#we’ll see where the wind takes me lol

[starkid-innit]

I need you to know I would give you real life money for bug bracelet... not saying u Have To make more or whatever its just a fact. u have incredible bracelet skills and he is a perfect little angel ❤️

Aww this is a really lovely message thank you

There’s been a lot of love for bug so I’m definitely planning on making more, although it might depend on how many orange beads I have left

But agreed, bug is a perfect little angel 🥰

[betterthanyalls]

Can u do a Reader x epic various where y/n is apart of Ody's crew and during the end of thunder bringer Zeus kidnaps y/n and takes them to Olympus instead of letting them either drown or get washed up onto Calypso's island?🥰🥰🤩🤩 It'd be cool if during God games or something Athena finds out what Zeus did and now instead of the games being just to free Ody from Calypso's island, it's ALSO about freeing y/n from Olympus and reuniting them with Odysseus?? Sorry if this doesn't make sense or if it's too much work lol, just write this however you want if you even wanna write it at all teehee ^^"

blinks i think i went through 37 different emotions while writing this, most of them were bad. Ok so, I'm not sure how good this is but please don't kill me😇 TW: Zeus gives reader Ganymede treatment

Part 2

Masterlist

Stolen Soldier

Various (kind of) x Reader

EPIC: The Musical ~ Oneshot ~ Angst

Words: 1.6K

Published: 11-4-2024

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thunder roared, winds whipped, and waves rocked the lone ship back and forth. Standing on the bow of the ship was a figure of divine power and presence, waiting with a wicked grin. “Choose,” the king of the gods demanded harshly.

“Choose?” Odysseus muttered, looking at Zeus in fear. “Someone’s got to die today, and you have got the final say. You,” he pointed to Odysseus before gesturing to the rest of the crew, “or your crew.”

The captain looked to his crew, locking eyes with Y/n—his best friend, his rock, his shelter. He took a shaky breath, looking back to Zeus in desperation.

“Please don’t make me do this; don’t make me do this,” Odysseus begged. His mind seemed to be playing tricks on him. Looking back at his crew, he saw a range of emotions: anger, hurt, terror, grief, and more. Taking a daring glance at his closest friend, the soldier felt his heart shatter. Holding back tears, Y/n gave him a hesitant nod to show it was ok.

Then, a new voice tore his gaze away from his crew. Looking out over the sea and to the clouds, a figure of familiarity seemed to take place within the clouds. Illusion or not, that was his wife.

Penelope. Odysseus took staggering steps across the shaking boat and to the edge. Both of his hands latched to the wooden railing, his eyes never moving from the clouded position of his partner. Memories flooded his judgment, from his crew and Y/n, to his family waiting for him. “Captain?” A voice of uncertainty spoke up. Eurylochus. The said captain couldn’t even dare face his right-hand man as the sky darkened and Penelope faded back to the clouds.

“I have to see her," Odysseus whispered, tears brimming in his eyes as he finally looked back at his crew. The general saw all of the hurt and betrayal in his men’s expressions. The fear hurt the most to see. “But we’ll die,” Eurylochus pleaded. Odysseus knew he would regret this option until his final breath. Once he got home, how would he tell Ctimene he was the cause of her husband's death? “I know,” Odysseus’ voice broke, a few stray droplets not belonging to the storm washed down his cheeks. 

At the end of those words, the thunder roared, and Zeus grinned evilly. Zeus rose above the clouds, lightning moving to gather in his raised hand.

“Thunder, bring her through the wringer.” The crew drew their weapons in defense, charging towards Odysseus with murderous intent. Y/n stood away from the fight, not daring to lift any sort of weapon against her best friend.

“Show her I'm the judgment call. The one who makes her kingdom fall. Lightning, wield her, use and yield her.” 

As the crew closed in on their captain, the air started to become tense and electrified. Y/n took a step back from the chaos, looking up to see a phenomenon of heavenly power. “Show her what she can’t conceal; her true nature will be revealed.”

A bright light enclosed the surrounding sky, ripping down to the center of the ship. In an instant, a deafening crack sounded, and all light faded to black. Y/n felt like her soul was being ripped apart as she opened her mouth to scream her pain, but no noise came out. Then she felt a drop, only to be brought into a suffocating embrace of cold. Finally, her mind cut out. ~~~~~ Y/n felt different. She didn’t sense the shivering water anymore, but instead a subtle warmth. It took a few minutes, but eventually she managed to peek open her eyes. Y/n wasn’t on a ship in the middle of the sea with the night sky above anymore, but instead there was a grand painting on the ceiling of white marble overhead. Looking around slowly, the young woman saw an unfamiliar scene.

A lavish bedroom surrounded her, furnishings a king could only dream of sitting like average decor in each nook and cranny. Moving her hands, Y/n felt the silk sheets of a glorious bed below her. Ivory blankets fell from her body as she slowly rose up from her position. Placing her feet on the cold marble flooring, the mortal stepped through the room. It wasn’t long before she found herself in front of a floor-length mirror. 

White and gold fabric draped down on her body—a dress fit for a goddess of divine origin. Confusion clouded her eyes as she scanned her new attire. That puzzlement was quickly replaced with fear as two wooden doors opened, revealing an even more confusing sight.

A tall man wearing a white toga entered the room without a care of knocking. Striding to where Y/n stood, she instinctively took steps back from him. “My dear, why do you back away?” The smile on his face was unnerving, especially with the nickname. Y/n recognized that voice immediately, terror coursing through her veins as her lips parted to let out a gasp.

“Zeus.”

