#fix it fic but then break it again

[liminalpsych]

13. We could pretend

“You fool,” growled a voice out of the shadows.

Lancelot’s hand groped for a sword that wasn’t there before he recognized Merlin’s gravelly tones. His whole body stayed tense and battle-ready nonetheless.

“We are all fools next to your wisdom, good sage,” he managed, smooth somehow despite the battle-fire howling through his blood.

The sage himself emerged, raven-eyed and furrow-browed, from the alcove. “Not what I meant and you know it,” he said, grasping Lancelot’s sleeve and pulling him into the darkness.

The knight allowed it, mind spinning with the beginnings of panic. “What do you mean, then?”

“This business with Arthur and Gwenhwyfar.”

The floor seemed to drop from under Lancelot’s feet, a sickening lurch of dread. He set his stance wide and anchoring and swallowed past the sudden dryness in his throat. “I know not…”

“Do not take me for the fool you are!” Merlin glared, and Lancelot could just make out the glint of fury in his eyes. “Your love will ruin the realm if it is discovered.”

He flinched from the strike of the wizard’s words, the truth they’d all been ignoring in their bliss. “We… we shan’t be discovered.”

“I found you out, did I not?” Merlin didn’t wait for a reply. “If you are discovered—and you will be, Gwenhwyfar is the only one of you with any skill at subtlety—you must not let them know the whole of it.”

Lancelot swallowed hard around the beginnings of comprehension. “Why not speak to Arthur of this? Why me?”

“Because Arthur, for all his strength, is not always practical. You are a romantic, it is true, yet I think you will fall upon your blade for him. He would do the same for you and his queen, and you must not let him.”

There followed a long silence, as the knight digested that bitter morsel. His tone was low and resigned when he finally spoke. “What would you have us do?”

“End this now—but you will not, I know that already. Faugh! It will be bad enough if you are believed to lay with the queen, but Arthur will be seen as the wounded party in that. If it is known that he allowed it, or that you lay with him…” Merlin leveled a long look at Lancelot. “The realm would tear itself apart, the hungry wolves among his noblemen would rip him from the throne, and his name would be forever broken. Arthur’s happiness is not my goal. The health of the realm is.”

A shudder coursed through Lancelot. He drew in a long breath, and let it out in a forced laugh. “I hear you, magician, but it will not come to that. We will not be discovered.”

He walked away with haste in his step and denial in the set of his shoulders. Merlin’s voice followed him out of the shadows like an omen.

“Make certain of it, sir knight. Do not forget what I have told you.”

They think the only road is where they're heading

But you and I were meant to sail upon the sea

We could pretend, we could pretend

That never suited us somehow

[preciouslandmermaid]

spencer/reader + southern gothic aesthetic "I'm just a child, but I'm not above violence My mama raised me better than that..."

the mosquitoes and frogs sing their discordant symphony above the rustling oak leaves and Spanish moss that drape over branches like abandoned wedding veils. you push your toes on the damp floorboards and the rocking chair tilts backward, and your stomach lurches as you sway forward. the old book on your lap with yellowed pages and a musty scent lays open like a vivisected hare. a gnat lands on the corner of the page and you try to flick it away. you accidentally killed it and your brows furrow softly. the hinges on the screen door squeak and you break your monotonous rhythm, the rocking chair sway cut short. "garcia says we're lucky we have cell service," spencer says, with his hands in his pockets, before his eyes flick to your lap, "what're you reading?" "mm." you nod. "nice of the chief to let us use his house." you close the book and self-consciously wipe the title with your hand (the one that killed the gnat). "did you know that franz kafka didn't want bugs on the cover of his book?" "you're reading 'the metamorphosis'," he guesses. "it's a comfort read," you say, shrugging, your toes pushing the floorboards again. spencer slowly sits in the rocking chair beside you and you silently return to the symphonies of the moist, summer night. at least - you do until spencer starts talking about his interpretation of the novel and you listen, your eyes focused on the harsh, slice of darkness where the porch light doesn't reach.

[renarines]

bit of a ramble because im rereading farseer again but honestly i read a lot of sad scenes of various books and go "oh, that's sad," and feel myself get a little melancholy for a character i won't see again, or a heroic death or whatever. like i recognise its meant to be a 'sad scene' and it'll give me a pseudo feeling of sadness, but nothing that sticks, because i always have that knowledge that it's just literature.

but genuinely no scene has wriggled under my skin and made me feel such genuine emotion and pain as the beginning of assassin's quest (spoilers ahead), when burrich gives up everything to re-raise a boy who is not his son who is barely even a boy, he's a man, but not even that, and he not only brings him back from the dead but brings him back from every dangerous precipice that followed, trained him like a puppy so that he might see through the eyes of a man again, drank with him, cheered on his recovery, lived haunted by the injuries done to fitz that he couldn't prevent. the man who was his son in every way that mattered, the boy who he could never save just well enough. and when he's picked him up and dusted him off one more time fitz turns on him, fitz spurns every single facet of burrich's life, he turns away from his care and tells him he should have left him in the grave. and burrich has to gather himself. and then he returns to his son and says i have to leave you now, and it is for your own good, and this time i cannot clean your wounds and watch over you and it is not because you hurt me but because you hurt yourself. and then he just Leaves like that. and you know its coming and you just have to watch it, knowing that its for the best but theres no way that can be true and it hurts like a fucking catastrophic bleed oh my GOD i could write for days and days and days about the dynamic between these two. this scene fucking KILLS ME still, i just read it again and again and again and curse robin hobb for ever making me invest in these two because it hurts with more human emotion than any piece of media has ever stirred within me

[astrolotte]

Genuinely intrigued by the potential of Peri and Irep's dynamic but only in a platonic way so I end up not vibing with the fandom's portrayal of it 😔😔😔

(No but listen LISTEN they were kinda-almost-friends when we last saw them in FOP, yeah? Now they're enemies, with both actively fighting each other, and Irep going so far as to try and kill Peri's parents. What happened? When? What influenced it? Did they ever become friends, or did it nosedive the moment the cameras turned off? What about Sammy? How do Irep's parents factor into this? Could it ever be fixed? There's just so much we haven't seen, and romance just feels like too easy a solution to me. Let their friendship be easy to break, fragile. Let them have to work to keep the connection. Fairies and Anti-Fairies are literally made to be opposites, so what happens when two genuinely and truly become friends?)

