#But if you decide to jump in anyway and join me in my insanity

[memorydragon]

Spoilers ahead. Confusing spoilers if you haven't started the novel, but if you're half-way through please scroll past.

So when I say this scene is what drove me mental years ago back when I first started reading Po Yun and Tun Hai, that reading it again even after so many years still made me feral. This was the Ride or Die moment that never left while translations were dropped and disappearing. Please understand when I say that reading again after reading the whole novel makes me 10x more feral than before. That is not an exaggeration. I am 100% not okay and these are crying in the club hours. F̴̻̹̊͑̉̿e̵̘̠͈͗ͅr̶̞̠͍̮̓̊͠ā̶͈̹̅̓͠ḻ̵͓̏͑͘.

Because Wu Yu's long, long panic attack, because when he's finally able to come up for air when the waves recede just the slightest, he's pushed back down again and again, because his 'safe' person has been taken away.

Because this 'elite' who had an easy life, just admitted he'd been dragged from the fire when he was nine years old after his parents were murdered in front of him. This person who wants to take him out of this hell and pull him back, who should be safe, is covering Wu Yu with his whole body, cradling his head and covering his eyes as a ruthless mob decends on them. Because this shouldn't be happening again - but death follows behind him mercilessly cutting everyone down but leaving him. Because dying is easy living is more difficult. Bu Chonghua's blood is on his face and this person should be safe but keeping their promise requires sacrifice. Please don't promise any more.

(Bu Chonghua was supposed to run. He was supposed to leave Wu Yu to deal with the mob. But if he'd done that, people would have died, and it probably wouldn't be Wu Yu, and he'd promised to pull Wu Yu back from this abyss. He wouldn't let the rage of the mob swallow Wu Yu like a wave, dragging him back under. As they beat him, he cradle's Wu Yu's head and covers his eyes, because he won't give Wu Yu up, not to the ocean or to fire, and I'm so fucking Normal about this.)

Liao Gang sees Wu Yu at the hospital and knows something is wrong. Something is off, this is not the meek and submissive Wu Yu they've met for these past few months. He correctly pulls Wu Yu aside and instead of admonishing him to go get checked over, he says 'hey, why don't you get checked out by the hospital because someone needs to look after Captain Bu tonight. If you let them patch you up, you'll be put with the captain.' And Wu Yu finally - finally relents and allows the hospital staff to look him over.

When the lights are off and he can't sleep because there's no light he tries to trace over the current Bu Chonghua with the memory of the child he'd saved in the past, and he can't sleep but he can finally breathe. Now he can agree that Bu Chonghua and Zhang Boming are different, that Bu Chonghua isn't just an elite who sends his subordinates to death for greater glory, but someone who wants to pull him back. (And I'm putting it more politely. I honestly love that Wu Yu is still sort of cursing Bu Chonghua out when he says this, because of course he is, and Bu Chonghua is immediately gonna chew him out for smoking. I love Them.)

But when he wakes up, Bu Chonghua is gone. The hospital bed is empty and cold, and there's a committee of directors who have come to question him. He asks where his safe person Bu Chonghua is, but they put him off, saying they just want to ask a few questions. Bu Chonghua has been isolated because there's been a death - death always follows him - and they're pushing the blame on him and Bu Chonghua. Why did Zhang Boming jump to his death? What did you say to him? Why did you survive? What right do you have to survive? He'll take all the blame on himself. He was the one who killed the suspect, Bu Chonghua didn't hurt any of the mob. It was him, it was all him, and what right do you have to speak about loyalty and sacrifice, when the hospital report on their injuries is right in front of you. They assume Wu Yu will see this is just a formality, but he doesn't have the frame of reference they knew he should It wasn't him with that frame of reference, he never had one and he lashes out. They're caging him, blaming him again, and what right do you have to talk about loyalty to someone who is on the front lines?

What right do you have to come back? What right do you have to survive?

After they sedate him and bring him back, leaving him in confinement (there's a bed, his wounds have been dressed, and there's even a tv and above average food left out for him. It's a plush confinement, only for one night. They think they're going easy on him and he should be grateful, because no one told them he's panicking and has been in danger undercover his whole life for twelve years and he hasn't been able to handle eating meat since he was a child. The lights are off when he wakes up, and he's alone. The lights are off and no one is responding when he asks them to turn on the lights. No one is there when he's progressively slipping back under the waves of panic. And when he lifts the lid on the food, all he can smell is meat.

He bites his own finger, trying to wash it out with the smell of the disinfectant from his wounds and blood, but he can still smell the meat that he spilt in his own revulsion and the lights are still off. (Wu Yu, little fish, I'm not blaming you, but please, please learn to talk about your triggers and let people know so they can accommodate you, because they would actually like to accommodate you and you're not weak because you have ptsd, you're breaking our hearts. Also, as an aside, Song Ping is actually quite hilarious in this fight. He's not to blame either, but he's making things so much worse and I love that Bu Chonghua has to yell at both of them to calm down because they're both set off on his sake)

And when someone finally comes, finally turns on the lights, they're blaming him. Look how you're acting! You're acting like a spoiled child when we've sacrifed been so nice to you! We've brought you back here, to this place you've worked for several months, your new home!

Except he never came back.

He was never brought back.

He was sacrificed for to catch the criminal. He died because his life was less important than catching someone on the wrong side of the law.

He was never asked if he wanted this sacrifice. He never wanted to be a cop. Who is Wu Yu? He's never had a name. Let him go, let him go - let him go!

He was never brought back. He never came back - Zhang Boming made the correct choice, but he never came back. The sacrifice was chosen, the promise was paid. Why did he survive? What right did Wu Yu have to survive when we he never came back.

"Wu Yu!"

He never came back.

"It's me. Okay, calm down." Someone restraining him, and he struggles automatically, but slowly stops. "It's me, Wu Yu. It's me. Just calm down."

Bu Chonghua came back. Held him above the water untll he could catch his breath. And finally, finally...

The boy left his own blood on Bu Chonghua's cheek, disappearing for twenty years, leaving only one command - Survive.

"I arrived late."

"I was just a little worried. It wasn't very late." It wasn't his whole life twelve years. It was only one nightmare. You pulled me back.

The boy who rushed off to save a child he didn't know finally appeared before Bu Chonghua again. He came back.

He came back.

[ohimsummer]

✎ . . .❝DO YOUR DANCE, SATORU!❞

— poly satosugu! x reader shenanigans from nanami’s pov :3, + haibara’s alive because i like to be happy

bzzt!

the vibration of his phone catches nanami’s attention. there’s a high possibility it’s not work since it’s so late in the evening, so it’s likely the groupchat gojo forced you into forcing nanami to join. so he ignores it. he’s in the middle of making himself dinner, and it’s probably just gojo with his regular nonsense anyway. nanami continues chopping vegetables, seasoning meat, boiling water in preparation for a stew, and it’s not until everything’s finally in the pot that he decides to check his lockscreen.

y/n :): 1 attachment

y/n :): $1 and i’ll make him do this in a cheerleading outfit

nanami quirks a brow at that. with 0 context, this conversation is already off to a rough start.

gojo.: NO WAY IM NOT DOING THAT

y/n :): if you don’t it means you don’t love me

gojo.: that is MY line and also NOT how this works

y/n :): 1 attachment

y/n :): SUGUUU <33

Geto: <3

gojo.: YOU TWO HATE ME??

Shoko: aw fuck he beat me to it

gojo.: YOU GUYS SUCK

the conversation devolves further into utter insanity, and the beep of the oven draws nanami’s attention. a sweet smell of cooked batter enters his nostrils, and he becomes distracted with the cake in his oven, mind drowning out the subsequent buzzes and chirps of his phone.

it’s not until a busy week later, as nanami lounges on his couch watching whatever movie, that he remembers the past conversation. curiosity gets the better of him, and he unlocks his phone to scroll through heaps of inane messages, mostly between you and gojo with whoever’s sassy remarks in between, until he sees this:

y/n :): 1 attachment

y/n :): GOT HIS ASS

gojo.: FUCJING STOPP

gojo.: UNSEND THAT RIGHT NOW

Shoko: LOLL

Yu!: wow pink really suits you!!

it’s a video with various bubble reactions on it, most of which are ‘haha!’. The thumbnail is blurry, so nanami decides to watch and see what all the fuss is about. surely it must be something humiliating if gojo is this adamantly against it.

the video starts with gojo, arms crossed and a deep frown carved into his face. hints of his…outfit peek out from behind you, who’s fiddling with the pigtails in his short locks, tied together with tiny, pink ribbons.

“ ‘kay, all done!” you step back, only to reveal gojo in a cropped, white cheer top and pink, pleated skirt, both of which stretch against his abs and toned legs. a pink mask much like his usual one covers his eyes. thigh highs, or rather knee highs on him, wrapped around gojo's calves and pink slides which are obviously not his if the way the backs of his feet hang off them is any indication.

you step out of frame, not before giving gojo a thumbs up paired with your girlish giggle, but he makes no effort to move. geto’s voice sounds behind the camera, close to signal he’s the one recording.

“c’mon, now, i paid good money for this.” there’s amusement laced in his tone.

gojo’s jaw goes slack, mouth gaped open and hands falling to his hips, making him look even more sassy with this current getup. “it’s a fucking dollar!”

“and it’s gonna be a dollar well spent.,” geto quips. “c’mon, you look great, just do it.”

your voice calls out beside geto. “yeah, you’re such a cute little cheer captain! do your dance, satoru, go, go, go–!”

gojo's head falls back on camera, any protests drowned out by you and geto’s rampant, continuous cheering. he mouths something before jumping to spread his legs in a 'v', both hands raising above him to form peace signs. his lips jut out in a pout before he forces a kissy face; eyes scrunched closed and you and geto cheer 'wooo!' as gojo dances and cheers on camera, pigtails bouncing the entire time.

the video ends abruptly, with gojo hunched over in exhaustion, wiping sweat from his forehead. nanami blinks in surprise, rubbing the smirk away from his lips. it takes a few clicks to save the video, and he makes sure to bring it up next time gojo decides to bother him.

[icarlyspanishsubtitles]

this idea was super random as today I just couldn’t be creative 😭 but thank you guys sm for all the support! you guys are literally insane!! also requests are open!

warnings: cursing, female pronouns, just coupled things, and fluff

late night onesie stream🧸

alex had decided that he was going to make you play such a child friendly sweet game! five nights at freddy’s. it was going to be a late night stream, so he thought it would be funny to wear onesies while watching you play it. he had an old tigger onesie he was going to wear on halloween but never did, whilst you were wearing a adorable totoro one.

you zipped the onesie all the way up, then putting the hood on. you thought it was so adorable so you smiled a little. right as you opened the door, you started wheezing at how cute he looked. alex on the other hand rolled his eyes smiling, “shut the fuck up” he says laughing. you put your hands on the sides of his face,”you look sooo cuteeee!” you admire while fixing the hood on his head. he puts his arms around your waist, “shut up only my mother tells me that”

we go to his streaming area where I pull out a chair for myself, I look over to alex who’s doing his fake sad face. I laugh a little, as he sighs. I eventually ask, ”yes alex?” he shakes his head,”I mean my lap was an option, but if you want a chair..” he pouts in a joking type matter..I think. I feel some butterflies in my stomach, shoving his shoulder lightly.

he starts his stream, immediately my ears are a little sensitive to his hellos. “HELLOO. chat, listen listen. first off the rat off the streets finally decided to join.” he mutters looking at you shaking his head with disappointment. you look into the camera putting up a thumbs up, with a forced smile. “anyways chat this was gonna be my Halloween costume didnt fucking happen, and she’s this weirdass weeb thing.” you let out a fake audible gasp, “the fuck did I do to you?” he masks his smile from your response.

“so basically,” he turns his chair towards you, “we are going or be playing this cute adorable game. it’s called five nights at freddy’s, ynow like a.. like a uhm, five night sleepover” he boasted smiling. you furrowed your eyebrows tilting your head, “are you sure?” he nodded vigorously with a huge grin on his face. he turned on the game where you see a animatronic bear with a glitchy screen. the music was eerie and you looked at quackity. “this doesn’t look like a sleepover asshole.” he puts his head out of veiw laughing. “w-what the fuck do you mean?! it’s like uh girlsgogames”

we start the game and enter a little office, I can’t help but notice the annoying fan. I turn the mouse to look around the room, “wow. this is so adorable.” I say in complete monotone. he smiles at you, “exactly, even chat thinks soo!” I leave out a shaky breathe when a phone rings in the game. I flinch a little, “jesus chrissstttt..” he covers his mouth nodding, “doing great.”when your listening to phone guy, there’s a feeling of his hand on your knee, using his thumb to calm you down as he’s suppressing any snickering. “okay so you want to check your cameras and don’t leave the doors closed for too long. cause then your battery is gonna go out.” you nod to his words and do what he’s saying.

a night passes and there is barely any trouble. on night 2 you notice the purple bunny is gone. “where did that one go?! Where the fuck did that one goo?!” he looks over at you with mocking shock, “try to find him on the cameras” you groan looking on the cameras, “stupid purple bitch stupid fucking purple b-OH SHIT!!” as you take your camwras off the purple bastard jumps at you, your breath literally leaving your body.

your hands are covering your face, as there covered by quackitys arm. he’s laughing a little, trying to wrap his arm around you. “I’m so sorry I’m so fucking sorry” he snickers trying to dismiss his practically giggling. you leave his grasp smacking his shoulder. “fucking asshole! that was not a fucking sleepover bitch!!” he scrunches his nose hutching his stomach laughing mumbling sorrys. about 30 minutes later he ends stream. you lay on your bed watching your phone, still annoyed with him.

as he was finishing raiding someone and closing out of his tabs he lays with you. he puts his arm around your waist forcing you two to be close, when he starts pressing kisses to the same spot on your cheek. you try to push him off smiling a little bit, “what are you doing?” he lets go, but still close to your face. he talks in a low raspy voice,”are you still mad?” you shrug teasingly, “mm maybe I am” he tilts his head nodding and continues kissing the same spot while you laughed and protested.

tysm for reading!! hope your day is going good!

[callsignmercy]

The voicemail - Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin.

Prompt: Jake calls you to tell you he still loves you after ten years.

Words: ~2.5k

Warning: slight mention of death but nothing serious.

Note: I’m sick and I feel like shit so I wrote a shitty piece. I don’t like this and probably will edit it later but anyway here it is. Please don’t copy of repost my work. English is not my first language so apologies for the easy vocabulary and bad grammar.

————————————————————————

The voicemail went like this: “Hi it’s me. Uh it’s uh- it’s Jake. Seresin. I don’t know why I’m calling really… I think I just wanted to hear your voice. It’s been so long since I’ve heard it… I’m sorry we broke up. Truth is, I should never have done it. I should have known that I would never stop loving you even after all these years. But you might have moved on since then, and if you’ve found someone else I’m happy for you really. Forget I ever called, it was a mistake. We’re going on a top secret and insanely difficult mission for Top Gun in a few hours and truth be told I’m terrified. I wish we could’ve had more time together but those few high school years were worth it because you were there with me. I should have never made that stupid decision of leaving you when I got into aviation and I’m sorry. I hope you can forgive me. Anyway I don’t have much time and I’ve been drinking a little so, forget I ever called. Another thing I shouldn’t have done. Anyway, bye.”

Jake Seresin, whom you haven’t talked to in about ten years after he broke up with you when he joined the navy just called you to tell you he shouldn’t have left you? What the hell is happening?

You were trying to understand what came through his mind to gather up the courage to call and confess to you after so many years, and just hours before probably dying.

No but how dare he? Seriously! You were fuming. Admitting his love for you after a decade like it was nothing while casually telling you he might never come back?

But who were you kidding really? Of course you loved him back, you never stopped thinking about him actually. Even after ten years he was still in the back of your mind. But anyhow, how dare he break your heart like that? You contemplated calling him back but decided against it. You didn’t want to ruin his mission which he said could potentially be fatal. Oh God. You couldn’t dare think about the love of your life potentially dying.

Suddenly you jumped on your feet, packed a few clothes and took your car keys and drove away. After all Miramar was only two hours away…

When you woke up in the late morning and listened to his voicemail you knew he had already left as he had called the night before but you decided to go anyway. Wait for him. Wherever.

You arrived at Miramar in the late afternoon and stopped at a navy bar to get something to drink.

