#Adaine with the curls

[olivethetiger]

me when oracle characters

[who-is-there]

I just started watching Dimension 20’s Fantasy high, halfway through sophomore year, and I do want a fic where people realise just how used to being part of a group the bad kids are. For example-

-I fully believe every single one of them is used to Riz climbing them so he can see better. It’s usually Gorgug, but it’s happened to all of them at some point. They might hold out their arm for him to jump onto a counter, or so he can pin a clue to his board. Before they all sit at a table, at least one of them makes sure their 4’4 friend can jump onto the table.

-Every single one of them has also caught Adaine after she had a vision. Sometimes she can just shake them off, but the big ones make her falter in what she’s doing, which can be dangerous. It happened once in a fight, and now the people standing closest to her are always ready.

-Fabian doesn’t really recognise he has a blind spot with his eye injury, because the others immediately clocked it. But this also means they walk in between him and the road, in case some idiot mounts the curb. They keep an eye on anything to his right, shifting drinks and pushing chairs if they can tell his depth perception is a little off.

-Fig usually stands in the middle of the group to intimidate people into not messing with them, so it’s sort of become habit to just crowd around her. After the battle, if no one’s seriously hurt or anything, everyone just wanders over to Fig. At this point, Fig is always the first one to yell out after a fight, just so they can regroup.

-Gorgug is the go-to for lap-sits, leaning, anything to do with being physically supported by another persons body. His hoodie is soft, and his headphones are loud enough that you can kind of hear it if you’re leaning on him. His parents weren’t great with nonchalant physical contact, in case he was already upset, so he takes great joy in his friends not being scared to hug him for fun.

-Kristin has left her staff at every single house she could with the bad kids. She leaves her bag in classrooms, the library, the cafeteria. Whenever the group leave somewhere, they do a full scan, because Kristin has probably left something and they grab it for her. No one has any clue who her bag actually belongs to, because all of the bad kids have been seen carrying it around school several times.

The school at large know who the bad kids are, and the town recognise them, but they still don’t know why all of them double check a room before leaving, or collectively carry a small stool around with them. One student with a fantasy iron deficiency faints in class and Kristin catches her before she hits the ground. Once, Fig isn’t in school for a day and all the bad kids have this restless energy about them. It is not uncommon to see them on the field during lunch, curled up in a pile on Gorgug. One guy tries to surprise Fabian from the right and gets body checked by Adaine before it even registers.

It’s sort of uncomfortable for everyone to see any of them without the others, because it means a) the rest of them committed a crime, b) the rest of them are committing a crime, or c) the rest of them are about to run in and start planning to commit a crime. And no one wants to lose their plausible deniability here.

[cxlandine]

adaine's denim jacket is a mental illness/trauma recovery staple, actually. she wears that jacket every goddamn day and it has fluffy pockets and probably mysterious stains and tears that are a reminder of the life she's lived. a tear from catching on one of gorgug's tin flowers that she wore like a corsage on prom night. a yoghurt stain from gilear that really was powerfully resistant to cleaning, as much as she tried. a pulled seam from kristen shoving her whole buff arm into a pocket to get ecaf out. an extravagant embroidery of her name sewn onto the inside of the collar by cathilda in fabian's calligraphy. an abjurative ward burned into the denim by aelwyn who never learned to sew. an eternally damp spot on the shoulder where boggy cuddles up still wet from the aquatic portion of his backpack. a missing chunk of wool taken by riz for 'analysis' that was really stuffed into a baggie and pinned on a conspiracy board. a tiny unicorn created from fig's illusion in the nightmare forest that seemed to stay real even after leaving the forest prancing about the inner world of the jacket. a pocket in the ethereal realm just so that ghostly edgar the rat can curl up in it without phasing through it. an 'in memoriam' patch sewn in to commemorate the jacket-world person who sacrificed his life to give her a wand of ray of frost in freshman year. a little uplifting message written in ballpoint pen on the inside of her cuff during class. a smattering of wolf hairs that persist no matter how hard she tries to brush them off and keep ending up in her mouth somehow, although she keeps politely quiet about the occasional grey she finds on her shoulders.

[hyuburt]

I think Fantasy High would look good animated in the total drama style since they’re both chalk full of chaotic sweaty teenage energy. Here are the bad kids on their first day of school

[ID: Two images of the same lineup of characters, with the top one being the colored version and the lower one being the line art. They depict the six main characters from D20′s Fantasy High from tallest to smallest; Gorgug, Fabian, Kristen, Adaine, Fig, and Riz. They are all drawn and colored mostly in line with canon, with some slight variations to accommodate the total drama style. Gorgug’s eyes were stylized into two white dots with slight bags underneath, and he is standing upright with his hands nervously brought up to his chest with a slightly timid expression on his face. His hoodie is a slightly de-saturated purple with grey sweatpants and purple sneakers. He has dark green skin and black wavy hair that falls above one eye. His wobbly, down-turned mouth has a tusk poking out of the higher side (he normally has two, it’s just the way his expression was drawn made it so only one was visible.) His face shape and nose are rounded to give him a softer appearance and there are two little lines indicating the beginning of teenage stubble on his chin. Next to him on the right is Fabian, who stands with his arms crossed and his head turned haughtily to the right, a smug expression on his face. He is wearing his red owlbear jacket with white sleeves, greyish brown loose workout pants, a black undershirt, and red sneakers. He has brown skin and swept back white hair that is shaved on the sides. His nose slopes downwards and he has two eyelashes under both eyes to denote that he is a fancy, pretty boy. He is drawn with a strong, square jawline and a build that is both muscular yet nimble.To his right is Kristen who has a stocky, more rounded build and is wearing a rainbow tie dye shirt with a simplified corn logo in the center, denim shorts, green flip flops, and a rainbow bracelet. She has curly orange hair that curls around her round face, light tan skin with freckles, bushy orange eyebrows, an upturned nose, and dark green eyes that are upturned in a smile. To her right is Adaine, who is slouched slightly with her arms crossed and an unhappy expression on her face as she looks off to the ground. She is wearing blue circular glasses over her round blue eyes, her blue two-piece hudol uniform, knee-high grey socks, and black mary jane shoes. She has light brown skin and short, straight blonde hair swept back from the front of her face in a widow’s peak. She has a small, pointy nose and a circular face with a small pointy chin. Above her is a version of her face without her glasses. To her right is Fig, who is standing proudly with one hand on her hip and the other in a finger gun. She has light reddish skin and brown hair in a braid that has a bright purple streak in her bands and at the end of her braid like it was dipped in paint. She has a long, pointy face and a slightly hooked nose. Her eyes are a dark pomegranate color and slightly upturned. She is wearing purple lipstick, a short leather jacket with a cropped grey shirt underneath it that has a picture of a horned skull on it, a black choker, fingerless gloves on both hands, a plaid skirt and belt with black leggings underneath, dark brown boots, and a single fishnet coming up to her calf on her right leg. To her right is Riz, who is holding a magnifying glass up to his face with one eye squinted to see through it and his other hand on his hip. A single fang peeks through the corner of his small smile. He has a green tail that swishes in front of him. He is wearing his signature brown cap and two piece suit with mauve pants, vest, and tie. His skin is light green with freckles under his eyes, his eyes are light greenish-yellow with slits for pupils, and his hair is dark green and swept back under his cap. Above him is a version of his head without his cap, showing that his hair is swept back from the front and curls away from his face, giving him a windswept appearance.]

