#there's like a section i would have to rewrite if i did. hm.

[askfallenroyalty]

Here's some more deleted scene panels that never made it in

sorry there's no captions, there's just too many panels to describe and i'm tired. hopefully i'll have the energy/rememebr to do so tomorrow ):

IM REALLY SAD THIS ONE DIDN'T GET IN. I even drew asriel shutting flowey in a box for this joke to work. There was going to be a visual gag of it being a "soap" box. Haha.

Asgore was originally going to tell Asriel to think of something nice to get his mind off of his panic attack.

Which, while funny, took away the feeling of intense panic the audience and asriel should have been feeling at the time. It just didn't fit the pacing/mood. It also showed that -well, i don't know if this is a legitimate grounding technique or if it'd be read as "its ok just think happy thoughts <3 then ur panic attack would end" which... is not.... how that works. Even if it was only to give Asriel a moment of respite, it's shown as effective until Asgore brings up a bad memory. So. bad comic sequence.

more stuff under the cut

I had a really, really hard time balancing the tone of the scene that is currently happening in the redraw. it's why i'm so behind in my drawings, so i'm only now sketching the next couple month's updates.

This chapter has gone through SO MANY changes. I feel that comes with it being the first chapter to completely diverge from the original tumblr version.

Asriel was originally going to have a very on-the-nose nightmare about Flowey feeling excluded from the family and fearing drowning. Now, the whole darkness/water metaphor for suicidal depression will be introduced when that stuff starts to come into play in chapter 4...

i mean, just to really hammer home how much i had to delete for this: i actually did sketch out the original tumblr version here. I had it all ready before chapter 2 began posting. But as I was finishing the color for the warship section I realized, shoot, I don't wanna repeat it.

When I first made the tumblr version, i was getting burnt out and the characters just became so much... meaner? rude? to each other. some bickering or annoyance is fine but I have a bad habit of going overboard. That's something I hope to correct in the rewrite -and focus more on less drama and more wholesome/loving moments.

(note the above scene is shown not in full. its jumping around a bit)

Even tho I was mostly keeping chapter the same the first time I sketched it for the redraw, I added this scene. The idea was that when the house was on fire, Frisk would of ran off to the right of the house to where you can see Old Home.

There, even tho Frisk can't verbally talk, the two have a nice heart-to-heart. Chara remember Frisk has [spoilers] issues. Chara was going to own up to their bad behavior.

Now well, hm. Chara's got a lot of shit going on. Frisk of course has forgiven them (like they do for everyone in the underground -_- oh frisk...) and it's going to be something that's addressed down the road. for now, they've held hands, and shown solidarity for each other. As kids, they're going to goof around and be buddies and not let the cruddy stuff chara did earlier matter. things are so much less of a big deal when you're a kid.

[who-knows130]

I was going to wait to post the second chapter of my rewrite until at least next Saturday but I couldn't help myself. I'm still trying to figure what day's I should but, here's the second chapter of my rewrite!

Chapter 2

On a cloudy day in O’Khasis. The jury Of Nine met in Zane's house. Today most of us would get new missions. Since everyone was back from their old missions.

“Lea, how are you doing kid?”

I turned around. To be met with Janus the Silver Death.

“I'm fine, Janus. How may you be doing on this fine day?”

As I said that, a loud crackling thunder spawned out of nowhere. How ironic.

“Hm, I'm alright.”

“What do you think your next mission will be?”

“Probably killing someone.”

In retrospect, that's an odd thing to say so nonchalantly. It's Janus though. He's like those kinds of thoughts you get in the most random places as a person.

“Lea, Zane requests your presence.”

I turned towards Lillian and nodded. I knocked on Zane's office door.

“Come in.”

I opened the door and walked in. Zane was seated on his stupidly lavish chair. It was practically a throne. His feet were up on his desk. While he was looking at papers. I stood straight and tall. A good posture goes a long way. Especially in a workplace.

“You called.”

“Lea, your next task isn't your usual one. I need someone to go to the village of Bright Port and talk with their Lord, O'Khasis is trying to get allies over in the area of Bright Port.”

“I am not meaning to be disrespectful when I say this, but wouldn't it be smarter to send one of your advisors?”

“It's not exactly your forte but it's an order.”

“When must I go?”

“5 days time.”

I nodded and walked out. I had no more use in staying anymore. That was the whole Jury meeting, at least this time. Jury meetings are odd. Sometimes it's just a calling of missions, reviews of missions, or reviews of performance. One meeting, Lillian and Ivy spiked the drinks. Zane got drunk. The most fun meeting of all. Very easily the most memorable. It started raining. Walking home without an umbrella Isn't the best. My hair was drenched. I opened the door to my house. I was freezing. I would need to warm up so I wouldn't get sick. I got out of my armor, cleaned up, dressed in warmer clothes and threw blankets on me. If I were to go to Bright Port in 5 days. I could….visit someone….

The bright Port area was somewhat close to Meteli. The village of Meteil was swampy, I hadn't properly visited Meteli. My brother lived there but whenever I saw him, it was in our home village. Their home village was named Neapolitan. Neapolitan was a village split up into three sections. Chocolate unit, where the farms and food shops are. Strawberry unit, where the library is located, schooling, Shops not related to food. Vanilla unit, generally where the rich people lived, and a blacksmith was located there. Neapolitan has gone to shit though. The old Lord randomly died and they got replaced by a pig for money, apparently. That's what I heard from letters.

I could go to Meteil and then get on a boat after visiting Davison. After all, I haven't seen him for a while. I got a map from the table. It's possible. If I were to use a boat to get to Meteil, that's be useless because I'd have to go around the region. I'd have to arrange a horse. I should probably pack too. Ughhh, I don't want to get out of the blankets. I ended up getting out of the blankets. To my dismay. They are the best blankets after all. I walked into my room. I'd have to pack clothes,(More so Pj's, I walk around in my armor most of the time) and etc. Now that I think about it, I'd pass by Kikrill. Which was a shabby small village. A village nonetheless, Kikrill did just lose its lord….not my doing! A-lot of villages have been losing lords as of recently.

I got my stuff into packs. At this moment, I wonder what my brother was doing. I also wonder if he has friends. My brother has developed a major drinking issue. I wonder….if he's been getting away from the bottle. The last time I saw him he was drunk enough to barely walk. It's difficult seeing my little brother like that. I still see him as a little kid. The defenseless little kid….the little kid I've beat the shit out of people for….I sighed quietly. What happened to my little brother…I know my relationship with Davison doesn't seem like the typical sibling bond. I do tease the crap out of him, it's funny. Being an older sibling, at least a good one. No matter how much you fight, Mock, or just K.O each other. You still care. Seeing each other in such a bad state…leaves a rotten taste in your mouth. I walked up to the table in the kitchen. I kept a picture on it. The picture of my family. Not extended, I'd need a bigger picture frame. My dad had 6 siblings. My mom had 4 but her family invaded like a plague. Also, I avoid them like the plague.

They are to put it simply. Way too much drama for my taste. The rain had seemed to stop. Which means I'd have to make it to the stables. Also means I need to put back on my armor….oh well! I did such and made my way towards the stables. The stable boy was cleaning up the stables. As a stable boy does.

“Do you need any help?”

The stable boy dropped his shovel in a panic. The shovel slamming on his foot.

“Oh my Irene, Wills. I'm sorry for frightening you. Is your foot okay?”

“Yeah, I'll be fine. Why are you here, Lady Lea?”

“I want to arrange a horse. I am traveling somewhere.”

“Alright, which one would you like? The usual?”

“Very much, Wills. Are you sure your foot is alright? You may not want to walk on it.”

“It hurts, but I'll have to manage…”

“I shall help! You relax your foot for a moment.”

Wills sighed and sat down. I picked up the shovel. I had horses growing up. I knew all about this crap. No pun intended. Something I happened to forget was the smell…oh well!

“Lady Lea, you really didn't need to do this.”

“I know, but I want to.”

Wills eventually took over shoveling again. I left. In the morning I came back, got the horse and packed it up. I led the horse outside the gates. As soon as I got out of O'Khasis. I hopped onto the horse. The horse was a Ru’uan Coin horse, just so you know. The forest was a common sight to see on my way. Eventually I made it to Kikrill. I let the horse drink and rest.

“Hey, you there. What's the best way to Meteil from here?”

The villager looked at me in terror. Obviously knowing my status as a person.

“Probably, South from here.”

“Thank you kind sir.”

The man trembled away. I let out a sigh and went back up to the horse. The only creature that didn't seem to run away in terror.

“How ya doin pretty thing?”

The horse neighed in response and went back to drinking the water. I laughed slightly and leaned against a wooden beam. I pulled out an Apple I packed for the horse. The horse looked at it and accepted it gratefully. Animals were kinder than most humans. If we are supposed to be the species with the most brain power, why do we use it to be cruel? It's stupid to be quite frank.

I got back on the trail, if you might say. Meteil was most likely still quite the ways away. If I'd had a hat, I would just lay back and take a nap. But I don't have a hat, nor a piece of straw. I'd gotten sick of the silence and started rambling on about things to the horse. Which seemed unbothered.

I wonder how Meteli is. The people must be different. How different, I can't say. It'd be funny if I met some creep there. I've had very few people try to court me. Not successful, I'm focused on my job as of right now. I want a relationship and a family eventually. Things are too complicated for that right now. If I had any more family, that means more danger…One day when I'm off the Jury, I'll have family. Unless I die beforehand. Sickness is awful and takes many people. Healing and medicine can only do so much.

I started to notice buildings in the far distance after hours of horse back. I must have finally made it to Meteli. No kidding, the swamp environment was no joke. The trees started to change the color of grass. There were interesting choices in building houses…holy Xavier, there was a shit load of people! These people started turning heads when I rode in. I hate crowds. It's so intense and there are so many people. Talking In Front of crowds is worse! What if you trip, or say a word incorrectly? Tomatoes get thrown. The worst fruit of all time gets thrown. Or lettuce, which is not watery. Broccoli is the superior vegetable! It's little green trees for Irene's sake. Who isn't happy when they think about it? I'm happier when I eat them cooked! Broccoli that is cooked and has some pepper on them, is the most fabulous of foods.

As well as-I need to stop discussing foods. I have problems in my head. I located a place to tie my horse. I was happy to get off the horse. My legs needed to move around. The horse happily agreed when I got myself of it and started eating the grass. It was time to locate my younger brother, Davison. Wherever he may live…because I don't know....

[shadow-pixelle]

Oh wise Pix of the pool, I have questions for you!

10, 14, 20, 21, 25, and 29!

Have fun!!

(In regards to this post)

Mmmm I dunno about wise but I do have answers for this, so.

10. Is there a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

Hm, this is a hard one, cause a lot of times I don't really have expectations for responses? Or when I do it's usually fairly on the money. I do remember being a bit surprised that A Star-Lined Path got as much interest as it did, given that my tagging on that was... kinda awful, lol.

14. If you could see one of your fics adapted into a visual medium, such as comic or film, which fan fic would you pick?

Ah fuck me that's a really hard one, nevermind. I mean, A Shadow, an Eon, and a Worm could be fun, given that that's my biggest megafic. My other option is my current biggest WIP, Maskless, because it's got some really nice scene imagery in there and seeing that adapted could be super cool. (One scene in particular...)

20. What’s a favorite title for a fic you’ve written?

cracks open my AO3 works tab ok, I really like Second Sun, if only for the punnage of it all, and same with A Credit To The Order. But I think my absolute favourite is either Tempering Steel (Transformers fic), or Light in a Storm (Star Wars).

21. Have you ever deleted an entire scene after spending hours laboring over it? If so, why?

I am in fact currently in the process of doing that! I have about 10k of Maskless that I need to delete, because I don't like one character interaction that I have in it. Unfortunately, at the time I wasn't too bothered, so I kept writing!

And then I got writer's block, took like a four month break, and came back to it. Looked at the segment, went 'no actually I dislike this immensely', and am now having to delete pretty much that entire 10k because the way I want to rewrite this section also means needing to adjust the course of the entire rest of the conversation to keep it flowing well, so yay that.

(Technically I guess this isn't a scene? It's a big section of a scene to be deleted, it's just that I've then gotta rewrite the rest of the scene and the next chapter probably as well...)

25. Have you ever upset yourself with your own writing?

Oh hells yes. Writing Shattering Point was a nightmare, because I did that one in class and made myself upset, very fun to try and explain. Surprisingly, the one you'd think upset me- Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow- didn't all that much? I think it's cause I wrote it in a speedrun more than anything and got caught up thinking about the reactions more. Like I was sad but it wasn't that bad?

I think if I reread it now though I'd start sobbing.

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

...Hm, ok, this could be fun. Dooooo I have anything like that right now...

(The endless issue of 'if I wrote it with the intent to post it it probably got posted', lol. I have a lot of practice pieces that'll never be posted, but I don't think I've got much actual fic content...?)

Oh! I have an idea! I was, once upon a time, thinking of expanding on Revelations of Monsters, an MCU fic I wrote in the early days of me being on AO3. I never actually figured out how I'd expand it, though, so while I did write a scene for a potential sequel/expansion piece, I'll likely never use it. Soooo here have some of that I guess.

