#so they largely left him out or didn't give him much dialogue

[staytinyville]

Hello! I love your writing so much! I was wondering if I could request a little story of a rather large plussize woman to be found desirable and wanted by Jongho from Ateez? I have been struggling with my desirability and how that isn't connected to my selfworth. I would love for the oc to have light brown hair with green eyes and glasses if possible. Thank you so much. 💖

↣ A/N: MISS/MR PERSON. IF PLUS SIZE READERS ARE NOT MY FAVORITE TO READ. And it’s like a very oddish thing because I myself am not at all plus size. I’m positive it’s just my all around size kink and extreme empathetic ability that cries every time someone puts themselves down. BUT IF I DO NOT LOVE READING THOSE.

Honestly I can create small little snips of how each of the boys gravitate towards bigger people in their own different ways. I can see all of them loving on you with their own affections and love language.

↣ Characters/Pairing: Jongho x Plus Size!Reader

↣ Genre: fluff, angst,

↣ AU/Trope info: idol!au,

↣ Word Count:

↣ Warnings: self conscious about weight, a bit of anxiety,

↣ A/N: I will be honest I was going for tears falling kind of imagine but I felt I didn't portray that enough/well. I also feel that since I didn't add much dialogue it sucked too.

Special Thanks to @saradika-graphics for the amazing banners as always.

Jongho would be one of the boys who would gravitate towards a bigger person because I think he would like someone who is healthy in regards to themselves. He appreciates confidence a lot and while he does enjoy when his S/O is happy to be themselves he also knows that things can be hard sometimes.

Maybe at the start of a relationship you can find yourself having trouble with your self worth and image but once you get to know Jongho you open up and understand that he isn't someone who will look at your physical appearance.

Jongho just gives off so much respect that it leaves you like bawling your eyes out at home because of how great he is. He won't pressure you into doing something you don't want but he for sure will support you and motivate you when he knows that your goal is what you really want in life.

Jongho is just so great that at one point or another, you will in fact be changing your mind about yourself because his respect juice is just over the top and his affections will just have you second guessing any self loathing you might have because that man loves with his entire chest/thighs.

The day had been extremely pretty and the weather finally let up to allow Spring to move in. With the snow all melted and flowing down the rivers, the flowers were starting to grow and bring about the buzzing of bees.

You were glad to feel that the wind was just cool enough to get rid of the humidity that came with the water. And because of that you were more than happy to wear a flowy sundress that gave your legs room to breath while your arms were covered up by sleeves. It was enough to keep you both warm and cool.

Jongho had the day off and asked that you both leave the house rather than be cooped up all day. He wanted to breathe the fresh air for a moment due to being stuck in the studio/company all week. And with the day being so nice, he wanted to take advantage of it.

You were left a bit skeptical about going out because of how you spent so much time inside during the winter months to avoid getting sick. You weren't really feeling confident in yourself but you knew that being stuck inside for longer would only make things worse.

Plus you couldn't tell him no with the way he held your hand and rubbed his thumb along your skin. And you for sure couldn't voice your thoughts as he told you that he had a picnic planned and to dress all nice and pretty.

When you felt the wind on your skin to check the temperature before going out your first thought was to wear the sundress you bought one day while out shopping with Jongho. You could remember the way his eyes grew wide and lips twitch as a smile wanted to overtake his face when you showed him it.

You also couldn't take the giggle that came out his lips when you wore it for the first time.

And so around midday, you sat on a blanket alongside Jongho under a tree that overlooked the river. He had laid down, his arms behind his head as he rested. You had your legs stretched out in front of you, humming to yourself as you read over a book while soft music played in the earbuds you both shared.

Jongho shuffled closer to you, making you giggle as you scooted over, allowing him to wrap an arm around your waist and nuzzle his head into your side.

You heard groups of people starting to make their way into your cozy spot as the day progressed and people wanted to do the same thing as you and your boyfriend.

You heard giggling to your side, glancing up and seeing people snickering. You swallowed thickly when you caught them speaking quietly to each other and kept glancing your way.

You suddenly felt uncomfortable, rolling your shoulders and wiggling as you tried to cover up more with your shin length dress. You pulled your legs as close to you as possible, trying to make yourself seem smaller.

You flinched at the sweat that had begun to form on your legs that were attached to the blanket, trying to use your dress to wipe it away. You didn't notice the anxiety creeping in your body. Not until Jongho moved from you.

Your movements caused Jongho's arms to slip from your waist, making him wake up and frown at your movements. He leaned up to watch your facial expressions. It was subtle but he could see the frown on your lips, the pinch in your eyebrows as you fret over yourself and the things around you.

"My love." He called softly, playing with the fabric of your dress that you had bunched up in your fingers.

He was slow in moving to touch you, not wanting to startle you and make your anxiety even worse. You moved your hands closer to yourself, causing him to follow the path and finally link your fingers together atop your thigh.

Your lips twitch at the, leg beginning to bounce up and down. Jongho finally sat up, moving to sit behind you. He wrapped both of his arms around you, laying his cheek against the back of your head as his thumb rubbed along your hands that he held.

He felt your skin calming down, no longer twitching as you relaxed in his hold. When he felt you go slack, he scooted closer, pressing his chest against your back. His chin rested on your shoulder, breath hitting your ear making you haunch your shoulder from the tickle.

"Are you okay?" He asked you quietly, lazily rubbing his cheek on your skin.

"I'm okay." You whispered, looking down at your book.

Jongho sat up quickly, causing you to turn around to look at him. You felt his fingers squeeze your hand pulling it closer to your stomach. He hugged you tighter to him, making tears well up in your eyes.

"What happened?" He asked quietly.

You knew he already knew. He saw it every time you would fret over your clothing. He knew what kind of anxiety attack you might be having by just watching you. It was how he showed his love.

Jongho didn't need to tell you anything. He always showed his affections in his expressions and actions more than anything. It was the way he held himself. The way he held you that made you realize how much he actually loved you.

It was riveting to watch how much he put into his performances and passion in what he loved doing. And all that passion translated into his feelings for those he loved. If you knew Jongho well enough you would know that with just one look you were going to be safe with him.

He was silent, an observer and only talked when it called for it. He gave his opinions when he felt that others were wrong but he wouldn't try to change their mind if they were stubborn people.

With you he didn't try to change your mind. He only tried to ease it. It wasn't an easy thing to overcome your insecurities about your body image. Especially in this time and age with technology.

But he didn't have to say anything. He just had to hold you and make you feel how much he loved you and your everything. Maybe there were times where you needed to hear him voice that you were beautiful but when he held you like he was now, allowing his entire being to seep into your skin and take your anxiety away you felt like you were on cloud nine.

"I love you." He called out, making you look up at him.

You smiled through your tears, sniffling as he reached up to wipe them away.

"I love you too."

[k8epot8e]

Train in Vain: Chapter 1

Notes: Never done this before, I've only ever written academic essays for grad school etc. I got the idea for this story on the train the other day. Wanted to play around with Kid's characterization and his relationship with Kil. The amount of space Kid and Killer are occupying in my brain lately is unhealthy and I especially loved the HC I'd seen of them being in a punk band together. I'd originally thought of this as a one-shot, but I enjoyed writing it so much that I will keep going! My plan atm is to upload another chapter by next week. Please let me know what you think! Going to try to improve my dialogue and action sequences. The general idea is that it'll all happen over the course of one night, like an After Hours, or American Graffiti situation. TWs: Reader is a woman. Sexual harassment of reader. Brief mention of an imaginary sex scene. Light violence. Implied drinking and drugs. Implied familial pressure and sexism. Cursing. Minors dni.

On AO3 I gave it an M but it's a lighter M. Here's that link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/53565769

Summary:

You're headed out on a Saturday night when some cute punks help you out of a sticky situation. Next thing you know, you're tagging along to their concert. This isn't something you'd normally do, but they're nice to look at and you need a little more spontaneity in your life. Let's see where the night takes you.

The man was slumped against the faux wood-paneled wall of the train car. You only noticed him because of his massive, muscular frame. He was your age, late 20s, but he had a boyish charm about his face that made you grin. A mischievousness that was noticeable even with his eyes closed as he was currently. His hair stood up in a dark red shock like he'd stuck his finger in an electrical socket. He was pale and riddled with piercings, metal spikes jutting out from his nose and ears giving his angular face an even sharper appearance. He wore goggles loosely at the top of his forehead. A punk aesthetic that seemed simultaneously meticulous and nonchalant. You noticed his massive left arm was metallic from the elbow down. An equally large man sat beside him on the seat to his left. The man was blonde with long hair that layered itself in sharp locks down his shoulders. He had an old-school soul patch that softened his sharp jawline and drew attention to the blue paper mask he wore courteously over his mouth. He seemed tired in a way that betrayed his rough exterior. His traps were huge and strained against the collar of his worn blue t-shirt. Seeing their muscular physiques made you hold your breath albeit briefly as you boarded the train and quickly slid into a newly available seat.

It was mid-Saturday evening and you were making your way to a bar in south Brooklyn to meet up with a friend from college. She'd recently had a baby and her husband had been begging you to take her out. She was always so responsible; you'd historically been one of her very few bad influences and her husband loved you for it. Despite what she would say when pressed, she enjoyed the thrilling sense of ease you coaxed out of her typically rigid demeanor. Your relationship was easy. She didn't need to text or call you to make sure you still felt involved in her life. You could pick up right where you left off, be it months or years since you'd seen each other.

This was how you lived most of your life. Your family and upbringing were so exhausting that you felt an aversion to friction of any sort. That didn't mean you weren't responsible, of course you were. You always did what was expected of you or what you thought needed to be done. You were the oldest girl, rebelliousness was a luxury reserved for other people. Despite this, you carved out ways to satisfy your inner hellion as you could. Little rebellions that you could control but still scratched the itch you had to break everything down. You drank too much, but not enough to be a real issue. You smoked too much weed, only once it became legalized. You had a serious problem with authority figures or anyone for that matter who had the gall to tell you what to do. You would never cause an actual scene, but you'd fume for weeks after the encounter, thinking of clever ways to handle the situation in retrospect. You had a smart mouth, and while you rarely used it on high, your colorful vocabulary and quick temper had gotten you in serious trouble a couple of times before. You secretly loved using your words to cut someone down to their core, but only if they deserved it. When that side of you showed, the really mean one, no one could keep up with you. People would stare at you, eyes wide and mouth agape at your ability to so quickly discern what they truly hated about themselves and launch it back in their faces.

