#Ven grows up a lot since his childhood

[corishadowfang]

For the Friendship ask game.

Any or all of the NULs for 🎵 (music taste) and/or 🐣 (upbringing)

(For this)

I'll do the whole crew, haha! (Oops, I guess this got kind of long, too, so...under a read more it goes!)

🎵 Music — do they have similar music tastes to one another? if they exchanged phones, what songs would they be most surprised to hear from their friend’s playlist? what sort of songs would they associate with the other(s)?

Some of them do! Ephemer and Ven have very similar tastes; very pop music and musical-driven. They'd probably share songs a lot, haha.

Lauriam likes a lot of classical stuff--but he's also actually into rock/metal, which really shocks his friends. Skuld, however, thinks it's great, since she also likes that sort of music, and is happy to have someone to share songs with, since the others...aren't quite as into it.

Speaking of Skuld--she actually has pretty eclectic taste in music, and will listen to almost anything, even if rock and metal tend to be her favorite. She is probably the one most likely to steal...whatever they have to play music on in Daybreak Town...to listen to other people's music.

Brain likes a lot of techno and indie stuff! He's willing to try out new things, but won't necessarily be enthusiastic about it.

As for what sorts of songs they'd associate with the others...most of them I think they'd guess pretty spot-on, haha, with Lauriam being the main outlier.

🐣 Upbringing— how do their childhoods compare, and what do they think of the families that raised them? have they always been together? do they share any common footing when it comes to how they grew up?

Their childhoods vary pretty wildly! Skuld came from a large family (both extended and immediate); Ephemer came from, ironically, a very small family, which was really just him and his dad; Brain had a...less than ideal relationship with his mom; Lauriam and Strelitzia were basically on their own; and Ven, uh...well, he loved his family, but there was a lot of conflict about him even, like...existing.

When I was writing Dandelion Seeds, I wanted them to have a lot of different family situations, while still having some things that they could relate to each other with, so while they haven't always been together, they CAN find some common ground with each other. Ephemer and Skuld had pretty good upbringings, overall; they both grew up near Daybreak Town, so they find they have a lot to talk about surrounding that, too.

Brain relates to Ven a lot. Brain didn't have many friends growing up, either (just Ava, and she was apprenticed when they were pretty young), and while his situation wasn't quite the same as Ven's, he's still sympathetic to the complicated family situation.

Lauriam has the hardest time relating to any of them directly, since he and his sister had to struggle on their own for a long time. He probably had the roughest childhood out of the bunch, though he does feel for Ven, who grew up with...very limited love and few outside connections. As far as he's concerned, at least he still had his sister; Ven didn't really have much of anyone.

[mercurypilgrim]

Has anyone tried to bribe or buy Ven by gifting him a slave/slaves (aside from whoever was responsible for Vette - Barras, I guess)? If yes, how did he react?

Ooh, I like this question!

I would say that yes, this has happened. Slaves are a commodity in the Empire, and I’d imagine someone wouldn’t think twice about using them as bartering chips.

I liked this so much imma write a snippet for it. ^_^

---

Ven'fir stared.

"I-" he managed, before closing his mouth.

It wasn't often that he was speechless.

The Sith that was watching his reaction seemed very pleased with himself, his crimson tattoos moving as his smile crinkled his eyes.

The human on the end of the chain kept her eyes down respectfully, shivering slightly in the chill of a Kaasi evening breeze. She wore what amounted to decorative scraps of fabric, held together by delicate silver chains and other adornments.

"You like her, yes?" The other Sith prompted, smug. "She's a gift. One that I hope will allow you to look more favourably upon my proposal, Darth Venator."

The human's shoulders tensed ever so slightly, and Ven'fir's thoughts were like a whirlwind.

Ven'fir hadn't used to think much about slaves before. The ones that served his House had been pleasant enough, if a bit quiet. None of them were particularly badly treated as far as he saw, and it was such a normal part of his life that he'd never much thought about them.

Then, Vette.

Now he thought about it a lot.

He swallowed, and it was painful.

"I don't appreciate bribery," he said, voice pitched low. The Sith hurriedly tried to explain, his eyes turning wide as he realised his mistake. Some Sith had honour, but he had assumed the roguish Darth Venator was no one of them. "If you want your daughter to apprentice under me, she must earn it."

He pinned the older man, the proud father, with a glare that had him cowering. A hint of power licked at their senses, something massive and burning, like looking into the heart of a star.

"You should have done more research on me," he muttered, flexing clawed gauntlets. The Sith's eyes darted to them, horrified. The air was beginning to taste like fear.

The slave shivered, closing her eyes and refusing to move.

"I cannot abide people being sold like property." he snarled, reaching out.

He wasn't sure when the Force choke had become a signature of his, but the way the Sith's aura flared with fear and he dropped the end of the chain to get away told him that he knew what was coming.

The Force wrapped around his throat, almost gentle in it's slowness. It curled around his neck and began to squeeze, the pressure gradually increasing to give the victim more than enough time to understand what was happening to them.

By the time the Sith was begging, he was already turning puce.

"I should snap your neck," Ven'fir murmured, and ignored the tears running down the others cheeks. "I wonder if you appreciate the feeling, hm? This is what a choke collar feels like."

He paused, glancing down to the slave crouching on the floor.

"Want me to kill him?" he asked, and she only trembled.

He sighed, and let the Sith fall into unconsciousness instead. His own power was calling out for blood, to sink his clawed hand through the pleading Sith's chest and feel the hot lifeblood seep between the seams of his gauntlets. He soothed the urge like one would a feral cat, soft lies calming ruffled fur.

He let the unconscious body slip to the floor, where it lay, crumpled. At least this way the daughter, an acolyte at the academy looking for her first apprenticeship, wouldn't come looking to avenge her father by killing him. He had no wish to spill her blood too.

Carefully, he approached the slave, whose nose was almost touching the floor. Her hair, cropped short, exposed how her ears had been pierced through with more delicate silver jewellery.

Ven'fir knelt in front of her, somewhat at a loss.

"Hey," he murmured, "It's all right. He's gone, and I won't hurt you."

Nothing.

"Please, look at me?" he asked, something in the Force nudging him to ask.

Immediately the woman looked up and into his eyes, and he saw her form tense again in fear when she met his amber gaze, Sith eyes lambent in the dim lighting.

He tried for a small smile.

"Well done," he murmured, "Please, you are allowed to speak to me however you wish."

Guarded, she nodded.

"What's your name?" he asked, watching how she considered the question.

"Marif, sir." She said after a few moments, wary like she expected him to be displeased.

"That's a nice name," he assured, smiling. "My name if Ven'fir."

She shifted, and her chains made delicate clinking noises as she did so. Ven'fir hated the sound.

"Master Rovial called you Darth Venator, sir." she all but whispered.

Ven'fir nodded.

"Yes, that's my Sith title. You can call me whatever you like." he soothed, "Now, can you stand? I'm going to take you with me to get some proper clothes on, and then I'm going to get you off this planet."

She stared at him, wide eyed. She couldn't have been more than twenty, and his belly clenched. The kind of clothes she had been put in made her intended purpose obvious.

"I'm freeing you." he said softly. "Come on, I won't let anything happen to you."

Carefully, awaiting a punishment at every turn, she stood on shaking legs. He offered her his arm and she clung to it as he swept his cloak over her shoulders. It drowned her in fabric, but she pulled it around herself and pressed close. She was trembling and frightened, of him almost as much as everything else.

He swallowed hard, and punched in a channel on his holo.

His crew would help.

He felt her hand, tiny in his own, tighten as they walked, leaving the unconscious body of her former Master behind them.

Neither looked back.

[maddrmatt]

A Beautiful Future: A Premonition or a Punishment? (SoKai Week 2021)

Greetings readers and fellow SoKai fans!  It is I, the Mad Doctor, participating in SoKai Week for the second year running.  This year, I have a special multichapter story that will be posted throughout the week.  It’s going to be quite an emotional rollercoaster that I hope you all enjoy!

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Chapter 1: Two Hearts Become One

Radiant Garden

Dressed in an elegant white suit with golden highlights, Sora gazed over Mickey’s head at the long aisle ahead of him.  It was going to be quite a walk.  But it was going to be one worth taking given what was going to happen at the end.

Just then, music filled the air and Mickey began his walk.  Once the mouse king was far enough ahead, Sora followed after him.  ‘Okay.  Here it goes. No pressure.  It’s only the happiest day of Kairi’s and my life.’

As he walked, Sora took in his surroundings and marveled at how different the setting was from when, on occasion, he would picture his wedding day.  ‘If the Keyblade had never come to me and I had never got caught up in my adventures, we probably would’ve been getting married in a simple beachside ceremony on the Islands with just family and friends from there.  I never thought it would be in another world.  Especially in front of a crowd like this.’

The Radiant Garden chapel that the ceremony was taking place in was indeed far from a beach setting.  It had needed to be magically expanded to accommodate all the various friends from around the worlds that he made on his many adventures.  There was even a giant screen hovering up front in the air so the guests could see the altar no matter where they were in the chapel.

There had probably never been such a gathering of guests in the entire history of the worlds.  It was composed of various humans, animals (both regular and anthropomorphic), monsters, magical beings, artificial constructs and other kinds. And all of them looked incredibly happy to be there to witness this happy occasion.

Hercules pumped his fist.  Rapunzel’s eyes were wet with happy tears.  Stitch shot him one of his toothiest smiles.  Jack Sparrow gave a salute.

Sora smiled at all of them as he passed by.  ‘We may be shattering the World Order to bits for this wedding.  But I’m so glad they could all be here today.  Because they’re not just friends.  All of them are family.’

Finally, Sora reached the altar and stood before Mickey. The mouse had never looked more like a king since he was dressed in his most official robes.  It was fitting because he was the officiant for the ceremony.

‘Never would have imagined that we’d be getting married by a king who’s a giant mouse,’ thought Sora as he turned around and gazed down the aisle as his groomsmen, all dressed in matching black suits, approached.

Fittingly, the first groomsman to arrive was also the very first person Sora had helped in his lifetime.  ‘I’d barely been born when I saved Ven.  And because of him, I gained the Keyblade and became the hero the worlds and Kairi needed.”

Then came his former Nobody.  ‘Roxas certainly earned his spot among my groomsmen. He gave up his existence to wake me up so I could stop the first Organization.’

Sora gave a little chuckle as he saw how identical Ven and Roxas were in their suits.  ‘They truly do look like twin brothers.  I can’t believe how many of the guests here really thought they were that.’

After Roxas, came the two who had been with Sora through nearly every step of his adventures.  Donald and Goofy looked like proud parents seeing as how they had long considered Sora to be like another nephew and another son respectively.

‘An anthropomorphic duck and dog among my groomsmen.  Now there’s something I definitely never thought I would have at my wedding.  But I never would’ve gotten anywhere without them. Not that I would tell Donald that. Goofy maybe.  But not Donald.  He’d never let me hear the end of it.’

Then Riku came down the aisle.  As he took his place right beside Sora, the two of them exchanged smiles.

‘Riku, I’m so happy that through everything that’s happened, our friendship not only endured but got even stronger.  You’re my brother in everything but blood and there’s no one else I’d choose to be my best man.’

Now that all the groomsmen were in place, it was now time for the bridesmaids to come down the aisle.  ‘My bride really didn’t have a lot of female friends when we were growing up on the Islands.  Now, thanks to our adventures, she has plenty to fill her bridesmaids’ ranks,’ thought Sora.

The first bridesmaid to arrive, dressed in a pink dress that they were all wearing, came Olette.  ‘She was probably the first person to call our story a romantic one.  How right she was.’

Xion was next.  ‘Her appearance is living proof that my strongest memories were always of Kairi.’

Following Xion was none other than the blue haired Keyblade master who was ultimately responsible for him meeting the love of his life.  ‘I can never thank you enough for setting us up to meet, Aqua.’

Then came Kairi’s former Nobody.  ‘I’m so glad that Naminè didn’t want to wake me up without my memories of Kairi. Although, I wish there had been a better way that wouldn’t have required Roxas and Xion to make sacrifices.  Oh well.  It all worked out in the end.’

Finally, came the maid of honor.  ‘She may have been uninvolved in our adventures.  But Selphie’s been Kairi’s oldest female friend, so she deserves to be maid of honor.’

Sora then gazed to the front rows of seats where the groups from Disney Castle, Radiant Garden, Twilight Town and Shibuya were all seated.  In the very first row was Master Yen Sid, Terra, Axel, Isa, Hayner, Pence, Tidus and Wakka as well as his parents, Hayley and Jones who looked extremely proud of their boy.

‘Mom, Dad, I hope that our marriage turns out as wonderful as yours.’

Next to come up the aisle, was Pluto with Jiminy Cricket riding on top of his head.  The dog had a cushion clutched in his mouth which upon it were two paopu fruits each in the middle of a crown of flowers.  In the cricket’s hands was a cushion with two golden rings.

Once Pluto had reached the altar, he walked up to Selphie, who reached down and took one of the rings from Jiminy’s cushion.  The dog then walked up to Riku who took the remaining ring.   With the rings having been delivered to the maid of honor and best man, Pluto assumed a sitting position next to Riku until the time came for his next duty.

Then the music changed.  All the guests rose to their feet.

After a short while, Sora’s eyes widened. Coming down the aisle, preceded by Chirithy who was scattering flower petals and between her adoptive parents Parker and Dorothy, was his bride.

Kairi was dressed in a lovely white sleeveless wedding gown. Golden designs were stitched into the fabric with an elaborate shape of a heart on her chest.  Her hair had been done up in a bun and she was wearing a tiara with seven shimmering white heart-shaped jewels.  In her hands, she carried a bouquet of flowers.  Her eyes were bright with happiness and her lips wore a radiant smile.

‘She’s so beautiful,’ thought Sora.

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‘He’s so handsome,’ thought Kairi as she and her parents reached the altar with Chirithy taking its place beside Selphie.

The music faded and the guests resumed sitting.  It was time for the ceremony to begin.

“Welcome all honored friends and family from around the worlds. We are gathered here on this most joyous day to witness the joining of Sora and Kairi in the sacred union of marriage. Who presents this woman to be married?” asked Mickey.

“Her father and I do, with all our hearts and with every blessing,” said Dorothy.

“We also say this on behalf of her birth parents and grandmother who sadly could not be here today but would surely be so proud of her,” said Parker solemnly.

A bittersweet feeling came over the bride.  ‘I hope, wherever they are, they’re very proud.  I just know they would’ve loved Sora especially after hearing about everything he’s done for me.’

Kairi handed her bouquet to Selphie and exchanged a loving embrace with each of her parents.  ‘I can never thank you enough for taking me in, Mom and Dad.  You’ve been the most wonderful parents I could ask for.  I love you both so much.’  

The bride then walked over to the groom’s side.  Sora was then suddenly embraced by Kairi’s parents.

“Keep taking care of her, Sora,” whispered Parker.

“Just like you always have,” added Dorothy.

“I will.  I promise,” Sora responded back as Kairi’s parents broke their embrace and headed for their seats.

‘And there’s never been a promise that you’ve failed to keep, my soon-to-be husband,’ thought Kairi as she took Sora’s hands into her own as Mickey started up again.

“What we are witnessing this day is the next step in what has been an incredible journey. Sora and Kairi began this journey as childhood friends. But although they were young, the light of love was present right from the start and it continued to grow over time. That light has guided them through many trials and tribulations throughout their lives.  And now they have reached this day when their hearts, which have always shared a special bond, will now truly become one,” said the mouse king.

‘It certainly has been quite a ride for us, Sora.  But everything that we’ve gone through, even the darkest times, has been worth it.  Even more worth it since it has finally led us here to this day,’ thought Kairi.

“Sora, Kairi, your love and devotion for one another is greatly admirable.  But while marriage is a beautiful symbol of that love, it is a commitment not to be taken lightly as you go through all the challenges that life will throw at you. But there is no doubt among anyone present here that the two of you will rise to meet those challenges together,” continued Mickey.

Kairi smiled at her groom who smiled back.  ‘As many of our friends have said, when we’re together, Sora, there is nothing we can’t do.’

“Now, let us hear you both recite your vows of love for one another. And as Keyblade Masters, it is tradition to swear them on your Keyblades.  Sora?” asked Mickey.

As he had been instructed by the Keyblade Masters, Sora released one of his hands from Kairi’s, held it out and summoned Kingdom Key eliciting a gasp from several of the guests.  Planting the tip to the floor and kneeling down while not once breaking eye contact with Kairi or releasing her hand.

‘Okay, Kairi.  Let’s keep it together.  You don’t want to start crying and ruin Selphie’s hard work on your makeup.  No matter how wonderful Sora’s vow is undoubtedly going to be,’ Kairi thought as the love of her life began.

“Kairi, when my adventures began, what kept me going was the thought of reuniting with the people I hold dear at the end.  But looking back, I realize while that was true, it was not entirely accurate because the one I was fighting hardest to reunite with has always truly been you.  You’ve always been the one who inspires me to be the best I can be, and you’ve always been the light that leads me out of the darkness and back to where I’m meant to be: where I can hear you laugh, see you smile and just be where we can share our lives and our love.  So, this is my vow to you.  As your husband, I will stand by your side in all things that may come our way whether it be fighting together to protect the worlds from the darkness or raising a family of our own.  I will laugh with you in the good times and comfort you in the bad times.  And most of all, I will love you now and forever even beyond the time we part for good.”

Kairi had bee successfully in refraining from crying. But it had been no easy task.  Sora’s wonderful words of love had imbued her with immense joy.

As Sora rose and dismissed his Keyblade, Mickey turned to Kairi and said, “Kairi?”

‘Sora, that was absolutely beautiful.  I only hope my own vow will touch your heart in the same way you’ve just touched mine.’

Like what Sora did earlier, Kairi held out her hand and summoned Destiny’s Embrace.  She planted the tip on the floor and kneeled down while her eyes gazed into Sora’s while keeping one of her hands in his.  It was fortunate that her gown had been designed so she had no trouble kneeling down for this part.

“Sora, when I first met you, it was during one of the darkest times of my life.  There I was: a lost little girl whose home world was swallowed by the darkness and had been sent away to a strange new one with no memory other than her own name. And then there was you: a boy with the brightest smile who opened his heart to me and helped me build a wonderful new life.  I don’t know what would have happened to me had you not become the friend that I needed. I realize now that it was not some random chance that we met.  It was destiny.  Destiny brought us together.  Destiny always reunited us whenever we were separated.  And now, destiny has led us here where our hearts will be united. And so, to you, I vow that I will support you in everything from the responsibilities as Keyblade Masters to bringing up our future children.  I will always cheer you on and be your source of strength.  And most importantly, I will love and cherish you for the entirety of our lifetime and beyond.”

