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mimicteruyo · 3 years ago

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The Little Teahouse Around the Corner

[Touhou Ship Week Day 7: Free day. KomaEiki + AkyuSuzu, 2.7k, crack/fluff]

---

If described very charitably, the construction before Eiki and Komachi could have been called a teahouse, exactly as the bamboo plank above the entrance claimed it was. More accurately, it was simply a large tent lit with red lanterns, standing conspicuously close to the Human Village.

"At least it's open?" Komachi eyed the obviously wet paint on the sign, then peered within. "I figured that at this hour, we'd have a choice between grilled lamprey and nothing this close to the village."

"Indeed." Eiki followed Komachi's example. There were certainly plenty of people within, each with a beverage in front of them, but the overall mood in the tent was quietly puzzled. Besides chairs and tables, there was also what looked bafflingly like an oden cart. "Something about this seems wrong."

"No worries, Sis! It ain't anything weird! We're runnin' a perfectly nice temp teahouse!"

They straightened up in unison. The speaker was a calico cat perched on a stool just barely to the side of the tent's entrance, grinning at them. "Lookin' for a cosy place to chat? We've got ya covered!"

Komachi grinned back. "Mike Goutokuji, right? Don't tell me this is your shop."

"It ain't. I'm just workin' here for a bit." Mike's tail swayed gently from side to side as she talked, its many-coloured fur catching the light of the lanterns. "I'm a barker! Which I know sounds really weird since I'm a cat an' all, but I can do the job. For a few days, anyway. Steady work doin' the same thing over an' over again ain't really my thing."

Komachi chuckled. "I know that feel— er."

Eiki chose to ignore the aborted remark. In any case, Mike's plans made it sound as though she was doing precisely what she supposed to do. Losing interest in things and loafing around were some of the chief goals in a cat's life, after all.

"Anyway," Mike curled up her palm. She beckoned three times. "Welcome to the Juniper Teahouse."

The next moment, Eiki found herself within the tent with no memory of stepping inside.

She halted, blinking in the sudden light. There were half a dozen customers within, humans and youkai alike, nursing teacups and expressions ranging from vexed to serene. Although there were multiple chairs for each table, every single customer was solitary. What had looked like an oden cart from the outside was precisely that; no-one appeared to man it, although the occasional bang and tuneful whistle from within it told her that someone was indeed there, just beyond sight.

"Komachi," she began, more puzzled than troubled even as she clutched the Rod of Remorse closer to her chest. "We should keep our eyes—"

It was at that moment that she became aware of a distinct lack of Komachi by her side. Only Mike was there, waving her legs in the air and looking very pleased with herself.

Eiki spun around. "Komachi?"

No answer. No sight of Komachi, either.

Standing by the entrance feeling foolish wasn't going to do anyone much good. Ignoring the slow blink Mike was giving her, Eiki stepped back outside.

And collided with an invisible barrier with enough force to momentarily bounce her off her feet. She staggered back in surprise.

Mike gave her an apologetic wince. "Sorry, Sis." Her tail swished low as Eiki studied her forehead for bumps. "After I've invited ya in, ya've gotta stay a while."

"Is this your ability?" Eiki prodded at the barrier with the Rod of Remorse. It proved as solid and unyielding as a ten-foot block of ice. "What happened to Komachi?"

"She'll be fine," said a familiar voice behind Eiki. "At least, she will be according to what Mike told me. You'll be a better judge of whether it's true or not."

Eiki turned to see a slightly less familiar face smiling at her close to the back of the tent and responded in kind. "I didn't notice you before. May I join you?"

Hieda no Akyuu assented with a nod. She waited for Eiki to take the seat opposite of her before continuing. "I hope you've been well. This present situation expected, of course."

Eiki crossed her hands on the table. "I would say so. The situation in Hell remains both confusing and volatile, but that's to be expected. Has your work progressed well?"

Akyuu took a careful sip from her cup. "It has, thank you. I've kept comfortably busy. And Kosuzu..." Akyuu's smile, which bore a distinct resemblance to that of her previous incarnation, brightened and then immediately dimmed. "I hope you don't mind my saying this, but I expected her to sit where you sit now." Her smile grew more rueful still. "Especially since she's the one who wished to come here."

"Has this establishment..." Eiki gestured at their surroundings and discovered that she couldn't call them that without correcting herself. "...Tent been here for long?"

"It appeared yesterday. As for me, I have been here for ten minutes. Mike informed me that it takes at least an hour for her invitations to be considered fulfilled."

"That's longer than I had hoped." Eiki frowned at the innocuous-looking exit and Mike, who was currently occupied with a moth circling the lantern nearest to the entrance before turning her attention back to Akyuu. "Can you tell me precisely what's going on in this place?"

"I can explain that!" a muddled but cheery voice called from the bottom of the oden cart.

---

Komachi had walked merrily along for several minutes, taking in the twilight air and seeing if she could get her breath to fog up in the lingering cold from the past winter, when she realised she had at no point decided to take an evening stroll. Moreover, she was now alone, something which was the exact opposite of her plans for the night.

She halted in the middle of the path and turned to look over her shoulder. The greenness of the teahouse tent blended into the evening behind her, but she could still see it when she squinted. Distance of course meant little to her: she could be back there nearly as soon as she decided upon it.

But first, it was best to figure what had happened. It was likely nothing serious: the situation had the feel of a fairy prank to it. Still, the fact that she couldn't actually remember what had passed rubbed her the wrong way.

"Alright..." She adjusted her scythe to rest more comfortably on her shoulder. "What happened here?"

So, there was the weird teahouse, and Mike, who did strike Komachi as bit of a prankster, but who had seemed earnest enough inviting them in. Had Mike addressed her invitation to Lady Eiki alone? No, Komachi was sure it had been extended to them both.

She recalled her only previous encounter with Mike, on a lazy afternoon not that long ago when she had wandered into Gensokyo and struck up a conversation with the cat upon meeting her on the road. Mike had mentioned arriving in Gensokyo not that long ago, having only recently left behind the temple she had been born at, and that due to circumstances she had done so before she had completed her training as a maneki—

"Damn."

At the moment of realisation, Komachi became aware of of running footsteps rapidly approaching her, just in time not to be entirely surprised by someone small but fast-moving crashing into her.

"Ow!" The person who had collided with her tottered back, holding a hand to her nose. Even in the dying light and with half her face covered, she was obviously Kosuzu Motoori. "I'm sorry! I just..."

Kosuzu trailed off. Her eyes travelled first up to Komachi's face, then to the blade of her scythe. She took a startled step back.

Komachi grinned. "No need to fret. You're not dying tonight."

Kosuzu relaxed quickly in that quietly alarming way of humans who made of habit of traipsing too close to the border of the mundane and the supernatural. As her shock drained away, it was replaced by an almost mournful expression, so out of place it was almost comical.

"What's the matter?" Komachi almost began walking to see if Kosuzu would follow, but she had a funny feeling it would only result in Kosuzu crashing into her again. "It's not wise for you to run alone on a dark night like this. Did someone refuse to return your favourite book?"

Kosuzu fidgeted with her sleeves. "No, nothing like that." For a moment, she looked hesitant to speak, but once she did, the words spilled out of her in a tumble. "Actually, it's our anniversary today."

"Whose?"

Kosuzu's cheeks flushed pink. "Mine and Akyuu's."

"Really?" Komachi couldn't help but chuckle. "That's a funny coincidence."

"What is?"

"Never mind." Komachi relaxed her stance. "Let's see if I can guess what happened. Since it was your anniversary, you decided to go out to celebrate."

"That's right."

"And you happened upon a new, strange teahouse."

"Exactly!" Kosuzu halted her eager nodding to blink. "How did you know?"

"Because it sounds like we're in the same figurative boat."

"Oh." Kosuzu smiled weakly. "I suppose that's better than a literal boat. Um, I mean..."

Komachi laughed. "That'll be another day." Before Kosuzu could become too unsettled, she nudged her head towards the road behind them. "Come on. Let's go find our dates."

---

"Here you go." Suika Ibuki slammed the teacup onto the table with enough force to make half the liquid within leap into the air. Miraculously, not only were both the table and cup undamaged, but the drink returned into the cup without so much as a single drop spilling. She winked. "I'd say it's on the house, but I'm guessing you'd take that for a bribe."

Eiki took the cup gingerly. Seeing its contents in the air had already made it obvious it was filled with anything but tea, but the scent confirmed it. "Is this sake?"

"Well, yeah."

"The sign outside said you're running a teahouse."

"Yeah, yeah. Is there a law saying you can't serve sake in a teahouse?"

Eiki had to concede the point. "Not in Gensokyo, no."

"See? Try it. It's good." Suika turned towards Akyuu. "Care for a refill?"

As Akyuu murmured a demurral, Eiki took a sip from her drink. It was indeed rather good, but that was beside the real matter at hand. She looked up. "Suika—"

Suika had already left the table. Eiki watched her stalk around the tent, grinning as she went, gathering empty cups and refilling others with seemingly no input from the patrons.

"So where was I?" She returned and cheerfully pulled out the remaining seat for herself. If she was discomfited by any lingering memories of the less than auspicious circumstances during which she had last encountered Eiki, she showed no signs of it, instead beaming with the brightness shared by the very innocent and inveterate liars. "A story of some kind?"

"You were about to explain why we can't leave."

"Yeah, that's right. So this teahouse is just a bit of fun. I'll get going as soon as Reimu finds out I've set up shop this close to the village." Suika grinned. "Actually, I think I'll wait for her to show up. It's more fun that way."

Akyuu offered her a polite smile. Eiki pushed her cup aside. "And then you hired Mike?"

"That's right." Suika took Eiki's cup and downed it in a single long swig before continuing. "Of course, I don't really need her to gather customers. I can use my foregathering ability to bring people over just fine. But it feels more like a proper teahouse with an employee, doesn't it?"

"A floor might have a similar effect," commented Akyuu dryly.

"Anyway, since Mike can only invite one person in at a time, I decided to gather people into the area so that even if only half of them got in we'd still have plenty of customers. It worked really well, too. Until people tried to leave. I tried making the people disperse once they got stuck, obviously, but for some reason it only worked on those who hadn't been invited in at all. I'm guessing our abilities got entangled in some mysterious way."

Eiki nodded. "I see."

"Anyway, you don't have to worry. Everyone gets to leave eventually. Even the person stuck for the longest managed to walk out after two hours."

Akyuu set her cup down. "At least one of us may not have to wait for that long." She raised her voice. "Mike?"

Mike, who was no longer paying attention to the moth and was instead swinging her leg back and forth, jerked her head upwards. "What's up, Sis?"

"Can you step out for a moment?"

"Sure." Mike dove out. "Now what?"

Akyuu stood up and nodded at Suika. "Thank you for your hospitality." She gestured at Eiki to join her at the tent's entrance and waited until they were both there before speaking again. "Mike, can you attempt to invite us outside?"

"Oh, I see." Eiki smiled as she grasped Akyuu's intent. "Even if the invitation can only work on one of us, it still means one of us will be free to go."

"I hope you're the one invited out." Akyuu's smile was thin but sincere. "Unnerving as it is being this close to multiple youkai, I have made my peace with waiting here. After all, by remaining in one place I have better odds of re-uniting with—"

"Akyuu!"

They turned to look outside. Kosuzu hovered right behind Mike, bopping her head around in an effort to see past her. Behind her, calm but still curious, stood Komachi. Upon noticing Eiki, she gave her a cheery little wave.

Akyuu's smile immediately warmed to the point where its brightness was a match to the lanterns. "Everything is fine, Kosuzu. It's only a small supernatural obstacle."

Kosuzu gave a distracted nod, then turned towards Mike, looking almost ready to put hands on the cat. "Please invite us in!"

Mike's eyes darted from Komachi and Kosuzu to Akyuu and Eiki and then back. She frowned. "Kay, how about we try somethin' like this?"

She positioned herself in the tent's entrance, one foot in, one foot out. Before anyone could do anything to stop her, she beckoned with both hands. "Welcome!"

The next thing Eiki knew, she had collided with something unyielding but relatively soft.

"Oof." Komachi staggered back, then reached out to steady Eiki. She grinned. "At this rate I'm going to be qualified to work as a roadblock."

Back on her feet, Eiki looked around. She was outside again, with Komachi's hands on her arms and the tent securely behind. "Who knows how far I would have walked if you hadn't stopped me. Thank you for catching me."

"Did you ever doubt I wouldn't?"

Eiki smiled back at her. "No. I didn't."

They looked back. Within the tent, Kosuzu was clinging to Akyuu's arm, speaking rapidly but too quietly for any discernible words to make it outside the tent. Mike was watching them from her perch, smiling with self-satisfaction.

"Well, that worked out great." Suika came to the entrance, beaming as though Mike's success was hers as well. "Must be fate." She winked. "And don't worry about paying. The drink was on the house after all."

Given that most of the drink remained in the house, Eiki found little cause to complain. "Thank you." She frowned. "Don't invite more people in until you have understood what causes this. Consider—"

"Yeah, sure." Suika made a sweeping wave. "Have a good night!"

She retreated back into the tent. Only Mike remained near the entrance, still pleased with herself.

"That didn't exactly work out, huh?" said Komachi, smiling all the while.

"Yes, I suppose it didn't." Eiki watched Akyuu and Kosuzu retake the table Akyuu had previously occupied, smiling at each other all as though they were the only two people in the world. "But it doesn't seem to have done any harm, either. Should we consider the grilled lamprey stand?"

"Funny. I was just thinking I was in the mood for some fried fish." Komachi let go to adjust her scythe, which had nearly fallen from her shoulder in the collision, then held out her hand. "How about we go see what else fate has in store for us tonight?"

And so they did, continuing down the road together, filled with newfound appreciation for the beauty of spring nights.

#thshipweek #komaeiki #akyusuzu #mimic fics #i'm really burnt out at this point so apologies for the inevitable typos #and any other issues lol #i hope you enjoy the story all the same!

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myupostsheadcanons · 4 years ago

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Books “Read” in 2020

Previous entries: 2019, 2018, 2017

I don’t rank these based on actual literary quality, but by how much i enjoyed reading/listening to them. Hopefully with Audible’s new “Premium Included” feature it would cut down on so many Average/Below Average books next year, it’ll give me more of a choice on what kind of books/podcasts i want to listen to rather than given a handful to pick from a month.

The “Top 10″

Forging Hephaestus / Bones of the Past: Villains' Code Series - Drew Hayes has became one of my fav authors over the past couple years, from his Vampire Accountant series, 5-min Sherlock, and his Spells, Swords, and Stealth books. FH is one of the few times he wrote Adult Fiction. This is the second time Drew created a world of super heroes (the YA Superpowereds), thus previous experience in dealing with the nuisances and meta of super meta dynamics. I love the main character, Tori, and especially love many of the side characters (like Ivan) and the comedy is the right tone of dark and not-in-your-face (not quite as well -written as something like The Venture Bros or The Tick, but being adult fiction you can get away with having characters named Johnny Three-Dicks and Captain Bullshit)

Dreadnought / Sovereign - the second super hero series I’ve placed on my top list this year, this one is Young Adult. This one is far more serious and deals heavily in issues like trans and women’s rights, mental abuse, and social acceptance. The main character is full of angst, but that should be a given for a 15 yo with lots of mental baggage and new social pressures. The main character is the main draw, most of the side characters are a bit more one-dimensional.

The Trouble with Peace: Age of Madness, Book 2. It isn’t a “First Law” book if you don’t want to strangle half of the main characters. Many are stepping outside of the shadow of the previous generation and finding themselves falling flat on their faces. If they aren’t at each other’s throats, they would soon have to deal with rebellion in the streets and the constant looming presence of Bayaz, who waits to sweep the board clear and rearrange the pieces the way he sees fit.

Michael J. Sullivan’s: The Riyria and Legend of the First Empire Books.