[deconstructthesoup]

Been thinking about how the Ratgrinders' relationships with each other would evolve from here... and this might be a hot take, but I actually think it would get slightly better.

Sure, there's the trauma that Lucy has of seeing her friends taken over by rage and killing her. There's the fact that Oisin and Ivy remember stuff, and Ruben doesn't remember anything. And there's the fact that Mary Ann... well, she seemed largely apathetic to everything, but seeing as she immediately asked Gorgug out as soon as she got resurrected, I'd have to say that she only appears apathetic now, as opposed to actually being apathetic.

But they're not grinding rats in the woods anymore, because that was Kipperlilly's idea. They have the opportunity to go on real, actual quests, where they can learn and connect and actually grow as a team. And you know what? It's the perfect opportunity to explore their dynamics, if we ever get a season with them a la The Seven.

Give me a scene where Oisin, Ivy, and Mary Ann are roasting people together, which eventually evolves into them just trying their hardest to make each other laugh. Give me a scene where Ruben plays a quiet little ukulele tune to calm Lucy down when she starts having flashbacks. Give me a scene where Mary Ann and Lucy are quietly curled up together, playing Quokki Pets and giving each other gameplay tips. Give me a scene where Ivy and Lucy are doing each other's hair and makeup after one of them has had a hard day and they need to unwind. Give me a scene where Oisin notices that Ruben's lagging behind and he just picks him up and carries him on his shoulders---because even now that he's not shatterstarred, he's still a lot stronger than he used to be, and maybe he might take a level in paladin, just for a little extra healing factor. Give me a scene where Ruben and Mary Ann run into battle stacked on top of each other and by the end of it they're both giggle-laughing and play-shoving each other because oh my god that was so dumb and your stupid puka shells kept on getting in my face. Give me a scene where Oisin sheepishly asks Mary Ann if she could put in a good word for him for Adaine and she immediately tells the rest of the party, causing them to tease him for the rest of the night until one of them---maybe it's Lucy, maybe it's Ivy---quietly tells him that it's okay, that he's not that person anymore, and maybe it might work out. Give me a scene where Ivy wordlessly carves little trinkets and bracelets out of wood and gives them to Ruben, because while it's still hard for her to say what she really thinks, she still wants to show them that she really does care.

Idk, man. I think they could be a great party.

[kindlespark]

sam i didnt even watch fhjy but can you tell me more of ur thoughts abt kipperlilly? any thoughts even stream of consciousness, she seems so teenager rage gone wrong im so fascinated by her

HJBFESJBFEKSFS THIS IS SO FUNNY OFC ok this is going to be a range of thoughts about the reactions i've seen from both ends of the rat grinder Discourse™

i think it's fine to be like, yeah, what kipperlilly's anger stems from is like deeply unsympathetic and comes from a very privileged status. i think being like "no that's normal for a teen girl" is silly. she is very much not normal she's a little upper-middle class brat and i love her. i love that she's so deeply distasteful and unappealing to people LOL. hate when female characters have to be smoothed down to be liked! like we don't have to downplay her negative traits when people are obsessed with male serial killers all the time etc etc

BUT i also think people forget that like... the bad kids were reading private thoughts she shared with her therapist (which is a massive invasion of privacy)! like of course it was fucked up. that's why she was going to a therapist lmao!!! it stresses me out that people are this vitriolic about a teen character who is pretty explicitly mentally ill and trying to get better about it but is being manipulated by a deity of rage and possibly her adult vice principal like. you don't have to LIKE her but calling for her to be violently murdered is wild to me. the bad kids had never even HEARD of her before this season and you can metagame about brennan not having invented her character yet all you want but in canon u gotta assume she was successfully keeping that rage down until she got got and is now being actively corrupted by a powerful rage deity lmaoooo

and like! she got her narrative punishment!! the monkey's paw curled and she lost her best friend she's got her traumatic backstory now!!! she's already suffering and at her lowest i don't need her to die (again!)

i think brennan is past the point of making teen characters irredeemable so i can only hope that the cast follows through on that bc i feel like redemption and healing from trauma is one of the strongest themes in fantasy high like i bawled my eyes out in every aelwyn and adaine scene. which is why it's really funny to me that siobhan is kipperlilly's biggest hater because i feel like she's a great mirror to adaine's spite and aelwyn's redemption..... like siobhan's characters are all very appealing to me because of their rage. god im hoping and praying they don't kill the rat grinders in the finale god bless

oh final petty thing i think saying kipperlilly's name wrong was only funny the first 200 times <3 love u all mwa

[cottoncandybitchfuck]

@magical-awesome-kid this has been stuck bouncing around my head since you commented. Rude as hell cause it's 12:50 am and I need to be asleep. Anyway, here this is.

As Gorgug wakes up he tries to remember when he went to sleep. The last thing he saw were his friends and family sitting around him, they were all smiling but they had tears in their eyes. His mom and dad both held his hand. He is lying on the ground, on what feels like moss. After a minute his eyes adjust better and he sees a familiar twilight glow and a goddess reaching a hand down to him. She smiles at him softly, and he takes her hand in his. Another goddess stands behind her, this one glows more brightly. He gives a nod to her, and they walk together for a minute. Cassandra brings him to a clearing that reminds him of the Nightmare Forest he was in during his sophomore year. That had to be 60ish years ago, but the clearing looked the same, with moonlight shining down on him. He thinks a small “Thank you” as he feels the goddesses leave him to sit for a while. 

Riz wakes up, more energized than he has been since he was 9 years old. He is laying on… moss? He opens his eyes and sees a familiar forest. A small smile forms on his face when he sees a twilight hand reaching down to him. Then a frown. He signs to Cassandra, his hearing long gone. “But, my mom and dad.” Cassandra nods. He feels a sense of calm washing over him, and takes the hand reached out to him. He follows them, still worried about seeing his parents again. Then he sees Gorgug. He runs for the first time in a long time and jumps into a hug. Twilight surrounds them, and they are calm and together again. He gets a call on his watch. His mom and dad, and he gets to go help them, but he always comes back, his home is here. 