The god in question continued to walk towards her with that two-faced smile until he backed the mortal into a wall. “Mmm, you’re as smart as you are beautiful,” he took her hand, placing a kiss on her knuckles. Y/n shuddered in disgust and fear; her heart raced faster than a chariot racer's steeds. She wanted to push him away, but her body felt locked in place. Y/n tried to speak, but her lips were closed tightly like a stone wall. “Hm, dear, I think I know a dress that’d fit your body much better. Let me help.”

~~~~~

Within only the second morning of the Heavenly Palace, Y/n had the overwhelming urge to jump off. But she wouldn’t be allowed such a pleasure with the god at her side. Zeus had taken it upon himself to guide the mortal on a tour through Olympus, which only influenced her thoughts. 

Y/n kept her eyes on Zeus every second. Not out of intrigue or anything of that sort, but of apprehension. Each movement of his that was near her direction, the mortal would tense up and pause everything. Soon enough, the king of Olypmus noticed and grinned with faux comfort. “Dear, you seem tense. Allow me to ease you.” ~~~~~ Day after day. Weeks after week. Zeus never let Y/n leave his side, threatening any god or goddess who even dared to give her a sympathetic glance. The woman was a shell of who she once was. Her eyes sunk and her soul depleted; she felt her life draining by the day. Not in mortality-wise, no Zeus would never let her perish. But in consideration of her spirit.

Each night she would cry until no more salt would leave, leaving only choking sobs. Each night she was infiltrated by the king of Olympus. Y/n would stare at herself in the mirror, vomit building in her throat as her eyes trailed down to every mark on her body. No spot was untouched. No matter how hard she tried, Y/n could never wash off the sin. The mortal would scrub her skin until she was raw and bleeding, but the phantom touches remained.

Each night she missed her home and friends more and more. Where was Odysseus now? Did he forget all about her when he returned to Ithaca? What about Penelope? Would she miss her best friend? 

Seven years. Seven years of misery, force, and agony. Seven years of physical and mental torture she endured to no fault.

But soon, like all stories, her savior arrived. ~~~~~

Athena stood in front of her father, spear and shield in hand, while staring into the king’s eyes murderously.

“I’ve played your game and won. Release them,” the goddess of wisdom demanded, shifting her gaze to where Y/n stood anxiously beside Zeus’ throne. The mortal had gone through so much, and Athena was determined to save her. 

Zeus glowered down at his daughter, rage covering his expression. “You dare to defy me? To make me feel shame?” He growled, his fists clenching so tight that his knuckles turned a bright alabaster. “No one beats me; no one wins my game!”

The lightning god stood up threateningly, his hands glowing a static yellow. “Thunder, bring her through the wringer!” The air was caught in Y/n’s throat at the familiar words, her eyes wide in horror. Zeus rose up, the electricity in his hands growing as the woman noticed the alarmed looks on the other god’s expressions. “Show her I’m the judgment call, the one who makes her kingdom FALL!” With a vociferous burst, he threw the lightning at his daughter, forcing her back onto the floor. Once the light faded, everyone looked to see the warrior lying face down, her body still as ice. “Is she dead?” the voice of her brother Ares asked hesitantly. Y/n thought back to every moment her and Odysseus had been with Athena. They were an unstoppable force together. Now though, Y/n only wanted to rush to the goddess side.  Before anyone could do anything, Athena struggled to her feet, holding her aegis in defense while pointing the spear tip to her father.

Zeus’ look of utter shock soon turned to rage at her defiance. In response, he sent a barrage of bolts towards his favorite child. Against this attack, the war patroness held her shield strong and pushed against the force, making her way to her father.

Finally, at the feet of the king, she grabbed his arm and fell to her knees.

“Let them go, please. Let them go.” Her plea was finished as the goddess collapsed, her breath slowing to a stop.

[wafflefries13]

Go For It, Jamil!

Summary: Scarabia hears their Vice-House Warden has a crush and are a little too enthusiastic to help out.

AN: I really like the idea that the dorm mob loves their wardens and vice wardens. It makes me think of the tsum event where all of Savanaclaw was in tears because they thought Leona got turned into a little burrito plush, lol.

I got Omar and Babkak from the Aladdin Broadway musical. There's also a Kassim there but I thought it sounded too close to Kalim so just kept it to the two of them.

Warnings: Pining. Apparently I'm really into that. AFAB reader with she/her pronouns.

Spring had come to Night Raven College. With the blossoming trees, chirping birds, and returning sunshine, one thing everyone could count on was Kalim’s annual Welcome Spring party. Of course, he also had a Welcome Autumn, Welcome Winter, Welcome Summer, Farewell End-of-School-Year, Beginning of School, Halloween, New Year's Eve and Day, basically anything party. The difference here was that there were generally more flowers. 

“And we can have the cherry blossom trees around the entrance of the courtyard!” Kalim was saying. Jamil dutifully followed behind him by a few steps, taking down notes for the numerous things they would need to order. “That way when the wind blows the petals will swirl everywhere and it will be super pretty!” 

“MmHmm,” Jamil muttered, only halfway paying attention. 

“And I was thinking the food should be fruit-themed. Blueberries, strawberries, plums, apricots, rhubarb - is rhubarb a fruit? It’s sweet but it’s like celery, right? Cause it grows in the ground in a stalk?” 

“It’s a vegetable.” 

“Oh, and pastels! I can get bolts of silk and we can have them hanging from the ceiling in panels and string beads between everything.”

“Sure.”  

“And it’ll be the perfect backdrop when you confess to (Y/N)!” 

Jamil nearly tripped over his own feet. Both of them froze at the sound of a shattering pot. Looking up, Jamil felt dread build in his stomach as a wide-eyed first-year stared at the two of them, obviously having overheard Kalim’s (obviously totally ridiculous) announcement. There was a broken flower pot at his feet. 

“I-Uh-” The first-year stuttered. “Sorry, I’ll get a broom.” He dashed off like his feet were on fire. 

Jamil sighed. The last thing he needed right now were rumors swirling around. “Kalim, what are you talking about?”

Kalim blinked at the retreating student before looking back at Jamil with a beaming smile. “(Y/N)! It’ll all be super romantic, right? And spring’s a time for new beginnings. We’ll have a string quartet and I’ll set up a gazebo with hanging lanterns and you can take her hands and look her in the eyes and say-” 

“Okay, okay, okay!” Jamil quickly said, clapping a hand over Kalim’s mouth before another eavesdropper got the wrong idea. “You have way to clear an image of all this.” 

“Of course! I think it’ll make a great story for your wedding!” 

Jamil heard a gasp. He turned just in time to see the first-year from before ducking behind the corner with another in tow. 

Yup. There was the headache coming. 

“Kalim,” Jamil said, measuring his words as steadily as he could. “I’m not going to confess anything to (Y/N).” 

Kalim pouted. “Aww, why not?” 

“Because I don’t have feelings for her.” 

“What? Of course you do!” 

“I promise I don’t.” 

“Don’t worry, she’ll definitely say yes.” 

“That’s not the problem here.” Jamil sighed. “Look, I get that you have good intentions, but you don’t need to go overboard and be involved in everything. We talked about this, remember? The whole thing about boundaries?” Actually, (Y/N) had mediated that conversation a few days after Jamil’s Overblot. Is that why Kalim had become convinced they had some sort of romantic attraction? Because talking about feelings must lead to the extreme of those feelings? 

Kalim looked chastened, a certain wet puppy dog look that would make most people fold instantly. Jamil was not most people. “Right, I remember. I just…” Jamil waited for Kalim to continue, silently hoping he would just drop it. “I want you to be happy, you know? And I think you’d be really happy with (Y/N)!” 

Jamil looked at Kalim sideways. “It’s more of a two way street, you know.” 

“Well, yeah, but (Y/N) likes you too!” 

Jamil tripped over his own feet again. He felt a strange kind of dread at the way his heart skipped a beat as a warm feeling flooded his chest. 

“She-what-Where did you hear that?” 

Kalim shrugged, smiling coyly. “I can tell. Just like how I can tell you like her.” 

“I don’t,” Jamil said firmly. 

Kalim held up his hands in surrender. “I hear you! Boundaries! I won’t mention it again.” He added under his breath, “Even if I think you two would be really cute together.” 

“I heard that.” 

*

Behind them, hidden in the long shadows of the Scarabia hallways, a cluster of students were beginning to plot. 

*

The next day, Jamil was taking some time to relax between classes. Well, as much as he could relax. Mostly his thoughts were occupied jumping between organizing for the Welcome Spring party, creating a mental schedule of what school projects were do when, planning what he would make Kalim for lunch for the next week-

“Jamil!” 

He turned to see (Y/N) waving at him. He felt his heart start thumping rapidly in his chest. Stop it, He thought. I can’t let Kalim get in my head like that. 

“Hi,” She said, coming up to him. 

“Did you need something?” 

“Not really. Just saw you over here stuck in your own head again.” She elbowed him playfully. Jamil felt himself smile without realizing it and quickly schooled his features to a more serious expression. “Want to take a break? I snagged these cookies from Sam’s. Tomorrow’s the expiration date so I got them on sale.” 

Jamil wrinkled his nose. “Is it worth it?” 

(Y/N) shrugged, taking a bite of a cookie. “It’s in the budget. You know, whenever Crowley actually decides to pay me.” 

“You know, if you’re ever short on food you can always come to Scarabia. If Kalim’s not throwing another party with a buffet I can get you something. I always make extras for Kalim, anyway.” This was not entirely true. Jamil had had practically his entire life to get used to cooking for Kalim, and it was only recently that he had started making larger batches, packaging them up to deliver to a certain magicless prefect who’s nutritional health he definitely didn’t worry about.  

(Y/N) smiled and offered him the cookie bag. “You look after everyone all the time, don’t you?” 

Jamil smiled back and took a cookie. They sat in an alcove in the hallway, chatting about nothing of significance. Jamil told a story about how Floyd had insisted Jamil teach him how to spin on his head during basketball practice and (Y/N) told him stories of her recent trip to Harveston, Epel’s hometown, and the sled race against the surprise Royal Sword Academy students. 

Jamil saw movement out of the corner of his eye, but whatever it was disappeared before he could catch it. “Sorry, what did you say?” 

“Oh, about the stuffed animals. Sebeck won’t admit it, but I think he still has his squirrel plush in his room. I don’t think it’s magic anymore but it is really cute.” 

Jamil heard the drag of a bow on strings and looked around. 

(Y/N) frowned. “Are you okay? You seem distracted.” 

Jamil shook his head. “No, sorry, I’m fine. I thought I heard-” 

Music started to pour around them. Although it was the calming, one might almost say romantic, type, they both still jumped at the sudden noise. Jamil jumped up, looking around, and took a hit of sunflower petals directly to his face. 

“Omar!” Someone hissed. “Be careful!” 

“Sorry, Babkak,” A voice squeaked back. 

Wait, Jamil knew those voices. He whipped around the corner, seeing a group of Scarabia first-years. Several formed a string quartet, softly playing music. The other two had a bucket of flower petals, one of them throwing handfuls in the air while the other directed a zephyr spell to blow them across the hallway. The two froze with wide eyes at the sight of their Vice-House Warden. 

“What,” Jamil said, voice steely and arms crossed. “Are you doing?” 

The string players looked nervously at each other but continued to play. Omar gapped like a codfish. Babkak stood up straight with a confident smile. “We’re setting the mood!” 

“What mood?” “For your confession!” 

Oh. Oh, no. Now Jamil realized how he recognized them. Babkak was the one who dropped the flower pot yesterday and Omar was the one he had dragged with him to eavesdrop. They must have heard what Kalim had said yesterday about him and (Y/N) and taken the wrong idea. And, Jamil justified to himself, it was definitely the wrong idea. 

“Jamil?”  

Jamil turned so fast the first-years were momentarily worried about whiplash. (Y/N) stood at the corner, looking curiously at the impromptu band and flowers. Behind him, Jamil could hear them hastily whispering to each other to keep playing and trying to get the effect of floating flower petals just right. 

“Something going on?” She asked. 

“No!” Jamil said, perhaps a little too quickly. “They were just leaving.” He glared at the first-years. “After they clean this up.” 

(Y/N) took a step forward. Jamil felt his mouth go dry as she reached up and plucked a few stray yellow petals from his hair. “Is this for a botany project or something? Kind of romantic, huh?” 

Jamil felt his face burn with embarrassment. 

“No!” Jamil said, at the same time Babkak said, “Yes!” 

“Okay,” (Y/N) said, rolling closed the half-full bag of cookies. “Well, I should probably get going. I need to see what kind of trouble Grim has gotten into while I was gone. I’ll see you later, Jamil.” She waved to him and then the first-years. 

“What made you think this was a good idea?” Jamil asked, trying very hard not to yell, when (Y/N) was out of earshot. 

“Sorry, sir,” Omar said, dejectedly picking up flower petals. He glared up at Babkak. “I told you we should have gone for the romantic dinner. And rose petals, not sunflowers.” 

Babkak waved his friend off. “Don’t be so cliche. Besides, sunflowers are way better! They’re pretty and you can eat the seeds!” 

“Hey!” Jamil snapped. The two boys looked back up at him while the other first-years were trying to discreetly pack up their instruments. “I asked what you were doing? Did Kalim put you up to this?” 

“No, sir, this was all us!” Babkak said, a little too proudly. “We wanted to help.” “Yeah,” Omar said. “We’re all rooting for you, Vice-House Warden, sir!” The other first-years made noises of agrement. 

“Rooting for me?” 

“With (Y/N), to tell her you love her!” 

Jamil groaned, covering his eyes with his hand and rubbing his temples. “I am not in love with the Prefect.” Jamil missed the skeptical look the two gave each other. “Look, I appreciate the…vote of confidence, but I’m not going to confess anything to anyone any time soon. So whatever else you have planned, or whoever else you told this rumor to, you can give it a break. Understand?” 

“Yes, Vice-House Warden,” They all echoed dutifully. 

As Jamil marched away, Omar leaned over to Babkak. “I’ve got twenty madol that say he confesses before the spring party.” 

*

Jamil’s muscles were burning, and he welcomed it. He needed the distraction after this morning and basketball practice against Floyd in full force was a pretty good diversion. Ace had been uncharacteristically distracted all practice. Although Jamil couldn’t help but notice that Ace seemed to pass a little harder than necessary. 

During a water break, Ace came up to Jamil. He tossed his water bottle between his hands, taking a step away and then closer. 

Jamil knew he would regret it before he even asked, “What’s up, Ace?” 

Ace startled, surprised Jamil had made the first move. “I heard something,” He said. “In potions class today.” 

“Did someone blow up something again? Anyone get turned into an animal or something?” 

Ace pressed his lips together. “Do you like (Y/N)?” 

Jamil couldn’t decide whether to be exhausted, flustered, or annoyed. “Who told you that?” 

Ace’s eyes widened in shock. “You do?!” 

“No!” Jamil snapped back. “People are just going around spreading rumors.” 

“Huh?” Floyd asked, sliding over on the bleachers. “I thought everyone knew already.” 

“Knew?”

Floyd flashed his sharp teeth. “Come on, Sea Snake. Everyone knows you’re, what’s the land term? Head over heels for Shrimpy.” 

Ace dropped his water bottle and jabbed an accusatory finger at Jamil. “I knew it!” 

“You don’t know anything,” Jamil said, shoving Ace’s hand aside. 

“Oh?” Floyd said, leaning in a little too close. “So that means she’s available then?” 

“No!” Ace and Jamil both shouted at the same time. Ace glared at Jamil. A few other members of the basketball club glanced over, snickering to themselves at the outburst. 

Ace puffed out his chest, planting himself solidly in front of Jamil. “Look, (Y/N) is one of my best friends. And if you do anything to mess with her then… then…” Ace fumbled, running out of steam with his threats before catching his second wind. “Then you’ll have to deal with Jack!” 

Jamil crooked an eyebrow. “Jack? Not you or Deuce?” 

Ace shrugged. “Jack’s the biggest. But Deuce did used to be a delinquent. I’ve seen him be pretty brutal when he wants to. And I guess Epel can scrap up too, when Vil isn’t around. Probably couldn’t convince Sebeck to help out, he’d just lecture about a knight’s honor or something. Ooh, Ortho had a blast cannon! So, you know, watch out!” 

“I like how you didn’t put yourself in the line of fire there, Crabby,” Floyd said. He rolled his shoulders. “But you know, I think Shrimpy is pretty great, too. I don’t want to see her sad or anything. So if someone were to maybe break her heart,” He glanced sideways as Jamil with crazed wide eyes. “Can you swim, Sea Snake?” 

Jamil just glowered back at him. “Can everyone just stop talking about (Y/N) today?” 

“People are talking about me?” All three of them jumped. (Y/N) walked into the gym, Grim hanging off her shoulders. “I thought I felt my ears burning.”  

“Shrimpy!” Floyd immediately ran up to her, sweeping her up in a tight squeezing hug. Grim jumped off her shoulders with a yelp. Ace yelled and pulled at Floyd’s jersey, trying to pry them apart. 

(Y/N) weakly patted Floyd’s back with a free hand. “Hi, Floyd, hi, Ace. Sorry, I need Jamil real quick.” 

The two boys froze, slowly turning their heads to stare at Jamil, who was busy hiding his face in his hands. They watched like hawks as (Y/N) walked over to Jamil. 

“Hey,” She said. “You okay?” 

“Fine,” He said, waving her off. “Just one of those days, you know?”

She frowned. “You need me to talk to someone? I can chew out Ace if you want. Floyd is sort of out of my league, though.” 

Jamil sighed a laugh. “No, that’s fine.” 

“Oh! Right! Hang on.” She slung her backpack off her shoulder, reaching in and pulling out a familiar water bottle. “Here, you left this in the library. One of the Scarabia first-years found it and asked me to bring it to you.” 

“Oh, thanks. I was wondering where it was.” Jamil didn’t mention that he hadn’t been in the library at all today. As he reached to take it, their fingers brushed. Jamil grabbed the bottle and jerked back like he had been scorched. His heart was hammering, not from the exercise of basketball practice, and he was momentarily worried (Y/N) would be able to hear it. Not to mention if she would notice how clammy his hands had suddenly become. 

“Well,” (Y/N) said. “I guess I’ll get out of your hair-”

“Wait!” 

The entire basketball team, plus (Y/N) and Grim, turned to the sudden outburst. Babkak had half way thrown himself out of the doorway entrance to the gym, hand extended in a Stop motion. Omar guilty peaked out from the door frame. 

“Uh, I mean,” Babkak said, back peddling. 

“You should stay!” Omar jumped in. “I mean, we should all stay to watch practice! Support your local team and everything!” He weakly punched the air. “Go team?” 

Jamil opened his mouth to chastise them again before (Y/N) spoke, “That sounds fun. I don’t get to see you guys play too often. If that’s okay with you, though.” 

“Oh, um,” Jamil stuttred. 

Floyd jumped up, throwing himself over Jamil’s shoulders and smiling wide. “Of course you can stay! You can watch Sea Snake show off!” 

Jamil elbowed him. “You’re the one who shows off, Floyd.”

(Y/N) shrugged, smiling. (And Jamil definitely didn’t feel his heart flip.) “I don’t have any plans.” 

As everyone got back in position for practice, Ace took his place, whispering to Jamil, “Remember: Ortho has a laser cannon.” 

Jamil rolled his eyes. 

From the corner of his eye, Jamil saw the group of Scarabia first-years shuffle into the bleachers around (Y/N) and Grim. He thought he saw a few of them hiding objects behind their backs, but was pulled back to the game before he could investigate further. 

He lost himself back in the game. Sneakers squeaked against the waxed wooden floor, the bounce of the ball reverberated around the gym, each quick and practiced movement by the players blurring at the edge of Jamil’s vision. Another player passed him the ball. He faked left, turning around Floyd, before lining up a shot at the three point line. He raised the ball, arms tensing in preparation to shoot and- 

A blare of sound echoed through the gym, bouncing off the acoustic walls and tumbling down around everyone in attendance. The ball slipped from Jamil’s hands, falling uselessly in a pathetic arc and bouncing across the court floor. Jamil turned to the bleachers where the noise had come from. The first-years, Jamil now recognized them as the string quartet from earlier, now made up a brass band. The noise he had heard was the blast from a tuba. The rest of the band joined in, trumpets, french horn, and bugle. They started playing a high-energy marching tune. How many instruments did these people know how to play anyway? Omar and Babkak had red and yellow pom poms, waving them enthusiastically. Babkak passed a pair to a bewildered (Y/N). 

“Go, Vice-Housewarden Jamil!” Babkak cheered. 

“Show them who’s boss, sir!” Omar whooped. 

Everyone froze, looking from the impromptu cheering section and band to Jamil then back again. Jamil’s face felt as hot as the Scalding Sands desert at noon. It didn’t help at all when Floyd started cackling. 

He began to march over to confront his dorm mates, again, when a new echoing sound made him pause. (Y/N) had thrown her head back in laughter. She stood, waving the pom poms above her head. 

“Go, Jamil, go!” She cheered. 

Jamil was pretty sure he was going to spontaneously combust at any second. 

*

The rest of practice had been a disaster. Every time Jamil got the ball the bleachers would erupt in noise, distracting him and everyone else trying to play. Jamil had never felt so off his game, fumbling the ball, bumping into his teammates, and losing focus at every moment that mattered, and most of the ones that didn’t, too. He purposely avoided turning in the direction of the cheering squad, partially because he wanted to discourage whatever activities the first-years were insistent on doing, and partially so he didn’t have to see (Y/N) cheer for him so enthusiastically. (And, maybe, so she wouldn’t be able to see how flustered he was becoming with every second.) 

A teammate had patted Jamil’s shoulder in sympathy as they headed to the showers after practice. “Don’t worry,” He said. “I bet she still likes you.” 

Jamil resisted the urge to punch him. 

Now, at least, he was back in a rhythm of something he knew how to do: cooking. Ever since his stint in the Culinary Crucible, the ghost chefs had tapped him and a few other stand out cases to help out in the kitchen every once and a while. 

The kitchen filled with the scent of roasting spices and sizzling meat, spilling out into the cafeteria sitting area. Students had started lining up way before the kitchen officially opened to secure their plate of Jamil’s cooking. Jamil felt the tension melt out of his shoulders, much like the butter in the pan he was currently using, as he fell into his familiar rhythms. 

“Thanks again for your help,” One of the ghost chefs said, floating by with a steaming bowl of freshly made turmeric rice. 

“Not a problem,” He replied. “It gets me out of my own head.” 

“Oh?” Another ghost asked. “Having troubles, youngster?” 

“Girl troubles, maybe?” Another snickered. 

All the ghosts jumped as Jamil brought down a butcher knife to decapitate a fish. They collectively decided it was maybe best to drop the topic, already deceased or not. 

“Ah, Jamil, chef, sir?” A student volunteer said, warily eyeing the butcher knife. “Someone was having an issue with their meal. They wanted to talk to you.” 

So much for his relaxation. Jamil quickly let the others know what to keep an eye on in the kitchen and headed out to the main sitting area. He scanned the tables. It looked like everyone was enjoying their food as far as he could tell. He looked back into the window of the kitchen. The volunteer student pointed at a table near the back by a window. He was about half way across the room when he realized that the student was a Scarabia student, a first-year in fact. And, now that he thought of it, he didn’t think he had seen that student in the kitchen before he had come to talk to Jamil. 

Jamil froze, seeing exactly who was sitting at the indicated table. This was a set up. He turned around to go back, only to be stonewalled by two now very familiar Scarabia students. 

