that why Mab wanted Harry as the winter knight?

“please also observe that every single point of the plan is vampire-free.” pg. 130 Ha

“The whole pack is here. Now they’ll get serious.” pg. 131 The whole pack that’s a lot

“I don’t know.” pg. 133 Oh no

“Conjuritits? At your age?” pg. 134 What?

“Consulere Rex!” pg. 135 What. What kind of spell is this?

“Having a friggin’ Tyannosaurus Rex roaring out the tune of “Happy Birthday to You” at full volume is an entirely appropriate birthday present for Waldo Butters.” pg. 135 Ha

“And many moooooooooore!” pg. 138 Ha and yes I counted the o’s there’s 10

“God, I love working under pressure.” pg. 143 That’s good? Is this sarcastic? I think it’s sarcastic

“And I felt them.

Inside my head.

Felt the Outside.” pg. 145 Oh no

“I saw an image from their point of view-a being made of coherent light, a column of glowing energy centers, and pure dread, standing like an obelisk before the cornerhounds, a bolt of terrible lightning gathered around its upraised fists, head, and shoulders, like a miniature storm front.

I saw what they saw when they looked at me.

And I felt their fear.” pg. 145 So cool

“Because they took someone from me.”

“Mom?” I asked

His jaw muscles tightened. “Her too” pg. 148 Did vampires also kill Ebs wife? Whole family?

“Just…hurt.” pg. 149 Poor Harry

Butters!

“Okay. So the White Council wants to give you a hard time. So what else is new?” pg. 154 I’m with Buttes this isn’t new behavior from the White Council. This does bring back that quote from Elaine in Summer Knight “God, Harry. You can’t see it, can you? The Council doesn't care about you. They don’t want to protect you. They will only put up as long as you toe the line and don’t become an inconvenience.” pg. 150 The Council has never liked Harry. I’m more shocked that it’s taken this long.

“to recover is a solid sleep cycle” pg. 157 Knowing Harry that’s not going to happen

Andi!

Marci!

“He’s an adult human being, guys. And I’m tired. Draw conclusions, Harry.” pg. 159 Ha and throuple?

“Damn. Little guy had gotten all grown up on me.” pg. 160 Aw I’m so proud

Sayna is in town. Something is about to go down

“Who are you, and what have you done with Harry Dresden?” pg. 163 Ha

Riley! My guy you don’t get paid enough. Switch sides. Marcone probably has better benefits.

“Sister?” I asked “Oh, Sigrun Gard?”

“Freydis Gard.” pg. 170 Oh Gard has a sister

“Lara was a beautiful and dangerous as a hungry tigress, and very, very smart.” pg. 171 I’m seeing similar vibes to how Harry describes Marcone and Lara

“I thought it was closed to all outsiders then.”

She grinned and moved her hip in a little roll that made me want to stampede. “Have you looked at me?” pg. 173 Is Lara half Japanese or Korean or Chinese? Or is it because she’s pretty?

“Have you told his grandfather about him?” pg. 175 What!? Lara knows about Ebenezar?!

Okay don’t mess with Lara’s family good to know

“None of them were smiling.” pg. 186 Oh no

“Mistrusting me right from the get-go huh?” pg. 186 Not off to a great start

Can someone please de escalate this situation

“We’re friends” I said

“Then let us be your friends,” pg. 191 This isn’t how friends act. They don’t stalk, pull over their car, pointing weapons at them! Just let Harry explain and trust him.

“The last time I’d faced off with this many Wardens, they’d been there to arrest me, after the death of Justin DuMorne. I’d been sixteen. I’d remember how frightening those grim spartan figures had been.” pg. 192 That’s a lot of wardens after one warlock. Why so many?

Rant start

“He’s been with at least one sexual partner in the past several hours,” pg. 193 What. Is that the spell? Why would you make that spell? Why would you do that to Harry?

“And, as I realized what they’d been doing, my own anger started swelling dangerously. The Council had poked its nose in my business my entire adult life. It didn’t need to start poking it there. My heart started beating faster.” pg. 193 HOW FUCKING DARE THEY. >:( They have no right to know that information. The spell only seems to say that at least one and it seems to make no indication whatsoever if it was consensual. Maybe it wasn’t they (wardens) know that. They’re accosting Harry. Why do they care who Harry sleeps with? It’s none of their business. They don’t react this way to Mab when Harry becomes the Winter Knight. This is such an invasion of privacy. 

“Who was it?” Ramirez asked me, voice hard

“The nerve” I snarled

“Was it Lara?” he pressed. His jaw set like stone. “Harry, has she gotten to you?”

My fingers tighten on my staff until the wood cracked. “You’re crossing a goddamned line, Carlos.”

“Harry,” Chandler began, his tone soothing. He reached out to put a companionable hand on my shoulder.””

I struck it away

Chandler hissed and withdrew his arm, holding it close to his body.

“We have to know, Dresden,” Ramirez said. “Who did you sleep with tonight?”

“Because your sex life is a disaster, you pull this crap on me,” I growled” pg. 193 It’s none of their business. The nerve is right. They are crossing so many lines. Good if Harry doesn’t punch every single one of these Wardens by the end of the book I’ll do it myself and they deserve the backlash/back talk.

“Carlos face drained of color, but his expression never changed. “Believe it. Who?”

“Suddenly I remember why I have authority issues,” I said “Go fuck yourself Ramirez. And tell whoever ordered you to do this to me to pound sand while you’re at it.”

“Captain Luccio ordered me to do this,” Ramirez said quietly. “She’s still your friend. She wants to help you, too.”

“I don’t need this kind of help,” I said. “We’re supposed to be on the same side.”

“We are,” Chandler said emphatically. Then his face fell. “Unless. . . we aren’t, I suppose.”

“Ever word I’ve said to you is true,” I snapped. Or at least not a lie. “I’ve had enough bullshit from the White Council for one night.” pg. 194 Yes Harry has every reason to have authority issues. Tell him off Harry. LUCCIO! Why would you order this? I’m so disappointed in you. Did she think this was a good idea because of what happened to her and Peabody? If that’s why it doesn’t mean you get to be suspicious and be an unreasonable jerk to Harry. Why would the wardens agree to this? I thought they were Harry’s friends. Harry’s actually friends would sit him down and talk to him and trust him. This is an order you have to look at and disagree. You need to think for yourself. Why would anyone think this was a good idea?

