#zora x elaine

[gosungji]

to reminisce

summary: smth for black clover oc x canon month, this one is for the first week with the prompt suggestion: domestic fluff (first kiss, date, meeting etc// morning routine). i combined both the first date and first meeting here. sorry for any errors im currently typing this while sleepy skjfd

genre: fluff

characters: elaine (oc/sona), zora ideale

warnings: attempted assault(unsure abt this one but still)

word count: 700+

--

Their first unofficial meeting was somewhere in the royal capital during a festival. She was running errands for her adoptive parents back at the forbidden realm and was in a rush to go home when a parade blocks all her routes with no other choice left than to walk back home. It was near impossible to do that, seeing as she wasn’t even equipped to travel that far back, she would’ve starved on the unpaved road. So she settled on waiting for the parade to be over, blending into the cheering crowd as colorful vehicles passed by.

The day was almost over when she’s finally walking back to the public carriages, arms sore and feet aching from standing and maneuvering past massive crowds. Most of her energy was spent, though she didn’t have much to spend anyway but her insistence on getting back home as soon as possible was pushing her feet forward. And it might’ve been for this stubbornness that she doesn’t notice the figures standing by alleyways that approach her quietly.

Hands pull her away from her thoughts and drag her into the darkness, not sparing a moment to let her yelp when she’s thrown to the ground. The bag she had been carrying laid haphazardly and she’s relieved that none of the contents were spilled. The figures standing above her were leering, their smiles all too wide for her liking.

Zora was doing his regularly scheduled Magic-Knight-Hunt when he heard the commotion. He had been wandering around since the festival started, separating from the rest of the Black Bulls to do what he did best. He spots the shawls of the Purple Orca squad on their shoulders and decides to stick around to scope out the situation. To his surprise she ends up handling the situation well, using her magic underhandedly and fleeing from the scene, bag snug tightly in her arms. She hops into a carriage and takes off, her supposed assailants on the ground after the spell she casted stung their eyes and burned their tongues.

--

“So what were you going to do if I didn’t use my magic then?” Elaine tosses the orange seeds to the ground, patting her hands clean with a clap before leaning back on the tree. The grass under their feet tickled, and she pulled her feet towards what was left of the blanket they laid out for the picnic. “Would’ve been a lovely first impression if you saved me that time.”

Zora snorts. “Ya’ didn’t look like you needed my help.” He’s sprawled out on the ground, body barely on the blanket as he laid on his side, flicking leaves and stones into the distance with his long fingers. “But if ya’ asked me to help then I would’ve done what I always have.”

He thinks back to meeting her eyes in that same alleyway. It may have been pure coincidence or they understood what the other meant in that second. “I’m okay.” He watched her take off in a flitter of movement, just as dumb-founded as her assailants were, but also proud that she managed to find a way to escape without starting a fight. Even if she was skilled with magic, she was clearly outnumbered. When she fled the scene, he took the matter into his own hands and promptly left as well, later dragged back to the group by Magna.

The rustle of dead leaves fill in the silence while they relax under the shade of an old tree. They were almost done going through the basket of food Elaine brought along for their little “date”, with only the snacks left unopened.

Elaine sighs, stretching her arms out into the air with a huff. “I’m so glad I have a caring boyfriend.”

“I don’t like your tone.”

“What? I was complimenting you.”

“Didn’t sound like it.”

She thinks for a moment, eyes tracing odd shapes in the clouds to soothe herself. Her eyes flutter and she’s reminded that she hadn’t slept much since coming back after the raid with how heavy her lids felt. The clouds above started shifting and little spots of blue emerged by the second.

“Will you accept my ‘I love you’s then?”

“Does it come with a kiss?”

Elaine chuckles, bringing a hand up to cover her face. “Of course.”