“Hello, sir!” Omar chirped. 

“Taking your dinner break?” Babkak asked. “Great! We have the perfect table for you.” 

They both hooked their arms around Jamil’s and practically dragged him over to the table where (Y/N) and Grim sat. 

“Oh, hi,” She said, blinking at the surprise arrival. Jamil felt his throat tighten and couldn’t formulate a response. 

The musically talented first-years descended to the table, quickly picking up her plate of food to whisk a tablecloth over the table, setting down a candelabra which was quickly lit, and a vase with a dozen roses. 

“Roses,” Omar whispered to Babkak with a sly smile. Babkak rolled his eyes. The two shoved Jamil into a seat opposite (Y/N). A plate of food was set in front of him. The sneaky Scarabia student from the kitchen grabbed Grim, shoving a plate of tuna tartare in his paws before he could protest. Then, the group of wannabe restaurateurs vanished as quickly as they had appeared. The two left at the table, Jamil and (Y/N), looked at eachother with confusion. Jamil dropped his head to stare intently at his plate, stabbing at the sayadieh with his fork. 

“Hey,” Jamil was jerked out of his thoughts by (Y/N)’s voice. “I wanted to apologize for earlier, at practice. It looked like we were a pretty big distraction.” 

“You don’t need to apologize,” Jamil said. “It wasn’t your fault.” He glared at the first-years eagerly watching from a table a safe distance away. 

“Yeah, but still, I don’t need to make your life any harder.” 

Jamil looked up at her. She was twirling her spoon around the tabouli, eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. “You don’t make my life harder,” he insisted. “In fact, you’ve made a lot of things easier. My relationship with Kalim is a lot better now, for one thing.” 

She smiled at him, and his heart definitely didn’t skip a beat. “Well, glad I can help, then. But don’t sell yourself short. You’ve been doing a lot of work since everything that happened.” She waved her hand, regarding the invisible thing they both understood. It was still hard to talk directly about his Overblot, the manipulation, abuse of magic, and kidnapping aside. (Y/N) had told him she wanted to give him space for it, to consider how he felt and talk to others at his own pace, but still trying to address the root of the issues. That was when she had started organizing those sessions between her, Jamil, and Kalim, giving them a place to directly talk with each other without outside pressures and influences, helping them work things together as friends instead of the master/servant role Jamil so often felt himself confided to. 

“This is great, by the way,” (Y/N) interjected, scooping up a mouthful of tabouli. “I can always tell when it’s your cooking. Thanks for those leftovers the other day. I know Grim really likes them too.” 

“Oh, yeah, of course,” He said. He didn’t say, “I didn’t make it for Grim. I made it for you.” He blanched at the intrusive thought and snatched up his water glass, taking a large gulp and trying not to choke. 

“You sure you’re okay?” (Y/N) asked. “You’ve seemed kind of on edge all day.” 

“I’ll deal with it later,” Jamil said, looking over at the first-years who started enthusiastically nodding and giving him thumbs-up. 

(Y/N) drummed her fingers against the table.  “Listen, actually, there’s been something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about-” 

“Lgeimat!” Jamil shouted. 

She blinked at him. “Sorry?” 

“The lgeimat! I left them in the fryer! Sorry, have to go, have a good night!” Jamil shot up and zipped back to the safety of the kitchen. 

“I didn’t know we were having lgeimat tonight,” Omar said from their spying perch. 

Babkak thudded his head on the table at their third defeat. “We’re not.” He grumbled. 

*

Jamil collapsed on the low couches in the Scarabia common room, arm flung across his face to cover his eyes from the late evening light. The day felt like it went on forever. Jamil had caught himself constantly looking over his shoulder, jerking at every unexpected sound, in anticipation of an over eager group of first-years. 

“Hi, Jamil-Oh,” Kalim stopped himself, looking over at his drained friend. “You okay?” 

Jamil sighed in response. “Long day.” 

“Oh.” Kalim sat down next to him. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

Jamil peered out from under his arm at Kalim. At least that was one improvement, again, thanks to (Y/N) specific intervention. Kalim had slowly been teaching himself not to jump to conclusions or take it upon himself to fix everything by throwing money or extravagance at it, but by taking the time to hear other people, namely Jamil, out first. Of course, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t throw money or extravagance at the problem in the end, but progress was progress. 

Jamil gave Kalim a halfhearted glare. “It’s all thanks to that rumor you started.” 

Kalim blinked. “Rumor? Oh, you mean about how you’re in love with-”

“Yes!” Jamil cut him off, sitting bolt upright. “That! Some first-years heard you the other day and have been following me around, trying to start up some grand romantic gesture.” 

“Oh, yeah, I heard about that. I think it’s sweet.” 

“Sweet?” 

“That everyone believes in you! Everyone knows how hard you work. We all want to see you happy and with the person you love.” 

Jamil stood. “Kalim, I’m not-” 

“Nope.” Kalim said shooting up. He put his hands on the taller boy’s shoulders, forcing him to meet his eyes. “You’ve been different ever since winter break. You smile more when (Y/N)’s around. You’re not so tense all the time. And whenever we’re in a group, like at the cafeteria or dorm meetings or parties, you’re always looking for her. And when you see her your whole face just lights up! Do you know how often you talk about her? It’s a lot, Jamil! ‘Oh, I wonder what (Y/N) would think about this. Do you think (Y/N) has that in her world? Do you think (Y/N) likes spicy or sweet food? Do you think (Y/N)’s doing okay at Ramshackle? Do you think she needs help with any repairs like when we stayed there during VDC training? (Y/N) sure works real hard to catch up with a whole new culture. Do you think (Y/N) would want this extra curry?’”  

“I don’t sound like that,” Jamil protested weakly. 

Kalim sighed, hands on his hips. “I’ve known you my whole life. I know what you’re like when you’re mad, I know what you’re like when you’re sad, I know what you’re like when you’re happy, and now I know what you’re like when you’re in love.” 

Jamil pushed back. “I’m not in love with her!” 

“Yes, you are!” 

“I’m not-” Jamil cut himself off. He felt suddenly dizzy. He sat down hard. “Oh, I’m in love with her.” 

Kalim threw his hands in the air. “Yes! Thank you! Finally!” 

“But,” Jamil continued, and Kalim tried really hard to keep his frustration to himself. “I can’t tell her that. I can’t… put that kind of pressure on her. She has enough going on with Grim and Ramshackle and trying to find a way home and… Sevens, she’s going back home, Kalim! I don’t know when or how, but she won’t even be in this universe! And what, I’m just supposed to show up and dump this emotional baggage on her when she already has everything else to worry about?” 

Kalim sat down next to Jamil. He twirled his fingers together, trying to collect his thoughts. Why was it always so hard to know the right thing to say? “You said feelings were like a two way street yesterday, remember? So don’t you think (Y/N) should have a say too?” 

“Kalim, I can’t-”

“Yes you can!” Kalim shouted, jumping up and clapping his hands. “You’re Jamil Viper! If anyone can do it, can do anything, it’s you! And keeping everything bottled up isn’t fair to you or her or anyone. So-So-” Kalim frowned, trying to look stern, a very strange expression for the normally boisterous boy. “So go tell her how you feel right now, and let her decide what happens next! That’s an order as your house warden!” Kalim flinched. “Please.” 

Jamil stared at him for just a second too long, making Kalim squirm with worry that he had gone too far. Then, Jamil sighed, resigned, a half smile on his face. “Well, if my house warden is ordering it, how can I say no?” 

*

Despite what he had told Kalim, Jamil dreaded every step towards Ramshackle dorm. Even with the ‘order’ from his house warden, Jamil considered turning back. Instead, with each uncertain step, he plotted out exactly what he would say. Was it just as simple as ‘I have feelings for you?’ Should he have some grand gesture ready? Absolutely not. Those first-years had spoiled that concept for him. 

Before he realized it, Jamil was walking up the pathway to the dilapidated dorm. He stood at the front step, fist up ready to knock. It hovered there. A plan, he still needed a plan. He couldn’t just walk in without a plan of what to say, what to do. He’d had the entire walk over here, how had he not come up with a more solid idea? 

The door snapped open in front of him, Grim hurdling out, crashing into Jamil’s chest. “What-? Oh, hey!” Grim said, rubbing his head at the bump then cracking into a wide smile at the sight of Jamil. “Did you bring us dinner again?” 

“Uh, no, not this time,” Jamil said, already thrown off. 

Grim frowned. “Meh, whatever. I’m going to Sam’s anyway to get some tuna.” 

“Milk and eggs!” (Y/N)’s voice called from inside. “You’re getting milk and eggs! And oranges if they have any.” 

“That too!” Grim said. He winked then sped off down the path. 

(Y/N) appeared at the doorway, clearly having sprinted to catch the dire beast before he left. “Grim, I said we don’t have the budget to- Oh, he’s gone. Right, sure, why not?” She sighed. “Hi, Jamil.” 

Jamil swallowed hard. “Should I come back later?” 

(Y/N) waved the idea off. “No, it’s fine, you’re already here. Come on in.” 

Jamil followed her into the dorm to the sitting room just past the entrance hall. Despite the age and wear of the building, it was clear that (Y/N) had taken a lot of pride in fixing it up and keeping everything in order. 

“Sorry, I was in the middle of doing dishes,” (Y/N) said, whipping her wet and slightly soapy hands against her skirt. “Go ahead and take a seat, I’ll get some tea and snacks.” 

“It’s fine,” Jamil said, quickly standing back up after having just sat down on one of the overstuffed couches. “I know where everything is, I’ll get it.” 

“No, no, you’re a guest. Take a break, I’ll get it.” 

“It’s fine really. I’m sure Crowly has been keeping you busy all day.” 

“And you’re just as busy. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

“No, really, I-” 

“Jamil!” Jamil jumped at her sudden outburst, his hands frozen in the air. She huffed and put her hands on her hips. “Honestly. You take care of everyone else all the time. Let me take care of you for once.” 

Oh no. Oh no. 

“Now sit down while I go make some tea.” 

He sat down. This was worse than he thought. He really was in love. 

She wanted to take care of him. Of him. When was the last time someone offered to take care of him, to lighten his load, to take responsibility for the burden? For as long as Jamil could remember that had been his job, his life. Kalim, Najma, his parents, the Scarabia students, everyone and everything. It was like he didn’t realize just how tired he was until (Y/N) offered to help. Why did her snapping at him just now make him feel so relieved? 

Almost without thinking about it, Jamil’s feet took him into the kitchen. (Y/N) was standing at the stove, setting down a heavy teapot on the burner. She was mumbling to herself about something, Jamil couldn’t really hear what. His ears were ringing. 

(Y/N) noticed that Jamil had come into the kitchen, turning to face him. She frowned, eyebrows knit together. “Jamil, I told you that - Oh!” 

Ignoring his anxiety, ignoring that nagging thought that he didn’t have a plan, ignoring the churning nervousness in his stomach, Jamil pulled (Y/N) into a tight hug, burning his face in her hair. 

“I like you,” He said, so softly that he had to repeat himself to make sure she heard, to make sure she understood the depth of his feelings. “I like you. I think I might even- I feel better when I’m with you, like I can be better. I don’t feel like everything I’ve done up until now is just in service to someone else, because all of those things lead me to meeting you. I feel like I can think clearly, that I don’t always have to be on alert. I want to take care of you, I want to be with you, I want us to be together. And I know - I know I’ve done horrible things in the past, I know you’ve seen me at my lowest. But you still see me, me, not anything else. Not the servant, not the diplomatic aid, not the Overblot monster- How could I not fall in love with you? So, (Y/N), please. I just - please.” He wasn’t quite sure what he was asking ‘please’ for, he only hoped she would understand. 

(Y/N) trailed her fingers along his back, threading through his long hair. She pulled back, as much as Jamil’s embrace would allow. The corners of her eyes were dotted with tears. “Jeeze, Jamil,” (Y/N) said. “Way to steal my thunder. I wanted to say it first.” 

Jamil let out a cracked laugh, tears welling up in his own eyes. “You did?” 

(Y/N) hiccuped, laughing. “Yeah, of course. I thought I was being kind of obvious with it. I finally decided to suck it up and tell you at dinner earlier, but you just ran away so I thought you knew what I was going to say and didn’t feel the same.” 

“Sorry, I guess I was nervous. And those first-years all day…” 

(Y/N) laughed out loud. “I was wondering what was up with that. Was that Kalim or something?” 

“For once, no. They took it upon themselves to try and set us up.” 

“Aww, they care about you.” She hugged him close. “And I can see why.” 

*

That weekend, it was finally time for the Welcome Spring party, and there were, indeed, more flowers than usual. Kalim was flitting around, making sure everything was organized and where it needed to be. Jamil had asked if he could leave for the morning, coming back when it was time for the party to start. And, even though he had been the one to ask for the time off, Jamil had double checked that it was okay with Kalim no less than a dozen times before he actually left. Kalim insisted repeatedly that he would be fine, that he had a handle on everything. And, maybe, for the most part he did. It definitely helped that Jamil had assigned tasks to several other dorm members the night before to make sure Kalim didn’t get too overwhelmed. 

Just as the golden hour set in, magical floating lanterns bobbing along in the air amid swirling flower petals, the guests started to arrive. Kalim had sent out a recommended dress code ahead of time, requesting pastels, whites, and gold. Something to fit in with the refreshing and floral mood he wanted to create. Mostly, he was happy to report, everyone was able to follow the requirements. Heartslabyul students especially were rigidly adhering to the dress code under the watchful eye of their house warden. Most of them wore pinks, as it was the required color when taking care of the dorm flamingos so they already had something that would fit the theme. Savannaclaw didn’t much stick to theme, but had tried to comply with sticking puffy peony blossoms through belt loops or behind their ears. Octavinelle wore light blues and corals, studded with shimmering scales, pearls, and other bits of underwater flora. Scarabia, of course, as the hosts, were the most bejeweled, taking inspiration from the fairy gala that had inadvertently plunged the campus into chaos, but also resulted in beautiful flowing white and gold garments. Pomfiore stayed mostly in lavenders and lilacs, highlighted by golden embroidery in fantastic scenes and shapes. Ignihyde, for those who did show up, dug out whatever was the lightest color in their wardrobe, mostly staying in light blues. Similarly, no one was expecting much from the usually dour-toned Diasomnia. But, not wanting to create a social fopaux at one of the few events he had received an invitation to, thanks to (Y/N) reminding Kalim to expand his guest list at the last minute, Malleus had ensured that all his dorm members wore mint and emerald green with gold dotted throughout. 

There was a noticeable absence of two usually prominent figures, but Kalim assured everyone Jamil and (Y/N) would be arriving soon. And, although Jamil had tried to slip in quietly while everyone’s attention was focused on the dance floor for an aerial ribbon performance, Kalim’s squeal of delight quickly diverted everyone’s attention. Jamil held in a groan as attention whirled to him and (Y/N). They both wore outfits from the fairy gala, meticulously designed and created by Professor Crewel. She squeezed his hand in support, dragging him further in, head held high while ignoring the stares. A few Scarabia students gave congratulations, thumping Jamil’s back as he passed. Ace caught Jamil’s eye from the other side of the room. He pointed to Ortho, who was waving excitedly, and drew a finger across his throat. Jamil rolled his eyes. 

As the aerial dancers finished, (Y/N) drew Jamil to the dance floor. As a band kicked up (seriously, how many instruments did those Scarabia students know how to play?), (Y/N) wrapped her arms around Jamil’s neck as he placed his hands on her hips. He really hoped she wouldn’t notice how sweaty his palms had gotten. 

“You’re nervous,” (Y/N) said. “I’m not used to seeing you like that.” 

“I’ve just never really done this before,” Jamil said. “Not dancing, I’ve done that plenty. Just the whole relationship thing. I never really had a chance before. I don’t want to mess this up.” 

“I think you’ve been doing pretty good so far.” 

Jamil smirked. “It’s been two days.” 

“Well, see? You’re gaining experience already.” She leaned forward, placing her head on his chest. “I’m nervous, too, you know. Not about this. I’m really confident how I feel about you, and I want to stay with you for as long as I can. I mean about everything going on around us. There’s a lot of unknown. Technically, you know, I don’t even exist. Don’t have any papers like a birth certificate or passport or even a valid nationality. But I know I have great people helping me out, including you. And knowing they’re on my side, it helps make things a little better. And I’m on your side. So everything will work out, you know?” 

Jamil hummed. Lowley, in a quiet voice so he could dismiss it if she didn’t hear him, he asked, “Can I kiss you?” 

(Y/N) looked up at him, smiling, eyes twinkling. “I’d like that.”  

*

Off to the side, behind a bolt of silk cloth, Babkak handed Omar a 20 madol note.

[drghostwrite]

I just read ur Arizona fic and yesss I love it, I love Arizona but why isn’t there more Arizona fics tho?! :’(

Can I ask for Arizona x reader with the prompts "Just put the [weapon] down, I'm not going to hurt you." With like the reader protecting the peds area and especially protecting Arizona During the ‘u know what’ episode (🔫 ) And idk a fluff prompt because why are ur prompts all so good I can’t choose. And please angst but fluffy ending😭 I hope ur doing well and keeping yourself healthy! <3

Omg yea, I’m so sorry that I missed this in my inbox but here it is and I hope you enjoy!

Pairing: Arizona Robbins x reader

Summary: above, but basically during the you know what and reader is being a scary protective wifey lol

********************************************************

Bang!

You heard a shot ring out and then another and another, you hit the floor behind the large nurses station, watched as people ran out hearing sneakers squeak on the floor. You sat waiting listening your ears straining to hear anything more after people cleared out you came out from under the desk. You knew Arizona had no idea what was going on, she had got out of surgery and was now it peds helping her tiny humans.

you turned making your way to the atrium, you could hear talking and looked up seeing the gunman standing there, you heard another shot ring out watching Derek hit the ground and then you listened as you could hear another voice and higher, fragile voice… it was Kepner begging for her life.

You raced to the stairwell knowing you had to make it to your wife before the psycho with the gun could, you heart raced as you ran up the stairs your legs burning as you propelled yourself forward, after several bounding flights you burst through the door running down the winding hallway.

you ran past a patient room and that’s when you saw her the blonde hair whipping around, you quickly backtracked and burst through the door.

“Y/N?!”

“Arizona, thank God.” You breathed a sigh of relief as she approached you and you pulled her into a hug.

“what’s going on? Y/N I heard…”

“gunshots it was gunshots… Derek and a few others have gone down…”

“What…” she whispered.

“Yea we need to get out of here…”

“I can’t a lot of these kids can’t be moved, Y/N we’re sitting ducks.”

“no… I’ll figure this out just keep them calm we’ll get through this., I’ll be right back.”

“Wait Y/N no…”

“I’ll be right back…I promise.” You looked into her ice blue eyes, kissing her lips before turning and running back out and down the hall, you made your way to the front of the pediatric floor the desk where the shooter would have to make his way through. You picked up the phone and started dialing but not before you heard the shuffling of shoes, looking up you saw the glint of the barrel standing not 10 feet in front of you.

“put the phone down…” he spoke almost in a calm manner.

“okay… okay…” you reached back over the desk hanging up the phone, surrendering your hands in the air. “Just put the gun down, I’m not goi to hurt you, I won’t try anything…” You saw the wound oozing blood from his shoulder, you eyes scanned him from the blood running onto his hand to the way his gun shook as if it was becoming to heavy.

“Are you a surgeon?”

“I-I…”

“ARE you a surgeon?!” He got more stern.

“Yes I am.”

“So how does it feel?… how does it feel to hold lives in your hands and now you’re standing here watching me as I decided what to do with yours.”

“I don’t hold lives in my hands… I save them, I take patients… no not patients... people and I save their lives I give them another chance to live an-and to love, I give people another chance... I'm no God”

“That was taken from my wife… your chief took that from me, he pulled the plug as if she was just another device in the room, killing her taking her from me.”

"Mr.Clark, You're Gary Clarke your wife came in and had brain surgery she was a patient of Dr. Shepard, I remember her case..."

"You remember?" he asked tears coming to his eyes, the gun starting to lower, but before you could continue Arizona ran in seeing the standoff happening, "Wait, wait..."

"Arizona, no...

"You can't do this... There's only children here... you can't do this." she spoke, her voice breaking tears running down her face.

"Who are you?!" He said raising the gun at her.

"NO, no..." you said pulling her behind you, sheilding her with your body.

"Is she a surgeon too?"

"Sh-she is... she's also MY wife, this is the woman I love..."

"They took my wife."

"I know, I know but I'm asking you... Mr. Clark I'm asking you to spare my wife, the mother of my children...err my future children... I want to live a life with her by my side..." You watched as SWAT filled the hall behind him, "I want to travel and show her how much I love her and that she deserves so much better than me..." before he could make a move or you could say another word you heard gun shots and glass shattering, you turned shielding Arizona, you could hear boots stomping in behind you.

As you pulled apart you could hear the chaos around you but you were too focused on the concerned face of your wife, your expression changed from relief to pain when you felt her quickly press her hand to your abdomen.

"Arizona?"

"Y/-Y/N you've been shot... Oh my God you've been shot." you looked down at her hand applying pressure, blood leaking through her fingers, your blood running down her wrist.

"Y/N please no, please no... I can't lose you."

"Arizona?"

"No, God why did you have to be such an idiot, I shouldn't have let you walk out of that room, you'd be safe and with me."

"Arizona I-I ca-an't" your eyes started to flutter and your legs felt weak, the last thing you remembered was hitting the floor and watching as she scrambled, she yelled at the SWAT team trying to get help, any help and then as your eyes closed you could see her above you.

---12 hours later---

You felt a pressure holding your hand and felt tear drops as they hit your arm. you moved your fingers wrapping them around her hand feeling both of her hands tighten around you.

"Y/N?

"Arizona, baby"

"Oh my God Y/N you're awake, I thought I lost you."

"You can't loose me, you're stuck with me for life remember."

"For life?" she said holding you so tightly yet she was so gentle as if she would lose you.

"Forever and Always."

"Forever and Always." she repeated, she was still so gentle with you as if in a moment you would fade away.

"Love I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere, I'm right here, with you."

"I-I thought..." she looked at you and then your lips, leaning in ghosting so close to you, you could feel her breath on your lips.

"You won't break me," you said closing your eyes, she leaned forward making contact, lips on lips. when you pulled apart you moved over the best you could and motioned for her to climb up with you, she laid on her side placing her head on your chest, and you wrapped her in your arms.

"I really thought I was going to lose you, I thought that was it."