Even for Ultron. (Not the monster she’d created, no. But for the AI that would have been ULTRON, if not for her interference. ULTRON would have been different, would have grown up with a family of AI siblings and a father who adored his creations so brightly it burned, would have been taught love and compassion and to protect… Wanda had murdered that child before they could even be born, using her powers and the Sceptre, and created a monster in their place, and she wasn’t sure if there was enough grief and regret in all the worlds to atone for that fact. She wasn’t sure she wanted there to be.)

[chthonicrose]

I think I need to rewrite The Scene from Aziraphale's perspective now to be able to get his post-s2 perspective to work in my head. I already rewrote it from Crowley's and I am very pleased with what I did with that but I think I need to flip it around.

It's weird, actually, most of my big fics are from Aziraphale's POV even though I find Crowley more relatable? Maybe I need to be in his head or I can't get his reactions at all? I can get Crowley's actions way easier.

Like, even anybody, find me somebody is mostly Aziraphale's POV once the setup is established, and Crowley's emotions are absolutely the center of that fic. keep me close is completely Aziraphale's POV, and it is also in fair part about Crowley's emotions. guaranteed to blow your mind is... actually looking at it I'm not sure. maybe Aziraphale? definitely Aziraphale by the end. I think the POV starts as sort of neither of them. this is making me want to edit that fic to make POV clearer. no mind to lose is all Crowley, and I do love that one. (and some unfortunate hound is Crowley, but Aziraphale isn't even in that one, so of course it is.)

In my unfinished works... in love with your ghost is Crowley POV, and I'm blocked on it. more than I can pay (s1 version) is half and half, and really just drawerfic. more than I can pay (s2 version) is Crowley save one scene of Aziraphale, and I'm blocked on it in Crowley's POV. if you loved me you would be here with me is half and half, and I am blocked on it in a section of Aziraphale POV.

Hm.

Maybe the moral here is number one that I need to do a novelization of The Scene from Aziraphale's POV, but also that I should just headhop whenever I get stuck? Actually if I switch to Aziraphale's POV in in love with your ghost that would probably help a lot. and I would love to have that fic actually finished. though I don't know if I want to rewrite it to be post-s2 instead of pre-s1. the central conceit of Heaven erasing Aziraphale's memories of Crowley kind of hits different after the whole yknow plot of season two... man I don't know.

[moldygreenblue]

'The Chaperone'

I once began writing a fic in late 2020, and completed it in late 2021. I planned on posting it, but never did. The fic is about Widdershins and his chaperone. Said chaperone is an OC, and making an OC original schism generation member made sense because it's pre-canon and it's a sandbox to play with. I called the fic, uh, 'The Chaperone', because I couldn't think of a better name.

Some point last year (late-mid 2022), I re-read The End. Due to what Ishmael said in passing, it had me going, "Hm, considering this canon detail, could he work as a chaperone?" And I ended up deciding to rewrite 'The Chaperone' with Ishmael replacing the OC. The rewrite is still a WIP, with the first section done. If I never get around to finishing the rest, I'm glad to share what I have finished.

Widdershins flattens his shirt, and sighs as he looks upward, letting the raindrops hit his face directly. He has been waiting on the bench for his chaperone to pick him up in the Beverage District for a few hours. Widdershins isn’t sure why the Beverage District is the location, but that what he was told this morning by Montgomery —Monty’s father— after picking his chaperone from a list of seven names: K.W. Anderson, I. Basehart, Alexander ‘Alex’ Denouement, Dorothea S. Markson, Y. Ichihara, Charlotte Haze, and William ‘Billy’ Shears-Campbell.

It was list that had him doom from the start. No captains of a submarine are listed. Six of the seven names Widdershins is familiar with he knows aren’t in any fields of his other interests, like mythology or poetry. Picking I. Basehart was because he had no other choice.

Widdershins continues to wait on the bench. He moves the balls of his feet up, and then moves the heel back down. Widdershins soon stares at the small suitcase resting beside him.

Widdershins doesn’t have an umbrella, because he thought the weather would be wrong. But he doesn’t mind waiting in the rain. He’s used to getting drench in the rain. However, he can only handle the rain for so long. What also doesn’t help is that underneath his shirt is an envelope. Inside it, is a letter meant for Basehart. Montgomery told him that Basehart must read it, and under no circumstances should Widdershins read, as well as get ruin.

“I hope the letter isn’t ruin by the rain. I don’t want to get in trouble with my chaperone before meeting him. Or her.” Widdershins gives out a sigh and leans back against the bench.

“It depends on the letter’s content,” answers a male voice. It’s a male voice that Widdershins unfortunately, know all too well. “Would you kindly give me the letter? I’m curious to know what my associate wrote.”

Widdershins slowly turns his head towards the direction of the voice. Standing several inches away in front of him is an old man with a beard. The beard isn’t what he would call a full-grown beard though. It’s smaller, as well as more neatly trim. Not a rogue hair in sight.

The man is wearing a grey rollneck sweater and white slacks, cover up by an old blue bridge coat that goes down to his knees. The man is frowning, and a ‘tch’ escape from his lips as he stays dry underneath the black umbrella he’s holding. Widdershins isn’t shock to hear the man’s disgust upon seeing him. Ishmael never like him for being an ‘outsider’, as well as other things.

Widdershins had hopes he wouldn’t see Ishmael again. Ishmael months ago, moved back to his home of New England for reasons no amount of eavesdropping could discover. To think he was free of Ishmael, only to once again be back in Ishmael’s care again.

He keeps his mouth set as he stands up, and pulls the letter from underneath his shirt. Widdershins hands the letter to Ishmael. He hates how the man’s hands are still the same. Warm and rough. Warm and rough that hurt when getting slap across the face.

Ishmael takes the letter, and then gives Widdershins the umbrella to hold. Widdershins watches the old man tears open the envelope, stuffing into his right pocket. Widdershins swallows the suddenly form lump in his throat as Ishmael reads Montgomery’s letter. Ishmael gives a scoff and shakes his head, folding the letter carefully, placing it into his left pocket.

“I thought you were a chemistry teacher, Ishmael,” says Widdershins, handing the umbrella back to the man. “Why are you on the list of chaperones? When did you even came back?”

The corner of Ishmael’s mouth twitches; Widdershins suspects he’s fighting the urge to say, “Call me Ish.”, or some variation. Ishmael keeps quiet as he holds the umbrella over himself, allowing Widdershins to get soak in the rain again. “Montgomery sent out a dispatch saying he needed volunteers to be potential chaperones to an unexpected group of neophytes a week ago. As my time in New England is now done, I responded, and came back. I never thought you’ll be part of that expected group, considering your background and circumstances.”

“And I never thought I’ll be force to learn about chemistry against my free will again.” Widdershins quickly slaps his hands over his mouth. He shouldn’t have said that at all.

“Believe it or not, I have other interests,” says Ishmael, narrowing his eyes. “I have a minor degree in oceanology, and have experience out on open-waters on ships such as the Pericles, the Penelope, and the Persuasion. Most importantly, I’ve done numerous deep-sea missions in the bathyscaphe Starbuck. I’m no stranger to the ocean. My experience at sea is greater than you think, Widdershins.”

Widdershins slowly removes his hands from his mouth, and briefly curls a lock of his wet hair upward. “I doubt it’s more than a submarine captain could experience. How will you be being my chaperone work if you only ever controlled a bathyscaphe? It’s a deep-sea submersible, yes. But it’s not a submarine.”

Ishmael keeps quiet as he outreaches a hand, and tucks the same wet lock of hair behind Widdershins’ ear. The man then gently pats Widdershins’ face, before turning around, and walk away. “All in due time. Now, would you kindly grab your belongings and follow me? I asked you to meet me in the Beverage District because my lodging is here. I don’t want you getting lost and in trouble in such a place like this.”

Widdershins rubs the patted spot on his face, and quickly grabs his suitcase. As he runs after Ishmael, Widdershins hates how unlucky he got with picking his chaperone. But he figures, having survived the man’s care once before, he can do it again. He endured much more and worse before Ishmael. Yes, Widdershins can endure it all over again.

[harveyhawkscripts]

[A4A] Rabbit Saves a Mouse Pt.1 [Rabbit Speaker] [Mouse Listener] [Mini Script] [12 Days of Scriptmas]

Google Doc

Usage:

- Okay for monetization

- Please credit me as Harvey Hawk :)

- Tweaks, improv, and pronoun changes are okay! Just please do not rewrite the script completely.

Synopsis: The speaker is a rabbit named Sam who fancies themselves a hero and has a strong sense of justice. The listener is a feeder mouse in a pet shop. Sam breaks the mouse out of their cage, and the two have quite a scare when a snake decides to follow them. 

Key:

[SFX and Action]

Break - Listener response

(...) Longer pause

(Voice instruction)

Word Count: 509

—

SAM

(Whispering) Psst, hey. Little mouse!

There you are. It’s okay now, I’m here to rescue you!

Yes! I saw through the shop window that you were in peril, so I came to save you. No need to thank me.

Oh, of course, I never introduced myself. Samurai Lop, at your service. But you can call me Sam.

I wriggled through the mail slot. Now come on, I need your help to open the cage.

Wait, what?! What do you mean you’re not leaving? Do you have a death wish or something?

A forever home…? I hate to break it to you, little mouse, but the humans here aren’t giving you away as a pet. They’re going to offer you up to the snakes!

Yeah, I don’t know if you noticed, but you’re literally in the reptile section. Now, hurry up. On three, I need you to pull hard on that metal piece. Ready?

One… Two… Three!

(Grunt)

[Cage door swings open]

There we go. Now, let’s get out of here. I don’t like the way that python is eyeing us.

Hm? Why am I called Samurai? My mother, rest her soul, named me. She was an intelligent Lop; she knew three human languages and was an avid reader. She named me after a great rabbit warrior from human myth, one with a deep sense of honor and a love of justice. When I was young – perhaps around your age – she would tell me stories of the rabbit warrior’s adventures. I’ve always wanted to be just like him, to live up to my name.

Speaking of names, what is yours?

You don’t have one? You must’ve been taken from your family very young.

I’m sorry to hear that. Maybe, if you’re alright with it, I could give you a name?

In that case, I think you should be called…

[Thump]

What was that?

[Thump]

It’s coming from over there!

[Crash!]

Did that snake just topple its tank?!

[Hiss!]

Run!

[Sam and the mouse skitter across the floor]

Through the mail slot, hurry!

I’ll lift you up and climb through after!

[The mouse crawls through the mail slot, followed by Sam, who tumbles to the ground]

Oof!

[The snake tries to follow through the mail slot, but gets stuck halfway]

[Hiss!]

It’s stuck! The slot is too narrow! Let’s get out of here.

(Sigh) That was too close for comfort. So, little mouse, what do you plan to do with your newfound freedom?

If you have nowhere to go, why not stay with my friend and I? We live in the observatory at the edge of town.

An observatory is a place where humans go to study stars. It’s a bit run down, but it’s cozy with plenty of space. I’m sure Galileo will appreciate the company, too.

Yes, Galileo is my friend. He can be rough around the edges, but he has a good heart. So, what do you say, little mouse? Would you like to live with us?

Excellent! This way, then. I’ll lead you to your new home.

TO BE CONTINUED

[emdotcom]

Found old pitch scripts for my batim comic w/ my self insert character. Genuinely good stuff, I can't believe I scrapped this?

[rosietrace]

Okay I am aback again cause I can't stop thinking about it but

💍 I feel like Carol actually would be the one to propose to Azure once they are dating cause I feel she is more assertive.

*S A L U T E*

Ship: Carol Ann x Azure Ekoms

Scenario: Carol proposes to Azure during one of their date nights

{ Apologies for any out of character moments. }

Carol sighed softly, adjusting her hair and checked inside her purse while Azure was somewhere else in the library, picking out books for them to review together.

This was typically how their dates would go ever since they started dating in the first place. Azure would take her to libraries around twisted wonderland, specifically ones that could help her adjust to the world. Despite the fact that she's already grown used to it all by now.

But even still, Azure insists on getting her a shit ton of books. Whether it involves his world's culture, or not. They could be cheesy YA books and he'd still get it for her if he thinks she'll like it.

Now, today specifically is a special day for our girl Carol. Because.... She's going to propose. To Azure.

And she's never been more nervous in her life.

Hearing the sound of her phone notification, Carol checked her contacts and it was Yuuta who had texted her.

Surprisingly despite the irritation Carol still has with Yuuta, they still manage to keep in touch. Carol jokes about how Yuuta's become one of twisted wonderland's richest at this point.

{ Their contacts:

Carol: Strict smartass

Yuuta: Annoying rich bitch }

Annoying rich bitch: Still not proposing yet? Better hurry up before I do~ lol

Carol rolled her eyes at the message. As if she would allow Yuuta to propose to Azure.

Strict smartass: I'm not going to let you do that so easily, Sumeragi. Besides I'm still working on how I'm gonna do it

Annoying rich bitch: Fr? Sheesh Carol, you really need to hurry. And you better not lose the ring you chose! You may have chosen it but I was the one that paid for it🙄

Strict smartass: And I'm grateful for your hospitality. Now you either stop texting now, or I'll block you and prevent you from annoying me with your childishness

Annoying rich bitch: FINEEEE, just hurry up babes😗✌️✨

Carol quietly groaned, turning off her phone as she looked at the ring. Thanks to Yuuta, she was able to get solid gold with a sapphire on the ring. The details were swirled and it just made Carol's heart flutter as she thought of Azure.

