#AND YES FROM THE SOURCE I LOOKED AT EVERY ONE OF THOSE FLOWERS IS. SO SCHMOOPY

[saintbleeding]

[ID: Digital art of Martin and Jon from TMA. Martin is a short, fat, white man with long brown hair in a low bun, wearing glasses and a rosy pink half-binder. Jon is a taller British-Indian man with grey hair tied back and a patchy beard. He has various different scars across his body and wears a mostly-unbuttoned short-sleeved green shirt. They are facing one another with fond smiles as Martin reaches to place a small bunch of forget-me-nots in Jon’s beard, which is already full of apple blossoms and yarrow flowers. In the side of his hair there is a dwarf sunflower, and in Martin’s there is another apple blossom. They are encircled in various flowers and plants (clockwise from top): yarrow, cornflower, apple blossoms on branches, ivy leaves, forget-me-nots, red salvia flowers, and dwarf sunflowers. Behind them a clear blue sky is faintly visible. End ID.]

firstly im not immune to choosing which flowers to draw based on dubious floriography resources. secondly. men in love. thank u

[pshenyasstuff]

I loved your hcs! Do have any more?? Also I LOVED SEEING DIB HES MY SON GUYS (source trust me bro)

I'm glad you like it!!

Anyway, yes, I have many more headcanons. I think it would be easier to make a list of them. I hope it's not a cringe or something like that xd

- As I said earlier, I think Zim is a tsundere to the core. This is especially evident when he tries to give y/n something. He's not exactly great at giving gifts, but at least he's trying!! He will often pick flowers from random people's flowerbeds and then throw the bouquet in y/n's face with a phrase like "BE GRATEFUL FOR ZIM, YOU PATHETIC HUMAN WORM". And I think that such a phrase follows after any gift.

- As for gifts for Zim, I think he will keep every one of them. At least he will try to prevent Gir from eating it. I think he will really appreciate a raincoat or umbrella as a gift. But every time he receives a gift, he says something like "Zim accepts your disgusting offering, human."

- I think we can always agree that Zim can make sounds like purring or chirping. Just imagine the moment when he gets used to y/n's hugs and just starts making those adorable sounds

- Zim definitely knows how to be jealous and doesn't hide it. He just calls it something else, that's all. For example, when someone interrupts his conversation with y/n, he simply hisses at them and takes y/n away. "This worm must understand that you are only MY slave!"

By the way, about Zim's stalking... Y/n is definitely missing some things. Yeah, he just steals it and hides it in his house.

"Damn, it seems my sweatshirt is missing.." "So what? I'm not interested in that!" He's pretending like he didn't steal this just yesterday.

- Zim isn't very good at calming down someone who's crying. I think when y/n cried in front of him for the first time, this bro was just like, "WHY IS WATER COMING OUT OF YOUR EYES?!"

- Zim's favorite body part is y/n's shoulders or back, simply because he can straddle y/n like that and feel taller

Below is a headcanon about kissing Zim. If you don't like this, don't read it

-So, kisses with Zim. It's something strange and unusual because he has this strange tongue. On the other hand, you can get used to it, unlike the bites that this little bro constantly leaves on your lips. Let's just say that these kisses are always inept, no matter what time they happen. But after that, Zim looks like a mess every time. Well, you know, heavy breathing, blushing and all that. At least he definitely likes it

[milomilesmib]

Since I have been feeling a particularly strong attachment to my comfort item lately here are what I think PJO character's comfort items would be (short answers in bold text for those who want a quick read):

Percy: a blue stuffie from his childhood. He doesn't often have it with him but he always feels safer when he is with it. And yes, he probably calls the stuffie "he" because I said so

Grover: a little mushroom pendant from Juniper. He never puts it on anything, just keeps it in his pocket and takes it out to fidget with when he's stressed. It has a really smooth surface and pretty colours so it's a good sensory thing for him.

Annabeth: her camp necklace. She always has it and when she doesn't she feels bare. Every time she's stressed she looks at a bead and thinks of a good memory from that year.

Thalia: a shirt she particularly favours because she wore it a lot when on the run with Luke and Annabeth. Any time she's in a bad mood she wears it and it makes her feel a bit better.

Nico: canonically, it's his skull ring, but I also feel like he'd have a childhood blanket that he's really attached to. It's a really soft fabric and so he always uses it when he's feeling overstimulated or understimulated cause it works for both

Rachel: a scrunchie with a fall leaf pattern on it from Percy. It was the first birthday present he gave her. It was all he could find and afford to get her that he thought she might like and he was scared she'd be underwhelmed but she really appreciated that he went through the effort and now she always has it on her.

Leo: a rock he found on a beach field trip with Piper back at the Wilderness school. It's pink and translucent, so when he holds it up to the sun it lights up a bit. It reminds him that he's cared about and loved when he has an existential crisis about being the 7th wheel.

Piper: a rock matching Leo's, found on the same trip. It's grey and smooth with streaks of white and green. It was a big source of comfort for her when mourning Jason, and she was able to remind herself that there was someone out there who shared her pain.

Jason: a silver bracelet Thalia gave him with a lightning bolt charm. It's the only jewelry he wears and he always has it with him, even when he dies.

Hazel: a small keychain from Frank. It's a little bear holding a plastic gemstone heart. She always brings it with her on quests and outings, making sure never to lose it.

Frank: a purple and gold friendship bracelet Hazel made him when he became praetor. He always treasured it because it made him feel like he'd made someone proud, despite the fact he'd already made so many people proud.

Reyna: her praetor's cloak. She didn't think she'd form an attachment to it, but she really liked the fabric and it made her feel important and safe. After she gave it up, Thalia noticed her seeming sad without it and got her a new one, but silver and gold embroidered with the symbol of Bellona.

Will: a pressed flower from Nico. Nico started picking flowers to press when he was unhappy as a way to learn how to keep his powers under control when his emotions are strong. He gave Will the first one and Will was so honoured he decided to carry it everywhere with him.

Apollo/Lester: a new ukulele Will got him after he lost his old one. Like Percy, he doesn't usually have it, but playing it always calms him down and reminds him of the people he loves.

Meg: a chip of a terracotta pot from her childhood home (I forget what it's called). She found it before she and her dad left and decided to keep it as a keepsake.

Lavinia: her star of David pendant, canonically, but I'd imagine she also has a music box with a little ballerina that reminds her of childhood and makes her feel safe.

Feel free to add on with any characters I missed :)

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Topsy Turvy Days in Diasomnia

Yes, I intentionally added the thorns in the background for… reasons :)) If you know, then you know—

SORRY FOR GETTING THIS OUT LATE I’VE BEEN TRYING TO WRITE SEBEK’S BROOMQUET FIC ON TOP OF SCREAMING ABOUT THE YEAR III ANNI STREAM 🤡 But with this, my blog event for TWST’s third anniversary comes to a close! Thank you for following me on this week-long writing prompt~

The Thorn Witch, and her Spirit of Nobility.

Riddle Rosehearts…

… stakes his claim in Diasomnia right from the get-go. Word quickly spreads, making Riddle out as the “fuck with me and find out” guy. For the students of Diasomnia, who take great pride in their magical prowess, to set Riddle off and be beheaded revokes the source of that pride. “Have you reflected on your actions? Only then will I remove that collar.”

Though he’s removed from his usual dorm, he takes care to still observe the rules of the Queen of Hearts! This earns Riddle no shortage of strange looks from Diasomnia, some of whom (mostly the strictest of Draconians) criticize his loyalty to Heartslabyul. He doesn’t relent though–Riddle tunes out the naysayers and stays true to his own ideals. His fellow queen, Vil, approves.

He’s a(n unwilling) bat magnet. Apparently, a cauldron (group) of them hangs out in Diasomnia—Riddle made the discovery when he was first strolling down a particularly dark hallway. Screeching had filled the air, and he was immediately swarmed by bats!! “I don’t understand why they’re so attached to me…!” Riddle protested, shooing one off of his shoulder. (E-Eh, isn’t it because he’s the closest in height to Lilia-shi? Idia wonders.)

The students of Diasomnia (and even Jack, a first year), he notices, are much more disciplined than those of Riddle’s own dorm. They stay in line and do their work, though with perhaps more arrogance than one would like. If only his own students were just as diligent!! Riddle gets a headache thinking about what Ace and Deuce must be getting up to unsupervised (and no, Azul is no role model for them!!)… but even so, he doesn’t wish for them to be carbon copies of the Diasomnia kids. Heartslabyul may be full of fools, but they’re Riddle’s fools and no one else’s!

He beelines to Diasomnia’s bookshelves every evening to stack texts up high before stumbling off with them to read until he knocks out. Riddle is on a quest to take in as much knowledge as he can, from new spells to tips and tricks to simplify the current spells in his repertoire–his ambition is apparent! Then, perhaps, he will be wise enough and strong enough to overcome the Malleus Draconia in combat.

Though Riddle’s specialty is practical magic, the level at which the Diasomnia students perform it is astonishing to him. He burns out so quickly, while they can change the color of a dress multiple times without batting an eye, and orchestrate many cleaning implements at once! It’s frustrating, but it’s from this feeling that Riddle is able to drive himself to work even harder to achieve his goals.

It’s so odd for him to see bramble bereft of any flowers. The sight is so depressing to Riddle, but he can’t put words as to why exactly. He’ll politely avert his eyes when he sees those ashen, creeping thorns, or make a passing comment about how the atmosphere feels dreadfully gloomy. It’s like being trapped in a cage, he thinks. Memories of his past prick him, but he is quick to dismiss them before they overwhelm him. Like a rose, he shall grow and rise above the thorns.

He develops a fondness for floral teas during his time at Diasomnia. Maybe it’s the absence of flowers that makes him feel nostalgic for the gardens in Heartslabyul. When he sips a cup of rosehip, he dreams of the red and white of the maze, of strawberries and porcelain, and the card suits that decorate his vision. Ah, he realizes, the warmth enveloping his chest. That was it—that was where his home, his hearth, is.

“I do feel as though I’ve gained knowledge in Diasomnia that I could not have anywhere else. However, the same can be said of Heartslabyul. There were many things I could only learn because I was in Heartslabyul. That is not to say that my dorm members did not get under my skin every now and again, but I will always be grateful for the lessons they have imparted in me. This, too, is an experience for which I am grateful for–but, if you would allow me to say… there is no place like home. Fufu. Perhaps I’m simply becoming too sentimental.”

Jack Howl…

… keeps to himself and doesn’t trouble anyone—not unless they start trouble with him first. Most face-offs with Diasomnia students involve them staring each other down until they get scared off by Jack’s menacing face. In a weird way, that makes him the conflict resolver of the group—because people tend to run away rather than face him!!

Jack feels as though he’s witnessing a lot of things that he shouldn’t. For example, Riddle and Vil have made it their personal mission to whip underperforming students into shape… starting with their temporary dorm mate, Idia!! They confront him together, taking turns knocking at his door and then physically dragging him out when Idia inevitably pretends that no one is home. (Jack stares after them, wondering if Ruggie ever had to do the same to Leona to get him to attend class.)

When in doubt, Jack tends to defer to seniority. Like the good boy that he is, he’ll follow his upperclassman’s orders with barely a second thought!! … But trouble arises when Idia is the upperclassman that’s giving the order 😅 Jack takes his hyperbole seriously, so when Idia says something outrageous like, “C-Could you please not get within aggro range of me? Lmao, I could be at a single hit point and I’d still not want to deal with face-to-face interaction. Kk, thnx,” Jack just shrugs and lets Idia flounder when the Diasomnia mobs are assaulting the dorm leader with Malleus facts.

His poor nose just can’t stop sneezing!! It’s not that Diasomnia is filthy, but his sensitive nose can pick up on all the dust and the secrets littering the castle. From the ancient tomes to the artifacts and relics of the past that line the walls, there’s no place where he isn’t met with an enigmatic history that tickles his nose.

Jack’s used to doing everything himself, by hand. It catches him off-guard when he sees the Diasomnia students so casually use magic for everything. He shouldn’t expect anything less from a dorm that is full of all-rounders, but the last thing he expected to see was silverware flying across a table and serving up breakfast by itself! And… is that a clock and a candelabra fighting?! Who’s ever heard of living furniture…

He tries to incorporate some older techniques (recommended by Sebek) into his exercise routine. (”Our dormitory is well-equipped with everything you’ll need!!” Sebek had reassured him. “See to it that you use them well!”) Jack didn’t realize that it would involve hauling around weighted weapons!! He thought they were just fancy-looking wall decorations, not actual morning stars, axes, swords, and javelins! “Is… Is this really how they train in Diasomnia?!”

By happenstance, Jack discovers a single red rose blooming amid prickly thorns in Diasomnia’s west wing. He becomes strangely protective of it–maybe because it reminds him of the flowers that sometimes grow on the (just as prickly) cacti he raises in his dorm room. One might say he’s the beast that defends a beauty.

The night is especially beautiful over Diasomnia. When the moon is full, Jack watches it through his window, drinking in the stillness of the night, the shapes of the shadows and the thorns that run contradictory to the bright, silvery orb above them. In these moments, he sits back and contemplates where he is, and where he’d like to be.

“I’ve never noticed it before, but the sky looks different depending on where you look at it from. What does it look like where Leona-senpai and Ruggie-senpai are, I wonder… Maybe they’re so busy that they haven’t even had a chance to notice the moon. If that’s the case, then I’ll have to catch up to where they are! When I get back, I’ll show them just how strong I’ve become!”

Vil Schoenheit…

… looks perfect laid out against the backdrop that is Diasomnia. His austere looks and overwhelming aura make him the perfect evil queen of the castle. Every picture he takes of himself inevitably involves his face being illuminated by sinister green flames or an imposing dragon glaring down at him. Fitted in his own Diasomnia uniform, he gives off stronger villain vibes than ever “… This is hardly the sort of thing I need for my image,” Vil sighs.

Indeed, Diasomnia can be quite archaic in its ways–but in coming from Pomefiore, Vil brings with him a certain sense of respect for the old. He recognizes the past as not superior nor inferior, but as a basis for which the future is forged from. To him, it’s crucial to understand and to be aware of what came before so he can build himself up from that. This philosophy is what guides him as he learns to adapt to the lack of modern amenities in Diasomnia.

Like Riddle, he is keen on doing his own thing, regardless of the comments that others make. (Since when has a queen like him let the thoughts of his subjects dictate his behavior?) That means rising bright and early to train with Jack, engaging in a thorough self-care routine, and maintaining a healthy diet and sleep schedule. Unlike Riddle though, Vil’s anger is more icy than fiery. If someone offends him, they’re met with a cold shoulder and perhaps a cool tongue lashing.

For the most part, Vil acts courteous to his other dorm members–for it is easier to attract bees with honey than with poison. His natural charisma and charm get him in the good graces of some students, who pass on their knowledge of certain potions and curses. One sleeping curse he hears of is so powerful that it could only be broken by true love’s kiss! Vil shivers, praying that such a thing would never come to be weaponized.

He continues to work on crafting his own homemade cosmetics. Vil has to change up the ingredients in them, since he no longer has access to the same things he’d have back in Pomefiore. Thanks to his new connections, he’s able to obtain rare plants from the Briar Valley to use in his lotions and liquids. Vil also experiments with repurposing the creeping bramble around Diasomnia in various forms—dehydrated to brew a tea, powdered as a setting product, pounded into a paste for a wash-off mask…

He changes up his style to feel more “at home” in his new territory, adopting more vintage clothing and accessories to suit the era which the castle comes from. At any given point, Vil will look like he has just walked out of filming for a historical drama or a period piece.

Vil had always thought that Epel would be his biggest problem child… but hey, Idia is a close second. While Riddle harps on his in-person attendance, Vil focuses on how Idia chooses to present himself in both appearance and behavior. “For Sevens’ sake, you’re the son of the distinguished Shroud family. It’s high time you started acting like it,” he chides his peer. “You’re wasting your good looks with that gloomy expression and hopeless slouch!!”

After witnessing how well-trained the students of Diasomnia are, Vil has a newfound respect for his fellow dorm leader, Malleus. It’s not like he’d ever share the compliment out loud, but for him to have a positive opinion of the man who constantly misses dorm meetings is still a step up. It seems that they do have some things in common.

“It is said that the Thorn Witch boasted great grace and decorum. If Diasomnia is a reflection of her character, then I can say with confidence that my expectations have been met. Beyond the superficial aspects–although I do find them to be in good taste–there is a noble spirit that runs throughout the dormitory. As much as it pains me to say this, not even Pomefiore would be able to replicate such elegance. Hmph, we’ll just have to polish our own unique traits such that our sparkle rivals Diasomnia’s.”

Idia Shroud…

… couldn’t be more unenthused. Not only has he been forced out of his room and deprived of his vast collection of tech, anime, manga, and games–but now he’s trapped in the same living space with all kinds of super strong personalities! It sounds like a plot straight out of a meta harem manga where the main character wants no part in any of it, he grumbles. S-Save me from this living hell, Ortho!!

He tries to minimize his presence as much as possible, but it’s difficult to do when his flaming hair makes him easy to spot in every dark corner or amid the sconces lit with green flames. (Everyone’s so quick to hone in on him, it gives him near heart-stopping fright!!) Because of this, Idia has chosen to wear his hood up most of the time (in hopes of diminishing any light he’d be giving off). 

He’s so disappointed that he didn’t at least get lumped into a dorm with a cute cat (Idia had been praying for Grim, but even Leona would have been acceptable). But nooo, instead he gets stuck with a muscly dog man. Why’s my gacha luck so bad IRL?! Cats are obviously far superior to dogs, NO QUESTION!! (Jack wonders why Idia stares so intensely at him, but maybe it’s best he doesn’t ask…)

Diasomnia has wifi, but it’s not nearly as fast as Idia would like for it to be. He constantly complains about missing the high speed internet of Ignihyde, though he supposes it’s sufficient for gaming. Idia laments to his online gaming buddy, Crimson Muscle, who reassures him that all will be well; Gloomy Samurai will surely get over this rough patch!!

This man can’t be left alone to just be a nerd in peace!! Idia could be playing a fantasy game, watching an anime, or reading a manga, and out of nowhere a Diasomnia kid will pop up and lecture him about how actually the depiction of dragons in that game/anime/manga is inaccurate, or how it spits upon Malleus’s image to indulge in such materials. Idia often doesn’t have the energy or the confidence to fire back, so he’ll pack up his stuff and rush away. In his mind though, he’s cursing out the killjoys! (Idia gatekeeps on a regular basis, but he can’t take it when others do the same to him.)

He doesn’t get the hype around all the Draconians who stan Malleus or claim him as their oshi. Idia’s just smart enough to know when to zip his lip so as to not incite an angry mob. (What’s so great about that guy anyway? It takes more than being an OP character to get Idia’s attention!) Unfortunately for him, a Diasomnia mob mistakes Idia waving green glow sticks for an online concert as a sign that he, too, is a massive Malleus fan. This leads to Idia being introduced to other Draconians (he was too timid to correct them) and thus getting locked into a miserable cycle of being force fed boundless praise for their dorm leader and expecting Idia to echo their sentiments.

He takes solace in knowing that the biggest Draconian of them (Sebek) all isn’t around to shout in his ear about WAKASAMA this, and HUMAN that… but it’s honestly just as bad to have Riddle nagging him in one ear and Vil nagging him in the other! Idia feels like he’s playing a stealth level every time he has to exit his room—cuz once either of them catch wind of him, it’s Game Over!! It’s safest for him to just hole up forever…

Because Ortho begged him to try and make new friends, Idia attempts to try and start a D&D (or whatever the Twisted Wonderland equivalent of it is) campaign up. Something simple that allows for socializing! … The problem is, the Diasomnia students are WAY too competitive and take the game super seriously. They even have the gall to defy HIM, the DM! (“Womp, womp, womp. Your character died! Sure sucks to be you, hihihi!” “I roll to stab the DM and claim his position as god of this world!!” “LOL, you can’t do that, dude…” “… I roll to stab the DM.” “I LITERALLY JUST SAID THAT’S A NO-GO!!”) They get nowhere, so Idia has to shut it down.

“D-Did all the elements of the world come together one day and decide to dunk on me or what?! E-Every time I leave the safety and comfort of my bedroom, th-there’s some kind of world-ending event thrust in my face... I-I’ve been kidnapped by a ghost, pulled out of school to run tests on my classmates, possessed... B-But even worse than all of that is... being forced into social situations I didn’t ask for!! Seriously, not a single soul wanted that birthday interview ‘oh, if you had to pick a different dorm to join’ hypothetical to come true!! If this is some kind of cruel and unusual joke, you can pop out and point and laugh at the geek already! J-Just get it over with so I can go back to my uneventful otaku life already!!”

[vosh-rakh]

3e634, chapter 1

"I'm sorry, the Temple of Dibella is closed,” the priestess said. “You can receive your blessing, if you wish, but the other sisters are in seclusion."

Malekaiah frowned. She looked around anxiously at the alien masonry of the temple’s interior. The four statues of nude Dibella resting against the pillars kept their gazes resolutely forward, ignoring Malekaiah’s plight. She pressed her fingertip hard against the point of her tusk, a bad anxious habit she’d long ago acquired. The tusk was too dull to draw blood, but one could hope.

Finally, her eyes alighted on the shrine against the wall, its points rising like flower petals towards a central space, and she was given the courage to look back at the priestess. “Are you sure?” she asked, her voice quavering, but somehow she pushed on. “I’ve been an acolyte of Dibella all my life. I’m on an important mission to spread her love to those who have never known it.”

“I’m sorry, sister.” The priestess offered a small smile as compensation. “The sisters cannot be disturbed.”

Malekaiah looked up at the brass chandelier on the ceiling, and closed her eyes briefly. “Okay,” she said, nodding, but avoided the priestess’s pitying gaze.

The priestess nodded, and returned to her cleaning.

Malekaiah approached the shrine to Dibella. She gently placed a hand on one of its dull red wings, trying to feel for Dibella’s energies. Then she knelt, clasped her hands, bowed her head, and prayed.