[mrgaus]

[Selfie] #856 by Gaus Via Flickr: Head - LeLUTKA EVO X [ZORA] Skin - ELAINE by Leronso @ Level Shape - TIFFANY by Gaus with full Style Card Tattoo "Yuki_Ona" by GoK @ Kinky Event Tram hair

[ellierreads]

Nonfiction Book List

A collection of nonfiction books by Black authors and/or related to intersectional race and gender studies, history, as well as other various topics. The list below is a compilation of various lists I have seen on Instagram, as well as research I’ve done on my own. I am sure I am missing important works, and am happy to add anything that is suggested. This list will be regularly added to and updated. 

Race & Anti-Racism

Diangeo, Robin - White Fragility

Eddo-Lodge, Renni - Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race

Kendi, Ibrahim X. - How to Be Anti-Racist

Mahzarin, Banaji & Greenwald, Anthony - Blindspot

Oluo, Ijeoma - So you want to talk about race

Omi and Winant - Racial Formation in the United States

Rankine, Claudia - Citizen

Roberts, Dorothy - Killing the Black Body

Smith, Andrea - Heteropatriarchy and the Three Pillars of White Supremacy

Sowell, Thomas - Black Rednecks and White Liberals

Waheema & Lubiano - The House that Race Built

Ward, Jesmyn - The Fire This Time

Prison Abolition & the Justice System

Alexander, Michelle - The New Jim Crow

Davis, Angela - Are Prisons Obsolete?

Murakawa, Naomi - The First Civil Right

Stefanic & Delgado - Critical Race Theory: An Introduction

Stevenson, Bryan - Just Mercy

Rothstein, Richard - The Color of Law  

Policing

Vitale, Alex S. - The End of Policing

Intersectional Feminism

Bambara, Toni Cade - The Black Woman, An Anthology

Carruthers, Charlene - Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements

Cooper, Brittney - Eloquent Rage

Collins, Patricia Hill - Black Feminist Thought

Collins, Patricia Hill - Black Sexual Politics

Cottom, Tressie McMillan - THICK and Other Essays

Crenshaw, Kimberle - On Intersectionality

Davis, Angela - Women, Race, & Class

Davis, Dána-Ain - Reproductive Injustice: Racism, Pregnancy, and Premature Birth

Gay, Roxane - Bad Feminist

Gumbs, Alexis Pauline - Spill: Scenes of Black Feminist Fugivity

Hernandez, Ed. Daisy and Rehman, Bushra - Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism

hooks, bell - Ain’t I a Woman

hooks, bell - All About Love

hooks, bell - Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics

Jenkins, Morgan - This Will Be My Undoing

Jones-Rogers, Stephanie E. - They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South

Kendall, Mikki - Hood Feminism

Lorde, Audre - Sister Outsider

Morales, Rosario - This Bridge Called My Back

Morgan, Joan - When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost: A Hip Hop Feminist Breaks it Down

Oyěwùmí, Oyèrónkẹ́ - The Invention of Women: Making an African Sense of Western Gender Discourses

Shakur, Assata - Assata: An Autobiography

Simpson, Leanne Beta - As We Have Always Done

Williamson, Terrion L. - Scandalize My Name: Black Feminist Practice and the Making of Black Social Life

Wilson & Russell - Divided Sisters

Yamahtta-Taylor, Keeanga - How We Get Free

Masculinity

hooks, bell - The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love

hooks, bell - We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity

History

Asante Jr., M.A. - It's Bigger Than Hip Hop: The Rise of the Post-Hip-Hop Generation

Baldwin, James - The Fire Next Time

Berry, Daina Ramey & Gross, Kali Nicole - A Black Women’s History of the United States

Gates Jr., Henry Louis - Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy, and the Rise of Jim Crow

Blackmon, Douglas A. - Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II

Du Bois, W.E.B. - The Souls of Black Folk

Hartman, Saidiya - Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Social Upheaval

Hurston, Zora Neale - Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo”

Johnson, E. Patrick - Black, Queer, Southern Women.: An Oral History

Jones-Rogers, Stephanie E. - They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South