"I swear to you Arizona I will always be here for you, I will always fight for you... for us, I will always love you."

[mountainsandmayhem]

Wings. Fire. Magic. Part Three

Joel Miller x Female Reader - AU

Masterlist || Part One || Part Two

Summary: After being stripped of your wings by The King, you see a new side of Joel, maybe a side that you might like a little too much. CW: I don't think any warnings are needed for this chapter, and I don't want to give any spoilers. 18+ due to talks of female pleasure. AN: Thank you @mermaidgirl30 for listening to me blab about this story, and being the first to encourage me writing it! So glad I slid into your DM's lol. Dragon graphics by @saradika-graphics WC: 4.1k

The sound of heavy footfalls stirs you from your sleep. It takes a few minutes for you to come too, groaning in pain as you try to get your bearings. Your body is being jolted around and when you crack an eyelid there’s nothing but a leather covered mass in front of you. You blink slowly a few times and see your arms dangling below you, possibly above you. 

Fuck, where I am? 

After a few more breaths you realize you’re upside down, stomach folded over on a broad shoulder. You close your eyes and focus on the rest of your body. You can feel fur on your skin, and it comes flooding back. 

The guards stripping off your clothes, The Sorcerer and his mist. Fuck, if you’re not dead then that means…breeding camp.

You squeeze your fists tightly and begin pounding on the back of whoever is carrying you. “LET ME GO!” you yell as he starts ascending a winding stone staircase. 

When you reach the top, the man slides you off his shoulder and places you gently on your feet. Joel. His eyes look into yours gently as he adjusts the furs over your shoulders, tightening it around you to block out the cold night air. 

Four guards come up the stairs behind you. The biggest one says, “you have five days, Miller. Otherwise, we’ll come for you.” 

Rem lands with a soft thump between you and the guards, letting out a menacing growling. Everything seems foggy and unclear, pain in your head pounds relentlessly behind your eyes. The last thing you remember was being placed on a table. 

How are you going with Joel? 

What’s happening? 

You feel light headed and start to fall to the ground. Everything feels weak. Joel catches you before you fall and hoists you up to sit sideways in the saddle. Your clothes are gone, just furs to keep you covered. Joel doesn’t say anything to the guards who are now cowering in fear. The long spikes that line the neck and back of Remmer’s head are standing straight up, growling and huffing smoke at them as she waits for Joel. 

“Easy girl,” he says as he grabs the reins. With a small tug she stands up tall, stretching her massive wingspan before taking flight. Joel adjusts to control Remmer with one hand, wrapping the other arm around you and pulling you into his body. Your cheek lands on his collarbone and you relax into his pine and fresh grass scent. 

His lips brush the top of your head as he whispers, “Rest. I’ll explain everything when we’re back.” 

“Back?” You croak. Your mouth is bone dry, how long have you been out for?

“Just trust me.” 

The pain behind your eyes waves again, reminding you that this is his doing. Trust him? Not a fucking chance. You were stripped naked and poked at all because of him. You feel your wrist, no magic cuff. You lean deeper against Joel. You’re going to miss the way his eyes roam over your face, no one looks at you like that, but you can’t stay with him. You have to play it cool, make him think you’re relaxing and then make your escape. Rem won’t hurt you, she might try to chase you but you’ll fly as fast as you can, you’ll swoop into the thick forest and use the trees for cover, she’s too big to follow you in there. 

Don’t move your wings, you tell yourself. 

“Joel?” You saw sweetly, looking up at him through your lashes. 

He grunts in acknowledgment, eyes fixed on the night sky. God he looks beautiful in the moonlight.

“Can you move back for one second? I need to readjust.” 

Joel shuffles back, loosening his grip on your side. This is your chance, you slide off the saddle quickly, free falling to the ground. When Remmer and Joel are above you, you rip the blanket off and flex your back to open your wings. 

Only your wings don’t open, and you’re plummeting to the ground completely naked. You start to flail your limbs, looking back to see two gaping and scarred holes that are glowing blue where your wings should be. 

The ground is catching up to you quickly. Anger fills your chest. They took your wings. They took your wings. Your wings. Your magic. You’re essentially mortal now as you plunge to what will be your death. 

You let out a rage filled scream, just as Joel maneuvers Remmer gracefully underneath you and you fall completely bare onto Joel’s lap. 

“What the fuck did you do to me, Joel!!” You demand, punching against his chest with your fists. 

Rem lands on the ground in the middle of a field of crops. 

“I saved you.” Joel states. 

“They mutilated me!”  You’re practically screaming at him, spinning around to show him. His eyes turn sad as he takes you in. 

“Saved me? No - you,“ it comes out thick with disgust, your finger pointing in his direction, “you let them mutilate me!” 

Joel slides off his jacket and then removes his grey shirt. You’re mad, but you can’t stop yourself from taking in his naked upper half. He’s tanned and tattooed, markings of those who swear to protect the realm swirl down his arms. A large dragon across his abdomen and up the right side of his ribs. A tiny handprint over his heart. Before you can take in the rest he throws his jacket back on and holds his shirt out to you. 

You cross your arms in defiance so he takes it upon himself to slip it over your head, the hem stopping a few inches down your thighs. Your back hurts as you push your arms through the holes, you aren’t sure how you hadn’t noticed the searing pain before.

“They wanted to wake you, and torture you while they stole your wings.” He says, zipping his jacket back up with his thick, strong fingers. 

“You should have let them,” you say, fighting the tears that are building behind your eyes. 

“You’d rather be tortured and killed than be near me? I saved you, I told them I’d take you as my slave.” His voice is broken and pleading and it just makes you hate him more.

“Go fuck yourself.” You turn and start walking through the crops. Pushing thick stalks out of your way, not caring as they scratch at your entire body. 

“Stop. I don’t intend to actually make you my slave.” 

“Oh jeez thank you so much,” you snap over your shoulder. “Let me gather the masses and throw you a goddamn parade.” 

“Stop,” Joel is right on your heels, “I’m not - I’m not explaining this properly.” 

You continue walking, someone owns this farm. You’ll find the house and they’ll give you clothes and tell you where you are. You’re no longer in danger now that Joel has sacrificed your wings and magic to The King. Anger, confusion, sadness, it all swirls through your body. You don’t know how to feel, but you do know that you DO NOT want to be around Joel “I saved you” Miller.

“Stop!” Joel grabs your arm and turns you towards him. 

You glare up at him, wishing that looks could kill because he would cease to exist with the rage that twists in your face right now. 

“The King wanted to take your wings after The Sorcerer said you wouldn’t be able to breed.” Your hands come to subconsciously rest on your lower belly. Having children was never something you wanted. But you knowing that you can’t is just another knife to the back. 

“So I…” he pauses and runs his hand down his face, rubbing the hair that speckles his jaw. 

“You what?” You demand. 

“I offered The King dragons,” he whispers.

Your jaw drops. “You what?” You say softly. 

“I offered him three eggs, we settled on five.” His eyes are locked on yours, the moonlight reflecting on the warm brown flecks within them. 

“Five? Joel, I was alive the last time a king had dragons,” you shake your head and look up at the clear night sky. You remember the fire, the destruction. “This isn’t going to go well.”

He steps towards you, “I have a plan, but you need to come with me. And…” he trails off, his eyes looking down at his boots.

“And what?” you ask, even though you’re sure whatever he’s about to say is going to piss you off.

“If, or when, we get a visit from The King or his guards, you need to pretend that you are my slave.” He can’t bring himself to look at you. First, he ignored your warning about The King, then he watched helplessly as The Sorcerer took your wings. You jumped from a fucking dragon to get away from him.

“And my wings?” you scoff.

“When he gets his five eggs, you get your wings back.” 

The next afternoon, Remmer lands down in front of a sleepy log cabin before flying off to the heavily wooded area behind the house. The same wooded area that you snuck into just days ago to steal that fiery orange egg. Joel wanders up the stairs to the front door, opens it and then gestures with one hand for you to go inside. 

The front door leads to a warm and cozy open concept living and kitchen area. Joel immediately heads to the large fireplace and lights a fire. You stand in the doorway, still in just his t-shirt, with your hands clasped in front of you. You rock on the balls of your feet and look around. 

A large brown worn leather sofa sits in the middle, flanked by two cozy chairs of the same beaten down leather. The coffee table has a few books scattered on it. Large windows let in lots of natural lighting, and as the sunsets it highlights everything in a warm amber glow. The kitchen has an island in the middle, surrounded by tall wooden chairs. Cast iron pots and pans hang from the ceiling above it. Along the back wall is a large gas stove with plenty of cupboards and counter space. A deep copper sink sits underneath another large window. Everything is hues of deep greens and browns. It’s cozy and homey. It’s Joel. 

“Bedrooms and bathrooms are that way.” He says, pointing to the long hallway to your left before holding his large palms out to the heat of the fire. “You can come in…” 

You pad across the hardwood floor in your bare feet and sit gently on the edge of one couch cushion. The books on the coffee table are all about dragons and their histories. You glance around for any pictures or signs of other life here but you don’t see any. Does Joel not have a wife? You’ve deduced that he’s probably in his forties, so one would think he was married or a father, but there’s no sign of other life here. Just him.

“Are you hungry?” he asks as he stands across the living from you.

You shake your head no, linking your fingers and placing them on your lap, you look down at your hands, pushing back one of your cuticles. It’s so quiet here, only the crackling of the fire to fill the quiet gaps between the minimal conversation of you and Joel.

“Thirsty?” He asks sheepishly, “I can make coffee or tea.” 

You shake your head again, eyes focused on the cuticle of your thumb. What you want is to go home, your family needs you, or needed you at least. You guess you’re the same as them now that you have no magic and no wings, just the pointed ears of the Fae to show the world what you really are.  

Joel walks over and sits on the armchair closest to you, it groans beneath his weight, his leathers squeaking slightly against the lived-in leather of the chair. His expression is soft and kind, he takes a shaky breath before saying, “I really am sorry. But I’m going to do everything to get your wings back.” 

You glance up at him, “you can’t give him dragons, Joel. You can’t.” 

“Just trust me.” He says it in the same pleading tone he did before you took your insane death fall to the ground. 

You shrug and then turn your eyes back to your hands, focusing on another cuticle. Joel stands and wanders down the hallway. You hear water running and then him moving around the rooms, opening and closing what you assume are closets and drawers. The water stops and Joel walks back out to you, holding out a hand. 

You grab it tentatively and he leads you down the hall. He’s changed into loose black cotton pants and a fitted white t-shirt. He pulls you into the bathroom, soapy bubbles that smell like lavender and sea salt foam over the tub. 

“There’s a towel there,” he says, pointing to a small stool by the end of the tub, “and some clothes. They’re mine, I’ll get you something better tomorrow.” 

He turns and leaves, the door clicking softly behind him. As you lift your arms up to remove the shirt, the glowing scars on your back send sharp hot pain throughout your back and down your arms. You let out a gasp of pain, clamping your arms back to your side and you contemplate how you’re going to get out of this shirt. You glance down and thank your lucky stars that the shirt has a few buttons from the neck to the chest. Your fingers work to undo the buttons before you slip the shirt over your shoulders and down your body, then you slowly slide into the warmth of the tub that’s large enough for two. You close your eyes and breath in the calming aroma. Silence surrounds you, you can’t remember the last time you relaxed like this, where you didn’t have a laundry list of things to do and only you to do them. The salts in the bath start to dissolve, they feel like champagne bubbling along your sore muscles, relaxing them into pure bliss. You let out a content hum, sinking deeper into the hot water.

You feel like you’ve been soaking for hours when a small knock on the door catches your attention. 

“Ya?” You say quietly. 

Joel cracks the door, keeping himself on the other side, “are you doing ok?” 

“Umm, ya.” Truthfully, you were doing ok but you know you won’t be able to lift your arms to wash your hair. 

“Are you sure?” He asks through the little crack in the door. 

“Umm, well….I can’t exactly,” you’ve never had to ask for help in your life, and you realize at this moment that it’s not because you didn’t want help, it’s because there was no one to ask. But now, well now you do have someone you could ask, so why can’t you find the words. “No, never mind. I’m fine.”

“Can I come in?” He asks. After you sink into the bath so only your head is visible you give a shy yes. Joel has seen you naked before, just yesterday in fact, but something about him seeing you like this feels more intimate and vulnerable. 

A warm smile crosses his face, a little dimple that you haven’t noticed before dents his right cheek. “What’s wrong?” 

“I can’t lift my arms…” you say defeatedly. “I can’t wash my hair.”

He stares at you for a second and reaches for the cup on the vanity and then grabs the little stool. Placing the fluffy white towel and the clothes he’s lent you on the counter. 

“Spin around.” He groans a little as he bends down beside the tub to sit on the stool.

You do as he says, turning to face the wall and criss crossing your legs in front of you. Water sloshes around you and you hear some of it hit the tiled floor. You whisper a small sorry, suddenly feeling incredibly nervous.  

“It's ok,” he says, voice cracking a little. He clears his throat, “Tilt your head back, sweetheart.” 

Sweetheart. You dip your head back and close your eyes. It feels almost overwhelming to have someone care for you for once. Being in this gorgeous log cabin in a hot bath, the smell of the dinner he’s prepared wafts down the hallway and through the crack in the bathroom door. It smells like butter and garlic and some sort of red meat. Guilt swirls in your stomach. You haven’t been home in a week, your family might need you. 

You hear the click of the shampoo bottle, it smells like rosemary and mint as Joel rubs it in his palms behind you. His strong fingers come to your hair line, the pressure of the small circles of the pads of his fingers are delectable. When he hits your temples a chill runs down your body, your nipples peak at the attention under the hot water. He works backwards slowly along your scalp, when he hits the nape of your neck your whole body feels like it’s buzzing. He gently nudges you so your head tucks into your chin and he kneads at the muscles of your neck. You adjust your legs so you’re hugging your knees. Squeezing your legs together to try to help relieve some of the ache that’s building in between your thighs. 

Neither of you have spoken, but it’s a comfortable silence. Plus, you have a feeling that that is just how Joel is. Joel Miller is a doer and a giver, small acts like running you a bath or cooking a nice meal is how he shows that he cares. 

After working the shampoo through your ends, he guides your head back, grabs the cup and rinses the suds off. The combination of the warm water and his hands parting your hair is unlike anything you could have imagined and you stifle a small moan in your throat. He repeats the process with the shampoo one more time before running the conditioner through your ends. 

He stands and you look over your shoulder at him, “thank you, Joel.” 

He digs through a drawer in the vanity and pulls out a comb. “You don’t need to thank me,” he sits back down, groaning again, and you can only imagine how ridiculous his broad form must look sitting on the tiny stool. It can’t be comfortable for him. He spins the end of the comb at you and you bite the inside of your cheek to stop yourself from smiling before turning back around. 

After eating the dinner Joel made, you both sit on the couch watching the fire. Dinner was accompanied by another comfortable silence, both of you perched on the stools around the counter. He made fingerling potatoes with fresh herbs, roasted carrots drizzled with honey, and a steak that he basted in butter and garlic. Now you’re wrapped in a blanket, knees tucked up to your body.

“Can I ask you something?” he says quietly, swirling the ice around in his whiskey glass.

“Ya,” you pull the fur blanket around you tighter. 

“Are you the only one with wings in your family?”

You hesitate for a second, “I was, now I’m…”

“I’m sorry,” he says, cutting you off, “I didn’t mean for that to come off as insensitive. I just feel like you have turned everything I’ve known about this world upside down.”

You shake your head and smile at the fire. “It’s ok, Joel. Over two thousand years ago, humans came into our villages. We worked together for a while, building this kingdom. Then one king managed to get his hands on a dragon, and the humans attacked us. Injecting us with that green magic in your chains and cutting off our wings to take the power for themselves.” 

Joel places his empty whiskey glass on the table before he walks over to crouch in front of you. His hands come to rest on the cushion on each side of you. He makes eye contact, oranges and reds dancing around the room from the fire.

“This isn’t the history that we are taught. We are led to believe The King is good after what he’s done to fix the mistakes of that king thousands of years ago. We are also told that Fae turned on us and we fought hard against them.” 

“Did you really believe that?” you scoff, “Fae back then had all sorts of magical powers. Some could have mortals like you evaporate into thin air if they wanted. Many had the ability to control minds. You never would have been able to win that war, unless we were tricked or attacked by surprise.” 

You look at each other in silence for a while before you slide one hand out from the blanket and place it on his. Both of you look at your hand on top of his. He rotates his wrist and you immediately intertwine your fingers with this. 

“Thank you for saving me, or trying to save me.” You say, eyes still fixed on your hands. 

“Don’t thank me until we have your wings back and you’re with your family.”

You look up at him, “I’ve been the only one caring for them for over six hundred years.” 

“I know. Please just let me help you.” 

You slide your legs out from the blanket so Joel is kneeling on the floor between them. Your free hand pushes back a stray curl that’s landed by his temple. His eyes shut as he leans into your touch. 

“Promise me that you’ll help my family.” 

He releases your hand and pulls you to the edge of the couch by your waist, bodies flush against each other now. Your hand tangles into the curls at the back of his neck, the other resting on his broad shoulder. 

“I swear I am going to fix this. I’m going to do whatever it takes to show you that you can trust me.” 

You brush your nose against his and close your eyes breathing in his scent. Pine needles and freshly cut grass, now surrounded by the cedar of the fire and the log cabin. 

“Please don’t hurt me,” you say in a breathy whisper.

“Never,” he hums. Your lips brush against his. He’s intoxicating. Just as you turn your head to let him kiss you a loud roar from the woods behind the house startles you, jolting you back on the cushion and out of his gravitational pull. 

“Rem has impeccable timing,” he says, shaking his head. “I better go see what’s going on. Your room is just across from the bathroom. I’m sorry.” 

“I want to come, too,” you say forcefully, standing and following him towards the kitchen.

“It’s safer if you stay. Rem likes you but, well - it’s just safer if you stay.” 

Joel disappears into the pitch black of night and you decide to head to your room. A large wooden bed frame takes up most of the space, but you have a large closet and a chair that looks out a big picture window. It’s too dark to see anything now, but you know it faces the woods where Joel took off to.

The morning sun peaks its way through the big trees towards the back of the house. It streams through your windows and the dreams of Joel’s rough hands on your body fade as you blink awake. 

You slipped into the plush white sheets completely naked last night, you can feel the wetness between your legs from your dream. You close your eyes and try to bring those images back. Your hands trail along your exposed skin, squeezing one breast hard, trying to imagine its Joel’s as you run a thumb across your hardening nipple. 

It still feels a bit wrong to be so attracted to him, but his apology last night was so genuine, you have to lean in and trust him. He’s your only chance, your only infuriating handsome chance. 

You continue playing with your nipple as your other hand trails down your stomach, tracing the slit of your pussy. Your clit throbs and more arousal wets your thighs. 

You spread your legs and wish Joel was here to call you a good girl as he settled himself between your legs. With that thought your hand dives for your entrance, collecting your slick before rubbing tight, fast circles on your clit. The other hand moves to your other breast, pinching the nipple and rolling it between your fingers. 

Fuck, you wish this was Joel. 

Slipping your hand down, you easily slide two fingers inside of yourself, trying to reach that oh so sensitive spot that drives you wild. The other hand comes down to put pressure on your clit, turning your head into the fluffy pillows to muffle your little moans of pleasure. 

That familiar burn starts to build, before you can stop it you whine Joel’s name as your body starts to shake. The wave of pleasure consumes your entire body and mind, images of him flashing behind your eyelids. 

The inner walls of your pussy clench down on your fingers, when the pleasure starts to ease you slide them out, looking down to see the wetness that still connects them. 

Fuck.

You roll onto your belly to catch your breath and hide your face. You aren’t embarrassed about indulging in your own pleasure, but you should not have thought about Joel Miller while doing it. 

After convincing yourself that it was a one time thing and he’s out of your system now, you slip back into the clothes Joel gave you. Comfortable fleece lined grey pants and a zip up sweater with a hood and large front pocket of the same colour.  You have no shoes so you slip out of the kitchen door and wander out over the cool morning grass in your bare feet.

You walk towards the woods where you know Rem will be. As you approach the clearing that you stole the egg from an eerie feeling washes over you. You take a few more steps before a large milky white dragon lands in front of you. You stumble backwards as its scales puff out around its neck. Its red eyes glow, it feels like they’re piercing into every fiber of your being. Its wings flare out, large talon-like spikes along each bend of the top ridge.  Remmer is nowhere to be found. Joel’s door was closed so he must be sound asleep. 

You stand, knees slightly bent, hands out in front of you. “It’s okay,” you say as camly as possible to the fierce beast. 

It snarls, lips pulling back to expose long sharp teeth. Smoke starts to billow from its cheeks. 

“Easy, it’s ok.” you’re trying to keep your voice calm but fear is eating at you from the inside out. Should you scream? Run? You thought you’d be coming out to Remmer, and she’d bounce over and let you pet her. This dragon is terrifying, the glassy white scales and ghastly red eyes. It’s not as big as Rem, but it still towers above you.

The dragon lets out a loud and angry growl that reverberates every bone in your body. Its spit hits your face, mouth open so wide that you can see the fire starting to form in the back of its throat. 

Fuck, I’m dead.

==================================

Taglist:

@corazondebeskar @hiddenbabynyc @rainstorms-library @smutsmutslut @sullyrocky44 @keylimebeag  @pimosworld @casa-boiardi @pedritoferg @paleidiot @lorilane33 @pansexual-potatoes @baar-ur @jessthebaker @jasminedragoon @koshkaj-blog @pedroswife69 @strawberri-blonde  @none-of-this-makes-any-sense @iloveenya @javierpena-inatacvest

[whyoneartheven]