Aside from its ever-looming presence, this side of yourself was far away from you tonight. You were excited to see your friend, and shockingly the sun had been out today after nine days of straight rain. You had your AirPods in and were listening to one of your throwback playlists on Shuffle. The Clash rang in your ears, barraging your poor eardrums with excessive volume as the train hitched and swayed down the tunnel.

You let your gaze travel back up to the two large men at the other end of the train car. It struck you that it’d been a while since any man had touched you, let alone one as cute as the guys you were ogling shamelessly. You leered at the veiny forearms of the blonde, thickly folded into a taught cross over his chest. Your libido, ever your betrayer, flashed an imaginary scene in your mind’s eye. A vision of the man's vascular forearms tensed in a wrought-iron grip around the edge of a table in front of you, while he fucked you mercilessly from behind. You imagined what his strong body would feel like pressed against your back. A warmth bathed over your skin, your imagination tricking your synapses ever so gently. The warm sensation quickly shot upwards to your cheeks as you realized that the man was watching you stare at him. His expression wasn't judgemental or surprised, just thoughtful with the faintest hint of a smirk behind his mask. Your face flushed beet red and you quickly shook your head back and forth, attempting to convey to the man that you were not, in fact, ogling him but rather staring into the distance and were abruptly brought back to reality. This pathetic coverup attempt made you feel even more guilty since you knew your lustful gaze had been obvious. You averted your eyes down and to the right, tracing the lines made by an errant shoelace discarded on the floor.

The movement of the train broke you out of your shameful reverie. The driver pulled the break surprisingly hard into the next stop and your body lurched forward with the car. You steadied yourself on the wall to your left and watched as most of the people in your car streamed out of the train car doors. The older woman who had been sitting next to you disembarked and in her stead, a lanky brunette man with a buzzcut flopped down next to you dramatically. He gave you a shit-eating grin as your eyes met his and you quickly looked away.

You thought you felt a gaze from further down the train watching you closely but you didn't move or look up in an attempt to discourage your newly arrived neighbor from talking to you. This evasion failed miserably as he tapped you on your right thigh a little too high for your liking.

“Nice weather today, right?”

“Yep.” You said as you took out your right earbud.

“Where you headed?”

“To see a friend. What about you?” You mentally kicked yourself for engaging with him. Why were you so deferential?

“Me and my buddies are going out. Keeping the party going.” He nodded to a man to his right sitting across the aisle. His buddy was cute, like him, but something about him unsettled you. Something about both of them.

“Cool,” you said as you tried to put your earbud back in.

You noticed how empty the train car was. You and these two guys were the only ones on your end of the car. Why did this guy have to sit right next to you?

“What bar are you going to?” He asked quickly before you had the chance to put your earbud back in, so you stopped, holding it aloft.

“Baratie. It's nautical-themed.”

“Sounds cool. What's your friend's name?” He asked, staring you in the eye.

“Um, Amanda.” You said slowly.

“Hah. Good. I thought you were gonna say a guy's name.” He said and chuckled to himself.

“What?” You asked instinctively.

“I thought you were gonna say you had a date.” He explained. You were still confused.

“What do you mean?” You asked dumbly knowing full well his implication.

“I mean a pretty girl like you should come out with us tonight,” he said, his smile turning more nefarious by the second.

You'd never thought of yourself as pretty, and being called a girl made you feel infantile.

“Excuse me?” You asked not very aggressively

You knew that men generally found you attractive. You didn't know to what extent, but you knew on some level that you were cute. You never felt beautiful, that was a word reserved for tall, model-like women who were pretty in an ethereal sort of way. The women you found yourself watching in restaurants and clothing stores who made your heart skip a beat. They always seemed so effortless.

You were the opposite. You were small and round and angry and everything you did was full of effort. You weren't tiny but you were short. Despite your size, you always felt enormous and awkward. You were always moving out of people's way because you felt so brazenly wide. This feeling came from being muscular. You weren't ripped but you'd always played sports growing up and took every opportunity to carry things so that your mother didn't have to. You were a force of sheer mass and will. Femininity felt out of reach for someone who took up space.

Despite this, men found your willingness coupled with your small stature endearing. Your muscles and general meatiness meant that you had a curvy body which betrayed how seriously you took yourself. Your boobs were objectively huge which made you feel fat. Your large bust in tandem with your wide shoulders and back made you feel like you were going to hulk out of lithely cut women’s clothes. You didn't shop frequently, opting instead to wear t-shirts that swamped you in their width. You had a bit of a belly from your enjoyment of craft beer but generally, you were in good shape and attractive. You'd never admit this to anyone, but you saw the way people looked you up and down in bars.

Self-consciousness flooded your brain as you stared at the man sitting next to you. What did he mean?

“Oh, haha, no thanks.” You replied tentatively.

“Don't be shy,” he said, wrapping his long arm around your shoulders. You could smell minty alcohol radiating from the back of his throat.

“Haha. No, I'm good. Gotta meet my friend.” You said attempting to shrink from his grip.

His hand tightened and tensed on your left shoulder. He leaned his face into your right ear.

“Come on, don't be a bitch.” He cooed, his hot breath making you shiver in his arms.

All the color drained from your face and your heart sank. “Fuck,” you thought to yourself as your brain scrambled for ideas on how to escape.

His friend across the aisle laughed as he pulled you in closer to his body. He discreetly placed a soft kiss on the base of your neck.

“I know you want it.” He whispered. “My buddy and I will show you a good time.” You felt his fingers drift to your inner thigh as he squeezed lightly.

You froze from shock. Your brain descended into a panic as fear wracked your body. You couldn’t move.

Suddenly, the man next to you was yanked into the air and thrown to the floor of the train, his body making a loud thud as he skidded to a stop across the linoleum. The train bounced as your gaze trailed up the strong legs of the man now standing in front of you. It was the masked blonde man from your earlier fantasy. Your shocked expression caught his gaze. There was a silent rage behind his eyes. You didn't know how he crossed the train so quickly to launch your harasser out of his seat, especially in steel-toed boots, but you were grateful for it. The redheaded punk was still asleep, head resting on the wall.

The harasser’s friend, the man sitting across the aisle from you started to yell. He tried to get up in the face of the masked man but was violently shot backward with a swift roundhouse kick. The harasser got up off the floor while the masked man used his inertia to quickly pivot his feet and turn to face the incoming attack. He caught the harasser’s fist with his large left hand and parried with a swift punch straight to the guy’s jaw. You heard the crack of bone when his fist hit the man’s face. The harasser was once again, propelled to the ground, blood spraying from the side of his mouth. You gasped and covered your mouth with your hand in shock. You’d never seen a real fight before.

At that moment, the train car doors opened, and, seeing the chaotic scene, the people on the platform yelled in horror and diverted to other cars. You noticed the redheaded punk was now awake and smirking at his friend’s handiwork, his large arms crossed over his chest. The masked man paused, breathed out calmly, and turned to face you. You held your breath. His right fist was covered in blood, so after a thoughtful pause, he extended his left hand out towards you.

“You okay?” He asked. His voice was steady and reassuring, his large hand extended towards you, palm facing upwards.

“Um. Yes. I’m alright.” You stuttered, still in shock. You looked the man in the eye. The rage from earlier was gone and all that remained was tentative concern. He seemed worried that you would spook at any moment, like a wild rabbit caught against a fence.

Sensing no malice in his gaze, you gingerly placed your hand in his. It was calloused but warm and reassuring. He clasped your palm and helped you to your feet with surprising gentleness.

“Well I doubt we have much time after that performance” the redheaded punk spat from down the car, standing from his seat. His booming voice filled with deadpan amusement shocked you out of your daze. You looked around, people were whispering and looking at you through the train’s windows. You saw the station cop start to hustle down the platform towards your train car, “Hey! You three!” He yelled as he picked up his pace. “I've got an assault on a train down here” the cop barked into a walkie-talkie on his right shoulder.

The masked man put his hand on your right shoulder and looked at you, “Sorry, about this, but we gotta get moving.” In one swift motion, you were gracefully floated from the ground. The masked man draped your body over his left shoulder like it weighed nothing and held your legs snug to his chest. The redhead laughed raucously as they dashed out of the train car with you in tow. The masked man and the redhead ran side by side as they picked up speed, busting through the emergency exit door and darting up the station’s long walkway to the street. The yells of the station cop echoed into nothing as you emerged up, into the cold night air. The two men didn’t stop running until they reached an alley two blocks away. The masked man lowered you gently to your feet and they both hunched over to catch their breath.

“Kil, I’ve never seen you manhandle a chick like that” the redhead howled.

You tensed.

“Kid, you heard the cop, she was gonna get detained. I had to get her outta there.”

“How fucking gallant of you, asshole. What are we gonna do now? That wasn’t our stop.” The redheaded man finally caught his breath and stood up to his full height. He was huge, even taller than you’d originally thought. The masked man was broad and taller than you but the redhead had to be at least 6’5.

“Um excuse me. I’m here too.” You said looking from one to the other. On hearing this, they both turned and looked at you.

The redhead furrowed his brow at you, “Yeah, we know. You got us into this mess.”

Your jaw fell open. “How is this MY fault you’re the ones who basically kidnapped me!” You said incredulously.

“Yeah, if my buddy hadn’t saved your ass you’d be in a holding cell all night being questioned by Paul Blart.” The redhead shot back, his intense golden eyes boring into yours.

“Kid, knock it off. You know it’s not her fault.” The masked man waved dismissively at the redhead. “My name is Kil. Sorry for escalating things. Just thought you needed a hand.” The masked man reached his hand back out to you.