Kendi, Ibram X. - Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America

Snorton, C. Riley - Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity

Taylor, Candacy A. - Overground Railroad: The Green Book & Roots of Black Travel in America

Washington, Harriet A. - Medical Apartheid

Wilkerson, Isabel - The Warmth of Other Suns

Zinn, Howard - A People’s History of the United States

Politics/Economy

Anderson, Carol - One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy

Baptist, Edward E. - The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism

Psychology

Menakem, Resmaa - My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Mending of Our Bodies and Hearts

Tatum, Beverly Daniel - "Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?": A Psychologist Explains the Development of Racial Identity

Literary Criticism

Morrison, Toni - Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination

Education

hooks, bell - Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom

Science & Technology

Benjamin, Ruha - Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code

Skloot, Rebecca - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Shetterly, Margot Lee - Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race

Autobiography/Memoir

Angelou, Maya - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Bernard, Emily - Black Is the Body: Stories from My Grandmother's Time, My Mother's Time, and Mine

Broom, Sarah M. - The Yellow House

Brown, Austin Channing - I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness

Coates, Ta-Nehisi - The Beautiful Struggle

Coates, Ta-Nehisi - Between the World and Me

Hinton, Anthony Ray - The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row

hooks, bell - Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood

Jones, Saeed - How We Fight For Our Lives

Khan-Kullors, Patrisse and Bandele, Asha - When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir

Laymon, Kiese - Heavy: An American Memoir

Mock, Janet - Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More

Noah, Trevor - Born a Crime

Obama, Barack - Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance

Obama, Michelle - Becoming

Shakur, Assata - Assata: An Autobiography

Welteroth, Elaine - More Than Enough

Wright, Richard - Black Boy

X, Malcolm - The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Comedy

Bell, W. Kamau - The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6' 4", African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama's Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian

Haddish, Tiffany - The Last Black Unicorn

Rae, Issa - The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl

Robinson, Phoebe - You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain

[captmickey]

✏ + Three Adventurers, a game of "Never Have I Ever" quickly escalates

They were fortunate enough to be able to get a room for the night, and after inspecting the building for anything that could go bump in the night, gathering root beer to be safe, and a few snacks, the boys were able to have a proper sleep over that they felt otherwise denied from.

And with that, included slumber party games. 

It was Guybrush’s suggestion to play a round of “Never Have I Ever”, figuring it would be both entertaining as well as a great way to get to know one another better. 

Taking a bite from one of his snacks, Guybrush cleared his throat. “Alright, let’s see… never have I ever… hmm…” He tapped his chin in thought. “Oh! Never have I ever got a parrot drunk!”

Graham just blinked in confusion as Link stared up, trying to recall any events similar to what the pirate suggested. “Um… does getting a goron drunk count?” Link asked.

“Goron?” Graham stared before realizing. “Oh! Those rock-based creatures!”

“Yeah… no. Parrot.” Guybrush shrugged, “Really? Just me?”

“Drink up.” Link smirked as the pirate sighed and took a sip. “Graham, your turn.”

“Hmm… let’s see…” Graham shook his leg. “Never have I ever… been hit on… by… a mermaid.”

“Do zoras count?” Link asked.

“Yeah. They’re kinda like merfolks.” Guybrush figured.

Link and Guybrush stared at each other and took a sip.

“Whoa whoa whoa, BOTH of you!?” Graham stared dumbfounded, especially towards Guybrush. “Explain!”

“Remember my first mate? Winslow?” Guybrush began, “Well, his special someone is a merfolk and their kind tends to be… flirtatious. Anemone flirted with me a bit before they went steady with Winslow.”

Graham nodded and then looked at Link. “Yeah… um… I had a few zoras flirt… I didn’t really realize it until Princess Zelda kinda… kinda pointed it out to me.”

“Bluntly?” Graham raised a brow.

“Hmm… more like playful teasing, but yeah.” Link nodded, side-eyeing Guybrush who was snickering and saying ‘I know that feeling’. "Okay, so… my turn, yeah?”

