#little bit of a cliffhanger

[thegoldendaystrikesback]

One of the things that I appreciate about tsv is how it taught me not to binge listen to it

Whenever an episode ends with some kind of cliffhanger I don't have the impulse to grab the next one because I know that it most likely will focus on a different storyline

[suddencolds]

.~

[mik-arts]

I didn't have "try to keep your friends from falling off a ladybug" on my 2023 d&d bingo card and yet here we are

[dazais-guardian-angel]

alright I've thought about it for a while, and I'm fairly confident that is in fact Bram, and that Aya isn't hallucinating/seeing an illusion.

The biggest thing casting doubt, aside from the obvious different outfit, is the fact that the chapter ends on this reveal, suggesting it could be a cliffhanger bait. However, BSD's cliffhangers always involve something terrible happening that gets rectified in the next chapter(s), to scare us before giving us back hope; there's never been a case of the other way around, where something good happens to get our hopes up, only to have the rug pulled out from us at the start of next chapter to show that we were foolish for hoping. Asagiri is never that cruel. He loves his death baits and his dangerous situation baits before letting us know that everything is okay, and he'd never suggest that it was wrong for the audience or the characters to have hope, when BSD is quite literally about having hope even in the most absurd situations.

But more specifically, just.... what would a fakeout like this accomplish? The only way I could maybe see it was if this is Fyodor, and we think Aya is safe but she's actually not, but there's no way it's him, because we see him with the singularity and Kunikida/Tanizaki at the same time as this, he's wearing Bram's outfit and not the one this person has, and we've established that he wants to protect Aya, not hurt her. Granted, he obviously doesn't care enough about protecting her since he let her escape and get hurt all on her own lmao, so that's exactly why I ask what would be the point of him suddenly showing up just to save her from the rubble, only to then just hurt her anyway? None of that is logical.

And then, if it's Akutagawa, then that means we had our emotions played with for a twist that is just.... mildly disappointing but also not outright bad for the characters? Disappointing because Bram isn't back after all, but also not a net negative because Aya is still being rescued by someone we know and trust. If that were to happen, Aya hallucinating Aku as Bram, I just can't see it happening as a chapter cliffhanger fakeout at all; it would just feel cheap and cruel, playing with our feelings (not to mention Aya's feelings!) regarding a character we want to come back, for a reveal that isn't really worth it and doesn't change the status quo (because she's still safe regardless if it's Bram or Aku).

Aside from the lack of narrative justification, I also believe that if Aya were to hallucinate Bram, she would see him exactly as she knew him back when he regained his body — I mean, she basically does see him like that when she's remembering his last moments with her in this chapter and in the previous one when she's yelling at Fyodor; sure they're just repeated panels as flashbacks, but they're still her memories of how she sees him. I was unsure for a while about the figure's identity, but it was seeing it pointed out that Bram no longer has his nails that was really the final nail in the coffin haha get it, it's a multilayered joke, please laugh- for me: why would Aya hallucinate Bram not only not in his own outfit, but with his body altered from how she knows it? There'd be no reason why she would, and no way she could. She's never seen him in a different outfit, with different nails. Note that every other instance we've gotten of characters hallucinating significant figures in their lives (Atsushi, Mushitarou, Dazai), they're always wearing the clothes they're most known for and what the person knows them to wear. There's no reason to assume this would be different for Aya, and that she'd imagine him wearing a completely random outfit from the one she associates with him, and randomly without his signature long black nails.

This closeup panel of Bram's collar right when he first begins speaking pretty much proves my point. It's inconsistent with the new outfit (Aku's outfit) we see him wearing on the last page, but with the framing of this, with him being entirely in shadow in the rightmost panel when he first appears, it's clear to me that Aya can't see him clearly yet, so she's imagining him the way she remembers him. And then he gets closer/lifts the beam higher so that the shadow starts receding from him, and his feet and hands and different outfit become visible. The tone of this moment and the way it plays out is exactly as I've seen in numerous other visual media, where a character thinks they're on the brink of death and has lost all hope and is ready to accept it, before the slow, grand reveal of the person they thought they'd lost rescuing them, often with them posing a philosophical question to challenge their current despair or their belief that their loved one couldn't possibly still be alive, just as Bram does here. If you've seen enough movies and TV, you can probably imagine exactly the kind of scene I mean, and exactly how this moment would play out if it were animated I say "would" because it's never a given that Bones will adapt it with the right tone like I imagine.