Please, sweet Dibella, I beseech thee: grant me the power and wisdom to see thy love and beauty in every facet of this world, so that I may spread the knowing to those who know only sorrow and ugliness. Let thy kiss become my kiss, lips sweet enough to embrace the world.

Malekaiah couldn’t remember how the prayer was supposed to end, so awkwardly she cut it short there. Unclasping her hands, she rubbed her face, trying to bring some heat to her cheeks, and rub some wakefulness into her eyes. It was so cold here, in Skyrim, and she had barely slept on the long carriage ride from Anvil to Markarth. She had a long journey ahead of her, and she needed to be prepared.

Almost on instinct she quickly felt for the short steel hiding under her ochre robes. Yes, Da’s dagger was still there. Even in this foreign place, it brought her a strange sense of safety.

Malekaiah rose and walked out the temple door. She was immediately faced with the western mountain enclosing the city, waterfalls cascading down the cliff with a deafening roar, flowing into the waterways that ran down the city’s streets. Behind those falls stood proud and ancient the bizarre stone-and-brass architecture of the dwarves, yet as ordinary to the people here as timber and brick.

After a moment of awe, Malekaiah drifted left along the stone walkway, skirting south around the pillar which the temple of Dibella crowned. Down a level of the city, straddling one of the rivulets, was a small smithy, jarringly built of wood. Over the roar of the waterfalls rang out the sharp clang of hammer on metal, and a woman shouting at her apprentice with very colorful language. Turning her head to the left, Malekaiah saw the distant silver mines, crawling with hard-at-work miners, seeming from this far away like ants carrying their burdens of ore.

Malekaiah descended the stairs, making her way down from the temple. They led her closer to the smithy, where she caught a glimpse of the smith. She was an Orc, which stopped Malekaiah in her tracks. There were very few Orcs in Anvil; most had left for bustling Orsinium about a decade or two ago. Despite going to their homeland to proselytize, she didn’t know much about her race. She had read as much as she could about them and their history and ways before leaving, but most of the sources she was able to get her hands on were outdated and often very bigoted.

The smith must have felt Malekaiah’s gaze, and she looked up at her with a scowl. She waved her off with a hand holding an unfinished sword.

Malekaiah quickly turned to continue on her way, but in so doing she ran straight into one of the city guards. He reached for the sword on his hip. “Watch where you’re going, outsider!” he shouted.

“Sorry,” Malekaiah quickly mumbled. The guard, seemingly dissatisfied but uninterested in an actual confrontation, pushed Malekaiah aside and continued on his way.

Malekaiah rubbed her shoulder where the guard had pushed her and looked again at the smith, who had apparently seen the whole thing. She shook her head at Malekaiah and went back to her work.

A bit shaken, Malekaiah continued descending the stairs, following one of the rivulets. She reached for the talismans around her neck. First, the amulet of Dibella: she rubbed the violet stone in the center of the metal flower. It was cold, but it gave her some comfort, anyway. Her hand roamed across her neck to the other talisman, the strange icon left in her swaddling cloth when her parents abandoned her in Cyrodiil. She could feel its rageful face, teeth and tusks bared, and a fuming heat flooded her face. She let go, shook her head, and tried to forget about the encounter with the guard.

Malekaiah continued along the stone path through the city, hoping to find an inn where she could stay the night. Instead, she found herself at the front gate again, faced with the small market situated there.

The square was bustling with activity, a dense crowd - surely half the city - swarming from stall to stall, gawking at and haggling for the goods on display. The few children who could pry themselves from their mothers’ watchful eyes ran through the forest of legs, squealing like pigs.

Something caught Malekaiah’s eye. A gleam of silver, or steel. Her vision snapped to the stall on the far end of the market, selling jewelry. A woman was trying on a prospective purchase.

But there was something else, a man pushing through the crowd, the sun shining in his hand.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. The woman removed the necklace. The man grabbed her mouth from behind. He raised his shining hand and jerked it across her neck, right where the necklace was a moment ago. Blood sprayed on the silver on the stall’s counter. The woman behind it, her face also spattered with red, covered her mouth and screamed.

Just as the crowd began to react to the shriek, the assassin turned around, still holding up the now-mute and struggling woman by her chin. Her head was nearly severed, so vicious and deep was the spurting gash.

“The Reach belongs to the Forsworn!”

The throng devolved into chaos, women and children screaming, men shouting and shoving to escape. There was only one guard nearby, somehow, and he was slow to react, ineffectually trying to push his way through the crowd.

Malekaiah was frozen, staring at the gore of the wound. The man dropped the woman after she stopped moving, and turned back to the stall. The jeweler had fallen to the ground in shock. The assassin vaulted the counter, sending rings and necklaces and torcs to the ground with a tinkling sound that Malekaiah shouldn’t have been able to hear over the din, but could have sworn she did.

He advanced upon the jeweler, dagger in hand, blade under fist. She extended an arm to protect herself, and the assassin’s blade pierced her hand, stabbing all the way through. Her pained scream pierced the sky. The assassin inverted his grip, blade over fist, and began slashing. The jeweler took a cut to the stomach before raising her arms to defend again. The steel tore through the sleeves of her dress as well as the flesh of her forearms.

A fire ignited in Malekaiah’s throat, melting her freeze and compelling her move. She hiked up her robes and withdrew her dagger from the sheath fastened around her thigh, and she advanced through the dissipating crowd. She vaulted over the counter, knocking off yet more jewelry, and approached the assassin’s back.

Firmly gripping the dagger’s hilt, in one simple motion, she thrust the blade deep into his back, sliding effortlessly between two ribs.

Poppies bloomed around the wound, soaking into his shirt.

The assassin exhaled sharply as his lung collapsed, and stopped attacking the jeweler. His weapon clattered to the ground, and he slowly turned to face Malekaiah. With shaky breath, and through bloody coughs, he mustered, “I die for my people,” and then collapsed, dead.

Slowly, shakily, Malekaiah bent down to pull the dagger from the assassin’s back. Once the blade was free of his flesh, there was an upwelling of blood, painting his tunic a deeper black.

She looked across at the jeweler, who stared at her, frightened, tears streaking down her face. Malekaiah took a step forward, causing the jeweler to squirm backwards with a squeal.

“P-please…don’t…” mumbled the jeweler.

Malekaiah glanced at the bloody blade in her hand. Some portions were untouched, clean steel, and she could see her reflection clearly in it. But in the bloody bits, the wet gore reflected a demented distortion of her face. She screamed, too, and tried to wipe the blood from the blade with her cuff. But all she accomplished was staining her sleeve.

Malekaiah returned the dagger to its sheath on her thigh, struggling to keep her hand steady. She tried to approach the jeweler again, with open hands. “I won’t hurt you,” she assured. “I’m a healer.”

The jeweler hesitated, but nodded, letting Malekaiah come forward. Malekaiah knelt next to her and channeled Dibella’s grace to her hands, which glowed with a golden light. She began to hover them over the jeweler’s wounds, slowly bidding them close.

Suddenly, something cold and sharp lifted Malekaiah’s head by the chin. Forcibly she looked up to see one of Markarth’s guards pointing a sword at her throat.

“What are you doing, murderer?” the guard spat from beneath his helmet.

“I…” Malekaiah quavered, blinking rapidly.

“You idiot,” shouted the jeweler at the guard. “She saved my life!”

The guard seemed to finally take full stock of the situation, seeing the woman’s slit-throat corpse, the assassin’s face-down body, and his bloody blade discarded at his side.

In the meanwhile, Malekaiah continued healing the jeweler, starting with the slashes on her arms and the thankfully superficial cut on her abdomen. Malekaiah looked at the stab-wound through the jeweler’s hand with dismay. “I can’t heal this on my own,” she told the jeweler, who had mostly calmed down.

Malekaiah turned to the corpse and dagger behind her. She wiped as much blood from the blade as she could, and used it as a tool to cut a relatively clean strip of the assassin’s tunic. She turned back to the jeweler and apologized. “This will hurt.” The jeweler nodded and offered her injured hand. Malekaiah delicately wrapped the strip of cloth around her palm, tying it tightly. The jeweler groaned at the final tug but otherwise didn’t complain.

“She needs a more experienced healer for her hand,” Malekaiah said, looking up at the guard, who had withdrawn his sword to its sheath.

“I’ll take her to the temple,” the guard growled. Taking her unhurt hand, he helped the jeweler stand. As they began to walk off, he turned his head and said, “Keep your nose clean, orc.”

Malekaiah knelt there numbly for a moment. But eventually her close proximity to two corpses and so much blood became too much, and she forced herself to stand. She examined her robes, and found them surprisingly spared, save for the cuff she used to wipe the blades clean.

The market was almost completely empty now, save for a few late-arriving guards come to gather the bodies. But there was another man, fast approaching Malekaiah. His smile did nothing to disarm her anxiety after the preceding harrowing events, and she reached instinctively for the dagger through her robes.

“Easy there, friend,” said the stranger. “I’m not here to hurt you.” He glanced at the dead woman being carried off by a couple of guards. “Gods. A woman attacked, right in the streets.” He seemed to notice the blood on Malekaiah’s cuffs, and asked, “Are you alright? Did you see what happened?”

“I was right there,” Malekaiah answered. She ran her hand across her bare scalp and looked away. “He killed that woman, and then…tried to kill the jeweler.” Her words felt like lead dropping from her tongue, seeming to almost hang from her lips, not wishing to be said. Her voice didn’t feel her own. “So I…I…I killed him.” She covered her face so the stranger wouldn’t see the unbidden tears welling up in her eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” the stranger said. “I hope the Nine give you more peace in the future.” Malekaiah lowered her hands to look at him, just as his expression suddenly changed. He quickly reached out his hand, shoving something into Malekaiah’s. “Oh, by the way, I think you dropped this.”

Malekaiah jumped at the sudden movement, but calmed a bit when she realized it was just a piece of folded paper. “Is this…yours?” she asked, confused.

“Mine? No, yours. Must have fallen out of your pocket in the commotion.” He offered a little wave and then turned to leave.

Malekaiah was positive she didn’t have any parchment on her before this man gave her this note. She unfolded and read the brief note scrawled in an uneven hand: “Meet me at the Shrine of Talos.”

Malekaiah looked back up at the man, who was now halfway across the square. “Shrine of Talos?” she hollered. “Where’s that?”

He stopped in his tracks and half turned towards her. “Huh?” He scratched his chin. “Not sure. I don’t worship Talos, myself. I think I heard someone mention it was underneath the Temple of Dibella, in the big crag in the center of the city.” Then he turned and walked away.

Malekaiah’s eyes followed him until he was out of sight. Then she glanced at the note again, and sighed. She folded the paper back up and slipped it into a pocket in her robes.

She looked up toward the center of town, at the crag where she had just come from the Temple. It truly was an enormous feature, dominating the city’s skyline.

She checked for her dagger again, and against her better judgment, she made her way towards the Shrine of Talos.

-----

It took some walking around the crag to find the correct path to the shrine, as well as walking past its unmarked doors on accident several times. The doors were large and notable: huge brass double doors twice her height, surrounded by ornate ancient masonry. But there was no indication they belonged to the shrine of a Cyrodiilic war god.

Malekaiah pushed open the heavy doors with some effort, and stepped into the dark corridor, faintly candlelit and sloping downwards. She narrowed her eyes in the darkness, but her Orcish vision quickly acclimated. At the bottom of the slope she could make out two figures: one, surely a statue of Tiber Septim, stoically leaning on a sword; the other, a man kneeling before the altar, head bowed.

Malekaiah slowly descended the corridor towards the shrine’s sanctum. She tried to be quiet so as not to disturb the man’s prayer, but despite her best efforts he still somehow noticed her approach as she neared the end of the ramp.

The stranger from the market quickly stood and turned to face Malekaiah. “You came,” he whispered. “Thank you. I’m sorry to drag you into Markarth’s problems, but after that attack in the market, I’m running out of time.”

Malekaiah blinked rapidly. “What?”

Breathlessly, the stranger continued, “You want answers? Well, so do I. So does everyone in the city. A man goes crazy in the market. Everyone knows he’s a Forsworn agent. Guards do nothing. Nothing but clean up the mess.”

Unbidden, images flash into Malekaiah’s mind: a torn open throat, poppies, and a demon staring back at her in the bloody blade.

It was as if her head detached from her neck, and began to float away. She responded numbly to the stranger in an automatic process seemingly devoid of any conscious intention. Her conscious attention was no longer in the room.

The entire conversation grazed past her like a breeze. She may have agreed to something, but the memory of precisely what was slippery. She was vaguely aware that at some point, the man - suddenly she remembered he called himself Eltrys - left the shrine. But she remained, standing before the altar, invisible to herself.

Malekaiah returned to her body, and found herself kneeling at the altar, hands clasped, muttering an unintelligible half-prayer to - presumably - Talos. She stopped herself. She had never worshiped Talos; it struck her as odd that Skyrim had shrines at all, as he was chiefly a Cyrod’s god. She felt nothing stirring in her heart from the attempt. Oddly enough, though, she felt something stirring in her gut.

Oh. She was hungry. She stood, dusted off her knees, and left the shrine.

———

Not even the warmth of the inn could take the chill from Malekaiah’s bones. She shuffled into the threshold, and suddenly all of the many eyes of the crowded tavern were on her. Whispers accompanied them:

“Is that…”

“Did she really…”

“She really is a…”

Malekaiah pressed her thumb into her tusk hard as she shambled towards the bar. She vaguely recognized that she was falling into her old bad habit, but it seemed to keep her head screwed onto her neck, so she allowed it this time.

She clambered onto a stool at the far end of the bar. She knew she needed to order dinner, and rent a room for the night, but she was an immobile statue, unable to speak. So she folded her arms on the counter and buried her face in them.

After a moment, a gentle male voice reverberated, “Hey, lass.”

Malekaiah lifted her head to see the barkeep looking at her.

“You’re the Orc who killed Weylin, right? Saved Kerah’s life?” He didn’t look angry, but it felt like an accusation to Malekaiah nonetheless.

Without speaking, Malekaiah nodded slowly.

The barkeep reached underneath his side of the counter and placed something on top of it. Malekaiah recoiled immediately, but her alarm softened as she saw what it was: a tray filled with food. A bowl of steaming potato cabbage soup; a thick rye-bread trencher, topped with a hefty slice of goat cheese and an entire roasted goat shank; on the side, some kind of dark-berried pie, and a large mug of what smelled like mead.

“You did good, lass,” said the barkeep with a smile. “Food’s on the house. Bed too, if you need one for the night.”

A holler went up through the room, all the whispering mouths turned to joyous raucous. A nearby Nord reached over with his mug. It took a moment, but Malekaiah realized she needed to lift her own and clank it against his. Both cups overflowed, and the coolness of the splashed mead felt good on Malekaiah’s hand.

Malekaiah was afraid to eat at first, not sure her appetite would be up to the massive challenge. But she didn’t miss a bite. She even drank the whole mug of mead, despite never having had alcohol in her life. The barkeep, whose name was Kleppr, led her to her room after the festivities became too much for her. It wasn’t long after her head hit the pillow that she fell into a deep sleep.

-----

It was early morning, and the sun was yet to peek through the window into their home. All that lit the room was a small candle on the table between them. Its flame flickered across her father’s dark face, dancing across his features: his round spectacles and the dull brown eyes behind; his large, bulbous nose, a mountain dividing his face into two separate landmasses; and underneath, the thick mustache covering his upper lip completely, a dense dark broom of hair. His clean-shaven scalp even caught the light, casting vague orange smears across his head.

She admired his looks. He looked like a father ought, she thought. She pitied her childhood friends and their imperfectly paternal fathers.

Sometimes, at night when she couldn’t sleep, she tried to imagine what her “true” father looked like. Would he measure up at all? Surely he was greener, and with prominent tusks, but what of the mustache? The spectacles? It was usually at this stage that she began to feel intensely ashamed for considering it at all. Da was her father, and that was that…

Da slapped her hand away from her mouth – she had been pressing her fingertip into her tusk again. “Stop that,” he muttered sternly.

“Sorry,” she whispered. “Lost in thought, again.”

Da huffed. “Don’t think so much.” Pivoting quickly, he said, “Don’t be afraid.” From the satchel leaning against the legs of his chair he pulled out two items. She squinted to make them out in the darkness: one seemed to be metal, gleaming in the candlelight; the other was some loose assemblage of leather strips.

“A parting gift?” she asked, incredulous.

“No, Kaiah.” (She loved it when he called her that.) “Nine forbid you ever need to use this.” He delicately handed her the objects; as the metal one passed nearer to the flame, she recognized it as a dagger.

“What is this?” she asked, startled.

“I said don’t be afraid,” he rebuked. “It’s protection. You go alone into dangerous lands. Nine forbid you ever need it, but…just in case.”

She slowly reached for the blade’s grip, her hand shaking ever so slightly. As her fingers wrapped around the hilt, Da let go. She was surprised by the lightness of it; she had expected heavier.

“And this,” Da said, holding up the tied leather strips, “is your sheath. It will tie around your thigh. Keep it concealed beneath your robes.”

She nodded numbly as he gave her the sheath. The leather was soft under her fingertips.

“How will I know when to use it?” she asked.

“You’re a grown woman now, Kaiah,” answered Da. He began to rise from his chair. “I trust your judgment.”

She began to rise as well, expecting an embrace. But he turned his back to her, and approached the smoldering ashes of last night’s fire in the furnace. There he stood, quiet, hands clasped behind his back.

She wanted to hug Da, for him to tell her she was doing the right thing, that she would be okay. She started to slowly shuffle up behind him –

But the dagger was still in her hand, and her fingers tightened around it. She surged forward, blade first.

His lungs deflated with a sudden gasp, and poppies welled around the wound in his back, piercing right between his ribs.

She cried out, “Da!” She let go of the dagger and tried to back away from this murder.

But his hands unclasped themselves, and reached up to grab her arms – joints popped and bones cracked from the unnatural extension required. He began to turn his head back, further and further, vertebrae shattering as it swiveled to face her. But it wasn’t his face.

The candle on the table behind her seemed to roar into a conflagration, fully illuminating his hideous visage, a demented ashen demon, teeth glistening with gore, lips spread wide with malice and rage. It shouted, “Killer! Killer! Killer! Killer! Killer!”

-----

She woke up screaming, “I’m sorry!”

She grabbed the burning hot talisman hanging from her throat and, through her tears, saw Da’s twisted, angry face in the icon. She ripped it from her neck and threw it across the rented room, and wept.

-----

Blessedly, the ancient stone walls of the inn seemed to be thick enough to stifle her screaming and sobbing. At least, no one came knocking on her door to get her to shut up.

Malekaiah knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep; she was too afraid of further nightmares. She decided to get dressed and go for a walk.

Before she left the room, she glanced back at its dark corner. A faint gleam caught her eye; the demon talisman from her swaddling cloth. She approached it and retrieved it; it was still slightly warm. She reasoned she couldn’t blame it entirely for the dream, and after all, it could prove useful in Wrothgar - it could open some doors. She tied it back around her neck.

Malekaiah quietly left her room and passed through the stone corridor into the inn’s main chamber. Although packed and active last night, in these early hours before dawn it was dead. Everyone had retired to their beds, except for a single drunkard passed out in the corner.

In the lingering light from the fires, she caught a glimpse of the bloodstains on her cuffs. She decided on where her walk would take her.

The air outside was near freezing. Malekaiah wished she’d packed a pair of gloves. She pulled up the hood on her robes in an effort to protect her cheeks from the chill.

It seemed the guards of Markarth kept the streets lit overnight; she saw one a ways down who was tending to a brazier with her torch. Malekaiah considered asking the guard if she had a torch to spare, but she wasn’t brave enough. So she carried on by the occasional light of braziers, hoping she remembered her way back to her destination.

After some searching, Malekaiah arrived: the small stream by the blacksmith’s. (The old Orc woman didn’t seem to be there yet.) She wasted no time undoing the red sash around her waist, and then pulling her ochre robes off and over her head. All that remained was her woolen underclothes, but they still covered her neck-to-ankle.

“Pretty wiry for an Orc, aren’t you?”

Malekaiah jumped and dropped her robes into the stream. She tried to snatch them out, but the flow was too strong. She turned to try to make out who had addressed her in the dark.

“Sorry,” the voice said. “Didn’t mean to startle you. Just wanted to make sure you knew you weren’t alone, so you didn’t strip all the way down.”

Malekaiah strained to focus her eyes. The woman a ways down the stream had a crate of objects that glimmered in the moonslight, and a bandage wrapped around her waving hand.

“Oh,” Malekaiah said. “You’re…”

“My name’s Kerah,” answered the woman in the darkness. “I figure the least I owe you for saving my life is my name.” She waved her hand again. “Can I have yours?”

“Malekaiah.”

“That’s a pretty name,” Kerah said. She reached out with her uninjured hand and grabbed Malekaiah’s robes as they passed by her in the stream. “Come here, Malekaiah. You might want these.”

Malekaiah slowly obliged, drawing closer to Kerah. As she did, she noticed the box was filled with blood-spattered silver jewelry.

“Cleaning the merchandise before we open,” smiled Kerah as she handed Malekaiah the robes. “It needs to be presentable, of course.

Malekaiah knelt beside Kerah and furrowed her brow. “Are you okay?”

Kerah tilted her head slightly. “Oh, it doesn’t hurt anymore,” she said with a light wave of her bandaged hand.

“No,” Malekaiah said, “I mean…” She gestured vaguely at her own shaved head.

Kerah’s face hardened a bit. “It’s fine. Such is life in Skyrim. Especially the Reach.” She pointed at the bloodstains on Malekaiah’s robes. “Not the first time blood’s been shed in this city, and it won’t be the last.”

“Oh,” Malekaiah said. Attention having been drawn to the bloodstains, she began to scrub futilely at them in the stream.