Graham and Guybrush nodded.

“Okay… never have I ever dreamt of my crush.” Link said, staring at the two slowly beginning to blush. 

“R-right for the kill, huh?” Guybrush chuckled. “But um… yeah.”

“Elaine?” Link smirked, enjoying seeing Guybrush turning further red and taking a sip. 

“I think it’s cute that you still dream of her this far into your marriage.” Graham complimented, the red blush still on his cheeks.

“What about you?” Guybrush asked. “You’re blushing too. Who is it? Are they cute?”  

“…K-kinda… yeah…” Graham mumbled. 

“Ooooh, who is it?” Link smiled mischievously, causing Graham to choke slightly on his drink. Guybrush just watched the obvlious Hylian ask and the ever awkward archer and just smiled. 

“I’ll give you three guess, Link.” Guybrush smiled. “Here’s a free hint: a kni–OOF!” 

Link jumped back slightly as Graham tackled Guybrush.

(x)

[gosungji]

follow up to the teacher au doodle

[gosungji]

celebrating the end of my midterms exams with bnha x bc crossover sketches

elaine and zora were paired as partners for a test as first years and the duo just stuck, mostly because of how no one seems to tolerate zora's personality as much as she does. not that he cares.

[gosungji]

he's warming up...

[gosungji]

week 3: AUS [Angel/Demon]

"Sister Elaine's been talking to someone in the chapel recently... Heard her mention that it was an angel but lately there's a tall, dark shadow that looms over her head when she kneels to pray."

---

this is so late bc college is eating me alive but here they are! i have been dancing around this au for a long while that my friend became invested in them KJSBNA

[gosungji]

two of them

[gosungji]

a friend and a beau

summary: a mix of self-indulgent hurt/comfort, character study/relationship study. i cannot pinpoint which part of the story this is supposed to be in oops (i had this set during the spade kingdom arc but due to continuity issues i decided to keep it a bit vague

genre: hurt/comfort

characters: elaine (oc/sona), zora ideale

warnings: heavy injury (not so graphic descriptions but still), blood

word count: 1.6k

----

The sound of crickets and the crackling wood from the fire keeps her on her toes, knees pressed close to her chest under the warm robe. A yawn forces its way out of her, and her shoulders shake as she breathes in.

The bandages on her arm were tight, only able to turn it over in one motion. Thanks to the painkiller, she was able to sit through first aid to survive before help arrives. Small specs of blood managed to seep through the layers, but Elaine paid it no mind. She'll change it in the morning when they get back, she thinks.

Her eyes follow the trail of smoke rising from the bonfire, fingers soothing the aches in her muscles through her robe and pressing onto particularly tough spots as the warmth from the fire wards off the cold breeze. The robe and her new uniform that she wore for this mission proved to be useful, as her regular outfit wasn't fit for staying outdoors overnight.

The log underneath her was thick, the bark digging into her robe and poking her skin, making it a bit harder to sit on for longer periods of time.

Zora takes a seat a little farther on her log, tossing a stick onto dirt next to them once the bonfire finally stops sparking up and threatens to burn their skin off as the winds blow past it. Elaine takes a look at Zora from her peripherals, who had managed to relax on the gritty log.

His hair glowed ever so vibrant against the light from the fire, and she tore her eyes away, afraid that he might catch her staring. He had his robe folded neatly beside him over a pile of leaves and he laid as bare as normal on the log they managed to find in the woods nearby.

"Zora." He stirs a little, looking up from where he laid.

"What made you decide to become a Magic Knight?"

He squints his eyes at her before directing his gaze towards the fire in front of them. He's silent for a while, maybe thinking about how he could answer it in a roundabout way.

"Why'd you ask?" He throws a question back at her, hoping to stall until he has some snarky remark to answer her with. Elaine shifts in her seat, the blood finally flowing to her legs after a long while.

"Was simply curious, is all."

"That's it?" She stares at him in confusion.

"Were you expecting something more?"