This is framed as a triumphant, hopeful scene, of a knight coming to rescue his princess after he was thought to be dead. Aya has hurt her leg here, she's trapped, she's realizing she's about to die, and she's at last fully convinced herself that everything she so staunchly believed in was wrong and that everything she fought for all that time was for nothing; firstly, why would she suddenly hallucinate Bram if she had already lost all hope, but most importantly, why would the narrative have Bram defy death and return to her and challenge the idea that all her ideals and actions were meaningless, only for it to turn out that it isn't really him, when she misses him so bad? That just.... wouldn't be right at all, that's not the feeling this scene gives at all. This is their moment, Bram has to be the one to say these things to Aya with their history together, not anyone else, and I can't imagine Akutagawa saying something like what Bram says to her here, about royalty carrying out their pledge to protect someone without fail, even if he has inherited Bram's protectiveness towards Aya like Fyodor has. No, I'm 90% certain that is indeed Bram. It can't possibly be anyone else.

...And so, all that to say that yeah, I believe that Bram has Fyodor'd himself into Akutagawa's body, since he's wearing his outfit. We don't really know the extent of Bram's powers, but it's looking likely that he can bodysnatch any of his vampires for himself if something ever happens to him, or perhaps Aku might be special since he was the first vampire Bram created at the start of all this. Needless to say I'm not at all worried about Aku though; this is probably the beginning of why he ends up with that suit of armor later on, since Bram has his clothes... I just have no idea how we get to that point. But Aku will be fine, I'm sure; this may even be the only way he can come back from being a vampire.

[lazy-queen-irl]

Current state after ch 10 of A Tale of Crowns:

[francineveryfine]

SO HI EVERYONE... for those of you who don't know i wrote that One Fic about what would have happened if Max found out about Fran leaving in the episode an affair to dismember (here) and uh. it's been a year since i've updated that fic bc truly i am not as hooked on the nanny as i used to be OK I STILL LOVE THE SHOW it's just not as much of a hyperfixation anymore

HOWEVER

i have been deeply unemployed and rotting for the past few months after graduating so i decided to pick up that fic again and it's been A Process. SO

Here's a little sneakpeek of what i've been working on so far... feel free to comment and put out your suggestions!!

Meet Me Behind Them All: Chapter 5

“Oh, Miss Fine, you’re burning up,” he softly exclaims. His worry is beyond description, but he knows she’ll be okay when she replies, “You think I’m hot?”

He chuckles at that. So many things remain unsaid between them, but right now, this is enough. “Well, yes. I’m still a man you know,” he quips, if only to make her smile. 

And she does—a ghost of amusement on her face appears. Her voice is still hoarse but the steam from the tub is doing its job. “Oh, really? So all my little skirts and dresses didn’t go to waste after all?”

Max hums, feigning ignorance even as a smile dances on his face. “Hmm… I guess you could say that.”

She laughs softly, a smile lighting up her face while her eyes are closed. Practically speaking, if her head was burning up, the logical thing to do was to cool that off first. But, then again, her clothes are probably making her colder by the minute. He hums, trying to think about the best next step.

Fran perks up. “What is it?” 

Maxwell sighs. He’s useless. “I’m trying to decide what to do next. Should I take the pins out of your hair first, or try and help you out of your clothes?”

“Maxwell! Take me out to dinner first, why don’t you?” she exclaims, her gasp phony and filled with humor.

“I have! And multiple times at that,” he retorts, glad to know he had nothing to be worried about. 

She giggles, and feigns a thoughtful look on her face. “Hmm… Do those really count if you don’t think of them as dates?”

“Miss Fine!”

“Alright, alright!” They both share a laugh. There are still so many things left unsaid between them, but he’s glad to know that they’ll be okay. She’ll be okay.

[the-way-astray]

reblog with your ranking of the eight cliffhangers from “not bad, actually” to “shannon, i’ll be banging on your door by sunrise”. this is. for science.

(side note: this is a ranking of the cliffhangers themselves, not how they were resolved or continued in the next book. so if a cliffhanger really hit you hard but then you found the way it was resolved in the next book to be underwhelming, that’s irrelevant. it would still be more toward the “shannon, i’ll be banging on your door by sunrise” side, and vice versa.)

mine is:

(not bad, actually)

“Sophie Elizabeth Foster is unmatchable.” (Flashback)

“I’m going to be hiding the same way the Black Swan hid you. [ . . . ] Love, Keefe.” (Unlocked)

“‘Sophie?’” (Lodestar)

“‘As of this morning, Prentice is awake.’” (Neverseen)

“‘Let’s go join the Black Swan!’” (Everblaze)

“‘Who’s Alvar?’” (Nightfall)

“‘You’re saying stellarlune is a Forgotten Secret.’ [ . . . ] ‘Bring it on.’” (Legacy)

“‘My name is Elysian,' she said. 'And I am the power source you’re all here looking for.’” (Stellarlune)

(shannon, i’ll be banging on your door by sunrise)

[avirael]

Vargsången

It had been around a week since they had found refuge at Camp Dragonhead, when Rael woke especially early one morning. They usually got out of bed early enough to watch the sun rise with no problem whatsoever but this particular morning they rose with an uneasy feeling.

