#scrounged around for these XD

[eighthwholove]

Just some Miscellaneous McGann to start off your week!

[bonefall]

Hi AMV/PMV person again, funny thing that you mentioned Bumble because she's actually the cat I wanted to make something with xD

But yes please, if you can please simpify her a bit that would be extremely epic. I love her soots and her cute paw marks but I might cry if I had to draw them all. Also I'm wondering if you have anywhere specific you put your cat designs? Tumblr's search function is garbage so I can't find some of the one I KNOW you have (I'd love to look at them)

Last question also: do you have any Gray Wing or Clear Sky designs? Or honestly anyone from DoTC (I saved your Acorn Swoop, Thunder, and Bumble but I just wanna make sure I've got the essentials before I go scrounging around other warriors blogs for their designs)

I hit my partner up and we simplified Bumble with animation in mind;

[ID: Bumble from Warrior Cats. She is a fat tortie with big yellow eyes, large ears, and paw-shaped markings. This is a simplified, animator-friendly version of this design]

I wanted to make sure this got done for you! We turned her stripes into the same paw-spot she has on her face. We went fast so I had some time to do some first-pass sketches at Clear Sky and Gray Wing. I'll clean these up tomorrow and try to get a Turtle Heart done;

The family "trait" for the Quiet Wing family is going to be those shoulder-burls. I wanted to make Gray Wing look raggedy and a little pathetic, so their ears droop and flop on top of looking very skinny. Clear Sky in contrast is huge and thick.

I keep my other designs in this masterpost here. It's a hard one to find because I'm so disorganized... I really really need to do some cleanup, but alas. Bees in my head, they-outsider-buzz.

[spinningwebsandtales]

Bittersweet

Nicholas D. Wolfwood X FemReader

Rating: T+

Warnings: Shoot out, thoughts of suicide, violence, blood, angst (like tons of angst), steamy scenes (I needed a shower after writing them hoo boy), and some fluff

Word Count: 9.3k

Requested by @moon-esque​

(A/N:) Okay fellow Nicholas fangirls this request turned into an absolute monster! And I enjoyed every second of writing it! I also may have had a meltdown when I found the gif for it as well, as it’s absolute perfection. I am so thankful you gave me this request as I believe it may be my favorite one yet. As soon as I read it I got swarmed by ideas and I am really pleased with the way it turned out. I think I had a little too much fun with the angst tho. 😅 But I hope I did it justice and it’s everything you hoped for! Until next time happy reading! ~Countess

Side note: Parts in italics are flashbacks. Okay I’ll shut up now! XD

Nicholas D. Wolfwood didn’t know how he earned such a wonderful life when he finally settled down. How he came across you so sweet and beautiful, he couldn’t explain that either. Or the fact that you had fallen in love with him and told him yes on that fateful day that seemed so long ago. Noman’s Land had taken so much from him and he couldn’t remember the last time he had been happy, until he had you. Like the sun you were warm but not harsh. You didn’t burn him or sap away his strength until he felt like he couldn’t take another step further. His heart ached as he looked at pictures of you he kept in his pocket, torn and worn from use and fights. He also couldn’t help but sneer at the stain of blood in the corner of his favorite photo. If it was his blood or someone else’s he couldn’t tell as so much blood had been spilled. He was just glad it didn’t mar your face in the photo as he didn’t think he could stomach the thought.

 He remembered those nights fondly with you, the little house you had picked out was perfect. Others would have seen it as cramped but growing up with nothing, it was a mansion to Nicholas. Home cooked meals every night with what little ingredients you could scrounge around for and afford tasted like a feast. But the moments he was happiest was when you both would go sit outside to watch the sunsets every night, hand in hand talking about your days. He closed his eyes his opposite hand rubbing across the palm you always held. He could have sworn that he could still feel your skin against his. Hot nights were ignored as he always wanted to hold onto you tightly. You tried shoving him away more than once but he stubbornly held on, toughing out your sweaty body against his. The desert had no remorse and neither did his want of you. You’d laugh, tell him that he stinks which only made him toss you into the old tub filled with precious water before he too would join you. You’d splash him once he sat down into the tub and he’d gently nibble at your digits. He’d kiss you despite the protests until your stubbornness was all but forgotten and your world was just filled with Nicholas. 

While you slept he would lay awake staring at the ceiling while listening to your slow breathing. He too would sleep if the nightmares would leave him alone for once. But every time he closed his eyes, his conscious was filled with blood and the screams of the people when he took their lives. He may have been called the Punisher but all he was punishing now was himself. You tried getting him to talk about it but he never would open up, the fear that you would find out the monster he was and is overwhelmed him. He just knew that if you found out that you would leave him and then he would have no one else, besides the group of friends he made and hurt on occasions. Vash was glad for his friend when Nicholas told him the news about the wedding, though Nicholas felt a little guilty dragging you into his messed up life. 

It turned out to be the best decision he ever made as the light started to come back in his life. Then the unthinkable happened, Nicholas left for work one morning and everything was normal. He finished his day, ready to see you and kiss you until you were breathless. But when he came upon his home it was dark, empty, and scorched. There was no sign of you and no answer no matter how loud or long he screamed your name. He beat at the sand, demanding that this forsaken land give you back to him. Blood coated the wood where it hadn’t burned to charcoal. Normally the sight of blood never made him sick, but the thought that it was yours had him retching stomach acid into the churned sand. He cried, tears streaking the grime on his cheeks until rage overtook him.

Nicholas came at anyone who he thought was possibly involved in your disappearance. He felt foolish believing that he could escape the Eye of Michael and it’s cronies. How could he bring you into something so terrible? Guilt riddled him as he thought of them taking you, subjecting you to whatever horrors they deemed fit as they had did to him as a child. His stomach churned in worry, but he couldn’t find any signs no matter how hard he looked. People either died to quickly or passed out from fear or the pain that he inflicted, he couldn’t get anywhere or come up with the answers he needed. 

Those nights sitting with you out on the little porch of your home was getting hazier and hazier as time passed, while being covered by the blood he spilled and smeared across his name. He became feared once more The Punisher walking again, toting his cross shaped machine gun with no remorse or pity upon his targets. Not even his friends could make headway let alone find him as Nicholas constantly stayed on the move. He couldn’t stop as the thought of finding you was his driving force, staying at the front of his mind at all times. Even Vash couldn’t seem to track him down and it just made the blond haired man more frustrated the longer time went on. 

A year passed since you disappeared, no trace ever came up again. No name, no breath of you, nothing. Nicholas finally cracked, despair swallowing him whole as he sat in a run down room in a sleazy inn contemplating ending it all. He refused to eat, he couldn’t remember the last time he had even bathed. He was unshaven, unkempt, and his clothes were beyond repair. But he couldn’t find the motivation to even care, you had become his everything his only sole purpose to breathe, and he had betrayed that abandoning you to whatever cruel fate had taken you. He unwrapped his weapon, searching blindly for the little pistol tucked inside. The weapon was perfect for him as it would mark his grave in a dark poetic sort of way. Though he felt like he didn’t deserve a grave, he prayed that they would just toss his corpse into the sand and let the worms have their share of him. Without you seeing him through, life held no meaning. You would have argued otherwise but you were no longer with him, you probably never even existed. He chuckled darkly, finally losing his mind as he was beginning to believe you had been some sort of figment the Eye of Michael had cooked up. Something to keep him complacent until the time came to rip you away and causing their greatest weapon to lose his mind and go on a search for revenge taking out the trash with him. 

He cackled insanely finally finding the weapon he had been looking for. He couldn’t keep on, the sorrow and pain finally too much to bear. He didn’t deserve to go out quietly or easily. A old man’s natural death had never been a part of his plan in the universe, and he didn’t deserve you anyway he decided. You were the exact opposite the light in the darkness, the steady island in a storm. While he was a never ending black hole that sucked everything good in the world and destroyed it. He held the pistol to his chin ready to end it all, though he knew that it was pure cowardice driving him. Pressure squeezed upon the trigger, he closed his eyes welcoming the end of his pitiful existence when the door slammed open. The lock uselessly tumbling to the floor in shattered pieces.

Vash the Stampeded stood before him in the doorway, pistol drawn. Vash wasted no time pulling the trigger, shooting the weapon from his friend’s hand. He was more surprised at the state of the strong man before him than anything else. He shook his head watching the dark haired man sink into the thin mattress, as he finally gave in. Nicholas tried to hide the tears but they wouldn’t stop coming. He had purposely been avoiding Vash and Meryl for as long as he had been searching for you. He knew they wouldn’t approve of his methods and Vash would have ended up being more of a pain than a help as Nicholas dished out his form of searching. But now that he had finally given up on you, fate had to set the red coated man right there at the time of his lowest. Without you he didn’t think life was worth living. Without you Noman’s Land was emptier and far from ever being the same again. Vash looked to Meryl the woman suddenly frightened by the Punisher they had been beside for so long.

“Go ahead and wait in the other room. I’m going to stay with him and I would rather you not be around if he tries anything else,” Vash said turning back to his long lost friend. Without argument Meryl left leaving the two men alone. Vash didn’t know even where to begin as Nicholas just laid there despondent and clearly not going to come around anytime soon. With Meryl safe, Vash felt more comfortable to do whatever necessary to get the undertaker back on his feet. Despite how grim everything looked on the outcome of finding you, Vash couldn’t give up. Not when it came to the person who had brought such joy to Nicholas’ life. Finally Nicholas passed out, the physical and emotional exhaustion taking it’s toll and sweeping him under the waves. Deep in his unconscious state he could still feel you, hear you, and touch you. At first it seemed to be too cruel to stand but now he took more comfort in it than pain. The memories you both had shared and made together keeping some parts of him together, though those were starting to crumble too the longer he went without you.

“Nicholas,” your voice called. Nicholas grunted trying to stay in darkened bliss, but you were relentless when it came to the pursuit of what you wanted. You called a little louder before starting to jostle him around a little. This time you got a groan out of him and you laughed. You rubbed his chin, the scruff of his unshaven face tickling your palm.

“Wake up,” you cooed moving towards his ear. Despite being obnoxious and playing with his earlobe, Nicholas stubbornly remained asleep. You stroked his black locks, thinking about giving them a trim before you huffed in annoyance. He could sense danger and be on his feet in moments, but in these moments where he truly got the relax and cling to you he was hard to awaken. You thought it was mostly from his rough way of life and never really having a place where he felt comfortable. So you never gave him grief if he overslept or was hard to wake up. This morning was different though as you were ready to start your day and couldn’t free yourself of your husband’s tight grip. So now you decided that desperate measures were going to have to come into play. Cupping his jaws you lifted his head where you could reach before kissing him deeply on the lips. He stirred more, trying to break away but you stubbornly refused to let him go. It didn’t take long until he was lazily kissing you back, his lips a little chapped from the heat and dusty wind. Dark eyes opened, groggily staring at you with a little gleam of annoyance shining through. You beamed obnoxiously at him, glad that you finally got what you wanted.