Kairi looked into Sora’s eyes and saw a tear welled up in it.  He too was clearly struggling to not make a scene. Her heart warmed to see that her vow had indeed succeeded in touching his heart.

Mickey wiped away a tear of his own from his eye as Kairi dismissed her Keyblade and rose up.  “Those vows were beautiful, both of you.  You should both be very proud,” he whispered to the bride and groom.

The mouse king then regained his composure and continued on with the ceremony.  “The groom and the bride shall now exchange their rings.”

Sora turned away from Kairi.  Riku immediately handed Sora the ring.  After shooting his oldest friend a look of gratitude, he turned toward his future wife and took her hand into his.

“Kairi, wear this ring as a symbol of my oath to love you and my wish for the wonderful lifetime for both of us,” he said as he slipped the ring on her finger.

Kairi gazed at the ring.  Engraved upon it, was a perfect recreation of the drawing from the Secret Place.  A drawing that had evolved from simple childhood artwork to a foretelling of a very important moment in their lives.

‘Those Moogles certainly are quite the artists,’ thought Kairi.

“Kairi?” whispered Selphie snapping Kairi out of her thoughts.

‘Oh!  Right! Time for me to give Sora his so we match!’

Kairi turned to her maid of honor who passed the ring to her. After giving her oldest gal pal a slightly embarrassed smile, she turned to her groom and took his hand.

“Sora, wear this ring as a symbol of my oath to love you and my wish for the wonderful lifetime for both of us,” said the bride as she slipped the ring onto the groom’s finger.

Mickey smiled.  “And now, before we conclude the ceremony, there are two unification rituals that we shall observe.  They are traditions that come from the two worlds represented here.  First, from the bride’s world of birth, Radiant Garden, the flower crowns.”

Pluto left Riku’s side and moved until he stood before the bride and groom.  With a smile of gratitude to the dog, Sora and Kairi reached down and each took one of the flower crowns off of the cushion.

“Entwined in these crowns, are three kinds of flowers.  First, the yellow sunflowers represent your friendship, which was where the two of you began.  Next, the pink carnations represent your love for each other that grew from your friendship and led you here.  And finally, the white daisies represent the brand-new beginning of a whole new journey that two of you will share together in your love.  Sora, Kairi, on this day, wear these crowns as symbols of everything your marriage encompasses.”

At the end of Mickey’s words, Sora raised the crown in hands and gently lowered it down onto Kairi’s head, careful not to disturb or obscure her tiara.  Once he had finished, Kairi did the same, managing to get the crown past his usual spiky hairstyle that she loved so much.

Kairi then heard what sounded to be some snickers that could have come from either the audience or the groomsmen.  Clearly the sight of Sora wearing the flower crown had amused some.

She shook her head with a small smile.  ‘I can imagine he might be getting teased after the ceremony likely from Riku, Donald, Axel, Wakka or Tidus.  I’ll have to remedy that by assuring him just how adorable he looks.’

“Now, for the tradition from the Destiny Islands.  And it is one that carries a certain significance for Sora and Kairi: the sharing of the paopu fruits,” Mickey continued.

Once again, Sora and Kairi reached down to Pluto’s cushion. This time, they took the two star-shaped fruits from it.

“For those who do not know, there is a legend from the Islands that when two people share these fruits, their destinies are bound together, and they remain a part of each other’s lives no matter what.  While Sora and Kairi have shared these fruits before, they will do so again here on their wedding day to renew and strengthen that bond.”

With that, Sora and Kairi began to reach their fruits to the other’s mouth.  As they inched closer, they both recalled the day before their fight against Xehanort on the paopu tree, where they shared them for the first time.

‘Even if what followed that day were things we’d rather forget, the moment we first shared these fruits will always be one of our most treasured memories.  But, this time, I know for sure that there’s nothing but good and wonderful things to come after we share them today,’ thought Kairi.

Finally, the fruits reached their mouths and simultaneously, Sora and Kairi took a bite out of the other’s.  After chewing and swallowing, they returned the fruits to Pluto’s cushion.  As the dog returned to Riku’s side, the couple took each other’s hands once again and faced Mickey.

Mickey gave them a smile.  “Sora, Kairi, you have pledged your vows.  You have exchanged your rings.  You have crowned each other with the symbolic flowers. And you have strengthened the bond of your destinies with the paopu fruit.  So, by the power vested in me as the king of Disney Castle, I now pronounce you husband and wife.  Sora, you may kiss your bride.”

Sora took Kairi into his arms and the two of them exchanged the brightest smiles they ever shown.  Their feelings of happiness could not be greater now that their hearts had been joined together.

‘It’s time, Sora.  Time to make another memory to treasure for the rest of our lives.’

Closing their eyes and preparing for the thunderous applause that would soon fill the chapel, they slowly inched their faces closer together.

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But alas, the memory never came to be because the kiss never happened.  At this exact moment, the wonderful dream had ended, and the dreamer woke up to a reality that was far less bright.

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Notes from the Mad Doctor:

As much as I hated to cut short what would have been a very lovely SoKai moment, it was necessary due to the path this story is going to take.

I really had to do some heavy research to make this feel like a believable wedding ceremony.  I really hope I pulled it off and I hope you all liked what I included as special unification rituals.  I always felt the paopu fruits would be used in Destiny Islands’ weddings and I also imagined flowers would play a part in Radiant Garden’s wedding ceremonies on account of the world’s name.

I was thinking, for the music that would play at this wedding, they’d use a new wedding rendition of Dearly Beloved for when Sora and the wedding party are coming down the aisle and an instrumental of Don’t Think Twice for the bride’s entrance.  Any thoughts and ideas of your own, readers?

Now, I have mentioned this before in my other stories.  But for the benefit of any new readers, I’ll mention it again.  Since I couldn’t come up with good Kingdom Hearts-ish sounding names for Sora and Kairi’s parents, I decided to name them after recurring actors from Disney live-action movies.  Here are their derivations:

Hayley, Sora’s Mother: Hayley Mills from Pollyanna and The Parent Trap (also doubles as a reference to Haley Joel Osment)

Jones, Sora’s Father: Dean Jones from the Herbie the Love Bug film series

Parker, Kairi’s Father: Fess Parker from Davey Crockett and Old Yeller

Dorothy, Kairi’s Mother: Dorothy McGuire from Swiss Family Robinson and Old Yeller

I give my thanks to whoever reads this chapter.

I’d also like to give a special thank you to my sister-in-law for helping me with picking out the best flowers for the flower crowns.  I couldn’t have done it without her!

Comments, likes and reblogs are much appreciated!  Stay tuned for we’ll be exploring what the subtitle of this story means as we go along!

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Onto the next chapter!

[sephiwhore]

Ok but literally all the cyberpunk oc questions? LETS GO CHOOM!!! -thosetwistedtales

Bet you didn’t think I’d actually do it >:3 Okay well I technically didn’t, I did skip some of them cause I couldn’t think of anything, I’d already answered it, or the answer was just “no”.

Without further ado I present, All The Questions about Tess, answered under the cut!

— BASICS

full name: Tess Valere

birthday: She has no idea, and for most of her life she didn’t even know birthdays were a thing

gender and pronouns: Female, she/her

nicknames or aliases: V (obviously), her surrogate brother called her Tessa

sexuality: a big ol bisexual

ethnicity: a big ol white girl

affiliations [corporation/gang/themselves/etc]: she grew up on the streets of Heywood, so certain Valentinos would help her out now and again. She’s nowhere near loyal to them, but she’ll try to avoid killing them during jobs

what languages do they speak?: English, conversational Spanish, and she knows a handful of Japanese words

— PERSONALITY

alignment: Chaotic Good, but she dabbles in Chaotic Neutral

color(s) you associate with them: cyan and black and after Johnny comes into her life, red

theme song: Unbreakable by Fireflight

what heavenly virtue would you assign them? Humility

what deadly sin would you assign them? Wrath

what is their biggest strength? Sheer fucking perseverence, mostly fueled by spite

what is their biggest fear? Losing the people she loves, because throughout her life those have been few and far between and she’s lost a good number of them

what is their biggest weakness? Again, the people she loves

are they confident in their abilities? Oh you bet your ass she is, so confident that she stormed Arasaka Tower with nothing but her revolver and her cyberdeck

what is their opinion on cybernetics? They’re a necessary evil. Her brother dealt with cyberpsychosis so in a way she resents cybernetics, but she also knows that you won’t get far as a merc in Night City without a few implants

do they have a good sense of humor? Yes, very dry and sarcastic

how do they cry? When she cries it’s either from rage or panic, very little in between

how do they laugh? Quite subdued, usually the most you’ll get out of her is a hearty chuckle. Very rarely does she go into a full laughing fit

do they smoke? She started smoking after Johnny popped up in her head cause she felt bad for his situation (after she stopped hating him anyway) and figured she could give him this one thing. And now she smokes like a chimney.

do they drink? She’s been dealing with alcohol dependence and borderline alcoholism for half of her life

what kind of drunk are they? As she drinks more it progresses from pretty chill, then VERY affectionate, and then Fightey

do they take any drugs? She knows how she is with alcohol so she avoids drugs like the plague

— COMBAT

preferred weapon: For close/mid-range, a nice beefy revolver (Overture) or Johnny’s Malorian. Long range, a sniper rifle.

combat style [stealth/melee/brute force/etc] Depending on the environment, it’s either stealth with a silenced pistol and lots of quickhacks, a John Wick style headshots-galore shootout, or sniping from a distance

primary stats [ex: intellect] Intelligence and Reflexes

biggest weakness in combat: She sometimes forgets to watch her back, and tends to ignore injuries and see the fight through when retreating would probably be the best course of action

threaten or charm? Depends on the target, she’s great at both

lethal or non-lethal? For corpos, the more malicious gangs (Tygers, Animals, 6th Street), or anyone who has hurt innocents, full lethal. If she’s just infiltrating a warehouse full of workers, non-lethal

leave quietly or send a message? She sends a message WHILE leaving quietly

strategy or improvise? Improvise

— APPEARANCE

hair style and color [is it natural? do they change it a lot?] She has synthhair so she can change the style and color at will (I have no idea if that’s how it actually works but I say it is) but she usually sticks to come kind of short sideshave/undercut in some shade of blue.

eye color: Natural eye color is green, but she usually has black scleras with a red circle

height: I had her at 5’8 until yesterday when I realized ya know what, I want a tall girl. So she’s 6 feet.

describe their body type: Skinny, small tiddies, but still fairly curvy

describe their style: Dark colors, leather jackets, lots of boots (also Johnny’s tank top and aviators)

do they wear makeup? Very smudgey eyeliner. Her upper lip is tattooed black and she usually leaves the bottom one bare

tattoos? any significant ones? Lots of tattoos that I haven’t figured out yet, except fir a modified version of the Valentinos neck tattoo, the V being to honor her brother Ven (she took on the name V to honor him too)

scars? Random ones here and there from random gunshots, stabbings, and other work-related injuries

piercings? A bunch that I can’t remember off the top of my head

cybernetics? Gorilla arms, the charge jump ankle ones, eventually she gets synth lungs as a preventative measure cause of the whole smoking thing

— FAVORITES

favorite place in night city: The streets of Heywood because they’re home to her, despite all the awful memories growing up. After Johnny comes along, she starts to like high places, and she loves to hang out on the patio outside Kerry’s house

favorite tv show and/or movie: She loves horror movies, except ghost one cause she doesn’t believe in ghosts so she just finds them dumb

favorite vehicle. do they prefer cars or motorcycles? Vastly prefers motorcycles, she hasn’t really driven a car much since she was a teenager. Her favorite is Jackie’s Arch.

favorite food: She sees food solely as a source of fuel, she will eat whatever is easiest

favorite drink: Tequila

favorite song: Black Dog :3

favorite type of weather: She LOVES the rain (but the water kind, not the acid kind)

favorite radio station: Vexelstrom, and then Morro Rock cause Samurai :3

favorite pastime: Working out, shooting ranges, Jackie and Vik got her into occasional boxing

— RELATIONSHIPS

what are their parents like? what kind of relationship do they have with your character? She had no memory of her parents and assumes they’re both dead

do they have any other family members? what kind of relationship do they have? She has a “brother”, who she knew only as Vendetta (or V). He found her on the streets and took her in when she was 10, and raised her from then on until he “died” 12 years later. Their relationship was great, despite the fact that he was not a very nice person to everyone else but her. 

who is their closest friend? Of course Jackie, and then Kerry (and Johnny ofc)

who are their other friends if they have them? Nope! :D

what are their exes like? any significant ones? She’s never really had a serious relationship, mostly just flings and acquaintances-with-benefits

are they in a relationship? with who and how is it going? Johnny! And it’s uh. Well, ya know.

who are their enemies? She has a passionate hatred for whichever corpo makes cyberpsychosis medication, and for Max Tac cause she sees them as responsible for the loss of her brother. And of course Arasaka.

have they ever lost anyone important to them? Her brother, Jackie, Johnny

would they betray their own morals for their loved ones? Abso-fucking-lutely

have they ever sacrificed something for someone they care about? if so, what? In one of my two canons for her, she gives Johnny her body

— BACKGROUND

where did they grow up in night city? if not from night city, where are they from? The streets of Heywood, then in a shitty apartment in Heywood

how would you describe their childhood? Miserable

were they well-off, poor or somewhere in between when growing up? After Ven took her in, they did have an apartment but because he needed monthly baloperidol (cyberpsycho meds) injections, they were quite poor

what kind of education did they receive? The only real education she ever got was “how to shoot a gun”

what is the biggest lesson they learned growing up? Everything and everyone in the world is going to try its best to destroy you. Destroy it first.

what is their happiest memory? A few weeks after Ven took her in and and it finally hit her, this was real, she had a home, someone that cared for her, and she never had to go hungry again,

what is their most painful memory? Watching her brother, in the middle of a psychotic break, being gunned down. After that it would be saying goodbye to Johnny (in the canon where that happens)

have they kept any meaningful mementos from their past? One of the revolvers she owns was given to her by her brother, and all of her piercings and a couple of her tattoos were done by him so they’re mementos, in a way

is there anything they would change about their past? She would do anything to save her brother.

[softest-cinnamon-roll]

11 please! Need me some tooth hurting fluff

11. “I can’t believe you did all this, for me”

* * * * *

Unpopular opinion, Eddie was aware, but he absolutely detested Christmas. All the lights, the songs, the cheerfulness made him want to roll his eyes, lock his door and throw away the key. People at work called him Scrooge because he never attended any of the parties, or even put a little tree up in his office. It wasn’t that he was a Scrooge as he never judged anyone on liking Christmas themselves, he just didn’t particularly enjoy the holiday.

Then he met Richie Tozier. Richie who was very much Christmas’ biggest fan, someone that Eddie would never have imagined himself falling in love with. Except he did fall in love with him, head over heels in love. Richie never questioned Eddie’s distain for Christmas, and always kept talk about the holiday to a minimum when they were together. He never even mentioned the fact that Eddie didn’t own a single Christmas Decoration.

It wasn’t until the following year, when they had been dating for a while and Eddie practically lived at Richie’s place that Richie finally brought up the Christmas thing. They were lying in bed, sweaty and spent, Richie’s hand making light patterned with his fingertips along the expanse of Eddie’s back when he brought it up. “Eds…why do you hate Christmas so much?”

Eddie blinked and looked up at Richie, resting his chin on his chest as his eyes went a little sad, “Why has it taken you so long to ask me?” He asked in response and Richie shook his head. Eddie sighed, Richie wanted a real answer this time. “It’s nothing exciting, Richie. No-one in my family died and Christmas and I wasn’t a poor kid who never got anything from Saint Nick.”

“Then why?” Richie asked. “And I know it’s not just a preference, because you turn your nose up at the lights that decorate shop windows, and it’s like you are personally offended by anything Christmas. Please Eds, I love you and I really want to know why you hate the holiday so much. I promise never to bring it up again if you tell me.”

With a sigh, Eddie nodded and sat up, running a hand through his post sex- curls, “I don’t like it because I’ve never celebrated it…” Eddie finally admitted. “I never had a tree, or decorations, or stockings full of treats. I never went out Christmas Carolling or baked cookies or made a star to put at the top of the tree. I never did any of that stuff growing up and when…when you don’t get to participate the feeling of being left out just turns into one of resentment I guess.”

Richie blinked back at Eddie, shock clear over his face and he swallowed, “You- you never celebrated Christmas? Like…ever? Why? Is it your religion?”

“No, no I don’t really have a religion… obviously as I am the definition of a sinner.” Eddie managed to let out a laugh at his own joke. “My mother thought it was a waste of time and money, and it was also a way for kids to put on weight due to all the sugary treats. She also believed that getting a whole bunch of presents on one day of the year was a bit silly as it would make children spoiled. If you wanted to get your children a present, do it on their birthday. She thought tree’s would bring in diseases and the lights would make my eyes hurt. As for the snow and the carolling, I never went outside because she was scared I’d get sick, so I never did any of that either.” Eddie stopped. “By the time I finally broke free from her I just…didn’t see the point as I was too old and the magic was well…gone.”

Arms were wrapped around Eddie’s waist as Richie sat up, pulling him into his lap, “Eds that…that is fucking awful. I just- I am so sorry your mother did that to you. I know you told me about her making you believe you were sick and all but…ruining Christmas? That’s a whole new level of fucked up.”

Eddie shrugged a little, running his hands through Richie’s nest of curls, “Don’t worry about it Rich… okay? It’s done with, it’s over. I’m a grown man now and the last thing I want is to ruin this mood because of my traumatic childhood past.”

He could see that Richie was still shocked over the reveal, but he let it go with a nod, rolling Eddie onto his back and moving on to round two of that night, all thoughts of Christmas long forgotten.

* * * * *

With a shiver, Eddie shoved his way into Richie’s apartment, using the key they had gotten cut a few months before. It had only just started snowing, but it was bitter cold outside and Eddie much preferred the heat over the cold. As he closed the door and let the heat of the place consume him, a few things hit Eddie’s senses. First, the apartment was rather dark, a low light coming from below the door of the living room. Second there was a sweet smell coming from the kitchen, close to the smell of cookies or gingerbread and third, he could hear music, soft but very much there.

He frowned and toed off his shoes, making his way down the corridor and towards the living room. As Eddie pushed the door open, the sight that befell him was the last thing he ever expected to see…and it sort of took his breath away. Right by the window stood a Christmas tree, decorated with lights and tinsel galore, topped with a star on the top. The fireplace was covered in face snow and ornaments, with two stockings on either side; one with Richie’s name on it and the other with Eddie’s. On the coffee table sat some baked Christmas Cookies and there was some festive music playing from the stereo in the corner.