Kristen never went to sleep, she was praying and she opens her eyes to her goddesses once more. Ankarna reaches her hand down to raise Kristen from her feet. “It is done, you can rest now.” Kristen nods, she knew it was coming, and she wasn’t the first to die. Twilight and dawn envelope her in a hug as she floats through the forest with them. She comes to the same clearing, and Riz and Gorgug are waiting. Riz signs to her “Good to see you. I missed you.” She just hugs him and cries a little bit. Gorgug hugs her next. “You look better,” He tells her, and she feels it. Gravity doesn’t weigh her down as much as it did and the dull ache in her knees she was so used to was gone.

Fabian dies with Adaine and Aelwyn at his side, the Hangman curled in dog form in his lap. The warmth always felt nice when his bones hurt a little bit. He notices he is warm all over now, and he opens his eyes to see a body made of Dawn standing in front of him and offering a hand. He shakes his head, “I didn’t expect to be here.” She shrugs, and offers him a warmth he hasn’t had since Cathilda passed away. He nods and takes her hand, walking with her to the same clearing. He sees Gorgug and runs to him, he hasn’t seen him in 105 years, but he looks the same as he remembers. The Ball jumps on his back and they have a group hug. Then he sees Kristen, and he tells her “Thank you.” 

Fig visits when she can, plane shifting when she can get away from work. She passed away, but she’s still an archdevil. The first time she visits she gives a huge group hug. She tells Gorgug “I just can’t find a drummer good enough to replace you!” He gives a goofy smile. She signs to Riz “I never got rid of your corkboards in hell. Can you still help me with legal junk? I’m no good at it.” He laughs and tells her “Yes, I can. I work with my mom and dad now too!” She tells Fabian “The Hangman is doing better now, he’s more used to being in Hell again and he’s a great companion.” He says “Thank you for taking care of him. I know he didn’t want to go.” She smiles at Kristen and tells her “I missed my president.” 

Adaine passes away during a quest as the Oracle, she went off to help Aguefort with something and just wasn’t able to make it. She wakes up on the same moss patch everyone else did, with Kristen offering her hand. She takes it and gets up but then pulls her into a huge hug, tears running down her face. “Oh how I missed you!” Kristen has tears in her eyes as she said “It was hard to be here without my sister.” They walk to the clearing, and Riz tackle hugs her. She just laughs as they all walk up and hug her, ignoring that the others are already there. Gorgug offers her a flower, and she takes it, putting it in her pocket. Riz starts talking to her about a case he just can’t crack. She asks to see his corkboard and they start talking about it. Fabian sits behind them talking to Gorgug about bloodrush strategies he used as coach. Kristen and Fig sit together listening to and watching them all. Kristen rests her head on Fig’s shoulder, and their goddesses float above them, happy that the Bad Kids are together once again.

[cookies-over-yonder]

two sides of the same coin

Adaine tries to relax her jaw. It doesn't work, and her ears are ringing, and fuck, her chest hurts so bad. "Adaine?" Riz. She tries to speak, but all that comes out is a sob.

for @kaseyskat

ao3

Adaine squeezes Boggy in her arms, feeling the tears slide down her face. She's curled up in a ball on her bed, and she can't breathe.

She's having a panic attack, and she knows it, but Jawbone isn't home. It's fine. She can handle it. That's what she told herself when she left movie night in the living room.

She tries to relax her jaw. It doesn't work, and her ears are ringing, and fuck, her chest hurts so bad.

"Adaine?"

Riz. She tries to speak, but all that comes out is a sob.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, can I touch you?" he asks, and his voice is quiet. Adaine doesn't think she's ever heard Riz sound so gentle.

She nods, and she feels a hand brushing her hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear, and another hand holding hers.

"Can you look at me?"

She hadn't even realized her eyes were closed.

She opens them, and sees Riz starting back at her with wide and concerned eyes. "Hey, it's okay, I'm right here, you're safe, we're gonna do some deep breaths, okay? Can you follow along with me?"

She nods.

Riz takes in a deep, audible breath, and she follows along. And she lets it out, feeling more tears slide down her face. "So—sorr—"

"Stop that. Remember what Jawbone said? It's not your fault that your brain is giving you shit, so don't apologize."

Adaine whines despite herself, a childish whine that would get her trouble for were she still living with her parents.

But she doesn't get in trouble this time.

This time... she gets a hug.

"Just breathe, it's okay," Riz says softly, rubbing circles into her back, "I'm here for as long as you need."

Adaine breathes, and she buries her face in the crook of Riz's neck despite the height difference making it a bit of an awkward position.

She whines again, and it's an embarassing thing, but she can't help it. And Riz runs his hands through her hair, and she feels so small.

"You're safe, everything is okay, I promise," Riz says, "just keep breathing, you're doing so well."

Adaine keeps breathing, and she feels the post-panic attack fatigue hit harder than it has in a long time.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Riz asks after a moment, pulling away to look at her.

Adaine whines again, curling in on herself a little.

"It's okay if you can't talk, do you wanna go back to watching a movie with the others?"

She shakes her head.

"Okay, we can stay here," Riz says, brushing her hair out of her face again and planting a kiss on her forehead. She looks up in surprise, and he averts his gaze. "Um... my mom does that when I'm upset, I thought it might help."

Adaine nods, and she sees him let out a small sigh of relief.

"Are you feeling any better?" he asks, and she nods, and then she buries her head in the crook of his neck again. He wraps his arms around and holds her tighter. "We can just take a nap here if you want."

You sleep too, Adaine Messages him, and she hears him chuckle.

"I'm fine, you need rest," he says, and helps her shift into a lying down position, with Boggy between them. "Do you want me to stay here with you while you trance?"

She nods, squeezing Boggy and shifting so she's cuddled up against Riz.

He drapes an arm over her, pulling her closer.

"I love you, okay?" Riz says, wiping a falling tear off her cheek, and burying his face in her hair. "You don't have to be strong for everyone all the time. I'd rather help you than know you're struggling alone."

I could say the same for you, Adaine Messages him.

She feels Riz tense up a little. "That—that's not relevant right now."

Isn't it?

"You need your rest right now. That's a topic for another time."

Always avoidant.

"If I try to sleep too, will you get off my case?"

For now.

"Deal," Riz says, taking off his glasses and placing them on the bedside table before returning to cuddle with Adaine and closing his eyes.

And feeling a much more at ease, she closes her eyes too, focusing on Riz's protective embrace as she drifts off to trance.

