#Thanks Sophie the Selkie

[illarian-rambling]

My favorite game! Thanks for the tag @drchenquill!

OC Interaction Tag

Dr. Chen's OC: Sophie is a sixteen-year-old girl with a lot of positive energy. She lives with her aunt, who is the only living relative she knows. She has a pretty positive outlook on life, even though her life isn't as rosy as it seems. She is plagued by painful headaches that lead to visions she can't understand. She's rather naive and trusting (which is not a good trait, at least not for her). She has the energy and attention span of a squirrel. She's a lovable mess, with supernatural precognition she's unaware she has.

My OC: Izjik Meautammera is a 26 year old halawemavar selkie (think catfish-themed instead of seal) with big muscles and a bigger heart. She's the vessel of an entity known as End, a starry-eyed godkiller, who prompts her to go out and do the whole godkilling thing, which she'd much rather not. Her talents include fighting, hunting, and a high level of emotional intelligence. Izjik might know fuck all about academic nonsense, but she can smell fear and can spot a lie from a mile away. She uses this skill to comfort her friends and act as the heart of her found family. Izjik likes to think that everyone has good in them, and if she can help to bring that out, she will. There's a deep kindness in her, rivaled only be a serious vicious streak. It doesn't matter what; Izjik will do anything it takes to survive. She fights even in the most dire circumstances. Giving up isn't something she knows how to do. This can be good, or, in the case of stubbornly refusing to learn anything about End in case the truth made it impossible to go on, very bad.

How they'd interact: Izjik would take one look at Sophie and be floored by parental instincts. A caretaker by nature, she'd do her best to help the girl out in whatever way Sophie needs, whether that means investigating her visions or just getting ice for her headaches. I think Sophie, with her trusting nature, would probably warm to Izjik rapidly. They both have teeny, tiny attention spans, so they'd probably enjoy similar activities. I'd like to think Izjik is insightful enough to pick up on Sophie's precognition, but whether she says anything depends on if she thinks the girl can handle the knowledge.

Lmk what you think! I'll tag @mk-writes-stuff @elsie-writes @halfbakedspuds @phoenixradiant @ray-writes-n-shit and anyone else who wants to play!

[catz-brainz1234]

HELLO

My name is Alfie and I'm the host of TheRainbowCasketSystem !! :D

I'm a mangle fictionkin with a buuuuunch a theriotypes:3

We're a proxy system as well so I'm usually typing for everyone in the system.

We're autistic with bpd, npd, hpd, avpd, possibly schizotypal. Please be patient with us.

We go by he/fae/she collectively!

I currently have a special interest in systems, mogai labels, punk activism and fnaf!!

We also do moodboard + flags commissions!!<3

◇◇◇

DNI:

-anti lesboys, turigirl, xenogender

-Radqueer

-TERFS, TIRFS, TURFS

-homophobic, transphobic

-k!nk, ddlg, nsfw, maps, superstraight, fetrah etc etc

- anti endos can interact, just be kind.

☆☆☆

♡ Some of our headmates: ♡

Alfie -⭐️🌊 (host) 15

He/fae/she/xe/it/cold/nightlight

Yuri - 🔪 18

She/her/it

Yuri/Dahlia -🫐 17-18

She/her

Sally/Lucy -🧿 19

She/they

Tixie -🌈 23

They/them

Lily -❄️🎀 3-4

She/her

Sophie -💛 6-7

She/her

Zara -🌺 100(?)

She/it/fae

Selkie -🦭🌊 ageless

It/fae/xe/she

Maeve -🥧 34

She/her

Grim -♟️ immortal

It/he

Bob Belcher -🍔 (yes, I know💀) 46

He/him

Angel -🤍💫 immortal

It/its

Freya -🦷 ageless

Fae/it/she

Natsuki -🧁 17

She/sweet/cute

Tilly -🌸🥩 25

They/it/she/he/xe/fae

Milo -🐶 ageless

He/him!

Darka -🦕 12

Fae/him

Sayori - 🐾 18

She/her

Fig - 🪴🌱 ageless

None

Nature - 🌱🪲🌾 ageless

Nettle/ocean/wind/earth

Mangle -🎀🪁 died in 1986

She/him/it

Toy Chica -🍕🎉 died in 1985

She/he

Cassidy -🕹🪲 died in 1985

She/he/it/blank/rot

Alastor - 🦌🩸 died in 1933

He/him/it

Thank you for reading :]

Enjoy ur stay!

[hushed-chorus]

Hey folks! And thank you @artsyunderstudy and @larkral for the tags

I hadn't planned to throw anything out today, but I'm feeling rough (PTSD sucks, folks) and need happy distraction.

This snippet is from a silly little WIP that's currently nicknamed "Selkie!Simon". Yes, I'm still on my ocean bullshit. Several months ago someone dropped a prompt in the discord and I just couldn't resist. I'm eager to dig further into this once What Remains After The Storm is fully written.

Mordelia has been shamelessly aged up so she can be more of a sassy nightmare.

Mordelia sets her hands on her hips, flicking wet hair over her shoulder. “Come into the sea.”

This time I do sigh. “No.”

“Oh come on, Baz. Sophie and Petra keep whinging.”

“So you would like me to outperform them?”

When Mordelia rolls her eyes, she puts her whole head into it. “Baz, the seal isn’t out to get you.”

“I never said it was.”

“No, Mordelia.” She puts on a crude mockery of my voice. “That seal has a vendetta against me. It tried to bite my feet.”

“It did try to bite my feet," I protest. “Bloody thing probably wants to drown me.”

“He’s friendly," Mordelia insists. “The locals call him Snowy. He begs for fish in the harbour.”

“Telling me that the thing now has more dead weight with which to drown me is not as reassuring as you think.”

Hello tags below the cut!

@johnwgrey @bookish-bogwitch @erzbethluna @facewithoutheart @captain-aralias @raenestee @aroace-genderfluid-sheep @yeonjunenby @cutestkilla @ivelovedhimthroughworse @stitchyqueer @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @sailorblossoms @ileadacharmedlife @confused-bi-queer @aristocratic-otter @tea-brigade @whogaveyoupermission @nightimedreamersworld @fatalfangirl @thewholelemon @onepintobean @chen-chen-chen-again-chen @shrekgogurt @theearlgreymage @martsonmars @blackberrysummerblog @orange-peony @palimpsessed

[symphonic-scream]

Monster AU? I tried searching for another post mentioning it but couldn't find one. I wanna know more about the coat proposal and stuff. The idea that "Everyone is aware that Makoto has a fiance(e) but her" is very funny to me.

Okay thanks! :)

Big fan of Phantom Queers btw, that shit slaps and I've reread it like three times since you finished it.

Okay so the search is often broken for my blog on mobile so I apologize for that, also. I'm realizing I've left a lot of that au unposted here

AND THANK HOU!! Queers is, deeply close to my heart, so hearing about others liking it and reading it makes my heart soar, y'all

Anyways. Here's some Monster/Magic au

Here's what everyone (in the team) is!

Akira, "Joker" - Witch

Morgana, "Mona" - god of light Sorcerer

Ryuji, "Skull" - undead, possessing his own body

Ann, "Panther" - succubus

Yusuke, "Fox" - kitsune

Makoto, "Queen" - turned werewolf

Futaba & Sophia, "Oracle & Sophie" - Sophie is an AI created with magic making her a "spirit", and she's been "haunting" Futaba since an accident

Haru, "Noir" - ragdoll cat Selkie

Sumire, "Violet" - jackalope based Changeling

Goro, "Crow" - Vampire

Now. Some notes

Makoto? Always has a tail. She can't get rid of it like her ears, due to some crossed wires with how repressed she was and is and it only goes away like the ears once she's fully made peace with her wolf side

Makoto's phone ends up just full of photos of kitty Haru

Also Strikers is a thing so-

Imagine you're Zenkichi. And you walk onto an RV and see a wolf, a cat, a fox, a ferret (Hifumi, Warlock), and a fucking weird Jackalope cuddling. And then another cat cause Morgana

"...did you do this?"

"Meow"

"No. No that's too far I'm going to go sleep."

Like. This is their plan on how to deal with Zenkichi

Joker: we need to drive this narc away

Ryuji: we should just have Makoto and Haru be themselves around him. But we make sure they only eat those like aphrodisiac foods

Haru: ...you want us to be so gay around him that he gives up?

Makoto: i-im down for that plan

Makoto: operation "drive the cop away with the power of gay" is a go

Haru: you wore that shirt on purpose... The sleeves are far tighter than they need to be

Makoto: true. But you like the way my arms look in it

Haru: absolutely right,,

And. They're kissing as Zenkichi enters the RV, and Haru climbs into Makoto's lap when he coughs to get their attention

Zenkichi: Ladies?

Haru: oh, Makoto~

Makoto sliding a hand down to grab her butt in full view of Zenkichi: Haru~

Zenkichi: ...I'll come back later

They break apart to giggle, foreheads pressed together after he leaves

[grumpygreenwitch]

The Witches and Wizards Job 23-24-25

Advance warning, the wizard cuts a little bit loose here. Tagged for some fantasy violence.

I'm aware the links to the back chapters are borked up, but it's nearly midnight right now and I just finished uploading everything to the queue. I'll try to fix them between Thursday and Friday.

AO3 Link

Buy me a Ko-fi?

Remember: Tumblr has no algorithm. Reblogs give me life.

1-2 + 3-4 + 5-6 + 7-8 + 9-10-11 + 12-13-14 + 15-16 + 17-18-19 + 20-21-22 + 23-24-25 + 26-27-28 + 29-30 + 31-32-33 + 34-35-36 + 37-38 + 39-40-41-42

Keep reading

TWENTY THREE

I think no one expected to get together that night and count nothing but wins. But no one was hurt and our knowledge of the situation had grown by leaps and bounds - at least, that was what Ford claimed.

"I'm not happy that you all have Dresden working on the side," he told the room, throwing me a quick look.

I put a hand up; I really didn't mind. I was still trying to digest the truth both Eliot and Hardison had offered me. I'd done my job, and I'd done it well, and with their help I'd done it so quick I was still trying to get used to the fact that both cases were done, had been done nearly as soon as they'd been picked up. But the technology Hardison had used just wasn't something I could ever, would ever, have permanent access to. On the other hand, my expertise, my knowledge, everything I knew about magic and the creatures of that world, was information to be found in no database, no internet search. It was maddening.

"But it's done, so we move on to the auction. Odds are both our targets, as well as the mark, are going to be there: the lady, the portrait and the man in black."

The last bit seemed to startle the night's guest, who'd been lounging sedately on a brand-new couch near mine while nursing a vodka neat. Ford had introduced him as the client. He'd introduced himself as Vanya Fedorov. His accent had introduced him as part of the Russian mafia. Mouse had lifted his head from the moment the man had walked into the loft, and he'd never once looked away. Between him and my dog, I was getting more than a little nervous.

"Nate, there's a problem with the auction," Hardison pointed out as he rejoined us around the coffee table with its sharpie'd circle and anti-tracking ward, as well as a few other newly added protections. He'd left his phone behind by the row of desks after sorting out the delivery of the selkie skins, and he gestured at me.

"Most of the people attending aren't human," I informed the room.

Fedorov's drink paused on the way to his mouth. "My uncle is a hard man," he said levelly. "But his first loyalty is to our business. He knows I am good for it. He would not betray me."

"I don't think he has," Sophie replied. "The bird-woman, the -"

"Alkonost," he supplied.

"She wasn't there to harm you. She was there to protect you."

I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that this gorgeous woman had decided, on the fly, to bluff one of the most powerful creatures of Russian lore, and she'd stuck the landing. God but I could only hope Ford knew how lucky he was.

"We were immune thanks to Harry," Sophie pointed out, "but you weren't affected at all. She did come looking for you, but to keep you safe."

"Safe from what?" he demanded restlessly.

"The man in black?" Eliot suggested.

"He doesn't want Fedorov hurt." Ford said mildly. I was beginning to recognize that tone as a warning signal. "He very nearly derailed one plan already for you," he told the Russian.

"For me?"

"The museum!" Parker exclaimed in sudden realization.

Nate nodded, then looked at Fedorov. "You made plans to go visit the Sokolov collection. Made them in advance. I had a look at your electronic ledger. You did have plans - for the day after, the last day of the exhibition."

"I did," the Russian admitted readily.

"You changed those plans when someone told you we were there."

Fedorov grinned ruefully. "I thought to press my case and enjoy Sokolov's work. Two birds with one stone. It seemed efficient at the time."

Nate nodded thoughtfully. "See, I was wondering about that. Because our presence there wasn't really important enough to merit derailing anyone's plans. It was you. When he came up to the room, it was to make sure you were there and he had to cancel the plan. You weren't supposed to be there that day."

"But then he did come up, and saw Grandmother," Sophie pointed out. "And getting her was worth more than protecting you."

"Mm," Nate nodded. "It was a rush job; the sort of rush job that happens when someone first says 'go', then 'stop', then 'go' again, and tempers are getting frayed, the timeline is off, everything just this much out of whack…" He waved a hand at us all. "You know the sort."

I did know the sort; I couldn't help but be amused that, from the look on their faces, so did the rest of the Leverage team.

"Explains why the guy was still there fiddling with the system when I got there," Eliot muttered. "He was waiting to put the Witchwell back in place. That's why the nitrogen tank was attached, but still closed."

"How do you know all this?" Fedorov demanded.

"The cameras," Ford replied. "Our… consultant pointed out that it's only the presence of beings like the man in black that blows up technology, and Hardison has created a number of failsafes so we can tell when a screen is about to fail. Turns out you can track someone by their absence nearly as much as by their presence."

The Russian took all of this in slowly, carefully, and finally frowned minutely. "I don't think I care for the Blackbird's interest in me. Or my family. Or my business."

Ford said nothing, but I could see in his face that he was holding back. I risked a glance at the other deadly intelligence in the room. Sophie was looking at the mastermind very closely. She caught my eyes and shook her head tinily.