Richie was standing by the door that would lead to the kitchen, a nervous look on his face as he tried to figure out what Eddie was thinking. Before Eddie even had the chance to respond, Richie threw himself into an explanation. “Okay I know this is a lot but I have been thinking about it ever since you told me and I…I got this idea. You said you hated Christmas because you never got to do any of this stuff so…I thought maybe we could do some of it and if you still hated it then that was find but…would you humour me?”

Eddie swallowed, taking another look around the room as tears welled up in his eyes. He never thought that someone would ever go through this much trouble for him…especially when they didn’t know how he would even react. He looked back at Richie, biting down on his lip, “I can’t believe you did all this, for me,” he breathed.

“Of course I did,” Richie replied immediately, stepping closer and resting his hands on Eddie’s waist. “Eds I love you, I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you. I want you to be happy and I am hoping that this will make you happy.” He leaned down and kissed Eddie’s head. “Also…I was wondering if you did like it, then would you like to celebrate Christmas Day with my family and I?”

With a hitch in his breath, Eddie nodded his head, pushing up on his toes and kissing Richie softly on the lips. “With you? I’d love to.”

Maybe there was still a place for Christmas in Eddie’s heart after all.

* * * * *

@richietoaster @tozier-boy @eds-trashmouth @bitchbrak @sloppybitchreddie @its-stranger-than-you-think @maximusfraker @jem-carstairs-is-perfection @thejadeazalea @halfway-happy353 @tinyarmedtrex @inthebreadbinwrites @kat-ships-everything @takeourpure @lo-v-ers @that-weird-girls-blog @studpuffin @s-s-georgie @reddie-for-anything @trashmouthtozierr @richietoizer @girasol-eddie @bi-bi-richie @honeybeehanlon @mars-14 @reddiesetandgo @marsisaplanetyall @xandertheundead @sedanleystanley @hawkinsbabe @beepbeeprichiellc @stellarbisexual @oldguybones @stanleuyris @eduardoandale  @purplepoisonedgem @reddie-to-cryy @pink-psychic @violetreddie @toziesque @queen-sock @appojoos @moonlightrichie @rreddies @disneyfan567 @annxmatron @lifesucksheres20bucks @anellope @roobarrtrashmouth @are-you-reddie-for-it @callmechee @nancynwheeler @reddieforlove @twoidiotsinl0ve @madi-artist @tozierking @s-onora @atownofeggs  @wilding-throught-thehallways @no-she-wasnt-reddie @dadbodrichie @thorn-harvester-ven @eddiekasbpark @sparklingrainbowdragon @ransonelovebot @gloire-celeste @derrylosers @3tothe1

[masterfuldoodler]

Role Swap AU stuff

So idk I thought I'd share a sort of rough outline for the au since I haven't been drawing anything worth posting here. It's just for fun, and the universe it happens in is just different from the regular, so some weird stuff is in it that doesn't exactly make sense? but makes for a fun au.

There's still a bunch of keyblade weilders around, they haven't died out yet. Eraqus is one of the masters, but he didn't agree with some of their practices and broke out of the unions to do his own thing.

He moved to The Land of Departure with his young apprentices, Terra and Aqua, and continued training them there.

The rest of the masters didn't approve of this and have kinda shunned him.

The keyblade weilders still use the union set up from long ago during khux times. Five great masters running their own unions.

Although over time it's kinda slipped away from "dandelions" and turning back to the way it was right before the war.

Xehanort was also a master in this system, and also left to continue his studies of darkness. (Or got kicked out, depends on who you ask. They were really wary of his studying)

Xehanort goes evil and all the events of Birth By Sleep play out. Terra is possessed, Aqua lost in the dark realm, and Ven split and resting in Sora's heart

None of the other keyblade masters didn't notice/help because 1) busy with other stuff 2) it's Eraqus and his apprentices, we just leave them alone

During all this time Xehanort has also been culling keyblade weilders to make sure that only the best would be left for his war. (best not exactly meaning what keyblade weilders of light think) Which, yeah it's pretty distracting when you're coworkers are dropping dead around you.

One keyblade master couple found orphan smol Sora and adopted him into their small family.

Growing up with their biological son (Caelum) he knew he was adopted, because they wanted him to know the truth. But might not have gone about it the best way

With the troubles going on with keyblade weilders dying and darkness spreading in the stars the two masters couldn't spend all their time with their kids. So they left them home where they were safe and went to do their duty. (I think that's like,, illegal child abuse but like,,they probably left a babysitter so it's ok)

When Sora was four he meant Ven's heart and welcomed him in. After that he had a very good imaginary friend.

Caelum and him would play with Ven when he wasn't napping, even though Caelum couldn't see him. Sora just told him what he did.

Ven became very close to the two and kinda took care of the kids, stopping them from doing stupid stuff.

Their parents had them moving around a lot. Very much like a military family, where they're stationed somewhere else and so have to move there, but the difference being the kids would be moved to a different "safe" world, a quiet one where not much happened.

Things start getting messy as the organization slowly grows and their shadow lengthen. Maleficent seeking power makes a deal with them and they being collecting the Princess of light.

Of course she thinks she's got control over them and is actually pulling the strings, but nah, lady you're dealing with Xehanort. In multiple people at once smh

Kairi is, like she normally of course, a princess of light, but had grown up in Traverse Town with the other refugees from Radiant Gardens. (Leon, Cid, Aerith, Yuffi) and has picked up a bunch from them.

Riku grew up on Destiny Islands. He does fishing in his downtime and kinda hangs out with Wakka and Tidus but doesn't really have any friends. His dream of seeing other worlds forgotten in childhood .

When things start progressing and getting bad Mickey sets out to find the reason and sends Donald and Goofy to find the "key"

The Darkness spreads to Destiny Islands where it infects it and destroys that world.

Riku gains the Kingdom Key in the process and ends up in Traverse Town, alone and confused.

Donald and Goofy find the "key" that Mickey told them about and where able to get Riku to meet the keyblade masters, where they explained stuff to him and began teaching him.

Caelum turns 15 around the same time all this is happening. His parents come to pick him up because he's old enough to begin his training now. So he goes off with them to Twilight Town, their base world.

Caelum meets Riku during his training and the two kinda make friends, both being new to this.

Sora is left behind because he's still too young, his chance will come soon, he just had to be patient.

Sora is too dramatic about all this and feels abandoned and unwanted. (If you want more detail on this you can ask, it's just long) and is very hurt by it. Darkness visits him, and tells the poor gullible boy a few lies and half-truths and tells him to join him.

Sore believes all the lies about the keyblade weilders being blinded by the light and joins the organization to bring the balance of darkness back.

Darkness plants itself in his heart to wait for its chance to claim its vessel.

Sora changes his name to Roxas and turns his back on the keyblade weilders.

Roxas then helps them in their kidnapping the seven princesses and preparing their hearts to open the keyhole. That's how he meets Kairi, being one of the ones he captured.

Kairi tries to talk him out of all this and he kinda softens up to her, but still won't turn. Him being very much influenced by darkness whispering in his heart.

Finally seeing that he won't she's able to break out and get away. 1. Because this girl got a keyblade and can fite 2. Roxas is off his guard around her.

Kairi finds the keyblade weilders and explains everything she's learned. They get really worried about this and begin freaking about everything going wrong. They tell her to lay low, being a princess of light she's in extreme danger.

This really annoys her because um she can do things too??

Around this same time Caelum gets permission to allow Sora to train along side with him, even though he's not old enough.

Excitedly he goes to tell him the news, only to find him missing and his whereabouts unknown. He searches around the world for a while until he returns alone to tell his parents the bad news.

His parents search for their youngest son across the worlds but none of them are able to find him.

Caelum is told to not worry about it, and they'll find him eventually

Riku introduces Caelum to Kairi and the three hang out and train together. Kairi technically shouldn't be training because she's too young and a princess of light but the boys don't care.

Eventually Caelum gets tired of waiting, they aren't looking for him, they're too busy with the other important stuff they have to be doing. Sora is his little brother and it's his duty to make sure he's okay, and knowing him so well he'd have the best chance of finding him.

So he sneaks off against orders to go find him.

Kairi goes with him because she wants to help, not sitting around hiding. And she's itching for action. Riku joins them because he really wants to make sure they're safe, and he was feeling restless. He had keyblade that was sorely needed but wasn't being allowed to help?

Rebel kids run away and make a rebel gang :)

During their adventures through the different worlds Riku seals the keyholes to the world's hearts, saving them from the darkness.

Eventually they find Sora, and find him listening to darkness and on the bad guy's side. Kairi recognizes him and tells Caelum about what he's been doing.

They get in a little skirmish and part ways unhappy.

The rebel gang finds their way to The Keyhole and they're able to seal it and stop Maleficent from getting into the dark realm.

The three then in deep trouble for breaking the rules are no longer allowed back on Twilight Town so make base somewhere else and being figuring out what else they need to do.

So that's kind of how kh1 would go in this au ^^

[kusunogatari]

[ Frozen Flames and Shadowed Lights || Chapter Eleven ] [ @yukaikokoro @abyssaldespair ] [ Uchiha Obito, Suigin Ryū, Uchiha Madara, Hatake Kakashi, Kottakawa Kumiko, Raziya ] [ Verse: Divine Light ] [ Previous || Next ]

Two days later, Ryū hasn’t eaten. Has barely slept. Though hardly granted much freedom beyond her nook before, she now remains tucked into its furthest corner, curled into the smallest form she can manage.

He’s starting to get worried.

Just as diligently, Tobi has continued to bring her her meals, lead her to the other ‘rooms’ of the cave she needs, and has even risked sitting as he did before Madara discovered their pastime. But she remains despondent, not even looking up when he enters. Her food sits and grows cold.

Part of him understands, and yet...part of him doesn’t. And it frustrates him to no end…! Until now - until her interference - he’s had no reason to question things. Madara’s every word and action has been gospel, no inkling in his mind telling him otherwise.

...and yet…

Now, he finds questions burrowing into his brain where there has always been mindless obedience. She called Madara’s treatment of him wrong...cruel. Refuted it and insisted he deserved kindness. And all after she herself faced the man’s wrath for interfering in his punishment.

It had brought a spark of...something to his chest. It felt hot, like fire...but there were no flames. And it left him wondering where such a reaction came from.

In his short memory, he never recalls feeling it before.

And then there was what he told her. About needing her kindness. He knows it’s true, and yet...why? He had no need of it before. He wanted for nothing before they met. And yet now, whenever he has another task to tend to, or a place to teleport...his mind remains back in the cavern, in her nook. It’s like a string that gently yet insistently tugs at him whenever he’s away.

And before, being in her presence was...pleasant. Her reading, though a simple gesture, brought forth an excitement and yearning he’d not yet known. Never before did he have something to look forward to. A reason to complete his tasks beyond the tasks themselves.

...but now, being with her is...is…

...painful.

He decides he doesn’t like her like this. It’s...wrong. And it disquiets him, somehow. Even if he doesn’t understand why. But he doesn't know how to remedy it. He brings her meals like before, sits like before...but nothing seems to help.

...will she be like this forever? The notion leaves him deeply unsettled.

The morning of the third day, he finds her as he left her: leaning back into the corner, eyes fogged with something he can’t know.

And he decides he has to try something new.

“...you need to eat.” The words are given lowly, holding out the bowl.

She doesn’t move. Doesn’t even blink.

“...Ryū, you must eat.”

The only sign she still lives is a slow, shallow rise and fall of her chest.

The disquiet in him grows to the point of making him shift in discomfort. Though he hasn’t dared it yet, he breaches the edge of her blankets, carefully approaching until he’s close enough to touch her. 

Still no reaction.

His chest tightens to an unreasonable degree. “Please.” The word is croaked desperately, only made harsher by his rasping tone. “You...you worry me.”

Finally, her eyes lift to look to him somberly.

“I...I don’t like to see you like this. If you don’t eat, you’ll start to wither.”

“...maybe that’s what I want.”

“...but -?”

A soft sigh escapes her. “...you don’t understand,” she whispers. “If I keep on, I’ll…”

“Can you explain? I want to understand.”

He’s never needed a reason before. For...anything.

She curls up tighter. “...that man - Madara? - he...he wants to do something horrible to me. Something that...will not only hurt me, but possibly hurt everyone. And he’ll treat me like an object in order to do so. It won’t matter that I tell him no. And that...that scares me,” she admits in a whisper.

Conflict rises in him. Treated like an object...no use in saying no...why does that sound like his own circumstances? Why does she seem so averse, and yet...he’s never had any inkling to question it?

What is he missing?!

Shifting carefully, he sits just beyond her bent knees. “...I was told his plans were necessary.”

“Did he tell you why…?”

“...no.”

She studies him, eyes flickering across his face. “...you’ve never wondered…?”

“...I…” That same uncertain feeling rises in him. “...I had no reason to…”

“...you really don’t remember anything, do you…? It’s so strange. You’re like...a doll. No thoughts or feelings or memories of your own. I’ve never met anyone like you…”

“...is that...wrong?”

“...it gives me a bad feeling,” Ryū admits softly. “But...I don’t know enough. And I don’t want to make a wrong assumption. But…” Her brows wilt. “...all I do know...is that what he’s doing to you is wrong. He mistreats you, Tobi. You’re not his...partner, or his friend, or even his ally. It’s like you’re a tool. And no one should be treated like that.”

He sits and tries to think, mind full of swirling, conflicting thoughts. “...I don’t know.”

“...I’m sorry. I don’t mean to confuse you.”

“...until now, I’ve had no reason to doubt, or to question. But you…” He sighs, a hand at his brow. “...you unlock thoughts I’ve never had before. Questions. And it feels like something is...is missing…”

“Your memories, I’m sure. Whatever, or whoever you are...it’s clear Madara erased it. Made you into something...blank.”

“...do you think...I can remember…?”

“I don’t know. But I hope so. It’s cruel for you to be without your past.”

The pair fall into an uneasy silence. Tobi sits, one hand at his brow and the other still cradling her bowl. When his frustration - unable to make sense of this - grows too great...he tries one last time to offer it.

Ryū’s eyes lower to the food, and after a long pause...she reaches and accepts it.

And for a moment, their fingers brush...and Tobi feels static run up his arm to his chest, where it pulses.

“...thank you,” she murmurs, taking a spoonful.

“...you’re welcome.” As she eats, he feels something in himself ease, still watching her mindfully to make sure she keeps going. Nor does he move, remaining perched just beside her. Once she seems steady in her pace, he takes to watching the entryway, wary of being discovered.

So when he hears a faint rustle of paper, it takes him by surprise. Head turning so fast he nearly grows dizzy, he sees her pull out a book.

Their book.

For a moment she seems to consider it, but then heaves a breath...and starts to read.

Relief washes over him like a tide.

From there, Ryū slowly seems to improve. One day at a time, she regains her appetite, and color in her cheeks. Though still muted, her melancholy seems to shift to quiet contemplation.

He wonders what she’s thinking of.

“Where...do you come from?”

Looking up, she pauses. She’s yet to begin reading today. Their time together has been far more fragmented, both of them wary of Madara’s intrusion. “Well, I...I don’t know. There’s much from my childhood that’s foggy. All I really know is what Rin and Kakashi have told me.”

Deep in his chest, there’s a hint of a flicker. He decides to call it curiosity. “...who are they?”

“I...guess you could call them my guardians. They’re not much older than me, really. Rin tells the story of them trying to help my mother fight off el’tahl hunters, and taking me in after she died. They lost a friend that day, too...a boy named Obito.”

Another flicker, this one ever so slightly stronger. “...he died…?”

A somber nod. “They fled the city that night to protect me...Kakashi had lost an eye, which my mother replaced with one of the boy Obito’s. He was el’ven...and it granted Kakashi igni. He eventually parted ways from us, and...Rin raised me in a little town, trying to keep me hidden.”

“Why?”

“There aren’t many people like me left,” Ryū sighs. “It’s...a long story. A lot of history. But...she was afraid people would try to use me. And...I guess she was right.”

Ever so slightly, Tobi wilts. “...but you were in the Luxerian capital when...I found you.”

“Yes. Rin and I traveled to Salustia a few years ago. I...decided I wanted to try and revive the Council of Elements: a meeting of representatives of all twelve elements. And since I was presumed to be one of - if not the - last disciples of Luxeria, I was the only one who could open the city from the barrier that protected it. It took years of planning, but...I managed to do it. And Kakashi returned to be my advisor, and protector.” A sad smile flickers across her face. “...they’re like big siblings, really. Him and Rin. I used to consider them my parents when I was young, but...well, now that we’re all grown it seems a bit odd.” The smile then fades. “...I wonder if they’re looking for me…”

He doesn’t have an answer for that.

“...I feel so foolish. I keep asking myself if I could have done anything different to prevent this. I feel like it’s my fault...and now, with my ven sealed, I have no way to try and change my fate.”

Tobi watches her carefully. Something, in the back of his mind, seems to be pounding from the other side of a door, at the end of a winding corridor. Faint, and yet… “Is it...truly so terrible?”

“What?”

“Being...here.”

Her greys flicker over his face. “...I was taken against my will. Madara’s plans for me will steal my future...and maybe that of everyone else. I have no freedom, no way to return to my home, or my family. I’m...trapped.”

Part of him is not happy to hear that. If she weren’t here...if they never met...then he -

“Tobi!”

Flinching at Madara’s barking command down the cavern, he jumps to his feet. Something in that tone makes his chest clench.

...something is wrong.

Beyond the cave, battered and blown by the storms of the snowy peaks, Kakashi keeps his face buried against Kumiko’s back. Even at his fastest gallop, his mount has never gone as fast as Raziya streaks among the peaks. Add in the buffeting of the headwind itself, and he’s amazed he hasn’t simply been blown from her saddle and smashed against the ice below them.

With the weather so violent, getting close enough to the mountains to try and sense anyone within them has been dangerous. More than once, they’ve nearly been thrown against the crags. But Kumiko wasn’t lying: it’s clear she and her drach partner have practiced flying in even the worst conditions. Each time they grow too close, the dragon manages to pull away.

At the front, Kumiko’s brows are furrowed against the cold, ven steadily trickling as she uses it to shield herself from the wind and snow. Even so, ice clings to her forelock and lashes. “Anything yet?” she calls against the squall.

“Not yet,” Raziya reports, her mental call far clearer than her rider’s voice in the whipping winds. “But there is much of the range yet to search!”

Heaving for breath, Kumiko replies, “We may have to break soon - even with my ven, the storm’s taking too much of our body heat.You could go on for days at this rate, but we’ll freeze to death in a few hours.”

