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#blue skin is HARD to make work since her only 2 colors are white and blue but
allgremlinart · 7 months
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humanized Raava design thats kicking my ass...
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saturntheocto · 1 year
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Nintendo direct splatoon 3 paid dlc Over view
Ok ok okayy, my overview might not be the same as others because i did not play the first game, so i will not find the nostalgia of it the same.
HOLLYYYY SHITTT!!!!
Okay so there is ALLOT to unpack here.
I will be starting with wave one of the DLC: Inkopolis
Then move to wave two: Side Order
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Soo, inkopolis is back! You can now experience this nostalgic city on your Nintendo switch! There’s not much to unpack other than a few things
Lets start with probably (almost) everyone’s favorite news,
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SHELDON HAS BEEN REPLACED BY THESE GUYS!!
I know there are some Sheldon fans out there but im pretty sure we can agree that its nice to have a change of a shopkeeper that has beeen the same since the first game. Makes sense canonically to how would Sheldon be able to run two shops in two separate city’s at the same time.
There also this guy:
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He honestly looks terrifying, like this is something I would find climbing out of my little sister’s closet.
SQUIDD SISTERS ARE BACK IN THEIR PREFORMING DAYS!!
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they said splatfests work the same here and that squid sisters will preform during splatfests. Im not sure what that means considering there are three teams and only two squid sisters, judging by this shot im starting to wonder if the zapfish represents the third team lol.
Another thing im wondering is if we will be able to go to octo valley in inkopolis, i dont see why not but it also seems very likely that we wont be able to, the only part of this expansion that contains story looks to be wave two but i could be completely wrong.
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Okay next up we have wave two: side order
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At firs5t glance this looks like a compleatly normal octoling in a strange white area. But if we take a closer look, this octoling appears to be agent eight? The promo hairstyle is the same and the outfit looks similar.
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If we take another good look, their skin color appear to be the same as well.
Now unfourtunatly there is zero sign of agent four. Wait- what’s this?:
Another thing that happens when we take a good look is we can see that this ‘strange white place’ is actually SPLATOON 2’S INKOPOLIS
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FOUR WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO!?!?
sadly we cannot assume that this is the doings of agent 4, but knowing that Nintendo likes to listen to their fans, we will likely be getting four back in this DLC.
Now what could have happened here?
Well, first off lets start with the pictures flashing across the screen during this scene.
Okay so first off we have uh- strange lights? I dunno theres not realy much to make of this picture
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Next up is some kind of room. Now at first i thought this was an elevator or something. And i might be right, but it also might be a containment chamber according to the next pictures
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Next we got some kind of fight science or something- i really dont know the only thing that caught my eye was the blue and green thing behind out octo friend that made me say: “SANITIZED OCTO” for some reason lol. But ig it looks like out octo is fighting someone with orange ink… FOUR???(hj)
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Okayyyy now this im going to call hand, because uhh hand?or atleast thats what I thought at first, but now its starting to look like a cepholapod? The floor seems really reflective and we can see… AN INKLING?? HOLLY SHIT FOUR PLEASEEE TELL ME ITS YOU IM GOING TO EXPLODE. This inkling looks a bit.. difirent though,, its hard to see their ink color but it looks like a bit of a brownish color like the octo. Another thing that is off about this squid is its a normaly long arms, im not the only one seeIng how long their fucking arms are right?
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uh void,, Thing?there are a bunch of spikes and out fave octo friend chillin in the center of it all. There seems to be a reoccurring theme of black and white even though splatoon is a colorful game.
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Ooo glitchy marina! This one dosent have allot of info other than shes in her old outfit or the took her orange jacket off but it sure would make an awesome wallpaper!
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this one seems to be of our octo buddy looking into glass. Now one of two things could be happening here.. or both, 1: this octo just came into existence and is seeing their own face for the first time, or 2: their looking at something out the window. Thwew is another person in the background as we can see a black shoe in the top left corner
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I dont even fucking know what this is but it reminds me of those stress toys with the colored balls inside them that you try to push in
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now THOSE are some LONG ASS TENTACLES. This seems to be another elevator of some sort, or just a big door. It seems to be surounded by plants and collums to.
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This honestly looks like a splatoon 2 hero mode stage on anistetics (/pos). Our lil octo guy seems to be in the middle of it
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what the fuck do i even call this?? It’s just s blur of gray back and white.
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We got pearl in the fucked up inkopolis. Y’know, maybe we fell over and shes helpin us up :) this also explains her huge jacket because it must be freezing out there lol
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This looks like something from breath of the wild. But the longer i look at it, the more it looks like a stegosaurus. That red pupil is scary tho ngl
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now the ink may look back and a bit of red ink. But what if thats orange ink? Honestly im trying to find anny excuse i have to say agent 4 is back. But this placer looks strange, there is white plants everywhere and the pillars a weird.
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That’s fucking bright. but the ink color is starting to look closer and closer to agent eight’s ink color
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this reminds me of the splatoon2 hero mode art with all the octo weapons and callie at the top and four at the bottom of all of it and i feeling the refirence. I dont have the time to turn up the brightness right now but i will later and i will let you guys know what i find
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Okay now were really getting close to agent eight’s hair color. This is most likely agent eight like there is almost no denial
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oh shit now there are two of them. One of them looks like their saying something to the other. There is also a massive difference in brightness which is strange. Also where are they? This place looks strange with stuff just everywhere.
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i cant add more so the last two will be in a rb of this
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viofitz · 7 months
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Storm Collectibles Golden Axe: Tyris Flare (Review)
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Introduction:
Here, I'am back with another Storm Collectibles (SC) figure review! Like The King Of Fighters (KOF), they also have the license to make Golden Axe action figures. These figures were made into 1/12 scale with feature numerous points of articulation, interchangeable head sculpts and pairs of hands, and special fighting effect parts. Unlike Blue Mary, Tyris was given with a large boxart since she was also included with a blue dragon figure as her horse riding animal. However, I sold the dragon long time ago since I only wanted Tyris figure so, in this review her blue dragon is absent. Tyris also got identical looking boxart like Mary, to be given with large window plastic so, we can almost see the whole contents. The front part was printed with Golden Axe logo with Tyris Flare name, her classic half body artwork from the Japanese Mega Drive cover, and there is 17+ print that this figure was meant for those 17 years old or above. Well, Tyris is given with a sharp materials that could be dangerous for children. While the back part is mostly shown the figure's promotional photos showing how the figure works.
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Contents:
Tyris comes with her main figure, she's included with 2 interchangeable head sculpts in total which the hairs are removable and swappable, 5 pair of hands in total, a blue dragon with separated tails, flame effect for his fire spit which is absent in this review. Unlike Mary, her background paper inside the box is not a diorama stage but, rather a select player poster which is just for the window box view.
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Tyris is a woman with a slim build, long red hair, and green eyes. In this figure, she got long dark orange hair to her upper back, dark brown eyes, she wears a white bikini clothing with red trims and red boots. Her bikini were mostly sculpted from her body mold and painted well enough, although there's a little sloppy one. Her skin color is rather red-ish , I guess this shown that Tyris is either a native american or due to her bikini getup she got tanned from her long journey. However, her appearance in the original Golden Axe can be inconsistents depending on her artwork or ingame sprites. She sometimes depicted with blonde hair in most of her artworks but, her ingame sprites her hair is light brunette. Most of the main figure was made from a hard plastic material but, upper torso and crotch were made from soft rubber materials.
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Her articulation points consisted movable ball jointed head, torso, arms with bicep cut, single jointed elbow, wrists, legs with thigh, double jointed knee, boot cut, ankles and tiptoe part. Since Tyris is mostly shown to be half naked so, her articulation's mechanism may look ugly on her but, that's action figure so can't expect more unless. The annoying part is her upper torso was made from a soft material, whenever I bend her upper torso her back constantly stucked inside her lower back's gap which made from a hard material. I had to move them carefully to get it back properly.
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Tyris was included with 2 head sculpts (HS) in total, first would be her standard serious expression with normal hair down. Second HS is her angry expression with a heavy grit to show how angered she is during her actions with flowing hairstyle. The HS are swappable, you can make her expressions with all kinds of her hair parts. Her hairs consisted between fringe and rear part, the fringe was made from semi flexible rubber materials while her rear hair and head from a hard PVC materials. Well, can't really say Storm actually captured her likeness due to her inconsistencies but, I like how storm added a eyelashes on her. Tyris is looking beautiful for a warrior and loving how Storm made her standard expression looking calm but, when she gets angry she looks intense and realistic with that face wrinkle sculpt. Her normal hair down hinders her head movement but, her flowing hair can make her head move freely.
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Tyris comes with 5 pair of hands in total, that would be: fisted hands which was already attached to her main figure, pointy hands which I don't know what are they for but, could be for commanding her blue dragon. Grasping hands for gripping her sword, open splayed and open palm hands for her necessary posing. With the existence of her sword and how she mostly using it, we're mostly going to use her grasping hands frequently. Her hands were also made from semi flexible rubber material.
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A little funfact, Tyris was originally included with another pair of open splayed hands but, that hands doesn't seem to make it to be mass produced. However, these hands looks quite identical with her other open splayed hands that was included except with a little different finger gesturing probably....
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Lastly, Tyris sword! Tyris is very skilled with a sword but, there's no name given on her sword. Her sword is painted neatly with a silver blade with a gold ornate design near the hilt, although there's a slight misspaint but, it doesn't really bothering me. The hilt has gunmetal gray finishing. Her sword is mostly used for her battle scenes and in some certain ingame sprites, she can actually stored her sword on her lower bikini but, storm doesn't seem to include that feature for her. Her sword is made from a hard plastic and it's very sharp so, you might wanna watch your fingers playing this sword. The sword also appeared to be inconsistents just like Tyris depictions.
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Hahahaha... This is a revenge from Tyris after she suffered being a punching bag in Mary's review.
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Thoughts: Tyris is my second Storm figure collection and her mobility isn't as good as Mary but, despite her single jointed elbow, I could still make tons of her iconic move lists from her game with no sweat, she's also easy to play. I have to admit, she's not cheap due to her blue dragon's figure but, I'm glad I managed to sold that dragon since I don't have any space to store that extra large boxart and to begin with, I only need Tyris figure because it's very rare to a company made a reimagined classic Golden Axe action figures.
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Thank youu for reading!😁🙏🏻
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noxspost · 8 months
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Thanatos and Ares fluff
as Thanatos was working and humming to the song Pretty Lavinia. he was absently singing along as he was started on the over leg but started with purple then working to blue the paint was so to cover his scars and made the scars into something beautiful, but the design made Ares was looking up at the bottles which are on the ceilings of his house which were filled of things he found like feathers and rocks and he had gotten some of the jewels and shiny trinkets from his mortal lovers and godly too but most were what he found after battles and in Hephaestus's work shop where his trash bin was. 
it had failed ideas and most importantly shiny things and since they were in the trash, he thought that Hephaestus didn't want and so Ares often traded with his brother and uncle for other things too. so he had gathered many things like a crow does and brings it to the people he trusts like Hades and Hermes.  
when he was done with the art part which went up to where the shorts were which were 2 inches above the middle of his thighs. "Ares i am done with your legs now i am going to the bottom side going up to the back of your knees."
"okay." he spoke and Thanatos nodded as they both enjoy this activity. they were waiting for the paint to dry and then he was cleaning the bush and Ares was waiting he asked "why must you be so detailed?"
"well i am making you a work of art and that takes time." he spoke with fondness as Ares rolls his eyes "i am a work art?" Thanatos got up and then went over and kissed Ares quickly on the lips before going back to sit down "yes Ares and i love you." Ares only nodded and then he was rubbing his hand on Thanatos's tail as they heard the purring sound from Thanatos and he was comfortable around the war god which made him happy.
"you make a purring sound when you are happy?" asked Ares as Thanatos was finishing the underside of the calves. "well yes Aphrodite does make a similar sound." he was holding the right leg as it dried. "Oh really?"
he got a look from death who was painting over the scars which grace Ares's legs which were done by his own hands and from Athena's kid Annabeth hit his legs with her knifes. those scars done by Annabeth were newer. "Well yes, it is more like roaring waves at midnight." he said as he was doing the other calf and touching up a bit.
"so perfect." he spoke low and fond which made Ares want to cry. "really? even when i am a jerk?" Thanatos looks at him "well if you try to fix it or realized you were a jerk then yes. you are close to being mortal in so many ways that makes you well you."
he was staring at Ares with gold color eyes and Ares nodded "thanks. for staying." Thanatos then chuckles and then tapped the box of ink pens and markers and spoke "okay so i will write on your skin what i love about you and then you do that on me." Thanatos grabbed the white colored marker and then a blue pen and sat on the waist of Ares so he could write on Ares's chest easier.
Strong 
a man 
great warrior
a great Keres fighter 
my lover 
you are not Zeus
suicide survivor and i am proud of you
the best cuddler
were some of the words Thanatos wrote and this makes Ares sigh with content as he worked, and the white marker went on the skin with care as he went to one arm and went from the upper arm to the forearm and it said gives the best hugs, he wrote that on the other arm and then took the underside of the left arm he wrote my beautiful bird. and then best pillow which made Ares laugh with joy and Thanatos smile.
when Thanatos was done with the arms and chest he waited for the mark and pens to dry and then he went to the neck and then wrote on the left collar bone he wrote hard worker and on the other side wrote you are okay and safe.
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Seasons of Med: Season 5 & Seasons of PD: Season 7: Necrotizing Fasciitis Scare (A Halstead Brothers + Halstead Sister! Imagine)
Your age: 18
Jay's age: 32
Will's age: 34
"I am going to get you to understand football at this game come hell or high water," Jay told you as you said that you really didn't understand anything about football while Kevin tried to hook up the tv. Kelly threw Jay the football and Jay caught it.
"Hell or high water, huh?" you asked. "Did you just turn southern? Isn't that a southern phrase?"
"I can say whatever I want, thank you were much. Now catch." He threw you the football and you caught it easily.
"Kelly, I can't promise this is gonna be a good throw, so be ready to move," you told him as you threw the football to him. He had to jump to the left and jump high to catch it.
"Y/N, you suck at this," he laughed.
"I know."
"Jay, teach your sister how to throw a football, will you?"
He threw the ball back to Jay.
All of you were currently at Soldier Field to watch the Bears' game on a Friday afternoon. Will was originally going to go with Jay and you were going to study for your biology class, even though it was summer. You had decided to take a summer biology class so then you wouldn't have to deal with it during the fall and winter semesters when you'd be drowning in homework with other classes...and you figured you could do this one in the summer because you had heard horror stories of how hard this specific professor at CCU was. Luckily for you, Will was a doctor and could help you understand those damn diagrams that always gave you trouble.
Anyway, Will was going to come, but he got put on the schedule last minute, so Jay dragged you here even though you didn't know the slightest bit about football. Hell, you didn't even have any Bears gear to wear! Jay had given you one of his hats to wear with the promise that he'd get it back.
"Y/N!" Hailey yelled to you. "Wanna run to Mama Garcia's food truck with me?"
"Yes!" you exclaimed.
"Hailey," Jay whined. "I was just about to teach her how to throw a football."
"Halstead, if she doesn't know yet, I'm sure you can wait a few minutes. Now, I need my Spanish-speaking Halstead to come with me."
You had taken AP Spanish last year and had gotten a good enough grade on the AP exam to give you twelve college credits. This was partly thanks to Mama Garcia. You had been studying in her restaurant one night when you asked her a question about a tense. She explained it and then said that if you ever wanted to practice speaking Spanish and make some money at the same time, that you could work or her under the table. You took her up on that offer and your Spanish improved immensely.
Once you got up to the window of the food truck, you ordered a big batch of tamales in Spanish and then translated how much it was to Hailey. Then, you and Hailey went back to Jay and the rest of all your brother's first responder friends.
Kelly was yelling at Stella, Hailey, and you not to break into the tamales before the burgers were done, but you all didn't listen and each grabbed one out of the box.
You were in the middle of eating yours when you heard a scream.
You went towards the scream along with Jay, Natalie, and Kelly, but Jay made sure you stayed behind him. But, this didn't block your entire view, though.
You looked down at this man's leg. It was red and it looked like there was a giant gash on his shin with puss, blood, and flesh coming out. Things were moving underneath the skin. He was seizing and he kept saying BRT.
It was all too much. You took the Bears hat off.
"Y/N, I need you to get away from this. Whatever this guy has, I don't want you to--"
Jay didn't even finish his sentence before you vomited into that he had let you use, using it as a makeshift bowl for your puke.
He gently grabbed your arm and pulled you to the side after you finished emptying that tamale you had started eating into his hat.
"You done? You good?" Jay asked.
You coughed and then wiped your mouth. "Yeah, yeah. Sorry about your hat. I just- I don't like blood and that was nasty."
"I know. I think everyone's going to Med, so we'll run to the bathroom so we can throw away my hat now and you can rinse out your mouth. I think I have gum in my truck."
"Okay. Be glad I had the smart idea to puke into that hat, though. Or else it probably would've gone on you."
"Yeah, but I lost a nice hat in the process," Jay said as he rolled his eyes and you two made your way towards the bathrooms.
***
"It's necrotizing fasciitis," Will said. Everyone looked at him with a blank expression.
"Flesh-eating bacteria," you supplied.
"Wow, where'd you learn that, Short Stack?" Will asked.
"Can you not call me that? I'm eighteen! And, I learned it by watching Untold Stories of the ER."
"Junior doctor on our hands I think, Jay. And, you're still shorter than me and Jay so I can call you that, thank you very much."
"After her puking just at the sight of that, yeah, no way she's becoming a doctor," Jay said. "Anyway, the victim?"
"Right, sorry. Your victim had necrotizing fasciitis, more commonly known as, as Y/N said, flesh-eating bacteria. And, don't worry, it's not contagious. Only about four in a million people get it each year," Will explained.
"So, how do you get nec..." Kelly trailed off, not knowing the correct pronunciation.
"Necrotizing fasciitis. It enters through a break in the skin and just destroys the tissue under the epidermis. It--"
"The epidermis is the first layer of the skin," you said, reciting something you had learned in your biology class.
"Yes, it's the first layer of skin. But, as I was saying, it would really help us treat this guy if we knew who he was," Will finished after your interruption.
"I can't open a case file without a crime," Jay started, "but I'll see if I can run prints and check traffic cam footage. Maybe make out some sort of ID."
After a few minutes, everyone's panic had died down and you and Kelly were sitting down next to each other. He was trying to explain football to you even though you really couldn't care less. Meanwhile, Jay was about to make a phone call when Will motioned him over.
"Yeah?" Jay asked.
"You or Y/N have any contact with the victim? And, if you did, do you or her have any breaks in the skin?" Will asked, clearly worried about his younger siblings.
"No, we didn't have any contact. Just had Y/N puke in my hat I let her borrow," Jay answered.
"Okay, good. But, as I said, necrotizing fasciitis is rare, so you two should be fine. I gotta get back, but call if you find out anything on the victim."
"Will do. Remember to wear your gloves." Will rolled his eyes. "What? You just said it enters through breaks in the skin."
"You're a real pain in the ass, you know that?"
"One of my many talents."
***
"Hey, I'm leaving," Jay told you around noon the next day, poking his head into your bedroom while you stared at your lab lectures, trying to remember all the diagrams and pictures you'd need to help you identify body parts on your next lab practical.
"Okay, I'm going to the lab around 2:00 to study. That way I can actually see that stuff as I'll see it on the lab practical," you told him, not even looking up from your notes.
"Okay, be safe." He picked up Beary, who was leaning up against a pillow next to you, in a graduation gown and cap outfit. "Beary, can you make sure she takes breaks?" Then, his voice changed into his baby voice, what he always pretended was Beary's voice. "Oh, yes, Jay. I'll make sure she takes breaks while you're gone."
You laughed and reached out and took Beary from him. "Get outta here, you goon."
