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#and eventually i will be my true shining self and i’ll live my dream life
thoughtfulseason · 6 months
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when you realise you know that person for a year and a half and it is the kindest gift from the universe
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asordinaryppl · 3 months
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A3! Main Story: Part 4 - Act 14: DREAM CATCHER - Episode 13: Because We're With Our Friends
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Ibuki: << The hamburg steak, pancakes and fries are for over here. Thank youuu. >>
Ibuki: Woah~ I’m seriously grateful you’re getting me dinner just ‘cause I fought off that pickpocket.
Izumi: (They’re wolfing the food down at an amazingly fast pace…)
Ibuki: << Oh, I’d like another 5 servings of fries. >>
Ibuki: You guys want any?
Kumon: Oh, sure~
Misumi: I’ll eat the triangle fries~!
Ibuki: << Make that 7. >>
Izumi: 5 of those are for themself…
Yuki:  They ordered the same amount a while ago and ate it all.
Kazunari: You really do eat well, Ibukichi~
Muku: “Really”?
Kumon: Ibukichi’s known for their big appetite. They also upload food challenge videos, and they all blow up.
Ibuki: Potatoes are seriously so good! Potatoes FTW!
Tenma: So, what are you doing in the US?
Ibuki: I came to see my Nee-chan who’s studying here. I learned English while at it, too.
Muku: So that’s why you can speak English so well.
Ibuki: If you wanna be world-famous, you gotta have a global reach, and knowing English is a must!
Yuki: Heeh… You thought this through.
Ibuki: Duh! Can’t go around wasting even a second of my life.
Ibuki: You only live once, and you’re the protag of your own life. That’s why I focus on making myself shine most.
Ibuki: I gotta go all out if I wanna make my dreams come true.
Kumon: How nice~ I’d be able to enjoy musicals even more if I knew English.
Kazunari: Have you seen any musicals or plays while staying here, Ibukichi?
Ibuki: Liike I saaiid, I’ve got no interest in acting.
Ibuki: Time is money nowadays, and you want me to pay real money just to sit there? No thanks.
Ibuki: You can 2x a movie or a drama, but you can’t do that with live theater~
Izumi: (I see, so that’s how the youth nowadays thinks.)
Tenma: Then how come you know MANKAI Company?
Ibuki: I know someone who’s obsessed with you.
Ibuki: I watched a performance that was being streamed for free a while back cause he rec'd it like crazy, but all the actors were unknown hags.
Ibuki: And I’m not really into historical stuff. 
Yuki: Could’ve been the performance with first gen.
Izumi: I guess those performances were a bit more adult oriented.
Muku: But there are all sorts of plays, so you might eventually find something to your liking.
Kumon:  You might also change your mind completely if you watch it in the theater instead of streaming it!
Ibuki: Hm~ Then, let’s turn the question around, what’s so good about theater?
Muku: Eh?
Kumon: When you ask it like that, it’s hard to sum it up in a few words…
Ibuki: When you work independently, you get to decide what to do and when you want to do it, and you can change your mind on the fly.
Ibuki: But you’ve got a script when acting, so you can’t change anything up, right? Ain’t that boring?
Ibuki: And having to get along with the others in the company sounds like a real hassle.
Tenma: It’s exactly because you’re not alone that you can create things you wouldn’t be able to create by yourself.
Kumon: Right, right! It’s like it takes you to places you’d never imagine!
Kazunari: It's super hype when you get into it~! I think that's a feeling you can't experience when you're by yourself.
Yuki: When I look back to when I was the only one who wore my self-designed outfits, I think my world was much smaller than it is now.
Misumi: Acting with everyone is the most fun!
Muku: Anything we can’t overcome by ourselves, we can overcome together, and then we can move on to the next challenges.
Tenma: Most importantly, I love the plays I put on together with these guys.
Kazunari: TenTen…!
Misumi: Me too~!
Kumon: I feel that way too!
Ibuki: Huuuh…?
Tenma: You’ll probably get what I mean when you make friends like this, too.
Ibuki: …
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dorksideoftheforce · 10 months
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Dec. 13, 2023 was one for the books. Saw a shooting star on the highway going home so I got out and took this picture and it kinda looks like a bird. The stars are breathtaking. Remember who you are.
The wind started blowing like crazy when I found her and there was a lil tornado of dust that moved through the lil parking lot. When I told her all the things, all the big things that I’ve been wanting to say for so, so long. The sun came out and it felt like all these warm vibrations of light were radiating my way; the way the sun shined in between the trees, directly on me and the rose bush there, I couldn’t help but to cry and then the wind would blow again and it was truly everything to me. Our whole thing was everything to me and I feel at peace with myself, as much as I can, because I know I did my best. Like in Forest Gump…these two were like the feather that found me. I wrote something and I’ll share it here; might as well. “Like a feather blowing in the wind; it stopped for a second to lend me a hand. This is what it means to be Grateful. This is what it means to Love. This is what it means to Hope. This is what it means to let go. May your love be ever flowing, like a river that leads to the sea. Through all the seasons and mountains, valleys and the sky, full of stars that will always be there but you might not be able to see them because of the weather. I’m happy to know that you are somewhere out there. I’m better because of it. May your time, Love and memory be valued; treasured, forever.”
When I put the rock there, in front of the rose bush that I’m so damn happy is there because I too have planted one because it will grow back a couple times a year, every year…I felt like how I did when I first went there. Like all of me was finally…finally back together again after all these years. As much as it all possibly can be. I didn’t want to bring flowers that would eventually wither away; that always pained me to think about because I brought 2 roses, one for both of them, on an adventure once and this lady at the greyhound bus station taught me a trick on how to keep them from wilting so fast - aspirin and warm water…so that’s why I brought a rock but not just any rock…it was part of a big rock that I got all the way from the top of Pike’s Peak; 14,115 ft. high in the sky from an adventure I went on with people like me and their lovers. It was a dream. It felt so good to get the things that had been on my heart so long out there. It was a different kind of satisfaction, one I can live with and be at peace with because it was time to finally let it all out and let it go and to sit there and truly be at this place with my own self because the person I was back then vs the person I am now…I went through Hell, doing my best to overcome who I used be… I had to tell her everything and do it in person, for me. It wasn’t enough for me to pray and talk to her from this far away, you know…I had to show up in my own way and I did.
More than anything from me placing the rock there, I hope that her mom and family see it and it brings them some peace and joy this Christmas knowing that someone was there who remembers her and loves her so much cause I do. I always have because her and Amanda were a package deal which I respected so much and that’s why I held on so damn tight because they were both a light to me and I didn’t want to let either of them down. They both were my reason. Her family won’t ever know the story behind the rock and I don’t know if they will even see it or if it will get blown away but I’m happy I was able to get a piece of the mountain to both of them before Life does what it does best and changes and we all move on. It’s hard letting go but before I do, I had to do this. For me and also her family cause she was a rock to me and changed my life, completely. Showed me what it meant to be a true friend and to be that to myself too. I told her that even if the rock breaks apart, don’t worry cause just like the little pieces, her love has spread out to everyone she knew and all who love her; she’s always with us and everything we do. I didn’t take any pictures of it because I just want to leave it all there but when I broke a piece off of the big rock to get her a piece, I kid you not, it seriously looks like a heart from damn near every side and I was just like wow! How about that! I know it’s been a long time and that her family has seen lots of things show up there but that was my thing I needed to do and it was so fucking worth it. Ain’t no mountain high enough. To show up there in person as the person I am now on the other side of everything. I’m happy that it’s part of my story, even though she’s not here anymore, when I attempted and had all that stuff happen to me, I knew I wasn’t going to go back to how I used to be and it took me some time to get through all of my stuff and heal as much as I have but it was always worth it to get to where I’m at now and to be real…even if things didn’t go the way I hoped so badly they would, it wasn’t for nothing because now we can all be free and there’s nothing that will ever come close to that because that’s all you could ever hope and pray for for the ones you love. Wherever they go and that they are surrounded by people who genuinely love, care and value them for who they truly are and not what they can do for other people.
When I got up to leave, I was walking over to my car and there was this lady in a white puffy coat who was walking behind me. I wasn’t going to say anything at first but I felt like I needed to say something and so I said hi and she said hi to me too and asked me who I went to see and I told her my story and she said that if you feel like your heart is calling you to follow it and do something then you listen to it and absolutely follow your heart because you won’t regret it. I know that regrets follow you to the grave and asking Amanda for forgiveness was astronomical but I had to tell her the truth about me while I was still alive because well, God knows how much this all meant to me and is there for me to see me through this. While this stuff is still fresh, I just wanted to put it here because Tumblr is where it all started and it only seems right that I put this story here. I will always love and care for both of them, their families and this part of my life. Just because people leave doesn’t mean that the Love they left behind is gone too, it will always be there; just in a different way and I’m so eternally grateful. It won’t go to waste and I’m gonna keep doing my best to hold on and create something beautiful out of it like on the trip, I painted some rocks with messages and left them at rest stops and random places for people and I did a project in 3rd grade where my mom and I built a longhouse made by the Iroquois’; I thought they were only in Upstate NY but they weren’t, they had them there and I finally got to see them and FaceTimed with my mom! One of the longhouses had a wolf on the front. It was so amazing. I got my mom some pinecones from there too. I don’t know where life is going to take me but I have so much going on now where I’m showing up and talking to leaders in the community, it’s so mind blowing and I am happy to have told her all about it and to be the person I am now because of her. Of both of them. I know a lot about what Love is because of them and what it means to let go. All I have left to say now is Thank you and I love you.
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chidoroki · 4 years
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TPN - “Dreams Come True”
What better way to cheer up the TPN fandom after the second season’s final episode than with the special exhibition chapter finally being fully translated. I caught glimpses of a few pages here and there over the past couple months but seeing all the children live happily together in the human world in their own little village that they made close to Emma and Alex warms my heart. Of course I would’ve loved if we got to see more of the GP Resistance (because the anime denied us of them) but following the GF kids around the world as they experience their dreams is fair enough. We started the series alongside them so might as well finish strong with them too. I really loved seeing everyone grow up but no matter how old they get or how much time passes, I’ll probably never get used to seeing Emma without her iconic “63194.” It’s a bittersweet feeling for me, but her smiles bring me so much joy and I’m beyond happy that she accepted everyone into her life as they accepted her without her memories.
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I haven’t a clue on how much time passed since everyone found Emma in ch181 to now, but seeing her call out everyone’s names is a little detail that I love so much considering she had no idea who anyone was at first. Trying to remember 60+ names doesn’t seem like an easy task to me. No doubt I was just as shocked as our girl upon learning these mere children bought a goddamn plane! We learn in a couple pages that it’s because of Norman’s company that they can afford it, but still, he’s like 15 or 16 now? He’s still a child! And I’m impressed! Not only at him, but that Oliver and Violet became pilots as well! It’s especially cute when you remember that Lucas gave Oliver a little toy plane during their time at Goldy Pond.
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Speaking of GP, is it just me or does Emma’s current outfit resemble her GP one just a little bit? Sure we have no idea what color scheme this one has but come on, the short jacket, the dark shirt and jeans.. just imagine it! Jemima, Yvette, Alicia and Mark remade Gillian’s original GP outfit sometime before the Grace Field Raid arc (ch137 extra page) so I don’t doubt they could’ve done the same for Emma. Of course that’s just me being completely hopeful and missing the Goldy Pond arc to death but yeah! I’m also so happy to see Chris up and moving again! Seeing him wake up briefly in ch181 was nice but this is so much better. I imagine he and Emma have a lot to catch up on in terms of stories, with him being unconscious since ch105 and Emma not remembering anything.
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But here we go, the original 15 escapees plus Norman, Phil, Sherry, I believe I saw Carol somewhere and a couple other random kiddos ready to see the entire world. They get to accomplish so much.. and in a single day too I believe? At least that’s what Phil and Alicia say a bit later about everyone’s wishes, but aahh what a lucky bunch. Hell, I’ll say we’re lucky readers too to be able to see such a great story. Can’t thank Shirai and Demizu enough y’all. I wish we got to see more of Alex though. He’s such a kind soul but I’m sure he’ll be just fine staying behind with everyone else.
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This entire page where we learn about Norman as a CEO is gold. I still can’t believe this child successfully built up an entire multipurpose company not only to help their search for Emma but also because he didn’t want to live off the Ratri clan. I wish I knew about this last week when writing out Norman’s birthday post because hell yeah this deserves some praise! AND he managed to graduate school as well during all that! Well, by skipping grades which totally makes sense. I mean, if he managed to pass all the Grace Field and Lambda tests effortlessly I’m sure normal human world school was a piece of cake for him. Holy shit dude, keep on impressing me why don’t ya. Not only him but Nigel and Sonya too! I’m not surprised that Vincent helped out but I’m glad those two got a tiny moment to shine as well! Ray is another obvious choice when it comes to helping Norman, as they’re best friends and he’s always been good with machines.. but boy, I can’t take you seriously when you’re just sitting there unamused and eating chips! Hahah I love him so much! And the fact he replies to Norman’s idea with just a simple “kay” is an eternal mood.
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Okay boys aside, can we talk about our fabulous girls now? Because oh my god, they’re so darn beautiful! They’re more fashionable than I’ll ever be and it’s so cute how they drag Emma along to take advantage of the 3-for-1 deal. But our girl pulls off that sporty look so well! (r.i.p. goldy pond outfit ver2.0). I’m not at all surprised that Nat wanted to go see the opera. That's perfect for him and I’d like to think the anime did something similar with that one shot we see of him in the human world. We don’t see him in a theater like this but to me it looks like he’s on the streets of Broadway? At least that’s the vibe I get from it. I’m sure there was something music related on one of those signs.
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I can’t get over how adorable all the children look and how happy they are fulfilling their wishes, even if some of them aren’t as extravagant as others. Like eating a fluffy pancake and a ton of ice cream? We can do that whenever we want. But for these kids, it means everything and they absolutely deserve to experience such simple joys like that after all the harsh nonsense they’ve been through. I also love how Ray continues to be such a great older brother by still looking out for them too. The fact he remains completely unfazed by the haunted house is perfect. This boy has been haunted by his own nightmares and demons his entire life, there’s no way a couple of lousy jump scares are gonna spook him. Though I do find it funny that Alicia and Rossi still manage to get scared while Yvette is having the time of her life. I can’t help but laugh at Thoma’s “Shirai face” as well.
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I find it interesting that out of all the different kinds of exhibits they could’ve shown us while Rossi visits a museum, they give us dinosaurs.. like that seems so silly to me. Y’all have seen several demons in your young lives already and yet dinosaurs manage to amaze you too? God these kids are precious. And then our boy Phil finally gets to see and ride a train! Just look how happy he is! The poor kid can’t even sit still he’s so darn excited and I can’t help but smile with him! Thankfully the anime showed us this too.
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We eventually get to Ray’s wish and guys.. oh my fucking god. Tell me that this is not the absolute best and prettiest smile we get to see from him!! It honestly leaves me speechless okay? Ray never imagined he would ever get to see the outside world, let alone live past the age of 12, and yet here he is, seeing such a beautiful sight such as this, right in front of him instead of from inside a book. You can’t believe how happy and proud of him I am right now. Did you see how ecstatic I was when the anime kept Isabella alive? Multiply that feeling by ten and there ya go. That’s my level of happiness upon seeing my favorite boy smile like THAT! AAHHH!! That panel is gonna live rent free in my head until the end of time. I can’t get over how damn perfect it is. His smile is so pure and how he looks like he’s in complete awe is beautiful. He’s about to burst into tears and I swear I might do the same because I’m making myself emotional over this fantastic boy. Someone hold me.
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No seriously, hold me because we’re about to get into some angst as we move onto to Emma’s wish. We all know that ever since 2039 her one dream was to ride a giraffe once they got outside, so here we are, about ten years later and the animals in question are within reach. Our girl should be totally excited, right? Ha, not quite.
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That wish was something the old Emma wanted, but since demon god had to be such a bastard, this Emma doesn’t know what to think, let alone what to even feel. She hasn’t experienced the same hardships as her family. She hasn’t gone through hell and back while holding onto that one wish that would make all the suffering worth it. The amount of joy everyone else felt upon living out their dreams, she wonders if she would be able to feel it too.
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They brought her here to make her happy, but is this truly want she wants as well? This is old Emma’s wish after all. What about her and what she wants? Could this wish make her just as happy as her old self? She knows her family is only trying to help, but seeing her doubt herself does a number on my heart. Even without her memories, she’s still the same Emma deep down, as she doesn’t want to disappoint her family. She spends so much time worrying about living up to her family’s expectations, to try and be that Emma they all love so dearly.