Riyria Revelations: Theft of Swords / Rise of Empire / Heir of Novron

Riyria Chronicles: The Crown Tower / The Rose and Thorn / The Death of Dulgath

Age of Death / Age of Empyre, Pile of Bones

After finishing the Legend of the First Empire books that came out earlier this year, I went ahead and read the prior series that takes place in the same world. I would suggest reading the entire series by Publish order, but they can be read Chronologically. I read the Legends books first, and it helped me see where Sullivan was heading and when he started to plan out the Legends books in more detail. (The early cameo of the Main characters from Legends in a mural in Heir of Novron, and knowing who is behind the events in Dulgath)

The Dresden Files: Peace Talks / Battle Grounds - They really should be read as one book, because that was how they were written. It is a Feast of Crows / Dances with Dragons situation, where the book got too long and got split up. The fans are pretty divided by the book(s) ending and how some of the main characters are handled, but these are Jim Butcher’s characters not theirs and he can drop bridges on whom ever he wants.

What Lies Beyond: Cycle of Galand, Book 6 - This is a “mythology” book (like Sullivan’s Age of Death was) where it introduces most of the Pantheon of their religion and corrects much of the mythology that had been lost over the decades. They seek a weapon to vanquish the Litch and save their world and the afterlife from oblivion, but not all of their Gods are happy about it.

Will Destroy the Galaxy for Cash - Yahtzee (Zero Punctuation!) has to be one of my favorite internet personalities for the past 10+ years, and I eat up every book he puts out and because he wrote the books, and is an actor himself, he could deliver the lines as they are intended to be. The sequel to Will Save the Galaxy for Food does not disappoint and even ups the stakes from the previous book.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon - This has to be one of the most charming books I’ve read. It is magic and wonder at it’s finest, no need for long explanations on how the world works. If you like Ghibli movies, you’ll be interested in this book. It has its dark moments but isn’t outside of what you’ll find in something like Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and Nausicca.

The Goblin Emperor - the youngest son of the Elf King finds himself emperor after the death of his father and brothers in an assassination. The only problem is, that he is only half-elf... his late mother was a Goblin, and he had been in exile as an embarrassment to the family for most of his life. He knows nothing of how the courts work and what’s left of his own family work against him just for being who he is.

Lost Gods: Brom - I liked this book more than I did American Gods (which I read a few years ago). It is darker and bleaker by the bucket loads. One of the few books with a downer ending that I actually liked. I would compare this book to books like All the Pretty Horses and No Country for Old Men-- but it is a Fantasy!

Above Average.

Siege Tactics (Spells, Swords, & Stealth. Book 4) - What happens to adventurers after they retire? A fun concept that is explored with our party of NPCs running across a town full of epic-level characters that no longer have a player.

The Arthurian Saga - The Crystal Cave / The Hollow Hills / The Last Enchantment / The Wicked Day - A more realistic version of the Arthurian tales, taking the POV of Merlin, bastard son of a princess, as he earns notoriety as a scholar and wizard. The Wicked Day takes the POV of Mordred, making him far more sympathetic than other iterations of his character.

Arc of a Scythe - Scythe / Thunderhead / The Toll - Science and Technology eliminates death and in order to prevent over population and complacency an order of grim reapers are chosen to randomly deal out quotas of permanent deaths. An example of what happens when every need and want is satisfied by a higher force and the apathy that causes rot in human society and the superiority complex of those in charge of life and death.

The Diviners / Lair of Dreams / Before the Devil Breaks You / The King of Crows - Horror during the Roaring 20′s. Tackles issues as Racism, Poverty, Government Secrecy, Christian-Evangelical Cults, Nationalism Cult Mentality, Communism, Labor Unions, Eugenics, Post-WW1 trauma... It could almost pass as an adult fiction book. I wouldn’t recommend giving it to someone under High school age.

Ancillary Justice / Ancillary Sword / Ancillary Mercy - Artificial Intelligence takes over human bodies as a form of capital punishment, controlling ships and space stations. The dominate human empire outgrew the need to label any gender, using “she” to refer to everyone rather than the vaguer “them/they” pronouns, and only outlying colonies stick to the binary ideals. Think of “The Left Hand of Darkness” but on a more broader scale and as the default majority/ruling empire. Toss in a solid military action novel on top and it isn’t nearly as boring as Left Hand.

Children of Time / Children of Ruin - War destroys the human population of Earth and those that remain are the ones that headed out to the stars on tera-forming missions. A virus created to advance life forms to prepare a world for human habitation runs amuck with out its overseers, creating intelligent arachnids, crustaceans, and squid.

The Licanius Trilogy - The Shadow of What Was Lost / An Echo of Things to Come / The Light of all that Falls - It is very heavy on info overload, there is a lot to keep track of, so much so there is a summary of book one and two at the start of the third. I like the twist at the end of the first book and that the villain is actually trying to help save the world, and you spend most of the second stuck between who thinks they are doing the right thing and who is actually doing the right thing - a lot to talk about doing the lesser of two evils.

Mythos - Steven Fry - A humorous retelling of Greek mythology. I read Mythology - by Edith Hamilton prior to this book, which is a more scholarly take on the myths, and helps if you are unfamiliar with classical mythology prior to reading Fry’s take on it.

Iron, Fire and Ice: The Real History That Inspired Game of Thrones - a nice history book about Iron Age royalty. It is actually refreshing to read after going through so much faux fiction that is in Philippa Gregory’s books.

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? - Children ask questions to a Mortician about death and what happens to bodies after people die. I listened to her autobiography last year/year before and it is worth picking up this one along with it.

Average, but still good.

Jack Campbell’s Lost Fleet Universe: Triumphant (Genesis Fleet, Book 3) / Tarnished Knight: Lost Stars, book 1 - The realistic space battles just drag me back in each and every time.

The Case of the Damaged Detective: 5-Minute Sherlock - Drew Hayes can’t write a boring book. It isn’t quite on point as his other series, but still fun to read. Hayes is really good at making YA books with Adult Protagonists. It is a road-trip book, the main character is a washed-out operative that is getting his second chance playing bodyguard and future assistant to the 5-minute Sherlock.

Locked In / Head On - Do you remember “Surrogates”? that Bruce Willis movie where people walk around in robotic avatars, well... it’s almost the same thing. A virus kills millions, save for a select few that experience “lock in” syndrome and are able to connect to robots via their brains and the internet. The main character is gender neutral and you get a choice to listen to the book with a male or female reader.

Murder by Other Means: The Dispatcher Book 2 - more John Scalzi! The first book was in my top list a few years ago, and i enjoyed the sequel just as much. Between Scalzi’s The Dispatcher and Locked In series, i like the Dispatcher more.

The Shattered Sea Trilogy: Half a King / Half the World / Half a War - Joe Abercrombie’s attempt to make Young Adult books. It keeps all the grim dark, but lacks all the swearing and humor that made The First Law books more enjoyable. Many of Joe’s favorite character tropes are still present and is one of the better “Fall to Darkness” stories I’ve read. It also has different POV characters each book and is one of those “faux fantasy” settings.

Mage Errant: Books 1, 2 & A Traitor in Skyhold: Book 3 - If you are wanting to get away from Harry Potter, pick up this book series. It takes place in magic school, but it is its own world and setting and not just a hidden world within our own. The main group of kids are misfits among the school, unable to master their powers, that get taken up by the badass librarian to be trained in more unconventional ways.

Dawn of Wonder: The Wakening Book 1 - the main character has ptsd from growing up in an abusive household, and i thought it was handled rather well. He would be rather competent and cleaver most of the time until he gets triggered into an episode, he fights really hard to overcome this short-falling of his. Standard classic affair else wise, family leaves home because the local authority figure doesn’t want them around anymore, goes to big city, kid wants to do good and avenge the deaths he was accused of, joins the badass school of hard knocks... big powerful evil thing trying to consume the world.

The Rage of Dragons - It shares a lot of tropes and story points with Red Rising... just in a fantasy setting, not in space. If you are wanting fantasy with POC main characters and a non-European-centric culture, that doesn’t pull any punches, give it a shot.

Earthsea - Tehanu and Tales from Earthsea - I had read the first three books several years back, and i did re-read them in order to refresh myself prior to reading the final two.

The Secret Garden - I absolutely loved the movie from the 90′s as a kid, and finally got around to listening to the book.

Six of Crows - A heist book in fantasy world with the magic users being heavily “Jewish / Slavic” coded by how they are treated and persecuted. I might have thought more favorably about the book if i hadn’t read other books with “street rat slum” main characters. (Seriously, after spending six books with Royce in Riyria someone like Kas is just second bananas)

Unconventional Heroes / Two Necromancers - Comedic Fantasy, the humor’s not on par with say MogWorld, and has more jokes than Fred The Vampire Accountant. It is still a parody of villains and heroes in fantasy worlds. I would find it safe for a 12/13yo to read, cursing and all, though they might not be aware of many of the tropes that are being deconstructed. The reader of the book did better in this one then he did with Six of Crows and Beezer, still the audio needed some editing because it repeats itself a few times.

Once More Upon A Time (Free Audio Book) - I don’t always care to read romance stories. I like the idea behind it however, to trade their love for each other in order to save their partner’s life, then learn to re-love one another again.

Monster Hunter International - If you think Dresden is too liberal, this takes a hard turn to the right.. replace the magic with GUNS, lots and lots of GUNS. An organization that hates the government but hunts monsters for government bounties. The main cast is multi-ethnic and they do make fun of that at one point. There isn’t a lot of thought into the plot, because action is #1, but it is fun enough to ignore the politicking.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Collection - i bitched about there not being an omnibus last year, and then Audible uploaded one. The ending is still one big clusterfuck.

Stephen King’s Insomnia - this book is the bridge between Steven King’s two universes. It is a sequel to IT and brings up the Darktower often. IT dealt mainly with childhood fears, Insomnia deals with Elderly and feminine fears.

D’Arc / Culdesac: War with No Name - I liked D’Arc more than i did Mort-e, and Culdesac is more on track with Mort-e. The virus that mutated the ants and animals reminded me of the virus from Children of Time/Ruin, even though i read Mort-e first, reading D’Arc after CoT let me notice it.

Michael McDowell’s: The Amulet / The Elementals / Gilded Needles / Blackwater - From the guy that wrote the screenplay of Beetlejuice, and the pioneer of the Southern Gothic Horror. Gilded Needles is a bit out of place, taking place in 1890′s, and is more of a social horror rather than a super natural horror the other books are.

Gardens of the Moon: The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 1 - high fantasy dark fiction. if you really want some CHONKY door stoppers, there’s over 10 of them in this series. Could’ve done less with the manipulative bastard mage that speaks in 3rd person. I had read The Willful Child, an attempted comedy science fiction novel by the same author, and it showed that the author was unfamiliar with that kind of genera and should stick to grim fantasy.

The Knife’s Edge / Citadel of Fire: The Ronin Saga - This is one of those series that I’m always going “oh, that reminds me of [insert another better series]” At times it reminded me of The Licanius Trilogy, Shades of Magic, Arc of Scythe, Riyria, Korra... It is just shy of being as good as them, and is rather firmly in that Sci-Fi Fantasy Ghetto and has a bit of “anime” feel to it with their magic users having ‘power levels’ and the power creep.

In Calabria - My only problem with the book is the massive age-gap between the Main character and his love interest. Outside of that, the whole Unicorns in the modern world concept is done very well.

Pout Neuf (Audible Free Book) - Journalism and romance during WW2. A quick read and the book really shows that research had been done about the setting and time period.

Nut Jobs: Cracking California's Strangest $10 Million Dollar Heist: An Audible Original - Not only does it talk about the heist, it actually touches on the subject of migrant farmers and slave labor, as well as the desertification of the California Valley.

The Science of Sci-Fi: From Warp Speed to Interstellar Travel (Free Audio Book) - a neat little informative podcast if you are looking for an introduction to some of the harder science fiction.

Mythology - by Edith Hamilton - Text book about Greek Mythology. Like “used in schools” text book. It is a good read if you don’t want to go through Ovid, Virgil, Homer, and all the other classical writers on your own.

The Space Race: An Audible Original - America didn’t win the Space Race. Russia did just about everything first. The only thing we did first was put people on the moon. It also goes into detail about how the inventor of the Nazi’s V2 rockets became employed with the US Space program. As well as the government’s announcement to let space travel become privatized.

Pale Blue Dot / Cosmos: A Personal Voyage - It’s Carl Sagan. Come on! Everyone should be reading them. Pale Blue Dot was being turned into an Audiobook in the 90′s but with Sagan’s death, only the first few chapters were read by him and his partner reads the rest of it (she does a decent job, and i understand why they wanted her to read it, it should’ve been done similarly to Cosmos, with guest readers doing each chapter)

Thicker Than Water (Free Audio Book) - start up pharmaceutical company scams people out of millions with promises of a miracle machine that was ahead of its time. Story told from the whistleblower himself as he recounts what his job was within the company and how he knew the owner/founder of the company and how coming out about what was going on ruined his relationship with his family and friends.

Don't Panic: Douglas Adams and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - biography on Douglas Adams and the history behind the creative process behind the Hitchhiker’s Guide series.

The Genius of Birds - It reminded me a lot of “The Soul of an Octopus” in quality. It is rather informative about birds, how they behave, and how we judge intelligence in non-human animals.

It’s “ok.”

Les Miserabes - I can see why people favor movies and theater versions because of how dense the book is, getting the cliff notes version of the book instead of reading several chapters about the Battle of Waterloo.

Viva Durant and the Secret of the Silver Buttons (Audible Free Book) - It’s cute, and I spent the next several weeks humming that freaking song.

Challenger Deep - A book about mental illness by the same person that brought us The Arc of a Scythe series. It isn’t a bad read, but if you are prone to get panic attacks and have mental illness yourself, you might get too into it and make you uneasy. It can help with neurotypical people with understanding how some illnesses work.

Into the Wilds (Warriors, Book 1) - Ah, the cat book. It is prob because there are soooo many books in this series that it over-saturates the kids impressionable minds.

House of Teeth (Audible Free Book) - I read this book prior to Monster Hunter International, and thinking back on this one, i am reminded about the other. Save for this one is PG. So... the kid friendly version.

The Martian Chronicles - Space Horror, on Mars. If you like old science fiction, like Classic Trek, Wells, or Forbidden Planet stuff. There is a lot of zerust.

Andrea Vernon and the Corporation for UltraHuman Protection - The third superhero series I’ve read this past year. It is not as ground breaking nor subversive as Villain’s Code or Dreadnought. The humor is a bit too forced and parts of it falls into “we can be more offensive because it is an adult book” category.

Interview with the Robot - Don’t really care for books or programs that are set up in the “interview” format where it is two people talking to one another. (I have no fucking idea how this book got top Kids book of the year on Audible, it is more of a YA book... it must been because it was Free and lots of people picked it because the rest of the choices that month were complete garbage)

Micromegas - perhaps one of the oldest examples of Speculative Science Fiction. Written by Voltaire, it is about a giant from another solar system that is so big that humans and life on Earth are microscopic. “what value are the lives of ants to a man?”

The Three Musketeers - i had forgotten how much espionage there was in this book. I would say this is a good companion book to Don Quixote, as it takes its fair share of inspiration from and even name-drops the character a couple times.

Charles Dickens: Oliver Twist / David Copperfield / A Tale of Two Cities - DC is the standout IMO among the three, it is Dickens’ Magnum Opus. Les Mis did a far better job with the Revolution than Tale did as well. I felt rather obligated to reading these books because of the subplot in the Age of Madness books being about Poverty during the Industrial Revolution and Workers Revolts against the Ruling Class.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - the version i listened too made most of the Americans sound like GWB... which is funny because one of them is Canadian, and the Comic Relief character about how boorish Americans are.

Stuck (Free Audio Book) - it is a neat idea, getting jarred free of time but everybody else isn’t and doesn’t remember. It gets a little heavy for a kids book near the end, edging into YA territory as the character gets older mentally and the people around him age physically.

Phreaks (Free Audio Book) - i knew a lot about Captain Crunch and other phone hackers of the 60′s. There is a subplot of the big radioactive corporation covering up causing cancer to their workers, and the father (voiced by Christian Slater) being in the closet but still homophobic about it.

