#lily is going on about hq ships again

[ask-agent-rapzutin-vodello]

Razputin Vodello 2: The Tides of War - Chapter 4: Infiltrating the Syndicate

‘So far, so good.’ Raz thought to himself – and to the others - as he and the rest of his team waited in the hidden compartment bay at the bottom of the cargo ship Gisu had prepared for them. With him were Lili, Lizzie – with the two of them in a tactical get-up – and Norma, who was busy with the final setup of her communication equipment. While Raz and his team would rely mostly on radio-silence unless in the direst circumstance, it also provided a link with the rest of the team that had remained on the mainland with emergency response units. If anything would go wrong, they could relay a message to HQ.

Lili looked over to him, giving him a nervous smile. ‘No signs that they’re on to us?’

‘I’ll check.’ Raz closed his eyes and used clairvoyance to connect to the mind of the one of the Agents that were posing as crewmen on the upper deck. He soon saw blue skies and calm seas, and a burly pair of hands holding on to a mop as they were scrubbing the deck. A scratch in the back of his mind told him the Agent acknowledged his presence. ‘Agent Sanchez, how is the situation?’

The Agent didn’t answer, but instead directed his gaze towards the starboard – or was it port side? – of the ship. Raz saw a big crane unloading cargo containers – probably some other supplies were stashed with the Psilirium. He suppressed the urge to whistle when Agent Sanchez looked up at the giant oil rig the Syndicate was using as a base.

‘That’s a big rig.’ Lizzie commented, who had joined in the clairvoyance session. ‘You guys are gonna have a heck of a time navigating that, even with the plans Forsythe managed to dig up.’

‘Hollis’ intel has never failed us in the past, so why start now?’ Lili added. ‘I’m a bit more concerned about the oodles of bad guys on every corner.’

Raz had to agree – with both statements. As far as he – or rather, Agent Sanchez – could see, there were a lot of armed men all around the rig. Raz recognized some of the men looking over the unloading process. He had thrown several of them in jail personally. He wasn’t surprised they were out again, though, considering the Syndicate seemed to have gained a lot of pull these days.

The rig itself was massive, even for oil rig standards. Raz had looked into the facility’s history as to prepare himself. Seemed it was a rather ambitious oil drilling project of the Brazilian government, with less-than-satisfactory results. Afterwards, it got repurposed and retrofitted with the intention for it to act as a maritime observatory and deep-sea research facility, but after that didn’t bare any fruition as well, it got abandoned. After that, it seems that the Syndicate managed to get their hands on it, and they’ve been shipping out their ‘produce’ from their out ever since.  

Feeling he wasn’t gonna get any more intel this way then they currently had, Raz ended the clairvoyance and let out a silent sigh.

‘No sign of the big man himself.’ Lizzie commented.

‘No surprise there.’ Norma answered, finally breaking her silence. She swiveled around her chair – which she had Gisu bolt to the floor, so the waves wouldn’t throw her around while she was working – and folded her hands on her lap. ‘The Baron is notoriously known to be very much absent with most of his operations, preferring to lead from the background. Probably to do with the fact he is wanted in most parts of the civilized world.’

To the untrained eye, Norma was a beacon of calmness and serenity; an exemplary attitude of an Agent ready to undergo a mission. She had trained herself to always present herself with an air of professionalism, but Raz – and he figured that Lizzie had noticed it too – saw that Norma was nervous and anxious. It was the little things: the way she had pursed her lips together in a thin line – something she might have picked up from Agent Forsyth -, the way her fingers were digging into the back of her hand or how she hadn’t taken her eyes of Raz since she had turned around.

‘Something wrong, Norma?’ Raz asked. Lili turned around at this question, throwing a concerned look at the older Agent. Lizzie cocked her head, her expression seemingly asking that same question.

Norma sighed, leaning back into her chair. Her frow burrowed and she rubbed her chin in thought. ‘It’s my first time taking the lead in a mission like this….’

‘Uh, no it’s not.” Raz commented. ‘I’ve seen you take charge a lot of time’

‘Yes, but those were either in the field or I was backed up by another Agent.’ Norma grimaced. ‘This is my first true solo op.’

‘What are we, Swish cheese?’ Lizzie asked with a grin.

‘You know what I meant.’ Norma replied, a ghost of a grin tugging at the corner of her lips. She folded on leg over the other and placed her elbows on them, letting her chin rest on her folded hands. ‘I meant that I am in charge and the outcome of this mission largely depends on how I manage the Agents, your infiltration, exfil, things like that. It’s … daunting.’

‘Well, if someone can do it, it’s you.’ Lili commented with a smile. She walked over to Raz and tapped his head. ‘After all, you managed to keep this one and all those other ragtag collection of rambunctious interns in line back when.’

‘Hey!’

‘Ahem, weren’t you part of that rambunctious collection as well?’ Lizzie asked with a sly grin.

‘Exactly my point.’

Norma giggled silently. ‘Thank, Lili.’

‘No prob.’

Norma’s expression, however, turned concerned again, her brow furrowing even deeper. ‘It’s not just that, though. It’s also …’

Raz noticed how her tone faltered and looked up from his gear checkup. ‘Norma?’

Norma took a deep breath. ‘There is this …nagging feeling that’s been bothering me ever since we’ve arrived here.’ She explained. ‘Something feels …off.’

‘As in…?’ Lizzie asked.

‘Don’t know… I can’t explain it.’

‘You know, it’s a shame that Elka went into the fashion industry instead of getting her Psychonauts Specialist Certificate like so many other we knew at camp. She’s a master in using Precognition …even if she only uses it to get a feeling what the next year’s trends are gonna be.’  Lili chimed in, letting out a sigh. ‘We could have used a Precog Specialist on the roster so we could be warned if something wasn’t right.’

‘Even if so, it wouldn’t do us much good anyway Precognition only gives a ‘vision with the most likely outcome of events that is greatly influenced by choice and circumstance’ and never a precise picture. It’s still guesswork, even with the most talented of precogs.’ He turned to Norma. ‘Are you thinking that we should postpone the mission?’

Norma shook her head. ‘No, no, we aren’t going to get a second chance on this. We do this here and now. It’s probably just my nerves anyway and I’m not going to risk messing up an op just because I’m feeling a little queasy.’

Raz wanted to say something, but a sudden rumble that went through the ship stopped him. Norma spun her chair around and looked at her screens. Raz dropped whatever questions that were lingering in his mind and went back to giving his gear a final inspection. He didn’t need to ask what was going on. The ship had started moving, which most likely meant that the business up top had been concluded. The ship was probably being escorted away from the rig.

The job of those on deck was done …now it was him and his team’s turn.

‘We are moving away from the rig, so I officially declare this mission started.’ Norma announced, swiveling around to face the three others in the bay. ‘From here on out, we’ll be using code names. My call sign is – and I would like to point out that Gisu has suggested these and I didn’t have any say in them – Ice Cream Parlor.’ She rolled her eyes at the snickering of her colleagues. ‘Yeah, real professional. Laugh it up; you’re next and your code names are...”

She pointed at Lizzie. ‘Gelato.’

‘Exotic. Nice.’

Norma moved over to Lili. ‘Soft Serve.’

‘It’s sarcastic, I like it.’

She turned finally to Razputin and the grin that was forming on her face was making his one drop. ‘Slush puppy.’

Lizzie let out a sound that sounded like a mixture of a snort and choking while she forced back a laugh. Lili’s shoulder shook as she held her hand firmly against her mouth to keep herself from laughing.

Raz projected the image of a middle finger into his dear friends’ minds, pulling his goggles over his eyes with a silent groan. ‘Next time, I’ll come up with codenames.’

‘You’ll have to take that up with Forsythe, Slush Puppy.’ Norma commented nonchalantly as she spun back to her screens. She stayed silent for a moment while Lizzie playfully ruffled Raz’s hair.

“The Syndicate escort has broken off and are returning to the rig” Norma spoke up suddenly, making Raz and the others jump as her voice suddenly echoed through the empty bay. She presumably felt secure enough to forgo the telepathic conversation for the moment.

Raz cleared his throat, having been silent for so long it had started to feel a little dry. “Okay, let’s get ready, team.”

“What makes you team leader, Poots?” Lizzie asked, grinning mischievously. “I’m the oldest of us three.”

“Yeah, and I am the only official Agent of our little trio, which makes me more qualified.”

“Can you guys please act like it’s an official mission and be professional about it?” Norma asked loudly, but Raz had noticed the amused hint in her voice. She looked over her shoulder, a glint of mischief in her eyes. “Don’t make me turn this boat around.”

“We’ll behave.” Raz promised with a chuckle. Teasing or not, Norma was right. A bit of playful pre-mission banter wasn’t a big deal, but they were on an important mission and they needed to have all their wits about them. This wasn’t going to be easy. “Okay, we’re ready.”

“Good to go.” Lili added.

“Yeah, I need to go take a leak, can we wait for a bit?” Lizzie joked. Judging by the way the temperature in the room slightly increased for a moment, Norma had reached her limit for jokes. Something her sister luckily picked up on. “Okay, okay, I apologize. I’m ready for assignment, Agent sister Natividad.”

“Better…” Norma sighed. “If only a little…Okay, we are reaching our drop point. Get ready to jump, squad.”

The trio made their way towards a hatch in the floor, which Norma opened for them with a push of a button. The hatch, which was one of the modifications that Gisu had installed for the mission, opened with a metallic screech. The sea rushed under them, a mist of cold water splashing on them.

“Okay, I’m ready to engage the diversion in 3 …2 ….1 …now!” Norma pulled a lever on her console. Immediately, Razputin heard a groan echoing through the ship, like a beast letting out a dying roar. Red warning light started flashing in the bay, and probably the rest of the ship. Judging by the current, the ship was steadily slowing down until it come to a full stop.

“Oh dear, we are now dead in the water.” Norma allowed herself to joke.

It was little thing that Gisu had installed that would simulate a critical engine failure, complete with smoke and – she had assured them – mild, totally containable fires. If all was well, the rig would have…

Norma’s console crackled and a voice sounded. “Hey, what’s with the smoke?”

Raz didn’t recognize the voice, which meant that someone on the rig had noticed their little trick. All part of the plan.

A new, kinda rough voice sounded, which Raz did recognize as the captain of their vessel. He sounded annoyed, to the edge of total rage, it seemed. “That damn engine finally broke down. I told them fancy mechanics at the docks it sounded weird, but nooooo…. We’ll need to make some repairs before we can move on.”

“How long?”

“Couple of hours and we’ll be out of your hair.”

silence fell on the other end of the line for a long while, before the first voice spoke up again. “Fine. Make it happen. You got two hours. If yer not gone by then, …”

“Aye, aye,…”

Norma let out a sigh of relief, turning to Raz and the others. “They took the ruse, which means: you’re up.“

“Okay, here I go…” Raz took a deep breath, gathered all the concentration he could muster and extended his hands towards the water. After a few moments where nothing happened, the water slowly started to bubble and slosh around, before eventually it started to slowly part away. Slowly but surely, Raz was essentially making a tunnel they could down in. He had made it wider than the hatch, to make sure that enough oxygen would find its way down there.

Lili was looking down the hatch as the tunnel was forming. “Okay, I think you’re deep enough, Slush Puppy.” She eventually commented, a small smirk on her lips as she said Raz’s code name.

If it weren’t for the fact that Raz had to use all his concentration to keep the liquid tunnel from collapsing, he would have replied with something sarcastic. Instead, he just rolled his eyes. “Thank you, Soft Serve. Gelato, you’re up.”

Lizzie rubbed her hands together, white smoke flowing through her fingers like they were made of dry ice. “Time to work my magic.”

Lizzie knelt down next to the hatch and placed her hands on the edge. First, the area around her hands started to form a thin layer of ice, which slowly started to spread around the hatch. Lizzie let out a soft groan as the ice started to make its way down the hatch, freezing the tunnel that Razputin was making.

“It’s working.” Lili announced. “Keep it up, you two.”

“Lizzie, I think the tunnel isn’t dealing well with the pressure.” Raz commented. “Can you make the ice thicker?”

“In a moment…” Lizzie took a deep breath. “Once I get the first layer done, I’ll work on reinforcing.”

“Roger that.”

Norma looked over her shoulder, allowing herself a soft smile – and a sense of pride - as she watched her sister and surrogate brother work together. It was Razputin who had come up with the idea of combining their powers to do this. It was a favorite pastime of them when they were still interns. Raz would use his Hydrokinesis to make all sorts of structures and Lizzie would freeze them solid. More than often, they made them for Gisu who would use it to perform her next ‘most epic stunt’. Who would’ve thought that a silly game like that would have real world applications?

Only Razputin’s imagination could concoct something like this.

“How’s it going?” She asked eventually.

“Just about done!” Lizzie replied. “Just putting the final touches on the bottom. We don’t wanna crash through it, don’t we?”

“Aaand …done!” Razputin announced, letting his arms fall to his sides with a heavy sigh. He grinned as he looked down the tunnel, feeling the cold rise of from its frosty depth. “Phase 1, complete.”

“Still no sign the Syndicate suspects something.” Norma commented from her chair. She turned around. “Okay, you know the plan, Razputin. Get to the rig, get inside, find the Baron, use whatever means to incapacitate him and exfiltrate as fast as possible.”

“Got it.”

”Good luck and be careful, all of you.”

“Always.” Raz commented with a wink. “See you in a bit, sis. You ready, Lizzie?”

“Ready, Slush Puppy.”

“Ugh …Lili?”

“Yup!”

“Let’s go.” Raz levitated down with Lizzie and Lili following behind him. Immediately, he felt the temperature drop down farther and farther the more he went down. He exhaled, watching wisps of breath disperse into the air. Maybe he should’ve worn a sweater. Razputin looked up as they hovered down, watching the opening of the hatch grow smaller and smaller. He had no idea how deep they were going, but he could feel the pressure building up in her ears. It was getting darker too, so they ignited their flashlights just before they hit ‘floor’ of their tunnel.

“Okay, we’re at the bottom.” Razputin said as he activated his earpiece.

“How’s the view?” Norma’s voice asked.

“It’s ice, Norms.” Lizzie answered. “Not much too see through it.”

“I’m sorry, Gelato, could you repeat your statement?” Norma sounded neutral, but Raz could pick up the tinniest hint of amusement in her voice.

Lizzie rolled her eyes. “Ice Cream Parlor, visual is minimal and a bit frozen.”

“Roger that, Gelato. Ice Cream Parlor, out.”

“She’s having fun.” Lili commented with a giggle.

“Yeah, but we better get serious.” Raz said. “This won’t be a walk in the park. Soft Serve, which way to the rig?”

Lili fished a small device out of her pockets and checked it. “Gisu’s doodad says ‘thataway’. “

Raz smirked and extended his arms again. “Ready, Gelato?”

“Yeah, I’m not using code names anymore, Raz.” Lizzie commented as she extended her arms too. “But yeah, I’m ready.”

“And …go.”

Lizzie made a an opening in the ice at the same moment that Raz used his HK to form a new tunnel, which the former quickly started to freeze as well. And so they gradually made their way forward, forming a tunnel and instantly freezing it around them. The process was slow, since Raz had to make sure the ‘hallways’ he was making connected with each other as Lizzie was making them solid.

Even though oxygen flowed from the above them through the tunnel, it was till sparse enough for Raz to feel its effect. The fact that he had to concentrate so hard didn’t help at all. Lizzie was silent throughout it all. She probably had the hardest job so far. Not only did she need to freeze the tunnel around them; she also needed to make it thick and dense enough so it would break under the pressure. Combined with the fact that she also was making ‘support beams’ under the tunnel so it wouldn’t collapse under its own weight, Raz was more than amazed at his adopted sister’s abilities.

“Doodad says we’re approaching the rig’s entry point.” Lili announced at one point. “Just a bit more, aaaaand ….we right below where we need to be.”

Raz nodded and started to work on forming a bigger area for them to get started in. After that, he directed his HK upwards and started making a tunnel up to the rig. When the tunnel was completed, Raz dropped his arms. “Okay, we’re done, Gelato.”

Lizzie dropped on one knee with a heavy sigh. Her face was glistening in sweat and she looked fatigued. “That …was a lot.”

Raz walked up to her and knelt down. “Hey, you did amazing, Liz.”

Lizzie grinned and waved the comment away. “Yeah, I know …Slushy.”

Raz grinned as well. “That’s ‘Slush Puppy’.” He stood up, holding out his hand to pull Lizzie to her feet. “Lili and I can take it from here. You return to the ship.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that.” Lizzie agreed. “After I fortify this tunnel a bit more. We don’t want your exit collapse before you can use it, don’t we?”

“That would be preferable.” Lili joked.

Lizzie slapped a hand on Raz’s shoulder. “Good luck, you two. Go raise some hell up there.” With that, she knelt down again, placing her hands on the floor. Judging by the cracking sounds, she had started with making the wall thicker. Raz nodded at Lili and both of them levitated upwards towards the rig.

As they reached the top of the tunnel, Raz dug into his bag and fished out a stethoscope.

“Really, Raz? A stethoscope?”

“What? It’s one of Gisu’s. Especially made for situations like this.”

“It’s a bit …cliché, isn’t it?”

“Hey, it’s pronounced ‘classic’ and if it works, it works.” Raz placed the bell against the ceiling – rig‘s floor – and listened. He couldn’t detect any footsteps or voices in the room above them. He put the listening device away and nodded at Lili. “Your turn.”

Lili nodded, placed her fingers against her temple and concentrated her focus on the metal plates. A spot on the metal started slowly heating up, becoming redder and redder until it started sparking. Lili, using a finger to guide the way, slowly started to cut out a hole for them to enter.

“You’re amazing, you know that?” Raz complimented.

“Shut up and let me focus.” Lili growled softly, despite the little smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Once Lili had managed to cut out the hole, Raz used TK to carefully push it out. They waited for a few moments, listening if someone potentially had noticed them. When it looked like they were in the clear, he radioed Norma.

“Ice Cream Parlor, we’re about to infiltrate the rig, over.”

“Roger that, Slush Puppy.” Norma replied. “Radio silence until further notice.”

“Understood.” He gestured to Lili that he was going to enter first. He took a deep breath and levitated himself up the hole. The room was dark, probably not even used by the Syndicate, judging by the junk that was sprawled around. He landed gently on the floor, looking around if no-one had heard him. When he was sure they were safe, he signaled Lili to come up.

“So, we are here…” Raz said, pulling out a map out of his bag as Lili landed next to him. He folded it out and pointed at a spot on the schematics. “We can use the elevator shaft to climb up and make our way further down the compound.”

“Where do you think Baron Breaker will be hiding out?”

“He’ll probably be in the control room, to keep an eye on his operations” Raz said, pointing at a structure at the top of the schematic. He folded up the map again and put it in his bag. “Okay, we are deep in enemy territory, so we better be careful. We’re trying to get this guy off guard. If we’re quiet and sneaky enough, this shouldn’t be a problem.”

“And if we do get caught…” Lili grinned and slammed a fist in her open palm.

Raz chuckled. “That’s why I love you, Soft Serve.”

“Shut up, Raz.”