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Little does she know that she acts the exact same as usual, almost as if nothing has changed when she finally expresses how much she wants to ride a giraffe. And that’s great considering when they first arrived at the giraffes, no on had even mentioned riding them. She came across that feeling all on her own and everyone else can’t help but laugh and feel relieved. Her mind may have forgotten but her heart remembers everything. There is no “old Emma” and “new Emma” to her family, just “Emma” and words can’t express how wholesome that is because they love her regardless. All that matters to them is Emma’s happiness because if anyone deserves to feel and experience that, it’s her.
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I just made myself tear up, damn it. I started this series with season one okay? I heard about this precious girl’s dream within the first minute of the first episode and here I am, a little bit over two years later, finally reading about it coming true and seeing that bright as hell smile on her face. Do you know how amazing it is to come full circle like that? My heart feels so full right now. I’m beyond proud of her and love her to death. Say what you want but I believe this to be the true manga ending in my eyes.
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(damn this series for always getting me emotional)
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bratxfantasy · 3 years
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Tap, tap, tap.
A clawed fingertip tapped rhythmically against the dark oak table top, his other hand holding the crystal glass of bourbon to him lips. There's a subtle smile playing upon his face as he sips his drink, dark eyes following your unsuspecting figure across the room. Though it's full of people, beasts and man alike, he can pluck you from the herd easily. It's your scent, the sweet smell of lavender and honey and sin. His mouth salivates at the sight of you.
Roman sat alone at the back of the bar, hidden by poker tables and groups playing pool. There's people dancing to whatever's playing and he couldn't care less, he's just waiting for the opportunity to pounce on his prey. Your friends are here with you, however with how things are going from what he can see and hear, they'd be taking their leave soon enough.
You'd have a better time with him, he muses at the thought. Surely you'd prefer his company. Oh the things he could show you! The things he'd do to you, the mere thought of it sends a jolt of excitement through his body and shamelessly to his cock. He wanted you, and he'd do anything to have you. Anything.
Finishing off his drink, the dragon demon ran his forked tongue over his teeth, rubbing along the canines on his upper and lower jaw. Here in this place, he's free to look more like his true self; a man eating beast that entails great misfortune to anyone who crosses his path. A Barynoke, a special breed of demon known to transform into terrifying dragons.
There's more to his appearance, but for now hr wished to keep a lower profile. No antlers, no tail, the scales under his skin itched to surface but like a good hunter, he stayed in the shadows. In all honesty, this isn't how he usually is. He's a master of deceit, an alluring monster with a silver tongue. He promises sweet release, he promises heaven only to show true hell.
It's delicious, the flavor of pain and fear. He revels in the screams and cries, many falling victim to his charm and beauty. Even so, he watches, waiting. Just as he thought, your friends began to leave one by one, leaving you by your lonesome at the bar. You're likely filled with enough booze to accept anyone's advances, and that would not do. He sits still, shrouded in the shadows cast from the over head light not too far away.
Eventually you gather your things clumsily, slowly making your way to the door and outside. Such a dumb little human you are. You're lucky to know his world, not many humans can handle such knowledge of things far beyond their understanding. You're lucky you haven't been swept away by a Fae, he snorts at the thought, standing and not bothering to leave behind any cash for his drink.
A hunter stalking his prey, he makes his way after you, being sure to keep his presence concealed. You're fumbling through your bag, cursing about your phone as you wobble through the alley. The smell of garbage and piss greets his nose like an unwelcomed guest, making his nostrils flare in disgust but he couldn't afford to lose you.
Within an instant he was on you, arms caging you in and a hand slapping over your mouth. Despite your struggling he squeezed, managing to press his lips to your ear to whisper a simple spell that made you suddenly go limp against him. "Oh my sweet, sweet treat," he hummed, shifting you in his arms so he could look at your face," what shall I do with you first, hmm?" He grinned, a wicked cheshire smile.
———
Shoving the front door to his home— rather hid lair— open with his foot, he held your unconscious form closely to him. If only you'd been awake to marvel at his magnificent true form, the beast that carried you off so easily through the air without a worry in the world. You're light as a feather to him, a mere speck in this meek world and yet you shine unlike most of the pitiful, fleshy mundane beings he's encountered. He still has yet to figure out what mskes you do special, but for now he has you and that is all that matters.
Moving you to dangle over his shoulder to free one of his arms he made his way up the stairs to one of the many rooms of the manor. He already had it prepared just for you. This us where you'd be living from now on as his pet, his darling little Brittany. Such a good girl you are, he chuckles knowing full well it's a lie. You have spirit, a spiteful tongue he'd so enjoy cutting from your mouth— however he decided he'd prefer it where it is.
Lying you down on the bed he moved you onto your back, adjusting your arms above your head to each bed post. Chains wait patiently to be locked around your wrists, finding home snug against your fair skin. Locking them and stowing away the key into his pocket he pulled the thick comforter up over you legs but paused, eyeing how your little dress rose up your thighs.
Dropping the blanket his hands glide over thr plush fat of your thighs, pushing up the fabric to expose your panties. Licking his lips, Roman purred as his fingertips dipped under the waistband to slide them off. Pulling your underwear down your legs he held them up and admired the lace. It was like you knew he would come for you, such a naughty little minx. The demon covered you back up, finishing what he was doing before stuffing your panties into his pocket.
Surely you've noticed a few missing from your laundry as of late, more so the dirty than clean. He's been inside your home on numerous occasions, studying your things and gathering as much information his immortal brain could absord. Now he had you, and he's never letting you go.
"See you in the morning, little one." He smiled and gently touched your face with a knuckle, pushing your hair from your sleeping face.
— Roman
Hi sweetie, thanks for giving my character a test drive ;) Hope you enjoy the sweet, sweet torture 💗 no but fr, Ily lmao you're a doll
My slumber was far from pleasant. Nightmares upon nightmares lingered throughout the night. Any moment I thought they vanished, it was present once again that they are leaking back in.
It all started out so pleasant. I was out with my friends, drinking, and dancing. Then we went home only for me to be grabbed.
I struggled, I truly did. I used all my might to escape from his death grip only to be met with darkness. From there, all I know is hell. Fire, screams and cries of souls being taken, his evil fingertips lacing around his victims.
He looks human, but he is far from it. He’s a demon.
My eyes finally peeled open to an unknown room. Confusion struck, gazing up to see my arms are chained. A subtle breeze grazed parts of my skin that it should not have. Was I naked? Where the hell am I?
Then it hit me.
Last night was not a dream; it was real life.
Screams admitted from me, a natural response I had no control over. “Let me go, you sick bastard!” I bark, not knowing who I am even speaking to, but if they are lurking, they shall feel my wrath. The wrath of a warrior.
I refuse to go down without a fight.
I’ll never give up fighting.
Rattling my chains, I attempt to break them somehow. That was a failure all in its own, but I wanted this person to return. I had a few choice words waiting for him.
He will feel my wrath.
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alice-angel12x · 4 years
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💗 Knight!Deku x Fragile!Reader
Medival AU
Dolls... That is All they ever saw in me. Quirks, some are a blessing, while others it's a curse. A prime example of that is the porcelain quirk.
Let me explain, the porcelain quirk doesn't appear at the age of 5. It can appear at any point in time in life. You could be 6 and it appears, or 70, and then it appears. But whenever it does appear you will remain that way forever till you die of a normal human life span. In my case, I'll look forever 17 even though I'm 25 now. The only drawback is you as fragile as porcelain, and you can break like glass. Though it is possible to be put back together, the cracks will forever remain no matter how much powder and makeup you put on.
Most noble and rich women would think It's a dream come true, but they're wrong. Anybody that has this quirk and is between 16 to 35yr old is highly valued in the black market.
There were a lot of stories I heard, of young women being stolen away from their homes. And brought here to be sold off to some noble as pretty decoration, or a way to show off their wealth, or used for their pleasures. Who wouldn't want a beautiful girl that will never grow old and ugly?
The cages were cold and lonely despite there being many of us. No one would talk to each other in fear of not knowing who would be next. I've only ever made one friend in that place. A beautiful girl named Momo. Like me, she was taken from her humble home and ended up here. Sadly she was sold away to a king Named Endeavor as a present for his youngest son. I hope she's okay.
Now I bet you're thinking, is there a way to escape such a fate, or even a way to escape at all. There are only two ways that I'm aware of. 1 the porcelain quirk either came too early or far too late. Second, if you were to get a Nik or some sort of crack, then you're automatically deemed worthless and are tossed aside. Nobody wants a cracked doll after all.
But believe me, they have ways of preventing their 'merchandise' from being damaged. -----
Argo the slave master and his goons were moving their wagon of merchandise through the forest late at night.
Inside the wagon was cramped but clean, and soft with mats, pillows, and blankets covering the floor and walls. Yet it failed to hide the barred windows and the shackles that bound their captives. All was quiet when the Wagon suddenly jolted to a stop.
"CAREFUL YOU FOOLS! You might have damaged the merchandise!" Argo yelled at his lackeys.
He quickly opened the doors to check on them. Seeing everyone was not harmed or chipped he smiled crookedly.
"Now now my pretties. Were almost at the kingdom Valmar. Where you'll be bought by new masters, behave and don't try anything funny. Then maybe I won't let my lackeys have a taste of you," Argo said as he licked his lips.
The captives shuddered at his words and tried to back farther into the wagon. Argo laughed at their obedience and slammed the doors shut.
"I-I want to go home," one girl sobbed as she slowly started to break down.
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"Hey SSH! You're going to get us in trouble," a boy scolded.
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I slowly blocked them out as I thought back on my life before my quirk appeared. Before this life.
"Y/n, look what mom made for me!" My dear friend Izuku called.
We were 7 years old when he showed me his first knight armor, his mother made him. He Idolized famous knights and adventurers. His favorite hero was The Lone Hero All Might. One could almost call him obsessed.
I remember all the times where we used to play out in the forest. He would be my knight in shining armor, and I would be his Princess.
"Aaah! Help me!" I cried out dramatically.
"I am here!" Izuku said with great bravery.
As he got older he was served to visit last as he went off training in a nearby Kingdom. But he always came back once a year to visit me and his family. Every time he visited, he'd always bring me back a rose. His face would be complete as he muttered incoherent things.
We never truly lost touch, cause he would always write letters to me about his day, and what he's seen. And I write letters back to him, nightly.
Then my 17th birthday. I woke up to the sun shining on my face as usual. But something felt off, my skin doesn't feel right. I quickly ran over to the Mirror and saw my face. My skin became milky white, all my sunspots and Imperfections were gone. My skin has never been this smooth. My eyes were a little larger, it really made my e/c eyes stand out more. My lips became Cherry pink, I look like a doll.
That was when I realized my curse, the porcelain quirk awakens Within Me. But I was optimistic, my mother had the porcelain quirk at 19 years old. And she was never stolen or captured by anyone. And my father protected her with all his heart, so I put those fears aside. When I revealed my transformation to my parents, they were shocked and slightly afraid. But the Embraced me I told me I will be okay and I will be protected.
When Izuku returned for my birthday his reaction was priceless. His face became cherry red, and he always tripped over his words. Eventually, he mustered up the courage to tell me I was the most beautiful lady he ever saw. And that when he became an official knight he'll make sure I'll never have to live my life in fear. I never felt so happy in my life, as a pulled him into a passionate kiss.
It happened a few months later. My family and Izuku were relaxing in the living room when suddenly there was a knock at the door. My father thought it was the Milkman so he decided to answer the door But was greeted with a knife to the stomach. Panic rushed over me and my mother, as we saw at 3 muscly looking men entering our house. Then a fourth Man came the slave leader, Argo.
Izuku still a knight in training pulled his sword out of its sheath and got into a defensive position. He stood between the men and us.
He tried to fight them off, Izuku did put up a pretty good and long fight. Until eventually lost due to being out numbered. They pushed Izuku to the ground, tied his hands behind his back, and quickly gagged him with a piece of cloth.
"Know, ladies.. we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Either hand yourselves over to us and the boy lives, or we've beheaded this boy and take you by force," Argo said as he sat on Izuku's back and putting a knight near Izuku's throat.
"NO!" I cried out as my mother held me back.
"HHMPH!!" Izuku tried to cry out through the gag to me.
"Don't Hurt Him," I begged.
"So what's it gonna be ladies the boy or you," Argo said with a twisted smile.
I began to tremble in fear as I looked at Izuku. He quickly shakes his head no, trying to tell us to not surrender ourselves to them as tears welled up in his eyes.
"We're sorry Izuku," I sobbed in defeat.
My mother and I step forward and were quickly chained up. Argo holding our leashes.
"NNNMPH! HHMMPH!" Izuku cried out as he tried to free himself from his bindings. Glaring daggers at Argo looked us over lustfully.
Very quickly we were forced into the wagon and that was the last time I ever saw our house and Izuku.
The wagon was ready to move until a voice called out from the darkness.
"HALT, EVIL SCUM!! IN THE NAME OF OUR KING GRAND TORINO, YOUR VILE ACT OF TRAFFICKING ARE OVER!!" Said a knight checked out and silver armor riding a brown horse.
Argo laughed at the lone knight.
"Oh yeah, you and what army," Argo chuckled.
Suddenly there is more light in the Darkness, it appeared to surround Wagon in all directions. From the darkness, an army of knights stepped out some on foot, others on horseback.
" surrender immediately!" Shouted another knight, this on a white horse.
"What are you fools looking at, ATTACK!" Argo shouted.
It was hard to tell what was happening outside, as everyone heard the fight happening outside. The scuffle lasted for a pretty long time, but eventually the struggling settle down. Everyone sat in silence as they waited, not knowing what's going to happen.
Suddenly the wagon door opened revealing a man in knight's armor. He had blue hair and rectangular glasses.
"Don't worry we're here to rescue you," he informed us.
Slowly but surely everyone was escorted off the wagon, one by one we were unchained. I was the last one to be unchained as I approached the knight with the keys, I heard a faint gasp.
"Y-y/n!" The knight shouted as he pulled me into a gentle yet strong hug.
I look at the knight in confusion as I watch him remove his helmet. Revealing My childhood friend Izuku. He definitely aged and grew over the last 8 years. I felt a little self-conscious, because of how short and young I looked compared to him. He was taller and looked more mature and looked so handsome.
"I finally found you, I found you y/n" has said as he pulled me into another hug.
"I-Izuku, I- I was so scared," I sobbed into his chest.
"I'm here now. And this time I'll keep you safe," Izuku whispered in my ear.
I kissed his cheek softly, as I hugged him. Izuku picked me up bridal style and placed me on his horse. He quickly pulled himself on the horse. As the other knights escorted the others to the kingdom. Izuku and I decided to return home instead.
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kyloren · 5 years
Note
i was never really into the jonsa ship, but that post of yours has got me really interested... do you have any fave fics of them??
welp, we’re going old-school, lads. prepare for some of my favourite fandom throwbacks well, I failed at that, I put some of the newer things on the list, too
CANON-VERSE:
Now You See Me: Kissed by fire, Ygritte thought to herself, just like me. 
Goodbye Means Going Away (And Going Away Means Forgetting): Memory is unreliable. No one understands this better than Rickon Stark.
Take My Crown Away (Don’t Smile So Sweetly, My Love): A world where everything is easier. Except for those who love, and love too much.
Build a Ladder to the Stars: Jon abandons the Night’s Watch to join Robb’s cause. After rescuing Sansa from King’s Landing, he and Sansa find themselves in a relationship they never saw coming.
A Winter’s Tale: The War of Three Dragons comes to the Vale, bringing Jon Snow and Sansa Stark together once more.
The Winter of Our Discontent: In the end it is Jon and his men of the Night’s Watch who come to take her back to Winterfell.
tell me true (who are you): Ned Stark brought a dark-haired, grey-eyed bastard babe home and called him son. Years later, Jon Targaryen does the same.
Lift Me Like an Olive Branch and Be My Homeward Dove: She never dreams of Jon Snow but in the end he is the one that comes for her under a Targaryen banner, the might of Winterfell and the North behind him with their father’s sword on his back.
The Whispering Ghosts (Left You Out In The Cold): Winter came and brought Jon home. [this is the first Jonsa fic I ever read, boy, did it fuck me up]
A Bronze Crown: In the end there are no knights. In the end Sansa must rescue herself. Based on the prompt: he doesn’t ride to her rescue; she comes north with her granduncle and the armies of the Vale to wage war on the Boltons, save his life and teach his assassins and the Boltons a sharp lesson.
how ruthless are the gentle*: “Yes, I do.” The easiest lie he’s ever told, by far. It came so naturally, he hardly thought of it as false. “She’s easy to love.”