What head canons do you have for the LU boys? (Yes, this is a request for you to ramble about them)

aaaahhh hello! Thanks for asking, but wow, goodness me

this will take some thinking XD

umm

ok a lot of these are a lil generic or just other people’s ideas I kinda adopted but here goes!

also I didn’t expect it when I started but this got long…

for Legend, I really like the idea of him drinking tea and still having an apple orchard. And also having honey bees! (These aren’t mine originally lol) Also I feel like post LU (this ofc may change depending on the ending) he fell into depression a little bit before digging himself out with Ravio and Zelda’s help… he cut his hair during this time. idk I just feel like that would happen. I like the idea of him having a good singing voice. (merperson stuff but also even beforehand. He definitely sang lovely duets with Marin once she taught him how) Also I feel like he’s one of those people that’s always cold! So he secretly likes to cuddle :)

with Wild, I feel like… he definitely doesn’t use recipes! This is based off how I am in his game and irl, as I just throw things together and never go back to see how I made things before, but also I feel like it just fits his personality! I think it would be hilarious if he named his horses at first after anything that had an impact on him so like, one horse is named Zelda and another is Stir Fry. Or smth XDDD Also based on my experiences in game (to an extent), I feel like he doesn’t actually care about legitimately looking fashionable… it’s more that he likes wearing things that looks crazy XD

on to Hyrule! Ok this isn’t as much a headcanon as a ship but I really ship him and Aurora; I feel like they’d be absolutely adorable together but he’s really private about it! I like to think Hyrule can sew? And I think he’d love to run around barefoot on fresh grass! And just, be in love with nature in general! And maybe he doesn’t have an eye for color; he can’t tell if colors clash or actually match. Also is it just me or does he feel like out of the entire chain he could easily be a Studio Ghibli protagonist? Just me? Idk lol

Time! I like the idea of Time and Malon having a running joke that the other is color blind, and the chain eventually picks it up! And then Time keeps mistaking one color for another (on purpose or not? We’ll never know), and every time the others go wild XD (this may or may not be based on a joke my parents have irl hehe). When Time first met Malon he was very very lactose intolerant. And drank it anyway, of course! also I feel like Time really likes flowers? Idk why! And finally, if Time was in the modern world he’d be the guy who’d be eating food months to years past the expiration date…

Four, my beloved! Umm this is kinda a design idea more than anything but I like the idea of him growing his hair out and wearing it in a ponytail post LU! (provided he doesn’t die…) I don’t think of him as having voices in his head or being a system but I still like the idea of him talking to himself sometimes XD! Also this is just something canon I don’t see talked abt a lot but I love he and Twi’s relationship sm! Four totally has RBF and definitely stares at people accidentally when he’s thinking… also I saw a crack fic somewhere where Four was already married to Dot and had children and the chain were shocked; it was hilarious, and while I don’t think he would actually have kids yet, I think it’d be hilarious if he and his Zelda are already quite far along in their relationship (as I ship them lol)

the man, the myth, the legend, WIND, is next! This man has Opinions. I feel like he’s the kind of person so have opinions on things he’s only heard of two seconds before, like automatically deciding he will like a food or deciding the other way round. (And yeahhhh I’m basing him on my brother lol) I’m definitely not the one to come up with this but Wind is probably the one with the best (and most opinionated) fashion sense (most of the others are just hopeless in varying degrees so it isn’t hard)! Maybe older him bonded with young Wars in the War of Eras over this (bc I love the idea of older wind being there), Idk XD! Also he definitely braids Aryll’s hair and is generally very responsible (I mean he’s a big brother he’s gotta be XD); he starts off almost treating LU as a bit of a vacation! Nothing will go wrong, his family is safe, and he gets new friends :D

Warriors, the wonderful man, is next! I feel like he’s very nostalgic and a little sappy. Like, just in general. He likes to look back on his happy memories! Also (once again not my idea) but I like the idea of Warriors growing up either orphaned or really poor, and living in the less palatable portion of Castle Town. (Therefore he played pickup soccer as a kid; he just feels like he would lol) I definitely ship him and his Zelda (ok tbh I ship ALL the Links with their Zeldas lol). I feel like at the point of LU they’ve talked abt it but Warriors isn’t ready (thanks to Cia and maybe just all the barriers in his mind about being inferior to her or smth) Also, give this man the craziest accent you can find and I am here for it; whoever first came up with that is a genius. Ok yeah you can probably tell I love Warriors angst

XD Sky!!! My bestieeee!! If Sky was in modern times he’d be one of those people who gets sleepy when they drink coffee, fs! He is definitely the artistic one, and maybe during LU he discovers a bunch of mediums besides woodworking that he loves (and maybe he makes a bunch of art for Sun, who knows!) This next one is based off @margindoodles2407’s Forger from her loz AU but the idea that his parents died in a house fire and he lived with Gaepora and Zelda until he was older is so cool to me! And bc of this I feel like he’d really hate being around fire (to the point of panic attacks? Maybe, maybe not). Finally, hopeless bird lover Sky is a beautiful thing. As a bird watcher myself, I cannot blame him.

Last but not least is Twilight!! This guy totally holds conversations with animals all the time and it freaks people out (they can never tell if he actually understands them)! Twi definitely has a lot of respect for kids too and talks to them like they’re adults (by using the same vocabulary and tone, not by talking about things that aren’t good for kids to hear XD) and I feel like he would write painfully cheesy love poems? Twi definitely can’t cook but I feel l Ike he also cares the most about food? Idk? ALSO LET THIS MAN QUILT. IDK I THINK HE’D BE TERRIBLE AT IT BUT STILL TRY AND IT WOULD BE FUNNY

ok, and that’s it!!! Wow, that was a lot…

and I could definitely come up with more lol

[i-am-baechu]

Chapter Eight

Wishes (M) (Season One) 

Summary: After a long day of classes, Min Yoongi decides to take a break at the music hall that has become his second home. He walks in with his cigarette lit and his blank expression quickly changes when he sees a girl playing his piano. The moment their eyes meet, their lives become complicated and Yoongi blames himself for her future pain. Was the love we had honest? 

Genre: Gang au!, college au!,  strangers to enemies (one-sided), strangers to lovers, slow burn, friendships, romance, angst,  little comedy, and smut

Main pairing: Gang leader! Min Yoongi x Pianist! Reader 

Warnings: Explicit language, smut, mature themes, gangs, violence, smoking cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol usage 

Author's note: I worked really late in the past two days and I had to stay longer! I’m sorry this is late but something big happens in this chapter to make up lol 

⇜ Masterlist ⇝

There’s something about the silence that's comforting. It’s this unspoken feeling that makes you feel at home. There’s no one to take it away and it's something that never changes. It’s always there. No matter how hard you try. Even in moments when you're with people that make you feel something, silence is always there. You're the one to blame for the silence and you have to take responsibility before things get worse. Before things get worse...

Y/N stared at him and it was a look that he never wanted to see, “Y/N...” 

“You lied to me...You’ve been lying to me.” 

“I did it-”

“Don’t repeat it. I trusted you...all this for what? To make me look like an idiot?” 

Yoongi shook his head and brought her into him as she tried to push him away, “You're not an idiot...don’t ever say that about yourself.” He glanced down at her to see her standing still and he wiped the blood off of her forehead, “Y/N, I couldn’t tell you.” 

“Let. Me. Go.” 

“I won’t...I will never let you go...Never.” 

Four Days Ago 

Y/N watched with amusement and waved at her. She walked towards Yoongi with her arms over her chest, “Déjà vu.”

“At least I know your brain works.”

“I wish I could say the same about you.” 

Yoongi shook his head and glanced at Namjoon, “We’ll talk about it later.”

“Fine.”

Y/N watched Namjoon walk away with annoyance in his step. She turned back to Yoongi and frowned, “What’s wrong with him?”

“Nothing, let me take you out.”

She raised her eyebrow and pursed her lips, “Taking me out?” 

“That’s what I said right, Bambi?” 

She snickered at this and sighed, “Fine, if I must. Where are you taking me?” 

“Seeing Lana.” 

The two walked side by side and this time Yoongi was the one that grabbed her hand. She glanced down and she couldn’t help but smile at the scene before her. Yoongi saw the smile and he couldn’t help but smile to himself. He rubbed her knuckles as the fall winds guided them to Lana’s restaurant. He opened the door and he raised his eyebrow, “If you're going to do that, lock the doors.”

“What’s happening?”

Yoongi moved his body to cover the scene from Y/N. Lana was on one of the tables with Hoseok on top of her. It was clear they were kissing with the lipstick stains on his lips and his flushed face. He was thanking god that he still had pants on. Hoseok let out a small cough and helped Lana off the table as she gave him a shy smile, “H-Hey...Why are you here?” 

“You're a restaurant owner, what do you think?”

He felt a small punch to his back and he glanced behind to see Y/N frowning at him, “Be nice.” 

He rolled his eyes and glanced back at Lana, “I wanted to eat with my Bambi.”

“Bambi?” 

Yoongi moved to the side and Y/N smiled at Lana, “Good afternoon.” 

Lana glanced at Hoseok who was just as surprised as her. She looked back at Y/N and waved, “I was wondering when I would see you again.” 

“I’m glad I made a good first impression.”

Hoseok glanced at Yoongi and saw a look he had only seen once. He watched Y/N going towards Lana with excitement and he turned towards his boss with a smile, “Happiness looks good on you.”

Yoongi raised his eyebrow at him and shook his head, “Don’t say stupid things.” 

“It’s not stupid when it's the truth. You called her “My Bambi”, or am I hearing things?” 

Yoongi let out a small cough, “Get back to work.” 

Hoseok let out a laugh and glanced at Y/N, “Where there is love there is no darkness...remember that.” 

Yoongi looked towards Y/N who was laughing with Lana and it felt like a freeze frame from a movie. All he saw was her smile and compassionate eyes. Something he wasn’t used to and never will be but he wants to be especially with her. He looked back at Hoseok with a frown, “With my darkness, it will just suck her up...and then what?” 

“You’ll save her.” 

“Hoseok are you leaving?”

Hoseok turned towards Lana and frowned, “Yeah but I’ll come by tonight.”

She nodded her head and walked towards him with a smile on her face. She leaned towards him and placed a kiss on his cheek, “I’ll see you tonight.”

Yoongi glanced at Y/N who was watching the scene with a smile and Yoongi could sense the feeling of wanting. She walked towards her and pushed some hair off of her shoulder, “What’s with that look?” 

“What look?” 

“It's a look of wanting.” 

She frowned and glanced at Lana and then back at Yoongi, “Having someone sounds nice...that’s all.” 

“Am I invisible now?” 

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, “You know what I mean.”

“Do I Bambi? Use your words.” He pushed some hair from her forehead and she glanced up but he ignored her eyes, “For someone that likes to talk, you're silent.” 

“So....do you guys want ramen?”

Yoongi moved away from her at record speed and nodded his head, “Yeah, can we have what we had last time.”

Lana smirked at him and nodded his head, “Of course.” 

Yoongi wrapped his arm around Y/N’s waist and headed towards the back. He glanced down when he felt her head leaning on him. It was a nice feeling. They sat in the booth and he placed his hand on top of hers. She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and he continued to play with her knuckles, “You want someone?” 

He felt her stiff and he looked up to see her flushed in the face, “I think everyone wants someone...to love.” 

“Have you ever been in love, Y/N?” 

She let out a small laugh and shook her head, “No...never. Have you?” 

He looked her into her eyes and smirked, “Slowly.” 

She was confused and went to open her mouth but it was stopped by ramen bowls. Lana placed the bowls and smiled, “If you guys want any drinks just let me know.”

“Thank you so much, Lana.”

Lana smiled at Y/N and winked at her, “Anything for you Bambi.”

Yoongi glared at Lana, “I’m the only one that can call her that.” 

“Yes, Mr. Min.” 

Yoongi turned back to Y/N to see her smiling as Lana left, “What’s with that smile?”

“Nothing.” 

After eating, Yoongi took her to something he never showed anyone. Not even Namjoon. The walk was long and he offered her a piggy-back ride but she denied it (with a red face). He unlocked a gate and he felt her eyes on his back but he didn’t want to ruin the surprise. He grabbed her hand and smiled, “Do you trust me?” 

“I trust you.” 

They entered the small garden and he watched her eyes brighten up at the sight. There was a variety of roses blooming with lilies in the mix. He let go of her hand and placed his hands in his pockets as he watched her go towards the flowers. He smiled when he saw the excitement in her eyes. She turned back and was shocked at the sheer amount, “What is this?” 

Yoongi leaned against the wall and took a deep sniff of the garden, “It’s the last thing I have of my parents. When they died, they left a notebook with an address and the address is this. It was their garden, they wanted......they wanted me to show someone I care about.” Someone I love...

She glanced down at the lilies and smiled, “White lilies....”

He walked towards her and picked up the flower. He placed it in her hair and she stared at him with those wide doe eyes he came accustomed to, “Purity.” 

“They can also mean rebirth...fitting for you.”

He raised his eyebrow and creased her hair, “How so?”

“You don’t even realize that you're changing with me.” 

“Everything comes naturally with you.” He picked up a purple rose and placed it in her hands, “Everything.” 

“Purple rose?”

“A purple rose, Bambi. Decipher it.” 

She glanced down at the delicate flower and then back at him, “You tell me...” 

He leaned down and their forehead touched as she kept her eyes on his. He saw her eyes craving for an answer but he was a man that didn’t talk all that much. He leaned down and placed his lips on his and he let his actions tell her. He tilted his head and she followed his actions. The kiss wasn’t sexual like how he was used to but it was like the white lilies, pure. But it was also like the purple roses, love. 

When they leaned away, he placed his forehead on hers and she looked up at him, “A tyrant that’s poetic...how rare.” 

He chuckled and creased her cheek, “What’s rare is finding someone like you.” 

He watched her enter her house and he couldn’t help but feel like a teen again. A teenager who got his first kiss. It made him want to kick his feet up in joy. He started to walk back but stopped by Y/N’s school. He walked into the yard and looked around with full caution. He heard rumors about the school and how they had cases of gang action. The rumors were about a girl named Ana Jeon. Her father is a well-known mafia leader but her mother is a famous painter. They used the mother’s job as a cover-up. He just hopes that Ana isn’t involved with Y/N in any way.

He continued to walk around the campus and his eyes landed on an opening. A door that was left open. He raised his eyebrow at this, for a rich school their security should be better. He quietly went through the door, without touching the dark wood and entered. It looked like he was in a hallway and he tilted his head. There was a light at the end of the hall. His hand immediately went to his knife as he made his way slowly. 

He overheard a familiar voice and bit his lip, “The party is in two weeks. Remember that.”

He heard an annoyed sigh as he kept his back to the wall, “Why her? Out of everyone, her?” 

“She’s a L/N. The amount of power and money she has is more than any of you, Jessica, Ana. Remember your role.”

“Whatever Eunwoo.” 

Yoongi glared at the ground and had to hold back a curse. Y/N is too involved with this case and he didn’t like it. His only job is to protect her and protecting her is what he will do. He made his way out of the hall and quickly made his way back to the headquarters. 

He slammed the door and tossed his knife on the coffee table. Everyone looked at him with confused eyes but no one dared to say anything. It wasn’t until Jin left the kitchen to stand in front of Yoongi with worried eyes, “What’s wrong?” 

Yoongi ran his fingers through his hair and looked at Jin with pure anger, “That son of bitch Eunwoo...”

Jungkook glanced at Taehyung and then back at Yoongi, “What about him? We’re still collecting information on him.” 

“He wants...” Yoongi bit his lip and for the first time, his emotions took over him. He let tears appear and looked at Jin, “He wants Y/N. I-I don’t know what he wants but he wants her....fuck he wants her.” 

Yoongi dropped to his knees as Jimin made his way towards him in worry, “Yoongi...”

Namjoon watched with a frown and looked at the rest of the team, “Taehyung, keep a close eye on Y/N. Jungkook, you're going with him in case anything happens.” 

Yoongi looked up at him and let out a mocking laugh, “Why because she’s evidence?”

“No, because my brother is in love and the woman that he's in love with is in trouble.”  

“I never said I’m in love-’

“Let’s come up with a plan.” 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

He heard the familiar piano playing in the large music hall and he felt at ease. The delicate music sent warmth to his heart and he slowly walked towards her with a cigarette in his mouth. He let out a puff of smoke and smiled, “Your music sounds happier.” 

She turned around and smiled, “I have many reasons to be happy.”

He raised his eyebrow and leaned against the piano, “Want to tell me the reason?” 

“I think you can figure it out.” 

“Can I?” 

She rolled her eyes and let out a laugh, “If one can figure it out then another can.” 

He smirked at this and put out his cigarette under his foot. He sat next to her and glanced down at the keys, “Do you know someone named Cha Eunwoo?” 

She raised her eyebrow and nodded his head, “Sadly. I’ve known him since I was a child...why? Do you know him?”

I want to kill him, “No, I just heard his name through other people.” 

She nodded her head at this and he could tell that she did not like Eunwoo, “That makes sense. He's talked about by everyone.” 

“Why is that?”

“Rich and popular. I like his dad more, his dad is friends with mine. He was nicer and not weird at all.” 

Yoongi played two notes and then nodded his head, “Eunwoo was weird?” 

“He’s always been weird towards me. My mom wanted me to marry him because of how close he was with my dad. My dad never said no but he also never said yes. He’s always trying to capture my eyes...it’s annoying.”

Yoongi stopped playing and turned towards her with seriousness in his eyes, “Stay away from him.”

She let out a small laugh and turned towards him. Her smile dropped when she saw the seriousness in his eyes, “Is everything alright? And don’t say it's nothing, your eyes tell me otherwise.” 

“He’s trouble.” 

“I already knew that...You don’t need to tell me to do something.” 

Yoongi sighed and placed his hand on top of hers, “I know just be safe.” 

“I will.”

“That party you’ve been talking about, when is it?” 

She raised her eyebrow but answered, “It’s in two weeks. Why?”

He reached into his pocket and placed a red lily in her hand, “Y/N, I would like to be your date.” 

She laughed at this and raised her eyebrow, “It’s my event. You do realize I should be the one asking you.” 

“Never traditional.” 

“Clearly...I was going to ask you but now I don’t want to answer you.”

“Bambi.” 

She rolled her eyes and looked away from him, “I guess I’ll have you as my date.” 

“You guess?”

“Yeah, I guess. I have a question for you.” 

Yoongi turned towards the piano and started to play, “Sure.”

“Why did I see Taehyung and Jungkook near my house?”

He stopped playing abruptly and looked at her, “What do you mean?” 

“Yoongi, I saw them. I also saw them at my school. Why? Tell me the truth.” 

Yoongi bit his lip and didn’t know what to say. The truth can hurt her but a lie can be agonizing. She was the beautiful garden with the different colors and he was the fire. Everything he touches turns into ash, everything. Maybe Namjoon was right. He shouldn’t be near her because look at where she is. In a problem that could cost her life and for what for selfish reasons. If he continues to see her then he's just as selfish. He wished this was another life with no problems and it was just them. That’s all he wanted. 

He swallowed some spit and let out a small cough, “Watching just in case they come and hurt you.”

“So they're doing your job?” 

“It’s extra security for you. It makes me feel better to know they’re there when I can’t be there for you.”

She looked away and he knew that it was because she was flushed in the face, “Why?” 

“Because I will always be there for you. No matter what.” I just have to be strong enough to walk away from you when the time comes... 

Tag List:

@hopefulrascalstatesmantoad @secfir @amberpanda99

@yoongibaybee

[pixeldistractions]

A tidy hiking trail wound up and around the boulders, with well-maintained stairs leading to the top. He led her past the rock spa, past the clearing where yoga classes gathered, to a small rocky outcrop under a sprawling shade tree.

“Open your eyes! The view is incredible up here.”

She opened her eyes, just a peek, keeping her gaze on the far horizon and not the steep hundred foot drop below them. Her safe and protected suburban life had never given her the chance to explore whether she was afraid of heights. Now, she learned, she was!

“Don’t let go.”

“Not a chance,” he said. “But you know, we’re still ten feet away from the edge.”

“Ha! Ten feet is not far enough! What if you got dizzy? What if you slipped? What if the wind blew really hard?”

“Hmm,” he mused. “You know what’s funny? Now that I’ve met her, I see a lot of your mother in you.”

Down below, JoJo had made fast friends with Jack and Nessa’s boys. They worried about her sometimes—she could be feisty and aggressive, and her little friendships had been hit or miss. But out here, on the road, in the wild, with these feral children of other feral families, she had found a natural fit.

“That was a good climb,” Jordan said. “Really good. I don’t know, I think you’re my good luck charm.”

“Aww, don’t say that. You should take credit for your hard work,” she said. “But… I only wish I liked watching you do that more.”

“That’s okay, you don’t have to watch. But it’s safe, we’re on ropes. You can’t see them from down there, but it’s safe.”

“It’s just a lot higher than I thought it would be. And it’s not even the biggest one? The one in Japan is higher?”

“Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. We’re not in Japan yet.”

“One thing more.” Maria pulled something from her pocket. “I bought this in the gift shop. You’re not allowed to say no.” She didn’t hand it to him, she just took his keyring from his pocket and slipped the tiny flashlight onto the ring.

He laughed. “If I had a bad fall and nobody found me, the dark is the least of my worries. All the scavenger animals out here, coyotes, mountain lions, vultures…”

“Are you trying to make me feel worse about this?”

“Sorry.”

“Well, then maybe the dark won’t be another worry.”

“Right, I’ll be able to see which animal is about to eat me.”

“Stop it,” Maria laughed. “And maybe we’ll put a GPS tracker on you, too.”

“You can if you want.”

“But don’t climb alone.”

“I never would. But thank you. I’ll cherish it.”

As the sun passed behind the rocks, night fell swiftly over the park, and it was time to call the group to dinner.

— “boxes and squares #5.2: come down from the clouds” (8/10)

Photographic evidence that Jordan’s dinner was eaten and appreciated by all. I just didn’t take the best pictures of it, and it wasn’t much to add to the story, anyway.

No photographic evidence of a tiny flashlight on a keychain because that part snuck in from the book version of this story (and it needs to stay…), so we’ll have to use our imaginations for that!

If you will please ignore that Jordan’s clothes changed in the last two shots, because sims, lol!

Next -> // 5.2 start // index

[shiki-aki]

“You told me to go wherever I like, but I want to be with you until the end.”

A Shikiaki Meta

Part Two: Shiki and Akira’s Encounters (I)

A sharp burst of wind; the flash of naked steel.

[Previous] Part One: Akira's Characterization