[aerialflight]

fic rec list

I am into such random fandoms at the moment and I NEED to spread the word on how fantastic these fics are so people would get into those fandoms too. Join me in my rabbit holes!

-

[Dimension 20: Fantasy High]

serendipities of the mundane kind by fangirl_squee

Ships: Figueroth Faeth/Ayda Aguefort, Riz Gukgak/Fabian Aramais Seacaster, Kristen Applebees/Tracker O'Shaughnessey

The Bad Kid's lives wind through the world a little differently, but some friendships are just meant to be.

(ships aside, this is a fic about friendship! and it's absolutely beautiful!! i loved how all the relationships formed and how all of them meet under different yet plausible circumstances. they meet in pairs and then in groups, all of them introduced to each other slowly yet organically. i'm so in love with each character's journey and how meant-to-be the bad kids are. absolutely recommend this!)

thwick thwack by graeskies

Ship: Riz Gukgak/Fabian Aramais Seacaster

Eyes narrowed, slitted pupils so thin they could pick a lock. Wide, fin-like ears pressed flat back against his head—'airship ears', Adaine had said once, and it made Riz laugh so hard he had forgotten what he had been reacting to in the first place. Tail thrashing back and forth, making a rhythmic thwick thwack against his legs, or his briefcase, or both. Extra-sharp teeth bared wide, hissing with a confidence he didn't have in freshman year. Riz's threat displays were hypnotizing. Fabian almost forgot the punchline of his own joke.

(riz acting on his instincts and fabian Vibing with it so hard is a trope i never knew i wanted until this fic fnieowfnpewa.)

not by design (again, again) by jackpack

Ship: Riz Gukgak/Fabian Aramais Seacaster

To his knowledge, the world is right when Riz gets home, right as he falls into bed and curls up with a grin on his face, right as he closes his eyes and passes sometime in the wee hours of the morning, content that tomorrow was going to be even better. And, then, he wakes up to an alarm set for school. -- It's freshman year, and Riz has a found family to find. Again.

(time travel time travel time travel!!! the bad kids all struggling to find each other and solve the mystery! ugh, these kids have my whole heart and i loved every minute of this.)

Light My Fire by Anonymous (locked, need account to read)

Ship: Riz Gukgak/Fabian Aramais Seacaster

The sheet is too short to reach Riz. Fabian fully unfurls it, stretches both his arms as far as he can, thinks about fully letting go and grabbing The Ball midair, trying to tuck and roll and maybe take some of the damage for him. Despite his efforts, he's just a few feet shy of Riz, limp and unconscious and hurtling downwards, just like he was at the Row and the Ruction. Fabian, once again, is too slow and weak and incompetent to help him. Fabian screws his eye shut, half because he can't stand to watch Riz's body hit the ground and half because he feels like if he just believes hard enough, he can somehow save him. - I thought too hard about the time Fabian summoned a fire elemental that saved Riz's life and also kissed him and then nobody ever mentioned it again. This is the result.

(i caught FEELINGS when reading about this moment in the sophomore campaign, embellished and seen through the eyes of a desperate fabian. there's something about fabian being sincere and brave that always hits me in the chest like a hammer.)

meet me in the woods by macaronidoodles

A thought comes to him, and he pulls out the little rock he’d artificed out of his pocket. It’s probably stupid, he thinks, looking at it, so small in his hands. But there’s no one around to make fun of him, and if even one of his friends could hear… It’s Gorgug, he whispers. Keep going. * (in the forest of the nightmare king, gorgug gives everyone a chance to catch their breath)

(i will never be over that fucking line and all that it does. the hope, the love, the determination to keep moving forward, knowing that you are not alone. fnewifoewpa GOD.)

An Abjurative Wizard's Guide to Entrapment and Matchmaking, by Aelwyn Abernant by AgentStannerShipper

Ship: Riz Gukgak/Fabian Aramais Seacaster

“I cannot be in love with Riz Gukgak,” Fabian says. “I cannot be in love with The Ball. Under no circumstances can that be a thing that is happening.” Across the room, sitting in Riz’s chair, her feet up on Riz’s desk, ninety percent of her attention on one of Riz’s case files open in her lap, Aelwyn does the incredibly helpful thing of saying, “Uh-huh.”

(this is THE fic that got me into the ship. fabian's feelings of admiration and love for riz shines through and i'm so in love with how in love fabian is. seeing it from his point of view made me realize just how good of a person and character riz gukgak is. love this fic so much!)

Ring a Bell by Tangerine_Blast

“You are drunk,” Adaine accused. “I’m not-” Aelwyn protested but stopped herself mid word and pinched the bridge of her nose, “I don’t mean to alarm you, little sister, but I think you may be suffering from some severe memory loss.” Adaine was about to snap back at her but froze as the words sunk in. Memory loss. Yes. That would certainly explain why she was in a different outfit then she remembered. “What did you do?” *** The Bad Kids wake up on the first day of their freshman year. Or… no, it’s almost two years later and everything is so vastly different. Where are they? Who are all these people claiming to be their family and friends?

(*SCREAMS* god, it hit me so hard how all the bad kids grew up so much from freshman year?? they're such different people in sophomore year compared to the beginning. every single character, including the side characters, are going Through It and i wanted to hug all of them so. bad. nfewiofpewa absolutely a must read, i love every single character here so so much!!)

-

[Naruto]

Into the Wide Blue Yonder by OneEyedRaven

Ship: Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Sasuke

“Take off your mask,” the clan head demanded. He might as well have ordered Kakashi to strip naked – to reveal his face to all these strangers felt as vulnerable as baring his neck to a sword. “You will not be allowed to hide your face here, Sharingan-thief.” - Kakashi gets misplaced in time and taken in by the Uchiha clan during the warring era, thanks to the mysterious one-armed man, Sasuke.

(i've never been into this ship but my god they make it work here in the most delightful slowburn i've read in a long while. i am rooting for them so hard, they're trying to change the world and make it better and i am so here for it! yes! disestablish the corrupt power structures of konoha from the very beginning! hell yeah!!!)(also kakashi's growth and characterization makes me want to cry he's doing so well considering all the bullshit he's lived through fnewfew)

fluffy clouds and a tinge of wonder by TheOneKrafter

In a world obsessed with killing and dying, Seiko is mostly concerned with chasing off her boredom. The Academy wasn’t exactly intellectually stimulating, but dying in the second shinobi war sounded like a long walk off a short pier. Everyone is always so stressed about avoiding attention, or min-maxing skills in situations like this. Seiko is of the opinion that those people need to chill the hell out. Maybe play a little shogi. Death comes for them all anyways. Better to enjoy this all while it lasts. (genius self insert stumbles into disrupting a timeline with the intentionality of an elephant trampling a very fancy tea shop.) (updates weekly-ish.)