((and yeah I guess a lot of this could factor into a romantic angle but ALAS the fandom seems to be leaning heavily into the funny toxic yaoi angle 😔 I don't mind it! By all means, please have your very harmless fun! But it ain't my jam :P Perhaps I'll have to write a oneshot myself...))

(((see tags for more rambles i guess. whoops a bitch spoke too much in there as he always does)))

[avelera]

Oh man, what if there IS a time skip for Good Omens S3 and we DO flash forward to Supreme Archangel Aziraphale and Duke of Hell (There Was A Vacancy) Crowley as bitter exes, WHAT IF??

[bhaalstemple]

i know if orin had someone who fully loved and accepted her, she would've had a worse religious crisis than durge ever did with gortash

[jamiesfootball]

🌹

Thank you!!! I hope you like angst:

"He looks good!" Jamie chuckled, high-strung and cracking. "He does! He's all cleaned up and shit, like, he's properly sober. He actually fucking did it this time." A sob hiccuped out of him, and he tried to erase it with his sleeve. "So we meet, and he's all fucking smiles and telling me how fucking proud he is of me. Said he saw me play for England, and - you know, for once he didn't even mention my minutes? For real. First time in ever. Don't think he's ever done that before. And! - not a word about my ankle! Barely mentioned the Man City game at all. Told me it didn't matter and - fuck, Roy, he showed me - he's got like, these pictures of me? From when I was real little, at the hospital with mummy. I guess I've got like, aunts and uncles and shit? Showed me photos of so many people I've never even met."

[seventh-district]

.

[roxannarambles]

teal mask fixit-fic on the fly: END!!

(Prev Chapters: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 -

Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10)

Ogerpon had a very, vey busy day that day.

It started early in the morning, when two of the humans came to her den at the crack of dawn. They were the humans that reminded her of sunshine when they smiled. The two girls were the most energetic humans Ogerpon had ever seen, and their laughter was so contageous. She followed them on a hike and together they traveled far beyond the Oni Mountains, to a beautiful forest Ogerpon had not visited since she'd been with her previous friend. The woods looked just as they had in the past, their beauty perfectly preserved. The three of them basked in the glow of the morning sun and breathed the soft, sweet air. They waded and played in the lake under the waterfall, ate berries, and the humans even invited Ogerpon to spar against some of their pokemon friends. She could tell that their pokemon friends loved them very, very much. And she could tell the humans loved their pokemon friends and each other very, very much, too. Ogerpon had so much fun.

When Ogerpon returned from the forest, the human with the enormous bag full of rare, delicious berries came by. This was the human who reminded her a little of her previous friend; both men had a quiet sadness in their eyes but also a deep kindness, behind it all. He had been nothing but gentle and patient with Ogerpon, and he had been the one to soothe her when she was at her worst-- when her darkest nightmares had returned in the flesh to haunt her. Together they walked to the apple orchard, wandering among the trees and picking out only the best of the best fruits. Then the human took her to the town and showed Ogerpon how to make candied apples. The human was endlessly attentive and patient, teaching Ogerpon every step, making sure she knew how to do it and that she was careful not to get burned on the sticky, hot candy as it cooled. When they were done, they tasted even better then the ones at the festival, and they filled her with such a happy, warm feeling.

Ogerpon came across another one of the humans while she was in town, the one with a soft voice and the big shimmering eyes that looked like Hoothoot. She reminded Ogerpon of a fairy type; very sweet and mellow, but also very strong if someone tried to hurt her friends. The human was holding a little box that flashed bright colors, and she stared hard at it as she pushed buttons on it. Ogerpon had seen boxes like these sometimes, but only from a distance-- the other humans liked to keep them in their pockets. She did not really understand why they found them so exciting, though. But this human gave her the little box so she could see for herself. The little box had lots of shapes inside it in different colors, and the human liked to push the shapes around until all the same ones were together. It reminded Ogerpon of sorting berries into piles. The human let her try, and she was so proud of how good Ogerpon was at the game! She also showed Ogerpon that the little box could play music. Ogerpon was glad the human showed her the little box, because she was the first human to bother doing it.

Ogerpon explored more of the village after that, because she had really only seen it from a distance, in the past. Lots of humans saw her and waved, and some of them brought her nice food or toys. She followed the path made of black rocks until she reached the end, and then she saw another human she recognized. It was the human with a very loud voice. She reminded Ogerpon of a Mightyena, with her dark fur and her angry eyes and the way she'd growl and bark. But she didn't always growl, and sometimes she was very nice. It looked like she was digging in the dirt, and Ogerpon wondered if she was trying to bury a bone. Ogerpon inched closer and the human saw her; Ogerpon flinched, hoping the human wouldn't bark at her, but she didn't. She showed Ogerpon the hole in the dirt, and it looked like she was planting berries so they would grow!

There was an older human there too. It looked like the older human had a hard time crouching down and digging, so the girl was helping him. Ogerpon decided to help the humans, so she used her vines to dig into the dirt and plant the berries. The humans were so happy to have her help! The girl spent a very long time pulling out other plants so just the berry bushes were left, and trimming the bushes, and watering them, so Ogerpon helped her do those things, too. Ogerpon realized how nice the girl was, because she spent so much time helping the older human. Ogerpon thought about it, and she decided the girl probably just growled and barked because she wanted to protect her home or her friends. That's why Mightyena did that too, so it made sense.