Before they left their room Rael glimpsed out of the window, where big white snowflakes were wildly dancing in front of a dark cloudy sky. It would be difficult to get A‘viloh out of bed today, Rael thought as they put on their boots which they had placed next to the door the evening before. It was then that they noticed the carefully folded piece of paper someone had pushed through the small gap between the door and the dark wooden floorboards.

With a confused expression on their face they picked it up and unfolded it to see a small and very familiar handwriting. Instantly that uneasy feeling flared up again. Quickly Rael read the short letter and found their worst fears confirmed.

Dear Rael,

I am sorry to leave you like this but I know that you would have tried to stop me. I am aware that this plan is madness but I simply cannot go on with this uncertainty any longer. I am returning to Ul’dah to find out what happened to our friends. I know it is dangerous but I ran and hid from the consequences of my actions for long enough to know that I will not find peace this way. Don’t come looking for me and please keep Tataru and Alphinaud safe.

Forgive me. If you can.

Your friend,

A’viloh

„This idiot!“, Rael growled as they threw another glimpse out of the window and then hurriedly left their room. Without knocking they tore open the the door across the corridor but found A’viloh’s room empty. As fast as they could they ran down the stairs, ignoring the greetings of the few people who were also up early and threw open the door leading to the yard. The blizzard they had already seen from the window felt a lot stronger and colder up close and to Rael’s frustration not a single footstep was to be seen in front of the house. No traces where he would have gone. The evidence long destroyed by the storm. How long was he already out there? And what had he been thinking at all to go out alone in a weather like this??

Whispering another string of profanities Rael stepped outside and ran across the yard. With one strong push they threw open the heavy double doors that led to the commander’s office. They hadn’t even reached the desk on the opposite side of the room yet when they urgently addressed the Elezen sitting behind it. „Lord Haurchefant!“

Surprised the man looked up from the paperwork’s on his desk and smiled at Rael.

„Please, I told you to drop the formalities. How may I help you.“

„We have a problem!“, Rael continued and the worried tone in their voice was enough to make Haurchefant’s smile turn into a more serious expression. „What happened?“

„A’viloh!“, Rael exclaimed in frustration as if that one word was explanation enough and waved around the piece of paper they still clasped tightly in their hand. „He ran away! To find our friends it seems, but all he’s gonna accomplish is get himself killed. I don’t need to be from around here to know that someone without experience is going to freeze to death all alone in that storm out there! And even if he miraculously makes it to Ul’dah, Ilberd and the other traitors will without doubt be waiting for him and he doesn’t stand a chance against all of them alone.“

„Breathe, my friend.“, the Elezen said and gestured for Rael to calm down. For a moment he looked out of the window in thought and nodded. „Unfortunately you are right. With this weather it is very dangerous out there…“

That information didn’t do much to calm Rael down. „How can we find him in that blizzard? I don’t know when he left or how far he got. I fear he—„

„Say no more.“, Haurchefant interrupted them. Without further hesitation he stood up and walked toward the door, grabbing a thick woollen coat from a coat rack beside the door. „I will find A’viloh and bring him back. You stay here where you are safe. No! No argument, please. I’ll be faster without you.“

Nonetheless Rael followed him out to the yard where he shouted for one of the guards to immediately bring his chocobo.

Rael tried to convince him that they would cover more ground if they both went searching for A‘viloh but Haurchefant pointed out that Rael would most likely get lost too and that he didn’t like to have to search for them both out in this storm. Reluctantly Rael promised to wait for him at Camp Dragonhead and watched him check his gear, get on his chocobo and vanish into the storm with worry written all over their face.

***

The snowflakes and the ice-cold wind felt like sharp little blades on his face. He cursed this storm for not the first time today and he also cursed himself as well.

What had he been thinking?

Not much honestly.

There hadn’t been a storm when he had sneaked out long before anybody else was awake. The whole night he hadn’t slept, once again thinking and wondering. Back then this part of his plan had seemed to him the easy part. He had more wondered about how he would cross Gridanian territory and make it into Ul’dah unrecognised than what else could happen on his way there when at first only a few big snowflakes had begun to slowly fall from the sky. In his determination he had barely taken notice of them, only when the clouds got darker and darker, the snow more and more and finally the wind picked up, howling and biting, he had realised that he hadn’t planned for something like this to happen. He had already walked quite a bit of distance and the Observatorium couldn’t be that far anymore. Maybe he could hide there until the storm died down. So he continued onwards. But with every minute passing he saw less and less of where he was going and soon he realised that he had no clue anymore where he was at all or in which direction he needed to walk. And with every passing moment it only seemed to get colder.