Tell the Ones That Need to Know (We Are Headed North)*: After years of confinement in the Red Keep with Ned prisoner in the black cells, the Dragon Queen comes. With the knowledge that Jon Snow is actually a Targaryen, she agrees to let the Starks return to Winterfell only if Jon marries one of the Stark daughters. Sansa volunteers so they can all go home. Soon she figures out being married to Jon isn’t bad, but it is complicated.
Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things*: We know no King, but the King in the North whose name is Stark. 
Dragons of Red, Dragons of White*: An AU where the Battle of the Trident took place, but just between Rhaegar Targaryen and Robert Baratheon. Their duel and its outcome have ramifications that none could foresee. In the world built afterwards, dragons once again rule and roam Westeros, among them the son of a northern beauty and the king. Prince Jon and his kin, Stark and Targaryen alike, face new challenges from both without and within. Whatever the future holds, the Seven Kingdoms will learn that, whether in a coat of red or a coat of white, a dragon still has claws.
A Knight’s Watch: Jon Snow is forbidden to take the black by his father. Instead he sent to squire for a famous knight, beginning a long arduous journey that causes him to cross paths with characters he never would have. Along the way he learns truths long hidden and discovers love in the most unlikely of places.
The Conquest*: Three hundred years after Aegon the Conqueror built a new empire on the ashes of the Valyrian Freehold the known world is a place of war. The Targaryen Empire is pressed by enemies, the Seven Kingdoms war amongst themselves and forces contrive to pull them all apart.
Live Without Shame: When Catelyn’s treatment of Winterfell’s Bastard unexpectedly softens, Sansa reconsiders her relationship with Jon. But despite the revelations that ensue, Jon must and will always remain Winterfell’s Bastard and suffer its consequences.
The Tempered Kingdoms*:  After years of wars, death, destruction, politics, and White Walkers, a tentative calm has returned to Westeros partially due to the rulership of King Jon and Queen Daenerys. But politics rues its head again as Stannis Baratheon demands his right to rule, while the former Queen Cersei languishes in a cell, plotting her revenge against all who live above her. Sansa Stark is forced to return to King’s Landing after being found by the rumored lovers Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth.
winterbloom: “You’ve traveled a long way for a rumor.” Sansa lives at the Wall under the protection of her brother Jon Snow, but when Sandor Clegane comes looking for her, she and Jon begin to realize that she is not as safe as they once hoped.
As History Changes: Jon agrees to accompany Stannis south to the Vale and he meets a person he did not expect to meet.
hold onto your heart (you’ll keep it safe): When Sansa turns eleven her wrist burns. She excitedly unwraps the cloth guarding her skin, waiting eagerly for the name to finish forming. The dark letters stop after only three and when Sansa leans in closer she realises that she knows that name and she knows that handwriting already.
carve your heart into mine: Sansa spent many evenings sewing her wedding dress by the fire, dreaming of her husband. The gown spilled out of her hands like a silver river, burning brighter from the light of the flames. She had embroidered it with a noble husband in mind, but she wed her lowborn love in the godswood, with snowflakes falling on her veil. 
ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE:
Into the Darkness of the Grave: The tragic death of Eddard Stark’s cousin Lyanna brings her estranged son back to Winterfell House, the family’s old plantation home, for her funeral.
The Other Shoe: If anyone had told Sansa Stark that she would be married to Jon Snow, expecting a child with him at the age of nineteen she would have laughed at them. Not because Jon was a bad person, for he had slowly come out of his shell in the past seven years; not because she was young, her parents were married right out of Hogwarts; simply because Sansa Stark seemed to be the anthesis of a happy ending.
several sunlit days: Everyone knows you don’t date Robb Stark’s sisters unless you want to spend your days avoiding hexes and angry bludgers shot at your head. Too bad Jon’s traitorous feelings could care less.
the unexpected champion: Jon must swim to The Black Lake and retrieve something *cough* Sansa *cough* stolen from him. This task makes him realize who he should invite to the Yule Ball.
Where Did You Sleep Last Night: Sansa needs a new guitarist, Jon needs a new band, and the two of them definitely don’t need each other.
and labor till the work is done: Stark Industries is a family legacy she was hoping to avoid: Robb is a project manager, grooming to eventually be a partner, Arya is a summer intern with Bran sure to follow next year and Rickon in another three, and even Jon Snow, who is technically not family but who has been around for as long as Sansa can remember, works as an estimator. But Sansa is not who she was at sixteen or eighteen or even twenty and she’s still in the process of learning what’s truly important, like who she is, who she wants to be, and what kind of people she wants in her life.
One Of The Few Things: Jaime and Sansa spend a lot of time pining over Brienne and Jon together. Sometimes, they actually even do their jobs.
flower shaped heart*: Alayne Stone has lived her whole life in her hidden tower, forbidden by Mother to leave. But she yearns for an adventure like the ones in the songs, so when a man named Jon Snow crashes into her tower and into her life, she seizes the chance. They travel to King’s Landing where the floating lanterns shine each year on her nameday. The new world is exciting and frightening, but Jon Snow is there to guide her every step. He is not nearly as terrible as Mother said men are, though the rest of the world might be. Danger, betrayals, and lies form the steps of their journey as Alayne uncovers terrible secrets.
Crawl up to my Room: Jon left her side after a few moments of silence and she watched him leave with a quiet thought playing in her mind. He was her stepbrother for only a few hours, and she already found herself utterly fascinated and irritated with Jon Stark. 
in the summer, as the lilacs bloom: “You did tech in high school,” Sansa points out. (Yeah, I did tech because you were playing the lead and I was in love with you.) Jon doesn’t tell her that, though. Of course not. Instead he agrees to spend his summer stage managing this passion project of hers, and some trace of his seventeen-year-old self has dried out his throat at the thought of three months’ constant contact with Sansa.
Down from the Mountain: Sansa flies home from college after her older brother Robb, one of the country’s hottest young pitchers, is hurt in a car accident. Robb’s best friend Jon is there to help the Stark family in any way he can.
Little Bed in the Big Woods: “I stared at him for a solid five minutes because he looked like what I imagine god would look like if god was a lumberjack.”
A Game of Stars*: When the Mad Emperor hears that the Starks are Force-sensitive, he discovers the hidden rebel base on Hoth. He sends Jon there with one order: Burn them all. But bring the Stark children to Coruscant. It’s time for the two most powerful Force bloodlines in the galaxy to merge.
I’ll Pack My Goods for the Arkansas Woods*: When Sansa’s brother goes missing, it falls to her to defend the house and the woods against the greed of the Boltons and Freys. All of this would be much easier if she could fight fire with fire, and there’s a saying in the valley: that all the Starks are a little wild, and all the Targaryens are a little mad. Her cousin Jon just happens to be both.
In the Face of Death: On a long list of things Jon never expected, Sansa came top.
United States of Irreversible Oblivion: With the government losing its fight at the northern border, Sansa’s only hope is that one of its soldiers, Office Jon Snow, will return for her and save her from the horrors of a collapsing society.
remember me love when i’m reborn: ‘Longest Night’ has biggest night in hollywood history. “Joffrey wanted someone to make him famous, and as soon as Sansa wrote a movie for him that did just that, he left her in the dirt.”
Hear the Wolf*: The Starks are in Hogwarts. Sansa has to learn to stand up to her ex-boyfriend and Jon has to learn to face his past. They’re determined to do it alone. Will they ever admit they’re stronger together?
Somewhere in the Winter Woods*: Lost on her way to her grandmother’s cabin in the winter woods after running away from home, beautiful young Sansa thinks she’s run into trouble when she crosses a white wolf in the forest. Instead of harming her, the animal guides her to his master, a handsome warrior named Jon who lives in solitude and clothes himself in black.
* marks the ongoing stories. 
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xae-in-a-coat · 3 years
Text
Xaje(Z-Age): The Poetic Murderer
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Yours truly made a Kingdom Hearts/Organization XIII Sona recently & finally decided to post about him here due to the fact that he somehow managed to develop an everlasting fear of people stealing his hard earned brain-work over night. Anyway, just take these small scrap doodles & angst ridden quotes I created earlier. None of this really counts as attention-worthy in my eyes, believe me, I am well aware of the fact at this point, but it’s solely for the sake of me not losing my mind over the possibility of my ideas being stolen anytime soon(plus, truth be told, I’ve actually grown quite fond of this miniscule scheme we artists call “character design”). Now, where were we? Ah yes, my quotes & in-game dialogue:
“Shadows can’t appear without light nor can stars shine without the darkness. In conclusion, our worlds require both one & the other in order to exist within a state of tranquil harmony. Perhaps we should start encountering that terribly desirable goal by changing your uneducated perspective.”
-𝚇𝚊𝚓𝚎
“You blinded light dwellers would never understand, you believe that the world is filled with happiness & success, that even in the darkest of times there’ll always be that last sliver of hope worth holding onto, that all of your feeblest dreams will one day come true. Well you’re wrong. The world is nothing more than darkness in itself, and we’re living proof of that. Us Nobodies were once like you, foolish, ignorant, weak, we clung to those same beliefs that you now spout and look where it’s landed us. An endless, inescapable abyss of nothingness in which we gather & begrudgingly call a home. Welcome to The Castle That Never Was.”
-𝚇𝚊𝚓𝚎
“Do I cause you to question the English language itself? Good. Confusion is the mind’s greatest weakness after all. Along with curiosity of course, but I’ll gladly settle for either of the two.”
-𝚇𝚊𝚓𝚎
“Allow me to put a quick end to this poorly written story of yours. It’s plot is becoming terselessly bland & ever so flavorless, these pages could endanger the less prepared minds of vain readers, & besides, not even the characters seem to know what they’re doing anymore.”
-𝚇𝚊𝚓𝚎
“Thank you, but no. I prefer to eat in private. Being here amongst the presence of all your beautiful faces is causing me to feel deeply self loathsome, or for the less educated, gross.”
-𝚇𝚊𝚓𝚎
“Yeah, I study gems. Nothing crazy though, mainly just a load of Google searches & me being pretentious, heh. Anyway, what was that really cool thing you were doing with that giant key just now?”
-𝙹𝚊𝚎
“I’m a poet, just living out my life & writing my own stories I guess. Not like anyone else would bother reading them anyway.”
-𝙹𝚊𝚎
“Hey uh- Is that a pen? Cause I kinda need one right now. Crazy bunch of ideas just flooded my pea sized brain. Wouldn’t wanna forget them right? A mind-full of words now could turn into a completely full fledged story later, who knows.”
-𝙹𝚊𝚎
“Blueberries, literature, & dreams. These are the few things I’ve stayed alive for. Yup, fourteen years of being a hopeless idiot & disappointing everyone I come by.”
-𝙹𝚊𝚎
“But why do we hate darkness even though we’re literally surrounded by it every night!? I thought you Keyblade idiots knew better, I thought you were better! Heh, guess I was wrong… Note to self: Never put your trust in anybody EVER AGAIN! BECAUSE THIS UNIVERSE IS NOTHING MORE THAN A FILTHY BREEDING POT FULL OF EVEN FILTHIER BACKSTABBERS!-”
-𝙹𝚊𝚎
“Unfortunately enough, it seems that I’ve run out of stories to tell… Heh, I should’ve realized this moment was going to come for me sooner or later. A writer’s charm only lasts so long before it fades, just as a pen will eventually run out of ink, or an uncharted idea will eventually be forgotten. Yet again, that bothersome light you use to fight us is no different when compared to those few simpleminded examples. Expiable, inconsistent, just like the hearts you so proudly hold.”
-𝚇𝚊𝚓𝚎
“Why must inspiration always come to me at the worst of times?- Ugh, I suppose that new writing prompt of mine will just have to wait for later, you on the other hand, shall be dealt with now.”
-𝚇𝚊𝚓𝚎
“Your specialty should be renewed into a weapon of some sort. Coming naturally to you in times of need, refined, retrained, & unlike what it was before. Here, take my trusty Fountain Pen for example: From normal size to weaponized! It’s quite fun actually, not that I have a heart to garner the enjoyment of course, but still, one cannot deny when one has alas discovered the thing they endearingly call ‘a hobby.’”
-𝚇𝚊𝚓𝚎
“The beings I once called ‘family’ were nothing more than burdensome unaccepting hate speakers, & surely enough, they still are. It was because of them that I ended my miserable self & landed here, fractured, incomplete, but more relieved than I can ever recall being whilst I still garnered a heart from within. Yes yes, it may not be the most apparent thing to you newcomers, but being a Nobody has its perks, especially if you willingly chose to be one.”
-𝚇𝚊𝚓𝚎
Now for an unanimated cutscene of two characters conversing through the unprofessional script put together by yours truly:
Xaje: We’re nothing more than a stain on the pristinely white pages of your world, an unwanted drop of ink that was never meant to exist in the first place, a thing you unaccepting light dwellers would call ‘a mistake.’ Still we roam freely, collecting the negative reputation you’ve forcefully written us to have. Ever spreading, ever growing, never stopping till we’ve met our untimely ends. Perhaps you & I aren’t so different after all, P/N.
Protagonist: Shut it, I’m nothing like you!
Xaje: Hm, don’t be so foolish light dweller, our respective roles as heroes & well… Antiheroes, will always set us apart of course, but in the end we both want what’s best for this dreaded empire, don’t we? deny it not any further P/N, we’re one in the same, you’re simply far too blinded by the light to see truth when it’s clearly there. Well, if I can’t persuade you now, perhaps I’ll try again another time, good day.
Protagonist: Huh?! Hey, come back! QUIT RUNNING AWAY FROM ME YOU COWARD!
Xaje: You see what I mean, foolish, ignorant, weak. Are baseless insults & vile acts of bullying really your only powers? Tsk tsk tsk, how very sad indeed.
Protagonist: SHUT UP!
Xaje: Till we meet again dearest light dweller, be sure to keep that precious little heart of yours safe whilst we’re apart, won’t you? I find that it can be quite fragile at times.
Protagonist: I SAID BE QUIET!- Aaannnd he’s gone… AGAIN!
-𝙵𝚒𝚗
Progress shots:
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emy-loves-you · 4 years
Text
Wrong Numbers and Useless Gays Chapter 2
Breakfast and Disney
Virgil decides to text Roman again. They have a fun argument over Disney movies.
Warnings: Mentions of alcohol and sex, vulgar language, and openly trans character
Chapter 1 | Masterlist | Chapter 3
Virgil woke up to a splitting headache. He immediately screwed his eyes shut, hands going to grip his hair. The lights were too bright, his throat was too dry, and he’s pretty sure there’s someone sleeping next to him. What the hell happened?
The memories hit him like a freight train. Arriving late to the party, meeting Mr. Sanders (“Call me Thomas,” he had said, flashing his perfect smile with his perfect teeth and perfect lips), and signing him up as a potential producer. Technically they had enough money and popularity to keep their band afloat without a producer, but to get such an influential man on their team was a dream come true. They got back to Janus’ house at around 2 AM, where they promptly got wasted. Virgil could still taste whatever expensive shit Janus had grabbed from the cellar. Speaking of Janus...
Virgil slowly opened his eyes, nearly hissing at the light shining through the giant windows. He looked over from his spot on the floor (how did he get there?) and found Janus and Remus cuddling together, a bottle of wine nestled between them. Remus was drooling, and Virgil noticed multiple hickeys along Janus’ throat. Virgil smiled as he got up. His two friends and essentially brothers had an odd relationship, but Virgil respected it. It was obvious that they were in love, but they didn’t want to put a label on it yet. They had offered for Virgil to join them, but he had declined. While Virgil did care for the other two deeply, he didn’t share the same spark that they did.
Virgil eventually found his way to the bathroom, quickly losing whatever remained in his stomach. He sat on the cold tile, waiting for the nausea to pass. He hadn’t drank that much in a long time. He should ask Janus if he can bring one of those bottles home. He’ll probably bitch for a few days (Janus liked to use alcohol as an excuse for Virgil to come over) but he’ll get over it.
Bzzz Bzzz Bzzz
Virgil grabbed his phone out of his jacket pocket (why was he still wearing his jacket?) and turned off his 10 AM alarm. He almost always woke up before his alarm went off, but his anxiety made him use the alarm anyways. He quickly checked for any new messages, and noticed his rather lackluster response to Roman helping him yesterday. He helped me get through an anxiety attack, and all I had to say was ‘thank you?’ The least I could do is apologize. Before his hungover brain could remind him of how stupid of an idea that was, he had already sent a text.
V- (10:02 AM) Hey, I just wanted to apologize for last night. You ended up being right, my friend was just running late. I ended up having a pretty good time, all things considered. Thanks for helping me through that attack. It meant a lot to me. I was still a little disoriented last night so I wasn’t wanting to type much. Again, thank you for helping a stranger. You're a good guy, Princey.