When they were all done gardening, the humans invited Ogerpon inside their den. There was another older human in there, and she was cooking food. The girl helped her prepare the food, and then all three humans ate it, but they gave Ogerpon some of the food, too. It tasted very, very good. When they were done eating, another human appeared. Ogerpon recognized this human, too.

This was the boy that reminded Ogerpon of the face on her Wellspring Mask.

It used to be that the humans in the village stayed far, far away from Ogerpon. Sometimes if they saw her, they threw rocks at her and yelled. Usually they would just run away, though. They stopped going to the mountains very much, and they stopped leaving the village at all when it got dark. But this boy was not like the other villagers. He would go into the mountains a lot, even when it was dark. He would walk right into Ogerpon's den and look around, and Ogerpon realized he was looking for her. She was scared of the boy. She thought maybe the villagers sent him to hunt her down and hurt her. She would hide whenever he appeared, but sometimes he would wait a very long time in her den. Sometimes he would appear at very unexpected times. Sometimes he would search over all the places Ogerpon usually walked and the places where she got her food. It made Ogerpon scared, knowing the boy could always appear, always looking for her.

Ogerpon was never really sure if he would hurt her. He did not look like a mean boy. Mostly he just looked sad. But she was too scared to risk approaching him. Until one day, the boy appeared with another human in her den. The other human was not a villager. Ogerpon could tell just by looking at her. It was very, very rare for humans outside of the village to come here. So Ogerpon got curious. And she got hopeful. She knew good humans existed, like her old friend. Maybe . . . maybe this new human was a nice human? Maybe the boy wasn't so bad, either?

Ogerpon finally dared to do something she hadn't done in a very, very long time. She went to the village festival. Some of the humans seemed nice to her, but she got scared and dropped her mask before running away. A few days later, the boy appeared at her den, holding her mask. Ogerpon decided to be brave and approach him. It looked like he wanted to give it back.

When she came out of her den, though, her worst nightmares suddenly appeared-- like her darkest demons, back from the dead. Ogerpon was terrified. She thought maybe the humans had brought them here. She thought maybe she had been foolish to ever hope that a human would be nice to her again. She hid in her den and cried.

But she had been wrong. The humans were not mean after all. Instead, they made the nightmares go away. They gave her mask back. And then, they even gave her back the other three masks, which she thought had been lost forever. The group of humans did all these nice things and then they kept being nice to her. Ogerpon slowly realized things were finally different.

Even the boy that reminded her of the Wellspring mask was nice. During the festival, he talked to all the other humans in the village. Somehow, he convinced all the other humans to be nice to her, too! Ogerpon was so glad that she had been wrong about the boy, and that he never wanted to hurt her.

There was still something about him, though, that made Ogerpon hesitate. Usually, when she looked at him, she was reminded of her Wellspring Mask. Other times, when she looked at him, she was reminded of her Teal Mask.

Every once in a while, though, she was reminded of her Hearthflame mask. When the boy appeared after they had eaten, she had that uneasy feeling again.

"Wh-what? Ogerpon is here, why didn't you tell me?!"

The other humans looked to the boy.

"We did try to tell you, honey, but you said you wanted to be left alone in your room."

The boy stared and stammered.

"Yeah but-- but-- obviously something like that is an exception! How long has she been here?"

"Oh, a few hours now, I suppose. She was helping Carmine with the gardening and then with the cooking--"

"Seriously? I can't believe this . . ."

"Don't worry, honey, you can join us now. We kept your dinner warm, we weren't sure when you wanted to eat."

"I'm not hungry. I'll eat later, I want to go do something with Ogerpon now."

The boy came around the table and approached Ogerpon.

"Hi, Ogerpon! Sorry I wasn't here sooner, but we can make up for that now. What do you wanna do, huh? We could do anything you'd like, maybe go exploring somewhere, maybe go have some fun in town? I have so much to show you."

Ogerpon sighed a weary little noise.

"Um, I think she's a bit worn out, Kiki. She kinda did a lot today. . ."

The boy turned sharply.

"Well that's not fair! I've been waiting all day for my chance to do something with her. First Juliana and Nemona took her somewhere, then Arven did something with her, and then Penny, and now you guys all did-- what about me?"

"Dear, I don't think anyone meant to make you feel excluded."

"Relax, Kiki, it's not like she's going anywhere. You can always do something with her tomorrow."

"No, it has to be now!"

"Why?"

"B-because! If . . . if she keeps doing fun stuff with everyone else like this, she'll start liking them more. You saw how much more she liked Arven just because he talked to her first. I gotta have my turn or she'll forget about me."

"Oh, Kiki . . . you worry way too much."

The boy pulled the chair out that Ogerpon was sitting on and crouched down on her level.

"C'mon, Ogerpon. Let's go for a little walk, that should be nice, right? It doesn't have to be far. Just a short walk to the park. I'm sure you'll love it."

Ogerpon hopped down from her chair and made a quiet, tired chirp. He looked like he really wanted her to go with him, so she decided she would do it.

They left the human's den and walked through the village, then past the apple orchard. The sun was setting, the skies turning shades of pink and orange. Eventually they came to a little park, planted with lots of flowers. Ogerpon's feet were sore, but she still followed the boy.

"This is nice, isn't it? Just the two of us. It's a really pretty evening, too."

They came to the far edge of the park. There was a pile of dirt and rubble that was surrounded by a fence. Ogerpon sniffed at it.

"Oh, that's the old Loyal Three monument. I'll bet you're glad to see it all torn up. Don't worry, those guys won't bother you anymore. I'll make sure they don't come back and hurt you."

Ogerpon sat down on the ground, slumping a little and giving a sleepy sigh.

"You know what's really silly? The Caretaker has been talking about rennovating it. He wants to collect money and repair it and everything! I think that's a terrible idea. We should just level the spot. Those guys don't deserve a monument."

He looked to Ogerpon, so Ogerpon squeaked in reply.