“I swear,” you laughed kissing him again. “You could sleep anywhere and through anything Wolfwood.”

“Can,” he grumbled, “and have. But it’s hard to sleep through an incessant wife that refuses to let her beloved sleep.”

“You can keep sleeping,” you poked his nose. “But I need to get up. There’s food to make and chores to do.”

“And let my pillow go about her day? No thanks.”

“Your pillow is retiring so let me up,” you wiggled and squirmed. Nicholas just continued to glare which wasn’t working as he was too cute with his sleep mussed hair and groggy expression. You snorted trying to fix the worm’s nest he called hair to no avail. He wordlessly lifted himself off of you but kept a secure grip so you couldn’t get away from him. You sucked in a breath as he gently crawled his way up to your face. His warm breath puffing against your skin he slid one hand down towards yours before interlacing your fingers. He squeezed gently before pressing his forehead to yours making you both sigh in bliss. This had become a habit between you two, that no one else got to see or know. Nicholas had been the first one to do it and it just had become a thing between you both. You couldn’t think long about the history behind his gesture before he was kissing you deeply, taking your mind off everything but him. You sighed sinking further into the mattress while he kept one hand in yours and the other keeping him up over your body. Knowing he had you right where he wanted you Nicholas released you, licking your lingering taste from his lips before suddenly crashing down on top of you. You yelped and grunted at the sudden weight.

“Nicholas,” you gasped trying to shove him off, “you’re crushing me!”

He huffed, maneuvering the majority off of you but refusing to let you go as he nuzzled into your plush chest. His breathing began to slow letting you know that he was on the verge of going back to sleep.

“Noooo don’t go back to sleep,” you shrieked causing Nicholas to grumble but it didn’t take him long before he was back to sleeping just glad to have you in bed with him.

Nicholas blinked blearily as the sunlight streamed through the broken window of the room he had rented. His machine gun was clear across the room and no weapon was within his reach. He moaned wearily trying to rise from the bed as his joints protested. After all the horrors he had put himself through, he was finally paying the price of pushing himself so hard. Without seeing, he knew he wasn’t alone as the thoughts of last night came flooding back. He shook his head trying to disperse the last of the memory that had decided to haunt him in his sleep before rubbing at his eyes. A familiar red coat caught his eye before he spotted the sleeping Vash sitting in a chair at his bedside. For just a few moments he allowed himself to glare at the man who had interrupted him from finally getting the freedom from pain he so wanted. Without you nothing in life was worth living. Vash would completely disagree with Nicholas’ outlook, but the blond haired man had always had a sunny outlook no matter how bleak things looked. Nicholas scoffed, earning a tired grumble from the man he had called friend for many years. He got up to cross the room back to his weapon but Vash woke up before he could make it there.

“Get out.” Nicholas snarled his patience worn thinner than ever.

“Good morning to you too.” Vash replied getting up from the chair and stretching his limbs. He yawned widely scratching at his messy blond hair before his bright blue gaze settled upon the other man.

“I didn’t want your help and I don’t need it either,” Nicholas suddenly shouted. He was sure everyone in the inn could hear but at this point he no longer cared about anything. “And why did you stop me? I didn’t ask anything from you and this is my business to take care of!”

Vash glared back at him, though his eyes weren’t filled with rage but a sadness that ran so deep nobody could explore the depths. He had lost so much and was still losing daily for so long that he couldn’t keep up with everything. Vash had become so close to the man they called The Punisher he couldn’t stand the thought of him just throwing his life away, especially if there was even a iota of a chance you still lived. “And let another one of my friends die? I wasn’t going to let you kill yourself. (Y/N) is still out there and she needs you. What good are you if you’re dead?”

His brother’s forces are people who he knew well. He couldn’t help but think you were still alive. In his own way he had been looking as well but if he wasn’t careful he would wind up getting you killed by Knives, if his brother knew Vash had interest in you. It was a horrible game they had played for so very long and Vash had learned to play it well. Nicholas was a different player though and he couldn’t tell him what to do. Everything was falling apart and you were needing the man you loved greatly now and he about snuffed himself out. Vash was relieved that he could intervene just in time before your last hope was taken away.

“I didn’t want you to find me and she’s dead.” Nicholas suddenly whispered. “It would be better if I just met her now in the afterlife.”

“She’s not dead,” Vash replied the conviction strong in his voice.

“I would have found her by now Vash! Nobody is talking and do you think you can extract information better than I can?”

Nicholas knew that Vash didn’t believe in his methods, but he didn’t care, not at this point. If he thought the Eye of Michael was going to give out information without spilling a little blood, he had another thing coming. Though Vash knew the members well he didn’t have the strength to do what Nicholas could, at least that’s how the undertaker saw things. He didn’t know deep down inside that Vash knew that if it would have changed things he would have done it.

“They wouldn’t be trying so hard to keep you away if they weren’t keeping her alive,” Vash tried again to reason with him. “They don’t want you taking her back as they know they can control you that way.”

“They don’t want me to go on a rampage.”

“You ARE going on a rampage Nicholas!” Vash couldn’t believe it as he felt like he was losing more ground than gaining when it came to stubborn Nicholas. Did he not realize how sloppy he had gotten in his rage? The proof was littered across the land in the form of blood stained sand. “Do you want to know how I found you?! The corpses you left behind, it wasn’t hard to track you.” Vash shuddered at the memory of half alive corpses being gnawed on by worms and scavengers as they laid there barely breathing. The haunted mutterings of a dead man gone mad about a black shape, of the Punisher’s return and his quest for vengeance and answers. “If I can track you the Eye of Michael really are, keeping just out of your reach. Do you know how fast word travels especially when it comes to word on the Punisher making his big return? You idiot no wonder you’re not getting anything done by yourself. Besides do you think (Y/N) is that weak that she would die so easily?”

“No.” Nicholas couldn’t help but grin at the memory of you saving him more than once.

“Exactly. So stop sulking and get ready to go, we have to rescue her.” Vash left no room for arguments, “But before we do you have to shave that stupid beard off your face.”

Nicholas glared, “She always liked it.”

“I knew she had poor taste when she married you,” he laughed slapping the undertaker on the back. He left Nicholas alone with faith that he was back on his feet and wouldn’t try anything rash. Meryl was waiting outside the door, her eyes were a little wet as she had heard the conversation. Vash embraced her trying to comfort her as he wanted her at her best as they tried to survive, to bring you back home. He had to find food as Nicholas was weak and still on the verge of collapse from not taking care of himself. It would be a hard battle and he didn’t know the horrors that laid before them, but no preparation could have readied them for what they would find.

You were dragging behind him, the exhaustion of the trip finally taking it’s toll. Nicholas tried to walk slower but no matter what pace he took, you couldn’t keep up. He couldn’t blame you as you both had been traveling for some time, it was getting to him but he couldn’t afford to show you that. He wanted to stay strong for you and help you through the blocks you stumbled across. He had known you for a couple years now and he was protective and he enjoyed the company. You were less annoying than Vash and despite having a sharp tongue like Meryl he found that he could tolerate your sharp wit better. Though he still teased you as harshly as he did the dark haired woman. He grinned at the though of you and Meryl having an all out battle of wits. He would pay good money to see that, though he’d have to put his whole wager on you. Once you got mad enough nobody was able to outwit you. He found that out several times and had ended up with a red mark on his cheek on one or more occasions.

 He smirked looking back at you, despite stumbling around you gave him a grin. You never complained sticking close to by his side, it always amazed him. When you both had first met it had seemed like chance, but now he could call it destiny as you had no reason to stay by his side. You were a bounty hunter and a good one at that. Your name traveled fast across Noman’s Land, that even he The Punisher knew just who you were. You had crossed his path, hunting another bounty when the people of the barely civilized town started shouting about the local orphanage. Without a word you and him sprung into action, taking no mercy upon the bandits that had decided they could pick upon the poor children and their caretakers. Nicholas watched in awe as you protected the little ones with no thought of your own safety, you’d even saved him a couple times that day. He grinned at the memory as you and he decided that day to not part ways but to become partners. He’d always worked alone, preferred it even. But since you came around he found that being alone wasn’t as fun anymore. You continued to carry your trusty weapon, but now using it for more than just money. You brought out the best in Nicholas and he felt better for it. He held out his hand to you as the sun begun to darken, his skin tough and calloused but still soft in it’s own way. You didn’t hesitate interlacing your fingers with his before he pressed his forehead to yours. You both continued to walk across the sand.

Vash was proving hard to keep up with to Nicholas now as his body was drained of all fight. But the stubborn man known as the Stampede refused to let his friend give up no matter what. Meryl stayed out of their way, afraid that any second Nicholas could lose it at any moment and that wasn’t far from the truth. Vash was the only one who didn’t fear him. 

Vash didn’t say much or explain he just lead his team with a strength that could only come from certainty. When he had first met you while traveling with Nicholas he knew that you were good for the Undertaker. It was a match made that benefited both parties but mostly Nicholas as he had never really had anything good in life and whatever good was ripped away in a horrible way. But now he was dealing with loss again and without proof of your demise Vash wasn’t letting the possibility that you drew breath go down in flames until he had solid evidence that you did in fact perish in the Eye of Michael’s bout of revenge. He worriedly looked back as the dark haired man stumbled, clearly losing the fight to continue onward. Vash would drag him, carry him if need be. He needed you and you needed him, it was cruel fate in this world that had brought you two together and the same fate had ripped you from him. Vash wanted to stand before fate, tell it that it wasn’t going to do such a thing to his friend, even if it meant that he had to rip you from it’s horrible grasp.

Vash had met you several years ago when he had come across Nicholas once more in his journey. It was hard for him to imagine the Undertaker settling down so quickly with one woman. But as soon as you had said your name and shook Vash’s hand, he knew immediately why Nicholas had kept you around. You laughed easily and you could turn in a second and be serious. Plus you could give The Punisher a run for his money when needed. Vash found you easy to talk to so as the fire he had built glowed in the night, Vash sat closely lost in conversation. You both exchanged stories while Meryl sat at Vash’s side. The only one who wasn’t sitting nearby the group was Nicholas. Standing in the dark, a shadow lost in the desert and the only thing you could see was his lit cigarette gleaming when he took slow drags from it. Though you couldn’t see him you could feel a slight tension in the air. You just shrugged it off mentally as him pouting for not being the center of attention. You found you liked Vash, not in the way you loved Nicholas, but the blond haired man was so easy going, he was a jewel to talk with. You forgot your problems in the midst of company and you felt like you could relax like you hadn’t gotten to in years. 