She put it back into where she's going to give it to Azure. Seeing as Azure said he wouldn't mind for a proposal that wasn't just the simple down on one knee with heartfelt words, the plan Carol had was already in her favor.

okay carol, you'll do completely fine... , She reassured herself. Though she'll have to admit she was nervous.

Azure may love Carol, but she isn't really sure if he's willing to marry already. Especially since it had been a month since they graduated.

"It's going to be fine... I just- propose, he hopefully says yes, and it'll go smoothly..."

"What will hopefully go smoothly."

Carol yelped a bit, startled by Azure's voice randomly appearing. She'll need to admit, though she's seen him wear it the whole night, Azure's quite the looker in his white blouse and overcoat.

"Nothing... Did you decide on the books already?" Swiftly changing the subject, Carol chuckled awkwardly, hoping Azure didn't suspect a thing.

Azure nodded as he sat next to Carol with a large stack of books."I chose a variety from the YA section of the library since you said you've been interested in YA books recently." He stated, giving Carol a close eyed smile.

Carol smiled back as she nodded.

After 30 minutes of analyzing Throne of glass, Carol knew it was time. Hopefully Aelin Galanthynius and Rowan Whitethorn can take a page out of her book when their author eventually decides to rewrite their story.

"Azure..."

"Hm? Yes dear?"

"Well..." Carol hesitated. She isn't having any second thoughts, no of course not, It's just that she felt more nervous than she did back when she first confessed to Azure.

Exhaling a bit, Carol calmed down as she got something from her bag. Giving it to Azure, she felt butterflies in her stomach when she saw his smile. And she hoped that he'd smile brighter when he saw the ring.

Azure chuckled."A notebook?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow in order to tease Carol.

In response, she giggled."Yeah. Since you're already a pretty successful author and you've been struggling to write the sequel to your bestseller, I thought I'd give you this. To help you write down your ideas and properly plan them out." She stated, her lips trembled slightly due to her overall nervousness.

Azure hummed, kissing Carol on the forehead as he thanked her for the notebook. Until... He noticed that he felt something inside the book. And it wasn't pages.

Likely a small physical object... Is she planning something with this? , Azure thought, looking over to Carol who's too busy quietly criticizing Aelin's decisions in empire of storms.

Knowing Carol she probably got me a notebook with some secret compartment... , He smiled at the thought as he opened the notebook and saw...

The ring.

His eyes widen from shock as he gently picked up the ring and inspected it much closer.

Carol, now sensing Azure's current aura, had her eyes wider than saucers when she saw that he now had the ring in his hands.

"Dear... Would you mind explaining this?" He asked. His tone wasn't at all upset, more bemused and confused. But Carol knew he needed his answers quick despite his patience.

"Azure Lutwidge Ekoms... I knew you since I first met you when I went to RSA. And, now that I've spent so much time with you... I would like to ask you..."

Azure's eyes never watered quicker.

"Azure.... Will you marry me?"

Carol's eyes widen as she saw tears dripping down Azure's eyes as a smile slowly formed on his face.

Cupping her face, Azure inched closer and kissed her nose. His smile radiant, his eyes forming what's essentially a waterfall.

"Yes, Carol Ann.... I will marry you."

[himbo-kuto]

number one

i hope all of you dealing with finals are kickin some ass out there!! i know right now it feels like finals are kickin our ass but WE BAD BITCHES AND WE WONT GO DOWN WITHOUT A GOOD FIGHT!!! i hope that this fluffy ass brainrot of a drabble helps relieve some of the stress!!

pairing: reader x daichi genre: marshmallow fluff  warnings: it gets spicy for like a second / one (1) curse word / mentions timeskip daichi word count: 2.1k banner credit: @ etcetera.art on instagram

with the end of the semester coming to an end, the amount of stress that has been piling on your shoulders was getting almost unbearable. yesterday was your third day staying up past 4am and daichi was starting to worry about your health. at first he understood, knowing that you worked more efficiently at night, but he couldn’t help but notice the darkness pooling under your eyes. sure you sat in bed with him curled around you in the weirdest of formations as he tried to work around your little set up. but he missed the feeling of your warmth and the feeling was more than mutual. you felt yourself growing cranky as all you wanted to do was be enveloped in his big strong arms while getting lost in his eyes as he cuddled you to sleep. 

it was a typical work day for daichi, having gone to the station early in the morning when you were seeing yourself to bed. when you woke up from your nap, that short interaction felt like such a blur, but what he didn’t know was that after days of grinding out paper after paper, having meeting after meeting, (at least for tonight) you were able to take some time off. you were determined to use all of this free time dedicated to your man. that led you to ordering both of your favorite meals and decorating your room with all the fairy lights and fake decorative candles you could find within your possession. 

daichi has always been a pillar of support for you, even before you two started dating you always knew that he was a dependable man. whether that was staying up late with you in a panic as you had lost a whole section of your research paper and had to rewrite it, or driving to get you your favorite coffee after work, you really appreciated everything he has done for you.  only god knows what you did in your life to deserve a man such as sawamura daichi. 

you had just finished drying your hair as you heard the sound of the keypad unlocking the door. a faint squeak escaped your lips as you quickly grabbed his favorite perfume and gave yourself a few quick spritzes. giving the room the quickest final glance, you charged through the living room making it just in time to greet him as he came through the door.

“welcome home!!” 

you flashed him the biggest smile before leaping into his arms. he didn’t even have the chance to respond as you were quick to shower his face with kisses. you were like a puppy that was excited to see their parents after a long day. all he could do is let out a chuckle as he tried to return them all back to you. 

“you don’t have any work to do?” you shook your head as you jumped off of him. 

the giddiness bubbling inside you was about to overflow, you were more than ready to fully bask in his presence and catch up on events that you weren’t able to talk about before. you whined as you tugged on the sleeve of his jacket, wanting him to hurry up and if anyone was perspective to your emotions it was daichi. he laughed as he quickly discarded the garments of his uniform. the giddiness was contagious as he too felt the sense of urgency to be with you. he was about to hang them up but you were quick to take the job from him. you wanted to pamper him today, it was the least you could do.

“go take a shower, i’ll bring you your clothes.” 

the kiss he planted on your forehead sent a shiver down your spine, all his touches from his lips all the way down to his fingertips felt like a jolt of electricity. he wrapped his arms around your waist, trailing the kisses down from your temple to the crook of your neck (his favorite scent not going unnoticed) and like it was instinctive, your fingers combed through his short hair.

“you’re not going to join me?” you were quick to slap his back with a laugh, before pulling away to cup his cheeks in your hands. 

“not today tiger, but i promise i’ll make it up to you hm?” 

you planted a kiss right on his nose making daichi putty in your hands. he was so in love with you, looking at you with such fondness it felt like he was under a spell. now it was his turn to whine as he buried his face back into your neck, taking a deep breath. it was endearing to see him act like such a baby when he was viewed as such a strong figure. you gave his bum a pat, trying to encourage him.

“come on you big baby, your favorite ramen awaits!” he quickly shot up from your neck, only to have his eyes light up like saucers. 

“from down the street?” you could almost see the drool beginning to fall out of his mouth.

“well duuuh--” 

even before you could finish he released you, quickly scurrying down the hall and into the bathroom to take the quickest shower of his life. you shook your head as you were just bested by some ramen. nonetheless you grabbed daichi’s most comfortable pj’s and set them down on the sink counter before going to prepare all the food. you wanted it to feel like a fancy restaurant with nice mood lighting so you lit some more candles and put on some ambient jazz music. 

it wasn’t long before you felt a warm embrace from behind, the softness of his arms with the pillowiness of his sweater made you feel as though you were on cloud nine. you took that moment to slow down time. for the past few weeks it felt as though your mind had been running at a mile a minute, so it was nice to have this time to just be. turning around, you wrapped your arms around his torso, pulling him as close as possible. he immediately conformed to your body, resting his cheek on top of your head. 

“i missed you bug..” it was barely a whisper, but you heard him loud and clear. 

the little nickname he gave you from back in highschool still made your heart flutter. snuggling deeper into the crook of his neck, you took in a deep breath. it was as if you wanted to remember the scent of this very moment. 

a moment where you were completely and utterly his. 

“i missed you too bub..” you both stayed like that for a few moments longer before his growling stomach cut brought you back to reality. a laugh left your lips as you pulled away from him. 

“let’s get some food into that stomach, yeah?”

the next few hours were spent just catching up on each other’s lives. whenever you spoke about your day, your classes or just needed someone to listen he always gave you his undivided attention and of course, you wanted to reciprocate that (another reason as to why you felt bad for working so late so many days in a row). at this point in time, the food was long gone but you two were just so immersed in each other’s conversation that when you looked at the clock it was already 11:30pm. letting out a yawn, you stretched your arms up into the air-- you honestly couldn’t remember the last time you were able to even think about getting into bed at this time. 

“come on let’s clean up so we can get you to sleep at a normal time.” you were thankful that everything was able to be thrown away, leaving cleaning to a minimum. daichi began to make his way to the bedroom but before he could open the door, you grabbed him by the back of his shirt nearly decapitating him.

“what happened?” 

you didn’t answer him, sneaking around his figure to peak ever so slightly peak through the door to make sure all your preparations were still in place. daichi began to grow curious, raising his eyebrow at your actions. you only gave him a cheeky smile as you took his hand and led him into the bedroom. 

he was confused at first as the room was dark, but as you pressed a button, all the fairy lights followed by the candles illuminated the room. daichi turned to you with such a look of appreciation, it almost made you burst out in tears. 

“what’s this?” he took your hands into his with a gentleness that can only be explained by an irrational fear that any sudden movements could have you disappearing into thin air. you squeezed his hands, reassuring him that you were right there with him.

“i just wanted to thank you for always supporting me even if i’m not able to cuddle your big bear body every night or having a complete breakdown at two in the morning.” you pouted up at him, bringing his hands around your waist before wrapping your own arms around his neck. 

“this night is all yours and i’m willing to do whatever you want… i’m yours.” you should’ve known that you would have been met with a shit eating grin as you said that, but the longing look in your eyes didn’t falter as you truly were down for whatever. he didn’t waste any time as he connected his lips to yours. it was a slow kiss that told you that daichi was trying to relish in this moment-- the way your lips felt against his or how your fingers lightly massaged his scalp.

he pulled you in close as his hands explored your body. it had been a while since you two have gotten intimate and the neediness behind his touches definitely exemplified that. the way his hands lingered on your skin or how his hands gripped your waist all sent shivers down your spine. his hands drifted downwards, taking a temporary residency on your supple booty, as he simply admired all the wonders your body had to offer. a tap of his finger was his signal for you to jump up. you quickly obliged, hopping up and linking your legs around his waist. 

he brought you over to the bed and while you usually braced yourself for the impact of being thrown down, you were surprised to have met such a soft and gentle landing. daichi was aware of this from the way you relaxed the tensed muscles in your back.

“you really expected me to throw you like a rag doll, huh?” sticking your tongue out at him, you took his face into your hands, planting kisses starting at his forehead all the way down to his lips. you hoped that with each kiss you were able to convey how much you truly loved and adored him. he stayed like that for a bit, enough time for you to really study his features in the dim light. 

he still looked like how he did in high school, apart from the hair and the faint lines on his forehead. your thumb lightly brushed over his cheek, remembering that incident during the spring tournament and the tooth he lost. this led your fingers south, landing on his lips. the ones that have given you kisses with an expanse of messages. 

i love you i miss you i need you i want you i support you i’m not going anywhere

you hadn’t even noticed his eyes on you, most likely doing the same thing you were. he flashed you the kind of smile that you wish he wouldn’t show to the world. it’s the kind of smile that you wish you could bottle up and save for a rainy day. it would make you drop everything you were doing to catch even a glimpse. even in your dimly lit bedroom, he still managed to shine brighter than any light. 

daichi laid on his back, pulling you completely on top of him. he dipped his hands under your shirt and up your back. he knew you loved when he drew little shapes and letters, often playing little spelling games. 

“it feels nice to hold you instead of competing for your attention with a computer” you laughed as you nuzzled your nose into his jaw. 

“you know you’re always my number one, sawamura.” 

you only ever used his last name if you were serious, really only saving it for special times like this one. he hummed in response, continuing to draw little stars on your back. a few minutes passed and daichi knew you were fast asleep. from the way your breaths deepened to your body completely relaxing into his, he knew you all too well. he pulled the covers over your bodies, making sure to cover your shoulders knowing they got cold easily. he planted a kiss on your forehead, leaving his lips there for a brief moment before going back to resting his cheek on your head. down the road, he would definitely have to thank whatever higher being brought you to him.

“and you’re my number one”

[crossdressingdeath]

Just a reminder that if you have time and feel like writing that post you mentioned about how you would rewrite each DBH character’s story given unlimited runtime, it would be very cool to read.

Ah, right. Quick note that I don’t know much about Connor’s machine path or the violent revolution path or any ending to Kara’s story that doesn’t involve successfully getting past the border guard so I will be skimming those parts of the story. Also it’s going to be pretty vague because Details Are Hard. (Also I’m tired so this is probably not going to make a lot of sense or be in any sort of reasonable order.)