[jackzillanyanut8008]

Star Wars TLJ Rewrite: Part 6

Author’s Note:

This rewrite is completely fan-made. I am not the creator of these characters. They belong to George Lucas, Lucasfilm Entertainment, Lily and Mikaila Orchard, and Disney+ Entertainment. I am not claiming any of these properties of my own. In the event that I do otherwise, I will take full legal responsibility for the misuse of these characters. Please support the official creators and there content. Thank You

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Chapter 25: Talking About What Happened

Varax lands the shuttle outside Theed, laying back on the pilot’s seat as he sighs with relief. “Goddamnit Varax, you just had to be a hero” he says to himself, wincing in pain due to his scarred back and shoulders. He gets up and grabs Rey, who’s awake but almost lifeless. Almost as if her spirit has left her body, leaving only a husk of her old self “C’mon Rey, let's get out of here and head back to HQ. Hopefully 2V can patch us up” he says as he walks out of the control room. Rey doesn’t even respond, she just gets up and walks out, not even saying a word. 

Aliana sees Ren’s dropship, almost reaching her arm out to crush the bastard's shuttle before seeing Rey and Varax walk out of it. “Rey! Varax! What happened?! Are you hurt?! I’ll get 2V and the medical squa-” she says before Rey hugs her, burying her face into the Sith’s shoulder as she cries softly. Varax limps over, a look of pity and sadness on his face “We got captured by Ren and his Knights, they…” he says before stopping himself, almost getting sick at the thought of what happened to Rey aboard Snoke’s warship “They tortured us, Rey got the worst of it” he says, still wincing in pain from his burns as 2V and a medical team come to walk Varax to the medical tent.

Aliana walks Rey over to the Fury, her girlfriend was pale, almost as if she was  a ghost, which scared Aliana more than anything. The two sat down as Aliana clears her throat “Hun, I don’t know what went on when I was gone, but I’ll tell you this: Did Kylo hurt you, even in the slightest?” she asks as she puts her hands on Rey’s shoulder. Rey still is shaking from the experience “H-he entered my mind, he… tried to find Luke” she says, almost in a whisper. Aliana was shocked, she knew Luke was powerful, but she didn’t see him as a threat to anyone, even the First Order.

Aliana hugs Rey gently, “It’s okay love, as long as I’m here, nothing bad will happen to you, I swear on my life” she says as she kisses her forehead. Rey wipes away her tears “Thanks hun, Is it alright if I stay here for a while? I just wanna sleep, hopefully I can forget that whole fucking ordeal…” Rey says.

Aliana kisses Rey’s forehead “Sure thing, I’ll be in the living room if you need anything, if not 2V should be close by” she says as she gets up, Porg-Racing jumping onto the bed next to Rey, nuzzling her thigh. 

Rey smiles at the creature as she drifts into slumber. Hoping to never see Kylo Ren again…

Chapter 26: A Jedi’s Crusade

Varax leaves the medical tent, still sore from his injuries aboard the Supremacy. “Thanks guys! I’ll see if I can pay you all back someday!” he says as he waves farewell to the medics inside. He walks around the new compound, which Ackbar Named Leia’s Rest, after the fallen founder of the Resistance. 

Poe and Finn meet up with him, walking alongside the fallen Jedi. “So what's the plan? Do we bomb the bastards? assassinate Snoke and the Knights? Give us something man!!!” Poe exclaims as he and Finn follow Varax to his new personal shuttle The Obsidian Blade, Varax stops as he opens the shuttle. “I need to gather an army, one that can compete with the First Order, but I may not come back…” he says as he enters the ship. 

Poe and Finn look at each other as Finn stops him “We’ll go with” he says as Varax brushes his arm. “No, this is my task, not yours… besides, we need all the troops we can get, I’ll be fine” he says as he gets into The Obsidian Blade and takes off.

“Alright Snoke, you and your Dark Jedi wanna war, I’ll give you a damn war” he says to himself as he jumps the ship to hyperspeed to the homeworld of the most savage beasts in the galaxy… the Yusong Vong.

Varax lands the ship outside the massive walled village of the creatures as the guards block the gate “HALT, STATE YOUR BUSINESS OR DIE JEDI SCUM!!!” the soldier barks as Varax looks up. “I seek a quarry with your Chief, the galaxy needs an army” Varax says as he reveals his blade to the guard, who stares for a moment before the gate opens.

Varax was impressed by the Yuson Vong’s recovery after their fight with the Old Republic, Varax eventually reached the palace, home to the Chief of The Yusong Vong. “Oh mighty chieftain, I seek your aid in the fight against a new empire, one that threatens all alien and human life in the galaxy” he says, respectfully bowing before the warrior chief in honor.

The Chief laughs as Varax bows “You come to our home, demand our aid, and expect us to follow you? Who do you think you are?” he says 

Varax smiles as he ignites his lightsaber and unveils his hood, “I’m a peacekeeper your highness” he says with an smirk.

Chapter 27: The Warrior Tribe Of Exegol

“You are a Jedi? I thought your kind we’re extinct” the Chieftain says as he stands up from his throne. Varax gives the warrior a chuckle “The feeling’s mutual friend” he says, still holding the blade as the chief steps closer. “What are you called, Jedi?” he asks as Varax straightens his poster “Varax Koslov. Jedi Master and bounty hunter” he says, outstretching his hand for a handshake, which insights a laugh from the shake “You’re a funny little man, but we do things differently here on Exegol…” the Chief says as he signals his guards to stand down.

“My name is Lord Ku’n, I am the leader of these people, and we choose our allies not by their words…” he says as a red serpent coils around his leg and into his hand, transforming into a staff as he slams it to the ground, “But by their strength, fight me in mortal combat. If you win, you’ll have our allegiance, if you lose… you’ll become a slave” he says with a deep and menacing laugh.

Varax gives the warrior a look before chuckling to himself, “Deal” he says as the two warriors exit the throne room and prepare for a fight.

Varax wasn’t against the Yusong Vong, he understood their culture to a sense, a race of aliens who believed machines were the enemy of life and should be destroyed. And although they were essentially savage barbarians, Varax was low on both time and options. He grabbed a large broadsword with a serrated blade as he entered the coliseum. It wasn’t as big as the one at Cato Neimoidia, but for a desert world it was impressive.

Varax saw his opponent, sure he was big, but Varax was stronger.

A horn suddenly blew off as the Chief charged Varax, unleashing a flurry of attacks as Varax tried to block the blows. He countered the blows fairly well, staggering the Ku’n once or twice before pulling a fast one and disarming the warrior of his axe and tripping him, the warrior’s body echoing the arena as Varax held the blade to his throat. “Your choice K’un, surrender or die, I’m good either way” he says as the warrior gives him a snarl.

K’un looks at the Jedi, “As much as I’d like to die honorably…” he says as he gets up “I’d rather die fighting a common enemy than an ally” he adds, outstretching his hand. Varax laughs “Welcome to the Resistance Lord K’un, I’ll contact my allies and get some ships here as soon as possible” he says as he tosses the blade, K’un laughing as the two leave the arena.

Chapter 28: The Birth Of The New Eternal Alliance

Rey gets up and stretches, exiting her and Aliana’s room as she sees her girlfriend reading an old holodoc on the couch with a plate of sandwiches next to her. “Whatcha reading Alie?” she asks as Aliana looks over her shoulder and smiles. “Just some old history, the Eternal Alliance to be specific” she says as she moves over to let Rey sit, “Eternal Alliance?” she asks as she sits down “Never heard of it”. Aliana laughs a little, “Most haven’t, it was formed over a millenia ago by my ancestors to fight against Emperor Arcann and Empress Vaylin” she explains, showing Rey the insignia of the old order.

“That looks like a mix between the Imperial mark and the mark of the Jedi order” Rey says as she points to the symbol. Aliana sighs “Yeah, before Sidious and his Empire that insignia was a mark for the original Sith Empire which was formed thousands of years ago” Aliana explains. Rey smiles as she pecks her girlfriends cheek “Well if you wanna stay in here, I’m gonna walk around Leia’s Rest and see how everyone’s holding up” she says as she gets up to leave. “Okay love, if you see anything weird-” she says before Rey cuts her off “I won’t leave the compound I promise” she says with a gentle smile.

Aliana gives her a look of concern before brushing it off, “Just be careful, I don’t want you getting hurt is all” she says as she gets up “And besides, Talon said her and CD-9 were gonna swing by with the Ryloth Pirate Order, figured we should stick around to say hi and all” she says as she kisses Rey’s cheek. “Actually.. I should get out of here too, I need to keep up my ‘Sithly glow’ after all” she says with a smirk as Rey blushes up “OH MY GOD I TOLD YOU THAT IN CONFIDENCE!!!” she said as her face turned bright red. Aliana laughs a little “Besides, it’ll be like a date, kind of” she says with a smile.

“Well I guess I can’t say no now can I” Rey says flirtingly with a smirk as the two walk out and see several cruisers missing. “That’s odd, where are the Mon Cala cruisers?” she asks. Aliana gives her a shrug as they walk to the control room, General Ackbar and Rose both talking to Varax over a holographic transmission. “ How can we trust these ‘Yusong Von’ Master Varax, last time they got involved in galactic affairs-” he says before Varax cuts him off. “General Ackbar, we need allies who are willing to fight the First Order, Lord K’un and his people are willing to set aside past differences and help us” Varax explains, a large alien warrior walking next to him.

“And besides, we need all the help we can get” he says as he ends the transmission.

[whywoulditho]

sappy shit they say in haikyuu and expect us to not take it romantically are being way too much like wtf do you mean "we are the protoganists of the world" and they're just friends?? "with you i am invincible" and what, he's ur bro? don't even get me started on "i couldn't be prouder to have you as a partner"

[jamesbuchananxsteviegrant]

She Who Shan’t Be Named - Part 3 | My Love (Loki x Reader)

Category: Smut (Mandatory) Age: 18+ Trigger Warnings: Explicit language, oral sex (female receiving), suggestive language, casual sexual actions, flirting with a lot of people Ship: Loki x Reader, (lowkey) Clint x Reader Summary: Tony lets his life-long friend crash at the Avengers HQ while she has nowhere else to go. What could go wrong with so many attractive individuals living in the same home? Word Count: 1.1k Masterlist: LINK

(hmu if you want adding to the tag-list for this series)

___

She’s always found peace when showering. It’s the only time when one is ever really truly alone. It’s peaceful. Relaxing. Well, unless you walk out your ensuite to see the God of Mischief laying on your bed uninvited.

A squeal escapes her lips at the unexpected presence in her room.

“What the fuck, Loki?!”

The man doesn’t say anything for a moment, merely smirks before holding up the skimpy red thong in his hand.

“You parade around in these?”

“Why? Would you prefer them in black? Or maybe green?” (Y/N) retorts, smirking at his quirked brow.

“You’ve got sass.” He observes, watching her dismiss his presence entirely as she removes the towel covering her body and drops it into her laundry basket. “And one hell of a body.”

“You should know that it’s rude to, not only trespass into a woman’s room, but also stare at her while she’s nude, Mister Laufeyson.”

Within seconds she jumps at the feeling of hands on her hips and the presence of a body behind her, crotch pressed up against her ass.

“You should know not to tease me, little girl.”

“Should I?” She pushes his buttons, interested in seeing where this will go.

Within a second, she’s suddenly being shoved down on her own bed, ass being pulled up into the air.

“Christ! Talk about no manners.” The woman complains, cutting off into a gasp as Loki’s mouth latches onto her core from behind. “Jesus Christ!”

“You talk too much.” The God grumbles against her pussy, grinning at how quickly she gets wet for him. “Especially for someone who gets this wet so easily.”

Any snarky response she was going to come out with is overridden by her moan as the man’s tongue invades her core once more.

“You taste heavenly, my love.” He murmurs, grinning at her whimpered response. “You seemed pretty cocky; where’s that facade gone now?” The man adds, again not waiting for an answer as he adds two fingers to the mix of his tongue.

The woman can barely respond. She’s normally the dominant one, yet here she is, face smothered into her own bedsheets as the God of Mischief forces his tongue and fingers inside her. She can’t say she’s complaining though.

“Bet you didn’t get this wet when you fucked Stark.” He grins, speeding up his actions as he feels the woman clench around him more and more with every movement.

“I never fucked Stark!” (Y/N) groans into the pillow.

“You’re a filthy liar as well as a filthy whore. Good to know.”

Another moan as she feels her core tightening more and more with every touch of the man behind her.

“I prefer the sound of you moaning over your sarcastic comments.” He chuckles. “Are you close, (Y/N)? Are you going to cum for me like a good little whore?”

“FUCK!” Is all the man gets in response, watching the way her hips move against his fingers in hopes to get her orgasm sooner.

“Scream my name, love. Tell me. Tell everyone in this compound who’s making you feel this good. Do it.” Loki demands, enjoying the blissed-out look on her face despite him barely even touching her. “Do it!”

“FUCK, LOKI!” She manages, hands clenching at the bedsheets. “FUCK, I’m gonna-”

“Louder.” The God demands.

“PLEASE! LOKI, PLEASE!”

“Please what?”

“LET ME CUM! PLEASE, GOD, LET ME CUM!”

“Good fucking girl. Cum for me, love. Cum all over my fingers.”

And she snaps. The euphoria being far too good. She could’ve sworn her eyes truly blacked out for a good few minutes as she rides out her high, Loki’s fingers not slowing down for a second.

Of course the God of Mischief knows how to work his fingers.

“Fuck.” Is all she can manage as her body collapses onto her bed, the man grinning and sitting up beside her, stroking the strands of wet hair out of her face.

“You alright, my love?” He grins, watching her blissed-out eyes look up at him and a dopey smile covers her lips.

She nods.

“That’s my girl.”

Her smile turns into a grin and her body shakes as she silently laughs.

“Your girl, hey?”

“I don’t doubt that you’re gonna be everyone’s girl by the time you’re done here.”

“You know me that well already, huh?” (Y/N) manages, watching her expression replicate onto Loki.

“Come on; let’s get you dressed.”

The man stands up and reaches his hand out to help the woman up, smirking as she stumbles on her feet a little.

“You’re not gonna just fuck off now?” She asks, quirking a brow as he helps her over to her dresser.

“I am a gentleman, you know, (Y/N). I’m not just gonna mess you up and leave you to clean up the mess. What do you take me for?” He teases, watching her grab a crop top and leggings from her drawers.

The woman merely shrugs but smiles.

“It’s nice. Thank you.”

The God helps the woman get dressed.

“So, how long do we have the pleasure of your company for, love?” The man asks, his voice not hinting at anything.

(Y/N) shrugs as she slides the leggings up her body, Loki retrieving her bra from the dresser.

“I dunno.”

“How come you’re staying with us, if you don’t mind me asking?” He adds, wanting to learn more about the little treasure that Stark has kept hidden for so long.

“I do mind, actually.”

They fall into silence, Loki almost surprised at her minor aggression.

“Have you known Stark long?”

“Since we were teenagers.”

He nods, almost scared to cross any lines. The truth is, he could read into her and learn all the answers, but he feels an overwhelming desire to not break the trust of this woman. He wants to protect her for some unbeknownst reason. He’s certain the others will feel the same way too.

“Well, we’re all lucky to have the luxury of meeting you.”

She smiles, awkwardly, but her sarcastic voice betrays her.

“Obviously..”

He laughs at that.

Once she’s dressed, the pair head out of her room and decide to go and grab some lunch. It’s merely unfortunate that Clint happens to be passing as they exit her room.

“Well, well, well. You don’t mess around, do you, Marian?” The archer teases, watching her grin and roll her eyes.

“You should be proud of me for lasting this long.” (Y/N) retorts, flashing a wink, Loki laughing at her answer.

“I don’t know if I’d say that, you didn’t last very long just then-” A punch to the God’s arm shuts him up, Clint bursting into laughter at the comment.

“I’m out. Enjoy lunch alone, Loki Laufeyson!” She calls, walking away from the two men who are still laughing.

“I shall, my love, don’t you worry!”

The pair watch her walk away, her middle finger up in the air at them both.

“She’s a treat.” Loki comments.

“She most certainly is.” Clint agrees.

---

Everything Tag List: @nosoulnoproblems | @rileyloves5 | @girl-who-loves-mythology | @avngrsinitiative | @lookinsidemyhead |@xbabykookiix | @myspectacularfantasies | @fanfic-anyone | @rororo06 | @queenofbuskers | @vapingisntmything | @tony-stank3 | @hermione-grangers-wife | @lili-ann-love | @the-omni-princess | @tayahs-blog | @regulus-black | @saturnsteverogers| @fyfiexo | @amazingiam00 | @deviltownn | @buckybarneses | @fafulous | roryshitposts | trynnabemultifandom | @moodboreddd | @hopingforbarnes | @an-adventureland | justassaneasiam-ll | @profoundllamanickeleggs | @xbongox | @minetticatinwonderland | @thinkaboutmara | @xxaestheticboyxx | @sparklycollectionofoldmemes | @wandaneedstherapy | @georgiadixon | @nerdy-thespian-10 | @nsb-supertrio | @thinkaboutmara | @captainamerica-is-bae | @spookyparadisesheep | @supernaturallover2002 | @notsochillnerd | @peggycarter-steverogers | @reann-shitposting |

[gaamagirl565]

Matters of the heart S2 ep 12

Matters of the heart

Season 2 Episode 12

The alley girl {OPENING CREDITS} {Open to a slow zoom on Varian’s house as thunder rolls in the distance; lightning flashes and we cut to the bedroom where Varian tosses and turns} Varian: ngghh...no… {We see his nightmare; Isaiah falling off the cliff; Cassandra being tortured by her power; Quirin being devoured by a black mist in the shape of a wolf; everything fades to a black void with only Estelle in the room; her back is turned to him}