(*cackles* i love how built the world and relationships are in this fic. the SI is not overpowered, actually intelligent but not omnipresent, and has actual social skills instead of being an oblivious airhead. i appreciate the time and care that's taken to build the friendships the SI has and am eager to see how the plot turns out in the future!)

How to Redeem Your Past Mistakes, Commit Mild Treason, and Accidentally Build a Family by themidnightguardian

If Kakashi hadn’t seen Naruto living in squalor and Sasuke’s personal trauma shrine and whatever civilian fuckery was happening at Sakura’s house, he’d have at least tried to fail them even if logic told him the Elder Council would never let it fly. Screw the Hokage for that. * * * * * * * * * * When the Sandaime showed him Naruto’s apartment, he didn’t think that was going to be the tip of the iceberg that was the shitshow of his soon-to-be team. But as it turned out, Naruto wasn't the only one with a less-than-optimal home life. And as it turned out, Kakashi was apparently the only person in Konoha who cared.

(*hugs all of team 7* they are family and it's the council's mistake in thinking this wouldn't happen. kakashi is Doing His Best and doing Well and i want to pat him on the head in appreciation for his efforts.)

-

[Diamond no Ace]

Lay Sunflowers at My Grave by Kinryuuki

Ship: Miyuki Kazuya/Sawamura Eijun

"If you could go back, and do it over. What would you do?"

(literally the best time travel fic since trajectory of laughter, i am OBSESSED.)

Aromantic Way to Propose by blue_flowers_bouquets (cianderia)

Ship: Miyuki Kazuya/Sawamura Eijun

Miyuki Kazuya doesn't get romance, and he's painfully aware of it. Sawamura Eijun is a hopeless romantic to boot, but he insists that they should date. Their relationship goes as smooth as you could expect.

(so sweet and fluffy! exploring how an aromantic and romantic person can work, yet the characters stay in character! i really like how this was managed and written, absolutely give it a read!)

-

[Bridgerton]

a thousand cuts by wall_e_nelson

Ship: Anthony Bridgerton/Kate Sharma

Every single day, Anthony tries very hard not to walk directly into the ocean. A collection of non-linear one-shots, headcanons, AUs, and missing scenes for Anthony Bridgerton. (this story was written in the year between s1 and s2. the character is based in the little we knew of s1 show!Anthony, pulling the rest of him and the world needed from the books.)

(it feels insane to me now that this was the first fic i read in this fandom. this isn't even my fucking fandom, i never even watched the show or read the books but god, god, this made me cry more than 10 fucking times. i can't remember the last time my heart ached so badly for a character, and anthony bridgerton is a phenomenal character indeed.)

Unspooled Thread by happilyinsane13, itakethewords (Itakethewords)

Ship: Benedict Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington

Benedict's life changed the moment Lady Danbury commanded, “Follow that Featherington.” The year is 1813 and Benedict's sister Daphne has just made her debut. He thought he knew how this season would go. Little did he suspect he would stumble on the youngest Featherington daughter's biggest secret. -- A complete, Benelope canon re-write, starting from S1, Ep1 all the way through season 3.

(this fic has RUINED me, i can't unsee the potential this ship holds. they're artists who bond over art! they admire and protect and care about one another! it's the slowest of slow burns that immediately catches fire before running around in panic! it's a proper friends to lovers fic done incredibly well!)(i started reading this author's other benedict/penelope fics and GOD IT'S SO GOOD FNEWIFOEW.)(i'm ruined! this rare pair has ruined me!!)(i have no regrets.)

-

[Jujutsu Kaisen]

The Phantom Guardian by MissingN000

Ships: Getou Suguru/Gojo Satoru, Kugisaki Nobara/Zenin Maki, Fushiguro Megumi/Itadori Yuuji, Inumaki Toge/Okkotsu Yuuta

There's something about this girl, like looking in a funhouse mirror a third of his size. “Oi, kid,” Toji says. “It’s you, isn’t it?” The girl glares daggers at him from behind a pair of red-rimmed glasses too big for her tiny face. She’s looking at him like he’s totally crazy, which isn’t entirely untrue. “Huh? Who the heck are you?” In lieu of answering, he asks, “What’s your name?” The girl scowls. “Maki.” “Maki,” he repeats, and it’s like a missing piece of his soul falls back into place. The record of his life before he fought the Six-Eyes brat is a long, impossibly white scroll of nothing -- but written on it in faint letters is the name of a child, a child with a delicate name that brushed the heavens, spun a prayer into letters; a name that began with an M, and it ended in i, too. “Maki,” he says again. “I think you’re my daughter.” -------- Toji makes a mistake. It changes everything.

(*running around throwing glitter like a sparkling system* and you get found a found family! and you get a found family! and you-)(but seriously, this is the one and only fic i'll read from this fandom, i legit don't care about anything else except these fuckers in this fucking fic. they are all disasters and i love that every single character here is traumatized and still somehow ruining themselves while thriving?? it's amazing.)

-

[Star Wars]

You and I (drink the poison from the same vine) by northpeach, wolfsrainrules

When one wakes up from death into a universe many of us have dreamed of, truthfully Kiyo can say it was both easier and harder then she thought it would be. Yes, she's gonna get a lightsaber. Yes, she's gonna bite someone to get a bes'bev. No, she's not forgetting where she's come from but she cannot grieve for a lifetime. Not when this life has so much potential. Has so much to offer. Not when she knows exactly how well Mandalorian and Jedi cultures fit together. Absolutely not, especially since she knows Jaster Mereel has a 700 page love letter written to his people to publish. She's going to get her hands on it and read it if it's the last thing she does.

(*breathes* i need this to update so bad. i usually hate SI fics in star wars, but this fic is amazing?? again, i NEED TO KNOW where this is going, my impatience is clawing my brain.)

(They Were) Made For Us by Echuta (setoboo)

Ship: Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi

The Kaminoan tilts his head with a small smile. As if he’s trying to be indulgent for the Jedi’s sake. “Well yes, you and your fellow Jedi, Master Kenobi. They were made for the Jedi - and since the Jedi serve the Republic. It was implied they would do so too.” ‘They were made for the Jedi.’ Obi-Wan thinks in a daze. Clinging to that one sentence and grappling with all the implications buried within it as the Force around him pulses with tension. ‘For...for us? For me?’ What can that possibly mean? ---------------- Or; the Clones are really, and truly, perfectly made for the Jedi. The real issue is that it seems the Jedi are just as perfectly made for the Clones. This throws a major wrench in the works for the Darkside when the Jedi aren't very willing to let their men die. Not even on the senate's orders.