Silverswift (Free Audio Book) - If you like fairy tales set in modern times, it is worth a look. It is similar to In Calabira in that way. The mom being the nonbeliever and thinking grandma is off her rocker, but the granddaughter knows it in her bones that grandma is telling the truth.

Sleeping Giants - alien mechs from the distant past, once mistaken as the titans and gods form mythology, now being studied and experimented on by the government. This is another “interview style” story telling.

Celtic Mythology: Tales of Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes - there is a lot of names and stories, it is worth prob getting a physical copy of the book to keep things straight and to use as a reference.

How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps - A love letter to The Legend of Zelda’s Ocarina of Time and other RPG games.

Casino Royal: James Bond - the movie was rather faithful, including the part of being tied to a chair. I do wish they kept more of the book’s ending where Bond was ready to retire prior to his secret-spy love interest gets killed.

Aliens: Bug Hunt - a compilation of Alien stores about people landing on various planets and encountering aliens, not always the Xenomorphs we know, but the term “Bug” came synonymous to any dangerous alien lifeforms encountered.

Macbeth: A Novel - retelling the story of Macbeth but in a novel form. If you can’t get past the language of the original play, this would help. It sets it more firmly in historical fiction.

Hannibal: A Novel - I went ahead and re watched the tv show after finishing the book. I’ve seen the movie a dozen times, and i understand why they changed the ending to the movie. The book is the main one that characterizes Hannibal and the show uses a lot of the plot. Hannibal Rising wasn’t really needed because Hannibal (in this book) does think/talk about what happened to his sister and home, and i can see why Harris didn’t want to write that book either. The audiobook is rather poor quality, they talked too fast in places and i don’t really care for their acting...

The Power of Six - I read I am Number 4 several years back and this one popped up on sale so i nabbed it. I like Neil Kaplan, and i think this one is better than the first one and actually gets into the meat of the story.

Cut and Run: A Light-Hearted Dark Comedy - body parts harvesting.... mmmm.

Calypso - non-Fiction, biography of the author. Talks about his family, his life with his partner, and what he does. Much of it is charming and it is read by the author. this was prior to him loosing his marbles about retail workers and becoming a karen.

Our Harlem: Seven Days of Cooking, Music and Soul at the Red Rooster - the history of Harlem and the Harlem Renaissance. I didn’t mind this podcast so much because i was reading The Diviners during the same time.

Malcolm and Me - another biographical book. one of the free books i got during Feb’ Black History Month.

History of Bourbon (Free Audio Book) - Informative about the liqueur industry in America.

Junkyard Cats: Shining Smith Book 1 - post apocalyptic action science fiction novel. the moment that guy showed up i was “that’s your bf.” and it was so... the plot wasn’t hard to figure out, it’s all about the action and setting.

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - One of the better Heinlein books. The man can’t write romance and he is rather big on casual polygamy and open marriages. An anarchist-revolution book written by someone that is more on the Libertarian side of the aisle. Mycroft (the computer) comes off as rather antiquated, an AI that runs on a closed server, communicating through the telephone lines and printed paper, makes me wonder what Heinlein would’ve done if he was told about the internet and Deep Fake tech. (the book takes place in like 2075, but written in 1966)

Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World - the production of coffee and it’s prevalence around the world.

The Life and Times of Prince Albert - Exactly what it says on the can. *rimshot*

The Real Sherlock: An Audible Original - a biography of Sir. Arthur Conan Doyle.

The Design of Everyday Things - using psychology to improve the design of systems, products, and the modern business model. It gives proper terminology for several common design features and how to improve on existing structures.

Bottom of the Barrel.

The Pagan World: Ancient Religions before Christianity. I was hoping there would have been something in there about European Religions, there isn’t, and the book was mostly Greek and Roman life styles and how gods are worshiped. It let me know where the word “auger” came from and why it was used in the Licanius Trilogy.

Life Ever After - disjointed at best. a couple that aren’t good for each other spend the next several hundred years in a crappy relationship.

Beyond Strange Lands: An Audible Original - The audio was complete crap on half of the voices. Which is bad because this could’ve been better. It is a Pod Cast Show and the director couldn’t make sure everybody had decent recording equipment and the sound effects often drown out the actors.

Henrietta & Eleanor: A Retelling of Jekyll and Hyde: An Audible Original Drama - They were going for a modern telling, but the language used is archaic. They speak like Dickens characters even though they talk about cellphones and computers.

A Crazy Inheritance: The Ghostsitter book 1 - The concept is there, but it is too nerfed. It was made for the 8-12yo crowd in mind by people that don’t know how to write for children.

Tell Me Lies (Free Audio Book) - It really wants to be smart. Who’s playing who and who is the actual villain of this story? If you want a quick “who done it?” maybe look into it.

Evil Eye (Free on Audible Plus) - told through phone calls between a mother and daughter. The whole genera of evil boyfriends/husbands isn’t really my cup of tea, and the boyfriend’s actor was too fake and the set up to the meat of the story was annoying.

The Half-life of Marie Curie - I didn’t mind learning stuff about Marie Curie... falls squarely in “made for TV lifetime movie” quality though. You should not carry around a vile of uranium where ever you go.

Alone with the Stars - A girl in Florida hears the call for help from Amelia Earhart, but nobody listens to her. Part fiction, part biographical. It would’ve been better as a biography and talking about various conspiracy theories about what happened to her and finding the pieces of the airplane.

Beezer - The son of the Devil learning to become a good person with a found family... however, most of the characters are annoying.

The Year of Magical Thinking (Free Audio Book) - very heavy on the subjects about loss and death.

Complete Garbage.

The Getaway (Free Audio Book) - A man being a POS by stalking and abducting women. It broadcasts just about everything that is going to happen.

Agent 355 (Free Audio Book) - Do you like “American Mythology?” Like the whole “the founders are the greatest people in the world” kind of vibe? I don’t. I also hate the main character for being one of those “i’m smart, because i read books that women aren’t supposed to” girls when she doesn’t really think for herself at all.

#myu reads #books read in 2020 #audiobooks #booklr #Audible #long post

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achtung-attitude · 4 years ago

Photo

A shadow appears in his peripheral vision, moving swiftly towards him. “I don’t think so,” he scoffs, shaking his head before summoning WEEZER to strike, driving a skeletal fist into the shadow’s center mass. It connects with something hard and metallic with a satisfying crunch, but Toto is taken aback when a torrent of thick white foam covers him, mostly coats his lower body.

The mist begins moving towards a single point, compressing until it is reduced to a single droplet of water clinging to SATURN BARZ’ finger tip. Kilo steps back and allows the object in his hands to drop to the floor. It is a fire extinguisher, with a fist-sized hole gouged out of it.

“Oh, I see…” Toto says, his smile returning, “What? That the best you can come up with? Cover me in foam, and mess up my nice pants?”

“You must not have finished high school, huh?” Kilo retorts, to Toto’s confusion. He goes on, “You know what fire-fighting foam is, right? Mostly it’s chemicals, held together by bubbles… with carbon dioxide inside.”

Toto stares at him, not understanding. Then the burning on his skin begins, and he does understand. “What--?! What’s happening--?!!” he groans. The foam covering his face and body begins to contract and harden into off-white shells that exude a thick mist that flows down to the ground.

“Once SATURN BARZ activates its ability on something, not even I can stop it,” Kilo explains, “But I can make it so the change is delayed. I already worked my ability on the foam before you broke it open, but I needed you to get it all over yourself first. If you really didn’t finish high school, then you probably don’t know there’s a name for solid carbon dioxide: they call it ‘dry ice.’ And the average temperature of dry ice is -109 degrees Fahrenheit.”

Toto’s eyes go wide. He shouts first as the crystals latch to the flesh of his legs like leeches, then burn him like branding irons, instantly inflicting frostbite. The mass glob of solidified carbon dioxide welds him to the floor, as he screams in agony, trying to scrap it off with WEEZER’s fists. This only proves to worsen his situation, as the flesh on Toto's hands burn as he touches it.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!”

“Let’s see you break out of this!!” Kilo shouts over Toto’s agonised howls, before delivering a high kick to his enemy’s jaw that causes him to slump over standing up.

He waits for a moment, watching the assassin’s body, but it makes no move. The dry ice continues to sear his skin, turning it red and purple.

Satisfied, Kilo turns and rushes back to Moya’s side. She remains slouched against her pillar, head down and clutching her stomach.

“D-did you get him?” she asks.

“I got him. You alright now?” he prepares to lift her up.

“Are y-you sure… you got him?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. Come on, we need to find Shizuka.” He takes her arm, draping it over his shoulder.

“The effect… his power… it should be cancelled by now, right…?” Moya’s voice is low and hoarse.

“... It should… I guess he ain’t dead yet. Fine, gimme a minute and I’ll…” he trails off then, noticing her now-uncovered stomach. A small, black puncture wound in her gut, leaking red blood. The kind of wound that can only come from a firearm.

“What the fuck…? I didn’t hear a shot! When did someone shoot you? Hey, Moya!!”

A rivulet of blood spills from the corner of Moya’s mouth and she speaks through gritted teeth. “F-Five… Five years ago… I was shot right here, five years ago…! The bullet went through my guts and got stuck in my back… I was nearly paralyzed for life… It was right in this spot…!”

Too late, Kilo notices the presence behind him. He whirls around to face it, dropping Moya in the process and summoning SATURN BARZ, but too little, too late. WEEZER’s hand grips his face with a frigid hand, and he feels something dark and evil build inside of him.

“Got you… Finally…!” Toto says in a high, strained voice. Dry ice still clings to his flesh, especially around his legs, as it appears that WEEZER has broken off the piece of floor its master was stuck to and dragged it along.

“Never thought you’d push me this far… But you got it wrong… You misunderstood… You didn’t think… WEEZER just brought back diseases… did ya?!”

The twisted Stand squeezes its hand around Kilo’s face. He reaches out for it with SATURN BARZ, but before he can touch it, deep cuts appear all over his body, spurting blood and sending him into shock as pain scorches him all over. WEEZER releases him, and he remembers where the wounds came from.

The rooftop of Jerome’s mansion. Tarantula, the man who killed his best friend, attacking him with a Stand with scythes for fingers. The blades carving him up and leaving deep scars across his body. These scars open up into fresh wounds now, here at Anaheim.

“Tell me, Kilo…” Toto says in a soft voice, but loud enough so he can hear, “what’s the worst thing that ever happened to you?”

END of CHAPTER 37

#jjba #jojo's bizarre adventure #jojo no kimyou na bouken #achtung attitude #kilo staples #toto #saturn barz #weezer #ch37

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parasitic-dreams-au · 6 months ago

Note

*PD!Scythe loads as she stares at your scythe.*

"WHAT THE PHUCK-?!"

*she scoots away from sheer suprise and shock, she was clearly NOT expecting to see another version of herself today-*

(It's scythe hours)

*PD!Scythe is yeeted into the area at Mach-20, crashing into the ground leaving a small crater behind*

"Uuughhhh... where in the phuckin inphinity did that darn crystal send me..."

*she gets bonked by her own gear coming down.*

“What the- Where in phuckin’ tarnation did ya come from??”

#where did ya come from where did ya go? // scythe ic #but i don't want to die // rp #broken glasses // no image

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jadekitty777 · 5 years ago

Text

See You Heal

Hey everyone, long time no update, right? Aha!

Alright time for something a little different but still sweet. This entry is a work entirely inspired by @ladyrobiness‘ beautiful Slow Sunrise series. I woke up one morning and the idea just hit me like a truck and well... I had to write it out.

This is a continuation to that series so, reading it first is absolutely required. But why wouldn’t you? It’s a beautiful Fix-It fic with lots of tender moments of healing for Qrow and Clover both along with them just falling in love like the adorable dorks they are <333

Here are the Ao3 links to both:

Robiness’ Story: Slow Sunrise series

My Story: See You Heal

It’s also below the cut!

Rating: K+

Pairing: Qrow/Clover

Word Count: 2800

Summary: Qrow knows ignoring the problem only makes it worse. Unfortunately, dealing with it has its own set of problems too.

Sometimes, Qrow wished his standard for dealing with shit wasn’t ‘‘Ignore it until it goes away’.

It didn’t work. He knew it didn’t work – and yet sometimes his traitorous brain thought: maybe this time it’ll be different. So, when the issue of Clover not liking anyone at his six came up, like a scroll that had been factory reset, he defaulted. Hoped in the most ironic ways that the problem would just fix itself or at the very least, never become a problem.

That was why, as he gusted through the air trying to spot the nearest nomadic settlement, all he could see instead was Clover’s dismayed expression.

Really, he only had himself to blame.

They’d been traveling through Vacuo’s unforgiving desert for hours. It was a six-day journey to reach Shade Academy, most of which they had to do on foot as no locals at the city border ever escorted anyone across the desert without a price. Though they’d gotten an early start, beginning their trek even before the sun had peaked the horizon, as the day waned the sands around them began to shimmer as the heat rose to unbearable heights. Add onto that an unstable ground that left them all unsteady on their feet, relentless winds that whipped sand along exposed skin and eyes, and the occasional Grimm or wildlife lying in wait for an attack, and it just seemed like a recipe for disaster.

So, when the Sidewinder Grimm leapt from the dunes they were walking across and struck out at Weiss, all but two of them either didn’t react fast enough, or stumbled when they tried. The first of the two that had was Clover, who had his fishing line around Weiss in an instant and yanked her his way. The second was Ruby, who sped above the field like a shot, petals and dust following her wake as she managed to get in the first blow.

Within seconds, the rest of them recovered and suddenly the snake had ten skilled opponents bearing down on it. It certainly wasn’t a long battle, but enough to get the adrenalin going. The kids seemed to take it as they saw it, realizing the threat was over once the smoke cleared. But more veteran huntsmen like himself kept on guard a little longer.

Or like Clover – who wasn’t expecting Jaune to come up behind him and give him a congratulatory pat on the back.

The reaction was instantaneous. Clover yelped as he twisted and swung Kingfisher right at the boy’s head.

The clang of metal hitting metal seemed to echo the world into silence.

Jaune, shield shadowing his face, looked tense and a little frightened.

Clover just looked horrified.

And then he was faltering back, dropping his weapon into the sand. “I’m- I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to- are you okay?!”

“I’m, fine.” Jaune answered a little shakily, trying to laugh it off. “I don’t think now is the time for a training exercise though.”

Clover tried to meet him, but his own chuckle rang hollow. “No. No it’s not.” He ran a hand agitatedly through his hair. “I really am sorry. I, I don’t know what came over me.”

“It’s too hot.” Weiss was the one to offer, turning the attention her way. “I’m having trouble too.”

It sounded logical. Believable. Of course the Atlesians weren’t accustomed to blistering heat like this and would be most likely to succumb to its’ effects.

Only Qrow knew the truth of the matter. Tried not to think how a desert wasn’t so unlike a tundra – open space, unsteady footing, extreme weather.

“We need to get out of this sun.” Blake decided.

Ruby nodded in agreement. “Right. Uncle Qrow, can you scout ahead and see if you can spot something?”

That’s how he ended up in the sky, canting in great big circles like a vulture and looking to every horizon as he tried to make out a camp or an outcropping or a cactus. Anything that might provide shade or water. It took a few cycles, increasing his radius at every turn, before finally managing to see several flutterings in the distance. Upon closer inspection, he knew it was the tarps of caravans, moving southwest. Which meant stable ground and civilization.

He dove back towards the group, morphing just shy of his landing. “Looks like someone’s on the move several miles that way. There’s probably a temporary camp nearby.”

Or if there wasn’t, there would be.

“Right, then let’s move.” Ruby ordered, turning to the robot beside her. “Penny maybe you can try and keep us cool in the meantime?”

“I will give it my best shot!”

Their conversation faded to background noise as his focus instead shifted to Clover who, for the first time since they’d begun traveling together, took lead instead of rear. A silent attempt to rebuild goodwill. But his posture was held straight, an unnatural rigidity to his movements.