Behind her, Kakashi feels his heart clench. He’s already come close to that once on this journey. Doing so again is far from appealing.

“Tell me when you wish to land, and I shall -” With a jerk, Raziya flutters in an attempt to stop, far from still as the winds try to toss her. “Wait! Do you feel that?!”

“What?”

“A large cloud of ven, not far!”

“I can’t feel it yet - can you get closer?”

“Yes, but -” The drach hesitates. “It will likely be dangerous.”

“Likely little more so than staying out here much longer,” Kumiko calls back. “Close the gap!”

At the words, Kakashi dares to look out, one hand sparing to reflexively grip at the hilt of his blade. Though already unsettled, his heart pounds in his chest.

They must be getting close…!

Raziya continues fighting the storm, and eventually even Kakashi can feel the buzzing disruption of energy in the air. Squinting through snowflakes the size of his fist, mismatched eyes then widen at what he sees.

A rippling shroud of black seems to stretch across what appears to be the mouth of a cave. Like a starless night, it seems to swallow light...and the snow vanishes into its depths.

“What is that?”

“A Tenebreon barrier, if I had to guess,” Kumiko calls back, tone fringed with worry. “If we touch it, we’ll be dissolved to less than dust. A Luxerian barrier reflects...but Tenebreon consume.”

“Then what do we do? They have to be in there!”

Kumiko bites at the dry, windswept flesh of her lip. “Neither of us have any skill in terra...or I would suggest tunneling in from the side. But I doubt either of us could manage it. I might -”

“Look out!”

With a jerk, the three of them suddenly dive, the humans clinging to their mount as their hearts leap to their throats. Where they’d been a moment before, a flurry of snow catapults off the mountain: enough to bury them ten times over.

“The snowpack is unstable! We must be cautious!” Raziya warns. “More could collapse at any moment!”

“Can you divert it if it does?”

“...I can try.”

Ever so slowly, they try to edge closer and get a better look. And the nearer they get, the more the hair on Kakashi’s neck stands on end. The pull of the ven is terrifying.

...and soon, they realize, more literal than they first assumed.

“Raziya, we’re getting too close. We’ll have to find another way in,” Kumiko calls.

But even as the drach pumps her wings...they don’t make any headway back out into open air. “I...I can’t retreat!”

“What?!”

“It’s pulling me in!”

“...a black hole,” Kakashi mutters, heart dropping at the realization. “Between the pull of the barrier and the push of the wind...we’re being sucked in!”

Tensing, Kumiko plants her hands against Raziya’s neck, trying to help give her energy by granting her own. “You’ve got to change course!”

“I-I’m trying!”

As they draw closer, Kakashi stares at the barrier...and like a shadow, he can barely see the outline of a figure beyond the shield.

And something about it fills him with dread.

“...Kumiko, I’ve got an idea. But you aren’t going to like it.”

“Tell me! We’re running out of time!”

Beneath her, straining until her muscles pop and joints crack, Raziya foams at the mouth. The sickening power of the barrier is almost overwhelming.

“NOW!”

Watching from behind his barrier, Madara grits his teeth. While the possibility did indeed exist of being discovered...the fact that it’s only been a few weeks...irritates him. They’re in the corner of the world, in some of the most inhospitable terrain of the continent. How did these fools find them?

“Madara, what’s going on?”

“Someone’s stumbled upon our little hideaway,” the man growls at his companion, ignoring his flinch. “And we may have to clean them up.”

Following his master’s gaze, Tobi watches as the looming shape struggles against the pull of the ven. “...seems it won’t be long until that happens.”

“Indeed.”

The pair of them jolt, however, as a faint but deep rumble sounds above them. “...what?”

Like a waterfall, snow and ice cascade just beyond the sealed mouth of the cave, burying the would-be intruders and sweeping them down the mountain face.

Shocked, Tobi moves to the edge, trying to watch through the dark shroud of the barrier.

“...well, that should take care of that,” Madara muses.

“...what happened?”

“Avalanche. The snow collapsed off of the peaks. The weight of the new snowfall must have proved too much. A fitting burial for them.” Turning his back, Madara then calls, “You’d best feed the lux mage. She’s still thinner than I would like. I want her kept at a fit weight before her cycle turns. She’ll be needing the extra energy.”

Tobi doesn’t reply, watching him retreat. The ones beyond the barrier...were they the people Ryū spoke of? Rin and Kakashi?

...why did the avalanche make him feel so...panicked? If it were them...then there’s little hope now of her being rescued. Which means she’ll stay here, with them.

...with him.

...and with Madara.

Like two ends of a rope pulled taut, duality and indecision tear at him. In part, he’s happy she won’t be taken. And yet...he knows being here hurts her. But if she leaves...surely he’ll never see her again.

Would she even want to see him again…? Does she...hate him? Surely not. Not with how she defends him. But...why does she do that? He’s just as much her enemy as Madara, and she clearly hates him...is frightened of him. But he himself was the one who brought her here, helps keep her here. So why…?

Unsure and agitated, he turns on his heel from the shield and makes to follow his orders. Ryū needs to eat. But...what will he tell her? Should he be honest? No...he shies from that. Something tells him if she were to know their fate, she would fall back into that hopeless despair.

And he cannot bear to see her like that. Not again.

For now, he’ll spin half-truths. Tell of the avalanche...but not of those caught in it. Besides, he can’t know it was the pair she hopes for. Surely that will be enough to assuage her. 

As per usual, a basic stew is all he can afford her, thinking over his story as he returns to her ‘room’. He prays she won’t needle him too deeply.

“Is everything all right?”

She’s still in her mess of blankets, looking up in question as soon as he turns the corner. He sees her tuck away a book, shifting her focus entirely to him.

“Avalanche,” he responds, crossing the gap and kneeling to offer the bowl. “Madara feared it may affect the barrier.”

“Oh...did it?”

“No. It rolled over and down the mountain.” Watching her, he catches the wilt of disappointment as she accepts his offering. “...even if it had, we could have recast it.”

“...I know. I just...hoped.”

Studying her closely, Tobi asks, “...if...you were to be freed...what would you do?”

“...do?”

A nod.

“...I’d return home, of course. Back to Salustia. Surely by now the Summit has ended, but...hopefully Suigin held it in my place.”

“Who is that?”

“My drach kirav - my dragon partner. She is a child of Luxeria. Surely with me gone, she took the mantle and kept the Summit going. I hope it went smoothly…”

“Is it so important?”

Ryū looks up to him in surprise. “...of course. There hasn’t been a proper summit in over a hundred years, when the war began.”

“...war?”

After a pause, she sighs. “...I forget how little you know. But now isn’t the time to explain. It’s a long and heavy tale. Like most of history.”

“...I see.”

She chews slowly, thoughtfully. “...maybe someday I can teach you more. After all...it seems I’ll be here quite some time…” is her somber note.

“I...would like that.” As a silence blooms, he then blurts, “And if you were to leave?”

“What?”

“If you were ever to leave...would you still teach me?”

Ryū stills, studying him with an unreadable expression. “...I...suppose that depends.”

“On what?”

“...on many things,” is her vague reply, which frustrates him. 

“But would you?”

“...I would. But maybe you already know these things and just...forgot. Until we know what was lost in your memories...” She trails off to silence.

Tobi sighs, clearly still agitated.

“...what’s wrong?”

The truth would only make things worse. “...I don’t like this blank slate in my mind,” he offers instead.

“...maybe someday we’ll fill it again.”

Out beyond the barrier, the snow is finally still. Caught in a crag dozens of meters down from the cavern, the newly-tumbled tons reflect the rising moonlight like a billion crystals.

And then, with a flare of flakes, a hand lifts from the mass. Like a rock dropped into a pond, the snow disperses outward to create a crater. Standing in the middle, still peppered with white, Kumiko heaves for air alongside a knelt Kakashi.

Not far away, Raziya bursts from the snow, shaking like a drenched dog to dislodge what clings to her fur.

“...that...was the craziest thing I’ve ever done,” the glacial mage admits, dropping to her knees to catch her breath.

Beside her, Kakashi manages a weary chuckle. “Well...it was either that, or get disintegrated.”

“You’re still a madman.”

“True...but we’re alive.”

Resting back on her haunches, Kumiko stares up at the cave above them. “...so...we need to be a bit more stealthy, it seems.”

“Indeed. Any ideas?”

“Raziya can’t come with us - for one, getting us in will be hard enough, let alone something her size. True, she can take her mor form...but she’s far less effective with her ven in that state. She might not fit once we’re inside if she were to try to change.  And two, they’ll still be able to sense her as easily due to her saturation of energy. Her presence is just too obvious. And it’s as you say: we need the element of surprise in case they decline a fight and decide to simply teleport elsewhere once they realize we’re there..”

“So we go in alone. But do we know how to go in at all?”

“I have an idea...not as mad as yours, but hopefully viable. First, however, we need to get back up there, and without Raziya’s help.”

“What should I do?”

“Wait here. We may need to make a desperate escape. Be ready at a moment’s notice, my friend,” Kumiko offers.

“Very well.”

“So how are we getting up there?” Kakashi asks again.

“With a little ven. Here, stand next to me. Keep your knees bent - it’s going to be a little...loose.”

“...what?”

“I’m going to urge the snow back up, but it’ll be a little unstable. Think of standing on a ship.”

“...wonderful.”

“Just don’t fall off.” Adjusting her stance and letting Kakashi do the same, Kumiko then feeds ven into the snow beneath them before lifting her arms. Following her guidance, it starts rolling back up the incline in reverse.

Kakashi’s stomach can’t help a small turn of its own, and he’s immediately reminded of why he hasn’t been on a ship in quite some time. “I...think I might vomit.”

“Just a little longer - hold on.” Sliding up the peak, Kumiko brings them to a stop along one edge of the cave, several meters to the right to avoid the barrier’s pull. Maintaining their height, she spares a hand to gently clear away snow until the mountain itself is exposed. “All right...step off here.”

Eagerly doing as he’s told, Kakashi glances around. “...now what?”

“Now...I’m going to give you a little science lesson, Kakashi. Do you know why we don’t make much use of stone roads this far north?”

“...no, enlighten me.”

“Because the freezing and thawing of water causes cracks. Water seeps into any divet it can find...and when it freezes...it expands…” Ven melting some of the snow, Kumiko guides it into a gap in the earth. Then with an urging, it freezes...and Kakashi hears a soft crack. “Over time, with each freezing and thawing...the crack widens. And eventually...you’re left with little more than rubble.”

Watching with widening eyes, Kakashi can only stare as Kumiko carves a tunnel through the earth and stone of the mountain face with only a few gallons of water. “...you’re amazing, did you know that?”

Grinning, Kumiko just keeps going until - after uncounted minutes - light and warm air slips through a gap.

The pair glance to each other, each nodding and preparing themselves for whatever might lie ahead.

     Holy mother of overdue chapters, Batman! This is...well, very late :’D But since I’ve decided to just go full-blown hiatus from RP for July and just...take a breather, I thought I’d try and finish up some WIP fics instead while I have some spare time / energy. Maybe not...fully taking a break, but...tbh fic writing is almost always easier for me than RP for...some reason.      ANYWAY, a bit of a cliffhanger cuz...honestly I was going to have a whole other scene in this chapter but it was getting...really long :’D I’ve been trying to keep chapters between 3-4k, and this was just over 4k, and uh...yeah it would end up a monster if I kept going. And there’s a LOT of plot in this next scene. So I think just...better to wait and let that stand on its own. And that means MORE CHAPTERS anyway, so...y’know xD Total word count is almost to 38k so that’s neato!      BUT YES. We are...SO CLOSE to a possible reunion...? But things are about to start hitting the fan. We’ve got “Tobi” having FEELINGS and starting to question the unquestionable. We’ve got Ryū being that big depressy, Madara still being a jerk, aaand Kakashi and Kumiko getting ever so slightly closer (in more ways than one, huehue)...! So the next chappy SHOULD be pretty excitinggg!      I am going to DO MY DARNDEST to finish this fic by the end of July. As my plotting stands now there should be four more chapters, but uh...the last two ended up having to be split into four, so that’s...probably not accurate x’D BUT either way, this is my main goal for July writing-wise. I will DO MY BEST!      For now tho I...need to eat, then I’m get right back to it ÒωÓ *dashes away* Thanks for readinggg!

[ajanefantasy]

Book Love part 4 - Gin (Brothers  Book 2)

Gin was the fourth novel in the fantasy world of Dahrè, and second of the Brothers Trilogy. During this journey of writing Gin, I realized that Gin’s book was not going to be the final story of the Brothers. There was the matter of their gaining vengeance for the murder of their parents and that just was not going to fit into two books. But that’s for next time.

Gin took a bit to get settled on a direction, to find exactly who Gin and Torin were. Gin was a complicated fellow who didn’t quite know how to deal with his various control issues, the anger he felt towards his brother, or the abuse Gin lived through as a boy. And Torin, I knew a little bit about him from writing Rum, but he, well, he surprised me. Turned out Torin was not the sort of man to put up with Gin’s shit, which surprised Gin as well. Gin thought Torin’s temperament would match Torin’s physical appearance, soft and fluffy. But Torin took control of the relationship within moments of Gin freeing Torin from the hold of his boat (Gin had kidnapped him as a pirate does when he finds treasure) and boy did Gin like it. He liked it a lot. Gin just didn’t know how to deal with how much he liked it and didn’t always handle it well. He was captain of his own boat, shouldn’t he be the one giving orders? But Gin was helpless against Torin’s orders and well, the feel of Torin’s hard hand against his ass...

Gin’s book was ultimately about family, both found and blood, and what folks do for family. He meets his father’s youngest brother, Rune Stone, as well Rune’s mother, Jasper Stone. Gin’s grandfather, Ethen tyr Vens, makes an appearance. Red Boot’s son, Rigger Boots is a complication, and Rigger’s lad, Gator Boots is found in the middle of nowhere. Plus a few other characters that help make up the beginning of Gin’s crew. And in the middle of all this, he learns a surprising secret about his father and makes an even bigger enemy of the man who tormented him and Rum as children.

-- Fun fact, Gin was originally called Fig Py. But I realized that didn’t sound very piratey and was easily changed except for when it came to a very drunk Rum calling him Figgie Pie.

With all that said:

[Image ID: Image of two, three mast ships, each tied to an island dock, the sky at early morning light, with the word Gin written across it]

Returning to his childhood home, Gin seeks to end the ryn Ferths’ attempts upon his and his brother's lives. Finding his first love in the employ of his enemy, the only thing that matters is stealing away his lost treasure. With his enemy's fortune gone, Torin’s revenge is finally complete. Just as he is about to make his escape, the boy who stole his first kiss reappears in his life, endangering all he worked for. Book Two of The Brothers Trilogy Story contains strong language and explicit sex 110,000 Words

Amazon / Smashwords / Kobo / Apple  / BN

A preview of Gin can be found under the cut.

Gin stared at the angry, disheveled man in the hold cage. After all these years, Torin still held a fascination for him. Even with the indignation in his yiska eyes, the high color in his full cheeks, he found him desirable. The pinch of his lips brought about a sharp want to kiss him again.

“What sort of man have you become, that you would kidnap me and have me placed within the hold of a boat with naught but a chamber pot and rats for company?” Torin crossed his arms over his chest as he stood with as much pride as he could muster after the restless night.

Besides the rats keeping him up, worry over the activities left behind kept his mind full. Had Doshan searched him out at his townhouse to learn of what went on at the docks, especially after he never returned? Had Doshan discovered that the dwelling was mostly vacant with belongings packed and ready for transport? If he had…

“My apologies, love.” Gin opened the hold cage and entered the tiny space, pleased when his treasure stayed his ground. “Never did I mean to cause ye discomfort.” He touched a fallen curl of hair resting upon Torin’s forehead, then brushed the back of his fingers over a stubbly cheek. “I had expected Master Stone to return ye to my cabin, not place ye below deck.”

Torin narrowed his eyes. “What do you want with me? I am no more than…”

“A fine treasure do ye make for many reasons.” He thought he could listen to Torin’s Lyndian brogue for hours, years, forever, and never grow tired of it, despite having grown to hate the rolling R’s and dipping U’s as much as he hated chocolate, but then he had always been contrary. He motioned to the leather case in the corner of the hold cage. “It contains financial papers for the ryn Ferth empire, aye?”

“Yes. So you took me because I hold the knowledge of their accounts and ledgers?”

“Aye. Since rumors abound that all that is ryn Ferth is truly mine, ‘twould seem most prudent to take the one most familiar with it.”

“And the other reasons?” Torin continued to hold his ground, refusing to fear this man before him despite the lack of civility in his eyes. He knew that Kynon…Gin would never hurt him, it was easy to see by the look in his eyes, but his knowledge came by other means. Actually he was uncertain why he asked, other than to make Kynon…Gin confirm his Reading.

Gin stepped up to the other man, palmed his cheeks, and kissed him. He liked that Torin was ever so slightly shorter than he, liking tilting Torin’s face up, even if it was just by half an inch.

Lifting his head, he rubbed his thumbs over the other man’s lips, and smiled. “In need ye are of cleaning yer teeth, love.”

Not knowing what he felt about the kiss, he stayed angry. “Of course I am need of cleaning my teeth, pirate, but stuck I am down in this hold and…”

“Come then, grab yer case, and we shall adjourn to my quarters so that ye may clean them, and if ye desire, ye may bathe as well. ‘Twill not be said that I am an ungracious host.”

“And what of clothing? What of all my belongings?”

Gin brushed his fingers over Torin’s stubbly cheek once more. “All will be well.”

“Naught will be well, especially when Doshan discovers my disappearance. ‘Tis most likely you have ruined everything!” Torin shoved past Kyn…Gin and ascended the ladder out of the hold, his case gripped tightly in his hand. Right outside the captain’s quarters, a large hand pulled him around. Tired of the manhandling, he jerked his arm away with thoughts of bashing whoever it was with his case.

Seeing Ky…Gin, he offered his haughtiest expression. “What is your issue?”

“Why does it matter if Doshan discovers ye gone? Will he worry over the financial knowledge ye hold? For if so, good, ‘tis what he deserves and worse.”

“Because he will destroy my belongings and there are things that I possess that rather would I not see…” Torin closed his eyes and pulled in several deep breaths. “Not that you would care, would you, the selfish bastard that you are?” Before K…Gin could answer, he whipped around and entered the cabin, sending the door flying closed behind him with hopes of hitting the horrible pirate. He cared not if it was undignified to do so.