I said nothing. I had just noticed that, behind Sophie, Parker was frowning, staring at nothing. Apparently Ford was contagious.

"I think your uncle's loyalties are a matter between you and him. For what it's worth, I believe he honestly thinks meeting with these people will help you take over from your father."

"By binding the family to these creatures." Fedorov scoffed. "What do they know of the family business?"

I didn't need to see the look Ford shot me to recognize a cue when I heard one. I picked up the printed photographs next to me on the couch and started handing them out one by one. "The lovely lady in white? Fey. Specializes in erasing evidence. The man next to her in red? Also fey. Specializes in erasing memories." Another picture. "Fat toad-looking man? He's actually a toad. His people love toxic waste. If someone gets a contract with them, they'll never see another fine for dumping again. The gorgeous thing next to him might be the deadliest we've identified so far. She's from Bangkok. Jade Court. Vampire. Human trafficking. This one? I'm not sure, but gosh, things sure do seem to catch on fire whenever he's around, mostly out at sea. Mostly when they're well-insured."

Between Hardison and me, while the 3D printer churned away and I stuck mirror-masks to everything it was spitting out, we'd sifted through enough information to identify thirteen of the twenty four people who we knew were going to the auction. It had been risky, using Koschei's invite to create a resonance spell that would let me find where the other invites were, but God it had paid off so well. We'd done weeks, maybe months of footwork in one long afternoon and half an evening.

It was enough to impress Fedorov - and to worry him. "No. I will not deal with these creatures. They are no better than the Blackbird, and if he's involved then each of them is a trap."

"I'm not telling you this to impress you," I corrected him. "I'm telling you to warn you. They might wanna make it look like you have no choice but to agree with whatever they say. You need to be prepared."

Fedorov took the stack of printouts and stared sightlessly at them. He looked oddly familiar at that moment, as if a touch of deja vu had come at me out of nowhere; he looked like something out of antiquity, like one of the paintings I'd seen in Hardison's screens while he studied Sokolov's work. "Can they die?" he asked.

Ooops, nope, we were back in mafia mentality. "Depends what you shoot them with. And in some cases, where."

"Then I believe you and I should speak, wizard." He shook his head and gestured impatiently. "He just stole the damn portrait. Why is he turning around and selling it already?"

"Because after the auction he won't need it anymore. Or at least that's what he thought, until he met Parker and she stole his key, and all of those." He waved a hand idly at the table's worth of knick-knacks. "So between now and the end of the auction he has to get that key back. You," Nate told Fedorov, "are going to trade it for the portrait. Make sure to tell them that when you RSVP."

"You are sending me into a den of monsters alone, Ford," Fedorov gritted out. "If you want me dead have the decency of doing it yourself."

"Not alone, no. You're bringing Sophie with you. If Dresden can get the tracker off of the other invitation we have, we'll even send Eliot in with you. And we will all be nearby to provide support. We don't want another 'situation', Fedorov, no one wants that."

Fedorov eyed Eliot, who shrugged calmly. He eyed Sophie, who smiled at him. "No offense," he told Eliot, "but I will feel safer with her."

Eliot beamed at the man. "None taken."

I had to agree with both of them, honestly.

"What about Grandmother?"

"She'll be there," Ford assured him. It was the only part of the plan I didn't like, because Ford had no explanation, no reason as to why he believed Baba Yaga would show up at the auction when Koschei was sure to be there. Last I'd checked, and from all Bob had taught me, those two were not on speaking terms, and got along about as well as fire and gasoline.

Fedorov looked thoughtful. "Wizard."

Oh, I did not like where this was going. "Uh."

"Since you are taking jobs on the side, will you take one more?"

"Uh." I looked at Ford, but he said nothing. He was giving me a keen, level look. I liked that even less. "That depends on the job."

Fedorov grinned at me. "He has tried too many times to harm Grandmother. Perhaps to kill her outright. I don't know if this is possible, if he can do this thing. I know he's trying, and I do not like it. I will pay whatever you ask, wizard. If you're there and do your best to protect her."

I felt as if the silence in the room were crushing me. "You want me to protect Baba Yaga."

"You are what I have."

"This is Baba Yaga. Grandmother Winter. Close to a living god as it gets. Not to mention I've already met the Blackbird. He won both times, in case you weren't listening."

"Did he? You walked away and he did not follow. Twice. The way I see it, you won the only victory that matters."

I wanted to scream. To walk away. I would have laughed in Fedorov's face but the truth was, I was scared. He was asking me to stand between what I saw as an unstoppable force and an immovable object. However, and I hated that he was right, but he uh. He was right. I'd stood up to Koschei twice, and I'd walked away both times. Either the man sucked at killing people, and I knew that wasn't true, or I was doing something right. I just didn't know what.

I felt as trapped as Fedorov did, but I could also see his reasoning. Koschei was an asshole. An unparalleled one. No one disagreed on that. But Baba Yaga, even if she was mercurial, alien, inhuman, still cared about the land and the people in a way her pupil didn't. If there was a line on the sand, I knew which side I was on. "I'll do what I can," I couldn't make the words come out civil, but at least I could make them come out.

Fedorov nodded at me. "In that case," he grinned minutely, leaned forward and picked up one of the chicken bones and the little carved wooden cup from among the many knick-knacks on the table and dropped the one inside the other. The bone let out a little rattle. "Let me tell you a fairy tale about Koschei and Grandmother."

TWENTY FOUR

The leshy came back that night, and they brought friends once again.

I was dead asleep in spite of every thought and worry wrecking chaos in my mind. I was worried, and I was pretty sure I had a right to be. We were about to throw a bluff in the face of some of the deadliest, smartest monsters ever to come out of the Nevernever, Leverage also wanted to steal from them at the same time. There was just so much going on that I'd given up trying to keep track of it all, and resigned myself to doing my part of it and never figuring out what, other that stealing, these people did.

Mouse's low growl woke me up as if someone had punched me. He'd been asleep at the foot of the bed, which was big enough for five of me or two of him, and when he stood up I could see his ruff standing up on end, outlined against the faint light coming in through the window. I sat up just in time to hear a muffled yowl of pain, and the creak of the door swinging open.

They'd found me. Of everything we'd picked up, all the trinkets, all the traps, I was still the easiest source of magic to find. I just hadn't known if they'd be willing to gamble that Koschei's stuff would be with me and not in a vault somewhere, or with the Leverage people.

The house had no lintel to speak of, no doorway. It was a safehouse, a fancy storage unit where I'd spent two nights. I'm sure the leshy had expected some trouble getting through the door, but I already knew they had humans in the roster, and humans could pick a lock or break a window, slip inside and invite the leshy in. There wasn't enough of a presence in the house, mine or otherwise, to kick up a passive defense out of habitation alone.

Which was why Eliot had lined every doorway and windowsill with iron nails.

Another muffled yowl and I was quietly on my feet, reaching for my shirt and my duster. There were a few traps between the leshy and what they sought, but once again I was counting mainly on them not being able to use magic to find the stuff. I drew a deep breath, stepped back from the bed, called Mouse to me, and flicked a throw blanket on the bed.

I'm not good at Veils. I know people who can hide entire stadiums worth of people, sight, sound, scent, every sense. Me, I was counting on it being dark so that when the leshy came up, as they must, it would look like I was still asleep on the bed. It didn't make sense for them to risk waking me up while they tore the place apart, which they'd likely do. Not to mention they could always ask me where everything was, and provide all sorts of incentives for me to tell them.

I managed to get my sneakers on before I heard the stairwell creak minutely. I fell back into the shadows of the closet, Mouse by my side, staff on one hand and wand on the other, and waited.

The door to my bedroom opened very slowly. The same dim, reflected streetlight glow that had shone on Mouse showed me the paw-like hand of a leshy as it stepped forward, sniffing the still air in the room. Its eyes locked onto the bed and it moved forward with a little more confidence. It cleared the door and another one came in behind it. They moved to flank the bed. A third one came in.

The moment it was clear of the door I surged forward, slammed the door shut, and pointed my staff at it. "Forzare."

It might have come out a little angry. I was getting real tired of leshy, to be fair. The blast of force threw the leshy through the window in a shower of glass and wood; it screamed as it went, the iron nails on the windowsill scraping it raw.

Mouse flew at another leshy with a snarl. Its nature betrayed it; not only was my dog very big and fairly terrifying despite his youth, leshy were creatures of the field, their nature very close to rabbits, to hares, to moles. It shrieked in immediate terror and went down, scrabbling and writhing, all the fight gone from it, wanting only to get away from its natural predator.

The last one didn't stop to think. It leapt up and kicked me in the chest. I went through the bedroom door like the old oak wasn't even there. The pain was immediate, immense, blinding. Next thing I knew I was on my knees out on the hallway, and I couldn't breathe. I'd be lucky if nothing was broken. Leshy kick like the hares they look like, and the fairy-thug's reaction had been so quick I'd had no time to summon my shield.

Mouse was barking furiously in the bedroom; I couldn't get wits or breath enough to get back on my feet, but I had just enough of them to see motion coming up the stairs. I swung my wand around and let a stream of fire blaze out. The figure in front shrilled inhumanly; behind it, someone cursed entirely too humanly.

I had to get up. I had to move. I was easy prey if I didn't. I got one leg under me just in time for one panicked leshy to come sprinting out of my bedroom, and we both went down in a tangle. It tried to bite my face, and I just barely put an arm up. Its teeth caught it, but couldn't quite punch through the duster's defenses. It didn't feel like roses, though, and someone let out a very undignified howl of pain. Couldn't have been me.

I'd lost my wand when we'd gone down, and I didn't have enough room to bring my staff to bear, so I let go of it, put my free hand on the leshy's face, and let go with all the electricity I'd collected the past day. I didn't have the breath to call it - the words aren't part of the magic as much as an exercise in focus, a visualization aid. I could throw everything around without them, but I'd been using the word to try not to get zapped myself. It was a sacrifice I was willing to make.

Electric fire lit up the leshy's skull from within, made its ears stand up on end; it rolled down my hand and up my arm, but I was far more interested in the fairy-thug not getting another bite in. Fortunately, it crashed down limp on top of me, smoking faintly.

I shoved it aside and groped around for my staff. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I threw my shield up instinctively.

A net crashed over it and came to rest on the gleaming half-bubble, and I was in trouble. The net had magic, unknown magic, probably meant to counter mine. I couldn't let go of the shield without getting caught in the net. I couldn't do magic without dropping the shield. The hallway was narrow, and they couldn't get to me any more than I could get to them, but that left them free to tear my house apart.

Which was apparently the going plan. The leshy I'd singed on the stairwell called out something to the human behind it, who shouted in Russian down the stairs. I heard the door to one of the rooms slam open, and a crowbar start work on the crates.

I forced myself to draw a deep breath. Mouse was still engaged with the last fairy-thug in the bedroom. My ribs were still screaming. My lungs had mostly forgotten how to work. But I needed that breath, I needed the focus of it.

At the peak of it, I dropped to a crouch, dropped the shield and called out, "Ventus!" more or less at the same time.

Have I mentioned I'm a hammer when it comes to magic?

Wind roared out, coming out of me in every direction. It threw the net for parts unknown, it sent the people on the stairwell flying back, stumbling down the steps with startled squawks and something that sounded very much like cursing. I wouldn't know, I don't speak Russian. I found my wand under my foot, lifted my staff and for good measure threw a second gout of wind down the stairwell. "Mouse!"

He came charging out of the room. I peeked in. The leshy was crawling away for the gaping hole in the wall that had been a window, both legs a ruin of greenish blood. I closed what was left of the door between it and us and began to inch my way down the stairs.

There was a hissed, angry argument going on at the bottom of the stairs, probably wondering if I was worth the trouble. Oh, I was not. So many people could've told the thugs, I'm very much not worth the trouble. I'm a burr, and at that point I was an angry burr, and to compound their misery I was an angry burr that could do magic.

Someone shouted a warning in the dark of the first floor. I threw my shield up.

Three bullets bounced off it, along with a shower of sparks. Oh, ok. Uh. I hadn't expected them to decide I was that kind of trouble. Hell's Bells. Boston had powered up my shield, but I'd apparently finally hit on the limit of what the damaged bracelet could do. If it hadn't been made to hold back more mundane threats as well as magic, I would have been very much in trouble.

I could see, vaguely, four of them gathered in what was supposed to be the living room. I was pretty sure there was at least one more crashing and wrecking one of the rooms. I saw one of them grab and yank at another, and some tiny part of me was glad to know the leshy themselves didn't want me shot, but that didn't mean one of their number, likely one of their human buddies, didn't have a gun he was entirely too willing to use. I had to finish this quick, before someone else got trigger-happy.

I dropped the shield. Mouse leapt the moment it was gone, with a snarl like a roar. I love my dog. I know my dog. At that moment I was absolutely terrified of my dog.

So were the thugs. I slammed the butt of my staff on the ground before any of them could get any ideas. "Forzare!" The shockwave sent two of them tumbling - the humans. The leshy tottered, but managed to stay upright. One of them immediately went down with a panicked screech when Mouse slammed into it.

The other twisted one hand sharply and threw something at me that glittered in the dark. I threw my shield up automatically.

The night's breath powder settled on it and began to burn.

I heard a howl, realized belatedly that it was mine; my shield-bracelet had gone instantly white-hot while it tried to defend against the very thing that was attacking it. I dropped the shield, felt the poison sink into my magic. The leshy charged me, as aware as I was that I couldn't throw magic around wildly anymore; I could very well run out of energy mid-fight.

So I swung the staff at it as hard as I could.

The impact drove it into the wall and it staggered back, dazed. I stepped into its space and punched it. Hey, it worked for Eliot. It went down on its knees with a cry.

But the two human thugs were getting up, and one was lifting his arm in a familiar fashion. I couldn't gamble, I called up my shield, gritting my teeth against the pain. The goon slammed the taser into it, electricity arcing from it over the roiling surface of the half-bubble.

I put my hand out, the one with the wire bracelet, dropped the shield and called the electricity to me. It burned down my already singed fingers, and into the bracelet, and I threw it at the other man before he could get it into his head to start shooting again. He made a sound like a broken police siren and crashed down, twitching.