“Hi, what can I get you hun?” The bartender said. “A coke please.” You replied. “I’m Penny by the way. Did you come for the holidays?” “Nice to meet you, I’m Y/N. Actually it’s a spontaneous and maybe incredibly stupid decision that I took about two hours ago for someone that will probably never show up here.”

Penny seemed confused. “What do you mean?” She asked. “An old boyfriend of mine, like ten years old boyfriend called yesterday to tell me he regrets breaking up with me and also casually said that he was going on a mission that he could probably never come back from. He’s a pilot for the navy by the way. And so I don't know why I decided to come here to see him even though I know they’ve already left.” “Yes they left this morning.” She replied and your head shot up to look at her. She had a sad smile on her face. “I rekindled with an old boyfriend of mine too that flies for Top Gun and so he told me he might not come back. They left this morning.” She explains.

“And how do you manage something like that? What do you do?” You ask. “The best thing is hope. You know Top Gun pilots are the best in the world, you just have to trust that they’ll succeed and come back to you.” “And what if he doesn’t? What if he never knows that I came here for him, that I still love him?” Tears were slowly making their way up but you fought them, not wanting to appear vulnerable in front of a total stranger. “Who is it you’re waiting for?” “Jake Seresin. You know him?” She smiles. “Yeah I know him, he’s cocky but he’s a nice guy and I’m sure he’ll come back, especially if he didn’t get an answer back from you, I swear he’ll come back to get it.” You laugh at her answer. “Do you know how long they’ll be gone?” “No idea, Pete didn’t tell me. But I’m sure they’ll come here as soon as they come back stateside.” “Can you recommend a place to stay while waiting for them?” “You’re going to stay in Miramar?”

“Well I can’t possibly go back home and come back here every single day.” “You’re right. Well, there’s a motel not far from here if you want, or if you’d like you could help me here a few hours a day and in exchange you could sleep on my couch. Your pick.” “Well, It would sure occupy my days to work a little, rather than hoping and stressing all day.” “Then it’s settled, you’ll start tomorrow.” She smiles and you smile back.

“So tell me about you and Hangman.” Penny asks the next day as you were working together. “Hangman?” You replied. “Jake. Hangman is his callsign, they get one when they become pilots.” “Why Hangman?” “I don’t know, you’ll have to ask him I guess.” “Sure. Well Jake and I used to date in high school, we met when we were both freshman and dated until after we graduated but he broke up with me when he signed up for the navy.” “Why?” “He said he was leaving for a long time, that he didn’t think a long distance relationship would work. I cried for days.” “I can understand. Pete and I were just hooking up from time to time back then but when he came back a couple of weeks ago I felt things I hadn’t felt in a long time. It took a while for me to let him back in but now we’re happy and I can’t wait for him to come back.” “ I’m genuinely happy for you Penny.” “Don’t worry, Jake will be really happy to see you too I’m sure.” “I can only hope so.”

After a few days, Penny decided that she wanted to go on a little holiday with her daughter Amelia and left you in charge of the bar. The night wasn’t really busy so you handled things well, serving up patrons and cleaning up tables, hoping yet again to see a certain man come through the doors of the bar.

“So you’re telling me that you left your high school sweetheart a voicemail saying that you still love her and you should never have broken up with her and in the same sentence telling her she can forget about you ‘cause you’ll certainly die?” “Yes Phoenix, for the hundredth time, I did it and I don’t know why I did it.” That voice sounded rather familiar to you and you froze on the spot, not believing your ears. “Well Hangman, let me tell you yet again how stupid you are.” “Thank you Phoenix I think I’ve heard it enough. I’ll probably never see her again anyway so you can stop talking about it now.” Jake sighs and they all head for the pool table. You watch as Jake walks, talking with the woman named Phoenix, still not believing that it was really him in front of you after so many years.

“I’ll get the first round.” Phoenix says. “Hi, what can I get you?” You ask her. “I’ll get seven beers please. Are you new? I’ve never seen you here before.” “Yeah, I started working here a few days ago. I’m Y/N by the way.” “Natasha, pleasure to meet you Y/N.” You smiled and handed her the beer and started a tab for her.

“Well Jake, if you want to forget all about your stupidity and the high school sweetheart you’ll never see again, there’s a new cute bartender, I’m sure your southern charms will work wonders on her.” “No thanks Phoenix. I’m still going to wait for an answer from Y/N and if she doesn’t I’m going to call her while being drunk again and demand that she answer me.” He replies ironically. Phoenix tilted her head when she heard you name come out of Jake’s mouth. “Well the girl at the bar said her name was Y/N so you might want to check if that’s your Y/N first.” Jake frowned and looked at the bar only to see you, serving drinks to the men on the other side of the bar. His face dropped and his heart skipped a beat at the sight of you after so many years, looking more beautiful than ever.

Phoenix bit her lip in excitement seeing Jake’s face and understanding what it meant. “Oh I love seeing love happen.” She whispers to her wizzo next to her.

Jake didn’t know how to react to seeing you after so long. He might have frozen for a few minutes before Rooster gave him a slight push to force him to go to the bar and talk to you.

He gave the pool stick to Rooster before walking awkwardly toward you. He gets to the bar as you turn around and you stop right then and there.

“You came.” Jake said matter-of-factly. You shrug. “You called.” You replied.

“What are you doing working here? Where’s Penny?” He asks, still not looking away from your eyes. “It’s a long story. How did you avoid death?” You ask. “It’s a long story.” He replies.

“Did you really come here for me?” He asked, hopeful. “I’m waiting for an actual explanation. For why you called me after ten long years to tell me you should never have broken up with me and why you scared the shit out of me by telling me you were probably going to die.” “I’m sorry I did. I just realised that it was the right thing to do, to tell you how I felt and hopefully you’ll feel the same.” “After ten years?” “Yeah well, I never stopped loving you, never stopped thinking about you, never stopped hoping we’ll meet again and nothing happened so I decided to take the matter into my own hands and call you to tell you everything.”

You looked at Jake for a few seconds before being called up at the other end of the bar to serve some people. You think about what Jake just said to you while doing your job. After a few minutes you wipe the bartop and sigh before turning back toward Jake, still a hopeful look on his face looking at you.

“Look I think about you all the time, I’ve got a photo of us constantly in my flight suit and in my cockpit. I constantly think of you when I’m up there. I don’t want to leave this world without knowing what you really feel. That's what keeps me from dying and helps me come back every time. I’ve never stopped loving you and if you want to take me back I swear I’ll spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you.” “I’ve waited ten years for you to come back, Jake. I’m not going to let you go again.” You say with tears in your eyes. “God I love you so much baby. I’ll do this right I promise. I’ll take you on dates and tell you how much I love you for the rest of our lives and I’ll marry you baby. Right here and there.” You chuckled. “Just shut up and kiss me Seresin.” He smiles from ear to ear and leans in to kiss you tenderly.

The voicemail went like this: “Hi baby. Today is the day and I can’t wait to marry you. I’m so thankful you came back into my life and I’m so thankful you put up with my shit for so long. I love you so much and I’m sure there’s still so many things waiting for us. I love you forever baby.”

You smiled while listening to your fiance/soon-to-be-husband’s voicemail.

Jake had made a habit to leave you voicemails for key moments in your life for you to save and still hear his voice whenever he left for a mission.

“Thanks for our first date. I really had fun with you tonight. Thank you for agreeing to take me back, thank you for still loving me even though I was a total dick with you ten years ago. I can’t wait for all the things we’ll do together.”

“Hi babe. Today you agreed to be my girlfriend again after all these years and I thank God everyday for you. I swear I never thought I’d see you again and even less that you’ll agree to take me back. Anyway, I love you. That’s all I wanted to say.”

“Today we moved into our first house together. Our very own home. Everywhere you are is home for me anyway but being able to wake up next to you every morning will be heaven on earth for me. I can’t wait to decorate it all with you. I love you baby.”

“Jake why are you calling me? Just leave it baby I’m leaving you a voicemail. Oh it’s already on, okay. Hi baby. I’m whispering because you’re in the other room and I don’t want to spoil the surprise for you. I’m about to ask you to marry me. After all, we've been together a while. Plus four years if you add our high school years together. Anyway, I love you so much I hope you’ll say yes. And then we’ll have a beach front wedding like you’ve always dreamed of. I love you so much I could marry you with paper rings but for you I gave it all and I hope you’ll like the diamond better. I can’t wait to put it on your finger. I love you baby.”

You were about to marry the love of your life. In about an hour you were going to call him your husband. And the truth is, you couldn’t wait. But you had one more thing to do before saying yes.

“Hi Jake. For the first time I’ll be the one leaving you a voicemail. You leave me voicemails for me to listen to whenever you’re away from me and I thought I should do it too because a photo of us in your cockpit doesn’t really do the job does it? Well here I am. And I’ve got something to tell you. Soon, I won’t be the only one you’re going to call baby. I checked this morning and I’m pregnant, Jake. You’re going to be a dad. I hope it’ll make you happy. I love you Jake. Forever. I can’t wait to say yes and spend my life with you baby.”

[catboyfics]

Lure [part I]

oh my god thank you so much when i saw your request appear i literally got so happy

i started from before the king of spades appeared cause that made it more interesting, but also made it quite a bit longer, so i've split it into two parts. the second part will be when the actual fighting starts.

you also have a great day/night :D

𝑴𝑨𝑺𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑳𝑰𝑺𝑻

𝑷𝑨𝑹𝑻 𝑰𝑰

𝑭𝑨𝑵𝑫𝑶𝑴: Alice In Borderland

𝑷𝑨𝑰𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑮: chishiya x gn reader

𝑮𝑬𝑵𝑹𝑬 & 𝑾𝑨𝑹𝑵𝑰𝑵𝑮𝑺: angst; gender neutral reader; spoilers for aib season 2, violence (nothing too bad yet), death

𝑾𝑶𝑹𝑫𝑺: 4k

You'd been following Niragi for quite a while now. You'd seen what he's like. You'd seen what he's like. He disgusted you, but it took you by surprise when he stopped.

There was an overhead, blocking you from the light. You were on one side, with him on the opposite end. He faced away from you, towards an open area - a street crossing, you thought. You reached towards your gun, hanging from it's holster at your hip.

Carefully, you pulled it out, careful to be quiet as to not alert Niragi that you were there.

Suddenly, there were gunshots and you jumped. You peeked out from behind the pillar, but Niragi still was facing away from you.

"Yo!" You heard him shout, and you peeked out again. In the distance, you could vaguely make out a figure. The man you'd been following seemed occupied so you decided to approach.

Carefully, gun in hand, you made your way under the overhead, rubble crunching ever so slightly under you feet.

"It makes me pretty damn happy to run into you here." He continued, his voice booming. He sounded dangerous, malice dripping from every word.

You stepped forward again, ducking behind trucks and other vehicles to avoid being seen. You didn't think he would turn around, but you could never be too careful, especially with someone like him.

From you closer position, you could vaguely make out the one who Niragi was talking to. They were tall and wearing a white shirt. At first, nobody came to mind, but you quickly realized that the description matched Arisu.

Your eyes widened, and you inhaled sharply. Niragi was shooting at Arisu, and maybe someone else as well. That wasn't good.

"You intentionally didn't kill me with that shot." You heard someone say. This voice, you immediately recognized as Chishiya. Your expression soured, what he'd said to you before clouding your mind.

You'd only ever been anything but kind to him, but he was always brushed you off. He seemed annoyed with you, for no reason at all. It pissed you off.

"I wasn't going to end this with a surprise attack." Niragi declared in response to Chishiya's words. "Okay, let's begin: a game of shootout. Now that the three of us are back together, that seems most suitable."

You tensed up. Between players? What was the point? You understood that Niragi was angry, or maybe just insane, but that would only reverse the progress you had all struggled to make.

"A game between players?" Chishiya asked, voicing your thoughts out loud. You crept closer, their conversation interesting you profoundly.

"The three of us are very similar." Niragi started, "We're oddballs who can't fit in with society. Even so, our need to feel alive is much greater than most people's."

And then, Niragi coughed again, what was likely blood splattering against the ground. Finally, you figured out what was probably the reason why he was proposing this.

He was dying anyways. And he wanted to drag as many people down with him, to go out with a bang.

"I haven't got much time left, so let's do this." He declared as you exited the overhead. There was a building of some sort, it's intended purpose now lost to vegetation. You rushed there, hiding behind it. Niragi didn't seem to notice, but you couldn't guarantee anything for Arisu and Chishiya, and whoever else might be there.

"As kindred spirits, join me in one final game!" He cried manically before tossing one of his guns on the ground near Chishiya.

From your new spot, you could see better. Chishiya was lying on the ground, clearly hit by the bullets released earlier by Niragi. Arisu was standing facing the ex-militant, a shotgun hanging off his shoulder.

There was movement in the corner of your eye, making you look over. You could see Chishiya getting up to go grab the gun a few feet in front of him on the grass.

"I like it." He declared, hand still resting on his side. That must've been where he got shot. "Join us, Arisu."

Arisu was clearly surprised that Chishiya was on board with Niragi's plan. In all honesty, so were you, but you didn't know what he went through. Maybe it would be better for the white-haired man to die, anyways. It was clear he didn't have any empathy.

"I'm sure you despise me as well. Use this opportunity to take revenge." He continued. "Let's play a game, the three of us."

"Are you insane?" Arisu asked in a shaking voice, nervously grasping his shotgun. You tensely held your own gun, standing defensively, peeking out from behind the wall of the building.

"Come on, you've got a gun too. Take aim!" Niragi persuaded, taking a couple of shaky steps towards Arisu.

"Do we really have to do this?" The man trailed off wearily, swaying ever so slightly.

All of a sudden, a gunshot echoed through the crossing, making you jump. Another, though quieter, one echoed. You peeked out again from your hiding spot and say both Niragi and Chishiya shooting at Arisu as he ducked behind a car.

The ex-militant jumped aggressively onto another car, shooting at Chishiya as he rushed behind a red car.

Bullets exploded out of Niragi's gun, the gunshots echoing out through the area, making you jump each time.

"Niragi! Stop this!" Arisu cried. You couldn't see him because of the car blocking his form. He likely couldn't see you either, so you rushed out of the building behind you, using the gunshots to cover any noise you may make.

"I'm simply doing what I want, the way I want!" Niragi started, "You guys are the same! It's always 'me!' with you two, it's always about what you want! You aren't experts on life just because you saw a bunch of people die! 'Living for others'? That's such bullshit! All we really care about is our own selves! As long as it's good for us, that's all we really need!"

Everything went quiet. No one said a word. Niragi was right. You all did only live for yourselves. People had died because of you. You had hurt others, you weren't good people. That didn't mean you should kill each other, though.

"Yeah." Arisu finally said. "You may be right. Killing each other here might just be appropriate for us."

You gritted your teeth. If Arisu gave into this bullshit, they would all die. You couldn't let that happen.

"You're all idiots!" You yelled, aiming your gun for Niragi's calf. Grimacing, you pulled the trigger, the force of the gun making you stumble backwards.

The bullet nestled itself in Niragi's leg, making him stumble on the car and eventually fall to one knee. You hated using guns.

"Sure, we deserve to die! Niragi surely does! But by resigning ourselves to death, the only thing we're doing is being cowards! I don't know about you, but I've regretted enough of my life. I'm done with that shit! If I'm going to die, it won't be in cowardice, it'll be in an attempt to protect those dear to me!"

You gun was still pointed at Niragi, clammy hands grasping it and you finger hovered over the trigger. You wouldn't die here. Not now.

Suddenly, you saw Arisu stand up from the corner of your eye.

"I'm not doing this." He declared. "I won't pull this trigger just to help myself." A dark humor made itself apparent in his voice, making you laugh darkly.

"This shit is ridiculous. I don't care about your shitty fantasy, asshole." You spat at Niragi, gun still pointed at his face.

It was quiet. Nothing was said. Niragi looked back and forth between you and Arisu, face blank with surprise. His gun was still pointed at Arisu, but his arm was relaxed, not ready to shoot.

"That sure put a damper on things." Niragi said with a chuckle, his gunning arm dropping down to his side.

"Arisu?" You heard a voice call, recognizing it as Usagi. "What are you doing?"

You chuckled darkly. What were you doing? It was all pointless, you couldn't believe the people you respected most were nearly dragged down with Niragi.

