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oilivia · 4 years ago

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dating the Haikyuu boys as.. zodiac sign stereotypes

a/n: it seems this year i’m all for trying new things and making weird banners. i’m honestly not sure if anyone else did it before, i tried looking it up but i haven’t seen any posts.

this is pure fluff and a bit of crack, headcanons of some of the Haikyuu boys as their respective zodiac sign based solely on my experience with said signs and their personalities.

don’t take this too seriously please! but if you want to come for my head, my asks are open.

Characters: Yuuji Terushima, Satori Tendou, Koushi Sugawara, Tooru Oikawa, Wakatoshi Ushijima, Koutarou Bokuto, Atsumu Miya, Tetsurou Kuroo, Keiji Akaashi, Tobio Kageyama, Rintarou Suna, Kiyoomi Sakusa

CW: fluff, some crack, mentions of kissing and sex (but nothing explicit), PDA, sun sign stereotypes, my own interpretation

Wording: 1.3k

♡ Aries - Yuuji Terushima

spontaneous dates. 3 am “u up?” calls. play fighting. running naked on the beach at midnight.

“Be ready in 10, we’re going on a picnic.” You take a look at the clock, Saturday, 2:14am. He’s there in 7 minutes, not 10, grinning as he watches you sneak out of the house. “I brought pancakes” he announces as he takes your hand and pulls you into a kiss. An hour and a short climb later, you’re lying in the grass at the top of a hill, watching the way the stars dance above your heads.

♡ Taurus - Satori Tendou

leaving you the last bite. netflix & chill. massages. sleeping in on the weekend. fine chocolate and good wine.

The delicious smell of your favorite food fills your nostrils. The room is dark aside from the candlelight, an open bottle of wine resting on the table. “I thought I’d do something special for you, I know you had a long week.” You giggle - any excuse for Tendou to treat you like a princess. Was that a chocolate cake on the counter? You hummed with appreciation when you felt his lips place a sweet kiss on your cheek.

♡ Gemini - Koushi Sugawara

driving around town. making out for hours. late night chats. singing at the top of your lungs. sexting

“Can I open the window?” you ask with an innocent smile. He chuckles “Can I stop you?” You roll it down, your head poking out. The cold air of the night hits your face as you sing at the top of your lungs. Your eyes are fixed on Suga’s, ear to ear grin on your faces. You mess up the lyrics, throwing you both into a fit of laughter. “You’re so pretty” he says as he ruffles your hair when you get back in your seat.

♡ Cancer - Tooru Oikawa

stargazing. breakfast in bed. saying “i love you” too soon. taking care of you when you’re sick. cupping your cheeks as he kisses your nose.

“What’s so amusing?” you question, raising an eyebrow. “You just look so cute when you’re angry.” You scoff, turning your head to hide your smile. It was just like him to say something stupid and then tease you when you got angry. He knew you couldn’t stay mad at him, not when he made that pouty face “Buy me another ice-cream if you want me to forgive you for dropping this one, Tooru.” “Anything for you, sweetness!”

♡ Leo - Wakatoshi Ushijima

fancy restaurant dates. surprise gifts. compliments. weekend trips. taking pictures to remember your smile.

“What are you hiding?” you smirk, your hands reaching for the small box Ushijima holds behind his back. Your eyes widen when you open it “How did you know?” “I noticed you looking at it when we went out. Let me see how it looks on you.” He takes the necklace, fingers gently brushing against your soft skin as he clasps the necklace around your neck. “You look perfect,” he states as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

♡ Virgo - Koutarou Bokuto

laughing until you cry. good morning kisses. cooking together. picking you up and throwing you on his shoulder.

You let out a startled cry when you felt a pair of strong arms wrap around your waist and lift you up “Gotcha!” he laughs in your ear as he holds you tight, even as you struggle to escape “Kou, put me down” you demand, your tone amused - you were used to his antics. “Only if you give me a kiss first, I haven’t seen you in forever” he pleads as he turns you around “If by forever you mean this morning.” He bends down, eyes to your level, as he waits for you to close the gap and kiss him.

♡ Libra - Atsumu Miya

flirting and teasing. making out in the club. playful pranks. dancing in the living room.

Not even the nights when you wouldn’t go out were boring, not with Atsumu. You sit on the couch as he watches a volleyball game, your eyes glued to a book. He changes the channel and hears your favorite song play. He grabs your hand “Dance with me,” he’s smiling, a wicked glint in his eyes. Could you refuse? You get up, your feet carrying you across the living room floor as you dance. Soft kisses find your lips whenever you giggle.

♡ Scorpio - Tetsurou Kuroo

passionate kisses. falling in love with your eyes. finishing each other’s sentences. fight and makeup. watching the sunset.

“Move faster, old man, we only have 15 minutes left till the sun sets” you tease with a grin. He sighs audibly, feigning an exasperated look “Carry this old man to the top if you’re so enthusiastic!” “I’ll leave you here then, Tetsu-” you squint your eyes before you start trekking again. He’ll catch up eventually, he couldn’t be that tired. “Hmm, if that’s how you want to play” you hear him snicker “Last one to the top carries the backpacks!” he exclaims as he starts running, almost passing you before you join in.

♡ Sagittarius - Keiji Akaashi

playing devil’s advocate. forehead kisses. talking about the universe. dancing in the rain. exploring each other’s hobbies.

Your fingers brush as you reach for the same book. “Please, go ahead” Akaashi says, soft smile dancing on his lips. “Oh, I couldn’t possibly” you reply in an excessively polite tone. You gasp, feigning outrage when you see him take the book from the shelf. “It’s for you, miss” he hands you the volume as he plants a kiss on your forehead, only to pull it away from your grasp with a chuckle. “But I think you can wait a bit more, let me buy it for you, love” he takes your hand, heading for the front of the bookstore. Leave it to Akaashi to make you fall for him all over again.

♡ Capricorn - Tobio Kageyama

power couple. expensive gifts. dark humor. overseas trips. playing with your hair. inner wrist kisses

“You look breathtaking!” Kageyama compliments you when he sees you dressed for the party. “I will need to keep an eye on you, don’t want anyone to steal you away.” “As if anyone could,” you smile when you see him drink in your image, his eyes scanning you head to toe. “But we should get going, unless you want us to be late” “Let them wait, I want to admire my princess”. You feel your skin getting hotter at his words. Maybe you could be late this one time.

♡ Aquarius - Rintarou Suna

blasting music. buying snacks in the middle of the night. foreign movies. aesthetic pictures. witty comebacks.

You stopped running, hand on your stomach as you laughed, struggling to catch your breath. “Rin, wait” you shout, prompting Suna to turn back and look at you. “What? Can you still run? The store will close in like 4 minutes. Want me to go ahead?” You start laughing harder at his confused expression, watching his brows furrow deeper. “I forgot the store’s open 24/7 now, they changed it last week.” “Are you trying to tell me we sprinted for no reason?” “Bonding experience?” He starts chuckling as well, pulling you into a kiss “Bonding experience.”

♡ Pisces - Kiyoomi Sakusa

roasting each other. falling in love at first sight. neck kisses. midnight strolls. showering together. doing your skincare together.

You feel your body shift and you open your eyes, only to realize Sakusa is carrying you. “You fell asleep on the couch, I’m taking you to bed,” he whispers as if afraid he’d shake the sleepiness from your eyes. “But I haven’t taken off my make-up, Omi” you mutter as you wrap your arms around his neck lovingly. “I’ll take it off for you after I tuck you in, I know how you do it,” he presses a kiss on your forehead as you nuzzle your head against his neck. “I love you so much, Omi” “I love you too”

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silverdragon-imagines-blog · 2 years ago

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Distorted Reflections - Chapter 1 - Waking Nightmare

[It's finally here and ready! This fic takes place pretty much immediately after Counter Clockwise. In this fic, I will try really hard to list every possible warning at the start of each chapter with any spoilers related to the tag/chapter summaries at the end of each chapter. That’s gonna be more the case with AO3 than Tumblr as this site is not super easy to use. I can't promise perfection tho, so if I make a mistake in tagging here or on AO3, feel free to correct me. With all that said, I hope you enjoy this chapter ^u^]

Read it on AO3

Warning(s): referenced character death (from Counter Clockwise), referenced/implied claustrophobia, referenced/implied violence, some spoilers for Phantom Hourglass, Dark Link being creepy and manipulative, some more major spoilers for Hyrule Warriors, and the antagonist for this fic is creepy and implied to have done messed up shit. The antagonist is the whole reason that this fic is going to be far darker and more intense than Counter Clockwise.

For a more complete version of tags and content warnings for the whole fic, see the AO3 link at the top of the post.

Warriors could feel the change in the air as he exited the portal, the way it pressed down on him and made him tense. He looked up to see a sky full of stars, though it brought no comfort. All around him were Keep walls and the smell of dust and decay from a familiar battlefield. He stood near the entrance, watching as his companions exited the portal and curiously looked at the decrepit walls. No one spoke, Warriors only acknowledging each hero as they appeared. Minutes passed, and he almost assumed that the portal would close and leave three of their companions behind, but as soon as the thought entered his mind, Hyrule and Four stepped through with Time close behind them.

The Smithy didn’t say anything, just kept his eyes fixed on the cracked ground, but that was fine. He had gone through a lot. Warriors cleared his throat, most of the group flinching and then looking his way.

“We’re in my Era. I recognize this area,” he explained, looking over the group, “unfortunately, we aren’t safe here. This Keep is too open.”

“Is there a better place for us to set up camp for the night?”

Warriors looked out at the barren wasteland that made up the valley, mapping the battlefield in his mind. Most of the keeps had three entryways, and it would be difficult to protect the camp adequately and allow the others ample opportunity to rest and recover. Only one was easy to defend from inside, though the chances of the Great Fairy letting them seek refuge inside her fountain was very low. At least, it would have a cost he was unwilling to pay. They were in the now-abandoned allied keep, the next safest one was hours away at most, but it would be safe.

“There’s a Keep to the Northeast that may suit our needs. It has two entrances, easily defensible, but we’ll need to double up on watch shifts,” he explained, fidgeting with the strap of his sheath, “it’s a bit far, though.”

“Wars,” Time spoke up, the Captain snapping to attention, “we’re all exhausted. How long do you think it would take to get there?”

He paused at this, going over the map in his head again.

“It would take maybe two hours to reach. If we hurry, we could cut that time down, but,” Warriors bit his lip, glancing at each hero’s face and how they practically sagged with exhaustion, “I don’t know if we’d be able to make it there fast with everyone dead on their feet.”

“We’ll have to try.”

There was no argument over the long trek; everyone gathered their belongings and made their way out of the abandoned Keep. Warriors stayed behind, counting heads as they passed. Two, then four, then six, then eight, and he followed behind as the ninth. He made his way to the front, leading the way to the safe place he had mentioned. The battlefield was just as he remembered it, dusty and barren fields with weapons strewn about in a mockery of a gravesite. He led the way past the gnarled and decaying trees and over a rickety bridge that spanned a small canyon, purple mist concealing the bottom. A second bridge was across the small expanse of land where a few small patches of grass clung to life. He tried not to pay attention to how the other heroes whispered amongst themselves as they observed the oppressive land around them.