I'd been keeping my eye on the group in front of me and that open bedroom door, but in the middle of the chaos I forgot that leshy are like roaches: there's always more than the ones you see. Something came at me from the kitchen and hit the back of my head. It wasn't even painful; it was just instantaneous darkness; everything shut down. My cheek hit the floor, but I didn't feel it so much as vaguely registered that my perspective on things had changed radically. I heard Mouse snarl, and someone screamed - the natural order of things.

Things went blurry and uncertain for a while. I heard the group talking, and Mouse barking furiously, but I was only aware of it because it was Mouse, and I was worried that they'd hurt him. The night's breath had settled on me like the weight of the world, burning, hissing in a way only I could hear. I felt crushed. I couldn't breathe. My magic felt sluggish and foul, like blood poisoning.

"It's not just the circle, he's got a ward of some sort around them," a man's voice said in English. Someone else spoke in Russian. I was beginning to understand Hardison's comment about learning a language by infection.

"Koldun", a hoarse, gravelly voice said. Something grabbed my face and picked me partially up, talons prickling my cheeks. "Wizard," the leshy said in terrible English. "You hear me?"

"I thought leshy didn't speak." I was trying to get myself in the game, but the night's breath was burning into my bones, my ribs hurt like someone had kicked them out of my chest, and my head was pounding.

The leshy growled - its way of laughing, I realized. It said something to one of the people around. We were in my basement. There were glow-sticks all over, illuminating my work: the brass circle on the concrete floor, closed and holding strong around a small shoebox full of Koschei's knick-knacks. Inside the circle were two more wards: the tracking foil I'd copied from the key, and a little bubble of force, very much like my shield, meant to keep things and people from this side of the Nevernever from getting through.

See, I could learn. I'd remembered that the leshy had been working with humans back at the museum, and I'd been ready.

"He says, 'the world changed, we changed with it'." It was the man who'd shouted a warning earlier, likely the one who'd shot at me. He was wearing all black, the better to be impossible to distinguish from the rest of the group. The leshy growled something at him. "You will dismiss the circle and remove the rest of your protections."

I gritted my teeth. Those talons were like shoe cleats, sharp and solid, and the fairy's grip was incredibly strong. They'd stripped me down to my pants and tee, and I was pretty sure they'd taken off anything that wasn't nailed down. I couldn't even feel the familiar weight of my pendant around my neck. My arms were bound behind me and my shoulder was really unhappy about that. They'd even taken my shoes off. "Bite me."

The leshy growled again and it occurred to me that it probably wasn't a good idea to invite him to do that. It said something a little longer this time. I was trying to figure out if I could use their ignorance to my advantage: the outermost circle was just that, a circle. Any of their human buddies could have made it past it. But because the leshy knew magical circles to be impregnable, they apparently hadn't thought to have the humans try.

"You will dismiss the circle," the translator said. "Or we will shoot your dog."

My lunge was instinctive. And pointless. The leshy stopped me before I could get an inch closer and slammed me back against a wall. It was just hard enough to be painful, but not enough to knock me out again. He even gave me a few minutes to find the wits he'd just send scattering all over with that casual bit of controlled violence.

"I drop the circle, you shoot us both."

The translator spoke. The leshy examined me, head cocked, golden eyes throwing an occasional red gleam when the light hit them just right. He said something long-ish.

"He considered it," the man translated. "But is not worth a death-curse, and you obviously love dog. What assurance can he provide?"

"Lock my dog up in the bathroom. Everyone else waits outside. I'll break the circle for him, and him alone."

"Nyet." The leshy wasn't stupid, though I'd hoped. He spoke at length, the translator asking a couple of questions.

"The dog stays in the net, goes in the bathroom. Three of us stay here. You drop the circle, remove the wards. We take you to the bathroom with your dog. You do not follow."

"I get your gun, you keep the bullets," I added.

That created a brief argument between the man and the leshy, but the translator caved eventually. Not that I didn't think they had a dozen other ways to kill me and Mouse, but the gun was the quickest one.

"And I'll need my hands free."

The leshy didn't wait for the translator. "Use feet."

"Fine."

He dragged me to my feet. Off to one side I could see Mouse, all but wrapped into a net, bound up inside a blanket that had been secured with duct tape. Ah, the net hadn't been for me, it'd been meant for him all along. He snarled, but didn't bark, probably out of pity for my throbbing skull. In the basement the sound would have echoed like thunder. Two humans picked him up warily, and while he tried to snap at them, he couldn't do more than twitch and drool. All but two leshy and the translator followed them out of the basement.

The translator pulled out the gun, removed the clip and the loaded bullet, and I twisted so he could give it to me. He didn't look happy. I made a show of muttering under my breath and calling up some magic. The effort bent me over double and I nearly felt my legs go to jelly. Bile rose up in my throat, and the lead leshy had to hold me up. I had to make it look like I was doing something, though, otherwise the leshy would catch onto my bluff about the circle.

But Boston, ah, Boston. The night's breath couldn't corrode what the city was giving me fast enough. If I could just get away, purge all of the corroded magic, I'd be fine. As it was, I had the power to throw a punch, I just had no way of knowing if it was going to blow up in my face or theirs.

I took a couple of deep breaths, tried again, and scuffed my foot over the circle and the two wards beyond it. And very calmly said, "Ignitum".

The circle broke. The lead leshy gestured the other two forward. The shoebox was plain, empty of anything but the rough dozen or so things Parker and I had got from Koschei. Everything was there, even the feathers and the invitation.

Except for two things.

The leshy grabbed me by the throat. "Key, koldun." He snapped at the translator.

"You are missing things. Where are they?"

"I only agreed to break the circle. It's not my fault if you didn't check your shopping before you paid the bill."

The leshy didn't like that. It slammed me against a wall and snarled. The translator opened its mouth -

The other leshy, who'd managed to grab the box, squealed in pain when something hot dripped down on it, then shrieked, clawing at its shoulder as a sizzling sound and the smell of burning fields began to fill the room. One of the ceiling tiles crashed down.

Everyone looked up. I just grinned at them.

Eliot had set up the trap for me, and he'd honestly had a blast doing so. The basement was bare concrete in every direction; to hide the fact that he was putting iron everywhere he could reach, he'd put up styrofoam ceiling tiles. He'd glued them to the concrete.

He'd laced the glue with iron filings.

Throwing a magical punch? Fifty-fifty. Melting fresh silicone that wasn't even hard yet? Child's play.

The lead leshy barked an order. The translator started for me. While they were both distracted I balanced myself on one foot, lifted the other, and kicked the leshy as hard as I could in the gut. He went sprawling back and crashed down on the floor. I snapped out the word of command. The circle snapped into life and cut him in half.

I dropped to my knees, most of my focus on not throwing up. The rest I channeled into forcing all the corroded magic the night's breath had poisoned out of me. I didn't even bother giving it shape, I just threw it out. It flattened the last two thugs and sent me crashing down on my face, even as I tried to force myself to get up, get to the box, I couldn't let them have the box -

More melted silicone dripped down. The last leshy squalled something that didn't sound nice, and the one human cursed. He came at me, trying to take his gun back. I drew in a deep breath and threw what little clean power Boston had given me in his face as a flash of light. He staggered back, blinded, swearing.

His buddy caught him and they both ran out of the basement, and I was left there, breathing hard, wondering if I should pass out. Or throw up. Or both, maybe. Somewhere above me Mouse was barking fit to bring the house down.

Passing out it was.

TWENTY FIVE

The gunshots woke up the neighbors. The neighbors woke up the cops, who expected to be summoned to such an address to bar brawls or petty theft, not to shots fired in a staid, elderly Boston neighborhood.

The gunshots also roused Nate. He came sprinting down the block to find half a dozen people peering out nervously, each one demonstrating vividly what they considered a safe distance, and none of them agreeing. The mastermind, who knew exactly how far a bullet could travel on kinetic energy alone, never mind inertia, didn't want to think of what would happen if there were more shots. He began taking stock of the problem by waving his phone at three of the people on the street. "Did someone, uh, did someone call the cops?" When the neighbors confirmed, he let out a long breath. "Good, good. Hey, those weren't gunshots, were they?" he asked as he dialed. "Hardison."

The Leverage team roused like a nest of wasps. A Crime Scene van and a two-man team nearly beat the cops to the site; the truck from Animal Control rolled in with them, and the one man joined the two masked people at the door, the cops making a path for them. All three of them winced as they walked in, pausing to yank their earbuds off.

"He's here," Eliot confirmed to the other two as they lit their flashlights, everyone taking a moment to hold their breath and see if they held - which they miraculously did. "You go ahead with the distraction, I'll find him." They had to find Dresden, get him out of the line of fire, and set up something appropriately gunshot-like but wholly accidental before the cops started looking in earnest. At the moment they weren't setting foot in the house, but Leverage could only guess as to why, rather than confirm.

"I need three minutes in the kitchen," Hardison said from behind Parker.

"I need two in his bedroom."

"I think we can buy you that," Eliot assured them.

"We?"

Despite the worry gnawing at him that the wizard had gone and gotten hurt (again), Eliot could only smile faintly. He whet his lips and whistled lightly.

From somewhere in the dark Mouse started barking immediately in response, a sound like thunder. Nate and Sophie, part of the crowd outside, saw every cop wince and twitch away. None of them went for their guns; none of them looked willing to go into the house. The crowd shifted restlessly, and stepped back without being urged to it. They crossed a look, but said nothing.

Parker threw a clean suit and a mask at Eliot and they split up. Alone in the dark, Eliot launched himself to the guest bathroom, just to one side of the stairs. "Harry!" When he got no answer he tried again, just a little louder. "Dresden!" No answer. He sniffed; there was a faint, familiar scent in the air that he couldn't readily place, but which left his gut tightening in anticipation of a punch he couldn't see coming. That, however was immediately set aside when he opened the bathroom door and found Mouse trussed up like a Bolivian hostage. "There you are."

Tied up or not, the Temple dog wagged his tail at him. Eliot started sawing on the duct tape, then paused; there was something sticky on either the ropes of the net or the blanket. Or the dog. Eliot considered shining the light on it, then decided he was better off not knowing. "We need to be quiet," he told Mouse, who whuffed nearly soundlessly at him. "And we need to find Harry, fast."

The moment he was loose, the mastiff sprang up on his feet and charged out of the bathroom. Eliot followed him down the stairs to, where else, the basement. The air was hot and full of the scent of burning plastic. Styrofoam tiles had fallen and shattered, leaving the tidy space a wreck. Eliot smelled rotten candy and recoiled. "Mouse, don't!"

The dog froze, and stepped back, whining.

Eliot knew that smell. He'd only smelled it once before, but sometimes that was all it took. He'd smelled it again, faintly, by the stairs. Rotten candy. Burning licorice. The basement cloyed his senses with it. Someone had come in prepared to take down both wizard and dog, and the hitter gritted his teeth. "Night's breath," he murmured, looked down at the dog. Moused looked up at him, ears perked. "You gonna be alright in there?"

Mouse eased himself gingerly into the basement. Paused. Whuffled.

Eliot followed. "Harry?"

A groan answered him, and he charged in. His boots squished on something very much not blood, but he didn't stop to check what it was. "Harry!"

"I'm gonna be sick," the wizard moaned. Eliot found him slumped in a heap against one side of the basement, tied up very efficiently, looking ashen under the light of the flashlight, Mouse licking his face enthusiastically.

"Place reeks of night's breath, man."

"That was me," Dresden admitted as Eliot worked to free him. "Someone dosed me upstairs. Burned it off here." He let out a vague sound of pain when his hands came loose and he started working feeling into them immediately. "They took the box."

"Who's surprised," Eliot grimaced when he nearly lost his grip on his knife sawing at the ropes around Harry's feet. "What… Why is everything slimy down here?"

"That was me, too," the wizard admitted. "I killed one of the leshy. Things from the Nevernever kinda melt when they die."

"They m- You mean- " Eliot found himself suddenly realizing he was, apparently, wading knee-deep through someone's equivalent of bodily fluids. "You mean we're covered in fairy blood?"

"Blood, guts…" Harry waved a hand to encompass a nebulous whole.

Full of violence as his life was, Eliot definitely had feelings about the situation, and none of them were good. "Damn it, Dresden!" he snapped as he helped the wizard to his feet and dragged him up the stairs.

"It'll evaporate to nothing soon!"

"And what part of 'don't get hurt' didn't you get?"

"You also said 'make it believable'," Harry protested wearily. "And they had humans with them. Again. And the humans had guns so. You know. The night's just been full of surprises."

Eliot hissed a breath out. Of course they would. "Alright. Get dressed." He thrust the clean suit and the mask at Harry. "We're going out the front door."

"Out the - They're gonna notice there's more people going out than came in."

Parker choose that moment to pop up next to them, making them both jump. "I'm not going out the front door." She had Harry's duster on, which made her look even more elfin than she already was, and looked terribly pleased with herself. "I found everything. They had it all stashed together. Amateurs."

Eliot merely imagined strangling the thief. Only a little. Just to soothe his rising temper. "They weren't thieves, Parker." When she gave him a pointed look the hitter realized what he'd said. "Ok, yes, they were thieves, but they weren't here to rob Harry!" Her brows went up. "You know what I mean! Is Hardison done?"

"I'll go check." She turned to look at Harry, and frowned minutely. "Are you hurt?"

"If I answer that, Eliot will get mad at me," he told her as he zipped up the clean suit.

To the hitter's chagrin, she took in that answer solemnly, nodded, and raced off for the kitchen.

"You are hurt," Eliot accused mildly.

"Leshy like to kick."

"Is anything broken?"

"No." Dresden breathed in, deep and very slow. "I don't think so. I'll get back to you on the concussion, though."

"You have a helluva sense of humor for someone I just found hogtied in his own basement."

Eliot saw the wizard grin, hard and bitter. "Eliot, I'm used to going down. I'm also used to waking up in a cell of one kind or another after." He popped the medical mask in place and put up the hood. "This is a distinct improvement."