This is part two of the meta where we’ll finally get to analyzing Shiki and Akira’s initial encounters. I ended up splitting this part in half because it was getting too long, so part three of the meta will be a direct continuation of part two.

Just as a heads up, I’m going to be rambling a lot more going forward because there’s just so much I love about every single Shikiaki interaction that it’s difficult for me to organize my thoughts and lay them out in a concise manner, but I'll try. Also, I’ll probably gush over Shiki a lot, but I’ll keep it to a minimum (no I won’t lol).

The reason why I’m not ordering anything into sections but rather just analyzing each scene as they come up is because I feel like there are just so many intertwining layers when it comes to the Shikiaki dynamic, that it’s hard to talk about one aspect of their relationship without inevitably straying into another. Going through every single scene in Shiki’s route and breaking down exactly what happens in them, along with my interpretation/analysis of each scene, is, frankly, the easiest way for me to go about writing this meta, so that’s how I’m going to do it.

We pick up where we left off with Akira going into the alley even though he sees all these people running. This act in particular hints to Akira’s fearlessness, which is a character trait that’s expanded more upon later in Shiki’s route. Logically, what Akira should do is go back into the hotel and ask Rin or Motomi who Shiki is and why everyone’s running away from him. Instead, he lets his curiosity get the better of him and decides to go see who Shiki is for himself, because Akira can’t help but be intrigued by the fact that there’s someone who is so strong and powerful that his mere name and presence would inspire fear into others.

In the alley, he senses a deadly presence and can tell this person isn’t some “common thug” like those other Igra fighters. He sees the blood, the dead bodies, and then the man responsible for the massacre, and Akira instantly deduces that this man is Shiki—the guy everyone is running away from.

Honestly, I just love the tension and buildup to the moment that Akira actually sees Shiki. He can immediately sense what makes Shiki so different from everyone else.

Then we finally see Shiki in this iconic CG, and this is the first line of text that accompanies it:

—Crimson eyes, redder than blood.

I'm calling attention to this line because it tells us the very first thing that Akira notices about Shiki: his eyes.

Eyes are a recurring motif in Shiki’s route. There are several, and I mean several instances in Shiki's route where the text mentions Shiki's eyes. The game makes a point of drawing attention to Shiki's eyes, and since the game takes place from Akira's POV, it's Akira himself who is noticing Shiki's eyes each time this is happening.

From a writing standpoint, it doesn't make sense to point out Shiki's eyes or the color of his eyes so much because in real life, we rarely take notice of people's eye color. Like really, truly think about how often you take notice of people's eyes when talking to them instead of just paying attention to their body language or the words they're saying. It wouldn't make sense for Akira to notice or mention Shiki's eyes in his POV so much… unless there was a deeper meaning behind it.

In Shiki's route, the motif of eyes is repeated throughout the story as a way of highlighting and reinforcing the character dynamic between Shiki and Akira. It's not about their eyes in a literal sense, but about the figurative meanings/ideas conveyed through the motif. When Akira looks into Shiki's eyes, he's seeing and acknowledging Shiki's confidence and strength, his domineering attitude, and his single-minded ambition. When Shiki looks into Akira's eyes, he's seeing and acknowledging Akira's fearlessness, his indomitable spirit, and his strong will.

Simply put, the act of gazing into each other's eyes is about Shiki and Akira acknowledging (and more implicitly, respecting) the character traits that the other has. And it’s this recognition and understanding of each other's psyches that shape their overall dynamic and interactions. Shiki’s overbearing confidence and domineering attitude is what pushes Akira to act more stubborn and prideful, and in turn, Akira’s indomitable disposition is what pushes Shiki into acting more aggressive and forceful with him. It's this back-and-forth struggle between them that makes their individual characterizations shine, because we see how their characterizations continuously grow and develop in response to the other's actions and behaviors.

Their interactions are driven by how constantly at odds they are with each other, and this opposition between them is what leads to their eventual character growths. The more Shiki demands Akira to submit, the more Akira develops a resolve to stay true to himself and follow his own will. And the more Akira refuses to give in, the more Shiki comes to respect him and see how strength can manifest in ways other than physical prowess, and apply that principle to himself.

The recurring act of them gazing into each other's eyes throughout the narrative also doubles as a way of adding tension to their dynamic because let's be real: the way Shiki and Akira look at each other is extremely intense and sexually charged. In fact, the manga does an excellent job at showing the chemistry between their gazes, since it's a more visual medium than textual.

The gist of my point is: a lot of Shiki and Akira’s interactions in the game (and manga) involve them eye fucking each other, and it's narratively important to their dynamic that they do so. It adds sexual tension to their interactions, but it also gives us insight to their characterizations and how they perceive each other.

When Akira and Shiki finally engage in battle, Akira focuses on the weight of Shiki’s sword against his knife. That’s his initial reaction. But then his focus shifts to Shiki’s gaze on him, and while he can’t interpret any emotion from Shiki’s expression, he can identify the bloodlust in Shiki’s eyes. This is already the first instance of Akira being able to gauge something about Shiki's behavior just by looking into his eyes.

Akira’s impression of Shiki is that he looks “like a mannequin,” which is a bit of a strange descriptor to use, but it’s a deliberate choice of words here because this isn’t the only time in the game in which Shiki is likened to a doll. My interpretation of this is that Akira is perceiving Shiki’s strength, demeanor, and appearance as inhuman during this moment because Shiki is leagues beyond anyone he’s ever met, and there's just something about him that makes him stand out from the rest.

And this idea of not being human is an image that Shiki himself very carefully cultivates. He actively tries to cast away his humanity (emotions) in order to achieve what he perceives to be ultimate strength. After all, the only one who was strong enough to make him feel fear for the first time in his life was an emotionless "weapon," so Shiki tries to discard his emotions in pursuit of that same strength, believing emotions to be a source of weakness for him.

Hence why the text describes Shiki's face as "pallid and expressionless" during this scene and likens him to a mannequin. A mannequin/doll doesn't experience emotions, and it doesn't suffer the same flaws a human would when it comes to feeling exhaustion or hesitation or any other limitations in battle. Basically, Shiki wants to be like Nano, because although he'll never admit it out loud, he knows that Nano is stronger than him.

To top it all off, the soundtrack that plays whenever Shiki shows up in the game is called "Invincible," which further demonstrates how he wants to be above his humanity so he can prove (and reaffirm) his strength. The only ironic thing about all this is that he ends up developing an emotional attachment to Akira and feeling affection for him by the end of his route, and this meta is all about exploring how Shiki gets to that point.

It's not a coincidence that the choice selection for Shiki's route involves Shiki and Akira looking directly into each other's eyes. This is what I mean when I say their interactions are about them eye fucking each other. It really could not get any more explicit about how their dynamic revolves around them meeting each other’s gazes and acknowledging each other's core traits and strengths through that act.

This is the defining moment that determines whether you'll end up on Shiki's route or not. If Akira chooses to look away, you won't end up on Shiki's route because Shiki will perceive Akira as weak and disregard him. But if Akira chooses to hold his gaze, then the game will continue on Shiki's route because Shiki will recognize Akira's backbone and consider him to be different from the other fighters who usually avert their gaze out of fear.

The choice is a test of Akira's strength—not physical, but mental. It's already clear that Shiki overpowers Akira in terms of physical strength, but Akira's mental resilience is what makes Shiki interested in him following this exchange.

This moment tells us just as much info about Shiki's characterization as it does for Akira's. Shiki will only acknowledge those who are brave enough to face him head on, and Akira is exactly that type of headstrong person who won't let himself succumb to his own fears and doubts in battle.

I’m including the manga version of the same scene here because it conveys the tension of this moment extremely well, and also because I love Chayamachi Suguro’s artstyle. Mostly because I love Chayamachi Suguro’s artstyle.

The panels are formatted in a way that makes it clear the focus is on Shiki’s and Akira’s gazes, which ties back in with the motif of eyes I discussed before.

Akira recognizes that this isn't just a battle of strength between them, but also a battle of wills. He knows that looking away first would be akin to admitting defeat, but Akira is not the type of person to just roll over and give up easily. His perseverance is what enabled him to survive thus far in the first place.

Shiki calls Akira a "weakling," which pisses Akira off because it's obvious trash talk, but on some level, he knows Shiki is right.

And from Shiki's POV, he does view Akira as weak and beneath him, but he also recognizes that Akira is different from the other fighters. Instead of running away, Akira chose to fight him head on—and that's Akira's own form of strength that Shiki subconsciously acknowledges. If Shiki really did view Akira as a weakling who wasn't worth his time (or had any worth being alive at all), he would've continued his attack and killed Akira right there, but he didn't. Instead he backed off and walked away.

Even though Shiki is the one to back off first, it's clear that Akira is the loser in the fight. Akira understands this; he understands the disparity between him and Shiki in terms of strength. Shiki also knows he's made it clear just how weak Akira is compared to him, which is why it isn't an admission of defeat when he walks away first, but a power move. He knows Akira can't do anything to him.

Honestly, I love Akira's reaction after this near-death encounter with Shiki. He's aware of how easily he could've died in this fight, and yet he feels… elation/euphoria following this experience. This isn't like the fight with Takeru where it could've gone either way because they're evenly matched. Akira was 100% dead here if Shiki actually intended to kill him.

Akira's initial reaction isn't even to feel upset that he lost, but to bask in the excitement of such a thrilling encounter. This is the same guy who couldn't even feel any emotion when fighting in Bl@ster, but it was precisely because nobody in Bl@ster could match up to him and threaten his position as the champion that Akira started to feel numb. The same guy who wants to know what it's like to face death, and is now one step closer to it.

And now that Akira has finally fought someone who's way stronger than him and experiences what it's like to lose a fight, he realizes he's not as strong as he thought he was. This is the moment when Akira finally understands that Igra is a completely different experience from Bl@ster. It wasn't seeing a guy committing necrophilia, or watching the Executioners maniacally bashing someone's head in, or facing an opponent who is evenly matched with him (Takeru) that made him realize that Igra is nothing like Bl@ster. No, it was him getting his ass handed to by Shiki that made him realize this.

I'm going to pause for a moment here to draw a parallel between this Shikiaki scene and Shiki's first encounter with Nano, because it’s hard to talk about the Shikiaki dynamic without going into Shiki’s backstory and explaining his mindset and why he comes to be so fascinated with Akira in particular.

The following quote is what Shiki says at the very beginning of his drama CD:

Shiki: I have never forgotten, not once, have I forgot those vacant purple pupils. The anxiety and the feeling as if I was shivering...What led me to understand what fear was. That sole experience of humiliation in my memory. Since that day, I kept pursuing him. This memory of the weak experience in the past exists to bury that man.

(Credit to silver_spray on Livejournal for the translation. I'll be using their translation any time I cite text from Shiki's drama CD, since they have a full translation of his drama CD in one place.)

The translation is a little clunky, but we can understand what Shiki's saying in his monologue. He's talking about the day he saw Nano at the military base and how he experienced fear for the first time in his life. The reason why Shiki can't let go of this memory, and why he centers his ambition solely on the pursuit of Nano, is because Nano shattered Shiki’s self-perception and made Shiki doubt everything he knew about himself.

Shiki is someone who prides himself on his strength and bases his entire identity around being strong. He thinks that those who exhibit fear are "weak," and that's why he felt so humiliated when Nano made him feel fear for the first time. If experiencing fear makes one weak, then by Shiki's own logic, he's weak and not actually strong like he thought he was. Shiki couldn't reconcile this revelation with his mindset, and it fucked him up severely to realize he was no different from the "cowards" and "weaklings" he looked down upon.

It's not just that Nano made Shiki feel fear during their encounter; it's that Shiki derives meaning in his existence by believing he's strong and proving his strength, so having his sense of self challenged like this messed him up.

And just to make it clear: I’m not judging Shiki’s character by how complex, fleshed out, or sympathetic his backstory/motivation is. I don’t mind that Shiki has a “shallow” goal, and I certainly don't think that diminishes his chemistry with Akira. What matters to me most is how consistent Shiki’s character is in relation to the themes set up within his own route, and how well he acts as a foil to Akira. Shiki embodies all the values that Akira lacks in his own life (a strong sense of purpose, an inclination to live, the freedom to do as he will with his own existence), and him acting as a foil to Akira serves to further our understanding of Akira's character. In short: I’m judging Shiki's characterization, backstory, and motivation by how well all of these factors come together to form his dynamic with Akira.

In part one of this meta, I explained how Akira’s character embodies the theme of nihilism (life is meaningless, none of your actions have any intrinsic value, death just means the body stops functioning). Shiki’s character stands directly as a contrast to this. His character embodies the theme of existentialism (you create your own meaning in life, your actions define who you are, you have the freedom to dictate your own purpose and reason for existing). Shiki finds meaning in his existence by being strong, and his actions and attitude reflect that. He walks his own path in life and doesn’t let anyone or anything impede him.

After his meeting with Nano, Shiki devotes his life to the goal of surpassing Nano—the one person who made him feel weak, who made him feel fear, who made him taste the humiliation of defeat—and his desire for revenge consumes him so much that it inadvertently becomes his sole purpose for existing.

So the big difference between Shiki and Akira is: Akira doesn’t see any reason to live, let alone a meaning to his own existence, while Shiki has made surpassing Nano his entire purpose and reason for living—his raison d'être, if you will.

If Akira's nihilism makes him believe that nothing in life has any value or meaning, therefore nothing he does matter, then Shiki's existentialism makes him believe that he can determine his own meaning in life (being the strongest) through his actions, therefore he'll devote himself to this one goal to validate his existence.

It’s the perfect setup for their dynamic. It’s not just that Shiki and Akira clash as characters—it’s that their philosophies, the very set of values that shape who they are and how they view themselves in the world, are in direct opposition with each other, but it's this polarity that makes them drawn to each other, and it’s what leads to their eventual character growths.

Again, I’m not an expert on philosophy, but to be fair, I don’t think the game is trying to do a meaningful dissection of these themes, either. It simply uses them as a framework for Shiki’s and Akira’s characterizations and their dynamic, and thus my analysis is also applied that way in this meta. I’m not focusing on their philosophies so much as I’m focusing on how, exactly, their opposing mindsets influence the way they interact and view each other, and how, eventually, their dynamic shifts from mutual hate to mutual respect.

This meta in general will focus on Akira's and Shiki's characterizations because I think their compatibility is most evident in how they individually change and complete each other's character arcs.

Getting back to the point of how Shiki and Akira’s first meeting parallels Shiki and Nano’s first meeting, Nano made Shiki feel utterly weak and powerless for the first time in his life, and Shiki does the same here to Akira. Shiki believed he was the strongest prior to his encounter with Nano, and Akira never fought anyone who could come close to beating him in Bl@ster. Even in Igra, Akira was evenly matched with Takeru. The circumstances are very similar, but the reason why Akira doesn’t feel nearly as devastated from experiencing defeat after his fight with Shiki is because unlike Shiki, he never based his identity or existence around being strong or invincible. Sure, his pride is hurt, and now he knows that being the undefeated Bl@ster champion doesn’t actually mean anything, but he just brushes it off and accepts the outcome.

The point I’m trying to make with this parallel is: Shiki takes up the role of "Nano" in his encounters with Akira, but because of this, he also sees himself in Akira when Akira struggles against him. You could say that Shiki projects onto Akira, and the reason why he likes it when Akira fights back is because it makes him feel validated in his own struggle against Nano.

But as much as I'm trying to say there's a parallel between these two scenes, there's actually a pointed difference: Shiki was overcome with fear when he faced Nano and wanted to "erase" that fear by killing Nano, while Akira stood his ground and locked eyes with Shiki as a way of challenging Shiki’s dominance. In fact, there's nothing in the text that indicates Akira feels any fear during this scene with Shiki; just anticipation and excitement. And this distinction is what leads Shiki to become so fascinated by Akira’s behavior and mindset. When confronted with the same circumstance, why is it that Akira is able to fight back without succumbing to fear?

So there’s two reasons in particular for why Akira stands out to Shiki during their first encounter:

Akira didn’t run away like the other fighters

Akira didn’t show fear/"Look Away" even when he was clearly outclassed in their fight

We know that Shiki considers people who exhibit fear to be weak. So what does that make Akira, then?

I'm leaving that question open-ended because I don't think even Shiki himself can answer that question. He might call Akira a weakling, but he obviously shows a different thought in his actions if he chooses to let Akira live, and Shiki isn’t the type of person whose words should be taken at face value considering he tries to suppress his emotions in order to be strong.

Akira is different from all the people Shiki has met before; there’s no denying that, and this feeling of "I've never met anyone like you" is mutual. For Akira, it's the first time he's met someone who can make him feel completely outclassed. For Shiki, it's the first time he's encountered someone who met his gaze in battle instead of succumbing to fear.

Okay. We are finally done analyzing this (very iconic) scene. Onto the next one.

Akira gets ambushed by three dudes, almost gets raped, also gets his arm stabbed, and then manages to barely escape because one of the guys started having a reaction after tasting Akira’s blood on his knife. Akira tries to process what happened, realizes it’s “pointless to dwell on the matter” and then decides to reflect on his encounter with Shiki instead. Like… this just shows where Akira’s priorities lie. He’s more focused on his encounter with Shiki than the encounter he just had with those three men, even though the latter was a much more dangerous and terrifying situation for him.

"He’s actually got quite the fanclub going."

(Can confirm that a Shiki fanclub exists because I’m in it.)

Jokes aside, if it wasn’t obvious enough before that Akira is interested in Shiki (especially after such an intense encounter), then it should be clear now. He tries to gather some info about Shiki from Motomi but doesn’t learn much aside from the fact that Shiki’s apparently not interested in challenging Il Re and probably has "some other goal."

The next time Shiki and Akira meet is right after Nano leaves a suitcase in Akira's hand and informs him that, "A man will be here soon."

That man turns out to be Shiki. What's interesting to me is how civil this interaction starts out—as civil as you can get with someone like Shiki. The last time they met, Shiki nearly killed Akira, and the only reason Akira came out of that fight alive was because Shiki chose to spare him.

After Shiki checks the contents of the suitcase, he threatens Akira and tells him to "forget everything [he] saw here." But think about it: if Shiki really wanted to make sure Akira wouldn't tell anyone, he could just kill Akira and permanently silence him. And yet he's making the decision to spare Akira, again. Shiki, the guy who's infamous for killing people whenever he shows up and making everyone run away at the sight of him.

Shiki's already treating Akira differently from the rest. If a random thug had been there in the alleyway instead of Akira, I think it's safe to assume Shiki would've killed the guy already without going through all this trouble of making a threat. But he gives Akira the opportunity to live, so long as Akira agrees to his demand of course, and it's probably because he remembers and acknowledges Akira's bravery from their previous encounter.

And now we get the classic Shikiaki moment of Shiki and Akira meeting each other's eyes. Akira is backed into a position where he has to obey or else Shiki will kill him, but we know from Akira’s previous encounters with the police that he hates being pushed around and told what to do, and any time someone tries to subdue him, he responds in a rebellious manner. It’s interesting to note that the text goes out of its way to state that Akira feels fear during this moment, which is understandable given how Shiki has his sword right at his throat and he’s one slice away from dying. But instead of succumbing to his fear and obeying quietly, Akira chooses to defy Shiki.

Shiki asks Akira if he would rather die, to which Akira decides yes, he would. And this decision is so important to the dynamic between them. It's what compels Shiki to keep pushing Akira so that he can see how far Akira is willing to risk death just for the sake of defying him. It's what makes Akira start to develop agency through his actions and find meaning in the choices he makes. This moment is the impetus for their dynamic in the way that it sets up all their future interactions onward.

Akira takes it one step further and even taunts Shiki to kill him. This is how much he despises being subjugated to someone else.

The reason why Akira deliberately provokes Shiki is because it's his own way of trying to take back control of the situation. If Akira is the one making the demands—"You might as well kill me"—then Shiki will technically be the one obeying Akira if he does kill him.

I've been talking a lot about how Shiki and Akira are different, how their characterizations make them clash, and how their philosophies oppose each other on a fundamental level, but actually, part of what makes their dynamic so compelling and intense is that they're… extremely similar when you think about it. They're both stubborn, strong-willed, determined to have their own way, and they refuse to submit to others, which is how you end up with this dynamic where neither of them are willing to relent. Ironically, these traits that add conflict and tension to their dynamic are the same traits that end up making them respect each other by the end of Shiki's route.

Shiki is just as stubborn as Akira is when it comes to not wanting to be under the control of someone else, which is why he chooses not to kill Akira despite the blatant provocation.