Kerah idly watched Malekaiah’s attempts to clean her robes while fiddling with a necklace from her crate. Finally she said, “That’s not going to work. Here.” She reached beside her and offered Malekaiah a small round object.

Malekaiah took it gently, and her fingers brushed against Kerah’s. She had expected them to be soft, but the tips were rough and calloused. Malekaiah realized Kerah wasn’t just a jeweler - she was a silversmith. The sensation sent a shiver down her spine.

It took a moment for Malekaiah to return to her senses. She examined the smooth object in her hand. It was yellowish-white, with darker flecks throughout. “What is -”

“Soap,” Kerah interjected. “Goat tallow, potash, and a little lavender imported from Whiterun for the scent.” She waved towards the robes. “Give it a try.”

Malekaiah gave the bar of soap a sniff - it did smell faintly of lavender. She began to scrub at the blood stains with it, and gradually they began to fade until all that was left were patches of slightly darker ochre.

“Thank you,” Malekaiah whispered when she was done. She tried to hand back the soap, but Kerah pushed it away.

“No, keep it,” Kerah said. “I have plenty. Margret taught me how to make it a while back.”

“Margret?” Malekaiah asked.

Kerah winced. “She is…was…a customer of mine. She was…the one at my stall this morning. When you were there.”

It took Malekaiah a moment to piece it together. Then the image of the woman’s bleeding throat flashed before her eyes, and she quickly shut them tight. But it didn’t help.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered.

Kerah wiped a moonslit tear from her eye. “It’s okay.” She sighed, her entire body shuddering. “I don’t know about where you’re from, but in Skyrim, we celebrate our dead. Even when they’re taken from us.”

“Anvil,” whispered Malekaiah.

“Hm?” replied Kerah, tilting her head.

“I’m from Anvil. In Cyrodiil.”

“Oh. So was Margret. From Cyrodiil, I mean. Not Anvil.” Kerah smiled. “She was here to buy a pendant for her sister in the Imperial City. Have you ever been there?”

Malekaiah shook her head. “Never left Anvil county. Not until I came here.”

Kerah reached out her hands. Malekaiah accepted the offer with some hesitation, placing her hands in Kerah’s. They certainly weren’t the pampered hands of a merchant; this woman worked a forge. And judging by the quality of her wares, she was good at it.

“So what brings you to Markarth, Malekaiah?” asked Kerah.

“I’m an acolyte of Dibella,” Malekaiah answered. “I’m on my way to Orsinium to proselytize.”

“Hm,” Kerah said. “That must be a tough crowd.” Malekaiah’s face fell a bit, so Kerah added, “But maybe they’ll listen to you, since you’re an Orc and all.”

Malekaiah smiled slightly. “Maybe.”

The sun was beginning to rise now, Kerah’s crate of silver dazzling in the early dawn light. “Damn,” she blurted, pulling her hands away from Malekaiah’s and burying them in the assorted jewelry. “Sorry, I really need to finish this and get ready to open.” She smiled again, wide and sparkling in the sun’s golden glow. “It was lovely getting to know you, Malekaiah. Be safe in your travels, and good luck.”

Without the warmth of Kerah’s hands, Malekaiah’s fingers felt lonely in the cold Skyrim air. “Thank you for the soap,” Malekaiah said as she gathered her wet robes and began to stand.

“You saved my life,” Kerah said as she scraped hard blood from a sapphire. “It’s the least I can do.”

Malekaiah waved awkwardly with the hand holding the soap, but Kerah was now fully engrossed in cleaning her merchandise. Malekaiah nodded and walked away.

The robes tucked under Malekaiah’s arm were dripping wet. Looking up the stream, she saw the blacksmith’s forge again, situated on an island in the center of the flow. She squinted at it in the dull morning light, and could just make out a couple of aprons hanging from a line strung between two of the hut’s posts. She still didn’t see the Orc there, so she approached.

Malekaiah had to ascend a level of the tiered city to find the stone bridge crossing the stream. At the smithy, she glanced around. On a table near the anvil she found a pair of small iron clamps. She took them and used them to hang up her robes on the line with the aprons.

Exhausted from her short sleep that night, she sat at the stool by the table. She pulled her hands in her sleeves to keep them warm, and laid down her head on the table…

-----

Malekaiah was pulled awake by a firm hand wrapping around the back of her neck and yanking up her head. She yelped and reached up her hands, but her assailant slapped them down.

“What are you doing in my workshop, whelp?”

Malekaiah was just barely able to turn her head to see the fuming Orc smith gripping her nape. “I…I…I…” Malekaiah’s sudden rip from sleep kept her from forming a sentence.

“Not thieving, I hope?” continued the Orc woman. “You know what we do to thieves in the strongholds? We take their hands, whelp.” Suddenly, Malekaiah noticed a flash of light on the steel axe in the woman’s other hand.

“Uh, Ghorza?” It was a man’s voice, albeit a timid one, coming from behind the furious woman.

“Not the time, Tacitus,” growled the woman, presumably Ghorza.

“Look,” Tacitus continued anyway. He must have pointed, because Ghorza turned. She moved her whole body to look, letting Malekaiah see Tacitus was gesturing at her hanging robes. “She’s just drying her clothes,” Tacitus laughed.

Ghorza dropped Malekaiah and moved over to the robes. Malekaiah scurried into the corner.

Ghorza plucked the clamps from the line, causing the mostly-dry robes to fall to the floor. “These aren’t clothespins, girl,” she growled. “I’ll have your hide if these rust.”

Tacitus, a soot-faced young Cyrod, bent down to look at Malekaiah - he seemed to take notice of the sheath on her thigh. “Wait, Ghorza. I know this one! She was the one at the market yesterday, who killed the Forsworn!”

Ghorza huffed wordlessly. “Stand up and let me have a look at you, girl.”

Malekaiah felt heat rush to her cheeks as she slowly obeyed, keeping a hand hovering near the sheath just in case. Ghorza towered over her, but Tacitus in the corner was about Malekaiah’s height. Malekaiah began to wonder if she was short for an Orc.

Ghorza placed her rough smith’s hands on Malekaiah’s shoulders, squeezing as she moved down to feel her biceps. “Pretty scrawny,” she said before grabbing Malekaiah’s chin and tilting her head this way and that. “And maybe not so bright - no common sense, at least - but you know how to kill. A decent sign.” She let go and turned around. She pulled something from a rack and turned back to brandish it before Malekaiah. “Here. See how this feels.”

It was a sword - Malekaiah guessed it was made of iron. She took it by the offered handle from Ghorza and waggled it around a bit. It was lighter than it looked.

Ghorza stepped back. “Give it a few swings.”

Malekaiah looked up at Ghorza’s eyes, anxious. But she did as she was told, and swung at the air a few times. They were clumsy swipes, and the sword nearly fell from her hand at the end of the last.

“Stop,” ordered Ghorza. “No training. Shouldn’t be surprised.”

Malekaiah laid the blade across both hands and inspected it. The metal was dull, without the sharp gleam of her Da’s dagger. She asked, “Is this…a gift?”

“No. It wasn’t going to be free, at least.” Ghorza retrieved the sword from Malekaiah with a delicate touch that betrayed a great respect for the iron. “But it wouldn’t do you any good without any skill. Swinging it wildly is ineffective, at best. Get you killed, at worst.” She pointed the sword at Malekaiah’s sheathed dagger. “Better off with something smaller. And staying out of trouble in the first place.”

“Yes, ma’am,” said Malekaiah as she watched Ghorza return the sword to its rack. She took the opportunity to retrieve her robes from the floor.

Ghorza turned back and looked Malekaiah up and down for a moment, arms crossed. Finally she said, “You did good in the market yesterday. Take care of yourself.”

“Thank you,” Malekaiah said.

“Get out of my sight.”

“Yes m-” Malekaiah began, but Ghorza’s eyes flared up, and so she hurried away, nearly tripping over her dangling robes in the process.

-----

Unlike in Anvil, the sun in Skyrim never seemed to rise very high in the sky, even by midday. But Malekaiah knew she’d be mostly keeping to this same northerly latitude for her journey, so she figured she’d have to get used to it.

Malekaiah had stocked up on food and supplies this morning, spending almost all of her remaining gold, before leaving the city about an hour ago. She followed the main road west as it faded from paved to dirt to cleared to tracks to footprints to complete obscurity. Now she and Magnus faced the same direction, the latter sure of his path over the mountains, but Malekaiah much less so. She knelt in the dirt and puzzled.

When overwhelmed, Da always taught her to take things one step at a time. She scanned the jagged horizon of slate-gray peaks, and looked for low passages between the rising slopes and cliffs. She followed a trail of them closer and closer until a nearby path emerged.

She stood and dusted off her knees. She was ready to keep walking, but then she heard footsteps behind her. She turned back to see a woman there she hadn’t noticed before. She was a dark elf, a Dunmer, wearing shiny brass armor and a deep black cloak with red trim. Her hood shrouded her face in darkness, but two locks of white hair spilled out from underneath onto her shoulders.

“Muthsera?” croaked the Dunmer, betraying what Malekaiah understood as the accent natural to residents of the volcanic island of Vvardenfell, in the Ebonheart Pact.

Tentatively, Malekaiah responded, “Yes? How can I help you?”

The dark elf said, “I’m lost. Which way to Solstheim?”

“Oh, I’m not from here,” Malekaiah said with an apologetic smile. But she wracked her brain for memories from her geography lessons. “Solstheim…that’s an island, isn’t it? In the Sea of Ghosts?” She pointed east, behind the Dunmer.

The dark elf didn’t so much as turn her head to acknowledge the gesture. “Oh,” she said, staring exclusively at Malekaiah. “Thank you.” She broke eye contact briefly to glance up at the skies as she asked, “Seen any dragons lately?”

“Sorry? Malekaiah said, looking up where the dark elf did. She didn’t see anything, so she looked back down. “Dragons aren’t real, are they?”

The Dunmer’s lips spread open wide, revealing two rows of yellow, viciously sharp teeth in a wicked grin. “Oh, yes,” she said, her teeth not separating as she spoke, “Of course they’re real.” Her red-nailed fingers wrapped around the corners of her hood and peeled it from her face, the shadows receding to reveal her eyes, blood-red and wide, and the third, tattooed on her forehead, crimson ink glowing brightly. “You’ve just met one.” She rushed forward, grabbing Malekaiah by the face and pressing her thumb into her forehead.

“Praan.”

And nothing but thick blackness remained.

[feeblescholarmyass]

Chapter One: Tighnari

cw: panic attack/extreme anxiety, y/n is not in their bad bitch era yet so ignore how awkward they are, originally written in 3rd person so there may be some pronoun and grammatical mistakes

Sumeru boys x GN!reader

this was posted super fast because it was prewritten. I am not going to be posting daily!!!

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Chat: Amurta

"To be honest, I'm not all that interested in studying medicine. I think that people should also prioritize mental well-being more than the current culture in Sumeru allows. My professors don't really get that, so I just say I like flowers."

"Are you okay?"

It took you a few seconds to understand what he'd said. You opened your mouth to answer, but snapped it back shut when you felt tears start falling.

He frowned and crouched next to you, tilting his head. He took your wrist and felt your pulse, then sighed. "Oh, I see. You're alright now, don't worry."

You nodded, gulping down a whimper. "I'm s-sorry. I didn't... realize... someone else was in here." You wiped away your tears and took a shaky breath.

Are you kidding me?! We almost made it, stupid! Now you're crying again. You've cried every time you started going to a new school. That's so pathetic, you thought.

"You're fine, don't worry about me. Let me guess, first year?" He tilted his head at you, a small smile making you feel less embarrassed.

"Yeah. This place is so big... I was a little overwhelmed. A lot, actually." You shook your head, steadying your breathing.

"What's your name?" He dropped your wrist and placed his arm on his knee, resting his cheek on his palm.

"I'm Y/n." You tugged at a strand of hair.

"Alright, Y/n. What does your schedule look like? I can help show you around before classes start. You are an Amurta student, yes?" He stood, holding out a hand for you.

You looked up at him and met his eyes. Now that you weren't so nervous, you took more notice of him. He had pretty hazel-green eyes and light green streaks in his dark hair that reminded you of your aunt's hair. A golden earring hung from one of his ears. You remembered his pretty friend from before and felt a small twinge of jealousy.

What in Teyvat are all these boys so pretty for? If everyone at the Akademiya looks as pretty as them, I'll really have to up my game.

"My first class is Honors Phytology II. Here, you can look." You pulled a small notepad from a hidden crevice within the folds of your clothes. You turned to a page with your schedule written out in a neat, color-coded print.

"Hm. Honors II? Impressive, first year." He nodded appreciatively. "Come on, I don't want to cut off our tour because of class."

He opened the door of the copy room, revealing a less crowded common area than before.

You slid some of the fabric of your scarf between your fingers reassuringly. The cold material provided the necessary sensory to keep your mind from spiraling like it had before.

You looked around the room, admiring the architectural work. Sconces formed to look like blossoming vines held the small light sources that made the room practically glow. A miniature fountain surrounded by a concrete sitting area sat in the middle of the room directly underneath a fantastical chandelier. The light from the candles reflected off of the thousands of tiny crystals that drooped from the chandelier in a gravity-defying spectacle. Swirling patterns reached out from the center of the room towards the green pillars that held up the vaulted ceiling and bordered the different hallways labelled alphabetically for the subject and numerically for the floor.

"All classes that have to do with plants are normally done in the greenhouse or the lab in hallway F, which is the only hall that only has one floor. During the first semester, you're largely in the greenhouse." Tighnari motioned towards the hall. "You'll be able to find that pretty easily. As long as you know how to make it back here, you won't have to worry about any shortcuts. Those you can learn later."

"Okay," you said, trying your hardest to pay attention. Processing his words was difficult when you was still fawning over the detail put into the room. You weren't an architect, but you were an artist, so it was only natural that you appreciated something so beautiful.

You lagged further and further behind Tighnari before finally realizing how far ahead he was and hurrying to catch up.

"For the rest of your science classes, you'll be in hallway A, which is just over here. Medicinal classes are upstairs, while other sciences are on the main floor."

"Which stairway should I take? Normally one tends to have more traffic than the other, if it's at all like my old schools." You asked, finally comfortable enough to let your hands fall from their protective position by your neck.

"I'd recommend the first one during most hours, but around the end of the day, the second is probably your best bet. It's a weird phenomena that probably has to do with exhaustion and impatience."

"Hm..." You hummed to yourself, sparing a glance at the boy next to you. If only you had a photographic memory you could sketch his expression.

He stopped in his tracks, noticing your shift in attention. "What is it?"

A rush of heat climbed up your neck. "Oh, um, nothing important. Sorry if I distracted you."

He chuckled, meeting eyes with you. "If anything, I'd say I'm the one distracting you." He had a playful glimmer in his eyes, and you cursed your stomach for the summersaults it insisted on performing.

"Whaaat..? Nooo... I'd never be distracted. Never happened." You rolled your eyes and smiled.

Tighnari laughed. It was a warm sort of sound, one that made your stomach swirl and pulled your lips into a bigger grin.

He really is pretty for no good reason, isn't he? Sigh.

"We should continue our tour. Come along," he motioned them forward. He continued to explain each hallway and what classes it housed, then finally led you towards the lunch room.

It was a room even larger than the one before it. Two floors of open space with a large variety of food available to anyone who was able to pay. You felt terribly small in the huge emptiness. Imagining it being filled with people made you even more nervous.

"For anyone who wants a little more space, there is a small section for eating in the upstairs library. It's a lot quieter, and much less people go in there. Most people are there to continue studying. When do you have lunch?" He asked, leading you in a circle back to the hall.

"I've got a long break between psych and elements. My friend and I both have long enough to eat and take a break."

"Oh? A friend?"

"I do have friends, regardless of what you may think of me." You crossed your arms over your chest. Tighnari paused, conflicted between teasing you and being a welcoming upperclassman. "Her name is Layla. She's a Rhawatist student."

"Rhawatist? That must be an interesting friendship dynamic. One who studies the stars, and another who studies the earth." He let out a breath, relieved that you weren't offended by his words.

You paused and thought about it for a second. "No, I don't think it's all that strange. If anything, I think the combination of our studies would make a great research topic. Hm, maybe I should bring it up with her sometime."

Tighnari checked the time and found himself frowning. He had enjoyed talking with you once you had started to get comfortable.

"We should head to class. If you ever need anything, let me know. I am a TA, so it's my job to help students in need."

"I will. Thank you, Tighnari. I enjoyed talking with you."

"And I-" he paused, realizing he had never told you what his name was. "How did you know my name?"

"Oh," You felt a flush of heat again. You hadn't realized he didn't say it. "W-well, Layla and I were getting breakfast this morning, and we ran into you and some of your friends at a cafe. She told me your names." You tried to sink into your scarf, for once cursing the sheerness of the fabric. If you revealed the reason why you had been asking you just might die right there and then.

He laughed, the sound tickling your senses. "Sometimes I forget how curious you first years are. If you ever want me to introduce them to you, I can."

"Really?" You looked up a little too eagerly. "Oh, I mean, that would be nice. Thank you."

"Don't worry about it, I understand. See you around, Y/n. Enjoy your Phytology class. I think you'll like the teacher."

"You enjoy classes too!" You waved goodbye awkwardly before finally heading towards your classroom. The silent hallway felt oddly stifling without Tighnari's calm commentary filling the space.

"No way, really?" Layla yawned, listening as hard as she could. The poor girl looked about to fall asleep in her lunch.

"Yeah. He was super nice and even offered to introduce me to his friends we saw at the cafe. Would that be weird?" You asked. You had been going back and forth on what to do since the first day of school nerves had calmed down.

You had spent your classes so far writing down necessary materials and little notes to yourself based on first impressions. However, you had found your mind drifting elsewhere. Evidence of your thoughts were left in sketches in the margins of your paper. Rough outlines of Tighnari's hair and ears littered the back of the page you had been writing on.

"Hm, I think it would be fun. Maybe you could get Cyno to let you do a portrait of him." Layla teased. You rolled your eyes and huffed.

"At least I actually took one of the few art classes this school even offers. We don't even have a choir. If I wasn't so sure of what I wanted to do, I might regret my school choice." You tugged at an unruly lock of hair, taking a bite of you lunch.

"Speaking of Tighnari and his friends..." Layla yawned and pointed across the lunch room, where the four boys had just entered from the Kshahrewar entryway.

You glanced up and nearly spat out your food. HE!! IT'S HIM!!! PRETTY BOY!!! Well, pretty boys. Archons, please tell me I'm not making eye contact. I am making eye contact, aren't I? Shit.

You were, in fact, making eye contact. Tighnari smiled and said something to the other three. Then, to your horror, they started walking towards you and Layla.

"Layla. Layla, wake up. Layla. Fuck me, I'm on my own. I'll kill you for this, Layla." You muttered, trying to act like you hadn't been caught staring. I probably look like an idiot, she thought.

When they stopped next to the table you were sitting at, you pretended to be surprised. You looked up and smiled, hoping your nervousness wasn't as obvious as it felt. You couldn't tell if you were just paranoid or if people really were watching.

"Oh, hello again, Tighnari." You wiggled her fingers at him and glanced desperately at Layla. She was out.

"So this is the underclassman you've been going on about?" Cyno asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yes, this is Y/n. Y/n, meet Cyno, Kaveh, and Alhaitham." Tighnari motioned to the group behind him. "Mind if we sit with you?"

Technically, yes, you did mind. Having people watching you was one of your least favorite feelings. However, you couldn't really say that you would hate being surrounded with pretty men. On the other hand, there was Layla to worry about. She was asleep, and this was a rare opportunity where she had time to rest.

"Oh, please do. I'm Layla, Y/n's friend." Layla spoke, startling you. You shot her a glare that was met with a cheeky grin.

"I see you're awake now. Eat your lunch. I'm not going to make you extra dinner because you slept through lunch again." You prodded Layla's stomach before scooting over to make more room for the boys.

The boys joined them at the circular table. Tighnari sat next to you, and Cyno next to him. The blond one, Kaveh, sat next to Layla, and Alhaitham left. You decided it was best to not question it.

The boys chatted amongst the three of them, and Layla drifted in and out of exhaustion, sometimes lucid enough to come up with a witty response. You stuck to observing the dynamic, committing their mannerisms and speech patterns to memory for future reference.

Listening to Kaveh talk reminded you of reading a romance novel. His prose was lengthy with impressive vocabulary. He brought to mind maple syrup, with his sweet words and lofty ideals. He tended to ramble on about something or other, enjoying the act of talking along with the sound of his own voice.

Cyno's dry commentary was waved off and even discouraged by Tighnari and Kaveh, but sometimes the combination of his dad jokes and blank serious expressions made you chuckle. His sense of humor reminded you of your dad. Every time he made you laugh, it boosted his ego just a little bit. The visible way he puffed up his chest and let an almost-grin pull at his lips reaffirmed your suspicions that he would make an excellent subject of an art piece.

Best of all was Tighnari. From their interaction earlier, you could never have guessed the extent of his sarcasm. For a TA, he seemed remarkably rebellious. In your head, he had been a strange piece in the puzzle of their group. Now, however, you could see he fit in perfectly.

The only remaining mystery was Alhaitham, the boy from before.

Much too soon for your liking, your break between classes came to an end. You bid farewell to your new friends after giving them your contact information, then went on your way.

You entered the hall towards the Haravatat building, excited for your language class. Throughout school, your language classes had always been your favorite. The challenge of translating back and forth until you fell into an easy familiarity with the words and sounds of a language brought you almost as much comfort as your art class did.

This year, you were finishing the available classes for Fontaine's ancient language. Names from Fontaine had confused you to no end until she started taking the class. It wasn't the most sensible language, and your pronunciation was finicky at best, but it was a welcome difficulty. In comparison to some of your Amurta classes, it was much less dull and required a lot less group work. It was perfect for a chance to relax after lunch.