"Love you, too!" Jay called as he left your room.
You fixed Beary's cap and set him down, remembering when you got the outfit for him as you stared at diagrams.
"You ready, graduate?" Jay asked as he knocked on your door.
"Jay, I swear to God if you call me graduate one more time..." you said as you opened the door.
"You'll what?" he taunted.
"You know what, I don't know, but you won't like it. Are my bobbi pins noticeable?" you asked, referring to the bobbi pins you had pinned down to keep your blue graduation cap in place.
"Nope. You're good. Ready?"
"Ready."
You walked into the kitchen, to be met with Will. And behind him on the kitchen table was a vase of blue and white flowers, which were your school colors, and Beary leaning up against said flowers, wearing a blue graduation cap and gown. Just like you.
You laughed. "I cannot believe you guys."
"Hey," Will started, "Beary got a little backpack on your first day of kindergarten. Only fair that he gets a cap and gown on your graduation."
"Did you use the gift card from Mom?" you asked, referring to the one you had found in the letters to each of you that Will had found when you were cleaning out your dad's house after he died.
"We did," Jay confirmed. "Now, I need you to hold Beary in one hand and hold this picture." He handed you a photo of you with your little backpack on and Beary with his that your mom had taken of you on the front porch on your first day of kindergarten, right before Jay had surprised you by coming home from deployment early.
"Why do I need both?" you asked curiously.
"I saw this thing on Pinterest--"
"Wait!" Will exclaimed. "You have a Pinterest?"
"No," Jay scoffed. "But Hailey does. And she sent me a picture of something she thought you should do for your graduation pictures. You hold up a picture of you on your first day of school when you were little while you're wearing your cap and gown and then I take a picture of you. Since Beary was in that picture, I thought he could be in this one, too."
You grabbed Beary and allowed him to take the pictures. Now it was time to tell the news to your mom and dad.
***
"You won't believe what Will and Jay decided they just needed to get me," you said as you stood in front of your parents' headstone with Beary hidden behind your back. Will and Jay were over by a big tree talking amongst themselves so you could have some privacy. You pulled Beary from behind your back. "They got me a cap and gown for him because they said it was only fair because Beary got a backpack on my first day of school. And, since it's my last day of school, he should get a cap and gown, too.
"Also, which one of you called Will and Jay graduate all day on the day of their graduation? Because Jay won't stop calling me that and it's kinda getting on my nerves. Pretty sure it was you, Mom."
You sighed. "I wish you guys were here. Jay told me all about how you made him a special breakfast when he graduated and then went out for lunch before the actual graduation because the senior all-nighter was after. I don't know where we're going for our senior all-nighter, but I hope it's not boring. I've heard that a few years ago, some kids said theirs was super boring. I really don't want that. But, I'm glad that I could convince Will and Jay not to be chaperones for whatever my senior all-nighter is. I love them and all, but they can be a bit too overprotective at times.
"God, you guys should be here. Dad, I know you weren't the best, but you were trying. And, I'm sure if Mom was here, she'd make sure you behaved, because Mom would say it was a big day and that you couldn't be arguing with Jay." You laughed. "I can only imagine what it would look like with Jay on one side of you, Mom, and Dad on the other and you scolding both of them for fighting. Then, they'd both probably sit back and cross their arms. And, because of this, you'd probably say that I'm your favorite child."
"Alright," Jay laughed as he and Will made their way back to you. "I think it's time to go. We don't want to miss your graduation."
"You know none of us really care about the ceremony, right?" you asked, blinking back tears so that you wouldn't mess up your makeup.
"We know. It's mostly for the parents...or in your case, brothers," Will said.
You pulled out four flowers, two blue and two white, which you had taken from the bouquet that Will had placed on the kitchen table back at home, from the pockets in your dress underneath your graduation gown. "Give me one more minute."
You placed two flowers, one of each color, on top of your Mom's name and your Dad's name on the headstone. "I thought you two should have some, too. They're my school colors." You wiped your eyes as you felt a few tears prick them. "Remember to clap for me from heaven when I walk across that stage, okay?"
You took a deep shaky breath and turned back around. Will wrapped an arm around you as the three of you walked back to Jay's truck. Beary hung from your hand. In three hours, you'll have graduated high school.
You were taken out of your thoughts by your phone ringing. It was the coffee shop you worked at. And, no, it was not the one in your apartment building. But, Jay and other members of Intelligence did sometimes come in there to pick up coffee for them and the rest of the unit. This was only because they knew they'd get the friends and family discount since you worked there. But, they usually tipped you well, so you didn't mind.
Your manager asked you to come into work because someone couldn't come in. As much as you needed to study for your biology lab practical, you needed money for college more. And, you could always go to the lab tomorrow to practice for your lab practical. You also had Will. What good was having a doctor in the family if not to help you with your science homework? So, you decided to pick up the extra shift making coffee.
***
"Voight," Hank Voight said as he answered his phone.
"Hank, it's Wallace Boden. I need you to come down to the CCU science lab right now."
"Why?"
"Because Severide just told me that the victim at Soldier Field yesterday kept chanting BRT. This place is owned by BRT Labs. And, there was a fire set."
"You're thinking arson? You know we don't investigate that, Wallace."
"I know. Office of Fire Investigation is already on it."
"But, you think that the victim yesterday and the fire today could be connected?" Voight asked.
"I think it's highly possible. All I ask is that you come down here, maybe take a look inside, do some interviews, stuff you normally would do."
"Alright. I'll grab Halstead and Upton and we'll head down there."
"Thank you."
Voight hung up his phone and turned to his team, all of whom were knee-deep in paperwork after taking off yesterday to see the Bears game...which they didn't even get to see in the end. "Chief Boden needs some of us down at the CCU lab. There could be a connection--"
"Did you say the CCU lab?" Jay asked, standing up from his chair.
"Yes, Halstead, Upton, you're with me. The rest of you, stay here. We'll let you know if we need you or you need to look up information here." Voight looked to Jay who looked like he'd seen a ghost. "Halstead, we're going."
"Y/N's at the lab."
"It's Saturday," Hailey pointed out. "There's no classes on Saturdays."
"She said she was going there to study for a test. Oh, God. What if--"
"Jay," Hailey said as she walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "You just need to call or text her on the way there. She'll be okay. C'mon, let's go."
"Atwater, come with me," Voight said. "Just in case Jay's gotta go."
***
You finally took your fifteen-minute break after being swamped for a good half hour straight. Who knew so many people wanted coffee at four in the afternoon? The first thing you saw were seven missed calls and texts in all caps. They were all from Jay.
"What the hell?" you muttered as you pressed Jay's contact and brought your phone to your ear. He picked up on the first ring. "Why are you--"
"Where are you? The firefighters said they haven't seen you come out yet," he rushed out.
"I'm at work. What firefighters? What are you talking about, Jay?" you asked, furrowing your eyebrows together.
"You're at work?" Jay asked. "I thought you were going to school to study?"
"I was. But, then my manager called me in. Why? What happened?"
Jay felt so much relief wash over him that he almost fell over in the grass on the CCU campus. "There was a fire in the lab."
"What? Are my friends okay? Did anyone die?" you rushed out. They weren't totally your friends, more your classmates, but you figured that was the easiest thing to call them.
"As far as I know, there weren't any fatalities."
You breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, okay, good."
"Just do me a favor: next time your plans change, text me."
"I can't promise I can remember that."
"Figures. But, I gotta go. Stay safe."
***
"Son of a bitch!" Jay yelled and threw his phone on the couch just as you entered your apartment after finishing your closing shift at the coffee shop.
"What?" you asked as you shut the door and then set your keys down and took off your hat.
"Hailey's in quarantine," he told you. "And it's all my fault."
"What? It's your fault? How'd it even happen? Why are people being quarantined?"
"Turns out that necro thing isn't as rare as Will told us."
"Jay, what the hell are you talking about?"
"Uh, there were a bunch of people at an apartment building who got the disease, so Will and others are there looking for a thing that somebody says they saw spraying the building. Could've been this exterminator person was trying to poison people in the building," Jay told you. "And now everyone in the building is quarantined at Med."
"And Hailey was in the apartment building...?" you asked, not knowing what this had to do with Hailey.
"I had her go to a house to talk to someone who was in the lab the same time as the victim. She, uh, the girl Hailey was talking to, fell over and she had the infection and Hailey touched her.
"Hailey had a hangnail or something—at least, that's the info that Will got from Natalie, and Will passed it on to me—so now she's in quarantine at Med. If I wouldn't have told her to go check out the lead, then maybe she wouldn't be in quarantine right now."
"Jay," you started, "you can't blame yourself. If it wasn't Hailey, it would've been you. Then you'd be quarantining at Med right now. And if it wasn't you or Hailey, it would've been someone else from Intelligence and then they'd be in quarantine right now."
"How did you get so mature?"
"Trauma."
Jay's expression immediately changed. "What? Y/N, if you need someone to talk to, I can get you that."
You laughed. "Jay, chill. It's a psych major joke...even though I know I really shouldn't be joking about trauma no matter what."
"Okay, good. Do you want to watch a movie?"
"I mean, I guess. What are we watching? And, I'm gonna make popcorn, too."
"Okay. We can watch anything but Contagion," Jay told you.
"What's Contagion?"
"It's about this virus that breaks out all over a city...much like what's happening now."
"Oooh, now I want to watch it."
"I knew I shouldn't have said anything."
***
"Hello?" you said into the phone the next afternoon when Mama Garcia called you. Jay was out working the case, Will was trying to find a cure for this bacterial strain, and Hailey was out of quarantine because she was cleared by Natalie. So, Jay wasn't blaming himself anymore.
You quickly spoke Spanish with Mama Garcia and she asked if you could come in because they got a huge catering order last minute and she needed someone to man the cash register while she helped in the back making the order. You agreed and made your way to Mama Garcia's.
***
You were busy working the cash register and speaking Spanish with the friendly customers when you started hearing yelling outside, something about MS-13. You excused yourself and made your way to the back where Mama Garcia was working on tamales.
"They're saying something about MS-13 out there," you told her in Spanish.
"I'm going to need you to say that in English, chica," she told you. "I think you said it wrong because you just mentioned MS-13," she said as she wiped her hands on her apron.
"No, they're saying crazy stuff," you began. "They're chanting that you're part of MS-13. You can't hear it?"
"It's loud back here. Maybe I'll hear it if I go to the front."
She came to the front with you where some customers were leaving the building through the side entrance to get away from the mob. There weren't any customers left in the little restaurant anymore.
"Dios mio," she whispered.
There had to have been at least two dozen or more people outside all yelling and saying that she was to blame for the bacteria. Some even held signs. Some had guns or sharp objects.
You pulled out your phone. "I'm calling--"
You stopped when you heard a crash. You barely had time to register what was happening as the Molotov cocktail flew through the window and shattered everywhere, lighting the place on fire and sending shards of glass everywhere, some ending up lodged in your leg as you screamed in fear and pain.
***
The men and women of Firehouse 51 got a call of a public disturbance at Mama Garcia's. As they pulled up, they saw the Molotov cocktail fly right through the front window towards you and Mama Garcia. Casey started barking out orders and everyone sprang into action.
You were inside and the smoke was getting thicker. Whatever they made this out of actually worked. You pulled your shirt up to your nose and mouth to try and stop inhaling it, but it didn't work very well.
You had been in front of Mama Garcia at the time it was thrown through the window, so you took most of the glass shards. This caused you so much pain that it was hard for you to move through the kitchen and to the door to get out.
"Fire department! Call out!" you heard Stella yell as you kept trying to walk toward the back door.
"Here!" you yelled.
"Fire department! Call out!"
"Back here! Help! Help!"
You heard heavy footsteps coming toward you and then you saw a firefighter and you felt a hand wrap around you.
"Hang on. You're gonna get out of here." Stella. "Casey," she said into her radio. "I need some help in here. Female victim, trouble walking, in the back in what looks like the kitchen."
"Copy. Coming in, Kidd."
About thirty seconds later you were picked up and told to close your eyes. You did, and it was only when you finally got outside, did Truck 81 realize who they had rescued.
***
Will was currently working in the lab trying to find an antidote to this terrible outbreak. But, something about Dr. Seldon was suspicious. He wasn't a detective like his younger brother,  but he still trusted his gut.
Dr. Seldon hadn't noticed that Will was still in the lab when he started pouring chemicals into the samples. Now Will knew something was most definitely wrong.
"What are you doing?" he asked loudly, startling Dr. Seldon.
"Oh, these are contaminated samples," he answered easily like he had rehearsed what he was going to say.
Will pointed directly at him. "No. You know what? You need to stay right here."
Then, Seldon threw a punch and Will caught it easily. But, then Seldon hit him again in the stomach. In the split second that Will was doubled over, Seldon picked up a microscope and cold-cocked Will right over the head, causing him to fall to the ground as everything went black and he clutched his bleeding head.
***
Hailey was now back in the bullpen after being quarantined because she got checked out and everything was fine. She had to tell Jay to stop apologizing and that it wasn't his fault he had gotten into that mess.
"That's a blue hat, right before 2:00," Ruzek said as he looked at the security footage.
"Wait, I know this guy," Jay started. "He works at the CCU lab." His eyes widened as he realized what was going on. "He's with Will. We gotta go now!"
As Jay was sprinting out of the bullpen, his phone started ringing.
"Man, your phone!" Adam yelled.
"Just let it go to voice-mail!" Jay yelled as he ran down the stairs, not knowing that it was Casey calling him to let him know that they had pulled you out of a fire and you were currently being treated at Med.
***
You rubbed your eyes as you woke up a few hours later. You didn't know if it was the meds the nurse gave you to knock you out so she could pull the shards of glass out of your body or if it was from a combination of smoke inhalation and tiredness. Whatever the reason, you were awake now.
You turned to see your brothers and were very confused to see that Will was holding an ice pack to his head and Jay looked like he had gotten new stitches in his forearm.
"The hell--" You roughly cleared your throat. "The hell happened to you two?"
"We found the guy," Jay told you. "But, not before he cold-cocked Will over the head with a microscope."
"Who was he?" you asked.
"A professor at CCU. Dr. Seldon."
"I've heard of him. I think he only teaches graduate classes though, so I'd never end up being in one of his classes anyway. I'm assuming he's not teaching anymore?"
"Not a chance in hell," Jay confirmed. "If he wants to teach, he can teach all the other prisoners at Stateville."
"What happened to your arm?"
"Oh, you know him," Will began. "He's always putting other people's safety in front of his own like the idiot he is." Jay thought about smacking his older brother upside the head but decided against it only because he had just been hit in the head. "He decided that he'd rather be infected with the bacteria instead of the people in a conference room where Seldon was. So, he cut himself."
"You what? Do you have the bacteria?" you asked as your eyes widened in fear.
"No, I don't. Hailey shot in there to distract him and then I disarmed him. Will came in with the antidote anyway, but luckily we didn't need to use it."
"If Hailey got paid overtime every time she saved your ass, she'd never have to work again."
"Tell me about it," Jay agreed.
"Now, what happened to you?" Will asked. "Casey told us you were at Mama Garcia's?"
"Yeah, she called and asked me to run the front since she needed to be in the back to help work on a catering order. I went in and an hour later, there were all these protesters outside calling her a member of MS-13 and saying she started the outbreak."
"How?" Jay wondered. "Mama Garcia's like the sweetest lady alive."
"I don't know. Because people online are crazy? And then someone threw a flaming bottle of something through the window."
"And that's how the glass got in your leg?" Will asked. You nodded. "Well, the good news is that Maggie told me the damage was artificial. The reason you passed out was because of smoke inhalation. They gave you some oxygen and you're good to go once you're ready."
"Then why don't I have one of those nose thingies in?" you asked.
"A nasal cannula?" Will chuckled. You nodded. "It's because you slept long enough with it on that your oxygen is back up. And, the paramedics gave you oxygen, too. That's why you don't need it. Your levels are back to normal."
"Oh. Okay."
"You want your discharge paperwork?" Will asked.
"Yeah, Jay's gotta fill it out."
"Nope. You are not a minor anymore. So, you get to fill out your own paperwork."
You groaned as he handed you the clipboard with the paperwork on it. Now you knew why both Jay and Will hated paperwork so much. There was so much even for one little thing!
"You know, I think since you've achieved frequent flyer status at Med," Will began, "that Beary needs a hospital gown, too."
"No! Don't you dare!"
"Just write it down and give it to her for Christmas," Jay joked. But honestly, when it came to that bear and presents, you never knew if either of them was joking or not.
Everything seemed back to normal at that moment: Jay and Will joking about your Build-A-Bear, you and Jay constantly being in the hospital for whatever reason and life. Life was back to normal after this crazy weekend that had everyone in Chicago on edge and you couldn't be happier.
A/N: Idk how I feel about this one. There was so much going on in that crossover, that it was hard for me to figure out what I wanted to focus on...so, it turned into a shorter imagine. Anyway, thank you guys so, so much for reading! I also start my new job tomorrow, so updates might be a little less frequent (one or two a week, depending on how long the imagines are and how much I have to work). Anyway, please like/reblog and comment and tell me what you think! As always, if you want to be added to my taglist, just tell me and I’ll add you!
taglist: @theambracer88 @virtualreader @kelelas-life @celyndavies @brookerz122493 @musicismyescape27 @anotherfan07 @thexplosivegirl @dreamingwithlens @xoxmariaxox @onechicago18 @iamasimpingh0e @i-like-sparkly-things @herecomesthewriterwitch @liampayne88
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canary3d-obsessed · 3 years
Text
Lost Tomb Reboot Lewks: Part 13
(Masterpost) (Other Canary Stuff)
Warning: Spoilers for both seasons of The Lost Tomb Reboot and also vaguely for Daomu Biji in general
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Look 66 belongs to Ah Ning, who has chosen, for this adaptation, to go with short hair, heavy makeup, and all-black clothes, but with a bit of a club vibe, rather than her more usual tactical vibe. 
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The short hair is a weird choice. The whole schtick with DMBJ adaptations is that you have to tell who's who by their costuming and styling, since the associated actors toss roles back and forth faster than Wu Xie and Xiao Ge on a date with Liu Sang. 
Hot guy in a hoodie? Xiao Ge. Slightly dorky but ridiculously charismatic guy who dresses like Joey Ramone? Hei Yanjing. Man who's too old for fluffy bangs and puppy-dog eyes but is working the hell out of them anyway? Wu Xie. Ponytail, gun, and a whole bunch of disposable sidekicks? Ah Ning.
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Ah Ning, Lost Tomb 1 version, with her signature ponytail & disregard for human life.
For this look, Ah Ning has gotten rid of her long hair, henchmen, weapons, and the part of her shirt that normally would cover her belly. This is an outfit that says "I am finally ready to fuck Wu Xie." 
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Unfortunately she decides to accessorize this outfit with a giant deadly snake. 
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This snake, unlike the equivalent snake in uhhhhhmmm a different DMBJ show that Ah Ning might theoretically die in, does not appear to be poisonous or have an unusual instant-kill-you ability. It just squeezes her a little bit, and the boys don't make any attempt to revive her, even though not-breathing is a super survivable condition, if it's corrected quickly. 
This non-poisonous snake accessory is all about killing a woman so that men can feel manpain, and I am kind of offended that this version of Ah Ning went out like that, after being a badass in every other adaptation. 
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(more after the cut!) 
The hypothetical other show where a version of this scene perhaps also happens does correct this, by having her talk about her acceptance of the risk of death, and by having the fucking snake be POISONOUS. I am not naming the show because where’s the fun in that? If you watch TLTR first, like I did, you get to be worried about Ah Ning in every other show she’s in, which is exhausting but also kind of fun. (I don’t mind women dying in fiction, as long as their deaths are an important part of their own stories, rather than just being important for the growth of the men around them.)