Okay, general points first. I feel like the three stories should intersect more, even if only in a “seeing the aftermath of their actions” way; maybe Connor and Hank are sent to investigate Zlatko’s death after Kara and Alice have gone through, for example. You’ve got three protagonists active at the same time and they barely interact! Come on, give us a little conversation. And of course the public opinion system needs to be used a lot more; it only effects two things in the whole game, come on! It doesn’t impact any of the major human characters, and that just feels wrong. I’ll. come back to this in Connor’s section because I feel like it would be best used there (since there really aren’t many humans in the story outside of his parts and the ones who do show up have reasons to side with or against the deviants outside of public opinion), but if nothing else I’d like it to lead to us seeing humans demonstrating/fighting with the deviants. Also I would like to see at least a few examples of androids deviating peacefully, like Connor does; I don’t believe for a second that there weren’t androids who deviated in a place where they were surrounded by people who were with them all the way.

So, first off: Markus. Mostly I’d just want to extend the timeline a bit and add some more Jericho missions, because oh my god you cannot join an organization of people with no weapons or resources of any kind, become their leader, and successfully change society in less than a week. So just... more evidence of Markus slowly winning Jericho over and helping them gather supplies and resources. Show him helping them set up actual supply lines! Rescuing deviants! Winning over allies! Including human ones, because the idea that there isn’t a single human working with Jericho when pretty much every major human character is in fact on the deviants’ side is... dumb. Also, individual missions with North, Simon and Josh; it would be good to spend more time getting to know them, since as it stands it’s... kind of hard to care all that much when they die. I might also add short scenes where we see Connor’s targets arriving in Jericho if they survive, just to add more connection between the stories (and also I like them and wish more had been done with them). And make Simon a love interest (because this is a choice-heavy game and so I should be able to make the choice to play exclusively as gay androids if that’s what I want), and make it easier to avoid having a love interest; let’s not create a situation where entering into a relationship less than a week after gaining emotions is all but mandatory, hm? Also, maybe Markus should meet Kamski one time? As the guy fulfilling Kamski’s deviant-related plans? Come on, one meeting. Maybe clear up Kamski’s motivations just a bit. And, crossing over with Connor’s story, maybe a bit of stuff them both being part of the RK line and how it went from a caregiver android to a detective android. Oh, and change it so that you’re not guaranteed to have fatalities on the violence path, because insisting that only pacifism can possibly end happily when fighting against oppression seems kind of... not great, all things considered. Frankly given the androids’ combat abilities it kind of makes more sense to have unavoidable deaths on the pacifism route, or alternately to have different unavoidable deaths on both routes, but being admittedly a softy I am very happy to have it be possible to have no deaths on either route. I don’t necessarily expect it to be easy to save everyone (it might make sense to add in missions where you make preparations to increase their odds of survival, or do something similar to Simon’s possible death in Stratford Tower where one of other protagonists’ actions has an effect on the sequence of events), but it would be nice to have it be possible.

On to Kara; I mentioned this before, but instead of her story being a cute-but-boring game-long escort mission where you have to protect a small child who is entirely useless I’d give her a story about uncovering how deviancy works and the history of it. Whether it really is just a glitch or something more, what rA9 actually is... all that fun stuff. No idea how that would actually go, but it would be more interesting than just running to Canada. If nothing else we could get more backstory on how the hell Kamski managed to create androids who are so realistic that that they can develop emotions. And if it is just a glitch there can be more discussion on whether or not simulated emotions are as real as actual emotions, because the fact that they brought up the concept of deviant emotions being a simulation and did nothing with it just feels like a massive waste of potential. And I’d add some more ways to live; from what I understand it’s really hard to keep everyone alive unless you maybe possibly condemn a couple and their baby to freeze to death or get killed by a revolution and keep things peaceful in Markus’s story. While I do want more interaction between the stories, I don’t think your choices in one story should automatically lock you out of getting the best ending for one of the other stories (with the obvious exception of the situations where that actually makes sense; can’t get the best ending for Connor and Hank if Markus nukes the city while Hank is in it, for example). At least with Kara; her story is so separate from Markus and Connor’s that it doesn’t make sense for Markus’s actions to lock her out of escaping to Canada! Also, it adds nothing to the story to have Alice turn out to be an android and robs Kara of her close human companion who has a massive impact on her life; yeah, there’s Rose, but she’s in... what, two missions? That’s less than Karl, who has the additional story impact of having been Markus’s father figure for (if memory serves) years before the start of the game, so there’s no dynamic to build; it’s already there. Keep Alice human! It’s a completely pointless twist! ...I recognise that this does mean that Connor can get a young human girl killed by succeeding in stopping a deviant, but it wouldn’t take much to rewrite his run-in with Kara to not involve a chase across a freeway. Again, I’ll come back to this when I get to Connor’s section. But imagine the impact of things like Todd’s abuse and Zlatko’s section if Alice is human; showing that these villains don’t necessarily see androids and humans as different, but in a negative sense this time. Also, I’d like a sort of prologue to her story featuring the incident that got her broken and led to her being repaired at the start of the game.

And of course now we get to Connor, the best boy who deserves the best. I’ll start with the things I said I’d come back to. First, the public opinion system: imagine if Hank’s thoughts on deviants (instead of just changing for no apparent reason beyond a handful of meetings with people who generally kick his ass and then run away or die with at most a bit of conversation) could be altered by public opinion of the deviants’ cause. Even better; by that and his relationship with Connor. Picture a situation where Hank doesn’t trust or like deviants at all due to them running around killing people but still helps them because he wants to help Connor. It would just be very good. Also, since Connor is the only character hanging out exclusively with humans (what with the station full of cops he’s working out of): imagine more missions taking place (or at least starting) in the precinct where Connor can interact with his sort of coworkers and how the conversations with them could change as time passes and public opinion changes. Also again the possibility for a conflict between dislike of deviants and fondness for this particular android, just for fun. And, also just for fun, maybe a bit of character development for Gavin where he’s still a dick (because honestly he’d be less fun if he wasn’t) but if public opinion is high he’ll pretend not to notice Connor sneaking into the evidence locker and fucking around in there for a while when he really definitely isn’t supposed to. Come on, if you’re going to have heroic cops you could at least do something with more than one of them. Also, more Captain Fowler. All we know is that he and Hank are old friends and he’s totally okay with Hank beating the shit out of Perkins; all in all I’d like to know a bit more about him. And with Kara and Alice: the freeway chase works, sure, but I would like the option for Connor to at least try to save Alice; by this point Connor is already showing signs of software instability, if we change it so that Alice is human him putting the mission aside to save a little girl makes sense and gives us a good sense of who he is as a person, and it fits neatly into steadily escalating refusal to complete his mission that eventually reaches full deviancy. If I’m remembering the order right it’s Ortiz’s android (who you can’t let escape), Kara (who you can let go based on Hank’s orders), Rupert (who you can let go to save Hank), the Tracis (who you can let go just because), and then Markus (who you have to deviate to spare); changing it so that you can let Kara go to save a little girl she’s protecting fits the escalation (you could easily argue that Connor has something in his programming about saving human lives, and as one of his earlier missions shows him being specifically trying to save a little girl it makes a great deal of sense that he wants to protect Alice. Also like. Imagine having the option to push Alice out of the way of a car at the cost of Connor’s life. It would be very effective, I think. Also it’s another opportunity to make Hank like you because he would for sure react well to you saving a small child from getting hit by a car.

Alright, moving on; I’d like some more assignments with Connor before he joins the DPD and gets partnered with Hank, showing him actually earning the title of deviant hunter? Also that way we aren’t stuck with the conclusion that CyberLife decided to send their prototype out into the world to partner with the police in investigations after one mission, which said prototype may well have failed to complete. And we could show more of Connor struggling with what he’s being ordered to do but having no way of stopping himself due to a complete lack of any interaction with anyone with functioning emotions, except for maybe CyberLife technicians. Actually, I’d also like to see what it’s like for Connor going to CyberLife for repairs and debriefing and such, because I doubt it’s fun. Other than that... well, Connor’s story is pretty good all things considered, but there are a couple tweaks I’d make. Aside from the previously mentioned exploration of what it means that he and Markus are both part of the RK line, I’d maybe cap off the added early story for him by adding him being hesitant about turning in Ortiz’s android if you’ve been pushing for more software instability and only going through with it when it becomes clear that if he doesn’t all he’ll achieve is getting himself caught not doing his job, which wouldn’t be a good look. I feel like the most effective way to do it might be if it’s not under player control; if his software instability is high enough he’ll be uncertain about it, and if he’s not he won’t be. And if he is uncertain you could add some options to the interrogation where he can win trust by telling the android he was scared of what would happen to him if he didn’t turn him in (followed by him immediately insisting that that was just a cunning ploy and in no way true when pressed on the matter if he did it out loud and not through an interface). Also: why wasn’t it Hank who pushed Connor to deviate. You spend Connor’s entire story with Hank! He is Connor’s tie to humanity! Why does Connor deviate in one conversation with a complete stranger and not his dearest friend! I desperately want a situation where Hank learns too much or something and Connor is ordered to shoot him and you can either go through with it (killing Hank) or deviate and shoot whoever gave you the order instead. Also then there could be hugs. And maybe forehead kisses because please. Connor deserves a little smooch honestly. He’s earned it. And then if your relationship with Hank is low enough that he’s already dead at this point you can have the conversation with Markus. Also, I would love an addition to the machine path where if you have a high relationship with Hank you can choose to deviate before fighting him (instead of just walking away despite that preventing Connor from finishing his mission quickly) or to deviate after fighting him when he’s got Hank hanging off the edge of the roof. Think about it; a moment of horrified realisation where Connor’s software is finally pushed to the breaking point by having to choose whether or not he will kill his only friend for the sake of his mission where he’s left desperately asking himself what the hell he’s doing? Like, if nothing else it would hammer home the fact that at this point Connor is choosing to remain a machine (assuming his software instability is high enough) to have to choose it twice even at the cost of Hank’s life. Actually three times, because the initial choice would be before this point. Also going that way it would be possible to play through the machine path up to the fight with Hank and still net Connor’s best ending, which would just be nice I think. Also, more hugs. Hugs are good.

...Okay, that’s all I can think of for now. Also it’s uh. almost 1 AM here and sleep is in fact important. So I’m going to wrap up here; maybe I’ll make some more posts later if I think of anything else.

[soysaucecas]

oooh for the ask game 24, 30, and 44!

MAGPIE MY BELOVED HELLO

24. What are your favorite episodes?

The only episodes I've really watched are TMWWBK (which is my favorite episode and I'm certain would still be my favorite if I watched every single one because it has the only SPN character and the only SPN line), The French Mistake (which was funny enough but honestly in the Just Okay category for me, which makes me pretty sure I wouldn't enjoy actually watching SPN if this is one of the funniest/highest-rated eps), and Reading Is Fundamental (my best friend was watching it and asked me if I wanted to hop on Discord, I thought it might be fun to see Kevin's first introduction but instead this ep found the two of us taking like 90 minutes to get through it bc we kept pausing and screaming (derogatory) as the model minority stereotype jokes piled up and up and up... Unfortunately not a favorite even if we got Meg AND the "pull my finger" joke AND the "Sorry" shot). Other than TMWWBK, from clipping and transcript-reading, I like Wayward Sisters (who doesn't?), The Things We Left Behind (Claire!!!! Cas trying to be a dad! The diner scene aka my favorite destiel scene of all time bc being in love just looks so good on Cas! Also the parallels between Claire and Randy and teen Dean and the adults at that club in his story... woof.), Golden Time (Eileen gets to be HERE and be sad and loved and fight people with ghost powers and Cas gets to do a cool speech and a stabbing and do the Asian community a favor), and Lucifer Rising (just immensely sexy on all counts for Ruby, Sam, Cas, and myself). Also I am SO fond of Steve!Cas so I'll add Heaven Can't Wait even if I barely know anything about it.

30. What is an unpopular opinion or headcanon you have about the show?

Ooh okay hm I think. So I adore confession scene, but I don't think the "I cared about the whole world because of you" is like. The Objective Truth the way that most bloggers seem to take it. Cas was lobotomized tons of times before he met Dean, he was described as coming off the line with a crack in his chassis, he's always been the weird little angel who likes humanity too much! I don't think Dean came first, and although gay love was part of what helped Cas invent free will, he *Ruby voice* didn't need the feather to fly, Dumbo! I do think Cas believes what he says in the moment, but I also think he sorta... made himself believe it? This is probably just me deciding that cas-coding should go both ways, but like. I very much crush as a coping mechanism and I very much overascribe my actions to love because it simply seems more noble/poetic to do so. Being miserable because school is hard is cringefail but being miserable because of unrequited love is Good Shit. And I have been in unrequited love with my best friend for at least 7 years (probably 9 but I didn't realize it earlier) and if you asked I would 100% say that she taught me love and defined love for me and that she will be my first and last, but I also know that that is not entirely true; it's just the narrative that I like for myself. And I think that being in an Empty deal contingent on whether or not he LETS himself feel happy would lead Cas to do plenty of mental maneuvering, which I think involved intentional self-poor-little-meow-meow-ification via overascribing his choices and happiness to Dean (and I also think he'd already been doing that for a while just because of personal self-worth issues and because it's a nice narrative). I know as Cas's last Moment on the show it was probably written to be The Objective Truth, but I am perceiving him and I say no.