Varian: E-Estelle? {She turns to him with pink and green eyes and the cut on her neck visible; when she speaks it is Zhan tiri’s voice} Estelle: Is this your happily ever after, child? {Varian jolts up in bed with a shout and wakes Zapada in the process} Zapada: mn? Iubriea mea? {Varian gets up from the bed and pours water from the pitcher into the basin on the dresser} Zapada: Another nightmare? {Varian splashes his face} Varian: Probably for the best...it’s almost dawn and I have to be at the castle… {Zapada gets up and walks over to him; she takes his hand and he looks at her} Zapada: You have barely been sleeping…and it is falling rain outside. Varian: It doesn’t matter...what matters is finding that cult and destroying them. Zapada: Varian how do you expect to do that when you look like death himself? Varian: Zapada, please… Zapada: No! You will catch your demise! Varian: and they are causing people’s demise! They took my friend, destroyed an entire kingdom, killed Estelle, my dad, my son-! Estelle: Who was no less of a son to me than the one within me, Varian!...but very well. If you want to perish before you’ve even obtained victory...then be my guest. {She walks over to the bed and lies down} Varian:...fine. {He leaves and shuts the door; Zapada’s eyes water and she quietly cries into her pillow; Cut to the morning in the Dark Kingdom; Isaiah rolls over in his cave with a groan} Isaiah:...ugh...I can’t wait to have my bed back… {A distant scream rings out in the forest and Isaiah jolts up} Girls voice: NOT AGAIN! AHHHHH!! Isaiah: H-Hang on! I’m coming! {Isaiah runs through the trees and hops over rocks; he rushes as fast as he can and arrives at a clearing; cautiously he steps forward} Isaiah:...hello? Girls voice: Up here you pillock... {Isaiah looks up to see a young girl hanging from a tree branch by her foot} Isaiah:......*snerk* Girl: Snicker one more time and it’ll cost your tongue. Isaiah: heh...sorry, here let me help you dow- Girl: no I got it… {She takes out a shiv and starts cutting the rope} Isaiah: If you have everything under control why did you scream? Girl:  you ever heard of frustration?  also, I was yanked up into a tree anyone would scream! Isaiah: I-... I can't argue with that… {she cuts through the rope and starts falling} Girl: AH! {Isaiah lunges and catches her} Girl: Hmph! Get off me! Stinky boy! {She gets up and fixes the bandana on her head} Isaiah: Soooo...i’m Isaiah! {He puts out a hand and she stares at it for a moment before going to pick up her bag} Isaiah:....ookkkaaayy… Girl:...Verbena. Isaiah: huh? Verbena: my name is Verbena. Isaiah: O-oh! Okay! Cool! So what’cha doing out here? Verbena: Foraging. Isaiah: oh..cool..yup…… {She stares at him and then groans} Verbena: ...if your coming along, keep up and shut up. Isaiah: R-right! Got it! {he runs up and stays next to her} Isaiah:...so what are we foraging? Verbena: ugghh… {Cut to Catalina walking down into the dungeon; she looks disturbed and angry; she stands in front of Noremoths cell}Catalina: I’d like to talk to the prisoner in this cell, please. Pete:...you’re sure? Catalina: just open the door… {Pete goes over and unlocks the door; Catalina walks in and bares her fangs in a growl; Noremoth looks up} Noremoth: Catalina! {She slams the door closed} Noremoth: Cat I can explain! Catalina: Oh I’m all ears! But lets review! You lied to me, you’re part of a dangerous cult, you killed people, and you attacked Corona multiple times. Did I miss anything? Noremoth: nope that’s uh...pretty much it. {She throws her hands up and walks to the other side of the cell} Noremoth: ...I never meant to hurt you. Catalina: No you only meant to lie, kill, and steal. Noremoth: Technically I never lied- {She gets close to his face, baring her fangs and eyes turning red} Noremoth: BAH! Okay! Okay! Relax! Catalina: You don’t get it do you!? Noremoth: What!? Catalina: I trusted you! I..I liked you! And you betrayed me! You hurt my friends! You hurt my kingdom! And I hate you for it! I honestly wish I had the strength to end you I would gladly tear your throat out for my friend and family! Noremoth: Cat… {Catalina shakes her head and runs out of the cell and slams the door} Noremoth:...smooth ol’ boy...smooth. {Fade to the cult HQ; Larkspur sits in her room with messy hair and a disheveled appearance; she takes a knife and throws it at a Coronian flag she has on her wall; a knock sounds at her door} Vergus: Mistress? {She tumbles out of her bed and fixes herself} Larkspur: C-Come in! Vergus: Mistress,  we were badly battered from the recent battle.  we have many wounded and we're running out of supplies. Larkspur:  and our vessel? Vergus:   despite the doubtless psychological harm that she suffered she appears to be in good health. Larkspur: That is all you needed to say I really don't give a rat's arse about her “psychological harm” Vergus:  regardless mistress, we must obtain more supplies.  the dark kingdom has a trade port. it's about two days’ time from our hideaway. Larkspur:  then what are you still doing here? get together a small group of those that aren't wounded and go obtain things to replenish our supply. Vergus:  well there's one more thing mistress. Larkspur: of course there is. Vergus:  we wish to know what you plan to do now. Noremoth has been captured.  and he didn't exactly leave on the best terms.  he's a serious threat and could easily be giving away information.  we wish to know your orders. Larkspur: hmm.. well it is true he could be a threat.  but we can't just go barreling into Corona.  as you said before we're all wounded and need time to heal,  on top of everything we're low on supplies.  I suppose we should plan for a battle then. if we don't attack they surely will attack us. looks like this little war is at a standstill. Vergus: Mistress? Larkspur:  take a small group of the members that aren't wounded.  go to the dark Kingdom, obtain the supplies that we require,  but also try and recruit some new members. look for the lowlifes of the town.  people who are desperate, weak of heart, there should be plenty.  if we're going to fight a battle in the future we should have more able-bodied men and women. Vergus: Yes mistress. Larkspur:  and Vergus? don't disappoint me. {cut to Verbena walking into the kingdom gates with Isaiah in tow} Verbena: So let me get this straight.  you got separated from your family and you're here for at least another week until you can find enough reserves for a four day trip on foot back to Corona. Isaiah: That pretty much sums it up yeah… Verbena:  well you're doomed. Isaiah: Wait wha-Verbena! Benny! May I call you Benny? Verbena: no. Isaiah: Benny,  what do you mean I'm doomed!? Verbena:  look I've been surviving on these streets by myself for 2 years.  I have survived starvation, infection, and almost dying of exposure.  I’m a big girl and I can tell just by looking at you, you wouldn't last a day. Isaiah: oh ho really? How so? Verbena:  do I really have to explain?  from what you've been telling me you relied too heavily on the grown-ups around you. you can't do that when you're living on the streets. a street kid has seen no lesser than a rat.  you have to do what you can to survive which means doing things that you aren’t gonna be happy with. Isaiah:  how old are you? Six?  who hurt you? Verbena: actually I'm this many! *holds up fingers*  7 almost 8. my parents died in a house fire. I’ve been living on my own ever since. Isaiah:  why don't you just go to an orphanage? {She grabs his face and pulls him down} Verbena: I WILL NEVER EVER GO TO THAT MEAN PLACE! Isaiah: Okay! Okay! Geez! {she lets go and starts walking before they both hear a grumble; she turns and looks at him} Verbena:  are you kidding me? when was the last time you ate? Isaiah:... on the ship. Verbena: ugghh.. helpless utterly helpless.  come on stinky let's find you something to eat. {Fade to Lily looking out a window from the seat in her room; she sniffles and wipes a tear before a knock is at her door} Cyrus: Lily? It’s me!...it’s all of us really. {Eddard opens the door} Cyrus: Wow rude...she didn’t express we could come in! Eddard: Lily? You okay sis?{Her sister Rosie sits by her} Rosie: Your handmaiden said that you've been turning away all sorts of food even your favorite. Cyrus:  you love lemon meringue pie. Lily:  I just don't feel it… {They all look at each other concerned; Eugene walks in} Eugene: don’t worry guys...I got this. All: Dad! Eugene:  if you guys could give us the room I think your sister needs some one-on-one with her awesome dad. Cyrus: Yes father. {all but Eddard walk out of the room before Cyrus goes back and pulls him out} Eugene: Lily?...sweetheart you can’t keep doing this.  I know it hurts but- Lily:  no you don't know! You can’t possibly know! {Eugene jumps} Lily:  I should have gone with you. Eugene:  no.  that would have been ten times worse.  you could have been killed then. Lily:  maybe then I could have stopped them from killing my best for him. Eugene: there was nothing we could have done.  Lily none of this was your fault. none of this was anyone's fault. it wasn't supposed to happen this way. Lily: I liked ‘saiah… Eugene: I know princess… Lily: no I...I like liked him… Eugene: wait, you...OH...ohh… {Lily sobs} Eugene: oh princess c’mere… {Eugene picks her up and holds her in his lap; she snuggles into his chest} Eugene: It’s gonna be okay..it may not seem like it now but..it..it will...it will {he holds her tighter as it zooms out on them; cut to Varian tiredly exiting his Lab in the castle; he walks a bit before stopping and look up at the giant door he’s passing by; Zapada’s words from that morning ring in his head; he sets his stuff down} Varian:...Herz Der Sonne’s journal. {He looks around before he places a hand on the door} Varian:...I must be outta my damn mind. {Varian opens the door to the room and walks up to the journal; he sighs} Varian: I can’t believe I’m doing this… {He opens the book and flips through it; he stops at a page and stares at it before running his hand over it: he sighs} Varian: ….I really screwed up, huh?  failed to protect you...failed to protect our son.  Seems just yesterday we were here. {He smiles sadly and scoffs} Varian:  I really was still a stupid kid wasn't I?   thinking all of our problems would be solved because we signed a stupid book. {Fade to a flashback of him and Estelle sneaking in the room; Estelle runs over to the journal as Varian closes the door} Estelle:  has anyone seen us? Varian: not from what I've seen. Estelle: Good.  in my opinion, this has to be a private affair. Varian: indeed your grace. Estelle:  Ew don’t call me that. {they chuckle and Estelle opens the journal to a blank page; She then takes a quill but hesitates} Varian: …Estelle? You okay? Estelle: Oh! Y-Yes! Right as rain! Varian: we don't have to do this if you don't want to... I'm not going to hold it against you. Estelle:  no!  I want to do this. the last journal existed for hundreds of years.  I don't want there to only be a record of me being tied to that... Pompous duke!. Varian: won’t people find out? Estelle:  nobody goes back and looks at the other Pages until it's been decades maybe more.  please...Varian. I want to share a page with the man I love. The man I choose. {Varian looks stunned for a second but then his face softens; He takes a Quill and both sign the journal; Estelle kisses him; they stay in each other’s arms} Estelle: Well...it seems to be official now. Varian: yeah… Estelle: for better or for worse… Varian: No matter what happens… {Fade out and cut to the page with their names on it; a tear drips on the page; Varian sniffles and wipes his eyes before staring blankly at the page; with a cold stare he tears the page from the journal and stuffs it in his vest; cut to him walking out of the room and stopping to lean against the wall} Rapunzel: Varian! There you are! We’ve all been looking for you! Varian: for me? How can I help Rapunzel? Rapunzel:....you’re...not gonna like it. {Lance walks forward with a drink bottle} Varian: What is this? Eugene: a drink to share with Noremoth. Varian: ...Excuse me!? Rapunzel: Now Varian, please… Varian: No Hold up! You want me to share a drink with the man that murdered my family!? Eugene: Varian I know your upset with him but- Varian: Upset? you think i’m just UPSET with that man!? i’m 1000x more than that, Eugene! Rapunzel: okay enough! Both of you! Varian, We need information from him. from what we've heard him say he seems to be innocent of most of the crimes here. Varian: what!? Rapunzel:  from what he's been telling us it was mostly Larkspur giving the orders.  Quirin's death was an accident according to him,  he didn't know that Estelle was going to be the first target,  and Isaiah fell off the cliffs when Noremoth wasn't anywhere near him. It's the only information he was willing to give us. Lance:  he just keeps asking us to kill him and be done with it. Keira: and why don't we!?  okay so my Quirin's death was an accident but that means he still tried to kill Varian! And look at Catalina! Rapunzel:  I promise you, there will be consequences for him but right now his information is invaluable. If we're going to avenge Isaiah and anyone else that was killed at the cults hand we’re going to need his help. {Varian eyes the bottle before walking off with it} Catalina: Varian just...just don’t hurt him too bad… Varian:...no promises. {Cut to Isaiah in the marketplace of the dark kingdom} Isaiah: geez... bread here is so expensive. Verbena:  that's cause wheat doesn't do well here so we have to im-..im… Isaiah: ...Import? Verbena: yeah! import it from other kingdoms. Isaiah: seriously how are you alive? Verbena: I guess i’m just smarter than you. Isaiah: you little- Verbena: shh!...look! Isaiah: what? {She points to a small bag of moldy bread} Verbena: It's all we got. Isaiah: how are we going to the new convince him to sell us- {Verbena rushes in and grabs it before taking off} Baker: STOP! THIEF! Isaiah: BENNY!? Verbena: Lets go! {they both run through the street weaving around people as the baker chases them; At one point Benny trips and picks up as much of the bread as she can; The baker goes to grab her but Isaiah picks up an apple from a cart and throws it, hitting him in the nose} Baker: Filthy street pest! You broke my nose! Augh! {Isaiah runs up to her and pulls her into the alleyway} Verbena:...well...that could’ve gone better. Isaiah: Yeah i’ll say! What in the hell was any of that!? Verbena: I was getting us food! Isaiah: By stealing it!? I have coin! I could have bought food! Verbena: if I knew that I would have let you but like I said before, You gots to do things you don't like! Isaiah: Screw that!  I've never once even considered stealing food! if need be I would have gone to the forest and searched for food or dug in a trash can! I never would have stolen from anyone! now look what I did I broke some poor man's nose for you! Verbena:  and because of that we have dinner.  when it comes to survival sometimes you gotta be bad. Isaiah:  I would rather risk everything than hurt someone again! Verbena:...Again? {Isaiah jumps at his own words and gently touches his scar; Verbena sighs and hands him a stale roll of bread from the bag} Verbena:  ...here... just eat it. {Isaiah swipes the roll and takes a bite; Verbena grabs her own roll and picks the mold off before eating; she hears sniffles and looks over to see Isaiah wiping his eyes as he eats} Verbena:...why me? {She walks over and plops down by him eating her bread; Isaiah looks over to her leaning on him} Verbena:...sorry... {he smiles and leans on her as they eat; cut to Varian outside Noremoths door at night; Pete unlocks it for him and he walks in} Noremoth: Well.. this is a surprise.

Varian: be quiet… Noremoth:  did you really just walk in here just to tell me to shut up? Varian: and if I did? Noremoth: well not like I can do anything except call you a massive jerk. Varian: you see there's a lot of irony in the idea of you calling me a massive jerk. Noremoth:  whatever... what's that? Varian:  this? {he holds up the bottle} Noremoth:  no the Dancing Cockatoo on your head.. yes the bottle! Varian: thought you could use a drink. I can't imagine the water down here is very sanitary. Noremoth: What is it? Varian: I have absolutely no clue but all I know is it doesn't smell very good. Noremoth: then it is my kind of speed. {Varian pours two glasses and goes to hand him one} Varian: oh...wait… Noremoth: Yes Varian... I'll just levitate the glass with my unicorn powers. Varian: oh shut up… {He goes to unlock his wrists; Noremoth rubs them; Varian hands him the drink and he sits down on the ground with him} Varian: well this brings back memories. Noremoth:  drinking in a Cell brings back memories? Varian: the cell itself dingus...  I forget...it's been what.. 18..19 years… Noremoth:  yes I've heard your story.  I believe we only met after the death of Zhan tiri.  you went traveling right? Varian:  I was gifted the title of Royal engineer. but I needed a break from Corona after everything that happened.  I decided to go on a scientific Expedition.  I wanted to learn how the Sun Drop , the Moonstone, and the black rocks had affected other kingdoms.  I also wanted to learn more about me and see if there was a more scientific explanation for all of it. perhaps a new branch of science that we hadn't even discovered yet. Noremoth:  and then we came in and screwed everything up didn't we? {Noremoth smirks and sips his drink} Varian:  you can say that again. instead of a scientific expedition, I found myself trying to thwart you guys every time I entered a new kingdom. Noremoth:  we were very diverse with our recruiting.  Misfits of all the Seven Kingdoms joining together to create a new world order with help from the power of Zhan tiri and a vessel hosting the magic for us. Varian:... why Cassandra? Noremoth:... that was larkspur's doing. I grew up in Corona. I was here for that great battle. Varian:...What? I didn't see you at all. Noremoth: I don't know where I was born but I do know I grew up in an orphanage not too far from Corona.  orphanages paint such a pretty picture.  oh we care for orphaned so therefore we're Saints! puh!... I left the orphanage when I was 12 I couldn't stand it anymore and then I was a street child in Corona.  therefore I was useless.  I was here for everything. Varian: Everything? Noremoth:  yes... everything. how did you make your raccoon that size? Varian:  Okay moving on!  you never answered my question. Noremoth:  right... I told her about how Cassandra was the wielder of the Moonstone and how I saw her come into Corona many times.  I even told her about the time she practically destroyed the whole Kingdom with black rocks.  Larkspur insisted that that was who we had to have his The Vessel. I don't know why but I think it's because she thought she can handle it. Varian:  so why did you join the cult? Noremoth: I left Corona once I was old enough same as you. I met t Larkspur and she told me her ideas. I was sick of being treated differently for things that I couldn't control.  people assuming that I was filthy, uneducated, and just overall waste of space because I was an orphan Street child.  I want to spare future generations of that that's why I joined.  I've always had a code. never hurt women or children. Varian: BUT- Noremoth:  I was never near your son when he fell and that wasn't supposed to happen.  I didn't know that Cassandra’s first kill was Isaiah’s mother.  as for your father... I want you to know that I gave Larkspur hell for that.  I'm sorry. I tried to do good things for the world by joining this cult but it seems that I've only brought misery. I’m...truly sorry about that. {Noremoth picks up his cup; Varian watches him with a despondent look} Noremoth: ...Salut 

Varian:......Salut. {They clink glasses and both take a sip before Varian coughs and sputters and Noremoth laughs; fade to Isaiah leaning against a barrel in the alley asleep; Verbena walks over and kicks him} Isaiah: OW! Hey, what the- Verbena: Sh! C’mon! I gots to show you something! {Isaiah rolls his eyes and follows; she leads him out into the dark barren street} Isaiah: ...Okay, I'm out here now what? Verbena:  any second now… {They stand for a minute or two; Isaiah goes to say something to her but then notices a glow; He looks up to see colours dancing in the sky} Isaiah: Whoa... aurora borealis… Verbena: what? Isaiah:  Aurora Borealis is also known as the Northern Lights I read about it in my books back home.  I didn't know the dark Kingdom had such a cool view of it. Verbena:  I overheard some grown-up say that the lights only started appearing after the black rocks disappeared. that was way before I was born. Isaiah: and how old do you think I am? that's before I was born to! Verbena:  you're old and stinky! {Isaiah smirks and tickles her; she squeals and giggles} Isaiah: Oh am I!? I’m old and stinky? Well, you’re tiny and spiteful! {she squeals and giggles; Isaiah smiles and looks up at the sky with a sad smile} Verbena: do you miss your family? {Isaiah turns to look at her} Verbena:  I miss mine too. I miss my mommy. Isaiah:...me too squirt...me too.

[tiffersthenerdyficrecs]

KuroHina AU Fics

Orange Lilies by ive_been_losing_sleep

Rating: General Audiences Relationship: Hinata Shouyou/Kuroo Tetsurou Characters: Hinata Shouyou, Kuroo Tetsurou, Sugawara Koushi, Kozume Kenma, Sawamura Daichi, Bokuto Koutarou Additional Tags: florist and tattoo artist trope, it's a classic, and I'm a sucker for this trope, florist!Hina, tattoo artist!Kuroo, Kuroo has piercings, and tattoos, he's really hot aight?, Suga is a matchmaker angel, who just wants his fifty dollars, misuse of flower language Summary: Shouyou might’ve had a thing for tattoos and piercings.

Here Comes Trouble by orphan_account

Rating:Mature Relationship:Hinata Shouyou/Kuroo Tetsurou Additional Tags:booty shortsAlternate Universe - College/UniversityBokuto Koutarou & Kuroo Tetsurou Friendshipkuroo is thirstyand Hinata has no clueor does he?Fluff and Smut Summary: Kuroo Tetsurou is not a pervert. No, really, he's not.