The hitter had to pause at that. "Harry, don't you have anyone? Anyone that has your back?"

The wizard paused, went very still. "People… don't do so good when they get involved in a wizard's affairs," he admitted slowly, and the burden of pain and guilt and regret in his voice brought Eliot up very short. It had been years since he'd heard such a refined, complex mix of exactly those emotions from someone, but he remembered the day well enough.

He'd been staring in a mirror at the time, and he'd been horribly young.

"And not a lot of people accept that 'men in gray and big swords' trump a lot of the answers they sometimes want out of me."

The hitter caught the wizard's good shoulder. "Harry, for what it's worth," he said evenly. "I know it's hard. I know how it is when you've drawn a line on the sand and no one sees you holding it. Me, I'm here to keep my team safe. Twice, so far, I wasn't there - but you were. And that's enough for me. Thank you."

Dresden blew out a long breath. "Don't suppose you guys want to move to Chicago?"

"No more than you wanna move to Boston." Eliot looked up to see Hardison coming out of the kitchen, passing his backpack to Parker and taking hers in exchange. "Come on. The timing Hardison cooked up is tricky."

They marched out, the Animal Control guy first, leading the friendliest, most gigantic and slobberiest ball of fur out, leaving all the cops vaguely embarrassed that they'd been afraid to step into the house. Mouse hammed it up, tongue lolling to one side and tail wagging cheerfully. The crime scene people cleared out, the cops poured in, and everyone jumped into their respective vehicles.

It took a while to put both the Animal Control pick-up and the Crime Scene van back in place, none the worse for their small adventure, and everyone reconvened back at the loft. Sophie reported that there had been plenty of cops in the kitchen when the same security system that had destroyed the bedroom window interacted badly with an ancient electric board, entombed in the walls. The system had blown the garden door out onto the overgrown grass, and the antique board had gone off like a gun once again. A report had been written; fines would have to be paid. The owner had been summoned, and she'd been most grateful for everyone's prompt response, gracious and elegant even in her concern. Everyone had gone home somewhat disappointed and secretly reassured that life could go back to what it should be: quiet.

While Sophie soothed the mood at the safehouse, Nate came to see Dresden as Eliot, once again, patched up the wizard in the small spare bedroom behind the kitchen. Harry's entire chest was a rising, ugly bruise. When Eliot moved away to wash his hands, he spoke very quietly to the mastermind. "You know, when I said I'd like a job where I wasn't a punching bag, this wasn't what I meant."

"I know." Nate's mouth was pressed to a thin line. It wasn't just the injuries, or the attack. Violence threatened them all, that was just part of the job. But the violence that kept coming at Dresden was unpredictable and far too big for any countermeasures to readily work. "He's getting more hurt than you have in our worst jobs," he murmured quietly at the hitter.

"He's a civilian, Nate."

"So are you," the mastermind pointed out. "But I know what you mean."

"He doesn't have the training, he doesn't have the mental firewalls."

"Can you teach him?"

"In what, two days?!"

Nate gave the hitter a very keen, very level look. "I think he'd be grateful, and better off, with whatever you do give him." He pitched his voice to carry. "Dresden, what did they get?"

"Everything," Harry replied, testing his arm until Eliot flung a sling at him. "Everything but the key and the Witchwell."

"Mm. But he doesn't need those two back nearly as urgently as everything else. Not once Fedorov's offer gets to him. And he already has the portrait, he doesn't need help stealing it."

"He does if the Witchwell's not his and he needs to return it to the proper owner," the wizard pointed out, frowning thoughtfully.

"Does he?"

"He might. I'm guessing," Harry admitted, "but I don't think it's his. It's too modern, it doesn't fit what we know of the guy."

"I agree with Harry," Eliot added.

"So do I," Nate replied. "His reaction at the bagel shop was very telling. But the man in black has to know we can't destroy it, and he has to know it'd be much easier for him to recover it after the auction." He seemed momentarily lost in thought. He was wondering if Koschei would think of the many ways in which the Witchwell could be turned against him; if that potential danger would force him to divert attention and effort to its recovery.

And in three days' time, I will grant you and your people your heart's desire.

"He'll wait. He'll wait until he can simply take it back."

"He could take it back right now," Harry muttered.

"Could he? That's twice you've faced his hired thugs, and twice you've survived, Dresden. Twice you've almost won, until an external factor stepped in. Have a little faith in yourself. From his side, his odds don't look good."

Eliot understood. "He doesn't gamble. When he wins, he likes it to be by overwhelming force."

The mastermind nodded. "And every time Dresden steps in, it doesn't matter what the man in black throws on the field, it never ends up with a clean victory for him. He'll wait. We go on with the con. Get some rest, Dresden. You're no use as a monkeywrench if you're in pieces."

"I live to please, boss," the wizard declared wearily.

[thelavendernarwhal]

Keefex Week Day 1

Prompt: Queer-platonic 

......

Keefe hated that he still loved this place. Objectively, it smelled like a gulon’s armpit, the ground was covered in an inky film, and he found the area during one of the worst periods of his life. Some part of him still looked over his shoulder whenever a selkie cried in the distance in case it was the Neverseen that disturbed it. 

Still… he came back every once in a while. 

Keefe sighed, dropping down onto his usual spot. It was one of the only outcrops too tall for the selkies to get to. Was it a pain to get to? Yes, but it was leagues better than staying at Sophie’s house. 

Okay, that sounds bad. It’s just…

“-give you some privacy, but I’ll be in the area.”

“Thanks. Mind helping me up?”

“Not a problem.”

“Thanks.”

Keefe shot to his feet, creeping to the outer parts of his nook in a hunched crouch. His heart rate doubled as footsteps came closer. Sinking down farther, he reached for a crystal, any crystal, stuck in his pocket.

“Keefe? Are you there?”

The closeness of the voice made him jump back, but recognition finally hit. Keefe’s breathing evened out slightly. “Uh, yeah. Back here.”

After a few seconds, a welcomed face came into view. “Cozy place you got here.”

“The best.” Keefe backed up, giving Dex some breathing room. He gave the cramped space a once-over before crawling in after. “How’d you know I was here?”

“Panic ring. I was checking the remote functionality. I was going to call you ahead of time, but my imparter said you were out of range.”

He cringed a little. “Yeah…There’s some sort of signal blocker around here.” The from the Neverseen went unspoken. “Sophie would freak if she knew.”

“... Yeah, you’re right.” 

An awkward pause followed his words.

Keefe crunched his knees up against his chest, noting that Dex didn’t have anything to say about the technology. Or about else thing for that matter. 

He hated that things were like this now; heavy silences, mile-long stares, feeling like glass with a million hair-fractures. The worst part was that he couldn’t fully deny it. What if one wrong move caused his powers to flare? What if he’d never be able to control himself? 

What if his friends couldn’t trust him anymore? 

“Are you mad at me?” 

Dex’s attention changed so fast it might have given him whiplash. “What? No.”

“You sure? It seems like something’s off.”

“And your brain jumps to me being mad?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Most people are.”

“I’m not mad at you-” Dex stopped before huffing out a sigh. “Okay, what you did was really stupid and I’ll probably be peeved about that for awhile, but I’m not actively angered right now.”

“Okay…Cool.”

“Is there someone else who’s especially pissed at you?”

“Well, yeah.” Keefe almost laughed. “It feels like there should be more.” In return, Dex gave him a questioning look. “... It seems like people are letting me off the hook too easily. Even if what I did was for the best or not, I knew it would hurt people. Shouldn’t there be more consequences for that?”

“You realize we don’t like seeing you in distress, right?” Dex nudged him with his elbow. “We were upset, yeah, but a lot of us are more relieved that you’re okay.”

“I guess I see that. Sophie didn’t deck me in that hotel room after all.”

“Trust me, it was a struggle for both of us.” 

Dex’s tone changed on a dime; no more joking or teasing, just staring off into the inky pools below. Keefe hated to admit how often this sort of thing happened. Although… Maybe he was starting to figure out a pattern.

“Hey..” Come on, it’s Dex. You won’t scare him off. Chill out. “Is Sophie still kinda a sore subject for you?”

The last thing Keefe expected to get was a full body laugh. “Really? That’s what you’re wondering about?” Dex’s face flushed bright red the way it always did when he was cracking up. If he wasn’t bracing for more awkward silence, Keefe would’ve pointed out how the color gave his hair a run for its money.

“What? That was a rough time.”

“At the time, yeah, but I’m pretty solidly over it. Honestly, I don’t think I ever liked Sophie in that way in the first place.”

“Wait, really?”

The question made Dex calm down. He shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s complicated.”

“I’m not in a rush.” Keefe commented. 

The younger of the two’s attention moved upward with a distinct look of concentration. Now that’s the Dex Keefe was used to. “Have you ever had someone you were just drawn to being around?” Keefe nodded although the question was probably rhetorical. “Sophie was- well, still is like that. She’s one of the first people I connected with. She didn’t care that I had no status or that I might never. She never thought I was weird or, at least if she did, she never held it against me. I just liked being around her.” 

“I get what you’re saying.” The resulting soft and melancholy smile made Keefe question whether he said the right or wrong thing.

“I guess I thought feelings like that had to be a crush. I mean, I hadn’t felt anything like that towards anyone before and why else would I be so attached?” A tinge of bitterness cropped up in his voice, but it didn’t stick around. “It took me a while, but I realized that a relationship like that wasn’t what I wanted. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be close to people. I shouldn’t have to justify it.  Having to categorize my feelings is dumb and, honestly, a waste of time.”

A cold wind whistled past the nook, but it didn’t change Dex’s proud smile. “I never thought of it that way.” Keefe finally let his legs unfurl in front of him,

“Have things with you and Sophie been okay? It seems like you’ve been avoiding any and all Ruewens.”

Can’t get anything past you. “Is it that obvious?”

“Not really. I can’t blame you for avoiding Grady’s interrogation.”

“Did he interrogate you?” Keefe asked. The tight nod said enough. “Man, brutal.” 

“Although, back to the topic at hand…”

“Won’t let me avoid my problems that easily?”

“Never.”

Keefe lightly elbowed his side in response. “I kinda relate to what you were talking more than I should.” Dex’s signature “questioning look” (all in the eyebrow, Keefe noted) prompted him to explain more. “I’ve wanted to date Sophie for so long and now that it's happening, I feel like I should be happier about it. Or, I don’t know, my idea of what this relationship would be like is so off that I don’t know what to do with it.”

“Is it still what you want?” Apparently Dex thought beating around the bush was for losers.

Honestly, Keefe could appreciate it. “No clue. Sophie’s still someone I want to be close to, but couple-y stuff feels weird with her. And that’s not just because of the protective parents.” He tacked on.

Before he could stop it, Keefe flopped his head against Dex’s shoulder, letting out a melodramatic sigh. Call it sad and mopey, but the action did help. Something about a solid other person was the grounding presence he needed. 

“This is probably bullshit advice coming from me, but you should tell her that. There’s a good chance she’ll understand.” In return, Dex tentatively reached an arm around him. Keefe almost laughed at the irony.

“It’s funny. ‘The one person that you’re drawn to’ thing… The first person I thought of was you.”

A quick look upward revealed a faint blush on Dex’s face. “Yeah…I get what you mean.”

[fe14festivalofbondstranslations]

not anon but now im wondering, which convos havent been translated? i use these for reference a lot (thank you for all your hard work!) so i wanna see which ones i need to read off pegasus knight

That is a very good question and would require searching the master list and tags carefully. I know most of them are written, though. I think all the ones from the Nohrian festival have been done, but a few from the Hoshidan festival haven’t. And there are soooooo many!!! It’s hard to keep track.

Took some sleuthing because it is legitimately hard to find (I could only find it on the desktop website, actually) but here are the master lists in a format that I hope leads to live links: (Edit after posting: if you’re on the Tumblr mobile app you may need to copy the links and paste them in a web browser. That was the only way I could view the master lists on my phone.)

https://fe14festivalofbondstranslations.tumblr.com/hoshidan-masterlist-neutral (Hoshidan Festival Master List Neutral, for the children available in every route: Kanna, Shigure, Dwyer, Sophie, and Midori.)

https://fe14festivalofbondstranslations.tumblr.com/hoshidan-masterlist-birthright (Hoshidan Festival Master List Birthright, for the children available in Birthright and Revelation only: Shiro, Kiragi, Asugi, Selkie, Hisame, Mitama, Caeldori, and Rhajat.)

https://fe14festivalofbondstranslations.tumblr.com/hoshidan-masterlist-conquest (Hoshidan Festival Master List Conquest, for the children available in Conquest and Revelation only: Siegbert, Forrest, Ignatius, Velouria, Percy, Ophelia, Soleil, and Nina.)

https://fe14festivalofbondstranslations.tumblr.com/nohrian-masterlist (Master List for the Nohrian Festival of bonds, which are all conversations between adults who do not have normal support conversations.)

Also, I’m glad you mentioned Pegasus Knight! That’s actually where I get the source text from. You can see the original Japanese text for the Hoshidan festival here and the Nohrian festival here.

[maryrebeccawrites]

My Childhood Crush is a Selkie

See all available chapters here.

Chapter Six: The Daughter of the Sea

The scene before me was disarmingly quiet. The sun had begun to set over the horizon, casting a direct plane of light upon the little cabin nestled in the woods and the wildflowers. The house looked like just another plant itself, pale green and unassuming. I parked my car amidst the others and killed the engine.

Beyond the lush growth, to the right of the cabin, I could just see the glimmer of the river, beckoning like a jewel.

There was no immediate movement around, except for the breeze, which played upon stems and branches. It was either the most idyllic view I had ever looked at, or it was the setting for some horror flick. Perhaps both.

I was just stepping out of the car when the front door burst open, as if pushed by otherworldly strength. Sophie flew out the door, a drink already in hand, her eyes alight with excitement.

“I’m so happy you came!” She grabbed me by the arm, her drink sloshing a little on her top as she pulled me up to the cabin. I had no time to further prepare myself before entering and facing the eyes of the group.