You took his hand and shook it lightly. “No, I appreciate it. Thank you.”

Kil shot a thumb at the redhead, “This ray of sunshine is Kid.”

Kid crossed his arms over his chest and averted his eyes from yours. “Pleasure.” He mumbled.

“He's not that bad when you get to know him,” Kil added. “We’re in a band and are meeting up with our mates for a show later.”

“Oh that’s cool,” you said, “what kind of band?”

“Punk, genius” Kid tsked and gestured towards his outfit with his metallic forearm.

“I didn’t ask you, ginger” you snapped back. Out of the corner of your eye, you thought you saw Kid’s lips shoot up into a reluctant smirk.

“Like Kid said, we’re a punk band. You’re welcome to come to the show if you’re interested, but I’m not exactly sure how we’re getting to the venue anymore.” Kil answered.

All of the commotion had made you completely forget about your own plans. “Shit!” You yelped and dug for your phone in your purse. The screen lit up and you find a text from your friend. “Hey I’m so so sorry but Lulu is coming down with something from daycare. I don’t think I’m gonna make it out tonight. Rain check?” You frowned at your phone. You’d wanted to see your friend tonight but hoped her daughter would feel better.

“So are you coming or what?”

You looked up. Kid was staring down at you, eyeing the message you’d pulled up on your phone. He had an expression in his piercing, golden eyes that you couldn’t read.

You paused to think. You didn’t know these guys, but despite their gruff exteriors, you felt decently comfortable with them.

Maybe it was because you’d already done your hair and makeup, maybe it was because you were still full of adrenaline, maybe it was because you thought of yourself as more rebellious than you actually were, or maybe it was because looking at either one of the men made your insides twist into knots, but for whatever reason you cracked a wry smile and replied,

“Yeah, let’s do this.”

[welcometoteyvat]

nahida dialogues, sethos dialogue, and some optional dialogues (mostly just sethos) from cyno's sq2 for reference (chinese and english transcriptions just for fun)

warning this is long as fuck

after talking to ??? (sethos) at the oasis:

nahida lines:

carefree desert dweller: Huh. those guys are pretty cautious. They just sent one person to try to talk to us. 那些家伙还挺谨慎的吗，只派一个人来跟我们搭话，哈。

irritable desert dweller: These are the guys we’re been waiting for, huh? They ain’t what I expected. 这些就是咱们要等的人？和我想的不一样啊。。。

after meeting sethos and entering the temple of silence

>nahida lines:

Sethos: These guys clearly care a lot about each other. This is a long way for them all to come. 这群人彼此感情还挺深的嘛，难怪都跟来了。

Tighnari: The situation's even more complicated than I expected. I should make sure I know the way out before we go any further. 情况比预想的更复杂。得提前观察一下出去的路线。

Cyno: Professor... 老师。。。

>talk to Sethos, pick 1 of 3 dialogue options:

>You were the one who tricked Urraca, right?

Sethos: Yes, that was me. Although, "tricked" is a stretch. He was asking everyone in the tavern about ways to make some easy money. He insisted that nothing was off the table, even if it broke the law. So I told him that Cyrus had embezzled a large sum of Mora from the desert. 嗯，是我。不过你说得不准确，我没有骗那个学生，是他自己在酒馆里打听有没有来钱快的办法。他还说什么都可以，只要能弄到钱，违法也没关系。于是我告诉他居勒什偷藏了一大笔从沙漠搞来的钱。

Paimon: So you framed Cyrus for a crime that he did not commit! 那不就是栽赃居勒什吗！

Sethos: No no no, that's not entirely true. Let me jog your memory — the letter just said that he had uncovered Cyrus's secret. It didn't say what secret that was. 话不能这么说，回忆一下，他只说自己知道居勒什的秘密，又没有说是什么秘密。

>Did you tell him to use that wording? Sethos: Of course. Urraca was a great accomplice, really. Very cooperative with a little bit of wine in him — did exactly what he was told… And not much of an original thinker though. It doesn't surprise me that he struggles academically. 当然。乌拉卡真是个好帮手，喝醉了很听话，对出主意的人言听计从。。。这么没主见，难怪在教令院混不下去啊。

Paimon: Why did Cyrus leave for the desert as soon as he received the letter? 那为什么居勒什一收到信就连夜离开了？

Sethos: You'll have to ask him that one yourself. Certain things I can't answer for him. I'm neither judging nor defending him. All you need to know is that he recognized our emblem, and it was his own choice to take the bait. 这个嘛，你们自己去问居勒什吧。有些事我不能替他回答，好话坏话都说不得。你只要知道居勒什认识我们的纹章，他是愿者上钩。

>Do you know Cyno?

Sethos: Ahaha, what kind of a question is that? He's the General Mahamatra, everyone in Sumeru knows who he is. 啊哈哈，瞧你问的，须弥谁不认识大风纪官赛诺大人啊。

Paimon: Right, but back at the oasis, you can't have known who he was for sure, or you wouldn't have asked him. So what we're really asking is... Have you never seen him in person before? 可是刚才在绿洲，你还特地问了一句谁是赛诺。。。难道你从来没见过他？

Sethos: I've lived in the desert my whole life. Guess you could say... I've never had the pleasure. 我又不住在雨林，大风纪官哪是想见就能见到的？

Paimon: Ugh... Why does Paimon feel like this guy's not being straight with us... 唔。。。总觉得这家伙瞒着什么没说。。。

Sethos: C'mon, we've only just met. If I give you all the answers up front, you'll have nothing left to look forward to. 我们才见没多久，现在就把答案全都告诉你，以后的日子怎么过啊。

>Have you ever been to the Akademiya?

Sethos: No. Not once. 没进去过。

Paimon: Really?

Sethos: I have no need to go there — not when the taverns are full of the Urracas of this world. Besides, we're well aware of what goes on at that place. 我没必要去教令院啊，乌拉卡这种人酒馆里多的是。再说，教令院的作为我们也不是不清楚。

>Are you saying you have spies inside the city? Sethos: Spies? Heh, it's not as clandestine as that. The city gates are wide open, anyone's free to walk in. You can find out all you need to know just by walking around town and hearing the word on the street. 须弥城就在那里，谁想进就能随便进的嘛。每天那么多人在街上聊天，到处逛逛就知道了。

after bamoun's death

>nahida lines:

Sethos: Did you see, Grandfather? Cyno chose me to succeed you as leader of the Temple of Silence. I will now serve in his stead. It's still early days, and I can't say that I know him that well yet. But after that battle, I now understand why he came here with a whole group of friends. Companionship means to trust and be trusted. Just like Cyno and his friends, we too will fight side by side and support each other in times of trouble. 爷爷，你知道吗？赛诺选择我代替他成为缄默之殿的新任首领了。不能说我多了解他，可经过那一战，我完全明白了为什么赛诺和他的同伴会一起前来。信赖他人，也被人信赖，这才是同伴的意义。并肩作战，互相扶持，呵，这点上，我们和他们没有区别。

Cyrus: All these years, I've felt like I'm still young, I still have lots to look forward to in life. But now… I suddenly feel… I too have grown old, Bamoun, just like you. 这么多年，我经常觉得自己还年轻得很，还有很多事可以做。但现在，居然觉得。。。我和你一样，都还是���了啊，巴穆恩。

>talk to sethos:

Sethos: Grandfather, we did it. We achieved what we set out to do. From this day on, the Temple of Silence has the chance to work with the Akademiya once more. Real change, real opportunities... They are now within our grasp. 爷爷，目标达成了，就像我们期待的那一样。从今天开始，缄默之殿可能再次与教令院合作。改变和机遇，我们都已经得到了。

>talk to cyrus:

Cyrus: … *sigh* The people of the desert are stubborn folk, fiercely loyal to their heritage, even if it means suffering years of hardship and pain. You said this yourself. But why did you feel the need to go this far? You never were the fearsome leader you made yourself out to be, Bamoun. … Being stubborn and unyielding is bound to send you to an early grave. Haha... 。。。唉。沙漠人的固执决定了他们将忠于传承，也决定了他们要承受坎坷。这话是你自己说的。可为什么能执着到这种地步呢。。。你从来都不是可怕的人啊，巴穆恩。顽冥不灵的人，难免死在前头。哈哈。。。

after talking to cyrus as cyno

>nahida lines:

Cyrus: ... I can't treat my students like kids anymore. I have to admit, Cyno has matured far beyond my expectations. From now on, I'll just enjoy life as a retired sage. The future is safe in the hands of the younger generation.

我也不能把学生当小孩子看了。必须承认赛诺已经成长得超乎我想象。以后我啊，当一个退休老贤者就好啦。年轻一辈会负担起未来的。

Cyno: Joke... how do I make this a joke... 在想了，我在想了。。。

didn't transcribe the following conversations: collei and asfand when looking for cyno, zaha hadi dialogue, alhaitham and kaveh at the house of daena, dehya and candace, naphis and cyrus after returning, and the dialogue for cyrus and cyno at the end.

bilibili cn video of most of the missable scenes and nahida thought voicelines (i didn't know collei had one too until this lol). the english dub is all in the genshin wiki

[yumedoca]

"Manga Kosuke" shows up in the anime more than once, including several episodes and at least one of the ovas, I think once he even got dialogue albeit in a crowd and not important dialogue.

Similarly curly haired stormtrooper shows up several times too, like once the Stormtroopers are throwing a party for Lum and he's just there with them and Ataru. Maybe it was the storyline where Lum left the earth and gave Ataru a doll of herself.

I also believe one Urusei Yatsura video game for the original Gameboy featured Perm and Kosuke; humorously they were an edit of the same base sprite!

Hai again, hope you're doing great!!

Since these were all sent by the same anon, I figured it was best to answer them all together..