Qrow joined him, not quite reaching for his hand, but allowing their knuckles to brush together. The effect was miniscule, but there, just the slightest drop of his shoulders as his face eased into a small, not-quite-there smile.

Okay. He could work with this.

It was funny how easy it was to trick a Vacuon when they thought they were the ones playing it. All it took was some altruistic speeches from the kids about wanting to help because that’s what huntsmen did and the words “free of charge” and suddenly they were traveling with a whole parade of people who thought they were getting protection for nothing. Which was mostly true – except of course, now they had a place to stay in and quicker way to the academy.

It also kept them busy, trading off shifts throughout the day to keep watch on their surroundings. Which meant it was almost two days later before he finally had a moment alone with Clover. The wayfarers who they were assisting had a strict habit of bearing down at the hottest part of the day to conserve resources and energy. With JNPR 2.0 on duty and RWBY helping with lunch, Qrow took the opportunity to retire to their makeshift quarters.

As he stepped into the tent, he found his segue into the conversation was going to be more on the nose then he’d planned for.

Clover was seated on one of the various sleeping mats, Harbinger in his lap as he tended to her gears. “Hey.” He greeted. “How’d scouting go?”

“Uh. Fine.”

Seeming to sense his unease, the huntsman paused, looking between him and the weapon. “Oh, sorry! I guess I should do this later.”

“No!” The word burst out of him, startling them both. Qrow cleared his throat, repeating more levelly, “No, it’s fine really. I told you to take care of her.”

To prove his statement, he took the few steps forward to sit directly across from him.

Clover eyed him skeptically for several long moments, perhaps trying to puzzle out if he was trying a backwards form of recovery or just talking big. He seemed to decide the former as he bent back over the sword. “Well, I’m glad you’re here. A lot of grit is getting in-between the gears. But I’m worried about messing up the mechanics.” He offered him a smile. “Harbinger’s really intricate. You did an amazing job.”

“Laying it on a little thick there, aren’t ya Ebi?” He scooted forward just a little, pointing to the correct parts as he spoke. “First loosen the spindle here. Then you can take out the suspension spring and remove this gear.”

They spent the next several minutes just going about the task. Even though he was guiding another’s hands through the motions, the work was so familiar it was relaxing. He even found it possible to keep hold of the small, easily lost pinions as they were removed. All the while, he studied Clover as he worked, the way his brow furrowed with deep concentration or how his strong hands never faltered as he took out each gear with care and reverence. As if the weapon was as cherished as his own.

“Last one.” Qrow announced as the fifth pinion was dropped into his palm.

“You know, before I really was praising you.” The smallest cog came out with a small pop, being added to the growing collection on the cloth Clover had laid out. He finished his statement with a mirthful smile, “But now I’ve determined you went too far.”

He snorted. “Sorry my sword-scythe-shotgun hybrid is a little more complicated than your basic fishing rod.”

He gasped in mock offense. “My darling may not have all your weapon’s fancy little tricks, but it gets the job done with just as much grace.”

“Oh, that’s what you call all that flailing around?”

“Watch it Branwen.”

“What? Am I-” The rest of his words ‘on thin ice’ died in his throat. “Uh-”

This time, Clover misinterpreted his floundering. “What, am I doing it wrong?”

He focused on where the other’s hands were, his own quickly reaching out to catch his, only to abort the motion just as quickly when his fingertips skimmed Harbinger’s surface. That Clover noticed.

He ran the same hand over the back of his neck. “Uh, don’t remove that unless you want her coming apart completely.”

“Alright.” Clover lifted his hand from the center plate obediently. “Are you doing okay or should we stop?”

Dropping the pinions onto the cloth beside the other parts, he tried not to let it feel like too much of a failure. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

“Why would I be uncomfortable?” He replied with a frown.

Qrow stared. Was he being serious right now? “You’re kidding. If anything you should be more repelled to be holding her than me.”

“But I’m not. I never have been.”

The frustration broke over like a wave so that his next words flooded out like a tide of turbulent emotions, “Why not? You’re the one who got hurt! Why is it so easy for you?!”

No, no. Shut up.

He slouched over, scrabbling hands through his hair, tugging at the ends as if it would ground him back to the present.

This was going all wrong. He wasn’t supposed to be getting angry.

“I-I mean-” He started to say.

Clover cut him off. “Have you ever considered things were different from my perspective?”

He blinked. Looked up. “What?”

The other huntsman’s gaze drifted, falling down to the blade still in his lap. He ran his palm along the surface. “I never saw it. Or if I did, my mind’s blocked it out. I… remember pain. How hard it was to breathe. But as far as anything I saw in that moment? All I can think of is gray. A dark gray, almost black, but kind of green too?”

Qrow frowned, trying to piece that together. Atlas wasn’t exactly known for its abundance of greenery. The only green thing he could think of was Clover’s own pin. Maybe it was just his body going into shock, making him see things that weren’t actually there.

“Either way,” He continued, idly tracing the intricate patterns embedded in the sword’s metal. “What I’m getting at is, the only reason I know this was the weapon that struck me is because I was told it was. To me, it’s kind of removed from the whole event.” His movements stopped, that same dismayed look from several days ago clouding his features. “Instead, I have other problems.”

Seemed like they were going to have that conversation after all. “Like what happened with Jaune.”

“Yeah. I hadn’t meant to attack him. I just thought…” Clover slumped, trailing off.

“That he was someone else. I know.” Qrow said in the space left behind. “Known for awhile, actually. I knew it was an issue, but I hadn’t said anything. Tch. I should of. Maybe then-”

A flick to his forehead had him jerking back.

“Stop.” Clover’s fingers soothed over the spot, sliding down along the contours of his face to cup his jaw. “You’re not responsible for my problems Qrow. It’s my job to acknowledge them and ask for help if I need it.”

There was a lot of things he thought to say, the most prominent being how Clover never seemed to have an issue laser focusing on Qrow’s problems and addressing them (though, to be fair, those results didn’t always pan out) – but what he finally decided on saying was, “Do you need help?”

Teal eyes went wide and he drew back. The look on his face, vulnerable and lost, was heartbreaking. “I, uh. I don’t know.”

“Would you like to try something?” He pressed on gently.

“Like what?”

“An exercise.” He waved towards Harbinger. “Set her aside and take off your shirt – Don’t smile like that, I’m not gonna do anything lecherous.”

Clover laughed. “Ah, there goes all my hopes and dreams.” Still, he did as commanded, laying the blade to his left before peeling off the green shirt he wore.

Qrow managed not to stare at the metal plating built into the center of his chest, stitching his body together like a broken doll. Instead he reached forward, undoing the red bandanna around the man’s arm – one of the only things he’d kept of his old uniform, besides the boots – and tied the cloth around his eyes instead.

“Uh, Qrow?” Now blind, Clover sounded a lot more uncertain.

He ran a hand through short brown locks. “When I used to teach, I would do this with the students.”

“Lot to unpack with that statement.” He was barely containing a laugh.

It was his turn to flick him. “Shut it and listen.” He got to his feet, speaking as he rounded the other. “It was usually for typical stuff. Figuring out what movements they knew by reflex and what they needed to work on. Keeping an ear on their surroundings when their eyes can’t. But sometimes,” He stopped directly behind him. “It was to help break bad habits.”

Clover was already tense. “Really?”

“Ruby’s footwork used to be terrible. Got worse when she discovered her semblance – she was tumbling all over the place. Taking away her sight made her focus harder on every step she made. Made her more aware of everything she was doing.” Qrow reached out, fingertips brushing along the base of Clover’s neck, the skin shuddering under his touch. “That’s what I want you to do. Focus on the way your body reacts and correct it.”

“This… seems a little unconventional.”

He knelt down behind him. “Sometimes it’s the unconventional methods that work. Now,” He laid his palm flat along metalwork layered over his spine, hearing the sharp inhale. “Let’s get started.”

Qrow couldn’t say for how long, exactly, the exercise went on for – but it was certainly not as long as he would have kept one of his students at it. Where he’d push them to continue even just a minute longer, he was more willing to pull back with the brunette, knowing this was taking a mental toll along with the physical one. So, when he noticed Clover’s efforts were turning to frustration, he was quick to call for a break, offering that maybe they could finish up with Harbinger in the interim.

Clover, stubborn man he was, didn’t want to quit entirely though.

That was how they ended up sitting back to back as Qrow polished off the gears and pins and Clover set them into place.

Healing takes many forms, Qrow mused as he handed over the third cog and reached for the next, the anxiety he normally felt completely, blissfully absent.

Felt the stretch of muscles against his own as Clover worked, his erratic breathing and shakes having steadied a while ago.

One day, he hoped they could come out of this without their demons controlling them.

Yet, he knew recovery was a difficult, haphazard mess of a journey; so that day was in a future he still couldn’t quite discern, no matter how hard he looked.

Not that he could say he was surprised. His life had never been simple and that track record wasn’t going to let up a four decades’ long streak so easily – but, for once, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

For the one brightness he could see in all this was right behind him.

Qrow slid down, just enough to rest his ear against the metal along Clover’s back, the reassuring thump-thump-thump of his heart a gift he’d never waste.

For it beat with the promise that he was here.

He was alive.

And, Qrow recklessly dared to believe, he was his.

Another gift he’d never waste.

A devotion he’d never dishonor.

A love he’d forever hold onto.

#qrow branwen #clover ebi #fair game #rwby #fanfiction #Chase Firekitten's Tale

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punkinroses · 5 years ago

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Yugioh Season 4 Quotes Prompt Meme

I am stressed, tired, sick of my job and needing a brain break. Yugioh Abridged is my go to for that at the moment. So. Have a sentence meme thing. Feel free to reblog, change pronouns, etc. Go have fun kids. Be wild. Be gay. Do crime. Love you

“The whole saving the world thing really eats into your study time.” “But my teacher gave me, like, a bunch of gold stars! And an A+ in trying.” “I already know everything I need to know about mathematics from playing card games.” “I was also thinking about doing some of the drugs later.” “(name)’s hand is on fire!” “That sounds like a commotion! .......Yes. Definitely a commotion.” “Well, I’m sure the city can defend itself.” “Those neutral motherfuckers. I never cared for them.” “How the hell did you people get in my house!?” “I’m not sure I like the rich douchebag channel.” “We figured you had more of an emotional connection to these.” “Damnit, (name), we agreed I would do the monologuing.” “My spirit guide has once again served its purpose.” “It’ll be called the bitch ass retirement plan. Named after you, ya bitch ass!” “That’s some OP bullshit right there.” “Broseph...Brosephine...Bro DiMaggio.” “I’ve got shoulder pads!” “Now what are you gonna do, Bromeo and Juliet?” “It’s not often I get to hear the worst insult ever coined by a human being.” “Yeah, they once sucked out Channing Tatum’s soul as a joke.” “I have nothing else in my life, please!” “So you’re someone I haven’t seen in a really, really long time? .........Are you my parents??!!” “Stop abusing the concept of friendship!!” “You must have spent YEARS researching this! Even though you can find this exact information on the back of any Yu-Gi-Oh! DVD!” “King of doors, bitch!” “That’s two points for Middle Earth, zero points for (name).” “I was not prepared to watch this today.” “Okay, so, you’re a lost cause.” “If even one of you makes a Sharknado reference, I will end you so hard.” “Try this on for size, you Sauron-looking motherfucker!” “I thought we had an agreement! You agreed to not be a little bitch, but now you’re being a little bitch!” “Maybe they’ll take someone’s soul that we don’t care about this time.” “Goddamnit, you never help me, ever!!” “Alright, douchebags! I’m sick and tired of us not being on top!” “These meetings get fucking weird.” “How much more specific can I get? SOMEWHERE in CALIFORNIA.” “I wonder if there are card games on the moon.” “I knew it. This is just some cheap trick to get me to come see you, so you can hit on me with a bunch of cheap innuendos, isn’t it?” “And, to think, people call you a diluted egomaniac.” “That’s not possible! I’M the adorable one!” “For some reason, cruising for chicks has caused me to become severely injured.” “I would be so turned on if that wasn’t such a huge waste of trading cards.” “I’d like to spread some vegemite on those things.” “You left me on a blimp with a known psychopath, while I was in a coma, so you could go off and play video games.” “So, in other words, since we’ve never seen your balls drop, we can assume it hasn’t happened?” “My douche-senses are telling me that (name) is mocking me somewhere.” “Should I remind you to tell them to go fuck themselves when we get there?” “He will eat you with his crocodile face.” “Okay, did you have to include the part of the story where they insulted me?” “Hey, a sword! I can stab people with this!” “Seriously? That was your one Koala joke?” “Try believing in the heart of the cards.” “Quiet, you sorcerer.” “If you’re seeing this, (name), it either means I’m dead, leaving behind a very fabulous looking corpse, or my soul has been captured.” “Maybe it had something very kinky on it and 4Kids had to censor it.” “I’ll leave that up to the fanfic authors.” “I’ll write a highly unfavorable research paper about you! With inconclusive findings!” “I feel like I should be concerned, but I just can’t stop thinking about how Copernicus is such a stupid name for a horse.” “You know that thing takes people’s souls and I found it on a dead guy, right?” “That was acting, children! Bravo for me!” “According to my research, I’m in a crapload of pain.” “Learned that trick from playing Super Mario World.” “I’ll just be over here wibbling to myself. Please, pay me no mind.” “Okay, everyone. I’m going to go scream into a pillow for the next five minutes.” “Are you telling me that we can't build an elevator into space?! Because that sounds like something a guy who doesn't want to keep his job would say!” “And let me tell you one last thing. All those times I got angry and declared that I would have my vengeance on you: I WAS FAKING!” “I'm glad we spent all our money on this bag of potato chips and generic brand soda.” “By the way, I memorized several dozen dinosaur puns, just so I could use them in this.” “The only reunion that’s about to happen is my size ten up your buttocks!” “Dorō! Monsutā Kādo!” “You're right, (name). I lost control. At the end of the day, this is just a game.” “We’re going to disturb the spirits of the dead! Yay!” “What the fuck even is this season!?” “Won’t somebody fetch me some ice cream!?” “I’m old and I hold a stick. That automatically makes me the wisest person in the valley.” “It’s a good thing I played all that Assassin’s Creed!” “It’s a good thing I played all that Banjo Kazooie!” “Oh, thank God, because I really wasn’t listening to any of that. Any of it.” “Now, I have to go back down there and challenge that vulture to a card game.” “Okay, (name), I’m going to level with you; I may have lied about the pizza.” “It makes me look really bonkers cool while I kick the shit out of you.” “Actually, he says his name is Cornelius Jr. and he wants to play basketball, just like how his father wanted him to.” “You can talk to snakes!?” “Hey, are you sure it’s safe for us to fly straight into that strange weather phenomenon?” “I guess we’d better confront whatever villain of the week that is.” “Well, these buttons look important.” “We mostly get by using our street smarts and ingenuity.” “No, I'm mad because I never wanted to know what one of Hideo Kojima's wet dreams looked like, and now I do, so thanks for that.” “I swear on my life we didn't keep a single flying war machine of death.” “Well, it would be way more intimidating if its face wasn't so damn adorable.” “Yeah, they’re dead. Dibs on their crappy broken stuff!” “Did you guys notice that this episode had the exact same ending as Bee Movie?” “I'm also glad we're not going to Florida as it means that we are not going to Florida.” “OK, but wait! I'm almost to the part where we met two ghosts in the California desert who just happened to be related to the guy we're fighting. Oh God, you're right; it's all just bullshit, isn't it?” “Breaking stuff will fix it!” “I'm bi a lot of things, but lingual is not one of them.” “Welcome back, asshole.” “Hey (name), wanna reenact a scene from Back to the Future Part II?” “I'd rather throw myself off the roof.” “Damn you, Microsoft Flight Simulator!” “Yes, but you had to steal my catchphrase to do it! Is nothing sacred to you?” “That is the single most offensive thing anyone has ever said to me.” “OK, children, from now on, everybody uses the Buddy System. When I say "Go," I want you all to choose a buddy and form an everlasting and inseparable bond between them 'till death do you part. OK, go!” “(Name), remember, whatever happens, you mustn't become an evil little sh*thead.” “Suckers! Consider yourselves ditched.“ “Well if any other anime in existence has taught me anything, most of the drama tends to happen on...the roof.“ “Just my luck. Dork Fest continues.“ “No! It's got a scythe. The deadliest farming implement known to man.“ “This heavy-hearted metaphor was brought to you by Da, a subsidiary of Doy, Inc.” “OK, this is also total BS. When I came back from the dead, I didn't get a chorus of heavenly music and a light show.“ “It's a good thing I'm so buff or that fall would've killed me.“ “(Name), promise me you're not going to embarrass me in front of the U.S. Military.” “ Guys, I think we took a wrong turn, because I'm pretty sure this is the Chamber of Secrets.” “Those aren't Funko Pops! They're much more disturbing!” “Yeah, makes your measly five thousand years look like a five thousand years of being a bitch, bitch.“ “Okay, but why are we in space?” “I have no idea who that is. You are talkin' fucking crazy right now, man. Are you okay? Do you need water? How long were you in the desert for?“ “For the record, I was dressing up in suits of armor before it was cool.“ “(Name), this is like, the third time you've tried to murder one of my friends, stop it!” “Nah. As a teenager with unlimited access to the Internet, I get to do that every day.” “As I was saying, (name) is a damn handsome and valuable person. Thank goodness for them.” “They died as they lived... pissing me off.” “Okay, who let the posh shithead in here?” “I'm so happy you escaped the cold embrace of death so that I could experience your deathly cold embrace again!“ “Wow. My eBay sensors are tingling.“ “You know, we really have no idea where this portal will take us, but I have total confidence in this decision.“ “None of this matters to you! You're already dead! Blah, blah, blah, omae wa mou shindeiru.” “Glad we came all the way up here so that we could not know what was going on.“ “Does this mean I can take back all the nice things I said?“ “I'm not doing any of those things. I'm just enjoying being with you.”