So now there he was, blindly stumbling through the snow, hoping that a settlement, a house, a fire, anything would show up before his eyes. But instead he couldn’t even tell anymore where the white ground beneath his feet ended and where the sky with it’s veil of wind and snow begun. He had no idea what to do.

For a moment he contemplated to scream for help, but who would hear him out here with this howling wind? He tried anyway and found that he barely made a sound, his voice only a distant whispering even to his own ears. Oh, I’m going to die here, he thought, no one will ever find me. That thought made him shiver even more violently than he already did and hot burning tears started to gather in the corners of his eyes. They were long frozen on his cheeks before they could reach his chin.

Nonetheless he took off his gloves, tried to wipe the weird sensation away but his face and hands only felt cold and numb. Instead he lowered his fingers to his lips, tried to warm them with his breath but even breathing felt more and more painful and exhausting by now, let alone putting one feet in front of the other.

Finally he tripped. There hadn’t even been a stone or a branch, just his frozen clumsy feet that felt so heavy. Without much of a sound he fell into the deep cold snow. Absently he tried to blink the snow out of his eyes, not that he would have seen much anyway. At first he weakly tried to push himself back up but his whole body felt so horribly heavy and tired. Oh yes, he was tired, so very tired. Maybe he just needed to rest for a moment. It all didn’t really seem that bad anymore now that he lay here in the soft white snow. It felt strangely warm really. For a moment he even thought he heard a voice calling out his name. Saw a silhouette between the dancing snowflakes. A hand stretched out towards him.

With a peaceful smile on his face his eyelids drooped and his mind faded to darkness.

***

How long was he gone now?, Rael wondered as they paced about the room, around the big table with all the maps, back and forth between the roaring fireplace and the window facing south.

For the third time now they pulled up their collar and stepped out into the empty frozen courtyard. Everyone at Camp Dragonhead who wasn’t on guard duty had been clever enough to seek shelter from the storm indoors and as Rael worriedly looked towards the gate, it‘s silhouette barely visible against the myriad of snowflakes, they wondered if Haurchefant’s decision to leave in search for A’viloh on his own had been a good one. Maybe something had happened to him.

Should they follow him?

No, they would get lost without a doubt…

Should they alarm the whole camp about their commander’s absence?

But what should the soldiers do about this?

Helplessly Rael raised their face to the sky but all there was were dark storm clouds and more questions they couldn’t answer. There was nothing to guide them, to tell them what to do. No gods, no teacher, no whispers, no vision. Nothing at all. Rael, who always knew what to do or at least had an educated guess about what might prove helpful, never felt that useless before.

Almost violently they pressed their eyes shut and tried to summon up the answers they needed by sheer force of will. A lonely figure at which the wind tore mercilessly. Determined but also futile. Forcing any sign to reveal itself to them had never worked before and neither did it now. There simply was nothing they could do.

Why haven’t I seen this coming?

Eyes still closed they started to shiver, fighting against the burning sensation building behind their eyelids. Their mouth twitched no matter how tightly they pressed their lips shut. Instead they breathed through their nose, heavy shaky breaths which turned to white clouds in the air.

Then a horn blared above. Rael flinched and realised that a guard on the fortification wall had given a signal. They didn’t know what it meant and still Rael fixed their eyes on the barely visible gateway, hoping, praying to whatever was willing to listen. Please, let them be safe.

At first Rael feared they were imagining it but then clearly something moved between the sea of snowflakes. A dark form, something - no, someone was coming closer. Rael almost stopped breathing. Once they realised it was truly Haurchefant on his chocobo, they almost fell to their knees in relief.

Only as Haurchefant carefully climbed off of his chocobo, Rael saw that he wasn’t wearing his coat anymore. Instead he had held it in place bundled up on the saddle in front of him, to make sure it didn’t fall down and also keeping it close to himself for warmth. As he lifted that small bundle into his arms and slowly stepped towards them Rael couldn’t stifle a sob any longer and desperately ran towards him.

A’vi!

Wrapped in the way too large piece of clothing was the small Miqo’te, entirely motionless. His skin so pale and cold. Frantically Rael searched for a sign of life - a sound, a movement, a pulse - but there was none. He looked like a dead thing and that fact smashed Rael’s heart to a million little pieces.

It had been too late. They had lost him.

***

Darkness. Endless and suffocating.

A moment ago he thought there had been light.

There had been snow too.

No…

Dark angry water. Hissing like the wind.

A thunderstorm. Or a blizzard.

But there had been sun too, right? Once. Warm pleasant sunlight. Hot bright sand.

Yes, it had been warm. But why was he feeling so cold then?

Why had the sun left him all alone in this cold, cold darkness?