But when his class is cancelled and he makes his way back to the apartment he shares with Hinata, he gets an eyeful. And suddenly it's all he can think about. Worst part? Hinata has no clue.

He's not a pervert, okay?

Craving for you by karasunotsubasa

Rating: Mature Relationship: Hinata Shouyou/Kuroo Tetsurou Characters: Hinata Shouyou, Kuroo Tetsurou, Kozume Kenma Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Coffee Shops, parfait specialist kuroo, basically hina is a customer who gets chummy with kenma, and kuroo is a fair maiden in love sighing about his prince from afar, until kenma gets fed up with kuroo popping heart boners under the counter, and gets him to talk to hina, THINGS follow, v awkward dork kuroo, smooth operator hina, that's basically the whole fic, hq rare pair weekend Summary: He was doing it again. Staring. But even though Tetsurou knew he was doing it, he had absolutely zero control over his eyes, which unfailingly found their way to the bubbly ball of sunshine that was carelessly chattering away all of Kenma's awkwardness. And Tetsurou's sanity.

Don't you know, anytime, anyplace, I'm yours by karasunotsubasa

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kuroo Tetsurou, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou Characters: Hinata Shouyou, Kuroo Tetsurou, Akaashi Keiji, Bokuto Koutarou, Original Character Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, bokuto is a tattoo artist, kuroo is a florist, hina is bokuto's customer, akaashi is married to bokuto, and they have a lovely daughter akane, plus kuroo works for kenma, and has the biggest crush on hina, Fluff, Aged-Up Character(s), possible (nah who am I kidding it's there) OOCness, HQ Rarepair Week, Pining, Beginnings Summary: He was head over heels with a guy who looked like a high school kid, had a weirdly high pain tolerance level, smiled like a thousand suns, and whose name literally meant 'to soar', as if the huge black wings tattooed on his back could actually make him fly...

Gentle Intimacy by saintjoy

Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationship: Hinata Shouyou/Kuroo Tetsurou Characters: Hinata Shouyou, Kuroo Tetsurou Additional Tags: Crossdressing, School Uniforms, Blow Jobs, Riding, Fluff and Smut, Alternate Universe - College/University, Roommates, Cute, Rare Pairings, I Will Go Down With This Ship Summary: Hinata looked down at the outfit in his lap, then back up at his computer screen. The words jumbled into incoherent, boring messes of Class is boring, boyfriend is home and wants attention. He looked up at Kuroo and found him leaning his chin into his hand, bent over the counter with his oh god talk about bedroom eyes. The scale that weighed the pros and cons tipped in Kuroo’s favor.

“Okay.” Hinata leapt down from his perch, leaving his laptop open and scampering off with the outfit in hand. They shared a bedroom, so it was inevitable that to their bedroom they would be returning once Hinata put this on. Unless Kuroo was feeling really feisty. He got like that sometimes. It made Hinata’s back tingle in anticipation.

He carefully took the outfit off its hanger and looked through all the parts included.

“Okay.” His confidence faded into excitement with ease. “Okay.”

Who even knew Kuroo was into crossdressing?

[ransomedbard]

WIP Wednesday

This was inspired by re-watching “Lily C.A.T.”, an 80’s anime which is essentially a rip-off of “Alien” except (spoiler alert) the threat is an alien pathogen that gets aboard a deep-space vessel and turns the crew into monsters. It has a scene where two of the people trapped on the contaminated ship get handcuffed together (note: not a super bright idea in a horror movie!) that always stuck with me…

———————————

Infected

Infected with an alien pathogen that had already transformed several of her Preventer colleagues into mindless berserkers, Hilde was secretly glad to be left behind on the station’s brig to die alone. But she hadn’t reckoned on Duo deserting his squad and his duty to go ‘rescue’ her. Now on their own with a horde of alien monsters separating them from potential rescue, and with her time rapidly running out, she must press Duo to reveal the truth about what happened during her blackout.

———————————

“Hilde.”

“Hey, Hilde.”

“Hilde, are you in there?”

When she opened her eyes, Duo was crouching on the floor next to where she lay, a pistol in his hand. His clothes were unfamiliar - the Preventers uniform was gone, replaced by some dark lumpy vest. Other than that, she could identify virtually nothing in the glare of the battery-operated light - just a vague impression of a ceiling high overhead, and rows of towering shelves stacked with boxes. It was definitely not the last place she remembered - the inside of the station’s brig.

“Well hello,” he said, sounding relieved. “Don’t move around too much - you’ve had a concussion. Gunshot wound too, above the left hip.”

He lifted his left arm and her right hand rose with it, pulled up by the handcuffs that bound them together. “And, there’s this. Sorry, it was the best I could do.”

She took a minute to sort that all out. In a way, she was grateful for the concussion; it explained why she didn’t know where they were or how she got injured, and her sense that a lot of time had passed. She ran her free hand over the wound dressing and found it felt well packed and dry. The pain was significant, but she’d always had a pretty high tolerance for it, and this wasn’t the first time she’d been shot in her career. It was the progression of her other symptoms that she was worried about: the occasional pull of muscles that wanted to move of their own accord, a propensity to want to twist up instead of remaining flat, and most of all the feeling that her very bones and sinews were by turns straining and softening. Experimentally, she spread her free hand out and watched her fingertips curl back alarmingly toward her arm. Yup, it was definitely getting worse. And she was out here, loose. She stared dully at the cuff. “You should have left me in there.”

“And what kind of friend would I be to do that?” he replied lightly. He had tucked away the gun and was sitting on the floor by the lamp now, methodically stripping the coating off the end of a wire with an odd tool that wasn’t suited for the job - some sort of little screwdriver, by the looks of it. Her eyes were so sensitive to the light that they kept closing of their own volition, adding to her sense of disorientation.

This was crazy, even for him. Breaking her out of quarantine was probably enough to subject him to court-martial, let alone deserting his squad during a mission. And handcuffs? What was that supposed to do if she - wait, had she already?

“Did I hurt anybody?”

Duo focused on scraping curly swirls of rubber off the wire, which rested on a large tray balanced across his knees. “You don’t need to worry about that. It’s just us in here, and we’ve got enough supplies now to last until help arrives.”

That was a yes, then. She should ask who, or how many, or how badly, but the words stuck in her throat. She was suddenly angry as hell at him for sacrificing somebody else because he couldn’t accept that it was too late for her. I don’t want this on my conscience, damnit.

She watched in silence as he finished preparing the wire, then put it aside and started on another one. His posture was awkward, his cuffed hand stretched out to where she lay on a short stack of cardboard. When he noticed her watching, he gestured over at a small cluster of rechargeable batteries he’d apparently scavenged from various devices.

“Workin’ on a way to power my radio - ran out of juice about 12 hours ago, so I haven’t had contact since then.” From that, she gathered she’d been out - or rather, ‘not herself’ for longer than that. “Henderson and Yao’s teams are focusing on securing and prepping the number 18 dock,” he continued. “That’s where the fleet will come in. Big ESUN ships, so they’ll have a sickbay, doctors. That’s our goal.”

“Wufei took everyone else and the handful of civilians they found and made for the big toolshop in block D - last I heard they had found a store of maintenance equipment they could repurpose, including an actual flamethrower.” He stopped scraping for a moment and stared off into the distance. “I’m … I’m pretty jealous of that.”

She couldn’t help a small smile. “He always gets the cool toys.” Guns would be better, of course, but there weren’t supposed to be any firearms on this station - officially, anyway - and when their rapid response squad deployed for this mission they had stocked a normal loadout of ammo and armaments, unaware that it would be laughably insufficient because this time their adversaries weren’t smugglers or terrorists - or even human.

The mission briefing from Preventer HQ had not given them much to go on. H-940 was a sizeable but sparsely populated private station in the L3 cluster. The owner, Tiankong Trading, listed it as a warehouse and repair center for their fleet of cargo vessels. Three separate emergency calls had been logged, reporting massive systems failures, missing persons, and most bizarrely, reports of “monsters” lurking in the now darkened station. Headquarters suspected a mix of sabotage and some sort of mass poisoning with a hallucinogenic.

Their ship had successfully docked at one of the bays that still had power, and the first hour of the operation was smooth; all teams deployed for reconnaissance and returned to the rendezvous to report finding substantial damage but no contact with anyone, threat or otherwise. Then all hell broke loose.

She hadn’t really had the time to process what they were - aliens or some bio-engineered monstrosity - although her money was on the former because they were simply unlike anything she’d ever seen: hunched and bare, like a plucked chicken, yet spiky like an insect. They were not much larger than a medium sized dog, but their strength was tremendous. The creatures had little in the way of intelligence and didn’t seem to hunt as a pack; they just swarmed forward, viciously pursuing and attacking anything that moved. They had a powerful set of limbs that served as both legs that propelled them in high jumps through the station’s weak gravity, and grasping arms with talons that ripped apart metal and flesh alike. On the underside, there were several smaller striking appendages they used when they got close; they were covered in barbs that broke off and buried themselves under the skin. She resisted the urge to feel the line of lumps on her left arm where they had pierced her.

After their first engagement, where they had lost a third of their number outright, they retreated to the station’s corporate offices, which had a small store of medical supplies. They were focused on the triage of traumatic injuries, so at first no one even noticed when Hilde’s teammate Jack, who was only lightly wounded, became incoherent and fell out of his chair. It escalated as his body bent and twisted unnaturally; he began striking out wildly, attacking everything in sight. They had nothing to spare to sedate him with, so they put him in a cell in the brig. Then Lucy went crazy, and Ahmad, and they realized the common factor was that each of them had been stung by the creatures’ barbs.

When the quarantine was announced, Hilde didn’t wait for an examination to confirm what she already knew; she walked down and put herself in a cell. Then she watched as Jack and the others suffered through episodes where they writhed and smashed and flailed - mutely, with vacant eyes - only to pass out and come back to themselves briefly before it began again, until they succumbed to a final bout of contortion from which they never rose. It was all over in a matter of hours.

And then she was there all alone down there, after all the bodies of her teammates had been quietly taken away. Duo came as often as he could, of course, and Wufei and the others brought her rations and news, neither of which were good. They couldn’t make it back to their own ship to evacuate, and they were critically low on ammunition and medical supplies; two more of the wounded had died. The only bright spot was that they had managed to patch in to a relay transmitter outside the station and contact headquarters; help of some sort was on the way, but the Earth Sphere government was now in charge and it was slow to mobilize.

“You shoulda seen Wufei’s face when the military brass briefed us that this mission is now classified as Top Secret and tried to scare us about leaks,” Duo gossiped with forced energy as he slid a small bag of chips he’d liberated from a vending machine through the bars of her cell. “All these years of debunking De Santos’ nutty government cover-up conspiracy theories and now he’s in one. I think the man might just send an unencrypted transmission to any satellite he can ping out of spite.”

And so it went. For two days she’d held on to hope: that she might be immune, that once help arrived maybe they could use her to make a vaccine or something. That she would cheat death again. But by the start of the third day she couldn’t write off the involuntary twitching as just sleep deprivation; couldn’t ignore the feel of those damned barbs, that had been curly like a cashew when they went in but were now straightening out, painfully deep under her skin. And then she had drifted off leaning up against a wall of her cell, only to be startled awake when her hand snapped out and grabbed hold of a bar of her cell entirely on its own.

[rubiaryutheroyal]

Discord Event 1

Since AO3 is being a real pain in the rear end with account invites, I’m gonna have to post this here. Sorry for the cramped tumblr page, but it’ll have to do.

Title: Paulownia Tomentosa Timeline: Yakuza 0 Spoilers: for endgame of above Shipping: N/A Legal stuff: Submission fanfic for the Springtime Festivities event on the Yakuza/RGG Fanworks Discord. All characters are ©Sega. Description: A tribute to Tetsu Tachibana and his now headcanon’d indoor zen garden. Warning: Name puns ahead. Proceed with caution.

Here is the empty lot.

It’s but a small patch of land caught between towering buildings. There is nothing here but abandoned scraps of wood chips, trash, and broken dreams.

A beautiful bouquet of lilies and balloon flowers lies still on the ground at the center of the lot. Though there is a gentle and swift breeze, the buildings that surround this lot make it difficult for the breeze to glide smoothly by. Thus, the flowers remain unmoving.

The sound of footsteps cracks through the silence. A towering man in a gray suit steps over to where the flowers have been laid. He’s carrying a small bag of mandarin oranges in one hand. With his other, he gently slips one out, a bright and crisp color with a single-leafed stem still attached, kneels down and sets it before the bouquet. He then steps back to view the scene.

It’s a moment of pause before he finally reveals a soft smile. He speaks in a low and deep tone: “Good news, Tachibana… They’ve been growing splendidly.”

He looks up to the sky, giving a deep sigh. Even if he’s only been employed as a real estate agent for a few months, they were some good few months.

“…I still don’t know a thing about gardening or plants altogether, but at least I’ll keep it going for as long as I can. It’s… what you would have wanted, right…?”

~

Several months prior…

Kazuma Kiryu is the newest recruit to Tachibana Real Estate Enterprises, and yet people can’t help but know his name. He’s the yakuza-like one. He’s the CEO’s pet. He’s the brash upstart who doesn’t know his place and would damn well have been fired already if it wasn’t for the boss.

Such words mean little to him, though. He’s well aware of how he ended up working for this company – but he doesn’t yet understand why he was accepted. The boss just came up to him one rainy night when he was just expelled from his family, and soon, he was in. And just a few days later, his supervisor Oda calls him up out of the blue.

“Yo, Kiryu-kun. The boss is looking for you.”

“Me? What for?”

“I dunno, but he said it was important, looked pretty solemn too… You didn’t do anything to piss him off, did you?”

“Of course not. I’ve only been working for three days!”

“Yeah, and in that span of time, you’ve managed to piss me off too many times to count.”

“…I’m still learning.”

“Save me your excuses. Anyway, you’d better get back to HQ and pronto. There’s only so far you can take a man’s patience before he snaps…”

“I got it already. I’ll be there.”

Oda promptly hangs up on him without so much a goodbye or thank you. Kiryu sighs, wondering to himself. Oda, I can understand… but why would the boss be upset with me? It’s been pretty quiet from him lately… I hope it’s nothing too serious.

He sets back the pay phone into its receiver and hurries off.

~

Knock knock.

“Come in,” comes the gentle reply.

Kiryu steps inside with a wary look on his face. Tachibana is standing by the window, hands behind his back, looking over the cityscape. He turns back around to greet him with a gentle smile.

“Ah, you’re here, Kiryu-san. Sorry to interrupt you from your work.”

He steps forward at attention. “It’s alright, sir. Oda said… er, Oda-san said you needed to see me for something?”

“Yes. It’s a little sudden, but I recalled something we had forgotten to do shortly after your initiation.”

“Huh? Oh, what is it? Is there something I have to fill out, or…?”

“Oh, no, nothing so formal.”

“Huh?”

Tachibana begins walking toward him, or rather, the door behind him. “Come with me. I need to first show you something.”

“…Alright, sir.”

He follows Tachibana out of the office, down the hall to the elevators, and steps in after him. He watches his boss press the number to the 49th floor, and the doors slide closed. In the next several minutes as the elevator cruises smoothly down to their destination, there’s an uncomfortable silence between the two of them. They both remain completely still, though Kiryu’s tensed face gives himself away.

…Sheesh, I haven’t felt this kind of nervousness since the first time Nishiki and I were sent to the disciplinary counselor back in grade school…

Finally, the elevator slows to a stop and the doors slide open again. Tachibana, without missing a beat, steps out. Kiryu follows along with a much stiffer stride, to which he tries to shake away the nerves.

He follows Tachibana to a large room in the back, noticing the placard set beside the door: Zen Garden.

“…A garden? In here?”

Tachibana nods silently and pushes open the door.

Inside is a beautiful arrangement of various tropical flowering plants native to East Asia, circular stone paths around a small pond, with window panes that line the entire back wall of the room. There is even the rhythmic clack of the shishiodoshi to the makeshift stream that runs along a little “hill” to the pond.

“…Nice place you got.”

“Thank you. I’ve probably spent a bit more than I needed to decorate it, but in the end… I rather like the outcome.”

“Hm…” Kiryu nods, but his attention strays to a spot near the back, where there sits an empty plot of earth. “Hm?”

“What is it, Kiryu-san?”

“I see there’s an empty space there. Are you going to fill it?”

“Ah, yes. That is what I wish to talk to you about.”

“Oh?”

“I had been contemplating what sort of plant to set there when I received that letter from Kazama-san about you. Since then, I’ve reserved this space just for you when you finally come to meet it.”

“…Is this the initiation thing you were talking about?”

“Well, it’s not exactly custom for us to treat every new recruit we get with a new plot in the garden, but I’m willing to make an exception this time.”

“But why me? I haven’t done anything outstanding yet… aside from making trouble for Oda-san.”

“It almost seems like a flight of fancy… but when we first met, I think I may have seen something else in you.”

“Huh?”

“Potential… to achieve greatness.”

“Um, I don’t know… I’m still getting used to proper etiquette and all that…”

Tachibana then chuckles, to his confusion. “It doesn’t have to be soon or even within the extent of this company, but it is there, lying in wait for the right time.”

“…” Kiryu doesn’t respond because he isn’t sure how. On one hand, it seems Tachibana is praising him, but on the other hand, there also seems to be some hidden motive behind it. Thinking about it, his boss does look awfully content with himself… maybe it’s the garden atmosphere?

“…In the meantime,” he casually continues, “How would you like to help me choose?”

“Um… choose what?”

“What sort of plant would you like to put there?”

“O-oh. A plant, huh…” Kiryu takes a moment – which only lasts a few seconds before he replies, “No idea. I don’t really know many plants.”

The blunt answer amuses Tachibana, who smirks back. “Well… what about something that could represent you or your connections to this company? Sort of like leaving your mark on it.”

“Hmm… I only really know about the common ones, like roses and tulips, sunflowers…” He pauses to think a little further. “…Oh, wait.”

“Yes?”

“Ah… I remembered a conversation I had with a childhood friend of mine about our names. When we asked the caretaker at the orphanage we lived in, she mentioned that the ‘kiri’ in my name was a kind of tree or something…”

“Ah, the Empress Tree.”

“E-empress?”

“Yes. It’s also called the foxglove tree because its flowers somewhat resemble foxglove flowers.”

“…Empress…”

“Don’t think too much into it, Kiryu-san. It is a beautiful and often prized tree.”

He clears his throat. “Anyway, would that be a good choice to put here? It’d sure stand out, but…”

“Hmm… I don’t think so.”

“Huh?”

“To grow a tree like that, we would need a much larger expanse of land, as its roots can grow rather deep. It’s not so fitting for a simple garden like this one.”

“Oh.”

“If you’re having trouble coming up with suggestions, may I offer a hint?”

“A hint?”

“You could try something that would better represent your connections to this company, for instance.”

“Connections… Well, I came to this company because of you, sir, so I guess… Tachibana, tachibana… Oh!” He looks rather excited when he comes out with it: “How about a mandarin orange tree?”

Tachibana seems to be taken aback in surprise.

Unsure of whether his attempt at a joke got across, he adds, “…’Cause you know, ‘tachibana’ written another way is…”

“…” And now he looks unamused.

“Uh… I-I’m sorry, sir. That was improper.”