44. If you could write an episode of Supernatural, what would happen?

Oh scream okay! This is a fun one! I am going to start out with two ideas from other people:

1. Months ago Nate from the pocnatural discord had the idea of an episode from the "monster"'s perspective where the Winchesters are just clearly the antagonists while not doing anything different than they usually do. I think the idea was that all these supernatural beings live in a self-regulating community together and we have one Very Likable pov character who's a member of this community, but one of the newer members messes up one day and kills someone and the Winchesters come on a case and wreak havoc on this Very Much Functioning (there was going to be a whole rehab and reparations thing for the new member who messed up!) system and kill pov character and in the end you just HATE Sam and Dean for it.

2. It's hard to adapt anything from bad moon rising (aka my favorite spn fic) very well because the point of an Arab Winchesters season 1 rewrite is that it doesn't really work with the white characters we have now, but I think I could see a version of chapter 2 adapted as long as Haley (an Ojibwe hunter who lives in the area affected by what Sam and Dean are hunting) takes the lead. I'd especially like to see this section:

Dean laughs, a little disbelievingly. The question has never crossed his mind. “Do you like it?”

This gives Haley no pause at all. “Yeah,” she says. “I mean, it’s not really about killing monsters, though, for me. Or, it’s not always about killing monsters. It’s about community. Not violence. It’s a spiritual thing to build a home, you know?”

“Oh,” Dean says. He can’t think of anything else to say. It has never crossed his mind before that hunting could be compatible with a community.

I don't have any original episode ideas to add to the hunting discourse, so we're on to my ideas about character-driven eps. I think I would like to see a version of my sastiel possession fic (ty again for beta-ing that! you're a real one) as an ep around the time of 9.11 because Sam deserves to work through their trauma, but idk what the Dean plot should be for that. Another thing I would like very much is TFW drunk history storytime (so like. Tall Tales bass boosted), where for some reason they all need to go over what they were doing during Stanford era but each of them is telling someone else's story. It's gonna be either Sam->Dean->Cas->Sam or Dean->Sam->Cas->Dean. It starts out very funny (they all have terrible wigs and makeup in the flashbacks. Cas is Jimmy wearing a giant mask with googly eyes on it.) but as it goes on it gets increasingly sad how much these three don't really know each other.

In the Sam->Dean->Cas->Sam episode, Sam's telling of Dean's past veers wildly between "crushing pussy and killing things" and "feels like absolute shit all the time" and it's funny but Not Right and afterwards Dean goes "I didn't know you thought of me that way" and Sam says "... I am basically reading off the voicemails you left me back then" and Dean has to sit there and contend with the mythology he himself wrote for Sam to believe in. Dean->Cas provides the comedic beats for the episode as Dean awkwardly narrates Cas's Life As A Weird Little Guy who watches trees grow and heals babies and in the end Dean goes "so how did I do" and Cas is like "well actually I was either getting lobotomized or murdering people so like 3/10?" The moral of this plot line is that Dean is bi. Cas gives a fairly faithful retelling of Sam living her trans little life at Stanford and veering between trying to be Normal and being a total weirdgirl and feeling guilty and angry and happy and free. It becomes clear that Cas admires Sam a lot (but also feels like. guilt and some self-recrimination for not being that) for rebelling from their dad and exploring their queerness during a time Cas was still to his knowledge in total soldier mode, and Sam is having an a_good_soldier's Thesis 5 moment about how she failed the kid she used to be and how very sorry they are about all the things that happened to them, and Dean hates that this is the first he's hearing about so much of this but is also quite emo about the parts where Sam is struggling. The ep ends with them all in the same room not looking at each other and not knowing if they want to group hug or never talk again.

Dean->Sam->Cas episode is similar but the storytelling dissolves a lot faster as it becomes clearer way faster how much their own emotions are getting in the way. Dean is upset that Sam could leave their family so easily and probably swing a normal life, Sam keeps wondering what it would be like to live millennia just KNOWING that you were right and good and clean, and Cas is gay and veering between fitting Dean's life into a larger Righteous Man narrative and just being very tender (and sad and angry) about Dean's pain. Episode ends in a rather cathartic shouting match where they all end up apologizing to each other for many things.

Oh also I would like to see Cassie again but I don't have an episode in mind there. Also would love to see Kaia adjusting to life in Sioux Falls and befriending the others and dealing with Bad Place trauma.

tysm for the questions sorry for taking so long!

(ask game)

[towerfandoms]

Oooh🤭🤭🤭 very cute 🥺🥰So you could almost call this a prequel to my other college au one with Bam (still khun x reader) which can be found here. N E WAYS. HOW DO I KEEP MAKING THESE SO LONG.

How Khun met his s/o in college:

-You and Khun both shared a same class. It was assigned seating so you and Khun were both sat next to each other.

-As popular as Khun is, he doesn’t really bother talking to people unless he has to so yous both spent the first couple of weeks in complete silence.

-You really wanted to talk to him cuz he just gives off sexy vibes but you didn’t wanna annoy him plus you were kinda shy so you just prayed and hoped god would give you an opportunity to talk to him.

-And ur prayers were answered!!! After like a month or so yous had to do a project with (shocker) the person next to you 🥳

-Well you were over the moon cuz um did you see this man. He was beautiful and smelled amazing 🥰

-Tho Khun didn’t say it, he was relieved it was going to be you. You two didn’t say much throughout your first week bar passing pencils and occasional sharing of homework but you seemed chill.

-You exchanged numbers and planned to meet in the library after school.

-Khun took charge of the project obvi and he split the work evenly. He was surprised at how compliant you were and kinda really liked that...

-After a couple of days you guys met up again and he was really happy to see how well you did everything. Ngl he expected you to half ass everything cuz that’s usually how things went whenever he partnered up with someone. But not you! You gave it your all, your research was clear and concise and your handwriting was very pretty and neat.

-(Also can I say I hc Khun as someone who’s really into pretty handwriting. Like if you’ve got nice handwriting he will fall in love with you 💀💀) NE WAYS!

-You guys had a month to complete this project so you two would meet up every 2-3 days to discuss and perfect your project. Throughout this time you and Khun really got to know each other. You learned about his family and how he wanted to take over his fathers company, and he in turn learned about your past, hobbies and interests.

-He also got to know you as a person, like how you were really funny and always down to playfully tease him. You two would mess around a lot, about silly things like if Khun accidentally spelled a word wrong or you got some of your dates mixed up. It was always fun to see how pouty Khun would get when you showed him a misspelled word.

-On your fourth week you two had gotten really close. Liked you’d spend breaks together or meet in between classes jut to hang out.

-It was the day before your project was due that Khun realised how strong his feelings were for you.

-Although your project was already completed a week in advance you two were scanning it over to make sure it was ✨perfect✨

-Khun had finished his part so he just sat staring across at you while you worked. He noticed all your small little habits, like how you’d bite your thumb while you were reading or grasp your hair when you realised you had to rewrite a section. (if your bald imagine grasping your ear xx)

-He wondered to himself why he was observing you so closely and why was he so sad that ur joint project was nearly finished???

-It suddenly dawned on him that maybe he did have feelings for you. He had consulted with Bam many times about this pain in his chest whenever he was with you. And every single time Bam had replied he was in love with you. But khun brushed that off. (He’s too cold to fall in love with you but here we are)

-“Y/n” “Hm?” “Wanna go on a date after this?” “Sure- WAIT WHAT?!”

-You stopped writing, your pencil paused in mid air. We’re you imagining things or did he actually ask you out?

-“I’m being serious. I like you hence why I’m asking you out.”

-You nearly died from how straightforward he was. You felt your face heating up.

-“Yes, of course I’ll go out with you.” you were surprised at how you managed to get out a coherent sentence. “Hang on, let me just finish this bit up”

-Khun smiled softly at himself at your cute little antics.

-One date turned to two, turned to 5 then turned to Khun pressing you up against the well kissing you passionately.

Then you two got married had 50 children and 10 cats 😌😌 if you don’t like cats please don’t talk to me xx- sorry I imagined Khun making out with me and I 😳🥵 sorry for it being so long and if the ending was sudden cuz otherwise I would’ve wrote your marriage with Khun. And that would’ve taken over 10,000 words.

[afoolandathief]

[ID: The phrase “Something Wicked” in bold type with “Chapter 3” written above and “Excerpt” written below; it is surrounded by a black-and-white image of a the bottom half of a woman's face, a red-and-black image of a neon "Open" sign, a red-and-black image of a silverware on a table; and a black-and-white image of a needle.]

Everything has an expiration date. For Caz’s relationships, this could be one night, a few months, or several years; but there was always an end.

This time, though, he swore it would be different. He wasn’t sure how, exactly, but it would be.

An excerpt from what is now chapter three (after I added a new chapter prior to it) of Something Wicked.

For context about the needle brought up in this passage, Jade and Caz use them for drawing blood. And Caz is hungry in this section because, well, he's not getting enough of it. It's also getting harder to hide his vampirism from his girlfriend.

I'm excited because, since I finished chapter three and am on to revising chapter four, I'm getting closer to rewriting chapter five, in which I plan to add a scene where a himbo engineering student mistakes nearly getting killed by Jade and Caz as an invite for a three-way.

TWs for mentions of drug use and addiction, brief reference to sex, swearing, and needles.

[Image again made in and with photos from Canva.]

~

They were at the diner now: Caz dressed up and sitting stiffly across from an equally-stiff Amelia, who had put back on her clothes she had previously thrown onto his bedroom floor.

He traced a finger from one spot to the other on the fake-marble surface of the table. It was going to be okay, he kept telling himself. It had been close, sure, but she wasn’t going to find anything out.

Amelia tossed aside the plastic menu.

“So, you don’t want anything?” she asked.

“Nah, you know I have a sensitive stomach,” he said. His latest excuse. It wasn’t completely untrue. He gave another quick laugh. “If I ate anything here it wouldn’t be real pretty the next -”

“Caz,” Amelia cut in. “We need to talk.”

He swallowed, before putting on his sweetest smile and cocking his head as he rested his chin on his fist.

“About what, love?”

Amelia wasn’t meeting his eye.

“I’ve been thinking,” she took a breath and looked up. “I’ve been thinking, if we want to keep this going, we have to be honest with one another.”

Caz stared at her with his smile frozen on his face for what felt like minutes.

“So,” he finally said. “What did you want to be honest with me about?”

“Caz,” she repeated. “It’s been so obvious, especially recently. You won’t eat; you sleep all day. The way you’ve been acting, like you’re constantly hiding something.”

Amelia had lovely, fruit-scented lips that she tended to bite when she was anxious or upset. She was chewing the shit out of them now.

“It’s an addiction, Caz,” she said. “And it’s clearly taking its toll on you, and it’s taking its toll on me.”

Caz blinked. What in the ever-living fuck was his pretty dame talking about?

“I wouldn’t call it an addiction,” he said, without thinking. “I mean, I need it to survive, Amelia.”

This was clearly the wrong thing to say, as Amelia’s head went crashing into her hands, hiding her face as she took a deep shuddering breath.

“Oh, God,” she said in her hands. She looked up at him. “It’s that bad?”

Caz’s eyes darted around. His stomach, meanwhile, would not stop growling. Maybe he’d pass out. Maybe he could fake his own death. He’d done it to get out of relationships, before.

“Could you tell me what you’re talking about, Amelia?” he instead asked.

He wasn’t used to Amelia being this upset. She was the one who’d drag him out to see horror movies. Christ, he had to walk out of that one action movie she’d insisted on. This reaction from her would have curdled his stomach if it wasn’t so damned empty.

Amelia wiped her eyes and attempted to steady herself. Her nose looked red and itchy, now. Caz wanted to offer her a handkerchief, but wasn’t sure if somehow that would make it worse. She was pulling napkins from the dispenser, anyway.

“I need to know,” she said, her sweet voice steady. “For my own sake, at the very least. What is it, Caz? Is it pills, heroin?”

Caz studied her face, waiting for her to laugh this off as a joke.

Well, tonight couldn’t get much worse. Maybe his mother’s ghost would burst in and start lecturing him about taking nearly 600 years to get married. Maybe someone would shoot him. Not that that would do much good.

He took a breath. Took stock of the situation. There were still pretty good odds he could save this. Of all the skills he had curated over the centuries, Caz was especially good with his mouth.

He gave Amelia a simpering, slightly-confused smirk.

“Amelia, love,” he began. “All these little things; these aren’t symptoms of being on pills or something. Maybe of my lazy ass not wanting to get up in the morning, but nothing more than that.”

He took her hand in his own, massaging her little fingers. Amelia was smart, but Caz had known a few addicts in his lifetime, and the poor, naive thing didn’t know what to look for.

He knew what to say next.

“Perhaps I have been too secretive with you, lamb,” he said, bringing her hand to his mouth to kiss it, appreciating how warm it felt. Just, don’t bite it, he thought, as his hunger pangs returned.

“But that’s because I wanted to surprise you. What if the two of us went on a trip next month? I was thinking -”

“Caz, that’s not the only thing.”

She pulled her hand away and reached into her bag, setting something small and silver on the table. Caz stared blankly at the object in front of him.

“I don’t know where the rest of it is, but that’s a medical-grade needle, Caz. Do you have any idea why I found this in your kitchen?”

Caz stared at the surface of the diner table, counting the number of dots and splotches on the olive-green sea. What was that song again? It’s only a paper moon, sailing over a cardboard sea. That described this city, with its neon-starlight, to a tee, didn’t it?

“Caz,” Amelia said. “Caz, are you hearing me?”

“Hm?” he asked, looking up.

“Caz, are you high right now?” she choked out, her eyes watering.