Suddenly he heard a voice calling his name.

It sounded so far away and then suddenly so close. So worried.

He couldn’t quite remember if he knew it but it felt friendly. It felt warm and welcoming.

It felt safe. He could rest now.

***

When Haurchefant had arrived back at Camp Dragonhead cradling poor A‘viloh in his arms, the Miqo’te had no noticeable breathing or pulse at all. He had looked like a corpse and Rael had already feared he was dead. Nonetheless Haurchefant had hurriedly brought him indoors. Loudly he had yelled orders left and right and suddenly the whole camp was in turmoil. In fact it was still early morning and it only had been this sudden unexpected ruckus that had awoken Tataru and Alphinaud as footsteps and loud voices rushed past their bedrooms. They watched puzzled as the servants quickly brought lots of blankets as well as warm dry clothes to replace A’viloh’s frozen ones and also wood for the fireplace and warming pans for his bed.

Immediately Rael had begun to work. For a few terrifying moments they had sat there in silent focus trying to find a sign of life from A‘viloh. Heartbeat, breathing, aether. Nothing… nothing… nothing… then: a shy heartbeat after all. So slow, so weak, easy to miss. But it was still there and Rael refused to let it vanish! They never had to heal a patient with hypothermia before and only could guess what to do exactly. It wasn’t a open wound they could close or a poison they could extract. Instead all they could do was use their magic to steady his heartbeat and help slowly warm his body up.

Both, Tataru and Alphinaud, stood there by the door speechlessly staring in shock, not knowing or understanding what had happened. They saw Rael’s face and didn’t dare to ask either. Not until Haurchefant reappeared. The servants had urged him to change into dry, warmer clothes too and now he returned pressing warm drinks into the helpless spectators hands and shooing them off, back to their rooms, against quiet protest.

“Please, the healer will arrive any moment now. There is nothing you can do in the meantime. I promise I have you informed at once if anything changes.“

Bleakly Rael noticed that his choice of words didn’t specify if this would be a change for better or for worse. A few moments later the healer, torn from his sleep on Haurchefant’s demand, arrived but he also left rather quickly again.

Rael had only let this ishgardian doctor close to A’viloh because they had hoped that maybe he knew better how to help him than they did considering he needed to have more experience with cases like this. But the Elezen hadn’t done much at all and only claimed that the poor Miqo’te’s life now lay in Halone’s hands. Rael had sharply laughed at this statement but it had really sounded more like a menacing bark. Why did this sharlatan bother to come here at all? Once again they had to do everything by themself if they wanted it done properly.

Just to make sure, they tried every kind of healing magic they could think of hoping that maybe some of it would help, even the ancient spells his mother and the oracle had taught them. When no immediate response was visible - had they really expected one? - they kept on monitoring A’viloh’s heartbeat as well as his still very thin aether and supported both as good as they could using their own.

For hours they sat there silently working their magic, carefully trying to ration their own power reserves as long as possible. They were almost exhausted, almost out of aether themself. Their fingers were shaking and their eyelids felt heavy. It wasn’t healthy and they knew they couldn’t do this much longer.

But at least it seemed to work. For a short happy moment they thought everything would be fine again.

Then the fever hit.

***

The darkness scared him.

It was cold and wet and inescapable.

The wind turned to howls of wild animals and these again soon to laughs and mockery.

Their hungry fangs and claws reached for him in the darkness. Trying to pull him down.

He tried to run but he wasn’t moving at all.

He tried to shake off the claws digging into his skin but their grip was too strong.

He tried to scream but couldn’t make a sound.

Then with a sudden jolt he was falling. A long horrible fall through infinite darkness.

When he finally hit the ground he was in the cold, freezing snow again.

Just that it didn’t feel cold at all anymore. But soft and warm.

There was that voice again, calling his name.

An unfamiliar voice.

No, that wasn’t true. He knew this voice.

It was the only voice he ever wanted to remember.

If he ever realised he forgot this sound, the pain would destroy him.

Between the veil of snow there was a hand reaching out for him. A worried face.

Arms holding him tight. Keeping him warm.

So familiar eyes of molten gold.

A loving smile.

His favourite thing in the world.

Oh! Now he remembered!

He understood. At last, no miracle to save him.

Finally…

…

Laqa.

***

„Laqa…“

Shocked Rael looked up from the hand they carefully held between their own.

Haurchefant couldn’t know the meaning of this feverish mumbling but Rael did and it terrified them, the panic plainly visible on their face.

„The healer warned us that the fever might make him hallucinate...“ the elezen offered in an attempt to console them.

„I know that!“, Rael snapped harshly.