"Oh yeah... There was you too." Niragi said slowly, voice dripping with contempt as he raised his gun again, aimed at Usagi. He shot at her feet, missing her by mere inches as she jumped to the side, another bullet rushing at her.

"You asshole." You growled under your breath.

"Stop it! Usagi has no part in this!" Arisu screamed as he aimed the shotgun over the car, pointed right at Niragi.

"Every game needs a heroine to make it more exciting!" The ex-militant cried manically, and at this point, you were sure he'd gone insane.

"When the two of you are dead, the three of us can go back to being kindred spirits!" He yelled, looking crazily between you and Usagi. "I can't stand to be alone anymore." He said finally, quietly, before raising his gun to point to Usagi.

And then the sound of his gun firing rung into your ears, the man before you turning quietly and pointing his gun at you. Anger fueled you, rushing through you veins like lava.

You shot him in the shoulder, face blank as his own bullet grazed your cheek. Arisu had shot him as well, blasting him off the car. He landed pathetically to your right, you walked over to him and stepped on his wound, making him groan.

You grimaced, stepping dismissively over him as you rushed over to help Usagi, wiping your cheek on your sleeve on the way. Right as you mind cleared, you saw that Usagi didn't get shot. Chishiya had stepped into the way.

You cursed, starting to run. He couldn't die, he was an asshole, but he was important. You rushed over, ready to help him. Blood stained the side of his shirt as he grimaced, but otherwise, he seemed fine.

You breathed a sigh of relief, shoulders shaking as you took another step closer to him.

Arisu both rushed over, Usagi walking around from behind. He gingerly lifted his shirt up, showing that the bullet had grazed his side.

"Hey..." Arisu started, suddenly remembering that Chishiya never finished what he'd been saying. "What were you going to tell me earlier?"

"Chishiya made a noise suggesting he'd forgotten and had just remembered. "Oh, yeah."

"To me," He started, "people who live life seriously seem like fools. Those people who strive so hard... I just want to curse them. All their goodwill was repugnant to me. But I must've been jealous. They had what I didn't. It seemed like they were criticizing me for being such a vain and vulgar person. I was afraid of them."

The monologue sent chills down you spine. You nodded solemnly.

"I get what you mean." Arisu said sadly. You looked down, knowing the feeling all too well.

"Guys..." Usagi started, her voice shaking. "The King of Spades is coming."

You all looked up, the blimp overhead.

"Shit..." you cursed, you'd thought you would finally get a break. "We need to go."

Usagi went with Arisu and Chishiya went with you, hiding behind cars and trucks, trying to find cover from the King of Spades' guns.

Your gun was heavy in your hand. You could see from your side of the street that Arisu had kept the shotgun, and Chishiya was holding the pistol he'd been given by Niragi.

"We should try to find the others!" You shouted across the street to Usagi and Arisu, seeing them both nod back.

You kept running, continuously hiding behind vehicles and the sides of building.

"We can't go farther until the King of Spades is defeated! We need to kill him!" Usagi declared, looking nervously at you and Chishiya. You looked towards him, gaze anxious.

"We should at least try." He whispered. You nodded, looking across the street to Usagi.

"Let's do it!" You yelled, hand tightening anxiously around the gun. You and Usagi made eye contact before rushing up ahead, trying to get to where the King was.

Suddenly, Arisu yelled. "Kuina! An!" You looked up ahead, and, lo and behold, there they were.

They looked around for a moment before seeing you, starting to run towards Arisu and Usagi.

You decided to make your way across the street to communicate better.

"Are you guys okay?" You asked once they arrived, receiving a nod.

"It's so good to see you guys though. Good to know you're all okay." Kuina said, breathing heavily from running from the King.

"Yeah, you too." Usagi agreed.

"The King of Spades is trying to end things here." An said once things had calmed down slightly and greetings had been exchanged.

"Let's defeat the King together." Kuina finished for her, making everybody nod in agreement.

"We were thinking the exact same thing." Usagi said.

Suddenly, the King shot at the car you were hiding behind. You peeked over the top of the car, seeing him approaching. He was always so calm, keeping a walking pace.

You gulped, clammy hands gripping the gun tightly. You had to end it here.

Three other players sprinted to the car beside you, trying to hide behind it. Two of them made it, but the other was gunned down before they could get out of the way of the bullets.

You gulped, peeking over the top of the car again and seeing the King even closer. You gestured to everyone to go, sprinting away from the King.

You made it to another car, hiding behind it to catch your breath, when you noticed Chishiya gesturing for you to go to him. You took another deep breath and sprinted as fast as you could.

He'd been kinder to you recently. You weren't sure why, maybe he grew up a bit and realized that having enemies in this god forsaken country wasn't a good idea.

You made it to Chishiya, who was only one or two cars in front of you when An tripped. You stopped, turning back to check on her.

The King was only three or four meters away from her, making you cry out.

"An!" You heard Arisu say as well, making Kuina stop.

The King approached her menacingly, you raising your gun in an attempt to save her.

She took out her own gun, trying to shoot him in a desperate attempt but he grabbed it away. She tried to scramble to her feet when the King grabbed her shirt and shot aimlessly at Arisu and Usagi, forcing them to move out of the way.

Just as you were about to shoot, the side mirror of a car hit the King's head. Kuina kicked it, you put together. Finally, the King's attention was drawn away from An, giving her a chance to grab her gun and run off, hiding behind the car you and Chishiya were behind.

"You alright?" You asked, An nodding in reply.

You waited for a little bit, letting An catch her breath. Suddenly, there was a loud noise, like what a car emits. You peeked out from behind the car you hid behind, only to see another car running into the King and driving him into, well, yet another car.

They burst into flames as people stopped hiding to see if the King had finally been killed.

The group who you presumed were in charge of the stunt started celebrating. Then, bullets found their way into their leaders chest. The King wasn't dead quite yet.

From the flames, he stood up. Nothing had caught fire, so you figured his gear must've been fire resistant. He stepped onto the roof of the car that had crashed into him and started shooting at everyone who'd been watching.

You gulped and crouched back down behind cover. You wouldn't die here. Once the shooting finally stopped, you peeked out again and saw that he was taking off his cloak. Underneath it, he was wearing a bulletproof vest and a full face mask.

Then, he took off his mask, revealing a shaved head. It was scarred, and when you looked closer, you realized he only had one functional eye. His appearance sent chills down you spine.

His face was expressionless, emotionless. He felt no guilt, no mercy at killing so many people. You gripped your gun tighter, though it offered no sense of security.

He turned around, his eye finding yours before you ducked into the cover of the car. Eventually, his gaze landed on Arisu and Usagi, who stood petrified, out in the open. He raised his gun, shooting mercilessly. They were only barely able to duck out of the way as they rushed behind a car.

They quickly started running, Arisu ducking behind the cover of a different car to take offensive as Usagi ran, fully utilizing her climbing skills.

Eventually, the shooting stopped as the King had to reload, and Arisu took that chance. He peeked up over the car and took a shot at the King, who rolled out of the way.

Everything was quiet for a while as the King reloaded. Once he was finished, he peeked out from behind the car, gun loaded and ready to fire. Then, suddenly, an arrow shot itself into his side. It penetrated the bulletproof vest, but it didn't get through it.

The girl who had shot the arrow started to load another into her bow when the King started shooting at her, forcing her to run into cover. The King ducked behind the car again to remove the arrow from his vest.

You took the chance to run out of you hiding spot, sprinting down the street. You ducked behind the cover of the cars on your way, gun gripped tightly in your hand, always held close to your chest.

Eventually, there was a building in front of you. You saw Arisu and Usagi duck in, motioning for Chishiya to follow you - at some point, the two of you and An and Kuina had separated. It was dark - the lights weren't on - but it seemed safe and offered good cover.

You rushed in, ducking to the side where you couldn't be seen. Finally, you relaxed the grip on your gun and slid down the wall. You lungs heaved, not used to running so much.

"Jesus..." You muttered under your breath, eyes closing. You'd been having trouble sleeping, and it was a conscious fight not to succumb to rest. You wiped the sweat off your forehead with the back of your hand, taking deep breaths.

Kuina and An came in from the back, putting your mind to rest. Everybody was accounted for, everybody was safe.

"Arisu." Someone called. It was a girl with bow and a quiver of arrows, who you reasoned was the person that had shot the King.

"Heiya." He replied, looking over. They seemed to know each other, though you weren't sure how or why.

"You're Usagi?" The girl - Heiya - asked. Usagi nodded, looking at the newcomer in surprise. "Yes."

"Nice to meet you."

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out. Despite the voice being familiar, it felt like you hadn't heard it in ages.

"He's about to run out of his spare magazines." It was Aguni. You'd known him from the Beach, he'd been the leader of the militants. He should've died in the ten of hearts game, though. It was a miracle he was still alive.

Clearly, the others echoed your own feelings, breaking out into questions. He was probably the best person to fight the King with, though.

"Aguni? How'd you get here?" Usagi asked, watching him confusedly.

He rushed to somewhere with a little more cover from the King before answering.

"I followed you."

It was silent for a little while, the man's words processing through everyone's minds.

"You must like me." Heiya said with a little smile.

Aguni seemed to skip over what the girl said, moving over to get closer to all of you.

"He's still just a human. He's not omnipotent. His guns are the same, they can't be fired forever. When he's out of rounds, he reloads, same as us. The blimp probably sends more round down for him."

"We've got weapons." Arisu remarked, lifting his shotgun. You felt your grip on your gun tighten, a slight reminder it was there. Everybody checked their own weapons, Chishiya having a quick look at the gun he was given by Niragi, Kuina readying her fists, An taking a quick look at her own gun.

You weren't helpless. You had weapons, you had the means to do this.

"But these are all the rounds we've got." Aguni finished your train of thought.

Suddenly, Kuina remembered something. "I've also got this." She said, pulling a can out of her pocket. "A good luck charm." You looked at it questioningly before Chishiya said something.

"Oh yeah. I've already used mine, though."

"It's a bomb Chishiya made." Kuina answer the silent question hanging in the air.

"What good is that?" Aguni scoffed, looking at Chishiya.

"Lure him in and use it close." The man answered quickly. "It's made with kerosene, shoot it and it'll go."

"So an ANFO bomb." An remarked.

"That won't make much of an explosion." Aguni challenged. It wouldn't but if you could find, maybe, something flammable, like alcohol it would work great. Maybe if you lured the King to a gas station? You weren't quite sure.

Arisu answered your question for you. "There's a drugstore over there. If it's closed off and filled with aerosol fumes, the explosion will be amplified." He finished with a proud grimace.

"You sure of that?" Aguni said skeptically.

"Maybe." Arisu answered back. It wasn't a foolproof plan, everyone would have to play their parts.

"In other words, someone has to lure him in there." Kuina put together.

"Yeah." Arisu agreed. "I'll wait in the store for him and set it off." That was even riskier, though. If he was in the store when the bomb went off, he'd surely die.

"You'd die." You said warily, not ready for such a loss. Usagi seemed to have the same thought as you, saying something similar.

"No." He said confidently. "I'll get away."

"How?" Chishiya challenged amusedly.

"On the second floor," he started, a slight grin appearing as his plan formed. "Even if I'm blown outside, I can still survive." There was a little while of silence while he gauged the other's reactions to his plan before he added something on. "Maybe."

Chishiya nodded, and you agreed. It was reasonable, probably wouldn't kill him. Might seriously injure him enough to get him killed later on, though.

"This is nothing but 'maybe's." Heiya remarked suspiciously. It wasn't the best plan, no, but it was probably the best you had.

"It's worth betting on his maybe's, though." Aguni argued.

"Let's not bet too much, though. This plan isn't foolproof, it'll probably go wrong at some point. One or two people should stay back and interfere if it's going to shit." You declared, gaze sweeping over everybody as they looked at you.

"I can do that." Chishiya said, offering you a his signature grin.

"I'll join him, then." Kuina decided.

"Now that we have our two people to stay back, who's going to be the decoy?"

"This time, I'll be the decoy." Aguni said to Arisu, clearly referencing something in their shared past.

"It's reckless to lure him alone." Usagi noticed.

"I'm enough." Aguni pushed, but Usagi stayed put.

"Let's all be decoys." She finally decided. You were up for it, you were far from weak. Everyone else seemed to echo your feelings, - except Chishiya and Kuina of course - nodding.

Aguni scoffed, clearly defeated. He rolled his eyes, but otherwise, seemed on board with the plan.

"Okay. Let's go."

i'm so sorry this ended up getting so long and i didn't want to have a huge wall of text so i'm splitting it into two parts, i hope it's ok so far though :)

remember to drink water :>

[alilbitlesbian]

Goddamn Monsterfuckers, p3

Okay! Chapter three, officially posted this one on AO3 like, a while ago, (check out the story on there for faster updates) but here it is!!!! I think on AO3 we're up to five chapters now, one is a bit of filler though, honestly. But here it is! As always, my AO3 is Fabled_Light, the story is called "Goddamn Monsterfuckers", Please comment if you like the story. Also!! I am looking for a beta reader, please hit me up if you're available <3

“Hey! Mx!!” A young soldier ran after you and Zelda, you paused, stepping in front of Zelda protectively.

The young soldier froze, his eyes flickering from you to Zelda before they widened a bit and he bowed.

“Please rise,” Zelda asked, moving out from behind you, the young soldier listened, straightening and saluting you respectfully. With a sigh, you dropped your defensive stance, regarding the young soldier.

He was frazzled, holding what you recognized to be a wooden training sword, curious.

“I’m so sorry your majesty, I didn’t realize you were busy.” Ah, so he did have manners, he bowed, waiting to be dismissed.

Ah, he did not know Princess Zelda.

“It is alright, what did you need?” Zelda asked, tilting her head curiously, mirth in her eye, she was like that.

“Well, me and some other guards are training, we hoped that your personal guard would be able to join us, as we thought they’d have a different fighting style, but! They are obviously busy! So it’s not going to happen anyway, I’ll return and train as normal.” Zelda glanced at you from the boy, then nodded.

“Well, they’re not actually taken right now, but I’m unsure if they’d be willing.” She turned to you and you immediately nodded.

A chance to whip these soldiers into shape, hopefully, they’d be more of use then, when something inevitably were to go awry.

“Then it is decided! Lead us to the training grounds!” The young soldier nodded quickly, looking to you in amazement as he led the way.

The training grounds was… Between barebones and highly sophisticated.

Strange weapons buzzed as the guards trained, blue light erupting from their shields and swords and solidifying into something which appeared nigh unbreakable.

Zelda looked entranced, she quickly left your side to investigate some of these weapons that had been set to the side, you were about to follow when an older woman approached you.

“There you are! Finally, come to train with us?” The woman seemed to be in her forties, with large ears- just like Sonia’s- ripped and nicked in random spots and her face covered in small scars and one large one that drew from her lip.

A hardened warrior.

Finally.

You nod once, letting her guide you to the largest clearing, smaller fights stopped once they saw you, you set aside your bow and quiver, standing across from the warrior and taking out your sword and shield.

A small ring of spectators sat on crates and around the walls, holding their breaths, you saw Zelda’s golden hair from the corner of your eye.

“I’m Gwen, by the way.” She offered, cracking a smile, you knew the fight could start any second.

“Y/n.” You responded, flipping your sword absently in your sweaty palm, tapping your foot in agitation as you waited.

She was waiting too.

Fuck it.

You lunged forward with a swing of your sword, her eyes widened slightly but she raised her shield just in time, it was too small to protect her anyway, but your sword had a bit too much momentum to stop it now-

The shield lit up in a brilliant blue, much broader than it had appeared, and it stopped you short.

Your eyes widened at the strange light. Just like the swords earlier.

Insane.

Backing off, you had to rethink your strategy.

She lowered her shield, you knew she’d do something soon, you had to act quickly.

Your eyes cut to the small crowd, moreso the crates that they sat upon, your feet kicked off before you even had a full plan, jumping up onto the first crate, a young soldier shrieked and ducked, the next crate was a quick hop, your momentum making you feel like you were flying, a few of the other soldiers fled from the crates, but once you were on the third you knew you had enough ground.

You kicked off the edge of the crate, jumping down from above, sword drawn, the other guard managed to dodge just in time, but the others all gasped and cheered at the move, you barely missed her, after all.

A blue glint caught your eye, and you jumped back from the sword quickly, gathering your footing and avoiding her attacks, it was a barrage, still, you managed to come out mostly unscathed, if a bit more unsteady.