The other factor for why Shiki doesn't kill Akira during this scene is because he views Akira as an anomaly. He's so used to other Igra fighters begging for mercy from him that it genuinely catches him off guard that Akira would refuse to beg for his life.

Shiki doesn't kill Akira because on some level, he respects Akira's pride, fearlessness, and determination. Akira doesn't let his fear stop him from lashing out against Shiki.

We know that Akira feels fear during this moment because the text made a point of explicitly telling us so: "Akira felt afraid, but at the same time, he felt a rising indignation." But there's a nuance to it. Shiki thinks feeling fear is a sign of weakness—that’s why he felt so humiliated when Nano made him feel fear. Akira, on the other hand, doesn’t associate fear with humiliation or weakness; rather, being forced into submission is what makes him feel humiliated and weak, which is why he stubbornly resists Shiki in spite of the fear he feels.

The difference between Shiki and Akira is that Shiki lets his fear of Nano control his actions, while Akira doesn’t let his fear control him. And this distinction plays a big role in why Shiki slowly comes to respect Akira.

Going back to the text, Shiki decides to spare Akira, but he calls Akira a “fool.” It’s not really clear why he specifically uses this term to insult Akira, but based on my own interpretation of Shiki’s character, this is what I believe: he calls Akira a fool because he thinks it’s foolish that Akira doesn’t value or respect his own life.

Even though Shiki goes around killing people for the hell of it, I think he actually values life—way more than Akira does, at least. He only kills the people who he deems to be weak, and lets people like Akira and Rin (for a while) live. But I think Shiki’s perspective on life is most telling in the way he views his own life. He dedicates his whole life to achieving this one goal, and goes about it in an extremely unhealthy way, uncaring of the consequences that come with the path he takes.

If Akira doesn’t see a point in living because he thinks life has no meaning or value, then Shiki is the polar opposite of him in that he holds his own life in high regard, such that every action he takes has a purpose/meaning to it.

The text tells us, unambiguously, that the reason why Akira got so worked up during this confrontation is because the one thing he can't stand is people trying to control him. Again, Akira's characterization has been very consistent so far. His interactions with Shiki and the way they play out feel organic because both of their actions and dialogue match what we know of their characterizations and philosophies.

The text also reminds us that Akira was feeling terror during this moment with Shiki. But he's not humiliated over feeling fear; he's angry that he was pushed around and forced to bend to someone's will.

We know how Akira feels after this confrontation, but what about on Shiki's end? Well, this is Shiki's POV from the drama CD:

(For context, he's just killed three men who were on Rein and is dissatisfied by how weak they were.)

Shiki: I know, even if drugs are used, if Line is used, that a suitable person that can show as strong a power as that man won't appear so easily. But the chance is not zero. That's why I am providing the original fluid of Line to Arbitro and going along with his nonsense. But, why is there still this incomprehensible irritation? [Flashback] Akira: Then just kill me. Shiki: You want to give up and seek death? Akira: It's better than having to beg you for mercy. [End flashback] Shiki: Foolish. Just a nobody I happened to let off.

We learn that the reason why Shiki goes around distributing Rein is because he wants to face worthy opponents, and the whole Igra system is set up so that only those who are strong enough to collect a correct set of tags can challenge Il Re. But the thing is, Shiki looks down on people who use Rein for power instead of relying on their internal strength. He’s looking for strong opponents who use Rein so he can reaffirm his belief that self-made strength is superior to the strength gained from drugs.

It's a very contrived way of proving his strength, but it speaks to how much he fears and despises Nano. Shiki wants to surpass Nano, but he knows he can’t get close to him, so instead, he wants to kill those who have gained power via Rein as a way of reassuring himself that he is strong, and that he's better than Nano and everyone else because he doesn't have to rely on the power of the Nicole virus.

Unfortunately, there haven't been any new challengers for Il Re lately, much to his dismay. Shiki mostly spends his spare time killing random thugs in Toshima to sate his bloodlust, and during one of these killings, Shiki feels irritated for some reason. Then his mind flashes back to his encounter with Akira, and it's heavily implied that this memory is the source of his current emotional conflict. He remembers Akira's backbone during their confrontation, then tries to dismiss it by telling himself that Akira is "just a nobody."

It's obvious Shiki is in denial of his own emotions because if Akira really was just a nobody, Shiki wouldn't even be sparing him a second thought like he is now. Clearly that encounter affected him more than he would like to admit. And take note of how this flashback is contrasted with the preceding segment of Shiki mulling over how he hasn't been able to find any worthy opponents in a while, and how even though Rein is spreading around the city, the strength of your typical Igra fighter is still too low for his standards. Shiki's monologue and the flashback with Akira are deliberately juxtaposed in a way that helps us infer how Shiki views Akira.

Shiki recalls this memory with Akira specifically because Akira stands out as an outlier among all the Igra fighters he's encountered. Akira is someone who doesn't neatly fit into Shiki's definition of a weakling. He's not strong because Shiki is superior to him in terms of physical strength. But he's not weak either because he doesn't submit to anyone, and he doesn't give in to his fear of death. Most people beg for mercy in front of Shiki, but Akira is different in that he would rather die than ever endure the humiliation of begging.

We can see that Shiki has started to take an interest in Akira, even if he acts in denial about it.

I'm going to jump ahead now to this other scene where Akira is thinking to himself after the Meal of Duty massacre and his fight with Takeru. It's not a Shikiaki scene because it's about Takeru, but I'm including it here for the sake of Akira's characterization because it provides us some perspective on Akira's values.

The last time Akira and Takeru met was in Meal of Duty. Takeru was on Rein and was fully intent on killing Akira, but Akira barely managed to escape thanks to his blood. By all means, Akira shouldn’t have any reason to sympathize with Takeru or even feel any concern for him, especially after Takeru tried to kill him. It's not like they knew each other all that well, and their encounters were always colored in hostility thanks to Takeru's aggression. Akira shouldn't feel bad or care about what happens to Takeru; he hardly cares about people in general, but he expresses some sympathy toward him because Takeru is different.

Akira himself doesn't really know why he's concerned for Takeru, but he has enough self-awareness to understand that it's probably because he "caught a glimpse of something inside Takeru… some seething passion that set him apart from the other Igra fighters."

I've been talking a lot about how the reason why Shiki becomes so obsessed with Akira is because Akira is different from all the other Igra fighters. Akira doesn't like to back down, he doesn't cower in fear or submit to anyone even when forced into a life-or-death scenario.

But, on the other side of this, Akira also develops an obsession with Shiki because Shiki is so different from any of the fighters he's met before. He's drawn to the way Shiki is so single-mindedly dedicated to his goal and how he'll stop at nothing to achieve it.

I'm not going to go in-depth about it here because I want to save my analysis for when we actually get to the moonlight scene and learn more about Shiki's motivation, but I just wanted to throw that thought out there for now.

---

This is where I’ll end off part two for now. Part three will be a direct continuation of this.

[Next] Part Three: Shiki and Akira's Encounters (II)

[starsreminisce]

your thoughts on nesta and her relationship with cassian?

Lucien said it best: Cauldron help the male who winds up shackled to her.

Nesta is so Capricorn moon coded that I can’t help but laugh about it. Because she’s so Cap moon coded to me, she needs a specific kind of person who can handle whatever she throws at them, since she’ll do anything and everything to avoid what she’s actually feeling, something Cassian himself pointed out to her.

Cassian kept his light grip on her chin. “Whatever you need to throw at me, I can take it. I won’t break.” No challenge laced the words. Only a plea.

@zenkindoflove said something about Nesta that stuck and it was that Nesta is a badass, a take-no-shit type of person, and you have to imagine the kind of person who could be on the receiving end of that. She can make a High Lord shuffle with just a stare, she resisted Rhys’s dominance, and a glamour cast by a High Lord didn’t work on her as a human.

With that, Nesta can’t really be with someone she can bulldoze over, so I love that Cassian knows when to give her tough love and when to be soft with her. I know people criticize Cassian for not siding with Nesta in HOFAS, but Cassian already had issues with the mask back in ACOSF. His concerns were warranted, and it just so happened that people forget how easy it is to read his expressions.

I also know people criticize Cassian for not saying “I love you” back to Nesta, but honestly, I didn’t even notice because Nesta didn’t need him to say it. She felt it when he chose to "kill" himself rather than harm her and in all the other ways he had shown it to her before.

For what it’s worth, it was Papa Archeron telling Nesta he loved her that caused her to spiral because she didn’t feel she deserved it. Cassian made that sweeping declaration in ACOWAR, and Nesta still went no contact with him. Three months after their bond snapped, Nesta was still like, "We aren’t mates, lol. I’ll give you forever, but we aren’t mates," and she still ran away from Cassian when he made her face that fact.

What mattered to me was that Nesta said “I love you” to the two people she felt needed to hear it, and the one person who needed to say it back for her, Feyre, did.

So yeah, I love Nessian. They aren’t super fluffy, but not all relationships are. Nesta’s story isn’t completely done. She’s passed the point where she can frame her mind better, and now it’s about practicing that growth, which we’ll see more of in Elucien’s and Gwynriel’s books. And there really isn’t a better person than Cassian to challenge her when she slips back into old habits, since healing is never linear anyway.

Personally, one of the reasons I think the next book will be about Elucien is because ACOSF ends with Nesta feeling like she needs to do everything she can to earn the love others give her so that it feels deserved. I’m really hoping that a part of Elain and Nesta’s healing involves Elain telling Nesta that she never had to earn love, that love is given freely and sometimes, just because.

Thank you for asking!

[sparklingcid3r]

hc that the biggest red herring fight paul and darry got into was when bob tried to fw pony on his way home from school. darry does not play abt his brothers, esp against a soc and pony defs being smaller anyways? paul took bobs side tho

I’d prob call this more foreshadowing in terms of the deterioration of their relationship but YEAHHH let’s talk abt it!! I’ll eat this shit up nom nom nom

It’s funny bc I just read a post abt Paul beating up on Pony w his new fuck buddy and Darry pulling up w Tim Shepard in his bag and OHHH MY DAYS it was like Thanksgiving feast 🙏 Idk if that’s relevant but I wanted to put it out there bc I’ll prob end up taking some hcs from the post so if you read it and see it here yk where it came from lol

Also if we’re doing this whole triangle btwn Bob, Paul, and Darry then ig I should try and establish ages. And bc I could go over how like “oh so bob could be a junior while paul is prob a senior in hs rn meanwhile darry is a year older and spent half a semester at college, so canonically paul and darry were in two different grade levels and bob pulls up to Paul’s side from the underclass” it’s a lot easier for me to point at paul and say “SUPER SENIOR🫵”

this is what i mean when i say im a certified yapper literally noneee of that shit mattered

Alr let’s go‼️

- When Pony came home from school battered to hell Mr. and Mrs. Curtis were just worrying about cleaning him back up and making sure he was alright. Mr. Curtis would prob be the one who wanted to give him the talk abt defending himself but the Missus was having none of it. Life’s hard enough without fighting

- They know who Paul is and have an alright opinion about him, they like that he extends his hand out to Darry the way parents do when their kids are making friends you don’t expect but don’t disapprove of. Darry is the reason Paul doesn’t jump Pony or Soda, he knows he’d be thrown aside in a heartbeat if that were to get back to him, and also Paul’s suchhhh a whore for having all his limbs intact and teeth inside his mouth

- Bob’s more of a masochist yk. But not on purpose bc all he saw was this scrawny little greased up mouse with his head tucked down walking all by himself, both hands on the straps of his backpack and wanted a piece of all the action that other Socs get from jumping the East side’s equivalent of a wet stick

- Pony is the one who rats Bob out to Darry, not because he’s aware that Darry already had his sights locked on Bob’s snake ass from the beginning, but because Darry is Superman to Ponyboy and is always ready to throw hands for his brothers (behind closed doors ofc, he’s not gonna toss away his spot on the football team for just anything r u crazy??)

- Darry might be a little crazy tho, we’ll get to that later trust

- He takes the civil route to start off and talks to Paul abt it bc he just knowwws that Bob’s been Paul’s little sidepiece while Darry and Paul have been drifting the closer they get to graduation, but they’re still close enough that Darry can go to Paul abt shit like this and get him to listen

- Except not really, bc Paul just says he had nothing to do with it and that Darry can’t rlly expect him to have his back when a greaser gets what all greasers have coming

- So anyway Darry pulls up to Bob talking abt “yo wsg robert why don’t u come outside rq i just wanna talk” man JUST SQUARE UP

- I’m playing he doesn’t do that

- What Darry actually does is sneaky bc at his core, doesn’t matter if he believes it or not, he’s a greaser and he can fight filthyyyy

- So catch Darry pulling up to a grad function (with that madras drip on iykyk🙏) and pulling Bob aside for just a little talk, it’ll only take five mins

- When he’s got Bob and his solo cup brimming w that nasty jungle juice alone, all he does it sucker punch him in the face. It’s glorious, no witnesses. The man drops like a cartoon peter griffin style

- And Darry doesn’t even stay. He shoulder checks Paul on the way out and he’s gone with the wind

disclaimer: anon i’m sorry i wrote this at like 3am and am posting it now lmfaoo i’m so sorry if u wanted smth serious 😭🙏 if any of u think that i think this is canon pls don’t🙏🙏 this is just me having fun w an ask that im very grateful for🫶🫶

[spaceless-vacuum]

Hi my friend sent me your Lynn cub reader fanfic and it was Soo cute!🥰

And I wanted to request something different

But the same thing at the same time

Can I have a yandere link's playtonic x baby hatchling lizalfos female reader

The links found the egg it a weird one and it just hatch in front of them

Like who would be her father and mother figure

And we all know wind is the best big brother!

I just think it funny and think differently links would be good monster fathers and mothers lol

The egg twitched- then bounced. Moving across the ground while bouncing from side to side.

“Is that… I mean is it really?” Sky trailed off. He was asking the question on everyone's mind, Was there really a baby lizalfos in there? Was this where they came from? The group had seen groups of enemies spawn from dust or dark magic- but never considered how they might go about creating their own young once fully grown. It was an assumption they were all born through darkness.

It all felt so natural to just assume the creatures didn't have any young. He had never fought a baby lizalfos or ever heard of one. So why was this egg moving? There was no way this was some egg they carried in as food because if it was they'd have swallowed it by now. Sky looked to the spot where the two lizalfos guards had died. They refused to move even as the rest of their camp was slaughtered.

“Seems like it. I’ve never even seen this before but I've heard the story. Their babies hatch so quickly they're only in eggs for a day or two which makes them hard to spot in the wild.” Twilight tilted his head studying the egg as it twitched again before standing still. It almost knocked itself over. “I don't think it's going to stay in there for much longer.”

“Are you guys just going to talk around or do we plan on actually doing something?” Four was the first to make his way over after clearing out the rest of the camp.

“It's just a baby.” Twilight was quick to defend the egg. He could see the anger in Four, the man wouldn't do anything, but it was smart to remind him that you were no danger. When you hatched you would be too young to do anything and hardly the size of a cat. If you attacked they could manage getting away and leaving you alone. For the sake of a new life in the world he would choose peace.

“It's a monster!” Four couldn't understand why Twilight was acting so nonchalant. Did the rancher really have it in his mind that this thing was anything like his goats? That the moment you hatched you would come out and sniff his hand? Of course not. Ganon’s minions would never know rest. You would either grow up in the wilds and be a killer or by some miracle you would be raised in an environment that would encourage goodwill.

“I’m still unsure about this. Granted it's still a monster, but you guys were wrong about dragons." Both the rancher and smith turned to Sky. He was staring off into the distance. A tell tale sign that he was somewhere else right now. “I mean everyone here thinks they’re evil but I’ve met friendly faces of theirs.”

“If we keep them we’ll have to feed them and keep them out of trouble. It may hurt us or it may imprint and protect us. No way to tell.” Time made his way over with the rest of the group. This was Wild’s era. if anyone would have a good clue what was going on it would be him. Four broke away from the group to ask the champion some questions.

The egg hadn't moved again. Time knew the stomping of their boots and sound of combat couldn't have made you feel safe. It was possible you were too scared to come out. With time maybe you'd grow closer to the group, it was only a matter of time. Both parties were apprehensive of each other. Unsure if the other was friend or foe.

Time knew the men here well enough to know that no matter what happens they would be taking the egg. Everyone could argue about it but it was set in stone. Curiosity would get the better of them all. If they left the camp now- leaving you in it- someone would wrap back around to take the egg. It would cut down on time if they just took the egg and let the baby run off when they hatched.

“You found WHAT?” Wild had heard the news and was going to rush over at any moment. Time scooped the egg up with both hands. You could fit in one but he wanted to make sure he didn't drop you. The boys wouldn't let him live it down if he did. It felt a bit rude to be taking you from what was your home. He knew however that your family was dead. taking you with them to a palace more packed with food was your ebay chance at survival.

“Our leader has spoken.” Twilight studied the old man's face. There wasn't a sliver of doubt in his mind that they would be taking the child with them. The rancher knew where to look to see the curious child that was hidden in their commander. The other may only see the kind and tough leader but his elusive other self was right there underneath the surface. Time had let his curiosity and hope get the better of him- or maybe make him better than the rest.

Wild was the first to run over. Hyrule was rushing over as he heard the news. The rest of the group was left to search for loot and make sure no stragglers snuck up on them. Wild was enamoured by the egg. In all his time in the wilds he had never come across one. He assumed they must be rare or well hidden but Hyrule disagreed. He had seen a baby lizalfos along with a few eggs in his home era.

Hyrule was insisting that it wasn't terribly difficult to find an egg or baby even. It was the danger of them that made you lucky if you never found one. The hatchlings were vicious. Born with a ferocious appetite they would eat anything they could get their hands on. They needed a large amount of food to grow up as fast as they could.

They spent very little time in adolescence and grew full size in the matter of weeks or months. Hyrule had never come across an adolescent lizalfos- which only made him think they could grow within a few days if supplied enough food. Why else were there so few accounts? Wild had no need for these accounts. He had heard rumours from stable hands and was sure he knew everything he needed to.

“How cool is all of that?!” Wild was ecstatic. Eyes wide he stared at the egg in Time’s hands. The old man kept trying to walk but was stop by the constant barrage of questions and hands trying to touch the egg.

“No! Not cool at all.” Hyrule turned to Time. “We can't bring this thing into our camp. We don't know-”

“I've made up my mind.” Time was calm as he interrupted Hyule. “We know what we're doing and if the worst happens we'll just leave them and let nature take care of the rest.”

“You don't know how much they eat!” Hyrule said.

“Two WHOLE raw cucos.” Wild stared at Time. “Hyrule said he saw one- a baby- eat two whole raw cucos. Twice the child's size.”

“I'm sure he's exaggerating.” Time was not sure any child could eat that much.

“When I was travelling I came across a baby lizalfos and I saw it eat two whole raw cucos. Whole! I stayed hidden because I had never seen one before and couldn't recognize what it was until it was halfway through the first. If we allow this to hatch in our camp it will eat everything it thinks is food.” Time could see what Hyrule was trying to stay. He was worried about those that had food that wasn't locked up in magical sheikah tech.

“I’m sure we can manage. It won't be able to swallow us whole and the champion can hold all food we don't want them getting their claws on. We won't allow them to just help themselves but there are ways to make sure they get fed.” Time pated the egg and felt it twitch as the child inside moved.

“How big?” Sky turned to Hyrule.

“What?” Hyrule looked past Time to the other man. Twilight was silent watching Wild prance around Time trying to get a better look at the egg now that it was moving again.

“How big was it? A cuco is pretty big, bigger than our egg here. If it ate a whole one it wouldn't be able to move from the weight of something its size stuck in its mouth.” Sky thought he had a good point. Hyrule held out his arms to represent the size of the one he saw. It was roughly the size of a gator. The egg was as big as one of their heads. The newborn hatchling would be too small to eat that much.

“I think we should be more worried about when this’ll hatch.” Twilight moved around Time and put a hand on Wild’s shoulder. He was not able to stand still at all and was bouncing around. You had been moving when they approached to take care of the monsters, and only stopped once the fighting was over. He figured since they were all new they were scarring you from coming out. You had to get used to them first.

“We need to keep moving. We simply don't have the time to wait there all day. We're taking them with us. If we can handle the adults in this camp we can handle whatever the kid throws at us. If they turn out to be hostile we will leave them or take them to a different monster camp.”  Time walked out of camp. Everyone followed behind him and made their way back to the road.

. . .

“You can't rush nature. They'll come out when they feel ready to.” Warrior was sick to his stomach watching the champion do something crazy. It was always the fear someone would get hurt while on his watch that got to him. Everyone else watched with their breaths drawn waiting for the champion to finish his task.

“They might be stuck!” Wild had heard stories of this happening. Sometimes baby birds would get stuck in their eggs and would need help coming out or else they wouldn't hatch. You had to intervene or let nature take its course- and take the life of the young in the egg.

“Do you know what you're doing?” Wind was sitting next to Wild helping him by keeping watch. He planned on cracking the egg himself. He was hesitating. The idea of hitting your head terrified him. 