You made note of the architecture in Haravatat just as you had in Amurta with Tighnari earlier. Where the accents had been green in Amurta, here they were a dark grey. There was much less living greenery ornamenting the halls, and the lights had to be brighter to make up for the lack of brightening decorum. The harsh shine of the fluorescent lights gave you a headache.

Students here carried more textbooks than anything. The lack of precarious experiments allowed you to be less cautious while wandering in an attempt to find your classroom.

You waved your way between students who were gossiping in various languages, and finally saw the right number for your class on the wall. You let out a sigh, relieved that you weren't late.

You opened the door and slipped inside, glancing around to take note of the amount of students in the class. There weren't many, and you didn't recognize those who were there. In one of the back corners, a group of a few people stood and chatted. You made sure to choose a seat across the room from them. You sat more towards the front, but not too close for comfort.

You placed down your bag and grabbed at your scarf. You smoothed it down and checked for any loose strings. When you had assured yourself that everything was in its place, you let yourself relax.

The classroom itself had very little decoration. There was a painting of Fontaine on the front wall, but that was about it.

You sighed sadly, longing to return to Layla and your new acquaintances. At least, at the end of the day, you would be able to go home and eat the congratulatory dinner you had been planning for weeks.

You drifted off into a daydream about the foods you would be able to eat, and how amazing your sleep would be after the day's exhaustion.

Your fantasy was interrupted by a harsh voice from behind you.

"You're not from Haravatat," the voice said. It took you a moment to register what had been said. You turned to look behind you to figure out who had spoken.

You twisted around to get a good look at the person, and felt your heart leap. Fucking hell, fate is surrounding me by pretty men on purpose. I can't tell if it's a blessing or a curse.

There, placing his books on the seat behind her, was the boy that had silently left the group during lunch and never returned. His pretty blue-hazel eyes bored into your own, and you watched a strand of silver hair brush against his cheek before settling against his ear.

You swallowed, hard.

"Oh, Alhaitham, it's you."

taglist: @em-asian @hypernovaxx

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[sunshineluverr]

TXT imagine : How they would confess to you on Valentines Day

Pairing : TXT members x gn!reader

Genre : Fluff

Word count : 1.5k

Yeonjun :

He would definitely make a big deal about it

So he's planned everything out, he is going to give you a big surprise!

He would film himself a tiktok/vlog or video how he spent the whole day buying decorations, snacks, cake, and gifts for you!

He would ask one of the members to stall you outside while he goes and decorates your whole place in pretty balloons, pictures, glitter, confetti, etc.

When you finally come back home, and you're welcomed with the beautiful surprise, house lit up with heart-shaped red and pink lights and decorations. You look at the pictures that were hung up on the wall, with small sticky notes next to them, talking about those memories.

You read the balloon letterings as they spelled out "Will you be my valentine?"

"Hey" your gushing is interrupted by Yeonjun as you finally turn to look at him, he was holding a bouquet of roses in his hands, smiling widely in anticipation, waiting for your response.

"So, what do you say?"

"Yes! of course yes!" You immediately go to throw your arms around him, embracing him in a tight hug.

You were so overwhelmed by all the love and joy and emotion that you didn't even notice Soobin was standing there filming all your raw reactions!

Then the two of you spend the rest of evening, eating the sweets and snacks he bought while watching the video he had made all day, in which he cannot stop rambling about how much he loves you <3

Soobin :

Soobin gets his romantic inspiration from one important source :

Anime.

So what he really desires is a typical beautiful anime confession under the cherry blossom tree at sunset.

Your heart beats with anticipation when Soobin texts you to meet with him at the nearby cherry blossoms tree park.

When you reach there, you were slightly dissapointed to see that none of the flowers are in bloom yet, it was still a  little bit beautiful with the trees covered in snow though.

You search for the exact location of where Soobin asked to meet you, rushing to him when you finally spot him, waving his hand in the air.

"I did not remember the fact that it's still winter when I meant to invite you out here but..."

He hands you a pretty pink envelope with a heart stuck on it.

You open it, it's filled with words. The sweetest words anyone has ever said to you. Soobin was shy so he wrote his heart out for you in that letter. He wrote about every little detail he loved about you, and how much he wants to love you forever.

Small sobs leave your throat as you try to hold in the wave of tears that threatens to leave your eyes because of the deep emotions you felt from reading his beautiful letter.

You suddenly saw, light pink paper conffeti floating around at you, making you finally lift your head from the letter to look at Soobin who was currently throwing fake cherry blossom petals at you, while making an expression aslo looking like he was going to burst into tears.

You laugh at his cute and funny stunt of throwing the petal confetti. "Gosh this is all so amazing and incredible and...I love you so much Soobin!"

He hugs you tight as soon as the words left your lips, both of you beginning to cry your heart out, but they're all tears of pure love and joy! ♡

Beomgyu :

He actually, doesn't make a huge fuss about it. But he definitely plans it for a really long time.

He asked you weeks before valentines that if both him or you are not able to land any dates and end up free on the  14th you'll both go on a date together.

So he spent the whole week before the big day, scaring off any guys that were going to approach you or ask you out, with you having no clue whatsoever about the whole situation.

14th February is finally here, and as promised, you go on a date with Beomgyu since you both ended up free (all according to his plan of course)

First he takes you to an arcade, the two of you getting worked up in your competitive spirits and making a bet about the person that wins the most games, will grant the other's wishes.

Beomgyu, being the expert that he is, beat you by a 12-15 ratio, kind of spoiling your mood when he teases you so much for it.

"Alright alright stop bullying me already, what's your wish?" You ask, kind of nervous on what he has in store for you.

"I'll wish later my genie, let's get something to eat first!"

The two of you go to a nice barbeque place, when Beomgyu gets up to go grab some items from the buffet, your thoughts wander on how you genuinely enjoy this date, and you wouldn't want it to end.

You finish your meals and Beomgyu asks you to wait outside the restaurant for him, with your eyes closed. You're confused but you follow through, anxiety heating your cheeks as you can't see anything, but you wait for him patiently.

You feel a soft thing touching your body, your eyes snap open in reaction, coming in veiw with a ridiculously giant stuffed teddy bear. Beomgyu's head pokes out from under the bear's arm, and he has a dumb smile plastered over his face.

You can't help but burst out in a fit of laughter at his cuteness.

"Happy Valentine's day!" He exclaimed, handing you the bear.

"Really? You're giving this to me?" You ask, a bit shocked but still really happy about the gift.

"Yes I am! You have to keep it okay?" He insisted, pouting

"I will, I will! Thank you so much this is so sweet!" You say, hugging the bear. "But wait Gyu, what was your wish all about? Do you still want that?"

"yes and my wish is...this"

He said in a low voice, hands pushing down the bear, and slowly moving to cup your face, leaning down to place a peck on your lips.

You're left in shock, face flushed from the sudden kiss but you finally giggle, bringing your hand to his neck, pulling him down for another one.～⁠♡

Taehyun :

(I just know that Taehyun is the biggest romantic even if he doesn't seem like it)

You were so busy all the time with work and assignments that you completely forgot that something like Valentine's day exists.

So when you get a text from Taehyun to come over to help him with something, you didn't think much of it at all.

When you get to his place, you notice the vibe there was definitely very weird, the lights were off with only a few lamps and a few candles lit up. Scented ones you realise when you can smell sweets like cupcakes or something, in the air.

Taehyun asks you to take a seat, not showing even a pinch of his nervousness in his demeanor about what he's about to say to you.

"So what did you need my help with Taehyun?"

"Yes, the thing is, I've been writing a song these days and I'm going to sing it right now, and I want your honest opinion on it"

"Okay sure! Go ahead!" You say in excitement as he plays a melody on his phone and unfolds a peice of paper with some lyrics printed on them.

He begins to sing in his beautiful and crystal clear voice, sending chills all over your body. You loved listening to him sing so much, his voice was really your favourite. You close your eyes and you let yourself relax into the music of him singing so well for you.

The lyrics were rather... romantic, oddly for Taehyun, because he usually doesn't write such cute and lovely words, but it was still so sweet and you felt your heart ache, almost as if you were hoping he would dedicate these words to you.

He finishes the song and you immediately start to clap your hands in the undying appreciation you had for him for putting on the brilliant performance.

"That was incredible Tyun! What's the song called?"

He hesitates for a bit in giving you a response before he finally tells you.

Your shock was evident on your face as your lips fell apart, dark red painting your cheeks, when he said that the title of the song was your name.

"Wait w-what do you mean?" You say, kind of scared, not letting your hopes up.

"It means I love you. And that I meant every word I sang in the song, for you" Taehyun confesses and your heart skips a beat. You gasp, from the surprise and happiness, and you pull yourself closer to him, placing a kiss on his cheek, making his eyes lit up.

"Taehyun...I feel the same way, I love you too, so much...thank you, for all this"

He holds you tight, letting out a heavy sigh in your neck almost as if he was holding his breath in from how nervous he was. He placed a kiss on your forehead before smiling to look at you.

"Come on, I cooked something for you, your favourite" he said grabbing your hand and you squeal in excitement.

Huening Kai :

He would plan everything perfectly only to...chicken out at the last minute.

He had bought you so many cute plushies to express you how much he loves you, and take you to an aquarium to see cute fishes and penguins and present all the gifts there. He even bought the tickets beforehand!

But when it came to inviting you out he was so awkward and scared he completely messed it up :(

"Hey? You doing anything tomorrow?" He asked you the day before after mustering up all his courage.

"Yeah, I actually do have plans but they're not valentiney. I have to help my dad with cleaning out his garage space, he's been asking me non-stop!"

"Oh..." Huening Kai replied in a very low tone, defeated and unable to bring himself to ask you for the date.

So he did what any single man does for valentines day, sit in his bed all day, surrounded by hundreds of his plushies and munch the sorrows away by eating ice cream.

Well that was until he checked his phone, heart jumping at the fact that you texted him.

My love ^3^♡ : Hyuka! Hey i was bored so I texted you lol

My love ^3^♡ : I'm actually finished up with my dad quite early yay

My love ^3^♡ : So...wyd??

It's like you had read his mind! Or heart! He immediately began to text back the first thing that came on his mind.

Hueningkai : I love you!!!!! >3< ♡♡♡♡

He realised that might me a bit too straightforward so he was about to delete that message but his life flashed before his eyes when the message suddenly showed 'seen'

My love ^3^♡ : Really?? Is this a prank?

Now he cannot say he's pranking you because then that would be lying and risking hurting your feelings. Gosh this was not how he planned it at all.

Hueningkai: wait no its not! I actually do love you! No joke! I want you as my girlfriend...

My love ^3^♡ : Omg? I can't believe it...me too Kai! I love you too.. >\\\<

Hueningkai throws his phone after reading that last message.

And you're wondering, feeling slightly dissapointed that he didn't reply to it, you put down your phone finally because you've been emptily staring at the 'seen' message for about 10 minutes now. You're nervous that you could've scared him off.

But it was infact, quite literally the opposite.

Your moping was interrupted by someone on the door, ringing the doorbell a lot more times than necessary.

"Coming coming!" You yell to the impatient person as you rush to open the door. You were surprised to see, Huening Kai, panting heavily, and face glistening with sweat. He was also carrying a huge bag

"Kai! Oh my god! Did you just...run all the way over here...??"

"No! Yes! I mean yes! I did! And I'm so happy but we have to go!!"

"Go? Go where?" You were still trying to wrap your head around the situation.

"The aquarium! Before it closes! Hurry! Get your bags or anything!"

"Uh um? Oh? Okay!"

You quickly rush to grab your purse and keys and you glanced yourself in the mirror for a second before getting out and letting Kai drag you wherever.

The aquarium was so fun and amazing. you and Hueningkai took a lot of pictures together with the fishes and the penguins, and with every stop he would give you a plushie and tell you one thing he loved about you which made your heart brighten so much. He was so happy that things fell into place after all.

The two of you had a beautiful first date to start off your beautiful relationship together <3 

A/n : Hope you enjoyed reading this! Comments and feedback are highly appreciated <33

[allergic-to-buttercups]

Valentine's Gift For Dsnzfb

Hi @dsnzfb! I was your secret snz Valentine! I wrote some P/hoenix and E/dgeworth for you, I hope you like it!

Story features: allergies, holdbacks, stuck sneezes, very very slight character-with-the-kink, and E/dgeworth being the flustered mess we know and love.

Unfortunate truth the first: M/iles E/dgeworth was allergic to cherry blossoms.

Unfortunate truth the second: he had made this -fascinating- discovery due to the limited-edition Spring In Neo Olde Tokyo Samurai & Pink Princess Scented Plushie Set, a Valentine's Day-adjacent product of which only two hundred had been manufactured and sold.

Unfortunate truth the third: he had a meeting with W/right in approximately five minutes to discuss an upcoming case the man wanted E/dgeworth's advice about, and he very much did not want his...rival? friend? Crush...to know that he had purchased such an item. Yes, he no longer deluded himself into thinking that W/right wasn't at least a bit aware that he was a closet Steel Samurai fan, but owning a -bright pink- -highly romantic- -Valentine's themed- -limited edition- plushie set wasn't something he was -quite- ready to admit to the man who stirred in him such complicated (unnecessary) feelings.

Unfortunate truth the fourth: W/right was early for the meeting, for once in the man's blasted life, and E/dgeworth had time to do nothing but shove the plushie set in the top drawer of his desk and close said drawer, desperately hoping that the teasing, tickling scent would remain trapped inside for the duration of his conversation with W/right.

W/right hadn't even finished laying out the case documents he'd brought for E/dgeworth to look over when his hope was squashed.

He can smell it. The horrible, cloying, artificial cherry blossom scent. He's not sure if it's because his desk isn't doing enough to block it out or because enough of the perfume had spread into the office air before he sealed away the offending plushie, but he can smell it.

And oh, his nose -tickles.-

When M/iles E/dgeworth is allergic to something, he's not the kind of man who sniffs delicately or has a slight cough or develops hives or anything along those lines. No, E/dgeworth's allergies manifest in one way and one way only:

Enormous, trumpeting sneezes that simply -cannot- be stifled and -cannot- be stopped.

And, of course, -always- seem to come in fits.

He needs, he realizes, to hold off the fit until W/right has left. He remembers the other man having been aware of his massive fits when they were children together, back when it was a source of humor rather than embarrassment, but he does not want his rival-friend-possibly-crush-definitely-someone-he-wants-to-impress to know that he is STILL plagued by such undignified sneezes.

It is not going to be an easy task.

The scent is everywhere, in every breath. He breathes through his mouth, and it helps not the slightest. His nose wants desperately to twitch, to hitch, and keeping his face still is a Herculean task.

Still he tries.

And tries.

But oh, he has to -sneeze-.

And then, of course, it gets worse, because he's supposed to be helping W/right with a case, so it's not like he is able to simply stay quiet throughout the meeting. Soon, W/right has finished listing out the facts of the case - as though E/dgeworth hadn't researched it beforehand, which he of course had - and is asking the prosecutor for his opinion.

"The reason my client, Mr. Blossom, is accused of the murder is because the victim, Miss Addison Shoo, recently purchased a huge bouquet of flowers from his shop, Blossom's Blossoms. She had a boyfriend, who she planned to gift the flowers to. The prosecutor - one of the Paynes, although I can't for the life of me remember which one - is going to insist that the flowers were poisoned, because the victim's cause of death was poison."

"That's patently ridiculous," E/dgeworth responds. For a moment, he's so caught up in the insanity of the Payne's accusation that he conquers the tickle, getting out a full sentence. But then, he takes in a breath to speak more, and the tickle spikes, driving deep into the back of his nose. For a moment, the sneeze feels like an inevitability, and his attempt to get out his next words without hitching is a miserable failure. "How could flah...ehhh...flowers be poisoned?"

He hopes Wright won't catch the hitch.

He hopes in vain.

"Are you all right, M/iles?" the defense attorney asks in that damnably soft, stupidly caring voice. "If you're not feeling well, we can-"

"I'm fine!" the prosecutor snaps. Do not let your voice hitch, he tells himself. Do not take in a sharp breath. Do not allow your traitorous nose to twitch. You are in control. You are -fine-.

He is not fine.

"I am merely ahh...noyed that a prosecutor in my employ could make such a..." Here he pauses, forcing another hitch back, back, desperately trying to conquer the tickle. For a moment, he emerges victorious. "Such a ridiculous accusation. The poison must have been delivered another way."

W/right looks down, eagerly shuffling through the papers, presumably looking through the record of the victim's final hours for any sort of other method by which the poison might have entered her body. E/dgeworth takes advantage of the other man's brief distraction to press a single longer, aristocratic finger underneath his nose.

For a moment, it works. For a moment, it is bliss. The tickle subsides, and E/dgeworth keeps the finger pressed where it is for one, two, three, four, five glorious seconds. Then W/right looks back up, and E/dgeworth hurriedly removes his finger and tries to act as though he was simply adjusting his cravat.

For one blessed moment, he thinks the tickle is gone.

Then that scent, that horrid -scent- invades his nostrils once more, and he knows that he is wrong. Worst, he has misjudged the situation, quite badly.

Holding his finger under his nose had only allowed the tickle to incubate. Now, when it returns, it is sharper, fiercer, a battering ram against his formerly iron defenses.

He dares not move. He dares not speak. He dares not -breathe-.

He just needs to fight this cresting wave, and then the tickle will surely, -surely- back down again. He just needs to be strong for a little longer, and he will not sneeze. He! Will! Not! Sneeze!

"Huh, wait, this is weird," W/right says, his brow furrowing as he notices an odd detail in the paperwork he is scanning. "It says here that Miss Shoo was financially unstable, having lost her job a few weeks ago and not found any new one - but according to Mr. Blossom's testimony, she purchased the most expensive bouquet in the shop."

Oh, it tickles. Oh, it -tickles-.

"Consisting entirely of rare and exotic flowers-"

Do not sneeze. Stay strong.

"like passion lilies, birds of paradise..."

"Ahhh..." Okay, that had been a hitch, but acceptable damages, W/right had been too caught up in expounding on his new theory to notice.

"....oh, and hmm, also it looks like the bouquet contained a lot of..."

No, W/right, do not say it, or I shall lose this battle! E/dgeworth thought as his nose twitches and throbs. Somehow he knows that even the word will set him off, will remind him of the scent that invades his nostrils.

"...sprigs and sprigs of fresh cherry blossoms."

"HAH'SCHUUUUUUU!" The sneeze is out of him before he can even think to stifle or hold back. His allergies are so severe that even hearing the word -cherry blossom- was enough to spark a sneeze.

W/right looks up, shocked. "Ble-" he starts to say.

"kSCHUUU! hah'SCHUUU!" Two more sneezes follow before he can even get the word out.

"M/iles, are you all right? We can postpone if you-"

The tickle is still there, but he fights, he -fights.- "No, W/right, please, it was merely a brief irritation." He is not going to sneeze any more. He is not going to reveal the allergen tucked within his drawer that he had so foolishly purchased. "Continue."

"Okay, if you're sure..." W/right doesn't look sure, and E/dgeworth does not -feel- sure, not with the tickle still battering against his nasal defenses, not without now knowing just how -wonderful- the relief of a good sneeze had felt, but onward he presses.

"Well, purchasing such an expensive bouquet surely implies that she had come into some money, somehow? And we know it wasn't a new job, at least not anything official - she was constantly active on social media, and she posted about all of her previous jobs the same day she was hired." "Heh..." E/dgeworth agrees with a hitchy nod. There's another sneeze building, and he's tempted just to let it out. He's embarrassed, true, but he'd already sneezed in front of W/right and admitted to a "slight" tickle in his nose (although "slight" is not -really- the word he would use to describe it) and so another sneeze would not seem -that- strange. And this is a devilishly tickly one.

So he'll let it out, he decides. It feels like a single, and not a particularly large one, by his standards, and it will probably go a long way towards alleviating the teasing tickle.

Only, now that he's decided that, it seems that the sneeze doesn't -want- to come out.

"Heh...ahhh..." He hitches under his breath, trying to urge it a long. Just a moment ago, he had been desperately trying everything in his power -not- to sneeze, and now the sneeze simply...won't come.

"She hah...hahh...hahhh...d a boyfriend, didn't she? Wouldn't such a bouquet make sense for a romantic gift?" He breathes in through his nose as he talks, trying to urge more of the tickly scent into his nasal passages, but the dastardly odor seems to have at last dissipated, because the sneeze remains firmly stuck.

W/right eyes him oddly, but has the good sense not to question him. That, or he's genuinely too caught up in the discussion of the case to notice. "Yes, but they'd only been officially dating for three months, and it didn't seem from Miss Shoo's posts that things were getting serious yet. And it wasn't any sort of anniversary, or his birthday, and they definitely weren't getting engaged or moving in together or anything of the sort."

Breathe in, breathe out. Tickle, tickle. Sneeze, damn you, sneeze! he tells himself. But it won't happen. It will not come. The sneeze is well and truly stuck.

"So she wasn't in a financial place to buy him a fancy bouquet with no reason..."

His nostrils flare. "Ahh...heh..." For a moment, he thinks he has it. But no, the damned thing backs away again.

"...and there -is- no obvious reason, which makes me think it has something to do with money. She had gotten some, and was planning to surprise him with the bouquet alongside the good news. It would make sense - Mr. Blossom confirmed that the boyfriend was a regular customer of his, and his social media is full of pictures of his houseplants. He was a known flower fan."

"Did Mi...did Miss...heh...ahhh...Did Miss Sha....Miss Ah....Ahhhh...Ahhhh...." Even the victim's name seems to tease him, reminding him of the sneeze he desperately wants to release from his poor, tormented nose. "Did Miss Shahh...Shaaaaahhh....Ahhh..." The tickle is poised right there on the edge, but it -just won't come out-, there's nothing he can do, he can't talk without hitching, can't -breathe- without hitching, but he just simply cannot SNEEZE!