Stacy, Yasmin, Xander, and Quinn all lounged around a large living room like they were queens and kings of the entire forest. The cabin seemed far larger from the inside. I felt like some peasant coming to beg them for more bread.

But the moment they laid eyes on me, all their faces lit up, like I was their very reason for existing. Even Xander, who looked to be the most serious, and Yasmin, who appeared to be a bit shy, smiled widely. I had never seen a group of people who looked and seemed so different yet were so synchronized in their reactions and movements.

“Beautiful Diana!” Quinn exclaimed, and he stumbled a little bit. Xander had risen to his feet to keep Quinn from toppling over. The sun hadn’t even set yet, and he was already stumbling around. What, exactly, had I gotten myself into?

”You can just put your things down wherever,” Xander said, his hands still working to balance Quinn. Yasmin gave Quinn a glass of water.

“Thank God. Someone to finally tempt Del back to the party,” Stacy said with a smile.

”Oh, I don’t think I’ll be doing any tempting,” I said, and everyone seemed to find this hilarious.

”Do you want a drink?” Sophie asked and gestured to the large array of beverages. At that moment, I could have used several drinks, but I just elected to pour myself a small gin and tonic. I tried to tell myself that I was relieved to find Del absent. Maybe he would spend most of this time doing his own thing.

The moment I finished pouring my drink, however, Quinn sidled up beside me. “Can you please go down to the river and drag him back here? He’s been down there for ages. He’ll come if you call.”

I shook my head, wincing at the abundance of gin. “I don’t think he will.”

Quinn snorted. “I heard about your little argument. It’s nothing.”

I bristled a little at this. Here I was with a group of people who had only known Del since he was sixteen. I had a full decade on them. They didn’t know anything about the complexities of our relationship. “It wasn’t even an argument. We just came to an agreement.”

Quinn looked like he was about to bring up some kind of a counterpoint, when Xander put his hand on his shoulder. “Can you please try not to be nosy for two seconds? We’re all just here to have a good time. Let the girl have her drink.”

I gave him a grateful look and turned from Quinn, who was in the middle of rolling his eyes. Sophie just smiled at me, as if delighted by everything she saw, and I couldn’t help but smile back. Everything would be alright. Maybe I would even have a good time.

But then Quinn went over to a chair, where he stood precariously. “Well, if Del won’t come back to us, then we’ll just have to go find him. Come on!”

Sophie, tactful as ever, took me by the arm. “I think we’re just going to hang out here, thanks. It’s been a long day for us.”

Quinn blew out his lips like a horse but seemed undaunted. He yanked on his shoes, and drink in hand, stumbled out the door, his three friends having no choice but to follow after.

”They going to be okay?” I asked.

Sophie laughed a little and waved off the question. “Of course. The question, I suppose, is are you okay? I know it took a lot for you to come here. I didn’t mean to pressure you or anything. I just genuinely think it will be a good time, even though I know they can all be a lot. I don’t think Quinn will be as much of a pain when Del is actually around. He just has a tendency to follow him around like a puppy. ”

I shrugged. “I’m fine. I just don’t really know how to act around him, you know?”

Sophie nodded. “Just do what feels natural.”

I laughed a little. “What feels natural might not necessarily be what’s best for both of us.”

Sophie raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth, seemingly with a question, but I couldn’t really bear to listen to that question, and I was already tired of talking about myself. “Are you okay though? With all the Ruth stuff.”

Sophie shrugged. “I think I am. I just need some time to let loose, you know?”

I threw back the rest of my drink. “I think we can do that.”

The door burst open again, and Yasmin smiled at us a little bashfully, but her breathing was heavy with excitement. “We’re all going kayaking before it gets dark. Come on!”

Sophie looked at me hopefully, and I sighed before putting my cup down. Yasmin grinned, and we followed her outside, where the last rays of the sun seemed to beat down on us as strongly as they could.

We took a little forest path through rich undergrowth. It meandered down to the edge of the river, where Xander was instructing Quinn how to sit in a kayak without toppling over. Everyone was stripping down to their swimwear and underwear, so I followed suit, pulling off my white sundress.

I did my best not to be shocked by the sight of Del in the final dregs of the day. He wore nothing but his bracelets, his necklace, and a pair of navy swimming trunks.

The golden light cast him in a heavenly kind of outline as he grinned at Stacy without restraint. They seemed to be wrestling over their own paddle, and I would have been stabbed with jealousy, had he not been looking at her the way one might look at a sister.

In their little game of keepaway, he was victorious, standing in the surf. Finally turning around, his eyes fell on me. I expected his smile to falter, but it only grew roguish. He winked at me. He did it so quickly I questioned for a moment whether or not it had actually happened.

I wanted to tell him that none of this changed anything. I was only here for the night, and not to be with him, but I found myself offering a smile in return, the begrudging kind I would have given him a long, long time ago.

I looked away, busying myself with helping Yasmin pull the final kayak to the edge of the river, which had become iridescent, the surface rippling with blues and greens and pinks and yellows. The others had already made it onto the water and were shouting their delight, which rang across the valley of water and bounced off the hills of forest on either side.

”I can just stay behind,” Yasmin said as Sophie and I attempted to pile into the little kayak, but Sophie grabbed Yasmin’s hand and pulled her on. I paddled, and each of them attempted to sit on the front.

I pushed each side of the paddle in with enthusiasm, until we began to glide across the water more gracefully. Quinn and Del, however, were unconcerned with grace and were far more interested in seeing who could topple the other’s kayak over. Xander was paddling, but Quinn shouted out various obscenities as Del got close enough to give their kayak a good push. It nearly sent them over.

His eyes turned on me, as if we were their next target, but I booked it in the other direction, my shoulders burning with exertion as Sophie and Yasmin cheered me on. Something farther down the river, however, caught my eye, and I brought the kayak to a slow stop. Rising up from the water were two smooth, gray heads.

”Seals,” Sophie said with an excited gasp, and everyone went quiet behind us, watching with interest before they disappeared beneath the water. To me, seals had always been adorable, rather silly creatures, but there was something so mysterious about them now, these mammals with flippers that swam in ocean depths.

I looked back to find Del’s face pensive and strange, eyes focused on the water where the seals had disappeared. Slowly, his usual smile eased back onto his face.

🌊🌊🌊

The remainder of the evening passed in a lovely, invigorating blur. I never spoke to him directly, and he never spoke to me. We seemed to circle around each other, all our actions and words controlled with the effort not to interact directly.

I knew he was trying to respect my boundaries, but it was difficult when I was doing a terrible job at maintaining them. He caught me looking at him more than once, and his eyes would flash with something like wonder or surprise, and he would grin.

I would smile back and look away, the alcohol and his eyes warming the pit of my stomach, and then I would catch him looking at me a few minutes later.

This was why it had been a terrible idea to come here. We couldn’t keep doing this little dance forever.

Wanting another drink, Sophie had drunkenly asked me to get more tonic water. Del had disappeared just a minute ago, but assuming he had gone to the bathroom, I barged into the kitchen. He was hunched over a cutting board, slicing lime wedges.

He and all of his friends seemed to share an aversion to clothes. He had simply thrown on a shirt after kayaking, entirely ignoring the buttons.

When I walked in, he looked up with a start, and the knife slipped a little. He hissed, pulling his hand back.

I moved forward, terrified that he had chopped his thumb off. He had always been injuring himself as a child. I grabbed his hand and was relieved to find that it was just a long, shallow cut. “Idiot,” I murmured. He smelled like saltwater and strawberry margaritas.

”Usually I have incredible slicing skills,” he muttered in protest as I went into the bathroom just down the hall and grabbed the little first aid kit on the table. It had already been used once this evening, when Quinn had decided to wrestle with a mini cactus.

“I blame the sudden distraction,” Del said.

I pulled out some disinfectant and a bandaid, gesturing for him to sit at the table, which he reluctantly did. I sat next to him. “Most people wouldn’t be so easily distracted.”

“Most people haven’t seen you in that dress,” he said, a smile wrapped around his voice.

The flush that took over my neck and cheeks was sudden and silly and unstoppable. I did my best to ignore it all, taking his hand back into mine and padding some disinfectant on the little slash.

He inhaled sharply, his body leaning closer. I didn’t dare look up at him, not even once. “You know, it’s so good to see you having fun,” he said, voice low and a little slurred. “All I want is to see you happy.”

I was almost angry that he had said it, but I didn’t really know why. I yanked out a bandaid. “I’m afraid, in general, I’ll have to disappoint you then.” I placed the bandaid over his wound and studied his hands.

“There’s still time,” he said, his voice barely a whisper, his other fingers suddenly finding my chin. I could smell the alcohol and the strawberries on his lips, and I knew he wasn’t thinking straight. I gently pushed his hand away. I refused to look into his eyes. He was leaving, afterall. He was leaving me again.

I knew that wasn’t fair. The last time he left had been with good reason, and I didn’t deserve any say in where he went now. But I was upset that he was acting like this with me. He was being his impulsive self, which wasn’t curbed by the fact that he was drunk.

I moved farther away from him.

”I don’t think there is,” I said, feeling suddenly like I might cry.

His face fell, but it wasn’t disappointment I saw on his face. It was shame and regret and guilt. I was tired of him looking guilty over me.

“I… I need to bring this for Sophie,” I said, grabbing the bottle of seltzer.

I left the kitchen, managed to hand Sophie the bottle amidst the chaos and told her I was going out to my car. For a moment, I considered leaving, but I ran down the little forest path to the edge of the river, finally feeling like I could breathe as I looked up at the expanse of sky sitting over the water.

It wasn’t exactly like looking at the ocean, but this river was really just one of the sea’s extending fingers, trailing up the land in an attempt to grasp onto more of it.

For a whisper of a moment, I wished that the river would take hold of me and pull me into its depths. I didn’t want to die, but I did want to become a part of something big and beautiful. I wanted to feel myself swirling in and out of the sea, falling downstream then upstream.

I wanted the moon above to call to me and then push me away. I wanted to tangle with rocks and sea creatures and algae and then kiss the shores, only seeing human life at a distance.

”Is this where the party is then?” a voice asked from the snarl of water, rocks, and trees to my right. I nearly jumped out of my skin, as I saw the figure of an unknown man emerge from the darkness.

I was usually very on my guard, but something about this place lulled me into a sense of security. I was about to run when his melodious voice spoke again, and the moonlight revealed his face. “I’m sorry I startled you. I just got here. I’m Del’s cousin.”

Del’s cousin? I wasn’t aware that he had one. But the young man both looked and sounded so much like Del. His voice was clear and low and strong, and his face was that of a hellenistic statue, both earthly and ethereal. All of the features, however, looked oddly sharp and daunting on his face where they looked kind and genial on Del’s.

He was only wearing a pair of gray shorts, and his hair was wet. He looked like he had emerged from the water. He certainly hadn’t come from the path. “You swim here or something, Del’s cousin?”

He smiled widely, bright teeth gleaming in the moonlight. “I’m sorry, I didn’t introduce myself properly. I’m Logan. And yes, my family’s place is nearby.”

“He’s always said that his extended family lived far, far away,” I said, keeping a safe distance.

”I wish that were still true,” said Del’s voice from behind me. I felt more at ease but was confused, sinking back into the sound of his voice. He came closer, stepping in front of me.

“What are you doing here?” he asked Logan. His voice had taken on something slightly foreign to me. There was a defiant and sharp strength that just touched its edges. I had seen glimpses of that as a child—he had always possessed a rebellious nature—but there was a real bite behind it now.

”Can’t I come check up on my little cousin?” Logan asked, and his eyes honed back in on me. “You’re Diana, aren’t you?”

Del’s shoulders stiffened, and I watched Logan’s eyes track the change in him. I didn’t get the sense that Logan was necessarily dangerous, but there was certainly a protectiveness to Del’s stance that couldn’t be explained away.

“Leave her out of this,” Del said. “Diana, why don’t you go back to the cabin so I can chat with my cousin?”

“No thanks,” I said, too interested in whatever the hell was happening to leave.

”Diana,” Del said, his voice warning.

Logan laughed a little. “You know, I’ve never seen a human feel so much like one of our kind. I nearly mistook her for one of Albion’s daughters. I see now why you haven’t come back to us, Del. But don’t worry. I’ll find you later.”

Human? He had called me a human.

Logan moved now, but farther into the water. He began to wade out to a few black rocks, the water not even touching his knees at the low tide. I noticed now, in the moonlight, that there was something strange on the rocks.

My eyes struggled to truly understand what it was. It almost looked like the body of a seal, but it was too flattened to be that. He reached for it, and I was frozen in surprise.

It wasn’t a body. It was a skin, emerging from the night.

”Diana, please go back to the cabin,” Del entreated, his voice more of plea now, but it was the kind of plea you give when you know that there is no hope of your desired outcome. And you plea anyway.

I felt like I was caught in a dream, powerless to control anything, as Logan bent over and placed the seal skin into the water, stepping into its slippery confines and pulling it up his body.

My brain broke a little as the skin seemed to fuse with his own. The air around him began to smoke and hum and bubble, clouds of condensation seeping around him. As he pulled it up his form, it looked less like he was wearing it and more like he was becoming it.

“You can’t keep running from your true nature though!” Logan called before his face disappeared into the skin, and he fell into the water.

He sank in the shallows for a moment, and suddenly, a seal’s head rose above the surface and then submerged, a gray tail waving goodbye. And then Logan or the seal or whatever it was, had disappeared into the depths of the river.

Silence stretched out between me and Del.

“Cousin, huh?” I asked, and Del still didn’t speak. I didn’t know what to do or say. What, exactly, do you do or say when you watch a man transform into a seal before your eyes and swim away like it’s nothing?

”Please tell me there was something hallucinogenic in the drinks that Stacy made. I won’t even be mad,” I said. “Or, I will be, but I would rather be mad right now than whatever this is I’m feeling.”

Del still didn’t look at me, his eyes on the place where Logan had disappeared, like he had disappeared with him. But he just slowly shook his head. “You weren’t imagining things.