Before Virgil could second-guess himself, he locked his phone and got up. He quickly took some painkillers and went to find some form of a healthy breakfast. Virgil had always been self-conscious of how he looked, so he tended to eat light and work out when possible. He ended up finding enough eggs and veggies to make a few omelets. Virgil decided to make his last, knowing that Remus and Janus would be awake before the first one was finished. Sure enough, as soon as the first omelet was ready to be flipped, Remus was skipping into the kitchen, dragging a disgruntled Janus behind him. How that man had any energy this early in the morning with a hangover was a mystery to Virgil. He quickly served Remus his omelet, who proceeded to pour an obscene amount of salt onto it. Virgil cringed as he turned to make Janus’ omelet. He tuned out their conversation until he heard his name.
“Well I think Virgil should sleep with him-”
Virgil whipped around so fast that he almost burned himself on the stove. “WHAT?!?”
Remus scoffed, twirling his fork between his fingers. “While Tomathy did seem pretty convinced last night, a little bit of extra persuasion never hurt anybody. While I would normally volunteer, I don’t think that man has ever seen a vagina, much less wants to fuck one. And he seemed to be afraid of Janny over here, so you’re it, pumpkin.”
Virgil blushed, turning back to omelet making. Janus sighed, “Remus, darling, I don’t believe that Mr. Sanders requires any more... incentive. However, if Virgil decided to pursue that type of relationship with him... I wouldn’t be opposed.”
Virgil let out a squeak, his face even redder as he gave Janus his food. Remus laughed. “What’s the matter, Veevee? Cat got your dick? Even if you don’t sleep with Mr. Business, you should still get around more! Sex is good for the soul.”
Virgil flipped him off, resulting in another chuckle. He turned back to make his own omelet. Sure, Virgil hadn’t been in a relationship since, well, ever, but that wasn’t his fault! He just hadn’t found the right person yet, that’s all! Besides, Virgil didn’t do one night stands. The idea of sleeping with a stranger left a knot in his stomach.
By the time Virgil sat down with his omelet, Remus was already done. He started bouncing around ideas for new songs, with Virgil or Janus occasionally adding their own ideas.
Bzzz
Virgil glanced at his phone, seeing that he had a response from Roman. He went to unlock his phone.
“Who’s that?”
Virgil jumped, staring face-to-face with Janus. He could see where Janus’ question was coming from, since before now Virgil only ever texted Janus and Remus. “Just a random guy that I accidentally texted last night. I didn’t really apologize well last night, so I texted him again earlier today.” Janus and Remus both smirked. "I swear to god, whatever you two are thinking, it's wrong."
Janus tilted his head, looking like an innocent little angel (innocent my ass). "Whatever would we be thinking about, Virgil?" He turned to look at Remus. "Is this why Virgil found the idea of sleeping with Mr. Sanders so scandalous?" Virgil groaned, hoping that his meal would distract him from the cackling idiots in front of him.
By the time Virgil (finally) got home, wine tucked under one arm, he had almost forgotten about Roman's text. He quickly checked it, almost snorting at what he saw.
R-(10:35 AM) What can I say except you're welcome! Seriously, it was no problem. I'm happy that you had a good time at the party. It was a pleasure to help, storm cloud.
Virgil was halfway through typing a response before he stopped. Technically he could leave the text as it is and move on like nothing happened. On the other hand, Roman seemed like a fun guy to talk to. Surely he would tell Virgil if he wanted to stop talking to him, right? He ended up sending the text anyways, wanting to see if Roman would respond.
V- (11:45 AM) Really, you're gonna start your text with a Moana reference? You really are a Disney Prince, aren't ya Princey? And what's with the 'storm cloud' anyway?
Virgil expected a lot of things. Roman could block his number. He could poke fun at Virgil's anxiety attack from last night. He could take forever to respond, just to ask Virgil to never text him again. What Virgil didn't expect, however, was for an immediate, yet passionate, response.
R- (11:46 AM) DISNEY IS A BEAUTIFUL MASTERPIECE THAT WILL ALWAYS HOLD A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART.
R- (11:46 AM) Sorry, I got a little emotional I REALLY like Disney. And the reason I called you 'storm cloud' is because you didn't give me another name to call you, storm cloud. And I will take the Disney prince jab as a complement.
Virgil laughed, already typing out a response. He probably shouldn't be giving out his name to a near stranger, but he didn't think it would matter much. Virgil Storm was a nobody, a reject from the foster system. Sure, he was secretly singer/songwriter Anxiety, but Roman didn't need to know that.
V- (11:47 AM) Sorry, the name's Virgil, he/him pronouns. And I didn't mean it as a jab, Disney's got a place in my heart too.
R- (11:48 AM) REALLY!?!? WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE DISNEY MOVIE? DISNEY CLASSICS OR PIXAR? FAVORITE DISNEY PRINCESS? THESE ARE ALL VERY IMPORTANT
V- (11:48 AM) Um, okay. Nightmare Before Christmas, Classics, and does Elsa count as a Disney Princess?
R- (11:49 AM) Nope. Elsa is QUEEN. WE WILL NOT SLANDER SUCH A GODDESS!
V- (11:49 AM) Geez, let it go, Princey
R- (11:49 AM) N(ice) one
V- (11:49 AM) Then I've gotta go with Cinderella. She decided to make one slightly bad decision last her entire life, as opposed to other princesses making a decision that immediately through their lives away. Though that is what makes the movie interesting.
R- (11:50 AM) What do you mean?
V- (11:50 AM) Disney is known for being pure and innocent, but it contains tons of sinister undertones.
R- (11:50 AM) Not all of them!
V- (11:50 AM) Let's play a game then, we each pick a movie and describe the message that we believe the audience was supposed to receive.
R- (11:51 AM) Alrighty then, I'll go first. Cinderella: Believe in your dreams and, one day, they will come true.
V- (11:51 AM) Sure, just literally wait around your entire life, subjecting yourself to the cruelty of your ungrateful ignorant family members, until some MAGICAL fairy comes along to save you. Don't take action yourself. Not to mention man can't memorize the face of a woman they've been dancing around with for hours, they have to rely on the shoe, ergo men are idiots.
R- (11:52 AM) He was a very busy prince! He had a lot on his mind.
V- (11:52 AM) Fine, what do you think about Snow White?
R- (11:52 AM) Okay. So this time the message is to NOT do what the Princess did: Don't accept random fruit from strangers.
V- (11:53 AM) The bigger message is to just run away from your problems and become a housekeeper for 7 men. Not to mention a Prince comes out of nowhere and plants a kiss on a seemingly sleeping girl? I guess consent isn't really that important?
R- (11:54 AM) He thought she was DEAD! It was a farewell kiss!
R- (11:54 AM) Okay, how about Peter Pan. Don't let your childhood spirit ever die.
V- (11:55 AM) Also it's totally fine to believe a random stranger when they tell you to jump out a window after they've broken into your house. But I guess that's how your whole being would die.
R- (11:55 AM) COME ON! Can you REALLY look down so harshly on these movies?!?
V- (11:55 AM) I still like them! There's just some darker messages that we don't first see.
R- (11:56 AM) Bambi
V- (11:56 AM) Man is dangerous
R- (11:56 AM) Pocahontas
V- (11:56 AM) White man is dangerous
R- (11:56 AM) SLEEPING BEAUTY
V- (11:56 AM) Well now we’re back to the lack of consent with sleeping women
R- (11:56 AM) IT WAS TO LIFT A CURSE!!
V- (11:57 AM) Am I wrong?
R- (11:58 AM) …No, I suppose not. I guess there are darker aspects that I did not take into account. HOWEVER, that doesn’t mean that those movies are intending on teaching such… immoral lessons.
V- (11:58 AM) And I never said that they were. That’s just my interpretation of them. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
When 5 minutes passed with no response, Virgil deemed it the end of that conversation. He went to go take a shower (he still smelt like alcohol and vomit) and hopefully get some ideas for his next song. Maybe something about interpretations?
By the time Virgil was out of the shower and fully dressed, there was a new message on his phone. He went to check it and was surprised by what he saw.
R- (12:12 PM) Virgil, in the span of just 30 minutes, you have given me one of the most invigorating debates I have ever gone through. I would really like to have another one in the future. Would you like to join a group chat with me and my friends, Patton and Logan? I have a feeling that you would get along quite nicely. You are not obligated under any means, but I can see that we have the potential to be great friends. What d’ya say, storm cloud?
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Taglist (please let me know if you want to be added or removed!):
@bisexualdisaster106 @self-taught-mess
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jwillowwolf · 3 years
Text
Magic and Miracles - Chapter 8
Sanders Sides Big Bang fic, Chapter 8!
< Previous Chapter | Next Chapter > | Masterlist
Summary: “Not a morning person?”
“Does staying up until five am count?”
“Wh- no! That’s actually a bit concerning. Please don’t tell me you were up until five then only slept two hours before we started walking.”
“I won’t tell you that then.”
Warning/s: food mention.
Characters: Logan, Virgil, OCs, Roman, Remy, Remus, Patton, Janus, Emile.
Tag List: @theimprobabledreamersworld @remy-please-come-back
Read on AO3
8 | Fondness
Logan stared at the ceiling above him. It seemed like just yesterday he had been doing this out of boredom, waiting for when everyone was supposed to tour the manor. He’d been so anxious about what studying here would mean and how he would socialise with his classmates. Now though, they were all his friends, and he found himself mildly amused that he’d ever been nervous about getting to know them.
This room that had seemed so strange before had become home. Everything from the view outside his window to the softness of the bed was as familiar as his room at the bakery. Soon though, this would no longer be his home.
With the upcoming license test, he would officially become a wizard, and therefore no longer need to remain a student. He’d miss being here and having his friends so close. Come to think of it, he would miss his friends greatly too. After the test, they would be returning to their far off homes. Virgil didn’t live very far off, but Logan felt that it wouldn’t be proper for someone like him to be visiting the prince.
In a couple of days, all of Logan’s dreams about being a wizard would come true, yet he would lose the dreams he never knew he had…
“Rise and shine, witches! You’ve got a big day ahead!”
Logan shook his head, as if that would clear it of any unwanted thoughts, and got out of bed. Today he couldn’t be distracted by silly emotions. Remy was sending them on a huge quest to refine their skills before the big test.
At breakfast, everyone seemed excited for the quest. It was going to be an overnight kind of thing and they were doing it on their own. They had all been taught to teleport and a special spell that would summon Remy if the need arose, but they were still going to be doing this entirely independent of any other adults.
“Hey, you okay L?” Virgil asked as they were walking down the hall.
“Hmm?”
“You look like you’re trying to solve the meaning of life.”
“...What?”
Virgil rolled his eyes. “You look broody, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing is… wrong, per se.”
“Per se?”
“I’m probably just feeling tired from staying up last night studying the notes Remy gave us.”
“Well, hopefully, breakfast lifts your energy, because we have a long walk ahead of us.”
Logan didn't have time to even respond to that as he was tackled to the ground by a hug. "Everleigh? What are you doing here?"
"I came to wish my friends good luck of course! Your dad is here too."
Sure enough, Emile was there in the dining room waiting on everyone else with a special spread of pastries for breakfast.
"Hey kids, I figured you'd want something good to start your big day."
"It's not even test-day yet Mr Picani, but thank you! Your pastries are incredible." Willow declared.
"Well, thanks kiddo. Today isn't your test but it's still a pretty big day. I will be sure to make pastries for test day too though."
"It's not that big a quest really," Remy said. "It's just a longer trip than I usually send them on for ingredient collecting."
"Considering it's a two-day journey to retrieve a rare fruit from a cave, I doubt calling today big would be an exaggeration." Virgil pointed out.
"Back when I was learning magic, we didn't even get teleportation spells for coming back. We'd have to walk there and back, and as quickly as we could too." Remy stated.
"Whatever you say, old man."
"Old? Did you just call me old?" Remy said in a greatly offended tone.
Virgil smirked. "Yup."
Remy turned to Emile. "See what disrespect I have to deal with? You know what, I'm not even going to miss you, sassy little ankle-biters."
The teens all snickered at Remy's dramatics and then dug into their breakfast.
“So, are you guys excited?” Emile asked.
“For the quest itself, not so much. But for the afterparty,” Roman said.
“Yeah, Remy promised us that we’d even get the next day off school, so we could stay up as late as we want!” Remus added.
“I have a feeling I’m going to regret that deal,” Remy whispered to Emile, who nodded with a giggle.
“Can I come to the party?” Everleigh asked.
“Of course,” Remy replied. “They seem to get into less trouble with you around. I’m half tempted to ask you to join them on this quest of theirs.”
“We’re not that accident prone, thank you very much. We’ve kept ourselves out of trouble all month,” Janus pointed out.
“Yeah, and I’m worried you’re due for a disaster,” Remy sighed.
Logan nodded. “Statistically speaking, it’s odd that we’ve gone this long without something happening.”
“That’s comforting…” Virgil muttered.
Janus shrugged. “We’re just getting better at self-preservation. We’ll be fine.”
---
“I retract my earlier statement,” Janus declared as they were walking. “We’re all going to die of exhaustion.”
“Don’t be so dramatic, Jan, that’s my job,” Roman stated.
“And we’ve barely been walking for half a day now,” Willow pointed out.
“Half a day, mainly uphill,” Janus reiterated.
“Perhaps if we all talk about something, our minds won’t be so concentrated on the tiredness,” Patton suggested.
Logan nodded. “Yes, doing something else should distract our brains from any pain or exhaustion. Either with a stimulating conversation or some kind of sing-along.”
“I know a good song!” Remus declared. “She’ll be coming around the mountain when she comes-!”
“No! You are not starting that nightmare up again,” Roman interrupted with a stern glare at his grinning twin.
“Oh, come on, Roro. You love this song!”
“I passionately despise that song.”
“All I heard was ‘passionately’, do you want to marry this song, Ro?” Remus asked. “Or do you just want to--”
“Shut up!” Roman shouted, his face turning as red as Remus’s eyes.
“What do you have against that song?” Willow inquired.
“It’s the way she sings it,” Roman explained. “It’s not appropriate.”
Remus rolled his eyes. “All I said was-”
“No! You have lost speaking privileges.” Roman declared.
“Well then, is there anything else we can talk about?” Janus asked,
“We could play a game,” Patton suggested.
“But not eye spy or word chain,” Virgil immediately added.
Roman huffed. “Alright then, how about you suggest a game, stormcloud?”
“A race.”
Janus stared at him dumbfounded. You’re kidding, right?
Virgil shook his head. “Nope. Let’s all race to… that archway, the winner gets first pick of the treats Mr Picani gave us for lunch.”
Everyone, despite their tiredness from walking, exchanged looks of determination.
“Let’s go!”
---
Once it was close to sunset, the seven finally halted their walking and made camp with the supplies they’d been given. They had two tents, a good amount of firewood, plenty of food to go around, and sleeping bags for each of them. Janus started the fire and began heating up a pot of stew for dinner.
Remus laid himself flat on the ground. “Gods, everything hurts.”
Patton sighed. “I told you not to jump through that bush.”
“I didn’t know it was hiding a steep incline.”
“I told you it was hiding a steep incline,” Roman huffed.
“Well, when have I ever listened to you?”
Roman just sighed in exasperation, too tired to continue arguing.
“The healing spell should only take a little longer to complete,” Virgil said. “So the pain will eventually fade.”
“Eventually?!”
“Remus, you basically jumped off a cliff, please stop complaining about the consequences of your actions,” Willow said.
Remus looked at her with a raised brow. “Someone’s in a bad mood.”
“They’re hangry,” Janus stated. “And so am I, when is this thing going to finish heating up?!”
“I still have some pastries from lunch to snack on,” Patton offered.
“Oh, Patty, you’re a saint!” Willow declared joyfully.
Logan watched his teammates with a faint smile. These interactions were starkly different from how they used to treat each other in the beginning. Well, Remus and Roman still bickered, but they were siblings. Janus and Roman no longer acted like they wanted to kill one another. Willow spoke with confidence to everyone instead of their meek tones. Virgil became more social and even laughed and smiled along with the group now. Patton was still his kind-hearted self, although now he was a lot more appreciated for it.
It was a far cry from the dysfunctional class of misfits that they had been. And in Logan’s opinion, it was a real improvement. He couldn’t believe that he’d once been so set on looking out only for himself when now he was so determined to help his team. His friends…
“-gan? Logan?”
“Hmm?”
Virgil gave him a small smile. “You spaced out, I was asking if you wanted your stew now.”
“Oh, um, yes, thank you.”