"M/iles, please, just sneeze if you need to. You don't have to hold back on my account. I'm not grossed out or anything, I promise." "That's nahh...nahhh....not..." His voice has taken on a helpless, whining tone that he hates more than anything. "It's stah...stuck!" "Oh." The tone of W/right's voice is not pity or amusement as he had dreaded, but genuine concern, mixed with...Interest? Fascination? Between gasping breaths, E/dgeworth looks up. The defense attorney's eyes are locked on his face - no, on his desperately twitching, flaring nose. In those eyes are an intensity E/dgeworth almost never sees outside of the courtroom. The evidence leads to only one conclusion, although he cannot for the life of him figure out -why- it is so: P/hoenix W/right wants him to sneeze. And he wants to sneeze, too, now. The tickle has been teasing him for well over a minute, he cannot -breathe- without even gasping. Throwing caution to the wind, E/dgeworth flings open the drawer, freeing the awful cherry blossom-scented plushies within. A wave of faintly floral air bursts upward, and the sneeze crests at last. "KA'SCHOOO! ahhhhCHOOOO! haaaaaa....ahhh....ACHOO! KER'SCHOO! AHHHHHHHHHCHOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Well, not sneeze, but -sneezes-.- When the fit has calmed at last, the expression on P/hoenix W/right's face has moved from mere interest into something pointed and dark, filled with the promise of very, -very- interesting discoveries for a curious prosecutor to make should he pry further. In a move far more spontaneous than he is used to making, he hands the scented plushies to the defense attorney. "Happy Valentine's Day, W/right," he manages to get out before gearing up for yet another tortured, allergic sneeze. "HAH'SCHOOO!" "Happy Valentine's Day to me indeed," W/right murmurs, the case documents on the desk completely forgotten as he thoroughly examines his new acquisition. (M/iles E/dgeworth's theory about the affect his sneezes have on one P/hoenix W/right turns out to be correct, and the scented Steel Samurai and Pink Princess plushies quickly become both the bane and the blessing of his existence over the next many, many nights spent in W/right's arms. Eventually, they do manage to solve the case, finding the stub of a winning lottery ticket that had been purchased by a Miss Addison Shoo but cashed in by her boyfriend, a Mr. O. Bviousguilt. During the trial, the cherry-blossom filled bouquet becomes a key piece of evidence, much to the delight of a certain defense attorney and the frustration of a poor prosecutor who decides to support his -own- new boyfriend by watching the whole thing from the gallery, a sneezy, allergic mess throughout the trial but there to cheer P/hoenix on regardless.)

[thereader-radhika]

2- Friends and Foes from the Beyond

Part 1

Nandini shivered as the rain came pounding down. Thirumalai says that she feels colder these days because she lost too much weight. She tied a piece of cloth over her thin grey hair fashioned into a small bun. When she was younger and the hair was thicker, it used to stay tight for a long time.

"Aazhi mazhai kanna . . . ", she hummed as she covered herself with the thick blanket given by Annan and lied down on the mat. Since the day his gurunathan handed her over to him, she hasn't let him know peace or rest. Even in this old age, he dutifully visited her at least thrice every year.

"Do you need heat, kanmani?"

She woke up with a start and looked around frantically searching for the source of that sound. Which devil has come to torture her today? It seems like father-in-law and son-in-law have come together today. Weren't Pandyas the sworn enemies of Pazhuvettaraiyar? How could they become such thick friends in death?

"Our darling is confused."

"My little girl isn't confused. This smart girl killed him and avenged poor old me." Veera Pandyan's severed head laughed from Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar's lap. "No, I didn't kill . . . ", Nandini groaned. The events of that cursed night replayed in her mind.

"Hoy! Hoy! Veera Pandyan thalai konda Koparakesari stabbed himself. You are such a misfortune".

"But he too didn't get her maama", Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar tickled Veera Pandyan's cheeks and he laughed even louder.

"I will only blame you. You clothed her in the finest silk and gold, endured all mockery while this yakshi was observing fasts and austerities for that upstart".

"That isn't true. She touched my arms a few times".

"Chi! Are you a man? I was with her mother only for a few days but I shot two birds with one stone", Veera Pandyan's head winked. Nandini felt like vomiting but her body was unable to move. Someone caressed her hair and wiped her tears. Amma! She buried her head into her lap and cried bitterly.

"How many men have these women claimed to be their lovers? Pathetic maamiyar, her hopes were shattered when Sundara Cholan's veera-patni entered the pyre with her husband. That's our Chola women for you". Pazhuvettaraiyar's boasting turned to screams as Veera Pandyan's furious head bit his hands.

"Don't you hear this, you whore? I am so embarassed to admit that you are my daughter too".

"Sorry maama. I have spoken in anger."

"Don't worry. I will teach you to tame unruly women".

"Thanks. I will try it on her in our next birth".

Nandini's blood boiled as she listened to this exchange. She only hoped to console the old man after using him for years but he haunts her with her own words. "Get lost, you old perverts. I will never be yours".

"Old? Have you seen yourself, moothevi? Do you think your komagan will look twice at you? Even your mother looks younger than you. How lovely of them to send my mohini to me!"

Veera Pandyan's headless body approached Mandakini as the head jeered at Nandini from Pazhuvettaraiyar's lap. She dropped Nandini's head on the hard floor and dashed into the rain as the mutilated body followed her with outstretched arms. Nandini massaged her temples. Isn't there an end to this? Earlier, it was Veera Pandyan alone. After that fateful night, more apparitions started to torture her.

Where is he?

Why hasn't he come today? Is it because she looks old and ugly now? Perhaps he doesn't want her anymore.

"You know that isn't true", Aditha Karikalan chuckled from the other side of her mat. She tried to hug him but her arms passed through his form. She got as close as she could get and stared into those lovely brown eyes.

"Do they bother you . . . there?"

"No. Don't you know that we have our own place?  For us."

"Ummmm"

"There are a lot of flowers. You can make as many garlands as you want and I will adorn your neck with all of them".

"Can we take my Amma too? She doesn't have anyone else."

"Yes, but she won't come alone".

"I am coming. I just want to meet Ponniyin Selvan once, just once, and tell him everything. After that I won't linger. I can't wait."

His form dissolved into thin air before her eyes but she heard his whisper, "Neither can I".

Parts 3, 4

@favcolourrvibgior @willkatfanfromasia @sowlspace @sampigehoovu @sakhiiii @ambidextrousarcher @harinishivaa @celestesinsight

[understandableparadox]

Bottom of the barrel Isekai review

Today we are looking at the following, "The white cat's revenge as plotted from the dragon kings lap."

christ thats a long as title.

anyways, do you have a friend? no? yes? maybe? how nice, how do you treat them? how do you speak with them? how do you interact with them? while you are filling out this survey, could you be as kind as to fill out those silly little digits on that odd plastic card in your mothers purse for moi~?

no? well fuck you to.

the flowers, the painfully average looking protag, the specific notation about the eye color? we are about to dive into the live of a special young lady and her mystical adventures through whimsy and wonder.

anyways the story is that ruri, are main charecter lives a rather average life with her super importent dad and her super model mom, as the image stats, how could her life ever be distrupted in any form or fashion?

if you guess that a random girl made friends with her and followed her for most of her life until they both got sucked into a fantasy world and the kingdom decided the friend would be the priestess, then you would be correct~!

"But dox!" you say crawling out of my airvent "thats huge gap in time, what happened in between?"

well asashi and ruri had a rather odd relationship. you see, everyone fucking loves asashi, they are all in on ensureing that this random girls life is as easy as possible but at the expense of asashi. they will all work togather to do make sure asashi is happy while also bullying ruri.

do you feel that? thats the worm in my brain slowly getting into yours as more and more questions about this specific dynamic arise. some of them will be answered, but they will only be answered in a way that makes sure the worm Burrows Deeper.

first question: its clear ruri fucking hates asashi, why do i say shes her friend?

second question: Why are they friends? why hasent ruri made her leave her alone if she doesnt like her?

well to answer those questions...

as asashi is appointed the new priestiess ruri attempt to discover things about this kingdom, she learns from a priest that there is no way back home that they know of, nor are their any stories of a person summoned being Un summoned.

anyways we cant get any plot done here! we need to roundaboutly kick shit off while also makeing this asashis fault somehow!

so she ends up getting kicked from the castle, forced to wander the woods for the rest of her natural life, her mulchcore attitude persaudeing her to lay down and become one with it all...

ok no thats not what happens, she walks around a little bit, learns she is the greatest mage alive

, wanders presumably without food and water for five days, yes im screaming at the overpowered mc cliche once again just ignore it, where in she meets a old lady in the woods

who of course unlocks her

Special eyes of destiny

which allows her to see the collection of fucking creepy fairies that constently surround and are touching her at any given moment of the day.

I am lead to belive due to the daisies drawn in the back ground that this is supposed to be a moment of whimsy and joy, this image fills me with a special dread as it fullfills almost every single one of my autistic fears imagineable. night mare night mare nightmare.

anyways magic is discussed for a vary long time but oh fuck, we havent complained about asashi in five seconds, time to make a horrifying point about her!

this conclusion seems to be that no one can truly love asashi as all the love she will ever feel is artifically grown because of her magic. this also means that if you have a strong heart and a good soul you cannot love asashi because you would naturally and rightfully find her as annoying as ruri would. this is because ruri is the only one that can see her objectivly.

if you hare undergoing a string of panic that comes from the fundamental question that comes from the doubt of love from the sources in your life, dont worry, Ruri says she is annoying and bad and the story belives her to be objectivly correct so everyone belives that if they are good. you are a good person right?

growing dread aside, more plot, the fairys bend to the whim of ruri, all faries, meaning that unless you are a motherfucking wizard, the one source of universal and public magic has been cut off. all villagers that relied on water and fire magic have been cut off. farmers that need earth magic are cut off.

of course this is not her fault because again she is an objectivly good person with a good heart so she tut tuts the fairies for depriving villagers of clean drinking water and easy acess to heat and light for a week and the story moves on.

she learns more magic, she summons the fairy of time and they platoniclly flirt because ruri is a completely heterosexual girl.

the fairy of time is a simp and donates to her only dimensional space. one item of which is a bracelet that turns her into a cat, fulfilling one item on the title.

she goes to the market, her special chosen one powers make her super duper populer and people naturally want her advice and to give her money

wait a second, what time is it?

OH FUCK, WE HAVENT COMPLAINED ABOUR ASASHI IN A BIT!

SHE HAS A FUCKING NIGHTMARE OF ASASHI GIVING UP HER DREAM LIFE IN A FANTASY WORLD TO BE WITH HER, THIS IS CONSIDERED A BAD THING, IN ANY OTHER MANGA THIS WOULD BE CONSIDERED A ROMANCE TO END ALL ROMANCES

she decides to leave and go to the city of dragons because fuck it, thats a thing to do, she has to tell them she is the special chosen one with the blue eyes and blonde hair.

we cut for a second our lead.

as you can see the prince through his actions is a completely heterosexual man, one that loves Boobs And Vagina. as one can clearly Tell.

anyways the prince is creepy, he walks through town in disgues, happens upon ruri and without a second thought proceeds to do this:

gross.

anyways, the prince tells his homophobic advisors that he met a girl and they immeditly start a witch hunt for her while ruri enters the room as a cat to establish that again, she is the special chosen one of destiny.

anyways she meets the prince and nothing happens. the fairies threaten to kill everyone with the knowladge that ruri has apocalyptic plot armor.

now, to explain what a special chosen one is:

"hey dox, pre-emptivly asking a question, why would their ever be a chosen one? it seems their sole existance is to get a small scratch and make everyone die about it."

GREAT QUESTION, I DONT FUCKING KNOW, THEY APPERENTLY CAUSE PROSPARITY BUT I HAVE YET TO SEE IT, NOT EVEN A GOD DAMN DECENT 401K

anyways the prince gets Really attached to the Cat

Really Close.

this is explained through the fact that they have simalier wavelengths or similier magic types, meaning that they feel lonely without each other nearby.

the manga is astouindingly quick to stifle any comparison to asashi because remeber, asashi is Objectivly Bad and Unloveable.

Remember, Wanting to be friends with someone and not immeditly knowing if they like you or not makes you an objectivly Bad and Annoying person.

cut forward a bit, more werid cat flirting and she gets a job outside the palace... anyways she hears knews that the kingdom she was exiled from is wageing a war against the nation of dragons. this is handwaved as being something they just do when they find some cool magic shit.

but notably, the reason for the war has changed, as rumors have emerged that the priestess of the kingdom is supporting the war to save ruri who they belive to be kidnapped.

she gets sad about this and goes to the grandma to whine about it.

so we can see here a few things.

we are supposed to belive that its completely unreasonable for asashi to make the assumption that her best friend has been kidnapped.

that it is her fault for allowing a war to happen when we know that regardless of her support they would wage it regardless

ruri only considers asashi a friend when it is deemed attractive to her moral charecter.

yes this is the first time ruri has every said that asashi is anything resembling a friend to her.

she slips into the castle after some poverty porn about how evil and bad this kingdom is, we get a brief scene showing the king is planning on makeing sure both asashi and the prince die because he finds him annoying (I guess he has a strong and objectivly good soul)

"Man, isnt asashi awful, worrying about her friend like that? wanting people to help her find her? isnt she just the fucking Worse ever?"

im going insane, the worm has won, they have consumed any rational part of my brain and replaced it with the vast rot of whatever fucking bizarro verse this manga demands me to be within.

the two friends finally reunite after being seperated for so long.

we get a sob story about a time she broke her watch because again, asashis charm powers make people jealous of how close she is to asashi, so they bullied her and since asashi has literally never seen anyone ever act anything like that because again, everyone s magically forced to love her unconditionally, she doesnt belive her.

and of course she dosent belive her either but instead of just blindly saying no to ruri, she says she'll talk to them about it, when its clear ruri fucking hates that idea, and gets ready to leave with a little cryptic warning, she asks to flee with her

which again is displayed as a creepy and werid thing because she accidently uses her charm magic that we have established she has no control over. again, in any other manga the idea that while you may not belive what you hear, you are willing to give up any comfort to be with your friend, would be considered the most profound act of love. please feel free to contrast this to captian hair sniffer and Cat spooner.

I cannot add any more images so lets speed run this. asashi is shaken up so she goes to the king to ask him whats going on, he says "Mind control" which lets be perfectly clear, is an established and perfectly reasonable thing to belive can happen in a magical fucking world, asashi is shown to be dumb for belive this.

war happens and nothing happens, dragons win by a land slide and asashi gets captured.

she dosent belive the dragon princes words and all of her allies that got captured with her are placed in an anti magic zone and now hate her completely because again, without magic, asashi is completely and utterly unloveable.

ruri makes friends with another god and they learn that asashi convinced a guard to let her go because i guess that charm magic works whenever. but shes stuck in a dungeon and she may run into the soldiers who i guess the charm magic wont work on which leaves us with this haunting scene:

we are told that asashi legitamitly does not understand what the fuck is going on, she does not understand why they hate her, she just thought she was going to save her fucking friend.

Behold Your Antagonist.

it ends with that.

here are the questions.

"Is the underlying story, barring any other concept, good?" 

Kinda. its vary bland and vary generic. its a romance that does not know how to present itself a romance. it is a romance that spends more time complaining about someone then being in love.

"on a sliding scale of min to max, how much is the author using this to explore fetish" 

none, the few saveing graces.

"How many story crutches does the author use to explore the story" 

an absurd amount, from the plot contrivances to the power cliches, to the physical attributes denoting specialness to ensure we and the charecters know to treat her in a special way.

 "Is the author attempting to use the story as a way to explain why he is not weird."

yeah, if you have any fucking trouble with social interactions or cant read people, then you are an objectively bad person, and if you are somehow populer, no one actully loves you, and they are being forced to love you.

[dranna]

Comfort in the dark

AO3 / Commissions / Links /

Includes: POV Lucius, which halfway through will be POV Severus, hurt/comfort, breakdown, feeling of dread and death, fluff at the end, not beta read, let me know if I left something out

Thank you for the request @tea-and-magic , I’m sorry it took so long ~

a/n: I saw the movies long ago and I don’t like the books (mainly because they are pov harry, sorry :’) ). I apologise if some things doesn’t make sense canon wise. So I’m certainly making things up here lmao ^^’

@giosnape thank you for the short and info filled summery of the books 😂🫶

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

“Dark times we live in.”

As everyone’s been saying.

Recently Fear’s been silently sitting,

On Unmarked souls and Servants,

Creeping in homes and jolly feasts,

Choking their voices away.

With Fear came Darkness and Cold,

Spreading like snow,

Covering the Warmth and Sun,

Suffocating the blooming flowers of Trust.

Lucius was breathing in

The chilly night air,

Which he thought could never feel again,

The Dark Lord had risen to full fame,

Freeing his slaves from their graves.

The Dark Lord—

He Who Shall Not Be Named,

Holding all dread above heads,

How to have the courage to look,

Into those icy snake-eyes that ruin?

Lucius was thinking while he froze,

Onto the spot he was looking at the Moon.

Terror constrained his heart,

It’s long nails leaving wounds and alarm.

He looked at the Moon again,

As if begging for calmness.

She was the only light source that night,

Not even her Starts visible on the sky,

She gave off a chilly yet comforting light,

Blinking at Lucius from above.

I can’t stay here,

They will find me and—

No, this can’t happen.

He would torture me and mock,

With those reptile eyes and high pitched voice.

I can’t go home—

Home?

I don’t even have my mansion anymore,

It’s part of His kingdom for a while now.

His mind raced as he started to walk,

He didn’t know where or why,

His legs carried him silently towards a house.

Yes it’s His,

Like Everything,

One snowy touch and it’s belongs to him.

And Narcissa and my Draco?!

Are you alright?

Where are you?

Has he started to work his ‘arts’ on you too?

I hav—need to help you,

But I can’t!

He started to sob,

While his lonely steps echoed in the dark.

I can’t I can’t I can’t,

I can’t go back!

To see Him and feel His presence!

Goosebumps ran through his body,

While he felt coldness flowing through him.

“I ca-an’t”

The word breaking through his lips,

He felt freezing and desperate,

Sinking to his knees and stare,

Into the void he was in.

Tears started to flow down his white cheeks,

Growing bigger every minute.

His mind was slow and foggy,

Showing him only pictures of Him,

His thoughts couldn’t sail away,

From His thundering storm,

Locking Lucius under icy water.

He felt the numbing feeling in his bones,

But acting against it was impossible.

“Lucius!?”

A new voice entered his mind,

Which sounded familiar,

It was slow and deep,

Mixed with disbelief.

Lucius lifted his gaze and saw,

A man with crooked nose,

A shocked expression on his usually grumpy face,

Shiny dark hair melting into the darkness.

He looks.. I know him,

But I’m so tired I can’t think..

“Malfoy? Malfoy can you hear me?

What on earth are you doing here?!”

He sounded agitated and hused,

Looking over his shoulders as he knelt besides the blond one.

He shook Lucius’ shoulders gently,

But the other man was so far off,

He couldn’t feel anything.

“I-I’m so s-scared.”

A tormented whisper left the crying man,

Which made him sob harder again,

The crooked nosed professor stood up,

Taking away his warmth.

Gently, long, skilled fingers lifted the kneeling man,

Holding up in slim arms.

Lucius didn’t register what was going on,

He only felt friendly arms holding him close to a chest,

Carrying him to god knows where.

He must have fallen asleep or lose conscience,

Because he woke up in a bed,

However it wasn’t his,

He was in a tiny room,

Filled with the smell of herbs and books,

The walls were covered with books, plants and notes,

Making him feel safe somehow.

It was a messy room,

But organised,

Everything had its place,

Left out or tucked away.

Next to the bed was a fireplace,

Omitting heat and light,

Illuminating a thin figure,

Sitting on the only chair,

Reading next to the bed.

You could’ve mistaken his calm and collected,

But the line of his mouth betrayed him.

“Severus?”

Immediately to his name,

He moved towards the lying man,

Sitting beside him on the bed.

Severus’ face mirrored worry,

Both for his lovers’ health and because of Him.

“How do you feel?”

“I.. I feel nothing.”

To this reply Snape’s heart broke in half,

Oh dear Lucius,

Who was always so confident and cocky,

Now a shell of his beautiful glory,

All of his shining light is dead,

I can’t even find a sparkle there.

And it’s all because of Him!

He is the destroyer of everything.

He killed Her..

No, not thinking of it now,

I won’t let Lucius’ fire burn out too!

After decided this in this head,

He took of his shoes and climbed in the bed,

He covered him and his lover with is only blanket,

Hugging him tight,

While placing kisses on his head.

“Everyone will be alright,

I promise.”

It was stupid of him to promise such things,

When he had no power above anything,

He was just a floating leaf,

On the muddy stream,

Going where he flowed against his will.

But he couldn’t do anything else to release the other’s pain,

So he continued whispering reassuring words into his ear.

With every word and gentle kiss,

Lucius started to relax,

He sank deeper and deeper into the the others’ presence,

Breathing in his unmistakable herby smell.

They stayed there the whole night,

Listening to the fire and each other’s heart,

The icy fingers ceased to stop,

Warm entrance took away their place.

And they just stayed and stayed entwined to one another,

Drifting into peaceful dreams.

“Thank you Severus.”

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

Thank you for reading ~

My writing requests still open

[sanvirtheobserver]

Taking Flight, An SMG4 Fanfic: Volume 2

Here is Volume 2 of my Taking Flight fanfic (Along with the first chapter of Volume 3). Hope you enjoy!

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Chapter 6: Homecoming

It's a beautiful evening in the Mushroom Kingdom. The birds are singing, the flowers are blooming, and SMG3 seems to have successfully payed off Bowser after their previous "misunderstanding" with a heaping helping of chicken nuggets.

Over at Bricktown, SMG3 is proudly showing Hal Monitor all his legal paperwork for the Airship anchored in the Omnia Academy Parking Lot. SMG4 silently prays they don't get arrested.

SMG3: I trust everything is up to code?

Hal: Hm........