It wasn’t fair but they had no nerve to hear things that were plainly visible. After the fever had appeared Haurchefant had called for the ishgardian doctor again. At least this time he had offered a potion that was supposed to lower A’viloh’s fever. So far it hadn’t shown any effect though. But that wasn’t Haurchefant’s fault.

„I am sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you…“

The Elezen shook his head. „I know, my friend. You’re tired. Don’t you think it would be better to rest for a while?“

„No, I’m fine. I will stay.“ It did sound hollow even to them.

„You know, you did everything you could, right?“, Haurchefant asked while putting a hand on Rael’s shoulder and Rael hated how it almost sounded like they had lost this fight already.

„I know… Would you mind leaving me alone for a while?“ Hopefully that hadn’t sounded rude again.

He hesitated, then he nodded slowly. „No more magic though, alright? I don’t want you to collapse too.“

Rael just shrugged. It wasn’t the answer Haurchefant had wanted but he left anyway. With a heavy sigh they returned their gaze to A’viloh’s pale face as he mumbled something unintelligible.

Oh, why hadn’t they noticed he was planning something? Where had they gone wrong?

Probably when A’viloh’s smile had fooled them into thinking that he was alright. As if a few nice words and some hot chocolate could fix everything that was wrong. Rael had wanted to believe it but should have known better. No matter how much they had told themself that he was stronger now, braver, healthier… mostly he seemed fine and then suddenly tiny things could still throw him off course. It was a tricky thing for Rael to assess how A‘viloh would react sometimes. Like a broken mug that had been kitted. There were bits and pieces that were still alright or had healed fairly good, the damage almost invisible, and then there were the spots were all that kept the ragged shards together was too much glue, unevenly filling the wounds. Ugly and weak, easily broken apart again. On his really bad days Rael still feared that there were some small pieces of him irrevocably lost, never to be found again, sunken to the bottom of the sea and impossible to replace.

Barely audible, like a knife to Rael’s heart, the poor fever-dreaming Miqo’te whispered, „I‘ve missed you so much, Laqa.“

„No!“, Rael yelled almost angrily and threw themself at A’viloh’s chest protectively. „You can’t have him yet!“

It was ridiculous! Who were they even talking to? Instead they turned their pleading gaze to the Miqo’te’s feverish face.

„Please, A‘vi! Tell him that he has to wait a little longer… please… he would want you to live your life first, wouldn’t he?“

Of course A'viloh didn’t answer.

Desperately Rael buried their face in the Miqo’te’s shirt and started to sob. „Please don’t die. I cannot do this without you…“

***

The sea washed around his feet, then retreated again with a slight pull.

He couldn’t care less.

Everything he cared about was right here with him.

Arms as warm and comforting as the late afternoon sunlight wrapped tightly around him.

With his eyes closed, his head rested between Laqa’s shoulder and neck, he felt safe and at peace. He felt at home.

When had he last felt that way?

It didn’t matter anymore.

He would never have to let go of him again.

Vi…

this so familiar voice whispered as he pressed a kiss into his hair.

Slowly Laqa loosened his embrace and instead cupped A’viloh’s face gently with both of his hands.

It is time, Vi…

For a moment they just looked at each other, smiling, before their lips met halfway for a long kiss.

Finally Laqa pulled back a little and immediately A’viloh missed him again.

This hadn’t been enough. It would never be.

With a smile on his face Laqa rested his forehead against A’viloh’s.

You have to go now.

***

For days A‘viloh wandered between sleep and death, two things that sometimes looked horribly similar like only siblings could.

The fever had ebbed away and risen again but never completely left him alone.

Neither had Rael.

Day and night they had remained by A’viloh’s bedside, refusing to leave unless it was really necessary.

Alphinaud had brought food and water for them both and sometimes even Tataru had joined them for breakfast or for dinner. Every now and then Lord Haurchefant had brought tea as well. All of them had tried to cheer Rael up and also tried to convince them to get some rest. Both very unsuccessfully. Although they appreciated the effort.

When they were alone Rael talked to A’viloh. They felt a little crazy for this because they didn’t know if A‘vi was hearing any of this at all but still… they sat down on the bed beside him, held his hand in theirs and told him everything they had ever wanted to tell him.

How much they admired him for the person he was, despite everything. How much they had enjoyed traveling with him and also how much of the world they still hoped to show him. All the places Rael had visited on their journey and thought A‘vi would love. They told him how much they wished they could show him Golmore. They sang him the lullabies their mother used to sing for them and told him everything about their home and also about themself. About all the qualities they lacked and he possessed. About his kindness and how he so easily won over the hearts of everyone he met. About how Rael finally understood what it felt like to be as terrified as him. The fear and the guilt. How sorry they were for not seeing that he hadn’t been okay.