When the fire began to wane, everyone knew it was getting quite late. Vash helped you up from the sand with a gentle hand. You thanked him graciously and found your way to Nicholas. He glared at the retreating red coated man’s back. Jealousy was an ugly monster for everyone, but Nicholas had given in so easily. You weren’t going to put yourself forward to appease him as it was something that he was going to have to look on himself. You patted his cheek, leaving him there to go get yourself comfortable for sleeping. Moments later Nicholas laid down beside you, his body language stiff and full of anger. You rolled your eyes continuing to ignore him when he suddenly rolled you over. You found yourself looking straight into those livid dark eyes and without another word he kissed you deeply, putting all his frustrations out in the form of a rough and sloppy kiss. He left you breathless when he finally pulled away, pulling you possessively into his chest. He didn’t have to say a word as he felt like he had staked his claim once more. You laughed quietly letting him do whatever made him feel better. Vash was handsome but he couldn’t compare to your Nicholas.

Vash chuckled at the memory, looking back once more towards Nicholas. He seemed to be walking better now, his heavy cross no longer dragging him down so precariously. He seemed to have a new life being brought back with each step he took. Maybe hope was beginning to form back into his very being. Nicholas loved you like he had loved no other. He hid his feelings behind his cocky attitude or dark sunglasses. He refused to let anyone close or see the real him. Then he met you and he buried himself deeper, afraid that you would find the true being that hid inside. You forcefully drug him into the light, exposing all his darkness and you remained. You bared your darkness, showing him that he wasn’t alone. He wasn’t the only tragic being lost in the world. Everybody carried regrets, you were just created to help him through his. That’s why he married you, made you his officially. But just as much you were his, he was yours as well. 

He couldn’t afford to let people know of his tragedy and what he brought upon the people just trying to make their way in the horrible uncaring world. He chuckled darkly seeing the blood still dripping from his rough skin. You had wiped that away, where he could see hands to be proud of. Once you disappeared that blood reappeared stronger than ever. He was drowning in a sea of crimson and all he could do was poor more into the sea as he drowned. He didn’t care who stood in his way, if they were a part of the evil that he had once been a part of they would die. Slowly, painfully, he would wrought upon then a thousand times worse than they could possibly think of to do to you. Stealing you away from him, was going to prove being the biggest mistake that they had ever made. 

He grinned wickedly, madness once again taking over. Meryl shivered at the unhinged posture in Nicholas’ body, Vash just shook his head pain gripping his heart. You needed to still be alive, nobody else could shake him from this darkness swallowing Nicholas D. Wolfwood whole. Nicholas had once again become the man who was pushed by revenge and an objective to bring as much pain as possible to the people who wronged him. A true Punisher trekking across the sandy planet, staining it a deeper red with spilled blood of innocents and enemies alike. Vash needed your help, now more than ever.

They settled down when darkness coated the horizon and left them without a sliver of light to track. Nicholas sat far away from Vash and Meryl, preferring to be alone despite their protests. He looked up at the sky remembering looking at the worms dancing through the night sky with you. He missed those quiet moments on the porch with you. He could still feel you next to him, talking about mundane things you had done throughout the day. It made him grin as he never thought he would be able to have such a simple life with someone. The first night in the new house had been his favorite out of all the memories he shared with you.

It wasn’t much and it had been empty for so long that all the hospitality that a home brought had long ago left. But to Nicholas it looked like a mansion as he hadn’t known of much comfort in life. You were so happy to have a place to call home with your husband you adored. You wanted to be the best wife you could be for him as he wanted to be the best husband for you. You both worked together, cleaning what little you could with the little bit of supplies. There wasn’t much to eat but it felt like a feast as Nicholas sat across from you on the floor. You hummed in delight at each bite and it was catching as Nicholas began scarfing down his share. 

The night was quickly coming, darkening the few rooms to where it was hard to see. You had a couple threadbare blankets draped across the floor as a makeshift bed, but you only had one pillow. Nicholas searched for you in the dark, his hand finally finding your arm he pulled you to him. The silver light from the moons streaking across the floor and painted your smaller form in pale light. Nicholas licked his lips, finally having you to himself in private. A hunger had been stewing in his being and as soon as he closed the rickety door to the bedroom, it erupted and he had to sate himself before he went wild. 

You trembled slightly in his grip sensing his needs and feeling the same as him. Now that he could see you better thanks to the moons’ light he stroked your hair letting the long tendrils slip through his fingers while the other roamed your feminine form. You stroked his face, feeling the sharp lines of his jaw littered with a sparse beard. He explored you as he opened himself to you. He untangled his fingers from your soft locks to thread through your fingers. He kissed the back of your hand, littering every scar and callous with a loving kiss and making his way up your arm. Nicholas nibbled at your neck causing you to moan and moving your head to give him better access before he pressed his forehead to yours. He stood there for awhile just enjoying taking in your scent and the feel of your body against his burning one. He was an impatient man and when you tugged at the few buttons that he kept buttoned on his shirt did his patience fly out the window. Before laying you down on the blankets laid across the floor he removed the shirt that had you so desperately tried to remove yourself. Nicholas hovered above you pressing kisses wherever he could, losing himself to you in the darkness. You held onto him tightly, grasping his back as he devoured you.

Nicholas awoke to sunlight streaming through the window across him and your bodies pressed together. Your haired glowed like a halo in the light and your skin a caramel kissed by the golden rays. He sucked in a breath as he lost himself in your beauty. He could still fell your lips pressed against his while you nipped at his collarbone. Your body tattooed against his fingertips and scratches littered across his scarred back. He chuckled laying back but still holding you into his side. He dug a cigarette from his abandoned pants laying in a pile on the floor. He lit a match, igniting the cigarette and blowing a cloud up in the air. You groaned in your sleep, tapping his bare chest.

“No smoking in the house,” you mumbled causing him to chuckle.

“Let me have this just this once,” he replied. “You tired me out last night.”

“You’re the one who thought once wasn’t enough,” you glared sleepily but relented in the argument with pink tinged cheeks. He squeezed you, thanking everything he could think of that he had you laid beside him in his little world.

Married life became easier and easier as the days passed. Nicholas found a job where he could bring a little money home to you and you were able to stay home to greet him every day. That was his favorite time of the day as you waited at the door, the light shining behind you silhouetting your shapely form just for him. Some nights he would just kiss you, others he would spin you around before kissing you, if he was feeling really lively he would dip you then press hot kisses to your mouth before deepening them. But majority of the time he would interlace your fingers together, kiss you deeply, tongue stroking against yours, and then press his forehead to yours. You had said that those were your absolute favorite, so he indulged you with this type of affection every time he could. He remembered one evening you were beyond ecstatic for him to be home. You had your hands behind your back as you danced from foot to foot. Nicholas began to wonder if someone had put worms down your pants when you pulled a piece of fabric from behind your back.

“I sewed us some curtains so maybe the sun won’t bother you as much in the mornings,” you shouted gleefully. Though definitely not sewn by a professional with the stitching all crooked and imperfect. You were so proud of yourself that Nicholas couldn’t help but fall in love with you further and love the curtains you made for the home. The next evening you had made him a handkerchief that he wore in his pocket proudly. That fateful morning though when he left, everything had been normal. You sent him off with lunch and a quick kiss. You always stood in the doorway watching him leave until you could see him no longer, then you’d go back inside and do whatever needed to be done. 

Nicholas had been excited all day to leave work, to go home and see you as he earned a little extra income, so he stopped on his way home to buy a special treat for you both. With a slice of cake in tow for each of you he headed home. He expected to see you standing in the doorway like normal, waiting for his return. But instead of your form greeting him, he was met with smoke as his and your house smoldered from a raging fire. He screamed, dropping the treats into the sand while he stumbled down the dunes of sand between him and home. He called your name, screaming it until his throat strained. Still you didn’t answer, the smoke stung his eyes causing tears to stream down his dirty face as he took in his destroyed home. The curtains you had made so carefully fluttering in singed tatters. Still no sign of you remained just large puddles of blood and then a long streak that ended a few yards out in the desert. Nicholas knew immediately who had done such a thing, he found his machine gun he had put away just for you, scorched but still in working order and set off to destroy the people who took you from him.

Nicholas groaned in his sleep, patting at his side to try and find you lying right beside him. All his hand met was cold sand and the cool metal of his machine gun. He huffed as the memories of your disappearance rushed back all at once. He heaved a sigh pushing himself upwards and looking towards the horizon. The first pink light of morning greeted him as did Vash’s snores and Meryl’s quiet breathing. He pulled a cigarette and rose from the ground before lighting it. He smoked several before the other two even started to stir. He had thought hard about just leaving them again, but Vash had the uncanny ability of being exactly where Nicholas didn’t want him, so to save himself rage he decided to stay. Vash knew exactly where he was going and despite his best efforts Nicholas hadn’t made any headway in finding you. If Vash was correct that you still were alive, he’d owe that stupid needle noggin a drink. Several drinks. He scoffed throwing down the stub left of his cigarette and put it out with his shoe.

“Glad of you to join me,” he growled. “You two going to get up or do I have to start the day myself?”

“Breakfast first,” Meryl replied before turning over and falling back to sleep. Vash chuckled but Nicholas was not amused.

  Once they were back making progress Nicholas didn’t seem as anxious, though he was walking better today than he had yesterday. He couldn’t shake the feeling that you were close. His heart was hammering against his chest and he couldn’t fight down the butterflies in his stomach. His eyes darted around, trying to spot any movement or sights of anything particular. All he could see was the large expanse of sand stretching as far as the eyes can see. Vash was talking with Meryl, both laughing about something Vash said when Nicholas suddenly stopped and stiffened. He caught a scent on the air and the gleam of metal a few yards away.

“Get down,” he roared racing back to the others. He jumped, tackling them to the sand when a gunshot rang out. A high caliber sniper rifle by the sound of it. Nicholas returned fire, his stomach suddenly sick. The gunshots echoed through the sky, bouncing off the mountains miles away. Nicholas snarled, baring his teeth as he spun his weapon around.

“Sniper,” Vash yelled pushing Meryl back further.

“Thanks for the info,” Nicholas snarled. “I didn’t notice!”

“This is no time for being sarcastic,” Meryl screamed trying to protect her head.