Firstly, relating to the first two asks, I'm aware of Kosuke's cameos in the anime, the wiki has stated which all episodes it is and I very much know the most obvious cameo he made which would be in the 'Goat and Cheese' OVA, aka my favourite of the OVAs after 'Inaba the Dream maker'. I also do think I've seen Megane pop up sometimes in the manga, albeit it's very rarely and it's really hard to miss, but I do remember spotting him for at least one or two cameos (didn't know about Chibi though, I'll keep an eye out next time). The video game fact is really cool though!! Onto the next few asks...

Actually, I'm pretty sure that Megane was actually the one who got most of Kosuke's roles, funnily enough, in the last Kosuke ask I answered, @superamatista said this as well..

..one example being in electric jungle, the one who joined AtaMenShino in saving Lum was Kosuke in the manga but in the anime it was Megane. The main and obvious reason for this is because in the manga, Kosuke is Ataru's closest friend, but in the anime, Megane is given that role instead (while still having the antagonistic side to him), so naturally a lot of his dialogue is given to Megane instead. It's been a while since I've binged the original anime all together, but I've watched a bunch of UY episodes from the original series a while back after reading the manga chapters for them since I was curious how the anime would've adapted those chapters and literally most (like around 80-90%) of the lines and role belonged to Megane, even if he has added original bits. Now that I think about it properly, I think the other three stormtroopers mostly get their lines from Hokuto and the other nameless boys in the class, mainly Chibi and Kakugari (but there might be a rare chance where they do get Kosuke's lines I don't really remember though). Perm's lines are a combo of the nameless boys and a little bit of Kosuke, while Megane's is mostly Kosuke. Of course, they have added original lines which would suit their character added to the dialogues as well. I feel like the cases where they don't give Megane Kosuke's role and give it to Perm instead, is either when Megane already had a large original role or when the role doesn't fit Megane's character. The best example of the latter is the double date AtaLum went with Kosuke and his girlfriend, while in the anime it was Perm and his (not really) girlfriend because Megane WOULD NOT ever go a date with another girl, he's too dedicated to Lum and I think they even lampshade this.

And yes, I am aware Kosuke (and Hokuto) were in the first chapter, and then they disappeared for a while and reappeared permanently in chapter 26 I think. As to why I think Perm and Kosuke are different (and why I like Kosuke more) is mostly based on opinion really. And I'll be honest now, I've never really cared much about the stormtroopers (so sorry anon but it's true), I don't hate them but I don't really love them all that much either, Megane is the only one I like and it's mostly because of Shigeru Chiba's performance (great guy). The stormtroopers to me is just 'Megane and the others' because it's literally mostly Megane and to me at least, the others are just the one dimensional members of his gang. Since they show them off as 'mostly Megane' because favouritism, it's only natural that I don't pay much attention to the others. The only thing I remember Perm doing is going on the double date and that's it. But it isn't like that for Kosuke! To me, Kosuke has a sort of charisma that all of Rumiko's characters have, even the nameless students of class 2-4. I feel like the stormtroopers don't have this specific charisma since they are mainly Oshii's characters, not Rumiko's. I get Kosuke may not be the most noticeable character, but once you start paying attention to him, you'll get to see what a great guy he is. He's silly and a goofball and a very friendly guy, a good friend to Ataru and even though he does simp over Lum a bit, he isn't stormtrooper level obsessed, he only really is against Ataru when he does or thinks he'll do something wrong (unless he's a part of his scheme lol). He's decently popular with girls, he has a girlfriend (which even Mendo and somewhat Ataru don't have) and has got chocolate from a junior on Valentine's Day and he seemed to be getting along well with the girls at Asuka's school as well. His horny level is on average since he has been shown to read porn mags and such but he doesn't disrespect or grope women in real like like Ataru does. On his date with his girlfriend, they wore matching clothing and he seems forgiving of the fact that she's a huge eater and that she's a burden on his wallet, showing he does really love her (I distinctly remember Perm in the anime version stating he'll throw his girl off a cliff or something for Lum but I'm not sure if it's a real scene or not, I can't remember). Kosuke is one of the biggest menaces in the class with Ataru and Mendo, and teams up with Ataru and on rarer cases Mendo too to take Onsen down. And Kosuke just have a lot of moments I remember, the time where he was indirectly the cause for AtaLum to fall for the other (Megane did this in the anime), the time when he and Ataru and Mendo got drunk at school late at night, the time he got kidnapped by Mendo's giant octopus, all the times Kosuke and Ataru whack the shit out of Onsen and his little comedic remarks which feel much funnier in the manga than when said in the anime cuz the anime exaggerates the bigger jokes causing the smaller ones to fall flat (the jokes in the manga remain in a good balance and most of the jokes are around the same level of funny) Kosuke just has a lot to him which Perm doesn't have because only some of these things were either mostly reserved for Megane or split among the other stormtroopers or if you are talking about friendship, the stormtroopers together are much worse friends to Ataru than Kosuke. And like that, I disagree with the Perm is much more complex than Kosuke bit too. The manga omakes literally have an entire huge analysis on Kosuke (which makes me love him even more) and that's says a lot.

I think if I had paid more attention to Perm and the other two, maybe I can get more things to be interested about? But I feel like the average viewer would pay the most attention to Megane and just regard the others as extras. And I'm so sorry if any part made it sound as if I was insulting them cuz I didn't mean to and was only stating how they seemed to me personally. And it's cool if anon or anyone really, loves the stormtroopers or Perm over Kosuke, whatever it is, I know how it is to love small underrated characters and we're all different and have our own perspectives and that's what makes us unique, and in the end, we are fans of the same series.

Considering I've answered five asks at once, I am going to declare that this topic is closed (I'm sorry, I have other stuff to do). Microsoft Word says that this entire post is over a page long so do me a favor and reblog this if you love Kosuke :)

[enstarrievalkyrie]

Yandere Valkyries🕰️

Valkyrie x gn reader

Warnings:yandere behavior, human

doll.💐

"Dearest, you might fall asleep if you keep your eyes closed," shu, your creator, your master, said. He let out a small chuckle as he sees you rubbing your face further into his lap. "Wake up now, the live is going to start soon, we need to get you dressed up," he brushes your hair with his fingers and you slowly open your eyes. "Kagehira is getting your things so you don't need to worry about anything, just follow my orders," shu whispered in your ear as he made you sit up and start brushing you h/l hair. You just stare at the curtain that is blocking you from the audiences. " Oshi-san I got their things!" Mika announces but as he saw shu brushing your hair with a small smile, he quiet down and slowly walk up to you. Mika bended down and rests his head on your lap to calm himself down from the upcoming live. Oh how much it pains him to leave you but he doesn't have to worry, for Shu will always be present by your side when he is not around.

Shu does your hair neatly and requested Mika to start dressing you up. Mika gladly accepted with a large smile and a small blush on his face. The tighten corset made it uncomfortable for you to breathe but it's alright since they never said anything about it. Matching earrings were made for you three as well as the many hand-made idol outfits. It was all specially made for you including the song lyrics that was made to show their love for you, their living doll. Both of them stepped back a bit to inspect if there's even a slight imperfection on your outfit. You must be perfect as they have molded you into a perfect idol or their perfect doll. Mika and Shu each held one of your hand as the curtain starts to reveal the unit group, Valkyrie. The audiences clapped, screamed and shouted as their favorite unit group was revealed. You gave a small, gentle smile to the awaiting crowd. Nobody suspect Mika and Shu to do those horrible things to you. However, a certain someone from rabbits saw through your hollow eyes and he can only watch in horror as he saw what might be his fate if he haven't left earlier.

You, their precious, beloved, human doll and they will make sure you stay that way because they love you too deeply to let you go. You let them do this to you , you could have left before it went this bad but you didn't. After all, it's better to feel loved even if it's a little intense, atleast it is better than to be left alone and unnoticed.

This is my first time writing. I hope y'all like it btw idk how to write Mika's dialogue so pls give some tips. 🍄🍄🍞🍞

[artknifeandglue]

Fanfic ask game, if you would like to answer: D, E and F ❤️

D: Is there a song or a playlist to associate with [insert fic]?

Always is! A whole bunch of my fic titles are song titles/lyrics themselves, sometimes changed or edited slightly for for grammar/vibes. Usually, I've been listening to the song on repeat obsessively while I write the fic itself. See examples: the song that gave shadows, shadows its title; the song that yielded both you could have at least wished to live and what's left is merely sentiment; the inspiration for if i reached out my hand, could i catch you? in both format and content; the song where premise and lyrics and vibes came together to become the behemoth that is as shattered stars shine.

I'm not in the habit of making playlists much, though. It's an art form I never really picked up.

E: If you wrote a sequel to [insert fic], what would it be about?

Honestly, most of my fics are complete as is (save for shadows, shadows, which I've been working on at a glacial pace ^^;), but if I had to pick one, I'd probably write something for as shattered stars shine. The adventures of Mephistopheles, I guess?

In a not-Kingsman-related answer, I've toyed with the idea of writing spin-offs of even so, someday, surely. There's so much lore in that universe that didn't make the final cut or is only just hinted at, and I'd love to explore that.

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

Blargh okay I'm going to cheat on this and put up two contenders! Both are from shadows, shadows, but one is in chapter 2 and the other is currently sitting in my drafts. Cut for brevity:

Excerpt #1: Chapter 2

“Bugger off, Harry, I’m not done with Merlin yet. You’ll get your turn.” Percival glares at Merlin, his side profile visible on camera, and it’s a miracle Merlin doesn’t shrivel up or catch fire, because that glare could kill. “No, it wouldn’t fucking have, but you don’t think we would have appreciated knowing that information earlier? What, did you not trust your agents?”

“If you really want an answer, Percival,” Merlin bites out, “then yes. I didn’t know if it was yet safe to inform you, and perhaps the world at large, that Harry wasn’t dead. If you want to make this about trust, then be my guest.”

“Of course it’s about trust, you bastard!” Percival roars, slamming his hand onto the Round Table. The loud noise makes Gareth jump, jostling the feed, and he fires off a quick message to Tristan through the glasses. Well, shit. “It’s always been about trust, that’s why we make every candidate shoot their fucking dog-”

The three-way argument between Harry, Merlin, and Percival! I think it does a pretty good job of establishing Harry's, Merlin's, and Percival's characters all at once by having them play off one another and also piss each other off. We also get Percival having a soft spot for Eggsy and looking out for him, which, hey, win!