Thanks to poor accessory choices, Ah Ning and her snake necklace go the same route as Ye Piaopiao and No-Longer-Mute Chick; fortunately Xiao Ge didn't fall for Tattoo Artist Ah Tou or she'd be in the morgue with the rest of them.
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Look 67 is young Wu Xie's jungle adventure outfit, featuring a bright white popover jacket with cream color sleeves from Scotch & Soda’s Club Nomade collection. Scotch & Soda have have thoughtfully printed their name on the string so that those of you who share Wu Xie's clothing tastes will know where to shop. You know who you are. 
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You would think highly visible bright white would be a bad choice for a jungle adventure, but apparently snakes in these parts are only attracted to goths.
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Wu Xie is also wearing wired ear pods, which did not exist whenever this flashback supposedly happened, but if we're cool with sentient crustaceans and clams that can incapacitate a ruthless trained assassin (clams got legs!), we can be cool with ear pods.
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The show conveys flashback-Wu-Xie's youth and naiveté by having him smile sweetly, not watch Ah Ning take her clothes off, and not attempt CPR after she gets lightly squeezed by a snake.
Looks 68 and 69 belong to Not Ah Ning, who is played by Liu Yuqi, who also plays Ah Ning. Her makeup is much softer and prettier as this character than as Ah Ning; this character’s job is to be pleasing to men, whereas Ah Ning’s job is to get male underlings killed on the regular, so I guess that makes sense. 
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This outfit is an amazing body-hugging soft green jumpsuit with raised quilty detailing on the arms and shoulders. Her jumpsuit perfectly matches the couch she's sprawled on, which is her subtle way of telling Jiang Zisuan that she is a nice comfy place to have a lie down. 
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She accessorizes this look with her usual soft wavy brown hair and a scattering of gold finger rings. I think she also accessorizes this with ass pads, because Ah Ning does not appear to be draggin’ this wagon in her scenes. I checked. For science.  
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When the first outfit doesn't work, she ditches the subtlety and goes for a Chanel-style suit in black, white, and red, with a with a black leather bustier underneath. 
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Unfortunately this is a wasted effort, because the Jiang Zisuan she tries this on is actually Wu Xie in disguise. 
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Wu Xie only likes girls if they are 1. secretly manipulating him while acting like a tiny adorable sidekick, 2. trying to kill him repeatedly while adventuring together, 3. planning to kill him as soon as the roads are clear but willing to bone in the meantime, or 4. are a skin effigy with a sentient crustacean in their head.
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Sorry, Not Ah Ning; this was a good effort. 
Look 70 features Wu Xie in a white thermal shirt, dark blue jeans, and fake facial hair. This is a good look for sitting with your not-quite girlfriend and wondering how you both managed to have romances with Bai Yu in parallel universes. (OP recently watched Love O2O, which is a trip for fans of DMBJ, Guardian, or feminism)
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Fortunately Wu Xie doesn’t know that his second-favorite doctor/Zhan Rishan’s girlfriend also had a romance with Bai Yu or his mind would be entirely blown. 
This is a soft, comfortable look, perfect for torturing someone, with help from your first-favorite doctor, by pretending to poison someone with nicotine, all so you can have a few moments of quality time with a cigarette before said doctor takes them away again. 
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Wu Xie's cigs are stored in a buttery-soft leather case that completely covers the brand name of the cigarettes, so apparently cdramas don’t go in for ciggy product placements. 
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Wo Xie wears this outfit with a silvery-metal watch with a black leather wrist strap. The watch appears to be round, and it probably tells time. (If you’re new to the Lewks series: I lack watch knowledge and that’s not likely to change.)
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Wu Xie finally peels off his fake facial hair so we can see his pretty face again, only to replace the facial hair with an entire fake face. Fortunately, this face, belonging to actor Wu Lipeng, is also pretty. 
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Look 71 belongs to Wu Xie, initially (for this outfit) played by Wu Lipeng until his inevitable unmasking. So many actors have played Wu Xie, this whole disguise thing is barely worth blinking at. Wu Lipeng does a nice job changing his mannerisms to play Wu Xie, and this whole schtick eventually gives us Zhu Yilong's delightful performance as Wang Meng, so even though we eventually get way too much of not-Zhu-Yilong in the role, I’m good with it.
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This outfit features black jeans, black tactical boots & gloves, and Ah Ning’s coin bracelet, although it’s mostly hard to see the bracelet. The outfit’s main feature is a possibly-leather jacket that’s been molded into a hideous and disturbing voronoi pattern. 
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This jacket is probably very expensive and took a lot of work to craft, but it makes him look  like he’s wearing a Glad Force Flex garbage bag. I mean, I guess that's cool. 
This outfit is good for several episodes worth of adventures, including getting tied up and being sassy...
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...and underwater cave exploration, which is totally a thing that a person with critically damaged lungs can do.  
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This outfit is good for homoerotic wrestling...
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...and also for heteroerotic wrestling.
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This is also a good outfit for being gently cradled in the arms of your doctor, while you massage your throat in order to swallow what he's putting in your mouth.
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The fingerless gloves are useful for helping Xiao Bai get out of not one, but two different situations in which she stepped on a trap without realizing it, requiring Wu Xie to get down on the ground and have a tense encounter with her foot. 
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Scenes like this are where costuming really makes a difference. In this shot, we we watch a stunt hand (Zhu Yilong has never had that long of a thumbnail in his life) hold a wire steady, while a stunt foot is pulled out from under it.  
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This shot includes a lot of visual texture and interest, from the hatch lines on the palm of the glove to the cross-striping of the boot lace. The complexity of this glove and this boot help to hold our attention when they’re in the frame, allowing the tension of the scene to build, instead of dissipating when the viewer runs out of things to look at.
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Bonus Look 1
Carrying all that tragic baggage has given Jiang Zisuan spectacular arm muscles.
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Bonus Look 2
Zhu Yilong with not-fake facial hair. 
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Daaaaaamn.
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luminescencefics · 3 years
Text
fade in, fade out: deleted scene
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"Why haven’t you kissed me yet?”
Hi all! In honor of Fic Slam 2, here is a Fade chapter six deleted scene. You don’t have to be caught up on the story to understand it as it can completely stand alone, but if you’d like to get a glimpse of Harry and Nora’s world, click here to check it out! Thanks to the lovely as ever @oh-honey-styles for putting this together. I can’t wait to see what everybody else has come up with!
1k word count
my masterlist // read below:
***
Harry was drunk again.
It’s not like he really had any other choice in the matter, considering his mates were buying him round after round and the girl he’s been both simultaneously terrified and begging to talk to has barely spared him a second look in the past two hours.
He really doesn’t blame her, though.
Because things have been unbearably awkward ever since she first stepped on English soil and unknowingly ran into him that night at the pub nearly a month prior. A month filled with longing and confusion and wonder and a ridiculous amount of feelings Harry hasn’t let himself think about in the three years since his eyes last fell on hers.
Harry has so much to make up for—so much grovelling, so much apologizing, so much owning up to do that the weight of it all is practically unimaginable to him.
But like most boys at the ripe age of twenty-two, Harry is a coward. So he sits. And he drinks.
His tactic of avoiding and observing her from a distance seems to be working, because from his vantage point on the other side of the crowded room, his body leaning against the sticky beer-coated cherrywood bar top, he can watch the way her newly dyed dark brown hair flits whenever she turns her head to continue a conversation with her new girlfriends. He can practically hear the melodic giggle falling from her pouty, raspberry stained lips whenever somebody says something worth laughing about. He can practically feel the warmth of her gaze as her bright blue eyes squint in adoration whenever she speaks to somebody she feels undeniably comfortable around.
Because it’s Nora fucking Priestley, and everything she does seems to affect Harry in the most impressive yet terrifying way. It’s as if he’s a livewire and every single time Nora giggles or smiles or leaves a lipstick stain on her pint glass, Harry flinches with the possibility of rupture. His heart does things his drunken brain can’t seem to comprehend, and when her blue eyes fall onto his hazy greens and she stares at him with a look he can’t decipher, Harry feels his stomach bottom out. He doesn’t realize how tightly he’s clutching onto his pint glass until the skin surrounding his knuckles are painted white and practically ripping at the seam, and it’s only when she looks away when Harry feels his lungs expanding for a proper breath, and he nearly collapses under the weight of it.
He needs another fucking drink.
Somehow he’s ended up alone in the ripped, red-leather clad booth, an empty beer and shot glass in front of him. He’s been staring at the same chipped wood for so long that he hasn’t realized that the rest of his mates have upped and left him until the gentle thud of a smaller body falls into the seat near him. Suddenly, the smell of sandalwood and rosebud flood through his nostrils, and he doesn’t need to look up to see that it’s her. The pathetic drumline of his heart thundering underneath his expensive dress shirt practically gives him away.
“Are you ever going to talk to me?” Nora’s quiet voice asks, and Harry’s surprised he can hear it over the loud clamor of the band from the stage in front of them.
He looks up then, sad green eyes looking into blue. It still shocks him how familiar she feels, his body practically rendered motionless when he feels the warmth of her smooth skin, remembers the quirk of her upper lip, refamiliarizes himself with the beauty marks littering her face.
God, he misses her so much, to the point where he can hardly breathe sometimes.
“I don’t know what to say to you, I just—I don’t want to fuck up anymore. ‘S all I seem to do whenever I’m around you. So not saying anything is the—’s just the better alternative.”
“So you won’t talk to me, but you’ll stare at me from across the bar?” Nora asks with a teasing grin.
Harry laughs a bit, his cheeks pinkening when he realizes his tactics were not as subtle as he originally planned.
With a shrug, Harry says, “Can’t help it, you’re too pretty not to look at.”
Now, Nora’s the one blushing. “I think you’ve had one too many of these, mister,” she says, flicking her navy-painted fingernail against his empty pint glass. The action causes her bare arm to brush against his, and Harry shudders at the simplest form of contact.
God, he really is pathetic.
She’s a bit closer now, and without really thinking of the repercussions, Harry grasps at her wrist gently and observes the color coating her fingernails a bit closer.
“Hm, ‘s nice. Brings out your eyes,” he whispers, suddenly realizing how closely they’re sitting to one another. Nora’s kneecap is digging into the meat of Harry’s thigh, and the point of her elbow is resting on the sticky table while her forearm brushes the material of his shirt covering his ribs.
“You aren’t even looking at my eyes,” Nora whispers back, her body quivering when Harry lifts his gaze from her bitten lips to her darkened pupils.
Harry licks his bottom lip, coating the dry skin with his saliva until they look alive again—two glistening pink pillows that Nora remembers thinking about long after she first tasted them nearly three years ago in her tiny Townbridge dorm room in the middle of winter.
“Why haven’t you kissed me yet?” Harry asks, leaning a centimeter forward so that Nora can feel the warmth of his breath against her skin.
“Do you want me to?” she asks timidly, feeling his thumb gently caress her palm, his digit creating a tantalizing path from wrist to palm, back and forth, the sensation embarrassingly dizzying.
“Nora, I think I’ll die if you don’t kiss me ever again.”
Nora feels a breath trapped in her lungs, a hitch of her breath as she flicks her eyes back and forth, zeroing in on the enlargement of his pupils when he realizes that she hasn’t backed away from him yet. The revelation is so honest and so un-Harrylike that Nora isn’t sure why her lips aren’t fastened to his own yet, and when she finds that she hasn’t blinked in nearly sixty seconds, she brings her face just a bit closer to his, a subtle shift that causes the loud noise of the pub to fade into the background.
And just when she’s about to close the small distance between them, the tips of their noses brushing as their lips hover dangerously close to the others, sporadic spurts of hot breaths passing between the two like a secret, Piper calls Nora’s name from the bar, causing the sound of the busy pub to come crashing back into her ear canals, forcing Nora to spring backwards as if Harry’s lips were made of fire.
“Nora! Refills!” Piper yells over drunkenly, seemingly unaware that she interrupted Nora and Harry’s second first kiss in almost three years.
“I, uh—I should go,” Nora says quickly, cheeks permanently stained red as she tries her hardest to regulate her breathing.
“Yeah,” Harry says defeatedly, watching as she scrambles out of the old leather booth and stumbles over to the bar without looking at him over her shoulder.
When she’s finally gone, Harry sinks into the leather seating, slamming his head back against the booth as he struggles to get his erratic heartbeat back to the standard sixty beats per minute. His fingers itch for another drink, and when he maneuvers his legs out from under the table, he nearly flinches at the sudden tightness of his pants.
He looks down, noticing the slightly risen bump covering the front of his dark jeans, and he sighs frustratedly, running a shaking hand through his long, mangled curls.
He’s half-hard and embarrassed beyond disbelief at the fact that Nora’s lips barely grazing against his own roused such a reaction out of him.
Harry Styles truly is pathetic—pathetic, indeed.
***
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bakugotsundere · 3 years
Text
Hating Him - Bakugou Katsuki (1)
bakugo x (black) fem reader
( still can read if you’re not)
sorry if it bothers you, i just felt that my black readers weren’t feeling black as they were reading y/n stories cause i for sure wasn’t.
Warning: none
Summary: Bakugo and you have hated each other ever since you met, being on the same track team and having the same friend group didn’t make things any better. you 2 have to act like you like each other for the benefit of the friend group until one day you and him are forced to have movie night with the others and you both have had enough of each other’s shit.
in this chapter: you get invited to the movie night and bump into bakugo
The morning smell of outside filled your lungs as you stepped out your house. It was exactly 5:30 in the morning. The streets were not busy and there was barely any noise, just faint sounds of dogs barking and truck drivers in a distance. It was the perfect time to go for your daily run. The chilly air made you happy, it gave you more of a challenge. you zipped your nike training jacket up. It fit you tight, tugging at every curve of yours. The sky was a foggy blue, a few clouds started coming in, along with the sum.
You walked down the steps of your house, stretching your legs when you got to the sidewalk. You looked ahead and yawned as you walked onto the street. Your neighborhood was fairly nice to say the least. Everybody minded their business, especially since your house had been secluded. After your grandmother died, she left one of her houses she owned to you, making it easy for you since you dreaded the idea of having to share a dorm with someone, let alone having to get an apartment.
you placed your airpods in your ears and played Apparently by J.Cole. J.Cole had been your favorite rapper since you were 12 years old, you missed the days where your 12 year old self would dance around your room to his music, now you’re grown and responsibilities are becoming more than just making sure your chores were done. You stretched one last time before taking off.
...
Once you were done, sweat dripped from your face. your breathing was heavy and the cold water bottle in your hand had been long awaited. The sun was now out. The birds chirping got louder and the old lady from across the street was sitting in her chair with her small cat in her lap, you quenched your thirst, swallowing every last drop of water. “Good morning Y/n” She chirped. You wiped your mouth with your wrist smiling, turning towards her, “Goodmorning Ms. Rodriguez.” you reply as you waved.
You finally go back inside your house, feeling at ease. you take off your black vapor max at the door and go to your kitchen, grabbing a nutrigrain bar, you ate it before going upstairs to get ready for your classes. you took your curly hair out of its messy bun. the roots of your hair were finally breathing and it felt good. you scratched your scalp in satisfaction. you looked in the mirror, loving your features and your brown/caramel skin. you never felt the need to put yourself in the 3 categories because to you there was no need to, everybody in the community was black so why separate it into groups.
you placed the shea butter your mother made for you on your face. you took off your semi-sweaty clothes throwing them into your dirty clothes hamper and looked at yourself in the mirror. your body was perfect to most but you didn’t see what everyone saw. your thighs were too thick for your liking, especially since you did track. your breast were too big to you, they sometimes got in the way while working out. you had a 4 pack from the working out, everybody told you that you had an hour glass body but you hated it. if this what a hour glass body was, you hated it.
you took off your panties, replacing your old ones with Tommy Hilfiger ones. You grabbed a pair of black nike sweatpants that fit your thighs perfectly. You took off your bra, letting your breast breath and put on another sports bra, putting on a white t-shirt fresh out the pack. you ran chap stuck along your plump lips, they were more than plump actually if you like them so it didn’t matter. you picked out the roots of your hair leaving it’s on it’s curly state. you had dyed your hair a ginger color, which made you look like sza a little. your fro was like hers too, very big and curly.
You wrapped your apple watch around your wrist and put on some whit nike socks, along with your white air force ones. Your phone started dinging and it was the gc, you had been in with your friend group.
Mina :) > goodmorning whores. Time for class before you become drop outs.
Denki ⚡️> good morning Mina ;)
Midoriya🥬> Goodmorning everybody, i have a big test in Mr. Aizawa’s today so i have to get to studying, talk to you guys later.
Kirishima> Mornin. It’s beautiful out today, isn’t it and i’m not a whore mina.
You> yea, kirishima i’m pretty sure you got caught with cami in the janitors closet.
Iida> Mine was too, you guys need to stop texting and get to class.
You> sure, see you on the track field lida. this gc is getting deader by the day and it’s embarrassing to watch.
(seen by kirishima, Mina, and Bakugou)
lida> typing...
You shut off your phone with a smile, knowing that got him heated. You didn’t even care for his response. you loved messing with lida, it was funny, you sprayed a little vanilla perfume on your body and you were off to a place you dreaded.
...
You were now in the library studying with Mina. Mina was like your best friend, you told her everything and she told you everything. “Have you seen that picture of trey songz you know what?” she asked and your eyes went wide, in shock that she was talking about this in the library. “yes, but i can’t go crazy over it, he made the shit so corny. the whole post he made afterwards had me cringing at my phone so hard. i was like “boy what the fuck” he too old for that shit.” you told her and she giggled.
“I’m having a movie night with the rest of the group this saturday, you have to come. you never come to things with us anymore. Ever since bakugou started hanging out with us, you’ve been avoiding us. i’ve noticed some type of tension between you 2, i hope it isn’t sexual?” she stated and your stomach churned at the thought of that stuck up dummy.
“No, i just like staying to myself, that’s all. i think i’ll come Saturday as long as it’s not going to be a lot of people you know how busy i am with track and stuff.” you stated in reality you hated being around bakugo. especially since he always felt to make rude remarks towards you when everyone wasn’t around. He was normally mean to everyone, but you got it the worse since you had the shortest running time on the team. When track practice would come around you and him would argue with each other every second. you hated being yelled at or talked to badly and your mother sure didn’t raise a bitch so you talked to him just as reckless as he did to you and he hated every second of it since you were the first to ever test him. your personalities didn’t mix well at all.
“it’s only gonna be, denki, bakugo, kirishima, todoroki, asui, uruaka and deku but that’s if bakugo doesn’t mind.”
“yea, i’ll think about it.” you said softly.
...
you were now at practice and the death stares you received from bakugo made you just wanna slap the fuck out of him. His eyes followed you as you warmed up. You could see him start to come towards you and you sighed. His tall figure stood in front of you, blocking the sun, his body shaded you. “You draw too much attention.” He stated as the boys that were on the team stared at you. You were the only girl on the track team so you learned to get used to it. “I know, why are you telling me this?” you asked and he gritted his teeth, “All of those boys are practically eye raping you.” he states, taking in your appearance and you sighed, “I don’t know what to fucking say. these are the only sizes in shirts they have and if my curves happen to show then so be it. it’s not like the whole thing is out.”
Sweat dripped from the side of his head, he had on a white tank top and some nike shorts with some white vapor max. a towel hung over his broad shoulders. your eyes scanned his body, you never thought bakugo was ugly, he was perfect when it came to looks. He was very tall with a slim, muscular build, and a fair skin tone. He had short, spiky, ash-blond hair that looked soft. His eyes were a sharp and bright red in color that showed his hostility. his looks fit his personality though, very cocky.
“Why do you care?” You asked and his cheeks turned a bright pink and anger came upon him, this line made him mad, “I don’t.” he replied angrily. “Well then stop telling me things i already know. All you do is bother me.” you told and his lips curved into a smirk, “Your existence bothers me, imagine how I feel.”