Everything was near-silent, only adding to the uneasiness they all felt in the air. Each step through the dusty red ground echoed, leaving some heroes to pause and listen for foes. It was eerie as Warriors recalled the massive numbers that had once littered this area, and the lack of even a footprint kept him on edge. No monsters ever appeared, not even a grunt or groan of the bokoblins or bulblins that had been here, and it left everyone on edge and tense as they trekked onward. A sudden weight settled on Warriors’ shoulder, the hero flinching as he reached for his sword and faced the threat.

“Whoa, Wars, relax, it’s me,” Time stepped back, holding his hands up in surrender.

It took a minute to register the absence of a foe, and Warriors thanked whatever deity was listening that he hadn’t fully drawn his blade. He glanced at the rest of the group, making sure that all was well, then fell into step beside Time.

“Are you alright? You seem on edge.”

Warriors sighed, fully expecting that question at some point.

“Later, okay. Not now,” Wars spoke quietly, inclining his head toward the rest of the group.

Time nodded, and they continued in silence. They crossed through a dilapidated tower, inside hollowed out and flattened, and to a Keep near the bottom of the looming valley temple. The heroes all filed into the space, some immediately beginning to set up their bedrolls for the night. Warriors counted heads again, first two, then four, then six, then eight. Everyone was accounted for, and relief filled him. He glanced at the open gated entrances, hinges rusted from a long period of neglect. He wasn’t surprised, but he had hoped there would have been a way to make the camp easier to defend, but this was bound to be the outcome. As he looked toward the tired heroes beginning to set up camp, he came to a decision.

“I know everyone is tired, but we’ll need to set up watch shifts. I’ll take the first one. Who wants to join me?”

No one answered, exhaustion weighing them down as they only spared him a glance. Time approached him then, armor still on and sword drawn in front of him, the end of the blade stuck into the ground. With no one else standing, Warriors nodded.

“Time and I will take the first shift. Who wants to take the next one?”

“I’ll take it,” Twilight spoke up, raising a hand slightly as he set his belongings down near his bedroll with the other.

“I can take it with him,” Wild responded.

Warriors took up position next to the open gate leading out to the open field in front of the stone structure. He listened closely as the heroes’ breathing became heavier as sleep pulled them down. It was relieving knowing that despite the difficulty they had faced back in Termina, they could all still sleep relatively peacefully. As time passed, Warriors could feel Time’s focused gaze on the back of his neck as time passed, making him fight the urge to make himself smaller.

He knew that the older hero wanted to talk about what was happening, and he usually would be okay talking about what was happening so that there wouldn’t be any surprises when there was information that could help them all. And yet, being here in this place only weighed him down, binding his tongue and unable to speak. Truthfully, Warriors was sure that Time knew more than he let on if he had been there during the war. The hero approached, standing next to Warriors and leaning against the gate’s hinge. It was quiet between them for a moment, only the wind kicking up dust and the soft breaths of their sleeping company.

“Do you think you’d be able to speak about what’s been bothering you, Captain?”

He didn’t reply, watching the field before him as the wind threw red dust into the air. The shapes they made in the air created scenes from the past. He could almost hear screams of soldiers and monsters, weapons clashing, and their foe’s laughter from the highest point in the valley. He shivered, dragged out of his reverie by a hand on his shoulder. Time held a question in his eye, though he seemed concerned as well. Warriors sighed, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.

“Sorry, got caught up in memories.”

“Nothing happy, I imagine.”

He chuckled humorlessly.

“You’d be correct. This place only holds bad memories for me, unfortunately. Normally I’d have us head for the nearest village or city, but I’ve had a bad feeling since we’ve gotten here like there’s something we need to do or see further in.”

“I see…” Time trailed off, and Wars glanced at the elder to where he was looking toward the sleeping heroes.

They stood silent for a while, watching the other Links sleep. Sky and Legend were further away from the group, almost propped up against the wall, but angled toward them, hands never far from their weapons. Wild and Twilight were similarly faced toward the others on the opposite side, closer to the group and each other with weapons not far away. Wind was near the middle, with Hyrule and Four behind him. Wind was curled up, small, and closed off from the others, far from how he usually slept sprawled near one of the other heroes. Hyrule and Four cling to each other in their sleep, offering comfort to keep the nightmares at bay. Warriors tried not to pay too much attention to the swelling and red-colored skin under the Smithy’s eyes.

“I know I did wrong by him,” Time spoke, almost reading Warriors’ thoughts and breaking the silence between them. Warriors saw how the older hero looked guilty, slumping over slightly as he continued, “But we had very few options. I just chose what I knew would work. And he paid the price.”

It was quiet again as their conversation ended. Time returned to his post by the other entrance, standing stalwart facing the outside of the keep. Warriors stood at attention, keeping his focus on the field. His ears twitched every so often, catching small noises that weren’t the white noise of the wind shifting dead plants and dirt or the quiet breaths of the slumbering heroes. He glanced over his shoulder, a frown making its way onto his face. A soft whimper met his ears, and he abandoned his post, carefully making his way toward the sleeping heroes to find who was having a nightmare.

“It was a bad situation. I don’t blame you for that. You did what you thought was best.”

A louder cry and the shifting of fabric led him to Wind’s side, the Sailor trembling as he was caught in his nightmare. The Captain kneeled, gently placing a hand on the Sailor’s back to rouse him from the night terror, to no avail. He could hear the mumbling of a name, but he ignored it, trying once more to wake the youngest hero.

“C’mon, Sailor, it’s just a dream. You gotta wake up.”

Warriors could feel helplessness building as he failed to wake the other hero, frantically looking between the heroes for someone to help him, to tell him what to do. Time stayed in his place, seeming to be equally unsure what to do. At that moment, a soft groan met his ears, whipping his head around to see Legend starting to sit up and make his way over to him. He said nothing, but Warriors moved out of the way, watching as Legend leaned over Wind and gently ran his fingers through the sleeping boy’s hair.

“It’s just a nightmare, Bambino; it’s not real,” the Veteran spoke quietly, patiently as he continued his gentle motions, “Come back to us. Everyone is safe, I promise.”

Wind slowly came to, opening his eyes yet not seeing what was in front of him. He reached for Legend’s hand in his hair, holding it for a moment and feeling the rings on his fingers. He breathed in, moving his hand up Legend’s arm as if searching for something, then breathed out when his hand met the other’s shoulder. He sat up, blinking as tears fell from his eyes and looking at Legend’s face. The Veteran looked at him softly. Gone was the usual snark and sass that often appeared on his face; instead, a kind smile took its place.

Wind seemed to regain awareness, rubbing his eyes with one hand and moving the other on Legend’s shoulder back to his hand now at his side.

“Everything’s okay now, I promise,” Legend said.

Wind shook his head, moving toward Legend and wrapping his arms around him as tears trailed down his face. Legend ran his fingers through Wind’s hair again, keeping the young hero close to him. Warriors could only watch as Legend was able to do what he couldn’t. He could feel something building in his chest at the sight, jealousy perhaps or envy at the ease that Legend was able to wake and comfort the youngest of their group. Legend looked up at him briefly, face not betraying whatever he thought before he looked back to the Sailor.

“I’ll take the next shift.”

“What?”

“I have a feeling that I’m not gonna be sleeping anytime soon, and I’m sure the same is true for our Sailor as well,” Legend nodded toward the Sailor, the hero tucked under his chin, “You can tell whoever was supposed to go next that they don’t need to anymore.”

“If you say so…” Warriors trailed off, looking up at Time as the older hero started to approach, “Our watch shift is done. They offered to take over for us.”

Time nodded, starting to take off his armor and putting the Gilded Sword within reach of his bedroll. Warriors sighed, leaving the two heroes where they were and setting up his bedroll in the corner of the Keep. He lay on his back, staring at the red sky, knowing that sleep would not come easy.

So he listened to the hushed conversation between the two on watch even if he couldn’t make out their words. They created a lull, whispers mixing with the whistling wind outside their small safe space. He could feel himself drifting slightly, and he tried to fight it, to stay at least somewhat awake in case of danger. But he was fighting a losing battle as his eyes closed and his thoughts went quieter.

The darkness was comforting, quiet. He felt safe for the first time in what felt like so long. He wanted this moment to last forever, to simply be . Away from all the responsibilities of a hero, away from the heavy burdens of an army leader, and away from the thoughts that invade his mind and memory. He was safe here, and it was the best feeling in the world.

Of course, the darkness couldn’t last forever, and a sudden feeling of being watched forced him to his feet. He was in a void, yet he could feel the ground beneath his feet. At first, nothing seemed to be near him, yet he could feel eyes on the back of his head.

“What do you want with me?”

“Feeling nervous? Powerless?” Dark's voice echoed.

Dark appeared before him, smiling.

“You’re in your own era, aren’t you happy about that? Finally home after so long. Don’t you just love how all the memories start rushing back?”

He stiffened, images and memories flashing before him. Feeling claustrophobic as glass walls restrict his movements. Looking over his shoulder every night when traitors started to show their true colors. The smell of fire and brimstone mixed with blood as he fought for his life. The vile taste of dark magic as he watches dark mirrors of himself rise from the ground. The sounds of screaming, yelling, pleading for their lives as he killed those who wanted him dead and countless others who did not.

Warriors bent forward, heaving for breath as the assault on his senses faded. He flinched when a hand met his back, stumbling back and onto his rear as Dark stood over him.

“Aw, I thought you would’ve enjoyed a trip down memory lane. Maybe it wasn’t to your liking? Here, I have something you might enjoy more.”

Dark smirked as he waved a hand in front of Warriors, new images flashing in front of him.

The stage of his greatest downfall was before him, doors opened to a dark void, yet it beckoned toward him. He was drawn to it, though all of his instincts screamed at him to run away. Hands came from within the dark, encircling his wrists like shackles. He tried to pull away, back up, and tear their hold on him, only for them to grow tighter and start dragging him into the darkness. He felt fear pool in his chest, the urge to scream for help building and building. Cries and screams that sounded all too familiar echoed as the hands dragged him inside.

Warriors woke up with a gasp, shooting upright and reaching for his blade next to him. He had fallen asleep, yet he felt the need to go back to bed, pulling at his limbs and beckoning him back down. He shook it off, standing to survey the campsite and see where everyone was. Wild had set up a small fire in the center with wood that he must’ve had previously, cooking fruits over a low flame. Twilight was standing near one of the entrances with Time, though the two didn’t seem to be talking. Wind and Legend sat together, leaning against the wall and looking through their bags. Hyrule and Four were in a corner, not talking but enjoying each other’s company. Sky was approaching him, rubbing at his eyes as though he had just woken up himself, and Warriors stood up from his bedroll to meet him.

“You alright, Captain?”

Warriors grit his teeth, steeling himself and burying the lingering fear and unease that clung to his mind. He tried to seem calm, as though he hadn’t had a nightmare.

“I’m fine. What’s going on?”