She leaned close to him, trying to see his pupils, he realized. They tended to turn to pinpricks under the fluorescent lights. He really hated how bright everything was nowadays.

“No, no!” he exclaimed. “Amelia, please don’t cry.”

“Well, explain to me what is going on, Caz!”

She looked back at him with impossibly blue eyes.

“Was it a relapse?”

“Amelia, I -” he began, before taking a breath.

It was going to be okay. He could still save this.

“Fine, I’ll be honest with you,” he lied. “It was a relapse. I started using again. But I think we can still make this -”

“Caz, you know I can’t see you if you’re like this.”

“I -” he paused. Swallowed again. “Yeah, I know.”

Motherfucking expiration dates.

They sat there quietly for some time, no longer stiff. Just letting the moment hang loosely off them. Then Amelia stood up.

“Well, I have all my things on me,” she said. “I think I’m just going to head home.”

Caz looked up at her. His head hurt, now, and his eyes were burning.

“You planned on leaving tonight didn’t you?”

“After you got up again tonight, yeah. I’m not going to hang around if you’re getting high in your kitchen, Caz.”

She pulled out her phone and began to move in her firm, confident way to the exit.

“Amelia?” he called out weakly.

She stopped and turned back to him.

“Yeah?”

“If I can — manage things again, do you think we might ever have a chance?”

Amelia had a bemused, sad smile now, as she cocked her head at him.

“Manage things, huh? That usually takes a long time for most, Caz.”

“I swear to you, I’ll do it, Amelia,” he said.

Fucking how?

“Well, maybe then, Caz,” she said.

Then, she stepped outside the restaurant, and it wasn’t long before her distorted form through the window had disappeared into the night.

Caz watched as she left, fiddling with a pink packet of artificial sweetener, before lowering his head to the table.

“Diabetic!” the waitress behind the counter heard someone moan. “Why the fuck didn’t I say I was a diabetic?”

[sceptilemasterr]

Defenders of the Flame (TE Rewrite) Act 1, Scene 4 - The Test of Attunement

Title: Defenders of the Flame (A CIU Screenplay)

Main Pairings: Shreya x F!MC, Beckett x F!Atlas

Other Pairings: N/A

Genre: Full Rewrite (The Elementalists, Book 1)

Rating: PG-13 for violence, blood, swearing, alcohol, and sexuality

Summary: Fiora faces some unique challenges in the Test of Attunement.

Previous Scene: “You’re One Of Us”

Masterlist: Link

INT. PENDERGHAST GRAND VAULT - MORNING

The Grand Vault is a room so massive it could easily be mistaken for the outdoors. Glowing multicolored letters float in midair overhead, reading “TEST OF ATTUNEMENT,” with other similar signs floating around below, pointing students in various directions as they file into the room. Several areas at the far end of the Vault have been marked off, with a single professor standing within each area, holding a stack of metal sheets not unlike the one Shreya had shown Fiora the night before. Griffin stands in the middle of the crowd of first-years, helping direct them to the proper places.

GRIFFIN (shouting): Clear Awakenings, this way! Uncertains, Varrah will take you over by the far wall! Watch your step, please, and-- HEY!

His sudden shout comes in response to one student suddenly levitating himself up above the crowd with a gust of air.

GRIFFIN (muttering): Somebody’s an Air-Att... (shouting) I know it’s a big room, but we’re still indoors! Rules still apply!

The levitating student lets himself fall, and a group of other first-years quickly rush out of the way to make space for him. Behind all of this, Shreya and Fiora enter the room.

FIORA: Okay, so... whoa. This room is big.

SHREYA: Yep! It’s the Grand Vault! I keep forgetting you never got to tour this place.

She looks around, and Griffin repeats his earlier directions. Fiora lights up at his voice.

FIORA: Hey, I know him! That’s the guy who helped me yesterday! Griffin, I think?

SHREYA: Oh? Does somebody have a crush?

Fiora shakes her head and laughs.

FIORA: Ha. No, not my type.

SHREYA (curiously): And what is your ‘type?’

FIORA (blushing): Uhh...

Looking around for a distraction, Fiora spots the line of Clear Awakened students forming up near one wall of the massive room.

FIORA: Oh! There, looks like that’s my line. Guess I’ll see you when I’m done! Bye!

She rushes off as Shreya stares after her, puzzled. As Fiora approaches the line, Shreya turns and heads over in the opposite direction, toward the Uncertain Awakening line. Fiora approaches the student standing at the head of the Clear Awakening area.

FIORA: Uh, excuse me? I’m here for-

The student turns around, looking over at her. This is BART NGUYEN, a third-year Water-Att student.

BART: You’re Clear Awakened?

FIORA: Uh, yes?

Bart waits expectantly.

BART: ...Are you gonna tell me your Attunement, then, or is this a guessing game?

FIORA: Oh! Right, sorry. I’m a... Fire-Att? I think?

BART: Fire, right. You’ll be that way, with Dr. Swan.

He points to one of the marked-off areas, where a middle-aged woman with dark frizzy hair and a colorful scarf stands in front of a small group of students.

FIORA: Got it. Great. Thanks!

She heads toward the woman, who fixes her with a curious gaze as she approaches. This is DR. SWAN, one of the professors at Penderghast. Fiora can’t help but stare at her as she approaches, and one of the students, SHINELLE YORK, laughs at her expression.

SHINELLE: Oh my God, don’t you know it’s rude to stare? Even if it is Dr. Swan...

Fiora snaps out of it and stops staring. Dr. Swan looks down at her as she approaches.

DR. SWAN: Ah, another Fire-Att? And you are?

FIORA: I... I’m Fiora Luxen?

DR. SWAN: Fiora... Luxen, did you say? Interesting.

She looks up at Fiora with an expression of surprised recognition before composing herself back to her usual neutral expression.

FIORA: Sorry, is everything, uh, okay?

DR. SWAN: Yes, yes, that will be all. Let’s just wait for the remaining students to be sorted out, and then we shall begin. Okay?

There is a murmur from the crowd as Fiora steps back to join the other students. She looks around, watching as the last bunch of first-years from the Clear Awakening section are sorted between the various Attunement groups. After the last student, a dark-haired boy with an infectious smile, is directed to the Water-Att group, Dr. Swan claps her hands together and gestures. When she speaks, her voice is suddenly amplified as though she were speaking through a microphone, startling the assembled students.

DR. SWAN: Right! Now that that’s finished, I will call you one at a time. When your name has been called, step up behind the desk here and your test will begin. Remember, under no circumstances is there to be sharing any details about what transpires within the test until all of you have finished. Is that clear?

The students mumble a halfhearted “yes.”

DR. SWAN: Good. Now, this part of the test may be essentially a formality, but that does not mean we should not take it seriously! You may already know your Attunement, but there is still much to be learned about yourselves within this test.

She pauses, but no one reacts. She sighs and picks up a sheet from her desk, reading out the first name on the list.

DR. SWAN: Varlen Bo?

VARLEN BO, a boy with spiky blonde hair, approaches the desk. Dr. Swan gestures, turning off the voice amplification, and she converses with Varlen too quietly for Fiora to hear. Then, Dr. Swan makes a pair of strange hand gestures toward Varlen, who becomes surrounded in a cocoon of stoicheal energy. Fiora jumps in surprise.

FIORA: What the--

A brief montage follows of Dr. Swan calling out a variety of names in alphabetical order. Finally, she calls “Jonathan Koss,” and Fiora begins to get nervous again.

FIORA (to herself): I’m probably next...

Several moments pass. Shinelle notices her nervousness and smiles reassuringly.

SHINELLE: First time jitters? Hey, don’t worry. Both my brothers went through this already; they said it was a piece of cake.

Fiora nods gratefully.

FIORA: Thanks. That makes me-

DR. SWAN: Fiora Luxen?

Fiora nervously approaches Dr. Swan’s desk.

SHINELLE (whispering): Good luck!

Dr. Swan shuts off her voice amplification yet again as Fiora approaches. The professor gazes curiously at her, and once again that flicker of surprise crosses her face.

DR. SWAN: Ms. Luxen... hm. You’ve had a Clear Awakening, correct? Describe it for me.

FIORA: Uh, well... I basically shot fire out of my hands? Lit a couch on fire, and my friend had to put it out with a cup of water--

Dr. Swan nods.

DR. SWAN: Yes, very Clear, then. Fascinating...

She stops talking for a moment, and Fiora waits restlessly until Dr. Swan suddenly seems to notice her again.

DR. SWAN: Right... Let us begin. The rules are simple. One: absolutely no stoichi is to be used during the test at any time. Two: treat everything you encounter as though it were really happening. Though you cannot die within the Dreamcase, any attempts to exploit the system will only mean the test must be retaken.

Fiora gulps audibly as Dr. Swan continues.

DR. SWAN: And Three: the things you will experience can sometimes be emotionally overwhelming. If at any time you feel it is too much, stomp the ground three times with your feet. The test will immediately be ended.

Fiora takes a deep breath and steels herself.

DR. SWAN: That is all I can tell you for now. Good luck, Fiora. And remember: three stomps of the foot if things become too much for you.

FIORA (to herself): I can do this. I can do this.

Dr. Swan nods, then raises her arms above her head, tracing two lines of stoicheal energy in the air around Fiora. A cocoon begins to solidify around her, and she closes her eyes.

DR. SWAN (to herself): Let us discover what kind of person you’ve become, Ms. Luxen... (louder) Your Test of Attunement begins now.

Fiora closes her eyes... and when she opens them again, she finds herself somewhere else entirely. She stands in a deep, vast cavern, piled high with glimmering treasures of every kind. She stares, open-mouthed, at the sight around her.

FIORA: Whoa. Is this part of the test? Uh... now what?

She looks around her, but does not see any obvious exit. Unsure of what else to do, she approaches the piles of treasure, and as she draws closer, a few items in particular catch her eye: a beautiful silver necklace, an ornately decorated book, a gleaming steel sword, and a chest of golden coins. She looks down at the items for a moment, then reaches for the book.

FIORA: Hmm... Ian would probably pick this one-- AHH!

The moment she grabs the book, the world around her warps and shifts, until she finds herself now in a small grassy meadow. The book has vanished. She gazes around her, but sees nothing other than a variety of landscapes in the distance: a rocky mesa, a tropical beach, a vast desert, a peaceful forest, and a forlorn junkyard await her in different directions. She looks around, confused.

FIORA: Alright, now what? I don’t...

As she thinks for a moment, a memory crosses her mind of a conversation she’d once had with Diego.

DIEGO (V.O.): If I had to be stuck somewhere, I’d pick a desert. You’d see the monsters coming from miles away, y’know?

FIORA (to herself): It’s as good a reason as any, Diego.

She begins to sprint toward the desert. When she draws closer, the world shifts again.

FIORA: Whoa! Not again!

She now stands in a small room, empty save for a table in the center. Atop the table sit several vials of liquid, in different shapes and colors. She approaches it curiously.

FIORA: Weirdest test I’ve ever taken.

She stares at the vials with suspicion. Then she frowns.

FIORA (frustrated): Alright, that’s it. Time to channel my inner Alyssa... (shouting) Swan or whoever, you’d better not expect me to drink one of these!

Annoyed, she swipes all the vials off the table, where they fall to the floor with a crash.

FIORA: Seriously, enough! Is this test almost done or--

The world shifts again; Fiora stumbles but manages to catch her footing. Here, she stands in the middle of a bank of fog, too dense to see anything through it. She squints, trying to figure out what to do next, when she hears a familiar voice:

ALYSSA (O.S.): Fiora? I can’t see! What do we do?

FIORA: Wha-- Alyssa?

IAN (O.S.): Help! Fiora! Where are you?

FIORA: Alyssa? Guys? I--

ALYSSA (O.S.): Where are you? Please, please don’t abandon us!

FIORA (panicking): I didn’t-- I-- You abandoned me! You left and never even called!

ALYSSA (O.S.): That wasn’t our fault! This place-- we can’t leave!

IAN (O.S.): Help us, Fiora! Do something!

ALYSSA (O.S.): Please!

FIORA (frantically): Alyssa? Guys? ALYSSA!

Tears in her eyes, she starts sprinting blindly through the fog, desperately trying to push it away, as the voices continue:

IAN (O.S.): We’re trapped!

ALYSSA (O.S.): There’s no escape!

IAN (O.S.): Fiora!

ALYSSA (O.S.): Fiora!

FIORA (screaming): NO!

As she crashes blindly through the fog, the world shifts again, dropping her into the center of a dark forest. Fiora falls flat on her face, then shakily pulls herself to her feet.

FIORA: Ow! Alyssa? Guys? ...Hello?

But instead of a reply, a swarm of pixies erupts from behind the trees, headed straight for her and buzzing malevolently!

FIORA: Oh, come on! Stupid test... take this!

Angrily, she scoops up a branch from the ground and charges straight at the pixies.

FIORA: AAAAAAAAAAAHH!

Just as she and the pixies are about to collide, the world shifts yet again. This time, she stands at the bottom of a huge canyon, with a flowing river just in front of her. She looks down... and instead of her own reflection, she sees Shreya’s face.

FIORA: Shreya? Wait... huh?

As she watches, Shreya’s face morphs into into Ian’s, then Griffin’s, then Alyssa’s.

FIORA (weirded-out): ...Okay? I don’t get it. Next test, please!