Virgil handed him one of the bowls in his hands and then sat beside him. “Mind if I ask what’s got you so deep in thought?”
“I was just thinking... about how much I’ll miss all of you,” Logan admitted. “Once we’ve all passed the test and can move on with our lives, the twins will sail off to their island, Janus and Willow will go back to Evergreen Valley, Patton will return to his parents and brother, and you’ll- well, you know…”
“Do you really think after all we’ve been through together, we’d abandon each other that easily?”
“It’s possible.”
“So is the end of the world, but tomorrow is just as possible as that.”
“I’m not sure I follow.”
“Well, look at it this way. If you throw a coin up in the air, there’s an equal chance of it landing on either heads or tails, right?”
“Yes.”
“So there is a chance that we’ll all grow apart, but there’s a bigger chance that we’ll stay friends despite the distance. We’ve got magic to take us back and forth anyway. Staying in touch will be easier than you think.”
“Well, what about your whole secret identity thing?”
“After the test, I’m going to finally show the kingdom who I am.”
Logan paused. “Wait, really?”
“Yeah, I feel like I’m finally ready to take on the responsibility of having a public image. That means I’ll need to surround myself with the right kinds of people, and you all are exactly the kinds of people I want by my side.”
“Even me? The non-noble?”
“Especially you, Logan. I mean, titles, they’re nothing more than titles. Just words that give a person a position. You, despite the position in life you were given, worked hard to become the first-ever non-noble mage. Title or no title, you are an incredible person Logan, and I’m grateful to have even met you.”
Logan searched Virgil’s face for any hint of insincerity but found none. Those stormy grey eyes held no dishonesty. Only… Fondness? Logan wasn’t good enough at understanding emotions to know exactly what Virgil was feeling, but he felt that it wasn’t anything malicious.
“Thank you, Virgil.”
“No problem. So, do you have any specific plans for what you want to do after the test?”
“Well, I wanted to open up a medical practice.”
“I thought you specialised in air magic? If you’re going into doctoring, why not take up healing magic?”
“I planned on specializing in helping people transition for an affordable price.”
“Oh? That sounds interesting.”
“It was the whole reason I got interested in studying magic. I remember that one day some people came into the bakery, talking about transitional magic. I knew then already that I wanted to do something about my body. The dysphoria was… difficult. So I looked into having someone do the spell for me, but even the cheapest of mages charged far too much for my dad or me to afford. So I took matters into my own hands and decided I would learn magic myself and help others like me to be comfortable in their own skin.”
“That’s a noble cause. It’s almost like what I wanted to do with having a magic school.”
“Oh?”
“I always felt like it was unfair that so many people missed out on the chance to use magic. Being half-fae, I was surrounded by it for my entire life. The council keeps track of who can use magic and is worthy of using it, but the only people able to use it are the rich nobles with all the access to tutors and stuff. It’s like having only certain men be knights, instead of allowing anyone who wants to fight to take up arms. There are so many people out there with the potential to be great, but because of how they were born, they will never have a chance to reach that potential.”
“You care a lot about people.”
“So do you.”
“I suppose that’s a good thing.”
The two sat silently as they ate, but the silence between them felt comfortable. However, Logan found himself once again questioning what he felt towards Virgil, whenever he glanced over at him. His heart seemed to both beat faster and sometimes skip beats altogether. Especially since they were sitting so close together at the moment. They were so close that their knees kept on brushing against each other.
"Uh, Logan?"
"Yes?"
Virgil tugged at his cape's hood. "Can I… ask you an important question?"
Logan tilted his head to the side curiously. "Sure."
"W-"
“Hey, do you two want seconds?” Remus yelled, interrupting the boy’s conversation. “Or can I have the rest?”
“Remus, if you eat all that you’ll get a stomach ache,” Patton warned.
Ignoring his boyfriend’s worry, Remus asked, “Who bets I can finish this in five minutes?”
“You’re an idiot,” Janus stated blankly.
“And a coward. Aim for three!” Roman encouraged.
Logan shook his head. “Well, hopefully, Remus’s antics are the worst things we’ll have to worry about.”
Virgil shrugged. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
---
The next morning, after an unpleasant wake-up call from Roman screaming, because Remus had drenched him in water, everyone got up and continued their trek to the cave where the special fruit Remy wanted, grew. Janus and Roman were taking the lead, bickering about something between themselves, with Willow, Remus and Patton walking close behind them, and Virgil and Logan tailing everyone. Willow and Remus would dash away from the group every now and again to grab flowers for Patton so that he could make them all flower crowns. Which was hard to do while walking but he seemed to be managing.
Logan noted that Virgil still seemed very tired. “Not a morning person?”
“Does staying up until five am count?”
“Wh- no! That’s actually a bit concerning. Please don’t tell me you were up until five then only slept two hours before we started walking.”
“I won’t tell you that then.”
“You need sleep, Virgil.”
“I’ll be fine. I have a bit of midnight elixir from Remy that should wake me up.”
Logan shook his head. “What on earth kept you up so late?”
Virgil shrugged. “Thoughts. My mind was feeling really busy last night. Thinking about… everything.”
“Are you worried about what’s going to happen when…” Logan trailed off.
“Kind of, but I’m sure it’ll be fine. After all, I’ve got both my parents to support me through it. Plus all of you… if the others are as accepting as you.”
“Your race won’t change how they see you, Virgil.”
“You can’t know for sure.”
“Perhaps it’s not a guarantee but the chance of them being loyal is infinitesimal.”
“So small.”
“What, no. That would be the chance of them rejecting you.”
“Then why would you say infinitesimal? It means extremely small.”
“Wait, what?”
“Y-yeah… Logan, did you not know what infinitesimal meant?”
“…”
“Oh my gods, you didn’t.”
“Don’t laugh at me! I don’t know everything and that’s perfectly normal.”
“Well, yeah, but you’re like a super genius.”
“You think I’m a genius.”
“Of course. You’ve proved it time and time again. You’re incredibly smart. In fact, the chances of you not knowing something are… infinitesimal.”
Logan glared. “How dare you use a compliment to tease me, you… sparkly-eyed jerk.”
“My eyes sparkle?”
“When you’re happy, yeah. They look kind of like stars.”
“Wow, I didn’t know you were such a romantic.”
Logan froze. “I didn’t mean to cross any boundaries-”
“You can say I have nice eyes, L. I only meant the poetic kind of romantic. I’m sure you weren’t trying to flirt. Unless you were?”
“I- uh, no. I mean you are quite attractive and I-” Logan stopped himself before he could accidentally confess anything more.
“So you do think I’m attractive at least.”
“...Yes.”
“Well, thanks. I feel the same way about you.”
Logan blushed. “O-oh… thank you...”
The rest of the walk was silent as Logan tried to calm his heart rate down. He was concerned with how fast it was going considering the casual pace they were travelling at. Subconsciously though, he knew that it was what Virgil had said that made him feel like this. He could pretend all he wanted, that there was something else wrong, but he knew that the cause of all this was his feelings towards a certain grey-eyed boy.
The fact that they had almost just flirted with each other was really not helping him. Especially since he wanted so badly to actually flirt with him. He wasn’t exactly sure of his full attraction to Virgil but he liked the idea of flirting with him. Exchanging compliments and maybe holding hands or even… kissing him? That idea made his heart skip a beat.
So basically he was having a gay panic all the way up to the cave. The one thing that distracted him from completely freezing was looking at his surroundings and categorizing all the plants he saw. Beside the cave entrance, he noted there were some berry bushes growing. Then, he saw a pebble fall from above the entrance and glanced up to see what had pushed it.
Time seemed to slow down when Logan saw the boulder perched there. It looked like it was about to fall and crush Virgil, Patton and him before they got into the cave. He grabbed Virgil’s wrist and pushed Patton ahead of them as quickly as possible to get inside of the cave before the boulder came tumbling down with a bunch of other large rocks that now sealed the entrance.
“Holy- are you guys okay?!” Willow asked.
“Pat!” Remus ran to Patton’s side immediately and helped him up.
“I’m okay, I’m okay. Logan saved us.”
Virgil stared wide-eyed at the rocks. "By Ysla’s bow, that was close. Are you alright, Logan?”
“I’m fine. Just glad I saw what was going to happen before we got squished.”
“How the hel did that even happen? There’s no way that was a coincidence,” Janus commented.
“Well, I don’t know what else it could have been. Maybe that was the big trouble that Remy was worried we’d get into,” Roman said.
“Good thing we have the porthole spell to get home then. I don’t think that there’s any way we could get back through here without it taking half an eternity,” Willow declared.
After that scare, the group continued on deeper into the cave. They knew the tree grew in a central chamber surrounded by glowing moss. There was some of this glowing moss on the walls, illuminating their path so they didn’t have to use a light spell or anything.
Soon enough, they reached the chamber. From there they just had to get the fruit from the tree, make a porthole, and go home for their after party. Except there was one problem.
A giant mole.
“I think we’re cursed.”
---
A/N: thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this. I'll be posting two chapters a day until the full fic is up, so if you want to be tagged, you can just ask.
I'd love to hear what you thought about the chapter if you wouldn't mind commenting. Thanks again for reading! Here's hoping you have a magical day 💜
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paranoia-assault · 4 years
Text
Fate/Stay Night Review
I've been meaning to get around to this for a while, so this post will contain my thoughts on Fate/Stay Night. I'll be going in order of how you're supposed to play the routes. Massive spoilers btw. Also this is copied over from Twitter, so sorry for any weird formatting.
Keep in mind I enjoyed every route, so any negative points I bring up never made me think the route wasn't worth reading. That said, UBW > HF > Fate, so we'll be starting with my least favorite route.
There's 2 reasons why the Fate route is my least favorite. The first is that is has to explain a lot, so it feels like not much happens in it compared to the other two routes. The second is Shirou's "girls can't fight" bullshit. I can't stand Shirou in the 1st half of the route.  Shirou does get better, but this is probably my least favorite version of him. I cannot stand every moment he tries to hold Saber back from fighting and almost gets himself killed because "girls can't fight." It is extremely aggravating.
That said, Shirou is fantastic in the second half of the route. The Fate route is Saber's story, and he plays the perfect part in it. His dream of being a super hero goes perfectly with her wish of being a great king. Seeing these ideologies clash, then come together, is amazing. It's why I like the Shirou/Saber ship despite Shirou/Rin being my favorite. These two were practically made for each other. Last Episode only adds to this, and it made me retroactively like the Fate route more. Saber's ending was beautiful and their eventual reunion even more so.
Illya was also great as a villain. I do think Gilgamesh and Kirei both have routes where they shine better as villains, so when I think "the villain of the Fate route," it's Ilya who comes to mind. Berserker was the perfect threat, and the two together were genuinely terrifying.
Summed up thoughts on the Fate route: Good starting point. A bit slow, and Shirou is very annoying in the first half, but the Saber/Shirou dynamic in the second half makes the route worth playing. 7/10.
Time for my favorite route: Unlimited Blade Works. I fucking adore this route. When I think "Fate/Stay Night," this is the route that comes to mind. If I were to recommend one route, it would be this one. I even plan on watching the anime for it at some point.
The main reason I love this route is Shirou. UBW Shioru specifically is one of my favorite Fate characters. He is confronted with a massive challenge to his ideals. He's pretty much shown they're flawed. But rather than toss them aside, he strengthens his convictions. He denies his future self, determined to be different. Yeah, his ideals might have flaws, but why should that matter? Carrying on Kiritsugu's dream is meaningful to him. The pain is worth saving those he can. Even if it's a thankless, miserable task, he won't turn away from it.
Oh, and let's talk about Archer. I love him. Seeing a pessimistic side of Shirou, a potential result of his ideals, was fascinating. I was genuinely shocked when the twist happened, and it made me deeply appreciate Archer's character. Archer is another of my favorite F/SN chars.
Now, let's talk about my favorite F/SN character, Rin. Rin is great. She was trained to understand and accomplish what has to be done, but has a soft spot not unlike Shirou's that leads her to help others. She had a painful upbringing, but doesn't regret a second of it.
She is the perfect foil for Shirou. She recognizes the pain his ideals are putting him through, but rather than force him to throw them away, she decides to stay with him to make sure he doesn't push himself too far. She tries to help Shriou learn to enjoy himself. Shirou/Rin is my favorite ship in the VN for this reason. They compliment each other so well. Their personalities clash in a way that lets them both grow, and they're genuinely cute together, though you can say that last part about any of the 3 main Shirou ships.
The villains are also great. Caster isn't the same type of threat as Illya/Berserker, but her backstory and dynamic with her Master is really interesting to see. I enjoyed her moments on screen. Gilgamesh was the perfect final boss for this route though. Specifically for Shirou. Gilgamesh' powers match Shirou's reality marble perfectly. Infinite Noble Phantasms. Gilgamesh calls Shirou fake, but that leads to Shirou showing how an imitation can outclass the original. It's such a smart hero/villain dynamic, and the perfect end to Shirou's story in UBW.
Saber even gets some closure in this route, though not as much as in Fate. She gets to be Rin's Servant at the end (which I adored btw), and once again chooses to destroy the girl, moving on from her past. Also, she lives in the good ending which makes me happy.
I also need to talk about Illya. Her scene with Berserker is one of her best scenes in the entire VN. She's barely on screen in this route compared to the other routes, but somehow she made just as much of an impact with that time. I felt so bad for her in that last scene.
Summed up thoughts on the UBW route: This route is where all the characters shone their brightest. Shirou's ideals are handled perfectly, almost every Servant gets the attention they deserve, and the writing is overall high quality the entire route. 9/10.
Finally, Heaven's Feel...I think my thoughts on this route will be the most controversial, as I have very mixed feelings. 
I do want to say this first. I love Sakura. She is a fantastic character, and she deserves the world. I'm glad she gets the spotlight in this route.
I also think Kirei was at his best this route. His backstory, along with his final confrontation with Shirou, were both extremely well written. He went from a despicable villain to a despicable written I love to hate. He almost stole the show as much as Sakura did, honestly.
Rider was great this route. I love the twist that Sakura is her true master, and her protective nature over Sakura was great to see. This is the only route where she manages to stand her ground against Saber for a decent period of time, too. I'm glad she lives to the end.
The highlight of the route, however, has to be Sakura and Rin's bond. Learning that they were sisters, and seeing them slowly and awkwardly get closer, is fantastic. That final confrontation between the two of them blew me away with the spectacle & Rin using the second sorcery. Of course, the hug that ended the fight was the best part. Rin realizing she can't kill Sakura after all, despite everything she said to Shirou, was beautiful. Sakura's horror at thinking she killed her sister, showing she's not a full monster yet, was tragically heartwarming.
Them bringing the sorceries in with Illya and Rin was nice. I like how we got an epilogue that took place two years after the final battle rather than a few months. There is a lot to like about this route. 
...But there's also a lot I don't like.
Zouken and Assassin are just...okay villains. I don't think they're terrible, but they're not as interesting as any of the other villains in F/SN. 
My main complaint is that this route introduced too much. So many elements are here that aren't even touched on in previous routes. Zouken, true Assassin, the crest worms, the true Holy Grail, Angru Mainyu, these are all elements of the route that I'm just supposed to accept only come into play under these circumstances. Sometimes it feels like they came up with it all after the other two routes were written. None of them are badly written per se, it just feels so out of nowhere that I couldn't fully get into the story here. 
As for what I do think is badly written...I don't like Shirou in this route. He feels more selfish than in the others, often pushing aside others' feelings. The main moment that comes to mind is when Illya goes with Sakura. When Shirou finds her, he slaps her and yells at her, not accepting her feelings of wanting the end of her life to be meaningful. And there is no way to escape her death. The route makes that clear. Shirou also throws away his ideals for Sakura, which I don't like. The route before this one had him stick to his ideals despite being given evidence of the despair it will lead to. Yet here he tosses them aside without that, simply for one person.
Maybe badly written was too harsh. Shirou's fine, I like him more than in the first half of the Fate route, but he just doesn't seem to fit with the other instances of Shirou, and there were often times he frustrated me. Again, I did love his confrontation with Kirei though.
Now for the romance of this route. Shirou/Sakura. I'm sorry, but...I'm not a fan of this one. It's cute, even made me emotional at times. I think these two can have a great relationship. The thing is, I don't like how it happens here specifically. I think these two are way too dependent on each other, to the point that one can't live without the other. Just look at the bad ending where Rin kills Sakura and Shirou gives up entirely, or the normal ending where Sakura wastes away her life after Shirou's death. There's even a physical dependence due to the state of Shirou's body at the end of the route. It's honestly worrying how much they need one another.