“Wild is trying to cook us something to eat before we head out, but there isn’t much left stored in his bag, according to him. We might need to stock up the next time we get to a town or village.”

Warriors nodded, making his way over to the cook.

“How are you holding up?”

Wild glanced up at him, smiling slightly.

“Doing okay so far. Food supplies are a bit lower than I’d like, but we should be fine for a few days.”

“That’s good, at least. Once everyone has had their fill, we should start heading out.”

Wild nodded, pulling bowls out of his bag and spooning portions of the fruit into them, handing Warriors a few to pass out. It was a quiet affair, giving Hyrule and Four one each with quiet thanks from both. The other heroes gathered by the small fire, taking their bowls from Wild and beginning to eat in silence. When everyone had a bowl, Warriors took his meager meal to the gate leading out to the large field, leaning against the post as he ate.

Truly, he couldn’t feel the slightest bit hungry, thoughts swirling in his mind about the strange nightmare he had the night before. If it even was a nightmare. There was a reason he felt off as soon as they ended up here, and he had a feeling that what he saw while he slept had to have something to do with it beyond just bad memories. He was trapped in a way, with no good options and worse outcomes if his fears of the past were to be realized once more. He snuck glances at the group, and images of what could happen to them all filled his mind. But she was dead. She had to be. So then, why did he feel as though they were all in danger? It was maddening, and yet, it was necessary. Dark was crafty, and he would bet that they would not be able to leave until they made their way there, even if every instinct screamed at him to stay far away.

As the meager meal finished in silence, Warriors stood and cleared his throat, gaining the attention of everyone present.

“I have a feeling that we’ll need to reach the Temple of Souls that is past this valley. While we haven’t run into any enemies thus far, stay vigilant. I wouldn’t be surprised if we met resistance on our way there.”

“Any idea what we might run into?”

“Bokoblins mainly, but there have been Moblins, Lizalflos, Dinoflos, Darknuts, and Stalfos previously,” Warriors listed off, starting to reequip his sword, shield, and other gear, “Stay on your guard.”

There were nods of understanding, and then Wild started the clean-up process, taking everyone’s bowls and scrubbing them down as best he could. They figured they would wash them properly when they got to a patch of clean water. Everyone quickly gathered their gear, equipping swords and shields as they left the Keep. Warriors led the way through the open field, dust swirling at their feet as they trekked onward. Past tall twisting trees, strange lights settled in their branches, and strange formations of rock resembling hands poised to grab any moment.

Out of the corner of his eye, Warriors could see the entrance to the fountain, doors ajar with a brazier burning away near the mouth of the small cave. He shuddered as he passed, though no one seemed to notice as they looked all around the barren battlefield and began to climb the first set of stairs that marked the entrance to the Temple. It was still unbearably quiet as they passed through the open gates, only the wind causing a howling noise to echo through the neglected stone sculptures around them. He directed the group left, across the worn brick path, and up another set of stairs that led to another empty Keep. Warriors noted that not even the bomb flowers that had once surrounded the Keep had grown back as he led them out and then up another set of stairs to the right. Then he led the way to the right again up a final set of stairs. He chuckled a bit as a few group members started panting as they climbed.

“What’s with the stonework?” Warriors flinched at the sudden question, looking behind him to Wind, looking up curiously at the arches above the top of the Temple, “Why does it look like an eye?”

“I’m not sure, to be perfectly honest,” Warriors shrugged, falling into step with him, “When the war was happening, and we fought here, it was just sort of like this. It could have something to do with magic and focusing it, but that’s just a guess.”

Wind hummed, glancing at the area around them as they reached the top. It was quiet once again as they all stood in the center of the central room, looking around on edge at the still quiet area. Legend cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably as he observed the site.

“I would’ve thought there’d be something at least.”

“You and me both, Vet.” Warriors sighed.

There wasn’t much at all at the summit, not that Warriors was complaining. He was relieved that it had been easy to get to this point, but he was still on edge despite that fact. He pushed on, gesturing for everyone to follow him as he walked past the center of the eye and toward a series of small mountains. There was not much of a path, but they made do with Wild and Twilight helping others along over the more challenging terrain until they came to a pathway between two rose bushes.

And then they caught sight of the statues.

The statues of a younger Sky, sword raised in a skyward strike, and an even younger Time, posed with an ocarina raised to his mouth, came into view as soon as they crossed through the bushes. He could feel questioning gazes on his back as he led the way through the garden. He knew that the others could tell that something was off about this place, and he was thankful that none approached him to ask about what they saw. But Warriors still braced himself as the statue of Wolfie came into view. When Twilight caught sight of it, he could hear a quiet gasp and a pause in movement. He could hear the whispered words of Wild checking to see if Twilight was okay. He didn’t wait to listen to what the others had to say, instead leading them up the stairs.

The Temple was just as he remembered it. However, without the presence of corrupted magic, it seemed more like a several-stories-tall mansion than a jumbled mess of buildings. It did little to calm his racing heart as he stood before the doorway, his hand twitching with the instinct to have his sword in hand as he approached danger. He resisted, and as the group joined him at the door, he took a deep breath and opened it.

At first glance, the entryway looked the same, a portrait of himself placed front and center at the base of the staircase leading up with a single light from above illuminating it. Hallways that led to different rooms were on each side and what little Wars could see of the upper level looked the same. Warriors motioned for the group to enter, and as he stood in front of them, he felt a shiver run down his spine. The door slammed shut behind them, and he knew something was wrong.

A figure he hadn’t seen at first moved into view, the light above the portrait catching the silhouette and causing Warriors’ blood to run cold. She looked the same as she had before, dress hanging off her in a way that would have been seductive if not for the slightly unhinged way she stared at him. Warriors acted on instinct then, unsheathing his sword and dropping into a readied stance.

“Well, isn’t this a surprise,” Cia laughed as her eyes moved over each of them, taking in the sight of the group.

“You were dead,” Warriors spoke, fighting the waver in his voice.

Cia laughed, covering her mouth with a hand.

“Oh, dear hero,” she sighed, smiling as she stepped closer to the group, some of them drawing out weapons, “I hate to disagree with you, but I am very much alive.”

She summoned her staff to her side, twisting it around and opening two portals. Nine dark links stood at her side, and Warriors felt himself move as she extended her staff to point at them. He rushed at Cia, dodging the dark reflections that moved to attack him and bringing his blade down upon Cia. She easily blocked his strike with her staff, the force and weight behind the attack changing nothing. Warriors bared his teeth at her, forcing his weight to move the staff away from him, but Cia only smiled. He could hear the sounds of fighting behind him, but he didn’t turn to help, intent on ending the problem at its source. But when the clashes turned to cries, he knew they had lost, and the sorceress’ smirk only further confirmed his defeat.

A hit from behind caused him to gasp, and Cia smiled wide as Warriors fell to his knees before her. His sword was knocked away, arms pinned behind him and a hand keeping his head still. She leaned down to tilt his face up toward her, forcing him to face her with a predatory grin on her face.

“Now then, isn’t that better?”

Warriors was stuck looking at her, fear threatening to overwhelm him as he was held in place. She seemed satisfied, and Wars could see her looking over the rest of the group as though she had won the greatest prize. He wouldn’t be surprised if that was exactly what she thought. She stepped past him then, and he craned his neck to look back, fearing for them all, making him watch his mistakes unfold.

She stood over Wind, the Sailor glaring up at her from the floor. He had been knocked on his stomach, his sword just out of reach, and pinned by one of the Dark Links kneeling in his back. She hummed, turning away from Wind to walk toward Legend, the Veteran hero laid out on his back with a blow to his head, rendering him unconscious. Then to Hyrule, who had been forced to his knees and restrained in much the same way as Warriors. And finally, Four was on his back with his sword out of reach, and a Dark kneeling on his chest and holding his arms in place. She huffed, twisting the staff in her hands to point toward a hallway, the dark links responding by moving the four heroes at her command.

“I have no use for damaged goods. Take them away.”

Wind started yelling and cursing immediately as he was hefted up to his feet, his arms pinned behind him in a way that made Wars wince. Hyrule and Four made no sound as they were herded away, though Hyrule kept glancing at Legend, worried now that he had not reacted to being dragged along.

Warriors saw Wild struggling to tear his arms away from the dark at his back, growling and kicking at the shade as much as he could. The rest of the heroes struggled then, trying to break free and follow after them, but a loud slam of Cia’s staff on the ground stilled their movements. Warriors held his breath, worried she would take out her anger on them. Instead, she walked between the heroes, making her way to Wild and tilting her head at the sight of him.

“L-let them go!”

“I’ve never seen you before, but you must hold the Hero’s Spirit as well, correct?”

Wild opened his mouth as though to speak, but no noise left him. He looked frustrated for a moment, then tried again.

“W-what’s it t’ you?”

“Hm,” she looked at him consideringly, then waved him away, gesturing toward the same hallway where Four, Legend, Wind, and Hyrule had disappeared.

Warriors tried not to focus on how the Champion didn’t struggle as he was led away. She then walked between the heroes, humming to herself as she looked them over. Sky cringed under her gaze while Twilight glared harshly. Time’s face betrayed nothing but stoic silence, but Warriors could tell he was masking his true emotions as he was appraised like an object. She nodded to herself, pleased with whatever she found.

“Well, I don’t think I care much. You can go.”

“Very good,” she smiled and gestured with her staff to the other hall, the Dark Links following unspoken orders to lead them off.

Warriors felt the air grow tenser, and he couldn’t help but shiver as Cia turned to look his way.

“And now it’s just us,” Cia chuckled as she sauntered over to Warriors, glee casting her face in an unsettling light, “Did you miss me, my love? I can tell you can’t keep your eyes off me.”

“Not even the Wind Fish would grant you that dream.”

“Hm, pity. I thought we’d be able to spend more time together, but no matter. We have all the time in the world now,” Cia smiled wide at the thought.

“You should go get ready, dearest. I wouldn’t want to be late to our first dinner together after so long apart,” Cia hummed, directing the Dark Link pinning Wars’ arms to his back to lead him away toward where Cia sent Time, Sky, and Twilight to, “But don’t worry, the others will be allowed to join us too.”

Her delighted laughter and humming echoed in his ears as he was led away, a pit in his stomach as he mulled over her words.

All the time in the world.

He hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

#linkeduniverse #linked universe #implied violence #violence #tw: emotional manipulation #tw: claustrophobia #mentioned/implied death #nightmares #referenced character death #trauma from previous adventures #dark link being creepy and manipulative #HW Cia #linkeduniverse fic #linked universe fic #threatening darkness #distorted reflections #distorted reflections fic #silver writes

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emilianadarling · 3 years ago

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Get to Know Me - A Tag Game

thank u for the tag, @aureutr 😊 EDIT also @ace-din-djarin!!!!!

rules: tag a few people you want to know better; make a new post, don't reblog!

favorite color: red! ❤️

currently reading: listening to ‘The Anthopocene Reviewed’ by john green, most recently over my lunch break when I lay down in my room and dozed lol.

last song: ”The Longest River” by Anciients, played ambiently in the background by my spouse. (I am not one to put on music for myself much, I get exposed to so many excellent curated lists via him lol)

last movie: hmmm. uh. It can’t be Last Night in Soho... I watched that months ago... hmm...

last series: Either “The Legend of Vox Machina” (such a wild and delightful experience as a Critter!) or Season 2 of Channel Zero -- No End House on Shudder (still part way through that one!)

sweet, spicy, or savory: savoury every day of the week baby but also fuck me up with spicy while ur at it

coffee or tea: coffee, daily. my partner owns like 9 brew methods and I know how to use exactly one (1), the clever dripper, so I use that.

three ships: ooh! - Din/Luke (Star Wars, currently working on the second in a series for this ship, the sequel to through power, there is victory on AO3)

- Percy/Vex’ahlia (The Legend of Vox Machina/Critical Role, my little shipper heart has been so overjoyed to see them most recently in animation, the sheer delight of visual animated media!!) and,

- ... hoo boy this is hard. I have been reading a LOT of Obi-Wan Kenobi fic for these last many months, but I am very (EXTREMELY) fluid with those I ship him with. True fandom bicycle for me for sure. Gun to my head though, glitterglanger got me fucking good with Transactional States so for the ‘what if?’ factor alone, I may have to say Jango Fett/Obi-Wan Kenobi lol.

first ever ship: hmm. Ron/Hermione, perhaps? as in, my first online fandom shipping experience.

currently working on: “only as strong as the warrior next to you”, i.e. DarkLuke fic part 2, currently at 60k. I’m midway through the third act, and have never written this much without sharing something before. it’s KILLING ME lol but honestly also it probably a good learning experience. most recently, scenes I’ve been drafting have been focused on politics, art, and Empire within the Galaxy.

favourite piece of clothing: asked my partner (mr d) and he said ‘cardigans’ lmao. (”that’s not a piece of clothing, that’s a genre of clothing” I said. “pffft” he responded.) BUT -- my response is: 1. for pure value over time, my red button-up coat, and 2. my moose housecoat for comfort-bumming around lmao

comfort food: Poutine tbh, all kinds, for pure comfort value. If we’re talking specifically hungover comfort food, switch it up to Subway Chicken and Bacon Ranch sandwich lmfao.

favourite time of the year: autumn/fall!! fuckin LOVE me that autumnal bullshit like the basic bitch I am

fav fanfiction: EVER? 😱 If we’re talking pure compounded comfort and joy over time, The Student Prince (Merlin/Arthur AU) by FayJay is RIGHT up there honestly. Specifically, on audiobook -- dear god I’ve listened to that so many times and still the story of the relationship is so solid and the writing so enjoyable. Perhaps next up for sheer impact and notability is my dear friend (years after I read this series omg I was so starstruck to be friends with her) is the icarus verse by green_postit (Star Trek, Mirrorverse Kirk/Bones), ft. some of the best fucking titles in the history of fanfic IMO. (icarus in retrospect, the pugilists, skeleton men. FORMATIVE for me as a writer tbh.)

honestly, wrapping it up I’m also a fan of my own fic “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To” (Steve/Bucky, Steve/Peggy, Wartime) from back in 2014 if I’m honest. I really felt so sated and satisfied when I wrote that fic and shared it, because I wanted so badly to read it I brought it into existence. :) so that brings me a lot of long-term joy, also.

... wait fuck I wanted to keep this to three but peradii’s “wonderterror” (Star Wars, no ship) is world-endlingly good, ft. Eldritch Luke and Leia, so. gotta sneak that one on too I guess!!!

Tagging @glimmerglanger @universeinorbit @seekthemist @avelera @reena-jenkins @mneiai @gyzym @himboskywalker @peradii @thebatwiggler

#i’d tag fayjay if she had a tumblr and if she does dear god please send that shit my way #personal #fandom #aureutr #thank you my dear #so kind to tag me!

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n4b3 · 4 years ago

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Do you mind elaborating about those last reblogs? Your brain is huge would love to hear your name

damn anon u rlly want me to write an academic essay on behaviors in the middle of my finals, i got u bro.

Anon is referring to these two post of big brain anon (ur brain anon... let me marry it).

Well what anon has said may be like a theory or a reality since it has been scientifically and psychologically proven that reading fictional stories affects the perception of reality more due to the fact that our brains when reading enters a world imaginative where our brain uses the sectors of perception of reality, completely connected to our form of human socialization. These two articles can perfectly explain what may be happening with Dream.

And im more than sure that it is also what has happened with everything that surrounded with heatwaves, the fans have fallen into a perception of false reality, because it is a fictional story so well written that it has managed to give that feeling to readers and go like crazy to the point of asking content creators about this work of fiction because it is more likely that they have been left in a perplexed state by the same fact that reality and fiction got blurry. Or maybe the dono who made all that crap happen was maybe an annoying troll!!!

Looking back and looking today dream behavior with george has changed so much, too much, and their love for each other (either romantic or platonic) has grown to the point where it can be easily perceived, its something that viewers love to see!! strong connections between two people in an era where youtube found out that people love seeing that but everyone’s been acting it, over exaggerating it some better than other, “youtube friendships” (not saying that there are not good genuine friendships born bc of youtube...) and all of that happened because people saw the genuine relationship between two people with genuine reactions that looked over the top bc it was genuine!!! it brought the clicks and everyone did it!! to the point where its exhausting seeing it everywhere that people got tired of it, it started to be too fake for the over exposure of exaggerated expressions and emotions, what many say and call youtuber voice. Genuinity is the true marketing strategy of youtube apart of doing incredible over the top things that no one else can!!!

And oh do we have history in youtube of duos being successful and historically we have smosh (you think people didnt ship them??? you want me to go and find forums and deviantart groups dedicated to them???) its always been there when it comes to famous people, its always been there in fandom culture, since sherlock holmes happened, since star trek happened (and sadly there's recorded history of how even the actors themselves confused their characters with themselves in reality... all because of fans screaming at it, we also have one direction as another example).

But how is this all connected to dream’s behavior? because he wants to be accepted by everyone, be perceived as a good influence a good person.

I'm not saying that a bad thing, but its a very dangerous trait that can lead to some bad decisions and surely we have some behaviors that shows that, the fact the he stopped streaming bc people were accusing him of cheating, he could have easily flicked them off right? and knowing exactly he never cheated? but he still showed insecurity of it, fear even on being rejected, and its something very normal specially in a community he holds very dearly and its part of his personality too.

He has a huge audience, too many eyes on him, from all sort of backgrounds and places, the community he holds more dearly and protects most is the one focused on fandom and stans culture. The ones who always forgive or always have a good perception of him. A place one would always go if you are so loved in there, people always talk about you, all about you. Even yourself can fall on the fake percepción of who you are, because of how people perceive you.

It’s sadly something that comes with fame, mostly you are alone with it, some people can’t handle it, some people can with the correct support and help. Very dangerous in my opinion i would say, to be so close to this world of how people perceive you, to know the limits because fiction and reality can blur a lot being in such place for a big while. It can happen to celebrities, to everyone even.

But take this mega rant as a way of retrospective, to sit down and think, real people are people like you, even themselves can fall like that, not saying dream is in a “bad place” right now. I even adore the fact that he interacts with fans the way he does, its something almost no cc does, and how he appreciates all the art of all sort of levels too much, but as fear has stated and quoting “ it’s blurring the line between creator and fan a bit too much. it shouldn’t be this blurry. there are things that we do about them that aren’t meant for them. it’s not. it’s meant for fans.“

#ask #long post #drem #this #just take this man #i dont even know if my point got there #man i have college stuff to do the brainrot hits too hard sometimes #dreamwastaken #georgenotfound #mcyt #dteam #dream team #heat waves #mcytblr #analysis

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verbumproxen · 4 years ago

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[Spoilers!] Philippa’s Rubicon

HI I NEED TO GET THIS OUT SO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK (++ A LOT OF CURSE WORDS)

SPOILERS FOR STAR TREK DISCOVERY: TERRA FIRMA PART 1 | EPISODE 9

FIRST OF ALL, HOLY HELL THOSE FIRST 10 MINUTES just sent me flying!!! Watching Philippa being increasingly testy as her death is just SOOO in character and I didn’t even had time to hate her because I just... I empathize. That’s how I am when I’m sick or ill, I get testy with people trying to help me

OK SKIP TO THAT DUEL SCENE BECAUSE WTF. Like I said in my previous posts, Michelle hasn’t handled a sword in so long!! SEEING HER JUST SNAP IS JUST UGHHHHH WOMAN!!!

HER FACE-- like it goes through 10 fcking different emotions in the same time I can’t even comprehend how it’s humanly possible. She’s heartbroken, she’s frustrated, she’s just... wow.

I’M GONNA SKIP AGAIN TO THE MIRROR UNIVERSE

p.s was that a Q!!!

I LOVED IT.

I mean, gosh. She’s learned how the Prime Universe works and she BROUGHT IT WITH HER! SHE SAVED SARU (tbh i was worried Michael was gonna stab her right there and then)

I LOVED SEEING ALL THE MIRROR CHARS! LANDRY IS BACK OMG, CAPT. KILLY! MIRROR HUGH UGH I LOVE U ALREADY. OWO U FCKING SCARY WOMAN.

p.s If you’re gonna mention Lorca A LOT kindly bring him back (yes for more Jason Isaacs)

AND HOLY FCK MIRROR!MICHAEL JUST TOOK IT OUT THE PARK (I love how Sonequa got this chance to show her other acting ranges). Like wow. I’m just speechless at this point.

SHE DIDN’T KILL MICHAEL! I always kinda thought that this was the time she decided to kill her off due to her association with Lorca (my headcanon is that she ordered her shuttle to be exploded or something because she couldn’t bear to kill her herself.)

THIS IS PHILIPPA’S RUBICON. This is what immediately popped into my mind. This is where she descended to who we knew in Season 1. She crossed it when she decided to kill Michael. Now we have to see her with another rubicon-- to kill her or not to kill her AGAIN.

MICHELLE YEOH. GOSH. THAT CROWN. FCK. HER PERFORMANCE? JUST AMAZING. Fcking amazing. I have no words for her. This is just a masterpiece and she elevated it.

THIS IS THE BEST EPISODE OF THE SEASON FOR ME. All the things I expected? NOPE just throw it out to the nearest black hole and surprised me.

THEORY TIME: This is not really happening it’s all in her head?

[notes: i’m gonna go back to edit this, i’m just lost of words and I can't be bothered to translate all my thoughts rn.]

P.P.S: GERSHA PHILLIPS BLESSED OUR SOULS THIS EP. BO YEON KIM AND ERIKA LIPPOLDT WENT FCKING THERE. I LOVE IT.

#star trek discovery #star trek disco spoilers #star trek discovery season 3 #philippa georgiou #michael burnham #michelle yeoh is my queen #michelle yeoh #SHE IS JUST AMAZING THIS EP #everyone was #I DID NOT EXPECT THIS HAPPENING #BEST EP #I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT #SOMEONE TALK TO ME ABOUT IT PLS #WE NEED TO DISCUSS THIS EP #THAT CROWN #scavengers arc

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autisticburnham · 4 years ago

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Rejoined

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Magic babe!