He shakes his head. “No, it’s not you, Kiryu-san. I simply recalled something from my childhood. My apologies for spacing out like that.”

“I-it’s no problem, sir.” Whew.

He smiles again, peering over to the plot of soil, “Well, a little mandarin orange tree…” and back to him, “…for a young real estate agent. It’s quite poetic, really.”

“Yeah… um… I’ve been meaning to ask, sir.”

“Yes?”

“Do you like mandarins?”

Once again, Tachibana seems to freeze and doesn’t reply right away. Just as Kiryu is getting worried again, he does speak up: “They’re fine with me. I don’t particularly like them, but I certainly don’t dislike them.”

“Hm, I see… Are you alright? Should I not have brought up that question?”

“I’m fine,” he replies flatly. Thankfully, he has an incredibly strong poker face, so Kiryu doesn’t suspect a thing.

“Alright. Is this all you wanted to talk with me about, sir?”

“For now, yes. In the meantime, keep up the good work. I’m sure you’ll get used to how we do business very quickly.”

“Right. Of course, sir.”

Tachibana moves to head for the door while Kiryu takes another peek back at the plot. “Oh, sir?”

He wheels back around. “Yes, Kiryu-san?”

“Should I go fetch those seeds for you?”

He smiles with that familiar yet mysterious look in his eyes. “Don’t worry about it. I can search for them on my own time. Now, come along.”

Once they’re out the door, Kiryu bids his boss a polite bow and excuses himself. Today was an odd day for sure, getting called up by his boss out of the blue to talk about plants and oranges, but all in all, it was pretty fair and relaxing.

~

Kiryu snaps back to attention. He’s still here, standing in the empty lot, carrying a bag of mandarin oranges, staring off at the back wall. Of course, Tachibana is no longer here.

Nonetheless, it’s been a long time since Kiryu has felt this relaxed. He’s stopped by for a quick visit in his former boss’ honor and left an offering to his departed soul. That’s all he needs to do here. No point in moping about or feeling sorry for either of them. What’s happened has happened.

He peers back down at the bouquet and single mandarin orange he set beside it.

“… I might not have learned much about gardening, but at least I did learn some things from you. Thank you.”

And so he struts off with that bag in tow, wondering to himself what he’s going to do with the rest.

“…This is a lot of oranges for me. Maybe I’ll give them away?”

While he muses to himself, a shady fellow with an eyepatch hiding behind a nearby vehicle parked along the curb is now sitting on the ground, having a smoke to himself. At first he was going to ambush Kiryu, but on second thought, he realizes he just wanted to find out where the guy was headed with that bag of oranges. Now that he does know, all of a sudden, he’s not interested in picking a fight. Perhaps it’s for the best.

There’s always next time, after all.

[lotrewrite]

Recap of 8.26.17 Chat

So in this chat, we started out with some general points which all writers should take into account when revising their episodes, and then went episode by episode. This time around, episode-by-episode, I've focused more on the substantive comments rather than the love (there was love for all the episodes)

First: for everyone's convenience, someone apparently wrote a script to put in all of the html code needed to transition your fic from gdrive to ao3: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19eZnBQ4989Dr17v2ODFgE8QWAo9Oahi4USDNS3hOSvM/edit

Second: We’re going to be using TV Rules in terms of rating – no sex/full nudity, avoid swears like ‘fuck/shit’, but ‘damn/hell/crap’ are OK. Seemed easier to have everyone try to keep this in mind for a consistent tone than to try to figure out how many f-bombs we can drop in an episode

Third: The “basic” introduction we’ll be using is "Time travel is real, and all of history is vulnerable to attack, which is why we must travel through time to keep anyone from damaging it. We are a team of outcasts and misfits. So please don't call us heroes, we're legends."  If you’ve already come up with an alternative intro, feel free to keep it! if you want to alter the above intro, feel free! This is just the most basic, unadorned version.

Fourth: Things we should include more references to in various episodes:

Mick being a pyromaniac

Ratigan exists (post episode 9)

References to Nate and Lisa once they’re gone (i.e. "Lisa would've liked this" and "Nate's going to hate us all SO BAD when we tell him" and "wish we had Nate/Lisa here")

Mentions that Oculus!Len has attempted to make contact with the others and failed (post episode 12 only)

Fifth: Names (for consistency)

Len: In episodes 1-12, we call him "Len" in narrative and "Snart" in speech (except Lisa, who refers to him as "Lenny"); post episode 12, Len is introduced as "Legion!Len" and "Oculus!Len" respectively - use the full names (i.e. Oculus!Len not O!Len) for clarity; this applies even when a given Len is alone on screen, but exceptions can be made if you're deliberately trying to confuse the issue of which Len is which

Eobard Thawne: "Eobard" in narrative, "Thawne" in text; Legion!Len starts calling him "Bard" or "Bardy", followed by Oculus!Len once he hears it, but Legion!Len stops once he has been brainwashing only to slowly resume once it begins fading

Damien Darhk: "Darhk" in narrative, "Darhk" when the Legends are talking about/to him, "Damien" when the Legion is talking about/to him

Queen Bee: always referred to as Queen Bee unless someone is explicitly making a joke

ASIDE: I feel like we're missing a lot of jokes for Queen Bee's name

Someone needs to tell her to buzz off

"You've been busy." "...is that supposed to be a pun?"

"Queen Bee? Yeah, Queen B-rated"

"BeeGees"

"It's the Bee Team" that's DEFINITELY a Ray comment, which he'd ruin by going "Get it? 'cause we're the A Team???"

these puns are giving me hives

she needs to call everyone honey

crowdsourcing puns, who would BEE-lieve it??

(also at some point you should also make a joke about there being "Lenses". You can see better with two Lenses.)

Let’s move on or we’ll bee here all night (sorry)

Gideon and Rip call everyone by Mr./Miss, except for “Captain Hunter” and “Captain Lance”

Everyone calls Jax "Jax" except Stein (Jefferson) and Gideon/Rip (Mr. Jackson)

Mick has nicknames for everyone: Ray (Haircut/Pretty), Nate (Pretty), Sara (Blondie), Stein (Professor), Len (Boss, Len, Lenny), Kara (Skirt), Jax (Kid), Amaya ("Rules"), Lisa (Goldie), Rip (Englishman)

For historical characters, use whatever works for the historical time period but is understandable to readers of a modern audience (i.e. use "Octavian" not “Gaius Octavius/Octavianus”)

Episode 10

They should look Queen Bee up at some point after the initial fight

Gideon confirms that Queen Bee is an enemy of Mari’s and thus would know something about Amaya’s future, making Amaya more anxious

Episode 14

It'd be great if Amaya could look up her future at the end of the Tudor episode, maybe while Mick and the others go burn down the Globe; that way, Amaya can struggle with it and Queen Bee’s comments in the next episode

maybe in Episode 14, after O!Len's shock at seeing his "other" self we might want to have a short scene where he asks Gideon what the hell was that, and Gideon explains that he was picked up in 2014 and he has a moment where he goes "wait, so that's...me? that's really me? a me that's not DEAD yet?"

Episode 15

Make Amaya being picked up by British/white colonialist forces to be used by them, so she was fed a lot of propaganda, and most of the lessons about the British should come from Ching; possibly also a conversation with Sara in which Sara explicitly notes that she can’t understand the experience of being colonized - "I can give you examples about what they've done but I can't tell you how you or anyone else they affect should feel about it" kind of thing

Amaya should be struggling with her knowledge about her future - I really like how you have Amaya resisting Queen Bee's offers; but I think the resolution might work better with Amaya deciding against making Sara's mistake from Episode 4 rather than not looking it up at all? That would explain the dialogue where Amaya’s considering changing the future

Lily aberration arc: the end of episode 15, she forgives Stein for keeping it from her, but she's still upset and "needs space" because she's still an aberration and scared - leave it ambiguous at the end of 15, so the audience initially thinks she's still angry about Stein hiding it from her

Shay Hannibal Houlihan - immigrants were told (or forced) to change their name, maybe he could mention that, you can mention that they changed his name to Hannibal at Ellis Island, but he still prefers Shay, you could also have Josephine calling him Hannibal; Maybe his bar is name Hannibal and when asked, he explains that's his legal name

Len arc: Len starts encouraging Mick to go talk to his other self so that he can tell him not to die - the emphasis should be Oculus!Len wants Mick to go to his other self rather than the Legion

Episode 16

I really liked the characterization in this episode; I thought it was really spot on

Lily aberration arc: at the end of episode 16, when Stein gets back to her, he basically announces that he will fight ANYONE who tries to hurt her even a little and the Legends back it up and agree that no one will be "fixing" her aberration

Lily needing a bit more to do this episode, maybe a conversation with Jax, who she can have that "I don't know what being an aberration means and it's freaking me out" conversation with. The conversation could maybe go while they're following Rip to the place with the ship parts

Len arc: the emphasis should be Oculus!Len wants Mick to go to his other self rather than the Legion

Episode 17

Fantastic episode, emotional whiplash, so much fun

They're dropping Lily off - do we make it clear enough that happens before episode 17 starts? maybe we could put in a brief comment about how it's been a few days since they dropped Lily off or something?

Episode 18

Legionnaire Len joke

Len calls Eobard ‘Bard’ at the end, causing them to comment about possibly needing to reinforce the brainwashing, but Queen Bee resists because how dare they question her

Gag reel: Darhk in a leather skirt with lace up sandals; "Show some leg, Damien! That'll distract her!" "Shut up, Snart!"

They can’t read the graffiti because it’s slang/graffiti, not because they can’t read the foreign language - the babelfish applies to that too

Episode 19

Awesome representation, superpowers, fantastic battle sequences, emotional moments; it was a great episode AND it felt like a great backdoor pilot for a Ystina-themed episode

the only section I had any issue with was there was one or two that had no Legends

scabbard – Nimue stealing it or maybe when she's knocked over (iirc?) it can fall under her or some other object and out of sight

can mick just watch the cigarette burn down? Yes

Doomworld:

Jessica Cruz should show up as a Green Lantern, since she shows up in episode 17

Jax goes to QB's place in Africa to get Amaya, but it seems like this is really far to travel and be back in time within an episode. should she have a hq somewhere closer, just for visiting while at board meetings? Yes, they should go to Queen Bee’s local embassy

I really liked Mick's opening.

I also like that Nate bursts in but they don't even humor him

what exactly is the brainwashing cure? don't think we had one; I think we just planned to have Ray design a mind-fixing gun again - I did make a note that they could pick up Ted's BB gun which works on light spectrum; it also used the emotional spectrum in the comics; that could work

The second part seemed short – maybe add the part where we picked up Rip again - there should be a scene where they break in and steal him and the waverider

also there's a comment about the lanterns going away to space and coming back to a mess, but it contradicts Queen Bee complaining about her 'pest' problem in the first half

There should be a moment where Len weakens the brainwashing and becomes aware that he’s being brainwashed, and is now resisting unsuccessfully

what O!Len's motivation is for not revealing L!Len's brainwashing to Mick - O!Len can dance around the subject until he tries to warn Mick about L!Len going to kill him; Mick probably wouldn't believe that so easily until O!Len blurts out "He's been brainwashed! Since before all this happened!" "...Why didn't say that earlier, I would've listened to you then!" I don't think Len would ever be able to actually say the words brainwashed about himself, too horrifying maybe some reference to "remember what the Time Masters did to you? to make you Kronos?" "yeah?" "that's what they did to him. to make him like that." That scene would fit in well in Doomworld and explain his earlier reluctance to speak

Finale

after Rip, Len and Mick decide to take a break, maybe everyone feels they deserve a vacation until, whoops- dinos in LA they do still have family outside the Legends after all!

can Bambi be our new mascot?

Queen Bee says something like "It is beneath my dignity to brainwash people like you!" I can add a line to mine where they comment on "you did it before" and she tries to bluster

[trbl-will-find-me]

Every Exit, An Entrance, Part 2/?

There are two (and only two) possibilities: either she led XCOM to victory and they are now engaged in a clean up operation of alien forces, or XCOM was overrun, clearing the way for an alien-controlled puppet government to seize control of the planet.

She’d really like to figure out which it is, but asking hardly seems the prudent option.

There are moments where she almost thinks she’s figured it out. If she stands back and takes stock of the situation, she can almost find where reality jumped the shark. A reclaimed alien ship? An entire world in the thralls of the aliens? Come on.

But is it any more absurd than a global defense force secreted under away under the Kansas cornfields? A reverse engineered UFO?

Invariably, she is forced to concede defeat, accept the double existence, and move on with her day. Or, perhaps more accurately, night.

She tries not to trip on the details.

--

Really, it should not have come as a surprise. The writing had been on the wall since, well.  Since Royston had come out of the psi lab, honestly.

She’s almost impressed Martin waited as long as he did.

The comms have been clear for two weeks, a feat almost unimaginable at the beginning of the month. The common room had almost, almost, recovered from the last fete, the dredges of crumbs and bottle caps all but eradicated from the nooks and crannies of the furniture. The liquor cabinet had been almost, almost completely restocked.

Not any more, she thinks, downing another glass of champagne.

The initial fracas had started in the common room, carried into Mission Control, and then into the Situation Room, interrupting her meeting as the cheering spread.

“What happened?” She’d called, sticking her head out. “Someone beat Central at Civ?”

“Martin popped the question!” Hegarty had shouted, gesturing wildly to the security feed from inside the common room.

Suddenly, addressing the matter of the Council had seemed a lot less pressing.

She is relieved, stupidly relieved, as if it had been her relationship on the line these eight months. There had been moments, moments where she’d doubted either one was coming home free from a body bag.  She remembers all too well the sight of Royston, body limp and vitals erratic, after an Ethereal had hurled her against a wall, or the way bile had risen in her throat as the Sectoid Commander had turned Martin on his friends and teammates.

But, Hershel was a damn good medic and had stabilized Royston long enough to make it back to HQ. And, when everyone else had been frozen, paralyzed by some pernicious combination of shock and disbelief, Royston had aimed her rifle, hitting the monster squarely between the eyes, and freeing Martin, who had ensured the bullet had done its job.

They’d earned this.

“He’s been sitting on that ring since the beginning of November,” Bradford remarks from his spot next to her. They’re close enough to be part of the festivities, but far enough back to chat without fear of being overheard.

“Wait, really?” She asks, surprise registering through the alcohol. “How do you know?”

“Because I signed for it a couple days after Halloween. I thought he’d pop the question after Avenger or wait until Christmas.”

She blinks, considering this new information. “Don’t you have some pretty strong feelings about fraternization?”

He shrugs. “Theory and practice.”

She fights the urge to ask if that applies to everyone, or just those outside the senior staff.

Bernard pops another bottle of champagne, letting it run over his fingers as he refills plastic flutes, laughing all the while.

“You think they’ll make it?” She asks.

“Yeah, I do.”

--

Again, there is a Royston. She is the proverbial spitting image of her parents: her father’s hair and her mother’s eyes.

The Commander can’t look at the girl without vague memories of a makeshift engagement party, smuggled champagne flowing freely in the common room. They’re fleeting, though, a dream, and are quickly supplanted by the weight of loss.

She’d give almost anything for a dose of Martin’s gentle humor or the older Royston’s calm reassurances.

She notes with some curiosity that no one calls this Royston by her surname. She’d chalk it up to a fear of summoning ghosts, but Central’s never been one for superstition.

Finally, she asks.

The girl offers her a sly grin. “Central didn’t mention, huh? Maman tracked him down before. Well. A few months before. She made him promise that, when something happened, he’d look after me.” She shrugs. “In seven years, I’ve only ever been Sally to him, or anyone else.”

“Seven years?”

She nods. “I was a few months shy of eleven. I’ll be eighteen at the end of April.”

“So, you’re only seventeen. That explains why you’re not on the active duty roster.”

She chuckles darkly. “Not exactly.”

The Commander can feel her eyebrows rising toward her hairline. “Not exactly?”

“I went on an … unauthorized field op, and neutralized an ADVENT collaborator operating in the area.”

The Commander lets out a low whistle. “And he doesn’t have you on active duty because …?”

“He didn’t take kindly to the unauthorized bit.”

“Sounds like Central.”

“After I got back, and,” she sighs. “And he sobered up, he grounded me. Bridge or quarters and nowhere else. Kelly managed to talk him into giving me range access at least.”

“Sobered up? What, you went out on a special occasion?”

Again, she shakes her head, but it’s accompanied by an eye roll this time. “He doesn’t need a reason to drink; he just does. If he’s not here, or on the bridge, he’s probably drinking himself into oblivion somewhere.” The edge on her voice is unusually harsh, almost as if it were some kind of personal betrayal.

The Commander may only be a few days out of the tank, but she can see this isn’t an issue to be pushed. “That’s … new,” she says, attempting to find something neutral to say.

The information visibly takes Sally by surprise. “It is?”

“To my frame of reference, yeah.”

“He didn’t do this during the invasion?”

“He didn’t really drink.” Because I thought he knew better than to follow his father, she adds, silently.

Sally’s shoulders sag. “I don’t know why I’m even surprised.”

It’s only then that the Commander notices, as much as she bears her parents’ looks and quirks, Sally’s mannerisms are an almost perfect mirror of Bradford’s.

Oh. --

“Who said anything about the skyranger?”

She’s on the bridge again, in the dark. The banners are still in tatters, but the hologlobe’s stabilized, no doubt thanks to whatever magic Shen worked with the recovered and repaired converter. There’s something she can’t place in Central’s voice, almost like a kid who’s finally learned to get a hand in the cookie jar without being caught.

“Shen,” he says, pressing a finger to the commlink. “Status report: are we ready?”

She quirks her head, trying to catch his eye. She swears there’s the faintest grin, pulling at the corner of his mouth.

“Short answer? Yes. But, you might all want to hold onto something.”

She’s never been one to question instructions from a Shen, and she has no intention of starting now. She wraps her fingers around the bar in front of her, leaning her weight forward as the ship begins to hum. There’s the sound of metal folding, retracting, and the unmistakable sensation of lift.

Flight. Actual flight. On an alien ship. She shakes her head, feeling the way the grin spreads across her face in spite of the headache she’s fought since waking up on Tygan’s table a scant few days ago.

She dares a glance over at Bradford, and finds a small, satisfied smile on his lips.

“Shen,” she says, pressing a finger to her own comm, breathless with what might be joy. “This is incredible. Well done.”

“He’d be proud, Lily,” Central offers.

“I’m just glad it worked,” Shen says, but it’s hard to miss the comfort she takes in Central’s comment.

The Commander’s been on planes before, more than she can count, really, but this is different. There is no whine, no sound of whir of jets. Instead, it is a kind of steady thrum, something to be felt, rather than heard. The metal of the grab rail vibrates gently and the whole ship feels as if it’s alive under her fingers.

She thinks, briefly, of liminal spaces, the in-between places that have always been breeding grounds for things beyond rational explanation. Truck stops and bus stations, cemeteries and crossroads: they are all areas where this world and the one beyond bleed together. Here, on this ship, the human world has encroached upon the alien; here, XCOM has stolen something from the ashes. It’s no wonder she feels as if she’s surrounded by ghosts.

Keep us flying, she asks whoever might be listening. Keep us safe.