Gin caught the door and softly closed it behind him, used to dealing with temper displays such as Torin’s—Rum behaved in such a manner at times. “Why would he destroy yer belongings? It makes nae sense to do so, just because ye disappear…”

Then again, mayhap it would be exactly like Doshan to do so; he was the vindictive sort. Still…

“Because already were my belongings packed, ready to be shipped, and never did I tell him I was leaving Lynda, let alone leaving his employ.”

“Where were ye going?”

“If you must know, already did I plan to seek passage from your captain, Golden Boots. A letter I possess of introduction and explanation from Ellis so that he would allow me on board.”

“Already were ye planning to travel to Ganos…with Capt’n Boots?”

“Yes! And now ruined it you have. Ruined everything!”

–

© A. Jane

Book Love:  Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4  Part 5  Part 6  Part 7  Part 8  Part 9

[nonbinary-moth]

A small fic for @starlightkeybright‘s AU they came up with with Ventus and Roxas being knights sworn to protect Sora. This is all beginning stuff, but I’d love to continue, if thats okay with Star

“Hey, we’re gonna be late, come on!”

Roxas rolled his eyes as he ran after his brother. It was way too early for exercise in his opinion, but Ventus was the dictionary definition of a morning person. Awake at the crack of dawn, waking him up as well while he was at it, having breakfast made by half six and ready to leave the house at 7. He was usually still in bed by that time.

Still, he never would’ve been able to oversleep today. After three long years of training they were finally ready to graduate the academy and become real knights. Serving the kingdom had been a dream of his since childhood, and despite Ven’s slightly annoying, overly optimistic attitude, he couldn’t help smile as he followed.

He finally caught up to him, breathing heavily as he stared upwards at the palace. The Kingdom of Lux was one of the largest in the country, and certainly the richest, so it made sense the palance matched the grandeur. Golden gears and pipes decorated the walls, with glowing crystals for light all over the place. The main building split off into many towers, connected by beams of light, with dangerous-looking staircases spiralling upwards. From his position on the ground he could see people making their way across the walkways, perhaps getting things ready for their ceremony.

“Ven, over here!” A voice cut through the growing crowd, attracting both of their attention. It was Terra, one of the senior members of the Crownsguard. They were the best of the best, tasked with protecting the royal family whenever they left the palace. He was dressed in his armour, and despite being close friends with Ven he would never abandon his post whilst on duty. Which meant the King was going to be here soon.

“Terra! I haven’t seen you in forever!” Clearly not thinking as much as him, Ven ran past him, jumping up as he hugged the older man. He staggered backwards slightly, laughing and hugging back.

“Been busy, with Sora being officially named as the heir to the throne and all. New shifts had to be set out, since he’d be a priority target for any enemies right now. I’m on duty all day, but I’ll be around for the ceremony - and Aqua too.” He grinned, and Ventus grinned back, bouncing up and down his excitement. Terra’s eyes flitted over to Roxas, a surprised expression crossing his face, before being replaced with realisation. “Oh, you must be his twin brother, Ven told me about you.”

“Yep, Roxas! You can tell by the eye colour.” He wrapped his arm around his, smiling and pointing up at his eyes. Their natural eye colour was a bright blue, but Ventus wore filtered contact lenses to fix his eyesight, giving them a green hue. The sudden contact unsettled Roxas, and he felt the sudden urge to dart away, but managed to stop himself from doing so. Ven seemed to notice, however, and quickly let go of him. He silently thanked him.

“Nice to meet you. Suppose you can’t wait either, huh?” Roxas nodded, unsure to find the right words quick enough, but Ventus saved him yet again.

“We both are! Do you know where we’ll be? The ceremony starts at nine, and we need to be at the Hall by then.” He spoke quickly, more than likely to draw the attention to him. Once again, he silently thanked him. Terra laughed lightly, ruffling his hair.

“You’ll have to find out later, kiddo. I know you’ll be happy about it.” He glanced up at the castle, where a group of soldiers were opening the doors. “Looks like it's almost time. Good luck!” He smiled, and the twins smiled back. With a quick wave from Ventus, the two ran through the gates and into the castle.

+++

They had been in the castle before, but never the Royal Hall. That was where the most important meetings were held, where laws and fates were decided. If you were called there, it would become the best day or the worst day of your life. Walking through the gilded hallways, Roxas hoped it would be the former.

He glanced over at Ventus, still bouncing in excitement with a barely contained smile on his face. Of course there was, both of their dreams were about to come true, but the dregs of worry still lingered in his mind. What if it wasn’t what he had hoped? What if he was stuck patrolling some out-of-the-way border for the rest of his life? An important job, sure, but it was the excitement he craved, an adventure he couldn’t get just from staying in the city.

No, he had to think positive. This was going to change his life, in a good way. Serving his kingdom was his dream. No matter where he was going, he’d be making a difference. He only wished one thing - he stayed with Ven. He was strong, excelling in places no one could dare reach, but he felt a lot safer around his brother. He wondered what Ven was thinking. What was he hoping for?

They reached the door to the Hall, guarded by two helmet-clad guardsmen. As they approached they turned, opening the door. Light poured out, and Roxas quickly closed his eyes, a gasp from Ven telling him he hadn’t been so lucky. At least he had the filters in his eyes to help him adjust.

The room, unlike the golden-brown walls of the halls they had been wandering for a while now, was almost completely white, lit by chandeliers of glowing crystals high above them. Gold trim outlined the details on the walls and decorations, only adding to the grandeur of the room. The most eye-catching display, if you could see it through the blinding white, was the large stained glass window on the far wall.

Divided into three parts, each depicting the three kingdoms of Cor. Lux - his home. A kingdom of light and prosperity. They shone above the thrones, causing a yellowish glow upon the room. The patterns were intricate and detailed, showing the sun shining down on a crowd of people. A golden crown - the official symbol of Lux - divided the two.

Nox, the city’s twin, dominated the bottom left of the glass. The two had split apart many years ago, and it was hard to tell that they had ever shared a name on sight alone. Things were darker there, with the strongest warrior staying on top, and fights for the throne were frequent. They were not a bloodthirsty kingdom, however. If anything, they were usually the more serious and level-headed of the three. A strong throne lead to a strong king.

The third kingdom, Crepusculum was a lot smaller than the others, but just as powerful. Starting off as a small town outside of the great kingdom Lux and Nox once were, rebels fleeing the joint kingdom settled there, and as they split apart, those who decided to stay built up their defences and declared themselves a separate kingdom. It had once been free to all, but nowadays it was tough to even visit. He had no idea what happened behind the black and white walls, and he had a feeling he wouldn’t during his lifetime.

His eyes fell downwards, towards the thrones. Made of gold - much like everything else in the room - and casting a shadow from the elaborate stained glass window across the floor. There were three of them, the one in the middle being the largest with the two beside identical. In the center sat the king, Eraqus. He wore a patient expression with a kind smile as he stared at the two of them. There was no crown on his head, yet the aura of power and radiance from him was unmistakable.

To the right of the grand throne was the newly-named heir. A young boy, around his age Roxas guessed, with spiky brown hair, topped with a golden crown. Was that even allowed, wearing a symbol of royalty when the King himself didn't? This didn’t seem like the right place to ask. He was clearly having trouble staying calm himself, his eyes flitting around and bouncing on his seat slightly. A smile was barely hidden on his face. He and Ventus had a lot in common. Beside him stood a silver haired boy Roxas didn’t recognize, keeping an eye on the young prince with occasional glances up at the newcomers, a stern expression on his face. He guessed he was the prince’s bodyguard, but the black suit put him off the idea - it didn’t seem like the right attire.

The left throne remained empty, as it had for years. The Queen would have sat there, but it had been years since she was seen around the kingdom. He was never told what had happened, and he had the feeling that was on purpose.

“Roxas and Ventus, I assume?” Eraqus said, the sound echoing throughout the chamber. They nodded.

“The two newest graduates of the Academy. I have heard many good things about the two of you. Roxas, your ability to wield two keyblades with equal skill - or maybe more skill - than some of our finest soldiers is quite impressive.”

Roxas felt his face turn red as he nodded, accepting the praise wordlessly. What had started as a joke between him and Ventus had turned into his signature style of fighting. Years of honing the skill had turned it into something completely unique to him, and he was often asked to teach the skill to the younger students of the Academy. He always refused, however. This was his thing, and he wanted it to stay that way.

“And Ventus. Quick as the wind, holding your keyblade backhand unlike what had been taught to you, and excelling with it at that. Why you two deviated from your teachings is a mystery to me, but I cannot call it a bad thing, as it has done no harm on your skill or reputation.”

He couldn’t help feeling slightly offended at his words, but he watched Ventus accept the praise and decided to leave it. It was a dare that started all this - who could come up with the most elaborate way to fight with a keyblade. Ventus held his backwards, a joke to the rest of the class, but he quickly learned how to use it to catch his opponents off guard. Roxas went for a more powerful approach, using two keyblades at once. At first the weight was hard to handle, but he learned to use the momentum from one swings to power another. He had been called out for cheating in the past, but he had been allowed to continue after a spar with one of the visiting professors from another academy in Nox, who convinced them to let him develop his skill.

“I’m sure you two are eager to know your future. You two have been together since birth, training and learning together, and I can tell you that will continue throughout your service here for the kingdom.” Roxas breathed a sigh of relief. “I have an important task for the two of you, one that I know you can excel in. You are both capable keyblade wielders, creating and mastering your own style. Furthermore, you are young, and possess qualities that I can only describe as ideal to be a perfect role model to my heir.”

He blinked, suddenly looking upwards. He didn’t mean-?

Eraqus guestered towards the young prince, who was fighting so much it was a miracle he hadn’t left his seat already. He had broken into a smile, fingers drumming on the armrest of the throne as he looked between the king and the two of them. The young man next to him was clearly sick of it, rolling his eyes as obviously as he dared.

“Sora is kind and I know will make a wonderful king one day, but he is naive from being raised in such a sheltered manner. I ask the two of you to protect him, teach him the ways of this kingdom. He already possesses the knowledge needed to run the kingdom, he just needs a little help making it all click in.” He laughed.

“Of course, Your Majesty. We swear to serve you and the kingdom until our dying breath-” Roxas began a speech he had prepared a while ago, but was cut off by a wave of Eraqus’s hand.

“Please, none of the formalities. Think of this more as a favour.” He wasn’t quite sure how to react, but nodded and bowed, glancing across to watch Ventus copy him. He had stayed silent this whole time, the smile replaced by a serious expression. Wonder when that updated.

“Thank you. You are dismissed. Meet me in an hour in the gardens, I will introduce Sora to you properly.” Eraqus smiled, and guestered for them to leave. They bowed again, and left the hall.

[beanmaster-pika]

@xan-xus Lae I owe you my life ty for enabling me

OKAY SO Subject X doesn’t disappear, but Lea and Isa still go with the ‘become Apprentices’ plan bc they’re Dumb Teens. Fast forward and Xehanort has everyone in the lab (including the LITERAL BABY I’m so sorry they did that to you Ienzo) all “hm yeah we should totally experiment on our own hearts nothing could possibly go wrong!” and Lea and Isa are like “wh. what the fuck. are we in a cult is this what a cult looks like”

Spoiler: it is

Now, one scene I have envisioned very vividly is a change in Saix getting his scar. I’ve read posts that suggest he got it before he became a Nobody and that’s why it didn’t disappear like Axel’s tattoos did (OR MAYBE THOSE WERENT TATTOOS. MAYBE THEY WERE CLOWN MAKEUP), so I figure it happened right before he lost heart. Why? I dunno! Maybe Xehanort realized that he had a lot of darkness in his potential to get unhealthily jealous and went “hoo hee that’s prime real estate!” and decided to set the groundwork in advance! But because I am a sucker for characters bodily shielding their loved ones, X fuckin jumps in the way of the second slash so she and Saix end up having Inverted Matching Scars. I’m contemplating having it being over her eye and giving her an eyepatch and her being really salty about matching with Xigbar bc who’d want to.

Xehanort just rolls with it because if those three hold each other dear then that’s just more material to work with in the future, kinda like when one gathers a bunch of art supplies one has vague ideas for but never ends up using, so Nort Prep™️ doesn’t happen and he turns them all into Nobodies.

Also Lea’s unconscious for all of this because of my hc that the Radiant Garden squad’s numbers go in ascending order based on who got killed first. Ya boi’s just chillin in the back, his heart floating over his body.

Anyway they’re all Nobodies now, right? No feelings, nothing. They just want their hearts back so they can become Somebodies again. Since X is right there with them, they don’t need to worry about getting Saix up the ranks to find her. They just need to carry out their missions competently enough that they don’t get turned into Dusks. A lot changes when you take the search for X out of the equation—Saix loses his hungry ambition, Axel slows down. They don’t have to fight to get ahead; they just need to stay afloat. They lose that desperate edge that ultimately knifed them apart, and it’s only the scramble for kingdom hearts that drives them now. Much of the stress and pressure they dealt with in canon is gone. So what now?

It’s these two plus X. They don’t have emotions, but they do have their memories. X’s freedom was all they had hoped for, and ironically now that she’s got it none of them have the literal heart to be happy about it, and you can bet I’m lifting that line straight into my fic probably. They know that they were friends, though they can’t feel it now, and they know that they cared deeply for each other, so logically they stick together. They even have ice cream time on the clock tower.

Here’s the fun part: regrowing their hearts. With an actual circle of friends—though it’s small—their hearts actually start to regrow healthier, like how Axel’s did once he started hanging out with Roxas and Xion. Sure, Xemnas tries to interfere because “excuse me what are you nincompoops doing that’s my future vessel” but do you think they give a fuck?? No way!! I also buy into the “X=Skuld” theory, and one of her biggest personality traits is wanting to keep her friends together, and I don’t think amnesia’s gonna change that (at least I’m pretty sure she has amnesia. Ven, Marluxia, and Larxene sure do >:0). Xemnas wants to snatch away one of her friends for Evil Business?? Try it, bitch, she’ll cUT YOU. Xemnas has appearances to keep up so he doesn’t out and out start a fight with the Teenage Girl™️ but he’s lowkey pissed but whatever.

So with that fucked up end to their teenage years they grow into adulthood, not normal but far less shitty than what could have been. Saix still becomes Mission Man because he’s got to have some administrative skill if he got the job in canon, but despite how closely he has to work with Xemnas the Norting is unsuccessful—he’s got Axel and X stabilizing him. It’s a three-way positive feedback loop with people who don’t have anything else to do or worry about, and it keeps him safe and their new hearts keep slogging on with that regrowth, unacknowledged but doing their damn best.

Now let’s talk about Days. Saix still assigns Axel to train Roxas during his first week, and Roxas still has to train Xion for memory or Keyblade reasons I think?? But things go a little differently for them this time.

Axel doesn’t do assassination in this AU—no need for it—so it’s Xigbar sent off to Castle Oblivion instead to deal with the traitors. Saix doesn’t really care since he doesn’t have a personal stake in the situation. Axel never meets Sora, but he does hang out with Roxas more, so Roxas ends up growing to be a bit more of a little shit than he is in canon. The formative weeks are very important for a new Nobody with no memories, after all. Axel doesn’t have that desperation for a real friend that pushed him to befriend Roxas in canon, but he does have a more developed partial heart and it won’t allow him to just toss this poor kid to the wolves. He brings him up to the clock tower for ice cream time and Saix is like “why is he here this is our thing” and Axel has to go “be nice he was born yesterday” Roxas is just spacing out and figuring out how eating works. Axel adopts Roxas almost immediately, X does so in good faith, and Saix eventually comes around because the other two already did it. Then there’s the whole Xion situation, and all three of them are like Axel was in canon—a bit confused, but they got the spirit. Roxas likes her, so they do too.

OH YEAH ANOTHER IMPORTANT PLOT POINT IS THAT SAIX DOESNT REFER TO A CHILD AS “IT” :)

They don’t have to sneak around as much when Xion has Keyblade problems—the perks of having an actual friend in power—and from here all I really have planned is a whole lot of the radiant trio doing their best to look after these disaster children while stubbornly denying that they themselves have hearts and emotions pushing them to do so in the first place and it’s really wholesome and also maybe theres a pinch of Axel and Saix’s redeveloping hearts leading to redeveloping but unacknowledged feelings for each other and X and the kids try to wingman them (with a side of X being a little salty because the only woman her age in the organization is dead now and also was too mean to date in the first place) because I’m biased and still high on kh3 leaisa rights.

Eventually they decide “fuck it we may not have hearts but we’re doing fine, why don’t we just uhhhhhh fuck off to some far away world with the kids so they can have an actual childhood” but before they can everything goes to shit with the whole Sora situation and now he has THREE desperate Nobodies after him trying to get their son back, and they all disagree on which method will bring results and have a huge falling out and X has to watch helplessly as one of her best friends goes rogue and the other ends up being Norted and it’s painful. 🙃 But everything gets resolved a la KH3 and that’s the AU.

[nobodies-png]

tbh i think square/disney really wanted the organization to be bad™ and irredeemable™ but they shot themself in the foot after they sprinkled in the various moments where its established that the individuals of the org arent inherently evil. which means that them having ienzo be a child originally makes it strange to have such malicious hate aimed at him in the same series where characters are expected to grow and learn and sympathize. but idk lol

h o n e s t l y ? y E Ah

im taking this chance to ramble under the cut , wh e e z e. Warning for KH3 spoilers and Mod Demyx rant rant

in my humble ass opinion, it really just feels like Nomura had a bunch of cool ideas in general, but then the train went rogue and they started adding a shit ton of plot twists (that they’d later have to explain and make relevant to the main plot) for the sake of continuing the saga and milking more money bc KH was part of so many people’s childhoods

like, it’s one of my fave games and sagas ever but to be honest, i’d love for some other company to fucking remake the entire plot without the pretense of “we gotta be kid friendly bc Disney is here uwu”. Like, you can’t really be dramatic and make any important events when every character is just gonna come back, only killing off those that you don’t know how to continue.

and it’s such a weird fucking ? amalgamation of stuff too ? not even the fact that we’re mixing talking animals,disney princesses and final fantasy shit into it, but like - sometimes it shows scenes that are too dark for Disney and sometimes it just skims over shit that it should have some proper closure because o h it’s too dark for a kid’s game. And then even deeper shit is hinted in the novels and manga bUT TYING BACK TO MY PREVIOUS ANSWERED POST, YOU CAN’T EXPAND ON LORE TO MAKE YOUR CREATION MORE STABLE LIKE THIS - IF YOU WANT TO EXPLAIN OR EXPAND UPON SOMETHING, HAVE B A L L S AND DO IT IN THE GAME, WHICH IS THE MAIN FOCUS 

Like, in KH3 they wanted everyone to get redeemed and “close off a chapter of this story” but honestly ? it was fucking rushed and done in a pretty shitty way, in my opinion. 