(i keep rereading this, i'm so obsessed with this kind of trope where people can read others' souls and just know who they are. this is the Shit for me, i was doomed from the start fnewifoewaef)

-

[Top Gun] (the most unexpected fandom to get into, watched it 2 months ago and it's completely taken over my life HELP ME-)

Where Are You Going by adiduck (book_people)

Ship: Tom Iceman Kazansky/Pete Maverick Mitchell

They’ve both heard all the philosophical bullshit, of course. Poems about your soul forever seeking its other half, impassioned treatises they were supposed to read in high school English about how you know where your own limbs are, quotes from long-dead guys about physical distance but hearts taking up the same space--that kind of bullshit. Maverick never put much stock in that kind of thing--he’d hated school. It probably shouldn’t have been surprising that Ice also really did not care about the science or philosophy--they were supposed to be perfect for each other, after all. (Or: There’s a handshake in the O Club the first night of Top Gun, and the very bearing of “magnetic North” shifts permanently under Ice and Mav’s feet)

(soulmate fic!! it's done so well and the relationship negotiations and trying to make it work is so up my alley. it's not an instant love soulmate fic, which i appreciate a lot, and i just love this author's characterization of of ice and maverick. definitely recommend this author's other works too, i just love the way they write in general, in whatever fandom they are in XD)

A Higher Fidelity by sintra

Ship: Tom Iceman Kazansky/Pete Maverick Mitchell

“C’mon.” Tori nudges him with an elbow. “C’mon. He’s cute. You can admit that one thing but you can’t admit this?” Gritting his teeth, Ice thinks very carefully about his next words. “He’s…” he trails off. “Some would say that…Mitchell is not. Unpleasant. To look at.” (Alternatively: the one where Ice and Mav learn to park bad, eat good, and love even better.)

(i want to kiss the author, ice's characterization here made me laugh so many times, omfg. absolute treasure of a fic! the narration and ice's thoughts were so fucking funny and maverick is just perfectly maverick in this haha! absolutely recommend for a good laugh with some extra sweetness.)

Precipice by V_Evergreen

Ship: Tom Iceman Kazansky/Pete Maverick Mitchell

Dating, it turns out, does not get easier with age. Alternately: [“Ice,” Maverick said slowly, “do you have a crush on me?” Ice flushed. “Shut up.” Maverick grinned. “How embarrassing.”]

(middle aged people going on first dates!! it's so sweet and snappy, i love how well-worn yet new this fic feels when it comes to their relationship. it feels both fresh yet comfortable and i felt warm reading this. <3)

Flowers for Sale by Owner by aelibia

Ship: Tom Iceman Kazansky/Pete Maverick Mitchell

Most people would do anything to stop the flowers from coming. Maverick is not most people.

(THE FUNNIEST FREAKING HANAHAKI FIC I'VE EVER READ HOLY SHIT! PLEASE READ, I CRIED FROM LAUGHING SO HARD FNEIWOFEWA)(never in a MILLION YEARS did i think about this aspect of the hanahaki curse, INCREDIBLE.)

I Need You to Live by PurpleArrowzandLeather

When Bradley finishes playing his dad's song at the Hard Deck, he sees a familiar figure collapse on the beach. Thinking the worst, he does everything in his power to make sure he doesn't lose him.

(i am so weak for fics that involve bradley and maverick re-conciliating. really great what if scenario done right and i definitely recommend this author's other top gun fics, they do gen fics for top gun really well!)

lost fight, grip tight on a heavy rope by writteninwaves

Bradley Bradshaw does not do regrets. Until he does. But in his fifteen years of self-imposed exile, there comes a time when even his stubborn will breaks. When Bradley overhears devastating news about his dad, he realizes just how much he lost and wonders if anything was worth it in the first place. Part 1 of revival

(mav is presumed dead and bradley comes back home because of it. the exploration of grief and how much maverick mattered to so many people is *chefs kiss* done fantastic here. there's a part 2 to this series when mav shows up and let me tell you, it's so good and i absolutely recommend that as well haha!)

What's In A Name? by maverickazansky

Ship: Tom Iceman Kazansky/Pete Maverick Mitchell

Maverick had never put any thought into Bradley not knowing the difference in surnames between the people in his family, nor his own. Nor had his put any thought into the fact that Bradley was a child. He probably should have.

(it's so cute!! it's so so so cute!!! i both laughed and cooed at little bradley, this is so ridiculously fluffy hahaha!)

With the Stars in the Darkness, and Love in the Light by flyingfightingfishy for LadyLanera

Ship: Tom Iceman Kazansky/Pete Maverick Mitchell

Ice cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I was calling about Wood and Wolf's wedding." "Oh yeah! I was sort of wondering about that. When I talked to Wolf a couple weeks ago he said the invitations would be out soon but I haven't gotten one.” Ice cleared his throat again, not quite sure how to address the situation. "Yes. Well. That's because it's with mine. Which is why I called.” Mav made a noise of mild confusion from the other end of the phone. ”They sent them together?" "Ah, no,” Ice said, taking a deep breath. “They invited us. Together. As a couple. Same invitation." OR Ice and Mav get invited to Hollywood and Wolfman's wedding together. They're not a couple. They decide not to correct the assumption.

(i wanted to smash these two idiots together, ice's anxiety was so palpable and real and i wanted to shake the man the entire time omg.)

-

[Crossovers]

Jokers to the Right by adiduck (book_people) for Serie11

Fandoms: The Saint (1997), Mission Impossible

Ship: Ethan Hunt/Simon Templar

It was supposed to be an easy one. (Or: Ethan Hunt is trying to save the world. Simon Templar is trying to rob an asshole blind. They work it out.) Part 1 of if you ever leave, i'm coming with you

(my goddamn gateway drug into this crack ship that i'm now absolutely OBSESSED with. truly and sincerely, this ship has overrun my life and i can't stop listening to lupin the third ost because it gives off spy vibes SO HARD.)(this ship is just, so much fun?? the banter, the fact they're both hyper competent people in the same field of work, whether that means working against or with each other. simon is fascinating and ethan is so inherently good and they circle around each other flirting SO MUCH LIKE NFEWNIFWE.)(the rest of the series is so good too and i absolutely recommend reading Serie11 too, they both herald this ship and god, GOD, i need more of this ship with their dynamics, it's AMAZING!! Please please give it a go and read!)

believe in you by Serie11

Fandoms: The Saint (1997), Mission Impossible

Ship: Ethan Hunt/Simon Templar

“I’ve sort of been wondering why you kept asking me out,” Julia confesses. “When it was pretty obvious that you weren’t going to make a move.” “Obvious,” Ethan echoes. He doesn’t like to think that he’s obvious about anything that he isn’t doing incredibly on purpose. He doesn’t like to think that even after all these years of only showing what he wants to show, there are still things that people can see about him that he would prefer them not to know. “This is date five, Ethan,” Julia says, lifting her eyebrows. “And you haven’t tried to kiss me once.” - Ethan's trying to escape from his past – but that's not exactly easy when he doesn't really want to run.