Hal carefully examines the expertly made, 110% legit looking documents SMG3 gave him as SMG4 awaits the verdict with bated breath. He hasn't been this stressed about a piece of paper since the Lawsuit. Hal looks up to the two................

Hal: Well, everything seems to be in order here. Safe travels Mr. 3!

AND WE'RE SAFE! Hal returns the documents before lawfully speeding off in his cop car. SMG4 let's out a sigh of relief and SMG3 gives an "all clear" signal to Meggy, who's been waiting on the roof eyeing the situation through the scope of her bowgun. Don't worry, she had sleep ammo loaded so it's mot like she was gonna JFK Hal Monitor if things went awry. That being said, she does notice ........ something............ sneaking into the window and goes off to investigate.

Meanwhile we see Tari, Saiko, and Whimpu in the Meme Research Club Room with SMG1 and SMG2. SMG1 is analyzing and performing tests on the Orb from the ruins, and Tari is regaling the dream she had the night prior to SMG2 who is taking notes.

Tari: The last thing I remember was trying to remove the helmet.

SMG2: Interesting.......

Clench: You think it has anything to do with the metal meatball?

SMG2: Hm....... It's possible you may have inadvertently accessed the subject's dying memory.

Tari: But how is that possible? I know I can read minds with my robot hand, but......I always thought it required a LIVING mind.

SMG1: Not with Memes, it isn't.

Tari looks over to SMG1 as he tinkers with the orb.

SMG1: Memes are in essence a shared idea. That idea could be anything, really. Objects, people, places, moments, anything that is shared from one to another. That can include memories.

Belle: So......what does all this Meme Energy rot have to do with this thing?

SMG1: The orb appears to be a device capable of harnessing Meme Energy, storing it within itself. Whimpu, you said that the gemstone you found had a core, yes?

Whimpu: Yes. At first I was wondering why a gemstone had such a strange pattern of overlapping impurities.

SMG1: That "core" is likely the source of this artifact's energy. As to what it is or where it came from, your guess is as good as mine.

Belle: Wait a minute. Those ruins could've been centuries old yet whoever built them had this Meme Power? Pretty sure they didn't have 5G during the crusades.

SMG1: Well, how do you think any ideas were first spread back then? By mouth, painting, and writing. Through art and stories. They were shared in any and every way they could be. That is how you get a culture. And it is through that culture, you'll get memes. The internet may have made it easier, but Memes were one of the first results of cultural exchange.

He places the orb on his desk.

SMG1: Even the manipulation of Meme Energy is nothing new, according to some legends. Some are obvious exaggerations..........

He picks up a massive tome and sets it on the desk.

SMG1: And some have more backing. This is a tome containing all the knowledge we have on our potential culprits.

Clench: And those would be.......... who, exactly?

SMG1 dusts off the top of the tome to reveal a series of symbols similar to Tari's.

SMG1: ..........The Metarunners.

We check in on Meggy as she sits under the window. She makes sure to go in all sneaky deaky like, not making a single sound as she enters the dark room. The coast seems to be all clear....... BOOM, she narrowly dodges a sword swinging for her neck. She tac rolls into a firing position to face her assailant.

?????: Well....... funny seeing you again, Spletzer.

Meggy recognized that voice, but it wasn't until her assailant stepped into the light that she knew who she was up against. An old face from one of her previous trips, often hidden behind a mask.

Meggy: Whisk.....

Whisk: Did you miss me, Kitty?

????: Alright, that's a wrap!

The lights come on and we see a whole room full of ninjas. Amongst them was Hank Hill, leader of the Ninja club.

Whisk: Oh........

Whisk takes off her mask, revealing her true face along with her timid demeanor.

Whisk: Um........how did I do?

Hank: Your form and technique were phenomenal, Miss Felin. You managed to maintain your cover in the Showgrounds Private Park pretty easily.........

Whisk: Oh, thank you! I made sure to practi-

Hank: HOWEVER......... You did botch your final return, seeing as you were followed through the window by Miss Spletzer over here.

Whisk: Oh, right..........I'm sorry.

Hank: You don't need to be sorry, Miss Felin. You just need to be better.

Whisk: Yes, sir.

Meggy is just.......COMPLETELY confused by the whole situation, awkwardly holstering her bowgun now that she knows she's not in any real danger.

Meggy: So..........

The two awkwardly eye each other.

Meggy: How's your mom, doing?

We later see Meggy and Whisk meeting up with Tari, Whimpu, and Belle in the courtyard during recess to catch up. Tari is currently preoccupied with reading that big tome she got from SMG1 while the rest make some small talk.

Whisk: Our money situation wasn't really that great back then. That's why I initially took the job from Cumbersnatch.

Belle: Yeah, I've been there too.

Whisk: Sorry to hear that. Student loans are a bitch to pay off.

Belle: Actually l......... well.......... nevermind.

Meggy: But why pick the Ninja Club?

Whisk: I wanted to put my skills to better use than just stealing stuff. There are other clubs I plan on joining but..........

She pauses, looking down at her mask as she takes a deep breath.

Whisk: sigh I'm not exactly a "social" person.

Their talk is interrupted by Matt, who's pleased to see his former student again.

Matt: Miss Spletzer!

Meggy: Coach Matt, it's been a while!

Whisk is both impressed and embarrassed to see just how confidently Meggy just greeted a former teacher.

Whisk: See what I mean!? Eye contact, no stuttering or hesitation, and that HANDSHAKE! They're even on a first-name basis! Every time someone even looks in my direction I just.............

She freezes up, holding her legs to her chest. And I thought Pomni was a wreck. This draws Tari out of her reading for a moment.

Tari: Y'know............ I was like that too. There was a time when the only "social" thing I could do was playing quick- matches online. But when I first met Mario - or rather, he met me - I managed to find the nerve to......actually talk with people.

Whimpu: I too had trouble making friends before joining the Anti Crew. It was stressful at first, but in the end I did end up making some good friends.

He looks over to Belle, who was actually touched after hearing Whimpu say that. Whisk unfolds from her fetal position as Meggy comes back.

Meggy: Sorry about that. We had a lot to catch up on and kinda got a bit preoccupied, hehe.

The school bell rings and we see all the students returning to their classes.

Whisk: Well........

She dawns her mask and returns to her facade

Whisk: It's been fun, but this cat's gotta scat. Later.

Meggy: Good luck, Whisk! Let's go treasure hunting sometime!

Whisk heads to her class. They couldn't see it behind the mask, but Whisk was tearfully happy to meet her "old friend" again, and even make some new ones along the way.

Back on the ship, Tari is in her bunk reading that tome again. We see Saiko arriving with a cup of tea.

Saiko: Hey.

She hands the cup to Tari.

Tari: Thanks.

Saiko: So, have you found anything new leads?

Tari: Yep, right here. Granted, its........ quite a bit to unpack.

Saiko: I'll say. You could kill a man with that thing. Make sure you get some sleep. The "captain" has another score for us tomorrow. An old smuggler's route used by a....... Swipe, I think?

Tari: Swipe......... Yeah, I heard Four talk about him once. Though, I'm pretty sure they called him..........something else.

Saiko: Whoever he was, let's hope he had better taste than Three. They both share a chuckle as Saiko crawls into her bunk.

Saiko: Oyasumi.

Tari: G'night. Hm...........barrier projection......

And all was quiet as Tari kept reading the tome.

Chapter 7: Maritime Mayhem P.1

We arrive at the Swiper's Pass, an old smuggling route used by the late Admiral Sargent Swipe and his Teletubmarine Marauders. We see the Airship hovering over the water with SMG4, Mario, Meggy, Melony, Boopkins, and Tari on the top deck. Everybody is dawning their diving wear with the exception of Boopkins for obvious reasons.

Boopkins: This looks like the spot, guys.

SMG4: Everybody ready?

Meggy: Yep!

Tari: All ready.

Melony: Good to go.

Mario: Mario's gonna go fishing!

Mario is the first to jump in, butt stomping right into the waters below with the force of a depth charge. SMG4 calls in on the radio to make sure he isn't drowning.

SMG4: Mario, we were supposed to have Boopkins scout ahead first you dumbass! sigh Let's just get going.

The others wait for the waters to clear before diving in. They float through the crystal clear waters until they find Mario waving to them while buried ass first in the seabed. Tari transforms her arm into a grappling hook and latches onto Mario before reeling him out of the sand.

Clench: Christ almighty, you gotta loose some weight pal.

Meggy: Oh trust me, we tried.

SMG4: Over here!

The group turns to find the wreckage of a massive submarine. The surrounding seabed is littered with old debris and bits of the faded pink hull, and a shocked face hung from its front. They had found it........

The Teletubmarine.

Mario: Wow, it looks so much better now!

The group floats up to the derelict leviathan. Changing her arm into a plasma cutter, Tari starts cutting an opening into the hull.

Boopkins: Oooooooh maaaaaan........... I don't like this. What if....... HE....... is still here waiting for us?

SMG4: Bro, it's been YEARS since this thing sunk and I'm pretty sure HE decided to go down with it. We'll be fine.

With a light push, a circular opening is formed and the group swims through. They find themselves in a familiar room with a large pit, several hanging chains, a broken cage, and the remnants of dozens of teletubbies. Some letters on the wall read "Sector 2-SX-C." SMG3 chimes in on the intercoms.

SMG3: You guys in?

SMG4: Yep. We're in sector 2-SX-C by the looks of it.

SMG3: Good. Now see if you can make your way to the Captain's Quarters. That's usually where the captain kepts the best of his shares.

SMG4: Alright Boopkins, lead the way.

Boopkins: gulp

He hesitantly pushes ahead with the others close behind. They all silently glide through the water with the muffled creaking of aging iron echoing across the massive corridors. Tari is spooked when she bumps into a dessicated Teletubby body floating lifeless in the water. She takes a deep breath and keeps swimming forward.

Meggy: So.......... What's the deal with this "Swipe" guy again?

SMG4: He was a treasure hunter, and a pretty ambitious one at that. He collected all sorts of things. Jewelry, artifacts, rare animals, prisoners, you name it.

SMG3: Hence why we're here! Why leave so much perfectly good treasure lying around?

They arrive at a massive door blocking their path, prompting Tari to once again bring out the plasma cutter.

Meggy: You'd think there would've been more people coming over here if there was treasure.

Melony: I don't know. I've heard some stories about Swiper's Pass while on deployment. There's one about a crab that can talk through corpses like they were puppets. Freaky stuff.

SMG4: Hey um....... can we save that for when we're NOT swimming through a derelict submarine?

Tari: sigh It's no use.

She retracts her plasma cutter.

Tari: The plating is too thick. It'll take days to get through at this rate.

Clench: You'd think all the years of rust would make it easier.

SMG4: Hey Three, we hit a dead end. What now?

SMG3: How the ---- am I supposed to know.

SMG4: Um........can you repeat that?

SMG3: Jus- f--d a --y thro---.

SMG4: Three? Three, you're breaking up. Three?.......

SMG3: static

Well that's not good.

SMG4: sigh Looks like we're out of comm's range.

While everyone else is debating on what to do next, Boopkins and Mario notice a little crab staring at them.

Boopkins: Oh hello Crab Friend! We're trying to find a way around this big door. Can you help us please?

Mario only stares in a mix of confusion and disappointment. But then, the crab scuttles off to a nearby grate and slips through. Maybe Boopkins' plea didn't fall upon deaf ears after all.

Boopkins: Hey guys! I think we found a way in!

The group swims over to the grate as Mario pries it open, revealing an entryway into the venting system. Boopkins swims through with ease, but the others likely won't fit with all their scuba gear. That's when Melony had an idea. She puts her hands together and flashes a series of hand symbols.

Melony: CHONKU NO JUTSU!

In a flash, the rest of the group is transformed into tiny Scuba Chonks! With their new tiny size, they follow Boopkins through the vents with ease as they head for the other room. Boopkins enters the room first and begins surveying the area as the rest come through. In another flash they all return to their normal forms in a bit of a daze.

Meggy: Ugh........ good thinking, Melony. Just give us a warn-

Boopkins: AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!

He rushes into Melony's arms in a panic.

Boopkins: ITS HIM! ITS HIM!

Back on the ship, we see SMG3 fiddling with the radio and Whimpu monitoring the diving group on the tracker. Belle enters the Bridge and sees a frustrated SMG3 trying to fix the device to no avail.

SMG3: C'mon you stupid thing! WORK!

Belle: So, have they found anything worthwhile.

SMG3: We don't know yet because this thing WON'T WORK! Ugh......

Whimpu: They seem to have made it through the blockade at least.

He points to six dots on the screen.

Whimpu: All vitals are stable, but Boopkins' heart rate is skyrocketing

Belle: Eh, he probably got spooked by an octopus or something.

SMG3: CAN SOMEONE GIVE ME A HAND HERE!?!?

Belle: Don't look at me. I'm on my smoke break.

Whimpu goes over to SMG3 while Belle takes a step outside. It's then we see an unknown signature come on screen as it approaches the others.

Back in the derelict, Tari summons her glaive as Meggy takes aim with her bowgun. In the glow of their flashlights they discover what had spooked Boopkins so much. It was none other than Admiral Sargent Swipe himself! Or rather......... what's left of him. We see the crab from earlier crawling across the fallen Chuckya's skeletal remains. The two lower their weapons as Meggy swims over to examine the body.

Tari: It's okay, guys. I don't think he'll be bothering us anytime soon

Meggy: So this is Swipe, huh?

SMG4: Yep. That's him alright. Y'know, I almost kinda feel bad for the guy.

Meggy: I don't blame you. Death is.......it's like time starts to slow down as everything goes dark. A few seconds feels like an eternity.......... Just once is enough for you to go crazy...................

SMG4: Um................. are you okay?

Meggy: Oh sorry! I was just......... thinking out loud for a moment there. Heheh.

Okay, let's move on. We see the others search the room. It's loaded with crates, and Melony cracks one open to find a stash of raw minerals.

Melony: Looks like we found the loot stash.

SMG4: Nah, knowing swipe this is likely just an overflow room.

Meggy: Damn! If that's the case we may need to make a few more trips.

Tari: Wait........ do you guys hear that?

A low humming fills the water, emanating from behind the door. The humming gets higher and higher until...........

BOOM!!!!

In a rupturing blast, the crew is pushed back as the door is blown open. Through the cloud of silt and debris we see single purple light scanning the room as the gang regroups and readies their weapons.

Meggy: What the hell is that thing!?

Boopkins: IT'S THE GHOST OF CAPTAIN SWIPE! HE'S COME TO COLLECT OUR SOULS FOR HIS.......uh .............SOUL COLLECTION!!!! WE'RE DOOMED!!!!

As Boopkins proceeds to have a panic attack, Tari tries to take a more diplomatic approach.

Tari: Um........ excuse me. If we are trespassing on your property, then we are terribly sorry and will leave in peace.

The source of the light enters the room. As the silt settles, we see it is not a ghost. It is a large mechanical eye like construct. We hear a series of beeps and whirls as it begins spinning. An energy field fills the room and begins to intensify.

Tari: Wait...... This isn't a ghost! It a-

A bright flash fills the room. Suddenly the group finds themselves collapsing onto the ground. Upon righting themselves, they see that they are no longer underwater, but on a solid metal platform along with dozens of crates. Tari realizes they are in the hangar of a completely different ship. Massive spider like vehicles hang from the ceiling as rocket powered drones buzz through the air. Suddenly, the intercoms start working again.

SMG3: There we go. So! You guys find any good loot?

SMG4: Yeah, about that..........

Tari: Guys....... I think this is a Ketch. That means...........

Nearby doors slide open, and hoards of four armed creatures clad in black cloth and patchwork armor come flooding in. A cacophony of chirps and clicks sounds off as the group finds themselves surrounded.

Meggy: Fallen Raiders......... Just our luck.

The gang prepares for battle as the hoard descends upon them.

Chapter 8: Maritime Mayhem P.2

It's absolute chaos in the Ketch's main hangar. Hoards of Dregs swarm the platform as Meggy goes full auto with her bowgun. Mario crushes several Dreg skulls beneath his boots. Melony is preoccupied with a gang of Wretches, but they all end up decapitated with a single well timed swipe from the Fierce Deity Sword. Up high we see Boopkins hitching an involuntary joyride on a Shank drone as several others pursue him. One small bump has him slipping off, but Tari manages to fly in catch him in the nick of time before dispatching the rest of the shanks with her Glaive. SMG4 is hunkered down behind some crates with SMG3 on comms.

SMG3: WHY THE HELL ARE YOU ON A FALLEN KETCH!?!?

SMG4: I DON'T KNOW! He picks up a Shock Rifle and rushes to the catwalk. A Wretch is about to skewer him, but Melony comes in with the save and shield bashes the Wretch across the room and into a pile of scrap.

Wretch: ⠃ᛁ ╵ᛍ◟ˎ⸍╮⠃╵

SMG4: We were checking out some crates filled with treasure when all of a sudden this big robot meatball teleported us! Now we're surrounded by angry crab people who wanna kill us!

All of a sudden, one of the Spider Walkers on the ceiling blinks to life and descends to the platform below. Mario swoops in and saves Meggy from being crushed by the Machine. It takes aim at Melony with its main cannon and fires, sending her flying into the wall.

Meggy: This isn't good! We need to fall back!

Tari: Fall back where!? We're surrounded!

Boopkins: I DON'T WANNA DIIIIIIIIIIIE!

Just then, Melony emerges from the wall in her Deity Mode. The Walker takes aim and fires again, but this time she manages to parry the projectile right back down the barrel of the cannon. The Walker wails in agony before falling apart with a massive solar explosion.

Melony: TARI! WOMBO COMBO!

Tari: EVERYBODY TAKE COVER!

Wasting no time, the two lock hands and spin at a breakneck pace, unleashing torrents of energy blasts in all directions. The others take cover as the hangar is consumed in a deluge of blue and green projectiles that tear through every Fallen Raider in sight. When the dust settles, we see the horde lying motionless in pools of spilled Ether. Tari and Melony descend and power down while Boopkins goes into the corner to throw up.

SMG4: Okay......... I think that's all of them for now.

Mario: That was-a lots-a fun!

Meggy: Yeah........ exhilarating. So what's the plan now?

Back on SMG3's ship, (I really should give it an actual name at some point) Luigi emerges from the Kitchen with a tray of sandwiches and refreshments. He heads to the Rec Room where the rest of the crew is gathered, with SMG3 still on call with SMG4.

SMG4: So yeah. We're in a bit of a bind here.

SMG3: Okay, so where are you?

SMG4: I don't know. We'll take a look around and see if we can find a spot for you to pick us up.

SMG3: sigh Alright. We'll call you later.

Saiko: So what's the news? Are they okay?

SMG3: They're still alive so........there's that.

Saiko is not amused. He releases a frustrated "baka" under his breath.

SMG3: They don't know where the Ketch is located, which means we don't know where to go to assist.

Belle: So...... now what? We just wait and see who makes it back alive?

Whimpu: An Eliksni Ketch's Transmat range is limited, especially when transporting that much cargo. They would need to be within a 10 mile radius to transport that much material out of the submarine. I could modify our tracking system to locate them.

Luigi: How long will that take?

Whimpu: That will depend on what we have on hand and what needs to be modified.

Saiko isn't exactly thrilled with the idea of being unable to help. Kaizo lays a hand on her shoulder.

Kaizo: They have a demigod, a sports coach, and a living computer with them. I'm sure they'll be fine.

Saiko: ..........Yeah....... they'll be fine.

Back on the Ketch, the away team comes to a 4-way intersection with a terminal in the center. Melony gets to work on the terminal to see if she can disable whatever security this ship has, but it proves surprisingly difficult even for her hacking prowess.

Melony: This thing has tighter security than I thought. Firewalls in front of firewalls, layers of encryption keys for encryption keys, constantly refreshing passcodes......... whoever made this ship spared no expense. The most I can do is get a map of the place.

A hologram of the ship's layout pops up. Melony is dumbfounded by the sight.

Melony: Wow........ 600 feet wide, 450 feet tall, 1200 feet long, six Solar Sail masts, three Fomorian Engines, various components and armaments of Eliksni, Cabal, Grineer, Corpus, Orokin, and Forerunner origin, this isn't just a Ketch........ it's a whole armada rolled into a single ship.

For those of you who are not fans of big numbers and out-of-lore-context specifications, here's SMG4 with a more simplified synopsis.

SMG4: That's a huge bitch.

SMG3 once again chimes in on the comms. SMG4 sets it to video chat.

SMG3: Hey losers, got any idea on where you are yet? We got a rescue team set up, so just say the word and we'll come get you.

Saiko: Tari! Are you there!? TARI ARE YOU DEAD!?

Tari: Hey Saiko! Don't worry, I'm fine. But......

Melony: This thing is more like seven other ships stitched together. It's also armed to the teeth with Tier 7 and above weapons and defenses........Emphasis on the "above." You won't be able to get within a mile of this thing without risk of getting shot down. I tried deactivating security, but the digital safeguards for this is crazy. I was lucky to even get a map.

Melony has SMG4 turn the camera towards the hologram.

SMG3: whistles This thing means business. I wonder if we can commander some of it.......

SMG4: Three. Focus.

SMG3: Right, right. So, I guess that means the rescue is a no-go?

Melony: Not if you wanna live to tell the tale.

Tari: What if we made our way to the bridge? We may be able to disable their defenses there and give you an opening.

Meggy: That's still risky though.

SMG4: Well, right now it's the best chance we got. Besides........ "it's only when you're ready to die that you'll truly be able to live."

SMG3: chuckles Alright. We'll wait for your signal. And at least TRY not to die?

SMG4: We'll do our best.

SMG3: I'm serious here!

SMG4: Yeah........me too. Four out.

Boopkins: Where do we go now?

Meggy: Melony. Upscale it for me.

The hologram is enlarged and Meggy takes a closer look at the ship's layout.