With a few swings of your sword, your opponent backed off, your eyes drew upward when a light caught your attention. Sonia and Rauru stood above, judging you.

Well, you couldn’t let down the king and queen, could you?

With new vigor, you attacked, the other guard parried your swings easily, and the clanging of metal against whatever her swords were forged from was loud, instinctually, after overwhelming her, you left an opening for Link to rush in.

It wasn’t even thought out, just muscle memory at this point, but Link, of course, didn’t rush in, which meant you left an opening for her.

A firm kick was placed to your chest, your breath caught, vision went black for a second.

You were on the ground, in the sand, and you couldn’t breathe, it was a horrible feeling, like drowning above water.

The sand was soft beneath you, a thin layer of looser sand draped over the compacted mass that your fingernails absently scratched. Your eyes raised to your sword where it lay in the soft sand, shield still firmly attached to your arm.

Approaching footsteps, your instincts screamed at you.

You were fighting! 

Quickly snatching your sword, you barely heard the worried “are you okay?” from your opponent, whirling around with your sword in hand, the other nodded and sank back into a fighting stance. You didn’t feel the need to be careful, didn’t feel the need to be kind, instead, your survival instincts took over in full, lunging forward with wild abandon. Your breaths where hitched, short things that didn’t fully complete, just a minuscule bite of air before your lungs hitched and refused to allow more to enter or exit.

It wasn’t even a fair fight anymore.

You hit her shield, and the force of recoil knocked your lungs into drive, you gasped, reveling in the sudden rush of air, but didn’t stop, another strike she had to parry, then a shield bash.

Twirling your sword in your hand, you hit her sword hand with the hilt of your own, she dropped the weapon, not missing a beat before throwing a punch at your face that you couldn’t avoid, your jaw crackled.

This was serious now, the crowd got upset, edging closer to the fight and trying to find a way to split you up.

Another kick to your chest, your breaths rattled as you knocked her shield arm aside and punched her in the throat.

With her caught off-guard, you managed to get her off her feet, she fell backward, arms protecting her solar plexus.

Your sword hung limply by your side, soldiers rushed in to break you two up.

Not that you cared.

You couldn’t breathe.

A wave of dizziness washed over you as the soldiers intervened, pulling you further from your opponent. The world around you seemed to blur, sounds becoming distant echoes, you fought them as best you could, pushing them away when they touched you.

Your chest burned with each attempt for a breath, but it barely hitched before halting fully, and not being able to draw anything in had you in panic’s grip. The fight had drained your energy, leaving you vulnerable and gasping for air.

“Y/n!” Zelda fell to her knees next to you, when had you fallen to the ground? Her hand settled on your shoulder.

“You’re alright.” She promised, drawing you into a hug, your breath hitched again, a panicked, choked noise coming from you.

“Just try to calm down.” She murmured, but her voice was watery and everything was covered in a soft fog. You hacked, coughing, and something wet and cold got coughed up, Zelda pressed a silk handkerchief to your chin, wiping away the residue quickly.

Everything went dark. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You woke up to voices.

Sonia and Rauru chattering loudly, a hand on your shoulder that rubbed gentle patterns into you.

Opening your eyes, you grimaced, a strange feeling overtook you.

Peace.

Some conscious, reasonable part of your mind said you must’ve been subject to magic or numbing herbs, still, the feeling–that you were sure wasn’t your own–was upsetting given the circumstances, you raised a hand to your temple, catching the attention of the others.

Green eyes pinned you.

“Y/n? Are you alright?” The lilt of her accent made you feel loopy, still, you nodded, attempting to sit up, Sonia’s gentle hands pressed you back down.

You stayed down, not wanting to give Rauru an excuse to do the same.

You huffed and noted the concern etched on everyone's face. Sonia's voice carried a tone of worry as she leaned closer. "You scared us, Y/n. That was a brutal fight. Are you sure you're okay?"

Taking a moment to gather your thoughts, the fog in your mind slowly dissipated. The throbbing pain in your chest was still present, but it had dulled slightly. With a soft sigh, you managed to speak, your voice hoarse and strained. "I... I'll be fine. Just need a moment."

Zelda's green eyes softened, and she reached out to place a hand on yours. "Why didn’t you tell us you were injured?” 

You grimaced, unsure what to say.

“It wasn’t relevant, I am your guard, Princess, I had to ensure you and the King and Queen got home safe.” Unhappy with you, Zelda stood a bit taller, frowning.

“You took on way too much! First those wild horses, then the boar- then sparring practice with the new guards!? How will you be in any condition to guard us if you can’t even breathe!” Your cheeks flushed, you knew Zelda didn’t actually care about your ability to guard her, but you only had each other right now, in this strange land.

She didn’t want to lose you.

“I’m sorry, Princess, I understand.” And you did, you really did. She sighed, green eyes softening.

“Well… You better.” She murmured, still a bit upset but with nowhere for it to go, Sonia was the one who broke the moment, setting her hand on the princess’ shoulder and looking at you with her own worried expression.

“Y/n, please tell us.. How did you get injured in the first place? Was it the wild boar attack? When you had to tame the horses?” Softly, Zelda gasped.

“Was it under the castle? When that thing-” She cut herself off, glancing nervously at the company.

“Maybe, but I don’t think so.” You murmured, “I think it first showed when we woke up- I remember feeling out of breath, I thought it was because Sonia and Rauru were there and they scared me, but the more I think about it, the more I think it was something else.” Zelda frowned, then her eyes widened.

“Before you fell unconscious, you coughed up this… Stuff.” She opens a handkerchief, a viscous, black, and red substance lies in the middle of it, it isn’t wet, doesn’t soak through the napkin, but it certainly moves like a thick substance.

“Doesn’t it remind you of…” Her voice lowered, and your eyes widened.

“The beast under the castle!” You hissed, Zelda nodded, glad you now understood. Out of the loop, Rauru and Sonia just looked at one another, then leaned in to see the strange substance.

“I’ll do my best to explain,” Zelda said, turning to the king and queen.

“Before we got transported to this time, my guards and I were investigating under Hyrule castle, and we met a beast, it seemed like something that should have died long ago, but when we approached it... It awoke, Y/n barely fought it before the room crumbled though, I don't understand how it could've gotten to her…" You hummed, considering, maybe, when you had been falling, it had gotten to you. But you had been awake enough to realize something like that… Right?

"Do you think it's some kind of curse? Something it inflicted upon you?" Sonia questioned, eyes dark with worry, you shrugged, hand resting over your sternum.

You nodded, your gaze fixed on the strange substance. "It's possible. That beast... it drained Link. Perhaps this is its way of slowly consuming me." Your pessimistic worldview seemingly got to Zelda, who lightly hit your hand.

“Don’t be like that, I’m sure we’ll find a solution!” You smiled up at Zelda.

“Yes, I’m sure we will.” You hummed, sitting up in bed fully, this time, no one stopped you.

You stretched out, spine cracking from the base to your neck, you noted how Sonia blushed, glancing to Rauru, whose eyes were fixed on you.

“Don’t worry Zelda, I’m not going anywhere, but I’m still your guard.” You reached for your weapons, strapping them to you once more with a sigh, the weight of your equipment relaxed you, Zelda took all this in, sighing.

“You will never be at ease unless you are there to defend me, but please, Y/n, do try to rest more, and no unnecessary strenuous activities.” You nodded, standing and adjusting your weapons so they didn’t sit uncomfortably.

You left in Zelda’s wake, she promised lunch, and in the background, you heard Rauru whisper to Sonia about a ‘Sundelion’. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lunch was an uneventful ordeal, you ate fresh bread with a platter of different kinds of butter and spreads while Zelda nervously chattered across from you, you saw Sonia cross through the gardens once, but kept your eyes on Zelda, conversing pleasantly about the books she'd borrowed from the library, hypothesizing with her about possible ways to go back home, or going for a ride on your newly acquired horses tomorrow.

She went quiet for a while. Glancing at her open palms that lay across her lap. You knew that look.

“Do you think Link is..” You felt a sudden, painful pressure in your chest. Grief choking you, you wouldn't cry, wouldn't grieve, for all you knew, he was alive and well, no reason to grieve him.

“I don’t want to talk about him.” You said in favor of anything emotional that welled up in your chest, refusing to acknowledge the way your eyes shone, remembering how he’d clutched his arm, how he’d screamed.

You supposed your dismissal was an answer enough to her question. She fidgeted with the hem of her new dress, you hummed, thoughtfully grabbing the soft cloth of your own attire.

“Besides being.. Exposing, I do quite like our new attire.” Zelda laughed, appraising your clothes once more.

“I do believe there were plenty of clothes that provided more coverage that you could've chosen, I think you’re not as bothered by this as you say you are.” You smirked at that, mirth in your eyes.

“What!? How dare you! I’m certain that if Link was the one wearing these clothes, you wouldn’t be so mouthy about it!” Zelda gasped in mock offense, blushing.

“That is cheating! Y/n, or shall I bring up how you go weak at the knees every time Purah so much as looks at you? You’re practically as mute as Link when she’s around!” Your face now a matching shade of red, fell into an expression of shock, clicking your jaw shut, you huffed, trying to find something to respond with-

“Oh yeah!? Well, every time you’re near Hateno you just have to bring up the ‘oh dear there’s just one bed’ routine to Link! He knows! You know! We ALL know! It’s your goddamn house, Zelda!” 

“Only cause Link has bad credit…” She mumbles, causing you to snort.

She laughs as well, glad to ignore the strange lands around you, right now, it’s just you and her, teasing one another, even if it's just make-believe, just pretend, it's a moment you two can behave normally, pretend tears don't threaten to fall at the friends you wish to grieve, no, it's just Zelda and her knight, having a teasing girl talk, like two unruly sisters.

You wish the world would fall away forever like this.

But it didn’t. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dinner was an awkward affair, with you pointedly taking the chair next to Rauru, who set at the head of the table., Zelda sitting next to you and chatting casually with Sonia, who sat across from you, the spot across from Zelda being empty.

You refused to eat, eyes focused on Rauru, or rather, his clawed hands, you remained hyperaware of their position on the table, twitching or shifting in your seat whenever he reached for anything near you or Zelda.

Sonia easily wrapped you up in her and Zelda’s conversation, but still, you were aware of Rauru at all times, each part of your body screamed to fight, to defend Zelda, you tried to remind yourself he was a man, a species like the Zora, large and different, but not evil.

But Sidon had never made you this uncomfortable, even his teeth, shark, and of many, were never threatening, forming a perfect, charming smile that he’d use to cheer on his friends or win over strangers, it’s how he won you over too.

Rauru’s teeth were jagged and sharp, more like a dog’s, they didn’t form a sparkling smile, they reminded you of the snapping teeth of a wolf pack surrounding you and your steed. Sometimes, he’d smile or laugh and all you could think of was a Lynel baring its teeth in a predatory smirk before it charged.

“Y/n,” Sonia spoke, and the guard snapped their gaze up to meet Sonia’s.

“I can understand your... Apprehension, regarding my husband, from what you’ve told us, he bears an uncanny resemblance to monsters of your own time.” Your hands rested on your lap, grip tightening around the cloth of your shorts.

“I want you to know that Rauru is not like the monsters you’ve faced in your time.. I understand trust is not easy, all I ask is you try to keep an open mind.” You glance to Zelda, who gives you an encouraging smile.

“I.. Will try.” You murmured in lieu of any promises.

That seemed to be enough to sate Sonia, for the first time in a few minutes, you tilted your head up every slightly–enough to see the glimmer of Rauru’s teeth, and then his eyes, kind as they took you in.

“That’s all I ask.” He answers, and you nod, unable to find it in yourself to be too pleasant with him.

Maybe in time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You were not prepared for Mineru.

You met her in the hallway as you returned from a short break after Zelda had surrounded herself with five of the palace’s guards, one of which was Gwen, a woman you now held much respect for (and she for you.).

When you saw her, you jumped back, reaching for your sword. The zonai chuckled at your expression, bending over slightly to make proper eye contact, her hand resting under her chin as she, for lack of a better word, studying you.

“Now now, no need to be startled, you are a visitor, after all, it wouldn’t bring you much grace to kill the king’s sister, would it?” Your eyes widened slightly, and despite your body screaming at you to run or fight, you quickly kneeled for the apparent royalty, closing your eyes in apprehension.

Mineru seemed surprised at the act of submission, if you had been looking at her, you’d see her ears twitch in confusion, eyes widening slightly before she collected herself.

“Ah, rise, knight, there’s no need for such formalities.” You did so, but refused eye contact, keeping your head down, at least the rules within court did not change much in the past, it seemed. 

“I did not mean to frighten you, I understand your apprehension toward my race, and I am sure Rauru probably neglected to tell you of my presence in the castle, my brother can be quite scatterbrained at times..” You did your best to hold in a noise at the proclamation- even you yourself weren’t sure it would’ve been a laugh or a scoff, still, you stayed silent, steadfast. The quiet soon turned awkward, but you weren’t familiar with the rules of this court, so you remained silent.

“Right. I am sorry for interrupting your duties, knight.” She left, and after she was out of earshot, you resumed your return to the princess’ side, relieving the other guards of their duty and taking your place once more. Zelda cut you a glance but didn’t ask why you’d left for longer than usual, normally, it’d just be a bathroom break and some time to eat and drink something small, the encounter with Mineru had dragged it out, but Zelda was always insisting you take more time to yourself, something that finally came in useful for you.

Zelda continued her studies into the ancient realm of Hyrule, speaking out her endless stream of thoughts to you, you hummed and intervened where you thought appropriate, listening along thoughtfully as the princess explained her theories and timelines to you. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Despite Sonia and Rauru’s insistence the kingdom, and by extension, they, were safe, you found yourself often looking over your shoulder, aching to cut the air with your sword, nerves pricking at your skin.

You huff, calming yourself, you stand to the right of the king and queen’s throne, to their left stands another guard you don’t know, but he’s not nearly as attentive as you, while you are practically a statue, he will move and twitch, eyes following visitors or delegates, you frown, hands itching to correct him, but you can’t move, it’d risk breaking your own professionalism, instead, you resign yourself to having to suffer through it.

The king and queen decide to leave not soon after, a stroll in the gardens, they say, no need to fret, they can take care of themselves for that long.

You disagree, following them from a short distance, it takes them a second to place your footsteps, they turn to look at you, Rauru sighs.

“Y/n, I promise we can care for ourselves for the moment it takes us to breathe some fresh air,”

You shake your head, resolute, Sonia and Rauru share a glance.

“Very well.” Sonia responds, continuing to walk, you trail behind them, remaining polite despite your unwanted presence. 

The gardens are wide and expansive, you follow Sonia and Rauru for a while but get distracted when you hear rustling, you frown, separating from the two to investigate the possible threat.

You find a small, cutesy robot, it has only one eye, it is blue and yellow, and its eye lights up as it looks to you.

Then it stretches out and emits a series of loud, urgent sounds that echo through the gardens, alarmed, you take a step back, only to hear more whirrs approaching, the small robot somehow looks smug.

You’re confused until a spear is poked at you by a larger, lankier robot, still small compared to a guardian, but absolutely capable of doing quite a bit of damage.

You jump back from the spear when it is stabbed at you again, hearing a surprised (hylian) call from deeper within the garden, and others from where you thought the castle was.

Surrounded by the strange robots, you pull your sword, avoiding the attacks from both the large, spear-wielding beast and its smaller friends who clutch swords and sticks. One has a bow and arrow.

You dispatch of the bow-wielding one first, a sword driven through its eye does the trick, just like with a guardian, and after it stops struggling under your sword, deactivating, you turn back to the others. You immediately receive a near-disemboweling slash from one of its little friends.

Avoiding the largest to save it for last, you easily decommission two of the small sword-wielding ones, there’s still one more, the one you met originally, clutching a branch, but you find yourself distracted by the lanky one, who now tries to fucking burn you to death with a weapon that spews fire.

You avoid the billowing flames, ignoring the strong scent of ash in the air, and strike at the robot, you manage three hits before it manages to recover, your lungs start to ache once more, you flee from the flames that flow around the trees, ducking and weaving through the gardens as the flames lap at your feet.

Once you finally emerge from the shrubs, you see Rauru and Sonia’s concerned gazes from across the gardens, barely seeing them start to run toward you, Mineru calls from above, you think you hear Zelda, but you’re unsure.