Can I offer you a nice egg in this trying time?

Where's that post about the person who wanted to see how long they could hold an egg in their mouth and just immediately bit into it?

"Painfully shy, introverted, a slight lack of confidence, just the kind of person who'd like to dazzle the world with his magical abilities" why do I get the feeling Julian was into magic when he was young?

I love that Benjamin warns Jadzia in advance. "Hey, bestie ❤. I know you're a love sick fool. Be fucking careful"

Y'know, in my fic for the Still Rejoined Zine (centering on Ezri's reaction to Lenara coming back to the station to try to use artificial wormholes to help Voyager), Kira has a very similar meeting with Ezri. If you're interested, you can find all the information for the zine @rejoinedzine

"I've never let my past lives interfere with my job before and I'm not going to start now." Ma'am, you were willing to be executed for Curzon

Wife!!!!!!!!!!!

Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!

The way they look at each other!!!!!!!

I really want to know if the rest of the cast remembers their experiences during the zhian'tara

How long did Nilani live/how old was Curzon when he was joined?

Kira said gay rights!!!! Lesbian!

Considering the reasons Trill join in the first place, I understand why reassociation is a taboo, but why is it not brought up with the friendship with Benjamin? Or literally everything about Ezri?

Also, condemning the symbiont to death seems extremely fucking harsh. Half point of joining is to give the symbionts experiences they couldn't get in their pools, but if they experience something society doesn't like, they fucking die?

Kira clearly likes Lenara a lot. They would have been great friends

I have Questions about Luther Sloan's decisions

I suppose we could throw ourselves at each other; confess our undying love for each other and complete disregard for Trill society... just kidding... unless?

The way they look at each other!!!!!!!!

Dax is so nervous!!!!!!! She's so lovestruck!!!!!!!!

Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

The way they look at each other!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my god!!!!!!!!!!!

Ah! I'm gonna cry!

In case you're wondering why I'm only including a screencap of Julian and not Jadzia and Lenara, it's bc every fucking frame of Jadzia and Lenara makes me lose my mind and I can't upload 90% of the episode

She said Julian please help me be gay

Again, I really want to know if Julian retains any of Torias' memories from the zhian'tara. Does he feel like he's getting cucked on this date?

I want to write a fic where Ezri finds the earrings in Jadzia's belongings

Also, I just straight up want those earrings. They're really not my taste but they're gay and star trek related? Want

Does Dax even have her ears pierced or is she just gay enough that she wants these earrings anyway?

Not to sound like a Vulcan, but HANDS!

AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!

The brother said U gay, bitch?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Of course Curzon was homophobic

I mean doctors of other species know about Trill. Julian was able to join Dax with Vorad and then back with Jadzia. They could totally form a separatist colony

Can you believe that "one shot from every episode of ds9" video used this forcefield walking scene and not this kiss?

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

Jadzia said bitch I don't care if you're homophobic, I'm gonna become your sister in law no matter what

Hands!!!!!

Not to undermine Lenara, but it's not exactly the first artificial wormhole in history, Dax. You're forgetting the one you discovered

I know we don't know anything about Jadzia's sister, but I bet she wouldn't be space homophobic

Her voice!!!!!!!

Lenara's voice!!!!!!!!!

Hands....

The gonna fucking scream

Didn't the script have Jadzia holding the earrings as Lenara gets on the transport?

Rick Berman's name popping up at the end makes me rabid

I'm so fucking gay. 10/10

#ds9 #my post #ds9 rewatch

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delfinodreams · 3 years ago

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OKAY i said i would make a post about my thoughts on paper mario a while ago and im finally writing it out

ill put it under a break because its probably gonna be long-ish

update: yea this bitch is LONG

okay so overall i really really enjoyed it!! it was really solid for the first entry in the series and i could definitely see the inspiration that ttyd later took from it. one thing that i didnt know about was partners not having HP, which threw me for a little bit of a loop. partners as a whole in this game don't play as active of a role as i wouldve expected because they have so little lines but using them in battle is still very fun! another small thing but i also hadn't expected mario to be completely silent, but it later grew on me!

i'm also gonna list my experiences and opinions on each chapter so here we go!!

chapter 1 - pretty alright for an introductory chapter! i didnt find anything especially notable, apart from getting 2 partners in one chapter. navigating the koopa bros. fortress was fun, and i loved the battle at the end!! their theme is SUCH a banger i had to sit back and listen to it for a bit when the fight actually started ehe

chapter 2 - not quite a fan of this one imo? i liked the first part through the mountain, but the trek though dry dry desert kinda took it out of me. BUT the addition of my favourite partner made up for it! parakarry my beloved <3 also the cutscene where dry dry ruins rise up??? that shit was SPECTACULAR. i absolutely loved how it turned dark when it first came up, i wish it stayed like that for more than just until you entered the ruins. the boss itself wasn't too exciting for me, probably because there wasnt much of a story?? i dont know how to describe it. actually its like that for quite a few of these bosses, but its the first entry for this series, so i wont fault it too much.

chapter 3 - this might be my FAVOURITE chapter- the suspense buildup throughout the entire chapter was AMAZING holy moly!!! first through the forever forest when you have bootler ask for you, and then wandering the mansion itself. i TOTALLY thought that boos were gonna be actual enemies when i saw them floating around. sneaking around tubba blubba's castle was so so fun to do, and i legitimately panicked when you ran into him in the hall and also when he wakes up and chases you back to the windmill. i didnt actually think the heart itself was the boss, just a miniboss, so i freaked out when i left the windmill and was immediately thrown into a battle with tubba blubba. i cannot express just how much i enjoyed this chapter, seriously!!

chapter 4 - coming back to toad town with the music change threw me for a bit; i wasnt expecting action to pop up so soon! figuring out that you could actually go into the toybox was such a "wait, what??" moment for me, but like, in a positive way. it was really cool to navigate this chapter and the lantern ghost encounter genuinely creeped me out at first because it was COMPLETELY dark. the fight against general guy is also a BANGER i could listen to it all day

chapter 5 - man i LOVE the whale. just a big guy willing to take u across the ocean :^) i really appreciated how you weren't stranded on the island too, like how you were on keelhaul key in ttyd. the ravens are also funky little guys, love them too. again, the lava piranha didnt really have any substance to it BUT it was a nice fight nonetheless! when it popped up again i was shocked but i made it through!! also fuck kolorado he doesnt deserve his wife

chapter 6 - this one's formatting is really neat- one central area with lots of branching paths, which i hadnt seen in my past pm experiences! i loved the quest leading up to the big beanstalk, plus the environment was so pretty!! the little part with the sun tower popped out to me, i'm not sure why though. maybe it was the music, it was so different from the flower fields theme. at first i had actually expected to go up to the clouds earlier, maybe like midway through the chapter. i thought that would be the "dungeon" of this part, so i was a little bit let down when i realized that the fields were the majority. however, the bit of the clouds we do see is SO good i LOVE the atmosphere!! huff n puff was actually relatively easy, using parakarry and lakilester for their all-around attacks. the guitars were a nice touch for his theme as well!

chapter 7 - oh dude i LOVED this chapter. i didnt know what i was expecting when i first went into the pipe in the sewers, whether it would put me into a village immediately or if i would have to make it through some screens before. needless to say, i was relieved when it popped me out into shiver city. the whole place felt "warm" which was really nice!! i was comparing it to ttyd's chapter 7 and fahr outpost which i didn't really vibe with, so it was a nice change! the whole murder plot was also unexpected but i enjoyed the whole "whodunnit" mystery! omg as im typing this i realize just how many aspects of this chapter i love this is gonna be long,, the entire snowy atmosphere is just so PRETTY and starborn valley felt so solitary to the rest of the land, like its own little bubble. i also had no idea that ninjis were in this game so when i saw one at merlon's i was like HUH?? anyways the way up the mountain to the crystal palace kept me on my toes; i thought that was the dungeon at first! the small bit where you see madam merlar and she tells you the story of the palace really got to me i have no idea why. the music and mysticality of it all was just SO good. dont even get me started on the crystal palace itself HOLY MOLY. the whole reflection bit was SO SO clever and the moment you realize its NOt actually a mirror?? fucking magnificent. this has to be my favourite dungeon in the whole game because it has such a NEAT gimmick!! it also has my favourite mario enemies, duplighosts! FUCK the crystal king though. he stunlocked me with his freezing move because i could not get the hang of blocking it. my partners really carried me for that battle; thank god for quick change

chapter 8 - THIS CHAPTER DELIVERED. the buildup for the entire game leading to this point. OUTSTANDING. i had to sit back and admire star haven because its so pretty- did i mention i love the water graphics in this game?? it has a pixelly look but it works SO WELL. going to the ship to take you to bowser's castle really felt like a "this is it" moment. the entirety of bowser's castle was So Good, it kept me on my toes the entire time!! slowly advancing as the music got more intense REALLY pumped me up. tracks that start off with only a couple instruments and eventually add more as you progress is one way to make me go BONKERS. the one bit where you make your way outside on the bridge and the music dials down and then you re-enter on the other side to it SLAMMING you in the face- that was Great. and then the complete silence as you get outside peach's castle HOLY SHIT. and then you actually enter the palace and the music is SO EERIE and youre like OH SHIT THIS IS REALLY IT. seriously, the buildup for this entire castle is done SO magnificently. i hadn't expected to fight bowser twice, i guess it was the game's way of letting u level up One Last Time before u got to the big bad. that being said, i wasn't too worried on getting a game over since i was fucking stacked on items. but that's besides the point- the fight itself got my heart POUNDING. the effects for the star rod and the star's powers were really nice to see in action, and the little section with peach and twink was so cool! i was expecting a little interlude where you would get your stats maxed out because thats how its like in every pm game, but it was still moving :)) bowser's final battle theme fucking SLAPS. the guitar especially sounds AMAZING. you really see him as a threat here and its so badass. his healing move fucked me over multiple times- i probably ended up having to deal with double his base HP over the course of the fight.

after the fight was over and you got to see peach's castle float down with the soft music in the background, it really hit me that its done, its over. again, the effects in this game are so pretty and theyre utilized SO well for the n64. visiting toad town one last time with all the npcs was a really nice touch- for some reason i really loved being able to interact with vanna t. (chuck quizmo's toad assistant) she's ADORABLE and i will probably end up drawing her sometime :)) the credits were also something that i really enjoyed- i LOVE the ongoing theme of parades at the end. seeing everything and everyone in the game condensed into a short 8 minutes really got me, i cant remember but im pretty sure i was smiling the whole time! and a small sidenote- TOADS WITH GLOWING SPOTS ON THEIR HEAD HELLO?????? I WANNA DRAW THAT SO BAD.

the ending screen with peach and mario looking at the fireworks made me really soft and i teared up a little because i was finally finished. the addition of pop diva's solo in the track was also so touching, it was my favourite sidequest in the game so hearing it again brought up Emotions :')

one thing i wasnt sure of was if there was a post-game mode and my completionist heart was disappointed a little when i found out i couldn't advance from the end screen and was forced to reset. although not many games from this era had post-game content so i cant dock too many points for that.

the paper mario series has a fond place in my heart, and finally being able to play the game that started it all really was a special experience. it really cemented my love for the original formula and i could see many places where ttyd took inspiration from. this game really is fun, and i would highly recommend playing it yourself if you have the means!