"I just thought you'd run your mouth again just to answer my question."

Zora's wide awake now, sitting up on the log in such a slovenly way that Elaine feels like she shouldn't stare at all. Does he prefer sitting with his legs wide open? The thought makes her want to chew on her cheek, the heat from both the fire and the blood rushing to her cheeks are starting to become indistinguishable.

She feels the urge to chip at the bark under her with her fingers.

"Well? Are you going to answer?"

Zora clicks his tongue. "You're persistent on something for once." His jab falls flat when she doesn’t respond and he sees her caving into herself, arms now over her bloody stomach with her head against her knees. He leans closer to her, even though he’s not that skilled with healing magic. “Oi, don’t keel over just yet.” His tone is a lot more serious that his seemingly detached wording felt out of character.

She’s grateful they’re far away from the battlefield.

Elaine puts a hand up, one that is smudged with blood. “That cloth isn’t going to hold up for the entire night at this rate.” Zora watches as the blood slowly takes over the fabric’s color, turning it into a muddy purple. He considered tearing a piece from his own robe, but then an infection might make it worse. The mage only shakes her head, jaw clenched and fingers snapping straight as pain shot up her limbs like her nerves were being pricked by needles. Her movements are slow and labored and she lifts herself up from the log with little movement.

“We’re already low on supplies.” She notes, lowering herself to the ground and leaning her back onto the log. “A wound this big can’t heal overnight.” Zora seemed to understand where she was going but was still apprehensive. She slowly uncovers the wound and she fights the urge to retch. It wasn’t as bad as when Zora first dressed it but the smell of blood was overtaking the rest of her senses.

The damage had been mitigated, but not completely. It's still an open wound, and the painkillers she consumed prior to her injury were starting to wear off. Across her stomach were 3 long slashes, deep enough that it'll make her bleed for a long while before getting help and healed by other mages, but it's not deep enough that her guts would spill over the ground if she jumped. The rifts on the wounds are damp with blood, while the edges are cracked and stained with dried blood.

Her grimoire rises in aid, just above her wrist. It takes a while to glow purple, and soon it was open, the sound of papers flipping blending with the crackling wood. She hovers her hand over the wound and casts a healing spell.

It was a spell that she developed in secret while training in the Heart Kingdom, and even then it’s still incomplete.

She called it “Respite for the Hurting”, a spell that uses poison magic on a target to numb the nerves and temporarily slow down blood flow from a wound. She cannot use it two times in a row, because even if it provides relief, it is still poison. It takes a moment for the spell to take over, but in a few seconds Zora sees her shoulders slack and her eyes close. It was as if her body went limp, only her hand raised to wait for the spell to finish.

“Didn’t know you could use poison magic for healing.” Zora eyes the traces of bright purple and blue flow from her fingertips to her stomach. Elaine shakes her head.

“It’s... not for healing, and it’s not polished yet.” He took another look at her wound. The bleeding surely stopped, but it wasn’t closing. The poison settled only inches away from skin. “Unlike the Silver Eagles’ captain with Mercury Magic, I can’t use my magic attribute to just plug up the wound. I’ll end up absorbing it in this state.”

Zora hums in reply. He watches as she reaches for something in the tiny pocket on her thigh, a small vial filled with red liquid. She stares at the bottle for a while, no doubt debating whether to use it as it was her last after giving the rest to the other magic knights that were injured.

A healing potion, he figured, when she downs the contents in one swig and the wounds shrink slowly, until it leaves traces of blood and it was no more than small incisions. Elaine tucks the vial back in her pocket and closes her eyes.

“So while we wait for our chauffeur to arrive, can you tell me about how you became a magic knight?”

Zora folds his arms over his chest and huffs. “You better not fall asleep while I’m talking.”

//Bonus:

“Oi, don’t fall asleep just yet.” Zora’s voice is perfectly clear above her head, but she can only see a mess of red and black. His hand rests under her head, keeping it from falling onto the rubble. The pain was unbearable, enough that she wishes she could simply fall asleep and be done with it in an instant.