Meggy: Hm........ the Crew Quarters is where most of the crew is concentrated so that's a no-go, the Hangar is currently on lockdown after we wrecked it, and the Captain's Quarters is the most heavily guarded area on the entire ship. However........

She traces a path on the hologram with her finger.

Meggy: We should have a clear path to the Helm if we enter through the R&R Sector.

Boopkins: R&R? What does that mean?

Melony: Refreshment and Recreation. It's where crewmembers go to unwind while off duty.

Mario: Do they have food there?

Melony and Meggy exchange side eyes, knowing very well where this is going.

Meggy: Tari?

Tari places her metal hand on the collar of Mario's shirt and plants her glaive into the ground. She then nods.

Meggy: sigh Yes, Mario. They most likely do have food there.

Tari hangs on on for dear life as her glaive carves a path into the metal, slowing down Mario as he frantically runs towards the direction of the R&R Sector. This should allow for the others to keep pace and follow.

Tari: Ngh.......Guys!

Clench: GREG ALMIGHTY, HOW STRONG IS THIS GUY'S SHIRT!?

And so the group is off, but something seems to be keeping an eye on them.

Back on SMG3's ship, we see Saiko on the Top Deck staring out into the sea. We pan over to see Kaizo joining her.

Kaizo: Yo.

Saiko: Hey.......

Kaizo: So....... what's on your mind?

A rhetorical question, of course. He can already tell what Saiko is thinking. She takes a deep breath.

Saiko: Any news on the mods?

Kaizo: Four Eyes and Red Head are still working on it. Three is still waiting for the green light.

Saiko: How are Bob and Luigi doing?

Kaizo: The Garo has been pretty quiet, actually. It's weird. He's usually somewhat amused by the fish getting into trouble. But now he's just sitting there twirling his swords. As for Greenie, he's just been cooking again. Last time I was down there he was placing a Black Forest Cake on the table.

Saiko: It's probably a stress thing. Luigi is worried about Mario, and Bob is pretty fond of Boopkins. Even if he is an ass about it.

Kaizo: And what about you? You've been hounding me on being supportive for over a month. But now that I'm actually doing it you decide to give the cold shoulder?

Saiko: I'm just............worried. I know Melony and Meggy are with them, and I know they can hold their own but.......

She falls silent for a moment.

Kaizo: It's Birdie, isn't it.

She lets out a sigh. It's not Meggy or Melony she's worried about. It's Tari.

Saiko: I know she's been getting stronger lately, and she's improved so much since the incident with Pizzaface. But....... she's not the kind of fighter you and I are. And...... what if she gets hurt..... or worse and I.........

Kaizo lays a hand on her shoulder.

Saiko: I guess I'm just not used to her breaking new ground like this.......that maybe she's going too fast for her own good.

Kaizo: You can't stop her, Imōto. But you can still catch her if she falls. I know that, you know that, and I'm certain she knows that too.

She gives a slight smile, the first time since this whole situation started.

Saiko: Thanks Kaizo.

Chapter 9: Maritime Mayhem P.3

Back on the massive Ketch, we see our main group arriving at the R&R sector. Tari is busy holding back Mario while Meggy and Melony hatch a plan to get inside. With the help of Melony's ink magics and Meggy's law degree, the party now has a freshly printed temporary IP exchange contract.

Mario: halflife2fastzombie.mp3

Tari: Guys, I don't know how much longer I can hold him!

Meggy: Alright, this contract is effective for twelve hours. That should be more than enough time for us to get to the bridge, disable the artillery, and have our guys bring us home. Everybody ready?

Clench: YES! SOME TIME TODAY WOULD BE REALLY NICE!

Meggy signs the contract, and in a flash the whole party is given their disguises. Meggy becomes a Fallen Marauder, Melony becomes a Cabal Legionary, SMG4 becomes a Promethean Soldier, Boopkins becomes a Fallen Shank, Tari becomes a Corpus Crewman, and Mario becomes a Grineer Lancer.

SMG4: Okay Tari. You can let him go now.

Tari releases Mario and he is off to the nearest snack bar. R&R is actually a surprisingly nice place considering it's on a pirate's warship. They got TV, volleyball, an arcade, yoga, a library, and so on. It almost looks like they jacked an entire mini-mall. Some of the gang actually takes a moment to sit back and relax before heading to the bridge while SMG4 heads over to the bathroom to call SMG3.

SMG4: Three, this is Four. Do you read?

SMG3: Loud and cle- Dear God you're hideous! Moreso than usual, that is. Are you at the Bridge?

SMG4: Not yet. We're actually chilling out in R&R at the moment. Meggy managed to get us these temporary disguises so we can sneak in undetected. It's actually pretty nice here.

SMG3: Well, make sure you get there asap. Airship fuel ain't cheap, y'know.

SMG4: Will do. Talk to you soon. Four out.

Across R&R we see Mario sampling some delicious Grineer Protein Slurry, Boopkins playing around with some other Shanks, and Melony taking a quick cat nap on a yoga mat. SMG4 exits the bathroom and meets back up with Meggy and Tari.

Clench: I gotta say this place is REALLY nice. Oh! They have Megaman 64!

Tari: Ready to head to the bridge?

SMG4: Pretty much.

Meggy: I gotta round up the others. We'll meet you there.

Tari and SMG4 head to the bridge while Meggy meets back up with Mario, who has currently entered a food coma. The Lancer behind the Snack Bar is flabbergasted that any Grineer can down that much slurry in one go.

Meggy: C'mon Red, let's go home.

Mario: Mmmmmm So good and BURP tasty.

Back in Omnia Academy, we once again see SMG1 experimenting with the Orb the gang found in the ruins. One tap of an instrument on the Orb releases a Pingas Head.

SMG1: Hm.........

He then takes the Pingas head and touches it against the orb. On contact, the Pingas Head is reduced to a blue mote of Meme energy that the Orb reabsorbs.

SMG1: Fascinating. Two! Do you have the spare memes?

SMG2 comes in with a crate full of miscellaneous memes. The two hold hands and begin to convert the memes into energy. Just then, the Orb begins to glow and float on its own, and the floating balls of Meme energy turn blue and begin to orbit around it. In a flash, the Orb absorbs all the present energy before floating back down onto the desk. SMG1 and SMG2 are surprised to say the least.

SMG2: It looks like this Orb can draw in and produce Meme energy.

SMG1: This is not just any kind of Meme energy, Two.........

SMG1 stares at the Orb with a mix of astonishment and concern.

SMG1: This........ is Meta.

Back on the Ketch, we see that SMG4 and Tari have made it to the bridge. There are a few pirates there, mostly just Fallen Splicers and Corpus Techs with some Cabal Psions on guard. One of the Psions notices the two and goes to investigate.

Psion: Halt! What is your business here?

SMG4: Oh, um......... we're here to do some emergency maintenance on the security systems. We............ heard there were some glitches with auto-targeting and............

Psion: You're maintenance?

SMG4: Yes! Yes we are.

Psion: Then why aren't you two in the hangar? It's been radio silent for hours now.

He is an ass hair away from blowing their cover when Tari hatches an idea.

SMG4: Well........ you see....... uh........

Tari: IT'S ALSO HAPPY HOUR IN THE HANGAR!

The whole room turns their gaze to the two.

Tari: Uh, yeah! We were actually coming here to make the announcement while doing maintenance. Our latest haul was the biggest one yet! The captain wants to throw a......uh, a makeshift celebration in the hanger! Non-stop drinks and partying, and we're all invited! So........ LET'S PARTY!

The Bridge is silent, all eyes on the random Soldier and Crewman. Surely such bloodthirsty Marauders wouldn't fall for such an obvious ploy, would they?

....................

Psion: Well why didn't you say so!? Today's been such a slog fest. COME ON LADS, LET'S GO SHAKE SOME LEGS!

The whole bridge is emptied as everyone rushes to the hangar for the "party." Must've been a long day for them. Tari gets on speaker to make the "announcement" to the rest of the crew.

Tari: Attention all hands! The captain has invited everyone to a party in the Hangar to celebrate our latest haul! Drinks, snacks, and activities are all on him, so go crazy!

Cheers can be heard all across the Ketch as the crew rushes off, which means the gang has the Bridge all to themselves as Tari excitedly deactivates the ship's defenses. She also sees it has a cloaking field around it and deactivates that as well, revealing the full size of the ship to the real world. A quick cutaway gag reveals that the Ketch was indeed roughly , much to the rest of the gang's surprise as both Luigi and Whimpu faint at the sight of such a massive vessel. SMG4 chimes in on the intercom to state the obvious

SMG4: Alright, guys! You're free to approach.

SMG3: Copy that. Give us a bit and we'll pick you up.

We switch back to the Ketch's bridge where we see Meggy, Melony, and Boopkins meet back up with SMG4 and a very excited Tari.

Meggy: Well, you certainly seem proud of yourself.

Tari: I know! I mean, I don't know why but I got this sudden RUSH of energy and then it all just came to me and now we have a clear shot to get out of here!

Meggy: I guess that means we won't be needing this anymore.

She takes out the makeshift contract and marks it as VOID, allowing them to return to their normal forms.

Melony: I don't know about you guys, but I'm starting to miss my bunk.

Boopkins: Aw man. I had so much fun playing with the Shanks! They're so nice when you get to know them.

Mario: The food wasn't half bad either. I wonder if we can get their recipe before we leave.

SMG4: Alright, alright. Settle down guys. SMG3 is on his way so we just have to-

Melony: WATCH OUT!!!!

Melony jumps in front of SMG4 and brings up her shield just in time to deflect an oncoming fire bolt.

SMG4: WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!? I THOUGHT THE DEFENSES WERE DISABLED!

Tari: They are!

The group looks up to see their new assailant. There stood an imposing figure clad in bandages and adorned with clockwork armor. Their eyes glowed red with a burning flame from behind his mask.

Mario: Oh hello! Did you know there's a party going on?

Meggy: Red...... I don't think he's interested in that right now.

Meggy draws her bowgun and unleashes a volley of frost ammo, but the figure intercepts with a pulse that deflects the oncoming projectiles and blasts into her body. She could literally hear some of her bones snapping like twigs as she's slamming into the ground. She lies unconscious on the floor as Mario rushes to her aid. Don't worry, she still has plot armor so she didn't die, but she DEFINITELY isn't getting back up from that.

An enraged Melony immediately enters Deity Mode and rushes the assailant. However, she finds herself frozen right as her blade was about to sever his head. The assailant pulls out a gear-shaped device and places it on Melony's eye. She screams as a jolt of energy courses through her and her armor changes shape.

Tari: MELONY!!!!

She is now clad from head to toe in a similar clockwork armor as she drops to the ground. Slowly rising to her feet, she unleashes a gutteral shriek.

Tari: M-Melony?

Melony turns to her friends, no longer realizing who she is. One of her gauntlets transforms into a clockwork cannon lance.

With a jesture of his hands, the stranger commands her to attack.

Chapter 10: Maritime Mayhem Finale

So........... things aren't looking too good.

Meggy is out of commission, Boopkins is shitting himself in the corner, and Melony was just turned into a rabid death machine. Mario uses a Power Star power-up to somewhat even the odds, along with Tari putting her training to good use, but Melony's new upgrades are giving them both a run for their money.

Tari: Melony, snap out of it! It's us, you're friends!

The only reply she gets is a series of rabbit grunts as Melony swipes wildly at Tari with her blade. Tari can just barely keep up with her Glaive. SMG4 opens fire with his Shock Rifle, but the Arc bolts merely bounce off her armor plating like rubber. It does get her attention though.

SMG4: Oh poop.

Melony revs up her Cannon Lance and unleashes a hail of projectiles across the bridge. SMG4 narrowly avoids getting turned into Swiss cheese as he ducks for cover. Mario takes a different approach, going straight for the stranger for hurting Meggy. Fireballs, ice blasts, hammers, chainsaws, a piano, he throws everything he has at the bastard. But the stranger always blinks out of the way, not even paying attention to him. He seems more interested in Tari more than anything. SMG4 looks on hopelessly as Tari and Melony clash once more.

SMG4: Dammit, Three! Where the hell are you!?

We briefly cut back to SMG3's ship, where we see him fiddling with the engine. It appears they're having engine troubles and are too preoccupied to notice SMG4 calling them.

Tari keeps trying to reason with Melony even as they're locking blades, but she can't get through to her. It's like Melony is a rabid animal lashing out at everything she sees. Mario is still having no luck with the stranger, who simply swats him aside. He lands right next to Tari.

Mario: Mama Mia. What's this guy's problem?

Tari looks towards her corrupted friend and remembers the stranger placing that strange device on her eye. That must be what's driving her crazy. She looks over to Boopkins, who is still cowering in the corner, and hatches an idea.

Tari: Mario, listen to me very carefully.

SMG4 sneaks over to Meggy, who is just barely conscious at this point. He tries to drag her to safety, but Melony blocks their path. SMG4 once again opens fire but she slices the shock rifle in half and seizes him by the throat. She aims straight for her chest and he closes his eyes in anticipation of a swift end. Just when all hope is lost.......

Mario: Hey stinky!

The two look over to see Mario holding Boopkins.

Mario: Boopkins wants to show you something!

Boopkins: Mario, what are you doing?! AAAHHHH.

Mario tosses Boopkins closer to Melony, who drops SMG4 and shifts her focus to a new target. She slowly approaches Boopkins, dragging her Cannon Lance across the ground. The stranger looks up in curiosity to see Tari flying above. He seems interested in what she has planned. Boopkins proceeds to show Melony a variety of Anime oriented media. Body pillows, figurines, bath water samples, he shows her everything.

Boopkins: A-and this is my favorite Korone Chan pen, and m-my Mori Calliope mouse pad, and my Kronii backpack.

Melony is not interested and rears up her blade.

Boopkins: W-WAIT, HERE'S SOMETHING YOU GOT ME LAST CHRISTMAS!!!!

In a last ditch effort, he pulls out an old comic of his. This actually gives Melony a pause. She recognizes this one. There's a special line of text that reads...........

"In loving memory of renowned manga artist Axol Leonardo Lotle."

Her weapon detaches from her arm as she gently takes the comic from Boopkins' hands. It's the final volume of Two Piece. It was then she remembered him. The time they spent together. The bed he got for her. The anime he made for her. The times he protected her innocence. The sacrifice he made for his friends.......... and the vow she made to protect them.

Axol: Thanks for the adventure.

It was then that Tari descended onto Melony.

Tari: Rule number four!

As Melony desperately tries to shake her off Tari clutches onto the device over her eye. With a mighty pull and a shout, she rips the device off of Melony's face. Tari falls onto her back and Melony falls onto her hands and knees. The stranger watches as tears begin to fall from her eyes and onto the shattered clockwork mask.

Melony: sobs..........sigh......pant......NGAAAH!

Having returned to her senses, Melony summons the Fierce Deity Sword and unleashes a wrathful torrent of energy slashes in the direction of the stranger. He merely summons a barrier and deflects each and every slash, leaving Melony exhausted. He raises his palm, and an orb of burning red energy coalesces into his palm. It seems as though he's gonna finish the job himself. Tari springs back to her feet and steps between Melony and the stranger right as he unleashes a blast of concentrated energy. A bright flash consumes the room. The stranger had expected them to be obliterated.

But that wasn't the case.

When the light faded, we see Tari holding the ball of energy. We see raw power coursing up her arm and across her chest as the ball changes from red to blue. The stranger was actually impressed. Most others would've been reduced to ash.

Clench: Hey asshole! You drop this?!

A defiant smile creeps across her face, and with a mighty yell she hurls the energy ball back at the stranger. A thunderous boom can be heard across the ship as a blinding light consumes the room.

In the next scene, Tari finds herself back aboard their own ship in a bunk. She gets up and wipes the sleep from her eyes.

Tari: Ugh...... what happened? Melony? Boopkins?

She sees Boopkins is right by her bunk.

Boopkins: Tari, you're awake! Oh thank goodness.

She gets to her feet right as Saiko enters the room.

Tari: Saiko?

Saiko: TARI!!!! Oh thank God you're okay!

She immediately rushes in and gives Tari a big hug. Tari reciprocates, but notices a commotion going on in the other room. The two head over to the other bedroom and see Meggy lying in a bunk as Whimpu takes a look at her injuries with SMG4 by his side. Melony and Mario are sitting on another bunk when they notice the three walk in.

Melony: Tari! Glad you're awake. How are you doing?

Tari: A little sore and in need of a tune up, but otherwise I'm doing good.

Mario: THAT WAS TOTALLY WICKED! The guy was like WOOOOOM and you were like NOOOOOO and he was like PEW but then you were like NUH UH and he was like "huh" and you were like KABOOM! It was lots-a fun!

Whimpu and SMG4 continue to scan Meggy and gets an assessment of her condition.

Meggy: See?...... I'll be fine. Just....ngh a little roughed up, is all.

She actually seems to be doing pretty good for the most part despite the multiple compound and hairline fractures, shattered sternum, fractured skull, third degree burns on her chest, punctured lung, ruptured kidney, internal bleeding, and the fact that she most certainly has a severe concussion.

SMG4: Well....... at least her plot armor seems to be holding up.

Meggy: Yaaaaaaaayyyy.

He contacts SMG3 on the comms.

SMG4: Hey Three. How fare out are we from the Castle?

SMG3: About a mile out. The ginger still breathing?

SMG4: For the most part. We are out of painkillers, though.

SMG3: Alright. Just hold on tight and we'll be back home in time for linner. Three out.

Boopkins notices the marks surrounding Melony's bloodshot eye.

Boopkins: Hey, you should probably get something for that.

Melony: Oh, it's fine Boopkins. Whimpu already checked it out, said there wasn't any serious damage.

Belle enters the room alongside Kaizo.

Belle: We're about a minute out from the Castle.

SMG4: Mario, give me a hand.

Mario: Okie Dokie.

The two help Meggy sit up. She doesn't seem to be doing so hot anymore.

SMG4: Try to stay with us, okay?

Meggy: I make no promises.....

SMG4: I'm serious.

Meggy: Heh.... hi serious, NGH....I'm Meggy.

SMG4: Alright, on three. One, two, THREE!

Her body is racked with pain as Mario and SMG4 help her to her feet and out the door.

Mario: You're doing good Meggy!

Meggy: Thanks Red, I- UGH!!

SMG4: Woah, easy!

Meggy: COUGH KAF KAF COUGH ......Oh geez......

She spits out a lump of bloody snot as she begins fading in and out, much to Mario and SMG4's concern.

SMG4: We need to get going. Now.

The trio proceed on their way to the top deck as Meggy continues to cough up blood. It's gonna be a long day.

Chapter 11: Tender Love & Care

It's a relatively calm day in the Castle as Karen tidys up. You see, SMG3 made a deal with Karen that Depresso would babysit her kids if she agreed to upkeep the Castle while the Gang was gone.

Karen: I wonder how Clownie is doing....... Eh, I'm sure he'll be fine.

So far it's been going well.......... for Karen. A quick cutaway gag reveals Depresso stuck to the wall with duct tape. Katie is the only one actually trying to help him while Zack is busy playing Call of Duty and Cory is just spinning around in place.

Karen had just fed BEEG SMG4 when she notices SMG3 coming in through the front door.

SMG3: Honey! We're home!

Karen: Oh, hi Three. How was your trip? You all make it back alive?

SMG3: Just barely. Speaking of which, is the guest room open?

Karen: Of course. Why do you ask?

We see Tari and Melony rushing in.

Melony: SMG3, we need that guest room. Tari, you get the medical supplies from the Storage room.

Tari: On it!

Karen: Woah woah woah, what's going - GASP!!!!

Karen is shocked to see Mario and SMG4 carrying a barely conscious and bloody Meggy.

Karen: CHRIST ALMIGHTY, WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!?!?

SMG4: It's a long story.

Karen opens the guestroom and readies the bed as the three make their way in. They gently and carefully lay Meggy on the bed as Tari enters the room with an IV and some medical supplies.

Karen: Alright, set it up over here.

Back in the Main Hall, we see Whimpu and Melony going over Meggy's condition. Melony seems....... out of it. Everything is muffled and there's this ringing in her ears. She jumps when she feels Luigi touching her shoulder, snapping her out of her daze.

Luigi: Melony?

Melony: Oh, Luigi. It's just you.

Luigi: Is there something wrong?

Melony: Sorry, sorry. Zoned out for a bit there. It's just........ where do we even start?

Karen comes out of the guestroom to give an update.

Karen: I had Tari ready an IV for Meggy. That should help with the internal bleeding.

Luigi: I have more painkillers ready, and Mario is off to get some One-Ups from the garden.

Karen: Hold up! That much rapid healing with this many injuries could cause more complications. We don't wanna risk anything healing backwards or upside down.

Luigi: Oh. Okay.

Karen: We also need to dial back on the painkillers a bit until she's stable. She has a concussion, so we need to keep her awake for right now. Any more right now and she'll ABSOLUTELY black out.

Whimpu: You really do know your way around medicine.

Karen: You kinda have to when you're a single mom with four kids. Melony?

Melony: Hm?

Karen: I need you to hold her down while SMG4 realigns the bones and applies the sutures. Can you do that.

Melony: Yes ma'am.

Karen: Luigi, I need you to get the plaster ready for the casts.

Luigi: Okie Dokie.

Tari steps out while holding her left shoulder.

Tari: SMG4 is ready with the sutures.

Karen: Alright. I'm gonna look and see if anyone else needs some help.

Melony and Luigi go back into the Guest Room while Karen goes off to meet with SMG3. Saiko comes in and notices Tari headed for the bathroom. Once she's inside, Tari heads for the sink and takes a deep breath as she removes her jacket. The left side of her shirt is bloody. She winces as she removes her shirt and sees that her left shoulder is covered in burn marks that stretch across her chest and up her neck. That's when Saiko knocks on the door.

Saiko: You okay in there?

Tari opens the door a crack

Tari: Yeah I'm just getting changed.

Saiko: Tari....... I can see the blood. Let me help.

Now knowing she can't hide it, Tari reluctantly allows Saiko to enter. To say she was concerned about Tari's condition is an understatement.