”Great,” I said, finally turning to him fully. I could feel the shred of reality I had been gripping onto slowly slip away. “So you wanna tell me what things I just saw?”

[enbies-and-felonies]

Here Comes the Sun (And I Say, it’s Alright)

The second part in the “Finding Home” series!! (pt one)

AO3 LINK

taglist, just ask to be added or removed: @barrel-of-cat-mituna @completekeefitztrash @tiergan-andrin-alenefar @lemontarto @hershis-kotlc @genesiscaveat @everything-else-and-mars @juline-dizznee @chaotic-basics @an-absolute-travesty @classyfunnyquotesmuffin7 @iamstealingyourgenderaswespeak @itstiger720 @introvertedscarecrow @sunset-telepath @an-idiot-in-a-trenchcoat @cowboypossume @anaccidentwaitingtohappen @sofia-not-sophie @fire-sapphics @dr-alan-grant @real-smooth @juline-dizznee

Warnings: some swearing

Summary: Keefe meets Sammy’s moms (they love him).

Keefe looked down at the small boy who walked beside him, gently swinging his hand back and forth and humming. Sammy was a cute boy with wavy, slightly wispy, light brown hair that reached below his ears and hung in his eyes, causing him to pause every so often in order to brush it away before returning to whatever he had been doing before. He had freckles covering his face and spreading lightly over his neck, and he was missing one of his front teeth. Keefe smiled; Sammy also had the tendency to walk with little hops, or to skip and gallop. It was kind of endearing.

"Mr. Keefe?" The young boy abruptly stopped and peered up at Keefe, swiping at his hair with a thoughtful expression that seemed the wrong fit for his round face. Keefe was struck all at once by the vividness of green in his eyes.

"Yeah kiddo?" How did people normally refer to kids??

"You don't need to worry. My moms- my moms are nice and- and- and you know I'm pretty sure they will love you. I love you Mr. Keefe, and my moms will love you. You fixed my knee!" Apparent mission accomplished, Sammy turned away and started off, humming again under his breath.

Keefe's throat got thick, but he just smiled and nodded, too overcome by the pure emotions rolling off of Sammy to answer. How could one person hold so much hope and joy?? How could this kid, after knowing him for barely seven minutes, already feel such overwhelming love and fondness for him?

It knocked the air out of his chest.

"Alright, sure Sammy." His voice was tight with emotion, but he smiled anyways. The kid was alright.

"Hello, my name's Keefe." He flashed his most charming smile and tried to ignore the thumping of his heart. it's FINE, he just looks like he kidnapped their kid. Again, FINE-

"Hello Keefe! I see you've met Sammy; Thanks for finding us." The taller of the two women in front of him gave a teasing smile at Sammy, "Mischief maker." He giggled up at her and she scrunched her nose back.

She had light brown skin and her curly umber hair, which was the length of her chin, was pulled half-up into a ponytail. Her eyes were smiling when she turned them back to Keefe, and although his heart was stilling going faster than a rabbit's, he smiled cheekily back.

"I'm Maren Sauveterre, but if you even think of calling me Mrs. I'll set Sammy on you, y'hear?" Her stern words were offset by the crows-feet at the corners of her eyes and the lilting laugh that escaped. "Anyway, this is my wife, Aden."

Keefe glanced over at the muscular red-haired woman beside Maren. Despite being shorter than Maren, which actually wasn't saying much since Maren seemed to tower over everything, Aden was an imposing figure and Keefe had to remind himself to steady his breathing. At least Maren didn't seem to have a problem with his accidental kidnapping of their kid, and if worst came to worst she would probably stop her wife from beating him up.

Aden raised an eyebrow and grinned, putting her hand out for him to shake. He could do that, shaking hands was normal, it was a normal thing and he wasn't an elf and if he didn't impress her she wasn't going to kill him-

Taking her hand with what might be a tighter grip than necessary -hadn't he always been told a firm handshake was a good first impression?- Keefe gave a quick nod. Her feelings were a strong barrage of confidence, amusement, affection at Maren and Sammy.

"Good grip, son." And then Aden was smiling and turning to Maren; "You'll have to be careful with this one, Love, he's got spirit."

Keefe felt slightly relieved when he looked her over again and realized she was someone who would likely return his banter, and let an easy smirk pull at his lips.

"Yes ma'am." He responded with a small wink, and Aden burst into laughter.

He was about to say something again when Sammy tugged at the corner of her shirt and whispered up at her "Mom, mom I gotta tell you something." 

Aden quickly knelt down and tipped her head so Sammy could whisper into it, "What's up button?"

Meanwhile Maren seemed to be studying Keefe, whose heart had begun racing again. What had happened to the numbness from before?

"When was the last time you ate, or had a place to shower?" Her eyes were calculating, but not unkind, and Keefe felt his cheeks flush. He must smell worse than those selkie skins he'd once had to clean Fintan's capes with.

"I think I ate dinner last night, and the last time I showered... was longer than I care to remember." He was lying, and his heart skipped three beats. He'd had a small lunch... three days ago. Oh. That wasn't good.

"Well," Aden straightened up and crossed her arms (if Keefe hadn't already pegged her as a kindred sarcastic soul, his anxiety would have spiked again), "Sammy says you healed his knee, so I guess you're coming to our place for dinner."

"I-" What. What the fuck was the protocol for that??? Keefe did NOT have the emotional stability for- "Sure." The smirk convinced them, even if it didn't reassure him at all.

On the way to their house, Keefe learned a few things. First, that Maren might be tall as hell, and Aden muscular and *intimidating* in a way that almost made Keefe second guess his initial 'smart-ass who enjoys banter' assumption about her, but they were both kind and welcoming in a way that burned his throat.

Aden swung Sammy up onto her shoulders and called Maren 'Love' and teased them both with a fond smile just hiding on her lips, and Maren rolled her eyes and tried to tickle her side before breaking out into her bell-like laughter. Maren wore a strawberry shirt and light jean overalls that reached her mid-thighs. On her ears were strawberry earrings, and Keefe got the feeling that that was kind of her vibe. He liked it. 

Aden had her flaming red hair in a set of ornate braids twisted up to lay against the nape of her neck, side bangs hanging on either side of her face. Her outfit was a simple pair of black jean shorts, a grey tank-top, and a deep red flannel (that's what he remembered Sophie calling it at least, and he didn't dwell on it because the thought kind of stung) tied around her waist. Keefe approved of both their outfits; must be the gay.

(Another sentence Sophie had said. He really needed to stop thinking about his friends.)

It was... nice, to walk with them and not feel like there were these expectations that he had to live up to. Aden and Maren clearly adored each other, and Sammy, and they never for a moment made him feel like he was "other". Sammy rambled about bees -something about them not having lungs- and Aden complimented his knowledge while Maren smiled at the both of them, glancing at Keefe as if to say "See them? They're the loves of my life."

And Keefe could. He could see the way they fit together, the way they belonged, each, together. They fit together like families rarely did, in Keefe's opinion, and it made him ache. He had that with his friends, and now-

Now it was better not to think about it.

"C'mon Mister Keefe!!"

Keefe looked up ahead at where Sammy pulled at his Mom's hand, now back on solid ground, and smiled. Soft this time, no smirk to mask feelings he couldn't show. Sammy was already beginning to grow on him, and if Keefe wasn't careful he would let it happen. Let himself grow close to someone just to have them pulled away again, or worse, until he pushed them away, like he did everyone else.

But looking at the Sauveterre's, they way they loved their son, each other, the way they loved life-

Well, maybe this was the dawning of a new chapter in Keefe's life.

And maybe, just maybe, he would let it happen.

[fatesdeepdive]

Entry 60: Oops! All Supports Volume #9

Hey, remember the Hoshidan children? Let’s check in on them.

Support: Dwyer/Sophie

C: Sophie attempts to make soup. Dwyer explains she's using water from the horse trough. Sophie insists it's soup for her horse Avel, who gets pissed when she feeds it to him.

B: Avel bites Dwyer. As Sophie ties Dwyer's sleeve up, he notes that she and Avel are both chaotic. Sophie accidentally sews Dwyer's clothes together.

A: After Avel destroys the camp, Dwyer helps her clean it up. Dwyer praises Sophie for never abandoning her horse and promises to never abandon her.

S: Dwyer proposes. Avel eats the ring.

Review: A funny, wacky Support.

Support: Asugi/Mitama

C: Asugi asks Mitama to help him rob a shrine containing a magic scroll. Mitama warns him there are things not to be meddled with and hints that she knows more than she lets on.

B: Mitama caves and explains how to get into the shrine, but insists she goes along.

A: Thanks to Mitama's help, Asugi steals the scroll. Mitama reveals that she accidentally created it as a child and that Azama sealed it away. Fortunately, the scroll's power has faded away. Mitama praises Asugi for his stubbornness.

S: Mitama gets together with Asugi because he's determined.

Review: Not great, and also really weird. Asugi doing mercenary work on the side, Asugi being able to travel to Mitama’s Deep Realm, and Mitama being able to accidentally create cursed scrolls are all new plot points.

Support: Selkie/Shiro

C: Selkie cooks chicken. She and Shiro argue about whether salt or barbecue sauce makes chicken batter.

B: Shiro and Selkie have a cooking competition. Salt and barbecue sauce chicken are both good. Ryoma suggests lemon pepper chicken, which is even better.

A: Shiro explains that you shouldn't judge food until you've tried it, which is apparently the message of this Support. They don't try to tie it into any statement about people, just try food before judging it. Shiro and Selkie get into the same argument, except about eggs this time.

S: Selkie points out that, since they're eating together so much, her and Shiro are practically dating. Shiro proposes.

Review: Not awful, but very shallow.

Support: Caeldori/Kiragi

C: Caeldori tells Kiragi to clean the toilets, but he just wants to go hunting. He challenges her to an archery contest to determine who has to do his chores. He loses.

B: Kiragi finds out about an archery competition and asks Caeldori to compete against him in it.

A: Kiragi wins, with Caeldori coming in second. Caeldori takes her loss gracefully while Kiragi gloats. Kiragi asks if Caeldori went easy on him and she says she never goes easy on an opponent.

S: Kiragi reveals that he wanted to win the archery competition to give him the confidence to beat Caeldori.

Review: This one is just kinda forgettable. It’s hurt by the fact that Caeldori, similar to Ryoma, is a boring character.

Support: Asugi/Fana

C: Kana challenges Asugi to a game of hide and seek.

B: Kana wins by transforming into a dragon and digging a hole.

A: Asugi wins by disguising himself as a tree.

S: Kana asks Asugi to play hide and seek with her forever.

Review: I like how in Three Houses they made it so not every Support ends in marriage and some die out at B-Rank. This game should have had something like that because my god are some of these marriages ridiculous.

Support: Rhajat/Selkie

C: Rhajat prays to Selkie because foxes are messengers of the gods. Selkie is annoyed by this.

B: Selkie saves Rhajat during battle, confirming to Rhajat that worshipping Selkie works.

A: Rhajat grows stronger and thanks Selkie for giving her power; the power of friendship!

Review: This one has an interesting idea, but doesn’t do anything with it.

Support: Hisame/Mitama

C: Hisame is sent to wake Mitama up. He discovers that her room is utterly filthy.

B: Hisame helps Mitama clean her room and finds a collection of old poems.

A: Mitama and Hisame finish cleaning the room. Mitama insists that she needs Hisame's help to clean in the future and asks him to do poetry with her.

S: Mitama makes her room messy as an excuse to spend time with Hisame.

Review: Very basic and forgettable.

Support: Midori/Shiro

C: After helping Midori carry herbs, Shiro feels tired and sore. Midori rubs some herb goo on him to make him feel better.

B: After the medicine doesn't work, Shiro suggests going to a doctor. Midori stops him and gives him a terrible smelling thing to rub on his arms.

A: Shiro gets better, thanks to reducing his training. Midori ignores this and insists she fixed him.

S: Shiro asks Midori on a date.

Review: Midori ignoring praise for other people is fun, but other than that this one is very forgettable.

Support: Mana/Rhajat

C: Kana has Rhajat use magic to cure his toothache.

B: Kana follows Rhajat around because he thinks she's cool. Rhajat rambles on about how much she wants to fuck Kana's mom.

A: Rhajat decides she likes Kana, both because he's friendly and because he's Corrin's son.

S: Kana and Rhajat become besties because they have contrasting personalities.

Review: This Support brings up the idea of Kana thinking Rhajat is cool and the idea of Rhajat using Kana to spend time with Corrin and does nothing with either.

Support: Kiragi/Sophie

C: Sophie, after screwing up feeding the horses, cleans the stables. And accidentally destroys them. Kiragi decides to help her out.

B: Sophie and Kiragi clean the stables together. Sophie accidentally lets all the horses out. Kiragi laughs at this.

A: Kiragi finds all the horses. Sophie tells Kiragi about all the horrible things that happen to her and he laughs. Kiragi decides to keep helping Sophie, because he finds her suffering to be funny.

S: Kiragi says he loves Sophie because she's fun.

Review: Kiragi is kinda sadistic in this one. Sophie tells him Avel broker her ribs, leaving her bedridden for months, and he bursts out laughing. Settid6ng that aside, this one is decent but nothing special.

[ericsonclan]

Lupine’s Eve

Summary: Prisha is enjoying some time with Violet during lunchtime when suddenly Violet starts acting odd...

Word Count: 2173

Read on AO3:

Prisha leaned the back of her head against the tree. It was such a beautiful day today. The calming spring breeze, the sounds of different monsters enjoying the freedom of lunchtime, and Violet resting in her arms. It was perfect. The werewolf’s natural warmth seeped into the vampire’s cold body, warming it up slightly. Prisha sighed happily and wrapped her arms further around Violet, causing the werewolf’s tail to wag faster.