Excerpt #2: Yet-unpublished chapter

"How are you feeling?”

“Great, Aish, thanks for asking. Maybe warn a bloke next time.”

“I told you the suit was flame-resistant! It’s not my fault you forgot!”

“It ain’t mine either!”

“Be that as it may,” Merlin rubs at the back of his neck, looking like he would rather be anywhere else, “kindly avoid a repeat in future.”

“Oh, yeah, I’ll ask a bunch of torture-happy mobsters to hold off the kerosene, that’ll stop them!” Eggsy splutters.

“Not the fire,” Merlin says pointedly, “the jumping into rivers in midwinter.”

“Again, I was on fire.” Eggsy throws his hands up in the air. “What part of that wasn’t clear?

Still unpolished, but I like the idea of Eggsy continuing the Galahad tradition of giving Merlin stress headaches. That, and I love being able to set up little background characters for everyone to interact with so we see just how much chaos the Kingsmen get up to (and that they're not the only ones doing this).

[the-gender-pirate]

Alright so I had an idea:

Jesse finds Nacho’s chain in the desert. Lalo’s ghost has been slinking around the lab. Nacho’s ghost follows Jesse in. Things happen.

I wrote a little very incomplete thing for the idea, let me know what you guys think :) (btw, italics mean they’re speaking Spanish, most of the dialogue is meant to be Spanish but I’m nowhere near fluent enough so this is the format for a bit). TW for described gore.

“You son of a bitch” Lalo stood behind Walter, clenching his fists in an effort to not charge Nacho over the table. “If it isn’t the traitor himself.” Not that him charging seemed like it could do much. His old accomplice was worse for wear: he sported a large crater where the left side of his head was. Viscera speckled his shirt, blood dried onto his neck. He didn't even have an ear anymore.

Nacho blinked, staring at his former boss. More specifically, at the large hole in his neck. Blood crusted into the usually neat collar of his carefully pressed shirt. Was this what the assassins had done? Given Gus’ barely hidden ferocity and contempt, he assumed it would be way worse. “Fuck you.” He breathed, following behind Jesse as he made his way towards the large batch sitting on the table.

Lalo was dumbfounded, clearing the table and approaching his old friend. Or, at least he had thought this was his friend. “That’s all you have to say, Ignacio? I brought you in, I took you under my wing, I fucked you for god’s sake. And this is what I get?” He shoved the other, trying to get a reaction out of him. “You owe me a lot more than ‘fuck you’.”

Nacho shoved him back. Not like a little insubordination mattered when they were both dead. “I did what I had to do. Not like a Salamanca would understand.”

Lalo blinked. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“Oh poor Eduardo Salamanca. I hope the silver spoon didn’t hurt his mouth. I hope the one time he had to tie his own shoe didn’t leave any nasty blisters on his fingers.” Ignacio stepped up to Lalo. He seemed so much smaller now than he had before. “You wouldn’t understand having to sacrifice for your family. All you people do is take and take and take like the whole world belongs to you and you’re just letting us exist in it.”

Lalo wrinkled his nose, winding back and swinging his fist into the other specter’s stomach. He began to grapple with him while he crumpled towards the floor. “You think I never had to give something up? How about everything. I didn’t have friends, I couldn’t trust anyone. I let you in, Nachito, and look at what you did.”

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

So, lemme give some context on why I'm bringing this theory today. I was rereading Cyanide and noticed something during chapter 10...

This line said by Morax :

"No, it would seem you instead utilize your own innate energy - this would imply your pool of innate energy is... much larger than the average Adeptus. We cannot rule out this being a human trait, but given there are no Vision bearers at the point in time... Well, regardless. It is with this innate energy that you gather the elemental imprint of the energies around you, and, likely by utilizing your Vision, parce the Hydro from the non-Hydro."(ok the many lines- I realized that more and more of his dialogue would work to support the little theory I'm about to dump here so I kept adding on lolol)

With the information received in the past chapters, some pieces started to form in my mind... We know that Ajax has some Volchiy and Zvezdochoty blood, but other then his hair and eye color along with what Rex Lapis told him, we didn't have much to show that he was a descendant of both and while his control over hydro was pretty good, it came from his tedious training. But now, now that I'm rereading... this "innate energy" that is apparently "much larger than the average Adeptus" feels very suspicious. What if it came from his Volchiy lineage? I mean, they are amphibious right? So for them and their descendants to have a natural affinity to Hydro would make sense. It would also explain why he would go deep in the waters of Luhua Pool to gather his thoughts during chapter 5 or when he went into the tank that was in the Hydro chambers in chapter 38, the water brought him comfort, it might've felt natural to go there. The fact that he could use Hydro the way he did towards the begining was probably also thanks to his Volchiy and Zvezdochoty blood, seeing how both are definitely not human, and could thus probably use the elements in a way that is more similar to that of the Adepti. So, because of that, Ajax likely has a lot less restrictions when it comes to how he uses Hydro, unlike normal Vision holders from future Teyvat. Sprinkles(it feels rude to call you Trashcan so Sprinkles it is), did you plan this from the begining? If so, then massive Kudos to you for having this much foresight on what you intend to do!

WOW, ok, uuuh I was pretty hyperfocused there haha, anyways... I can't think of anything more to add so... yeah! That's my little theory :)

i feel so seen rn,, i did in fact (more or less) plan this tysm for pointing it out;;; my efforts have been validated

(i say more or less bc some details were indeed added along the way bc they just fit, but for the most part it was all planned)

the gigantic pool of innate energy is a mix of both actually. it's bigger than the average Adeptus' because it's a combination of a human's (which is bigger than they would think they'd be, not as large as ajax', but still larger than they'd expect) and the mixed non-human heritage. they sort of- add together, which resulted in ajax having a comically large pool of innate energy. so you're correct in that it relates to his heritage, but not in that- like- he pool being huge is *just* bc of his heritage. still!

everything else is right on the money. like yeah ajax is really good at elemental manipulation but his familiarity w hydro does indeed come from his ancestry. but since he's the only human to have had control over it in who knows how long (in his world) it never really registered as odd to him that he found so much comfort in water. like- he just said 'oh well i guess im just a child of the ocean' and left it at that.

another detail to add to your theory that you might notice once you get there but i'm putting it here anyway bc now you've enabled me- ah, in the tsaritsa's monologue when ajax n co swoop in to the rescue (i believe) she mentions how it must've been his connection to the abyss what enabled her to send him back in time without completely exhausting all her energies (which would've required her to go to the brink of death to acomplish. what she doesn't know, of course, is that what made it easier for ajax to go from his world to teyvat was that the roots of his lineage were- well, in teyvat. it's not the abyss (it don't work like that), as she thought, but his ancestry. she might not have been able to send him back and then survive if he hadn't had non-human blood from teyvat in him hahah

anyway uh- thank you!! this comment made me smile like an idiot <3

[vaultscavver]

wasteland, baby!

falloutober days four and five: DADDY-O & THIS THING CALLED DEFEAT ( 3.8k / eventual sole x hancock x maccready )

a/n: i'm so so late but i'm catching up! here's a well due day four, with an included day five :) this chapter is dialogue-heavy but i tried to smoothen the pace a bit just to make it easier to read, but there still might be a few mispellings and weird spacings because i was rushing to post. enjoy! xx, scavver

synopsis — a few weeks into traveling together, nora discovers that this arrangement means more than just caps to her new bodyguard-turned-friend and doesn't quite know what to make of his unveiled story.

─ ─── ──── ─── ♠ ─── ──── ─── ─

"More caps, huh, hotshot?" 

MacCready rolled his eyes at her over the corpse he was looting. "Is there a reason you're bringing this up again?"

Huffing a laugh, Nora didn't give him the satisfaction of an answer. She just rocked her head back, resting it against the metal beam behind her, looking out at the view of the wasteland. Miles and miles of dead grass and dry trees, lit with the dim orange glow of the wasteland's sunset sky, the sun so large and bright against the horizon that it washed the world in a warm glow that shone through the heavy clouds and the layer of fog that sat upon the world like a blanket.

Atop Mass Pike Interchange, the overpass crumbling around them, they could even see the distant lights of Diamond City, the ballpark so alit that it looked like boasting. They had more electricity than they knew what to do with, and yet the majority of what was left of Boston was left starving and freezing as winter rolled in.

Around Nora and MacCready, the corpses of a dozen Gunners were sprawled around the overpass, still-warm blood pooling out onto what used to be a busy bridge.

"I thought it would be a harder fight." Nora admitted, adjusting her gasmask. "Especially with that robot."

"The assaultron? Yeah, it was probably the most dangerous thing here." MacCready stood and dusted off his beige duster, counting the bottlecaps as he dropped them into his old military backpack.

"Winlock and Barnes, though… they couldn't kill a squirrel with a rocket launcher."

Nora snorted as Mac fell next to her, the two of them perched on a broken slab of concrete. They'd been travelling together for weeks, and she'd more than paid off his two-hundred cap fee, but he was still scrounging for every cap they could get their hands on. 

And Kellogg was still out there. 

The thought was a constant weight on Nora's mind; she'd found him easily enough, with the help of Valentine and the inside knowledge from Hancock, who seemed to know everything about everyone in the Commonwealth. They'd tracked him down to an old military bunker, but they had been unable to win the fight against his army of synths. Evacuating the building was one of the hardest pills for Nora to swallow. Admitting that she wasn't capable of finding and saving her son was too much to bear, so much that she couldn't even face Valentine or Hancock again.

They'd understood when she told them to go back to their homes, but they hadn't wanted her to travel alone, so they had instructed her to track down RJ MacCready, a relatively loyal hired gun, which seemed to be rare in the Commonwealth. Hancock himself had said that Mac had good aim, a good heart, and wouldn't choose a higher bidder over Nora… probably. So long as she told him about her son.