Rant End

“Margaret Katherine Amanda Carpenter,” I chanted rhythmically, “I call you.” pg. 200 Ha

“I’m human. But this mantle isn’t like yours. It’s an order of magnitude more complex.” pg. 202 Interesting

“Molly had definitely become someone darker and more dangerous.” pg. 203 Oh no

“And more than anything else, it’s where you build that world that you want.” pg. 212 I love the passage about home

“My comfy, dumpy old apartment was gone, flattened by Gentlemen Johnnie Marcone to make way for his stupid little castle and the Bigger Better Brighter Future Society. I mean, that had only been after the Red Court of Vampires had burned my home down, but I guess I’d settled their harsh not long after. I was willing to call that one even.” pg. 213  Marcone mention! It’s a cool castle.

“I bowed my head at a light and wept.” pg. 213 Poor Harry

“Then perhaps you are the right person, in the right place, at the right time,” Michael said “Again. Have faith in that. And get some sleep.” pg. 218 I love this

Oh dear Molly hasn’t told her parents about being the Winter Lady

Pretty suit

Gary!

Sanya!

“He’d shaved his head entirely, and his scalp was the color of dark chocolate, covered with beads of sweat, and the blazing afternoon sun shone gratuitously upon all the muscles.” Bi Harry 47

“But knowledge good, too, da?”

“Da,” I said, firmly.” pg. 230 Of course Harry thinks knowledge is good

“And directly through Sanya’s wrist.” pg. 233 Oh dear

“He suddenly frowned. “Hey” pg. 234 Ha

“With an angel inside,” breathed Butters” pg. 239 So cool

“I accidentally ran it through the laundry once.” pg. 239 Ha

“The fete was being hosted at the Brighter Future Society’s headquarters, a small but genuine freaking castle that Gentleman Johnnie Marcone had flown over from somewhere in Scotland, stone by stone, and rebuilt on the lot of a burned-down boarding house.” pg. 242 Marcone mention!

“My old house.

Gone now

In fire

I wanted to go home.” pg. 242 Poor Harry :(

“When it got fully dark, Marcone’s castle would look like it was holding a flashlight under its chin.” pg. 243 Marcone mention and ha

“Technically, this wasn’t my first visit to Marcone’s little fortress, but it was the first time I’d done so physically.” pg. 247 Marcone mention

“M-Baron Marcone, the White Court, and the Paranetters have formed an alliance against the Former here in Chicago the past few years,” I said “Too many kids had gone missing.” pg. 248 Yep and I love that Harry has to stop and correct himself from just saying Marcone

“Wild Bill scowled darkly. “They turned to criminals and the White Court for help, did they?”

I straightened and turned slowly to Wild Bill, lookIng directly at him. “Their kids were being taken. And it wasn’t like we were helping them.”

Wild Bill quickly averted his gaze from mine. There was an uncomfortable silence.” pg. 249 Yep what were the White Council doing while Harry was dead? And the years after. It doesn’t seem like they were helping people. Where were the people supposed to go? Marcone and Lara were offering protection.

Childs!

German Shepherd! Doggy!

“My employer’s main concern tonight is that no one brings any explosive compounds inside,” he said calmly.

“Yeah. That would suck, if everything blew up and the place burned down,” I said “I speak from experience.” I might have given him a toothy smile as I said it.” pg. 250 Ha and come on Harry’s here. There’s going to be a fire.

I’m halfway through the book

“Marcone keeps a platoon of Einherjaren on standby. Remember?” pg. 251 Marcone mention

“Me, too. Just remember what I taught you.”

“Never start the fight. Always finish it.”

“Not that.”

“Make your bed and do your chores?”

“Not that”

“Something, something, never let them see you sweat.”

A grin flashed over the old man’s seamed face, there and gone. “Close enough.” pg. 252 Ha

“Marcone’s little castle had a large central hall that took up what had to be a goodly portion of its ground floor.” pg. 253 Marcone mention and this castle is so cool. I can’t wait for Harry to get it.

“And apparently, Baron Marcone had convinced them to help him.” pg. 253 Marcone mention and it’s interesting that Marcone got the Summer court to help

“And they were playing for Marcone’s party.” pg. 254 How many favors does Marcone have? And to who? How many did he cash in for this accord meeting? Why?

“I thought about the vaults we’d partially wrecked in the basement of Marcone’s bank, where he’d been entrusted with protecting assets from a dozen different supernatural nations at least. Just how many markers had Marcone given out? How many truly scary beings were in the man’s debt?

I frowned. The robber baron of Chicago was becoming a real concern.” pg. 254 Yep and I can’t wait to see him

“I blinked. Lara wasn’t exactly a ditzy party girl, but she was doing a damned good impression.” pg. 258 Oh Lara’s plotting

Oh interesting that the favor have an effect on Harry

Oh no ghouls are here

“I considered setting them all on fire for a while, until I started getting looks from the table. It was only then that I noticed how wildly I was smiling and moved along.” pg. 264 Harry hates ghouls so much

IVY! She’s here!

Where’s Kincaid?

Has it really been years since Harry saw Ivy?

I want Marcone. Where’s Marcone? This is his event. Hmmm =| 

Vadderung!

Ferrovax is here too?!

Genoakwa survived?! He’s here?!

Oh good it’s just RiverShoulder’s

The Forest People are joining the Accords!

Yes Harry is a good friend. I wish Carlos remembered that yes I’m still mad about it

“Blood on His Soul won’t forget.” pg. 270 That’s his name?! And he survived!? Ahhh!!!