Ienzo just shows up wanting to help and there’s no repercussions to his actions as a nobody, he’s just like “uwu hi” and everyone’s too caught up in Sora having a phone to even care that this was one of the guys that gave them h e l l in Castle Oblivion. Same with the other apprentices, Aeleus and Dilan get no spoken lines, just a line explaining how they also wanted to be better tossed in all carelessly. That’s their redemption. 

And don’t get me wrong, I fucking adore Zexion/Ienzo, he was my crush as a kid, but ? he’s just used to show that Nobodies can be chill and they’ve been all controlled by a bigger evil, as well as part of Ansem’s own redeeming arc instead of having his O W N redeeming arc. He’s virtually useless despite all the protagonism they gave him in KH3, cause sure he calls Sora to let him know shit and he’s supposedly “working on Big Stuff for the Good Guys(tm)”, but all of this work and character development happens off-screen. Same with Vexen/Even - and he at least gets like two scenes showing that he actively works in the shadows to redeem himself. 

And I know it’s hard to make a game and they’ve been at it for a long fucking time and it requires a lot of shit but ? ? ? hONESTLY I DONT KNOW ABOUT YOU ALL BUT I PREFER TO GET A SOLID CLOSURE ON THE MAIN SHIT  AND THEN MAYBE GET MORE CLOSURE FOR LESS BUT STILL IMPORTANT GROUPS IN OTHER GAMES OR REMIXES SINCE THEYRE SUPER KEEN ON MAKING A SHIT TON OF SPIN-OFFS AND STUFF. LIKE, THAT SEEMS BETTER THAN HAVING A LOT OF SMALLER PLOTS JUST SPRINKLED THERE LIKE “WHOOPS AND THEY WERE ALL HAPPY AGAIN” 

cAUSE THEY DON’T EVEN STOP THERE. THEY TRY TO CLOSE A LOT OF SHIT, BUT THEN ADD A LOT OF VAGUE CRYPTIC SHIT FOR THE UPCOMING GAMES AND STORIES ? ? ? 

like I love the final battle part a lot because it’s ? ? ? so fucking badass and it’s the end of all this journey we’ve been on, it’s Sora vs Xenahort, it’s the light vs the darkness, it’s Master Eraqus’ legacy vs Xenahort’s army. 

but it’s just an easy cheap way to close off so much shit in a short time.

the sea salt trio ? reunited. the wayfinder trio ? reunited. the remaining Nobodies who still have no fucking backstories ? gone with a hint of “we’ll be back as good guys”. Like, they added fucking Ephemera as the “light from the past”, inviting the connection between the current timeline with KHux bUT THERE’S STILL NOTHING ON LAURIAM/MARLUXIA. AND THEN THERE’S A FUCKING CUTSCENE OF VENTUS HUGGING A FUCKING CHIRITHY LIKE, YOURE NOT EXPLAINING NOR HELPING ANYONE, NOMURA.

LIKE THE SECRET CUTSCENE IMPLIES 2 THINGS : NEW CHARACTERS (FROM RIKU’S POINT OF VIEW, SINCE HE’S WATCHED BY YOZORA) AND THE COME BACK OF THE TWEWY FRANCHISE WHOSE INVOLVEMENT HAD BEEN COMPLETELY IGNORED AND JUST ABANDONED SINCE DDD. SURE, DREAM EATERS WERE HELLA IMPORTANT AND THERE’S SLEEPING WORDS THERE. AND THERE’S IMPORTANT SHIT GOING ON WITH VANITAS AND THE UNVERSED. BUT ALL WE GOT WAS A DREAM EATER SUMMONING, LIKE 5 UNVERSED ENEMIES AND MORE UNNECESSARY CONFUSION

Like I get it that KH3 was supposed to be the ending of some things and the beginning of other new things and I get that there were a lot of setbacks and things involved, but even with it’s amazing graphics and fun gameplay, it’s still another trainwreck regarding plot. But we all just keep eating it up because we’re desperate to know how it ends and bc childhood nostalgia keeps us here at gunpoint

also i’m mad that out of all KH girls, only Aqua got her time to shine. Like sure, you can argue and say that Kairi took the spotlight after saving Sora again and being a good 70% of Sora’s strength, but as usual she was thrown back into her spot as “princess in distress”, with her training and character development happening off-screen in a place that conveniently has no effect to the current events. And speaking of training, she just immediately becomes besties with Axel despite all the shit they went through with him trying to kidnap her and whatnot. And sPEAKING OF AXEL, HE GOT WAY MORE DEVELOPMENT THAN ROXAS OR XION OR KAIRI OR AQUA HERSELF

AND THAT’S SAYING SOMETHING CAUSE AQUA GOES THROUGH A LOT OF SHIT IN THIS GAME - She finally succumbs to darkness, she goes out of it, she saves Ven, reunites with Terra and after sO MANY FUCKING YEARS, she’s back on the realm of light. And that moment when she asks where they are and they tell her she’s back home and she raises her head to look at the sun and she cries ? ? that made me S H I V E R and TEAR UP MYSELF - but still, after all of that she goes to pretty much doing nothing while Axel here goes through a keyblade training, seeing Kairi as Xion, making ammends with his best friend, reuniting with his two adopted kids after so much shit and hinting anOTHER SUBPLOT WITH HIM, ISA AND A “SECRET GIRL” FRIEND THEY HAD.

BUT FROM XION WE ONLY GET THE PLOT CONVENIENT COMEBACK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BATTLE SO SHE CAN REUNITE WITH HER FRIENDS. A BIT OF INNER ANGST HERE AND THERE AND BOOM IT’S OVER SHE’S HAPPY NOW. 

AND NAMINE ? DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED. SHE’S GONE FOR SO LONG, ONLY SHOWING UP AS A STAR, MENTIONED OFF HAND BY KAIRI AND THEN SHE FINALLY GETS HER DESERVED LIFE IN THE ENDING CUTSCENE WHEN RIKU COMES TO PICK HER ASS UP. (im also mad that everyone got a happy/bittersweet ending except Vanitas and Repliku but that’s just me being sad aBOUT MY SONS)

sO LONG STORY SHORT :

I hate that this entire saga is a wreck but it still has me grabbed by the balls. Like I bought the KH special edition PS4 just to play when KH3 came out

[kusunogatari-a]

[ Frozen Flames and Shadowed Lights || Chapter One ] [ @yukaikokoro @abyssaldespair ] [ Hatake Kakashi, Suigin, Ryū,  Nohara Rin, Kottakawa Kumiko ] [ Verse: Divine Light ] [ Previous || Next ]

Pulling at the tunic, there’s a grumble. He hates formal clothing...it’s so...stifling. Not to mention it’s considered rude to get them dirty. Before today he couldn’t even remember the last time he had a bath, and now he smells so strongly of soaps and perfumes he’s going to gag.

...it better be worth it.

In all honesty, he’s not even sure why he’s here. All these dignitaries and people of importance...he’s just a traveling monster slayer. Nothing really to note about him, unless you count his appearance. Or his ill-gotten powers.

...though apparently it’s mostly to do with his connection to one of the few remaining disciples of Luxeria.

Realizing he’s not going to make it fit any better than it is, Kakashi gives his appearance one last glance in the mirror. They gave him a shave...it’s almost unsettling to see his face so bare of grey scruff. It took a fair share of time, but they sorted the mess of his hair. It’s still flyaway, but at least it’s not knotted or caked in road grime. If it weren’t for the scar, the mismatched eyes, or the hardened look in them...maybe he really could play the part he’s been puppeteered into.

“Ready?”

He sighs. “...no.”

Near-silent footsteps bring the figure closer, and now someone else fiddles with his garb. “You look so dashing,” they tease.

“I’d like to be dashing right about now. Over a back wall and back to my horse.”

Greys give him a stern look. “You will not.”

“Only because it would make you look bad. And then I’d feel bad.”

“It’s a wonder you can feel bad about anything - you’re always doing however you please. Letting me ask you a favor seems a bit out of sorts for you.”

The corners of his lips twitch. “You’re one of the few that would even get the time of day.”

“So I’ve noticed.” Giving him a far more open smile, Ryū stops her fussing and lets hands rest atop his shoulders. “...I know you don’t want to be here. Frankly, neither do I. But it’s a necessary evil.”

“What exactly is all this, anyway?”

“...before Aeboran - no...before the rift - those called to represent the Elements would meet each Summer in the capital of my country to ensure balance and peace was being kept. Laws would be discussed, trade, populations…” Ears lower as the el’ven sobers. “...until the Tenebreon representative pulled the coup. The war was bitter, and eventually pulled in the el’tahl...until our kinds were forced into hiding to prevent further bloodshed.”

Fingers curl atop his shoulders, drawing his gaze. “But now we have a chance to resume those talks. While both my kind and those who follow Tenebreos have neared extinction...we are still the elements twelve. And now that I’m ready to begin putting our country back together again, I thought it high time we begin anew. So I can show that I’m ready.”

Understanding lights in Kakashi’s eyes. “...you don’t want to be alone.”

“...no. You may not be a disciple of my Elemental, but…” Ryū smiles. “...you’re the closest thing I have to a father. And I trust you implicitly. If anyone is to stand by my side through all of this...I want it to be you. But I don’t want you to feel forced.”

“...not at all. I’m honored.”

There’s a moment of exchanged smiles, and then Kakashi reaches and pats a hand. “Now...enough of this heavy talk. If I have to mingle with a bunch of stuffy elves...might as well get it over with.”

The light mage laughs. “I’ll try to do most of the talking. You just have to stand and act tough. Rin’s here, too - she’s not the dignitary, but she was chosen as part of the party from Floritia. You’ll have a friend! And I’ll try to introduce you to the rest, so you have an idea who we’re dealing with.”

“What about the fire elves? Who’s come from their little group?”

There’s just a sliver of hesitation. “...they sent both sons, and a cousin of theirs. Apparently his parents are busy, so…”

“Too busy for something like this?”

Ryū gives him a look. “He’s my age, he’s old enough to represent them. Besides, you forget how long elves live. He’s got to be ready for a long haul ahead of him.”

“Mm.”

Silencing him with a warning stare, Ryū turns her back. “Now, let’s get going - it won’t do to be late. We’ve got elbows to rub, Kakashi.”

“Yes ma’am.”

From the guest quarters (one of many), they descend to the belly of the castle. Sensing her tension, Kakashi gives a glance. “...nervous?”

“...a lot rides on the impression I give tonight. My kind are so few...and it’s me who will represent them.” Eyes lift to the vaulted ceiling. “...though this place would have been mine long ago, in another world without the rift...it’s a strange one to me now. It’s sat empty for so long. I’ve a large presence to fill, and grow.”

“You’ll do fine. You’ve grown a lot since we met. And you’ll continue to do so.”

“...here’s hoping.”

Doors open to reveal the ballroom, and suddenly the pair are flooded with light and sound. Faces turn toward them, festivities pausing for a long moment.

Staring back, Ryū eventually gives a warm smile. “...please, guests: continue your merriment. Let us enjoy this night - the first of many to come!”

Another moment passes in stillness before time seems to begin again. Deflating, Ryū mutters, “Well that was fun.”

“You’re just getting started.”

As they step in, it only takes a few seconds before they’re first accosted. The little light mage handles each meeting gracefully, already knowing names and introducing Kakashi, “her advisor”. He’s not sure of the title, but...there’s little arguing it now. He meets each confused look with a cool one of his own, as though daring them to refute it.

“Kakashi, this is Kumiko - the representative of the disciples of Glaciris. Mages of ice; glacies’el’ven.”

Nodding, Kakashi watches as she gives a bow, only half-listening as her party is introduced. So far, he’s only noted names of the actual dignitaries. The rest, he expects, will be of little import.

“A pleasure,” Kumiko replies, giving a genuine smile. “So, this must be the el’tahl I’ve heard so much of: he who slays monsters with a gifted el’ven eye!”

The comment stiffens him slightly.

Ryū steps in. “Yes...it was a last offering from a childhood friend. An igni mage who was killed fighting at his side. It was my mother who performed the transplant - Kakashi had lost the eye earlier from a sword strike.”

“Is it true, then? The eye granted you ven?”

Looking ready to end the talk, Kakashi cuts Ryū off with a glance. “...it did. It’s been a subject of study as Ryū has matured. We’re still unsure just how much it’s changed, but I can wield the element. Personally, I prefer fulgur’ven.”

“Ah, lightning...a child of fire. That makes sense.” Kumiko’s eyes remain alight with curiosity. “I’ve been intrigued about you since hearing rumors of your existence. I’ve always wished to know more.”

“Well, Ryū would know more than I.”

“Perhaps in technicality. But it’s you who live with the changes.”

Glancing between them, Ryū hesitates a moment before offering, “...why don’t you take a little introduction break and take the chance to chat? I think I might go find Rin before it gets much later.”

Kakashi perks a brow. “...Rin? No one else?”

She ignores him, turning her back and leaving the pair.

Looking a bit unsure, Kumiko then flashes another smile, this one tinged a bit with nerves. “I suppose my feet are tiring. I’d not mind a few minutes to sit and relieve them.”

The hunter nods, following to a nearby table. Like magic (which it likely is), a young el’ven maiden supplies them both with crystal flutes filled with what looks to be sparkling wine. Kakashi ignores his own, wanting his wits about him. Hopefully Ryū does find Rin. He doesn’t want her alone for too long. The crowds are making him...nervous.

“...you know, I...hope I didn’t come off as...insensitive before,” Kumiko offers, drawing his gaze. A finger traces the lip of her glass, and he can see frost forming along the sides to further chill the drink. “...I didn’t realize the circumstances of your receiving the eye.”

“You couldn’t have - I don’t tell the story to many, and people tend to make their own reasons.” Shoulders shrug. “...you’ve caused no offense, if that’s what you fear. I’m a rather difficult man to offend, really.”

“Well then, you’ll not find like-minded company here,” Kumiko replies. Her chin gestures to the masses. “Most are just waiting to be insulted.”

“Well, I’m sure I’ll have a wonderful time. Dancing with phrases is always a pleasure.” The hunter gives a wry smile.

“Is that why she chose you? As an advisor? You seem the sort who won’t let them trod all over you...or her.”

“It’s likely part of it. We’ve known each other since she was young...I’m one of the few people she grew up trusting.”

“She mentioned a Rin?”

“Friend of mine. Flora mage. We were both present when Ryū’s mother died. It’s how we ended up with her.”

Something colors Kumiko’s eyes. “...you were like her parents, then.”

“In a sense.” A hand itches his neck. “Rin’s far more suited to it than I. Didn’t help we had to split up for a time.” Pause. “...we make a good team, but...nothing else.”

“...I see.”

Silence falls, the pair of them watching the masses for a few minutes. In the distance, Kakashi finally spots Ryū talking to Rin, feeling a bit of relief at not seeing her alone. But before he can smile, the disciples of Ignitrios make their way forward, the three of them bowing as the women curtsy. Mismatched eyes narrow as the middle man takes her hand, giving it a -

“You said, before, that you enjoy dancing with phrases?”

“Hm?” Torn from the sight, Kakashi looks back to his companion. “...sorry, what?”

Kumiko laughs. “Dancing. With phrases. You enjoy banter?”

“...I do, to an extent.”

“Well what of the other sort?”

“Other...sort?”

“Of dancing!”

Kakashi pales. “Oh, I...I’ve never learned.” Sure, there’s been drunken jigs in taverns after a successful job, but...nothing like you do in a ballroom.

“If you’re to be the advisor to Luxeria’s representative, you’d best learn how to dance,” Kumiko teases.

“I thought you said your feet were tired?”

“Oh, but they’ll wake for a dance!”

Well, what choice does he have? Abandoning his seat, he follows the glacial mage to the floor.

“Allow me.” Positioning his hands, Kumiko smiles. “It doesn’t take much - just mirror what I do. We’ll start slow.”

Moving his gaze to her feet, Kakashi lets her lead, stumbling over a step or two before noticing the pattern. After a few turns, he gets down the basics, risking a look back up.

“Very good! You’re a quick learner.”

“I suppose it has to do with swordsmanship training. You’ve got to be light on your feet.”

The mage laughs. “A reasonable explanation. Shall we join the others?”

“Uh -?”

With a tug, she begins guiding them toward the throngs, all following the same steps at the same moment. Waiting for the first phase, they eventually fall into rhythm, and Kakashi realizes...he’s actually enjoying himself. It’s been so many years since drills with the city guard - everyone moving as one, learning to wield their blades. This is oddly reminiscent, and yet...more fun.

Once confident enough in the pattern, he keeps his eyes on Kumiko’s face, seeing her own enjoyment. Icy eyes crinkle in merriment, the pair of them flowing with the masses in a loop of graceful movement.

...maybe he’s glad he came after all.

Eventually, the current song ends, and the couples all come to a stop, clapping to the orchestra. A bit winded, the pair give one another a glance, and then smiles: a bow and a curtsy.

“Perhaps...another break,” Kumiko laughs.

“Perhaps.” Sweeping over the crowds again, Kakashi hesitates. The igni mage gives a bow and another kiss on her hand, taking his leave as his brother beckons. She’s alone, catching her breath. Maybe he should -

“I think our seats are still open. We’ll sit out a round, and then we can have another...if you’d like?”

“Sure…” He’s only half listening, something in his gut telling him there’s something amiss. She’s tugging his hand, but he lingers, brow furrowed. He should -

In a breath, the entire ballroom goes dark.

Sounds of alarm break out. By reflex, Kakashi tugs his companion to his side, reaching for a sword that’s missing from his hip. And he can only use ven so long before he tires -

In the middle of the ballroom, an orb of light blooms from a palm Ryū raises to the ceiling, letting it lift and grow until the entire hall is cast in sharp relief of black and white. Tense silence so dense you could hear a pin drop casts over them, as if no one dares to breathe. No one moves, all staring at the lux mage.

Like snakes, shadows converged in the open space before her, reaching upward to the height of a man...and like a doorway, one steps through, a hooded cape drawn over a masked face.

Breaking from the spell of stillness, Kakashi starts pushing his way through, heartbeat sounding in his ears like drums in the silence.

Ryū stares, just as immobile.

A hand reaches. Takes her arm

He isn’t going to make it…!

With a pull, they fall back through the portal, which fizzles into nothing. With the caster gone, the orb disappears, but the candles and chandeliers all roar back to life with a breath that seems to break the bewitchment.

Breaching the clearing she’d been standing in, Kakashi casts his gaze about, hoping it’s just a trick, a jest...but it’s not. She’s gone. And though he’s never seen one in person, there’s no mistaking a Tenebreon portal, one that cuts through space just as her own cut through time.

She could be anywhere.