You rolled your eyes, pushing past him aggressively. He can be so fucking annoying. Imaging having to be on the same team as someone you hate. It’s really irritating, especially when the person is somebody as arrogant as he is. He needs to be humbled.
...
You and Bakugou were the only 2 left after practice, your coach was mad at the both of you because of what happened last week with the sub coach. Bakugou had been bothering you that day and you snapped and then you two decided to have a race on your own which didn’t turn out so well since bakugou got mad that you won in the end.
So now you and him were being forced to do “after practice workouts” with each other. You were now lying on the ground of the track floor, exhausted. Bakugou was right next to you, your chest rose up and down, your breathing heavy and your legs worn out. You looked over at him, and he looked over at you. “This wouldn’t have happened if you just wouldn’t hate me so much and accept that i’m faster than you.” you stated and his red eyes stared at your light brown ones. “Can’t blame this all on me. You hate me as well and you don’t know when to shut up. You don’t have to respond to everything i say but you do.” He said and you placed your hands at your stomach, “I’m not about to let you walk all over me like you do everyone else. Your ego is too big and i’m doing nothing but lowering it.”
“Is that what you think?” he asked and you sighed softly looking him in his eyes trying to search for anything but anger but there was no other emotion but that, his pupils did dilate once he noticed how hard you were staring into his eyes though, “It’s not what i think, it’s what i know.” you said. “i don’t understand why you are always so angry all the time. I don’t even know how you have the friends that you have. obviously that means they see past it but i refuse to. i can’t. sorry but that’s just how i am.” you stated sitting up, he sat up with you staring at you, “i don’t understand how you have friends, you are very competitive and just avoid me then. We can always hate each other from a distance.” he stated and you smiled shaking your head as you stood up.
“Can’t do that when we have the same friends and are on the same team and i’m only competitive when it comes to track. So i’ll just hate you regardless and plus you always keep your enemies close. It doesn’t matter though, i’m still faster.” you added on that last part trying to make him mad and you could hear him start to yell as you walked off and a smile came upon your lips.
There’s no way you could ever be friends with him so why even bother trying. Something about him makes your blood boil.
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heynikkiyousofine · 3 years
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A just because little fic for my dear friend @enchantedink-ag​, hoping you have a wonderful weekend!
Ao3: Part 1  l  Part 2 l Part 3
“I don’t give a fuck whoever you are, where is my wife?” His growl growing louder, laced with venom, causing the twin demons to shiver. Inuyasha tightened his grip on Tetsusaiga, golden eyes darting back and forth between the two, readying himself for whatever they had planned next. Sniffing, he could smell the faint jasmine on their silk clothing. Kagome.
The female demon on the left, whose long blue hair glistened in the moonlight, smirked at him, her silver eyes giving him the creeps. “My my, someone’s a little angry. Who knew the half-demon had a little wife? Did you know that’s who she was, Kimoto?”
“I didn’t Kirigaya, but it seems the woman has a protector.” The green haired demon’s matching grey eyes filled with laughter, turning to her. “It seems he has come to rescue her.” Inuyasha’s jaw clenched as he searched for some way to defeat them, unsure of their abilities. His anger coursed through him, boiling his blood beneath. His thoughts returned to Kagome. What would she do? Find out what they want with me.
It was as if she was standing right beside him.
“What do you want with her?” He seethed, his knuckles white and shoulders tense as he waited. He needed to find her and not kill them on the spot.
“As if it matters to you, we need her spiritual powers to bring back our sibling, on the night of the full moon.” Kimoto explained, with the wave of his hand, before turning glistening eyes his way. “Though I don’t why we bother telling you. She’ll be long dead by the time you find her.” Kimoto’s fangs appeared as his smile widened, a laugh coming from his chest when Inuyasha growled louder this time.
All common sense seem to just fall away as Inuyasha raised his fang above his head, calling on the adamant barrage when a loud, painful sound pierced the air. Folding his ears back, he managed to side step just in time to see Kirigaya swipe her claws, aiming for his face. Closing his eyes quickly, he shielded his head with his robe wrapped arm.
When the excruciating sound stopped, Inuyasha opened his eyes to see the pair gone. Shit.
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Kagome knew this wasn’t a good position to be in. The twin demons had caught her off guard and came from behind, striking the back of her head when she was picking herbs in the forest. She remembered a painful signing in her ears and then pain as blackness followed shortly. Turning her throbbing head as much as possible, she saw the rope that bound her arms behind her tied in an intricate knot around a wooden pole. Sighing to herself, she knew her best chance was to wait it out and for Inuyasha to arrive. If he can find me.
Frowning, she peered into the dim light room, her only source a small candle that hung on the wall behind her. The small room was painfully empty, her mind attempting to come up with an escape plan, but becoming unsuccessful. Glancing down at her dirtied hakama, she noticed a bit of blood splattered. Oh great. Inuyasha is going to have a field day with that. Faint footsteps could be heard coming from the door across the room, Kagome’s gut tightened as two matching demons strolled in, smirks on their smug faces.
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Inuyasha sniffed, searched, studied, even crawled in the dirt to catch the faint scent of his wife. He couldn’t help but be frustrated, because this was getting him no where. The two demons didn’t have a scent, which in his right mind, would’ve struck him as odd, but he was so focused on locating the calming jasmine, he didn’t care. A soft jingling could be heard approaching and he knew it was Miroku arriving by his aura. Inuyasha raised his gaze just as Miroku jogged over the crest of the hill, panting as he stopped in front of still kneeling half-demon.
“Inuyasha, what happened to Lady Kagome?! Are you okay?” He managed to get out between breaths.
“Twin demons kidnapped her, but I can’t locate her scent. It’s faint and these arrogant assholes don’t have one.” His growl growing louder as he finished his explanation. He didn’t have time to waste, Kagome could be seriously injured. Kagome. His heart ached at the thought her bleeding, crying out for him.
“No scent? How odd….” Miroku mused as Inuyasha focused his attention back to the air. After a few quiet moments, Miroku continued. “What do these demons look like?”
“One had blue hair, the other green, matching grey eyes. Pale skin, gave me the fucking creeps. No scent from what I can remember. Spoke something about reviving their dead sibling.” He sniffed at the dirt, his claws digging in the hard ground when he couldn’t come up with a direction.
“Nothing is coming to mind. Anything else?” Miroku’s fingers stroked his chin in deep thought. 
“There was this painful ringing in my ears, then they disappeared.”
“Ringing? Like a bell or a gong?”
Nodding, Inuyasha looked towards the setting sun, he needed to hurry and fast. The full moon was tomorrow night and not knowing which direction to head was making his head swarm with anger and anxiety.
“Inuyasha,” Miroku’s quiet voice came from behind him, “If these twin demons are who I think they are, you might be in for a rough battle….” Golden eyes snapped his way, filled with something Miroku had seen many times in the years he had known his friend. Fear.
“Tell me everything you know. Let’s find out form Sango and Kaede too. We don’t have much time. I’m leaving tonight.”
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“You are even prettier in the moonlight.” Kimoto purred as he held Kagome’s chin between his slender, pale fingers. “Sister, it’s a shame she won’t be alive to meet our big brother. He would love her as a companion.” Kirigaya’s gaze only stared at them for a short second before returning to the scrolls she had in front of her.
When they returned to the small room, the lit the remaining candles, bringing a soft glow upon the room. They had uncovered a small window, where the moon shown upon her features, giving her a little hope. Inuyasha had to have known by now she was in trouble. Damn, why hadn’t she grabbed her bow and arrows…. 
Kagome watched as the female studied the scroll, ignoring her brother, who reminded her of Jakotsu, a dead member from the Band of Seven. His figure as a bit on the lean side, but he wore masculine clothing. His voice, mimicking Jakotsu’s tone at times and his head, though a different color, was almost a replica of the dead mercenary. The female however, was the one who radiated energy from her aura, clearly the leader at the moment. Her stance, legs apart, back straight like a soldier only enhanced her perfectly fit clothing. It wasn’t until she was studying that what Kimoto said registered. Won’t be alive?! No way would she be a sacrifice!
“Wait a minute!” She cried, catching both of their attentions, “I will not be some sacrifice. You are going to be sorry once Inuyasha finds us!” Anger and tears began to fill her vision, as the blurry female figure stepped towards her.
“Priestess, we met your little half-demon protector.” Her smile grew broader, little fangs poking out beneath her top lip. Kagome struggled against the ropes, bringing more pain to her already aching body. Grimacing at the tight pull, she did her best imitation of an inu growl, hoping Inuyasha was alright. How dare they hurt him?!
“What did you do to him?” She seethed. Her teeth grounding against one another, the faint taste of blood on her tongue.
“My my, someone’s angry.” Kimoto laughed, clapping his hands together, as Kirigaya grabbed a fistful of dark hair and tugged Kagome’s face forward.
“Your precious husband,” she spat, “will never find you and after we are done with you, there won’t even be a body recognizable to him. Now shut up and sit there like a good little girl.” Releasing her hair, Kagome could feel streaks of tears falling down her cheeks, wetting her red hakama as the two demons grabbed their papers. Snuffing out all but one light once more, the last thing she saw was soft moonlight as she closed her eyes to sob.
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“Sango, your sure this should work against that screeching?” Inuyasha paced as he asked the others a million questions. Everyone could tell this wasn’t like him. Inuyasha is more of a fight now, talk later kind of guy, if he’s this worked up over and taking his time to figure out information about these two demons, this is a serious situation. Kaede mused to herself, grounding some healing herbs for him to take. She wasn’t sure of Kagome’s condition but he could use all the help he could get. She listened to Sango gently explain everything to Inuyasha once more, as Miroku sat beside his demon slayer wife, writing out a few scrolls. Kagome could use them easily, her apprentice having grown much stronger in the months since her return. 
“Inuyasha, take this with ye. It will help with most ailments, since we do not know Kagome’s condition.” The older woman gathered a small pouch and handed him the small plum bag, carefully setting it in his palms. Seeing him nod a silent thanks, she smiled softly for him. He had come along way as well.
“Bozou, whatcha got for me. Kagome don’t have her weapons, so these had better work.” Inuyasha settled the pouch in his robe, before turning towards his best friend.
“These should work, especially with her spiritual power. These two demons, Kimoto and Kirigaya were once part of a trio before their older brother was killed during your father’s reign by non other than Ryūkotsusei and his hoard of dragons. They were powerful in their own right, controlling the air around them. It is most likely why you couldn’t pick up their scent or much of Lady Kagome’s, because they can control the air around them. In turn hiding away anything. Finding them will not be easy. But if what you was true, I think I know where they will be. This ritual, is supposed to be fatal.”
Silence filled the small hut, the crackling of the fire the only sounds as Inuyasha tried to calm his breathing. He had to find her and soon. He hadn’t told her yet, her scent has changed. She doesn’t know she carrying our child yet.”
“Miroku, tell him about the ringing sound.” Sango whispered, her hand gripping tightly on Inuyasha’s arm.
‘Ah yes, excuse they can control air and such, the youngest, Kirigaya has developed the ability to send this painful sound, wrapping the noise around your head. Controlling how loud and painful the sound can be. Much like Kagura could with the wind itself. The plugs Sango gave you earlier should help with the intensity of the screeching as you call it, especially with your sensitive ears.”
“Is that it? Anything else I should know about these demons?” Inuyasha’s shrugging Sango’s touch off, before grabbing a small stack of sutras from him and reaching for Kagome’s weapons.
“There is one more thing, my friend. Their brother, Koyanagi, the one they are planning to bring back from the dead, is said to be very powerful. Much more than Kagura ever was in controlling the wind. Be wary. Though, if my suspicions are correct, even killing one of the three will weaken them greatly. Do you remember the Panther King?” Seeing him nod quickly, Miroku continued. “It will be much like that, with the sacrificial part, but this ritual is needing some serious spiritual power to bring someone back from the dead. A full moon, a special scroll, and the blood of a pure powerful priestess are the key ingredients, take away one of those things and they won’t be able to finish it. But Inuyasha, if completed, or done wrong, it could kill Kagome instantly.”
“I won’t let that happen. Now, where the hell do I go?” He ground out as a wave of nausea came over him.
Author’s note: Hope you enjoyed! Let me know if you would like to be tagged when part two and three comes out! A special surprise for part 3 will be featured along as well. Have a great Thursday guys!💕
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havin-a-wee · 3 years
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Stars Align
pairing: harry styles x y/n
warnings: fluff, ig you could consider it angst but its really just mysterious
word count: 2k
hello! i apologize for kind of disappearing, my fic rec account has kind of blown up and ive been super busy with that.
this is my entry for @sweetlygolden 's Harry On Holiday Challenge! i chose strangers in the same city, and the line prompt “That is the worst sunburn I’ve ever seen.” i honestly already have a part 2 planned out but we'll see how it goes!
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“How much longer are you going to stare at that pretending like it’s interesting.”
Her soft voice surprised him, and he whipped his head around to see who had been speaking to him.
For the first time in a while, Harry was able to get away for a little. Of course, he travels a lot for work, but this was the first vacation since he can remember where he was alone, doing whatever he pleases. He chose Italy for this special occasion, because it’s always been one of his favorite places, and he missed the freedom of wandering around the boot shaped country without a care in the world.
The day's adventures had brought him to La Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, which is a museum that he's been wanting to see for quite some time. He started the day off by getting a cappuccino and a crespelle from a wonderful little cafe down the street from his hotel.
Right afterwards he walked to the museum, taking in the sights around him on the 20 minute trek to his destination. Before the woman behind him snatched his attention, he was staring at a painting of an abstract house. The house was only painted in blue, and the artist had used the different shades and tones of the color to create the details in the painting.
He had been staring at it for a good amount of time, which he assumed is what prompted the stranger to talk to him.
It’s his 3rd day on the trip, leaving him 4 more until he has to be back in L.A. for work. He has no plans, no schedules, no job to do. It’s just him and the world. At least, that’s what he assumed it would be. The vacation is supposed to be a solo one, however, he’s currently staring at a stranger that decided to speak to him. And for some reason, he is drawn to her. Compelled to spend time with her after just a simple sentence was spoken between the two of them.
When he fully turns around she jumped, a bit startled by his bright red complexion. “That is the worst sunburn I have ever seen!”
It was true, Harry had managed to get himself a nasty burn on the first day in Italy. He usually tans instead of getting a sunburn, but when you’re used to the dreary weather of the UK, it can be hard to forget how strong the sun is in other places.
So he had laid out on the beach and fell asleep, waking up a few hours later with tomato red skin and a burning sensation covering the exposed skin.
“That’s what happens when y’fall asleep on a beach in Rome,” he chuckled, smiling awkwardly at the woman before him.
She’s beautiful, there is absolutely no denying that. She was wearing a simple spaghetti-strap black dress that cut off right at the knee. There were no designs, no embellishments, just a black dress that hugged her figure perfectly. Her lips have a deep red lipstick smeared across them, and he couldn’t help but notice how the color complimented her skin tone. Her simple black pumps completed the outfit, and her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, with a few of the front strands falling out of the hair tie and framing her face.
“I’d assume so.” Her demeanor is serious, even though there's a smile on her face. She’s…..intimidating?
Harry hasn’t been intimidated by anything since he was a teenager. Once you perform in front of thousands of screaming people, who also happen to idolize you, things don’t tend to phase a person anymore.
But for some reason, her presence caused butterflies to fly around in his stomach, a feeling he hasn’t felt in a long time. He actually enjoyed the feeling, it reminded him of when everything was normal.
What also reminded him of normality was the fact that she seems to not have the slightest clue of who he is. If she does, she’s sure as hell good at hiding it.
“You’ve been looking at the same painting for 10 minutes, just wanted to make sure you hadn’t fallen asleep.” A small laugh escaped her lips, and the noise agitated the fluttering butterflies residing in his tummy. Her voice is mesmerizing, and she sounds like what Harry imagines an angel to sound like. She has an American accent, and it eased his nerves slightly that she was also a tourist.
He turned back to the painting to look at it, but it was also convenient in that she wouldn’t be able to see his undoubtedly flushed cheeks.
“Yeah m’not sure what it is ‘bout it but there’s somethin’ special with this one.”
“That’s Prismi lunari by Fortunato Depero, he was very talented.” Harry spun around once again to face her, shocked at her knowledge of the random artwork.
“You know that off of the top of your head?” He tilts his head and looks at her, furrowing his brows in confusion. He’s pretty sure there was no label for the painting, and if there was it was way too small for her to see from where she’s standing.
“I know a lot of things.”
The statement was simple, but Harry wondered if her words paired with the smirk on her face are code for something else. “How long have you been here?” Her question snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked up at her and smiled. He flicks his wrist and directs his attention to it, reading the Gucci watch adorning his wrist.
“Well I got here at 11, so about 5 hours.” It honestly surprised him when he realized it was 4 o’clock, but he knows how wrapped up he gets in artwork so he must have lost track of time.
“Jesus christ! I can barely stand to walk around a museum for an hour!” She blows out a puff of air, mocking being out of breath. They both laugh at her comment, Harry laughing a bit harder than her. “What’s your name?”
“Oh! M’Harry, s’nice to meet you.” He stuck out his ring-clad hand, and her delicate fingers wrapped around his as she shook it.
“Well Harry, wanna get out of here and walk around with someone who knows the city?” She points at herself, and the small smile she gave him earlier transformed into a silly grin.
“Well m’not sure how well an American can know the city, but I’ll bite.” Usually he would never do this. Going off with strangers is never a good idea, especially because of his status. But there’s something about the girl that makes Harry feel safe. They had just met yet he feels like he could trust her with things he hasn’t even told his best friends.
“An American who’s been living here for a year, that is.” His eyebrows raise slightly, intrigued by her new admission. But before he can even open his mouth to speak, she grabs his wrist with her daintily manicured hand and whisks him out of the quiet museum.
The air was humid, quickly drawing beads of sweat from his forehead. He’s also quite baffled at how she was completely unphased. Not a single drop of sweat was dripping on her body, her soft skin untouched like an old porcelain doll, preserved for years in perfect condition.
“I’ll show you around a little, we can go to this wonderful little vintage store I know.” She had turned to face him, her hand moving from his wrist to cup his one hand in both of hers. “Um- at least, if you want to.” For the first time, she was nervous. Although she will never admit it, Harry makes her extremely nervous. Extremely.
When he turned around when they first met, her jump of surprise wasn’t just because of his bright sunburn. In fact, it wasn’t about that at all. It was about how fucking attractive he is. He really looks like one of the statues that was put up in the museum. His sparkling green eyes send a shiver down her spine, and the tattoos peaking through his thin white t-shirt cause a fire to build in her stomach.
Having someone to talk too while he traversed the streets of Rome is a lot more enjoyable than Harry had anticipated. He purposefully told all of his friends that he was going to be MIA while on this trip. But the fact that she is a stranger changes it in some way, in a good way.
The cobblestone streets are surprisingly smooth, and they walk next to each other in a comfortable silence for a long amount of time. The silence would only break when she would point out something in their field of vision. At one point, Harry pauses, standing still in the middle of the street with a thinking look on his face. He realizes that he doesn’t know her name, which seems ridiculous to him because they were walking around a foreign country like the best of friends. She turns to him, matching his confused look when they lock eyes. “I just realized I don’t know y’name.”
Instead of reacting like he would expect one to react when asked that question, her pupils dilated and for some reason she appears to be scared. Why would someone be scared when you ask for their name?
‘Maybe she thinks her name is embarrassing’ Harry thought, still looking at her with a confused look, but now it was laced with a bit of suspicion.
He watches her sigh, and her hand went up to her ponytail and pulled the black elastic out, her soft hair cascading down her shoulders. With another sigh she said, “Y/N. My names Y/N.”
“That’s a really beautiful name.”
“Oh! There’s the store!”
He found it odd that she was so eager to switch the subject, but goes along with it nonetheless.