-- She wakes in the morning, and runs her fingers along the cool metal bulkhead of her bunk. It is lifeless, inert under her touch. She isn’t sure why she expected anything else.

In Mission Control, the Hologlobe has been supplanted by satellite views of a crash site in rural China, the wreckage uncommonly charred.

“I see Dr. Shen’s latest upgrades are performing well,” she offers. “Any life signs?”

Central nods. “Hyperwave says it’s a fairly standard supply complement with a few surprises.”

“Ethereal?”

He nods.

“How long ago did we hit’em?”

“About twenty minutes.”

“How fast can we get a team there?”

“A few hours. Skyranger’s ready to launch on your orders after you’ve secured the team.”

“Strike One!” She calls, pressing a finger to her earpiece. “Let’s go! Rise and shine. Time to take the trash out.”

“Déja? Mais, non, maman.”

“Je ne suis pas ta mère, Bernard. Levez-vous. Les extraterrestres rient à vous.”

“Let’em laugh,” Hershel cuts in. “Molchetti still knocked their ship out of this plane of existence.”

“Let’s just hope she doesn’t have to give us a repeat performance. We’ve got a crashed alien ship. You’re being deployed for mop up.”

“It beats dying, but spontaneously disappearing from point A and reappearing at point B is not something I want to make a habit of,” Molchetti groans. “I had a headache for a week after.”

“Sure that wasn’t the hangover?” Royston asks. “I seem to remember you having quite the party.”

“She kept her clothes on. It’s more than Yan can say,” Martin offers.

“Yan had a goal,” Hershel says. “That goal was getting in Pukkila’s pants. He succeeded.”

“I didn’t need to know that,” Central interjects.

“Enough oversharing, Strike One,” she orders, stifling a laugh. “Time to go before you add to the list of people Central can’t look in the eye right now. Grab your gear and report to the hangar.”

A clean up op isn’t without risks. Nothing is, especially with an Ethereal in the mix. She can still feel the now-familiar mix of nerves and nausea as Strike One straps on their armor and boards the Skyranger.

They’ve survived worse, she tells herself. An alien base. An alien ship. They can handle mop up.

She believes it, too. Her men have seen enough, been through enough. After nine months together, they’ve come to understand one another, to be able to compensate for blind spots and weaknesses. They truly are a team, and she has every ounce of confidence in them.

She still worries.

-- Every team has growing pains. New teams take time to adjust to one another and find a comfortable working relationship. Old teams have to account for changes in the status quo. Gain a member? Lose a member? Saddled with a new problem? There’s bound to be some settling.

That is the only way she can explain Central.

She’s been out almost a week now. She has an op under her belt, an op that went well, an op that netted them a badly needed converter in exchange for a few cuts and bruises. She’s begun to curry favor not only with Tygan and Shen, but with the crew at large. As much as things have changed in the world at large, human nature remains a constant: if she makes herself available, and more importantly, approachable, her men are every bit as curious about her as she is about them.

So, she plays poker. She has beers. She reviews briefings in the bar or the mess hall. She learns that Kelly was born in Ireland and raised in Brooklyn by parents who are still alive, that she joined when she’d managed to lift the datapad off of a suspected ADVENT mole and used its contents to find her way to HQ, that the baseball cap was her mother’s before her and she wears it with pride. 

She takes tea with Shen out on the flight deck, ROV-R buzzing nearby, teasing out bits of the young woman’s own story alongside the tale of the ship itself, how they’d found it, and brought it back to life. Lily volunteers nothing about her father’s death, and the Commander does not ask.

Tygan is the mystery, the great question of how anyone pried an ADVENT researcher from the comfort of the city centers and drew him to the comparative wilds of the Avenger. She finds a way to chip at that veneer, however, over conversations about needed supplies and possible avenues for research, and finds a deeply principled man struggling to stake his place among a suspicious crew, as well as the sole human onboard capable of making a decent cup of coffee.

And then, there is Central, who she knows, or maybe, who she knew. Central, who risked it all to steal her back and who now looks at her as if she’s a ghost, some figment of his imagination made real. Central, who only Kelly, Royston, and Shen can keep track of with any accuracy, who spends his free time drunk or disappeared.

Who looks at her with something approaching hurt in his eyes as Tygan explains the chip’s purpose.

“They were using you against us.”

It’s as much an accusation as an acknowledgement, as if she’d had some say in it. She fights back the urge to remind him she didn’t have much say in the matter, that they’d held her down and.

No.

No, she won’t go there.

Silently, she runs her tongue against the raised scar running the width of her soft palette, listening as Tygan presses on.

“I assume you’ve got a plan on how to initiate this hack?” She asks.

Tygan nods, and a schematic appears on the screen. “The skulljack.”

She nods. “We’ll get it built. Shen,”she says, pressing a finger to her earpiece. “When you’ve got a minute, report to the lab.”

“I’ll be on the bridge,” Central says, excusing himself. “Tygan. Commander.”

She settles onto a nearby stool, watching as her second in command makes his way out, willing the lump in her throat to die down.

Adjustment pains, she tells herself. It’s just adjustment pains.

[mewsomniac]

KH: The Scents of Being & Flowers for the Grave

♡ Fandom: Kingdom Hearts ♡ Genre: Romance ♡ Summary:

Looking back, it’s hard to say exactly how things began. Perhaps it was an unconscious hazing at first, with Zexion technically being the youngest member and Marluxia being the newest at the time. It may have also simply been an off-chance, as they were the only two members available on short notice for that first mission.

Either way, this unexpected connection is what ensured their partnership, friendship, and eventually... their tragic love.

[Takes place pre-358/2 Days until post-KHIII.]

♡ Words: 4,400~ ♡ Ships: Marluxia/Zexion ♡ Rating: T ♡ FF.net: Link ♡ AO3: Link

[Click Here for Mew’s FF Archive]

           Looking back, it’s hard to say exactly how things began.

           Perhaps it was an unconscious hazing at first, with Zexion technically being the youngest member and Marluxia being the newest at the time. It may have also simply been an off-chance, as they were the only two members available on short notice for that first mission.

           Zexion had always keep to himself, taking on the role of delegator rather than participator. Though a veteran of The Organization with some ruthless means, he was still the most patient and inquisitive of all of them.

           Number XI didn’t know this then, but they had both been on a very similar wavelength from the start. Marluxia had a cool-yet-deceptive temperament that left him unreadable on most occasions. His eyes drank up information while the gears in his head spun wildly. He, too, was full of plans and questions just as Zexion was.

          This unexpected connection is what ensured their unofficial partnership. It also planted the seeds of their easygoing friendship.

           On their missions together, Marluxia was less talkative than he was with the other Orginzation memebers. Number VI begrudgingly took it upon himself to instigate the conversation most times, only because his own observant nature demanded sustenance. What began at first as Zexion explaining the Organization's inner workings, would meld into idle-prattle, and occasionally into topics of interest.

           Sometimes Zexion would be talking, usually explaining at length the complexity of something, when VI would notice Marluxia’s gaze.

           The first time it happened, they were in Twilight Town; the sky was the color of marigolds, and the warm scent of sun-baked bricks was everywhere. Number XI was looking at Zexion with a kind of curiosity that left a rare smile on the taller man’s face. Zexion didn’t want to say it gave him “a feeling”, because as Nobodies they didn’t possess those. Still, he noticed Marluxia giving him that look, and trailed off.

           “Don’t stop talking,” Marluxia said, words soft as rose petals, “I’m still listening.”

           Of course, time ends all comforts. Their missions together came to an end once they were nominated to set up camp in Castle Oblivion.

           For Zexion, living in there was a nightmare come to life.

           It was clear that no living thing was welcome there. The run-down castle was a mess of too-bright walls, no sense of direction, and forgetfulness. To top it off, the place was riddled with rancid smells...

           Oh, how Zexion hated those smells. Why he was cursed with such a strong sense of smell in this nonlife was beyond him. Each day it haunted him like a wraith in the walls, looming near and striking when least expected.

           Some smells he grew accustomed to, like the lingering aroma of bleach and stale air. When Axel appeared, he brought brimstone, whereas Larxene brought sulfur. Not only did the last two reek, they practically burned his nostrils upon inhalation.

           The only scent that brought him any kind of comfort was Marluxia’s. Often, it was up to Zexion to carry messages back up to Number XI. Vexen could hardly stand the pink-haired Nobody’s presence, so he none-too-politely ordered Zexion to do it for him.

           It was always a welcome change to portal from the basement up to HQ. Though it was bright as lily-white, it was strangely comforting when compared to the dank depths of the lower floors. The dense air of the ground floor was replaced by the familiar and subtle scent of roses wherever Marluxia may have lingered. Though he often caught the brimstone and sulfur—try as he might to avoid it—they were scents that never lasted terribly long.

           It had become their routine: Zexion would portal up several times a day, and the Graceful Assassin would always greet him the same way.

           “Hello, Number VI. More news?”

           The only time he really interacted with XI was to bring news, but he still distantly wished the other Nobody would regard him less formally. They were excellent in battle together, had gotten along fine in the past, and knew one another well enough to breach formalities. He always looked forward to seeing Marluxia, but it always dismayed him when the taller Nobody would cross his arms and regard him without much thought.

           At least… as dismayed as one can be without a heart.

           So, he’d ignore the disappointment lingering in his chest, pass the information along, and leave—finding himself immediately longing for light and roses afterwards.

           So this routine continued, each hour, practically on the hour. Each time, a little more of his hope was dashed away as Marluxia leered down at him from above. He wanted so badly to speak up, to start a conversation, to mention anything but work…

           And yet, he’d take one look at Marluxia’s face and his wants were driven back into him like a stake: pinning them down into his throat and silencing him.

           Eventually, the ache in his chest grew like a maw of discomfort any time he’d go to see Malruxia. It was more stubborn than spring pansies and was slowly cracking him open from the inside.

           One day, when Vexen needed to relay a message, Zexion found himself hiding away, sheathed in shadows. Then once more the next time. And again… until it was clear that Vexen would have to carry the messages himself, or enlist Lexaeus’ help, if he hoped to communicate with Marluxia.

           VI had gotten very good at perfectly avoiding Vexen by using his sense of smell to note the frustration lingering in the air and clouding up the lower floors. If the Chilly Academic dared to question him, Zexion would simply ignore it and change the subject. VI had just gotten used to his troublesome and perpetual stay in the basement when an unexpected visitor arrived.

           It was strange. Zexion could have sworn the scent of roses reached his nose before the sound of a portal reached his ears.

           A hand was on the wall, and Marluxia was leering down at him. Despite his cool countenance, it was clear Number XII was struggling to see. His pupils darted uncertainly amidst squinting eyes, searching for Zexion’s in the dark.

           “You haven’t been up to see me,” Marluxia said curtly, “Why?”

           Number IV could feel himself blanching and blushing all at once. The sudden proximity between him and Number XII sent a rocketing sensation through his chest, and he mentally stuffed it back inside. He didn’t think he’d ever have to justify himself to Marluxia of all people, and figured his lacking presence would go unnoticed.

           “I was tired of being Vexen’s messenger. There’s a lot of important work I need to get done here, too.”

           What Zexion didn’t know was that Marluxia had been a wreck since the first time Vexen delivered a message in Zexion’s stead. Each time Number IV did not appear for their frequent briefings, a strange stilted terror rose in him. It crawled like ivy all the way up the ceiling to pierce the clouds.

           This unexplainable phenomenon rattling in his chest was driving him crazy. It hadn’t been long, but it seemed to span the length of a lifetime. Before Marluxia knew it, he was portaling all around the palace in a desperate search for the lilac-haired Nobody.

           What Zexion didn’t know is that Marluxia didn’t have the words to say, I miss you.

           Instead, he said, “I would like it very much if you were to resume our briefings. It’s…” He pulled his arm back, uncertain of the words. “It would be… nice to see you upstairs again.”

           There was fluttering in the place where Number VI’s heart should be. Suddenly, he felt bravery sweep up in him like the scent of saltwater before a hurricane.

           “Fine. But I will resume my duties on one condition,” He sucked in a breath to fight off the hesitation, “After our work has been discussed, let’s talk like we used to.”

           Marluxia blinked. His eyes had already adjusted to the limited visibility, but he wasn’t sure if Zexion's certain expression was a trick of the dark. Smiling, he agreed.

           It was an easy condition to meet as they both fell into it with ease. Every spare second, they talked endlessly about what they enjoyed from their lives as Somebodies. Zexion would gush about the books he’d read, and scientific experiments he helped conduct. Marluxia would talk about all the different kinds of plants he adored, and the proper way to take care of them. It seemed like after long enough, they would have run out of things to say to one another… and yet, they still managed to fill the air with words.

           Even moments spent apart were full of thoughts about one another. The image of Zexion followed Number XI throughout the day: the way his face lit up and a rare smile would grace his features, like how a flower unfurls in the sun. Number VI was haunted by Marluxia’s visage: those azure eyes drank him up, but at the same time, that low voice drenched him. He wanted to run his fingers through that rosegold hair—to slide his digits through the tresses and…

           What else?

           Everything would feel hot, suddenly. His skin itched to be touched, but not just touched. Felt. Seen. Breathed—like the aroma of spring hanging on a breeze.

           The maw that was once breaking him apart had become something different now. Less jagged, more soft, and full to bursting with warmth.

           One day, Zexion stepped from the usual mass of blackness with something packaged in hand. He eagerly presented it to Marluxia, a slight tremor of nervousness in his voice.

           “This is for you.”

           Marluxia took it and gently stripped away the packaging. The book’s gold rimmed pages glittered in the whiteness of the room, and the ornate cover twisted a cord of remembrance somewhere deep inside of Number XII. It seemed like a relic of time long-passed, an ancient tome once forgotten. He traced his fingertips across the embossed letters in the cover: liber herbarim. He recognized these words somehow.

           “Where did you find this?” Marluxia asked, awestruck.

           “We’ve found many interesting antiques in the castle, including a whole library of old texts. This seems to be a copy of an especially ancient one… people haven’t used Latin in centuries. It was the only Herbiary in the entire collection.”

           Number XII’s flicked up to him. “A… ‘herbiary,’ you say?”

           Zexion shrugged, “For lack of a better term, yes. Though I’m not so certain anyone here understands Latin, the illustrations are quite lovely.”

           Everything inside Marluxia felt warm and full as he smiled.

           “Thank you.” He moved to place it gingerly on a nearby table, smoothing a loving palm across it.

           Seeing this made it especially difficult for Zexion to not smile. He ducked his face away, moving back across the room to open a portal and leave. Then, he felt Marluxia’s hand on his shoulder. Breath held tight, he watched the ethereal petals melt into the air around him.

           “I would like it very much,” There was just the hint of trembling in Marluxia’s voice now, “If you let me kiss you.”

           Zexion felt a thud in his chest, as if someone dropped a pile of books inside of it. He swallowed, suddenly very aware of the odor of nervous sweat, before turning to face Number XII.

           “I, too, would like that very much.”

           Then, graceful as always, Marluxia leaned down. Zexion let his eyes drift closed, and welcomed the static of Marluxia’s lips as they met his. Their kiss was as sweet and comforting as the scent of honey in a cup of tea.

           Because Nobodies were bodies, it could mean that chemical compounds were still swishing around their brains and tricking them into having the ghosts of feelings. Perhaps it was akin to the sensation of limbs that were once severed.

           Still… in that moment, Zexion knew he was feeling everything.

           Fingers danced through his periwinkle tresses, and his own hands drifted across Marluxia’s chest toward the taller man’s shoulders to tangle in pink locks. Each new kiss came with a greater sense of urgency and gentleness all at the same time.

           That was the first time Zexion thought I don’t ever want to leave this place.

           This confusing castle he’d come to loathe, all at once, had become his safe haven.

           Soon, days of kisses and sweet nothings turned into nights twisted up in sheets. After all, even their bodies had needs on occasion.

           They’d lay in the stillness of the makeshift room, with steadily-fading aromas of passion hanging in the air. Though none of the rooms in the castle had windows, they could picture the moon as a blooming carnation suspended in the velvet night.

           Even like this, they talked. By this point, they could talk nonstop for hours and still find each other’s voices soothing.

           “The fact that we are here right now means that our nonexistence is a misnomer.” Zexion chattered one night, “The fact that I am absorbing the spectrum of light that makes you up with my eyes is proof enough.” Zexion had never fully subscribed to the Nobody jargon. He found it quite illogical based on his own scientific frame of reference.

           “This is true,” Marluxia responded, smoothing his fingers across Zexion’s skin, “But perhaps it’s not our nonexistence that’s the issue. Perhaps it’s the fact we were never meant to exist.”

           For once, Marluxia hadn’t been looking at Zexion as he spoke. He’d been looking off into the distance, as if searching for something in the dark. It was the way a daisy turns to face the sun for warmth.

           Zexion asked, “What’s wrong?”

           After a solemn pause, Marluxia said, “...when this is all over, when I’m a Somebody again, I’d like to plant a rose garden.”

           “Roses? Not petunias or pansies?” Zexion chided sarcastically, “I never would have guessed.”

           Number XII looked down at his lover with a softness he didn’t know he had. The wry smile on VI’s face, the touch of their skin in the dark, the soft breath before a long kiss, how the smaller man fit so perfectly into his arms…

           There was one thing that Marluxia wanted to tell Zexion more than anything else, but he didn’t have the words for I love you .

           Instead, he bent close and whispered with ferocity: “Zexion, I’m staging a coup.”

           To say Number VI was mortified would be an understatement. It must have been showing very blatantly on his face, too, because Marluxia quickly explained himself. The Graceful Assassin was a sight to see: eager countenance, hands gesturing wildly for emphasis, and somehow managing to whisper a bombastic speech in lieu of their usual pillow-talk.

           Before Marluxia, it would have been easy to make the choice. After all, Zexion’s loyalties have been with the Organization long before his unlife as a Nobody.

           And still… he’d grown so disillusioned with the ideas of his associates and the Superior’s apparent secrets. He, too, knew something far more sinister was roiling beneath the surface of it all. It was as pungent as the smell of death on a carcass, and there was no denying it.

           So, in a move he would have never expected from himself… he sided with Marluxia.

           Their briefings became laced with confidentialities. In no time at all, Zexion had made up with Vexen and won the Chilly Academic’s trust again. He had become a double-agent within this sector of the Organization.

           Neither he nor Marluxia realized that Axel had also been a double-agent. That was one of their fatal oversights.

           Their time together had grown chaste after Riku and Sora arrived. For every possible string there was to manipulate, Zexion pulled and yanked and struggled… but when the castle shook, he knew there was nothing left he could do. Of course Marluxia would never give up so easily. Of course he wouldn’t endanger the Cloaked Schemer by asking for help.

           In a long moment of numbness, he stood alone in the dark. His sanctuary had all but come to pieces around him, like the greedy tendrils of winter dragging life away from a landscape.

           Something told him to go looking for the herbiary. He found it easily, and took it down to the hidden library where he’d found it. Standing before the shelf, he rubbed his thumbs across the cover. He was standing upright, but it felt like every part of him had shattered.

           He wished the castle would take away that darling memory of Marluxia’s smile as he held the tome. At the same time, he clung so desperately to it he thought it would melt in his head.