“Then tell your boyfriend quit stating the obvious,” Nicholas roared again returning fire. Another shot echoed hitting the sand next to his feet. Nicholas danced around trying to make himself a harder target. Vash scurried around trying to keep from being hit. Shots were exchanged over and over again, filling the expanse with nothing but the sounds of gunfire like some sadistic orchestra. Nicholas panted, trying to reload as fast as he could, before he spotted a blond blur race across the sand. Nicholas cursed abandoning reloading to chase after the idiot. He should of known Vash wasn’t going to make this easy for him as he caught up to him.

“What are you doing?!”

“I can’t let you two kill each other,” Vash replied still running. Another shot rang out, hitting the sand between them. Vash yelped and Nicholas cursed again.

“You’re going to get yourself killed instead you idiot,” Nicholas threw an empty clip at him. Vash only laughed crazily while dodging the clip.

“Stop laughing!”

It was obvious where they’re attacker was laid up as they kept shooting at him and Vash while they raced towards where the shots were coming from. Nicholas was finally able to reload before they got there and the sight before them chilled his blood. The Eye of Michael had done it again. Thoughts of Livio raced forward churning his stomach but this time he couldn’t tell who the person was before him. It was a woman, the majority of her face covered by a metal mask. Her hair had been cut haphazardly, leaving it choppy and wild. Eyes that normally would show emotion and thoughts behind them, were blank and her movements were robotic. Nicholas raised, aiming at their attacker when Vash bumped into him.

“Watch it needle noggin,” he shoved him away.

“Don’t kill her,” Vash yelled once again racing forward putting himself in harms way.

“She’s trying to kill us!”

“She’s being controlled,” Vash tried to get Nicholas out of killing mode. The dark haired man wasn’t having it as he aimed again. But this time Vash stepped in front of the woman. Nicholas cursed, contemplating just shooting through Vash and killing them both in one go. At least he’d have some form of revenge against his attacker and get rid of a headache to boot. At last his more rational side tore through and he lowered the gun. But it wasn’t wasted on him that she pulled a pistol from behind her back, shooting at Vash who was still dodging bullets like it was some sort of deadly dance. Nicholas charged forward his feet churning up sand as he reared the large, heavy machine gun with his whole body and swung it like a bat. He hit the strange assassin at her side sending her sideways several feet.

“Quit playing patty cake with her,” Nicholas shouted. “You’re going to die! We end this now!”

“Don’t,” Vash panted. “Don’t kill her Nicholas.”

Nicholas racked another round into the chamber, “Yeah cause she’s so intent on making up and becoming friends.”

“You’ll regret it,” Vash tried to argue.

“There’s bigger things that I regret. Taking out another nobody is not going to be another one.”

She still laid sprawled out, trying to rise from the ground. Nicholas reared a foot back sending it into her side, cracking a rib and putting her on her back. She didn’t even cry out in pain due to the control she was under. It reminded him so much of Livio it made his arm tremble as he aimed. He put a foot on her chest keeping her pinned. He shook his head trying to rid himself of doubts, it gave her freedom to suddenly reach for her boot and pull a knife. Without a second thought she plunged it into Nicholas’ thigh. He grunted stumbling backwards as blood began to ooze down his thigh.

“You sorry,” he started but she ambushed him. Swinging and shooting, he barely kept up. Twisting his body, stepping backwards, and using his cross as a shield. With the barrage he couldn’t return anything until she stumbled. He swung across hitting her straight across the jaw. His hand cracked but her mask shattered. What he saw next caused him to sink down and scream out in anguish.

His (Y/N) stood right before him, her stare as blank as the dead. What made her her was nowhere to be found as she continued to rock from the hit he just gave her. Vash dropped his head feeling Nicholas’ despair coat the atmosphere.

“No! No no no no! It can’t be,” his voice cracked. All he could do was scream at the sky and curse everything that had brought him here to this moment. He wanted to find you so bad, but he never wanted to find you this way. Brainwashed and used for something you weren’t meant to. It was Livio all over again and he found it worse. They tainted you, stripping you from your humanity making you into a killing machine. He should have seen it, should have protected you. His failures all came crashing down burying him quickly to where he could drown from the overwhelming anguish.

“Don’t kill her,” Vash cried trying to crawl forward.

“I,” Nicholas heaved as he teetered on the verge of throwing up and taking his own life again. “I can’t! I can’t do it!”

“Save her,” Vash tried again.

“I can’t!”

“You can! Nicholas please!”

“Kill me,” Nicholas pleaded. “Vash shoot me please I can’t stand it!”

“She needs you,” Vash screamed tears flowing down his cheeks. Nicholas sobbed loudly, his tears staining the sand while blood spread around him from the knife still lodged in his thigh.

“They took her from me! Kill me Vash!”

“I am not shooting you!” Vash was growing angry. He had felt such despair like Nicholas was feeling, but not getting up and dealing with the problem was solving nothing. Nicholas couldn’t look at your face without the guilt eating at his insides.

“Nicholas she’s crying,” Vash finally made it to his side forcing the Undertaker to look up. Sure enough you stood before the two men, whole body shaking and tears flowing freely from one eye that wasn’t swelling shut.

“She’s still in there don’t give up on her. She’s fighting,” Vash shook Nicholas violently. “Get your stupid pigheaded butt up and save your wife right now or I may just change my mind and shoot you anyway!”

Nicholas rose, his legs shaking. He stumbled almost falling back down as his body fought the whole way. She was right there, not in a good state but he had wanted to find her. It had felt like his sole purpose when she was stolen from him. Now she was here and needed him now more than ever. He would have crawled through the very pits of torment to find her and bring her back. He had never thought about them turning her into a weapon. Before finding him she had been the best bounty hunter. She could give him a run for his money when it came to aim and fighting. It made him chuckle at their shooting contests before grimacing. She was definitely better on her game as he still was sporting her wound that made walking harder. He would lose all the blood in his body if it would bring her back, he would let her shoot him before he ever riddled her lovely body with bullet holes. He almost did and it made him sick. He was stupid he should have realized it was her way before he broke the horrible mask they had forced upon her.

“(Y/N),” he smirked before coughing up blood. “Come back to me.”

She shook her head, fighting for control but the programming was taking it’s toll as she reached for another pistol. Nicholas walked right into the barrel, encircling her wrist with his hand and lowering the weapon to point to the ground. She fought at first her strength waning as she tried to raise it back up to his face. He kept a steady grip keeping it pointed down while he wiped the blood on his pants leg off his other hand. He reached up stroking her cheek, she flinched from the touch before calming back down.

  “N…N,” she tried to speak and he shushed her. He trailed downwards from her cheek, sliding across her neck, and down her arm to where he could grasp her hand. Stroking at the skin on the back of her hand he gave himself time before threading her digits with his. She gasped in a breath, light going in and out of her eyes. He grinned taking his time with bringing her back to him. Leaning downwards Nicholas took in her scent, his hot breath puffing across the skin of her collarbone and neck. She shivered involuntary the old (Y/N) still under the surface fighting to get out. He took his time looking right into her eyes before he finally made it to his destination. Nicholas gently placed his forehead to hers.

“Wake up already would you,” he whispered breathlessly. She gasped in his grasp and fell to the ground. Nicholas caught her, grunting from the weight on his injured leg. You cried loudly, unable to move just laying limply in Nicholas’ arms.

“I’m sorry,” you sobbed ashamed to look in the face of your husband. “I’m so sorry.”

“No,” Nicholas shushed you kissing you deeply. “I’m the one who should be sorry. This is all my fault.”

“I tried to kill you,” you wailed. “You and Vash! And Meryl!” Tears wouldn’t stop flowing as they streaked the dirt and blood across your face.

“It’s not like you never wanted to kill me before,” he chuckled darkly.

You couldn’t help but laugh a little, “No never kill. Maybe stab a couple of times or something but I don’t think I could live without you.”

Nicholas grimaced moving his leg around a little with the knife handle still sticking up. “Well you succeeded in getting one stab in at least.”

You gasped touching the handle and causing him to hiss. “Still a little tender,” he winked.

“I’m sorry!”

“I’m not,” he whispered. “Thank you for coming back to me.”

“Thank you for bringing me back,” you whispered back. “Though you did bust my face up and break one of my ribs.” Nicholas grimaced but wasted no time in kissing you again. Vash stumbled back to where Meryl waited to check up on her and giving you two a little privacy. You tended to Nicholas and yourself as best as you could, you would need to get you both to the nearest town for an actual doctor to take care of your and his wounds. But for now you both wanted to just stay there for a little while longer and not think of all the horrible things that just happened. Nicholas cursed a little later when he remembered he promised Vash drinks if he was correct in your state. Though you hadn’t been yourself when found, you were still alive. You looked at your husband worriedly before he waved the concern away. You would just laugh at his dilemma anyway. Vash helped you two get back home after Nicholas and you had been seen by a professional doctor and cleared to go home.

You took in the state of you and Nicholas’ home, hot tears coming quickly at the state of the wreckage. Nicholas held you close knowing that you two were more than a house.

“Anywhere with you is home to me,” he finally spoke after you cried for a little while. “We’ll build it back better than ever.”

“We don’t have to,” you said worried about the funds.

“I’ll keep working and we’ll use it to build it however you want,” he kissed you. “Your wish is my command m’lady.”

“Can we get a room in town to stay until then?”

“Already on it.” Nicholas lead you towards the darkened city. “Vash is useful when he’s not being annoying.”

You laughed, “He’s your best friend.”

“Unfortunately,” Nicholas snorted. You laughed, refusing to let go of Nicholas. You had been so afraid that you would never get to see him again when you were captured. You had thought about him every moment of every day until they had stripped everything from you. Then all you could remember is the blackness that engulfed you. You shivered at the thought of the blank being they had created from you. Nicholas mistakenly took your shivers as you being cold as he held you tighter. He never wanted to lose you in such a way ever again. He didn’t care that his past had come back to haunt him, he didn’t care who he had to take out. As long as you were safe and by his side he needing nothing else. You were his everything his world that he wouldn’t give up for anything. He looked down at you with a warm smile.

“I think I need to catch up on the loving you’ve been holding out on me,” he smirked and you blushed.

You slapped his chest, “Pervert. Is that all you think about?”

“When it comes to you yes. And how am I a pervert when I’m your husband?”

You huffed looking away teasingly, “You just are it’s your natural mentality.”

“Like you don’t think about me in a perverted way.”

“Never.”