I think they can grow past this, and I'm sure they do since the true end is a happy one. I don't hate their ship. It's my least favorite of the three, but I can easily see it being someone's favorite. Hell, I know someone for who it is. The ship isn't awful, just has some issues.
Back to the route as a whole, it is certainly the most ambitious, but I think they got carried away at times. It's certainly more geared toward horror as well, especially with those bad endings. Not that that's a bad thing, even if I'm not often into horror.
Summed up thoughts on the HF route: A spectacular finale to the VN, but it has a few hiccups along the way. There are a lot of great character moments and interesting ideas that make it worth the time. The true ending is beautiful as well. 8/10.
Overall thoughts on F/SN: A great time that I would recommend to anyone who can get it working on their computer. Fantastic characters and cool concepts drive what can be just decent writing at times, and the high points are really high. Definitely worth the lows. 8/10.
Quick add on for my thoughts on the prequel, Fate/Zero: An amazing first half that got me attached to so many characters, but it falls apart in the second half due to Gen Urobuchi's more problematic writing tendencies. Those have been discussed to death, so I won’t go into detail on them here, Still, the show has enough moments that make it worth watching. 6/10.
That's my experience with Fate so far. I'm about halfway through the first arc of FGO, so I'll make a thread summarizing my thoughts on each singularity when the time comes. Also I want to read Fate/Hollow Ataraxia if I can. Overall I can say I’m glad I got into this franchise, and I’m excited to engage in more Fate content.
Anyway, this review took me 80 minutes to write, and another 15 to copy over here. Clearly I’m pretty passionate about this franchise.
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sahbibabe · 4 years
Note
Hi! Can I request some headcanons for Crisis core Sephiroth where his fem s!o tries to comfort him and try to keep his emotional state together by telling him that he is human and a good one at that, when he finds out about his birth? I would like it to be fluff but you can make it out to be how you think Sephiroth would actually react? Thanks!
Oh, totally, hon! I'm super down for Sephiroth fluff, especially towards the incident that incited all of this in the first place! This got out of hand but I hope you enjoyed it! ♡
Sephiroth Headcanons
When he first discovers the truth of his origins, it's with a smidge of doubt in his mind--how could he go so long in life without figuring it out on his own? Either he was being lied to or it was just that: the truth. And the truth hurts.
Once he realizes that a lot of his life has never made sense--the mysterious lack of struggle, the bizarre circumstances that had made him into a SOLDIER--he knows that he's not human. He's even less than that, a half breed made in a test tube and released on the world as an experiment.
He doubts his friends, if he could even call them that now. Did they know? Did they befriend him purposely to get closer to him, to chart his reactions and emotional aptitude for Hojo? He doesn't know, doesn't want to ask them either, or if they didn't know, they would certainly know when he eventually did ask.
His options limited, he returns to a place where he knows he is welcomed, is safe: your arms. He had never taken you up on the offer to drop by during his lunch break--which was when all of this had been dropped on him--and spend some time with you while he wasn't busy.
He stopped just shy of your apartment door, fist hovering over the metal door hesitantly. Would you hate him, as well? Would you see him as less than human, like he saw himself? Would you sneer at him in disgust and turn him away? Would you shout at him, scream at him in terror? Thousands of possibilities ran through his mind. Combined with the new knowledge that he was a spawn of Jenova, he was an absolute storm cloud of anger and troubled thoughts, and it showed on his face.
He allowed himself to knock, ready to have the door slammed in his face and return to his quarters at Shinra--did he even want to?--and heard your bright, panicked call of,"Coming! Just hold on!"
When you jerked the door open, smelling faintly of tomato sauce and basil, as if you had been cooking, you turned that thousand watt smile on him. It made his heart--if that even was what it was anymore--hurt that you would eventually come to your senses once he told you what he truly was.
"Seph!" You chirped happily, his nickname like a sledgehammer over his head. You grabbed his arm gently and pulled him inside, shutting the door behind you. "I was just making some spaghetti. Would you like some?"
He didn't think he could stomach food right now. His nerves were shot like frayed wires. "No thank you. I'm fine."
You paused, pretty [color] eyes dancing over his face. Ignoring the steady beeping of your stove top, you reached up and placed a hand on his cheek, smoothing out the tight muscles of his jaw. "What is it? Did something happen?"
He hated that you were so perceptive of his moods and tics, for once. He had wanted you to be oblivious, to leave him and finish cooking and return, and proceed to become sickened by his very existence.
"Nothing." He reached up and covered your hand with his own, squeezing your fingers softly. "Go and finish your food. I think it's burning."
It wasn't, but you knew a redirect when you saw one. He didn't want to talk about it just yet. His eyes, those gorgeous green-blue orbs, were unfocused, hazy with emotional pain and trauma. You had only seen him like this once before, when you had been hurt badly during Sector Six's plate crashing down. Since then you had been living in Sector One, safe from falling plates, but that hadn't stopped him from pulling out all the stops to keep you safe.
"Alright," you sighed, patting his chest comfortingly. You wouldn't push it. "Why don't you wait on the couch? I'll be done as soon as I get the noodles out."
He nodded almost imperceptibly. You smiled at him and returned to the stove top, humming as you brought a pot of water to a boil and dumped your pasta noodles in.
While he waited, he tried to organize his thoughts, moving to stand over near the balcony. You had wanted to be at least in sight of the reactors, claiming that the bright color reminded you of his eyes. That night had been when you were in the hospital, drugged up and as high as a kite, holding his hand and letting your mouth run miles a minute.
You, fortunately, remembered none of it, but he did. He kept a few of those remarks close to his heart, even if you weren't entirely there when you said them. Things like,"You're such a sweetheart, I could just suffocate you with my love," or the one that had the nurse laughing,"Hey, Seph, I totally need you to marry me so we can make little super babies. Please?"
The thought of children immediately made his somewhat lifted mood drop. Children. If you had children, they would never be completely human. They would be some part of Jenova--or Cetra, or whatever he was--a mismatch of different genetics. What if they came out with red eyes? Blue skin? Pale hair?
In the midst of his dark mood and thoughts, you returned, gently placing a bowl of spaghetti out for him even though he hadn't wanted any. You waved him over to sit beside you, a giant smile on your face.
When he sat down and it wasn't beside you, but at as an uncomfortable distance as he possibly could manage, your smile faded into a frown of concern. "Sephiroth? What is it?"
He was quiet for a few moments, running different situations through his head, but eventually decided to rip the bandaid off before he got too used to it. He couldn't stand seeing you there, oblivious to what he was and under a false pretense that he was a human. He was a monster and you deserved to know.
"I'm not human."
You listened with wide eyes as he began explaining what he had found, where he had heard it from, and that it was true: his test results, his blood, even his organs were different at least on a molecular level. You had put down your bowl of spaghetti at least an hour ago, absorbed in his story, and hesitated in going to him. In comforting him. What if he didn't want it?
He took your hesitation as something else. "I'll go now. I understand if you wouldn't want to be with a monster."
You sputtered, eyebrows drawing into angry furrows as he stood up and walked towards the door. You grabbed a fist full of the black straps keeping his armor on and hauled him back with as much strength as you could muster. He stumbled back, surprised, and you gripped his face between both of your hands.
"You're not a monster, Sephiroth. You're as human as anyone in this city." You could see the doubt in his eyes, the hardness that you had come to relate with him walling himself off. You pressed your forehead to his, noses barely touching. "No, you're more than human. You're one of the best humans I've ever had in my life. You laugh. You cry; I've seen you in your sleep. Monsters don't cry, honey. And... you love me, don't you? Monsters can't love. And I love you. It doesn't matter that you were made in a lab. What does matter is that you ended up here, with me, in a world that loves you. Everything else is just semantics."
He watched as you continued your passion fueled speech, face turning red with exertion, and he didn't know why he had been so worried about you hating him before. How could someone who was spilling their heart out before him hate him, knowing the truth of what he was?
"And Hojo can burn in the depths of hell for all I care! Who does that?! Holds a man's origins from him and tells him everything he's ever known is a lie?! Actually, you know what, give me your keycard!" You fumed, fumbling for his lapel where he kept his Shinra access card. "I'm going to give that asshole an ass kicking he'll never see coming!"
"[Name]," Sephiroth rumbled, his voice soft. You paused, looking up into his eyes, and found that the self hatred and doubt was subdued, buried under the shining beacon that you could only say was appreciation. "Thank you."
"What for?" You asked, a giant red blush creeping up your neck and face, redder than the one that had formed in your tirade. "I'm just telling you what I know to be true. Forget Hojo's truth. You can use mine."
Before he could properly say that he loved you, your stomach growled. You groaned and buried your face in his neck in shame. "We can talk about this later. You need to eat."
You moved your head and rolled your eyes so he could see, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips before releasing the tight grip you had on his leather straps. "Come on. I'll eat and then we can spend the next few days together. No Shinra stuff."
"No Shinra stuff," he agreed.
When you had finished eating and the sun lamps had dimmed, you tugged him towards your room, divesting him of his armor, citing,"Armor isn't good for cuddling, Seph, you know."
In the middle of the night, when you had fallen asleep in his arms after making sure to tell him everything you loved about him that made him human, punctuated by kisses to his face or lips or whatever you could reach, he watched your eyebrows furrow as you dreamed.
You had enough humanity for the both of you, he decided, closing his eyes to the neon glow of the mako reactor. That was enough for him.
It had to be.
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You'd break your heart to make it bigger, so why not crack your skull when the mind swells
“Something's not right about what I'm doing but I'm still doing it-- living in the worst parts, ruining myself. My inner life is a sheet of black glass.” ~Richard Siken
Moments in Leenik Geelo's life after losing his brother.
a/n: love that my first campaign star wars fic is just pure leenik geelo angst, i dedicate this one to @leenik-matagot thank u and also ur welcome <3 >:) 
content warnings for: canon typical character death and violence, suicidal thoughts, refrences to self harm, ptsd, trauma and just general grief and depression.
It’s the emptiness he doesn’t expect. When they were running out of the planet the numb shock passing into the unrelenting reality of the loss he had just suffered.
There is that night where neither him or Chartreuse say anything and it felt like his chest was going to collapse into itself. It wasn’t real, not quite yet but the grief that threatens to consume him whole had already set in. it was like a gaping open wound in his chest. Like shards of glass. Like he was dying, following Tony into an early grave.
Those days blur together but he remembers eventually when the pain wouldn’t stop, he remembers cristal clear the quiet desperate prayer he sent out to the stars he and his brother had once travelled together.
Make it stop. He begged. I will do anything to stop feeling like this someone, anyone, please make it stop, make it stop, make it-
Be careful what you wish for, they say, because eventually it did, and it left the broken being that had once been Nicky Geelo.
There was nothing, he hadn’t thought it possible before to feel nothing but it was there. He was but an empty black hole. What was he now, without his grief and pain.
Nothing matters then, when the world stops being something you experience, he stared blankly at the wall. A million thoughts hung around his head.
It was your fault. It should have been you. You have always been this useless. What are you now? What have you ever been?-
They droned on, it was like listening to static, they were there, they were his thoughts and he believed them, but there was no emotion tied to it. He wants it back, the overwhelming despair, the anger burning in his veins, the quiet background sorrow that settles into your bones.
The first time Leenik Geelo gets captured on purpose he doesn’t plan on coming out of it.
He had picked up doing jobs again because he had to, life didn’t stop even if it felt like it should, the loss of Venton was nothing on the greater galaxy, even if to Leenik it felt like the stars weren’t allowed to shine without him.
It isn’t quite like he consciously plans on getting shot, it’s just that he goes in with a half-baked plan, no plan B, no weapons and not really sure when the last time he ate was.
And sure maybe when they are marching him to the brig, blasters trained on him part of him wonders why it would be bad if they just fired.
It’s not quite wanting to die, as much as it is not seeing the point in living. As much as that the moment they truly are about to shoot him his fear finally kicks in and he feels awake for the first time in months.
How he gets out of that one he doesn’t know, it's like all the luck in the galaxy follows him when he doesn’t want it.
He stands there and picks at his suction cups absentmindedly until one starts to bleed, he stares at the blood dripping from his finger like it contains the answers to everything.
-
He isn’t prepared for the wrath that comes next, the vast nothing in his chest comes and goes but the only other thing he is made of these days seems anger.
It is directed at everything and nothing, his brother's killer, Traxx, the ceiling fan that is too loud, himself.He who couldn't help, he had insisted to take on a job they shouldn't have, he should have been the one to fall in Ventons place.
The first time he stuns himself he can almost convince himself it's an accident. He is in fact, shooting at the fan, but who is to say whether he knew that the laser would bounce of it and hit him in the chest.
There is a flash of blinding agony and then a final blissful nothing. He wakes up very soon after, with a pounding headache, dizzy and miserable.
He knows very well he should not do that again, he stares at his blaster and feels some sickening kind of fear of himself. He tries to avoid using a blaster for a while but it doesn't last long.
It's always an accident though, and usually when it happens people laugh at the guy who just got himself stunned.
That's good he thinks making people laugh.
-
Leenik Geelo doesn't know the name of the first truly innocent person that he kills.
Usually there is some sort of justification for it, in his mind at least.
At some point he is at a shoot out and he very well knows he could aim away from the civilians that have nothing to do with it.
He doesn't.
There he is met with sickening guilt, and an even worse sense of perverted glee.
He sees the disappointed face of his brother every time he closes his eyes.
The moment he is alone that afternoon he breaks down crying, falling to the floor of some ship.
What have you become Nicky?
He doesn't know. He doesn't know.  
-
It's Venton who should have lived, and so he starts dressing the part. it's easy to pass off the wig and the eye patch as simple eccentricities, people find it odd, people laugh.
Good. He thinks, it's almost better to not be taken seriously, no one seeing under the surface.
So easy some days to almost believe it's Tony who is staring back at him in the mirror. That he’s here with him at least. He doesn't know how to be himself anymore.
One day he simply forgets the eyepatch, he catches a glimpse in the mirror and panics. True awful panic, the one that causes you to stop breathing, your chest to hurt, your mind to start racing.
"I need to go get it," he chokes out.
"Jeez man, we have a job to do."
He is already running back already, his hands in fists shaking as he tries not to break into sobs in the middle of the busy street.
-
It is odd in many ways how much Venton had been to him. His brother, his work partner, his only connection to his home he had left behind.
Leenik isn’t good at planning, he isn’t very strong or agile or-
Together they were invincible and alone he’s just...him.
He isn’t sure whether he misses Rodea or his brother sometimes, tangled up together in a web of nostalgia.
There is so little that is left from the person he used to be now.
-
What exactly makes memories flood him like rivers is truly awful arbitrary, he hates it.
And like anything he hates inside himself, he fights it like a caged animal. He is holding onto the shards of himself so tightly, cutting his fingers with it, he is walking on his own broken glass.
It’s a perfectly unremarkable day on the Mynock, he struggles to open a container.
"You should work out more, Leenik."
He stares at a fixed point on the wall, he feels it, the helplessness, his brothers hand in his, he feels the way he can't pull them up because he isn't strong enough, good enough, such a failure-
"Leenik? You okay there buddy?"
Leenik snaps out of it, clearly looking at his surroundings.
"I am just self conscious about my strength alright," he says as he bats away Bacta's hand " Don't bring it up again."
Bacta looks vaguely worried but drops it, used to his odd outburst by now. Leenik goes to look outside at the stars that were supposed to be theirs.
-
Sleep and Leenik are at war. Every night is a battle.
The weeks, months even after he couldn't sleep. He couldn't without waking up to nightmares of every kind and every night he saw his brother die because of him in seemingly increasingly gruesome ways.
Not sleeping made being awake worse, made the colours sharper and the noise louder, made his already weak grasp on reality weaker. He heard Venton everywhere, knowing it wasn't him, his own head driving him mad.
The only sleep he knew was collapsing from exhaustion.
Eventually time passed and no matter how much Leenik picked at it the wound healed somewhat and sometimes he slept.
Nightmares were still common enough for him to be anxious every time bed time approached. So he read, indulged in the calming familiar anxiety repetitive formulaic fiction brought.
Sometimes he had good dreams about Venton, of beautiful summers in Rodea, about the best bounties they had brought in, soft quiet scenes of love they deserved to have.
He woke up feeling the emptiness worse those days, not being able to even look at himself in the mirror.
-
There is something so comfortable in not being him. Leenik picks up a million hobbies and drops them just as soon but dressing up he might just keep.
He’s good at it, it’s fun, most importantly for the rest of the crew, it's useful.
And if it also means that he gets to look into the mirror without having to bear his own face looking back at him, even better.
-
He falls into the same patterns over and over and over again. He can’t stop, like a derailed train, and it’s always him left to pick up the pieces of his mess.