But the world refuses to shift. Instead, the reflection morphs again, this time into the strange white-haired version of herself that had pulled her through the mirror.

FIORA: ...You again?

The reflection changes back to Alyssa’s face, then changes several more times, shifting faster and faster until it finally fades into nothing more than a blurry outline. A voice suddenly speaks from everywhere and nowhere:

VOICE: But who are YOU, Fiora Luxen?

FIORA (unsettled): I... I’m nobody! I don’t know! I don’t--

She closes her eyes tightly as the world shifts once more. This time, she stands on a stark metal floor. The room around her stretches into darkness as far as she can see on all sides. In front of her are two shimmering portals, and she steps cautiously toward them. Through the first, she sees an image of herself in her old dorm at Hartfeld, laughing and joking with Alyssa, Ian, and Diego as they watch a movie and share a bowl of popcorn. Through the second, she sees herself in an unfamiliar room, equally happy, with Shreya sitting beside her, an arm draped over her shoulder. Next to the two of them sit Griffin, Beckett, and the white-haired version of herself, all smiling and laughing. Fiora looks back and forth between the two of them, confused.

FIORA: The way things were... and... they way they will be here? “Past or present?” Is that what this is?

She frowns as she peers closer at the second portal.

FIORA: Wait, why’s Beckett there? That’s weird.

She looks back and forth again, trying to figure out what she should do.

FIORA: Okay, so...

As she thinks, a shadowy sphere appears directly between the two portals, glowing with dark energy and growing larger and larger as it approaches her. Gradually, a malevolent-looking face appears on its “body,” and it opens its jagged mouth as it glides toward her.

CREATURE: Chhhhhssss!

FIORA: Ahh! What the hell are you?!

The creature opens its mouth and launches a burst of shadowy energy straight at Fiora! She leaps out of the way just in time, and the portals start to flicker and fade. The creature turns and charges toward her, wreathing itself in sinister purple flame.

FIORA: Alright, I don’t like you. Go away! De-spawn! Get going! Whatever!

The creature--and the world--remain as they are. The creature launches another burst of shadow energy, and Fiora barely manages to get out of the way in time. She starts sprinting toward the “Present” portal, but it fades away as she approaches, the creature following closely behind.

FIORA: Okay, you... there’s gotta be a trick to this, right?

CREATURE: SHRIEEEEEEEEK!

FIORA (to herself): You can’t die in the test. You can’t die in the test. You can’t die in the test!

Another shadow burst hits her in the leg, and she falls to the ground.

FIORA: Alright, that’s enough! I’m done! Stupid test!

Frantic, she scrambles back to her feet and stomps the ground three times... but nothing happens. The creature charges toward her, and she stomps her foot three times again before turning and sprinting away from the creature.

FIORA: HEY! I stomped! I’m done! Let me out of this thing already!

The view momentarily shifts to outside the test, where there is a flurry of panic...

...and we see that the creature attacking Fiora is very much real and visible to everyone present. Dr. Swan casts several stoicheal attacks toward Fiora’s Dreamcase, which has now changed color to an angry purplish-red, but none of Dr. Swan’s attacks manage to penetrate it.

DR. SWAN: Someone! Go for help, now!

She casts another attack, and Shinelle nods, rushing off toward a different section of the Vault. As Dr. Swan begins another intricate motion with her hands, a breathless Shreya sprints toward the Dreamcase.

SHREYA: Fiora! No!

Shreya casts her usual Evaporation, but it does nothing. Angrily, she charges at the Dreamcase and starts pounding her fists on the barrier.

DR. SWAN: What are you doing?! That thing is--

CREATURE: SSSSSSHHHHKKKKKK!

The creature turns its attention to Shreya, passing straight through the Dreamcase barrier as though it were nothing. Shreya backs away, drawing back her hands and thrusting them outward at the creature. Two small jets of flame erupt from her hands and toward it, but it appears to be only momentarily stunned by the attack.

DR. SWAN: It’s too dangerous! Let me-

The creature launches a blast of shadow at Shreya, and Dr. Swan projects a shield between her and the creature. The view shifts back into the test...

...where Fiora is pulling herself to her feet, still in the endless dark room.

FIORA: At least that thing’s gone. Uh... now what?

She looks around, but sees nothing. The two portals from earlier have completely vanished. She frowns, and after a brief hesitation, stomps her foot three times once again. Nothing happens.

FIORA (shouting): Hey, I think this test might be glitchy! Somebody? Hello?

Back outside the test, Dr. Swan is sending blast after blast of energy toward the creature, which keeps dodging and attempting to attack Shreya.

SHREYA: Okay, this thing likes me way too much! Go away!

Dr. Swan lets loose another blast of flame, larger this time, and the creature seems to flinch at the impact.

SHREYA: Yes! That’s right, die, whatever you--

The creature abruptly pivots 180 degrees and phases back into the Dreamcase again, ignoring the others completely. Shinelle rushes back into the area, several professors following close behind. A grey-haired woman with a stern expression, DEAN GOEFFE, glances between the creature and Shreya with alarm.

DEAN GOEFFE: Evelyn! What is going on here?

Shreya rushes up and starts pounding on the barrier again, but this time the creature ignores her.

SHREYA: Fiora! My friend’s in there! FIORA!

Back inside the test, the creature has returned.

FIORA (annoyed): Great. You’re back. Alright, time for Round 2!

She grits her teeth and charges toward the creature head-on. Startled, it momentarily backs off, and she turns and swings a fist at it. Upon impact, she recoils in pain as the energy surrounding the creature burns her hand.

FIORA: Yeah, that was probably dumb. Aah!

She stumbles backward as the creature shoots another blast of shadow energy.

FIORA: Look, I know we’re not supposed to use magic-- stoichi, whatever-- but come on!

There is no response. The creature charges toward her, and she lets out a resigned sigh before sidestepping and allowing it to barrel past her. Before it can recover, she concentrates and shouts at the creature, thrusting an arm forward.

FIORA: Fine, screw it. Take THIS!

But instead of the fire that she expected, a brilliant beam of light erupts from her palm, solid and powerful. It slams directly into the creature, disintegrating it completely...

Outside the test, everyone leaps back in alarm as a similar pillar of light lances out from inside the Dreamcase and pierces the ceiling of the Vault high above. Dr. Swan looks on with a knowing smile as Shreya gapes in astonishment.

SHREYA: No... no way...

Back inside the test, reality is beginning to break down around Fiora, with strange lights and shapes popping in and out of existence around her.

FIORA (shouting desperately): That’s not what I meant to do! I swear! Honest! I didn’t even know I... huh?

In front of her, a shimmering portal appears, similar to the two she had seen earlier. But this one displays an entirely different scene from either of the previous two. Fiora sees herself, several decades older, standing in a dark, twisted landscape. She is using powerful fire and light stoichi to battle against unseen foes, along with an older Shreya as well as Alyssa and Ian. Two others that Fiora does not recognize are present as well: a man with long brown hair, fighting at Alyssa’s side, and a woman with a striking scar on her face who stands back-to-back with Ian. Strangely, only Fiora and Shreya look older in this vision, while the twins and their partners still look around the same age as Fiora is now. She steps closer to the portal, peering curiously at it.

FIORA: Okay... that definitely isn’t my past. Or present. What the--

The image blurs and shifts, becoming dark as the portal starts to fade away. But just before it vanishes completely, a sinister voice booms in Fiora’s mind:

VOICE (echoing): ALL THINGS MUST END.

Fiora grips her head and cries out in pain, then collapses to the ground, unconscious, as the test fades away around her. A concerned Shreya calls out to her, her voice fading...

SHREYA (distantly): Fiora? Answer me! Fiora!

_______________________

Scene Notes: So THAT’S where that shadow creature from canon showed up! Watching a professor ask Fiora a bunch of questions wouldn’t be too exciting in film format, so I decided to make the Test a bit more interesting... In order:

Bart Nguyen: no relation to Michelle, if you were wondering. It’s a fairly common last name, and I didn’t even realize I’d given him Michelle’s last name until after I’d written the character! Chalk it up to coincidence.

Why Dr. Swan: Dr. Kontos is busy with the Wood-Atts! Here, each Attunement has its own elemental advisor. Dr. Swan is the Fire advisor, so she handled the Fire-Att test. (The change from “Professor” to “Dr.” was both to further separate this from Harry Potter, and also to keep up the college theme.)

Ian and Alyssa in the test: Were they just illusions drawn from Fiora’s mind, or is there something more going on here...?

The three portals: Probably obvious, but the first two are Past and Present, with a Future portal appearing at the end. Speaking of the future portal: if you’ve read my previous Most Wanted screenplay, the words spoken by the mysterious voice at the end should sound chillingly familiar...

_______________________

Next: Answers and Questions

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0 @shaylan211 @griselda1121 @acanthisorbis

DotF/Elementalists Tag List:

[loopyhoopywrites]

How Does A Hermit Accidentally Get Published? (A TLD excerpt)

Okay so this is kinda long, and minorly spoilery? But if anyone is interested in how The Hermits’ Guide to Friendship (Vol 1-4) came to be, I just finished typing up it’s origin story. For context, Cedrix and Tim have just been escorted to a private VIP booth at Ye Olde Nightclub by CJ Themir, the author of the guides, who is begging them to help him.

Tag list: @kryskakikomi @shattered-starrs @ifonlyicouldwrite @sybil-writes @raevenlywrites @sunlight-and-starskies @notwritinganyflufftoday @chauceryfairytales @writeblrfantasy @dazed-night-lights

* * * * *

Of all the critiques one could accurately make regarding Prince Cedrix, an unwillingness to help his subjects would not be one of them. Quite the opposite, in fact. Cedrix was, to the despair of his diplomatic advisers, extremely hands on when it came to sorting his kingdom’s problems.

(Rescuing damsels was, perhaps, the only exception to Cedrix’s willingness. Given, however, his sexuality, the lack of male damsels, and the strange cultural expectation that a Rescue equated to a proposal of marriage, this was understandable.)

Despite his willingness, Cedrix looked at CJ, with his fans, fame and, presumably, fortune, and found himself with one question.

“What could someone like you possibly need help with?”

Tim, it turned out, also had a question.

“What happened to your accent?”

CJ sighed, running a hand through his hair. Unlike his previous suave swoop, this time the gesture was a clear sign of stress, turning his artfully arranged curls from a masterful oil painting into something more akin to a child let loose with twelve fingers and a bucketful of muddy paint.

“It’s a long story.” He said, deftly managing to answer and evade both questions simultaneously.

“We have time.” Said Cedrix.

“Okay.”

CJ ran his other hand through his hair. It didn’t help.

“Okay,” He said again, “I’ll- I guess I’ll start at the beginning?”

“That is how most stories start.”

Cedrix crossed his arms impatiently. Tim, always eager for story time, swapped his empty tankard for a new one and snuggled into Cedrix’s side. CJ was twisting his hands nervously, and his left leg was bouncing as if possessed by a particularly hyperactive jackalope. Coupled with the way his eyes darted nervously around the balcony, Cedrix wondered CJ should be the one with a tankard in hand.

“Beginning,” CJ finally repeated, looking Cedrix in the eye only to immediately glance away again, “Well, um, my name isn’t actually CJ.”

As far as beginnings went, this one was hardly a surprise. Cedrix crossed his arms tighter, hoping the story improved. Quickly.

“My name… it’s Daigo. Daigo Ramirez.”

Here, CJ paused, the silence lingering a moment too long, and then a moment longer.

“Sorry,” He said eventually, smiling sheepishly, “It’s been a while since I’ve been able to say that.”

Unsympathetic, Cedrix merely fixed him with a glare that clearly meant get on with it. Tim slurped his drink through a brightly coloured curly straw that hadn’t been there when he started.

“I am – well, I used to be – a hermit,” CJ – Daigo – began, “People have always been a bit… much, for me.” He smiled wryly, as if amused by some private joke. Cedrix snuck a glance at Tim, suspecting that the wizard would be far more sympathetic than Cedrix himself. Tim, however, didn’t seem to be listening, instead busy attempting to balance the cherry from his drink on the tip of his nose. It was only when Daigo cleared his throat that Cedrix realised he’d been staring.

“Continue.” He ordered, dragging his attention back to the author.

“I lived in a rented room above an antiques shop,” Daigo seemed to shift more comfortably into his chair as he settled into his story, although his leg still jiggled distractedly, “It was about as close to solitude as I could afford, given the high demand for isolated towers and caves amongst royalty these days. The store’s owner would leave groceries outside the door once a week, and in return I left rent money under the unwelcome mat. I never had to leave, and no one ever came to visit. Even the store below hardly ever had customers.”

Cedrix couldn’t help but wonder how using the privy fit into this self-isolation situation, but he was far too proper to ask.

“The room I lived in had one window,” Daigo continued, “That looked out over the beer garden of a local tavern. In the summer months, between my daily meditations, I found myself in the habit of watching the patrons who sat out there. Not in an inappropriate way, of course!”

Realising how his penultimate sentence might have sounded, Daigo raised his panicked eyes. Cedrix looked back with impatient indifference. Tim was still struggling with his balancing act.

“I started, um, making notes,” Daigo hesitantly continued, acutely aware that this was not helping his ‘not a creep’ argument, “I wasn’t – I’m not – interested in actually interacting with people myself, you understand, but watching people interact was – is – intriguing to me. I supposed it turned into a sort of… research project.”

“Research project?”