           Zexion took a deep breath, and the rush of roses met his nose. His chest thudded, and with a start he realized Marluxia’s scent had transplanted onto the book. Cracking it open, he let the lovely aroma of musty pages and sweet roses greet him.

           That was right. Marluxia had a rose garden to plant, and now, Zexion had a book to return. One last mission… no, one last scheme, and he’d be free to join XII on the other side.

           With the utmost care, he slid the book back into its home on the shelf and vowed to find it again someday. He summoned a portal and returned to the top, unconsciously wiping away tears he didn’t know were possible to cry.

           There were no dreams.

           Just the cold nothing of darkness.

           When Ienzo awoke, his body was hot and cold all at the same time. He could barely make out the lab floor through blurred vision. Distanly, he sensed the stirrings of Dilan, Aelus, and Even. He could hear Lea’s voice, muffled but present, as he struggled to move. They’d come back right where they’d fallen, as if their unlife had been one long and strange dream. Sharply, Ienzo found himself inhaling through his nose--

           But it was normal. No overabundance of scents, no need to focus through the haze… it was just a breath. The breath of a Somebody.

           Hope swelled in him, intense and full. If they made it… then maybe… just maybe…

           But weeks later, when Ienzo saw the picture Sora took of Marluxia, he knew it wasn’t the Marluxia he loved. It wasn’t the azure eyes that comforted him, or the smell of roses that sent his skin buzzing, or the smile that made living in that castle worth every hideous second.            It was a stranger. The cheated husk that served its time and deserved its host was nowhere to be found. The Xehanorts had stripped or stifled that part of Marluxia to further their plans.            It haunted him, curling inside like a poppy wrapped in the night. Dreamless sleep turned into waking nightmares that were doused with labwork and research. The best way he could help XII was to help Sora in whatever ways he could. It comforted him to know the Seven of Light would be on his side, and that their victory would mean redemption for the remnants of the Organization XIII he knew.

           Still, he tossed and turned. Mistakenly reread sentences in books. Fiddled with empty beakers. Let the nausea purge him. Mistakenly reread sentences. Fiddled with empty beakers. Inch by rueful inch, time crawled past.

           After one particularly long and sleepless night, he called Sora. He was surprised when the young man picked up, wide awake and happy to hear from him. It seemed like Sora’s energy was limitless, as he hardly needed but more than a couple catnaps during the day to sustain himself. It somewhat disturbed Zexion, yet also piqued his scientific interest. Still, he had more pressing matters on the mind then.

           “Please Sora,” he begged, “Please save Marluxia.”

           He knew it would eventually come to blows for them, and the only outcome would be for Marluxia to be reborn… but it comforted Ienzo to hear Sora promise him. Even after all the evil XII wrought, even after all the pain he caused, Sora still smiled and promised.

           The Keyblader told Ienzo, “I know what it’s like to want to save someone you love.”

           He had to say thanks and hang up before the younger man saw his tears. Sora’s kindness truly knew no limits, and for that he was eternally grateful.

           No one in the lab realized how close to the apocalypse they’d been until Riku arrived one morning with the terrifying news. His face was grave as he told them about Sora. The resulting Somebodies that should have been left over from Organization XIII were nowhere to be found.

           And oh, how Ienzo almost craved to be a Nobody again. Perhaps then the sheer pain of heartache could have been muted that way. But his memories from before, his misery and love and fear and terror, all mixed in with his mortal mind. It came crashing over him like a rockslide beating his body to dust, or the way the waves rip into the earth to make sand, or the way lighting takes life in a single flash.            When he was a nobody, emotion was like the full pain of a toothache throbbing in your skull: it was impossible to ignore, and it was there, and you tried to distract yourself from it by pretending it wasn’t. Now, all of that emotion flooded into him, unhinged and ceaseless.

           Weeks passed. Months. There was nothing.

           So Ienzo cried and cried, for what was and what could have been—and most of all—what would never be.

           The next time Riku came to visit, he brought Aqua with him. Cheerily, she presented a surprised Ienzo the herbiary from so long ago. She wouldn’t answer his questions. Instead, she chose to reassure him that she had an inkling of where it belonged, and insisted he keep it.

           Distantly, oh so distantly, he swore he could still sense that sweet fragrance clinging to the pages.

           In the spring, he planted a rose bush that bloomed full and plump early into the season.

           Now part of his daily routine, he tended those roses religiously with each one of Marluxia’s instructions in his mind. He made sure the soil was loamy and loose. Checked the acidity like clockwork. Calculated the perfect amount of water to hydrate them with. Pruned them diligently, and kept snippings of the flowers inside. If a rose died, he let himself mourn it, though never for very long.  Every single day, before any lab work was to be done, he was out there with those blooming buds. If the permeating scent of roses bothered the others, they never made it known.

           One day, he went to tend the roses and found a figure stooped close to the petals. Many visitors had come to marvel at the flowers in the past. Unfortunately, some would even pluck the blooms much to his aggravation. However, he didn’t recognize this person… at least, not a first.

           It must have been a phantom. Perhaps a trick of the light. He blinked, rubbed his eyes. Blinked again. Dropped his gardening tools. Didn’t notice the watering can splashing water on his legs. Felt the tears in his throat. His knees wobbled. He choked on the name—but was almost glad, since he knew it wouldn’t have been the right one then.

           “They’re beautiful,” The figure said, turning to meet Ienzo’s gaze with eyes the color of forget-me-nots. After all this time, the man finally had the words: “I missed you.”

           And then, just like how the first blooms of the season bring the scent of spring… everything was as it should be.

---

Exeunt.

---

A/N: After the ending of this fic I can picture a cheesy montage of pictures where Lauriam and Ienzo take selfies, go on dates, garden together, read together, cut the ribbon for a flower shop, leave flowers maybe at Steriliza’s grave, then LAURIAM SLIDES A RINGBOX ACROSS THE TABLE AT DINNER, AND THEN THEY’RE GETTING MARRIED IN TASTEFUL SUITS WITH ROSE BOUTONNIERES AS PEOPLE TOSS FLOWER PETALS AT THEM (*insert fangirl screaming here*)

However, my talents lie in crafting words, not illustrations, so you’ll just have to picture it along with me.

After finishing Kingdom Hearts III, it surprised me that first fic I wanted to write was MaruZeku instead of SoRoku. Maybe it was because I tried to jam all of the games into a sleepless, two-week stint, so Chain of Memories was pretty fresh in my mind. At this point, I’m pretty sure I’m cursed to exclusively write romance stories for weirdly niche OTPs. Anyway, I’ve been working on this one on and off for seven months now. My plan was to publish it on 6/11 (MaruZeku day), but I totally forgot! I also didn’t want to wait until 11/6 to publish it either. So here it is!

References and Inspirations:

Swing Life Away by Rise Against

Lemony Snicket’s “rereading sentences” from the first Series of Unfortunate Events book

Some News:

I’m going to start updating my dA again with some bite-sized fics and drabbles. Possibly tumblr too. Ones that I really like will go on AO3 and FFnet! I’m also planning on starting a series of writing advice so I can start giving back to a community that’s given me so much. Links to that on my tumblr and dA!  

FOR MY READERS WILLING TO COMMENT:

I have a few questions for you, if you’re willing to help me out. I played around a lot with repetition and metaphor this time around. Did you notice the consistent thread, and how did you like it? Did it feel natural or forced? Did it flow nice? Where there some subtleties you picked up on, or didn’t quite understand?  I would appreciate your critique so I may take it into future fics!

-+-

Thanks for your help! Please please PLEASE favorite, review, send kudos, add bookmarks… anything!

[melyaliz]

Memories of a Ghost

Summary: Faith’s first event after the disappearance of her family. 

Pairing: Tim x OC 

Notes: Thanks @speedypan for the inspiration. I think I need more Tim and Faith in my life. 

Tagging: @royslittleharper @guns-n-lilies @the-shadow-of-atlantis @coffee-randomness @daisyboobear @werewitchling @nightwing-rules​

 Faith sighed looking in the mirror as her sister put the finishing touches in her hair. Small baby’s breath adored the large curly updo of dark hair. Faith was dressed in a beautiful midnight blue backless A-line dress that sparkled like the night sky. 

 It had been a long time since Faith had gotten this dressed up. And even longer, it felt, when she had gone to one of these events.

 “I know this is for dad but I don’t want to go. With every fiber of my being.” she glanced up at Jennifer’s reflection in the large mirror in front of her. Her sister stood behind in as her older sister added the final touches to her outfit.

 “It’s ok to feel that way.” the older girl said.

 “I just… this isn’t me anymore, I’m not even sure this was ever me.”

 Jennifer let out a soft laugh at the last remark, “well you did punch a woman at a gala once for yelling at Zen.” Faith giggled at the memory.

 “Mom gave me the longest lecture I think I ever got. It was basically I should defend my family but not always with physical violence.”

 “She was the best at nonphysical violence.” Jen said taking a few steps back so she could get her shoes from under her bed, “Remember when she asked that teacher if he enjoyed being the scum of the earth for making fun of you in class?”

 “Remember when she got that whole board at Wayne Enterprise to fund that orphanage? One of the guys even said this was the best idea they had ever come up with.”

 “Dad always said she could get anything she ever wanted.”

 “Yeah” both girls lapsed into silence both caught up in their own memories of their parents. A knock on the door brought them both back to reality.

 “You girls ready?” Dick’s voice could be heard on the other side. Faith winked at her sister

 “He’s excited to see you all dressed up.”

 “You need to stop hang out with Gigi, she’s rubbing off on you with all that shipping.”

 Faith’s laugh was bright as the memory of her best friend very seriously locking her in their shared bedroom at the Young Justice HQ so they could come up with Ship names for everyone with no distractions. Bart had even tried to tempt them with Ice Cream and beach adventures and Gigi had told him “Not today distraction!” Faith had never seen the happy-go-lucky boy look so crestfallen. 

 Faith knew her sister had a complicated past with Dick and it was hard for her to talk about. But she also knew that she rarely saw a guy look at a girl the way Dick looked at her sister. The look he was giving her as she opened the door to Jen’s bedroom at the mansion where they had been getting ready.

 “You… you both look exquisite.” Dick said bowing before holding out his arm for Faith and the other for Jen who just laughed taking it.

 “Well thank you, and may I say you are looking quite dapper yourself.”

 “I clean up good don’t I?” he asked as they descended the stairs to the main room where guests were now mixing and mingling.

 Jen was a pro at that, rubbing elbows with the well to-dos. Starting a conversation from nothing and keeping them talking for hours about the smallest things.

 Faith, on the other hand, was not. She was more of a listener and hated having to answer all the loaded questions that were always thrown at her. Especially after the disappearance of her parents. All the sad smiles and fake sympathy.

 When was why when she saw Tim she could have kissed him.

 “Oh look, it’s your buddy,” Jennifer said nudging her sister nodding toward Tim who was standing next to some large benefactor as the man shoved small appetizers into his mouth while talking. However, Tim’s focus was on the two girls, his mouth slightly open. He flashed Faith a lopsided smile as she waved at him.

 “I’m going to go say hi,” Faith said glad to walk away from the middle-aged woman who was prattling on about some hotel they MUST visit in Paris next time they went.

 “It’s the O’Neal charm, get’s the boys every time,” Dick whispered to Jen who couldn't help but smile.

 “I like him,” she said, “and don’t act like your entourage over there isn’t basically drooling over you in a suit.” she added nodding toward a few girls who were standing huddled up stealing glances at Dick who smiled waving at them.

 Skipping over to her partner in hero-antics Faith giggled grabbing his arm. “Can I borrow him for a moment?” she asked the man who just laughed waving them away.

 “Y… you look great,” Tim said unable to take his eyes off her. Faith grinned giving a twirl.

 “It’s not a hoodie and jeans but I guess it’ll do.”

 “Yeah, so do you guys do a lot of these? I have only attended a few but Bruce said this was your Dad’s charity.”

 “Yeah, he was fighting to help inner city kids who were in danger of joining gangs find alternative avenues.”

 “He sounds like a great man.”

 She nodded biting her lip memories of her father explaining how important it was to help those who felt like there was no way out. To give them hope, show them a future. “He really was.”

 Soon they took their seats as dinner was served. More fun light conversation and laughing. Even Bruce cracked a few smiles at Jen who was telling a story about one of her adventures at the Xavier Institute.

 One of the biggest benefactors by the name of Joseph Campbell was mid-story about a fishing trip he had taken when some music started to play. Next to her Faith felt Jennifer take a sharp breath “I didn’t realize…”

 “Jen?” Dick asked confused but suddenly they all realized what was going on as a very familiar voice spoke.

 Faith didn’t hear anything else because the voice of her father spoke out. It was as if the world stopped. It was as if everything became blurry yet hyper focused. She was gripping the table so hard as if it could keep her up.

 Someone had started the video on a large screen on the stage where the speakers had been talking about the benefit. It was a video that their father had been working on before the disappearance.  

 Joseph smiled at the girls, “It’s amazing that we can honor Nick’s memory like this.”  

 “Oh Faith, I forgot some papers in my room, can you go grab them?” Jennifer asked handing her the key to her room. Faith blinked at her as if she was seeing her for the first time. Where was she? What was going on? Why did she feel so light headed?

 “Breath.” Jennifer’s voice gently whispered as she placed the key to her room in her sister’s hand. Faith let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. Gasping for breath as she stood.

 “Uhhh yeah… I’ll get that thing… phone… paper… cool” stumbling slightly she quickly snuck out dashing down the hall her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Running anywhere but there. There with the voice of a ghost.

 Memories of her father laughing as she told him about her day while jumping up and down on the trampoline he had gotten her.

 Memoires of how her father took her running in the morning and yoga at night. Always active with her making her feeling comfortable for needing to get up and move. Having small toys for her to fidget with when she was feeling stressed or overwhelmed.

 Memoires of how he would spend hours holding Jennifer after the death of Jason. Telling Faith that her sister felt things deeper than most and she just needed to know that you were there for her.

 She burst into Jen’s room the sudden will to do anything else gone as she stood there in the dark sobbing. It hurt so bad she couldn't breathe. When was this going to get easier? When was it going to hurt less? When was she just going to be able to be happy again?

 So there she stood was just sobbing in the dark room unable to move unable to do anything but just cry.

 “Faith?” She turned her hands over her mouth trying to muffle the sobs that wracked her body as Tim slowly walked into the room “Are you… I’m sorry” he said slowly walking toward her.

 “I just didn’t… I… I’m sorry.”

 Gently he took her in his arms holding her, “Shhhh it’s ok. It’s ok to be sad.”

 “I just miss them so much” she cried burying herself in his chest. “It hurts.”

 They both sunk to the ground as Tim held her letting her cry as he gently rubbed her back. Let her pour out of the sorrow and pain she had been feeling for months. She knew it wasn’t their fault that they were gone but she felt so alone. So abandoned by them.

 Once she had calmed down a little bit Tim sighed sitting back so he could look at her.

 “You’re not alone you know. You have your sister, Gigi and… me. I will never leave you.” Faith nodded slowly wiping away her tears looking down at her hand that was now covered in black makeup. Tim couldn't help but laugh lightly “Here,” he said getting up grabbing some tissue and gently wiping her face. She sat still looking at him as he helped her get her face back.

 “When you're ready do you want to come up with backstories for the people attending this party? The first time I went to one of these Dick and I did it. Apparently, he used to do it with Maia.”

 “Oh yeah, Jennifer and I use to do that.”

 “Or,” he said pausing, “We could just skip it and go train in the Batcave.”

 She paused, tempted, “no, I need to face my fears… but after I would LOVE to go get a bat burger, those little portions of fish left me starving.” Tim grinned.

 “With extra sauce and crispy fries?”

 “Duah!”

 Taking his hand Faith stood up leading him out a smile back on her face as the went back into the gala. However, when they got to the door she paused pulling him back for a moment.

 “Thanks,” she whispered. He gave her hand a squeeze.

 “Anytime.”  

[crollalanzaa]

For the fanfic questions, how about prime numbers (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41) of the ones you haven't done already.

Finally got on my laptop to answer. How long will this take me. (18:22 now)

What was the first fandom you got involved in?Harry Potter.

2. What is your latest fandom?BNHA - although I’ve not written anything for it. I’m having a lot of fun reblogging art and reading the manga.

3. What is the best fandom you’ve ever been involved in?

Probably Harry Potter (although haikyuu is very close) because it was the first and I fell so much into the fandom, it started me writing again, and I met so many lovely people (including you :D). 

5. Which fandoms have your written fanfiction for?Harry Potter, Haikyuu, Percy Jackson, Yuri on Ice, Voltron, GANGSTA, Shaderunners, and two drabble ficlet things for Yowapeda and Akatsuki no Yona.

7. List your NOTPs from each fandom you’ve been in. 

EEEEK - uh okay *ducks*  Basically, ship and let ship, dude.HP: Snape/Lily, Sirius/Lily, and I’m slightly allergic to Scorpius/Rose because I ship Scorpius/Lily so hard.HQ: Uh … well … anything that splits up Daisuga, tbh. YoI: Not sure I have a NOTP here.Percy Jackson: I’m not so involved with the fandom that I have an OTP or a NOTP.Voltron: No real NOTP. I’m not a diehard shipper in VLD, really.GANGSTA: The characters are so fucked up in this manga, that’s it’s hard to have an OTP let alone a NOTP.Shaderunners: Easton/Anyone - hahahah. That’s unfair, but a bit of an in-joke.BNHA: don’t really have an OTP, so I don’t quite have a NOTP either. 

11. Who is your current OTP?  (I’m going to use Haikyuu for these questions)Daisuga. I doubt this is a shock to anyone.

13. Any NoTPs?Half answered this. I’m not a huge fan of anything that splits up DaiSuga. Not that I kick off about it, I just avoid it and scroll on by.

19. Is there a ship which you wished you could get behind, but you just don’t feel them?Uhm, tbh, it’s probably Kage/hina.(SORRRRYYYYY)  I do love their dynamic, but I can’t see beyond what they are at the moment. I think they’re still very much at the team mates who are becoming friends, and that’s pretty good, tbh. Maybe one day I’ll get behind them, but  I’m more interested in the older characters anyway, so …

29. Do you have a beta reader? Why/Why not?I don’t. I used to have several - ha - especially when I was on MNFF. I do think I have a fairly good handle on how to write a story now and how to get it finished, so it’s really my SPaG that needs help, but … I’m impatient to post once I’ve finished, and I’m not sure it’s fair to inflict the copious amounts of stuff I write. It’s also hard to find someone you trust to help you out. I’ve seen the occasional story where someone says they have two or three betas, who are usually friends, and that shows because often friends love your stories so much that they can’t see the errors because they’re so wrapped up in the story. Then again, if you have someone who isn’t in the fandom, or has different ideas about characters, then you can come to a stalemate. 

31. What’s the nicest thing someone has ever said about your writing?

I … don’t know. I’ve had a few people say that they were having a horrible day and then found one of my stories and that really cheered them up - that’s lovely. And recently someone commented on my Daisuga/HOP crossover fics saying they loved how I’d worked the HQ characters into the story still using the HQ characterisation. I do really try with characterisation so love when it’s appreciated. Someone said ‘ZECHAD’ on a story once. Not sure it was a compliment - snicker.