Apparently, he had a soft spot for kids that ran deeper than his greed. 

"Impressed yet?" The merc in question knocked his shoulder against hers, pulling her out of her worrying. MacCready always seemed to know when Nora was overthinking. "I told you I was a damn good shot."

Nora rested her weight against him, head lulling back against his shoulder, her tired eyes drifting closed. She'd learned early on that he was just as touch starved as she was, and as their friendship grew, she found it easier and easier to be comfortable leaned or pressed against him, knowing that if he had a problem with it, he would always tell her. "I dunno. Haven't really noticed."

"Oh, come  on! You've got to know talent when you see it!"

"Mhm. Guess so."

"There it is. Wasn't too hard to admit, was it?"

Laughing, Nora picked herself up and turned towards him, his crooked smile a familiar sight through the circles of her mask.

"Actually, I am impressed."

His smile faltered. He turned to his gangly fingers, suddenly flustered, and started fiddling with a cap, voice weak. "Yeah. I thought you might be. I'm… I'm completely self-taught, you know. Picked up a sniper rifle when I was ten and never looked back. Always thought it was smarter to hit my targets long-range. I mean, why take chances, right? Besides, I had to come up with every trick in the book to survive the Capital Wasteland."

Sensing his mood shift, Nora matched his posture, her elbows on her knees as she leaned forward, head ducked close to his. She tried to joke around again, to take them back to the lightheartedness they had before. "I'm sure your parents were thrilled with that hobby."

"Never knew my parents."

"…Oh."

"I was born in the wastes. It…" He turned to her, searching her mask for an expression he'd never see. "It wasn't so bad. I wasn't alone. I grew up in an underground place called Little Lamplight with a bunch of other kids. Left there when I was around sixteen. We had a policy… no adults. When you were sixteen, you packed up and left. It sounds crazy, but having adults around was something those kids couldn't trust."

Nora's heart constricted in her chest, squeezing with worry for tiny children with weapons, forced to survive and live in a big, scary apocalypse. "How could kids survive without help?"

"Everyone pulled their own weight, just like any colony. We had jobs and we watched each other's backs. Can you believe I was actually their mayor for a while? Me?" He scoffed out a laugh, a nostalgic smile pulling at his mouth. "Sounds crazy, I know. But everything is. Nothing makes sense anymore. We just… roll with the punches. Always have, always will."

"Pretty brave, a bunch of kids living alone like that."

"I dunno." MacCready squinted into the distance, the sunset lighting his sea storm eyes into melted honey, casting a warm glow over him. When he spoke again, his voice was rough, like he had to force the words out. "I think we were just lucky."

Silent, Nora stayed as still as possible. She often felt like her and MacCready understood each other on a level that shouldn't have been possible. He was a hired gun from some underground club, and she was a pre-war lawyer thrust out of time on a manhunt for her son's kidnapper. But there were too many layers to both of them, too many similarities next to wide, abstract differences. 

Clearing his throat, MacCready looked down, tugging his hat lower, casting a long shadow over his face. "Anyway, when I hit sixteen I ended up wandering the capital for a while, taking odd jobs here and there. But things were pretty hot with the Brotherhood of Steel running the show, so I hitched a ride with a caravan and made my way north until I ended up here and heard the Gunners needed some sharpshooters. Biggest mistake of my life. They were animals, killing anything that got in their way. I… Well, I went with it for a while because the caps were good, but, I dunno, I guess it all started to catch up with me. So I quit. Which… pretty much brings us to now. And that's… my whole life in a nutshell, I guess."

Not knowing what to say, Nora looped her arm around his, intertwining their fingers. It wasn't a foreign movement; she often held his hand, especially when she got too freaked out around ferals, or when she couldn't sleep and needed reassurance that she wasn't alone. 

He turned their hands, running his thumb across her pale knuckles, red and raw even from the gloves she'd been wearing, now strewn on the rubble-covered ground in front of her, covered in the blood of a dead Gunner. After a long moment, he turned back to her mask, his voice quiet. "I don't… I haven't been able to rely on anyone since I was a kid. Everyone has either ripped me off or tried to plant a knife in my back. But you…"

"Me?" Her voice was too-quiet, rough as the word choked out.

"You're different. We see eye-to-eye on almost everything." A slow smile grew on his lips, the light returning to his eyes. "I have a funny feeling you actually care about what happens to me."

"Don't get cocky, 'Cread." She smiled too, even though he couldn't see it. "But... even though you're an ass, the road can be a lonely place. I'm glad to have met someone to share it with. Being alone scares the shit out of me."

"I know." He squeezed her hand, "I'm beginning to realize how much I missed having someone around that I can depend on. I… I couldn't have done this without you."

They both turned to look at the carnage before them. Nora rested her head back on MacCready's shoulder. "Do you think they'll retaliate?"

"No. There's nothing to worry about. For the Gunners, it's always about the bottom line. They just lost an entire waystation and that's costing them big. Besides, they have no way of knowing I was involved. Everyone who knew my name is dead." 

They both went quiet again. 

Nora couldn't articulate just how much his word struck her like a stake to the heart, ripping her apart from the inside out. Everyone who knew my name is dead. Did her son ever know her name? Was he even alive, out there in the wastes? 

"Anyway," MacCready said quickly, pulling his hand from hers. "I owe you a favor. You're the one who hired me, but I dragged you all the way out here."

"You don't have to. It's okay."

"Nah, I don't like these things hanging over my head. Tell you what, I'm giving you back the caps you promised me in Goodneighbor." He dug around in his pack while Nora sat, speechless. Pulling out an old lunchbox that rattled as he sat it on her lap. "I'll still stick with you, but now we're even."

Shaking her head, she pushed the box back to his hands, "You don't— you don't owe me anything—"

"I'd like to keep everything nice and even."

Forcibly putting the box back into his military bag, Nora just kept shaking her head. "You don't owe me anything. How about you just buy me a drink, Hotshot? It's not like I was about to let you have all this fun alone anyway."