“Kakashi!”

Hardly hearing, Kakashi jolts as Rin finds an arm.

“Where is she?! Who was that? What -?!”

“Kakashi?”

So many voices, too many people calling to him…

The glacial mage approaches, expression haunted and worried. “What’s going on? Where did the light mage go?”

“...I don’t know…”

They keep firing questions, expecting him to have the answers. It’s too much...too much…!

“I DON’T KNOW!”

His voice rings out, bringing the chaotic cacophony to a standstill. Tugging his arm free, he makes for the front of the hall, nothing but glass windows and doors, stepping out to the balcony.

Rin retreats, clearly still looking. Kumiko follows.

Moving until he hits the balcony, he grips it with shaking fingers. His left eye burns as emotions long to fuel fire, one palm lifting to bury it in darkness.

“...Kakashi…?”

He doesn’t turn, hearing her step up cautiously beside him. He’s too focused on keeping his head against the tide of anger at his failure. Fury is fire’s vice, he can’t let it win…

A hand finds his shoulder. “...I might be able to help.”

Still breathing harshly, he eventually concedes. Facing her and dropping his hand, there’s a slight flinch as her palms take his cheeks. A gentle hint of cold blooms against his skin. Slowly, the blaze of his anger starts to cool...and a sigh breathes out the last of it.

“...I let this happen.”

“That entire hall was filled with mages...none of us did anything. We were too…” She fades to silence with a shake of her head. “...I can’t believe it. And this will only make things worse…”

“...what do you mean?”

“...the elements are in a constant state of flux. But it always finds balance. During the wars, dark mages were unfairly targeted due to prejudice. Many were killed...but we had forgotten that they need each other, dark and light mages. When one suffers losses...so will the other. By the time anyone thought to realize, it was nearly too late. So few light mages were left, they all but disappeared. Many went into hiding, as did the dark mages. Many of us thought both elements had been completely eradicated. Ryū’s return was important because of this. And now...a disciple of Tenebreos has his hands on her. It will only bring the stigma back.”

“...he could have taken her anywhere. Their portals go through space -!”

“Yes, and hers through time. Better she’s elsewhere on this plane than on another!” Kumiko gives him a stern look. “...she can be found. But panicking or wallowing in self-disappointment won’t find her!”

The retort cuts any rebukes he had in mind, and Kakashi gives another sigh, curt this time with a hand running through his hair. “...I should start looking for clues. And get going after her.”

“You’ll go alone?”

“I might have to. Who else can I take with me? Besides, I’ll be faster on my own.”

“You’ve only limited ven, Kakashi. You should take someone capable with you. Rin, at the very least, if no one else.” A pause. “...I would go if I could, but...I’ve a duty to my people.”

“Of course. Besides...if you’re right about the ramifications, maybe it’s best we have level-headed people at the helms. I know the Igni boy won’t like it, he’s sweet on her…”

“...I’ll head back inside, try to find a few other dignitaries and start organizing. And clear the ballroom so you can investigate. Though I’m not sure you’ll find much now.”

“Still better to try.”

As she turns to leave, Kakashi takes Kumiko’s arm.

“...thank you. I’ll let you know if I find anything.”

Expression grave, the mage nods. “...good luck, berech.”

     THIS TOOK SO LONG I’M SORRY. And it’s not COMPLETELY KakaKumi, but...I tried to have some lorey stuff to make it interesting and give a setting for what ya wanted x3      This is that fantasy verse I was telling you about, all based on my own original content. I haven’t gotten to write it much lately, so...I indulged myself, I hope that’s okay x3 And Kumiko as an ice elf is just !!!      Also I kinda left this open for maybe something else in the future ;3c Whether it be more drabbles or maybe RP if you like. I dunno! But I’ve another request to start for now, but uh...ANYWAY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Hopefully this is a suitable present xD

[lyssala]

Sleep

Pairing: Terra/Aqua, Kingdom Hearts

Rating: K+

Words: 3257

Notes: Did I mention I love writing fluff? Cause I do lmao I’ve wanted to write this one since I started thinking of fics to write for them. I’m a huge fan of childhood friends sharing a bed to comfort one another and how that changes from kids to adults (or teenagers whatever). I also love writing Aqua, who I feel is probably more aware of her feelings on a regular basis and just has to be like why’d my best friend have to grow up to be so gorgeous lmao I also love writing them as kids?? Like holy crap they’re the cutest?? I usually don’t so it caught me off guard at how much I enjoy it haha

AO3

Sleep

Aqua woke up with a cry. Her eyes frantically darted around trying to make out the outlines of her room so she knew she was really in her bed, safe. There was her bookshelf her desk, her closet, the window with some moonlight shining in. Her stuffed cat was just an arm’s reach away on her bed. Aqua quickly reached over to grab it, pressing it close to her chest where her heart felt like it was gonna pound right out.

She was vaguely aware of how sticky she felt from the sweat that covered her body, the way her arms were shaking as she hugged her stuffed animal. Aqua buried her face in the soft fur, trying to hide a choked sob. She knew she was safe. She was in her room where there were no monsters that loomed in the darkness ready to hurt her. Master was in the next wing over and Terra was across the hall. He hadn’t lived with them for very long but he seemed tough enough to fight off monsters, at least he probably thought he could.

It unfortunately wasn’t helping. She felt the fur of her stuffed animal start to get damp as she tried not to cry too loud. Really, all she wanted was to climb into Master’s bed and have him reassure her everything was okay, she was safe.

Aqua couldn’t bear to move though. She was six years old. She wasn’t a baby anymore. If she ever wanted to be a master herself one day she couldn’t have bad dreams and she couldn’t let herself be afraid of things that weren’t even there. She’d have to tough it out herself but…why did it have to seem so real?

“Aqua? Is that you?”

She yelped slightly at the sudden voice but she didn’t move her head from her stuffed cat. She knew it was Terra; which made her feel even worse for being so loud she woke him up too.

“Are you crying?”

“No,” she said adamantly, but when her voice came out it was all stuffy from her runny nose.

He was quiet and Aqua thought maybe he just left. When she poked an eye out, he was closing the door behind him. She quickly hid her face again when Terra turned back around to her; that was all she needed, for him to think she was a baby too. Her tears at least stopped but now she just felt embarrassed.

“Did you have a bad dream?”

Aqua contemplated lying again, but Terra didn’t sound very upset when he spoke, so maybe he wasn’t mad at her for waking him up. “Yes,” she said.

Her bed moved a little bit and when she peeked out again Terra had climbed up, sitting cross-legged in his pajamas as he watched her. She could see him easily now that her eyes had adjusted to the dark. His forehead was scrunched up a little and he still had a band aid on his cheek, his arm too from where he fell down some of the stone steps outside today while he was playing. It looked like it hurt but he didn’t cry at all. Now he really would think she was a baby.

“I don’t like bad dreams.” His nose scrunched up.

Aqua nearly felt all her tears dry up instantly. She lifted her head off the stuffed animal. “You have bad dreams too?”

“Yeah, sometimes,” he said, reaching a hand up to scratch the back of his head. “They used to really bother me back home. Make me feel really alone.” He shrugged dropping his hand to his lap. “It’s better here though.”

She pushed herself up so she was sitting, pulling her stuffed animal in her lap. “Is it?”

Terra nodded and this time he smiled. “I never had someone live across the hall from me before.” His grin was so infectious it was near impossible not to smile back.

“I never have either. I never really had any friends before.”

“Me either.” He paused for a moment, suddenly looking unsure. “But we’re friends right?”

She hadn’t really thought about it too much but they had been together every day for a few months now. Sure he was kinda loud and sometimes wanted to do crazy things she absolutely didn’t wanna do but he was fun, and he was kind. “Yeah,” Aqua said with a nod. “We’re friends.”

“Well, good.” Terra leaned forward so his hands were pressed to her blankets. “Cause friends don’t let friends be afraid. Do you want me to stay with you?”

Aqua thought for a second. Master never strictly said they had to stay in their own rooms at any point. “Like a sleep over?”

“Yeah, just like that!”

It actually sounded nice. She already felt better since he came in her room, so she thought she might even get back to sleep if he stayed with her. “Okay, yeah,” she said as she pushed the blankets back for him. “I’ve never had a sleep over.”

Terra clambered himself up so he could slip under the blankets. “Me either.” He flopped backwards, head hitting her other pillow and making the bed bounce a little.

It made her laugh.

He rolled over on his side so he was facing her, and she laid back down so she could do the same. Aqua did feel better now, like even if monsters were to come in her room as long as Terra was with her they could fight them off together. She also felt warm, but not hot, just warm, comfortable.

She really did like Terra. He had floppy brown hair that stuck out everywhere, and his skin was always tanned, like he spent a lot of time out in the sun. Master would tease Terra, telling him he had the smile of a troublemaker which was kinda true, but Aqua liked it. Her favorite was his eyes though. They were almost like hers but different. She couldn’t really explain it, but she knew when she looked at him, she could trust him.

She didn’t even notice she was falling asleep again until she blinked her eyes open and saw Terra’s eyes fluttering shut.

“Don’t worry,” he mumbled, swinging a hand over to rub at the top of her head. “I’ll keep you safe.”

She closed her heavy eyelids, letting sleep come back to her. She believed him.

Aqua bolted upright in her bed, her hands pressed against her chest as she tried to remember how to breathe. She looked around frantically. Where was she? It was so dark. She couldn’t breathe. Where was…

She dropped a hand to her side, feeling a soft blanket and firm mattress underneath her. Aqua swallowed hard, still feeling like she had no breath in her lungs. She curled her fingers into the blanket as she looked around.

Her room. She was in her room. Bookshelf. Desk. Closet. Window. Bed. A dream, it was just a dream. She placed her head in her heads as she closed her eyes, trying to calm her heart down. When she did it only made her see the Darkness again, the monsters that laid before her, the illusions and the taunting deceit. She jerked her head back up. She was still in her room. She was home. It was okay.

The nightmares were getting less and less the longer time she was here but when they hit, they hit hard.

She slipped out of her bed, bare feet hitting the floor as she walked over to the window. She pushed it open, hoping maybe the breeze would help clear her head. Aqua took a deep breath of the fresh air but she couldn’t shake the feeling she was being watched, like one step and she’d be falling back into the Darkness.

She knew it was unrealistic, that the circumstances that brought her there weren’t even a threat anymore. Ven was sleeping peacefully down the hall, so was Terra. They were here too, actually really here. She just had to remember that.

Something twisted in the pit of her stomach. Maybe she should just check on them, just to make sure. Yeah, that was perfectly reasonable.

As quietly as she could she left her room and stepped out into the hallway. Moonlight was shining in, illuminating the hallway from the windows at the end. It didn’t seem too eerie out here but she still felt tension in her shoulders. Aqua knew nothing was wrong but she just had to be sure.

Ven’s room was closest to her side of the wall, just a few rooms up. She carefully turned the doorknob and peered in. It was near pitch black inside, the curtains against the window drawn closed. Aqua couldn’t see anything at first but she could hear him.

When her eyes adjusted to the darker room, Ven was passed out on his bed, head thrown back against his pillow and mouth open as he snored. He was sprawled out, half under the blankets and half on top of them, limbs going in every direction. It made her smile; it was so much like how Terra used to sleep at Ven’s age.

She closed the door, satisfied he was okay in the least. If not, that snoring would probably keep any monsters at bay. Aqua walked back down the hall, where Terra’s room was still across from hers. She didn’t hear anything when she walked up, so she opened the door, sticking her head in.

He was the opposite; he had a bigger window in his room and it was wide open, moonlight illuminating him as he laid in bed. Terra’s back was to her, most his whole body under the blankets, his side rising and falling rhythmically.

He was okay too.

Aqua wanted to feel relief but she couldn’t. She still felt unease in the pit of her stomach, no desire at all to go back to her room and try and sleep again. She watched over Terra as he slept his room which was mostly the same from when he was a kid. She remembered all the times she used to climb into his bed at night, his warm presence always a comfort to ease the nightmares. She also remembered when she stopped. When they started to turn from kids to teenagers, when she started to worry about what he thought of her coming to his room at night, when she started to worry too much about what he thought of her in general. If he saw her as a sister or as an actual girl, whether he thought she was pretty or not, when the thought of sleeping next to him didn’t help her fall asleep but kept her up all night with her heart in her throat, butterflies in her stomach.

If he ever wondered why she stopped coming, he never asked. Maybe if everything hadn’t gone the way it did she would’ve asked him. The answer was probably no; she had always been too afraid the answer wouldn’t be the same she had in her heart.

“Are you gonna come in, or are you just gonna stare at me all night?”

Aqua did her absolute best not to let out a surprised squeak. Terra’s voice that didn’t sound tired at all; he was probably wide awake the whole time. Hoping the darkness of the room would mask the heat she felt in her face at getting caught she shut the door behind her.

He rolled over and pushed himself up on his elbows. He blinked a little at her as she walked closer to him, like maybe he really did have his eyes closed in the least. That didn’t catch her off guard though but as he sat up more his blanket fell to his lap, showing the skin of his chest, his stomach and that sure did.

Oh gods. How did she not realize he wasn’t wearing a shirt? It was summer, the castle got warm. Of course he wouldn’t wear a shirt to bed.

Aqua sat down on the edge of his bed, letting her legs kick off the side, suddenly hyper aware of her own attire; a tank top and shorts wasn’t anything less than what she usually wore during the day. Really, it’s not like she never saw him shirtless before but here, she started to feel like that insecure girl who could barely admit her feelings to herself; probably because those feelings never left, not once. They only grew as they helped her keep her mind sane in the Realm of Darkness, kept him close even though she didn’t know if she’d ever see him again.

Now he was here and she still didn’t know if she’d ever be able to say the words. She couldn’t lose him again.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, though she wasn’t sure if he meant right this second or why she came here in the first place.

“Bad dream,” she said simply, reaching up to tuck some of her hair behind her ear. “I came out to make sure Ven and you were okay.”

Terra nodded. “Is Ven okay?”

“His snoring tells me he’s just fine.”

Terra snorted, leaning his head back against the wall. “I’m not surprised.”

“Why?” Aqua asked, feeling a familiar smile pull at her lips. “Cause you used to sleep the same exact way?”

“Hey, I never snored that bad.”

“Terra.” She couldn’t hold in a laugh. “Oh, yes you did.”

He crossed his arms against his chest and tried to look grumpy she it didn’t quite reach his eyes. The gesture only made his arms stand out more even in the limited light. She glanced away from him which was also kinda stupid cause this was Terra, he was still her best friend.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

She jumped a little because no, she really didn’t wanna talk about how good he looked without a shirt on. Of course, he meant about her nightmare. She knew that. “Ah, same old,” she shrugged. “What about you? Are you sleeping better?”

“Better, yes. Not all the time clearly.”

“Looks like Ven’s the only one who can sleep well, he was the one who was asleep for all those years.”

Terra laughed lightly. It seemed they were finally able to make light of some of the things that happened to them. It was good, it meant they were all moving on with their lives; whatever that meant now. A jolt went through her body. Did she even know? They were so focused on getting their world back together did anyone them even know what they wanted when they had that?

The words were out of her mouth before she even got a chance to second guess them. “What are you gonna do, Terra?”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “I mean, I’ll fall asleep eventually. I wouldn’t worry that much.”

“No, ah…” Great, now she felt dumb that she didn’t even give a proper lead in to a conversation change. “I mean after all this, once this place is the way it used to be. What are you gonna do?”

Terra was quiet for a moment and she thought he might not even answer. “I still wanna take the exam if that’s what you’re asking me. I still wanna do the things I always said I would. I never forgot our dream.”

Her heart was in her throat at his choice of words. It must’ve shown, because he kicked his leg over at hers.

“What? Did you really think I was just gonna up and leave you guys?”

Judging by the relief she felt at hearing his words it was a fear she apparently didn’t even knew she had. Really, she knew he wasn’t just gonna leave, he wasn’t like that yet that didn’t mean she wasn’t scared of him going. “I would hope not. We’d starve without you.”

That time he laughed, reaching both his hands up to run through his hair. “What about you then?”

Despite the fact she brought up the conversation, she hadn’t even thought of it much herself. “The same,” she settled on. “I still wanna travel with you, with Ven.” Aqua paused for a moment. She could almost see this world full again, with visitors, with new masters, with new students eager to learn like she had been. “Maybe one day teach the next kids how Master taught us, keep him alive in a way.”

“You’d be a good teacher,” Terra said, though his voice was a little softer than before. “You always taught me well enough.”

She knew he was just being kind but his words made her stomach sink. Aqua looked over at him, biting down on her lip. “I never wanted to pass without you. I never wanted you to feel like I was trying to be better than you. I never thought that. I only ever wanted us to be together.” Against her will, her breath hitched at the possible double meaning of her words but he if noticed he didn’t let on.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” He leaned forward to place finger under her chin, making her look at him. “It wasn’t a jab, I meant it. And I was never really all that upset with you. I was upset with me and that, well, that you’d be the one to leave me behind.”

“Never,” she breathed, admittedly a little distracted at how close his face was to hers.

“I know. Well, I know that now.” Terra looked like he was gonna say something else but instead dropped his hand and moved back to lay down, resting his head on his pillow. He flipped the end of his blanket at her, revealing the plain sheet underneath.

It was an invitation.

The smart part of her knew how she felt about him, and knew she should probably leave before she embarrassed herself but the much larger part of her longed for the comfort he always brought, especially on the restless nights.

Aqua kicked her legs under the blanket and laid herself down. She placed both her hands under her head, against the pillow as she rolled over to face him. He had this sleepy smile on his face, one that nearly took her breath away. He reached hand over to rub at her head like he used to when they were kids but she swatted him away with a laugh.

Instead of removing his arm completely he draped it over her waist, sending a sharp set of chills down her spine. He pulled her closer just a little, just enough where she could feel the warmth of his body, just so their legs were barely brushing by each other. When Aqua looked up at him, Terra was already falling asleep; eyes closed and mouth hanging open just a bit. She had to smile.

It was different, very different from when they were kids, and different from back before the exam. She let her eyes close, feeling nothing but warmth, comfort and safety; the things that Terra always brought her.

She thought all she wanted was for things to go back to the way it was before, but she knew they never could. It wasn’t bad though, not in the least. Now they had a chance to be better; whatever better may mean to them.

She couldn’t remember the last time she slept as well as she did that night (even if Terra still snored a little).

[saeitoshi]

THESE ARE SO MUCH BUT PLEASE JOIN IN ON THE YUGIOH RAMBLE FEST JESS!!!! 1 2 3 4 6 7 10 11 12 13 14 17 19 21 22 21 24 25!!!!!!!