The vintage store is lovely, and Harry was able to find a beautiful ring and necklace set, matching gold roses on both of them. They looked around the shop for about 15 minutes, Harry being the only one to make a purchase.
The sun had set by the time they went outside, which isn’t surprising considering that it was almost dark when they walked into the little shop. They stood, facing each other outside of this small little shop in Rome. Two strangers, who just happened to cross each other's path. Harry knows this won’t last forever, and he also knows that he wants to see her again. In a leap of faith, he pulls the gold necklace out of the small brown bag and looks up at her.
“Here, I got them so we could match.” It was bold, but Harry feels connected to this girl, and he doesn’t know it, but she feels the exact same. The smile she gave him when he handed her the necklace was bright and genuine, the creases next to her eyes proving its authenticity. He motioned for her to turn around, wrapping the necklace around her neck and clasping it while she held up her hair.
“Thank you Harry. This is the best day I’ve had in a while.”
“Likewise.”
“I hate to do this, but I have to go. Have a wonderful rest of your trip Harry.”
It was then that she placed a small, tender peck on his lips, barely lingering for a second before pulling away.
“Wait! Can I get y’number?” Her smile slanted into a smirk, and she pulled a small card and a pen out of her small black clutch. She placed the card up against the brick wall, leaning it against it and scribbling something down on the paper. When she finished writing, she pressed her lips against the card, handing it to Harry.
He looked down at it, expecting to see a series of numbers, but he was met with a simple note, scribbled on the piece of cardstock next to the red lip print she had left.
May the stars align in our favor once again. - Y/N
He looked up frantically, planning to ask her to write her number down as well, but he was met with nothing.
She had disappeared into the night, leaving as quickly as she appeared earlier that day.
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zukump3 · 3 years
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fixated ✰ s. aizawa
aizawa takes interest after you, but he doesn’t really know how to go about it.
genre: fluff, some smut in the second part! fem!reader
warnings: two parter!! aizawa has a CRUSHHHH, he pins after you heavily, counselor!reader. zawa used to have a thing with ms joke, black!reader
a/n: this idea was super cute so i had to write it. i hope you guys like it!!
requested: yes!!
part 2 (coming soon)
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Aizawa has never been one for dating. Honestly, he couldn’t even remember the last time he had a relationship.
Back in high school, when he sat in the very desks his students sat in, he was often teased at by Mic about getting a partner. The hero tried to set him up on dates, give random people his number and all types of other methods, but Aizawa was just never interested. No one really caught his attention that way... until Fukukado came along.
She was everything he despised. She was loud, she talked too much, and she never took anything serious. But somehow she made her way into his cold heart and he indulged in her.
He enjoyed his time with her. Underneath all that goofiness she was a sweet woman who cared deeply for her job and her students. Aizawa felt emotions he had never felt with her, and was a bit peeved when they split. However, they remained friends. Since then, he hasn’t bothered dating with anyone.
“Have you seen the new counselor?!” Aizawa opened one eye to see Kaminari and Sero gushing as they entered the class. “She’s sooo hot. And she’s foreign!”
“Doesn’t she speak English and Japanese fluently though? She’s smart and attractive, jeez.” Sero huffed, and Aizawa furrowed his brow, zipping down his zipper on his yellow sleeping bag.
“Who are you talking about?”
“Miss L/N!” They both yelled, making Aizawa blink. “She’s our new counselor. She said parents were complaining that the students mental health wasn’t being cared about enough, so U.A hired her. She’s from America too.”
“America.” Aizawa groaned. He already had an image in his own eyes—a stereotypically one, but oh well. You probably had blonde hair and blue eyes. There was probably nothing special about you at all. His students weren’t as used to foreigners, so of course they would find you attractive.
Throughout the entire day he kept hearing his students chatter about you. About how kind you were, how pretty your voice sounded, how you looked so unique. He was getting peeved—why was everyone so hung up on you?
He carried the thought with him until the end of the day, when he headed down the hall to what seemed to be your room, just as you were leaving.
And—wow. He really understood why everyone was talking about you.
You weren’t blonde haired, blue eyed at all. Your hair was in a fluffy afro, like Mina’s but kinkier. You had the most supple brown skin and dark eyes that lit up when they caught his. His eyes widened a bit at just how radiating you seemed, your multi colored lips raising into a smile.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Aizawa! I’m L/N,” you spoke, your hand pushing out to shake his. He shook your hand silently, noting at how warm your palm was against his cold one. “I’ve heard a lot about you from your students!”
“You’ve met them?” he asked, voice deep with shock.
“Ahh, well, they kind of pranked me earlier,” you said sheepishly. “They came banging on my door and said there was a fire, and that I needed to leave as soon as I could. But then they said they were just joking when I was about to jump out my window,” you laughed, shaking your head. “They’re pretty goofy huh?”
Aizawa couldn’t help but note at how good your Japanese was. He knew English and Japanese were two different languages—you must’ve been pretty smart and hardworking to learn it.
“Well, I have to go do paperwork at my apartment-hopefully I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” you smiled once again. Aizawa only nodded and then you were off, with his eyes burning into your back.
His fists clenched. You were much more attractive than he originally imagined. But he wasn’t going to indulge—he knew that would only end badly.
Right?
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The next day, Aizawa heard the same chatter about you. And the next. And the next. He didn’t see you again until about a week later, when he saw you chatting with Midnight and Mic in the lunch line. He cringed—the two were notorious for gossiping and he really hoped they weren’t telling you anything stupid.
“And then I—aye yo, Zawa! Good afternoon! Have you met L/N?!” Mic screamed, and Aizawa’s eyes went to meet yours ago. Your hair was styled differently to the point where he could see your eyes better, and it framed your face so nicely. You waved at him and he smiled sheepishly.
“We were just talking about our high school days~” Midnight’s voice rang out. “American high school is reaaaally different from Japanese high school, according to L/N.”
“The students here are really well behaved, especially in Aizawa’s class,” you smiled at him. “You’re doing a damn good job with them. They’re some of the most charming students I’ve seen! The ones in American high school can be really rude and nasty... I haven’t experienced any of that here. It’s nice.”
Aizawa breathed shakily. Thank god his students weren’t embarrassing him.
“L/N here’s got a degree in psychology and all that mental stuff!” Mic yelled once again as you all moved down the lunch line. “She understands da brain! We really needed someone like her here, with all the breakdowns our students have!”
Aizawa huffed. Teachers, too.
“I’m here for everyone,” you spoke. “Students, teachers, even the Recovery Girl if she’s got a lot on her mind. I’m just here to help everybody as much as I can.”
“Aizawa needs some of that help fo sure!” Mic yelled, smiling so hard all of his long, white teeth showed. “Motherheffa never talks to anyone about his feelings, keeps em balled up! That’s not healthy!”
Aizawa’s ears turned red. “No, I don’t need-“
“I’ll help ya!” you offered, moving so your body was right next to his. He couldn’t help but inhale your scent—it was strong and sweet, something he’d never smelled before. “Don’t worry—whatever we discuss in my room stays in my room. It’s something I pledged to do when I became a therapist.”
Aizawa laughed nervously, shaking his head. “I really don’t-“
“It’s okay if you don’t wanna have a session immediately, no worries,” you shrugged. “But I’m here whenever you need me. I have more work to do later, but I’ll see you guys later!”
And then you were off, with Aizawa’s eyes still on your back.
“You’re staring pretty hard Aizawa,” Midnight raised perfectly done eyebrows. “She’s pretty—I would stare too.”
“Be quiet.” He spluttered, his ears still red as he made his way back to his classroom to eat.
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Another week had passed of Aizawa admiring you from afar. You always came into work with a smile on your face, greeting students with handshakes and hugs—the hugs threw him off a bit, but Kaminari told him it was an “American thing.” He didn’t know how much he would daydream about it until he started to long for hugs from you, thinking of how your arms would wrap around his middle before class.
He wasn’t obsessed with you, no, but rather infatuated. You were intelligent and easy to approach, and your appearance matched your personality. He was attracted to you but due to him not having a relationship in years and also not having the best social skills, he had no idea how to approach you. He didn’t even know much about you. His students knew you more than he did and you were his age! It made no sense.
Time after time during the third week of you being here he tried to talk to you. During lunch, when Midnight and Mic would force you all to sit together, he would want to open his mouth but he couldn’t. He’d come by your room to start conversations after school but the most he’d say was “have a good evening, L/N.” and leave you alone. He even found your social media and took a quick look through your pictures—leaving your page when he saw you in a bikini, his cheeks red.
By the time the fourth week came around, his students and his work buddies were noticing his changes in behavior. He was getting distracted much more than before and whenever someone would mention your name he’d go scarily silent and look deep in thought. It wasn’t until Mina chatted with the rest of the Bakusquad that his students actually began to do something about it.
“Miss L/N!” you heard Jirou’s voice rang out from your doorway, with some other students from Class 1-A coming in behind you. “Good evening~”
“Good evening Jirou! Hey everyone,” you smiled warmly at the students that were entering your classroom, confused as how many of them were coming in. “What’s up...?”
You had formed a pretty close relationship with the class of 1-A during your short time here. You had sessions with most of them and got to know their personalities and feelings pretty well—even Bakugo, who was closed up and rude at first, but eventually shed a few tears in your room.
“Mr. Aizawa said he needed your help with planning lessons today—he said he’s asked everyone else and they’re all busy,” Mina told you, and your brows furrowed in confusion. Aizawa needs help from... you? That was odd. “He needs you to come by as soon as possible!”
“Oh! Well, alright,” you laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of your neck as you stood up and grabbed your phone. “Thanks for telling me—you all get to your dorms and don’t cause too much noise okay?”
You heard rings of “yes, miss l/n’s” as everyone left your room and you locked it behind you. You started to make your way to Aizawa’s classroom, your palms a little sweaty against your notebook. You hadn’t talked to Aizawa in a while and it was weird that he had requested your help, but you didn’t mind getting closer to him. Truthfully, he had been on your mind a lot the past few days—you found him pretty attractive despite his quiet demeanor. Although, you were a new teacher, and didn’t want to be involved with anyone too early in your school year.
Aizawa jumps a bit when he hears sudden loud knocks on your door, and sees your face come into view. “Good evening, Aizawa. You needed my help?”
“Huh?” Aizawa asked, his face twisted in confusion.
“Jirou and Mina came by and said you needed my help with lesson planning—I’m not the best with planning stuff to teach but I don’t mind offering my assistance,” you offered him your normal, gentle smile. “So where do we start?”
Mina and Jirou? Ugh. Of course they would tell you that.
“Um-um-well,” he stuttered, his face already starting to heat up. “I just need a new quirk training game... yeah. That’s why I need help with.” Fuck. He hoped that sounded believable.
“Okay!” you nodded, suddenly taking a seat that was in the corner of the room and sitting right. Next. To. Him. He had to clench his fists to keep his cool, not used to such an attractive woman being so close to him at all. “Where should we start?”
He spent two hours with you discussing new games to play with his students that would also train their quirks, and those were some of the best two hours of his life.
He so enjoyed the time he spent with you. You were so easygoing and natural to talk to—he didn’t feel awkward or nervous talking to you which is what he feared he would feel in the first place. He cracked more smiles with you in the span of two hours than he did the whole week.
“You can’t just make them play dodgeball with their quirks! They’ll get hurt!”
“We have a Recovery Girl for a reason.” Aizawa rolled his eyes, smirking at the glare he got from you.
“Still! You know some of them—Bakugo—are going to take out their anger on other students,” you huffed.
“But it’ll be fun to watch?”
You were quiet for a moment, but inevitably started smirking along with him. “...you’re right. It will be.”
Together, the both of you planned for Class 1-A dodgeball, with you and Aizawa as the referees. You two even planned to go by the outfits together—and now he was out at a sporting store with you, looking for a fucking black and white striped shirt. He couldn’t believe this.
“I’ve never worn one of these before—you think I’ll look cute in it?” you asked him, raising your eyebrows repeatedly and he couldn’t help but chuckle gently at your antics. “I’m serious!”
“I’m sure you will F/N,” he told you, not even noticing his slip up until a few moments later. “I—I meant-“
“So we’re on second base huhhhh? Don’t worry, I’ve accidentally called you Shota a few times to Mic and Midnight. I’m not used to calling people by their last names, we don’t do that in America.”
“You talk about me?” Aizawa couldn’t help but feel a little proud of the fact.
“What?! Of course not, no.” you quickly shook your head, and he grinned at the flustered look on your face. “The only thing I tell them about is how you need more sleep. Your brain doesn’t function correctly on a small amount of sleep.”
“My brain doesn’t function correctly at all.”
“Wrong. You’re pretty smart, Aizawa. Pretty understanding too,” you hummed, you two walking through the aisles so you could get whistles. “Your students are always telling me how much you care about them, even though you don’t show it. They really appreciate you you know?”
He was expressionless, but his heart did warm a little bit at your words. “I know.”
You two bought the items and soon enough you were back at the school. You got out of his car, sending him a wave and a quick goodbye before heading to your own car, and Aizawa let out the longest sigh of his life.
“Shit.”
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dennou-translations · 3 years
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Violet Evergarden: Booklet 2
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I wanted that star. I wanted to be the person who would piece through that star.
   Leon Stephanotis and the First Star
   I had once seen a comet that only came around every two hundred years together with a girl.
It had happened years ago. That was one beautiful evening. Even now, I can still vividly recall the twinkling of the stars we watched on that day while our bodies shivered at the coldness of the nightly wind. Like jewels scattered over a dark canopy, the starry sky was enough to make one forget to even breathe. As it passed by, dragging its white tail, the meteor looked just like a fairy in flight with insect scales scattering about from her wings.
Whenever I looked at a beautiful night sky, I would think many times over, “Aah, now that I’ve branded this moment into my heart, I’d have no regrets if someone reaped my life away”. Should I lose my life, I wanted it to be on a starry night like that. I wanted to die with the memory of witnessing something stunning.
“May the night sky be a beautiful starry one on the day I die,” I wished.
But that one evening was a little bit different. Maybe because I had someone to watch the stars with me. Maybe because that was my first love.
She was a gorgeous person. Even more than the stars. Her hair looked like the Sun when shining under the moonlight and her blue eyes were like gemstones created from a mix of the sea and the sky. With her porcelain skin and skylark voice, the way she walked was just as that of a well-cared maiden. In reality, she was an orphaned ex-soldier, as well as an Auto-Memories Doll from a far-away southern country, so the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” was pertinent when it came to her.
She was most likely an once-in-a-lifetime kind of person, one that you couldn’t know if you would ever get to meet.
My chest throbbed even at the sigh that leaked from her when she was peeking at the telescope. When she looked my way and smiled faintly, I experienced an impact as if I had been hit in the head, giving in to a love that made me feel like my whole body would melt and crumble down.
“Master, astronomical observations are quite a wonderful thing.”
If, by any chance, my body were to be crushed by a star in that moment, only on that day did I want to keep looking at something, even if for just one second more. I wanted to keep looking at her. Forever and ever, I wished. That was what I thought.
This encounter had changed my life and decided my fate. I didn’t mind if people laughed at that, calling me a romanticist. I, Leon Stephanotis, whose destiny had been altered, would always look back on it.
On the day that I had watched the stars with Violet Evergarden.
   “There was a sea of gold in his land” – who was it again that had sung the praises of a desert like this?
“I’m beat.”
When bookworms read too much, their head’s capacity would exceed the limit, so they would automatically forget the things they had read in their early phases. I had confidence in my memorization abilities and yet I couldn’t remember this, so it was surely a passage from an adventure novel or something of the sort that I had read in my childhood.
——What a beautiful comparison.
When I actually stood in the middle of a desert, my impressions were drawn to the temperatures, sunlight and other such things regarding the environment instead, so this poetic expression hadn’t crossed my mind. In the destinations of my travels, I often reminisced to a certain someone who was somewhere in this world, as well as the things she, who spoke words as beautiful as that, used to say, as if borrowing them.
“So pretty...”
I liked the color of gold. I could observe the grains of sand moving smoothly for all eternity.
“Everyone, you did well; the books we excavated will be brought back by another group. Meaning that we from the starting line-up are finally off for the first time in months.”
As I was spacing out, I didn’t hear the commander’s words very well. I was only staring at the ground, missing out on everything. When I raised my head, the happy-looking faces of my bearded and somewhat dirty colleagues entered my eyes. All I understood right away was that we would get a vacation.
“After we get twenty days off, we’ll regroup in Iustitia, at Shaher’s headquarters. After that, we’ll go to that place in the south where the reconnaissance team was sent. Next will be our turn to bring back the luggage. Don’t let your bodies get weak.”
“Roger that.” Once everybody gave an agreeable reply in unison, we disbanded from the spot.
Iustitia, Shaher’s headquarters. The main office of my occupation. I was previously in a section called the codex department, devotedly working on the deciphering of documents and copying manuscripts, but now I had been transferred to a completely different section. It sounded good when we were called the leading actors, but it was actually a group of reeking adventure rascals, the literature collecting department.
I put my heavy baggage sack on the ground and heaved a breath. Wiping the white folk clothes that I had been provided with on-site, I dusted the sand off them. This clothing called dola – a long robe secured by a waist belt – looked flappy and inflexible at first glance, but it was surprisingly easy to move around in. It was made of a rather velvety silk material, so there would normally not be so much sand sticking to it, but since I was caught in a sandstorm until just a moment ago, there was no helping it.
We had returned from a thorough search in the ruins of an abandoned castle, once the dominion of a royal clan whose name was eminent in the past. A book burning movement had taken place in this land at a certain point, but we had received information that a scholar from those times, out of fear towards the situation, had hidden valuable books in the forsaken palace. The information was apparently right, so after wandering around all over the deserted castle, we had found dozens of books. The books that would be taken to Shaher’s headquarters were to be made into written copies and spread to the world.
Made for protection purposes, Shaher’s literature collection was also well-reputed in other countries. It was difficult to negotiate with the locals responsible for the abandoned castle, but we were allowed entrance this time as well thanks to our achievements thus far. Just like that, someone’s story, studies and feelings, which were supposed to have disappeared, would breathe once again. The books we had been looking for would be delivered to other people and comfort them during long nights.
——What a wonderful thing.
The working environment was awful, but I was proud of my job.
I sat down on my luggage and gazed at the cityscape while drinking water from my canteen. In this desert-zone city, everyone’s clothes seemed harmonized no matter what color they wore.
“Senior Leon, what will you do on your days off?”
As a junior who had not yet left the spot called to me, I furrowed my brows and looked at his face. He was a young man of masculine facial traits, which was enviable to someone as baby-faced as me.
“Hey, Sir.”
A rarity amongst the members of our unit, the man had not been born in Iustitia. If I wasn’t mistaken, he was a rich kid who had been born in a southern country and entered Shaher through connections with the foundation executives.
Getting a job at the Shaher Observatory was a daunting task even for those who had studied astronomy. It was hard to make it without learning in a good environment from an early age. Since Iustitia, the capital of stargazing, was the best place to study in, it was natural that the ones hired were mostly the locals.
——Well, this guy had connections, so this has nothing to do with him.
I pondered an answer. “Nothing in particular.” For the time being, I decided to be cold, acting as nonchalant as ever.
And this was also the same as always, but the junior took no offense in my crude response – rather, he laughed at me, looking happy. “Then that means you’ve got no plans. I was thinking of going home. If you’d like, how about we go together? We have a villa by the lake... If I go now, the schedule will allow my family to join in.”
“No, why do I—”
“Last time we had a break, I told my little sisters about your cool adventure story and they wouldn’t shut up about how much they wanted to meet you. Hey, hey, how about it?”
I was baffled. I had no idea what was good about me to this junior but he would oddly flock to me. The reason why I hadn’t told him about my plans right away was that I felt he would follow me if I did so. Honestly, he was a bother. Up to now, we had acted as a group. I wanted to be alone even if a second sooner.
“I’m not going.”