“I beg to differ,” he snorted leaning in towards your ear. “Remember that one night…”

“Stop,” you screeched blush rushing down to your neck. Nicholas laughed causing your heart to skip a beat. How you had missed him, you never wanted to be taken away from him ever again. You stepped closer intertwining your fingers. Nicholas bumped your forehead quickly as he didn’t want to stop walking. The desert was becoming cold and he was ready for a room to spend the night with you once more. He had found you and he didn’t care what he had done to get you back by his side. He never regretted anything and he would tell anyone who asked that he would do everything the same as the outcome had brought you back. He squeezed you tighter losing himself in your presence. You were his paradise, it didn’t matter where he was at as long as he had you and you felt the same way. The worms light the sky as you both came to the city, ready to rebuild your lives after the terror had torn it apart. Hand in hand you both faced the future bravely and ready for whatever arose.

[vivisols]

Sooooo... this new fic -tell me something about it (so much or so less you want to share) ;P

EHEHE GLADLY IM SO GLAD YA ASKED!!!! you dont understand how excited i am to talk about it lmao :DDDDDD

so my newest fic is.... a post apocalypse mer au!

ehehe!!! :3c i mentioned it in some of the author notes of claw at the stars and im soooo excited to actually finish chapter 1 of it!!! its only like. 30% done so far bc im playing video games non-stop on my writing break but im chugging along xD

the basic summary is that after a meteor strikes the earth (again), humanity has had to rapidly evolve to survive the harsh conditions of rising sea levels and much harsher temperatures. (id elaborate more on some science and biology stuff ive been brainstorming too but that's SPOILERS </3) more under the cut!

long story short, theres evolved people and creatures evolved from people on land and merfolk evolved from people in the sea! plus theres new languages thanks to evolving and changing vocal chords! (reallyyyy i just wanna get wacky with humanoid designs xD can you tell i like doing that yet???)

as for the fic, here's a quick summary of the very basic plot :3

a few decades after this meteor hits, the daycare attendant wakes up from an emergency shutdown in the ruins of the pizzaplex. with no telling of how many years its been, they have to pick up the pieces of where they left off and navigate this new world. with the help of y/n (dats YOU!!!), a mer who ended up on land, they slowly get their bearings and try to settle in to their new life, scrounging for parts to repair themselves in the overgrown remains of cities.

y/n has never even thought about going on land, but of course, the one time they do they have to drag around a robot that doesn't even understand what they're saying. sun and moon, meanwhile, latch onto you like a lost puppy as they try their best to learn the new language and figure out what you keep signaling to them.

(why were you on land? can't say! since, well, it would be spoilers...)

theres gonna be tons and tons of fluff and mystery and adventure and romance and LOREEEEE! all the tropes im obsessed with! and of course vanessa is here too because i love herrrr :3

anyways, i cant share toooo much besides the basic summary since i love being vague and mysterious hehehe but! im nearly done with the first chapter :3 it will likely be out sometime in january, IF not january 1st! im super motivated :3c

as a reward for listening to my way too long ramble, have this super quick concept sketch i did the other day!

again, really just a quick sketch but! you can kinda see what im going for maybe?? XD

i hope this was sufficient for now! feel free to ask for more if ya want! i LOVE talking about my ideas ;D

[flightfoot]

hello! do you have any good post-reveal pre-relationship fics? they don't have to be centered around adrien and marinette getting together, just that dynamic. thanks!

Hmmmm... I don't go for those as much as a lot of other people do, and they're not actually as common as you'd think they'd be, but I think I can scrounge some things up! I'm gonna have some WIPs in here, because otherwise I really wouldn't have much.

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and I thought I heard you sing by @into-september

When Hawkmoth has been defeated and unmasked, Marinette is left with two problems and no solutions. First, that Adrien is further out of her reach than ever before, and no-one can tell her how to get to him. Second, that Cat Noir is far more troubled than she knew, and the only thing she can do is wait for him at the place they agreed to meet.

It’s your classic “Hawkmoth’s defeated and taken into custody but that means Adrien’s in for a rough time” sort of fic. Everyone’s worried about Adrien and wants to give him what comfort and support that they can, but he’s being hidden away from everyone (which I mean, honestly that’s a good move), so that’s not really possible. Plus, Ladybug’s noticed that Chat’s having a tough time in his civilian life, which worries her.

---

Love At Last Sight by ClaraOswald16

The final battle against Monarch has arrived, but things do not go as planned for our favorite superheroes. The battle leaves Marinette blind. Marinette and Adrien must come to terms with their new realities, but finding a new normal turns out to be harder than expected. This is a story of love, loss, and finding strength in each other.

Note: This is M-rated, though I don't think anything in the story so far warrants that high of a rating.

---

Perfectly Platonic (Unless...) by @frostedpuffs

After accidentally revealing their identities in less than ideal circumstances, Adrien and Marinette must navigate their newfound relationship as both partners and friends. Becoming best friends was a quick process, but when romantic feelings begin to bleed into what's supposed to be a platonic connection, their friendship starts to change in more ways than one. Surely it can't be that hard to hide their feelings from their best friend? (A post-reveal, pre-relationship fic full of romantic crushes, best friend shenanigans, and a whole lot of dumbassery.)

Note: This is also M-rated. It very much deserves it. It gets smutty sometimes, though it hasn't gone all the way (so far at any rate).

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It's Just Practical by @ashes-555

What happens when you are an exhausted superhero, it's the middle of the night, and your partner's home is much closer than yours? The practical thing, obviously.

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48 Hours To Make You Love Me by @mysticraven20

“When did you stop?” “Stop what, M’Lady?” “Stop loving me?” When two heroes miss the minibus for their winter get away with the gang they have no other choice but to make their way to the resort by themselves. After avoiding their feelings for years, a freak snow storm makes them reconsider more than just whether to carry on driving. Luckily, they find a quaint little bed and breakfast where suddenly they’re thrown into a situation where their feelings can no longer be held back; but, is it too late? The interference of an elderly couple after an eavesdropping accident helps both Adrien and Marinette come to terms with their feelings and their actions. Through movies, hot chocolates and snuggling to keep warm, Marinette wonders if it’s possible to make Adrien love her again, and more so can she do it by the time they need to leave their little sanctuary?

This just has a lot of adorable Adrienette shenanigans, with a fun time travel twist that had me inwardly squealing XD. If you want some Lovesquare fluff, this is a good one.

[blackjackkent]

Glad I took a final look around, bc there's a whole chest of letters (loabeled "Chest of Grateful Words") and some Baldur's Mouth Gazettes pinned up on a board.

Various fun newspaper headlines first:

"Fresh Stock: An Interview with the New Master of Ramazith's Tower"

"Thorm's Army Dispersed from Baldurian Borders"

"Report: Stone Lord Killed by Beloved Ranger"

"Harpers Out of Hiding: Secretive Sect Step Forward to Aid City"

"Almond Cakes of Avernus: Elturian Refugees - and Owners of City's Newest Cafe - Share Their Recipe"

"Site of Foundry Blast Still Sectioned Off, Says Fist"

"New Waveservant at Umberlee's Temple: No Leads on Desecration"

"Ravengard Returned to Full Strength"

"Gondians Disband: 'Gond's Time Has Come and Gone'" (A/N: Bongle will be pleased. 🙄)

"Duke Stelmane's Murderer Still at Large"

"Planar Pains: City Caught in Center of Githyanki War?"

"Volothamp Geddarm's Guide to Baldur's Gate: Bard Seeks Contributors to Newest Edition"

"Last Holdout Cultists Cleared from Temple of Bhaal"

"Iron Throne Wreckage Continues to Block Shipping Lanes, Complain Merchants"

"Settles Bound for Lands Upriver Amid Claims Curse is Lifted"

"Business Boom - Take Your Troubles to the House of Grief"

"Witnesses Encounter Vampire Spawn - And Live to Tell the Tale"

"Six Months Since the Assassination of Archduke Gortash"

"Small Sun: Tour New District Built by Elturian Refugees"

"New Bardic School, Tiefling Founder, Secures Upper City Funding" (A/N: AHHHHH Go Alfira Go! :D )

"Jannath House to Host Evening of Art and Culture, Celebrating Salvation of City"

"Monument Planned for Heroes of the High Hall"

I love all of this. :D

Also a quick side note because I need to shout out my favorite bit of the ambient dialogue in the camp - everyone has been making random comments the whole night, but every once in a while, Shadowheart comments: "Withers has a keen eye for a nice vintage. Why were we scrounging in barrels and crates for supplies when he could source these? Gods, I remember one evening we had to eat fourteen apples, some fish heads, and a stale loaf of bread just to get by."

lolololol <3

On to the letters!

"Official Guild Letter":

Aw. :)

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Wehhhhhhh. <3 I'm glad we got you free of the curse, Art. Poor guy.

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Hector still hates you, Valeria, and this isn't helping.

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Atta boy, Mr. Duke.

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I'm assuming Beard Man is Elminster. :D Excellent. I think Hector probably has Gale keep an ear to the ground on how she's doing; the whole group felt very protective of Arabella.

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Oh, shut up.

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[incredibly loud squinting from Hector] You are so FUCKING creepy, ma'am. And if you come anywhere near Astarion again, by the way, Hector will kill you (if Astarion doesn't do so first).

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Aw. I'm glad they were able to find some kind of stability, even though there was no real good outcome to that situation. :(

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Florriiiiiiiiiiick. <3 She's so cool. I wanna be Florrick when I grow up.

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This is kind of sweet actually. Growth for everyone.

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EEEEEEEE :D I love this so much. She deserved such a good ending and she got it. (Though people KEEP putting Hector's names on things; I think he's giving up on fighting against notoriety. XD )

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HI DAMMON! Hector definitely makes sure Karlach sends him a super nice letter bringing him up to date. He's a saint in their eyes, made it possible for them to be together at all.

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Hee. Elminster turned out to be interestingly nuanced in terms of Gale's storyline; he didn't really seem to approve of how Mystra was treating Gale, but also wanted to toe the party line of the goddess of magic. Hector's a smidge skeptical of him as a result. But good to hear he and Gale are still on good terms.

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<3 If Nocture eventually decides to leave the Sharrans, and Shadowheart goes to help her, Hector would absolutely be there to help as well.

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Eyyyy, Voss. I love this because he greets Hector with the title "She'lak", which means 'benevolent burden' (a term for a do-gooder hero), which I already headcanoned was what Lae'zel calls Hector. So she's got Voss doing it too, which absolutely makes Hector smile.

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Aw. Hope seems to be doing okay. <3 As okay as she can be under the circumstances at least.

@writer86 pointed out to me that the House of Hope would make perfect sense as a regular headquarters for Hector and Karlach and Wyll; I think they probably go there pretty regularly for time to rest and recuperate.