#i just finished typing this out #i did not mean for it to get this long omg #i just have Many Thoughts #and you guys get to deal with them #i just checked and this is nearly 2K WORDS HELLO??????#paper mario #paper mario 64 #dreamy convos

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waynedunlaptheorgandonor · 5 years ago

Text

alpha/beta are carol/daryl foils: an analysis no one asked for; twd s10 spoilers, obviously

hoo boy. okay, so i’ve been intending to write this for days, but i had to let it marinate, and also i haven’t been sleeping and couldn’t concentrate long enough to write it down, but whatever, i digress. “we are the end of the world” was something, wasn’t it?? it is so weird to have a plotline in twd that’s like...good? and SO refreshing to have a villain who isn’t a macho, rapey, white dude. i personally believe that all showrunners should be women from now on. oh, i’m digressing again, my apologies.

here’s the actual content, under the cut bc it’s a fucking novel:

so, from alpha’s very first episode, when i saw her shaving her head, i literally thought, “oh, so she’s carol’s foil and they’re going to have an inevitable showdown, huh?” guess who was right? this bitch. but what i didn’t catch right away was how beta is also daryl’s foil, and how the main focus of this season is alpha/beta vs carol/daryl.

let’s take it apart individually first, yeah?

carol vs. alpha:

like i said, the scene that made me instantly aware of what they were setting up was when alpha shaved her head. carol’s hair was a big thing in season 9, and the fact that we had just had henry talking about carol growing her hair out long, juxtaposed with alpha shaving hers off, is what set the alarm bells off for me. i have said over and over that i don’t believe kang does anything unintentionally, and girl loves her symbolism, so those two opposing scenes was a taste of what she was setting up.

carol and alpha are both near-indestructible forces who also happen to be mother’s suffering the loss of their children at the hand of the other. (carol isn’t directly responsible for lydia, but she’s included with “the others” that took lydia from alpha, so i think alpha still sees her as part of it.)

carol and alpha both have transformed themselves to fit within the confines of the world they currently live in, while recognizing that their children weren’t meant for it, even within their own grief. let us refer to figures a and b (lol) below.

figure a:

here in “the grove” we have creepy girl who i hate and am terrified of asking carol if sophia died because she was weak, and carol straight up is like, “yes.” she doesn’t even sugarcoat it. she accepted that her daughter wasn’t going to survive from the jump, because “there wasn’t a mean bone in her body.”

figure b:

here we see alpha losing her goddamn shit, because she’s having a come-to-jesus moment with beta about losing lydia, because she can’t have lydia and be the alpha at the same time, because lydia “is not like” her.

conclusion: carol and alpha both mourn for their daughters, but have accepted that to be the people they need to be in the apocalypse, their children needed to die (or in lydia’s case, be dead metaphorically). in short, carol and alpha are two sides of the same coin. they’ve both found ways to survive, except one is for the good guys, and the other is for the bad guys, and now they’re head-to-head, and it is d e l i c i o u s.

moving on.

daryl vs beta:

idk why the parallels didn’t occur to me when they had daryl fighting beta. i blame henry, he was distracting me by being a delightful idiot (rip my dumb bitch), but that seed was planted in season 9, too. go kang for continuity. who knew twd could do that? anyway.

the big thing that compares daryl and beta is who they were before they found carol and alpha respectively. we obviously don’t know a whole lot of details about beta’s life, but we have enough to extrapolate and compare, and extrapolate and compare we shall.

alright, so we got our favorite lovable, filthy redneck, who grew up abused and isolated, and then here comes the apocalypse, and the only person he has left is his brother, and that’s what defines him until he loses him, both when rick chained him to a roof, and then again, after a brief relapse, when merle sacrificed himself.

next we have beta, who again, our info is limited, but he does not become “beta” until after whoever that walker alpha puts down is gone. judging by the size, approximate age, and the closeness beta had to him, i’m betting on, you guessed it, his brother.

observe:

figure a:

figure b:

these are both turning points for these men, where they Fully Become the dudes that we know. daryl couldn’t be the daryl we know and love until merle was gone for good, and whatever his actual name is couldn’t become beta until smiley face shirt guy was smooshed.

(side note: how fucking rank does that t-shirt have to be by now? at least the mask dries out, but do you think that t-shirt is just like, melded into beta’s skin at this point? gross.)

so time for the fun part.

alpha/beta and caryl in season 10:

season 10 finds both duos in similar circumstances, by which i mean, alpha and carol are losing their minds, and beta and daryl are like, “uhhhh, you ok?” the men are these women’s confidants, their person, the one they trust and love above all others. carol saved daryl and brought him into a community, and alpha did the same thing with beta. you want more visual aides? well, sure thing, scout!

figure a:

we’re carylers, we already know carol’s the reason daryl has the confidence and self-esteem to become part of the group, but juxtapose this with the following pic, which i will label

figure b (again):

and you will see that alpha sees something in beta that no one else does. she sees this lonely, talented man, who’s adrift and in solitude, and she essentially calls dibs. sound familiar? inorite?

so daryl and beta are now loyal to a fault to their women, and this season already has them being wary of how they’re acting. yes, i have more pictures. i like taking screenshots, okay?

figure a:

one of the first scenes we get with caryl is daryl asking carol if she’s still thinking about alpha, and if she is Dwelling, which is interesting, because...

figure b:

...that’s exactly the same thing we get with alpha and beta. the first scene in “we are the end of the world” with the two of them in present day is him questioning her motives, and then later on he’s like, “fuck, are you Dwelling?”

and both women immediately are like:

and neither dude knows wtf to do about this, because they’re used to the women being the strong ones. carol’s whole, “you’ve got to feel it, but not me, i’m good repressing, conceal don’t feel” thing, mixed with alpha’s, “we’re living like the dead and the dead don’t feel emotions so obviously I Am Fine” motto is what their boys are used to, but suddenly carol is hallucinating dead children, and alpha is making shrines, and our poor dudes are like, “plz stop???” esp bc they know these women are FUCKING TERRIFYING, and should never be left to their own devices if they’re being crazy crackers.

ergo, both men are clinging to the hope that they can bring the women back from the brink. my last visual aides, yes i know, how sad:

figure a:

figure b:

both scenes have these dudes reaching out to their women and essentially expressing, in their own way, “i’m worried about you, can you plz stay within eyesight at all times, ilu,” bc neither daryl nor beta is equipped to have a nice long sit down conversation about feelings, and obviously carol and alpha wouldn’t bother to entertain it in the first place, so like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. they tried.

will it work? unlikely! because after that showdown at the end of both eps 1 and 2, these bitches ain’t about to stop for nothing. they just straight up made enemies for life, and they’re going straight harry potter with this shit, neither can live while the other survives, someone has to die, and while beta and daryl are not super on board with this whole “being bonkers and bent on revenge” thing, you better bet your ass that they’re going to make sure their woman is the winner, which means they automatically are paired up against one another as well.

so in a nutshell: we could have just stuck goatees on mmb and norman reedus, cast them as alpha and beta, and called them mirror!verse caryl (star trek reference, yay/nay?), because they’re mother fucking foils setting up for the mother fucking fight of the century, and oh my god, can you feel it in your bones how exciting it is that it’s not going to be a rick + negan dick measuring contest again? i am So Hype.

and ofc, as a hardcore caryl shipper, i obviously have to throw in that alpha and beta are totally in love (which is esp fun, bc whisperers aren’t supposed to feel love, uh oh, vulcan violation, yes i made another star trek reference, bite me), and if they are paralleling caryl, well...extrapolate from the evidence.

i love kang, you guys. i love how she tells a story. i love that she knows how to tell a story. this show is good again, and idk how she did it, but damnit, she did.

thus endeth my pointless critical analysis. forgive me. i was an english major and have absolutely no other use for my degree.

i’m ashamed too.

that’s all. tomorrow is the early release of the caryl episode, i mean the new episode. looking forward to dying a valiant death with the lot of you. until then, friends.

deuces,

-diz

addendum: i was editing this, and was trying to think if there’s a parallel to the bracelet scene, and the only thing i could think of that alpha gives beta is his mask. she encourages him to take the face of his brother(?), and that keeps him grounded, which is interesting, bc my prediction for the bracelet is that it’s going to end up being a grounding device for carol when she’s dissociating. i don’t have a solid conclusion drawn there, but i thought i’d mention it before posting, just to plant the seed.

k, done 4 real, bye

#alpha/beta #do they have a ship name?#bc i'm worried it's gonna get tagged in that weird kink stuff #gdi #whatever #moving on #caryl #carol peletier #daryl dixon #twd s10 spoilers #twd #dunlap tp

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fleetofshippyships-archive · 5 years ago

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Fanfiction

(👀👀👀👀 why u do this to me, definitely no wips with this word, drabble it is…also…crap, this got to 620 words? somehow? also, it’s now 1.20am and this is probably full of typos and shit…sorry? Drarry.)

(AO3 Link)

Draco looked towards the sitting room door and sighed.

“The tea is getting cold!” he bellowed, causing Pansy to flinch.

There was a vague sound from the study across the hall. Draco rolled his eyes and turned back to Pansy.

“Sorry, he’s been writing all day,” he explained. “He’s decided to start throwing things at me when I interrupt him so let’s just leave him to it.”

Pansy raised an eyebrow. “What kind of things?”

She always was too eager for details about their life. And then she published articles about them whenever it was a slow news week.

Good thing he found the public being shocked by silly details of their domesticity more amusing than annoying.

“Oh, whatever is closest,” Draco said. “A pencil. Stapler. Books. One time he threw a cup at me that still had tea in it.”

Pansy choked on her tea. “That sounds—”

“Oh, he never aims for me,” Draco scoffed. “One time his chair spun more than expected and he got me in the stomach with a pen and didn’t stop apologising for days. He just likes to make a fuss. Misses the action of being an Auror, I’m sure.”

He could tell from her expression that she was absolutely going to write an article about that. The papers had been hounding Harry and everyone in his life for details of what he was doing after retiring early from the Aurors.

He was tempted to drop a few ridiculously embellished details just to stir things up, actually.

“What does he write? Should we expect an autobiography any time soon?” she asked, forgetting to be subtle in her excitement.

“Oh, I haven’t the foggiest,” he said as he poured himself another cup of tea. “He won’t let me see what he writes. Won’t talk about it either. Secretive old bastard.”

Pansy deflated.

“Anyway, enough about the antisocial bore. Blaise told me you’re thinking of selling the family home.”

Pansy grimaced and sunk into her chair. Draco settled in for a good rant.

***

After seeing Pansy out, Draco wandered to the study and stood in the open doorway. Harry was still tapping away at his laptop. Draco was beginning to regret getting him one that worked in a magical home. It took up far too much of Harry’s time lately.