"Actually, I have an even better idea. They should replace it with a statue of you! That would be way better. I bet you'd make a great statue, people would love to see it."

He fell quiet for a while, gazing out at the sunset. Yanma darted through the darkening sky, the trees turning to black silhouettes. Eventually he spoke again, his voice softened.

"It's nice to finally meet you, you know. I spent a long time trying to imagine what it would be like. And I'm . . . so glad it finally happened. And that I get to spend time with you like this now. You probably don't know this, but sometimes I would visit your den and look for you, and when I couldn't find you, I would wait and . . . talk outloud. I liked to imagine you could hear me."

The boy laughed self-consciously.

"Kinda silly, I guess. But I felt like I could be honest with you. Like you could . . . understand me in a way nobody else could."

He trailed off. Then he turned, asking quietly,

"Did you ever hear--"

He stopped, realizing Ogerpon had fallen asleep, slumped on the ground.

"O-oh . . . um. I guess you were more tired than I realized."

He frowned, running a hand through his hair and pushing back the guilty look on his face.

"Okay, that's fine, we'll go home now."

He picked Ogerpon up very gently and carried her back to his house. He couldn't open the door easily with his arms full, so he knocked instead. Carmine answered.

"She fell asleep."

"Ah . . ."

She stepped aside, letting them in. As Kieran headed up the stairs, she asked,

"Where are you going?"

"My room."

"Shouldn't we take her back to her den?"

Kieran shook his head.

"It's too late to go back there now. Besides, I'm sure she'd be way more comfortable in my room with me, instead of out there in the cold."

Carmine sighed. She sounded hesitant and concerned, but she didn't voice it.

"I guess so."

Kieran continued up the stairs, assuming that was the end of the discussion. When he got to his room, he carefully set Ogerpon on his bed, and then tucked her under the covers. The little pokemon sighed and mumbled sleepily, snuggling into the blankets. Kieran smiled, feeling at peace when he looked at her.

Finally, Ogerpon was safe and happy, right where she belonged.

When Kieran woke that morning and saw that Ogerpon was gone, he immediately felt his anxiety spike. He rushed down the stairs.

"Oh, good morning, dear--"

"Where's Ogerpon??" His grandmother gave him a patient smile.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, she's with Carmine. She wanted me to let you know when you woke that there's been a change of plans."

Kieran frowned, puzzled.

"Change of plans?"

"Yes. Mrs. Briar needs to return to Unova, so unfortunately you and Carmine will be ending your field trip a little early to return to the academy with her."

Kieran felt his stomach tighten at the news.

"So soon? I've hardly had the chance to spend time with Ogerpon . . ."

His grandmother patted him in comfort.

"I know, dear, but I'm sure you'll have plenty of chances to visit again soon. Carmine is going to take Ogerpon back to her den for now. She knew you might feel a little . . . uncomfortable if your new friends from Paldea spent any more time with Ogerpon during the rest of their field trip." Kieran glanced away, sighing. It was bad news, for sure, but at least Carmine was trying to look out for him. She could be really mean sometimes, but she really did care about him.

"W-wait! I still need to say goodbye to Ogerpon," Kieran said suddenly, running for the door.

He found Carmine a little ways into town, talking to the Naranja kids, apparently informing them of the situation. They seemed genuinely bummed out by the news, and Kieran felt a stab of guilt for being so focused on Ogerpon that he hadn't spent more time with his human friends. He justified it to himself by thinking there still would be plenty of chances to see them next time. He'd been wanting to meet Ogerpon for years, after all, so it wasn't really his fault that he was a little focused on that. They'd understand, right?

The Paldean students wanted to join them on the hike into the mountains to say goodbye to Ogerpon, so after breakfast, they all set out together. The others were very chatty but Kieran kept quiet on the hike, his mind lost in rumination.

They reached Ogerpon's den all too quickly. Carmine nudged the little pokemon forward, saying,

"Okay, Ogerpon, it's time for you to go home for now. But remember, you're always welcome in the village now, so you can visit it whenever you want."

Arven leaned down and handed Ogerpon a Liechi berry. She chirped happily and ate it. He patted her head, saying,

"See you around, bud. Take it easy."

Juliana draped a fluffy little blanket over Ogerpon, and Nemona crouched and gave Ogerpon a hug.

"You are the cutest, sweetest little thing and I love you to bits," she said, Ogerpon squirming happily and trilling.

"That blankie is for you to keep warm at night. Stay safe," Juliana said, patting her head. When they were done, Penny crouched down too.

"I don't have any presents for you, but I'm really glad I met you. And I'm really glad everything worked out for you. Remember, if anyone tries to bother you anymore, just show 'em who's boss, okay?"

She booped the little pokemon, and Ogerpon giggled. When she stood back up, it was now down to Kieran.

Kieran didn't know what to even say. He approached Ogerpon, his eyes reflecting great sorrow. She looked up at him, curious.

"Ogerpon, I-I . . ."

He felt a lump form in his throat and he fell quiet. Carmine sighed. Gently, she said,

"It's okay, Ogerpon. Kiki and I will see you again real soon, so we don't have to say goodbye."

She'd aimed it at the pokemon, but Kieran knew it was meant to comfort him.

"Y-yeah . . . that's right," he muttered, agreeing with her.

"I'll . . . I'll see you real soon, okay? Wait for me. I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise."

The group chimed in with some final goodbyes and they all started to leave. Kieran didn't want to go, but Carmine tugged on his arm, pulling him along.

As they began to leave, Ogerpon made a distressed squeak. She looked around, confused. The others turned back to her. When they did, she gave another cry.

"It's okay, Ogerpon, we're just going bye-bye for now, not forever," Carmine said. Ogerpon took a few steps forward. Juliana suggested,

"She looks like she doesn't want to stay here?"

Carmine frowned.

"Eh, let's try to leave again, maybe she'll get the idea, you know?"