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Aw, Mayrina gets a happy ending! This is great! She didn't end up naming her son after Hector after all though lol. Which he's fine with tbh.

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Oh no. XD

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I love the implication that Nine-Fingers might have just randomly showed up too and been the only non-companion here besides Tara. XD That line about getting Jaheira to sing intrigues me. Fodder for a one-shot perhaps...

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Zevlor is such a great character, man. I think this is a good end for him, and hopefully he finds peace and happiness in it somehow, in the end.

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Awwwwwww. Atta boy Geraldus!

It's incredibly unclear to me how easily Hector and co. can or cannot get out of the Hells. But if he has the freedom to do so, he would absolutely be there. (Though honestly, lbr. It should be Jaheira.)

[illadvisedselfships]

I'm here to cash in one of those gush tickets!! 🎫😌✌️ Here's an overview of notable F/Os past and present! Some of it might not mean anything to you if you don't know the fandom, and that's alright ^^ I never dreamed I'd share any of this, so I'm really grateful that you've made this little safe space here <333 And now that I've started, I can't stop! (Truly sorry I can't put this under a readmore… Large Poast incoming.) Chronologically:

First one I ever had has to be Mrs. Coulter from The Golden Compass/Northern Lights. I chose this book because it had a polar bear on the cover and I came out on the other side with… issues XD I even wrote a self-insert thing where my daemon gets severed from me and she comforts me through it (real healthy subject matter for an 11 year old ᕕ(ᐛ )ᕗ)

Lady Van Tassel from Sleepy Hollow. I traveled to Sleepy Hollow with Ichabod as his assistant or relative? And of course she corrupted me.

Now, this is the one I debated including due to the sheer goofiness 😅😅: Lily Gates from the Urbz: Sims in the City (handheld version). I liked imagining myself in the big city and being her personal assistant.

Claudia Wolf from Silent Hill 3. Ooh in this one I did something bad (unspecified) and found myself in Silent Hill with a guilty conscience. Alone and scared, I wandered through the foggy streets and ended up in the mall, and that's where I first encountered her. She took pity on me and I'll be honest, I don't really remember the rest XD idr if her being a priestess of a terrible cult factored in to this at all 😂

Actual light of my life forever: Julie Langford from Bioshock. My imagination was definitely at its best with her!! I had a really comprehensive storyline going on, starting from when I first traveled to Rapture in the bathysphere as a little girl with my family (not based on real family). Growing up and realizing I felt uncomfortable with boys, meeting Julie at a dinner party and feeling that spark but not really getting what it meant. Maybe I casually meet her another time or two after that. Coincidentally she asks me to be her assistant right as Rapture starts to fall. I see my first Splicer when I'm with her, my family also become Splicers, aaaand before long we're some of the only unspliced people left. We spend all our time together and I make her feel like she's responsible for me, we scrounge around for food and she protects me from Splicers and tenderly wipes the blood off my face and I help her out in her lab when we're not busy trying to survive, and still it feels like it takes the longest time for us to get together for real, but we do eventually. (side note: I am insane.) My daydreams have run their course I think but they were my favorite and the most vivid <333

Cersei from Game of Thrones. In this one, I'm the bastard daughter of Roose Bolton and I get sent to King's Landing for reasons unknown. Probably unrealistic! shrug I comfort her after her walk of shame and although our relationship is mildly antagonistic, she enlists me to help with, uh, the thing she does in season 6 episode 10 that involves wildfire. I am also obsessed with leech treatment in this one XD (in the books, Roose is known as the Leech Lord)(this is where the "leech" comes from on my other blog!) I got a lot of mileage from the Roose-Bolton's-bastard-daughter self insert XD In an alternate timeline, I have a thing for Lady Stoneheart (in extremely crude and basic terms, Catelyn Stark's sentient reanimated corpse), even though our families absolutely despise one another. Don't ask how I made that work, because I don't remember 💀 (A last-minute addition as I was proofreading this ask... I'm fully committing to the crazy.)

Cassandra Kiramman from Arcane. I'm actually not in the canon universe for this one. I had an AU where I was a ballet dancer and she was my instructor, haha. Also: Arcane was my introduction to x reader fic!! (though I'd been reading shipfic long before that.)

✨ Current F/Os!! ✨ Foul that it's taken me this long to get here 😑 Unfortunately, I feel like my imagination has taken a nosedive lately. I don't have storylines for these, more like little snippets of scenes. I'm in the devouring all the writing I can get my hands on stage ♥️

Yuria from Dark Souls 3 and Rennala from Elden Ring. I basically picture myself in the role of the player character ^^

I'm very into Lady Tremaine, and the Nurse from Dead by Daylight atm. With Tremaine there's just something about a buttoned-up repressed domineering woman and being the one to crack that shell just a little 😳 And with the Nurse I love the contrast between the griminess and creepiness and her sweetness. And her mori where she caresses the survivor's face 🥺 (most of the "lore" I get comes from youtube videos and reader inserts 💀)

Finally, one where they're actually in the modern world with me, since I mentioned that in a previous comment ^^ I fell in love with Maria Doyle Kennedy as Mrs. S. in Orphan Black, and during the initial lockdown in 2020, my main daydream scenario was with me becoming a lodger in her house (she's just a random person in this, not an actress). We garden and raise chickens together 🥰

I think I just cashed in all of my tickets 🙈🙈🙈 Now you probably know more about me than you bargained for 😅 This was actually incredibly fun to write. You have a great imagination - it's awesome that you're able to imagine your F/Os in multiple different scenarios and universes!! I can't really do that. Absolutely no pressure to reply right away!! 💜

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I love all this!! You have some great ideas for your F/O's!!!

1. Omg that Mrs Coulter thing is e x c e l l e n t XDD So dark and oddly soft XD Hey- as girlies we made up some pretty awful things when we were little! XD If it wasn't Barbies in the mafia it was something else!

2. I too love Lady Van Tassle- I can understand completely XD And we love some corruption! 😅😅😅 Especially if it is by a pretty lady-

3. Omg I've never heard of Lily Gates! XD She definitely fits your theme though and I support you!

4. I haven't heard of Claudia Wolf either but as soon as I read your descript and looked her up I want OH. I get it XD Priestess?? Culty?? Scary old white haired woman? I am very very intrigued XD

5. HNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG your imagination really was clear on this one!! 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛 This whole storyline is so good, I love your brain XD Also to your 'i am insane' -- my love we all are, its okay XD

6 + 7. Cersei, huh? Absolutely cannot blame you XD And Lady Stoneheart is just s o 💗💗💗💗💗💗??????? I don't even know tis woman but 💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗 We love them decrepit babes.

8. Oh she's so pretty! She seems classy ^^ Thank you for your service ma'am (Introducing you to x reader fanfic XD ).

9+10. These videogame ladies look so lovely!! I cant stop thinking what amazing taste you have XD

11. LADY TREMAINE AND SALLY LADY TREMAINE AND SALLY LADY TREMAINE AND SALLY- I agree so heavily on them both, these are some great F/O's <3<3<3 Imagine Lady Tremaine using that evil eye of hers to make someone back off you or Sally touching you so so gently! <3

12. Ohhhh, thats so so so sweet!! I love this for you ^^

[quotidian-oblivion]

Book recs!! ✨

Hi! So a bit ago, I met a lovely amazing anon on ao3 (who is a BLESSING compared to the other mean anons commenting out there, thanks Kat, you make mine and im pretty sure other author's days too). So we got into talking about books and I offered to make a list for her and post it on tumblr so other people too can scrounge through so here we are lmao.

I gathered this list from the personal notes I had made to myself to add these books to my bookshelf when i move out and also from another list i made for my little siblings because no way are they gonna not read the good stuff I found. It's like a rite of passage now.

Just a note: I don't read romance. But since books don't have the very convenient tags we get on ao3, I end up getting to romance-y parts. The only romance books I have read are middle school level romance lmao XD Nothing except kisses and stuff lol.

Let's go!

The Maze Runner series

Maze Runner

I love this book. This series. Ngl, one of the first books where I felt that heart-clenching feeling of hurt. Love the characters, the world-building was in the fandom for a brief while and I love the plot too. Better than the movie plot anyway XD

Mare Runner: Scorch Trials

Second book in the series, also very good. Literally an adventure. So many twists and turns. Once more, the characterization is also amazing!

Maze Runner: Death Cure

Third and last book in the series as a main. Heartbreaking. Did shed tears. Page 250 still kills me. O u ch.

The Fever Code

Also in the same series and OUCH. It's the characters before the whole drama happened and they're kids and higehrfwb 😭 No kidding I was squealing and nearly threw the book multiple times out of excitement. It solved a couple plotlines too. I adored it. Plus, it gave me some closure from the many many (inevitable) deaths.

Crank Palace

It's a novella, but clears the mysterious gap that was in the third book. Plus, it gives much much more closure but I'm still crying so do what you will with that information. I love the new "OC"s here too.

Trials of Apollo

The Hidden Oracle The Dark Prophecy The Burning Maze The Tyrant's Tomb The Tower of Nero

Listen- listen- I know this is kinda obvious and you might be asking "where's the rest of the pjo series?" but that's a given. My personal favorites are the pjo, hoo and toa series, but toa somehow spoke to me more because the main relationship wasn't a romantic one like all the other teen books I read. I also adore Apollo/Lester's character development? Like, at first he was this carefree god, then at the end of the series, he transformed into a person who cared so much and so deeply and was willing to die for others. That is peak character development and if I hadn't read toa, I would still be blundering around and confused with my multi-chap fics as to how characters actually develop. Because you can see that journey so clearly in toa.

Jinx series

Jinx: The Wizard's Apprentice Jinx's Magic Jinx's Fire

I love this series so much??? I am a sucker for fantasy novels and this was so so good. I love the storyline and-

AND I ESPECIALLY LOVE THE FOUND FAMILY ASPECT HERE. THIS. IS LITERALLY RELUCTANT MENTOR-FATHER AND HYPER AND KEEN MENTEE-SON. AHHH.

Anyway, this was my first found family novel. I loved the whole storyline too, this was also the series where I was first introduced to the concept of whump (without knowing what whump actually was).

The Mapmaker Chronicles

Race To The End Of The World Prisoner Of The Black Hawk Breath Of The Dragon

These were also some of the first whump books I read. And I especially loved this because the plot was it. A smartass scrawny boy who accidentally turned into a hero? Hmmm, I wonder who that reminds me of. (Tim Drake. It reminds of Tim Drake)

But the characters are also special to my heart. There is minimal romance in here. Any romance is to move the plot forward.