Tilting her head up, Violet looked into Prisha’s eyes. “I’m glad I met you,”

“I’m glad I met you too,” Prisha leaned forward and stole a quick kiss, making the werewolf’s tail whack around at an accelerated pace. The vampire’s heart warmed at the sight and she wished to speak further adoration, going as far as to say the words that she truly felt. After pondering it for a moment Prisha decided to go for it. Lifting Violet’s hand up, Prisha pressed a kiss to it then summoned the courage to say the words. “Violet, I lo-”

Prisha’s words were instantly cut short though when Violet bit down on her braid, growling lightly. Violet munched on it for a second then glanced up, locking eyes with her girlfriend. Without waiting a second Violet released Prisha’s braid and scampered off. The vampire remained frozen in shock.

What on earth just happened?

Prisha waited a few minutes for Violet but soon found herself growing more and more concerned. Violet had acted odd just a few moments ago; perhaps she had gotten a head injury and sustained a concussion. The vampire started to wander around the campus, running into some friendly faces and some not so friendly ones. Each time she stopped to ask if they had seen Violet and each time she was met with the same response until she bumped into Marlon and Louis. The two best friends were currently laughing loudly as they swapped heads, wondering how many monsters they could spook like this.

“Prisha!” Louis beamed while his head was snugly on top of Marlon’s body. “Here for some music time? If so, I have to rain check - Marlon and I are about to go spook some fellow monsters!”

“They’re gonna freak out!” Marlon’s smile mirrored his friend’s. He fistbumped Louis’ wrist which immediately popped off again.

“Damn it,” Louis sighed.

“I came here hoping that one of you had seen Violet,” Prisha jumped back into the conversation, drawing the monsters' attention.

“Oh, Vi? She went tearing across the lawn a minute ago. It was pretty fucking weird,” Marlon motioned over towards the torn up grass that lead towards the picnic tables.

“Thank you and be careful with each others’ heads! I’m sure Clem and Sophie would be heartbroken if you two did something that caused any permanent damage,” Prisha gave a goodbye wave to her two friends then sprinted off, following the damaged grass.

After a few minutes she reached the picnic tables where Sophie, Minnie and Renata were all having a bug-eating contest. Renata and Sophie seemed neck and neck in the race to finish their tasty snacks first but Minnie was the dark horse of the race and soon she had not only caught up but overtaken the lead. Polishing off the last few bugs she gave a loud crow then without thinking she cupped Renata’s face and kissed her deeply.

“I won! Take that, Soph!” Minnie gave a smug smile over to her twin while her girlfriend seemed to be looking off into the middle distance with a dreamy look in her eyes. The huldra definitely felt like she’d won in her own way.

Prisha was about to make her way over there but stopped when something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Violet’s tail was wagging at a fast pace, her ears twitching this way and that as she slowly snuck towards the table. Her neck was extended as she tried to bite down onto Brody’s lunchbag. The selkie was too caught up in the excitement of starting a garden club with Ruby to even notice.

The dryad was practically radiating joy as she spoke with her best friend. “Oh, this will be grand! Our own garden, right here at school!”

Ruby’s smile made Brody’s grow and the two kept talking as Violet inched closer and closer to the lunch bag. Suddenly her eyes locked with Prisha’s. The vampire shook her head no which caused Violet’s ears to flop down but she immediately didn’t listen and snagged the bag. Her sharp teeth tore through the brown paper as she scampered off on all fours.

“What the hell?” Brody jumped up, pulling her sealskin closer around her shoulders, trying to figure out what had happened as the contents of her lunch were scattered across the ground. Prisha wanted to sprint after Violet and learn what was going on here but the correct choice was to help her friend out first. So the vampire helped the selkie and dryad, making sure they were both okay before running after the werewolf.

After a few more minutes of searching Prisha spotted Violet again who was frantically trying to catch her tail. The werewolf spun around again and again until she spotted Prisha. Violet’s tail was out of control as her eyes widened. Without warning she sprinted forward and circled the vampire a few times before tackling her with a hug.

“Oof-” Prisha collided on the ground and was stunned for a moment as the werewolf continued to hold onto her.

“I see you are having a fun Lupine’s Eve,”

Santiago’s voice made Prisha tilt her head back to see the mothman smiling down at her.

“A what?” Prisha got up but Violet continued to hold onto her.

“Lupine’s Eve is a werewolf holiday where the full moon appears during the day. It makes werewolves act feral while in their human forms. You really didn’t know about this?” Santiago quirked an eyebrow as he pushed up his glasses, his antennae twitching in amusement. “I understood me not knowing it till I met Javi but with you and your vast years of life, I suppose I assumed you did,”

“Vampires and werewolves tended not to be on good speaking terms. So we didn’t learn much of their holidays or customs,” Prisha explained as she saw Violet being distracted by a leaf fluttering in the wind. “So I suppose you have your hands full with Coach Garcia then,”

“That is putting it mildly,” Santiago gave a deep sigh and was about to speak but again when the werewolf in question sprinted towards him.

“Santi! Santi! Santi! Santi!” Javi ran around his boyfriend then got distracted chasing his tail for a moment before he turned around. “I LOVE YOU!”

Those words made Santiago blush deeply, his wings fluttering with joy. That is until Javi started to lick his face copiously. “Ugh, Javi, no, bad!” Santiago pulled out a spray bottle and sprayed his boyfriend. The werewolf’s tail grew puffed at that and he growled for a second but it soon changed into a whimper. After a split moment though Javi’s attention had turned elsewhere. His tail flicked this way and that as he watched a rather chunky squirrel bounding back to a tree. A playful glint entered his eyes and he was off like a shot.

“Javi, don’t harass the squirrels!” Santiago shook his head; today’s schedule was already a mess thanks to this.

Prisha watched as the mothman chased after his boyfriend for a second before her eyes looked off in the direction where Violet once was but she was no longer there. Shit. Prisha swore her heart would’ve stopped then and there if it wasn’t already dormant. Her eyes darted around left and right when suddenly they landed on her beautiful, blonde and feral girlfriend who was marking a nearby trash can. Her shoulders brushed against the pungent trash can again and again until she caught sight of the vampire. Her ears turned down and out as she growled, protecting her territory.

“I’m not going to steal your precious trash can, Violet,” Prisha sat down a few paces away and sighed deeply. The frantic calls of Santiago made her glance back to see Javi on all fours running across the baseball diamond with a tennis ball in his mouth he had stolen from a few monsters who had been playing a tennis match. This was going to be an experience.

And an experience it was. Violet kept marking different things as he territory throughout lunchtime before trying to drink a puddle of water then scampered off and accidentally ran into a tree right when the bell rang. Prisha silently picked up her girlfriend and carried her to the next class. Her plans for this lunchtime were shot and the courage to share the words of her heart had vanished.

Luckily Violet was better during classes but the vampire figured that was because she had rubbed her shoulders against Prisha, marking her. With that done Violet had sat in Prisha’s lap and stayed there throughout all the classes, her head tilting back and wanting attention every few seconds. Prisha would press a kiss to her head or cheek and play with her hair while she wrote down notes. The vampire’s cool outer facade didn’t stop the other monsters’ eyes from being on them; if Violet learned of how she was acting she would be utterly humiliated.

Still for the most part things went smoothly... at least until the final period of class where Violet kept growling and trying to attack a bird through the window. Luckily it was study hall and the ever positive imp Mr. Omid made sure that Violet didn’t get in any sort of trouble. As soon as the school bell rang Violet barreled out of the room and outside to the front of Ericson High.

“Violet, wait up!” Prisha called out as she grabbed the few books she needed and sprinted after her girlfriend. She soon found Violet playing a friendly game of tug of war with Javi.

“Glad he has a buddy now,” Santiago smiled, his antennae buzzing lightly. “My arm was growing sore throwing the stick again and again. Besides, it's easier to read a book with two hands. I see you made it through the day,” He smiled and turned a page in his book as Prisha collapsed onto the bench.

“That’s one way of putting it,” The vampire spotted a few more books in front of the mothman “Mind sharing your wealth of books?”

“Not at all. Not when it comes to someone who actually handles books with care,” Santiago shook his head at the thought of mishandled books.

“Oh, I completely understand your frustrations,” Prisha saw Santiago’s eyes flicker with appreciation at those words. The two monsters soon became lost in the joy of discussing books while both of their werewolf significant others fought for dominance in the tug of war match. The werewolves continued to have fun playing tag and fetch until the afternoon gradually turned into the evening.

“Before I leave there’s one thing I forgot to tell you,” Santi said as he placed away the books in his bag. “Javi told me that werewolves still transform on this night but they are usually fairly tame and far too exhausted to do anything as they normally would,”

“Good to know, thank you,” Prisha smiled then made her way to Violet. It would probably be best if she just spent the night at her dorm. All she had to do was make some calls and everything should work out. The vampire led the way to the dorms while on the phone as Violet was busy chasing her tail.

After a few minutes the pair was in front of dorm room 203. With a small yawn Prisha pushed open the door and helped Violet prepare for the full moon transformation. After clearing a few things out of the way, Prisha gave her girlfriend some space to transform. It was a sight that Prisha was used to: the creaking and rearranging bones, the fur, the overly dilated eyes, but still she always could sense how painful the experience was.

Within minutes Violet had fully transformed. Instead of her usual wild energy she immediately collapsed on the ground. Prisha carefully picked her up and placed her in bed, tucking a blanket around her before kissing her cheek. “Sleep well, Violet.” Prisha paused for a moment then decided to speak the words she felt. “I love you,”

The werewolf’s tail wagged excitedly at that but she remained still, deeply asleep. Prisha gave a soft laugh at that then pulled out her desk chair. She supposed she could get some homework done while Violet was sleeping. Although homework never seemed to last long when it came to a vampire doing it. Prisha stared at her math assignment for a second then glanced over Violet’s way. A small smile pulled on the corners of the vampire’s lips. She was truly glad she had met Violet.

[hushed-chorus]

Hey everyone! I hope you are all good! I'm listening to Manu Chao and writing some Selkie!Simon.

I've been working on a scattershot of things this week. There's a collab with the lovely @erzbethluna (which we have roughly planned and been laughing way too much about these past few days). This will be a long term project that we will take at a casual pace. I've also poked at What Remains After The Storm (thank you everyone who commented on chapter 8!), and begun researching my COTTA fics (a one-shot sequel to WRATS and a potential shipwreck/marooning fic because #OceanBullshit).

In terms of active writing, I've decided to focus on Selkie!Simon, because I've been keen to write this for quite some time. Here's a snippet

We drink more tea, eat more scones, and catch up on the past seven years. In between messy bites Simon tells me about all the places he’s been. He tells me about sand dunes, vast and sweeping, and children racing bodyboards down the steeper slopes. Seaside towns, where teenagers jump off cliffs into deep water and people ride pleasure boats. Harbours packed with crab pots and brimming with fishing boats. Morning vistas where the lucky may spot dolphins. The chaos on one beach when people thought they’d seen a great white, until it emerged it was just a basking shark.

“Have you ever seen a basking shark?” His hands are animated, spreading wide. “They have huge mouths, big enough to swallow a man, and they swim around with them wide open. But they don’t even eat meat. My mum told me they eat tiny things called plankton. They swim around waiting for the plankton to fall in. It’s wicked!”

Honestly, it sounds almost as terrifying as the seal.

Also, I'm publishing a secret crack fic this weekend. Here's a snippet.

“How come some sayings work and others don’t?” Petra asks.

I resist the urge to pull the lesson back on track. “Because not enough Normals understand their meaning. For example—”

“—but if I say to Sophie—” Petra lifts her wand, points it at her twin, “—pee your pants, she doesn’t pee her pants!”

Hello tags below the cut! Also, anyone else who wants to join in, consider yourselves tagged!

@johnwgrey @bookish-bogwitch @artsyunderstudy @facewithoutheart @captain-aralias @raenestee @aroace-genderfluid-sheep @yeonjunenby @cutestkilla @ivelovedhimthroughworse @larkral @stitchyqueer @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @ileadacharmedlife @confused-bi-queer @aristocratic-otter @tea-brigade @whogaveyoupermission @nightimedreamersworld @fatalfangirl @thewholelemon @onepintobean @chen-chen-chen-again-chen @shrekgogurt @theearlgreymage @martsonmars @blackberrysummerblog @orange-peony @palimpsessed @valeffelees @j-nipper-95

[crystalelemental]

Since I don’t always recruit them and am once again building perspectives, rankings of the Fates children, because I have a day off and this is how I choose to live my life I guess.

Kana - Honestly not too bad, though god I hate that stupid dragon language bit.  Like okay, thanks for the ancient meme reference, english translators.  C-rank.

Shigure - I don’t like Shigure.  I don’t have any particular reason, he just seems completely uninteresting and is mostly only invested in joining because “I guess I gotta fight some time” like no you don’t that’s the entire point of the deeprealms, why are you so eager to go to war, child?  D-rank.

Dwyer - Honestly alright.  Nothing exceptional but I do appreciate that he’s someone who actually has the ability to do things and just doesn’t seem as invested in it.  B-rank.

Sophie - She’s okay? A bit of a ditz, which I admit isn’t always my favorite archetype with nothing else offsetting it, but she’s inoffensive enough.  B-rank.

Midori - She’s cute, I like her.  She’s doing her best to prove herself, though is a bit...naive?  She doesn’t really think through the danger of going after a thief to retrieve her herbs back, considering that story-wise she’s suggested to not be much of a fighter.  I like her though.  A-rank.

Shiro - All of his conversations thus far have been telling Ryoma off for not actually raising him or preparing him in any way for his inevitable role.  I greatly appreciate this aspect of Shiro.  However his general personality and temperament isn’t my general preference, so on balance we’ll call it a B-rank.

Kiragi - He’s the hyper kid.  I honestly don’t much care for him, but he hasn’t done anything bad.  Just a personality type I really don’t care for.  D-rank.

Asugi - Points for shit-talking his parent for being bad at this, but also does nothing I can appreciate.  I don’t like Gaius, and somehow they made Gaius but with daddy issues.  D-rank.

Selkie - Frankly she’s kind of annoying.  Not the worst, but definitely not the best.  Kinda Kiragi-like, in that it’s mostly just whimsy and goofing off with absolutely nothing to balance that personality trait.  C-rank.