“Yeah. Marcone had plenty of people here.” pg. 270 Yep

“Yeah, these parties are a hoot,” pg. 272 Yeah Harry isn’t great at parties

“Beowulf. Vadderung.” pg. 273 VADDERUNG was Beowulf! That’s so cool

River Shoulders is old

“You know what, Hoss Dresden?” pg. 275 So far three people have called Harry ‘Hoss’ Eb, Listen-to-Wind, and River Shoulders

“You pretty good about defying folk who need defying. And you’re getting better about fighting out who those folk are.” pg. 275 Yep

“Sometime, you want to learn more, come find me.” pg. 275 I hope Harry learns from Rivers

“Baron Marcone has given his permission, as host, for me to deal with this matter.” pg. 281 Marcone mention

“Baron Marcone, as host of this gathering, offered to hold my brother prisoner until the matter had been settled through an Accorded  emissary.” pg. 283 Marcone mention

“My read is that this whole conference is Marcone’s baby.”

I grunted agreement. “He’s actually doing what Cristos only thinks he is,” I said. “Building alliances.”

“And if you screw up Marcone’s plan? Karrin asked bluntly.

“His reputation takes a hit,” I said

“And he will respond to that.”

“Marcone is actually aware of the concept of payback,” I agreed.

Karrin glowered. “I don’t know all of the beings you deal with very well, Harry. But I know Marcone. And he scares me.” pg. 286 Marcone mention. Yeah Marcone is scary. So this is Marcone’s pet project.

“I love you,” I said.” pg. 292 Ahhh!!! :)

Yelp now they’re getting tailed

Why is everyone looking at Justine?

How do I only have 12 chapters left?

I like Freydis

“Are you seeing anyone?”

Murphy blinked.

“Mortals cheeks turned bright pink. “Um.”

Freydis frowned slightly and glanced from Murphy to me and back. “I don't mind sharing.”

“I’m . . . I’m Catholic,” Murphy said.

Freydis’s eyes shone with a wicked sparkle. “I don’t mind conflicted, either.”

Murphy gave me a somewhat desperate glance.

Huh. I’d officially seen everything now. Murphy asking for a rescue. From monsters and madmen, she’d never cried uncle.

It had taken a redhead.” pg. 309 Ha and Murphy didn’t say she wasn’t straight just Catholic so I’m putting that down as a Bi Murphy 2

“Marcone owns it.” pg. 317 Marcone mention

“It’s bullshit. However inconvenient you might be for them, whether any of them like it or not, you’re a wizard Harry.” pg. 319 You know what’s bullshit your intervention. I will be forever be mad about it

“Yet a wizard, Harry,” I growled.” pg. 319 Ha

I’m almost done and it’s only been four days

“Point is, I’ve already cast my vote on your behalf. So have most of the other Wardens.”

I was quiet for a second, with my throat a little tight. “Oh. Thanks.” pg. 319 That doesn’t make up for the intervention

“Don’t you like parties, Harry?” pg. 320 Ha and is that an understatement

“Wham. It was nearly audible, how fast his expression became a closed door.” pg. 320 Ah right Bombshell

“Why would he?

He was a friend. He trusted me.

I felt sick.” pg. 321 Is Carlos really your friend after the intervention. Does he really trust you? He was the one to mistrust and track Harry first

“Baron Marcone was a handsome man of middle years dressed in an immaculate gray business suit. Perhaps slightly taller than average, he had barely changed in all the years I’d known him. The few marks of age that had come upon him only made him look more reserved, severe, and dangerous.” pg. 322 Bi Harry 48 and MARCONE my guy is here finally! Look at him! I love him probably far too much. And yes Harry Marcone is handsome.

“Marcone glanced up as the White Council’s delegation entered together, and he looked at me for a moment, his expression neutral.” pg. 323 Marcone mention and I love that Marcone looked at Harry. I wonder what he’s thinking?

“I returned the look with as much of a poker face as I could, and we both looked elsewhere at the same moment, as if we’d planned it.” pg. 323 Ha

“I briefly toyed with the image of Marcone, with several missing teeth, reclining in a dentist chair for repair work while Gard and Hendricks menaced the poor DDS with their glowers, and it made me smile.” pg. 324 Ha

“If any underworld boss in the world had a dental plan for his employees, it would be Marcone.” pg. 324 Yep

“I should probably be looking into a checkup for Maggie before she went to her new school in the fall,” pg. 324 Ha and yes dad Harry

“Oh. You just went from a three to a six, seidermadr. I like men who look past the surface of things. And you can dance.” pg. 328 Ha and yes Harry can dance

“One of Marcone’s people in the in the red jackets looked like he might disagree with me going up the stairs to the gym” pg. 331 Marcone mention

“The guard looked from me over toward Marcone’s camp. Marcone didn’t look up from  his conversation, but Hendricks, his right hand, gave the guard a nod.” pg. 331 Marcone mention and what is he thinking?

Why are Harry and Lara undressing?

“Marcone had to give in with grace and installed dumbwaiter doors.” pg. 333 Marcone mention and ha

Why are they getting in the dumbwaiter? How can they both fit? How can Harry fit?

“Oh. You and the policewoman? Congratulations, wizard.” pg. 334 Yes true love protection

Wait I need to go back I missed Gard and Hendricks description because I was distracted by Marcone

“had grown out a short beard that had come out several shades darker than his hair,” pg. 323 Hendricks has a beard!

“on top of Lara in the boxing ring, making out furiously.” pg. 336 What. Why? Out of all the illusions you go with that one? After that “intervention” if anyone sees it won’t be good for Harry

I hope the guard will be ok

“Because it was my door.

My door, mine, from my old apartment; the door to my sub basement lab.” pg. 347 Harry’s basement! Does Marcone know it’s Harry’s lab? Why did he keep it? Has Marcone gone into the lab? Can he? Ah it’s a piece of Harry’s home.

“Hells bells, I wanted to feel like I was home again. And instead, I was standing in Marcone’s house.” pg. 346 Well it’s going to be Harry’s house soon.

Poor Thomas :(

“You’ve got conjuritis? I’ve heard about how awkward it can be when wizard kids get the disease. Aren’t you a few. . . decades old for that?” pg. 354 Interesting could Harry have gotten it from Maggie? Does being isolated to just him, Justin, and Elaine in their adolescence play a part? Does Harry have a longer lifespan than other wizards so now in his 40’s he still considered young enough to get conjuritis? Why does Lara know about conjuritis? Did Thomas, Molly, Maggie, or Charity? ever get conjuritis? Am I massively overthinking this probably

“The whole time I got dressed, I did my best to ignore the image in the boxing ring” pg. 355 It’s still going on?!? Why?