"Okay . . ."

Carmine waved,

"Ogerpon stay! We go, Ogerpon stay!"

They tried again to leave, but Ogerpon cried out again and followed after the group. Carmine said,

"Okay, maybe you're right. I kinda thought she'd want to go home since it's the only thing she's known for so long, but . . ."

Ogerpon looked at each of the humans in turn, her little face scrunched up in thought. She looked like she was trying to decide something.

She looked at Arven, then glanced at Penny, then to Juliana and Nemona; she looked to Carmine and then at Kieran. Everyone was quiet, waiting.

Then Ogerpon ran to Juliana, grabbing hold of her leg and chirping hopefully. Juliana smiled down at her.

Carmine said,

"It looks like she wants to go with you, Juliana."

Juliana nodded as the pokemon waved her little arms and chirped cheerfully.

A few feet away, Kieran's eyes narrowed.

"Her? Why her?" he muttered, drawing everyone's gaze.

"Why . . . why? She already has a legendary pokemon she rides around on. She spent her summer conqouring the League challenge, defeating Titan pokemon and some weird trainer syndicate all at once. She gets to do everything."

"Kiki . . ."

His hands began to shake, and he balled them into fists. He shouted,

"If Ogerpon wants to go with someone, it should be me!"

There was a very awkward silence among the group. Carmine crossed her arms and heaved a sigh.

"Kiki, don't you think we should consider what Ogerpon wants?"

His resolve faltered a moment, but then he pointed, demanding,

"I'll battle you for Ogerpon, Juliana! Whoever wins gets to be her partner! Okay?"

Juliana looked very hesitant. She answered,

"Kieran, I don't really want to fight over it . . ."

Carmine glared at her brother, saying,

"Kiki, don't. You know this isn't fair to Ogerpon, and it isn't fair to Juliana either."

Kieran's shoulders slumped and he looked away, scowling. He muttered,

"Fine, but . . . I still want a battle."

Carmine glanced to Juliana warily. He continued,

"Please. Just give me a chance. I've been training, I'm stronger now."

Juliana nodded.

"If it's just a friendly battle, of course."

The two trainers got into position, everyone else watching in tense silence.

Kieran took his first pokeball out. Quietly, to himself, he muttered--

"Okay. Whoever wins gets to be Ogerpon's partner. I can do this. I can do this."

The battle was a short one. It wasn't as lopsided as his previous attempts; in the very least, Kieran managed to knock out three of Juliana's pokemon, so overall it was slightly less humilating. But he still lost, and Juliana didn't even break out in a sweat.

He was genuinely shocked. He'd trained so hard the past few days and gotten so much stronger, but it still wasn't enough. They were still leagues apart.

He'd collapsed to the ground, feeling all hope crushed to dust. It had been his last chance, and he'd lost. He'd lost Ogerpon for good.

He couldn't bear the thought of it. He couldn't stay here any longer, not with all their pitying gazes, especially not Ogerpon's.

He ran.

"Kieran, wait!" Carmine shouted after him. Juliana and the others looked very concerned. Carmine groaned and said,

"I'm gonna go after him, make sure he's okay."

"Should we go with you?"

She shook her head.

"No, it's fine. Ogerpon chose you, Juliana. Go ahead and enjoy your time with her. We'll be fine, I'll catch you later in town."

Juliana nodded and Carmine took the path down the mountain. When Juliana turned back, she saw that fortunately Ogerpon hadn't picked up on the awkward situation with Kieran; she just looked very excited about watching the pokemon battle. In fact, she was so excited she was hopping about, chattering away.

"I think she's a fan of your battling," Nemona commented, laughing.

Juliana smiled. Ogerpon pulled her cudgel from inside her little leaf-costume, crying and hopping up and down.

"Oh, does she want to battle?"

"I think so, it looks like it."

Ogerpon looked around at everyone and then rushed up to Nemona, hopping up and down and chirping. Nemona looked to Juliana, confused.

"Oh, uh-- she wants to fight with me?"

Nemona looked as though she were asking permission, but Juliana laughed,

"Looks like it! Go ahead, let's see her in action!"

Confused but excited, Nemona said,

"Okay!"

Not wasting any time, she got a safe distance away and tossed a pokeball. She yelled,

"Okay Pawmot, Ice Punch!"

Ogerpon chirped and pulled a mask out, putting it on. Her colors rapidly shifted into red and orange, and the gems on her mask glinted and shined bright.

And then brighter . . . and brighter . . .

Suddenly, crystals erupted from her mask, growing in a flash of light, transforming before their eyes: a massive, looming face made of crystals, floating in the air before Ogerpon. Juliana had seen pokemon terastalize plenty of times, but this . . . this was the biggest spectacle of them all. Everyone stared in awe at the intimidating sight, speechless.

Then Ogerpon reeled back with her cudgel and charged at Pawmot, striking him with an incredibly strong blow, sparkling flames roaring the air in the wake of the attack.

Pawmot fainted immediately, returning to his pokeball. Nemona's eyes were wide and she just stared in shock for a few moments.

Then she balled her hands into fists and bounced,

"That was so cool, oh my god, did you guys see that?! She can terastalize her masks and, and-- good Arceus she's strong, that was incredible!!"

"No wonder she wanted those masks back," Arven commented. Penny nodded,

"Yeah. Kinda glad I'm not fighting her, she's beastly!"

Nemona wasn't discouraged, though. She just grinned and tossed out another ball.

"All right, Ogerpon, let's do this for real! Lycanroc, Stone Edge!"

The canine managed to deal Ogerpon a hit first, which did heavy damage. Soon after, thick vines immerged from behind Ogerpon's enormous mask, winding back and crashing violently into Lycanroc, fainting it on impact. She sent out Goodra next.

"Go for Hydro Pump, Goodra!"

Nemona played very aggressively, several of her pokemon fainting in the process, but she quickly tired Ogerpon out, and the enormous, looming mask shattered-- the terastalization broken.