“So, what is it today?” he asked when Harry paused and turned to look at him. “Star Trek? Star Wars? Doctor Who? That slanderous show about Merlin? You’ve been re-watching that lately, don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

“What did Pansy want?” Harry asked, ignoring the question.

Draco walked into the room and peered over his shoulder.

“Oooh, is this for me?” he asked, leaning closer as he realised it was Tolkien.

Harry shut the laptop quickly. “Yes, piss off, it’s meant to be a surprise!”

Draco reached down and spun Harry’s chair around until he was facing him. “It’s not even my birthday,” he said with a grin. “What did I do to finally get some fanfiction out of you?”

Harry snorted. “You wouldn’t shut up about it and you wouldn’t stop reading the books every night out loud in bed and it got stuck in my head, you bloody prat.”

That made it so much better. Draco leaned down and kissed him.

Harry kissed back for only a moment before pushing Draco away.

“Shoo, before I forget what I was going to write next and abandon it,” he said.

“I’ll bring you some fresh tea and some of the pastries Pansy brought,” Draco said as he left the room without a fuss.

“You never brought me food while I was writing before!” Harry called out.

“You weren’t writing for me before,” Draco shouted back.

(Yeah? Harry writing fanfiction in his retirement? Why not?)

(Send me an ask with one word, any word. If any of my unpublished wips for this account have that word in them, I’ll post a snippet containing that word! And if not, I may try and write a wee drabble/headcanon with it?)

#ask meme #ask game #drarry #drarry squad #my fanfic #prompted writing #*#this is long enough to go on ao3 dammit #i'll deal with that tomorrow #spaceaas #asked and answered

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bitob · 5 years ago

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4 , 9 , 17 , 22 !

four: who is your most-used fc?

of the characters that i’ve played in the last... half a year to a year, i’d say there’s a pretty good mix, i don’t tend to favour one fc over the others... but long-term it’s definitely yoongi.

nine: tell me about your favorite group you ever joined

so this wasn’t on tumblr because a solid 9/10 of rps ive been in on tumblr have died way too fast for me to get attached, but there was one rp i was in in like... 2018? where i had a few rlly iconic plots including a one-sided rivalry to lovers, we-like-each-other-but-hes-always-in-another-country-and-also-im-a-coward (which lasted across like 5 diff groups and also was angsty but had moments of meme-y-ness such as how one of them woke the other up at like 3am when they were teens for an ‘emergency’ which was actually abt manga), the ‘babies’ (they were all like. 17-18. and bullied each other about crushes constantly), the ‘seize the means of production’ gang (dont ask it was so ridiculous sjgkshdk), the twelve idiots who spoke about three languages each and had equally many braincells between them (and one of them keeps harassing the rest with images of terrifying australian bugs). sometimes i go back and read through the threads just for fun bc i miss it that much.

edit: icb i forgot the star-trek-but-not-because-i-literally-had-no-knowledge-of-it-at-the-time group with the duct tape cult that one was also excellent

seventeen: name an fc you wish people used more

like,,, all of victon,,, why r there no gif icons of sejun from the last two years,,, i thought the rpc liked pretty people,,,

twenty-two: do you have any rp horror stories you’d be willing to share?

i have a very small handful but there is one that stuck with me for a long long time and that i’m still bitter about.

so on the site where my favourite rp occurred, my least favourite also occurred. i don’t recall when it was, but i think it was like, 2017? maybe 2016. and it was a high school rp, because of course it was, the plot was something like there r the regular kids and then also the delinquent kids who r there because no regular school will take them iirc, and it started off pretty good — i had characters i liked, plots i enjoyed, and i was helping to admin the rp — running the character & fc masterlists, things like that. and then the main admin dipped. so i was essentially running this thing on my own for about two weeks. and it was going great. and then she came back, and it all went to hell. because she appointed a few extra admins — and on this site that comes with actual privileges of moderation. and one of them i was cool with — she was a friend (at the time, bc the conglomeration of rpers who knew each other that joined that rp split apart in like... 2018? over some nazi apologist or not respecting people’s triggers). the second one, though, i didn’t know and she wasn’t officially appointed as a moderator? and she was going around changing things up and like. she had permission to from the main admin, which is fine! but the main admin didnt bother to like. tell me, the person who had been running the rp for the last nearly three weeks, that this person had the authority to do that. because ‘oh we’re childhood friends’. but then things settled down again, and everything was going well,,, until these two (the main admin & her buddy) thought it’d be fun to enact a plot along the lines of ‘these two people really hate each other, how about one of them shoots the other’ which got the group flagged by the site as 18+ bc fucking yikes and i was like. 15? small anyway. so naturally the website was like ‘no this group is adults-only u cant see it’ so i had to change my age on my profile to be able to actually see the group,, brought this up to the main admin she was just like ‘oh sorry lmao i cant do anything abt it’. so i got the fuck out of there after the other admins started getting on my case about not doing anything for like. a week. because like. i had put so much work into that group - formatting masterlist posts in html, generally running things (accepting characters, updating pages, etc). and i wasnt being acknowledged or respected at all. so yeah, bye.

another time she was running another group and me n one of my friends who had also sorta fallen out w her over her bullshit but were still pretending to be friends w her made a plot together that was basically ‘look if her and her friend are going to have their cliquey plots that affect the whole group why cant we’ which like. in hindsight was maybe not a great decision. but it was therapeutic and probably what she deserved.

#answered #ynkkoo #long post /#g*d that site was terrible #ppl say that the tumblr rpc is bad #but it rlly is nothing compared to that site

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javis-beretta · 6 years ago

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Sigh Not So

this was not requested, but i missed my boy race, so here’s a (long) fic based on my favourite scene from much ado about nothing, which is my favourite shakespeare play. it’s also heavily inspired by a modern re-imagining of the play, which i am in love with, called nothing much to do. 10/10 would recommend watching, even if you’re not an english lit nerd like me. enjoy! <3 (PS if u can spot the quote from the original that i squeezed in near the end, then you’re legally required to marry me, sorry i don’t make the rules) (also the title is a ref to a quote from the play, i’m a nerd sorry)

It felt a bit melodramatic to call Race Higgins your enemy, but it was near enough to the truth. The truth was that you had liked him, once, maybe even more-than-liked him, but, as you grew older, the qualities you had once liked in him became obnoxious. It used to loosen you up when he made stupid jokes about whatever was happening, but now he was little more than a class clown who couldn’t take anything seriously. As you grew up, friendly roasts began to sound a little more serious, and, by the end of high school, he was the nearest thing you had to a sworn enemy.

You managed to fight with him about anything, from the correct translation of your Latin homework to the DC and Marvel cinematic universes. It was fun, sometimes, but mostly just exhausting. Sometimes, you wondered if it wouldn’t just be easier to get along, for your friends’ sake, if not for your own, but then he would make some ridiculous comment about how Parks and Rec was better than The Office and you would remember that he was the worst.

He was annoying at track practices, when his hair was impossibly curly, and his eyes glittered with happiness, and he insisted that his team needed half of your soccer pitch to practice for field events. He was annoying in class, when he argued with the teacher about the underlying racism in Anthony and Cleopatra and, sure, he may have been right, but who cared about correctness when you went about an argument in the completely wrong way.

(“You,” Katherine would say every time that you brought this up. “You care about correctness, especially when it’s opposing Shakespeare.”

You ignored her. What mattered was that it was Race arguing with the teacher, and he was always wrong, even when he was right.)

He was especially annoying at parties, when he’d flirt with anyone who breathed – except you, of course. The way he nonchalantly joked with everyone else, and pretty much ignored your existence, except to tease you about your hair or something you had said, made your blood positively boil.

(And, Davey was wrong: you weren’t jealous of anyone, not even a little bit.)

He annoyed you at parties, but his absence from Jack Kelly’s annual Halloween party left a gaping hole. You were dressed as Jim Kirk, from Star Trek, and you had expected him to tease you as soon as you got to the party, insist that you had yourself pegged wrong and that you were definitely more of an expendable red shirt, than a royal yellow. You would respond in kind, with a snarky comment about how he had less personality than a Vulcan commander and all would be right in the world.

But, he didn’t show. Or, if he did, he managed to keep quiet the entire night which, considering who you were dealing with, just made the former more likely. Towards the end of the night, you found yourself leaning against a wall in the living room, talking to a girl that you kind of knew, dressed as Wednesday Addams, and a boy that you didn’t recognise, in a full Batman costume, face-covering cowl, and everything. Maybe, you had had a little too much of the definitely not kid-friendly punch that Romeo had whipped up, or maybe you were just tired, but, when the conversation lulled, Race popped into your mind.

“Hey, you haven’t seen Higgins around tonight, have you?”

“No,” the boy answered, clearing his throat. “I mean, no, I haven’t. Why?”

Maybe it was the alcohol, but you were almost certain that his voice was pitched a little lower than it had been earlier in the conversation. You frowned, it was probably the alcohol.

“No reason, I just feel like everyone’s here and he’s, like, not. It’s weird. And, it’s so uncharacteristic of him to let a night go by where he’s not the centre of attention.”

You winced a little at the harshness in your tone, and the boy must have picked up on it, too.

“You’re being kind of hard on him, don’t you think?”

You rolled your eyes.

“No, I’m giving him the same treatment he gives me, all the time. And, besides, it’s not like I haven’t tried to get to know him – it’s not my fault he’s the biggest douche canoe this side of Canada.”

You couldn’t see the boy’s face in his costume, but you thought that he might have been frowning.

“What do you mean ‘tried to get to know him’? From what I’ve heard he’s a pretty dope guy.”

You scoffed. Did people still say dope?

“Dude, I think I would know. We used to be really good friends, like, maybe even best friends when we were in middle school, and then I guess he just lost interest, like he always does. He’s got the attention span of a studious gold fish, I swear.”

“Well, did you ever talk to him about it? Maybe, it was just a miscommunication kind of thing.”

“Ugh, as if. If he stopped talking to me, it isn’t my job to figure out what his issue is. I just,” you huffed in frustration. “We’re all here, having a good time and making fools of ourselves and he’s just missing in action. Although, I bet if he did come to this party, he’d be dressed as Peter Pan, the boy who never fucking grows up.”

The boy flinched, and you wondered for a second if you had gone too far.

“That’s harsh. You should try to give him a chance, maybe he actually wants to try to get to know you, again,” he said, before drifting off like some mysterious faerie. You weren’t sure when during the conversation the girl had left, but, soon, you were standing alone. You stood there for a moment longer, wondering idly about who that guy thought he was, anyway. You finished the drink in your cup and sauntered off to find some more of that magic punch, not giving the boy in the Batman costume a second thought.

The conversation only drifted through your mind again the next morning, when you woke up, groggy and confused, on Jack’s couch. Maybe you were a little harsh, but you had given Race the benefit of the doubt, once upon a time. He had been one of your closest friends, once upon a time.