The potion from Fool’s Moon!

“He loved books.

He took me to see Star Wars movies.

Him and me.” pg. 360 Aw Harry’s dad got him into Star Wars :) My heart

Oh no Ferrovax can see Harry

Oh good Vadderung is helping

“None of the valets or staff survived.” pg. 367 Oh no

Noooo Gwynn ap Nudd I liked you

“YOU DARE! YOU ARE A GUEST IN THIS HOUSE!” pg. 374 Oh dear Mab is mad

“I remember how you wept when Merlin cast you out.” pg. 813 What!? Mab and Merlin

What

Just

Happened

Did the being just kicked Mab through the wall?

Who is the bronze lady?

“Gentleman John Marcone stepped out from the unmoving Gard, impeccable in his suit. He didn’t look frightened, though he had to be. He simply stepped forward, clear of his guards, and said, “Good evening, madam. I am Baron John Marcone. This is my home. Might I have the pleasure of knowing how you wish to be addressed?” pg. 378 Marcone mention and what are you doing Marcone?

“The goddess narrowed her eyes, watching Marcone with the kind of revulsion that one normally sees reserved for a swarm of maggots. She shook her head, dismissing Marcone from her attention as she fixed her gaze on Vadderung again.” pg. 378 Marcone mention and don’t you look at Marcone like that.

“This is your host?” she demanded. “You permit a mortal among you? Where is your dignity? Where is your pride?” She shook her head. “This world has gone astray. We have failed it. And I will no longer huddle fearfully in the seas and watch the mortals turn it into their filthy hive.” pg. 378 Who made you the judge, jury, and executioner? And Marcone is cool.

“The goddess walked forward, starting down at Marcone. She circled him, shaking her head in judgement and still no one moved.” pg. 378 Don’t you shake your head at Marcone

“Chicago fell into total darkness.” pg. 381 Oh no

“A solid quarter minute of stunned silence followed before Gentleman John Marcone hauled himself to his feet, looked around at the destruction and confusion in the hall, and mused, “It would seem we have the Formor’s answer with regards to the peace process.” pg. 382 Marcone mention and yes Ethniu made her statement quite clear

“The dead, it would appear,” Marcone said. He started for the high seat and offered a hand to Molly. She glowered at him but took his hand and rose with a polite nod. He spoke in a low, intent voice that wouldn’t be overheard by most of the room. “Assess Mab, please, Winter Lady.”

Molly stared at him for a second. Then she went over to the hole in the stone wall behind high seat. She stared for moment and said, “What’s on the other side of the wall?”

“Storage,” Marcone said

“On the other side of that,” pg. 382 Let Marcone help you up Molly.

Yes Marcone call out LaChaise

“Are you a coward, sir,” Marcone asked, his voice deadly quiet.

“A question, sir,” Marcone said. “Not a statement.”

“Tread carefully, mortal,” LaChaise said. “I would be pleased to use your own entrails to make sausage links.”

“I ask the question,” Marcone said, “because your next actions will show everyone here what you are, LaChaise.”

“Marcone’s voice cracked out. You are a guest, sir. In my house.” pg. 384 Let him have it! Marcone’s so cool

“Once you awaken them, frighten them, you anger them. They will lash out at any supernatural threat they can find” pg. 386 Yep humans are scary

“It meant that the Last Titan was in league with the Outsiders.” pg. 390 Oh no

Yes Marcone taking control of the situation

“But Chicago’s streets had changed.” pg. 394 Oh no

“And being initiated to the supernatural world was difficult even when it happened gently-much less when it rolled up and ripped someone’s face off.” pg. 396 It’ll be interesting to see what happens when the masquerade comes off

“You fool,” he said. “You damned fool.” pg. 399 Oh no

“Don’t you see, boy? You’ll be vulnerable, compromised. Mab, and this creature, they’re isolating you. That’s what abusers do.” pg. 402 Yep

“And then me and the old man went to war.” pg. 403 Oh no

“But he deserved the truth. Had to have it, really.” pg. 411 This is how you’re going to tell him

“Good talk.” I said. “Wizard McCoy.” pg. 413 My heart :( ow will they ever recover from this?

“It hurts” I said quietly. “Oh God. It hurts.” pg. 416 Poor Harry :(

“The Eye of Balor” pg. 420 The what?

Alfred!

Lara stop

“Murphy was holding a live grenade to either side of their heads.” pg. 439 Murphy what are you doing?!?

“Gods, that’s hot,” pg. 440 Ha

“I’d heard the tone before. Back when I’d had to put the fear of, well me, into a vampire named Bianca. We’d sort of been amicable opponents up until that point. Things changed when I’d made her feel helpless. Things had gotten a little complicated.” pg. 441 Bianca just keeps haunting the narrative she’s been dead for what a decade? We’re still dealing with the repercussions of her party.

Ok so Harry’s plan is to trap Ethniu

“I thought of the hideous scarlet light of the Eye, tearing through Marcone’s little fortress.” pg. 455 Final Marcone mention and how are they going to get Ethniu to DeamonReach?

Final thoughts

Good book. I liked the fights and thought it was funny. I wish there were more Marcone moments but I always want that so that’s not new. We're up to Bi Harry 48 moments and Bi Murphy 2. Not sure how everyone is going to defeat the Formor and trap Ethniu. I’m sad about Eb and Harry’s fight. I was too sad to comment much about the fight. Poor Thomas I’m not sure how he’s going to come back and I have no idea what’s going on with Justine. I want someone to punch Carlos and co. for their “intervention” and I want to punch Luccio. That was such a long rant not sure if it made any sense. I think that was the fastest I’ve ever read a chapter book before. Only six days. While I want Carlos to get punched I am concerned about him. With his talk of pliers in cold case, the talk about lower power practices, and how he’s always been more of the White Council favorite than Harry. I can see him getting more extreme or more in line with the fanatics. I liked the dad Harry moments. I loved the Harry/Murphy moments. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I can’t wait for Harry to be kicked out of the White Council. What have they done for Harry?