(a rewrite of mission impossible 3 with saintspy (this ship's name) in it. everything fits! the movie somehow has even MORE stakes and i got so hooked into the relationship drama between our mains and julia is so great here?? this fic is angsty and is in the break up era of their relationship, it's so juicy!! uggh, i love how this author writes, they really dig into ethan's psyche and i'm utterly enamored by it! even if you're not into saintspy, this fic's exploration of ethan still makes it compelling, so i definitely recommend you to check it out!)

run in the shadows by Serie11 for adiduck (book_people)

Fandoms: The Saint (1997), Mission Impossible, Top Gun

Ship: Ethan Hunt/Simon Templar

The changing soulmark on his wrist is a secret that Ethan has kept for as long as he can remember - one that he never thought he would have to explain to anybody, until a man with Peter Mitchell written on his skin appears to upend his entire life.

(*screams* soulmate fic! soulmate fic! this fic is separate from the two fics above, but man, it dives so hard into Ethan and his backstory on, "what if ethan hunt and pete mitchell are the same person". it's handled so well and the exploration on identity and what it means for both ethan and simon is so great!! a must read that will definitely win you over to this ship, i will die on this hill!)

Give and Take by GreenGlassMountain

Fandoms: The Saint (1997), Mission Impossible

Ship: Ethan Hunt/Simon Templar

When Max hires Ethan to steal the NOC list, she gives him free reign over his team members, with one exception. For such a massive heist, he must recruit the best thief in the business: a man known only as The Saint.

(i recommended this before and i need to recommend this again! seriously, it's a delightful first meeting fic between ethan and simon and the author did it so right! the dynamics, the cautious back and forth, and the fact this fic is set in the first mission impossible movie is all kinds of intriguing!! i'm so happy that this small ship is growing bit by bit and i'm so excited to see what comes next with this fic XD)

[dullgecko]

PART 1 - PART 3 -PART 4

His crystal buzzed once, then a second time, then several more times in quick succession as the group chat notifications started piling up on the screen. Riz rolled over and groaned, grabbing the crystal and unlocking the screen (after a few failed attempts), claws clicking against the screen as he typed out a reply before letting it fall from his grip and onto the mattress.

What he /tried/ to type was 'I'm fine, home sick' but his fever was high enough that he was a little delirious so what actually appeared in the chat was:

//I'm ginef huhonexick//

This did /not/ have the desired effect of making his crystal stop buzzing, in fact it just made it buzz MORE. Then start ringing. Which he answered with a groan as he curled around the noisy and annoying device.

//The Ball! Where are you? Are you safe?// Fabians voice was the loudest over the shitty speakers of his crystal but he could hear the rest of his friends shouting in the background.

Riz just answered with a sleepy hum, which was the same answer he gave to the next several questions he was peppered with until the half-elf eventually cut the call.

Riz was mostly awake now though, too uncomfortable and hot to sleep again, and got out of bed to go shower and get some water. His crystal getting left in his room as he plod around the house, his mom having left him a note and a sports drink on the counter since she'd left to get him meds from the pharmacy downtown.

He felt like he was forgetting something though as he stepped into his bathroom (warded against magic after the whole baron/mirror thing the year before) and set about having probably the longest shower he'd had in years.

------

"He didn't say the code word." Fabian frowned at his crystal, waiting a few minutes just in case Riz called back before shoving it in his pocket.

Adaine was already trying to scry on their rogue but the closest she could get to him was his now empty bedroom, sheets thrown on the floor where he'd left them and crystal abandoned on the mattress.

The rest of his party, at that point, decided ditching school was a good idea.

[hyperref-lex-ia]

Tail Riz and Glasses Adaine are very good and obviously true, but one I don’t see mentioned is Riz has very obviously straight hair in his current art and I haven’t seen a single fanart give him anything but luscious curls. And we are right for it.

[teenagerebellion]

Pls share your abernant headcanons! I am unfortunately constantly thinking about them!

hii hello me too anon me too… this is another sort of appearance headcanon, but i think that adaine and aelwyn mirror and oppose each other in their appearances from freshman year to junior year in a way that’s beautiful and lovely but also tragic and heartbreaking..

freshman year:

aelwyn is thin, always dresses up, perfectly straight platinum blond hair down to her mid back and perfect makeup both to accentuate her appearance and also cover up any possible flaws. this is important both in an “abernant family” sense and also because of the work she’s doing for kalvaxus/kalina/the nightmare king - her persona needs to be irreproachable.

adaine, on the other hand, is chubby and freckly and covered in acne, her short dirty blond hair has unbecoming (to her family, anyway) streaks of brown in it, she has her big circle glasses and her ill-fitting hudol uniform. she’s awkward and nervous and childishly mean where aelwyn is polished and beautiful and wickedly cruel, at least until the house party fight and her arrest, when we see her frazzled (and see her roots coming in!)

sophomore year:

adaine is coming into her own! she has her own clothes, she has boggy, she wears her (still smudgy) glasses with more confidence. her hair is a bit longer, it curls a bit at the ends the way aelwyn’s never did. her acne is not so much clearing up as solidifying (i have a specific thing with adaine’s acne scars turning into a four-pointed star on her forehead at the end of fhfy lmk if you want to see it and i’ll doodle it!). she’s altogether more confident and more righteous and by the end of it she has a SWORD.

aelwyn, meanwhile, has been non-stop crawling in an orb for the better part of a year (<- ask me about this too i have Thoughts.). she has been unable to take care of herself. her hair is loooong, down to her waist and matted to hell. it’s only about 3/4ths blonde at this point as her roots grow out more and more. she’s exhausted, she’s unfocused, she’s unwell, she’s unhealthily thin from months of malnourishment. and even when that version of her is replaced, the physical effects of the orb still remain. i think while in the nightmare forest things get caught in her hair all the time and she just lets it - she’s completely given up on taking care of herself or maintaining her appearance at all.

and junior year:

aelwyn cuts her hair! goodbye, blonde. now she’s got brown or black hair and her brown eyes :) she still has permanent damage from sophomore year (i’m so serious ask me about this) but she’s healing as much as she can and learning to live around what injuries won’t heal. she’s stopped using as much makeup, so her acne actually shows! & to adaine, the mean curve of her mouth doesn’t seem cruel so much as affectionate, now. as she’s healing she gains weight, for now just up to where she was in freshman year but more in the future :)

adaine’s hair is longer than ever, at just past her shoulder blades, and as she settles into the role of oracle, it whitens more and more. her eyes get bluer and lighter, too, and her forehead acne scars and fades and fully appears as that four pointed star, glowing faintly whenever she uses divination magic. in contrast to aelwyn, she’s gotten taller and a bit thinner as the last of her baby fat fades.