The thought that maybe against all of their efforts A'viloh simply didnt want to wake up again almost made them cry once more. In the end Rael lay there beside him with their head rested on A‘viloh’s chest. His heartbeat the only solace for their sorrow, a lullaby for their troubled mind, their tired eyelids almost closed.

„Wake up, A‘vi… Please. Just say something…“, they whispered a final plea.

Apart from the crackle of the fireplace and the wind rattling at the window the room was silent.

Almost asleep suddenly a quiet raspy sound startled them.

„…Rael?“

In surprise the viera shot up and indeed saw tired green eyes slowly squinting at them.

„What are you doing here?“, A‘viloh‘s voice asked hoarsely.

„A‘vi!“, Rael exclaimed in disbelieve and realised how stupid this must look. Hurriedly they jumped up, pretending to get him some water to hide how embarrassed they were. „How are you feeling? Does anything hurt? Here! You should drink something! I‘ll go and ask for some soup too, you really need to -“

A’viloh chuckled and made them stop. Confused Rael turned around and looked at him cheekily grinning.

„What?“, they blurted out awkwardly.

The Miqo'te shook his head. „Nothing… Soup would be great, I think I am starving… and also thank you for worrying about me.“

„You are such an idiot, you know that?“, Rael asked while crossing their arms in front of their chest and staring at him in the best imitation of anger they could pull off.

A’viloh just laughed. This time Rael was wary to trust it.

Oh, they would give him quite a lecture! It was a good thing he couldn’t run off in his condition. But first they would get some food.

[lesbianpegbar]

IT WOULD BE SO WEIRD IF TWO TIMELINES WERE NOT HAPPENING RN...the eyes were completely different when lu guang rescued cheng xiao shi the first time...theres just no way. he better not get on that boat or i swear to god

LITERALLY LIKE. it would be such a disappointment tbh. it would kinda stomp on all the careful planning and small details they put into s1 that made it so compelling and rewatchable. watching s1 over and over i’d be like OHHH so that’s why that tiny detail is that way it’s building up to this bigger thing. so if they forego small details mattering this season and all of this just builds up to like a basic murder mystery plot or something it’ll just leave such a sour taste in my mouth. it’s like it would be punishing you for paying attention. but obviously i’m withholding judgement until the season ends, all i’ll say is cheng xiaoshi better not get on that damn boat

[gingerbreadmonsters]

it’s snippet SUNDAY...

...because i got a bit carried away and missed snippet SATURDAY, which i was actually tagged in - apologies for my habitual tardiness 😭😭 thank you very very much to @zozo-01 ​ and @darlincollins ​ for the tag - i hope this does the job! no tags because i’m late as usual, but for anyone who’d like to show off a wip they’re working on, consider this my tag to you 💕💕💕

under the cut: the companion cube AU returns at LAST - it’s been sucking up all my time and it’s taking FOREVER :((( it’s only at about 7.5k and i’m anticipating quite a lot more to go, so please have this to chew on in the interim!

minors dni - warnings for heavy gore, graphic violence, fatal injury, character death, and loss of bodily autonomy. we’re right in the thick of it, my loves! it’s VERY bloody and gory, so please consider yourself warned. 

Most of the fighting seems to be inside the building, from what you can tell. Several floors' worth of windows seem to have been smashed out - presumably there was a Sonal Energetic running around up there at some point - and what little you can see looks like absolute hell. Crumbling walls, crushed furniture, what might have once been a potted plant by the entrance now reduced to ash. A screaming figure tumbles from a fifth floor window, disappearing behind a half-collapsed wall, and then they’re not screaming any more. 

Maybe it’s best to breathe through your mouth for a little while. Caelum leads you onwards past the Spire proper, hurrying towards one of the adjoining buildings, and you try not to think about what you’re running through. 

Magic really can be nasty stuff, especially when it comes to all the juice and slush that’s supposed to be inside a human being. Spit and skin and acid, hair and teeth and fingernails. A hellish collage. Your head spins, stumbling as a vampire boots what must be a Graviton Energetic through a nearby fence, only to slump lifeless to the ground as a vicious-looking Dreamwalker comes up behind him. Half-melted fat falling off the bone as the fire rages on, sizzling and crackling as an unlucky Stealth loses a fistfight with a Fire Elemental. Mmm. Delicious.

Over there!

A high-pitched voice in your head breaks your spiral, and you follow Caelum’s gaze over to what looks like the tail end of a pretty nasty scuffle by the entrance to one of the buildings. All the glass has been smashed out of the revolving door, and the lights inside flicker unsteadily through the ruined brickwork.

As a blood-soaked vampire stumbles out of the door, her eyes fix onto you, and no amount of [REDACTED] was ever going to be a match. Protectively, you push Caelum behind you, but it doesn’t matter. A split second is enough. You feel the iron beginnings of a trance forming in your mind, stiffening in your spine, racing through the bone and crawling up into your brain. Black water chokes you, thrashing and screaming in the instantaneous stillness of your body, before-

“-!!”