You still remembered the last proper conversation that you had had with him. You were twelve, sitting in your bedroom and playing video games, when he paused the screen and turned to you with an oddly determined look on his face. He asked if you had heard the rumour that someone was spreading around school, that you and he were dating. You said you had, still a little confused, and he gave you this intense, unforgettable look, before asking what you thought of it all. You laughed at the idea, telling him, perhaps a little dishonestly, that it was super gross. He was like your brother, you said. You didn’t think much of it, at all. Why would he care, anyway? He had that pretty girl, Zoey. Finch had said that he had seen them holding hands at Sarah J’s party, so you didn’t want to ruin anything for him by admitting that you sometimes wished that the rumours were true. You pressed play and kicked his ass in Tekken.

The next Monday, at school, he acted like nothing was wrong, but, after that, the pair of you started to drift apart. You stopped playing video games together, playful barbs became antagonism and, by the time you reached high school, you had nothing left of the friendship that you had once shared. It was sad, sure, but you weren’t a chaser. If Race didn’t want to be your friend, then so be it.

You didn’t think again about the conversation with Batman boy, or what you might have done wrong to get Race to hate you, until a few nights later, when you were sitting at home alone. You were trying to convince yourself to get up and get something done, maybe cook dinner or do your homework, for once, but, instead you were scrolling through your unexciting Instagram feed. You idly double tapped on a few photos, exhaled out of your nose in lieu of laughter at some stupid memes, and then you reached a picture that Albert had posted, from the weekend’s party. It was him and a couple of other boys grinning at the camera and you were about to scroll past, when you saw a familiar costume. It was yellow and black, with the tell-tale Batman logo on the front, but, this time, the wearer had the hood off. Shit. Shitshitshit. There, in the Batman costume was Anthony Higgins. You had accidentally complained about him to him. Sure, you and Race weren’t the best of friends, but you didn’t want him to think you were an asshole.

You fumbled to your contacts app and called Katherine. She’d know what to do, you were sure of it. After she had got done laughing at you, she offered you a solution: Talk to Race and apologise for what you had said. You knew, logically, that that was your only option, but you really wished that the world would end before you had to apologise to Race Higgins. You couldn’t stomach texting him and figured that you could just grab him after school the next day.

The day went by a little too fast, and, before you knew it, the bell had rung to signal the end of your last lesson. You resigned yourself to your fate and made you way to Race’s locker, which was just a few doors down from yours. He was alone, thankfully, and looked more than a little surprised to see you heading his way.

“Hey,” you tried to smile when you reached him, but you were sure it came across as more of a grimace.

“Hi,” he answered, barely looking at you as he moved books from his locker to his bag.

“Race,” you tried again, putting a hand on his forearm to stop his fairly violent rifling. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” He glanced down at where your hand touched his arm and sighed, turning to you, looking a little deflated.

“Fine. What’s up?”

You took a deep breath.

“Look, I didn’t know it was you that I was saying that shit to at Jack’s. And, I know it was shitty of me to be saying that to anyone, but I didn’t mean most of it. You’re on my nerves half the time, and making fun of me the other half, but that was mean. I’m sorry.”

He looked shocked, and a little pensive.

“It’s, um. It’s okay, Y/N. It just made me kind of sad that we aren’t friends anymore. I mean, we were good together.”

He met your eyes, and you were struck by how much you had missed the way they shined when he was being sincere.

“Yeah, uh, me too. We made a good team. I miss that.”

He looked like he was going to say something else, when Albert came up behind him and put two hands on his shoulders.

“Race and Y/N? Having a civil conversation? I’m entering the lottery on the way home, because today is a day for miracles.”

Race rolled his eyes at you and you laughed.

“Fuck off, DaSilva, you’re not even old enough to get a ticket,” he said jerking the boy’s hands off his shoulders.

“Yeah,” you agreed. “And you waste enough money buying coffee to flirt with Elmer at Jacobi’s.”

“Nice,” Race laughed high-fiving you, and Albert stuck his tongue out at you, before stalking off because he didn’t have a good comeback to dispute the truth.

There was a beat of silence, and before it started to get awkward, Race spoke again.

“Uh, if you’re serious about being friends again, we should hang out some time, maybe go to the arcade?”

You smiled at him, brightly.

“You sure that’s a good idea, Higgins? I’ll smoke you in ice hockey, like I always used to.”

“Uh, you wish. I’m the ice hockey king, baby.”

You punched him in the shoulder and made plans for that weekend. That had gone better than you had expected.

It wouldn’t have been true to say that you had changed your mind about Race right away. You had fun with him, from that first day at the arcade, onwards. It was still a little awkward and there was always a little tension in the room, but you worked through it. You were seniors, you could be mature, if you tried.

(Although maturity certainly seemed to be in short supply when you and Race giggled, together, at the matching sixty-nines that you got on your history pop quizzes, or when he whispered “that’s what she said” in your ear at almost every sentence that came out of Mr Bunsen’s mouth in bio.)

You didn’t hate him, not that you ever really had. You hated that, now, his stupid jokes made you laugh, because you were included in them. You hated the warmth you felt in your chest when you said something that made him laugh, and you especially hated that crinkle at the corner of his eyes when he smiled at you, sincere and earnest.

You, realised, gradually, that you and Race had never been enemies – you just responded to what you thought was his hate in kind. It was easier to keep roasting one another, when neither one of you broke the cycle. That conversation at the party had been a turning point, for both of you.

Although, you still seemed unable to talk about the elephant in the room. You and Race never discussed how the animosity had begun between the two of you. Bringing it up would force you both to admit how stupid you had been, and neither of you were very skilled at admitting fault. It was easier to ignore it, to dance around it, than it was to deal with it. It was on your mind more often, now.

You wondered what had really happened, because something had to have happened, right? The more you thought about it, the more it made sense. People don’t just stop being friends and turn to enemies, like flicking a switch, especially not two fiercely loyal people, like you and Race. You didn’t mention it, though, for fear that you would slip back into old habits.

You liked Race, you realised, even if the two of you were incapable of having a conversation about emotions. You grinned at one another in private moments of understanding, warm with that feeling you get when you spend time with someone who has the exact same sense of humour as you. It was really good to be his friend again, until it wasn’t.

The argument had started by accident. Race was coming over on a Thursday, after school to work on a project for history. You were determined to get better than a sixty-nine for this one, even if that was the golden number. When Race had rung the doorbell, your mum had welcomed him in, pleasantly surprised to see him. You always had a feeling that she was sadder about your losing Race than you were. She was convinced that the two of you were soulmates, even when you were kids in the playground. She called it a mum’s intuition. You called it heteronormativity, but, anyway.

She chatted his ear off as she waited for you to come downstairs, talking about how much she had missed having a boy around, and how glad she was that the two of you had patched everything up. You caught the tail end of the conversation as you made your way down the stairs.

“What ever happened between you two, anyway?” your mum had asked, innocently enough.

Race laughed uncomfortably.

“Oh, I guess she just got too busy for me. I’m glad we’re friends again, now, though.”

Your mum agreed, and you fumed. Almost as soon as you had pulled your bedroom shut behind you, you gave him A Look. He was alarmed.

“What?” he asked.

“What do you mean ‘what’? Do you seriously think it’s my fault that we stopped being friends?”

He scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably.

“Oh, about what I said to your mom? I mean, yeah, it kind of was. You stopped inviting me over or replying to my texts, so I just figured you were busy,” he sounded unsure of himself.

“You stopped talking to me, Race. Was I supposed to be super nice to you when you always acted like you’d rather be anywhere else when I was in the same room as you?”

He scoffed.

“Are you being for real? We were fine, we were doing great, and then you started hanging out with Katherine or Davey instead of me, which is fine, but it was so not my fault.”

“You pretty much begged for space that day when you asked me about the stupid rumours about us dating, or whatever!”

He ran a hand through his hair.

“I cannot believe we’re talking about this. We were twelve, we were stupid!”

“And, now, you’re deflecting,” you replied. “We were best friends, Race. I just wanna know what happened between us.”

He sighed and flopped on your bed like a petulant child. His blue eyes were stormy, and they looked familiarly intense.

“Fine, it was kind of my fault, I guess.”

You kept yourself from fist pumping.

“It’s just, I felt so stupid!” he continued.

“What do you mean?” you asked, gently, this time, sitting at his feet on the bed.

“So, that day? When I asked you about the stupid middle school rumours?”

You nodded, motioning for him to go on.

“I had the biggest crush on you, and I figured that that was your way of letting me down easy. I was like your brother, right? It sucked. And, whenever we hung out, after that, I just felt so frustrated. I was mad at me, for being stupid and catching feelings and making everything weird between us, but I guess it was easier to just lash out at you. It was dumb, but I don’t think I like anything in the world as much as I like you, you were the first person that I ever felt any anything for. It sucked.”

He scrunched his eyes shut and looked ready to disappear.

“Wait,” you said, still processing his words. “’Like’, as in, present tense?”

He sat up straight.

“I – what?”

“You said like, like present tense like, like currently like.”

He cleared his throat and his eyes scanned the room, as he searched the walls for something.

“Uh, slip of the tongue, whatever. You said like way too many times just then.”

You waved your hand. Semantics.

“Do you, um, like me, as in like-like me, present tense like me, Race?”

He sputtered for a moment, and then swallowed drily.

“I guess, it’s stupid. It kind of never went away, if you can believe it.”

You could believe it. It wasn’t hard to believe, since you could relate. He was waiting, nervously, for you to say something, but your words didn’t seem to be working. Instead of speaking, you moved across the bed, so that you were sitting next to him, both of your heads leaning against the wall.

“I, um,” you took a deep breath. “Uh, same.”

His head snapped to yours and he searched your eyes for humour. He sighed, shakily, and then let out a soft laugh.

“’Same?’ I practically confess my love to you and all you’ve got is ‘same’?”

His eyes twinkled with mirth.

“Well, what else do you want me to say?” you protested. “That I don’t hate you? That I never wanted to hate you? I just figured that you didn’t want to be my friend, anymore.”

“God. We are idiots.”

“Yep,” you agreed.

You sat in silence for a moment, letting the realisation of what you had just admitted wash over you. Race suddenly turned to you.

“So, what happens now?”

You shrugged, still not meeting his eyes. You weren’t sure what you were nervous about now, but the tumble of feelings in your stomach insisted that looking at Race’s eyes would ruin you, so you stared at the white wall in front you.

“Because,” he said, putting a hand on your knee like he was bracing himself. “I kinda wanna make out with you, like, romantically?”

A laugh bubbled out of you and you turned to him, finally. You had been wrong, before, about the consequences of meeting his eyes. They weren’t storm-blue anymore. They were blue like the sky on a sunny a day. They were blue like the ocean, when you’ve spent months away from the sea. They were a sight to behold.

You turned your whole body to face him and gently slipped a hand to the back of his neck, playing with the blonde curls there. You leaned into him, and just before your lips met his, you muttered a word, just loud enough for him to hear.

“Same.”

You leaned in and kissed him, with years’ worth of hidden feelings, and he smiled against your lips. You pulled away after a bit and looked at his eyes. His pupils were blown wide, but they were as blue as ever. You wondered how you had ever pretended to dislike eyes as beautiful as his.

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