"Yeah! Good work, Ogerpon, that was awesome!"

Ogerpon took some time to catch her breath, but once she did, she hopped up again and donned a new mask. Her colors shifted to shades of blue.

"Wait, she wants to keep going? Dang, that's some stamina," Arven said, amazed. Ogerpon chirped excitedly and rushed over to Arven, waving her cudgel. He stammered,

"U-uh, me?"

Nemona laughed.

"Looks like she's giving us turns! Go ahead, Arven, you can do it!"

Arven looked a little unsure, but he nodded anyway.

"Okay, if that's what you want, little buddy."

He sent out Greedent while Ogerpon's mask terastalized, the enormous face once again dwarfing the little pokemon that hid behind it. Trying to disguise his nervousness, Arven crossed his arms and said,

"Okay, well, this should be fine! You know why? 'Cause my pokemon have items now! Nemona gave me suggestions and my whole crew has 'em. So we've got this clinched for sure."

Greedent didn't look entirely convinced, but still listened when Arven commanded,

"Bullet Seed!"

Unfortunately for Arven, the battle did not go well for him. His Greedent's Sitrus Berry certainly helped it tank a hit and heal up almost back to full. However, Greedent's Bullet Seed did a dismal amount of damage. His Cloyster with Focus Sash was able to Shell Smash, but Ogerpon's first hit didn't bring it down to the sash (despite it being a Superpower), so the sash really didn't even come into play. What made it worse was Cloyster still didn't outspeed the second turn, so it went down without doing anything.

Scovillian had a Big Root and Arven ordered it to Leech Seed, but a single swing from Ogerpon's cudgel knocked it out before it could even move. Still, Arven had confidance when he sent his Garganacl out. He knew it would be outsped but it was tanky enough to take a hit even from Ogerpon's supereffective cudgel. Garganacl did manage to take the hit, and its Weakness Policy activated, to Arven's great excitement.

Then it missed its Stone Edge. When it fell to another swing of Ogerpon's weapon, Arven started to lose hope. He sent out his Toedscruel, intent on using Spore, but it turned out he'd equipped his Toedscruel with an Assault Vest without realizing that it prevented the use of Spore. He used Leaf Storm instead, which thankfully did a good chunk of damage-- finally. It was just too bad Assault Vest helped special defense, not physical defense, because Toedscruel fainted the next turn. So it was down to Mabosstiff.

Thankfully, Mabosstiff was wearing Dark Glasses, and his Crunch did clinch the match. So in the end, Arven finally got his victory. Ogerpon seemed very proud of both him and Mabosstiff.

She was still eager to fight, however; after she caught her breath, she jumped up again, trilling and putting on her Cornerstone Mask. She bounced up to Penny, waving her arms. Penny laughed and said,

"My turn, huh? Okay, Ogerpon. I'll give it my best shot."

Ogerpon excitedly took her place again, her mask terastalizing into massive proportions. Arven called,

"Good luck, Penny! She'll give you a run for your money but you can do it."

Penny paused to consider her pokeballs for a moment.

"Hmmm."

She then sent out her choice.

"Okay, Leafeon. Leaf Blade!"

The wispy little Eeveelution darted forwards; Ogerpon was as spry as ever and struck her foe immediately with her cudgel. However, Leafeon easily took the hit and struck back with a powerful swipe of her tail. Penny called for Leafeon to go again.

All it took was a second Leaf Blade and Ogerpon's mask shattered; she fell to the ground once more.

"What?! That's it? I was down to the wire but Penny gets it in two moves?!"

Penny cast Arven a look and shrugged.

"Get good, scrub."

"You little--"

"Arven, easy. She had the advantage of watching us both battle first, you know."

"I guess . . ."

Ogerpon looked pretty worn out by now. Penny leaned down and asked,

"You okay, Ogerpon?"

The little pokemon gave a tired chirp. Juliana came forward a little.

"You can rest if you want, Ogerpon," she said gently, smiling down at her. The pokemon looked up at her.

Then she jumped up again, gathering her strength one last time. She swapped masks, then looked to Juliana, tugging on her pantleg and chirping hopefully.

Juliana chuckled.

"Okay, okay. One more battle. Haha, you're like Nemona."

"Definitely a pokemon after my own heart!"

They got into position. Ogerpon's Teal Mask grew larger than life, its huge grin sparkling in the morning sun.

Juliana sent her Armarouge out, settling her hands in her hips.

"Let's finish this. Armarouge, use Will-o-Wisp!"

When the dust settled on the last battle and the terastalized mask broke for the last time, Ogerpon dropped to the ground truly exhausted. And yet she looked incredibly happy.

Juliana knew what came next, but she felt a little hesitant, wondering if it truly was her place to do this. She tentaively approached Ogerpon, looking down at her.

Ogerpon tilted her little head up and chirped softly, an expectant look in her bright yellow eyes and a smile on her face.

Juliana smiled back. She pulled a ball from her bag.

"Okay . . . here goes."

She threw the ball gently, and it opened and pulled Ogerpon inside. It was bright green with yellow and red petals, a very special ball that Juliana felt suited her best.

The ball clicked shut after a single shake.

Nemona cheered after that and rushed up to hug Juliana, the others smiling. Juliana picked the Friend Ball up and held onto it like something cherished.

Nemona said,

"I'm so glad you're her trainer. She's such a little sweetheart. And that was so cool. In a way it felt like she was testing all of us . . . and we're her little family now."

Arven laughed.

"That's so cheesy."

Penny said,

"Kinda true, though."

The others looked at Arven and he relented,

"Ehhh, I guess you're right. It's a shame Carmine and Kieran weren't here for it, though. I think Ogerpon would have liked battling them, too."

Juliana nodded.

"I agree. They still might have the chance to, though. Let's head back into town."