Like pushing boulders uphill it soon starts to feel tedious, pointless, if you have to do it again every time.
He doesn’t know who he is without anymore, doesn’t know how to be whole, he doesn’t want to know.
It feels like he is a spectator in his own life as he sees himself grimly fall back into ruining his life in both small and big ways.
It’s too hard to mend it, he doesn’t know how to sow.
-
He had never thought of having children really, every day he didn't quite believe he was going to survive the week, much less enough to form a family.
The vornskr gets attached to him so quickly, it needs him, like Leenik once needed his brother.
So he names him Tony, the name feels like rubbing salt in the wound, something that is almost like comfort for him now.
I'll protect you he thinks,  even if I couldn't protect him.
-
He stares at the place where his arm used to be.
He can see it so vividly in front of him, Tony's arm a bloody mess dangling making it unable for him to pull himself up. He sees his own hand, the one he doesn't have anymore, not strong enough to pull him up either.
He stares at his arm and sits on the floor crying. The noise of the battle fading away to the background
Maybe I deserve this one.
-
Leenik Geelo has a family now, crammed into a small spaceship, full of unspoken issues and painful tension.
He holds on to it lightly, or pretends to.
The only way Leenik knows how to hold on is so tight it's suffocating, so loud it hurts, so pleading it is pathetic. He overcompensates in the other direction constantly, to the point where neither he nor the people he now loves know whether he cares about them or not.
He looks onto Tamlin who lost his mother, so small, so fragile. Now his responsibility too. Maybe he doesn't know quite yet what's to come for him, all the small ways loss cracks you. He is afraid of Tamlin in the same way he is afraid of his own true reflection. And as afraid as anyone is of his own children.
"What's the name of the kid again?" he asks and he can almost convince himself he doesn't know.
So many masks to Leenik Geelo, his name has lost meaning.
-
Everyone has a breaking point and eventually Leenik reaches his. As he falls to the floor crying, there are people there this time. To listen, to hug him, to comfort him. To share in his pain and not flinch as they see the worst parts of him. To hold his hand and pull him up as he starts the arduous climb from rock bottom.
He isn’t alone amongst the vast expanse of space anymore.
-
Time passes and loss never truly gets easier, but eventually one has to heal. Eventually he grows up and knows his brother wouldn't want this for him. More importantly he doesn't want this, not anymore.
Rebuilding yourself is a never ending process that often leads to hallways you had forgotten about, it's painful and thankless and while in it it never feels worth it. But it is, oh it is, when he is able to talk about Tony again and it doesn't feel like his throat is full of glass. When people can call him Nicky and it brings only the slightest twinge of melancholy, like pressure on a sore bruise. When he can go to Rodea again, a planet he had once thought he would never be able to bear to return.
Sometimes he still gets cut on his own shards, but this time he lets someone help mend it.
He can lay amongst the trees and for the first time lay his brother to rest in his mind.
"Goodbye Tony," he says, looking onto the millions of planets and galaxies above him, in wonder of how small he is compared to it all.
"I miss you." he says because it's true, he will never stop missing who had once felt like an infinite constant in his life.
"I hope you are well amongst the stars."
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ducktracy · 5 years
Text
happy birthday, tex avery!
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today’s an important day for every cartoon fan. 112 years ago today, tex avery was born! probably one of the biggest contributors to animation, the man responsible for bugs bunny, elmer fudd, daffy duck, droopy, screwy squirrel, chilly willy, wild animation... there’s much to celebrate.
born in texas (hence the nickname, real name frederick), tex arrived in los angeles on january 1st, 1928 to start a new career. nothing much, just menial jobs: working in a warehouse, loading fruits and vegetables at the docks, painting cars, and finally painting animation cels for the oswald cartoons. moving from the short lived winkler studio to the universal studio, he became an animator in 1930.
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(courtesy of tom klein.)
perhaps his work at universal spawned the most important event in tex's career. in 1933, he and a couple of his animation buddies were horse-playing. the game: shooting a spitball with a rubber band at the backs of peoples heads, yelling “bulls eye!” if shot successfully. the game evolved from spitballs to paperclips. animator charles hastings was armed with a paperclip and had his sights set on tex. someone yelled “look out, tex!”, and tex’s initial reaction was to turn around. vision in his left eye was gone in an instant. some people attribute the lack of depth perception to tex’s unconventional, warped point of view inserted in his cartoons.
universal was proving to be a lousy job for tex. he himself admitted that he wasn’t much of an animator. “i was never too great an artist. i realized there at lantz’s that most of those fellows could draw rings around me... i thought, brother! why fight it? i’ll never make it! go the other route. and i’m glad i did. my goodness, i’ve enjoyed that a lot more than i would have enjoyed just animating scenes all my life.” he was let go in april 1935 after the quality of his work declined thanks to a lack in interest. two days later, he and his girlfriend (an inker at the studio) got hitched and honeymooned in oregon. they arrived back in hollywood in may, where tex approached leon schlesinger.
to say warner bros was short staffed in terms of directors was an understatement. ben hardaway had just left, and friz freleng and jack king were the only directors there. tex flubbed his way in, citing his experience "'hey, i’m a director'. hell! i was no more a director than nothing, but with my loud mouth, i talked him into it."
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(the termite terrace crew in 1935. from left to right: virgil ross, sid sutherland, tex avery, chuck jones, and bob clampett.)
though there were few directors when tex arrived, the staff was beginning to outgrow the studio. tex and his unit (virgil ross, sid sutherland, chuck jones, and bob clampett) moved into a rickety building they unceremoniously dubbed termite terrace as a result of the termite population within the bungalow.
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tex’s first directed cartoon was gold diggers of ‘49, where he borrowed friz freleng’s characters of beans, kitty, and porky from the cartoon i haven’t got a hat. while beans was beginning to have his own small series of cartoons, this marks the second ever appearance of porky and is thusly an important occurrence. if tex didn’t use him, who knows what porky’s fate would be? gold diggers beans and porky are in the heart of the gold rush. beans strikes it big (tex’s love of gag shining brilliantly already as beans pulls a slot machine lodged into the side of a mountain) and invites all of his friends to dig for more gold. porky’s bag of gold is taken away from a villain, and he bargains that if beans can get the bag back, he’s allowed to marry his daughter (kitty). beans eagerly accepts and follows the villain. what ensues is an exhilarating gunfight turned car chase, tex’s knack for speed drastically picking up the pace of the cartoon. it’s exhilarating, rushing, and brought a much needed energy to warner bros at the time. perhaps even more amusing than the chase is the payoff itself: porky gets the bag back, which isn’t gold at all, but instead a hearty sandwich.
almost right away, tex rose to the top at the studio. some of his earliest merrie melodies (which had been exclusively reserved for friz freleng prior) include page miss glory and the classic i love to singa, both beautiful cartoons in their own ways. tex now served as the model. his gags were funny, his pace was quick, his cartoons GOOD, friz freleng and eventually frank tashlin adopting the change in pace. jack king, unfortunately, wasn’t faring well with the change, and his slower, duller cartoons stuck out like a sore thumb. he returned to disney in april of 1936.
porky’s duck hunt serves as an especially important cartoon directed by tex, marking a number of firsts. it’s the cartoon debut of daffy (who is unnamed, though model sheets label him as that crazy darn fool duck), and he first time mel blanc voiced porky. porky is also considerably slimmed down. the cartoon is exactly as it sounds: porky embarks on a duck hunt, but a screwy duck prevents him from getting anything accomplished.
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the cartoon itself, in comparison to tex’s others, isn’t really that special. a bunch of drunken fish hilariously singing a rendition of “moonlight bay” serves as the highlight. it’s not a bad cartoon at all, i love it a lot and it’s one of my favorites, but it IS rather repetitive, and daffy is pretty stark in personality. 75% of his dialogue is reduced to quacks. but what DOES have personality, which would shape his entire character, is a particular exit animated by bob clampett.
porky fires his gun and strikes daffy, who flops into the water. ecstatic, porky sends his dog after him. all we see is a black blob in the water, and daffy haughtily tosses the unconscious dog on the shore instead of the other way around. flummoxed, porky pulls out some paper, flipping through it and protesting “hey, that wasn’t in the script!” daffy laughs it off. “don’t let it worry ya, skipper. i’m just a crazy, darn fool duck!” with that, he gives his signature hoo-hoo laugh as he literally flips into the horizon, twirling and hopping, clicking his heels, hoo-hooing all the way along. great animation by bob clampett and definitely entertaining, and a scene that would serve as the basis for his trademark laugh and his truly daffy personality (that would begin to die down as early as 1938).
tex made a number of other good cartoons, experimenting with daffy some more and playing with porky a little more until exclusively dedicating his time to merrie melodies in friz freleng’s absence (who was at MGM). the one that truly changed looney tunes was released on july 27th, 1940, titled a wild hare.
bugs bunny had existed before tex touched him, but didn’t at the same time. he was conceived by ben “bugs” hardaway in 1938 with porky’s hare hunt. very similar to porky’s duck hunt, the screwy rabbit taunts porky and prevents him from getting a good shot. the only thing bugs has in common with his prototype self is his species and name. (he wasn’t formally called bugs then, and thanks to a false story by mel blanc where blanc referred to the prototype as “happy rabbit” fans have assumed that was his prototype name. in reality, model sheets and illustrations from picture books around 1938-1939 name him as bugs’ bunny, possessive after ben “bugs” hardaway.) bugs is portrayed as a white rabbit with a hayseed voice and woody woodpecker laugh in hare hunt, not at all the cool new yorker we know and love him as. he reappeared in a few other cartoons, still his hayseed self in hare-um scare-um and a more collected take by chuck jones in cartoons such as elmer’s candid camera and elmer’s pet rabbit. hare-um scare-um turned the previously white rabbit into a gray and white rabbit with yellow gloves.
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nevertheless, tex borrowed this strange rabbit and paired him with another character of his by the name of elmer fudd. elmer’s hunting wabbits, but bugs predictably taunts him the entire time and makes his life a living nightmare. the cartoon isn’t much different than the other hunting cartoons: prey drives hunter crazy, and prey ends up winning. it’s really just a glorified porky’s hare hunt. but at the same time, it has a certain charm. this previously unappealing, obnoxious rabbit is now cool, calm, and collected. an era of cartoons dominated by screwballs like daffy is now interrupted by the opposite, a smooth talking rabbit who always wins. bugs was rather temperamental in his early 40s cartoons, much more thin skinned, abrasive, and often a downright bully, but there was still something so different about him that audiences resonated with him regardless. so, while tex isn’t the true father of bugs, he absolutely is at the same time.
many fans believe that tex left warner bros after a dispute with schlesinger pertaining to his cartoon the heckling hare. in the cartoon, bugs (as the title suggests) heckles a dimwitted dog repeatedly. at the end, the two of them end up falling off of a cliff. both bugs and the dog cling to each other, screaming all the way. the scene is LENGTHY, nearing a minute of nonstop screaming. which, of course, is the joke. to see how long the audience can stand it. however, the cartoon cuts to an end rather abruptly. evidently, bugs and the dog were going to stop, with bugs remarking “hold onto your hats, folks, here we go again!” and thusly launching into a second fall. however, the “hold onto your hats, folks!” was a rather crude joke at the time, and thusly that’s assumed how the cut came to be.
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story goes that avery left the studio as a result of the censorship, which seems plausible. however, that’s not the case. tex was itching to do a series of live-action shorts, with real, live-action animals talking and cracking jokes with animated mouths. tex wanted to do it, schlesinger didn’t. tex lived out his dream at paramount for a short amount of time, and thankfully for the rest of us got some sense and moved to MGM in september 1941 to make cartoons once more.
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i’ve gone on way longer than i intended, and there’s still so much to be said about tex! all of tex’s best cartoons were at MGM, no doubt. he invented droopy, red, the wolf... red hot riding hood is considered one of the greatest cartoons of all time and spawned a number of sequels starring red and the wolf. all of the great qualities of tex’s cartoons from warner bros exploded at MGM. the fourth wall breaking, the gags, the speed... he also made the iconic “tex avery take”. limbs flying off characters and super big eye bulges... they’re absolutely fantastic. there’s so much to say about tex that can’t be articulated! he’s one of my favorite directors for sure and such an important figure in animation. he deserves all the praise and respect he gets and more.
happy birthday, tex!
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shemakesmusic-uk · 4 years
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Jorja Smith has unveiled a standout new video for latest track ‘By Any Means’. The powerful video (directed by Otis Dominique and Ellington Hammond) shines a spotlight on communities across the UK, complimenting the track’s vital message around social issues and the civil rights movement. As noted by Jorja about the track: "The inspiration behind 'By Any Means' really came from going to the Black Lives Matter protest and leaving thinking, what can I do to keep this conversation going? It’s not just a post on social media, it's life.” ‘By Any Means’ is the first track to be unveiled from a new project titled ‘Reprise’, curated by the team at Roc Nation with the sole aim of bringing awareness to social justice issues. A portion of proceeds will go to funding organisations that support victims of police brutality, hate crimes, and other violations of civil rights. [via Dork]
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Madison, WI-bred and Chicago-based band Slow Pulp recently announced Moveys, their self-produced debut album, and shared its first single 'Idaho.' Now the band shares another song off of the forthcoming record, entitled 'Falling Apart.' The track, featuring Alex G collaborator Molly Gemer on violin, is accompanied by a fantastical music video about feeling lost in a familiar landscape. Director Jake Lazovick, places Emily in a transient world, surrounded by flying objects and missing pieces. The clip features nostalgic animations, body doubles for social distancing purposes, and an homage to Massey's background as a ballet dancer. Read more about the song from Massey below: "As we were finishing up writing the album my parents got into a serious car accident and I came back home to help take care of them. A couple of weeks later COVID-19 started getting worse in the US, and quarantine began. Life felt completely surreal, everything had drastically changed and at such a rapid pace. It was especially strange because everyone was experiencing the same thing at the same time, but couldn’t be physically with each other to support each other. I felt like I couldn’t process any emotions I had about the whole ordeal because I had to keep it together to take care of my family. It became easier to stay numb, and create a facade that I was doing ok, than it was to release any type of healthy emotion for a long time. Luckily I did allow myself to have a full on breakdown induced by a stubbed toe and confusion over taxes, sometimes it’s the littlest things that finally get you."
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Soap Detox met a party, and somehow their friendship sustained during the lengthy hangover that followed. A frisky Swedish three-piece with a lust for melody and good times, their raucous garage-pop is already making waves in their homeland. A full EP is incoming, with Soap Detox trailing this with their irresistible new single 'Give Me Gore'. A three minute fuzz pop wonder, it's a clanking, cheeky, subversive statement from a group who thrive on such things. The video features their shorn-headed lead singer in full form, accompanied by her band mates. Directed by Evelyn Del Carmen and Ebba Sylvan, you can check it out above. [via Clash]
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It’s been a decade since we’ve heard from multi-hyphenate musician and producer The Angel, who last made a splash as a musician in 2009 with her single 'Ultra Light,' which featured the singer/producer Jhelisa on vocals. Focusing more on her career in film/TV composition and music production in recent years, she’s planning to return to recording her own music later this year with a new LP entitled Xtra Sensory Goodness. Now we’re getting the first taste of this project, which is yet another collaboration with the vocalist Jhelisa. “Jhelisa and I have become close friends over the years,” she explains. “There’s a lot of sisterly love and mutual respect between us, so Jhelisa already understood the mournful weight of the track before I asked to feature her. I’m always grateful that she’s willing to experiment with me because it’s not something she does lightly. Jhelisa beautifully channels the essence of whatever emotion needs to come through in the most evocative and visceral way.”  The song arrives beautifully packaged with an entrancing video directed by none other than Mark Pellington (along with co-directors Sergio Pinheiro and Sweeten), known for his concert docs for Pearl Jam, INXS, and The Flaming Lips, as well as an extensive music-videography including iconic visuals for Public Enemy, Nine Inch Nails, and plenty more artists. “I wanted the song to sound like a memory, like you’ve entered someone else’s dream space,” The Angel continues, noting how the video perfectly syncs to the song’s mood. “The emotion is contained, very internal, so I juxtaposed a vocal vulnerability against a driving, incessant rhythm, where you can feel the underlying tension at the same time as experiencing the gentle plea, ‘Where’s my shelter…?’” [via Flood]
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A few weeks ago, Ciara gave birth to her son Win. Last night, she shared a video that she evidently recorded while she was very, very pregnant. Ciara’s new song 'Rooted' is a statement of Black pride, a clear statement of solidarity with the protest movement that’s swept across America and the rest of the world these past few months. It’s a hard, kinetic track with vocals from the songwriter Esther Dean. But the song, at least right now, feels more like a vehicle for the video. Like a lot of Ciara videos, the 'Rooted'” clip is built around bodies dancing. In this one, though, one of those bodies belongs to Ciara, who dances with her belly exposed and who looks like she’s about to give birth any second. To watch someone dance this hard while that pregnant is an actual marvel, a near-superhuman feat. The 'Rooted' video is full of Black iconography, and it features the faces of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. All throughout, Ciara presents an image of motherly strength. Annie Bercy directs. [via Stereogum]
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Hazel English releases the new video for her single ‘Five And Dime’ taken from her debut album Wake UP! which is out now on Marathon Artists. ‘Five and Dime’ is a woozy, idyllic view into Hazel’s world, which is built on timeless-sounding melodies, retro-tinged soundscapes and a knack for resonant lyrics. The mid-tempo number is reminiscent of the playful love songs of ’60s pop, as Hazel frustratedly muses on a love interest who is consuming her thoughts and detracting from her focus, “Gotta get away cause you’re taking up all of my time / You know I need my space so I’m heading to the Five and Dime.” Speaking about the new video, Hazel says: “'Five and Dime' is about longing for escape and freedom so I thought it would be fun to create an idyllic beach vacation, constructed from a set with cardboard cut out waves and fake palm trees. The idea behind it is that while I'm fantasizing about escaping to a tropical place, it's clear I'm just kind of stuck in this pretend version of it. I wanted to evoke the nostalgia of Hollywood musicals from the '50s and '60s, complete with dance choreography and bright colourful costumes.”