Onto the comics. Not sure how I’m going to format that. Yes I’m procrastinating reading Battle ground. I’m not ready.

[violetlunette]

oooo 10 / 25 / 30 for the writer asks!!

Referring to this!

10: Top three favorite fic tropes

Hmm! So many… But the three that come to mind first are--

*Recently, I’ve been into the “rescue mission” trope. I love seeing the build up of emotions, the whump factors for the person needing rescuing, seeing the protectiveness of the rescuer, and the comfort that comes after. And the best part? The emotions are still there whether it's platonic or not!

(Just for fun, Lilia coming to save his boys!)

(Okay, that's more of an Ortho MAlleus thing, but I digress!)

*angst with a happy ending; something I picked up from old 80s movies that I used to watch with with my folks. (Fun fact: Indiana Jones and the Lost Arc was rated PG that means the face melting scene was deemed okay for kids as long as a parent was there.)

*Do AUs count? I’m counting them anyways. I love fantasy aus! Urban, supernatural, pirate--shut up they count!--fairytales, RPG—you name it! These have all the elements I like and situations/plots I love to place characters in. I love quests, the villain who knows how to villainize, the treasure, dragons, the mystery, the magic, and more.

25: Is writing the whole thing beforehand better or worse than writing it as you go?

Definitely the former for me! I tried the latter with my Runaway story and while writing as I went held a lot of perks, it also meant that scenes repeated themselves, there was plot holes, and out of no where solutions. I prefer having everything written so I can have a posting schedule, patch the plot holes, and make sure the characters aren’t repeating themselves.

The down side to doing that is occasionally I’ll spend a long time writing a story that ends up not getting the attention I want which is depressing as I used to write 25 chapters that often had had over 5000 words per chapter, so that was a kick in the gut.

(However, I should have known better as it was a rare pair fic.)

30: Describe a fic that almost happened, but then it didn't.

Again, so many! I have so many plot bunnies but not all of them grow so I have to shoot them otherwise they just take up room on my PC.

One story I had was for TWST where I did a version of Demon Slayer with Silver in the role of Tanjiro and Lilia as Nezuko. It was supposed to follow Silver’s journey to turn Lilia back to normal while feral dad protected his bby boy, even getting territorial.

(Lilia even though he didn't remember Silver)

I was also going to write a NajMalleus story that was Aladdin meets Cinderella, but then I learned that Najma was 14, so halted the presses on that.

(Shame, as I think having them as a couple would be interesting for all involved. Oh well!)

Thank you so much for the ask! I'm willing to do more of these if anyone wants to send more numbers!

[lizzybeth1986]

Eleanor's Kitchen

Books: The Royal Romance/Heir, Rules of Engagement

Pairing: Queen Eleanor & Prince Leo + Liam (mother-sons/siblings), Leo x Damien (mentioned in RoE) (romantic), Liam & Jason (OC) (platonic).

Rating: PG

Summary: Liam notices Leo's friendship with Damien, their gardener's eldest son, becoming stronger.

Series: Eleanor's Kitchen

Note: Damien (not Nazario from PM!) has been mentioned in this scene in Rules of Engagement, Book 2. I played fast and loose with the timelines for this backstory, and have given Damien a younger brother who was Liam's age.

This chapter takes place almost a year following Ch 3. Liam is now 8 years old, Leo is 14.

Word Count: 3, 718 words

Tagging @kingliamappreciationweek for KLAW Day 4: Childhood, @aprilchallenge for the prompt "just want to be with you", @choicesholidays for National Sibling Appreciation Day (April 10th) and @choicesficwriterscreations for FoTW.

Chapter 4: Garídes Saganáki

(Photo from this recipe)

Liam greets the salt air that briefly kisses his face, and the sand that pools around his toes at the beach, with a sense of homecoming. This beach has felt as much like his home as the palace he was born in, suffused with memories of sandcastles and uniquely-shaped seashells and the rush of excitement that came every time a wave crashed against the shore.

And most of all, it feels like home for the moments long past. For the rare times both he and Leo did things together, back when Leo actually liked taking him along for things. When his talk was actually more talk and less eyerolling and "oh you're too young to understand". The love is still there, and so is the need to protect each other (especially against Father's acid remarks, usually aimed at Leo) - just...the companionship isn't, any longer.

The sad, sinking feeling that used to emerge from realizing that is, thankfully, rare now - Liam much prefers the company of his own friends - but when he was four and hanging on to his big brother's every word, it had stung.

"Every big brother does that," his newest friend, Jason, shrugged. Jason is the palace gardner Giorgos Vasilakis' youngest son, accompanying his father since last year on visits to the Queen to discuss the plans surrounding her dream project: the palace hedge maze, that was to echo the one in Château de Villandry in France. Jason's older brother Damien had always been the one at Kýrios Vasilakis' side before that, but of late Liam has begun to associate his presence more with his own elder brother.

Jason is lonely. Unlike Liam, who has managed to bring together his own motley band of merry playmates, Jason has only the one older brother and has never gotten the chance to venture beyond the palace and his father's cottage. Liam has experienced only a fraction of that kind of loneliness and it had felt like hell. He and Jason may not know each other well, but he'll be damned if he let the other boy he has no one. And so he brings Jason along to meet all his friends.

Both Liam's and Jason's older brothers accompany the group of exhilarated children to the beach, but slip away in another direction before the group can notice. Liam notes the direction Leo and Damien are headed - their heads leaning towards each other as they walk - but says nothing. More friends, Liam reminds himself of his purpose here, first make sure we give Jason more friends.

Liam isn't disappointed. Before long, Jason's name has been shortened to Jase, his shorts and shirt have been drenched from jumping over the crashing waves with Maxwell, and he's snacking happily over pine nuts with Drake and Olivia. He even enjoys collecting seashells with Tariq, even if he did find him a little odd at first.

"I can understand not wanting to get your shoes wet but why would he want to keep them 30 feet away from the sea??"