You jump over the flames, carving yourself a path to the strange robot with your shield, you approach again, close enough to strike several times, this time, it does something different, activating its little flame-spitter, and it starts to turn in circles, you don’t have the time to lift your shield, closing your eyes-

“Stop!” Rauru’s snarl causes you to jump, eyes opening, an action you immediately regret when you spot the flames whirling toward you-

Only for them to stop, the robot toppled over like its strings were cut.

You look to Rauru, whose arm is extended, and strange, blue energy seems to emerge from it, his face is a snarl, an expression you hadn’t seen before, you stepped back, apprehensive, and at your move, his eyes move from the dead–deactivated?–robot and then to you, face relaxing and a twinge of guilt in his eyes.

You see that Mineru is running down the stairs from the elevated platform she’d been wandering before spotting your mess, but you can’t begin to prepare yourself for her arrival before a weight slams into your side.

Startled, you easily catch the princess’ hug, preventing the both of you from falling, you return the hug apprehensively as the princess scolds and praises you at the same time, you huff, amused.

“Are you alright? I don’t know why the constructs would-” Sonia starts, reaching to set her hand on your shoulder.

“That’s my fault.” Mineru steps down on the ground, glancing at the deactivated ‘construct’ in slight disdain but mostly fascination, you huff, of course, it’d be one of the two llama people when you’d been trying so hard to accept them.

“Sister?” Rauru asked, confused, the woman scratched the back of her neck.

“I was attempting to program them to defend the castle from intruders, it seems it misjudged our dear Y/n here, it’s my fault, I forgot to enter her and Zelda’s profile into the system, I’ll make sure to fix it before I activate them again.” You frown, about to speak up, ask if one of those constructs would have attacked Zelda with barely-concealed anger, but Sonia did it before you could.

“Mineru!” she scolded. “You should’ve at least warned us! Those things could’ve killed Y/n!” The zonai nodded thoughtfully, humming. 

“Yes, they could’ve, but they held their own, didn’t they?” She gazed at you appraisingly, and you responded with an unimpressed frown.

"Yes, but they have yet to recover from their injuries! They've been on rest for a reason, Mineru, you can't just turn our constructs into murder machines the second we look away!" Mineru gave the other woman a deadpan look.

"Is that not why they were crafted in the first place? To carry weapons and attack?" Sonia stuttered, losing a bit of her anger at the response.

Of course, both Sonia and Mineru knew they were wrong, Sonia may be overreacting a bit, but with the amount of effort they'd put into putting their visitors at ease, this is the last thing they needed. And Mineru knew this hadn't been the best time to experiment on the constructs, with delicate visitors around…

With a sigh, they both calmed enough to realize this wasn't the time to argue.

"Later." They both murmured, Mineru turning to the construct to either remove the new protocol or add Y/n and Zelda to the systems while Sonia moved to check over Y/n.

“Your breaths.” She murmured, Rauru, after making sure there were no other constructs (Aside from the three the guards had found, cut to pieces by the knight.), wandered over to join his wife, noticing the rattling breaths’ return just as Sonia had.

His wife turned to him, he looked at the knight, sighing at the spark of fear in them, then back to his wife, her pleading eyes begging him to do what he rather wouldn’t.

“You promised, it’s not getting any better.” Rauru nodded, calling to a guard to bring it.

“What is it?” Zelda asked, watching the guard run to retrieve the mystery item.

“Something we think may help Y/n, we didn’t want to resort to it, we’re not sure how it’ll react to the.. Stuff in Y/n’s lungs, but I think it’s worth a try.” Sonia scoffed, elbowing him lightly.

“More like I convinced you it’s worth a try, after a lot of back and forth.”

“It’s not my fault I’m careful. ” he murmured, to which Sonia scoffed, glancing to Zelda and her knight with a roll of her eyes. “A little bit too ‘careful’ if you ask me.” She murmured, causing Zelda to laugh softly and Y/n to crack the smallest of smiles.

Before Rauru could combat his wife’s playful statement, the guard returned, holding a warm cup in their palms.

Rauru takes the tea, then gently offers it to Y/n. Who glances at the tea, then to him suspiciously. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You gaze at the tea, trying to weigh your options, option A? Slowly succumb to the mystery infection and die a slow, painful death. Option B? Trust Rauru. You’d obviously choose option A, but the begging eyes of both Zelda and Sonia wore you down, reluctantly, you leaned forward, taking a sip of the tea as Rauru still held it out, he seemed surprised, eyes widening, Sonia blushed, ears twitching ever-so-slightly as she gazed from you to Rauru.

The tea tasted alright, it tasted like.. Like sunlight on a summer morning, it was strange, but you took another sip, Rauru carefully tilting the cup to allow you more access, his ears turned backward, you weren’t sure what that meant, but the soft expression in his and Sonia’s eye definitely made you feel a bit too mushy for a moment were you possibly drank a poisoned beverage. You took the drink in your own hands, Rauru making sure you held it right, his fingers brushing yours as he left you to chug the drink.

You definitely felt much, much better after the tea, humming softly. Sonia noted as much, saying your breathing had steadied.

Rauru still looked nervous, but also proud, a slight smirk playing at his lips, you rolled your eyes, standing up and dusting yourself off.

“Thank you.” You murmured to the King and Queen, ignoring how their gazes softened and they smiled at you kindly.

You turned to Mineru.

“If one of those constructs even looks strangely at Princess Zelda I will not hesitate to shred every single one on the castle grounds.”

With that, you left, Zelda following you and scolding you for the unprofessional behavior, leaving a dumbfounded Mineru and a laughing Rauru and Sonia behind.

[theboywithburninghands]

Greetings. I got Funnybunny and Buttonblossom. So this is a direct sequel to my last story. If you know anything about shipping, you can probably see the direction these tidbits are taking. But hopefully it’s a welcome direction! Anyway, enjoy, it was a while in the works I know… sorry!

Friends Who Kiss: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Doll

Pomni never thought she’d get stir-crazy in her bedroom. Her one safe haven in this rainbow-colored madness was starting to bore her. She supposed it was inevitable, people tended to get bored of doing nothing, even if doing nothing was what they wanted with all their heart. Jax, Kinger and Zooble got carted off to enjoy their “reward” of a day at the amusement park after that day’s adventure, so she couldn’t go talk to her boyf-

…

Her friend that she kissed. So, instead of letting time slow to a crawl as she laid in bed, probably getting her depressed in the process, she decided to get up and go for a walk.

The circus grounds were pretty, but in the same way that N64 or PS1 games were pretty. Vibrant, phony green grass, hills that were smooth enough up close but jagged and blurred at a distance, a lake of royal blue water that flickered on the surface if you stood too far away. It at least felt real enough, the sunlight was warm and she could hear birds… although she didn’t see any birds. Probably just a looping .wav file.

Sun: HIYA POMNI!

Pomni: GH- Oh. Uh. Hey… *waves awkwardly at the Sun*

Sun: Don’t look at me too long! I cause irreparable solar retinopathy!

Pomni: …Uh huh. I don’t want to talk to you anymore.

Sun: Okaaay~!

Pomni went down to the Digital Lake. Caine had dunked her in the water on her first day here, and her sensory overload from that experience basically blocked out what the water felt like. She sat at the edge of the deep blue simulated water, listening to the sound (or was it sound file?) of the waves lapping against the shore. Pomni stopped to remove her shoes, found that she couldn’t, and simply waded into the water. The water felt… nice. Cool, a little too chilly to jump right into. She would have cringed at the thought of her socks getting wet, but she couldn’t tell if the yellow things on the ankles of her shoes were socks or not. So whatever.

She thought about going out into the water. Her outfit was anything but swimwear, but it didn’t stop her from sleeping in it, so what did she care if it got wet? This world was like a cartoon, she’d probably dry off in like five seconds… still, it would have been nicer to go swimming with a friend. She sat on the beach.

Pomni: Hm… I wonder if he likes swimming?

Pomni heard footfalls behind her and flicked her head around. Ragatha was making her way towards the beach, but she paused mid-step upon seeing Pomni turn to look at her.

Ragatha: Sorry, can I join you? Or did you want to be alone?

Pomni: Uh… n-no, I don’t mind. I- just… I’ve never seen this part of the circus up close.

Ragatha smiled and moved to sit down beside Pomni, smoothing out her dress as she sat cross-legged on the sand beside her.

Ragatha: It’s kinda peaceful when things aren’t insane, right? I like coming down here too. It’s like a safe area in a video game… Did you ever play Legend of Zelda?

Pomni: Uh… I might’ve. It’s hard to remember a lot about the outside.

Ragatha: Yeah. Some things I forget, but there are some memories I can’t even if I tried. I remember when I was a little girl and I saw Ocarina of Time for the first time… it was like magic. The lake here reminds me of Lake Hylia.

Pomni: Uh huh… I don’t think I ever properly thanked you for saving me from that snake.

Ragatha: Oh, Pomni, I was just looking out for you! No worries!

Pomni: N-No. I abandoned you when you needed help on my first day here. I can’t believe I was so selfish…

Ragatha: Pomni. It was your first day. I know you were desperate and scared, because all of us were on our first days. I forgive you. *smiles warmly*

Pomni: …..Okay. *her cheeks redden* I uh… had another question. And it’s a little more, uh… personal?

Ragatha: Alright?

Pomni: …Do you… Do you like girls?

Ragatha: …Romantically?

Pomni: Uh… yes?

Ragatha: Honestly? I’m not sure. It’s been forever since I’ve thought about stuff like that. Why, do you?

Pomni: *blushes again* I like… both. Men and women.

Ragatha: I’m glad you have so many options! Well I guess… had so many options. Again though, why? *gives a curious smile*

Pomni: Uh nothing… I mean, no reason. Just curiosity I guess.

Ragatha: Can I ask you a personal question?

Pomni: *gulp* Sure?

Ragatha: What’s going on with you and Jax?

Pomni: What? Nothing! Uh… n-nothing? Nothing.

Ragatha: *Ragatha rests her chin on her closed fist, smiling* Jax never apologized for anything before you came along. I won’t tell anybody if you guys are fooling around, I promise.

Pomni: We’re not in a relationship or anything…

Ragatha: So a situationship?

Pomni: No-? What- What is that?

Ragatha: I dunno. I heard Zooble say it once and I thought it sounded neat. Plus it seems like the only thing Jax would get into…

Pomni: Well we’re not…

Ragatha: Alright. …So, maybe sometime, you want to go to the amusement park together?

Pomni: WHAT-

Ragatha giggled with a hand over her mouth, then gently shushed Pomni.

Ragatha: Hey, hey, no need to shout! Just a question.

Pomni: Wh-Wh- uh… why…?

Ragatha: Because you’re my friend and I like you?

Pomni: I mean… I-You… I-We-The…

Ragatha: Heyyy, easy, New Stuff. You need to breathe with me again?

Pomni: N-No-I just… I really wasn’t expecting that… I mean… *sighs* Yeah, I’d like to, but Jax would ge-

Pomni gasped sharply and clapped her hands over her mouth. Ragatha raised her eyebrows a bit before her usual pleasant smile turned into a smirk.

Ragatha: I thought sooo.~ You really shouldn’t lie, Pomni. I know you’re shy about things like that, but I mean it when I say I’ll keep your secrets. We have to trust each other.

Pomni: WE’RE- IT’S- NO, You-You-You- got it all wrong! We’re not in a relationship, honest! We’re just friends that kiss sometimes..? *she palms herself in the face for admitting too much yet again*

Ragatha: Ooo la la! You guys have kissed, huh?

Pomni: S#!%!

Ragatha: It’s ok-ay Pomni, I promise I won’t tell. I’m happy for you, really.

Pomni: Y-You’re… happy?

Ragatha: Yeah! I’m always worried when someone new shows up. What if they… you know, abstract? Especially if I really like them. But you’ve got a reason to keep on going now, you know? And oh my god, it must be amazing for Jax. I know he’s unhappy like the rest of us, it’s why he pulls all those… “jokes.” At least I imagine that’s why he does. Having a little joy in his life must be so rejuvenating. It’s hard to come by these days… Joy. You know?

Pomni: …You promise you won’t tell anyone..?

Ragatha: Needle in my eye. *she taps her button and smiles*

Pomni: Okay. …Well. Thanks. Uh, wait… were you serious about the whole going to the amusement park thing?

Ragatha: If you want to, sure! I’ve been on all the rides like a dozen times.

Pomni: Wait, as… friends? Right?

Ragatha: As friends. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of what you and Jax have.

Pomni: We’re just friends! That kiss!

Ragatha: Right, well, I don’t want to get in the way of your “friends-that-kiss-ship.” But I hope you’ll be my friend. That doesn’t kiss.

Pomni: It’s not like I would mind kissing you, but-

Ragatha: What?

The silence that followed dropped like a lead weight. Pomni felt her core freeze solid from adrenaline. She got to her feet robotically and turned back to the tent.

Pomni: Gottagosorry.

Pomni dashed across the field to the tent and ducked into the tent, panting with her hands on her knees.

Pomni: “I wouldn’t mind kissing you-“ UGH I’m such a dum@$$! Stupid, stupid, stupid! *she thumps her fist on her forehead*

The jester sat down on one of the many oversized cubes scattered around the tent and groaned. What was she thinking? Why couldn’t she just be attracted to one person?! It wasn’t that hard! Anyone that showed her a little bit of kindness earned her affection now? Well… no. Jax had been nothing but a troll to her, and she still ended up finding him attractive… Despite his irritating tendencies, the rabbit was one of her only sources of real joy in this place, she couldn’t mess things up with him… That was selfish. Jax’s feelings mattered just as much as hers. It would be beyond selfish to leave him because someone else caught her eye. Selfish and dangerous. What if he was heartbroken, and that heartbreak led to hopelessness, and the hopelessness inevitably led to…

Pomni: F#$%... F#$%!

Pomni covered her mouth with both hands and screamed as loud as she could. She had no fingernails to bite or loose hairs to pick out, so she had to relieve her anxiety somehow. She panted, covered up and screamed again. It wasn’t enough, not even close, but it was something. Like scratching a bug bite, it felt good in the moment but it would only itch again. She knew there was only one real way to cool down the white hot ball of anxiety in her belly, and it was going to suck. She wanted to projectile vomit.

The only real thing to do was rehearse. She got up and began to pace around the tent. Pacing helped her think. Helped with a lot of things, really… It didn’t cure anxiety but it helped temper it somewhat. What was she going to say..?

—-----

Jax, Zooble and Kinger arrived back at the tent around the late afternoon.

Jax: Well that was a waste of time.

Zooble: No s#!%. I think I rode the ferris wheel seven times in a row. ‘Least that way I won’t be nauseous for dinner.

Jax: Time flies when you’re having fun. *gives a huge, fake smile before immediately scowling again*

Zooble: Ugh. Whatever.

Kinger: Hey! W-Who’s that?!

Kinger pointed into the tent. Pomni was in the main room, pacing in a tight square.

Zooble: Oh for… That’s Pomni, Kinger. Are you gonna forget every time she leaves your line of sight like a toddler? Seriously-

Kinger: She’s coming right for us!

Zooble: What?

Pomni was indeed making a mad dash for them. Kinger braced for impact and Zooble took a few steps backwards before Pomni collided with Jax, throwing her arms around him in a hug.

Jax: OOF! Hey what-?!

Pomni only squeezed him tighter, burying her face in his overalls. Jax felt his cheeks warm up despite himself.

Zooble: …Ew.

Jax: Uh… *in a nervous, sing-song whisper* What are you doiiing~...?

Pomni didn’t reply with words, instead grabbing Jax by the wrist and tugging him off to their bedrooms. Zooble and Kinger watched the two of them leave, then swapped confused looks.

Zooble: That was… interesting.

Kinger: Something is amiss. No one has ever hugged Jax before.

Zooble: I’m amazed you remember that and not who Pomni is…

—---

Pomni dragged Jax into her room before slamming the door shut hard enough to rattle a few smaller toys scattered about.

Jax: …Oh, hi Pomni. Yeah, I’m really tired and hungry, thank you for asking. Why, that’s right, I do have a few questions-

Pomni: I can’t calm down. I need to get this all out. Listen for a second…

Jax: …Okay.