He laughed, giving in and letting her situate the caps back into his bag. "Glad you enjoyed yourself. Lead on, Boss."

~~~

MacCready always knew where to get the best drinks. It was probably Nora's favorite thing about traveling with him.

The Dugout Inn, a little bar and hotel in Diamond City, was run by the Bobrov Brothers, Vadim and Yefim. Vadim, who ran the bar, snuck MacCready two bottles of his specially distilled "Bobrov's Best", which was the strongest moonshine Nora had ever tasted.

The building was in the city's southern dugout, a single-floor structure with a lobby bar and several rooms. A wanted was posted on the wall by the entrance corridor leading to the lobby, where Vadim's bar was located, it up with a single lightbulb. To the left was another hallway leading to the bedrooms that Yefim ran, and to the left was a small area with closely packed tables and a loud radio playing some sad repeats of old songs. A few city residents loitered, drinking and talking softly, each looking exhausted and scared to make too much noise.

Beyond the tables, farther to the right, was the illuminated kitchen where fluorescent lighting pooled out, reflecting off the cracked tile flooring and catching on every metallic surface in the lobby. But, tucked away in a dark corner was a faded corduroy sofa, the faded brown and red fibers patched and stitched up in multiple places. It was away from everything else but not isolated, just a private little couch where two friends could share moonshine and softly spoken words.

"Swindled your way into another one?" Nora asked with a quiet laugh as MacCready came stumbling back over to that brown and red couch where they had been loitering for the past hour.

His shins bumped into the coffee table, and he cursed reflexively and nearly dropped the two blue bottles he held. Shushing himself, he fell onto the musty sofa next to Nora, nearly sitting on top of her, sending them both into another fit of giggles.

Watching MacCready struggle to uncap his third bottle of Bobrov's Best, Nora fought back more laughter.

She had removed her coat and gloves, leaving her in just her mask and blue jumpsuit, her Pip-Boy heavy on her left wrist, the green glow dimmed in the low light. She'd been drinking through an oddly bent metal straw just so that she could keep her gasmask on, but the straw just made the unholy flavor of Bobrov's Best somehow worse, the moonshine burning down her throat and settling uneasily in her stomach.

"Freakin' finally." MacCready grumbled as he finally got the cap off, taking a heavy gulp as Nora was sent into another fit of giggles.

"Cursing doesn't offend me, yanno." She teased, rolling the lukewarm glass bottle between her bare hands.

MacCready's smile fell, eyes becoming distant as his entire being seemed to darken, to sober up in seconds. "Didn't think it did."

"Hm… then you ought to let it go once in a while. It's good for the soul."

He snorted, half-turning to her and searching the lenses of her mask. He slung his legs over her knees, leaning against the sofa's back with a false look of comfort. "Believe me, I know."

Nora tried not to get too jittery at the heaviness of his legs over hers. "Then why…?"

"I figured you'd ask sooner or later." With a huff, MacCready leaned back and ran a hand through his hair, knocking his hat askew. The two bullets tucked into the rim gleamed in the dim light. "I… It's not about you, I just…"

He fell silent, hand covering his eyes as he mulled over his words. Slowly, he straightened on the couch, pulling his leg from hers and putting distance between them. One of his hands formed a fist and rested against his collarbone. Like the alcohol had risen from his stomach and was filling his chest, drowning his heart. Like he couldn't fake the comfort anymore. Like he was too drunk to pretend that he wasn't in pain.

Nora didn't press for answers. She took a glance around, taking in the peeling paint on the walls and the few patrons that lounged around, each looking more miserable than the last. The radio was buzzing lightly, filling the room with the sound of a young man sounding way too awkward for his occupation as a radio host.

"It's about a promise I made." MacCready finally managed to say, lifting his moonshine to his lips again. "When I left the Capital Wasteland, I didn't just leave Little Lamplight behind… I left my family. My actual family. A wife, a son. Duncan's the one I made the promise to. I told him I'd clean up my act and be a better person." Laughing hollowly at himself, MacCready heavily sat the bottle down on the coffee table in front of them. "I guess that sounds pretty stupid coming from a guy who shoots for a living."

A cold feeling rose through Nora, the hairs on her arms standing up. Bile overtook the flavor of moonshine in her throat. The blue bottle felt too heavy in her hands, and as she set it on the table next to MacCready's, her hands shook.

He had a family. A family waiting for him at home while he spent weeks at Nora's side, helping her hunt down her own son while abandoning his own. He had a wife, but he'd slept next to Nora for weeks, sometimes so close that they'd wake up curled around each other — and she didn't know much about apocalyptic society and their rules, but Nora was pretty sure that they had crossed more than a few lines in their weeks together.

His son… holy shit, he'd left his kid behind. Nora was tearing apart the entire fucking world looking for her son, but MacCready had just left his own. Was it for greed? For the caps? Did the Gunners really pay that well?

The irony pulled a startling laugh from Nora's chest, the moonshine making her unable to bite it down.

MacCready tensed, just as drunk as she was but handling it easier. "You think this is funny?"

"Yeah, I do." Nora's modulated voice was deeper through her mask, and as she laughed through her icy rage, she sounded utterly mechanical. "You left your kid at the capital, hundreds of miles away? You just left him?"

"I didn't have much of a choice!" MacCready threw his hands up as he spoke, face flooding red. "Duncan is sick! I don't know what's wrong with him, nobody does!"

"So your solution was just to run away? To leave?" Nora's voice was rising, and her entire posture stiff and tense, a million uncertainties running through her. She thought she knew MacCready. She thought she had a solid grip on his character — but now her memories of Nate were clouding her judgement; every anger she'd held onto regarding her dead husband leaving her alone with a newborn was resurfacing. How dare he leave her? How dare MacCready leave his own family? What if MacCready died out here, like Nate had died? What if MacCready's family never got to see him again, just like how Nora had never seen Nate again?

MacCready's hat was off. He ran both hands through his hair in a lame attempt of self-soothing.

Nora fought to keep her voice down, body heat rising as she drowned in too many emotions to handle, especially after two bottles of specially distilled moonshine. Her voice was a gravelly whisper when she finally managed to speak, "You left your family behind to come fuck around with raiders in Boston?"

A sudden sob tore out of MacCready.

Nora froze, her anger freezing with her.

Wiping at his eyes in frustration, MacCready was trembling. She'd never seen him cry before.

Yell, yes, and get annoyed and frustrated with her at what felt like every turn and every mistake until they both got more comfortable around each other. He'd once gone a whole two days without saying a single word to her. He'd once threatened to leave her in a hoard of ferals because she'd dropped her gun. He'd been cruel, frustrating, rude, greedy, and as they warmed up to each other in the last few weeks, he'd shown her a softer side, a funnier side, a happier side of himself that he kept hidden under layers of green turtlenecks and sniper rifles. But she'd never seen him cry.

His voice was uneven when he finally managed to speak. "I don't… I don't know how much longer he has. Every doctor I've talked to has been useless. Nobody's even heard of his disease, I've… I've done everything I can think of, hired a hundred doctors that ask for too many fuckin' caps just to tell me that they don't know how to help. And Duncan… One day he's playing out in the fields behind our farm, and the next he took a fever and this blue rash showed up all over his body. Last I saw, he was too weak to walk. I couldn't ask him to come with me. I wouldn't dare travel with him and risk worsening whatever the hell's going on."

"I…" Chest aching, Nora tried to piece together what he was telling her, quickly realizing that her perception and understanding didn't matter. He was hurting, his son was hurting, possibly even dying. Nora's judgement meant nothing compared to those stakes. She might not ever find her own son, but if she could help MacCready save Duncan… "I'm so sorry, 'Cready. What can we do?"

He looked up at her with red-rimmed eyes, his baby blues so wide and hopeful that it chiseled at some icy part of the iceberg in Nora's chest. "You're serious?"

"Yes. Whatever you need, I'm there."

"I need someone like you." He blurted, still drunk as he clumsily grabbed her hands and squeezed with both of his. "You've already done so much for me, I… I feel horrible asking for more, but if you're willing to risk it, I'd be… I'd be really grateful."

Maybe she'd never get her baby back. But MacCready could get his. All of their abstract similarities started making sense, like a puzzle piece coming together. "How risky?"

"It's no walk in the park," He breathed, "If it was easy, I would've done it already."

"Count me in, partner."

He grinned, wide and slow, turning to his military bag and pulling out a bundle of papers. "A few months before we met, I bumped into a guy called Sinclair who claimed his buddy caught some kind of disease. I thought he was wasting my time until he said his partner broke out into blue boils. They dug up information about a cure at a place called Med-Tek Research. They even managed to grab the building's lockdown security codes, but Sinclair's buddy died before they were able to break into the facility. I mean, there's no way that's a coincidence, right? Med-Tek has to be the place!"

"I hope so." Nora squeezed his wrist as he gave her a pile of papers held together with a rubber band. "If there's a cure, we'll find it." His shoulders relaxed, and he rushed to wipe at his eyes again. Nora pretended she didn't see him cry. "Thanks, partner. For Duncan's sake, I hope so too."

Knowing how it felt to abandon her hunt for Kellogg after being attacked by a swarm of synths, Nora bit the inside of her cheek, hoping that MacCready never has to feel like that. "Just… Let's not get our hopes up too much, okay? This could be a dead end."

"I've been disappointed so many times in the past, nothing gets my hopes up anymore." He retrieved his bottle and took a long drink. "What you're doing, Noor… No one's ever cared that much for me in years. At least, not without expecting something in return."

What about your wife? Nora wanted to ask, but kept her mouth shut.

"Even if it takes the rest of my life, I'll repay this debt to you. I swear it."

Not looking at him, Nora unbound the papers and glanced through them at the clumsy handwriting she knew to be MacCready's, at all the notes he'd taken on Med-Tek and of Duncan's illness, of any hint of a cure and of the letters Sinclair wrote to him.

Some of the pages were scrawled with what looked like crayon drawings done by a child, of a tall man in green next to a small boy in yellow.

And, again, Nora squeezed MacCready's wrist, saying the same words she felt like she'd be saying for years to come. "You don't owe me anything, MacCready."

[foodfightnovelization]

Chapter 24: Analysis and Discussion

So here we are at Chapter 24, finally at the end of this novelization. It's been a wild ride, right? From different dialogue, to entirely new characters, to scenes that weren't in the final film at all, this has been SO much more enjoyable than watching the actual movie. The changes made in the novelization add so much to the story, and a lot of what I didn't like about the movie was either changed or left out entirely. I hope you enjoyed reading about it and reading along with me, because I sure loved writing about it. With all that said and done, let's see how this story ends, right?

Hairy Hold finally shows up to join the Resistance...after everything's already over, of course. Dex congratulates everyone on a job well done, but tells them they still have a lot of work to do- the store opens in just four hours. It's then that Dr Nustrix shows up and says he's created an antidote that should bring all the Ikes they lost back to life. He spritzes Polar Penguin with it and he wakes up, as if he were just in a deep sleep the entire time. The only difference here between the novelization and the movie's version of events is the additional line from Dex about their store opening in 4 hours, which is pretty minor but does remind us there's still work to be done as well as the nature of Marketropolis' existence.

Polar says he knew Dex would save him, and Sunshine tells Dex how proud he deserves to be, jumping into his arms and throwing a raisin in the air for him to catch in his mouth. Dan lampshades how everything really turned out perfect in the end, and Dex finally pulls the engagement ring from his pocket (remember, from when he was going to propose to Sunshine right at the beginning of the story?) and she instantly says yes, the whole store cheering as the two finally kiss. Dan almost starts crying until he notices Sweet Cakes giving him a flirty look, and realizes he might be getting some action too. This scene is once again the same across both the novelization and the movie, with the exception of the brief exchange between Dan and Sweet Cakes at the end. So, this is the second-to-last page, and with only one more to go, you'd THINK things would stay the same and the novelization wouldn't end in a completely different way to the movie, right? Well, good guess but you'd actually be wrong!