Everyone was unloading their packs in the clearing. It was midday and the weather in this region was far too humid to push any further. Faron was a jungle and the line of sight here was terrible. The moment anyone went off road they were out of view. Time was the only one to stay on the road the whole time. Electing not to take shortcuts or other paths so they wouldn't get lost.

He was the one that was holding you for the most part. He was worried you would hatch and scurry away into the underbrush and disappear. The others all got their chance but everyone passed it back once they had their fill. Warrior said the egg reminded him of a dragon which got Sky talking and by the time he was done it was time to call camp. Everyone was exhausted and sore from fighting and then walking for hours; but the most unbearable part was how the egg wouldn't hatch.

It had been hours and not one time did the baby break the shell. Four figured they had the hatch date wrong but Hyrule was sure that they only started moving when they were ready. What was the point of the rocking if it wasn't from you trying to get out. That meant something was wrong. It shouldn't take anymore than an hour or two and it had been double that since they took you along.

“Alright, here goes nothing.” Wild took his right hand and tapped the hilt of his dagger. Just hard enough to hammer the tip of the blade into the shell. He pulled the knife out. There wasn't any blood. He put the tip back in and tilted the knife wedging a sizable piece of shell off. Once it started to give way he removed the knife and pulled it away with his hands.

There was a flash of silver scales through the hole he made. You were in there and moving around. Squirming to try and break out. You had been stuck; not strong enough to break the shell on your own. Wild took another piece of the egg and broke it off. There was now a hole small enough for a hand to fit through.

“Hey Wind, think you can reach in there and pull them out?” Wild tilted the egg towards the kid. His hands were small enough that he would have no problem reaching in and grabbing you.

“Sure thing!” The sailor was all too happy to help out. He reached in and pulled. He had his hand around a leg of yours and was gently tugging you out of your shell. Wild helped out by breaking more of the shell off. In a matter of moments they had managed to free you. The inside of the egg was dry. A testament to however long you had been stuck in it. Everyone watched as a singular silver lizalfos opened its eyes and looked around.

“Well I’ll be.” The rancher was off to the far side of the camp watching. For something so strong you sure weren’t a fighter. They wouldn't have any issue caring for you that was sure.

“Hey everyone! Look!” Wind stood up and held you by one leg; holding you like a prize fish he just caught. The smile on his face was wide and you looked from him to everyone else in the camp out of surprise.

[watchtheblog]

Cutting Slack

hello to the hierarchy of my besties: irl besties, internet besties, fantasy besties; the hierarchy of my haters: just the three of you, followed by someone who goes by the alias k.s on google reviews; an ever dwindling number of exes who can read, a handful of people i’m just getting to know who are about to know me too well too fast, and anyone else who has stumbled upon this highly specific page on the internet!!

if you’ve been here before, you know the deal. i’m going to weave a web of little jokes into a somewhat coherent story and then as a reward for knowing me you get the opportunity to see 20 things i hope to receive for my birthday, which, i hope you know… is tomorrow (26 september); i’m turning 94.

The joke web:

In february 2023 after the company I co-created sold to one of the corniest companies on the planet, I quit because they wanted me to set forth eight hours a day I would be available to do work. Seven years into a job I’d put 8 hours a year into, this was a startling task.

Also, they wanted me to become a member of slack, or get on slack, or write to them in slack. Or do something, whatever one does, on slack. You can do a lot of things to me, but what you’re not gonna do is make me go on slack. Many have tried in the past and not a one has ever succeeded.

Not to sound like Mark Cuban - or myself in [redacted] years -  but an 8 hour workday was not for me. And I explained this. I told a woman alleging to be my supervisor that every morning I woke up, I did cult for 20 minutes, wrote in my journal for 45 minutes, went for a 1 hour walk, came home, showered, drank a little poison, read for one hour in my garden, did some dilly dallying on the internet, and then I went to an appointment*, and by the time I was done with all of that it was already 4pm and that’s wind down time in my culture. 

Where did she want me to find 8 hours?!

(*i realize appointment time is not a thing (everyone can understand) but I’m gonna have to save it for another post. appointment time is sacred in a directionless little bug’s life and it deserves to be explained properly.)

If you think I’m joking that I laid out this schedule to a woman who was born inside a human resources complaint folder and whose dearly departed soul resides within a ludicrously capacious bag somewhere, I beg you to get to know me better.

Fundamentally, she did not understand and spiritually I was not the messenger to enlighten her, so I decided to quit.

I am impulsive by nature but this decision was incredibly thought out. I wrote down a list of pros and cons and I titled the cons list “things I’m not aligned with” and I listed 11 things.

“I dont want to be managed!!!!!!” (this is a literal copy and paste) topped the chart.

To follow? “Corporate weirdness”, and, simply: “Slack”.

On the pros list I wrote: “Freedom”, “I will finally be free”. (LOL!) Underneath it, it says “Take a fucking risk.”

I sat with these lists for approximately three minutes, and then I wrote an email announcing my resignation. And then I quite literally never spoke to anyone there ever again.

This all leads me to one short pivot before we’ll arrive at our final destination of my birthday list. 

When I mentioned earlier that I am impulsive by nature, I mean that I quit my job because someone said there was a question posed to me in Slack and I needed to answer it came to Ohio to visit my dad’s (RIP) childhood home and my (then) girlfriend convinced me to call the number on a commercial real estate building and within 45 days I’d signed a lease and 90 days later I had packed, driven, and moved my entire life across the country. 

When I moved here, I knew no one so I did a lot of things you may think only people who are on reality dating shows do, like: go to an espresso martini making class, cook marshmallows over an open fire in a state park at night with strangers, slide down a snowy hill on a plastic saucer as an activity, or attend a local rat’s birthday party.*

*disclaimer for anyone here who doesn’t GET me bc I’m scared to be misunderstood: i loved all of these things I’m not mocking them; I’m simply holding a light to the absurdity of my *on the spectrum, agoraphobic weirdo* ass doing these things in earnest because i needed to not kms. ◡̈  kms stands for k*ll myself.*

(Of course all of these things on a reality dating show would involve two people, whereas in my case I did all of those things alone.)

As a treat for my efforts to be a member of society, the universe provided me with the unique gift of meeting the anthropomorphic version of my intrusive thoughts!! 

We’ll call her Gloria (for no reason) and in our first phone conversation she had called everyone in the state of ohio “fat, lazy and bipolar” and told me my business would fail.

One minute after we hung up, she texted asking if I wanted to sauna with her right now. Now mind you, I’ve been doing shit “for the lore” since before it was called “lore” and men were just telling me I was insane (simpler times!!) so I grabbed a bikini and drove 9 minutes ready to go in a sauna with a random lady I’d never met.

And go in a sauna with a random lady I did... fully clothed for a reason that both confused and relieved me. In that sauna, Gloria repeated the aforementioned phone topics and added a pointed “nobody wants to work out; you will fail” while staring at me in a box heated to 130 degrees.

“It’s okay. Everything is always working out for me” I told her as she persisted in her negativity, because I lacked the ability to just tell her to shut the fuck up (and also because that is true). 

I considered the possibility of her behavior coming from a good intentioned place, like when cars driving the opposite direction flash their lights to let you know they just passed a cop (as if that ever hits). I considered it was an act of humanity, one unstable woman to another; trying to save me from the hell she thought was inevitable given her own - self proclaimed - “failure”. (she had opened and closed a studio of her own.)

So I let her keep flashing her dumb lights at me, showing up to my studio uninvited in the middle of my buildout telling me I should see if my landlord would let me out of my lease, texting me little foreboding horror stories about the perils of being in the fitness industry, sending me local businesses that were closing as if to say “i told you so; i’m warning you.”

“You’ll see” she said multiple times, as if to predict my ultimate demise in a way I’d be able to reflect on in the future, remembering she’d warned me. 

In those moments and in the months of desperation and grind leading up to the opening of my business I had no other choice but to move forward blindly, confidently. Long before I met this psychopath I had prepared for the possibility of failure. Unlike this woman, however, that preparation involved the potential of having to say “I failed… now what?” rather than “I failed. I’m the rule, not the exception. The journey is impossible.”

It’s been almost two years since I left the career I thought would define me, and while I certainly haven’t failed, I’m not writing this from the other side. I’m writing this from the beginning of a long journey I’m prepared and excited to be on that began the day I decided to take a fucking risk.

Two years ago I couldn’t find 8 hours a day to work and now somehow I’ve found 14-18…

and not a single one of them has been spent on slack. 

The Gift Portion!!!  the intangible: for the dismantling of nextdoor dot com, for all my bad memories to be erased, to win the war against seed oils, for the ai to stop(!!!), that the person who sullied my google reviews finds God and healing bc going against me is a form of psychosis, for great deals on this upcoming amazon prime day, that natalia grace is ok, that i never hear a telephone ring again, for watermelon to be in season all the time, that nobody is ever mad at me, that all eggs would turn to donuts in a way that would not have negative implications for chickens or negative repercussions for farmers, that everyone bounces back from whatever inevitable side effects ozempic will have, that my frequently used emoji are all safe and sound after getting rearranged, and for everyone I know and love to read the source by dr tara swart, and that they are all happy, healthy, successful, and in love forever.

the ones you can buy: these shoes (size 38)  or these shoes (size 38) also these (and you guessed it! 38) i want to fix my brain here, a casual five day immersive neurofeedback experience this watch this large suitcase or this one i cant pick this gorgeana kind of urgently, this these shoes (great deal alert!!!!) (size 38) i think the trajectory of my life would change if i owed four of these and maybe some other things to go with it big year for shoes … huge a stunning linen spray this practical thing her this or something else from her(e) these, white, small also kind of urgently, these this definitely the max mara teddy coat in the absolute smallest size and this is the last time I’m gonna put it here!!!!!! ykto!!! (lol!!)

[sweetestlittledarling]

Prompt #1: Snowy Silence (@monthlywritingchallenges)

Fandom: BG3/Baudler's Gate 3

Pairing: Gale/Finley (Halfling Bard Tav)

Word Count: 1,021

Warnings: None except for maybe bad grammar and a bit of sappiness for the season (lol)

Summary: One cold night, a wizard returns to his tower to the warmth of home...

              The night was dark. The moon had disappeared plunging the city of water deep into an icy cold darkness. Gale shivered as he tried his best to keep the cold out of his winter robes though the wind was fierce. He would be home shortly, he just had to focus on that. He was not always a fan of these late-night treks, especially in the winter. The world around was eerily silent save for only the wind. It reminded Gale of the cursed lands they had once trekked through. This would be a paradise for any Sharian he mused. For a wizard just trying to get home to his warmth, not so much. Maybe he should consider setting up a teleportation circle, it certainly would save him some time as well as some fingers and toes. But all thoughts were forgotten as he thankfully reached his door. He sighed thankfully as he turned the knob and stepped onto his foray which was already considerably warmer than where he’d been. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him and taking a moment to enjoy the warmth seeping into him before beginning the work of removing his layers. Once everything was in its place, he looked upstairs towards the living area and found the light of the fire beyond.

              “Finley is that you love?” he called up as began to climb.

              “Yea, it’s me darlin’. I’m in the livin’ room.”

              As Gale stepped into the room, he found it even more pleasantly warm than down below, with the mixture of fireplace and candles giving off a gentle glow. What made it even better was his partner Finley, curled up on the sofa with Lute in hand, gently strumming away a note. Finley smiled up at him as he entered. “Welcome home darlin’.”

              “Thank you love,” Gale said holding the back of the sofa as he leaned in for a kiss.

              “Your lips feel cold” Finley mused as they broke apart. They reached up and touched his cheek. “Gods, your cheek too! You’re near freezin’!”

              “Indeed, the cold is bitter this evening,” Gale said, smiling as the warmth of their hand was pleasant. “Nothing, a bit of tea and a sit by the fire won’t fix. Would you like some?”

              “Yes please.”

              Gale walked to the kitchen door, talking as he went. “I thought you would be asleep by now.”

              “Figured I’d wait for you, can’t sleep when the tower feels so empty.”

              “I see and where is Tara?”

              “She went to check on you mother, wanted to make sure that she was getting along alright with the nights getting so cold.”

              Gale lit the stove and opened the cupboard to look for cups. He decided on the set with the roses and set it aside as he then opened the pantry. “I’ve been meaning to ask if you would like to make a trip up there,” Gale mused as he pulled out a box of tea, “We'll have to plan a trip soon. Is apple, okay?”

              “Yes please, and I would love to go. I haven’t seen the outside world in what feels like days because of this blasted cold."

              “Then we’ll have to figure out a day to go then.” Gale placed a bag in each cup and while waiting for the kettle to boil he turned back to stand in the kitchen doorway. He smiled gently as he watched Finley on the couch, strumming away at the lute an unknown tune. Gale leaned against the doorway and mused on how warm it felt here, very much unlike the outside world he had just ventured out of. It was also very different from the world he had been in only a year or so ago. Him alone here in the silence, heart aching for a cure or death. Now his heart ached for nothing as it was all right there in front of him. Finley had brought warmth and music to the tower.

              Finley looked up and smiled. “Do I get somethin’ on my face?”

              Gale shook his head. “No, just lost in thought.”

              Finley chuckled. “Well, you might want to get them unlost because the kettle’s goin’.”

              Gale jumped as his mind came back to him and he could indeed hear the scream of the kettle. With a wave of his hand, his mage hand removed the kettle and then poured two cups before putting it down again. Gale took the cups with him as he settled down on the couch by Finley’s side, handing the cup to Finley after they set aside the lute. The tea smelled of apple and tasted of cinnamon, helping to chase away that last bit of cold inside.

              “So, tell me how things are at Blackstaff?” Finley asked as they finished their tea, setting aside the cup.

              “Ugh, currently it's insane with students rushing to finish their projects before the winter holidays,” Gale sighed, “Then there are the mid-term tests and all the students trying to cram in extra credit so they can squeak out that bit of something before going home for holiday. I’m afraid I’m going to have lots of work ahead of me, a lot of late nights and mountains of papers. By Mystra, I am so looking forward to the winter break, even more than I did as a boy. I can’t wait to be able to spend some time at home.”

              “I agree,” Finley said, reaching up to scratch at his beard. “I like it more when your home myself.”

              Gale felt his body relax at the touch, slipping an arm around Finley’s shoulders. “I like being home especially with you, as well,” he said softly, turning his head to kiss the warm hand. “I don’t think this place would be half as wonderful to come home to without you here.”

              Finley smiled warmly. “I think it’s warmer with both of us,” Finley said shifting closer to Gale’s side, “a home is where the heart is after all.”

              “Indeed,” Gale agreed pulling them in close, “and my heart is right where it needs to be, beside me in our home.”

[smilesrobotlover]

Hmm KotG stuff uhhh

What's Ganondorf's story?

Tell me some lore about the ancient sages!

What are each of the teams up to in the story (as much as you want to say if you want to avoid spoilers or anything)?

Sorry, as soon as you sent this I started homework and it about made me crash out with how ridiculously confusing it was (I still didn’t get it. I GENUINELY don’t know what I did wrong. I’m so pissed I had to turn it in despite it being wrong cuz ain’t not way I’m working on that any longer than I have to. Good GRIEF)

Anyways lol.

I’m thinking about Ganondorf’s story cuz it’s kind of a…. Tender subject I feel and I don’t want to piss anyone off, but this’ll just be my assumption from the game totk. I don’t have a backstory, but I do have Ganondorf coveting the land of Hyrule and wanting it for himself and the Gerudo. The desert is unforgiving and the fresh green land seems nice. He just doesn’t know how to go about taking it. Rauru, Sonia, and Mineru have secret stones and are very powerful, with far more soldiers and support than the Gerudo, and this random girl with a secret stone is also there. Except she has a mysterious triangle piece that seems to strengthen her power significantly with the secret stone, making Rauru, Mineru, and Sonia’s powers combined nothing compared to what she had. He sticks with them, pretending to be an ally in order to find out their weaknesses and all of that, and he is curious by Zelda’s Triforce piece. He and the Gerudo try to find the Triforce but it’s mysteriously nowhere to be found. At least that’s what he thinks. Until a Triforce piece appears in the Goron mines, and that’s when he strikes. Taking the Triforce of power, he’s able to get the strength to ambush and take down Sonia, stealing her secret stone that made him exceptionally powerful. Far more powerful than anyone. The only one being strong enough to face him (but barely) is Zelda, but she’s not the biggest fighter compared to this behemoth of a man. Ganondorf tries to take over Hyrule, and he becomes drunk with power that makes the Gerudo lose faith in him. It seemed his motivations were moving away from their well being and towards something else, and many fell away from their king that had become a monster.

That’s what I got for him atm but we’ll see as I write it :) I don’t think Ganondorf started off as completely evil but he’s definitely not a good person and turned evil towards the end.

And oh boy, I’m excited for the ancient sages! I decided to bite the bullet and name them after the divine beasts, since I’m placing totk and botw and AOC in a separate timeline than everyone else so it doesn’t entirely contradict other lore. The lightning sage is named Nabooru cuz in botw it’s clear that Naboris was named after her, and you can probably guess the other names. Ruto, Darunia, and I’ve been debating on Medo or Medlo or somethin. Nabooru doesn’t like Ganondorf, which is why she’s so close to Rauru instead of the Gerudo, because she sees something evil within him that she doesn’t like. The wind sage has a fat crush on Ruto but doesn’t know how to go about it since he’s a Rito and she’s a zora. Darunia was actually fond of Ganondorf and Ganondorf used that to steal the discovered Triforce of power, so the battle between him and Ganondorf became very personal. And yeah! That’s all I’ll say for now! I’m really excited to play with the sages cuz the potential for them is so fun :))

As of right now, the champions and Link are on the great sky island, with Daruk and Urbosa waiting for Link at the temple of time, Revali is looking for Link cuz he took off and he’s pissed about it, and Mipha is tearing the first room Link woke up in apart to find him. Where did he go? He’s fighting for his life trying to get to the shrines lol.

Ammon and Orman are returning to the castle sheepishly cuz the guy they’re supposed to protect is gone, Impa is with Purah and Robbie trying to help people from the upheaval and trying to figure out where the champions and Zelda went, and Kohga is panicking cuz the king and the princess weren’t supposed to VANISH. Rip

And Zelda is sleeping soundly in the ancient past with Terrako, Sonia, and Rauru watching

[candycryptids]

Hiya! I hope you're doing well today! I love your characters and how you've structered their bios! Since Chuusday is listed first, is she technically your official WOL or is it someone else? Do you canonically have a WOL in the first place?

Also, I find it SO sweet that you and one of your partners both play FFXIV and have characters paired together ;w; Did you meet ingame or long before either of you started playing? Either way I wish you both the best!!! <3 - gardenofballads 🌻

Awaaaah! Im doing pretty ok!!! Taking time to answer this as a wind down from Emerald Weapon Ex Brain Soupage. And I’m so glad! ;W; I think I butchered one of those “Get To Know An OC” thingies- uhh… oh [this one] actually! I chopped a lot out and I think added a couple different thingums instead because there was so much to that that it felt overwhelming to try to look at let alone fill out LOL but it was a really good jumping off point uvu;

And!!! Hilariously Chuu was my First XIV Character, so she’s dear to my heart for being the first one- but she very quickly made it known being the WOL even as an AU was something of a Joke (Her character showed great reluctance and even frustration at having to do So Much World Saving, maybe a side-effect of me rushing through MSQ to catch up with my other spouse [Who plays Talia, though they’ve got less time for XIV these days ;0;] and the rest of my friends who were all EndGame already at the time in Shadowbringers fhdjfjsjfs.) So I made…… many alts. Throwing spaghetti at the wall but I have SEVERE side-character/NPC brain and kept making “supporting cast” types =w=; it actually took me like. 3? Alts before making an ACTUAL WoL with my husband (Ishi’li and Kizuna) (as of Right Meow, they’re in post ARR, but we’ve been working on Keathan and Tuesday together because Keathan was… Keathan’s first character in xiv XD so we’ve been jaunting through the story together and experiencing every inch of it so we can pick and choose what The Boys™ get up to when we wanna focus on them x3)

🥰 I knew both speece during at least high school- but I actually knew Keathan as early as Elementary school hehe 😌 tho the speece didn’t proper marry until… i’unno, 2017? (For frustrating legal reasons, I’m not legally married, but. As it goes. Someday we’ll have money to visit the one state that has legal poly marriages. Also I struggle to remember our wedding year 🫢)

Since managing to make a Co-WoL with my husband I’ve managed to make one other Alt meant to be a Solo-WoL (Mochiie) but I have to really wrinkle my brain to sink time into playing him, since I’m trying to take screenshots throughout the story at what I find to be inspiring beats xD And even still he has an alt-universe where he’s just a side-character for the ‘Main Timeline’ (where there’s a bunch of spaghetti and like 8+ confirmed WoL’s and the Msq entourage looks HILARIOUS in canon, someday I’ll get all the data together and take pictures, but I think it’ll cook what’s left of my brain x’3) [it’s less concrete than anything I’ve posted about before or I’d try to explain it ;v;’ it’s just interesting mostly to see how the story gets stretched to fit around a larger community of heroes than a solo guy shouldering the whole burden lmfao.]

🌸🌸🌸…. I also hope you’re having a lovely week @gardenofballads !!!! I am tossing flower petals into the air around you !!! Thank you for the ask and well wishes n kind words 🥺💖 🌸🌸🌸