#sentence prompt #rp prompt #rp prompts #writing prompts #writing prompt #sentence prompts #rp meme #rp memes #rp starters #writing memes #ygotas #ygotas season 4 #ygotas memes

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hardnoctlife · 5 years ago

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Happy Birthday Noctis!

From a discussion in my Discord group about Letterkenny’s “soft birthday” party episode. This short fic is set in the same universe as my OT4 fic “Rain or Shine and Everything In-Between” and “The Long and Short of It All.” Thanks @ldefix and Ericsson for the idea!

"What the hell...?"

Noctis was frozen in the doorway, one hand still on the knob, peering into the entrance as if he were afraid he'd stepped into the wrong house.

Everywhere he looked was pink. Bubblegum, cotton candy, pink. From floor to ceiling, streamers and balloons filled every space in the living room of the town home, all colored in the offensive hue. The prince was still questioning if had stumbled into someone else's house by mistake when he heard the thunder of footsteps, breaking him out of his daze.

Prompto skidded across the hardwood and into view, Gladio close behind.

"Surprise!" the blond crowed, a pointed party hat sitting at an angle on his head. He had thrown his arms wide in emphasis, and Gladio grinned, placing hands on his hips. It was only then that Noctis registered what they were wearing—pastel colored t-shirts and jean shorts, each with feather boas dangling around their necks. Gladio took his off as he stepped forward, hooking it around Noctis’s neck and pulling him in close. The prince sputtered as feathers were shoved in his face, sneezing as one tickled the inside of his nose.

“Happy birthday, princess,” Gladio drawled, pulling the prince in by his waist and planting a sloppy kiss against Noctis’s neck. His stubble tickled Noctis almost as much as the boa, but at least it had a more pleasant effect on his insides. Trying not to look too happy, Noctis swatted at him, unable to break free of the man’s muscled grip. Meanwhile, Prompto rocked back on his heels, hands clapping gleefully.

“D’you like it?” Prompto wondered. He gestured to it—the absurd décor that Noctis was still wrapping his head around.

“Uh…” Noctis trailed off as he searched for the right words, and Gladio finally released him, causing the prince to wheeze from the sudden expansion of his ribcage.

“You said you were tired of fancy balls and parties, so we thought a soft birthday would be best. It kinda started out as a joke, but…” Prompto let the explanation float away as he fixed his best friend with a hopeful look. The prince’s Shield cleared his throat pointedly, and Noctis blinked in response. Gladio coughed louder, tilting his head subtly in Prompto’s direction while wearing a taut smile. He finally got the hint.

“Oh! Yeah, it’s great. If I don’t have to wear a suit, I’m there.” Noctis watched Gladio’s face transform from apprehensive to approving as his sentence progressed. “So, where’s Specs?” Noctis figured changing the subject was safest for now, at least until the shock of the Pepto-Bismol to his eyeballs faded.

“In here,” an accented voice called from the kitchen.

“Wait until you see what else we did! Okay, so it was mostly Iggy, but still.” Prompto was bouncing, excitement palpable as he hooked an arm in Noctis’s. “Close your eyes real quick!”

Humoring him, Noctis did as he was told, but Gladio came up behind him to tie the boa over his face for good measure.

“I’m not peeking!” he laughed at the absurdity of it, only to hear Gladio murmur in his ear.

“You better not, or those birthday spankings are going to come early.”

“Is that before or after the presents?” Noctis questioned cheekily as Prompto began to steer him. There was an ominous chuckle over the prince’s shoulder that had him grinning.

“During the presents, probably.”

“Okay, okay, stand here,” Prompto said, temporarily tabling the conversation between the two. There was some rustling and footsteps as Noctis crossed his arms, making a show of appearing impatient. Then he felt a pair of lips brush over his cheek, gentle and sweet, and the corner of his mouth twitched up. “Alright, you can look now,” Prompto announced, sounding equal parts nervous and eager.

Noctis yanked the boa down to his neck and his gaze swept through the kitchen like a scythe through grain. He took in everything—the tier of cupcakes that was front and center, brightly wrapped presents surrounding it as if they were offerings on an altar, and the trays of food filling the counter from corner to corner. Enthralled by the generous spread, Noctis nearly missed Ignis standing off to the side, but once he saw him, he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

The prince’s jaw worked, but no sounds came out. Prompto and Gladio both stepped forward, and he could see the devilish grins splitting their faces from ear-to-ear out of his periphery. Ignis removed his glasses, face fighting to remain neutral as he pretended to clean the lenses with a microfiber cloth in his hand.

“You.” Noctis started, but stopped, gaze panning downwards as his brain tried to process what Ignis was wearing.

The typically sharp-dressed man had forgone his usual apron. It had been replaced with one that tied at the waist. White, with lacy frills at the hem, glitter shimmered in its folds wherever it caught the light. Stretching beneath the apron were multi-colored fishnet stockings, a rainbow gradient that ended in a pair of high heels that Noctis had no idea Ignis even owned. Taking a page out of Gladio’s book, the cook was shirtless, toned abdomen bare except for a white strap of leather at his neck with a single bell, shaped into a metallic pink heart.

“Cat got your tongue?” Ignis inquired, a little viciously. Noctis made his way forward, licking lips that had gone dry. A hand reached out to rest on Ignis’s hip, and suddenly the prince was salivating, fingers running over a garter belt that attached to a pair of silky underwear.

“A soft birthday party?” Noctis laughed abruptly, throat finally emitting intelligible noises again. “Nothing about this is making me feel soft.” Ignis leaned back into the counter, the picture of poised, somehow looking completely comfortable in his choice of wardrobe.

“I believe it refers to the color palette. And stakes,” Ignis mused. The advisor’s hand found where Noctis’s had begun to wander, grabbing it with an arched eyebrow. “Not until after you’ve had your cake, highness,” he chided.

“It’s my birthday,” Noctis moaned in protest. There was knowing hum from the three of them, not at all sympathetic.

Prompto hopped onto a barstool to pull one of the cupcakes off the display as the prince spoke, and Noctis snorted at the unicorn topping that Prompto devoured in one bite, icing catching on the blond’s cheek. Procuring a plastic tiara from out of thin air, Prompto placed it on the birthday boy’s head. The prince reached up, adjusting the makeshift crown good-naturedly.

“Consider this payback for those dick pics you sent while we were at work,” Gladio said as he took the spot beside Prompto at the island and scooped a ladle of electric blue punch into one of the pink glasses set out beside it.

“You’re still not over that?” the prince gaped. Three stony expressions gave him his answer. “All right, all right!” Noctis raised his hands in surrender, laughing. Gladio slid a drink over to Prompto, already pouring two more.

“C’mon, you got some catching up to do,” the Shield explained. The four gathered close, elbows knocking together as they leaned in.

“To you, princess. Even though you’re a little shit most of the time—

“Hey!”

“—I love your royal ass.”

“I bet you do,” Noctis scoffed, but he was smirking as he raised his glass.

“Happy birthday, Noct. There’s no place else I’d rather be than in this house, eating too much icing, and getting silly drunk with the all of you,” Prompto added. Noctis felt something in his chest pull tight as he nudged his head into Prompto’s.

“Back at ya.”

All eyes were on Ignis now, and the prince’s advisor met Noctis’s eyes as he began his toast, accent thickening with emotion.

“To the best day of the year, for it serves as a constant reminder of the light that guides us, in love and laughter. Noct, there are no words to say how much you mean to all of us, but we hope to make you smile for many more birthdays to come, and all the days in-between. Cheers, darling.”

“Cheers!” came the chorus of voices. Noctis had to duck his head as he drank deep, a burst of tangy flavor hitting his tongue as he swallowed back a pinprick of tears.

“Thanks, guys. You’re the best,” he muttered into his drink, more than a little embarrassed at the sudden shift in mood. He felt arms envelop him from all sides, the heat from three bodies warming him from the outside in, sending his heart soaring. They were quiet for a moment, soaking in the comfortable silence.

Gladio was the first to pull back, voice a little gruffer than usual. “All right, enough of that, let’s party.”

Prompto climbed into Gladio’s lap to give up his stool to Noctis, blue eyes shining emotionally in a way that the prince could empathize with. “Yeah!” the blond agreed, arms looping around the Shield’s neck for support.

Ignis lifted a finger, drawing the group’s attention. “First order of business—His Highness is overdressed.” Noctis glanced down at his slacks and button down, having come directly from the Citadel. When he lifted his head, he nearly cowered beneath the predatory gaze of his three lovers, the warmth that nestled inside him ratcheting up several notches into something that made him squirm.

“What about cake?” Noctis reminded Ignis as the advisor slid a hand into the small of the prince’s back, fingers working to unbuckle his belt. Ignis leaned in, lips skimming over Noctis’s neck and making him shiver.

“Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too?”

#HBDNoctis #Noctis Lucis Caelum #final fantasy xv #final fantasy xv fanfiction #Ignis #Prompto #Gladio

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niqhtlord01 · 6 years ago

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Rooster Teeth Mortal Kombat Championship Part 8! It seems that the constant fighting is starting to get to the teams. Red team is actively trying to kill each other, ruby and weiss are upset they haven’t gotten more matches, and Cammie’s having the time of her life recording it for the ether. Lopez: *Walks in attaching his head to his body* Rufus: Whoever put you together must have been a true genius. Lopez: *In Spanish* He was a madman who was barely able to read the instruction manual. Rufus: *pushes glasses up bridge of nose, Caliban steps in next to him* *In spanish* And what makes you think I’m anything less? Weiss: *Falls from the sky jumping off her magic circles before landing* Kazu: Great, it’s the magic girl. Weiss: Why does everyone keep calling it magic!? Kazu: *cracks knuckles* Yes, because making giant ice spears out of thin air is so normal. Church: *Looking down sights of sniper rifle* Ironwood: You would be wise to listen to your superiors and stand down. Church: I’ve tried being a blind loyal soldier before.....never again. Ironwood: *Looks, then nods* A poor superior is one who not only wastes their soldiers, but betrays them. You have my sympathies. Caboose: *Enters and puts a flower in his gun barrel* Tyrian: You must be a truly special fool to face me. Caboose: No, I’m Caboose. It says so on the inside of my helmet. Tyrian: *Removes jacket, wrist axes open* When I detach your head I’ll have a look for myself. Ruby: * Whirlwinds in with raining rose petals* Yasamin: What kind of monster trains children to fight? Ruby: The kind who knows that there are monsters worth fighting. Yasamin: *Takes fighting stance* When a life of fighting is all you’ve known you will find it hard to find a life of any other. Nemesis: *Nanotech cloud appears and forms Nemesis* Tucker: What the hell are you supposed to be? Nemesis: Who would you like it to be? Tucker: *Draws energy sword* I’ve seen enough horror movies to know where this is going. Yang: *Drives in on motorcycle before flipping off and landing* Julian: Nice moves kid. Yang: Thanks, though it feels weird to get a compliment these days without sarcasm. Julian: *Hologram flickers* Ya give respect where respect is due in my book. Rufus: *Walks in handing data slates to Caliban to hold* Jaune: I heard what you did to Julian. Rufus: Yes, saving his life was quite the “hail merry” as they say. Jaune: *Pulls sword from shield* I’m tired of people playing with peoples lives as if they’re chess pieces. Adam: *Lands on the ground, rolls, then draws sword* Sheila: Would you kindly stand still for a few moments. Adam: Why, so I could give you an easier target? Sheila: *slowly moves forward while aiming cannon* Oh no, I just enjoy feeling the blood of my enemies greasing my treads. Cammie: *Nugget running out, Cammie behind it to scoop it up* Ruby: What do you know about my snack war with Caboose? Cammie: Not really a war anymore since I ate the last of the cookies before the match. Caboose: *From the crowd* Destroy her! Blake: *Swings in through window and rolls on to the floor* Caboose: Oh yes it’s the cat lady! Can I pet you? Blake: No. No you may not. Caboose: *Pulls out Freckles* Yeah, I was more of a dog person anyway. Kaikaina: *Kicks over stacked crates, before tripping and falling on face* US: I hear you’re the one that likes hitting on people. Kaikaina: Yeah, but I’m way out of your league. US: *Coin flips into air and transforms into nanotech* Please lady. Your league is the size of a soft ball field. Ruby: * Whirlwinds in with raining rose petals* Caboose: Have I introduced you to Freckles yet? *Hefts Freckles for ruby to see* He’s my talking gun friend. Ruby: Why does everyone have a weapon that talks but me now?!? Freckles: *Gun light flashing* Because you did not share the cookies. Caboose: Thank you Freckles! You always know the best words! Adam: *Lands on the ground, rolls, then draws sword* Valentina: So you are the one who Cammie hates. Adam: What is it with everyone defending that hideous human? Valentina: *Pulls out knives* Have you seen her? She’s adorable. Yang: *Drives in on motorcycle before flipping off and landing* Tucker: So you and Ruby are sisters? Yang: Yeah. Is that so hard to believe? Tucker: *Pulls out energy sword* She’s like a dandelion and you’re like a bush of thorns, so yes. Tex: *Smashes wall with bare hands, then walks in* Qrow: I’d say you were my sister, but she’d have already tried to kill me by now. Tex: Whose to say I’m not getting warmed up? Qrow: *Pulls out sword, switches to scythe mode* Right, now I’m vaguely thinking we’re related. Church: *Looking down sights of sniper rifle* Yasamin: How have you survived so long with a team like yours? Church: Survived? Lady, I’ve lost count of how many times my own team has killed me. Yasamin: *Takes fighting stance* I now have several questions that I’m uncomfortable to know the answers to. Valentina: *Removes camouflage cloak* Roman: Well hello my fine friend. After the match want to come back to my place? Valentina: We’ve just met, are about to fight in brutal combat, and you’re already trying to get me in bed? Roman: *Points cane with gun cap opening* In my line of work you tend to skip a base or two and go straight for a home run.