Hisame - I didn’t know it was possible to be this unfathomably boring.  D-rank.

Mitama - I kinda like her?  She just wants to sleep, and is more of the creative type with her haikus.  I don’t think she’s all that interesting, but it’s amazing how she turned out despite her shit dad.  Also, I feel like her desire to just relax and enjoy life is...exactly the point of them being in the fucking deeprealms?  Like you throw all your kids in here to keep them safe from war, she actually achieves a life of peace, and somehow it’s like “Why are you being so lazy?”  Let the girl nap.  A-rank.

Caeldori - She’s fine?  I don’t get a strong sense of adoration for her, but she’s a diligent and nice kid.  B-rank.

Rhajat - Honestly we were doing great until the Corrin scene at the end.  She was frankly hilarious, cackling like a crazy person summoning all her Faceless, and introducing them to Hayato as his grandchildren.  I kinda loved it, but the obsessive thing toward Corrin does dampen the mood.  We’ll say B-rank overall.

Siegbert - Honestly kinda boring, and his main claim to fame here is more that he’s willing to put his own needs secondary to the needs of those around him, showing a decent leadership quality.  He also just seems like a sweet kid in general.  But he’s, again, really boring, so B-rank.

Forrest - S-rank.  Forrest is the shit.  “I’m not leaving to spare your feelings, father.  You’re unworthy of me.”  Fucking go off, kid.  God I love him.

Ignatius - I kinda like him.  He’s a bit of a coward, but puts on a brave face for others and does his best to defend people.  He wants to be like his father, who he looks up to and respects as a fearless defender of the people, and it’s super sweet.  A-rank.

Velouria - Not as much fun as I expected her to be.  She’s fine and all, but doesn’t have as much going on as I remembered.  Or at least she was until the supports.  She’s a lonely kid who finally is around her parents and just wants to snuggle in.  It’s pretty damn cute.  A-rank.

Percy - I really don’t like this kid.  I get it, he’s young, so kinda dumb, but joining in with a bunch of people to attack us by setting us up as bandits?  Dick move, kid.  D-rank.

Ophelia - She’s a goober, but she’s a fun goober in the same was Odin is.  I absolutely hate her outfit, but otherwise she’s fun.  A-rank.

Soleil - S-rank.  Like is it even a question?  Soleil’s cool as hell.

Nina - I don’t actually like Nina.  Like, at all.  Most of this, however, comes from the memetic focus on her thinking any two men interacting is a thing to write lewd fanfiction about.  But having met her, and knowing that her stance is more as a thief who steals for the common man...I still don’t care for her all that much.  I dunno, it’s better than I thought but still not a favorite at all.  C-rank?  C-rank.

So that’s everyone.  I’m kinda surprised no one got a failing grade.  There are plenty I really don’t like, and quite a few that are just boring as all hell, but no one was so awful that I literally couldn’t stand it.  If I had to pick an outright worst kid, probably Hisame.  Because I literally cannot remember much of anything about him, and I did his chapter this morning.  Best is Forrest, but Soleil is a really close second.  I love them both.

On the whole, not as bad as I remember, but oh boy do I really not like the Fates kids on the whole.

[medblr-of-a-sleepyhead]

7 Comfort Movies

Tagged by @movioletta @do-no-harm-hopefully and @loreleys-road-to-md!! Thank you guys for the tags! 😋💕 (and @Leyla I definitely don't mind the triple tag 😂)

So....disclaimer : I'm a huge weeb, and also love animated films to death. Hence, my list is mostly gonna be a mish mash of those 😂

Here we go :

1. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)

This is my ultimate comfort film, and one of my top favorites from Studio Ghibli. To those who haven't seen it, I definitely recommend. It's a film about a young witch navigating her way through a new world of her own and meeting people on the way. It's more like a journey than a film, about relying on yourself, about our complicated relationship with our own talents and shortcomings, about adjusting, about creativity and what it means to lose inspiration and overcoming that....and ugh....a hundred other things....I can't express how much this movie means to me ♥️

2. Song Of the Sea (2014)

This is a really sweet story about two siblings and their father, all three of whom are grappling with the mysterious death/disappearance of the mother six years ago. The story is deeply embedded in Celtic mythology, with selkies and magic and adventure thrown in, and I loved every second. The soundtrack and the songs are hauntingly beautiful, and the best part is the amazing hand drawn animation 💕 I highly recommend!!

3. Meet the Robinsons (2007)

One of my childhood favourites, this film is about a young orphan boy, who's a genius inventor, but alas, none of his experiments have yet turned out successful. He dreams of competing in his school science fair and hopes that a winning place will help him get adopted with a kind family. On the day of the exhibit, he gets mysteriously visited by a boy his age, who claims to be from the future, and gets sucked into an epic adventure, with time machines, robots, and more surprises than he can handle 😂 this film is hilarious, and unexpectedly touching at places, exploring the bond that families share, be it biolocal families or found families, with the core message to always "Keep moving forward" no matter what. It's one of those seriously underrated Disney movies, which I highly recommend 😋

4. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

This one need no introduction. It has Dragons! Epic Fights! Badass villains! A Great Plot!! Chronically Disappointed Fathers!! Eternally Absent Mothers!! A shy nerdy boy befriending a mortal enemy!! A feisty girl who will kick your ass!! Great friendships!! Best of all : IT HAS TOOTHLESS!!!! (aka the most babiest dragon in existence!!!) Did I mention a WHOLE PET DRAGON???!!! YESSS!!! Recommend 100/100! pls excuse me, I really really like this film sksksksksjs

5. Pride and Prejudice (2005)

Okay listen, I first saw this film when I was 9 (my cousin made me watch it because she had it for a college assignment) and BOOM! Instant love. I read the actual novel when I was older, but I still love love love this film. I mean, who doesn't love Mr Darcy's constipated face and his constipated miniscule displays of emotion and his eternally prickly demeanor at being surrounded by the rest of the common folk??? Right???!! 😂 look at his face right there!!! It's freaking hilarious 😂

6. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

Another Studio Ghibli classic (who am I kidding, all their films are amazing 😔). It's about a young girl Sophie who gets turned into an 80 year old lady by the curse of the Witch of the Waste, and her adventures with wizard Howl Jenkins Pendragon. Hayao Miyazaki adapted elements from Diana Wynne Jones' novel (which was amazing too) and made it into his own story. It's a bit haphazard, a bit all over the place, but endearing and hilarious. And did I mention the gorgeous animation and intricately painted backgrounds??? All time fave 💖

7. Hugo (2011)

This was another film that I liked unexpectedly. It's about an orphan boy who lives "in the walls" of a Paris railway station, and his dream is to fix his late father's automaton. One day, he meets a book lover girl, Isabelle, and her strict and grumpy godfather who runs a toy shop in the same station. Isabelle and Hugo stumble upon a mystery that seems to span over decades, linking the automaton, a single signature and a bunch of forgotten drawings at Isabelle's home.

Tagging : @cancerbiophd @greatmedjourney @doktorwhat @themaybemd @mistressofsurgery @tetraiodothyronine @clumsybookworm18 @digital-medic @help-im-a-medstudent @feministofthewatertribe @rod-of-asclepius90 @itsjuliyuli @studiousmedic @rememberwhyyoustarted-study

[twokisses]

21 Questions Tag

thanks @parijpg, @captain-aralias and @sncwbaz for tagging me!!

nickname: mei/may (first is the mandarin word for little sister, second is my actual middle name)

real name: shalina

zodiac: capricorn

height: 5'8" ish??

what time is it: 11 am

other blogs: oh i have too many probably, some i'd like not to mention here lmao -- but there's my kpop blog @chiminichangas , my pretty much abandoned anime blog @touchmybana , and my original writing blog that's sadly a little dead right now (hoping to change that soon!), @expressingpossibility-blog

how many blogs do I follow: 414????? something like that. i haven't cleared out most of my list since like 2016

what am I wearing right now: jeans + a white button-down with cute lil cacti on it

drink of choice: water haha

celebrity crushes: uuuuuuhhhhh i'm definitely gonna forget TONS but?? sophie turner, harry styles, tom hardy, cillian murphy, jeon jungkook, taron egerton, armie hammer uh etc etc hahaha

favorite musician/group: daryl hall & john oates, t. rex, inxs, billie eilish, harry styles etc etc (i love lots)

do I get asks: yep, sometimes! mostly prompts for fic/hcs, but i love receiving any sort of ask 💛

tumblr crushes: blogs/people/creators i absolutely ADORE: @captain-aralias (incredible writer, pls read hang the moon - one of my all-time favourite fics i've ever read), @vkelleyart @subpar-selkie @parijpg (all amazing artists you should absolutely have on your feed if you don't already), and in the aftg fandom, @ravenvsfox (a brilliant writer with a truly gorgeous, unique writing style that i draw a lot of inspiration from in my own writing)

dream car: idk man i'm not really knowledgeable on cars, but classic ones are really pretty (e.g. the mustang from wayward son)

Instruments: my voice is my most used instrument. otherwise, i sometimes pick up my ukulele, and i learned guitar for about a year but didn't really enjoy it. i really REALLY want to learn bass guitar

random fact: i live and breathe to dance (not any particular style, just grooving). don't play a bop around me and expect me to stay still

favorite sports team: my dad likes manchester united so that's kinda my fave by default lmao

lucky number: 1!

dream vacation: i really want to go to sydney, i've never been. i loved perth when i went there.

favourite food: curry and RICE (my asian ass wouldn't survive without rice)

languages: i can speak fluent english and stilted malay

Bonus fact: uuuhhhhhhh i'm a big maths fiend. sit me down with a workbook and you'll probably lose me for hours

tagging @carryonsimoncarryonbaz @penelopes-place @subpar-selkie @ninemagicks @sourcherrymagiks @a-l-ias and anyone else who wants to do it!!

[skullsandfairylights]

Writer’s Month 2019

Day 14: Trope Prompt: fairy tale

Far away, on the edge of the sea, there was a young girl named Sophie who lived with her stepmother and two sisters. They lived in a small cottage that had been left to them by Sophie’s father. The cottage was so close to the shoreline, that during high tide, the sea stretched from their door all the way across to a small island known to locals as simply, Seal Island. When the tide drew out, a long line of sand was uncovered and became a natural bridge crossing.

           You must stay away from Seal Island.

           It was a mantra repeated by everyone in the village. It was murmured by the adults, gossiping over the latest fool who chose to make the journey across. It was a whispered to the children as they fell asleep. Everyone knew to avoid the island. To avoid the sand bank which was known to suck unwary travellers down if the wrong path was taken. To avoid the selkies which supposedly lurked and frolicked on the island when the tide uncovered the sandy beaches.

           “But, I’ve seen the Witch walk to the island? She knows a safe path across.” Lettie pointed out one day.

           “You need to stay away from the Witch.” Fanny had exclaimed. “She is wicked, and you should go nowhere near her!”

           So, Sophie and her sisters stayed away from the Witch, but watched her from afar as each morning, when the tide drew out, she would walk over to Seal Island. By each evening, the Witch would make her way home, a stormy glaze in her eyes as she stomped across the sand.

           One day, while Sophie was watching over her sisters as they played on the sands, they heard the whispering of the Witch as she came down from the village.

“One day, I’ll catch a Selkie,

           And Selkie, you shall give

           Me all the power of the sea.”

           The witch repeated this over and over as she walked straight passed the girls, paying them no mind in the slightest. The younger girls paused their game and stared as the large, wobbling figure of the witch disappeared into the horizon. Then Martha turned to her oldest sister, “Sophie, what’s a Selkie?”

           “It’s a creature which looks just like a seal but turns into a beautiful person when they take their seal skin off.” Sophie explained. “It is said that they eat the hearts of those they capture.”

           Lettie and Martha looked so excited by this which worried Sophie so much that when she found her sisters’ beds empty the next morning, Sophie bound out of bed and immediately started running towards Seal Island. As she ran, she could see that the Witch had reached the island and was walking up the large hill in the centre.

           When Sophie reached the island, she started to shout, calling her sisters’ names and looking everywhere she could think that they may have hidden. She spent so much time searching that she didn’t realise the tide had come back in and that her pathway home was gone.

But she still hadn’t found her sisters, so she kept on looking.

“Well, well, it’s not often that I find a little mouse on my island.” Came a voice from behind her. Sophie swung around to find a handsome young man standing in the water, chest bare and his bottom half hidden by a rock. “What brings you here?” He asked.

“I’m looking for my sisters.” Sophie explained, pulling away slightly, ready to run.

“Well, they’re not here. The only other person to come here, is that ugly, old witch and she left half an hour ago.”  

Sophie deflated. They weren’t here. She wasted so much time looking for them. She put herself in grave danger by coming here. And now, she was stuck here until the tide went out and the bridge returned. She let out a deep breath and fell back to sit on a nearby rock.

“Come now, little mouse, why the long face?”

“If my sisters aren’t here, then they must be back on the mainland. But, now, I’m stuck here for who knows how long?”

“If that’s all it is, then I can help with that. Just hold on tight.” The man then disappeared behind the rock, only for a seal to appear around the corner just a few seconds later. The seal looked up and motioned its head in a ‘follow-me’ motion. And Sophie did, she followed the seal over to the shore, directly across from her home.

Sophie waded into the sea and wrapped her arms around the seal which wriggled for a few moments before pushing off into the depths. It swam carefully, slowly down whenever it felt like Sophie was losing her grip and staying as close to the surface as possible. A while later, the seal came to a stop beside some rocks a little way away from Sophie’s home. Sophie waded to shore and turned back to see the man following her, through he stayed in the water, seal skin held tight around his middle.

“I suppose, I should thank you...” Sophie said. The man smiled.

“Howl. My name is Howl.”

“I’m Sophie.”

���Well, Sophie, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Howl grasped Sophie’s hand and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her hand. “And I hope that I will have the greater pleasure of seeing you again.” Howl smiled and pulled his skin up and over his head, leaving a seal in his place. The seal winked at Sophie before it dived into the waves and disappeared back towards Seal Island.