When the gang returned to Mossui, they learned that Carmine was busy packing her bags, getting ready for her return flight to Unova. Apparently Mrs. Briar had booked a flight for later that afternoon and she didn't have much time to waste. Carmine met them in the front yard and they told her all about Ogerpon's battles. She seemed happy to hear how much fun Ogerpon had. Then Juliana asked how Kieran was.

"He's fine. Just moping in his room. He'll be all right, he's just like this sometimes. Give it a few days and he'll be over it."

Juliana sighed.

"Okay . . . I just don't want there to be any hard feelings, you know? Maybe you could tell him . . . tell him he and Ogerpon can visit as much as they want when we meet up again."

Carmine nodded.

"I'll be sure to tell him. Thank you, Juliana."

"Of course."

Carmine looked at the rest of them and sighed.

"Well, we gotta leave in a half an hour, so I guess I better make sure Kiki's got his stuff packed too."

Juliana blinked,

"Half an hour? Jeez."

She responded immediately,

"I know! I'm kinda pissed at Mrs. Briar, to be honest. I mean, it's apparently some emergency, but still. I didn't want stuff to end like this."

She looked genuinely downcast.

"Well, hey, this isn't goodbye for good! We'll see each other again soon, you can count on it!" Nemona said, her certainty hard to argue with.

"Yeah, you can't get away from us that easiy," Juliana agreed. Carmine snorted.

"Plus, we all have each other's numbers, right? We can stay in touch 'til then," Arven pointed out.

"I guess that's true."

"Actually, I have an idea. I'm gonna add us all into the same group chat, one sec," Penny said. She took a few minutes to add everyone, including Kieran. When she was done, Carmine thanked her, then checked the time again, cursing.

"Okay, I should hurry up. Ugh, I hate rushing like this. Before I go, I just wanted to say some stuff. Um . . . to everyone."

She looked between them, looking a little uncertain, but she continued anyway.

"When you all first got here, I was, uh . . . not very nice. I felt like everyone was trying to turn Mossui into some kind of tourist trap, and you all were just a bunch of stuckup city kids. But when I actually took the time to talk to you all, I realized how nice you were."

She paused awkwardly, then turned.

"Juliana, I was probably meanest to you. So thanks for giving me a chance even after all that. I know you're gonna be an amazing partner for Ogerpon."

Juliana gave her a warm smile and a nod. Carmine moved to Nemona and said quietly,

"And, uh, I've been thinking about that stuff you said to me before. About finding a rival and stuff? And . . . I realized maybe it's not a stupid idea after all. What you and Juliana have going on seems pretty cool. So. Maybe I'll . . . try something like that sometime. Maybe."

Nemona pulled her into a hug, saying,

"I'm sure you'll make for an amazing rival!"

Carmine was a little thrown off by the hug but Nemona released her before it got too awkward. She cleared her throat.

"T-thanks." She turned.

"Arven, I thought you were a huge loser."

Arven's face fell.

"I-I mean, I used to! I don't now."

"Oh."

"Yeah, uh . . . it's actually kinda neat how passionate you are about stuff. You're a little weird but . . . I . . . I like that."

She glanced away shyly and Arven's brows quirked up.

". . . thanks?"

"Oh, um. Shoot. Where'd I put that--"

She searched about until pulling a scrap of paper from one of her pockets.

"Here. This is grandpa's mochi recipe. Sorry it's just on paper, he's a little low-tech. I thought you might like it though."

Arven took the offered scrap of paper, glancing it over in surprise.

"That's . . . actually really thoughtful. Thank you, Carmine."

"Yeah. Treat it with respect though. It's a family recipe. Don't upload it to the internet or anything like that."

He nodded, answering solemnly,

"I promise." Carmine came to Penny.

"Penny, I'm sorry I ignored you for so long. I didn't even remember your name for most of this trip."

Wearily, Penny answered,

"Yeah . . . I get that a lot."

Carmine frowned at this news. She said,

"Well, their loss. When I actually spent time with you I realized how wrong I was. Also, I mean, that play you wrote in under an hour basically saved the day? That's pretty nuts."

Penny shrugged,

"Your grandpa and Kieran did most of the work, but thanks."

Carmine noticed Penny's deflection but didn't fight her on it. Instead, she added,

"Kieran's been talking a lot about you, too. I think you helped him a lot when he needed it. So, thanks. I mean it."

Penny nodded, smiling. Carmine checked the time again on her phone and sighed,

"Okay, okay, enough of this mushy crap, I really do gotta go now."

"Okay. 'Bye, Carmine!"

"See you later."

"If we don't see Kieran before you leave, tell him we said bye."

"Yep, okay."

"Keep in touch."

"See you soon!!"

In just a short time later, Carmine and Kieran were on their plane, waiting for people to finish boarding so they could take off. Kieran had been a total grump the entire time and had hardly said more than two words to Carmine-- currently he had his headphones in and was staring down at his phone. Carmine knew she just had to give him some time. He'd come around eventually.

She sighed, setting her head against the seat. Thoughts swirled around in her head in a big mess. The past several days had been a lot. It was so weird to be heading back to school now, as if none of it had even happened.

She felt a sudden sense of insecurity. Everyone had been super nice to her, yeah, and they all said they'd stay friends but . . . she wondered if that would really hold true. She knew how easy it was to get caught up in work and just in life, in general. Once a little time had passed and the memories of events faded, would people . . . still bother?

Carmine's thoughts were interrupted by a text from her phone. She checked it; it was from Penny.

Just sending this pic to the group bc it turned out good

Carmine scrolled down to see. The picture was from the last night of the Festival of Masks. It had been really late at night, after most of the booths and activities had already shut down; they were out in the fields near the Mossfell Confluence, watching the fireworks show. Everyone was spread out on the grass: Juliana's head rested against Nemona as they gazed skyward, Arven's armed tucked behind his head as he said something to Carmine, Kieran laying near Ogerpon and smiling, Penny angling her phone for the picture, leaning against a snoozing Koraidon. The faint reflection of the fireworks washed over them in red, orange and purple.