AHH!!! VEN!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!! ILY YESSSSS I’M READY TO JOIN THE YUGIOH RAMBLE FEST!!!!!!!! XD 

(this is definitely going under a read more because it’s gonna be a looooooong one haha)

ygo ask meme!

1: Favorite series?

ahhh i feel like one of THOSE people but!!! duel monsters is my favorite!!!!! i started watching it when i was 4 years old when it was on kids wb and it has stuck ever since (honestly there’s not a single year in my life ever since where i remember not watching a yugioh series)

2: Favorite character?

jounouchi katsuya/joey wheeler!!! i love the underdog character LOVE IT and!!! HIS DEDICATION FOR YUGI!!!!! TO WANT TO HELP HIM!!!!! EVEN THOUGH HE STRAIGHT UP HAS NO CONNECTION TO THE EGYPTIAN LORE WHATSOEVER!!!! EVEN THOUGH DESTINY DOES NOT HAVE ANYTHING PLANNED FOR HIM TO BE A PART OF DEFEATING THE ULTIMATE EVIL!!! HE STILL DOES HAS ABSOLUTE BEST (AND HONESTLY SUCCEEDS IN MOST CASES!!) AND IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY!!!!! TO SEE HIM GROW AS A CHARACTER AND AS A DUELIST!!!! (I MEAN BEING IN THE TOP 3 OF THE CREATOR OF DUEL MONSTERS MAXIMILLION PEGASUS IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF!!!!) ALSO HIS FIGHTS AGAINST KAIBA GIVES ME VITALITY AND STRENGTH HAHA

3: Favorite scene?

i already answered this one but another fave scene?? THE END OF THE YUGI VS JOEY DUEL IN THE BATTLE CITY ARC BECAUSE!!! YUGI WAS SO DETERMINED TO SAVE HIS FRIEND!!!! DIDN’T WANT TO HARM HIM AND EVEN SWITCHED WITH THE PHARAOH DURING THE DUEL BECAUSE HE WANTED SO MUCH TO HELP JOEY!!! AND WHEN JOEY DID SNAP OUT OF IT YUGI SACRIFICED HIMSELF!!!! AND THEN JOEY SACRIFICED HIMSELF RIGHT AFTERWARDS!!!! SO THAT WHEN BOTH OF THEM SANK AND WERE DROWNING, JOEY FREED YUGI FROM HIS CHAINS SO THAT HE COULD BE SAVED WHILE JOEY KEPT SINKING WITH HIS CHAINS STILL LOCKED!!! and wow that was such a roller coaster ride to watch but the friendship!!! is so strong in this scene!!!!

4: Favorite duel?

okay let’s be real for me IT’S THE YUGI VS KAIBA DUEL IN THE BATTLE CITY FINALS!!! each turn was action packed with twists and turns and i think i rewatched that duel at least 10 times and it’s as interesting as i watched it the first time around XD

6: Favorite Duel Monster?

i answered this one too but another one for me?? i love endymion, the master magician! (again there’s no particular reason, mostly just the design hahaha XD)

7: How many of the series have you seen?

i’m such a dweeb because LITERALLY ALL OF THEM!!! including season 0 haha i’m such yugioh trash :’D

10. Do you play the TCG?

i don’t unfortunately!! i don’t really have any tournaments nearby nor do i have the money nor time to invest in it nor the skill to be good at it haha though when i was younger i had the gba game that i loved! and i played duel links like every single day for like 4 months straight until real life stuff took over :’)

11: How long have you been into YGO?

literally since 2001 when it first aired on kids wb (my sister and even my dad would always watch it together!!) so it’s been 16 long years and still going strong!!! i’m so happy it’s still a part of my life :D

12: What got you into the fandom?

tbh i had so much love for yugioh that i wanted to tell the world so when i started to just scream my thoughts on tumblr about it that was my entrance into the fandom not the most elegant way of entering a fandom i suppose XD but everyone has been so nice and receptive in the ygo fandom and it’s made my experience with yugioh even more enjoyable :’D

13: Do you ship?

sometimes i do!! honestly it depends on how the relationship is written out throughout the series but when i ship, i ship hard XD

14: If so, what's your favorite shipping?

my favorite shipping is fruitshipping tbh!!! YUYA AND YUZU ARE JUST SO PURE AND THEY CARE FOR EACH OTHER SO MUCH!!! AND I’M GLAD IT ENDED HAPPILY FOR THEM EVEN THOUGH IT TOOK THEM LIKE 100 EPISODES TO REUNITE PSFJWKLERF WOW THAT WAS A PAINFUL WAIT

17: What merchandise do you own, if any?

i haven’t bought any merchandise in the recent years, but when i was younger i bought tcg cards/tin cans!! and for christmas/birthday my uncles/aunts would get me the structure decks so yeah lots of ygo cards :D 

19: Favorite OP/ED?

ooh i really like yugioh 5d’s op 2!! that song was always catchy to me!

21: Favorite protagonist?

ahhhh i have to pick yugi muto!! so pure!!! an actual cinnamon roll!! AND HIS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!!! WAS SO ON POINT!!!! ABSOLUTELY LOVE AND ADORE HIM ;A;

22: Why do you like YGO?

so many reasons!!! 1) it’s really action packed!!! i love watching the duels go on and the strategy involved in them 2) so much friendship!!!! i just love it so much omg i cry watching these children love each other :’) 3) character development!!! i get really sad when it’s not executed properly, but when it does work out it’s absolutely a beautiful thing to watch!! 4) it’s been a part of me ever since my childhood and it’s something i’m glad i can still enjoy

24: Favorite Duel Disk design?

ahh i love the classic yugioh duel monsters one!! idk why i like the color scheme and the square-ish look ^^

25: Headcanons you have?

i don’t really have any!! if anything i’d like to think that in arc v somehow everyone ends up unfused and live happily ever after though this isn’t really a headcanon more like a dream i wish was real hahahhahaahahaha

[quiescentgale]

「       ※          Winds && Stars carrying on

                                                 ⋨ ⌣  x ⌢ ⋩    @gnectics              ※        」

    He returns the small smile with one of his own, while guiding his eyes towards elsewhere. How many times will people remind him of that? Countless amounts of people have told him of his resemblance of friends and family in their life, leaving him to wonder did he have a twin somewhere in the world? Sadly, he wouldn’t have been surprised given that he was created within the comforts of a scientific lab. Maybe, with all of his grandfather’s research, someone might have gotten the idea to clone or copy his DNA. The idea of it all began to make him feel sick to his stomach. However, the male before him didn’t seem to meet with one of his supposedly bad ( clones ) or anything of the matter. He seemed quite nice if he had to go off of appearances. ‘ Hnn, maybe he’s just remembering something. .’

     ❛ Aha, well I don’t think we have ever met before. . ❜ He admitted to the other kindly, still holding a small bag of seeds to be planted within the shop. The store was still in the mist of being reopened, cleaned and detailed. Riku wasn’t really doing anything important either, so the question didn’t particularly catch him off guard. If anything, it allowed him to continue with the inquired question.   ❛ I hope the person you speak of was kind to you. . ❜ He hoped they weren’t rude or awfully brooding like most people thought for him to be.To be honest, the amount of things he’s heard about his other selves or ( alternates ) have been least to be desired. He’s heard of everything! A darkness wielding warrior, a best friend, a person who gave up his body to the said darkness! The last one was a little disturbing when he first found out, only to be told it wasn’t in the same context but rather like a sacrifice. Thank Jenova!

  Still, Riku wasn’t sure what the other might have been thinking when he met with him. A small fear wanted to creep within the back of his mind towards the other. ‘ What if he’s lost that same friend?’ Oh how horrible that would be! Riku frowned a little, trying to piece together the emotions and statement that was uttered towards him. The male before him seemed confused – of course  – but he also seemed to be confused in a manner that he really was looking for a friend. Or rather, looking for information in regards to the connection with his memory. Ah ha! That must have been it. ‘ Oh course, he’s not only saying I look like his friend. He must be looking for him or something. Why else would he ask me? Wait. . he said about us meeting. . so wouldn’t that mean. . they aren’t friends? ‘ Riku paused before finally just continuing the conversation.

  ❛ You know, um, I’m not sure if we actually met or not. I mean, it might have been on the train or maybe on the college campus. . ❜ That could have been a valuable answer, one worth something – right? He sighed to calm himself down further, trying to not come off weird or awkward more than he already had.   ❛ When something like this happens, I usually like to start things off by saying–❜ He placed his hand out shyly to offer a fresh start towards the new customer. It was going to be hard to make new friends, but he had to start today, and with this new person.

❛–Hello there. . um my name is Riku. ❜

▹ ☆ Riku ☆ ◃

                    ✣ 「 ヴェン」 ❦❧ ─ Keywords he’d ought to know, yet... knew nothing came up. Such as ‘Train’ or ‘college campus’. Frowning in apprehension, words and subjects Ventus should have known, they written in books and context within Master Eraqus’ studies and Library... except, the blond was too high strung to sit still and read; now, he’d come to regret not collecting information should he be on his own. Without either Aqua or Terra... or the Master. He was.. at best to describe himself.  L O S T   Perhaps he’d suffered a minor concussion upon arriving here? Not much of an amnesia considering most of his memories were in fact, untouched... well most of them anyway. Early memories such of his childhood... or face of his parents were just  A blank state. Like a book with its pages filled with nothing but emptiness and white negative space. There was  N o t h i n g  at all.

                    “Heh heh...” Ventus laughed nervously... or was it awkwardly, considered the fact, this person may potentially be a stranger he’d never met before. Saying such inane things were... very much like Ventus being impulsive. “I only scarcely seen one or two trains....” Yeah, in his broken memories mixed and matched up fragment of dreams. of a small hamlet town. Orange and red sunset. ice cream. Trains and seven wonders. And...a clock tower. (  What was those about? )  Some his, some not. Blurry mind awoken from sleep, is but a blur and fuzzy. “I don’t know what a college campus is, I’ve never been out much since I had lived with my foster family,” he was told before living with the Master and both of his best friends and siblings, Ventus was like a zombie most of the time. He didn’t talk, hardly moved around, he didn’t do anything much but sat and stare at the ground with a broken look in his eyes. Eventually, he’d re-learnt everything and begins to function probably again.

                    “I’m Ventus, but you can call me Ven.” Turning his curiosity around the... what appeared to be a place housing plants, the blond with an innocent curiosity of a child, peered around. Sure he’d seemed some plants, but they were wild grass an open field, like the garden in land of  Departure. “I’d liked to believe that no, we haven’t met before, it is strange. It must been, from when I was sleep for a while, and something happened and....” Going on and going about something surely Riku wouldn’t be able to understand, about his twelve years living in Limbo, technically body and Heart separated... not like anyone would believe that right? “I wouldn’t know if they are kind or not, if I never met right? But my Heart says they are a good person.”Confusion aside, Ventus gave his newly acquired  F r i e n d  (?) perhaps? A big smile.

                   “Did you... do all of this?” Pointing around the building with floral, plants and... flowers? Ventus had never been one big on nature. It wasn’t like Wind were any helpful with plants right? It was more Terra and Aqua, earth and water in perfect marriage in helping plant to grow... Wind just destroy things. “It seemed like... it take a lot of time. And caring. And... sorry I’m probably just disturbing your work. I’ll... erm... I’ll leave you then. Thanks for, humoring me, Riku.” With all honesty for now, the Wayward Wind Master was truly lost.... but not misguided, because he knew where his Heart lies.

[libbybleu]

😘😘😘 x485737 TELL ME ALL ABOUT UR OC SHIPS LIBBY

Send me 😘 for me to tell you all about one of my OC ships

SO HERE ARE MY 3 PERSONAL OTPS (i have a lot of otps though.... i have a lot of ships actually, which include some of these ocs with other people hahaha so keep sending these in and i can just keeeeep oooooon gooooing)

Emilia x Quinn

so i am utterly weak for these 2. emilia is mine and quinn is tae’s. i linked the drawing i have of emilia in her name but i don’t have one of quinn yet rip. 

anyways, so these 2 happened because tae and i were talking about these ocs we had for futuristic verses. she had quinn who is a very cold, logical, flat emotioned person. he is an utter genius and finds human interaction and friendship to be pointless. he is my favorite oc that taelor has and will be my son until the end of days. he’s also missing his right eye.... this is where things get funny.

emilia has 2 stages in her life: pre accident and post, in which she is 2 very different people. pre accident she’s a sporty, competitive individual who is very outgoing and has friends in many social circles. she’s very persistent and stubborn when she wants to befriend someone and hates seeing others being bullied or left out. she will take it upon herself to try and “save” that person. this is how she meets veronica garland. things get fucked and veronica intentionally makes it so emilia loses her left eye and eventually goes completely blind (i won’t go into details of how that happens). after that, the many friends emilia had turn on her as now she cannot do the things that gave her a connection to those people and everyone else finds that she looks monstrous. her relationship with veronica grows closer and she develops a form of stockholm syndrome. the friendship is very toxic, and veronica has made it some fact in emilia’s mind that the only person that will ever be friends with emilia now is veronica.

that’s simply not true, and is proven to be so as emilia begins making friends with an oddball group outside of school. a cripple, her mechanic, a lolita hacker, an android and her father/creator, his girlfriend who is also the creator of time travel, aaaaand quinn, the brilliant genius who just wants all these people to leave him alone.

so quinn and emilia meet.... and quinn is utterly stricken. this is a girl who understands his plight. they’re both monsters on opposing sides of the face. emilia can’t see it, but she feels the draw too. quinn is obviously cold to her at first, as he is with everyone, but its on a shaky foundation. emilia, while much more meek-hearted now, is still stubborn, and she begins working almost as an assistant to quinn. they befriend each other... and then they fall for each other. quinn obviously tries denying it, and emilia is too self conscious to expect any kind of feeling to be returned, but with help from their little misfit family, things work out.

IDK I JUST LOVE MY BROKEN BIRDS I LOVE THEM AND THEY ALSO HAVE LIKE A MODERN DAY, NON FUTURISTIC VERSE AND THAT’S GREAT TOO.

Nari x Damien

so nari is mine and damien is tae’s. and.... wow.... i wanted to hate this ship when tae first brought it up to me. I WANTED TO HATE DAMIEN SO MUCH. but guys.... i’m weak.... they’re childhood friends in main verse and i’m a slut for that. they’re partners in crime and flick each other shit. THEY LITERALLY HAVE ONLY HAPPENED ONCE IN AN AU, AND DON’T EVEN HAVE ANY SORT OF ROMANCE IN MAIN VERSE BECAUSE NARI RUNS AWAY WITHOUT TELLING HIM AND DAMIEN DIES JUST BEFORE HIGH SCHOOL.

but listen okay damien was a shithead when they were kids and would bully people and nari was just this little orphan crybaby girl who was too stubborn for her own good and their nanny paid really good money for her to mow their massive lawn. nari befriends his little sister, momo first, and since now she’s spending double the time around them, she learns to grow thick skin to damien’s shithead antics. and then she gets him to cut the shit for a little while in favor of pulling harmless pranks and its great. THEY HAVE A TREEHOUSE OKAY ITS CUTE.

but nari’s dream is to get as far away from that orphanage as possible.... so she does just that, leaving without even saying goodbye. she doesn’t find out about damien’s death until she’s well and graduated from high school.... so like 8-10 years later and the first thing she does? DROPS EVERYTHING AND IMMEDIATELY RUNS BACK TO COLORADO.

like okay, platonic or romantic, those 2 are great, but i live for when they’re romantic. because then they’re just..... they get to be kids. and they’re such good friends and know a whole hell of a lot about each other. they’re so awesome. i’m weak and i wanted to hate them so so so so much....

Ven x Ruka

VENKA...... V E N K A. VENKA IS POETIC JUSTICE. Ven is my edgy boy who i don’t have art to link RIP. Ruka is tae’s utter mess of a blue headed self destruction bomb. 

Fun fact! Ven is actually modern verse Veronica’s brother. They also have a triplet sister named Vera, but this story is about Ven.

Ven grew up in a highly abusive household. His parents didn’t want kids outside of using them as playthings or slaves. They are also, however, in a position of power in the town they live in, so even if people find out, they all turn a blind eye. This has all given Ven a very misanthropic person. He’s antisocial and doesn’t talk much. This, on top of him being rather heavy set in his younger years, led to a LOT of bullying at school. it wasn’t fun. there were only really 3 things getting him through those days: his sisters, sheer spite, and the blue haired wonder who moved into the cul de sac he lived in. This was ruka, and ven very quickly and very easily fell in love.... or mayhaps just grew an obsession. now, i will be the first to admit that, in the beginning, ven’s feelings for ruka were rather unhealthy, especially considering he never actually talked to her. he did end up somewhat befriending the girl that would become ruka’s best friend, blakely (you may remember her name from when i was talking about aiden and isadara), but despite how much blakely tried to help, ven still never talked to her.......

and then ruka started dating damien ilith...... one of the people ven hated the most.

ven kinda veered away then, started focusing on self betterment. he started working out and looking into how to solve his family situation. during the summer in between middle school and high school, ven was looking clear for getting emancipated and building a case to help his sisters. he also glew up. puberty and self progression did wonders for the boy and now he looked like a god. he was much more confident in himself and actually somewhat happy with his life. things were looking good. there was just something missing, and i will still admit that it was kinda unhealthy, he still wanted ruka. to hell with damien ilith, he was much better than that guy now, obviously.

soooooooo high school started and he tried to talk to ruka.

he found out a bit too late that damien ilith had passed away that summer from a tragic diving accident... and ruka did not want to talk. it wasn’t long after that ‘conversation’ that ruka ended up transferring to an out of country boarding school.

the explosion of events kinda broke something in ven, and he handled it poorly. he started sleeping around during high school, breaking hearts and getting into fights. the emancipation process did end up going through and he ended up moving in with blakely’s family. she managed to whip him into shape by graduation (in turn, he helped blakely get out of her shell and be more confident in herself, but anyways)...

YEARS PASS. Ven graduates, Ruka graduates and moves back to the town, and in a weird twisted turn of events, the two run into each other at a supermarket. They actually talk. Apologies are had. They manage to find things they have in common. They actually have a lot in common.... they have the same viewpoints, the same hobbies, their favorite colors are her hair and his eyes, but most importantly they understand each other better than anyone could have other guessed. they speak and think on the same wavelength, ones thoughts are anothers words. they could speak without words. its great. 

and then yeah, the rest is history. two people who have had a lot go on in their lives manage to forget it all with each other. they cook together, chase each other around the house, have sex, play monopoly, its suuuper awesome

and its poetic justice and character growth if i have ever seen any

god bless venka, the loving ship that was meant to be a hatemance.