Pomni: I don’t want to lose you. I know you said we’re just friends that kiss but you’re really f@#$ing important to me. So just know that you didn’t do anything wrong. But- I have a crush on Ragatha. We didn’t do anything together, but I can’t stop thinking about her and I don’t know why! You-You-You make me really happy and you make me feel like I can survive here and that hasn’t changed but I just feel the… the same thing when I look at her the same way I do when I look at you, and… and… I just feel horrible! I don’t want to replace you because you… you… I… Without you I would have gone crazy by now, and you’re an insufferable clod but you’re so charming and funny and-and-and handsome even if you’re just a cartoon like me, and… oh God I wish I knew how to stop what I’m feeling but I can’t, and I felt like exploding all afternoon because I thought of you hearing all this and then abstracting, and it would have been my fault because I just couldn’t keep my stupid hormones in check and then I wouldn’t have you anymore and I would basically be a murderer and I’d cry myself to sleep every night and-and it… and… and-and-and-and…

Pomni stammered for a while longer before panting heavily, staring down at the floor. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Jax.

Pomni: I’m sorry… I’m sorry, I-I-I-I… I’m sorry…

Jax: …You think I’m handsome, huh?

Pomni: WRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! *claps her hands to the sides of her head and falls to her knees*

Jax: Jeez, okay! Not the answer you were looking for, got it! Just trying to lighten the mood..!

Pomni: And I so appreciate it! I mean that! But I feel like the world’s gonna end right now! And I’d appreciate a real reaction pleeeease! *yanks on the bells of her coxcomb hat*

Jax: If this is about yesterday, I told you I forgive you. I thought you were cheating, but you weren’t.

Pomni: B-But isn’t this cheating? Liking someone else?

Jax: No? I told you, you can be “friends that kiss” with Ragatha too, if you tell me first. If that’s what you want, go ahead and go. Honestly, I’m not surprised. You said she was pretty.

Pomni: She is pretty.

Jax: If you like kissing Raggedy Ann. *short chuckle* Look, Pompom. We’re already in technohell. Whatever keeps you from abstracting is okay with me. As long as I get my time with you.

Pomni: Don’t call me Pompom. But… of course… I’m not replacing you. I just… I like Ragatha too.

Jax: Gay.

Pomni: Shut up. I… I guess I was worried you’d be really upset.

Jax: Nah. I think you were more upset than me, honestly. I get it, it’s kinda weird to just have a bunch of people you kiss. But honestly? Who cares? …I gotta wonder though, what made you want to ask? Was it the snake?

Pomni: Sort of the snake. But… she asked me to go to the amusement park with her today.

Jax: And you said you would? Spoilers, it sucks.

Pomni: *small laugh* It’s not like we have other options.

Jax: There’s the lake.

Pomni: …I think I want to take you to the lake.

Jax: You- Oh. ….Eheh. *he blushes* Yeah. I think that’d be fun.

Pomni: Fun? In this place? That’ll be the day!

The two of them laughed together, before Pomni gave him a hug. He hugged her back.

Pomni: …We’re just going to the amusement park. It’s not like we’re going to make out or anything yet.

Jax: Pompom. I’m not jealous.

Pomni: I know, but you said this was your first relationship, and… and I didn’t want to ruin it. And I don’t want you to abstract…

Jax: I’m not gonna. I’ve got you.

Pomni: Yeah. You do have me… until this whole place comes crashing down. I lov-

Jax’s ears shot up, and Pomni froze, looking up at him with wide, roulette eyes.

Jax: …Yeah. Same. *he winks* But we both know that already, so don’t say it, okay?

Pomni: Okay… do… you want to stay here tonight?

Jax: I’d really like that, yeah.

The two “friends that kissed” hugged each other for a long while longer, until Jax broke the silence.

Jax: Uh… why are your shoes so wet..?

[okamiwind]

writing meme

stolen from my best buddy @lilcrickee

Rules: Go to your published works on AO3 and list the first fic you ever published there, the last fic you published, any fic that you wrote for a fandom/ship only once, your favorite fic you wrote in the fandom/ship that has the most works, the fic you wish more people read, the fic you agonized over the most, the fic that sprang fully formed from your mind without any effort, and a work you are proud of—for whatever reason.

First ever published: you're the prize (i wish i'd won) EXO, kyungsoo/jongin lord almighty, it's almost been six years! how surreal is that. yeah, i had this idea for an enemies to lovers fic while watching parks and recreation. i dont know. it was one of those things that just absolutely compelled me. it's kaisoo bc i was reading a lot of kaisoo before jumping into the fandom. i look back on this one fondly, but i dont think i'm confident enough to reread it. might hurt my feelings lmao

Last fic published: i aim to be your eyes EXO, sehun/junmyeon my fuckin baby!!! still ongoing. probably will finish sometime in 2024. well. Crossing my fingers anyway. it's long and silly, but i love writing it. once i start reading over some part of it, i immediately feel like i need to add more to it. i love writing all the little characters and reading how people think things will end up. i still have yet to decide on the ending, but who knows, maybe i'll sopranos it.

Fic that you wrote for a fandom/ship only once: the million roads that lead to you MDZS, lan zhan/wei ying wrote this before even watching the live action. definitely not sure how it holds up. will almost certainly never write another fic for this fandom, but it was fun to write regardless!

Favorite fic you wrote in a fandom/ship that has the most works: in the blood haikyuu, keishin/ittetsu had no idea that haikyuu had more fics than any of my other fandoms. so it goes. it was interesting to see that nct has surpassed exo too. cwazy daisies. anyway, i love this fic, i think its kinda my masterpiece for haikyuu. i sometimes want to return to this pairing, but the lack of engagement sours my mood abt it a bit. i love writing it, but i feel like the more i shove it in people's faces, the less likely they are to read lol

Fic you wish more people read: lawyers, guns, and money EXO, sehun/baekhyun i thought this was a great little fic (she says, looking at the novel length word count) and i was really shocked that it didnt get more love. i mean, its fun, it's spacey, it's found family. i still really like a lot of the passages, i think they're very pretty. maybe i'll reread it myself since NO ONE ELSE WILL!

Fic you agonized over the most: chronos-826 EXO, sehun/junmyeon i can hardly remember the way this fest was run, but lord, i remember being irked. like there was noooo communication if you weren't on the discord, and i was like jeez, i know it said you could join but i didnt know it would be MANDATORY if you wanted information about the event lol. but yeah. despite all that, i really enjoyed writing this. and by enjoyed, i mean went insane. literally i felt like i was going crazy throughout the majority of it, and while the finished product is a lot different from what i had envisioned (something more along the lines of House of Leaves with that element of interactivity.... sigh) im still proud of what i managed to produce

Fic that sprang fully formed from your mind without any effort: pilgrimage EXO, sehun/baekhyun yeah this fic was just so weird and like. Fantastical. it felt like it was dropped from god's hands into my brain. like i sat there and wrote the first 10k almost in a Flow state, didn't touch it for months, and then just banged out the rest like it was nothing. i doubt anything will ever come so easily to me ever again, but yeah. what a time to be alive!

Work you are proud of—for whatever reason: i write to you from the road and the red king's consort BOTW/TOTK, sidon/link i just think these are some really nice examples of my writing. idk. like i think they accomplish what they seek to accomplish, i think they're stylish and pretty, i think they have a lot of earned emotional weight to them. Just some nice fics by me imo. anyway. that's it.

anyone who follows me is free to follow in my meme-ing footsteps but i would like to tag @fff777 and @deepbutdazzlingdarkness to see their answers as well :3

[sillylittletloulover]

a little taste test of my yet to come fic

! DONT MAKE A SOUND !

☆ youre hanging out with your girlfriend dina and she gets the sudden urge to call the Jackson group chat while you have other things in mind

★

★

★

You knock at the door in front of you and you hear footsteps rushing down the stairs before the door opens and your met with a stressed Dina who is in the middle of cooking.

“Hey! Sorry its a bit of a mess, I didnt expect you to be so early” She says before pulling you into a hug.

“Yeah sorry, I was just nervous and everything” You said, you didnt know why you were nervous, youve been to Dinas house before but ever since it became official between you two, you have been kind of awkward. Maybe it was because of that kiss you shared a few weeks ago that created an ache in your pants. Or maybe it’s because of that night she touched your thigh while you were watching a movie. Anyway, we were here now and you have butterflies in your stomach like youre a teenager again.

“You hungry?” Dina asked as you stepped inside.

“Not really, I ate before i came over” You said while taking off your shoes.

“Uh huh” She eyed you up and down. “And what did you eat?” She was aware of how you were always eating junk food and not giving your body the nutrition it needed.

“I ate a slice of pizza” You shrugged, knowing that she would say that it wasn’t enough. 

“C’mon im making some mac and cheese” She said as she walked into her kitchen.

“Im not hungry” You said following her.

“Don’t care” She said with a cocky smile spread across her lips. “Plus you’ve never tasted my food before”

You let out a loud sigh “Fine I’ll eat some” You said knowing that theres no way out of this. 

”Good, I bet you will love it” She said with a grin. ”Sit down”

And you did, you sat down and watched her cook like a creep. But it was hard not to watch as she only wore a pair of shorts that are too short for her, and a tank top that hugged her curves just right. I mean it was in the middle of summer too so you couldnt really complain, you’re definitely NOT complaining.

“You okay?” She asked which made you snap out of your thoughts.

“Yeah, I’m fine” You responded nervously.

“You were staring again” She said teasingly.

“Yeah sorry I just-“ You tried to come up with an excuse to why you were staring but she already knew why.

“Its okay, I like it when you look at me like that.” She said and then your heart dropped. Were you dreaming? Is this some twisted disgusting dream? No, no this cant be real, right?

★

When the food was done she set out some on two plates, one for you and one for her.

“Careful, its hot” She said as she put your plate down on the table.

“Yeah, thanks” You couldnt get your words out right when she bent a little over the table like that, she knew that it drived you insane and she knew that if she teased you enough you’ll finally give her what she wants, what she needs.

★

”How is it?” She asked you as she watched you take another bite of the mac and cheese.

”Its amazing, youre a great chef” You said as you inhaled the rest of your food.

”I thought you said you werent hungry” She said with a sarcastic tone.

“Oh shut up” You giggled. “Youre an amazing cook, I mean it”

She blushed at your sweet compliment.

“Oh yeah?” She said teasingly. “Im glad you liked it”

★

When you both finished your food you decided to watch a movie and began heading to the living room.

”What movie where you thinking?” You asked her as you sat down on the couch, her joining you.

”I was thinking maybe ’Pretty Woman’?” She said, knowing that you hated cheesy rom coms. She noticed your glare and she pouted ”Please, this one is actually good”

You gave up ”Fine we can watch ’Pretty woman’ then”

”Yes! You will finally see why this is such a good movie” She jumped up out of the couch and put the DVD in. You watched her bend over like a creep, her shorts exposing her ass a little more. Oh no. You felt that familiar ache in your pants again. Fuck, you had to get rid of it if you’re gonna be able to have a normal movie night with her.

She soon came back and looked at you with a confused expression.

“You okay?” She asked as you looked around the room, not daring to meet her gaze.

“I’m fine, I just have to go to the bathroom.” You said, finally meeting her eyes as you got up and began to make your way to the bathroom.

You closed and locked the door quickly as you sat down on the toilet and pulled out your phone. You texted your friend Ellie, telling her about what just happened and that you are going crazy.

“Relax, you’re just turned on. Just watch the movie with her, give her some signals that you want to fuck her. Then it’ll be okay, promise.” She typed back quickly. You sighed in relief. Okay, just give her signals and it will be okay. 

You put away your phone and flushed the toilet so Dina would think you actually went to the bathroom and then you got out and joined her in the couch again.

“Hey, everything okay? You seem a bit…off.” She asked with concern in her voice. You looked back at her. “Yeah, everything’s fine.”

She turned on the movie and put her head on your chest. You were extremely nervous but you wrapped your arm around her waist, pulling her in closer.

★

When the movie was finished Dina picked up her phone from the coffe table and begun scrolling on instagram since you were half asleep. You looked over at her with tired eyes.

”Hey, are you tired?” She asked with a soft voice.

“Not really, just bored.” You answered, trying to rub the sleep out of your eyes.

“Did you not like the movie?” She looked at you.

“I did like it, i swear.” You said as you sat closer to her and peeked at her phone.

“What are you watching?” You asked.

“Just this clingy cat, its very cute. Maybe we should get one.” She said as she smiled back at you.

“A cat? Why not?” You replied and put one hand on her thigh. Dina shivered at your touch but was craving more.

“Oh, you’re bold now, aren’t you?” She said and chuckled a little. 

“Maybe, I’ve missed you.” You said and began carresing her thigh with your thumb. Dina let out a little laugh.

“You also drive me crazy in those fucking shorts, and that top.” You looked at her, and then at her lips, and then quickly back at her eyes.

“Good, that was the point actually.” Dina said without hesitation.

“Oh, really? Wanted me to fuck you, hmm?” You say with a smirk and she had the audacity to ignore you and look at her phone again, opening the Messenger app and going into the Jackson group chat. 

“Dina, don’t ignore me.” You say as you lift up her chin with your pointer finger and thumb, forcing her to look at you.

She gave you a quick peck on your lips, making you freeze. She knew what she was doing.

Dina wasted no time and pressed the call button on the group chat. 

[umnitsa]

TLDR: Things changed in fandom and I'm not sure I like it anymore; it's a sign of the times and I don't know what to do

I see many fanfic writers taking mental health time. Hell, I am too.

I started writing fanfic almost 30 years ago. Before I reached the internet. I wrote them for myself, in big notebooks that I had to hide from my mother, because I was a horny little thing and I really wanted to fuck Captain Kirk and Data (mostly Data - I fully blame Data for being a rampant technosexual).

It was so much fun, but something in me wanted to show those writings to people. I wanted to share my thoughts and my words. Sadly, some of it was immensely dirty and I have always been ashamed of my writing. Ended up ripping all the notebooks in little pieces and throwing them away.

I grew up, internet started being a thing and I found out fanfiction. I'm Brazilian, you see; English is my second language. So at that time I read more than wrote, but I didn't have the courage to post anything anyway. I felt the desire to be a part of it, anyway.

In my early 20s, LiveJournal happened to me. And that's when things took a turn. I really really wanted to write, so I joined Stargate RPGs, and wrote with a LOT OF PEOPLE. It was immensely fun and those people welcomed with open arms, even if I didn't write well or didn't write that well in English.

If my written English is good I credit to them fully. We plotted and plotted and wrote and wrote...

I wrote so many awesome stories (some dirty and some not). I still remember one story arc where my character was uploaded to Atlantis and I had SO MUCH FUN writing him awakening through commands, heavily inspired by my experience with Linux at the time. It was beautiful, honestly, writing my sweet Nemecsek confused, trying to regain his senses through trial and error as his whole being became a machine (Nemecsek was his nickname, I love 'The Paul Street Boys' - there was a reason for the reference, but I digress).

LiveJournal had the Kink Memes too, and they were insane. People anonymously prompted the most varied kinks and characters, and writers anonymously filled them. We were... Free. If you didn't like the kink you could jump to another thread. Most of the comments were commenting the works, some prompts were filled multiple times and some of them never got to be filled. The variety of kinks and kinds of writing were glorious. No one judged. People understood it seemed to be a space of exploration (in many many ways).

I wrote in other fandoms, and people were nice and kind. Never got a single shitty comment; people either helped me improve or left me alone... Well, left me to write with my friends.

LJ started going bad, I tried Dreamwidth, and I saw the birth of AO3, joined Tumblr for the long form RPGs, but things weren't the same for me.

Life started happening, and I didn't write fanfic for a LONG LONG TIME. The experience with fanfic gave me confidence to write in Portuguese, my own stories. I kept writing, just not fanfic.

I came back recently, and I decided for Tumblr; I like the things I know. I wanted to write erotica. I realized I love erotica as a vehicle to show different sides of characters, what can I say? I was raised reading Harlequin romances and I was a BIG FAN of Ellora's Cave. It is what it is and I will not complain or explain myself further.

But things were different. There was this crazy pressure. In the era of content, fanfic doesn't seem to be an act of love anymore. It's a platform to raise a public. To become famous (fuck Cassandra Clare, I remember where she came from). It became weirdly professional in crazy ways (well, crazy for me).

People demand everything now, from updates to perfection, passing through stances in public discourse.

I feel this insane pressure. I can't just 'write' anymore. People plan and work their way to followers and... It's all so polished I feel I can't just write.