Elaine lets out a weak laugh. “Is that concern I hear in your voice, Mr. Ideale? Never thought you had it in you.” The smile on her face flattens just as quickly when she feels pain radiate from her torso. “Man, this sucks.”

“You shouldn’t have taken the hit then.”

“Is this how you usually express gratitude? I want to take all that time back.”

“Don’t think taking care of your sorry ass is fun to me.”

Zora clicks his tongue in feigned annoyance, still on high alert as explosions fire off in the distance. They were a good distance away from the fight, but with how much mana was constantly being expelled through large scaled attacks, it wouldn't be long until debris would come flying in their direction. “Can you lift yourself up? I’ll dress them for you.”

Elaine nods and with much effort, uses her elbow to lift her torso off the ground for Zora to wrap cloth around it. He’s gentle, she notes, hands merely grazing the skin on her back and sides when he pins the cloth close. “Are you dizzy?”

“A little.” Her vision’s starting to blur as her breathing mellows out, but still the sparks rising towards the starry sky mesmerizes her in her near-delirious state. Zora slings his hand under her arms and knees, causing her to meet the crook of his neck when she’s lifted up in his arms.

“We need to move now,” Zora said in a low voice, “They’ll find us out here in the open.”

The arm over his shoulder is weak, and she fights to stay awake but his body is warm like a blanket that she couldn't help when her head falls and her eyes close for a little while. The chaos in the battlefield slowly fades away and she falls asleep in his arms.

[gosungji]

zora and elaine at the star awards festival. elaine went with fragil but they split up to check out all the stalls. zora willingly separated from the black bulls squad bc he "doesn't want to be associated with idiots". elaine bumps into him and bc he decided she's not so bad of a company, agrees to stick together to check out the food stalls.

elaine's often approached by people more than zora, bc she outwardly presents herself as kind and approachable (and ig partly bc she's from aqua deer while zora's from black bulls kjsbdkd) while zora hangs over her shoulder like a sneering cat LMAO

the kid in the he's warming up doodle was a kid she used to teach magic to back in the village. when they hear an impromptu performance in the middle of the crowd, she took the kid up in her arms and went to check it out.

she can't really see much of what was happening but the singing was enough for her, seeing how happy the child in her arms was. zora's right beside her, though keeping a bit of distance to not scare the child away.

he's not really paying attention to the show, instead feeling something tug at his heartstrings when he sees elaine swaying along to the music and laughing.

[gosungji]

teacher au with zora/elaine..

they live in the same cheap apartment complex, next to each other. so sometimes when she's in a rush she'll ask zora if he could give her a ride home

other things prof elaine would ask prof zora for help with:

her sink started humming one night and she's worried it might burst or smth (he finds out it's bc a rat was climbing inside. he was beyond amazed)

her lights just exploded the moment she flicked the switch (he still doesn't know why, he just helped her replace them)

literally anything else. and she's only asking because they're impossible to fix for someone like her who has barely an experience w maintenance

elaine knocking on his door one night and he's already there bc the walls are thin enough that he could hear the crack from next door

she'd make something for him as payment, mostly food and he would make her sit with him so he could teach her what to do the next time it happens again. unfortunately, every problem she encounters in her apartment is new and weird and she rarely gets a chance to practice what she actually learned asdfkn

but ofc i love reciprocation so

zora then asking elaine for like pain relief patches bc he wakes up with muscle pains sometimes. she doesn't have any with her so she offers to give him massages instead. he takes up the offer as pretty much payment for helping her with repairing shit.

but this was also the start of various misunderstandings from students and faculty. (dorothy heard some students talking abt them and got intrigued)

elaine is very oblivious to rumors about her and prof zora dating and zora would prefer to keep it that way bc he finds it disturbing in a "we're actual people, wtf" way. he still waits for her after faculty meetings in case she needed a ride or nods to her when they pass by each other in the halls.