Also a mentor-mentee relationship here. Not so much found family to the heart seeing as the main character already has family back home, but the whole crew definitely is a family of their own. I especially adore Ash! Ahhh! She's lovely and amazing. Oh and Zain- *sighs* he is the perfect mentor figure to scrawny li'l Quinn. And the hateable characters are so perfectly hateable!! The author truly is talented at stories.

Although the second book could do with more whump

Nevermoor series

Nevermoor

This book was described in the reviews as "Harry Potter meets Alice in Wonderland" and it stayed true to its description. It had beautiful and amazing characters, and an evil-mentor & reluctant hero-mentee relationship (though not at first) and I am a sucker for that. Also, I just love the character herself. Morrigan is a very good and fleshed out character and I will love her forever.

Wundersmith

We explore more of the evil-mentor & reluctant hero-mentee relationship. But Jupiter, Morrigan's actual caretaker, is the PERFECT uncle/caretaker for her and he's so protective of her and i just-

*sobs* I stan.

Hollowpox

Here we discover some of that delicious power upgrades. I also love all the friends! HAWTHORNE IS MY FAVORITE AND WILL ALWAYS BE I LOVE HIM. Stunning characters here 💫 Also some wise comparison of the different isms and phobias (as in homophobia, racism etc.) here in terms of fantasy.

The Mysterious Benedict Society series

The Mysterious Benedict Society The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Perilous Journey The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Prisoner's Dilemma The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Riddle of Ages

This... was one of the first mystery books I had ever read (my actual first was Sherlock Holmes cuz I found it on my grandparents' bookshelf and read it cuz I had read every other book they owned which wasn't a lot). I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline. It was calm and just- a bunch of kids going on a perilous journey to solve a mystery to save the city. Those kind of vibes. But the vibes were so good. So enjoyable. Every time I hear about this series, I just sigh in contempt.

There are very, very interesting characters here too. The characters are what made the story so good. All of them have unique quirks which they use to crack clues and form conclusions and dive into actions. Such good characters. 10/10, honestly.

The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict

This is part of the Benedict society universe, but it takes place years before the main events. It has adventures of the leader of the group in the main series as a kid. This book has a special mention because the storyline was different to the style of the main series and it had tropes. Just- the friend and the character itself and- dnfhbevbiluw

Okay, I admit, Benedict here does remind me of Tim (my fav character in DC). Like y'know smol Tim with the camera? Those kind of vibes. Very strong vibes. I read this way before I discovered Tim even existed so maybe this book plays a part in my favorites?

Jessica Brody books

The fact that I put the actual author's name here should tell you something.

Addie Bell's Shortcut To Growing Up

This book... brought me to tears. This was the second book that prompted salt water to slip out of my tear ducts. It was a strange feeling. Cuz I was not used to crying for books and movies and shows.

The plot just hit hard. A 12-year-old Addie magically time-travels to when she's 16 and experiences life as a teenager. The plot gives more than you expect. There are boys, yes, but that is a side plot, not a main plot. Which is why I love the book so much. Addie wants to be one of the "girly" girls who talks about boys and stuff and goes to parties like her older sister, but then as she lives the life of a teenager more and more, she realizes just how much she lost. Friendships, family, her personality, her interests, herself.

The part that made me cry was her missing her sister. Cuz, well, I'm an older sister. And my sister who is the oldest after me has the same age difference as Addie and her older sister. It wasn't just her missing her sister in that scene, it was everything crashing down on her that moved me to tears. Amazing book. If anything, I recommend you either read this or 'Better You Than Me' if nothing in this list goes towards your liking.

Better You Than Me

This was the first book that made me cry. It has two characters, one in middle school, the other who is an actress, swap bodies. So the typical middle school kid gets to live as a famous actress, and the famous actress gets to live as a typical middle school kid. Of course, neither of them end up liking their new life very much, but that only teaches them two important messages: appreciation and communication. God, I learnt so much from this book. I was like 13 or something when I read it and it resonated within me enough to make me cry. I adore this. SO much.

I Speak Boy

I actually have a library-borrowed copy with me right now XD It's about a middle school girl, Emmy, being very confused with the opposite gender. (Very much hetero, no homo despite it being published in 2021). But, once again, the reason I love this book isn't cuz of the romance (though it is kinda satisfactory but also a bit cliché). It's how the main character realizes that boys aren't everything. Just like in 'Addie Bell's Shortcut To Growing Up'. It's a lot about friendship.

The reason why I like these books by Jessica Brody (I haven't read the others yet) is because of the Bechdel Test factor in it.

S. K. Ali books

Again you have another author's name. This time, it's Muslim fiction!

Love From A To Z

The first Muslim fiction book I've ever read. And yes, it is a romance book. But it does not have any touchy-touchy stuff (except in the Epilogue and a couple dream scenes, very vague though and only kissing). As in, the main characters follow mainstream Sunni procedures and do not touch each other as they're not married. Which just leaves room for a ton of emotional romance.

I adore this simply because I'm a Muslim Hijabi myself and I am very much biased.

It deals with so many aspects of romance though, like personality first, lust last, and whether they are the right fit or not and whether they actually like each other or the idea of each other and how families play into this and online hate and emotion control and of course, the marvels and oddities of life. It is packed with so much. And when I finished the book, I had a good long cry. This is the first book that made me cry the longest. Because- because I was starved for representation! And this book did it so well! I just- love this so much.

The author has published a sequel, Love from Mecca to Medina, I have yet to read it because I'm waiting for it to be in a library. I prefer physical copy books.

Once Upon An Eid

Okay, this is very Muslim-based, but if you treat it like Muslim Christmas, everything becomes clear XD Also, Ali wrote only one story here. This book is actually a collection of stories by different Muslim authors. And each story is so special. Many people don't really know how Muslims celebrate Eid or why it's so special (besides spiritual reasons) and what it looks like. This paints an accurate picture. And it contains most, if not all, types of Muslims celebrating Eid. Sunni, Shia, refugee, African, American, revert/convert, South Asian etc. So really diverse.

Saints and Misfits Misfit In Love

Very much love-centred, but also has very vague mentions of sexual assault/rape/non-con. Yes, in a Muslim community. It exists. A lot actually. But it's hidden and hushed down. Disgustingly.

But the first book addresses it and how a Muslim girl battles it. She's in love with a white boy, yes, but she doesn't give in to her white boy desires. Neither does she fall to a non-white boy, at least not fully.

Which is why I recommend that if you're reading the first book, you definitely, definitely read the second one along with it. Because I felt even though the ending of the first book was satisfactory, it wasn't satisfactory to me. But the second book was! Because at the end of the second book, Janna (the main character), comes to the conclusion that boys aren't everything. And even though there is a very perfect boy that fancies her and she fancies him too, she takes a breath and says that she isn't too focused on that. And I adore that. But she only comes to that conclusion after falling in love with many, many, many boys. I did get a bit uncomfy cuz romance just in general makes me uncomfy, its a personal thing, but I kept reading it cuz... Muslim fiction! Anyway, good book series. But I like Love From A To Z better.

Now, those are... a lot of books. And a lot of me talking. And there are still so many more. So I'm just gonna go through some quick filtering and put the titles and authors of the other books here in dot points.

London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd (my first novel, Kat knows about this lol)

Skyfire series by Michael Adams

NERDS series by Michael Buckley (it's an acronym that stands for National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society. It's weird but I laughed a lot so)

Murder Most Unladylike series by Robin Stevens

Mallory Towers series by Enid Blyton

Naughtiest Girl In The School series by Enid Blyton

Scarlet and Ivy series by Sophie Cleverly (fuck- I forgot to add this to the main list, but this book is hella hella good and I recommend it very much)

Bounce by Megan Shull (life lessons in here)

Sick Bay by Nova Weetman

The Adventurer's Guild series by Zack Loran Clark and Nick Eliopulos

Luck Uglies series by Paul Durham ("DADDY ISSUES!" screams Quo. "I love this book because I have daddy issues among other issues and that is all.")

Time Hunters by Chris Blake (it is very much a children's book, not even middle school, but I read it because it has an intriguing storyline and interesting historical facts that had me raising my hand in every history lesson)

There are no classic books here because that will need its own separate post.

And that's it! Thank you very much!

[eirenical]

2023 Tumblr Top 10

I’m sure to no one’s surprise, 8 of my 10 top posts this year were Mysterious Lotus Casebook meta, gifsets, or fic.  XD  The other two were about the Bishop from Les Mis, which got a double kick because I did this after his first chapter in the Brick readalong came up again this year and... a very personal post that I didn’t want to shove in people’s faces again so I took it off the end.

Anyway, I just wanted to take this moment to thank the MLCB fandom, because this is the most interaction (and by that I mean genuine conversation not just reblogs and likes) I’ve had with people in fandom in a long time and I have been having so much fun with you guys.  I have more fic and more meta (and if I have the energy, more gifsets) planned for this fandom in 2024, so stick around and by all means, come talk to me.  ;D 

1. 204 notes - Oct 13 2023

2. 196 notes - Sep 4 2023

3. 184 notes - Nov 5 2023

It's nearly two months after the Bicha poison has been purged from his system before Li Lianhua picks up a sword again.  He'll...

4. 142 notes - Jul 31 2023

The rest behind a cut because this is going to be very long otherwise. XD

5. 125 notes - Aug 26 2023

I’ve been thinking a lot about Fang Duobing and names.

6. 76 notes - Jan 1 2023

I always forget how much I love the Bishop until I’m reintroduced to him at the start of every readthrough of the Brick.

7. 68 notes - Aug 10 2023

8. 66 notes - Sep 11 2023

Having a lot of feels about Huli Jing tonight. Li Lianhua must have found him on the street, orphaned, abandoned, scrounging for...

9. 56 notes - Sep 4 2023

Created by TumblrTop10

[skyward-floored]

I got around to read your IAU after you posted that massive chronological list (huge props for that btw) and I have a question.

What happened to Sky? I tried scrolling through the tag but couldn’t find anything other that an ask answer about him having a beard after a year?

Was he one of the supers that got lured to the island but managed to escape/survive? If he's stuck, I assume maybe his wings got messed up to much to fly or something?

I'm new to this AU ;-;

Ah yeah I can see that being confusing XD sometimes I forget everything isn’t obvious/easy to find to somebody new coming into it. I should probably make a masterpost or something...

Well anyway, I’m actually in the process of writing a fic about specifically what happened to Sky, so hopeful that’ll help clear some things up. In the meantime though I don’t mind explaining what happened.