“No way... My family’s all pretty boys and girls! Sir, you like beautiful things, don’t you?”
“Do they look like you?”
“They do.”
“Then they might be pretty, but won’t be my type.”
“Sir! You’re horrible!”
“So loud. If your family’s waiting for you, hurry and go.”
While I gestured with my hand as if shooing a dog, the junior made a puppy-like sad face. Even though he had a big body, he was amicable and his display of emotions was richer than most people, making him look all the more like a dog.
“Then, if you ever feel like coming to see me during your break...”
“I won’t.”
“...could you contact a hotel called Varona in Leidenschaftlich?”
“I won... uh?”
“It’s a first-class accommodation establishment. It’s under my uncle’s administration, so you can get a stay there immediately, and I can pick you up as soon as you give me my name. Oh, you’re making an interested face, huh? Want to come with me right now?”
What piqued my interest was the word “Leidenschaftlich” – that was all.
——That’s where the CH Postal Company is.
And it was also where my first love worked at.
“You were from Leidenschaftlich...?”
“That’s right. I did say it in my self-introduction when I joined the department.”
“Well, I don’t listen to people I have no interest in...”
As expected, my junior gave a happy-looking smile with his whole face. “Sir, I like that you’re equally unfriendly to everyone. People only got close to me because of my title... and my family’s social standing... but Sir, you’re cold, and that feels nice.”
“Your suffocating actions are a pain in the ass to me. Besides, hum...”
“What is it, Sir?”
“Hum, say... is the CH Postal Company well-known?”
“Do you know Violet Evergarden?” – the reason why I couldn’t ask this was a literal embodiment of how much I lacked guts, I thought.
With an “aah”, my junior immediately made a face like the name rang a bell. “I know them. It’s the company of that businessman, Claudia Hodgins, right? They’re popular. Shocking that the name of a company would come from you.”
“I’m an adult, after all. I’d know the name of one or two renowned businesses at least.”
“That’s a lie, ain’t it? I already know you don’t have interest in anything but stars. Erm... if I’m not wrong, all the postal companies of Leiden got sucked into it. They also succeeded in company split-ups. Their president is a celebrity too. The newspaper series where he talks to other entrepreneurs is a trend... It got adapted into a book just recently. There’s a chapter in the extra edition where he talks to his secretary and the president of an affiliated company, and it’s so fun. The book’s in my room at the headquarters, so you can take it with you and read it all you want.”
“Is there nothing about business in that book? Like, about the Auto-Memories Doll field... Hum, according to my research, there should be a rather famous Auto-Memories Doll in it... Don’t know if she’s still there, though.”
I timidly attempted to ask, yet it seemed my junior didn’t know the details. That was expected. The number of people who could hire Auto-Memories Dolls was limited, so hardly anybody would know even the name of a famed Doll unless it was someone marginally acquainted with them.
“I wonder. I do sorta know that they apparently have one real beauty of a Doll. But I also have a good-looking face... so I don’t yield to beauties from here and there.”
“Got it. Thanks for the info. And for the nice conversation. Go home.”
“Sir...! If you get bored of being alone, please remember me!”
Leaving behind my clingy junior, I took off from that place. I strutted with a hand in my pocket.
My junior wasn’t a bad guy. He had a high-handed personality but fit into the category of good person. He must have talked to me like that because he knew about my background as an orphan who had lost his parents and got a job at the astronomical observatory by way of assistance from Shaher. Meaning he was worried about his senior, who would be spending his vacation alone with no lover or family. The reason why he had invited me to a house where his family would be was probably that he was exposing his intentions in his own way.
——But to hell with that.
I wanted to be alone. To say that the people who thought I was pitiful were the actual pitiful ones was my essence. I had always enjoyed watching the stars by myself anyway, and I enjoyed books about stars too. Book reading wasn’t meant to be done with two people, right? I liked being alone. This was also because I had lived a life of accepting solitude for a long time, but if anything, it was harder for me to settle down when I was in someone’s company.
When I turned the street corner and confirmed that he finally wasn’t following me anymore, I let out a relieved sigh.
——Alone at last. Time and space just for me.
The times when I was by myself like this were the ones I felt most comfortable in, and while I did have some things to reflect upon in that regard, unfortunately, I didn’t have a family to pester me about having children, unlike the rest of society. Because I was alone.
——I get that it isn’t a good thing.
There were things that you couldn’t get used to or change, despite understanding why you should. I was equal parts as obstinate as I felt inferior to those who had families. Only one person had ever made me want to be with her for a little longer when I was in her company.
——Only one.
Our circumstances were similar and we were also alike in that we were burdened with loneliness, but it wasn’t as if I liked her because of the similarity. It was because she seemed like she would be all right even if she were on her own, so I had wished to stay by her side. To get close to her. I “liked” her in that way. It wasn’t as if I wanted her to do something for me. I was the one who wanted to do something for her. It was that kind of “like”.
It had happened a long time ago.
After we had spent a little time together, she left. When we were bidding our farewells, I stopped her and confessed.
“Violet.”
I told her I was in love with her. I didn’t ask her, “I like you, so what do you wanna do?” – I simply told her I liked her.
“I’m... I’m... in the codex department now, but... I actually wanted to be in the literature collecting department like my father.”
She gave me this answer: the way that she cherished me was different.
“I had my hopes up that maybe my mother would come home one day if I waited here, bringing my father back with her... so I kept shutting myself in until this age, without ever stepping off into the outside world. That was possible in this place and I wanted it myself. But... just now...”
But if we ever happened to meet again, she wanted to spend time with me.
“I’ve just made up my mind. I’ll go around the world like you.”
In that moment, the woman who had said that she couldn’t feel emotions...
“I might face danger. I might lose my life without anyone ever finding my body, just like my parents. But—But that’s okay. I’m thinking of choosing that path.”
...smiled at me like a normal girl, looking happy, and told me something.
“If I do that, I’m sure we might get to meet someday, somewhere, under a starry sky. We’re both gypsies. And if that happens, will you...”
——...watch the stars with me again?
“Yes, Master.”
She told me that. She said it. This alone was already enough for me. This alone gave me the courage to come out of the world that I had been secluding myself in. Even if my love wasn’t requited, even if we never saw each other again, I was so happy.
She.
Violet.
Violet Evergarden.
Just that – just the fact that she had promised to watch the stars with me – had made me happy to the point of changing my life.
I kept making transfer requests ever since that day, finally earned approval and ventured myself into the outside world. The world other than Iustitia that I saw for the first time was bustling with a dizzying variety of things, which made me regret secluding myself. But surely, if I hadn’t met her, I would have taken a lot longer to go outside. No, I might have never left that bird cage to begin with.
That environment where I was allowed to wallow was terribly indulgent. After all, everyone was awfully nice to me for not being able to stand up, just because I was sad.
I didn’t simply think that I would definitely get to see her at least once. The probability of an astronomer and an Auto-Memories Doll, who had spent time together at work, meeting even once was surely the same as the meteor we had seen that day – once every two hundred years.
I was being ridiculous. If I really wanted to see her, I should just go visit her postal company in Leiden. The reason why I didn’t do it was that I was scared. That maybe her words were just out of friendliness, and that, if we did meet, she wouldn’t even remember me and I would be rejected. On top of being terrified of this, I also had a dream.
That if we ever happened to reunite, I wanted us to meet again truly by coincidence, under a starry sky.
If something like that really were to happen, just what would I do? Would I smile? Cry? Or ask for her love again?
I nodded at a passerby who had almost collided with me and started walking again. I had no particular destination. I could also go back to the headquarters just like this and be an idle bookworm in my own room, but going sightseeing around this city for at least a little bit was also good.
——I won’t get to see Violet if I stay in that place.
I had no free time to spend money, so I could afford the luxury of staying at a remotely nice hotel. Having made up my mind, I went into the main street and began looking for accommodation in the desert capital.
   Local idioms were honestly my weak point. Even though it was a common language, it was hard to catch because of the many dialects. When I talked to elders, I was done for.
However, I could perfectly understand that the inn’s owner, an old gentleman, had treated me like a “young lady”. Of course, I told him he was mistaken, but he didn’t hear it. He led me to my room with a hand around my hips.
The room was quite a high-class one, so I let it slide. If it were my old self, I would have been as furious as a raging fire. But I had grown up. By holding back my anger, I would manage to spend the night in a proper bed, where it didn’t seem like bugs would show up, so becoming an adult was for the best. Even if my self-respect decreased a little.
While I was chilling in the room and writing my diary, the sun went down in a blink of eye and it was getting late into the evening.
   “Heave-ho.”
It was the dead of night. I put on warm clothes and prepared myself to go out.
I wanted to observe the desert’s starry sky at my own leisure. As our activities had been limited to daytime ever since we had arrived here, I was now finally getting to do the things that I actually felt like doing. I had watched it together with everyone else from the windows of the cheap inn that the literature collecting department’s personnel had stayed at, but as expected, I wanted to see it from a spacious place with no noise or anything of the sort. As a scholar born in the so-called “capital of stargazing”, I obviously was going to have my fill of the desert’s night sky.
Unable to contain my feelings of excitement, I left the room after my lips relaxed a bit. For the heck of it, I greeted the innkeeper and told him I was going to see the stars. When I did so, he made a worried-looking face.
Apparently, women were forbidden of wandering outside at night in these lands. He couldn’t stop me from going out since I wasn’t a local, but warned me not to get too close to men. It wasn’t as if there were many ruffians among the people who walked around at night, but simply that this city had this kind of culture, so if the men suddenly spotted a woman, they might think badly of it. I had grown up in a men’s dormitory watching a bunch of idiots, so I understood what he was trying to say.
I showed him the retractable cane I was holding, and while I was at it, I also demonstrated with one swing that a blade came out from the tip as well. It was not for killing anyone, but it sufficed for making the other party recoil and holding them back.
Receiving the innkeeper’s applause from behind, I ventured myself outside.
The temperature gaps between nighttime and daytime was extreme in the desert. Having been raised in a mountaintop astronomical observatory, I was used to areas where there was a discrepancy in temperatures between day and night, but even then, I could bring myself to deem it as comfortable due to differences in humidity. The instant I stepped outside, I shuddered with a “brr”.
However, I forgot the cold as soon as I saw the sight spreading overhead. Surely, God must have dropped His jewel box. The starry sky unfolded in a way that made even someone like me come up with such a poetic saying.
Due to the fact that it was nighttime, there were few people out, but it wasn’t as if nobody was wandering about the city. Just as the innkeeper had said, it seemed that someone with a womanly appearance (I wasn’t a woman at all, though) walking around did catch people’s eyes, as they called to me countless times. I put myself on guard in each of those instances, and everyone withdrew with the same caution as the innkeeper.
Not letting the women walk around late at night was also meant for protecting them.
I had heard that there was a place for stargazing aimed at tourists somewhere a little far from the city, so I headed there, for safety as well. Several tents were erected around the sparse green area. In addition to privately built tents, there were also merchant tents selling drinks and food.
After looking through the signboards with the prices of the alcohol and warm soups that people of this region consumed and were familiar with, I picked the alcohol. I was an adult now and on vacation, so I told myself that it was okay to drink today and gave myself permission.
I went for a cloudy-colored alcoholic drink simmered in a large pot called the witch’s cauldron. It was warm and sweet, with a slightly spicy aftertaste. It warmed your body when you drank it and was the best delicacy to savor in cold weather.
Some people invited me to enter their tents, but I refused and steadily began setting up by arranging the astronomical observation tools that I had prepared. I assembled a demountable astronomical telescope over the sheets.
Even though this was said to be a place for stargazing, not everyone seemed to be astronomy freaks like in Iustitia – most of them were lying on the ground, enjoying a conversation with their companions while relishing in the jewels of the night. Everyone other than myself had simple handheld telescopes, so a few locals started appearing fussily around me, looking greatly interested. If anything, there weren’t just tourists.
A young father who had a child with him shyly came to ask me, “How much is it for you to let us take a look?” Apparently, he had mistaken me for a merchant.
“I don’t take money for it. It’s something for me to enjoy myself.”
The young parent made a bewildered face at my blunt reply, but nervously stepped in front of the kid and said, “It’s okay even if it’s just for a little bit, couldn’t you let this child take a peek?”
“Sure, it’s fine.”
He was also surprised at my ready consent. As he asked one more time if I really wasn’t going to charge for it, I declared that I wasn’t, swearing by this land’s god.
I beckoned the child. Our heights didn’t match since he was too small, so I lifted him by the hips.
“Can you see them?”
“Just a tad higher.”
“This much?”
“Amaziiing.”
At the child’s delighted look, the father and I locked eyes with each other and laughed. Then, other people who had been surrounding us at a distance came over one after another, asking me to let them see next. Whenever I said that I wasn’t charging any fee, they would ask me back, “Are you a saint or what?”.
In a land where you could see such beautiful stars, astronomical telescopes weren’t wild-spread among locals, enjoyed only by tourists and outsiders. That was probably the case. For them, this was an expensive item brought by outsiders. The stars were beautiful enough at naked eye, so if I had to say it, telescopes weren’t necessary. But if there was something that would help them see better, there would obviously be people saying that they want to take a look.
——Guess I’m gonna contact Shaher’s donors and indicate this place as a potential donation site.
If this pleased so many people, maybe it would be nice to have a telescope that everyone could look into, just as there were benches where everyone could sit on along the streets. I liked stars, so it made me happy even if just one more person fell in love with them.
“Having fun?”
“We are! You’re so generous!”
The figure of an elderly man much older than myself smiling like a boy, looking extremely happy, struck home pretty hard. It wasn’t like I wanted to hang out with anyone or that I had a preference for getting along with everybody. That wasn’t the case at all.
“This thing’s pricey, ain’t it? You okay with people touchin’ it without a care?”
“It’s not made for decoration; it’s something to look at.”
But these kinds of moments were nice.
——Very nice.
If these once-in-a-lifetime encounters would increase the proportion of stargazing in someone’s life, nothing could make me happier.
——When I get old, I guess I’m gonna run a rent-a-telescope or something like that somewhere.
I decided to take a few steps back and let everyone enjoy themselves.
This sensation that the joy of the surroundings was becoming more and more contagious. This feeling that people were gathering there only out of curiosity and adventurous spirit, not for profit. It didn’t seem fitting of my usual self, but something like this was also conceivable every once in a while.
With nothing to do, I naturally started looking around. Wonderful night, wonderful atmosphere.
The figure of someone standing still amongst it all entered my field of vision even without me wanting to. Everyone else had a companion.
The person was clad in dola like me and had a veil covering her face. From her physique, I could somehow presume that she was probably a woman.
Hoping that no weirdos would go talk to her, I worried about and kept watch over the woman, just like people had done for me. If she got caught up by anybody, should I intervene?
I used to hate women, yet here I was, concerning myself with one. I might have a misconstrued sense of justice, but I at least had to care.
I was just looking at her for a little while simply for that reason, but the instant that the wind blew strongly, all of my nerves became her captive. Her veil came off. It came off just slightly and I could see her face.
Her golden hair fluttered leniently. Her shapely profile was exposed under the starry sky. This beauty that could be discerned even in the nightly darkness was breathtaking.
It was really just a few seconds’ time and she immediately fixed the veil back on tight, but I had already seen her, so I knew. I knew.
I knew who that was.
Distancing myself from the telescope, I walked unsteadily towards her. Like winged bugs that gathered up to light.
This person literally shone like a lantern in my life. It was fire that wouldn’t disappear, no matter how much time passed. Time only strengthened the flame’s vigor.
That was why, aah, I... I...
“Violet Evergarden... is that you?”
That was why I called to her at that moment, with a shrill voice. As she looked at me, her eyes slowly crinkled, the corners of her lips went up and she smiled at me.
I felt like tearing up at that.
“It has been a while, Master.”
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I had dreamed of this.
“Is it really you?”
I had dreamed of this day.
“Yes, Master.”
Always had been.
“Stupid, I’m not your master anymore... I have a name too... You’ve probably forgotten about it, but I... My name is...”
I had dreamed of this day and had always been thinking about what to say if we ever got to meet again.
“Mr. Leon Stephanotis. Is ‘Mr. Leon’ all right?”
If it were under a starry sky with not a single cloud, we could talk about its bare beauty. If it were on a rainy day, we could discuss the mythology related to the constellations.
“Did I mistake it? I have confidence in my memorization skills, but...”
If it were on a night where a once-in-every-two-centuries meteor were to pass by, we could share stories of the past in which we had observed the sky together.
“No... you got it right. You got it... Just ‘Leon’ is fine... Violet, the time you spent with me was so long ago, and yet, you sure... managed to...”
I had dreamed of this. You had no idea, did you, Violet Evergarden?
“You sure managed to remember.”
You were my first love. The first person I fell for. That day was the first time I confessed to someone.
“Leon, do you recall the promise we made?”
I opened the door to courage. I opened it thinking it would be okay even if I got hurt. But instead of hurting me, you accepted it. You broke my love to pieces, but still acknowledged it.
“Yeah.”
I had dreamed of this. Of this moment. You didn’t have to remember it. You could have forgotten what you had said to me. But if nothing else, I wanted to have one more look at you before I died.
“Have you memorized...”
One more time.
“...the names of a few stars?”
I wanted to see you one more time.
Violet Evergarden. I – the sixteen-year-old Leon Stephanotis – was in love with you.
He was in love with you. So was my current self. Now that you were in front of me, I could tell as much, even if I didn’t want to.
The flame inside my chest was saying, “This woman is the one who started the fire.” It told me that you were the woman who burned me up. You had burned me, and you still were. You melted everything that I had locked up within ice. It told me that you were the woman of my fate.
Violet wordlessly nodded in agreement. She nodded like a child. She was happy that I remembered what she had told me – I could tell by the facial expression she was making.
——You used to be so expressionless and doll-like – who was it that changed you so much?
You weren’t a doll anymore now. More like a girl who had someone’s love. You didn’t look like anything but that in my eyes ever since you were with me, though. But now, surely you had someone. This someone had changed you to that point, right?
“Violet,” I said, suppressing the pain of my sweltering chest. “If you have some time, won’t you spend it with me?” I asked.
I was attempting to open the door to courage again. Regardless of what awaited me beyond it, even if I regretted opening it. I asked nevertheless.
You changed me. You made me who I was. You probably didn’t know that. You didn’t have to.
“Yes, by all means.”
And this beautiful woman in front of me, too.
“I had been waiting for a day to come when I inform you about the fruits of my studies.”
Surely, she had also been made by someone.
“Should we ever meet, I had wanted to report them to you, even if you did not remember.”
Envy, affection and attachment ran through my body.
“That is what I was thinking.”
My sixteen-year-old self was screaming. “I was in love with you. I was in love with you. I was in love with you. I’m in love with you. Even now, I still like you,” he shouted.
I no longer had any of the youth and recklessness of those days. However, regarding my love for her, the me from back when I confessed to her was still here.
“I’m sure what I’m gonna say now will trouble you. But would you listen?”
I was still here. That version of me was still inside me.
Violet Evergarden, you...
“You can laugh if you want; you see...”
...to me, you... a woman like you was...
“You were my first love.”
Violet Evergarden, you...
“I still like you. Forgive me.”
To me, you were a woman of the stars.
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the-silentium · 4 years
Text
Quits
Masterlist
Pairing: Five Hargreeves x Reader
Words: 2200 words
Warnings: TUA season 1 and 2 spoilers, violence, blood, swearing.
Requested by: Anon!
Hi!! Can i get a five x reader where the reader gets shot or stabbed or something but doesnt tell anyone and ends up passing out? Thanks!!
A/N: I’m back at my requests! Thank you Anon for this sweet lil’ idea and I hope it lives up to your expectations as it does with mine  ❤ Requests are still open!