[a-very-fond-farewell]

listen. when I say these two are toxic for each other I don’t mean it in an abusive way. if they want to fight, brawl and then fuck about it or pine away that’s their business. I’m just transcribing what I see. I’m genderfluiding what they show me. I’m out of here.

[elephant-in-the-pride-parade]

New Chapter of Age of Aquarius!

With the restoration of the Earth comes fresh opportunity. hundreds of sunspots are expelled from her core before they have fully recovered from the senshi's previous assaults. The senshi rise to gather the shattered remnants of these dead stars and try to retake them from the enemy. A breakthrough is realized as Sailor Moon's powers take on a task both new… and familiar. But to strike a devastating blow against their enemy, they shall place one of their own in peril.

[wonder-falcon]

I cant believe they literally ended immortal desires with mc and her vampire besties frolicking into the sunset 😭

[gently-decaying-flowers]

Author notes: Woke up at 4 am- couldn’t go back to sleep so reporting to you from me bedroom floor is Azi chapter 2!!

quickly, let me explain. The whole conversation from Crowley ch 2 was just very dialogue heavy and quite honestly rewriting that would be more boring then you rereading it.

SOOO Azi chapter 2 is starting directly after that (i’ll probably continue it like this from now on. I feel like when they’re together there’s not as much reason to rewrite the same scenes)

anyways enjoy!

The Reunion- Aziraphale Ch 2

Azi was at ease after their conversation, the buildup of bad communication finally starting to break down. As he walked the familiar path, Crowley at his side, he kept his mind off what he would do when he gets back to heaven.

There was hardly anyone in the park as the sun continued its descent below the horizon. Therefore, Aziraphale and Crowley would be alone, and at peace. They found their bench and sat how they usually do. Aziraphale sat up straight, his hands folded politely in his lap. Crowley sat far opposite of him, one leg kicked out as he leaned and sunk into himself.

Aziraphale didn’t quite feel awkward… actually things felt the same as they had before. It was almost disappointing. Crowley rattled off about the ducks, he told some stories about taking Muriel down here. Meanwhile Azi’s brain was spinning, and more than anything he wanted to reach out and take Crowley’s hand.

“Angel?” Crowley’s softened voice pulled Aziraphale out of his thoughts.

“Yes?” He was a little confused, but didn’t want Crowley to know he hadn’t been listening.

“Angel you were so lost in your thoughts that your eyebrows were crinkling.” Crowley laughed a light laugh, and Azi allowed himself to smile.

“Oh I’m sorry. There’s just a lot weighing on my mind right now.” Azi sighed, he wasn’t technically lying. Crowley paused for a moment. Aziraphale hadn’t even noticed that he seemed to have shuffled closer as he was talking.

Now, Crowley nonchalantly leaned back and gently took Aziraphale’s hand in his own. They quietly laced their fingers together and sat with their shoulders touching.

“You know angel, when you’re up in heaven you can always give the bookshop a call. I’m rarely out of there anyways so if you need a break…” Crowley mentioned. Aziraphale squeezed his hand in response.

“Thank you, I will definitely be doing that as often as I can.” Azi chuckled and the pair fell into comfortable silence again. Finally, his mind was quiet. Well mostly quiet. He hasn’t forgotten about how close he and Crowley are sitting or how they haven’t even loosened their grip on each others hands.

The sun officially dipped beneath the horizon, only the high hanging moon now provided light. Aziraphale was ready to go back to the shop, so he stood from the bench. Crowley released his hand and stood with him.

“Heading back angel?” He asked, but they had already started walking home. A lonely streetlight illuminated the front steps of A.Z Fell. Azi went to open the door, but he stopped.

“Everything alright?” Crowley asked, his brows furrowed with concern.

“Yes, there’s just one more thing I wanted to do tonight…” Azi said distantly. Crowley stepped up to be level with him, and they held each others gaze. Azi stepped forward.

“Angel-“

“Shh.” He took Crowley’s cheeks in his hands and pulled him down to his face. He looked into Crowley’s eyes again, a little worried now. Crowley smiled with half of his mouth, more of a smirk. He took a deep breath and before Crowley could find something witty to say…

Aziraphale kissed him.

[ahagisborn]

I just finished this and I LOVED the first one but with this one I felt (and maybe it’s because I also just read a day of fallen night and it suffered in comparison) that it could’ve been anywhere from 300 to 500 pages longer

[avariceaside]

AAHHHH!! I finally watched Across the Spider-verse and OH MY GOD!!! It was amazing!!! The animation, the storytelling, the soundtrack!!!! How did they manage to outdo ITSV!!?