Carmine smiled softly.

Maybe things would turn out all right.

[liminalpsych]

1: I'm tried for love

“My crime is love, and love is no crime,” Lancelot said in ringing tones, fire in his gaze, a challenge in the lift of his chin. “I love my lady Gwenhwyfar, and…”

The surety of his voice faltered as he met Merlin’s warning stare. The words turned to ash in his mouth. He closed his eyes, refusing yet to look at his king.

“Love is no crime,” Sir Lucan said, “yet to act on that love, to lie with your king’s wife… it is betrayal of your oath.”

“Tell us true, or break another oath,” said Galahad, voice firm, though his body shook with anger—or dread. “Did you lie with the queen?”

Lancelot steeled himself. He looked to Merlin, who made no sign to guide his words. He drew in a deep breath. “I did.”

A clamoring arose from the knights around the great table. Galahad was white with shock and rage.

“This is treason,” said Agravain.

“Oathbreaker,” spat Kay.

There was a strangled, choking sound from Arthur’s chair, and Lancelot could no longer refrain from looking his way. The king’s stare was wild, desperate; Arthur shifted in his seat as if about to speak. To protest.

The magician’s words echoed in Lancelot’s memory: “Your love will ruin the realm.”

“It was treason,” he said then, voice resounding across the hall before Arthur could reveal the destructive truth. “I broke oath for love and temptation. I was not strong enough in spirit to resist like our noble brother Trystan.”

He locked eyes with his king, who sank back into his seat with horrified comprehension.

“Were I stronger,” said Lancelot, “I’d never have lain in that bed.”

I would have spared you this, oh my king. More the fool, I.

King Arthur's knights, they filled the Table Round

Save for one who stood before them

For once without a weapon, for once he stood in shame

The trial's charge was treason and betrayal of an oath,

And should his guilt be proven death would fall on traitors both;

The knights would counsel Arthur's hard decision.

And Lancelot, his head held high,

Said, "I'm tried for love of Guinevere,

My crime was love."

[ughgoaway]

sad beautiful tragic..... kiss me try to fix it....... could you just try to listen....... maybe their first big fight??? cannot fathom them breaking up 😭😭😭

- 🐈

literally, "could you just try to listen?" is such a fucking heart wrenching lyric. There's no anger or resentment, just begging to be understood and listened to.

I can see teacher girlie and matty shouting at each other, but you just break down and beg him to just fucking listen for 5 minutes. for him to process what you're saying rather than just talk at you all the time. You are yearning to be understood, but all he does his twist and manipulate your words. Using them as weapons against you, and you just have no words left to fight with.

I knowwww i can't see them ever breaking up either!!! but I feel like it would work so well for an angsty fic...

maybe I'll write it with an open ending rather than an emotionally devastating one? or if yall don't want it, I will abandon the idea? or even prepare some nice fluff for afterwards?

this is just a loose idea rn anyway, and I have abandoned many fics, so we'll see what happens lol <3

[pipitwrites]

little a chalex side piece to this, uh, post-beauty and the beast yukierre fic as a treat for me. explicit (sorry for who i am as a person).

The first thing Charles does when he realizes he has his hands again – proper hands and not the vague swirl of magic around him when he's thinking of tasks that usually require thumbs – is look for Alex. It is not terribly romantic, but they fuck in a dusty linen closet, Alex dipping his fingers in some long forgotten scented bathing oil while Charles wraps his legs around Alex's waist.

"Charles," Alex says between gritted teeth. "Charles, you need to let me – not so tight."

Charles thinks it is well enough for Alex to say so. Maybe Alex has not been as desperate for it these long years, but Charles had thought he was going mad under all the stillness, trapped with the false impression of movement.

"I am ready, Alexander," he says, although he knows he is not quite yet. Alex is good though, so good, and he twists his fingers meanly inside Charles, spreading them until Charles moans.

"We have time," Alex says, sliding his free hand up and down Charles's thigh like he's settling a skittish horse.

Charles chokes. "There is an angry army invading our home."

"Farmers with pitchforks," Alex says dismissively, working in another finger before Charles can respond. Charles grinds down onto Alex's hand instead, instinctive in his want. His mouth falls open at the burn and Alex trails biting kisses from his lower lip down to his neck. "They aren't stopping me from having this."

This is punctuated by a series of forceful thrusts of Alex's fingers and Charles nearly weeps with how perfectly relentless it is, his come landing across Alex's taut stomach.

"There we go," Alex hums. "Nice and easy."

Charles considers telling Alex he is not one of Pierre's hunting dogs or fine horses, but he feels languid and boneless in the wake of orgasm, and Alex is finally guiding his cock into Charles's hole, slowly and inexorably cleaving Charles open to his very center.

[loumauve]

-

[hideyseek]

started writing all this in the tags of a reblog, got a little embarrassed so im making my own post

ok maybe i am actually doing nano this year but baby nano in which i carefully write 250 words a day and at the end of the month maybe will have magically coerced myself into writing the first arc of narrative!fic

kind of terrifying bc lol the idea has changed sooo much since the first “draft” in april of this year and what if i cannot do it justice! but i just have to actually write it! unfortunately to write it i have to write it!! and then revise it four million times but first i need something to revise!!!!

i think this first arc can be 7k… i think?? at the very least it will help me not think of this whole thing as like one large project, if i just write one part at a time month by month maybe i will Get Somewhere good god what am i even DOING

[echoesofaheart]

whoops wait lie actually had plans for tonight. rip

[starlooove]

If Gavin king was alive rn no racism universe there’d be queer allegories all over his story that dudebros would ignore bc “not all theatre dudes are gay” but then Orpheus would either be in the back corner of a dc pride cover or some writer would say ‘yeah I intended …’ and twitter would go insane - there would be a joke line about theatre dudes being gay