Saiko: Jesus......

Tari: It's fine, really. I can handle it. You should be concerned about Meg-

Saiko suddenly pulls Tari into a hug, much to her surprise.

Saiko: I should've been there. I could've helped. I could've smashed that thing and kept it from taking you, I........ I'm sorry.

Tears begin to well up in Saiko's eyes. Seeing Tari hurt like this makes her wish that she had been there. Maybe things could've gone differently, maybe they wouldn't, but that doesn't matter right now to Tari. She gently wipes the tears from Saiko's face.

Tari: What matters is that you're here now.

Back in the Guest Room, Meggy is screaming her lungs out as Melony holds her still and SMG4 reinserts the last compound fracture. Mario holds her hand as tears stream down her face.

SMG4: And.........done!

Meggy: NGH.......AGH.......pant.......pant Okay.........Okay...........

Melony steps out of the way as SMG4 gets to work on the sutures. Meggy winces with every pull of thread.

Meggy: Hey Mario. You wanna play Super Smash Each Other In The Ass Bros after this?

Mario: Meggy, I don't think-

SMG4: No, that's good! Mario, keep her engaged while I finish up here.

While SMG4 finishes with the sutures as Meggy and Mario are talking, Melony's leans against the wall holding herself. Luigi comes in with a tub of casting plaster.

Luigi: Plaster is ready. You sure you don't want any painkillers?

Meggy: Yep. Doc said my brain is bleeding, remember?

Luigi: Whimpu never said that! He said you had a concussion!

Meggy: Eh, Tomato Miyamoto.

SMG4: That's not how it goes, but she's right. She needs to stay awake, and if she takes anything right now it could be lights out. Melony, I'm gonna need you to hold her still again...... Melony?....... MELONY.

Melony: Oh, right! On it.

She places her hands on Meggy as Luigi readies the plaster.

Meggy: Bring it on, doc!

Luigi: Okay, here it goes.

Kaizo is entering the Main Hall when he hears the screaming. Meggy tightens her grip on Mario's hand and Meggy's shoulder as Luigi applies the cast. Mario keeps trying to pep talk Meggy as Melony holds her.

Mario: It's okay Meggy! Just think about video games and Ramen!

Luigi: Keep her still, I think I got it!

Melony keeps mentally repeating "I can do this" as the noise gets louder, but even that's getting drowned out. Meggy's screaming, Mario and Luigi's yelling, the increasing grip pressure on her shoulder, it's beginning to overwhelm her. It's too much as her breathing gets faster and faster as she can hear her heart beating in her ears. That's when SMG4 gives her a light tap on the shoulder.

SMG4: Alright, Melony. You can-

It's too much. Without warning, she jumps back and backs herself against the wall, hyperventilating as she holds her head and begins to tear up.

SMG4: Melony?

Kaizo is caught off guard as Melony rushes out of the Guest Room, right past him, and straight into the Storage Room before shutting the door. Everybody is shocked, unsure what to make of what just happened as Kaizo enters the Guest Room.

Kaizo: So, um......... is the ginger still alive?

Meggy takes a deep breath as the pain subsides for a moment.

Meggy: Yeah........ I'm good.......... But I think Melony..........

Kaizo: I saw. I'll look into it. Also, the cat said that you should be good to start on painkillers again. Keep it to small doses, though.

Meggy: Yaaaaaaaaaaayyyy.

SMG4: Thank's, Kaizo. We have things covered here.

In the Storage Room we see Melony curled up into a ball and quietly sobbing in the corner as the door creeks open. She doesn't even acknowledge Kaizo standing right beside her.

Kaizo: Hey......... can you talk to me?

She shakes her head. Kaizo notices red splotches seeping out from under the clockwork armor. She's been wearing it since they had escaped the Ketch. He kneels down and keeps his voice low.

Kaizo: Look. I know I'm not too good with this whole "comfort" thing, but I can see that you're hurt. And I want to help.

She slowly meets his gaze.

Kaizo: So......... what do you need?

She waits a moment before signing "Take it off, slowly" before raising her arm to him.

Kaizo: Alright.

She winces as Kaizo gently removes the gauntlet, revealing a pattern of circuit shaped wounds underneath. The arm and armor are both covered in blood.

Kaizo: Damn........ is the rest of it like this?

She nods, signing "I wanted to make sure she was okay first". Kaizo takes a deep breath.

Kaizo: Alright......... let's get the rest of this junk off of you so you can wash off.

Tari and Saiko exit the bathroom, with Tari's arm and chest wrapped in bandages. They see Kaizo exiting the Storage Room with Melony, now bereft of that armor and covered with a blanket.

Tari: Melony?! Oh my God what happened?!

Kaizo: She........ had a bit of an emergency. Don't worry, it's all under control now.

Melony signs "he actually helped out a lot" with a smile.

Tari: Is there anything we can do to help?

Kaizo: Yeah. Is the Bath Room open? Because she is in desperate need of a bath.

Tari: Sure thing! C'mon Melony, let's get you cleaned up.

Melony signs "thank you" to Kaizo as Tari escorts her to the Bath Room. He notices Saiko smiling too.

Kaizo: What?

Saiko: Nothing. C'mon, let's go check in on Meggy.

They both head over to the Guest Room. Judging by the lack of screaming, they're done with applying the casts. They've also started on painkillers judging by the copious amounts of giggling. In the room we see Mario sitting beside her on the bed, letting her rest her head on his shoulder while they watch meme compilations on his phone. We see Karen and SMG3 talking with SMG4 and Luigi, with Karen handing SMG4 a jar of green liquid.

Karen: This is a diluted extract from the One-Ups Mario gathered. Put an ounce of this in her IV once per day and once per night. If all goes well, she'll be back on her feet in two weeks.

SMG4: Understood.

Kaizo and Saiko enter the room.

Saiko: Everybody still alive?

Luigi: Alive and well! Say, where's Tari and Melony.

Saiko: Kaizo helped Melony out with her armor and Tari is helping her clean up.

Saiko didn't say it directly, but she was proud of Kaizo. Those kindness lessons were really paying off.

Kaizo: How's the shortstack?

Karen: Well, we got everything patched up the best we can for right now. I'm having someone come over to help monitor. I gotta head back home and make sure my kids haven't killed Mr. Depresso.

SMG3: Thanks for everything, Karen. We all owe you one.

As Melony steps out of the shower and Tari helps dry her off, a knocking on the front door can me heard. They head over to the front door and Tari is surprised to see.........

Tari: Whisk!?

Whisk: Hey guys. My mom called and said you needed some help.

Tari excitedly welcomes her inside. We zoom out from the Castle as Whisk is introduced to the rest of the gang.

Tari: Guys, look!

Karen: Hey Whisky, glad you could make it.

Luigi: Whisky?

Whisk: Mom, I told you not to call me that in front of others!

Meggy: MOM!?

Karen: Oh, so you've met my daughter.

Tari: Wait, Whisk is your daughter?

Meggy: Karen's your mom!?

Mario: And I'm-a Mario!

SMG4: MARIO!

This goes on for the rest of the night.

[kaddyssammlung]

About the new messages - last part

hidden under the cut (because some want to hear it live)

It is not simply some kind of existential threshold we are all fated to cross. It is problems of these small notions. One does not need to look as far as the end of their own life to be confronted with the unknowable. One does not even need to look that far to be confronted with death. Look around you, but what can you truly be certain? Death is a color. It soaks part of every canvas. Death is a fabric. It can clothe everything. Death is really another weapon wielded by the great adversary. Another cadence in this terribly beautiful symphony you sing to helplessly. Let it bring you hope in one hand and fearin the other. It is asking you to dance with both after all.

I decided to let Eckhart Tolle speak for me XD (source)

I love what he says about death in general. It helped me a lot when my grandfather passed away in 2020.

The last part of this message could be from Eckhart. I love what Vessel said. I do see Vessel as spiritual teacher in some ways.

The whole evolutionary impulse of the universe is towards that. Somehow, and I cannot explain it in words, it's beyond, we don't even attempt to fully, to really understand what is behind that. It is far beyond understanding, but it does to say that there is the evolutionary impulse of the universe is behind that.

Consciousness wants to flower through the form, the human. It will flower through any form. It doesn't say you are more worthy than this. I will choose this form because you are more worthy. It flowers where there is a transparency, where the form, the rigid mind structures give way. They die first. Identification with that, me, mind-made self goes. And this is why we're here, because as you sit here, you're finding death before death finds you. And these, the heavy, the mind structures that you identified with as me, the thought forms die. So the flowering is happening here before death finds you. You embrace death already. And, but it doesn't matter when it happens.

And consciousness will move through. It could be a criminal, killed several people, inflicted suffering on others, and on, of course, on himself. And in that midst of hell, in his cell, waiting for execution,suddenly inside the entire structure of the self, the entire structure of the self, mental, emotional structures dissolves because the suffering is unbearable. And suddenly something shines through. And now he doesn't care anymore whether the execution happens or not. And there have been cases like that. When this happens, sometimes when people speak about it and tell others about what happened to them, they may use certain words that correspond to their language or culture. But when you look beyond the words, you will see that they all point to the same. And there are some of those to whom it happens who can't even speak about it. They just look at you and you look at them. They may be uneducated. They may not have much to say. And yet you look and you see there's something that shines through that is deeper than a person, than any person could be.

The personal dimension has given way to that.

And so it is always, it is sacred when that happens, but so far it's been relatively few human beings to whom this has happened. No longer the case now, it is the destiny of all humans to go through that transformation. It is certainly your destiny. Otherwise you wouldn't be here.The purpose of your life is to enable that to come through you and it's happening already.

So we embrace the deaths that is here when you surrender to what is. That's the greatest death. The resisting me entity gives way. You can surrender through suffering or you can surrender through voluntarily through the yes to what is, which as we saw yesterday takes you beyond the form. You are no longer reactive to a form. So the yes, that simple thing, takes you beyond form. And I pointed out yesterday often, that which you say yes to is some form of limitation because it's form and that in other cases, that which you say yes to may be some form of death, some form of loss, and that is particularly powerful.

Any kind of loss or death leaves an emptiness behind when a form is no longer there. And you don't run away from that empty space. And it's an opening into the formless. And the death of the form enables God, which is the formless one life to shine through. Therefore, death has been long been recognized as sacred in ancient cultures who had not denied death.

Whereas the modern culture, modern Western civilization denies death.

They don't know it's sacred. They don't even want to talk about it. They don't want to see a dead body. You can't, it's not allowed. It's illegal to see a dead body. They would send you to a psychiatrist if you're asked to see a dead body. There must be something wrong with you. So death is hidden because the Western culture is totally identified with form, with mind. So the worst possible thing for it is death. Oh my. And even in hospitals, they don't know anything about death where death happens continuously. Old people's homes, every old people's home, if they essentially would potentially would be a spiritual center. The greatest ashrams would be old people's homes because that is the potential of old age, but it's not recognized yet. So they would be the most sacred places. So these ancient cultures have recognized the sacredness of death, not knowing perhaps why. Intuitively, they knew it to be sacred. But now you can see why it is sacred because the formless shines through where there was the form.

And that can happen when there's physical deaths, but it can also happen when you die psychologically to the me. And that is the spiritual transformation. And that can happen through intense suffering or through the power of a spiritual teaching, or in many cases, a combination of both. And I suspect that in many of you, it's a combination of both.

You've had the suffering, otherwise you wouldn't have come. And now there's the power of spiritual teaching, which tells you you don't need to suffer anymore,

a deep understanding of the universe happens as you enter the surrendered state. This mind made sense of self is also much more focused on the negative than the positive. To be free, you awaken to who you are beyond your history and your life situation. Always have a good day.

part 3 part 2 part 1

[yerinmoon95]

Every person also craves change and new opportunities in his life. Among all those who go through this transformation, there is one person amazing as the very first flower of spring. Its delicate petals, as if decorated with glass drops of dew, shimmered in all shades of sky blue. Every time its buds opened in the wind, they aroused delight and admiration among people. Countless letters and poems were dedicated to this flower, and everyone wanted only one thing - to watch its beautiful blossoming. Spring was coming to an end, and all my life I dreamed of meeting a real star. My soul stopped when I looked at his incomparable beauty. Cha Eunwoo's face shone with the freshness of the first blooming spring rose, tenderness and purity, as if he was created for aesthetic pleasure. Every movement of his arms and legs was precise and graceful, like the wings of a beautiful butterfly that flies towards the sun. At that moment I was transported to a fairy-tale world. He could transform into any character, gaining new strength and perfection, just like a butterfly flying out of its cocoon. From now on, Cha Eunwoo, as a work of art, has become a symbol of the beauty, elegance and tenderness that can be found in this ordinary world. He remained a mystery and inspired everyone to immerse themselves in the world of inner splendor and beauty that is present in each of us.

Eunwoo is like early spring for me. Why spring? The answer is simple. I'm a dreamer. Yes. Eunwoo is just like early spring - young, fresh and full of hope. His eyes are bright and sparkling, his smile is so open and serene that it makes people feel like they're the best in the world. It brings people not only beauty, but also spiritual renewal. Every day when Eunwoo appears, it seems as if all the problems have disappeared forever.

Spring days pass easily and unnoticed for him. He spends them in a street or in the park, where the smells of flowers and green trees add even more energy and positive thoughts to him. While other people struggle with their difficulties, he remains calm and relaxed, ready to take on life's new challenges.

No matter how difficult life may be for other people, Eunwoo always finds a way to support his friends and loved ones. He is a true source of strength and support who can share his wisdom and experience. He enjoys working on projects with a team as it allows him to use his creativity.

He is like early spring, when everything around begins to come to life after a long winter. In his presence one feels a special freedom and lightness. It seems that he is imbued with happiness and is ready to share it with everyone. Where he appears, it smells like spring. The aroma of fresh earth mixes with the delicate scent of blooming flowers. The leaves of the trees reflect the spring sun with playful colors, creating a bright palette that fills hearts with joy. People who meet him feel a flow of energy that flows through their veins. The smile on their faces becomes wider, their eyes light up with joy. All worries and problems somehow disappear, leaving only room for happiness. He walks through the streets, leaving traces of his magical walk there. Children run out of houses, trying to catch him by the sleeve. They laugh and run, experiencing all the power of spring freedom.

Time spent next to him becomes the most valuable gift. He helps to forget about past disappointments and look into the future with optimism. Eunwoo opens up new horizons and brings an inexplicable piece of wonder into everyday life.

He's like early spring. Eunwoo brings freshness and purity, filling hearts with spring warmth and love. He gives a feeling of freedom and happiness, and everyone who finds themselves next to him is immersed in a world where it smells like spring.

The sky will share the cotton candy of pink clouds, pure blue will hug your shoulders boundlessly, the breeze blows across your neck and shoulders and ruffles your hair. You want to breathe there. Want to laugh. Want to live. And cry with happiness. From the feeling of inspiration of the soul. His inner voice speaks louder. He has passion and is wonderfully gifted with talent.

The world is gradually filled with the morning glow, and the sea still seems one with the heavens. You plunge headlong into thoughts about spring, the sea, the beauty of people; you smile at the sun rising from behind the houses, delight yourself with little things: warm tea, atmospheric music.

His feet are made to walk on soft grass, his hands are tamed by warm winds, his hair grows to be decorated with flowers, and his chocolate eyes can only reflect the clear sky.

He sleeps without opening his eyes, and his calm breathing promises that the cold will recede, as it always did. Then he will get up and walk barefoot through the young grass towards the sun, towards life...

You open your eyes and feel the desire to live. Birds songs outside the window remind you of spring, stubbornly breaking through the snowy winter, and you begin to believe that you will break through too. You feel how strength appears in your soul, which has been empty for several months, to lend a helping hand to those who are nearby. To tell your loved ones about your love, to smile at yourself in the reflection.

Sun. So long-awaited, warm and dear. On this day, spring opens the windows and bursts into the house with a stream of light, turning shadows and echoes of nightmares to dust. The air trembles with the melody of new life ringing through it - bright, enthusiastic, still a little timid, but ready to scatter throughout the world.

Suddenly there is something in the air that will remind me how happy the smell of last spring made me.

Please always think positive and be happy. This world needs your thin thread, we all need this spring.

(c) by 카탸 🌸

[adelha-mathilde]

Tea Time In the Devildom (Obey Me! fic)

summary: Adelha is enjoying tea with some of her favorite friends in the Devildom. While her kitten gets spoiled with attention.

characters: Adelha Mathilde (OC), Asmodeus, Satan

content: casual talk, established relationships, fluff, some sad talk

The afternoon was peaceful as Adelha served tea to her guests. Satan and Asmodeus looking glad to be with the Fae woman to openly tell her about their most recent adventure. Namely helping their pact human with several chores around RAD to then avoid getting lectured by Lucifer. Satan looking quite pleased as he kept Adelha's kitten in his arms to pet and cuddle at his leisure. The Avatar of Wrath looking all but melted as the kitten gave him face licks.

Asmodeus took out his D.D.D. to record the moment as Adelha chuckled. Satan openly nuzzling his face as the kitten did so back. Adelha watched with amusement to openly smile. "The princess is getting her daily dose of cuddles. Honestly. You all tend to spoil her too much." Asmodeus gives a giggle to then make a comment of his own. "Much like how you spoil us? Be fair, Addy. We are highly aware of how you shower many of us with special gifts or snacks. Especially for my beloved pact humans. Even Lucifer has commented on how you ease their stress with the little surprised you leave for them."

Adelha feigns ignorance to sip at her tea cup and hum a thoughtful notation. "Why my dearest Asmodeus. I have little idea what you might be talking about. Solomon tends to need magic ingredients for me to send shipments to Purgatory Hall all the time. While your beloved little sheep needs various things for school as much as their personal health. How else would they find human lotion or toothpaste or vitamins if they didn't source such from my apothecary shop?"

Asmodeus snickers to finally set his phone down and openly stare into the Dragon maiden's face. His smile more of a smirk at this point. "Playing coy now are we, Addy? Such flawless execution leaves me captivated. But I know that look and that tactic. You cannot fool me, my sweet." Satan finally sets the kitten down and on his lap for the little ball of fluff to enjoy some back rubs. The blonde taking up his tea cup to sip at the contents before speaking up. "A dragon both protects and nurtures their treasures. This is something we have come to understand from watching you and several other of the Fae that are of the dragon lineage. But your treasures are not objects or relics. They are individuals who think and feel. So you gift us your tokens of love for us to be nurtured by. For example. Asmodeus told me about the flower wreaths. The ones that are meant to be a tribute to Lillith."

Adelha goes very still at this to then sigh. Asmodeus looking into his tea cup for a few tears to fall. Which has Adelha immediately reach over to take his hand and give it a gentle squeeze. Satan watched this to then nod his head. A warm smile there on his lips as Asmodeus wiped at his eyes with a tissue. "See. You did not ever know Lilith. Yet you make the most splendid flower wreaths for us to hang next to her painting. Simeon told me that every wreath we get has a wish woven into the framework. One that is a spell to give those who knew Lilith joy in her memory and peace at her absence. A spell that has left a trace of love in the entire house. You did that for us. Out of love. So know that we are grateful."

Asmodeus nods to then lean over and give Adelha a tight hug. One that she returns to shower Asmo's face with warm kisses. Which has Asmo hum in delight to look very happy. "Yes. We are so glad for the love you share, Addy. Which is why we all plan to bombard you with just as much love back. Now then. You simply must tell me where exactly you've been getting that human skin lotion. I have a mind to surprise our beloved sheep with a new scent."

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

this is a bit late but could you do some hcs of seb and penny asking/going out with the farmer for Valentine’s Day? 💗

hope you’re doing well :D 🫶 I just wanna say I love your hcs sm <3

Thank you very much for kind words ❤️

Sorry for the late reply, hope you like it :)

Sebastian:

Sebby used to mimic gag reflexes every time he saw cooing lovers or all those holiday gift ads... until he fell in love with the Farmer himself.

He thought for a long time how to invite them on Valentine's Day. All these chocolates, hearts and flowers could be a great gift, but they are so banal.

He decided to order a very funny valentine card featuring that bird from the "Lemme smash" meme. Stupid idea, but still very funny.

But he later saw the Farmer having a cheerful discussion with Abigail. They must have invited her... Well, that was to be expected.

Later, when Sebby was sitting at his computer in the basement, the Farmer came to visit him. Sebby tried not to sound upset.

"Hey Farmer. I wanted to give you this to make you laugh. Stupid thing, right?" Sebastian handed them a card with a bird and the inscription "You want yellow?"

The Farmer smiled at Sebastian somehow mysteriously... and handed him a card with the inscription "lemme smash please". Without irony.

"Be My Valentine, Mr. Emoboy"

...

Cheese and rice, holy fuck-

The whole room filled with laughter. When they both laughed, Sebastian looked at them with a smile and a slight blush.

"Well, where do you want to go today?"

Penny:

Valentine's Day for Penny is a day off when she doesn't need to sit with the kids in the library.

Although, to be honest, Penny would rather teach kids today. Her mom has been on TV all day, watching lottery shows. "One more number and I could hit the jackpot!"

Sigh

Penny decided to take a walk around the city. She tried not to think about sad things and just enjoy her day off.

She heard someone calling her name behind.

But before she had time to turn around, the source of noise with a muffled sound plopped face down into the snow.

Penny saw the Farmer lying in the snow with a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates that had fallen from their hands.

The Farmer quickly got to their feet, shook off the snow and picked up flowers and box.

"I've been looking everywhere for you. I heard that you were not busy today, and I thought, well... maybe you will agree..."

A bouquet of poppies... And melon-flavoured chocolate candy, her favorite...

She didn't expect the Farmer to be interested in someone like Penny, so she didn't hold out hope.

Who would have thought.

"I, oh.. yes, I agree." Penny turned redder than those poppies in the bouquet. And much happier.

"How about going to the movies?"

"Yes, that will be great." Penny smiled brightly.