I'm afraid of sharing now. I AM AFRAID OF SHARING AND THIS IS INSANE. Fandom have always been about sharing. Sharing opinions, sharing art, filling gaps, playing carelessly with plot holes and characteristics.

I'm trying. I'm really trying to come back, and I see people trying to come back, but it's hard to do it with this pressure.

I don't know what to do. Part of me wants to fight and keep writing, making friends. Part of me is insanely afraid of being seen. I don't tag my shit right, I can't afford these shitty interactions. I get anxious whenever people share my stuff, even if I truly want people to see it; I keep asking myself when is someone going to be shitty to me.

So I get it, my friends. Take your time. I'll miss your writing. I hope it's still flourishing in your beautiful minds, even if I can't see it. I wish I could be sharing it with you, but I completely understand. Please take care. I'll be here when you come back.

[ambrossart]

The final part is still a major work in progress, but I should have it finished within the next few days or so. Also, I know I said it wasn’t going to be very long, but... nope, I guess I was wrong. 

Anyway, here’s a sneak peek of the intro!

Like I said, it’s an early draft, and it’ll probably get hacked up in the final edits, but it’ll give you an idea of what’s coming. A good chunk of the ending is from Eddie’s perspective, and I love it so much! 😍

Eddie was more than a little caught off guard when you suddenly wanted to join his summer D&D campaign. 

You were popular, you were on the volleyball team, and he was just the trailer park kid whose father was constantly in and out of prison. “Eddie Munster”—yeah, that’s what they called him (because he listened to heavy metal, dressed all in black, and had the pasty complexion of someone who hadn’t seen the sun a day in his life). He was confident that ninety percent of the student body had no idea what his actual name was. To them, he was simply Eddie Munster, the kid destined to spend his life behind bars.  

Needless to say, Eddie was a little skeptical when Jeff called an emergency meeting in the science lab two weeks before the last day of school. He said he had a friend (“Well, actually she’s my lab partner”) who was interested in joining their summer D&D campaign, an intense and insanely immersive three-month-long crusade that Scott Sloman spent the entire school year working on. It was his pride and joy, his magnum opus, and Scottie would never waste such a masterpiece on a new player. 

Unless, of course, that new player was a girl. 

Scottie’s wandering hands came to rest on a clumsy stack of ungraded quizzes. He picked it up and tap, tap, tapped the pages neatly into order. 

“Is she cute?” he asked Jeff, with no shame at all. 

Eddie rolled his eyes. “No, Scottie, she’s not cute. She’s just really, really annoying.” 

Scottie said, “Oh, so you know her?” 

And Eddie felt his whole body recoil from that grossly incorrect assumption. “What?” he said. “No, I don’t know her. I just… I just know who she is, that’s all.” 

Eddie first saw you at the middle school talent show. Corroded Coffin had just finished their first performance in front of a live audience. They played Judas Priest’s “Rock Forever” because it was the only song the principal didn’t immediately reject for having violent, anarchic, or offensively unchristian messaging. 

“Why can’t you boys play something peppy, something snappy… you know, like The Beach Boys or The Beatles?” 

“Dude, fuck The Beatles.” 

Eddie didn’t care. He just wanted to play some music. Throw himself in it. Lose himself in it. Forget about his shitty, miserable life for just three and a half minutes. 

That night, in front of a packed audience of students, faculty, family and friends, Eddie Munson strummed the final power chord and felt the notes clash against each other and crash into a concrete wall of pure silence. The illusion had shattered. Eddie was back in reality. Grounded in it. Sinking in it like quicksand. He staggered back and looked out, shielding his eyes from the glaringly bright stage lights, and in the silence he heard a sound that made his stomach drop. 

Someone was laughing. Laughing at him. 

Eddie tracked the sound, his eyes darting anxiously around the faceless crowd, and he found you giggling in the third row with your hands over your face. Giggling yourself to tears. Eddie would never forget that sound for as long as he lived. 

“Oh, she’s that girl, huh?” Scottie swiveled around in the teacher’s chair like a movie villain. “So Munson’s little heckler has finally come to ruin D&D for him… Now that should make for a very interesting campaign. I like it. She’s in.”  

Eddie jumped to his feet. “Hey, you don’t get to decide that!” 

“Umm, I’m the Dungeon Master. It’s my campaign, and I’ll decide who plays it. Keep giving me lip, Munson, and you can find something else to do with your summer vacation.” 

“Fine,” said Eddie with a defiant shrug. “If she’s in, I’m out.” 

Grant gasped. “What? Dude, you can’t be serious.” 

And Jeff said, “Awww, come on, man! You can’t just skip the summer campaign. We’ve been looking forward to this all year.” 

Scottie called for silence with his hand. “Hey, if Eddie the Craven wants to run away from a twelve-year-old girl, let him. I mean Jesus, Munson, do you even hear yourself right now? So a girl laughed at you… Who cares? She’s not the first and she definitely won’t be the last. We’re freaks, dude. It comes with the territory. Either ignore it or embrace it like I do. You can’t spend the rest of your life hiding from girls.” 

“I’m not hiding from girls,” Eddie said. “I just… Look, why do we play D&D?”

Jeff said, “Because it’s fun,”

Eddie pointed at him exuberantly, a huge grin spreading across his face. “You’re damn right, it’s fun—it’s the best fucking game in the world!—but even more than that, it’s an escape, right? It’s the one time when we can do whatever we want, be whoever we want, and we don’t have to worry about the cool kids making fun of us, girls laughing at us, being knocked around or thrown into dumpsters…” 

Scott looked over at Grant. “You still smell, by the way.” 

Eddie went on: “My point is, D&D is our only safe haven, you guys. And yeah, maybe one day we won’t need it so much. I mean, shit, maybe we’ll get to high school and, y’know, everything will magically get better. Maybe we won’t be seen as the freaks anymore. I don’t fucking know. But right now, we need it. And I’m telling you, if we let that girl in… if we let her into our safe haven, she’s gonna poison everything, man. She’s gonna make fun of our characters and laugh at us when we narrate their actions, and then we’re all gonna feel self-conscious and we’re gonna start to pull back, and then—shit—then the whole game becomes pointless. Then it’s just middle school all over again, and I don’t wanna deal with that all summer!” 

“She’s not joining to make fun of us,” Jeff said in a tired, pleading voice.  

Eddie didn’t believe him. “Oh yeah? Then why is she joining? Y/N doesn’t even like fantasy, so why does she suddenly wanna join our campaign? Huh? If not to make fun of us, then why?” 

Jeff’s mouth opened and closed helplessly. “Well, I… I don’t… Hey, you’d have to ask her that, man. I’m just the messenger here.” 

Scottie huffed impatiently and spun around in his chair. “Oh my god, this is getting ridiculous now… Look, how ‘bout we just vote, okay? Is that fair enough for everybody? Everyone who wants to hang out with a cute girl all summer—”

“I already told you, she’s not cute.” 

“—a girl who Eddie claims is not cute, but honestly he’s probably just saying that because he wants to keep her all to himself. If that sounds at all appealing to you, please raise your hand now.” 

Scottie’s hand flew up as soon as he finished speaking. Then, slowly, Jeff’s hand went up as well. 

“And all opposed?” 

Eddie and Grant raised their hands. 

Scottie leaned back and put his feet on the teacher’s desk. “Well, it looks like we have a tie, gentlemen… and when there’s a tie, the Dungeon Master gets the final say, so…” 

“Dude, that’s bullshit!” Eddie shouted. “Gareth isn’t even here to vote.” 

“Well, that’s because Gareth is doing finger paintings in elementary school right now. He’ll get a vote as soon as he hits puberty, okay? Until then, I’m pulling rank here, and I say she’s in. There. It’s decided. It’s happening. Get over it, Munson. Jeff, go tell your cute little female friend she can join our campaign.” 

“You can tell her yourself,” Jeff said. “She’s waiting right outside.” 

Everyone cried out at once: “WHAT?” 

[themurderofcrowscollective]

The Disappearance of You

Your name is Linn Sawano, you're 23 years old this year and you've got bright orange eyes with black curly hair and pale skin. That's the basic description of your appearance, at least. You've been missing for 5 years now, leaving behind no trace except where you lived. You were a good kid, always studied for your tests and had the perfect grades, keeping up your A+ streak throughout middle school and high school. You graduated at 18 before your disappearance, leaving nothing behind as you've taken your personal belongings and vanished. You were loved by your parents, you've had friends and went to therapy, and judging from the things you took with you, you weren't kidnapped or forced to leave. You just vanished. - - - All these years, your parents watched the news for any reports of you and went around town to look at spots they haven't seen yet, driving themselves insane with constantly looking for you and arguing with each other. Your mother thinks you're still out there, but your dad is starting to believe you left for good reason. Things fall apart anyways once someone decides to leave behind their old life. As of now you are running through the streets of Tokyo, dodging traffic and passerby while holding onto a package with three men chasing after you. Your curly black hair has been cut to look like a man's haircut, you wear black goggles with an Oni's mask on your face and your clothes are black and tightly fitted to your body. Between the ages 18 and 23, you've been leading a double life this whole time. Behind closed doors and covered curtains, you became a notorious hacker who made a name for himself. Your hacker name is Oni, while your secret identity is secret (obviously.) From forums on the deep web, you've joined this secret organization which has stationed itself in Tokyo and at the age 18, you destroyed your legal documents and altered your appearance drastically. Linn Sawano doesn't exist anymore. You were brought from your home in America to here when you were just 18, taking your place in the organization and also undergoing transitional surgery to become who you are now. Your name is Kaito, you're 23 years old and you have bright orange eyes with black raven curly short hair and a tattoo of an Oni on your left shoulder. You're a man, having transitioned from female. You wear a mask to hide your facial scars you've been given, you're known very well in the police's reports and not once have you been caught. Thankfully due to your athletic skills, you don't need to hire any of the runners to collect packages you need but when you do, you're very damn busy. Currently three men are chasing you from the local Yakuza in Tokyo, you've just stolen a package of reliable information that could start a civil war between their clan and another clan, and you feel alive. Getting into an alleyway with a dead end, the three men surround you and walk towards you before you grin from behind the mask and leap for the wall on the left, jumping onto the right and so on until you vault yourself over the ledge of a rooftop and continue your mad dash across buildings. While you wall-jumped, the yakuza tried taking you out with bullets but luckily you didn't get shot. As you run, you hear a phone call ringing for you from your phone, so once you're in proximity of your hideout, you pick up. " This is Oni, talk to me. " " How many times do I gotta tell you? Hire one of the Runners for your packages, you're too valuable of an asset and too important! " " Relax Kitsune, you know I can't stay huddled up in one hideout for long unless it's important. " You step into your hideout and set the package next to your computer setup, flopping into a beanbag with a sigh of relief. Kitsune grumbles a bit over the phone. " Right, you only hire when you're extra busy. Just... be careful, okay? " " My my, the great and mighty Kitsune has feelings for me.~ " " Shut up. Anyways there's been recent activity from our South Korean branch over in Seoul, you know about the 141 right? "

[jesuisici33]

Demon!Patrick????

lol tbh i don't know where the idea came from. the thought that i wanted some more magical realism fics in the fandom? the idea that i always love fics that deal with demons and angels? the fact that we know practically nothing about patrick's backstory? so this idea came to me. the basic premise is that patrick is tasked with trying to get david to sell his soul to him but david is oddly reluctant so that's why patrick ends up in schitt's creek. they end up (of course) falling in love but i haven't figured out the how or the why just yet... I haven't worked on this in months tbh anyways, here's a little snippet (context: this is before the Roses go broke and demon!Patrick finds David at a bar in New York)

“Hey, hey, David, David. I need you to stay with me, okay? Can’t have you going insane before getting to the good stuff, alright?” He thinks he heard Patrick mutter, “Fucking humans,” but his pounding heart is too loud for him to know for sure. Slowly, David’s breathing returns to normal with the help of Patrick’s administrations. When he wipes his hands away from his face he wipes tears away as well. Was he really that far gone that he’d begun to cry? From just a guy spiking his drink? How embarrassing. He looks up at the ceiling hoping that would stop the tears from coming down, placing his hands around Patrick’s neck. Even if it started out as a bad trip, he could still end up enjoying some of it eventually. His hand not covered with his standard silver rings stayed around his neck, while the one with the rings was hastily shrugged off, a hiss of pain coming from the other man. 

When David decided it was safe to look down at Patrick, he was met with the same glowing red eyes as before. “Feel better?” he was asked.

“WHAT THE FUCK??” David shrieked, jumping away from him and running towards the exit door. He should have taken Alexis’ offer to join her back when they were in high school and she was training for her first 5k. Maybe then he wouldn’t have been met with Patrick magically appearing right in front of him, his hands somehow fitting in the pockets of his tight jeans with a look of disappointment on his face.

“David,” Patrick sighed. “We just went through this song and dance. I’m fine with comforting you once. But twice?” His eyes glowed even brighter as they narrowed. “Now I’m just getting impatient. I’m trying to do something nice for you, and all you’re doing is getting scared. Now. Sit. Down.” 

The stool David previously vacated was swooshed from the bar and moved right behind David, forcing him to sit down. He stared at Patrick wide eyed. He felt himself trembling. A wild thought crept through David’s mind that throughout this whole thing, he hoped his hair stayed in perfect condition. 

ask me about my wips!

[oh-no-a-new-hiperfocus-hit-me]

I DID IT GUYYYSSS IK LITERALLY NO ONE CARES BUT I FINALLY FINISHED THE DRAFT FOR CHAPTER THREE!!!

It's 2,5k long and wow I'm so proud of me. Ik people write multichapters way longer but I can never finish mine. I've written one shots 5k long but multichapters ?? My kriptonate. I'm so happy djsnsndnndbdbdbd

----

Dabi first heard about the war while changing clothes in the back of an old wagon. She was changing clothes, in the second day of their trip to the east side of the kingdom. They were traveling with more or less fifty people, each with their own affairs to deal with. Most people were riding horses, unicorns, chimeras or other animals, which they were going to do too if it wasn't for Mr Compress pulling a couple favors to get them on one of the wagons.

The guys who were driving it had been talking non-stop ever since they left. Dabi was really, really close to ripping one of their heads off and driving the damn thing herself. She was just finishing putting on a new pair of pants when she heard one of the man mention Chikara.

Chikara was the kingdom next to Akarui. They were insanely powerful and known conquerors. Their king was nameless. Well, probably not fucking nameless. Dabi did think everyone had to have a name. If there was a way to get rid of your name, she'd have found out by now.

In any case, no one knew Chikaras kings name. He was only known as All For One, because of how many soldiers had died fighting his battles. It was whispered in the night, that he had special knights, super strong, enormous and undefeatable. They were called the Order of Doom.

When the woman heard one of the man mention Chikara, she kneeled next to a sleeping Toga and came closer to listen. Though ignoring Tomuras snooring was hard, she still managed to hear the conversation.

"-and she said she was going there!"

" To Chikara ? To fight ?!"

"Yes! I told her it was a terrible idea but she wouldn't listen..."

"I'm sorry pal. I really am."

"It's ok. Me and my wife are working through it. But our eldest daughter ? A spy for the the king ? I mean who would've imagined it!"

"Not me, definitely not me, pal."

"Anyways, that was a couple years ago as you can imagine and her last letter arrived in the beginning of the year. It's been three months since..." He looked back, but everyone was apparently asleep. "Since she told us to run because a war would eclode soon."

"A war ?"

"We are going to Midori to scape... Yes, a war!"

They went back and forth on simpler subjects after that. Partners, kids, food. But the word war kept repeating in Dabis mind for the rest of the night. The temperature seemed to have dropped and the cold wind that came from a hole in the wagons 'ceiling' messed her hair.

War.

▪︎▪︎▪︎

"No! Absolutely not." He pronounced every letter throughly, pinching his eyebrows and twisting his mouth.

"Pleeaaasseee. It's for a friend!" Toga jumped and flapped her hands in the air, and Dabi could see she was mere seconds from taking Shugarakis shoulders and shaking him with all her strength.

"Hey, what's happening here ?" Dabi sat by Shigarakis side, bumling his shoulder. She'd decided it was better to intervine now than to have to deal with a headache later on.

"This dumb blonde bitch-"

"Hey!"

"Call her that again and I'll rip your legs off."

"Sorry. This little bratty asshole-

"Hey!."

"This one's true, thou, Toga. Carry on." Toga made a sour face but didn't protest. Tomura smiled.