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parasitic-dreams-au · 6 months ago

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#where did ya come from where did ya go? // scythe ic #everlasting fun! // anons #*wii shop music plays* // silly stuff

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parasitic-dreams-au · 6 months ago

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*PD!Scythe had been assigned as the lookout due to her not having the need for sleep (and the fact that she's afraid to sleep) and was taking that job very seriously, she got up and surveyed the area for any danger with her hat off so her snakes could keep an eye on her flank.*

*pd!scythe is chilling out by the fire as orderscythe is asleep, looking around for a bit and then grabbing her own bag. Inside her bag was a lot of small rodents, as she took off her hat her medusa-like hair snakes sprawled out of it. She sighed as she began to feed them the small rodents.*

(it has been a long day, and even then they have two options on what path they should take to get to the desert: Through Crossroads, through blackrock or through Playground and Thieve’s Den… all as dangerous as each other..)

(Order Scythe was laying on the ground asleep with one of her wings serving as a blanket. Her tail flicks back and force every now and agian..)

#where did ya come from where did ya go? // scythe ic #what goes around comes around // orderscythe #but i don't want to die // rp

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zakurei · 5 years ago

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200 Followers Fanfic

Hello everyone! It’s finally here, the 200 followers fanfic! As you all voted, the scenario is “Ray falling sick while Zack tries to take care of her“.

Please enjoy this collab by Mod Jam and Mod Kami to celebrate 200 followers! And thank you for all the support this blog has received!

She could swear her neck was about to dislocate with how much she’s turning it from side to side. Like a pendulum, he stomps from one side of the room to the other with his arms folded up to his chest. A flurry of swears flies past the man’s lips as he paces the room erratically, hood thrown back as he scowls.

“What should I do…? Should I get more blankets? But what happens if I leave’n she needs somethin’...?” Scarred hands irritably rake through his hair, ruffling the dark strands as he walks.

“Zack…?”

It’s a soft voice -- even quieter than usual, and muffled and croaky to boot -- but it’s a voice Zack will never, ever miss.

“What?” he asks as he peers towards the bed. Anyone else might have flinched by the nearly reproachful tone the man takes; Ray, however, knows better, and merely glances up at the man from where she laid.

“Are you okay?” she asks, completely sincere in her concern, and the man very nearly howls out in disbelief.

“‘Course I’m not okay! You’re sick, Ray!” he hisses back with venom in his voice, though his fiery anger isn’t directed at her specifically. No, he’s angry at whatever it was that caused this to happen - that caused Ray to get so ill and weak that she’s had no choice but to rest in bed for the past several hours. Germs? Some virus or bug? Whatever the accursed thing is, he’s come to a sore realization that he can’t simply drive it away with a good slash of his scythe - lest he slices into Ray and prematurely break their promise.

Everything seemed fine until that very morning when he for once had been the first to stir from his sleep. Nothing seemed too amiss, aside from Ray’s motionless form still tucked under the covers despite him being fully awake then. Usually she’d be the first to get up and much to his chagrin insist on his waking up too.. Because they have to run ‘errands’ or whatever.

When he rolled onto his side to pull her against his chest however, it was then he noted just how hot her skin felt - along with the heavy, laboured breaths that came from the blonde’s parted lips.

Everything from that point until now was nothing more than a frenzied blur to Zack - though he vaguely remembers his voice frantically calling out Ray’s name, the unfocused haziness in her normally attentive blue eyes finally opening up to his calls and his feet carrying him to do laps around their small apartment - supposedly to fulfill her request for a glass of water and a damp towel.

And here they were now - with Ray looking no better than she had been when she just woke up. Skin reddish and scalding to the touch, her hands clasping tightly onto the one pathetically thin blanket they had that failed to hide the violent shivers coming from beneath. And the worst part were her eyes - they showed far more concern for his panicked state than they did of her own condition.

“I’m sorry… for making you worry about me.” her soft murmured out words sends a javelin straight through his chest.

“Huh? Quit worryin’ about me’n’worry ‘bout yerself!” Accompanying that sense of utter uselessness — he’s not able to simply do away with her illness like he can everything else that’s come their way — is pure and utter exasperation that she would apologise for such a thing.

“Of course I’m gonna worry about you! I care about you!” He snaps, not really thinking the words through. Ray is in a critical condition right now — and he’s not exactly someone who carefully considers what he’s about to say normally...so this just makes it even worse.

Plus — he’s not a liar. And...it’s true.

He misses the way the girl’s pale cheeks redden slightly, or perhaps simply chalks it off to illness. She’s so sick she’s shaking on the damn bed — though the lack of warm blankets must not help much.

“You feel better?” Zack’s voice is a little softer now, quieter as, for once, he stands stock still.

“Um, could I have another glass of water...?”

“Oh, right,” the man mumbles, finally turning away to pad into their small kitchen. He retrieves a glass easily enough, thrusting it beneath the faucet to turn the tap on. Once a decent amount of water fills it, he flicks the faucet off and returns to the girl shivering in the bed, holding out the glass to her. Small hands slowly begin to unfurl from the blanket’s material -- but they tremble so harshly that the man uses his free hand to press hers down, and instead helps her sit up as he presses the cup toward her lips.

Rachel’s pale and chapped lips close around the rim of the glass carefully, and the dark haired man tilts the cup to allow her to take sips of the water. Though his concern heightens as he watches how closely she’s drinking, Zack makes no mention of it.

“More?” he asks as the glass empties, and the blonde tilts her head back in order to breath out a soft sigh.

“No, I’m fine now.. Thank you, Zack.” she forces out a few words to express her gratitude before laying back down onto the absurdly warm mattress.

To Zack, the heat from Ray’s body getting trapped within the mattress must not make it a very pleasant surface to sleep on - and yet with how hard the girl was trembling, he could swear that she was laying upon a solid block of ice.

“Anything else?” he asks, managing to soften his voice a tad from his usual tone as he does so.

For a moment, Rachel kept silent from his question, merely darting her eyes to gaze at the morbid grey ceiling above her in deep thought while the man beside her awaited her answer. And while Zack may care deeply for her wellbeing and be willing to tend to her every need now, he was still impatient to a fault.. And the lack of a verbal answer from her prompts him to urge her, this time with a rougher tone in his voice.

“If ya need anythin’, just spit it out!”

Finally, her blue eyes focus back on him and she takes a few seconds more to remind herself that Zack hates liars in order to force out an honest answer despite her fear of troubling him.

“I’m… a little hungry.”

Oh. Of course she is. It’s a little past noon now, and she hasn’t had anything to eat since dinner the evening before. He can still remember the delicious stew she’d made for the both of them, and silently laments not having nearly the same amount of ability to cook as she does.

It’s no wonder then that Zack would look so puzzled and worried.

There was always the option of feeding her something that would take little to no preparation. Perhaps a few fruits they have left in the refrigerator, the half-eaten bag of chips that Ray has never taken a single bite out of before, or maybe the small container of leftover cookies Ray had baked in the past.

But memories of the steaming, home-cooked meals served to him diligently every single day made him feel guilty for even daring to consider cutting corners. He may be dumb, but even he knows that those cabinets of junk aren’t going to be very filling or healthy for her.

“That so,” he mutters, uncharacteristically thoughtful as he considers what exactly he ought to make for her. There’s...not really...anything he can make --

Oh.

How about he just ask her? She’s the smart one, she’s got to know what a sick person should eat. Or what she wants to eat, anyhow.

“What d’ya wanna eat?”

Her eyes close for only a moment as she begins to consider what she’s been asked, her mind pouring sluggishly through the possibilities of what he could possibly make for her -- that wouldn’t trouble him much.

A day or two ago, she had cut some salmon fillets for the both of them...but they hadn’t eaten everything, so there are still a couple pieces in the fridge. That shouldn’t be too difficult for him to prepare. And -- it’ll be warm. She’d really like something warm.

“How about…” It takes a moment for her eyes to open; they feel heavy for some reason. “How about some fish? Could you fry it for me?”

She can already tell by the way the man’s head tilts wordlessly -- considering her request -- that he isn’t exactly thrilled by her proposal. Slowly, despite her head spinning as she does so, Rachel begins to shake her head.

“It’s oka -- ”

“Yeah, I’ll do it,” he interrupts, almost impatiently. “So all I gotta do is fry it, yeah?”

The girl blinks.

“...Yeah. You fry it on a pan...with some oil. It has to heat up on high...then you change the heat to medium after you put the fish on. You’ll know it’ll be ready when -- ”

“Stop, stop, stop, that’s way too much,” the man interrupts, shaking his head. “How the hell am I supposed t’ remember all that crap?!”

Right -- Zack isn’t the best at remembering things, much less remembering a whole laundry list of objectives. Not only that, she won’t be able to write this down; while his reading is getting better, Ray isn’t sure he’ll be able to concentrate hard enough on the words while he’s this agitated.

“Okay.” She takes a short breath. “Do you remember the fish we had a few days ago?” There’s a stiff nod in response. “Okay. Bring me the box with the fish in it. It’s in the fridge.”

Zack isn’t exactly enthused about having to leave her alone -- but nonetheless, he does as asked, entering the kitchen and opening the fridge door.

There’s a shit ton of stuff in here -- and it takes a bit of time pushing around containers and that jug of milk -- but finally he locates the box of orangish stuff and brings it back to the bedridden girl.

It takes a moment for the blonde to focus on the box he’s brought her, but within a few seconds, she knows that he has indeed retrieved the box of salmon for her.

“That’s right. Now you just need to grab one of the pans...and pour some oil on it. Heat it up on high until you see little bubbles start to form...and then lower the heat and put the fish on it.”

The man’s face seems to be permanently set into a frown, but he nods -- hesitantly, but attempting not to show it.

Grab a pan… pour some oil.. Heat it up to high and then lower the heat before putting the fish in. The man recites those phrases in his head again and again like a mantra. It should be simple enough. How hard can grabbing a pan, pouring some oil and then heating it up to cook the fish really be?

“I just gotta cook the fish, right?” Zack asks, and the girl’s head nods slowly.

“Yes, but make sure to lower the heat before putting the fish on the pan, or it’ll burn.”

Right. Lower the heat. Got it.

“Aight.” With a huff, the man finally turns to leave the bedroom and finally, the blonde is able to close her eyes in order to get some well needed rest.

It doesn’t spell good news when Zack drags himself into the kitchen and is immediately frozen where he stands. His mismatched eyes dart around the kitchen, from cabinet after cabinet, to the box of leftover salmon in his hands, and then to the now oddly intimidating looking stove. He’s immediately disoriented by the layout of the kitchen, and the task he’d tried to convince himself would be easy now feels far more daunting by the second.

“Get your shit together,” he hisses through gritted teeth and his grip on the box tightens.

Ray is depending on him to cook this fish. He can’t in his good conscious go back and tell her that he doesn’t want to, or worse, make her cook her own food when she can barely even stand without shaking like a leaf.

He’s reminded of the times Ray has gone the extra mile to take care of him - from cleaning up around the house, to cooking hot, delicious meals for him. He, by comparison, has never really done anything for her.

If he can’t even cook a single piece of fish for her when she’s sick, then he may as well be an absolute waste of a man.

Sucking in a deep breath, Zack finally forces himself forward to begin searching through the cabinet. It takes several tries, but he eventually does find the frying pan in the cabinet next to the stack of plates, which he takes along with the frying pan and sets them on the counter.

Now he has to find the oil, and then heat up the pan.

He grabs the oil from the left most cabinet, and uncaps the bottle of the yellow substance.

Just as he’s about to pour the oil into the pan, however, his hand freezes.

Just how much oil is he supposed to put exactly? Ray said ‘some’ oil, but there’s no way he can understand exactly how much is needed with a vague term like that. Is a drop enough? Does he have to cover the whole pan in it?

As reluctant as he is to return back to the bedroom, Zack does so with slumped shoulders and the bottle of oil in hand.

“Hey, Ray.”

Blue eyes open slowly at the call of her name, and he can swear her eyebrows are furrowing a little as she looks up at him.

“Yeah?”

“How much oil do I gotta add exactly?” With a light shake of the bottle of oil, the man asks and he notes the way Ray’s weakly shifts her gaze towards the bottle, as if focusing her eyes on something in itself was taking her a monumental amount of effort.

When she finally registers his question in her head, she looks back up at the dark haired man.

“Not too much.. Maybe just a quarter of the pan will do.”

A quarter of the pan. That’s a lot more specific than just ‘some oil’.

“Got it.” Zack is quick to stomp back out towards the kitchen, now unafraid to tip the bottle over and pour the oil out onto the pan. He’s careful to not pour more than what he thinks to be a quarter of the pan, caps the bottle and sets it to the side on the counter.

Placing the pan on the stove and turning the flames on is easy enough too, though waiting for the oil to begin bubbling has the man impatiently tapping his foot against the floorboards as he stares into the pan.

So...when’s it gonna start bubbling? Why’s it taking so long? Did he set the heat too low? But Ray had told him the H stood for hot, and -- he glances at the stove -- it’s certainly set to hot.

He’s getting more and more agitated the longer this takes, and he has to resist the urge to run back to the bedroom and ask Ray how he’s supposed to know when the oil starts bubbling.

But then -- suddenly, he sees small little pockets of air forming at the surface of the oil. Does -- does that mean it’s starting to bubble?

He waits a second more before picking up one of the fish fillets and laying it in the oil. Almost instantaneously, it begins to bubble and fizz, small flecks of hot liquid spurting in the air this way and that with a crackle.

“Shit!” Snarling, the man quickly cranks the heat down, grimacing as he steps away. It’s not that he’s unnerved or afraid --

But still, that had hurt. With a scowl and another flurry of swears under his breath, the man deposits the next piece of fish onto the pan, and stares fixedly as the pieces of meat sizzle quietly.

-- How long are they supposed to cook, anyway?

Lifting one hand, he scratches at the back of his head as if in an attempt to coax the answers from the depths of his empty brain. But nothing actually comes to mind, and with a sigh of defeat, he slinks back toward their bedroom.

“Ray…”

It takes a second for a response as the girl forces her eyes to flutter open.

“Yeah?”

“How long’s the fish supposed t’ cook for?”

“Um...until it gets pink...make sure to flip it.”

“How am I supposed t’ do that? I ain’t usin’ my hands.”

“...There...should be…” A cough that seems to shake her entire body interrupts her speech, and the man finds himself tensing in the silence broken only by her rasping. It seems to take way too long for her to be able to start talking again -- “Should be...a spatula in the drawer...near the stove.”

Zack’s silent for a moment, too -- though more out of a simmering anger at the state the girl is in than anything else.

“A spatula,” he finally mumbles. “‘Kay.” He thinks he’s seen her using one of those --

It’s that black flat thing, right? She uses it for pancakes.

“Ya…d’ya need anythin’?” he asks anxiously as he leans to begin making his way out of the room. The girl shakes her head in response, and he waits for just a second more before returning to the stove.

He can already smell cooking fish -- and it makes him a little hungry, too.

But this stuff is for Ray, so -- he shouldn’t really think about eating.

She doesn’t usually eat too much, but when she’s sick, she should probably eat more, so she can get strong and better and stuff.

Zack pulls open one of the drawers to find the black spatula on top of everything else, as if it had just been recently put away. Perhaps Ray had dried it the day before when she’d been frying French toast --

He places the spatula on the stove near the pan for easy reach, and stares blankly into the cooking pan. The fish are steadily frying away…

And they don’t look pink yet, so he guesses they aren’t done yet.

But maybe he should flip them over…?

How’s he supposed to know when he’s supposed to do that? Ray didn’t tell him anything…

He considers going back and asking again, but remembering how she’d struggled to answer him and coughed her damn lungs out gives him pause. Is he really so pathetic that he can’t cook a stupid piece of fish for the girl that he loves?

Eyebrows furrowing in exasperation, he lifts the spatula and slides it beneath one of the fish. Then he flips it over -- clumsily. Oil spatters across the stove, the fish nearly breaks into two, but somehow he manages it regardless. The other side definitely looks lighter in comparison to the other one, the one he hasn’t flipped yet…

Is this pink, then?