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You remember a time when you took pride in your capacity to make the right choice at the right time. When school asked you what you wanted to do in life, you chose the right one from the start unlike the majority of your friends who had to change classes multiple times and were now a happy veterinarian. When life put on your path the incarnation of your perfect partner, you decided to take it slow to see where it went. Fortunately for you, you quickly saw through his facade and kicked him out before he could create more permanent damage to your heart. 
Your life was full of important decisions that were though at the time. Sometimes you had to take some days to think about it when other times it took you hours. They were all risky shots that could end up badly for you in the end so you liked to take your time to think about it. 
This is why when Five Hargreeves, your childhood closest friend, knocked at your door one day and asked for your help to stop the fast-arriving apocalypse, you didn't think twice and immediately accepted. How could you make the bad choice by helping him save the world? If he failed you would die, he would die, everyone would die and this is obviously the bad end of the story, right?
Well, as of right now, you were starting to doubt it. After failing to stop 2019's apocalypse and after Five had time-traveled every living Hargreeves plus yourself in the 1960s, you found yourself in two precarious situations: one, you were back in your 13-year-old self and two, you were not fighting two crazy hard-ass Commissioners, but three crazy hard-ass IKEA mafioso! 
It was a miracle that you survived the raid on the Hargreeves Mansion unscathed. You had thanked your luck for allowing you to live another day, although you regret ever doing so. Clearly, you had jinxed yourself, for surviving the Swedes ambush at the Mexican consulate wasn't as painless as the raid. 
A very well-sharpened knife had managed to pierce your skin, getting in your abdomen all the way to the hilt before you managed to kick the white-haired man down a nice flight of stairs. Your medical instinct pushed you to hastily insert some absorbent tissue into your wound to control the bleed and allow you to check it later. 
Sadly, one thing led to another and you were now sitting with all six Hargreeves who were currently trying to formulate a plan of some sort while Diego was focussed on his JFK conspiracy and you were literally bleeding out. 
The once pristine washcloth you had stolen in the kitchen was completely soaked, staining your blue shirt with dark red spots. Speaking of spots, hundreds of tiny black ones were now dancing in your line of sight like dark fireflies. 
"Has anyone here done anything to screw up the timeline?" 
You lifted your hand hoping to get the attention of the others, obviously working when Luther asked what you'd done. 
"Anything yet, but would it screw the timeline if I died here?" 
You saw Five frowns in confusion, his mouth opening on a question before yelling your name when you couldn't hold yourself up anymore and fell to the ground. Strong arms lifted you from the floor and you landed on a comfy cloud. You smiled in contentment, it has been a while since you had a proper night of sleep. This cloud will be perfect for a nap. 
Tiny slaps on your left cheek forced your eyes to open and meet a concerned blue gaze. 
"So pretty." You mumbled, still focussing on the blue eyes frantically scanning your face. 
Oh did I mentioned earlier that you had a crush on Five? Because you do and it is not small if after 15 years your heart still accelerates when you merely meet his gaze. 
"Don't sleep okay? Keep your eyes open!" You laughed at his command, it is the same thing you told him the day he lost consciousness at Leonard's cabin. You had a snarky remark at the tip of your tongue but it died on your lips when darkness forced its way upon you. 
………………………
Even before your mind was operational enough to create thoughts, your brain was already running full speed and relentlessly reminded you that your abdomen was on fire. The pain was a great ally into your mission to wake up and open your eyes. Maybe you would be able to ask for some painkillers. 
The harsh neon light shining over your head made you tear up the second your eyes opened to assess your environment. You tried again, slower this time, and found yourself confused by your surroundings. 
Many times in your childhood you had passed time in this room, planning pranks, doing homework, reading, or just hanging out. Nothing had changed excepted the walls that were now covered in equations and names. 
Groggily, you attempted to seat up, your abdominal muscles screamed in agony at your movements forcing you to stay on your back. The groan that erupted from your throat alarmed a passer-by who raced to the door, opening it so fast that it collided with the wall. 
"She's awake!" Klaus shouted in the corridor when he saw your wide-open eyes. He only had time to put a foot into the bedroom that a blue light appeared out of nowhere announcing Five's arrival. Your heart was beating too quickly by the time Five had pushed Klaus out of his room and slammed the door shut behind him. 
“What were you thinking?!” Five's anger caused you to frown. What did you do? You searched your mind for an answer and quickly found one in the vivid memory of a knife diving into your flesh. 
You opened your mouth to talk your mind but nothing came out of the desert that was your throat. Noticing your problem, Five caught a water bottle from his nightstand, cautiously brought it to your lips, and let you drink small sips of the freshwater. Satisfied, you coughed once to prepare your throat. 
“Now you know how it felt so we are quits.” You answered, referring to the time in Leonard’s cabin where you felt like the world had stopped when Five lost consciousness. You took care of him as best as you could despite your field of expertise being animals you had a basic understanding of the human anatomy, so with your trembling hands covered in his blood while desperately trying to not notice how much there was, you worked as effectively as you could to keep the love of your life alive. 
"This is not a game! You could have died!" You would have believed his angry eyes if only his hands weren't shaking so much. You were friend with Five for long enough to know how to read his temper and now, he was scared. 
"But I didn't." You tried to calm him down with your calm voice. You remember jumping at his neck the second he woke up that time he passed out, why couldn't he do the same instead of yelling at you? 
You watched him open his mouth a couple of times before closing it, clearly thinking through what he was going to say. When he finally chose, his voice was barely audible. "Selfish." 
You blinked in confusion at his statement. "Me? Selfish?" With each word now, your voice was raising until you reached the point where you were yelling at the blue-eyed 30 years old man. "Everything I did was to save the damn world from the apocalypse and you call me selfish?! I took a fucking knife to the gut and dealt with it for the sake of the world and you call me self-" 
"I wasn't talking about you." Now this stopped you good. You frowned in confusion, not seeing where he was going. "I was talking about me." 
Your head tilted to the side, searching your brain as to why Five would call himself selfish. All he did was for his family, he never acted for himself, so why?
"I almost let everything down to make sure you made it back alive. I almost let the world end for you because I can't imagine living another 45 years where you're not there." His words were soft, a tone that you weren't aware was used exclusively around you. His gaze fled yours, switching between the scribbles on the walls and the foot of the bed. 
Color rushed to your face for his words definitely sounded like a confession to your ears. Your childhood self had waited for so long to hear something of the type, so long that you thought the friendzone was the ultimate area that you would be welcome in. You accepted that your feelings were strong enough to be pleased by his happiness even with someone else. 
A smile formed on your lips causing Five's heart to miss a beat in its rhythmic pumping. "I-"
"Guys they are doing it!" Klaus' loud voice on the other side of the door cut you off. 
"Doing what?" Allison had joined her brother at the door, confused of his antics. 
"Admitting their undying love for each other!" At this point Five had opened the door swiftly, his murderous gaze fell on his siblings, daring them to say something more. It was at this moment that Klaus realized how scary his brother was in reality, he wasn't the little Number Five anymore, but a grown-up man who could easily murder him in a thousand ways possible. 
"Oh heck no!" The words fell off your mouth against your will, the embarrassing situation making you nervous so your brain tried to defuse the situation by stating the opposite of what Klaus wanted. From your point of view, you totally missed the way Five's eyes lost their deadly rage, instead showing his pain at your words. He was quick to hide his feelings once more, but his siblings had enough time to acknowledge his true emotion. 
Slapping Klaus behind the head, Allison got a hold of his shirt and pulled him away to let the two of you clear this out. Everyone knew you two were pinning each other when you were younger. Even when fighting the two apocalypses! It was clear as day for the rest of the family, however, it wasn't the case for the both of you. 
The door slammed back in place once more making you jump and hiss in pain when your abdominal muscles contracted. In your field of vision, you noted that Five had tensed before closing his hands in tight fists and made his way to his desk, the only place in the room you couldn't see because of your incapacity to turn around. 
You knew what you said must have hurt him, it clearly seemed like you had rejected him. Stupid defense method. 
"Five?" No answer was given, his heavy breathing being the only sound resonating in the room. "I didn't mean that." A scoff fell off his lips. 
"You think I'll believe that?" The venom in his voice told you just how much you had hurt him, squeezing your heart in shame. 
"When you disappeared 15 years ago I developed a system to protect myself from new heartbreaks. It hurt way less to force myself to believe that my feelings for you were nonexistent than acknowledge them and continue living without you, Five." Water appeared in your eyes, pooled down your cheeks, and soaked your new shirt. "I was so used to deny my feelings that-" Your voice broke when a sob forced its way out of you. 
Hands found your cheeks, drying the wet trails before pulling you into a firm chest. You managed to slip your hands around his waist and cried for as long as needed. The exhaustion of the last endless days caught up to you along with the fact that the subject of your love was very well alive and here to stay, fueling the flow of tears falling down your eyes. 
"I really didn't mean it." You managed to croak out between sobs. 
One of Five's hand went to your hair, stroking your head tenderly. "I know." Your grip onto his shirt tightened when a kiss landed on the top of your head. 
Slowly, he pulled away to lay you back down onto his bed and snuggled to your side when your anxious eyes found his. One of his arms went under your head while the other took care to not accidentally touch the general area surrounding your wound when snaking around your waist to keep you as close to him as possible. 
His body heat was very much welcome, you snuggled your way into the crook of his neck in search of comfort. 
"Rest. I'll be there when you wake up." He whispered into your hair when his button-down crumpled in your hands. 
You sighed, allowing yourself to relax in his embrace. "I love you Five." You had to get it out before you let yourself fall asleep for you were scared that later would be too late. 
"I love you too." Delicate patterns were traced by his skilled fingers onto the bare skin of your waist making you shiver. Your heartbeat accelerated at his chuckle before stabilizing when you fell into a peaceful slumber.
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night-fallz · 3 years
Text
It's getting better . . . right?
A small dive into how Damian’s life at school is.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ao3 // Wattpad
previous II next
I'm confused (Part 2)
As Damian stepped onto the school grounds, he couldn’t help but feel a small amount of relief.
It was like school was the only place where nothing changed. Everyone treated him the same way they’ve always treated him before.
Even though Damian chose to listen to his heart, he still struggled to accept the fact that people cared for him.
The school was the only place of normalcy he had left.
Suddenly, Damian felt someone push him against a brick wall, driving him down on his knees.
He embraced the pain that he was feeling.
You wanted this.
You deserve this.
His face was forced upwards, causing his eyes to meet his tormentors.
Damian immediately noticed the face of the guy who pushed him.
Max Thornwell.
The guy was Damian’s age, 15 years old, yet he towered over Damian with a few inches.
The guy was adequate-looking. There was nothing special about him, blonde hair, brown eyes, and lean-ish build. But, the guy walked with the confidence of Superman. Like he ruled the school and no one could take the throne away from him.
Damian hated him but he didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to make the situation worse.
If he did, he would get in trouble again. And his father would send him the disappointed look that made Damian feel worthless. Then someone would make a comment about how he isn’t fit to be Robin anymore.
Damian needed to be Robin.
The feeling of freedom he felt when he put on the costume made him smile with glee.
If Damian believed in Greek mythology, Robin would be the string of his life. Take Robin away from him and he would be gone. Like a turtle retreating in his shell.
Without Robin, Damian would be a nobody with a family of somebodies.
He would be the shadow that no one notices. The one that everyone forgets. They would only realize he was there when they needed something. Or when they had a comment to make that’ll chip away the small amount of confidence he had left.
“Look at me when I’m talking to you, Wayne.” Max’s voice snarled, “Don’t tell me that you’re a pussy as well.” A cruel smirk settled in the blonde’s face as he heard the laughter of his peers echoing around him.
He kicked Damian in the stomach, causing the boy to wheeze in pain in front of the unexpected attack.
The laughter only got louder.
Tears began to form in his eyes but he refused to let them fall.
He would not cry in front of them.
Max leaned in, whispering in Damian’s ear so only he could hear what the boy was saying. “Don’t you think it’s sad that no one is defending you? Never forget the fact that no one likes you. The fact that one loves you.” he roughly shoved Damian’s shoulder, “Remember your place.”
Damian gritted his teeth. His body ached all over and it was like the headache he got a week ago came back.
He forced himself to reach for his backpack, only for someone to grab it right before his hand could even touch it.
His green eyes met cold blue ones.
Michelle Chuxtre.
Damian didn’t know much about her. But he heard many people comment about how “hot” or how “fine” she is. He guessed that she was one of those popular kids, meaning that she was probably there to have her fun at tormenting Damian.
As Damian stared at her, he understood how people could call her pretty. Her features would fit the beauty standard— blue eyes, dirty blonde hair, and a slim figure- but the mocking smirk she wore on her face made Damian feel uneasy.
It didn’t help that her eyes seemed to glint maliciously as she studied him.
She quickly glanced at the dirty backpack she was holding and her smirk only grew wider. “What are you hiding here?” she sarcastically asked, unzipping his backpack.
Damian winced, seeing all of his supplies fall on the ground.
She looked pleased with his reaction, stepping towards him, her shoe landing on one of his notebooks. “You understand why I had to do that right?” her voice was sympathetic as if she was actually sorry for her actions. “I just had to make sure you weren’t going to bomb the school or anything.”
Damian understood the implications of her sentence. She made it obvious enough so that the people around him understood it too.
Once Michelle left, the people around him soon followed. Their entertainment was done for the morning.
Even though Damian admitted that he was relieved at the fact that everything at school stayed the same, he couldn’t help but want to let a few tears fall.
You wanted this, he reminded himself, this is your fault.
As Damian struggled to get up, he noticed someone holding their hand out to him. He studied that hand for a few seconds before realizing that she wanted to help him up.
It’s probably a trick, his head supplied, she’ll probably push you back down.
Damian assumed that his head was right, so he accepted her hand wanting to get everything over with so that he could get to his classes. The girl pulled him up, kneeling and picking up the dropped objects from the ground.
He looked at her with confusion, “What are you doing?”
“Helping you.”
His voice faltered, “But why?”
She froze and turned to him.
It was the first time that Damian saw her face properly. She was new. The girl was no doubt Filipino. She had the trademark dark brown hair that glowed in the sun. Though, he could see that she had blonde highlights as well. Her eyes were the same as her hair. At first glance, you would believe that they were black yet in the sun, they were a beautiful golden color. She also had the same tone of skin as him.
Judging by the uniform she was wearing, she was going to be attending school with him. Meaning that they would be the only two people that weren’t white in the building.
“Because you needed help.” the girl firmly said. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah,” he winced in pain as he tried to walk, “I’m used to it.”
I asked for it.
“That’s not something you should get used to,” she firmly said, handing him the dirty backpack.
“Thank you.” He muttered softly.
“You’re welcome.” The dark-haired girl gave him a bright smile, “I’m Auda. Auda Arison.”
He returned it with a hesitant smile, “I’m Damian.” he repeated her gesture. “Damian Wayne.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you Damian.” she looked around, realizing that there wasn’t another person in sight. “Since there’s no one else here, can you show me where the office is?”
Damian only nodded, walking forward as he gestured for the Filipino to follow him.
As they walked in, eyes seemed to follow them. Damian ignored them, used to people watching and silently critiquing his every move.
His eyes glanced at the girl walking beside him and she seemed deep in thought. She probably wasn’t aware of the eyes watching her.
They walked to the office in comfortable silence.
“Thank you”. she said when they arrived at the front.
“You’re welcome.” With those final words, he walked away, not bothering to give the girl a second glance.
Lunch was Damian’s least favorite part of the school day. He had no friends, so he had no one to sit with
And there was always a chance that someone would accidentally spill their food and beverage over him.
Damian wondered how his family would react if they found out what the kids in the school were doing.
Would they care?
Damian likes to think so.
But, his brain told him, they probably don’t.
Why can’t you just shut up for once? His heart complained.
Because you guys are acting stupid. It insisted. They don’t care. And they don’t!
Yes, they do!
No, they don’t.
Yes, they do!
No-
Yes!
His brain sighed, They only act as they care. It’s probably another scheme for them to humiliate and hurt you.
You’re wrong. His heart argued.
I hope so. His head resigned, I really do.
Damian’s back slumped against the wall, unable to focus on the book he was reading.
Did he make the wrong choice when he gave his brothers a chance?
Hopefully not.
He liked hanging out with them. He liked how they included him in things. And he liked how they don’t only talk to each other, so he could get insulted.
Damian felt someone grab the book from his hand.
What the-
Laughter echoed around the room as he felt water drip into his shirt. He shot up from his chair, trying to figure out what just happened.
His eyes analyzed the room. The librarian was gone and a crowd of 6 people was crowding him.
He notices that Max was holding his book, flipping through the pages before throwing it to one of his friends.
“Are you planning on bombing the school or something?” Max taunted him.
Damian rolled his eyes, “No. That book was just in Arabic” he couldn’t help but spit it out.
Max only smirked, “So the little terrorist finally started to talk.”
Damian tried not to flinch.
No fights. He reminded himself. Father will take Robin away.
Damian took a step back, hoping that Max would see it as him giving up.
It worked.
The boy’s face stretched into a victorious grin. “For a Wayne, you sure are pathetic.”
Someone held Damian’s arms so that he couldn’t run as Max walked slowly forward.
Like a predator stalking his prey.
Damian didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t just break away from his peer’s grip. But if he stayed, he would be left at Max’s mercy.
He scared Damian in a way that no villain ever could.
When Damian fought a criminal, he usually knew what the outcome would be. He would either live or he would die.
And he was fine with that.
But socializing?
It wasn’t his territory.
Damian was created to be a perfect clone of Batman. He was raised to be a warrior. He was raised to fight.
To kill.
Damian didn’t know how to interact with people properly. He only somewhat understands social cues when it comes to manipulation. But when he opens his mouth, he would have no filter.
And why should he?
That’s how he was raised.
And he was trying so hard to change.
In galas, he could put on the act that people wanted to see.
He would be Damian Wayne, the adorable, intelligent, charming, heartthrob son of Bruce Wayne.
He would play it nice, entertain the ones older than him with his vibrant eyes and appealing smiles. Ignoring how they seemed to eye his skin with distaste.
He would pretend that he didn’t hear whispers of how he would be the perfect Wayne if it wasn’t for his skin color.
He would pretend that it didn’t hurt because they didn’t say it right to his face.
But at school?
People didn’t try to hide what they thought of it.
They acted like everything they did to him was justified.
It didn’t help that Damian never tried to fit in with them. He distanced himself, speaking coldly to anyone that approached him.
The students began to dislike him pretty quickly. In their eyes, Damian should’ve felt lucky that they had even given him a chance.
In Damian’s eyes, they were racist. It wasn't that hard to tell. Everyone at the school was white— teachers, students, janitors— you name it. And from how they treated Damian on his first few days, they also had a white-savior mentality.
Growing up, Damian was taught the stereotypes people had regarding their race.
It wasn’t pretty.
Damian remembered staying up late in the small space he called home, wondering how people could assume such horrible things towards a group of people because of another man’s crime.
It wasn’t fair.
But even at his young age, Damian knew that nothing in life was fair.
And he accepted that.
So Damian stayed, pretending that he couldn’t break out of his peer’s grip. Max’s brown eyes met him maliciously.
He held his hand out and someone handed him Damian’s book.
“How much do you like this book?”
Damian refused to answer.
“Answer me, brat.”
“That book does not hold any value to me.” Damian spat out.
“I don’t believe you.”
Couldn’t he just get it over with?
Max glared at Damian, unsatisfied with his reaction. He threw the book on the ground as he stormed out, his goons quickly following.
Damian let out a sigh of relief as soon as they were out of sight. He picked up his book, inspecting it carefully.
He needed to make sure that the book was unharmed. It was the one thing that his mom had given him before she quickly tossed Damian away like trash.
Stupid. He scolded himself, you should’ve known better than to bring a prized possession to school.
The bell rang and he quickly hid the book in his backpack, not noticing how a girl pocketed her phone with narrowed eyes.
Damian would like to say that no one else bothered him for the rest of the day. But that would be a lie.