Liam giggles a little. "They're not just shoes! They're...uh... Salvatore Ferra-somethings!" he says, already forgetting the Italian names that slip so easily from Tariq's tongue when he's talking about a shoe brand. Liam would too, if his father spoke his ears off about shoes as much as Tariq's did.

"If you say so," Jason replies doubtfully. What a funny bunch of people these nobles and royals are, he must be thinking, "but what if they get stolen?"

"Then Tariq will sniff and say he hopes they were stolen by someone who truly understands the value and beauty of Italian shoes."

Just before they leave, the children build a sandcastle. Liam and Jason deem themselves the architects of the main structure, Drake and Olivia choose to build a fortress. Maxwell ropes in a skeptical Tariq to help him construct a fantastic "Tower of Fun and Parties" right next to the castle itself. They are almost done when Jason stands up, declares the castle incomplete without a good garden, and pokes dots into the sand to form imaginary flowers.

For a moment all they can hear is the shriek of the gulls and the buffeting crash of the waves. They are all silent, and smiling, and very, very proud of themselves.

This structure is the biggest sandcastle the children have ever built themselves thus far, and by the time Leo and Damien return (hair damp, skin glistening, breathing hard as if they'd jumped down the steep cliffs of the Forgotten Falls and climbed back up, hands very close but not really touching) they are all convinced it is the biggest castle they ever will conceive of building. Even if it is one built in sand, soon to be a victim to the crashing waves.

--

Liam puts on his baking gloves, balancing himself on the balls of his feet as he waits to take his freshly-baked bread out of the oven. It's a moment he likes to gear himself up for - there's just something, some magic, about that first, comforting, soul-filling whiff. He'd experienced that feeling the first time he actually watched Chef Anais bake, and he's felt it ever since.

His version of Greek village-style bread is perfect today - the crust a lovely brown with little cracks and ridges to show off how crisp its outside is, and he is certain the inside will be soft and a light shade of yellow from the semolina he added to it. The aroma is good enough to make his mother stop in the middle of her own cooking just to breathe it in.

Her face covered in a fine sheen of sweat today from the heat in the kitchen, her hair bunched into a wrap and her hands waving away steam and smoke from her face. Liam can't quite tell whether it is excitement he sees on her face or exhaustion. But from the corner of his eye as he carries the bread to the table to rest, he can tell it is more of the former.

There are two pots boiling away at once on the stove: one a creamy, garlicy, peppery fish broth; the other a beautifully silky tomato-based sauce that he knows from experience will become even silkier and creamier when Mum adds a sinfully liberal amount of feta chesse to it.

He almost reaches out for it with a spoon when his mother stops him.

"Ah-ah-ah!" Mum says, playfully wagging her finger, "Not yours, thisavré mou. This is for your brother and his friend only. That's why I'm making something with your favourite Stone Bass fish as well. For you and your friend."

Liam frowns. "But I've had shrimp saganaki before. You know I like it too. Why couldn't you just make a bigger batch?"

Mum lets out a sigh suffused with embarrassed laughter. Her hand inadvertently motions itself towards a bottle of alcohol on the table titled Ouzo. "This one is... different. Not for children."

Liam pouts in petulance. Of late reminders that he is still a child and his brother isn't have begun to annoy him. There is something so mythical about teenagehood, Liam is beginning to realise, something he wants to know more about but is too out of his reach to even begin to understand.

Don't be so eager to let go of your childhood, pet, then you'll spend the rest of your life wanting it back, Mum would often tell him. All that phrase does now is make him even more impatient.

The smell of ripened crushed tomatoes, mixing in with the garlic, onions, and chilis, makes for a heady combination. He secretly thanks Uncle Franci for sending them yet another carton of San Marzanos - Mum said he'd written in his last letter that his wife, Aunt Pari, would be making a trip down to her home province of Bethulia soon for the Navroze festival, and was hoping Mum would come celebrate it with her this year.

There is another aroma in the sauce Liam has never smelled before, and has a hard time identifying - it's slightly pungent and makes his eyes water a little. It must be from the bottle of Ouzo.

Mum tosses the feta into the small, two-handled heavy-bottomed frying pan at will - she has never really been one for measurements - and quickly places the pan beneath the broiler to melt the cheese. Liam watches in fascination as her hands crumble extra feta; there is no rubric for how much, she just stops when she feels like it. Just throw! she will tell him anytime he asks her for a measuring cup. Cooking for Mum has always been just a play of hands; trust your hands and give them their time with the ingredients - and the results may not always be consistent but over time they will be forever delicious.

Liam has timed his baking closely enough that by the time both his and Leo's dishes are ready, his bread will have rested long enough, and is ready to serve as a side.

They find Leo talking to Jason's brother at one of the more intimate drawing rooms of the palace, their heads so close they're almost touching. Both their hands are jammed into their pockets, as if they'd hurriedly put them there from whatever their original position was. Their eyes dart everywhere and both seem to turn a little pink. A curl from Damien's dark hair rests carelessnessly on his forehead, and Liam catches his brother looking at it at least twice.

Jason skips to Liam's side. "Where is everyone else?" he whispers.

"Drake and his sister have gone to Texas to stay with their aunt, Olivia's with one of the Elders in Lythikos, Maxwell and Tariq are back home. It's just me, I'm afraid." Liam shuffles his feet in uncharacteristic awkwardness. He knows that a lot of the things he likes to talk about can either bore or confuse his own friends.

"Good enough for me," Jason says, grinning. "Her Majesty says she's got us fish stew."

"Bianco. And shrimp saganaki for Leo and Damien." Liam lowers his voice in a conspiratorial whisper. "Don't tell your dad - Mum made those herself. Father built her her own kitchen two and a half years ago. Not many besides some of the kitchen staff know."

Jason's eyes widen at the bowl that's just arrived, and then brightens. Imagine that, being treated to the cooking of an actual queen!

Mum had wisely decided to seat the pairs of brothers in different areas, confident that they would be bored stiff if they were made to eat together. It's a lot better this way, Liam thinks, as Jason talks animatedly of the new toys his dad got him with the increase in his salary from last month onwards. Leo and Damien would perhaps find their chats rather silly, and a lot of the things they say fly like seagulls over Liam and Jason's heads.