so in the end we have an junior year adaine that looks similar to freshman year aelwyn, and a junior year aelwyn that’s similar to freshman year adaine. explodes into a million pieces

[harpers-tartarus]

The goblin king au from the brilliant mind of @the-greatest-magic-of-all aka wherein Fallinel tries to force a seventeen year old goblin into being king for the crime of being the last living descendant of the previous one, forcing his friends to stage a rescue whilst attempting to pass classes

I am a fabriz truther SO HERE WE GO

Riz is so busy that the only way he sleeps is when his mom and his friends FORCE him to sleep

The number of times Sklonda has called his crystal only for Fabian to pick it up bc he's curled up in a ball against Fabian's side

Riz, who told his dad 'it's not happening for me' feeling overwhelmed by Fabian being what Adaine describes as 'sweet on you' bc wtf this wasn't a thing before??

Adaine tells him that Fabian thinks his hissing is hot and he walks right into a locker

He doesn't have the chance to deliberate on the implications when a bunch of elves materialize and grab him. He snarls and hisses and bites when his arquebus and watch are ripped from him but everyone else is in class and he was running late anyways

It takes 30 mins for a barbarian to mention offhandedly to Fig and Gorgug that The Ball was fighting off a bunch of elves earlier and that it was mad impressive

They take off without even checking if Porter would be okay with it, which is probably why he is lol

They don't start to really worry until they find his gun, his watch and his crystal

That's when they send out the SOS

All while Riz is in Fallinel, frothing at the mouth and vehemently insisting on abdictating from a throne he has no business being on

[dapper-nahrwhale]

fav bad kids hc? for the ask game? <3

Oh boy. I've got to ruminate on this for a minute. Hmmm. . .I'll do one for each bad kids! Thank u so much for the ask!!!! Delightful to think Abt this!

1. Fabian helps Adaine do her hair, I like the hc of Adaine having really curly hair, but she doesn't know how to take care of it well bcuz her parents never taught her, so they have that to do together while Fabian complains abt it but he loves doing it with her

2. Fig makes people playlists and burns them into CDs and draws on them with sharpies and leaves them where she knows they will find them and doesn't say it's from her but everyone knows it is

3. Riz has a lot of very catlike features, and will curl up to pass out in the most random places. And purring around his friends when he's content.

4. Kristens -3 dex being because of a movement disorder and a heart condition exacerbated by dying so frequently and uses mobility aids and the other bad kids will keep an eye on things so she doesn't trip or fall easily

5. Gorgug makes his friends little trinkets and things that are useful to them, and eventually he makes himself a pocket dimension in his hoodie to store his things and little gifts

6. Fabian is really good at art, like traditional fancy intricate ink and pen art stuff just really beautifully made designs of like flowers and stuff, he probably can paint well too like landscapes, but he really struggles at drawing people

Thanks for the ask!!!!!

[hillsolo]

already missing the bad kids

[Image ID: two pencil drawings of characters from Dimension 20's Fantasy High on white paper. First drawing is of Ayda Auegufort and Fig Faeth. Ayda is on the left. She is drawn from the shoulders up and is looking left. Her hair curls down her neck. Fig is on the right. She is drawn from the shoulders up and is looking at Ayda. Her cheeks are blushing, her hair is in a braid across her shoulder, and her ear has an earring. She has two horns on her head that extend past the page.

Second drawing has all six Bad Kids from the neck up. Gorgug is at the top left. He has goggles on his head, headphones around his neck, and is looking to the right. Riz is at the top right. He has a newsboy hat on. He wears glasses, has a tattoo on his neck, and has an earring on. He is looking left. Kristen is in the center of the page and has her hair up in a ponytail and is looking down. Fig has her hair in a braid, and her ears are pierced. She is blushing and looking to the right. Fabian is in the bottom middle. He is looking to the left, has a tattoo on his neck, and an eyepatch covers his right eye. His locs are in a ponytail. Adaine is on the bottom right. She wears glasses and is looking to the right. /End ID]

[serenescribe]

wip wednesday hi hello

got tagged by @wlwinry for this nearly a week ago and kept forgetting to do it to the point where the days have cycled right back to wednesday!

a longer snippet this time. a different outlook on something long ago.

The first time Riz actually met him, though, was when they were all stuck in jail. 

He had scarcely slept at all during their imprisonment. It wasn’t like Riz slept much at all to begin with, but the weeks they spent trapped in jail was on a complete other wavelength; he kept his senses constantly alert, ears pricked for the slightest hint of sound, eyes darting around for any opportunity to escape. Riz had noticed Oisin’s entrance before Adaine did, heard him before she even saw him — his ears flicked at the sound of clawed feet thudding against the hard ground, picking up on the softer noise of a tail swishing from side to side.

“Adaine?” he heard the dragonborn call, as he came to a stop outside her cell.

All throughout their conversation, Riz had kept his eyes wide open, his attention trained on the words they traded with each other. His heart thumped with uncertainty with each passing second, each word uttered — could they trust him? Their antics had landed them in jail, after all, which didn’t bode well. Their most recent battle found them double-crossed by someone they thought they could trust. It had been that festering wariness that spurred Riz to open his mouth, to call out to Oisin, saying, “So you’re Adaine’s friend, huh?” because no matter how much Adaine liked this guy, regarding him as a friend, Riz couldn’t trust him.

But what had started as a simple distrust borne out of the fear of being betrayed twice quickly twisted into something sharper — a stabbing uncertainty, like a knife jammed between his ribs, piercing fear and something ugly into the depths of his heart. It hadn’t escaped his notice — the tufts of smoke that spilled from Oisin’s jaw, the sparks of magic that danced between his claws. The way he’d snapped at Adaine, voice sharp, with a snarl more beast than man. Even now, years later, Riz still remembers his words, remembers the way they lodged within his chest, striking him with the feeling that something was very, very wrong.

“I can’t just— sit back and wait for you to get out.” Riz had snuck closer to the bars of his cell, heart hammering in his chest as he watched the dragonborn pace back and forth. His hand curled around the warded bar, knuckles clenching tight. “I hate seeing you in there, all locked up,” Oisin had snarled. “It’s not fair— you shouldn’t be in there, you should be—”

With me, Riz realised, filling in the gaps where Oisin could not.

gonna tag @omamorens @llondonfog @oddberryshortcake and whoever else wants to do this because i cannot think of people rn (no pressure, of course!)