"She wants to play at a circus! She thinks she joined a motherfucking clown cult!"

"Hum."

" This is a respectable band! We are musicians! Good ones!" Shigaraki continued, waving his hands as he spoke.

"A friend of mine will be there! The knights in training are going to be special guests. And I heard..." She put one hand on her chin, the other covering half her mouth "I heard the youngest prince is gonna be there." She whispered dramatically.

Dabis heart started beating faster and faster. Her eyes widened, but she forced her normal expression when she realized it. Her hand tightened around the edges of the log they were sitting at. Her other hand dig it's nails into the first one, and soon enough, her skin was soaking with blood and chipped wood.

"Dabi ? You ok ?" Shigaraki looked at her concerned. Toga had apparently seen a butterfly and gotten distracted chasing it.

"Im alright." She knew it wasn't true and she knew he knew it. Her voice was cracking. "We are going to play at the circus."

"What ?!" He jumped in surprise, almost spitting at her.

"Shut up and do it. Don't be a whiney bitch." Shigaraki was probably still chocked given he didn't try to stop Dabi when she got up to leave.

Fuck. Shoto was gonna be there and she'd just agreed to go. No, she demanded to go. What was wrong with her ? Fuck.

▪︎▪︎▪︎

The circus thing wasn't happening for another couple days but she didn't get any rest. First of because they had a couple of presentations already planned. Second because she was thinking of her brother.

Natsuos letters had stopped arriving.

In the first two weeks, she barely noticed it. She was used to letters arriving late, after all she was constantly changing location and although she always gave a list of the places she was going to and the dates to him ahead of time, the mail deliver wasn't exactly precise in Akarui.

But it had been a month and a half. A month and a half since the day the bird left Natsuos last letter in Dabis hand, just after they played in that crowded bar. The mail system might not be precise, but she was pretty sure Natsuo sent his letter through special agente who had pegasus or something like that (she was never that interested in Royal family bulshit ).

  In any case, the thing was that the letter was suppose to be here already. And it wasn't. Something must've happened. Dabi thought of the conversation she'd heard. She thought of the war. Could that be it? Could her brothers and sister – her mom — be in danger? Wouldn't he protect them?

  Wouldn't the king protect what was left of his family ?

  At least, at the very very least, she knew she could keep an eye on Shoto while he was there. Her baby brother. Her responsibility. She hadn't seen him in ten years.  How much had the kid grown ? He was certainly not the little boy she had known anymore.

  Usually Dabi thought being a pessimist was good, only good things cane when her expectations were worse than reality. But at that moment she wished she could hope for something good. If the worse happened... If the worse happened she'd have to get Shoto, her friends and run.

  Oh fuck. Holy. Fuck. She'd forgotten.

  She hadn't told Shoto she was alive. You see, running away from your father was really hard when he was the king. She'd spent months planning it, to scape from hell. She'd planned to take Natsuo and maybe even Fuyumi with her, then  come back to get Shoto and her mom. After that, with the stolen riches she'd set aside, they could have a new life. And who knows? Maybe one day Shoto or Fuyumi could come back to reclaim the throne. When their father was long gone. Not that Dabi would mind taking matter into her own hands if it was for the sake of her siblings...

  In any way, her plans went to shit when The Accident happened. The accident that got her scars, the one she couldn't bare to think about. After it she had to completely change her plans and run off by herself. She scaped in the middle of the night, and met Natsuo in those dark halls to say goodbye.

  He was her best friend, and at the time, she thought that was goodbye forever.

  But despite her pessimistic beliefs, his first letter arrived six months after she ran, when she got her very first job. Since then, they'd been talking regularly ( or as much regularly as one could have conversations through mail). She told Natsuo to not tell anyone she was alive and well, but deep down, she knew Fuyumi had to know. She was the polar opposite of her sister, who was always the perfect elegant, kind, polite princess. Still, they shared a bond Dabi could not explain, a bond of caretakers and of women whose blood was the same.

  Plus there was the fact Natsuo sucked tremendously at keeping secrets.

  Dabi was not sure if Shoto knew, though she thought he probably did; Fuyumi had always been soft for him. Still, he wouldn't recognize her. He probably had faint memories of a face she no longer had. The thoughts of her siblings haunted her during those few days, often making her laugh. She laughed because she couldn't cry anymore, because it was all too absurd, because maybe her life was just a fucking joke to the universe.

  The others soon enough realized she was behaving strangely. For a couple days Dabi was able to hide her ever growing mess of feelings, but they knew her too well. Compress would ask what was wrong when he thought no one else was listening. Toga would braid her hair ( she hated it, and would immediately unmake the braids once Himiko was done.) Spinner liked to invite her to his games to distract her. Magne and Twice were always trying to hug her and get her to open up (which she hated much, much more than the braids, but the intention was sort of nice).

  And Shigaraki... Shigaraki was being distant, and she didn't know why.

  Nevertheless, with suspecting of war to investigate and money to earn, the days passed by quickly enough, much for Dabis happiness.

  "Oh my God, look! The circus is so big! The colors are so, so very pretty too!" Himiko jumped as Spinner tried — and failed — to held her back. "I can't believe I'm going to met Ochaco-chan again! She's the prettiest fairy to ever exist, and also the bravest and strongest knight! Her blood must be so sweet..." She rambled and moved her hands around in the air, spinning in her yellow dress.

  They were all dressed in their fanciest clothes, which included from flowery dresses like Togas to dark suits like the one Twice was wearing. Dabi wore the only thing she had from her old life : the clothes she had scaped the castle with. It was a purple suit with a white shirt underneath, and plain black pants. The suit was adornated in gold, and had the Kingdoms coat of arms in it, because it was for Dabi to use in formal occasions back in the castle. She had covered the coat of arms with a piece of dark fabric, which looked kind of out of place but really, who cared ?

   As they approached the circus, more and more people started looking at them. It was a fancy part of town, not the kind of place they usually played at. When they got there, Compress chatted with the man who was producing the show. Apparently he'd heard them play before, and was looking forward to having them there. Dabi suspected it wasn't true, maybe Toga had threatened someone or bribed them to see the knights in training. She immediately felt bad. Himiko wouldn't bribe anyone. Threatening, maybe, though.

  The inside of the circus was huge, even bigger than it looked from the outside. There were bailarinas and gymnasts in black suits, a man caressing a lion next to them. A beautiful woman with a long beard went over the presentation with the dancers. Clowns ran around, playing with each other, and...

  And an enormous dragon slept in a cage. It was so big the cage could barely fit its wings, and it's deep blue and yellow scales shined in the light. It looked comfortable, at ease, almost like it was safe. But it wasn't possible, dragons had never lived peacefully with humans.

  Dabi must have looked more amused than scared, because the showman, who was chatting with one of the gymnasts, walked towards her eith a smile on his face.

  "Isn't she beatiful ? She's going to be our main attraction tonight." He cackled. Dabi got ready to fight. There was no fucking way she was going to leave someone to be trapped by shitty people, a mere attraction in their shown.

  "She's my wife, you know. She's been resting all afternoon, to have energy to perform tonight. Can you believe she like to sleep in the elephants cage? Haha." As the man laughed Dabi saw that the cage was open, blankets scattered on the floor. The dragon yawned.

  "She sleeps better in her dragon form?" The woman didn't mean to ask, but she was so shocked from the conversation she couldn't help turning thoughts into words.

  "Yes, actually! I find it to be fascinating. Saori says when she's transformed her rest is far better." He looked at her for the first time, staring at her scars. "Do you know any dragons? Perhaps, family?"

  "Yes" she said, and allowed her shoulders to deconstract, her breath to calm down. "I am a dragon." The man widened his eyes even more."It runs in the family." She turned and left.

  ▪︎▪︎▪︎

  The instruments were old, but had clearly been taken good care of. There was a violin for Compress and a piano for Toga, and even guitars for Shigaraki and Spinner. Tomura wasn't happy, he  loved his own guitar, and Toga was usually the only one who relied on other people's instruments. It's not like they could transport a piano, so she only played when there was one in the place they were going to play at already.

  When they were all set, the showman asked them to rehearse with the dancers. Those people were very skilled, jumping and spinning endlessly like it was nothing. Dabi spotted some metaforms among them, which brought her back to the dragon in the cage, Saori.

  Was it really possible for people like her to have something like that? Something alike acceptance? She shut her eyes tight. No. Hope was a damn waste of time. People would just throw her aside again.

  When the spectacle finally started, she was relieved. As soon as it was over they could leave. They could pretend nothing happened.

  Dabi should've thought something like 'relief' would not last long for her. When the showman started announcing the first number, Toga pulled her sleeve and, smile as wide as ever, pointed to the right side of the bleachers. Waiting for her, was a young boy, hair split down the middle. But he was looking the other way, chatting with his colleagues. No, he wasn't looking; but someone sure was. The knights in training hadn't come alone. Dabi found she knew their companion, and almost tripped as golden eyes stared into hers.

@arson-n-barf if you could tell me if there's anything weird here, that'd be awesome! I don't want to be rude as you've already happened me a lot, I'm just happy you're liking the story so no pressure. :)

[actionsurges]

MAY WE. KNOW THE DETAILS OF THE PROPOSAL 👁️👁️

cleaned up my notes Just for You but also because I was going to bc I wanted to share how insane this was anyways here’s Ophelia making the smartest decision ever aka I wanted to know what would happen if I jumped in the pool and took a little swim and didn’t think it would end with Ophelia wearing an engagement ring.

—

Ophelia goes to the Tsar pool alone. Thinking about the encounter with Ezmerelda. Vasilka, hoping to be wed to Strahd. Her own fragmented memories and dreams of this life she had, that she doesn’t know if it’s real, she doesn’t know how to navigate how she feels for Strahd.

She kneels down to wash her hands, clean the wounds through her palms. And as her blood washes into the water, in the cloud, she sees the reflection of Ophelia Zarovich-Wachter, reaching out at her. Ophelia puts her hand back on the surface of the lake.

She sees her reflection mouth: come to me.

Ophelia pushes her hand below the water, feels reflection grab her wrist and is pulled under.

She flashes straight into a series of memories:

On the palisade of Barovia, watching Luce and her friends ride off. Ophelia waves to her goodbye, but Luce doesn’t see. She’s laughing at a joke Bellamy made.

Ophelia Wachter watches her older siblings pick out their attire for the evening to attend a ball to court and form alliances with other nobility. She sees them dance happily with their partners. No one even looks towards her.

Ophelia Tenebrae carves a piece of wood to distract herself from the heartache she felt when she saw Sevashe touch Luce’s shoulder. She accidentally cuts her thumb when she hears Luce approach. Luce leans down to kiss her thumb and heals the wound.

Ophelia Wachter, anxious, composing a song, plays her cello until her calluses break from the pressure of the strings and she’s bleeding on the strings, but keeps going. A pale hand takes her wrist and Ophelia looks to see Countess Strahd for the first time, looking concerned, who takes her fingers and kisses the blood off of them.

Ophelia comes out of the memories and is on her hands and knees at the bottom of the tsar pool in a bubble of air. There is a large broken statue of Saint Markovia and perched on it is Countess Strahd.

S: It's good, you finally headed my call.

Strahd steps down.

Ophelia starts pulling herself to her feet.

O: This is- this isn't real.

S: Is it not? I am here.

O: You're doing something to my head, this isn't real.

S: I'm trying to help you my dear, I'm trying to help you understand that there is more to this life. There are connections to others and connections to yourself, your past self.

Strahd steps closer.

Ophelia is shaking and shivering and holding herself.

O: I don't know what you're doing to me

S: The sad truth is that it would happen to you whether I did it or not and help you understand in a peaceful manner, a healing manner.

She takes a step closer.

S: I know this life has been rocky and we have not always been kind to each other and perhaps that is a failing on my part. I would see you happy Ophelia (a small pause to say the right surname) Tenebrae and I hope that you can be happy with me, with us, Luce speaks often of you. She is curious. I am sure there are many answers you could give each other.

She takes another step closer.

O: I don't know what I want.

S: You don't have to decide right now. But let me give you a choice, something to think over, and while I eagerly await your answer, I will give you time to decide.

She takes Ophelia's hands, sees the wounds and is upset.

S: Who did this to you?

O: A hunter.

S: You see? They will never accept us as we are. At my home you would be loved. And I will destroy her if she lays hands on you again.

She composes herself, sweeps her coat back, gets down on one knee and holds out a golden band with a red ruby.

S: If you would join me and Luce in Castle Ravenloft, you know the way. No one will see the ring but you. But you will have the choice if you want it.

Ophelia pauses and Strahd slips the ring onto her finger. This is not a wedding ring, or the ring Ophelia saw in her memories of Ophelia Zarovich-Wachter, it's an engagement ring.

S: You have a piece of my heart, Ophelia, as dark and twisted as it may be, and I know you will take good care of it. And if you come to us, I will take good care of you.

Ophelia's quietly crying, overwhelmed by the gesture and her own feelings.

Strahd lets go of her and backs away.

S: Thank you, I will- I guess I will see you around.

Ophelia comes to spluttering on the banks of the lake.

[crowtechs]

HIHI OK

da daveally minecraft lore :D

this is so insanely long i am so sorry oh my glob

(this is just touching the surface too crying)

ok !! 

so, the start of the lore goes like this

john wants to play minecraft with his friends, he literally URGES them to play minecraft with him because he found like a cool server and he wants them all to join

(note: i so hate to admit this, but i was writing this and they are all like 10! uh, it makes me safer actually e)

ANYWAY!

john urges them and daves down, because im pretty sure he plays minecraft like his life depends on it. also the fact thats its something *else* than like every other skateboarding game around is probably another reason 

jade complies and urges rose to join with, dave also urges her to join with because if not shes a killjoy and rose joins out of spite from that *alone*

they join the server and jade immediately jumps into the survival with john because they play the game legitimately for some reason or they follow the basic game rules and dave ends up in parkour central

(dave seems like the type to find parkour so fun but so bad at it that hes good)

rose follows with dave because she wants to see him literally suck at it

this sounds so ooc but i promise my brain knows everything and the fact rose would make snarky comments at how horrible dave is at literally jumping block to block that he has to tell her in like 20 words to shut up

now that you know what everyone would be doing (trust me that is important), dave would notice jade talking to someone (that someone is ally!) in the minecraft chat, of course he doesnt pay a lot of attention to it and jumping from block to block but he does get distracted halfway through their conversation from how they type! because of this, he messes up a thousand times.

jade then introduces ally to john and the trio begins talking in the mc chat. they talk about the server and everything and ally mentions the sever is very sweet!! the community is very nice :D cause shes been on it a lot longer than them (giggling, kicking my feet)

thennnnn john decides its best if ally meets dave and rose (a great idea!!!) and ally is super duper excited about it because shes making friends!! she tends to play on the server by herself without interacting with anyone, she has a few times, however, but they werent like.. Long Term Friends

anyway, jade warps back to spawn and john mentions it to ally and they both do the same. jade asks where dave and rose are, and rose mentions the parkour course since dave is far too distracted by the CHAT ALONE on his screen to even word things properly 

i love the thought of him finding ally so unique even by just how she types?? that hes like unsure how to even WORD THINGS PROPERLYYYY???

or its me throwing in the fact that i love soulmates and them being soulmates makes me soft :(

continuing on

ally, jade, and john all reach where rose and dave are located.

rose introduces herself to ally, the two have a chat, and rose just feels like she has an intimidating aura with her at all times, so yes, ally is a bit wary of her and a little bit on edge with her because of how she acts and i swear john would definitely help to defuse that as well as jade! possibly.

HOWEVER ! this is a long waited thing to say:

dave is last for introductions. ally greets him sweetly and so upbeat! also, shes very excited to meet new friends, or at least she HOPES she can make these four her friends (spoiler: she does)

anyway, dave introduces himself after realising that ally is literally talking to him. the two actually have a really good interaction!!! of course they do duh!! she even mentions that this parkour course is really difficult for her (she has tried it numerous of times just because) and asked if he could help her with it (even though dave cannot do parkour while being distracted by a minecraft catgirl skin) (and yes allys skin is a mc catgirl skin)

dave, however agrees, because he will not take up the opportunity to say no (besides itll make them talk to each other a lot more!! and like get to know each other too!!)

also!!! i feel after that interaction, it makes dave seem a bit more excited to play minecraft with her or enter the server, because it means hell see her!! however, im pretty sure hed try to suppress that excitement though