It’s basically like you said— he got lured to the island, under the assumption it was the government that needed his help with an out-of-control project. But upon beating the robot (guardian hehe), he accidentally stumbles upon Dark Link’s whole plan, and realizes pretty darn quick that this is not, in fact, a government operation.

Dark Link finds him though, and quickly tries to get rid of him, and though Sky does get away, one of his wings is messed up enough that he can’t just fly off the island. It would be a long flight even with both wings working, so he’s definitely stuck.

...and his family has no clue where he is. He was supposed to keep it a secret, and thinking it was the government, he honored that, even though he didn’t like it. Not even Sun knows where he is.

This all happens like a year and a half (ish) before the actual movie event stuff, and by the time that rolls around, most of them are convinced Sky is dead. Mostly because Dark Link planted some feathers and burnt bits of Sky’s suit to throw off any trail towards him (he doesn’t want anyone sniffing around his island or what he’s got planned), so his family just... thinks there must have been an accident.

Thing is though, Sky is not, in fact, dead.

He’s been having the worst year of his life for sure, narrowly avoiding being hunted down and killed and scrounging for survival on an island, but he’s not dead.

Though a week or two before Time ends up in the island, Dark Link corners him and thinks he’s finally got him, and marks him as dead (...which Time later sees when he’s snooping in the computer oop), but once again, Sky is not dead. He’s just... close to it. Fortunately Hyrule and Legend are the two that stumble on him later... Hyrule’s powers come very much in handy.

[nihilnovisubsole]

really excited to watch your ffxiv journey! i have picked it up semi-recently myself, late last year. also started as DRG (on Bryn, we're practically neighbors!). i definitely feel like it's one of the best classes for the protagonist story. the class story just really adds to the main questline IMO. kinda unsurprised to see that Raubahn is part of your backstory already. :3 when i was going through the story, i had an errant thought like 'hmm i bet if AK Fedeau played FF she'd like him' XD

he's tall and he has a gladiator aesthetic, it's not a difficult sell lmao. i mean, i did write dangerous crowns. i'm sure they've had some argument going for over a decade about whether strength or agility is more important for beast-slaying. [can you imagine the back slaps that guy gives? RIP your shoulder blades.]

more from the replies:

@araceil replied:

Don't be shy about your character's appearance, there's no such thing as a mistake in character gen. I'm sure she's super amazing regardless of the aspects you're not so keen on.

i agree! she just looks shorter and younger than i intended her to. it's nothing a few tweaks won't sort out. i've heard you can replay story cutscenes at inns and they'll match to your current appearance, so i can always grab screenshots later.

i will say this, though: i have performed some hilarious outfit crimes in service of keeping my armor up-to-date. i got a little off-sync level-wise because i did the lancer hunting log quests, so my gear is all over the place. last night i went crystal scrounging in a pink-and-rust-red shirt, ivory sarouel pants, and blue-and-white ren faire boots. before that, i'd been running around in the same caramel-brown toadskin jacket for like twenty levels. i look a fright. it's amazing. there's a really nice set of armor that i've got my eye on, but it's a level... 80 gearset, i think? so it'll have to wait!

[syntheticmortal]

just saw an art piece from one of your players that hit me with the most incredible sense of nostalgia and happiness. i used to run Lupines -- not Garou, because i was a teenager then and hadn't touched Apocalypse (even though I love apocalypse dearly now) and sometimes think about going back and making Lupines a thing again, ahah. Also, if you want, I can send you some stuff for old Werewolf source books, I saw your 5e post!

God that piece is, on a personal level, one of my absolute favourites to come out of The Little Black Door chronicle :')

And Lupines is such a fucking mood mate, keeps my poor players on their toes when the things outside the city are just 'nah they're not really statted, they'll just sort of kill you' - you've never seen more desperate drive rolls in your life XD

Which is my way of enthusiastically encouraging you to work on your own Lupine concepts!! And take that as an excuse to come show me if you do!! I rather like the Garou, and have used them in one VTM game where I revealed a Kindred as Kinfolk - but it's so much fun to screw around with new ideas, keep the table fresh

(plus, personally, adding new elements keep the horror alive, players can't treat threats like they're from a bestiary if they can't be sure what's going on >:D)

And thank you for the generous offer! I've actually been fortunate enough to scrounge the old lore thankfully - it's just very awkward because I don't know what's meant to still gel with the W5 lore. With Garou Tribes kinda being something one chooses I struggle to define them beyond a loose spiritual brotherhood - as opposed to the culture of a shared permanent curse with VTM Clans, or the inherent variation that comes from within a rather large ethnic group a la the old Garou Tribes

And then in turn how does this extend out to things like the Black Spiral Dancers? I can make decisions for my own games but if things are _different_ now they are not adequately defined anew for my liking as a Storyteller (or even a Player trying to make something withn the context)

That said, to echo the post you mentioned, I think I'm starting to get a grip with making my own antagonists - and in turn I've started to think more about Sept cultures, rather than Tribal cultures, and treat Tribes like specialisations almost. With any luck, there'll be enough to run a game with when it becomes time to do it! :') <3

[electricrogue]

Thanks so much for the tag @sarcasticsciencefictionwriter :D

last song you listened to: When Angels Fall by Beyond the Black

last movie you watched: Cruella which was way better than Tumblr led me to believe tbh xD

currently watching: Percy Jackson and the Olympians

other things you’ve watched this year: The unholy trinity of shows with gay idiots (I do say that lovingly). Good Omens (did I mention fuck you Neil?), What We Do In The Shadows and Our Flag Means Death. Other than that I finally got around to finish American Horror Story - all available seasons and also watched the spin off with American Horror Stories.

currently reading: Nothing atm but I just finished The Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (yes, the hype got to me, but mostly because dragons I couldn't care less about Xander he's basic)

currently listening to: Cosmic Fusion by Ayreon

currently working on: a book whose target audience is literally two people (it will end up being three probably, though, but it's not like I have too much control over that). On the bright side I fully expect the third one to go like "heh I see you bitch". We have the same kinks in some ways and I'm not saying I wrote the damn thing strictly for this but... yeah he's gonna read between the lines probably xD.

current obsession: I guess I am searching for one atm xD. I mean I have Sharon but she made it pretty clear she's not gonna do anything for like 9 months from now so yeah... I am open to suggestions I guess xD.

I tagged most of the people I can/do tag yesterday, but let's see what I can scrounge up. Tagging: @lanistas, @silhouetteofafox, @thegirlbehindthegasmask and whoever else feels like doing this ;)

[dirty-bosmer]

Now that I'm almost caught up on The Illusionist, I was wondering if you'd be willing to enlighten me on your writing process. Also, if you feel comfortable sharing, was there anything unexpected or surprising that you learned about writing fic?? Super curious and super nosy :>

Thank you for the ask, Z!! I will be honest, my writing process is a MESS, especially now that I'm super busy with school. For each chapter, I usually have a scaffold to work with, and the very least some bullet points that outline each scene. It is almost unimaginable to me that in the early days of my fic, I could write a chapter every few weeks over several regular writing sessions. These days it's so chaotic. I write nothing at all for months at a time then get hit by inspiration ray and stay up from 5 AM to 3 AM writing the bulk of a chapter. It's so unsustainable lol. It usually goes like this:

Write a line.

Agonize over said line.

Write a few paragraphs. Go back to original line and rewrite it three times. End up with the same line I started with.

Forget about things for a few weeks. Write another paragraph. Rewrite said paragraph. Rewrite first line again.

Rearrange all the sentences and re-read it until I'm sick of myself.

Brood for a bit. Get distracted for a few more weeks.

Scrounge for inspiration in my dreamscape. When it hits, spend all of Saturday writing and doing nothing but writing. Don't contact anyone. Don't go outside. Don't do anything. Don't even blink.

Edit while burnt out cause I slept for 6 hours over the entire weekend and hopefully don't get sick of myself again :D

So yeah, I don't recommend that, eheh. I think it's been so difficult cause I'm at the end of a long fic and feeling the pressure, but hopefully when I get back into my Skyrim fic, I'll have planned it out a bit more and it will not be so lawless. Also I've found that chipping away little by little and having someone to do writing sprints with helps a ton with maintaining creative flow (thanks @gilgamish <3)

As for the second part of the question, I'd say what surprised me the most was 1) how much I enjoy writing and 2) how many people have enjoyed my writing. I started The Illusionist back in 2017 with no real writing experience or intention of publishing online, kind of just went *dooot dooot* on the keyboard for a few years, then realized "omg there's a story here" (is it obvious that i pantsed 😅). At some point, I realized it had become a serious hobby, and I actually wanted to improve my skill which is a blessing and a curse cause I've found a real passion for the craft but that also means I'm a lot harsher on myself now.

The second point was far more unexpected tho— I'm truly blown away by how welcoming this community has been and how supportive my friends are. Absolutely mind-boggled that anyone has taken time out their day to read my fic, let alone dropped a message to tell me they liked it 😭 I'm incredibly grateful. Oblivion is almost TWO DECADES OLD, and when I first started writing, my fic was a rare-pair that centered around the mages. THE MAGES GUILD. It was so unbelievably unsexy and understandably received very little engagement XD For years it was like that, so my expectations have always been and will remain very low. Still, I'm having such a blast and hope to be writing for a while :)

[ask-the-dweets]

Heyo you guys!

Long time, hardly any posts!!! Any that aren't an AU anyways.

I wanted to let you know that the Dwights are still around and I would like to continue doing things with them. It's just that I am burnt out from role-playing. Small interactions are okay but;

The boys would love some asks!!

Not RP, but just general questions. (I might scrounge around for a prompt list) Maybe that'll help me make this blog less of just an art dump, we shall see XD

[sharky-chan]

AH JUST TO BE CLEAR: im a much newer gg fan (maybe started 2019, def by 2021) but highway that never ends is something that has stuck w/ me from the moment i read it! (i was scrounging around for anything of pre-xrd chipp and stumbled across it on ff net) i really really love your chipp and venom characterizations and pretty recently recc'd your fics to someone b/c even now they're so refreshing - thank you for keeping your stuff up!!! (chipp x venom will always be good too ^_^)

Wow, that’s actually super cool to hear, and I still feel honored you reached out ^o^. I’ve thought about moving everything to AO3 but figured those old fics were no longer relevant...but knowing people are still reading my FF.net stuff is food for thought! Either way, glad I could provide some Chipp GGXX fanfic (Chipp lifer here) <3 <3 <3. 

Complete aside, but I’ve had this vague follow up idea where Chipp visits Venom’s bakery post-Strive (reliving my homemade ship days XD). Unfortunately I’d need a massive lore and story mode refresher, haha. (Got me thinking though XD).