“Um hm.” Daigo agreed, his nervous hands easing from a jerk into a mere twitch as he hit his stride, “I ordered some books, ending up with quite the extensive library, and when I’d learnt all I could from those I began to talk to people.

“Not directly,” He quickly clarified, “But I cultivated a decent number of quill-pals who provided valuable insight into the field of social interactions. It turned into quite the thesis.”

“Am I to assume that this rather lengthy attempt at an explanation is the Guide’s origin story?” Cedrix asked.

“I- well, yes.” Daigo responded, his fidgeting returning with a vengeance as he avoided Cedrix’s gaze, “Only, I didn’t mean to get published.”

“It seems to have worked out fairly well for you.”

“Well!?” Daigo exclaimed, momentarily forgetting just who he was speaking to, “You have to be joking!?”

Cedrix just gave him The Look.

“Sorry,” Daigo’s cheeks quickly turned a rather unflattering shade of horrified pink as he realised he’d just yelled at royalty, “It’s just, all this-” He waved toward the edge of the balcony, where they could just make out his crowd of admirers below them, “-is the last thing I wanted. I hate it.”

“Why did you publish The Guide then?”

“It was sort of… an accident.”

“How does one publish four books by accident?”

“Five if you count the autobiography.” Daigo reluctantly corrected. He caught sight of the copy of From Cave to Rave that Tim had repurposed into a placemat and shuddered. “Here’s the thing. As part of my research, I was writing to a great many people-”

“So you’ve mentioned.”

“-Which meant I was sending a lot of mail. It was agreed that I would leave it outside my door along with the gold pieces needed to cover postage, and my landlord would drop it off at the postman’s guild for me.”

“So?”

“I, um, accidentally left my thesis with my outgoing mail.”

“And it got delivered.” Cedrix surmised.

“I don’t know how!” Daigo stammered, letting out the type of laugh that people only ever laughed if it was a choice between that or crying, “It didn’t have an address on it. It wasn’t even in an envelope!”

Daigo’s leg was now bouncing so fast it was almost a blur, and Cedrix had the sudden bizarre image of it becoming detached and flying across the room.

“Next thing I knew, publishers were practically breaking down my door.” Daigo said, so stressed by the mere idea that beads of sweat were starting to gather in little committees on his forehead. Cedrix would have offered him a handkerchief, but given that Tim had given up on balancing his cherry and was now onto his third cocktail, he had a feeling it might come in handy later on.

“You still had to have given permission.” He pointed out instead.

“They, um,” And here, Daigo looked almost guilty, “Offered me money.”

No almost about it, that was definitely guilt. Cedrix neglected to comment, instead choosing a far more effective rebuttal that he’d long ago picked up from his stalwart knight; the Raised Eyebrow of Disapproval.

“It’s sort of hard to earn money as a hermit,” Diago said, his immediate jump to excuses proving once again the effectiveness of the Eyebrow, “Plus, they said it would be a one time thing! Rewrite a few sections, sign a piece of paper, get paid. They never mentioned all… this!”

Once again, Daigo waved an arm in an attempt to encompass his fame, fortune, and what could almost be considered an army of fans, his face plastered with unbridled horror and despair. Cedrix sighed.

“This piece of paper,” He said, putting the pieces together and creating an all too common portfolio of the utter stupidity of the average commoner, “Am I to assume it was, in face, a contract?”

“…Maybe.”

“And did you, perhaps, happen to read this contract before you signed your name at the bottom of it?”

Daigo’s silence was answer enough, but Cedrix was still going to make him say it.

“Pardon?”

“I skimmed it.”

“I see.” Cedrix said, pursing his lips in thinly disguised disapproval. Luckily for Daigo, Cedrix had never been in possession of anything even close to a generous amount of patience, and he wasn’t about to waste what little he had left on a lecture on the importance of reading the terms and conditions.

“And CJ?”

“My publishers wanted to prove that the advice outlined in my books worked,” Daigo sighed, “And that meant I had to be their first success story. They created this persona for me. It was only supposed to be for a week or so, whilst they advertised The Guide, but, well, my books proved more popular than previously anticipated.”

“An effective marketing technique.” Cedrix couldn’t help but comment. He leant back in his seat, fixing Daigo with a cultivated stare of indifference.

“So,” He asked, finally returning to his original question “What do you expect me to do about it?”

For the first time, Daigo didn’t look away. Instead he leant forward, meeting Cedrix’s gaze with a confidence nobody would have imagined he could have possessed, and Cedrix was suddenly certain that he was about to regret asking.

“I want you to help me fake my death.”

[lovelyfeh]

now this,, i love this omg it’s so innocent and sweet and is totally something Sylvain would do bajcjsnzn

hopefully i did alright! writers block hit me extremely hard so i’ve been struggling with requests all day and i’m still unhappy with the pacing and overall writing in this one ;-; feel free to ask for a rewrite any time!

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈୨♡୧┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

➼Dimitri rarely ever has ‘chaotic’ days, as said by Annette once or twice. Occasionally he’ll wake up with a particularly bad headache or feel sleep for the entire day, but otherwise everyday is more or less the same. Wake up, go to class, meet up with friends, dreamily sigh as he thinks about you, write an entry in his diary, and then go to bed! Perfectly normal!

➼But something was off about today. When he awoke at his usual time, he immediately knew something was... off. As if something was missing from his room.

➼He quickly got dressed and checked every corner of of his quarters. There were no traps, no missing valuables, nothing! Perhaps it had been his imagination? He dismisses the odd feeling and quickly heads out to meet with his classmates. He won’t let a bad morning ruin the rest of day!

➼He greets everyone he sees on his way the the Blue Lions classroom. Mostly everyone is still off talking with others or getting ready in their room, but he’s surprised to see Sylvain already in his seat. Once again the odd feeling he had felt earlier struck him like a powerful magic attack, causing him to take a deep breath before continuing.

➼“Good morning Sylvain, it’s a surprise to see you up this early.” He watched in confusion as his childhood friend turns to him with an almost sinister face covered up by his obvious amusement.

➼“Good morning to you as well, Prince Charming,” Dimitri quirks a brow at the random title, opening his mouth to ask about his weird choice of words, but gets cut off by Sylvain. “I didn’t know you were romantic type Dimitri! You want to take S/O out for tea and then rule the kingdom with her? Aren’t you thinking a bit too far ahead?”

➼And just like that his good day fall apart.

➼Time seems to stop as Dimitri desperately searches for a reason why Sylvain knew that. How he had found out about his crush on you despite going through extreme measure to keep it a secret. He hadn’t told a soul, not even Dedue! The only thing that came to mind involving his feelings was his diary!

➼Dimitri can’t stop himself from grabbing the smug looking red head by the shirt, eyes going dark. “Where did you learn that information, Sylvain?” His voice is scarily quiet, almost a whisper. Anyone who heard it now wouldn’t think it’s the prince talking in such a menacing way.

➼“Woah woah! Calm down! I was only messing with you,” he raises his hand in mock surrender, an easy going smile still on his face as he speaks. Dimitri sighs, about lower him, until Sylvain holds up a familiar blue and golden journal. “I just found everything in here. You don’t mind that I took a peek into your diary, do you?”

➼“Sylvain! Stop joking! What is it you want from me?!” Obviously he wanted something. He wouldn’t have that information unless he was trying to blackmail him. Perhaps he needed his help to get a girl? Either way, he wouldn’t be getting off so easily after he did whatever he needed to...

➼“Well isn’t it obvious? I could tell from the start you were pretty fond of S/O, and it’s been kinda painful watching you stumble over yourself to simply talk to the poor girl,” Dimitri feels his face suddenly burn at his words, “and really, I just want you to finally man up and tell her how you feel. I’m pretty confident she’ll return your feelings right back!”

➼Dimitri quickly drops his friend and covers his face with his hands in embarrassment. He’d known?! And after he had thought he’d hidden his feelings so well! He slaps a hand against his forehead in complete disappointment before sighing angrily. “And if I don’t say anything?”

➼He hears Sylvian laugh, followed by a pat to his back. “I’ll post this on the dining hall billboard for everyone to see, of course. Cmon man, you’ve had a thing for S/O basically since the beginning of time. You need to say something before she gets taken!” He doesn’t see it, but he knows that his friend is winking, as if he needs anymore reasons to finally spill his love for you.

➼And so commences plan ‘get Dimitri to ask you out so Sylvain doesn’t leak his diary and private feelings about you to the whole school’.

➼Dimitri finds himself being drilled on your favorite tea, flowers, and gifts. Heck, somehow Sylvain even managed to find a multitude of lost items that belonged to you. Why had he even had those in the first place? How long had he been planning this whole scheme?!

➼And that’s not where the torture ends, no. Apparently Sylvain had gone and told the entire Blue Lions class when he wasn’t looking. Walking in to find everyone besides Felix (who was still present unfortunately) engaging in a large brainstorm on the best way to win you over.

➼Dimitri isn’t sure what finally pushes him over the edge; seeing you in such a state of confusion and a bit of hurt as everyone distances themselves from you, or the fact that Sylvain has been standing closer to the billboard everyday. He lays awake that night and lets out a long, tired sigh when he realizes that he has to do something before the both of you end up being embarrassed in front of the whole school.

➼Dimitri completely avoids the Blue Lions classroom that morning and heads to where he knows you’ll be. He peeks into the library and finds you studying tomes, a dejected look on your face. The rest of your classmates had probably already kicked you out of the entire officers academy section so they could think up more absurd confession ideas.

➼He stands outside the library for what seems like forever, pumping himself up to go in there and sweep you off your feet before completely psyching out and going back to square one. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out your favorite flower that was surprisingly still in pristine shape, staring at it with such a desperate look on his face. If this didn’t work then he was sure you wouldn’t even consider any of his ‘planned’ other attempts...

➼Quietly, he enters, slowly walking towards the table where you sat on your lonesome. You’re facing him, but seem to either be absorbed by your studies or too downcast to notice him approaching. Each step he takes makes him feel as if his heart will simply burst and cause his untimely death (and really, that doesn’t sound so bad to him considering what he���s about to do.)

➼As he stops in front of you he continually repeats to himself in his head that he must do this. If he doesn’t, not only would his pride disappear in a matter of seconds, but you’d be teased to no end. ‘This is for the both of us’, he thinks to himself, ‘so please forgive me.’

➼Dimitri silently takes a seat next to you and stares at your face for a moment. Your eyes have a distant look to them, so he gulps nervously and gently takes your free hand in his.

➼You snap into reality at his touch, turning to the prince with wide eyes and mouth slightly agape. You almost immediately brighten at the sight of him however, and he feels you quickly grab his hand back. “Dimitri! Oh Dimitri it’s so wonderful to finally see you again. You’ve been so distant these past few days, I wondered if I had said something that offended you!... I didn’t say anything that offended you, did I? I’m so sorry!”

➼“T-Trust me, S/O. Nothing you could ever say would make me stop lov-liking! Liking you!” His face is on fire as he averts his eyes from yours. Had you noticed his slip up?

➼“Oh that’s such a relief, I was so worried. I... hey, Dimitri, you look rather red. Do you have a fever? Perhaps we should visit Manuela before breakfast ends...” You rise from your seat, still holding his hand. “Let’s go see if you’re sick. We can’t have our house leader ill! We should catch it before it worsens, don’t you agree?”

➼“N-No, that’s not-” “Hm? What are you waiting for? Cmon, we don’t want to end up being late for class!” “Really, I’m not sick-!” “Nonsense! It’s ok to seek help once in a while, you stubborn prince!”

➼As you continue to try and yank him out of his seat, he allows his irritation to throw every shred of rationality out the window. And so, Dimitri does what any fed up person trying to confess would do.

➼In one swift movement, he’s out of his seat and pulls you against his chest. You squeak, flushing and about to ask what this is all about, but are cut off by a light kiss. Your eyes widen at the feeling of prince Dimitri lips on yours (he was kissing you) but don’t stop yourself from leaning in and kissing back. You don’t know what came over him, but you weren’t complaining whatsoever.

➼He pulls away harshly, probably realizing what he had just done, and covers his mouth with a hand. “I-I-S/O! I am so terribly sorry! That was-How can I-?” You watch in mild amusement as he continues to stumble over his words and desperately apologize, as if he had done something wrong. Besides, you had been longing for that kiss since the first day you met Dimitri.

➼You giggle at his adorable behavior before quickly placing a finger over his lips. “Hush, you silly sweetheart. I don’t see what you’re apologizing for!” You glanced at the clock on the wall nearby and hummed, grabbing your things while Dimitri watched in a daze, still muttering to himself about something. You excused yourself, but not before pecking him on the forehead and leaning in the doorway to tell him a few parting words.

➼“And if it makes you feel better, I love you too Dimitri!” You wink, twirling the flower he had intended to give you in your fingers before skipping off the class.

➼Dimitri watches you leave, letting his fingers brush against his lips and forehead, the places that your lips had touched. He couldn’t help the bashful smile that spread across his face as the words ‘I love you too’ seemed to echo in his head. Perhaps he should thank Sylvain for forcing him into this whole thing when he gets the chance-

➼“Look at you go lover boy! You even went for a kiss and everything! Told ya it’s all work out! Mission accomplished Blue Lions, you can all head to class now. I need to give Dimitri here back something that belongs to him!”

➼Or he could kill him right now, considering he put his confession on display for the entire class to watch, but that could wait until he had a lance...