The man scratches at his scarred cheek, mismatched eyes flicking wildly between one piece of salmon and the next.

Should...should he ask…?

And if he does...is he supposed to bring the whole pan with him?

Zack very nearly does return to the bedroom to ask her - but the sheer imagination of the shame he’d feel should he have to disrupt her rest for a third time has the man rooted to the ground and his limbs tensing.

He stubbornly watches the pan like a hawk, the sizzling noise grating in his ears, and the scent of cooked fish causing his stomach to unhelpfully rumble.

He regrets not having paid more attention to the colour of the fish when Ray had been cooking them before - or the way she so swiftly darted around the kitchen without so much as a pause in her movement. She’s always been so diligent and skillful in anything she does, but it’s caused Zack as much self-doubt as it has admiration for the girl he’s come to live out his everyday with.

While she’s smart, talented, and practically everything he isn’t, he’s struggling with even cooking simple fillets of fish for her, while she’s suffering in bed.

But he’s always been far too stubborn for a man, and he made a promise.

They’d be together until the day he decides to kill her, whenever that may be in the future. Until the day arrives, he’d protect her and care for her.. So she won’t die before their oath can be fulfilled.

He can’t be serving her raw fish if he wants her to stay alive.

It’s another minute or so before he decides to flip the second fillet over, more carefully this time so as to not cause the hot oil to spill across the stove again. The surface has turned a rather dark orange colour, leading down to a pale pink center. Much to his displeasure, the edges appear slightly charred, but he decides that it’s better than the fish not being cooked enough.

He uses the spatula to take a look at the other fish’s underside -- it seems...about ready? Maybe? Blinking, he picks it out of the oil and places it on the plate, where he then stares at it for a few moments longer -- perplexed.

How can he figure out if it’s really cooked…? Will it bleed if he cuts it?

He pulls out a fork and cuts it in half -- there’s no blood, so he has to assume that it’s probably cooked.

So maybe the second one is cooked, too --

Blinking, he fetches the second one off the pan too, and settles it onto the plate, then repeats what he’d done with the first fillet. It looks just as well-done as the first one, so he must assume it’s cooked as well.

So he turns off the heat and pushes the pan off the hot plate.

But the moment he picks up the plate to take it to Ray --

He can’t get over how utterly pathetic it looks. Two pieces of fish, both of them practically falling apart, one blackened a bit -- it’s an utter mess. It looks nothing like anything Ray’s ever cooked for him...and it certainly doesn’t remind him of the fish fillets she’s made him before. There’s no way he can give this to her with anything resembling pride.

She doesn’t deserve anything like this. He should give her better.

-- Sometimes she, like, puts stuff on the food, to make it “fancier” or some shit -- right? Or to make it taste better…

But he doesn’t really know what he could put on fish.

And he’s gonna put something -- ‘cause he’s not going to give her this sorry looking piece of crap. Plus, more food is gonna make her get healthier faster, right?

Zack gives a glance around the kitchen, his mismatched gaze landing upon the small basket of fruits they keep near the cabinets. Blinking, he takes a stride toward it and pulls a banana off from a bunch of two others. Then, he returns to the still-hot fish on the counter.

Peeling the skin back, he cuts the banana into smaller pieces with the fork and proceeds to layer the a pile of crudely cut banana slices on top of the fish fillets.

-- Well, it...looks a lot better. It’s not quite what he remembers to be the same as the spoonfuls of sauce the girl would serve on top of the fish, but the round banana slices manage to hide the uglier spots of his fillets, while also making the dish look… unique?

Not appetizing by any means, but unique.

Zack feels tempted to try tasting the banana and salmon combination he’s come up with on the plate, but withholds himself from doing so. The food is for Ray, and though she normally doesn’t tend to eat much, he can’t be sure that she wouldn’t feel considerably more hungry now that she was sick.

He isn’t sure what they’d taste like together.. But if they’re delicious on their own, surely they must taste good together too.

And so with a sharp intake of air through his nostrils, he finally manages to sum up the courage to hesitantly march himself to the bedroom after grabbing a fork from the third drawer he opens, where the very first person he has ever cooked for lay in wait for her meal.

Ray appears to be sleeping soundly on the bed, curled beneath the thin material of the blanket as she breathes through slightly parted lips.

If possible, he’d like to be able to not have to disturb her rest again, but she can’t exactly eat while laying down and asleep like this.

“Hey, Ray.” Zack sits himself down on the edge of the mattress where it begins to sink slightly under his weight and reaches a hand out to gently grasp the blonde girl by the shoulder. She still feels hot to the touch, but bubbling thoughts of anger and guilt are swiftly pushed down when he sees the first hints of her deep blue eyes peeking from under heavy eyelids.

“Yeah?” her voice strains to speak, and somehow Zack manages out a small smile as he lifts the plate of cooked fish up.

“Food’s done.”

The girl’s eyes widen and she immediately attempts to sit up, though she evidently struggles to prop herself up onto her shaking, thin forearms until with a sigh, Zack helps her sit up against the headboard with a pillow tucked under her back.

With tired unfocused eyes, Ray glances down at the plate the man is holding and her expression twists into one of confusion.

There’s definitely… something resembling fillets of fish on the plate...

At first glance however, the top of the fillets look odd. It takes a moment for her vision to focus properly enough to see that there were toppings on top of the fish, and a few extra long seconds to process just what was on top of the salmon.

“Um..” the blonde’s eyes shift up to glance at Zack, whose jaw was tensing, before they drift back down onto the curious plate of fish and banana rounds that had been served to her. “Did you put bananas on the fish, Zack?”

The answer should be obvious, and her questioning it only causes the man’s heart rate to spike up.

“Yeah. Thought it’d be nice.”

There’s no response -- for what seems like a far too long time, and it grinds at the man’s already frazzled nerves.

“What?” he snaps, more force behind the words than he really intends. “Somethin’ wrong with ‘em or somethin’?! -- ‘S it gonna taste bad?”

Instead of growing concerned or perhaps upset by the man’s slight outburst, the girl gives a slow shake of her head.

“I don’t know, Zack. I’ve never tried this before.”

The man’s jaw slowly slackens, the rest of his muscles relaxing as whatever perceived attack he’d felt fades away.

“Yeah, I dunno, I didn’t like how it looked all plain’n’stuff so I put ‘em on it...I thought it looked nicer…” The words fade off as he turns his gaze away, almost as if embarrassed to look at her or the plate.

She’s silent again as if deep in thought or hesitation, and with each second that passes with her keeping a response from him, the more agitated he grows.

Ah shit...It was a mistake to have added the damn bananas.

“If ya ain’t gonna eat it then I’ll just chuck it in th’ trash!” He’s about to rise from the bed when Rachel grabs his wrist with a quick shake of her head. There’s a strange look in her eye - as if pleading for some reason.

“No. I’ll eat it, Zack. Because you put so much effort into making it for me,” she responds, voice far more softened than before. And before the man could let out another word of protest, she’s grabbed the fork from his hand.

Hearing the man’s consideration for the presentation of his dish, something she never thought he’d particularly care about, made her realize just how much thought and effort Zack must have put into cooking for her.

It’s hardly gourmet, and to say that she wasn’t at least slightly taken aback by the strange choice of topping would be a lie - but not eating the food that Zack had worked so hard to make would be far too cruel on him.

With an almost expectant stare from the man, the girl moves her fork to cut a piece of the salmon from the plate he held.. And though wary, made sure to get a slice of banana as well. The morsel of food is lifted to her mouth past pale lips that close around the fork before pulling the then empty cutlery out.

Rachel takes several seconds to slowly chew at her food - savoring every revelation of flavour and texture that slowly blends together into a somewhat odd experience. From the flaky, tender meat of the fish to the mushy texture of banana, she’s far too eager to swallow the mixture quickly.

The silence that follows after her first bite has the man shifting slightly on the bed in something vaguely resembling anxiety. She’s not saying anything about the food --

“Well?” he demands uneasily. “How is it?”

The girl looks at him with deep blue eyes -- clearer than earlier, thankfully -- and takes another moment to respond.

“It’s strange,” she admits slowly, carefully. Zack hates liars, after all -- and she can’t exactly say she’s ever tasted something like this before. “But...it’s not bad.” That’s true, too -- while the flavours aren’t anything she’d ever say would go together, normally...it’s nothing she can’t eat.

And knowing Zack had tried so hard to cook this for her just makes her more motivated to eat it. This is the first proper meal he’s ever made...and he made it for her. No one else.

Zack is silent for a moment as he ponders over her answer.

‘Strange, but not bad’.

He’d hoped that the food he made for her wouldn’t be strange entirely at all. After all, there is nothing Ray has ever made for him that he would consider to be strange, besides the few salads that she insists some people do enjoy eating.

However, if she says that it isn’t bad, and he knows the girl would not lie to him in a situation like this, then it must be true.. If it isn’t bad, then it can be good.

“T-that so.” His stutter betrays his attempt to appear composed, and while the man is quick to turn his head away from her gaze sheepishly, Ray knows better than to assume that this was a reaction out of anger or annoyance.

She lifts her fork once more to stab into the food and brings it up to her lips. With each bite of the fish and bananas, the more the strangeness of the combination of flavour and texture fades, and she’s left feeling oddly full in her chest.

Odd choice of topping aside, this was easily the tastiest thing Ray has eaten for a long while - and it’s all thanks to the love Zack put into it.

It takes her a little longer than usual to finish her meal, on account of being ill, but she finishes every last bit -- even the two fillets of fish. Perhaps she was more hungry than she’d thought. The man seems utterly pleased as he takes the plate from her, an enormous smile nearly splitting his scarred face in half. The blonde girl can’t help but give a tiny, weak smile back as she leans back against her pillow.

“Thank you, Zack. I’m full now.”

In more ways than one. In addition to the warm, full sensation her belly has -- her chest feels full in a way only Zack can accomplish.

“‘S’good,” the man mutters, giving her one last glance before he gets off the bed to return the plate to the kitchen. When he comes back, he’s holding a small bit of torn tissue in his hand; he reaches his arm out to the girl and lightly brushes it against the corner of her mouth.

“Ya got crumbs’n’stuff on yer face…”

As if cooking a meal for her hadn’t been enough, the man was thoughtful enough to return with a tissue to clean the stray crumbs littering the side of her lips. The blonde hums as Zack gives a few final dabs of the tissue, before leaning back to gaze back at the girl.

She looks so utterly satisfied and content... Red in the face and dazed from her still burning hot fever, but content nonetheless.. And dare he say… Happy.

“I’m tired, Zack.” she groans out, and makes an attempt to lay back down before clutching the pathetically thin blanket closer to herself. “But I still feel too cold.”

“SHIT! The blankets... I forgot!”

Zack shoots up onto his feet from the bed with a loud swear, his calm expression twisted now into a scowl that Ray recognizes from earlier before.

He looks about to begin pacing around the room again, already muttering something about going out of the apartment to find spare blankets, when Ray quickly reaches a hand up to grab his.

“Zack...stay with me...”

“Huh…?” To say he’d expected her to say something like that would be a lie. After all...she’ll still be cold if he stays, right? So what the hell’s that good for?

“You’re warm…” Sensing the man’s befuddlement from the confused expression he gives her, the girl coaxes him with a couple earnest -- and honest -- words.

Zack is warm. And she’s certain she’ll be nice and cozy next to him -- as long as he holds her in his arms.

With a loud, disgruntled sound, the man relents, shuffling around the bed -- without letting go of her hand -- to lay down on her other side.

“Like that?”

“Yeah.”

Exhaling softly, Zack slides himself a little closer to her, until their bodies touch through the blanket; then he wraps his arms about her as he nuzzles his head next to hers.

“Ya gettin’ warm?”

“...Yeah.”

She feels so utterly content next to him, so full and warm, that she might as well fall asleep again right then and there.

“Zack...?” the girl whispers out his name after what felt to be several long minutes.

Her voice catches the man off guard. After all, he’d expected her to fall right asleep, and was even on the verge of slipping into the realm of sleep himself. He hadn’t expected her to still be awake, let alone want to talk.

“Yeah?” his voice is gentle as he murmurs back into her ear, and she finds herself melting against him even more.

“Thank you.. For working so hard to take care of me..”

Zack is silent for a moment as he stares at the girl through widened, stunned eyes, before he lets out a heavy sigh.

“Nothin’ to thank me for. T’s the least I can do.”

She feels his arms wrap around her form a little tighter, pulling her against his chest so close that she can feel the steady rising and falling of his chest as he breaths.

With a hum, the girl finally closes her eyes and finds herself giving into the warmth, and the very last thing she hears before she dozes off is the beating of their hearts in tandem.

#zackray #fanfic #mod kami #mod jam #by op

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city-writes · 5 years ago

Text

Soul Eater: Zexal!

Its a new year at the DWMA, and that means fresh new faces for the academy! Following in his parents' footsteps, Yuma Tsukumo joins the school for fun, adventure, and long lasting friendships.

For Zexal Month Day 15: XYZ Beyond Time! (The Crossover Day!)

Warnings: Soul Eater AU; Multi chapter fic

Characters: Yuma Tsukumo, Astral, Ryoga Kamishiro, Rio Kamishiro, Durbe, Lord Death, Sid Barrett

[Read it here on AO3!]

The sun was laughing high in the cloudless sky, looking down over the Death Weapon Meister Academy as new students began to gather at the entrance of the school, each separated into one of two groups: Meisters, or Weapons.

The students were all chattering amongst themselves, and only quieted down as Lord Death made himself known, towering above the crowd of children as he spoke in a playful tone. "Why yes, hi, howdy, hello! What's up, kiddos?"

There were scattered greetings returned to Lord Death, though most people were silent, not having expected the Lord of Death to greet them in such a... playful way.

"It's great to see a bunch of fresh new faces for the academy!" Lord Death continued, gesturing to the crowd of students with a large, oversized, gloved hand. "Now before we get right down to business and head inside, there's the matter of matching you kiddos up with a partner! So take this time to get to know your future classmates, and find yourself a suitable partner!"

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

Ryoga and Rio Kamishiro stood somewhat away from the large group, Ryoga folding his arms as he watched the other students mingle with one another. "This is stupid, Rio." He said, leaning against a pillar. "There's no point in me talking with any of these other people when I know exactly how this is going to turn out."

"Oh?" Rio asked, brushing some dust off of her skirt. "And how, exactly, do you expect this to turn out?"

"We're just going to end up together, as always." Ryoga bemoaned, "You can go see if you can find someone, but I'm just going to wait here for you to come back."

Rio gave a 'hmph!' and turned on her heel, intent on finding herself a Meister to prove her brother wrong.

As she made her way into the group of students, there were many boys and several girls eyeing her up and down, until a boy came up and began talking to her. "Hey there, pretty thing. You wouldn't happen to be looking for a Meister, would ya?"

Internally, Rio rolled her eyes, but on the outside she simply smiled. "Yes, I am." This garnered the attention of several more meisters around her, as rhe boy who spoke stepped forward.

"Well look no further, you've found your Meister!" He pointed to himself with a thumb, giving Rio a cocky grin. "Why don't you show me your weapon form and I'll show you just how compatible we could be."

Rio's smile became much more forced at that, but she shifted into her weapon form nonetheless, an ice blue shortsword, cold to the touch. She found herself on the ground in a clatter, as the boy struggled to pick her up off the ground.

"Augh, whats with you? Why are you so heavy?!"

"I'm not heavy," Rio countered, her voice emanating from the sword, "My brother can wield me just fine. You're just not as compatible as you thought, now are you?"

With a growl, the boy stopped trying to raise her, as another student tried to do the same and failed just as pathetically. This went on for quite a bit, before a young woman was able to slowly pick her up, struggling the entire way. It took the young woman a few moments to raise Rio up to the sky, but the minute she did, their soul wavelengths crashed into each other, not meshing at all. The action sent the girl reeling, and she unintentionally tossed Rio through the air.