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Katy Perry has released her second video for 'Smile,' featuring the pop star playing a video game version of herself as she battles giant spiders, circus trapeze acts and more while dressed as a clown. Much of the video is in CGI, with a live-action Perry playing the video game in her house (while also dressed as a clown). [via Rolling Stone]
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Global superstar, Miley Cyrus has unveiled 'Midnight Sky,' a track that showcases a new direction for the always evolving artist.  The song, which was inspired by the past year of her life, is accompanied by a video that Miley self-directed.  In creating the song and video, Miley drew from strong female musical icons, like Stevie Nicks, Joan Jett, and Debbie Harry, who have always been so generous, and have been her greatest allies and inspiration.  The video showcases Miley as her true self: unapologetic, diverse, sexy, confident, experimental, and strong. The video takes viewers through Miley’s creative vision which displays her complete control of the narrative often told through the mouths of the media. Miley is at peace with who she is and has nothing to prove. As a musician she continues to push boundaries and experiment with her sound and look. Miley has proven to be many things, but boring is not one of them.
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Chelsea Collins is nonconformist pop singer with a vision. For the captivating new 'Water Run Dry,' a collaboration with rapper, singer and fellow Bay Area-native 24kGoldn, Collins's infectious pop melodies glide over a hypnotic beat. Relatable lyrics about a faltering relationship reveal a depth of experience for the 21-year-old, with a wistful chorus lamenting, "there's no good in goodbye." The Roxana Baldovin-directed visuals for the track are an eyeful — Collins and 24kGoldn play house in an oversized, colorful California dollhouse, interspersed with images of a little girl playing with literal Barbies. The message? "I wanted this song and video to execute the world that's inside of my head — somewhat similar to a weird vintage rom com where at first the drama of love is so toxic, passionate and thrilling but eventually my lover and I have a happy ending," Collins tells NYLON. "Unfortunately reality isn't as fun and it kinda feels like some cranky dude is controlling your path, who's lowkey salty whenever something feels too amazing," she continues. "My intuition will tell me to run, but I'm notorious for acting like a Stepford wife, trying to recreate my past feelings yet they're all super robotic. Maybe one day I'll get lucky and love won't have to be so bittersweet, but until then I'll learn to smile even when things blow up in my face." [via NYLON]
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Kali Uchis shared the visuals for her latest single 'Aquí Yo Mando' on Monday. Featuring a verse in Spanglish by Rico Nasty, the single is Kali's first release since her TO FEEL ALIVE EP from earlier this year. The Phillipa Price-directed clip finds the pair on a weapons-filled rampage, dropping bodies in underground parking lots and filming each other along the way. With co-production by reggaeton hitmaker Tainy, the booming track sees Uchis assertively laying some ground rules over trappy 808s. "Haces todo lo que diga (You do everything that I say)," she raps. “Si estás conmigo solo mando yo (If you’re with me, only I call the shots).” [via The FADER]
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lucrloux · 4 years
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— meet LUC RIOUX !
hello ! my name is ani and i am so excited to be here ! below the cut you can find some information on my son, luc ! if you are interested in plotting please feel free to like this post or simply shoot me a message ! 
— the OVERVIEW !
( WOLFGANG NOVOGRATZ, CIS MALE, HE/HIM — oh gosh, sorry LUC RIOUX ! i didn’t see you there ! y'know, i can’t believe you’re already 26 years old; seems like just yesterday you were tripping over yourself, or was that yesterday ? just kidding, just kidding ! anyway, i hear that you’ve been here since 1955, or so you think; congratulations ! at least that shining EXTROVERTED personality of yours hasn’t changed a bit, especially that OBSERVANT + CHARMING, but IMPULSIVE + FRAUDULENT way about you. look, i gotta get back to the group, but i’ll see you around ! 
tw: ww2, alcohol, smoking.
— the BASICS ! 
full name /  luc rioux.
nickname /  lu, lucky.
age /  twenty-six (26).
year of disappearance /  1955.
date of birth /  7th april.
star sign /  aries.
hometown /  paris, france.
current location /  raven house.
nationality /  french.
gender /  cis male.
pronouns /  he/him.
sexual orientation /  bisexual/biromantic.
occupation /  art forger.
language(s) spoken /  french & english.
faceclaim /  wolfgang novogratz.
— the STORY ! 
there is meaning in all things… but are you paying attention? 
tiny fingers curled around mother’s hand, green eyes glossed over in an attempt to take in the world but it is too much– there is too much for you to see. you hear whispers of difficult times, hushed tones floating through otherwise empty halls. mother and father try to hide their worry from you. they try their best to keep the world beyond arched windows hidden, though even a simple glance outside gives way to their delicately spun tales. you see figures rushing past, always in a hurry– never stopping to look at the beauty in this world. as the months grow colder, their features fall– worry encompasses all the shadows you have yet to know. 
would you look at it? 
the world as you know it crumbled, nothing is as it was. nothing will ever be as it was before, times are changing and so are you. your heart yearns for simpler days spent chasing your sister up and down flights of stairs, dancing in the rain and watching father unfold the morning paper without scowling at the newest headlines. this world is not for you– this world is rough, it is cold, it is void of what makes us human. you are yet too young to understand the gravity of it all, but you see the pain. you see the exhaustion in people’s faces, the darkness beneath growing with each moment that passes. you watch it reach out from the corners, you watch it divide those you know and care for. you don’t understand, but you are filled with sorrow for them. you roll up your sleeves, and help where you can. 
you watch father leave for war, his head held high wearing his pride visibly on his chest. for a moment you fear you might never see him again, but mother is there to hold you, to carry your burden. you fear he might never return. and then a letter arrives, you only catch a glimpse of it before mother tears it from your grasp. you see her tears fall, and though you cannot know for sure– you know it must be about father. you pray for his safe return, but in his stead soldiers enter your home. they speak a foreign tongue, and though you do not understand– you are told to fear them. and most importantly, to keep your sister safe. 
your life has changed so drastically. you now serve the soldiers who have taken over your home, you bring them their morning coffee and scramble away as fast as you can. every part of you is filled with rage, you wish for nothing more than things to return to what they were before. you yearn to see your mother’s smile, but these days even the light in her eyes seems to have vanished. and though you are young, you must grow up fast. you must protect your family at all costs, but even so you cannot bear to bite your tongue and hold in your obvious distaste for these men. your sister tries to keep you in check, but you cannot help spitting in their cup, you cannot help calling them names, you cannot help making them feel unwanted in your home. and whilst you feel good in the moment, the punishment is always severe. though, in your eyes your little acts of rebellion are worth every moment of them. even if you tried, you could not sit quietly by. 
the tides are changing… 
the times are changing yet again, the men who occupy your home are no longer composed. you can see the terror in their eyes, and it brings you joy. they become crueler, and that fills your heart with hope– for even they know that their time would come to an end soon. there are whispers of forces liberating your country– and you hope it to be true. 
c’est la vie…
you watch as horrid flags are taken down, and your own are raised once more. the city you call home is far from glory, it is in shutt and ashes. the very foundations collapsed under the turmoil of the war. and yet, everywhere you turn you see life return to empty shells. and with such a return, so does your father. but he is a changed man. he is not the sweet and tender man you remember him to be. his gaze has hardened, blue eyes turned cold as steel. you cannot find your way home to him, for his heart is shut with the despair of what he has lived. 
you try so hard, but you are always met with disappointment. 
you have a pale memory of that time, but why? 
you are old enough to sit at the table, you are old enough for your voice to be heard. and yet, in your father’s eyes you are but a child. he pushes you aside, in his eyes you are worth nothing. and you have to wonder why is it that you are so wrong for this world? but you never learn the answer beyond never being good enough in his eyes. and so, you stop trying. instead, you follow your heart. 
though the war is over, its remnants loom over your shoulders. you cannot unsee the things that have come to pass. the graveyards filled with bodies– old and young alike. the city is a ghost town, lights flickering as you walk past. when you wake in the middle of the night, covered in a layer of sweat, all you can think of is those horrid soldiers leaning back on your living room chairs, their dirty boots placed on the table. all you can remember is your mother running through the house fulfilling their every demand and you are angry. you are angry at the world for being so disappointing. 
setting fire to our insides for fun, to distract our hearts from ever missing them… 
*tw alcohol*
for a while, you think, it would be best to feel numb. you want to forget– you want to bury the terrors you have witnessed. but you cannot seem to forget. and so you turn to the bottle, you hope that maybe the answer lies at the bottom of your glass. but there is none to be found, instead, you watch the world go blurry. and you decide, you have seen enough– as well as far too little. you want to enjoy your life. you want to dream. you want to escape into different worlds all together. 
*tw end*
art attracts us only by what it reveals of our most secret self…
your sister urges you to follow your dreams. she urges you to showcase your talents. and for a moment you believe her. you believe in yourself. regardless of what your father might think, you enroll in art school. you study the grand artists of your time, but you will never measure up to them. and once more you are met with the word you despise the most: disappointment. though you see your professor’s lips moving, you hear your father’s voice. and once more you run– you run from responsibility. but you are not willing to give up the life you love. and so, you turn elsewhere for guidance. 
people leave pieces of their soul in their art… 
you look to the masters for guidance, you know their work– and you can paint fairly well. you may not know yourself, but you search for pieces of yourself in their art. brush on paper, you begin to duplicate their works. after the turmoil of the war, art is lost and scattered and you abuse this. you sell your work for theirs, forgeries none the less– but good ones. 
suddenly you have more money than you know what to do with. and you spend it foolishly. you spoil your mother, your sister and most importantly yourself. finally you have the means to do as you please, and so you do. you treat life as though it were a game, an illusion. you aren’t sure what is real and what is not– for you haven fallen under a spell, intoxication. but one thing remains certain: you are in for a wild ride. 
— the THE FACTS ! 
luc was born and raised in paris, france. 
his family was well off, but like many others they still struggled with the economic demise prior to ww2. 
during the war, his father participated in the battle of france, but never returned home. like many others he was taken as a prisoner of war. leaving his mother to take care of luc and his little sister. 
during the war, their home was occupied by german soldiers and they were forced to serve them. he hated this more than anything in the world, and acted out despite severe punishments. he was never one to sit by quietly. 
during this time, his mother helped smuggle people out of the country and while luc was but a child, he aided her as best he could. 
after france was liberated and his father returned home nothing would ever return to as it was in the time before. his father was a changed man from his time spent as a prisoner of war. he was cold, and distant. luc did not know how to deal with him, nor did his father know how to deal with luc. 
he went on to study art and art history at university. but, there too he was met with disappointment. his professors did not agree with his style of work and eventually luc gave up and dropped out. his father, ever the more disappointed in him threatened to cut him off. 
luc is a very proud young man, and so he essentially dared his father to cut him off. which the man then did. forcing luc to try and make ends meet himself. 
luc was used to luxuries in his home, and he was not willing to give up such a life. so he turned to the other side of the law. he began forging famous paintings that had gone missing during the war. selling his own work as those of renowned painters. with the money he lived a lavish lifestyle. 
he worked hard in this illicit career, but he partied even harder. 
the young man had been dabbling in matters on the opposite side of the law, fraudulent behaviour on the verge of being uncovered. his sister had been so kind to pass him a note at breakfast, it hadn’t been signed by name though the message was threatening: ‘ we know what you are doing, it’s only a matter of time until we can link you to the crime. ‘ alas, he sought out a space, in which he could go about his work undisturbed. 
checking in under a false name, jacques de villiers, the young man patted himself on the shoulder in the belief that this would solve all his problems. he would be able to use his hotel room to forge artwork, all evidence placed in the hands of the hotel, whereas at his home there would be none to be found when the police came knocking.
— the RAVEN HOUSE ! 
the year was 1955. 
the young man decided to check into a hotel, tucked away in the heart of paris. it was far from modest, but truth be told he wouldn’t settle for less. luc had always been drawn to the luxurious aspects of life: a glass of champagne in the morning, silken sheets hugging his body, and leaning out the window to smoke his first cigarette of the day with a perfect view of champ de mars. 
perhaps he had indulged in too many pleasures the night before, for when he pushed the door to his room open he was greeted by an entirely different interior. it was beautiful nonetheless, crystal chandeliers and ornate decorations. and yet, something was off. he caught glances of people passing by, each dressed in a manner he could not recognize to belong to his time. with a smile plastered on his lips, the young man left to discover the place he found himself in only to become aware of the fact that he now resided in the raven house. 
— the PERSONALITY ! 
his unpredictability made him a menace to society, or better said the social circles his family operated in. he was everything but poised and calm, he had a certain spark in his eyes: the desire to live life to its fullest. luc was charming at his root, equipped with honey lips and a serpent’s tongue. though he didn’t necessarily say the right thing at the right time, he had a way of getting away with it. perhaps it was his sociability, or the way he would make the person he was speaking with feel as though they were the only one in the world. that was until his attention drifted elsewhere, which it always did. ever with a drink or cigarette in hand, he was the life of the party, one debacle after the other– a sight to behold, but never to own. he came and went as he pleased, making himself at home in any environment that he deemed acceptable. in his core, he is an extrovert– though a rather chaotic one. 
— the HEADCANONS ! 
001. his most treasured item: it was a gift from father to son, the one object he owns that symbolizes his father’s acceptance. gifted to him upon his birthday, it came with the words, “now you are a man.” it was the only moment his father seemed to stand eye to eye with luc, as though they were equals. but this is not why the object means so much to him, no– he couldn’t care less about that man. he holds it dear for the words so delicately scratched onto the bottom by his sister, “l’artiste est semblable au prince des nuées “ (the artist is alike the prince of the clouds). the object is none other than a silver lighter with his initials engraved onto the center of it, always found in the comfort of his pocket. 
002. when luc first entered the raven house he was content simply enjoying every day that passed without responsibility. however, when it dawned on him that he would never be able to see his family or friends again he became obsessed with remembering their likeness. he tried his best to draw images of those close to his heart, but with each day that passed he came to realize that those memories were lost. there are a vast amount of ripped up images, or unfinished pictures scattered around his room that he furiously scribbled over in frustration. for he was only ever able to draw one person from his past life: his father. the look of disappointment ingrained in his mind for all of time to come. though, the worst part of it all was that he couldn’t manage to create a single image of his sister, who he was really close to. he felt so guilty that he could not remember the details of her features beyond the green eyes they shared– and even then he was unsure if he remembered her eyes or if he was simply drawing his own. 
003. after his mysterious disappearance, the note was discovered by his family. his story quickly became a rather large investigation, but as no trace of him was found his family grew impatient with the investigation and offered up a rather large reward for any news on their lost son. the case found the tabloids, the newspapers, and general gossip quite quickly. his story influenced the character « charles bonnet » in the movie “how to steal a million” years later.
004. when luc first entered the raven house he was only able to speak french, but one of the other guests was so kind as to teach him english. he still struggles with the pronunciation of words to this day, but he tries his best. it doesn’t exactly bother him either that his mothertongue often slips through when speaking in this foreign tongue, for he never cared much to perfect this skill-- he only wanted to be able to communicate. (this could be a possible plot ??? one of the other guests that teaches him english !!! ) 
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