Edits to add: You once said that Drowning, Not Waving showed you a different way to write fanfic, and that still blows me away. 

37. First person or third person - what do you write in and why?

Generally third, but I’ve written some characters (like both Dumbledores) in first and also my OF is in first, but as a fic POV, I really prefer third. The trouble with first person in fic is that we all read it with our own knowledge of the character, so it’s hard reading a fic where you’re in their head the whole time, and I tend to read in my own voice not the characters. With OF, you don’t know the characters, so it’s easier to go along with it.

41. List and link to 5 fanfics you are currently reading:Yikes, I’m not reading five, atm. but here are the two I am. 

Common Side Effects - by notallballs (notallbees) Kuroken, and just a really good slow burn. (WIP)

The Chronicles of the Virgin Asahi - by Ellessey Asanoya, E rating. Complete but I still have 4 chapters to go.

And the last three I read are …

The Perfect Storm - Kaiyou - daisuga. Trapped in a log cabin. Confession fic.

Run and Hide - xladysaya - KuroTsukki - watching scary movies - hahaha

Only in my dreams - rinoa11 - Daisuga Sleeping Beauty AU. 

OOOH, it’s now 19:03 and I’m going to stop.

Thanks, Jess. 

meme thing

[whywoulditho]

the worst asexual struggle is when you really like a ship but can't interact with other shippers because the fandom's popular interpretation of that ship is dirty af

[jamesbuchananxsteviegrant]

She Who Shan’t Be Named - Part 4 | Sweetheart (Steve x Reader)

Category: Smut (Mandatory) Age: 18+ Trigger Warnings: Explicit language, intercourse, suggestive language, casual sexual actions, flirting with a lot of people Ship: Steve x Reader Summary: Tony lets his life-long friend crash at the Avengers HQ while she has nowhere else to go. What could go wrong with so many attractive individuals living in the same home? Word Count: 1.4k Masterlist: LINK

(hmu if you want adding to the tag-list for this series)

---

“Knock knock.” Steve’s voice echoes in the living room where (Y/N) is alone, sat watching some show on Netflix and eating a bowl of pasta.

“Afternoon, Cap.” She greets, flashing a wink his way.

The man laughs and shakes his head.

“Afternoon, (Y/N). How’re you doing? You settling in okay?”

“As courteous as ever, Steven.” She avoids his question.

His grin remains as he approaches the couches.

“May I?” He asks, gesturing to the couch across from her.

“Are you asking me permission to sit in the living room of your own home?” Her voice is half-serious half-joking.

He laughs nonetheless and takes a seat.

“I’m trying to make you feel comfortable.” Steve offers.

“You’re Captain America, I don’t think there’s much you can do to make me feel uncomfortable.”

Another chuckle.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

“You can hold me to a lot of things.”

“What?”

“What?” She mimics, Steve smirking and shaking his head.

“What’re you watching?” He asks, trying to make conversation.

“Nothing you’d know, old man.”

Another laugh.

He relishes in it for a moment. The happiness. The genuine, relaxed atmosphere as he feels carefree and welcomed.

“Try me.”

“Big Bang Theory.”

“Hey, I know that one! Tony hates it.” Cap boasts, (Y/N) giggling herself.

“I know, that’s half the reason I love it so much.”

More laughter.

What Steve doesn’t notice is the way the woman spends more time eyeing his body up and down. The way his biceps are on full display, along with his abs, in the tight light blue t-shirt he’s wearing. The way she’s imagining what his beard feels like against her lips. And the other lips.

Sitting her pasta bowl down on the coffee table, she stands up and approaches the blond, watching his eyes lock with hers, eyebrows quirked in curiosity of her movements.

She stops directly in front of him and he’s all too curious.

“You okay?”

“When was the last time you fucked anyone, Steve?”

His eyes widen and he almost chokes on his own saliva at the question.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard, Rogers.”

She maneuvers herself so her knees are bent on either side of the man’s thighs, sitting on his lap.

His arms are almost up in surrender, not daring to touch the woman.

“Did I stutter?”

No. But he does.

“I, uh, you- what’re you doing?”

“Waiting for an answer.”

“God. Uhm, a while? Like three or four years ago.” He confesses, still looking bewildered at the woman.

“Was it good?” The woman continues, leaning forward so her chest is pressed against his, her lips by his ear. “Did you enjoy it?”

“I- what- it was alright.” Steve stumbles over his words.

“Am I making you uncomfortable, Captain?” Her voice is no louder than a whisper, her breath making goosebumps prick his skin in the room that’s almost too hot.

“Not quite the word I’d use.” He manages.

“No? What word would you use?”

He hesitates again, eyes widening even more so as she gently takes his hands in her own and rests them on her hips.

“I don’t know.” Steve whispers, locking eyes with her once she’s pulled back enough to do so.

“May I kiss you, Steven Rogers?” She asks, whilst she wants this and is confident, she doesn’t want to do anything to make the man in front of her uncomfortable.

He opens his mouth a few times before deciding on the right answer.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“I’m always full of good ideas, Captain. Allow yourself to indulge in a little bit of fun every now and then.” (Y/N) whispers, leaning forwards and pressing a gentle kiss to the man’s lips, feeling him reciprocate it instantly.

His hands squeeze her hips just that bit tighter when he does, the woman internally grinning at the feeling.

She pushes the boat out and kisses him harder. Deeper. Faster. Wanting to see where his limits are.

Their breathing is heavy, Steve taking over the kiss without even realising it himself.

She slowly pulls back and loves the way he follows her, not wanting to stop.

“Look at the state of you, Stevie.”

The nickname makes a small whimper escape his mouth as he pulls back and meets her eyes once more, looking half guilty half desperate.

“I- I’m sorry, I don’t know-”

“None of that. I don’t want you to be sorry, Cap, I want to know how much you want it.” She teases, voice husky as her hands reach up to his face, stroking his beard.

The man gulps.

“I don’t think this is a good idea. Stark will-”

“This isn’t about Stark; this is about you and me, Rogers. He doesn’t need to know.”

She presses her lips to his again, grinding down on man so very subtly, but enough to feel the growing shaft in his jeans.

“Fuck,” Steve whispers between kisses, the pair pausing as they enjoy the feeling of her movements.

“Language.”

He can’t help the smile that forms at her comment. He squeezes her hips a little harder.

“Sweetheart, you’ve gotta stop. You’re gonna-”

“Gonna what, huh, Cap? Gonna make you horny? Gonna make you hard? Gonna make you fuck me?” She interrupts, actions becoming more and more needy with every word she speaks.

“Fuck, (Y/N).” He groans, head lolling back onto the sofa.

“Not an answer, Steve.”

“We really shouldn’t.”

“Fuck me, Cap.”

And that’s his limit.

He tosses the woman aside so she’s on her back on the sofa, adjusting himself so he’s hovering over her.

Her eyes glisten with anticipation as the man unbuckles his jeans before unzipping them, yanking them down enough to reach for his, now, rock-hard cock.

“Turns out that America’s Sweetheart isn’t so sweet after all.” (Y/N) teases, hoping to get him a little riled up.

“Shut up.” He manages to groan, yanking down her leggings and panties in one go. “How’re you so wet already?”

The vulgar words coming from a man like Captain America do something indescribable to her core.

“Can you blame me, Cap?”

He groans again, leaning over the woman and pumping his shaft a few times as he admires her body beneath him.

“Oh, you like that one, huh?” She teases, noticing how he reacts whenever she uses the title.

“God, will you shut up?” The man whispers, not at all harsh, rather begging.

“Or else, what, Captain?”

With that, he presses his cock to her entrance and slides in slowly. Inch by inch. And there’s a lot.

“Fuck!” Steve growls as he sheaths himself inside her.

(Y/N)’s eyes roll to the back of her head at how big he is. She genuinely hasn’t been this full in her life.

“Language.” She barely manages, but it’s quickly followed by a gasp and a moan as he pulls out and slams back into her.

She swears the man just shattered her cervix.

“Fuck, Steve!” She moans, hands wrapping around the man, nails digging into his clothed back.

“Language yourself.” He manages through clenched teeth. “God, you feel so fucking good.”

“Yeah? Is this just alright for you?” Her voice is mocking but struggling as he continues to pump in and out of her.

“You’re far more than alright, sweetheart.”

The words catch her off-guard but she pays no mind as she indulges herself in how good the man feels.

“Feels so good, Stevie.” She whimpers, Steve groaning and fucking her harder and harder, sweat forming on his face but he doesn’t care.

He’s never felt so good.

“Yeah? God, sweetheart, can feel you squeezing me.”

Filth.

“Want you to make me cum, Cap.”

Another moan from the man, cursing under his breath.

“Better yet, I want your cum in my mouth.”

“Fuck, (Y/N), you’re killin’ me.”

They’re going at it for a few moments longer before Steve is stuttering that he’s gonna cum.

Without second thought, the woman pushes herself back, dropping to her knees on the carpeted ground and opening her mouth wide, tongue sticking out.

Steve groans once again at the sight and pumps himself until he’s moaning her name and blowing his load into her mouth, (Y/N) making sure that she doesn’t miss a drop.

“Not bad for America’s Sweetheart.” She states once they both catch their breath.

Steve chuckles once again, redoing up his trousers and helping the woman up off of the floor.

“You’re gonna do things to every person in this building, you know that?” He smiles, both collapsing onto the couch and leaning on one another, eyes moving back to the TV where the next episode of her show is on.

“That’s the plan, Cap.”

Another laugh.

“We’re glad to have you, sweetheart.”

---

Everything Tag List: @nosoulnoproblems | @rileyloves5 | @girl-who-loves-mythology | @avngrsinitiative | @lookinsidemyhead |@xbabykookiix | @myspectacularfantasies | @fanfic-anyone | @rororo06 | @queenofbuskers | @vapingisntmything | @tony-stank3 | @hermione-grangers-wife | @lili-ann-love | @the-omni-princess | @tayahs-blog | @regulus-black | @saturnsteverogers| @fyfiexo | @amazingiam00 | @deviltownn | @buckybarneses | @fafulous | roryshitposts | trynnabemultifandom | @moodboreddd | @hopingforbarnes | @an-adventureland | justassaneasiam-ll | @profoundllamanickeleggs | @xbongox | @minetticatinwonderland | @thinkaboutmara | @xxaestheticboyxx | @sparklycollectionofoldmemes | @wandaneedstherapy | @georgiadixon | @nerdy-thespian-10 | @nsb-supertrio | @thinkaboutmara | @captainamerica-is-bae | @spookyparadisesheep | @supernaturallover2002 | @notsochillnerd | @peggycarter-steverogers | @reann-shitposting | @mrsstevenbuchananstark | @jessromanoff | @ynscrazylife |

[whythehandbasket]

dee's super ultra 'this girl might have a problem' mega delux fanfic reclist

≡ haikyuu ≡

↳ iwaoi 「favourite writers: loveclouds -- carafin -- ohhotlamb -- newamsterdam --notallbees -- tothemoon」

Chasing Paper Suns – oneshot, college-future fic with long distance being the main theme, it’s heartbreakingly beautiful with a good ending

just hear me out – oneshot, amazing soulmate au with a twist

it’s bad enough we get along so well -- oneshot, where a confession happens before they leave for college

bloom -- oneshot, epic ability au set in canon volley verse

the river runs -- oneshot, getting back together

All kinds of winnders – oneshot, nsfw (iwa/oi) some good stuff

Diluculum – oneshot, hurt/comfort yumminess

Dinner and a Movie – oneshot, fakedating or is it? ;3c

Either Way – oneshot, nsfw, if you want good porn then here it is

sweet flesh and hard nails  -- oneshot, nsfw, reunion sex

bad coffee & lemon bars – oneshot, my fav iwaoi coffeeshop au

the truth is out there – oneshot, it’s ridiculously funny

mint – oneshot, one of those writers i read everything for

Only Fools Fall – multichap completed, that rare epic a/b/o verse fic

stumbling into the sun – oneshot, nsfw, oikawa has a praise kink but not for that dirty talk kind, matsuhana is hilarious in this

Super Spy Husbands ‘Verse – fic series you might already know about but if not then get on with it bc its the most awesome thing!

you’re looking like you fell in love tonight – oneshot, fakepretend goodness

Loves Me, Loves Me Not -- oneshot, oikawa is being ridiculous

15Minutes – multichap completed, iwa-chan becomes famous

Storm Season – multichap completed, avatar au

↳ matsuhana

rated m for – oneshot, i want to see this au for every single of my ships

stranger things – oneshot, memelord radio djs, side iwaoi as always

hang out fall in love – oneshot, about witch doctors

plus one – oneshot, the canon one

poolside -- oneshot, pool confessions

↳ kurodai

If I Could Change Your Mind – oneshot, set during the training camp

the faster we are falling – oneshot, pining kuroo is my fav kuroo

And flowers bloom in his wake – oneshot, modern magic type of thing but set in canon

i ain’t even heard the question, but i know i’ll say yes – multi wip, kuroo failing at relationship gay chicken

A Friend’s Duty – oneshot, it’s about kurodai but the kurosuga interaction sells it

↳ oikuroo

burning bright – oneshot, elemental magic slash fictional sport shit going down, everyone should read this fic it’s a masterpiece

the dream that wakes you up – multichap completed, fakepretend / friends with benefits turning serious

bad boy & boy wonder -- oneshot, rival actors au

↳ ushioi

#notalovestory – oneshot, actors au with ushioi in a nutshell

A Place to Call Home – multichap completed, oikawa is ushiwaka’s kid’s babysitter and he gets ridiculously attached to both oh btw the kid is tobio! i adore this for the gorgeous and cute oikage interactions, baby tobio is precious.

The Benevolent King of the Grand King’s Heart – oneshot, that plottwist tho!!!

Slow Burn – oneshot, nsfw, for that quality sin aesthetic

↳ kurotsuki

the jaywalkers series – look, this fic series must be one of my all time fav hq anything that came out of this fandom, it made me believe that there are good kurotsuki fics out there and i don’t even ship this ship or i don’t outside of this fic. it has the most entertaining, funny, witty writing style i’ve ever seen, the amount of quotes i go back to in this fic are amazing. kurotsuki is also not the only ship it has iwaoi, bokuaka, yamayachi, daisuga too! a masterpiece in my book.

to the beat of my heart – twoshot, awesome au awesome author

↳ oisuga

Stuck in The Middle With You – multichap completed, the shit that made me ship this ship 

all you have is your silence -- oneshot, college au

stratospheres -- oneshot, about spirits

≡ knb ≡

↳ gen

because this is a gem and i’m a caring friend ;3

Anticyclone – oneshot, really fun gom dynamic where kise’s flat ends up being everyone’s flat and important choices are made

Crossroads, and Other Places We Met – gen gom at its finest

Walk Through a Valley of Lilies – a series collection about post winter cup stuff, some of them contain shippy undertones but mostly gen

Standing Up – multi wip, timetravel, gen, kagami travels back to teikou days

Protective – oneshot, gom being protective of kuroko

↳ aoka

because he cares – aokaga, oneshot, this author writes nice aokas

burning concrete – aokaga, oneshot, LOVE how poetic this one is serious fav

Firefly Without a Light – aokaga, twoshot, aomine the dummy

Invincible – aokaga, multichap, touou kagami and aomine

Five Fingers; A Love Story – oneshot, aokaga

Softer than Before (All The Second Chances) – multi finished, aokagakuro if you’re into that 

↳ aoki

Glad You Came – multi completed, aokise

Atmosphere (or, Casual Affair) – oneshot, aokise

Boyfriend Bluff – twoshot, aokise, fakepretend

moustachiopenguin is my fav aokise writer, her Just Breathe and One Day, He Says fics are my fav for the ship

≡ the raven cycle ≡

↳ pynch

Time Isn’t Real (but you’re a constant) -- multichap completed, time travel au, future!adam switches places with present!adam and he has a wedding ring on his finger 

Just To Be Quiet -- multichap wip, one of those fandom favourites everyone will rec you, pynch having a psychic bond since childhood

Larger Than Life -- multichap completed, the first fandom favourite fic anyone will rec you, childhood friends au

Rootabaga Country -- multichap wip, the greatest magical realism fic ever, this author writes amazing world building fics

Son of the Nuclear A-Bomb -- multichap completed, amazing ronan-centric fic, a lot of ronan-niall history packed into it

This Isn’t a Heist --  oneshot, fake-pretend dating where ronan wants to piss off declan and ends up lying about dating adam and well…keep those eyes wide -- oneshot, matchmaker cabeswater demands that pynch gets on with it, it should be awkward but instead it’s so sweet!!

Worthy Of A Crush -- oneshot, everyone’s into adam who’s oblivious while ronan is clearly not

I Would Be Glad To Tell You and Walk Away -- oneshot, the very first trc fic i ever read and it’s still a fav

Hit Reset -- multichap wip, amnesia fic

Goodbye Highway -- multichap completed, amnesia fic, ronan forgets everything post niall-death so he doesn’t remember blue and adam

Six to Eight Months -- multichap completed, the raven king coda fic between chapter 67 and the epilogue

King by the Roadside -- multichap, ot5

What Stays and What Fades Away -- multichap completed, magical exes getting together again

Heart of Stone, Heart of Flesh -- multichap completed, amazing au where Adam is a veterinarian and Ronan  dreamt up a whole menagerie of extinct/magical creatures

there’s an additional great reclist if you want more ot5 fics too

≡ the foxhole court ≡

↳ andreil

Lessons in Cartography -- multchap completed, probably the next best thing after the canon books, picks up right after the last book and runs with it

switchblade is my preferred weapon -- multichap completed, best raven!neil fic, a complete rewrite

Armies -- multichap completed, an au where the Hatfords took Neil in and away to Europe but he's still a prize for his dad and the Moriyamas and oh he still ends up meeting and loving Andrew

dangerous magics -- multichap completed, magical au

And We'll Be Running -- multichap completed, the band au where the Monsters are a band and andreil sings and writes songs together and fall in love

light fires at night (to push back the void) -- multichap completed, about andreil and i love yous

everything from Saul but especially her epic mermen/pirates/magic au series Fear No Fall

please tell me it's just the fandom freaking out -- aka the social media au where andreil has no chill for PR shit

right side of rock bottom -- oneshot, andreil learning to touch and trust

we might be hollow (but we're brave) -- multichap completed, neighbours au about healing

here's a mostly tumblr-posted reclist/compilation from back the time when the fandom was a lot smaller

an interesting tfc/trc crossover fic

my most fav crossover fic ever tfc/teen wolf

now i know i said i'd slap destiel recs onto this too but i feel like you'll be ready to drop the moment you see the length of this fic already, so what i'm gonna do is that i'll share my treasure box beautiful site that is destielfanfic which is like the best library for destiel fics, old/classics/fanfavorites/fresh titles/bangs EVERYTHING can be found on it! it has the most astounding tagging-searching system ever so it's easy to find everything your reader heart might wish for. if you still feel like asking for a proper reclist from me then feel free to come back and @ me anytime though! sorry for dropping this later than promised, i had to re-link my trc/pynch list because the links were dead on it + until now i haven't done a tfc reclist so that was from scratch. i hope you have fun with this, cheers!