Rio braced herself for impact as she flew through the air, staying in her weapon form, and was surprised when a hand reached out and grabbed her by the hilt, holding her up to the sky. The students who had been previously trying to use Rio watched in shock, as this boy who'd grabbed her was holding her with ease, and wasn't recoiling from the difference in soul wavelengths.

In fact, her soul wavelength was thrumming in time with his, and it felt...well, not exactly like when hers and Ryoga's wavelengths were in tune, but it was damn near close.

The boy who'd caught her was barely taller than Ryoga; he wore glasses, along with a white buttondown shirt and a black waistcoat, as well as a green scarf. He lowered his arm so he could look directly at the shortsword in his hand, and spoke. "Are you alright?"

The blade of the shortsword dematerialized and was replaced with Rio's upper half, who nodded in response to his question. "Yes, I'm alright, thanks to you."

The boy smiled and shook his head, "It was nothing. My name's Durbe. And you are?"

"Rio, Rio Kamishiro." Rio smiled back at him, before looking down to the ground. "Would you mind letting me go now?"

"Right, sorry." Durbe let go of the hilt of Rio's blade, and no sooner than he did, did she shift out of her weapon form, her feet landing firmly on the stone floor beneath them. "There you go. Well, it was nice to meet you." He said, beginning to turn with the intent of walking away.

Rio gave him a funny look, shocked that this Meister who handled her without any issue was just walking away as opposed to ogling over her like most people did. "I'm surprised that a partnerless Meister is passing over a weapon they flowed well with."

Durbe stopped and turned back to look at Rio. "As honored as I'd be to be your Meister," he began, raising his hand to motion to the tag on his chest. "I'm looking for one myself."

Oh, Rio realized. His tag said 'Weapon', too. What a shame, she could have proved Ryoga wrong by showing back up with a Meister that would have matched her soul's wavelength. Wait... if Durbe matched her soul wavelength... it'd make sense that he'd match Ryoga's too, right?

Rio smirked then and folded her arms. "What if I said I could find you one?"

"I doubt it," Durbe said, shaking his head. "No one's wanted me as their weapon."

Rio frowned at that, tilting her head just slightly. "Why's that?"

"Because I'm not exactly a 'weapon', per se." Durbe pushed his glasses up then, looking somewhat embarrassed. "My weapon form is a metal shield; A heater shield to be exact, one that curves and comes to a point on top."

"A shield?" Rio murmured incredulously. This was the first time she'd heard of someone's weapon form being something more defensively based as opposed to offensively based. People were usually swords or scythes or something of the sort, but a shield? She took a moment to think, before smiling knowingly. "I don't think that will change anything. Follow me."

With nothing to lose, Durbe agreed, and followed Rio as she made her way back to Ryoga, who was still leaning against the same pillar.

"Back so soon?" Ryoga questioned with a smirk.

"Oh, hush." Rio chided, before gesturing a hand to Durbe. "This is Durbe. Durbe," Rio looked to Durbe then, now motioning at Ryoga. "This is my twin brother, Ryoga."

"Your twin?" Durbe inquired, looking between the two. "It's nice to meet you, Ryoga."

"Really? This nerd is your partner?" Ryoga asked with a bit of snark to his tone, causing Durbe to frown slightly and Rio to put her hands on her hips.

"Nope," Rio replied, leaning in a bit, a mischievous grin on her face, "He's yours." With that, she looked to Durbe. "Do you mind showing us your weapon form?"

Durbe shook his head, and quickly shifted from his human form to his weapon form, which was true to his word, a white metal heater shield. Ryoga instinctively caught Durbe before he hit the ground and blinked frowning as he begrudgingly strapped Durbe to his left arm. He was about to make a comment about how in the hell would he be able to use this guy as an actual weapon, but as Ryoga took note of their matching soul wavelengths, he kept his mouth shut, but frowned nonetheless, a low hum escaping him.

"Well?"

Ryoga looked at Rio upon hearing her knowing tone. "His soul wavelength matches almost as well as yours does." He admitted. When Rio smirked and nodded, he rolled his eyes and looked down at Durbe. "Alright, nerd. What do you have to say about this?"

"My name is Durbe, not nerd, first off." Came Durbe's voice, emanating from the shield. "Secondly, I'm willing to see where this partnership takes us if you are."

"Can you attack at all?"

"Not to my knowledge." Durbe explained, sounding downtrodden, "But perhaps I just need a Meister to draw out my latent abilities."

"Hmm." Ryoga frowned still, but sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I can work with that." He looked to Rio then, who looked pleased with herself. "And what about you? You still haven't found yourself a Meister."

Ryoga's only reply was Rio saying, "Catch."

With that, Rio lunged for her twin brother, quickly shifting into her weapon form, and Ryoga was quick to catch her, wielding her in his right hand. The moment his hand grabbed at the hilt of her blade, he gasped, feeling the power of two different soul wavelengths mesh in near sync with his own. It was unlike anything he'd felt before, unlike how he felt simply wielding Rio by herself. He didn't know how to describe it, but if he had to put it into words, it was like his soul was humming a tune, and both Rio and Durbe's souls managed to not only match his tune, but find their own respective harmonies to compliment it.

"I think..." Ryoga said after exhaling a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding, "I think we can make this work."

Simultaneously, Rio and Durbe shifted out of their weapon forms and were soon standing on either side of Ryoga. Looking at themselves amazedly. They surely had felt it too, the same near synchronization that Ryoga himself had felt... They both looked at Ryoga, Durbe with a weak smile on his face, and Rio practically grinning from ear to ear. "I think we can too, Ryoga." They both looked at Durbe then, who was still looking at his hands in awe. He looked up then, feeling the twins' gaze upon him, and nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I think this will work."

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

Yuma Tsukumo watched as a purple haired Meister paired up with two weapons - a sword and shield - and pouted, rubbing the back of his head with a hand. "Man, I hope I find a partner soon." He looked down at his Meister tag, then began walking around, trying to find a weapon who he could match up with. He was met with nothing but denials and refusals, all from weapons who'd already partnered up with other Meisters.

"Gah!" Yuma used both hands to scratch at his head, a look of duress on his face, "Why is this so hard?!" All he wanted to do was find a partner to be best friends with and go on cool adventures and---

"Alright kiddos," Lord Death announced, "Everyone seems to have found themselves suitable partners! Let's start heading inside!"

"W-Wait, what?!" Yuma asked, his cry going unheard by Lord Death due to the chatter of dozens of students excited by what awaited them, "Does everyone have a partner but me?"

As the students began funneling their way into the school, Yuma simply stood in place, watching as they entered the school without him. "Maybe somebody's late!" He told himself, standing tall with his hands at his hips. "Maybe this is just how mine and my partner's story starts!" He turned and looked out to Death City, seeing if he was right and someone was late. "Maybe--"

"Uh, hello?"

Hearing Lord Death's voice, Yuma froze, and slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder. Upon seeing Lord Death waiting for him patiently, Yuma blanched and turned around immediately, booking it towards the school's entrance. "Sorry, Lord Death!"

"Hold your horses there, kiddo," Lord Death held out a hand in order to slow Yuma down, and looked at him curiously. "You look familiar. What's your name?"

Yuma blinked at that. Familiar? How did he manage to come off as familiar? This was his first time meeting Lord Death face-to-face! "Yuma Tsukumo."

"Tsukumo? Tsukumo..." Lord Death rose a hand to the bottom of his mask, tapping it gently as he looked upward in thought. "Tsukumo... Aha!" Lord Death clapped his hands together, then looked back down towards Yuma. "Your parents wouldn't happen to be Mirai and Kazuma, would they?"

"Yeah, that's my mom and dad!" Yuma said proudly, smirking as he did so. His smirk faltered slightly though as he asked, "How did you know that?"

"You're the spitting image of your father!" Lord Death replied cheerfully. "I remember him and your mother well! They worked for me for a short time, and your mother was well on her way to being a Death Scythe when she and Kazuma decided they wanted to start a family together. How are they doing?"

Yuma looked downward for a moment then, exhaling before looking back up at Lord Death. "They went missing several years ago. There was a gathering of witches near our town, and everyone who could fight went to do so. They never came back."

"Oh..." Lord Death's usually goofy boice became serious then, and he placed a hand onto Yuma's shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that. Your mother and father were good people."

"Thanks." Yuma nodded at that, then looked up to Lord Death with a smile. "That's why I came here, I want to be as good as my parents were; better even! Then maybe one day I can go out and find them!"

"That's an admirable goal, Yuma!" Lord Death's voice was back to its goofy self again, and he removed his hand from Yuma's shoulder, turning to look towards the school's entrance, "Let's get you a partner and get you settled into the DWMA nicely!"

"But Lord Death," Yuma began, walking with the headmaster into the school, "isn't it too late to find a partner?"

"Not at all!" Lord Death's voice was chipper, and there was a bit of a bounce in his proverbial step as he floated down the hallway, guiding Yuma to where the other students were being shown around by various teachers. "There are some students here who still don't have a partner, so perhaps one of them will be the key to finding you someone to partner up with!"

"You think so?"

"My boy, I know so!" As they joined the rest of the students in the hallway, Lord Death continued, "Let's just have a looksee at your soul," Lord Death said as he stsred right at Yuma, "and I'll be able to tell you if... you... Huh."

Yuma blinked. "Um, Lord Death? Is everything ok?"

Lord Death was quiet for a moment, but soon snapped out of whatever caught him off guard, laughing slightly. "Oh, its nothing. The souls of you youngsters never cease to amaze me!" His laughter slowed to a stop, before he cleared his voice. "How about this: After classes today, before you head home, stop by my office and we'll see about finding you a partner?"

Yuma smiled brightly at that, "Alright, sounds like a plan!"

"Well then, get along and join your fellow classmates before we lose them again!" Lord Death patted Yuma's back gently, and Yuma nodded walking towards the group and waving back at Lord Death, who enthusiastically returned the wave. When Yuma was out of sight, engulfed by the mass of students, Lord Death turned to one of the teachers nearby. "Sid?"

Sid Barrett turned at the sound of Lord Death's voice, and stood at attention. "Yes, Lord Death?"

"How's our friend downstairs doing today?"

Sid hummed lowly, shaking his head. "He still refuses to talk to us, sir. He only asks for books to read and paper to write with. Why do you ask?"

Lord Death looked back towards the disappearing mass of students, and spoke softly, "I believe we might have found a Meister for our magic friend."

#Zexal Month #Krys writes #Zexal #Soul Eater

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srhunt · 6 years ago

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The Messenger

Coco/Grim Fandango Crossover One Shot

Description: Manny travels to the Land of the Living to retrieve his new client, Héctor Rivera.

Notes: This is just me tossing all continuity and timelines out the window because I wanted these two to interact. I honestly didn’t plan on it being this long. If you came here from the Coco side of things without any knowledge of Grim Fandango, you might be slightly confused by how that version of the world of the Dead differs from this. I suggest watching and/or playing year one of Grim Fandango for context, but it’s not required. Thank you @babycharmander for beta reading this, I know your super busy with your own fics, so I appreciate you taking a moment to glance over this and giving me feedback. I am no writer by any stretch of the word, so forgive me if this is trash. ^^;

—

Manny looked out the window as his car drove through the dark streets of the Land of the Living. He had gotten a late night call about some fellow who died suddenly in the street. Most people would be mad about getting called into work so late, but grim reapers don’t save work for the next business day.

The car pulled up to a sack laying in an alley. Poor soul. Died all alone in a dark street.

But the reaper didn’t have time to stand there and feel sorry for the guy, he had a job to do. Manny pulled out his folded up scythe and with one quick slice, the sack was open, revealing a tall, lanky skeleton. The skeleton shot up out of his sack with a gasp.

“Buenos noches, señor” Manny greeted the recently departed soul, but he didn’t appear to notice the reaper.

“How long was I out for? Did I miss my train? Where’s Ernesto? Does it feel breezy or is that just me? Where did my suitcase go?” The man scrambled around, like he was looking for something.

“Uh...hello?” Manny said, trying to get the skeleton’s attention.

The skeleton was still mumbling to himself, “Ack, forget it! I gotta get moving!” Finally, the flustered man acknowledged Manny, “Look, amigo thanks for waking me up, but I gotta get going.” The skeleton began to walk down the alley, full of determination. He still hadn’t realized who he was talking to.

“Going where exactly?” Manny asked.

“To the train station.” He answered without looking back. “I’m going home.”

“Señor Rivera,” Manny called out firmly, “I don’t think you quite realize what’s happened to you.” Manny had seen clients struggle with denial of their own passing, but Mr. Rivera wasn’t in denial, he was oblivious.

“I’m fully aware of what happened. Ernesto and I were walking to the train station, my stomach started to hurt, probably because of that chorizo I ate (never trust under cooked meats) and I must’ve gotten so sick that I passed out. I guess I just needed to sleep it off, cause I feel fine now.” Rivera rambled, keeping his stride.

Oye, can this guy talk, Manny thought to himself.

“By the way, how’d you know my last name? Did you come to the show?” The skeleton still hadn’t slowed his pace. Manny had had enough of this guy. With a quick gesture of the reaper’s hand, his driver hit the gas and whipped the car in front of Rivera’s path. This finally stopped him from getting any farther.

“Hey! What’s the big idea? I got somewhere I need to be!”

“Yes you do,” Manny said as he approached Rivera from behind, “Unfortunately, it’s not where you think it is.”

Finally, Rivera turned around. It wasn’t until he was staring Death in the face that he finally realized what was going on. He looked down at his hands. No skin, just bone. Rivera started to shake so much his bones started to rattle. His determination was now deflated into confusion.

“...No...” he said, “...no, no, nononono!!” The skeleton’s voice sounded like he was fighting back tears. “I was finally going home! I just wanted to go home!”

Rivera looked up to Calavera with a pitiful look in his eyes. “How...?” He sobbed, “How did this happen? Why did this happen?!” Manny opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, Rivera lunged at him and grabbed his cloak, their skulls were now a nose length away, “Why did you choose to come for me now?! Of all times?! Why now?!”

The blame game, Manny had played this several times before. Clients being so desperate to blame their misfortune on someone, they shoot the messenger.

“Hate to break it to ya,” Manny said, “but it wasn’t my choice. I didn’t open a phone book, randomly picked a name and said, ‘Oh, let’s kill this Rivera guy today just to tick him off!’ No. My job is to pick you up and bring you to the other side. That’s it. Whatever caused you to die was not my fault.” As he spoke, Rivera’s anger slowly drained away, loosing his grip until he slumped down to the ground. His bones clacking against the cobblestone road.

Manny walked over to the passenger side door and opened it. “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way. I must ask you to come with me.”

Reluctantly, Rivera climbed in, slumping into the seat. Manny followed suit, and as soon as the door closed, the car took off.

The energetic man Calavera had seen seconds before was no longer there. He sat in silence, staring out the window, watching the world go by.

The silence was awkward. You can’t just casually break the ice after a man died so suddenly, and so young. Calavera looked over the paper he received before leaving the D.O.D.

Héctor Rivera, Client number 4113-blah blah blah, ah, here we are...

Manny finally broke the silence, “My notice says you were poisoned.”

Héctor was snapped out of his trance, “¿Que?”

“You asked me how you died, says here you were poisoned.” Calavera repeated, lifting up his paper and pointing to a note that read, Died of: Poisoning.

“Mmph...” Rivera gave a small nod and went back to looking out the window, “Maybe it was that chorizo...” he sighed.

Manny looked from his paper, to the man, back to his paper. He was never good at comforting people. Manny pulled out a cigarette from his cloak and lit it. As he sat there in thought trying to think of how to ease the pain for his client, he heard a faint voice start to sing.

He couldn’t make out the words, but he could hear the tune. It was a slow, sweet, tender melody. Calavera looked over to his client, Rivera was quietly singing as he looked to the moon. Manny didn’t want to interrupt, maybe this would help him cope. He could discuss Héctor’s travel plan later. Maybe he could help Héctor by getting him a ticket on the Number Nine.

#fanfic #pixar coco #coco spoilers #hector coco #hector rivera #grim fandango #manny calavera #manuel calavera

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