The Bianco is as good as Liam and Jason had hoped: the sauce smooth and creamy, the fish mildly sweet and with flesh so soft it crumbles a little on the tongue. Liam can't help but puff his chest in pride as he and Jason use the bread he made to sop up the rest of the sauce, the heat from the pepper and garlic and the delightful tang from the lemon warming them all down to their toes. Jason tells Liam to tell Her Majesty to forgive his lack of manners but he is this close to licking his plate.

Normally, Liam would be ecstatic about getting to eat a Stone Bass, especially here where the catch is always today's, wild and fresh and soul-stirringly tasty..."not that garbage you get from the fish farms" as Grandmother used to say.

But his thoughts keep crawling back to the meal his and Jason's older brothers got. The dish that has been so familiar to him all these years, yet seems so alien now. All because of an added mysterious... thing that seems all the more exciting because he isn't allowed to touch it.

Liam goes and sneaks a look at where their brothers sit, enjoying their shrimp. Leo looks over to his friend's plate, notices his bread is over, breaks his own loaf apart and offers it to Damien, looking straight into his eyes as he dips it into his sauce and eats it. Damien's fingers lightly brush his as he takes the bread.

"You know who made that bread?" Leo's voice for some reason sounds different, warmer and deeper and a little more serious. Liam turns pink with forgotten filial pleasure at the note of pride in his words. "Liam. My baby brother."

Damien grins. "There's sauce near your lip."

Leo makes a great show of pretending not to know where. "Where?"

Damien looks left and right - and satisfied that they cannot be seen (Liam heaves a sigh of relief as he emerges from behind a corner Leo and Damien cannot clearly see) takes his napkin and dabs softly at the corner of his mouth. The two boys suddenly cannot look each other in the eye, and their smiles hold secrets that make Liam feel like an intruder on this little moment, for perhaps no reason. Damien's only cleaning Leo's face.

But when he returns and tells Jason what he saw, the other boy stays silent for a few minutes.

"Babás almost saw Prince Leo at our home once," Jason says quietly, "Mamá had to hide him in a cupboard."

"But why?" Liam asks back, puzzled, "I thought Kýrios Vasilakis liked him. Ever since he started attending his lessons regularly and actually -"

"I know. I thought so too. I'm not sure why Leo and Damien and Mamá look so scared these days. No one ever tells me." Jason finishes with a nonchalant shrug that belies his petulant frustration at not being told things he cannot fully understand.

Liam sighs, all thoughts of their brothers forgotten. "No one thinks I'm old enough to understand anything either."

As Liam watches Jason's older brother reluctantly take leave of his own, their gazes lingering more than their touches ever could...and realises how childishly enthusiastic their own goodbyes are, Liam goes to bed wondering what Leo's shrimp saganaki tastes like. Is it pungent? Is it sweet? Does it leave a bitter aftertaste?

That night, Liam lies in bed in his silk unicorn-and-rainbow pajamas, burningly aware of how like a child he looks in it. How unlike his older brother - in his leather jackets and carelessly tousled hair. He begins counting the months before his mother can properly deem him "of age", and falls asleep before he can even reach his pre-teen years.

--

Days later, Leo takes a walk around the Wishing Well with his mother.

It's amazing how much things have changed in the years Eleanor has been married to Constantine, and therefore into the Royal Family. His little son had only been four then, and he'd hidden behind his father the first few times she tried to come near. Constantine and his mother had fumed over this in the beginning, wanting to help ease him into trusting her but neither having a whole lot of patience - so it had been up to her to reassure him that they would only set his relationship with her at his pace.

And it had paid off. Little Leo had once seen the "new mother" outside, trying to stargaze, and sat beside her in silence, listening for half an hour as she pointed out constellations. She'd known he loved stargazing and knew he needed a companion of sorts The first ever times they talked were all about stars...until five months later when he lost interest and Eleanor found out whatever it was that captured his fancy next.

Still, because that night was the night they tentatively began to consider themselves mother and son, she often brings back memories of it by calling him astéri mou.

"Your tutors have been very pleased with you this year," Eleanor says, suppressing a little smile, "they've been seeing how hard you've been working at your studies lately." There's a mischievous glow in her eyes. "Any more efforts and you'll soon be surpassing Liam, they say."

Leo snorts. He knows, no matter how hard he tries, that he can never reach his kid brother's level in either interest or acumen for politics. That is a quality unique to just him and he's more than happy to let him bask in it, but ever since Damien....

A quick, intense memory of him flashes. Dark curls, full lips, skin smooth beneath Leo's fingertips. It had amazed him how they'd been playmates one minute, pretending to be pirates and running around the palace gardens, and he'd never in all that time noticed that kind of gut-capturing beauty. His voice deep and passionate at the Forgotten Falls two weeks ago, as Damien whispered into his hair, "Let me hold you for a bit. We don't have to talk...we don't have to do anything. I just want to be with you."

He knows becoming a good King will be a hundred times harder for him than it was for his father, than (he is beginning to realize) it could be for his brother. He had made his peace with that at some point this year. But being around Damien...knowing that in his future position a relationship like theirs could be both legally permitted and morally viewed as sheer irresponsibility (and this is in only the kindest of parallel universes) and still knowing it is a relationship he cannot ever conceive of giving up...

If he could just prove himself capable in every other area of his life, just please his father and bring pride to his mother in other ways, maybe both his father and Damien's may just not force what they could have together, to die.

Mamá sighs. "Leo...astèri mou. You don't understand. I am already proud of you."

Oh no. Had he just said the words aloud?

He responds to her answer with another question. "How did you find out about us, Mamá?"

She shakes her head. "Kyría Vasilikou." Damien's mother, who hid Leo in a cupboard that one time Kyríe Vasilikos almost caught them. She had been extraordinarily kind and very contrite - sending Leo with a box of melomakarona and begging him never to come to this house again for fear of what Damien's father may do to him next.

He remembers Mamá's words from that evening.

"Damien's father - and his father before him - are extraordinarily dedicated to the King. It was His father that ensured their family would be set for many, many years to come...and his gratitude towards them can make him blind to what could make his own son happy."