His lockers were filled with more sickening messages and everywhere he went, glares and whispers seemed to follow him.
He just wanted to go home.
He wanted to be Robin.
No, he needed to be Robin.
He just wanted to get away from the school.
He didn’t think that he bothered anyone today. All he did was defend himself against Max.
Was that so bad?
Everything we do seems to be bad. His heart couldn't help but whisper.
His brain didn’t argue.
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tofadeawayagain · 3 years
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Create for Thra, Day 2: Original Characters (Post 2 of 2)
And now for my “baby gelfs”. I’m very nervous about introducing these to the wider world, so hopefully you all like them :). Once again, these babies are from my Maudra series. I can’t draw, and as such I don’t have any art to share - I hope you enjoy these little word sketches and the short excerpt from a piece I’m working on at the end.
Elidi – Drenchen
Elidi is the eldest daughter of Maudra Naia and Amri. She is the perfect combination of her parents. Her skin is like her mother’s, deep green with a hint of gold. Her eyes are bright blue with gold flecks – in the dark, her pupils get just as large as her father’s, rendering her iris nearly unnoticeable. During the day, her pupils are only slightly larger than a daylighter’s – it’s enough to make her sensitive to light, though, and she often wears clothing with hoods to drape over her head when the three suns are at their highest point. Her hair reaches to the middle of her thighs and is done in the traditional style of the Drenchen maudren with decorated locks and beaded braids. It is silvery-white just like her father’s, except for the streaks of deep Drenchen blue and a lighter Grottan teal. She is petite. She inherits her wings from her father’s side of the family, though they are black, purple, and indigo just like her mother’s. Elidi is cautious – though she is fierce just like her mother, she also has her father’s tendency to investigate her circumstances before charging into them. She doesn’t trust immediately, and she has a knack for reading people’s emotions and seeing through any artifice. Elidi studies vliyaya and healing with her mother and Aunt Eliona in addition to preparing to be the next Drenchen maudra. She is an extroverted introvert and prefers to spend time with family and close friends wherever possible. Although she is good in front of a crowd, being in the spotlight fills her with a nervous energy. Luckily for her, she looks less like she’s nervous and more like she’s on the prowl when she fidgets. The clan knows her to be a competent healer and leader and trusts her in her position as second-in-command to Maudra Naia.
Oria – Drenchen
Oria is Naia and Amri’s second child and is two trine younger than Elidi. She’s only a few inches shorter than her father. She inherited her intensity and her Drenchen wings from her mother, but the rest of her is all Grottan. Oria’s hair is the same silvery-white as her father’s. The humidity in Sog makes her hair slightly wavy, but by mid-day, it is almost always straight and heavy. She keeps it long, though not as long as Elidi’s, and she only keeps a few braids in her hair as a marker of her status. As her father’s star apothecary and alchemy apprentice, Oria can usually be found in the workshop, her hair messy and tied back away from her face, and goggles strapped over her eyes. Her eyes are bright gold, and her gaze is so sharp that she can intimidate people easily. Like her sister, her pupils can expand and contract depending on the ambient light. She doesn’t look much like either one of her parents, but she is a spitting image for Amri’s mother. Though she inherited her wings from Naia’s side of the family, they are a bright teal blue and glistening silver. With high cheekbones and skin that is closer to gray than green, Oria’s unique looks in the swamp of Sog make her stand out – and she loves it. While her older sister is uncomfortable in the spotlight, Oria lives for it. She’s the life of every room, and she wears her emotions on her sleeve. People know where they stand with Oria – she doesn’t wait for the invocation of hard-talk to express her feelings. She loves the water, and if she’s not in the workshop, she’s likely exploring the lakes and waterways of Sog. Oria is likely to get herself into trouble at any opportunity, and she treats rules more like guidelines. She is fiercely competitive with her younger brother, and though she is happy in her chosen career, she longs to see the world – but she can’t leave the swamp. No one can.
Zain – Drenchen
Zain is Naia and Amri’s third child and is only one trine younger than Oria. Zain is mostly deaf (except for low tones like thunder), and he uses the Dousan sign language to communicate. He is a carbon copy of his father, and during his younger years, he even wore the same hairstyle. As a young adult, he changes his style, shaving both sides of his head and keeping the rest secured back in a braided tail or bun. Zain’s skills with healing vliyaya rival those of his oldest sister, and he trains alongside her to become an advanced healer. Like Oria, he is extroverted; however, he keeps his emotions on lockdown. He values his family above all else, and though he is fiercely competitive with Oria, they have an intensely close bond. He also has a close bond with his baby sister, Zenna, and is the one Elidi goes to for advice due to his level head and calm demeanor.
Shiri – Grottan
Shiri is Deet and Rian’s second child. She was born only months before Oria, and they grew up as the best of friends. Shiri is very shy and doesn’t make new friends easily – as such, her circle is very small. Shiri’s childhood is marked by periods during which her mother is overwhelmed by grief at the loss of Shiri’s older brother, Jen. Shiri never gets the chance to know him, but she feels like she is always in his shadow. Though she is raised to follow in her mother’s footsteps as the next Grottan maudra, Shiri isn’t sure she wants to be a maudra at all. She’s got an ear for music, and she’d much rather become a song teller. She learns to play her father’s old lute in her spare time. Shiri’s got Rian’s tan skin and blue coloring, but she has Deet’s messy hair and long ears. Her eyes can adjust to the ambient light, and they are a deep blue color like her father’s. Her hair is a dirty brown with streaks of Stonewood blue, and her wings have the characteristic bright blue and orange coloring common among the Stonewood. She is the same height as her mother, and she’s quiet most of the time – unless she’s singing, that is.
Koa – Sifa
Koa’s parents are both Drenchen; however, they left Sog long ago to join the Sifa. Koa grew up on white sand beaches and on the decks of ships, but he’s always wanted to see the mainland and explore the swamps where his parents grew up. Koa is tall for a Gelfling, and he’s also bulky from his days manning the sails and loading/unloading cargo. He’s got Drenchen locks, but they are covered with Sifan bells and golden trinkets. As a young adult, Koa gets a job working on Elder Onica’s ship, which docks in Sog’s port city of Seaside, only a day’s kayaking distance from the Great Smerth.
Zenna – Drenchen
Zenna is Naia and Amri’s youngest child. Born ten trine after Zain, she is the baby of the family. She looks like her mother, though her eyes are Amri’s dark honey brown. Like her Uncle Gurjin, she is usually unruffled and steady of temperament. Though she isn’t yet sure what she wants to become, she knows she loves the ocean.
 And now, an excerpt from mah girl Elidi’s POV:
“She watches the ripples on the surface above as she drifts in the current. The water is cool along her neck, crisp in a way she isn’t yet used to. She knows the concept of cold, though she’s never felt it herself before. The water isn’t cold, yet, but it has certainly changed.
The rains have not stopped for three days. The waters surrounding Great Smerth have long-since spilled over the edges of the Glenfoot, and the islands Elidi grew up knowing have vanished beneath the surface of the swollen lake. It is almost as if they never existed at all. Like her people, they are hidden away, waiting for the storm to pass.
Has it passed? She looks at the line of crystal embedded in the bluestone on the lakebed. Though the vein went clear three days ago when the suns burned as one, Elidi still hasn’t touched it. She doesn’t think she ever will. She tried once when she was a childling. Her mother had been nearby and tugged her away. Naia had clung to her when they’d surfaced, and she’d shouted at Elidi as she never had before or since. She hadn’t been angry – she’d been terrified. It’s a sound that’s never left her. 
There is a great splash at the edge of the Glenfoot, and Elidi rights herself in the water column as her sister plunges to the very bottom of the lake. Oria’s at her side with two pumps of her wings, and she raises her hand immediately. Elidi presses her palm to Ori’s, and her sister’s anxious voice fills her mind.
They’re waiting for you in Mum’s chamber. They’ve been telling everyone that we need to leave Great Smerth.
Elidi’s brow wrinkles, and she looks past the ripples at the towering heights of her home. Her mother’s balcony is only three levels up. She’s accustomed to seeing her mother standing there, proud and wild. But the balcony is empty, save for the wind and the rain and stray apeknot leaves knocked loose in the deluge.
We’re not leaving Great Smerth. It’s just a bit of rain. Elidi kicks for the surface, and Ori stays with her, hand in hand.
Aunt Pemma is with them. She’s trying to keep them from starting a panic. She thinks we’re fine here in Smerth, but she wants to evacuate New Domrak.
Have they found Deet, yet?
Oria pulls her hand away. Her expression is all the answer Elidi needs, and the two girls continue to the surface surrounded only by the muffled silence of the water.
They glide over the submerged Glenfoot and toward the stairs that lead into the Great Smerth. Elidi plants her feet on the lowest stair and as soon as her head clears the water, her sense of peace is shattered. The glade is louder than she’s ever heard it. People are calling out to one another on the rope and wood pathways strung through the canopy above, and as Gelfling move their belongings out of the residences on the ground floor, the Stone’s Way echoes in a cacophony of anxiety.
She takes a deep, steadying breath, and then she climbs the staircase, exiting the lake and entering the great tree. She keeps her head high, attempting to project a sense of confidence that she doesn’t feel. When will Mother come back? she asks herself. Perhaps they’ll stop panicking when Mother comes back…
Oria remains at her side, only one step behind, all the way to the third floor landing. Elidi can hear the council members bickering all the way in the hall, and she exchanges a frustrated glance with her sister before entering the room.
She stands tall and says nothing until they all look at her and come to a silence. It’s something her mother taught her long ago, and with her short stature, it’s a technique she depends on to gain attention. Her Aunt Pemma gives her a firm nod of approval, and she can feel Oria standing behind her, tall and firm. She’ll hug her sister and her aunt later. For now, she has a job to do.
She catches every eye in the room, then raises a single eyebrow. “Which of you are responsible for all this huff-puff, then?”
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nitannichionne · 3 years
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If He Was Your Fan, Chapter 61: Britainization, Part 2 (A Henry Cavill Fanfic)
Chapter 61: Britainization, Part 2
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Henry announces that he is driving you and Stella to a place for breakfast. You and Stella are both relieved you got dressed up a bit. The name Lanes of London Mayfair is a big indication that you should. You are dressed in a fluffy burgundy fisherman’s sweater and black leggings with brown riding boots, looking ready for a day of shopping but not at the gym. Stella is in a white shirt and beige jeans with dark brown sports jacket and ankle boots. You are happy you left your usual athletic gear behind.
After that, Henry takes you and Stella to a place that is not even listed.
“Henry?”
“Hmm?”
“I looked up London Trench,” you tell him. “They are online orders only, aren’t they?”
“For the general public, yes.”
You and Stella look at each other. She looks excited but you feel sick for some reason.
With a knock on the door, and Henry telling his name and time on the intercom, you are buzzed in. You step into a boutique that almost looks hidden.
“Mr. Cavill?” a woman bows.
“Hello,” he nods. “This is my lady and her friend. My lady needs a few trenches.”
A few? Did he say few? A few trenches was like…rent money! You look at him incredulously, and he only gives small smile.
“Must make it worth their while,” he shrugs.
Within an hour you are in selections called the Queen Classic, a straight cut, and the Goddess, an A-Line for dresses. You opt for the Goddess, and he takes you to Burberry’s for something shorter and surprisingly more expensive than that. You are cringing inside, and Henry hasn’t flinched. He is happy to see you try on coats. You feel the looks of the sales people at both stores. Face to face they are amicable and friendly, but you see the looks in the reflections of the mirrors when they do not think they’re looking. They don’t think much of you, maybe they think you’re a flavor of the month? Maybe it’s all in your head?
“Well, that’s that,” he sighs. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah,” you smile. “yeah.”
“Sweetheart?” he says slowly, his blue eyes searching yours.
“I-I didn’t realize they’d be so—”
“Good coats are required here, love, I won’t have you getting sick,” he nods, tipping your face up for a quick kiss.
You nod and smile in understanding.
“Alright, you two, don’t get into too much trouble,” he winks. He gets in his car and is gone.
“Gotta be at work today by four for the dinner rush,” Stella said brightly. “What do you want to do?”
“Let’s just hit a mall or something,” you say. “and we can’t go someplace Henry would.”
“I know, the places he took us!” Stella laughs. “He’s…he’s kinda out of it, isn’t he?”
“Childhood weight problems aside, I don’t think he realizes how hard it is out here, no!” you laugh back. “Experience is the best teacher on those things.” You get slightly serious. “I hope he never suffers like that. No one should.”
You both decide to go to Victoria’s Secret several blocks away, opting to start walking off that massive breakfast you just had. When you arrive, you ask for what they have in emerald green.
“That his favorite color?” Stella asks.
“No, it’s actually blue,” you say. “hey do you have any blue green?”
“Hold on, let me see what we have,” the clerk smiles and leaves to check.
“You seem to buy a lot of that stuff,” she says softly. “Do you wear it?”
You are looking on a rack, but you are thinking of the previous night:
“It’s tomorrow,” Henry said softly and pinned you against the door to kiss you.
You instinctively put your arms around him, welcoming his kiss, his touch. You raise your leg and he semi squats to help you wrap it around him. You both pulled at each other’s clothes hungry to feel skin to skin, your kisses passionate and breathy. You pulled your sweater over your head as he wrapped your other leg around his hips, kissing your chest and licking the skin between your breasts that your bra left exposed. He carried you up the steps to your loft bedroom and laid you on the bed, pulling your jeans off. He smiled at your navy blue bra and panty set. He returned to kissing you, and you pull at his sweater as he unbuckles his belt, slid it off and threw it carelessly on the floor. He slid his jeans off, and stood in nothing but boxer briefs that did not hide his arousal. He crushed you into the sheets and you arched to him, wanting nothing more than to feel him…
“It’s a lot easier to always wear bra and panty sets,” you joke softly.
“How many do you have?”
“Uh….I really don’t know?” you answer honestly.
After getting lingerie and clothes, you catch the tube to Angel Central Mall, and do some shopping there. You feel terrible that there isn’t time for a mani pedi, so you find a massage place that does shoulders and neck, promising to do a pamper session on another day.
As you both make your way back to Brixton, you look at the sights out of the window, try to remember the exchanges. You are so grateful to Stella for being your friend, smiling at her as she steals a nap during the ride home. You notice that some young people are staring at you. You sigh. You may be recognized, you have to get used to that.
youtube
Back in Brixton, walk back to your building together.
“There were people staring at you?” Stella gasps “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“There was no danger,” you tell her smoothly.
“Why haven’t you posted yet?”
“What?”
“Why haven’t you posted yet?”
“I post all the time—”
“Never pictures of yourself, though.” Her eyes narrow. "And never of you and Henry."
“Even before I dated Henry, I never posted much about my love life online,” you shrug. “My s/o’s asked to take pictures, so I didn’t deny them, but I’m not big on my love life on social media. Special occasions or requests sure but—”
“I get it, you like that your relationship is between you and Henry, not you, the world and Henry.”
“Yeah, it’s more intimate that way,” you smile. “I have pictures of Henry and me on my phone. Besides, it’s lots easier if there is a breakup.”
“Breakup?!” Stella chortled. “Break up? You and Henry? I don’t think so.” She pauses and turns you around in mid walk. “I’ve seen how he looks at you. He has no intention of letting you go.”
“I know,” you nod. “I’ve had the rug ripped out from under me before, that’s all.”
“You have?” she asks. “How bad?”
“Engaged,” you shrug, earning a small gasp from Stella. “he thought the ring on my finger, though not the marriage one, meant he could treat me any way he wanted. He cheated, he lied…it was like he thought the commitment gave him carte blanche to act up.”
“That’s shitty.”
“Yeah,” you shake your head. “Rings can be a symbol of love that will never end, but for some it is ownership or cuffs.”
“Kinda dark, there.” she says softly. "I don't think Henry is--"
“Sorry, it’s in the past, and I’m over it, but I learned that commitments mean different things to different people.” You take a deep breath. “It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way, Stella.”
“What do you mean?”
“The last time I was in love was my ex-fiancee,” you tell her. “and that was a long, long, time ago.”
“So you are in love with Henry!” she cheers.
“Yeah, of course, I am!” you laugh at her. “He’s intelligent and fun, has a good degree of common sense. He’s a natural leader and he is protective of and warm to those he loves. I need that, all of it. I have never felt so safe before, never..”
“He’s not bad looking either!”
“His looks can only go so far,” you shrug. “I’ve dated men who were good looking, even a model and an athlete. You’d be surprised how little that all matters if they are thick or coldhearted. Or even worse, a man with money who thinks he can treat you any way he wants because he buys you things--”
“Thick.”
“Yeah…” you giggle, realizing you’re using a British term. “thick.”
You both drop your stuff and go back to Market Row, Stella to work and you to do more shopping. Upi check out some of the surrounding stores, hoping for some really special finds that could liven up or make you feel more unique.
You finally make your last huge purchase: a bicycle. You head to Brixton Bikes for that, and get the lights, the helmet, anything you need. Strapping your bags to the rack in back and no longer a single walking moving target, you head home.
Just as you get a good stride on, your Bluetooth starts to play the instrumental version of “Addicted to Love.” You smile, clicking on. “Hey, love.”
“Hey….are you out and about?”
“About to head home,” you say.
“By yourself?”
You don't miss the edge in his voice. “On my new bike,” you tell him. He is quiet. Ooh, that’s not good. “Sounds like you’re in pub.”
“Yeah, yeah, very good, I'm at the pub, " He says. You can hear the smile in his voice for not using the word bar. "just for a pint with friends,” he says. “I just wanted to see how your day went.”
“Pretty well, but we didn’t have time for spa,” you say. “but I did find some nice things.”
“Good, glad to hear it,” he says. “I’ll stay on till you get home.”
“Awwwww.” Some men sigh dramatically in the background.
“Shut up!” Henry laughs.
You talk until you are safely inside your studio. “Alright, I’m locked up tight.” You feed Luna.
“Good,” he exhales. “they say it isn’t safe for women—”
“I am a moving target now, Henry.”
“Alright, alright,” he exhales heavily. “Talk to you later?”
“Definitely,” you sigh, sitting on your couch and starting to unpack your purchases. “Love you.”
“I love you, too.” He purrs, earning another round of catcalls from his friends. He laughs.
“Good night.” You shake your head at him and his friends.
“Good night.”
The first forty eight hours in your studio have been anything but calm, but now there is quiet. After unpacking your things and washing them for wear, you finally get ready to go to sleep. You take a shower and make your way up the steps to bed. It suddenly looks too big to you. You suddenly notice there is something under your covers. You pull them back and find the t-shirt he wore under his sweater last night. You squeal and throw off your nightshirt, trading it for this one. His scent surrounds you as you pull it over your head and you fall on the bed, your impact setting off the scent of him in your bed. You inhale with a smile as Luna jumps up and sleeps at the foot of the bed opposite you, where she usually nestles by Henry’s feet. You look at each other and you sigh dreamily, closing your eyes and letting sleep claim you.
BULLETIN: With this new beta thing, I may have to start a new master list. I will be sure to put the link to 1-60 if I do. Love you, thanks for your support and especially for your comments, likes and reblogs. You truly give me life, people, you really do.
@mistress-of-ward @nuggsmum @messyinsomnimaniac @jencanbeyouryengeralt @sweetdreamsofgelato @mary-ann84 @omgkatinka @the-soot-sprite @viking-raider @keanureevesisbae @henryobsessed @summersong69 @sunshine96love @michelehansel @thelastsock @tumblnewby @tenaciousneckpartypainter @rn7rocks @daydreamin83 @ruthoakenshield @musicartmayheminmyheart @kaatelyynn-blog-blog @alphacancrii @liquorlaughslove @designerwriterchic @nikkilynn303 @circesgirl1 @xoxohannahlee @fckdeusername @maan24 @kaatelyyynn​ @absentmindr​ @introvertedmouse​ @sassy-pelican @griscka75 @angelcavill66 @marantha
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