The mother who had birthed him, the one he had often called Mummy, is at best a faded memory now. He called Eleanor Mamá almost a year after she'd married his father, because he finally felt ready and because it suited her. That evening, he understood his Mamá's underlying message.

I will always support you. But until we can figure out a way, you must be careful.

And so he will be. Both Damien and he will try their darnedest not to be too obvious about their love for each other...and Leo will continue to work harder on his lessons.

Smiling, Mamá changes the subject. "Liam's very upset we won't let him have shrimp saganaki."

Leo bursts out laughing. "He's had it so many times already!"

She shrugs. "Oh no, not that way. He's demanding the "Leo and Damien special". Ouzo and all. I suspect the baby of our family wants to be seen as a baby no more."

He rolls his eyes. "He's going to be really disappointed. It's not going to be that different from regular saganaki. Just makes it taste a little bit more like anise."

If that isn't a fitting symbol of what adolescence feels like when you come out of your big impractical dreams of what adolescence might be, Eleanor doesn't know what is. It is a lesson they all learned the hard way, only to see their children struggle with it too. They can only sit back, knowing that nothing they can say will change the kids' minds.

Leo at age 14 is already bored of his teenage years and raising his eyes towards the glamour of adulthood. Liam at age 8 has a far too rosy picture of adolescence, and envies his brother for being the whole-body-manifestation of everything he now wants but knows he needs to wait to have.

And while Eleanor will be forever grateful Liam has inherited her vast capacity for patience and not his father's, she is also aware that that patience is beginning to wear thin.

Leo may be too focused on his feelings for Damien to see it, but a time will come when the brother he has always considered a kid will grow before his eyes, and he will be too surprised by the change to understand, or know how to communicate. She can only hope they'll find their little ways, as they once did before.

Sighing, she passes her eldest a coin, and takes a second in her own hand.

"Ready to make a wish?"

Leo nods. Eleanor smiles. She knows already what he's going to ask.

Eleanor tosses hers into the well, watching as it makes its rapid descent down.

Whatever else changes, just make sure these two never forget how much they need each other.

Eleanor returns to the palace with her son, smiling. Between the Wishing Well and the official gardens, there are bits and pieces of a plan taking shape, a plan for a garden maze. Around it, she can see her youngest playing tag with his friends: one of whom is the youngest of their gardener, a little boy Liam seems to have taken under his wing.

Leo and his mother stop by to watch the children. Both sigh, and both realize it's for the same reason.

Liam will be thrust into his adolescent years before he even knows it. But at least they both can enjoy this sight of him enjoying his childhood completely, wholeheartedly, for what it is. If only for today.

--

Recipes:

Shrimp Saganaki

Corfoit Bianco

Horiatiko Psomi

A/N2: For Sibling Day I really wanted to do a fic that explored the dynamics of a sibling pair with a significant age gap. There is some amount of awe at older people - esp older kids- at their age, as well as a little envy and a desire to become them.

Meanings:

Kyríos/Kyría: Greek for Mr and Mrs usually.

Thisavré mou - my treasure

Ouzo - Ouzo is an anise-flavored liquor produced from grape must (the remnants of wine-making). It can only be made in Greece and Cyprus

Feta cheese - A brined, white cheese with a soft and creamy texture, often made from sheep's milk.

Navroze - Festival for Parsi New Year, often celebrated with Iranians around the world as well as other Zoroastrian communities.

Babás/Mamá - Greek for Dad and Mum.

Astéri mou - my star

[rosaliesimp]

New Moon Reread Week 1

For those looking for the schedule.

I know I have until Monday, but I wanna share some of my little annotations I made during the original reread. Mine aren't as pretty as @the-twiilight-diaries, in fact, they're just words. But they're mine <3. Copied straight from what I wrote (except for the tiny stuff like this), with a bit of editing for clarity and explanation.

— — —

Chapters 1-3

pg.9 — Romeo and Juliet Parallels

I don't know much about the play but some parallels are clear. They are from two worlds that are not meant to touch. They are not meant to be together, defying everything that was set out for them. As for Paris, that would've been Juliet's natural progression, just like how Jacob later comments that he would've been Bella's natural progression in life has she not met Edward.

pg.25 — daddy-sorry daddy-sorry Carlisle my dilf <3 (this was my best annotation)

pg.26 — Slay, Alice, Slay!

Alice, aside from dilf Carlisle, might be the strongest! She knew her way of life from the start, so she probably has a higher tolerance. Edward probably just doesn't want to hurt Bella.

pg.30 — Religion Talk

Surprising that none of them are religious (christianity-wise), especially since they all grew up in times where they would likely be Christian of some sort (and because SMeyer is mormon). If I had to guess, Jasper probably lost faith fast. Having to kill humans on the battlefield was one thing, but killing humans for blood, turning humans for soldiers, then killing them once they are no longer useful probably makes you lose faith that this was all for a reason. Probably tried a bunch of other religions though. Emmett probably lost it over the years. Alice probably always doubted, with her visions and such (actually, I can see her believing strongly for a while now). Esme and Rosalie... Esme seems agnostic, and Rosalie probably still has a bit of faith left, but never says anything. She prays for a second chance as a human. Edward probably was as a human, probably always will be.

pg.42 — This scene hurts... a LOT.

The roles are reversed from Twilight, leaving to save a loved one. Where Bella left to save her mother, Edward leaves to save Bella. (side note from me: we know bella talks in her sleep. I really wish bella had nightmares about james leading up to this, and edward feels terrible, but this night, it's jasper's name, and that changes everything)

pg. 51 — 'I got up as soon... All of it.'

Bella thought she was going with them!! That honestly broke my heart.

pg.60 — Edward Leaves

Firstly, title drop! Secondly... wow. She's seriously numb. I feel bad... Edward has been her life since March, almost 7 months. She's become part of the family. To have that taken away hurts. Room by room of the house, and the faint hope that the foundation would hold, only to crumble beneath your feet. And there's nothing to rebuild with.

— — —

So. That's a lot. And I left out the simping too. Sadly, I lost my stickynotes of where the soundtrack would play. But I think I have some good stuff here. I hope you all have some happy re-reading though!!