We cut to the next morning, back in the supermarket. Mr Leonard looks around and sees burnt, destroyed Brand X products littering the floor and is mortified until he notices all the colorful, familiar products are back on their shelves, everything back the way it should be. He's suitably puzzled, thinking this must be some sort of dream.

A month later, he's helping a customer load groceries into her cart, with all the products at the top of the bag being ones we're now familiar with- Kaptain Krispy chips, Polar Pleasures ice cream, and Twinkleton toothpaste. As she leaves, a large delivery truck pulls up- but this time it's a shipment Mr Leonard's excitedly been expecting for a while now. He opens the box and pulls out a brand new box of cereal- "New and Improved Cinnamon Sleuth Cereal- Now with Sunshine Goodness Raisins".

So, uh...YEAH. This is COMPLETELY different from how the movie ends, and it's a total last-second left turn. For context, in the movie after Dex proposes to Sunshine, we cut to their wedding at the Copbanana. It's being ordained by a rabbi, and Dex stomps on a carton of milk before he and Sunshine kiss. Dr Nustrix is shocked by this, and loudly exclaims "Dex is JEWISH?" as the credits start rolling, interrupted several times by brief interludes showing all the Ikes having fun at Dex and Sunshine's wedding. There are literally no similarities AT ALL to compare between these two endings, it's crazy how completely different in tone and content they are.

I VASTLY prefer the novelization's ending, however. It's way more toned-down, with a quiet scene of Mr Leonard being baffled by what happened to his store overnight, like he finally gets a hint that something more is going on behind the doors of his supermarket after it closes, a brief wink toward the world of Marketropolis he'll never see. Although we lose the revelation of Dex being Jewish (losing out on some much-needed representation), the much more subtle implication that Dex and Sunshine are now married by showing a Cinnamon Sleuth box with Sunshine Goodness raisins now in the mix is a much sweeter and genuinely endearing way for the story to end. It does raise some questions about how marriage works in Marketropolis- for instance, if Mr Clean marries Charlie Tuna, do the two products combine and release an all-purpose cleaner that smells like fish?

Regardless, it's a lovely ending to the story, and I really hope everyone enjoyed reading along with me. I definitely enjoyed combing through this and talking about all the changes made, and I absolutely consider Foodfight! The Junior Novelization to be a far superior version of the story. Of course, a lot of that is likely down to the novelization being based on an earlier version of script and so the writers also deserve a share of the credit for that, but without this novelization we may have never even got to know what that early script was like!

Now that I've finished going through the novelization in its entirety, I'll put it up on the Internet Archive for everyone to read whenever they want- after all, this is the only copy known to exist, and I want to make sure it's properly preserved. Thank you again to anyone who's been reading this blog and joining me on this journey, I'm honored to have shared this experience with you. I mean, how often do you get to read the only copy of a book known to exist, share it with the entire world, AND unravel a huge part of the tangled web of mysteries behind the production of Foodfight!?

I'll update this blog again when I've uploaded the book to the Internet Archive, but for now this is Tiffany Amber, signing off!

[tiredofthehumanlife]

Request guidelines

<back to masterlist

I'll probably continue to add to this

Requests are: Open closed(please give me some I'm so fucking bored)

I won't write:

CNC, noncon, dubcon, ect. - I have my own experiences that I will not be sharing on my request guidelines but these subjects are triggering to me and not writing it deal with it

Stepcest - same reason as the above^^

Active eating disorder, sh, things in that area - again it's a triggering subject for me and I really hope people struggling get the help they need but I'm not writing that no thank you I'll consider writing recovering though not extremely fresh recovery but you get it right

Piv - right yeah idk it makes me uncomfy and I've never written it before similarly writing blow jobs is kinda iffy for me so I might not end up writing them

Large age gaps, dad's best friend, things in that flavor - the only age gap I'll accept is like supernatural creature and adult not like freshly 18 think like adult yk you get it

Hate fucks, Extremely mean doms, sex with the tone that they actually hate each other - I don't like writing it. I cry if someone doesn't respond to me in a day. I'm crybaby suck my dick dude also I don't even really love degradation and you may be thinking "but elliot ive read your work before and you had degradation in there" and you'd be correct I didn't write that dialogue sometimes I'm writing and I go "yeah they'd degrade them rn" and then I go to my degradation support team (3 of my friends) and I start talking to them like theyre secret agents about to go on a mission and then their feedback is almost always "stab them, make him cry" "you know I have a friend who writes smut" and "cockslut would go great right there" so if you're reading my smut and you come across degradation now you know it's origin story good job dude proud of you

Song fics - I'll do inspired by songs like my footnote one but I'll never put the lyrics in there one time I was reading a fic I didn't know it was a song fic and out of nowhere one of the characters said "see that's my down bitch that's my soldier" I still laugh about that to this day also I'll never write with Taylor Swift in mind I hate her with a burning passion but you do you ig

I love writing:

Autistic reader - I'm autistic so it's more self serving than anything

Trans characters including reader - I love seeing a character and thinking "right I love them but what if, and get this, they're trans?" And also on that topic I'm trans so like you're safe here babe

Poly ships - Everytime I see a ship and I'm like "ugh god they're both hot who do I pick" I have an epiphany where I go "wait who said I had to chose?" And then I start writing a poly ship

Gay characters - why be straight when you can just not?

Weirdos - I love making characters just like a little bit weird I love it it's so much fun yk like walk in on Barty trying to hide himself in a kitchen cabinet I love it so much

Fandoms I write for:

I usually only write for the fandom that I'm currently hyper fixated on so the hyperfixation is in pink and all the other ones are in blue slightly more inclined to write about than blue is green just because I'm not fixated on it doesn't mean I can't write for you it's just the chance lowers a lil

Marauders

Slytherin boys

Lockwood & Co

Supernatural

Bottoms

Criminal minds

The umbrella academy

Kickass

Actually really embarrassing but that's it?

Things to keep in mind:

I'm still in school so some days I might have more freetime and motivation than others

I'm not always comfortable writing smut sometimes I just want to sit in a dark room and not have skin I'm a person not an AI writing generator

My hyperfixations can end very quickly and return just as fast sometimes I'll be knee deep in a fixation getting and answering requests left and right but It can lose my attention very quickly and leave requests unanswered in my inbox for months I still have two mattheo riddle requests from like January in there

I'm a lil dumb and might misinterpret your request

I write what I know and I don't know everything (obviously) but if you send me a request and I don't know much about it I'll do my best to research it and fulfill your request as best I can

I like constructive criticism I'll probably cry but again I'm a crybaby I cried once because I dropped my spoon so don't take it as an offense constructive criticism does not include calling me a slur

I try to keep my fics as inclusive as possible I don't like having gendered fics on my blog bc it's leaving out someone but if you need to get specific for a plot device I understand

Tell me Abt it lover

[blarrghe]

This chapter of Strange Feelings in the Party camp got a comment about its ending, and on a re-read I remembered how this came out of a much older scene of just dialogue I had posted on here - probably one of the first things I wrote for this blog. And now with it fleshed out for the fic, it feels like a little ficlet in itself.

The full fic is here, but i just wanted to post this again.

“Well, I’m not going to try to steal from Morrigan’s secret cheese stash again, I just got the feeling back in my arm. So, truth.” 

Violet leans back with a wooden tankard of ale and allows Alistair his turn. She has taken mainly dares from Alistair, lightening the mood by acquiescing to his silly ideas. To Zevran she largely answers truth , and Zevran has asked about little of importance. 

He himself has opted for almost nothing but truths as well, which is surely a change for him. Violet asks about sexual proclivities with enthusiasm and bright eyes, Alistair asks mainly after his tattoos. 

Alistair, on his turns, has only been dared. Zevran has not asked him to do anything extraordinary, though he is getting temptingly close to daring him to allow him to give him that tattoo he so obviously wants. 

“Who was your… first time?” Alistair asks, rather timidly. Alistair has had two tankards of ale, and is finally beginning to get the point of the game. 

“A gardener at our estate. Her name was Vanna,” Violet shrugs, “broke her heart.” 

“I knew it,” Zevran says with a grin. “Slayer of dragons, breaker of hearts. It suits, no?” 

Violet frowns. “It was only one summer, but… left her on some bad terms. Said I’d never loved her.” 

“I’d be heartbroken too,” Alistair mutters through a grimace. Then he looks at Zevran guiltily, and then away. 

“My turn, then,” Zevran cuts the tension with another swig of his own ale and another bright grin. “And I have just the thing. So, Alistair, truth or dare?”

"Well I certainly don't like the sound of that." Alistair eyes Zevran's grin suspiciously. "Truth." 

"Shame. Not even just a wing of the Grey Warden crest?" He sighs dramatically as Alistair pulls a face. "Very well, I’ll let you have an easy one. Who was your first kiss?" 

Violet rolls her eyes, but Alistair nearly chokes on a swig of ale. 

"Boring," Violet declares, "we already know." 

Zevran levels his smirk Alistair's way. "Do we?" 

"Well... technically…"

"Hold on," Violet darts a betrayed glance at Zevran's growing smirk. "No gossip, hm?" she nudges Alistair, "what does he know that I don't? I thought it was me." Her pout is not really offended, but Alistair begins to stutter. 

"Well, Alistair?" Zevran intones with a waggle of his brows. 

"I suppose, technically, it was Zevran," Alistair manages to get the words out, slowly. 

Zevran grins. Violet spins from her pouty scrutiny of Alistair to flash wide, surprised eyes at him. 

"Zev!" She shouts, half a laugh. His smile widens and his cheeks warm. 

Sometimes she shouts his name like that, half of it and half laughing. He hadn't thought that she still would, after he'd caused her to cry, but sometimes she does. He reminds himself again that he is lucky to have such friendship. 

Violet turns back to Alistair, giving him one of her too-hard playful punches. "When?" She demands. 

"Do you want to tell it, or shall I?" Zevran offers, rising to take up their empty mugs and bring them to the cask for new pours of ale. 

Alistair stammers wordlessly as Zevran takes and returns his cup, so still standing, he begins.

'"Very well then. You see, we had just finished killing the revered saviour Andraste, reborn as a dragon, and all the pesky beasts up the Frostbacks—" 

" — we didn't kill Andraste —" Violet begins to Interrupt. 

"Hush, amor, let me tell the story. You were off doing whatever Warden business it is you get up to —" 

"Recruiting the dwarven forces to fight the blight?" 

"Yes, all that. And while you were away, the rest of us were stuck back at camp getting painfully bored. And poor Alistair, this was before the two of you figured things out, you see, well he was fretting so over this rose he wanted to give you. So, naturally, I wanted to help." 

Alistair is sinking down in his seat. "I’m sure," he groans. 

"Out of the goodness of my heart," Zevran continues, "and to see you two together and happy, of course." 

"He said," Alistair cuts in now, putting on a thick mockery of an Antivan accent, “you know, back in Antiva, I was known to be an exceptional teacher on the arts of love. A love master, if you will.”

Violet laughs loudly. "Love master?" 

Zevran had not actually said any of that, but he directs a proud smoulder at her anyway. "Hmm, do you deny it?" 

She keeps on laughing, waving him off. "Go ahead, go on." 

"I offered him some advice. But poor Alistair, he was still so nervous. So I offered to help him more practically. I suggested, since the poor man had never so much as kissed another, that he might feel more at ease if he could try it once without any attachment or expectation. He refused at first, of course, but as you well know, none can withstand the charms of this master lover for long." 

Alistair slumps over to hide his face in his hands. "Maker, kill me now." 

"He says to me, desperate and pleading. Zevran, I cannot sleep! I can think of nothing else! All I do is imagine kissing her and it all going terribly wrong! Our teeth will surely clash! My big honking nose is going to bash into her perfect face and give her a nose bleed! Help me, Zevran!" 

"That’s not what I —" 

"Hush, darling, let him tell the story," Violet interrupts, leaning in, her elbows at her knees. 

"So I offered again, 'I could kiss you, Alistair. I am sure it will not be so disastrous as you think.'" 

"It was a beautiful sunset, the forest was glowing... he said I had pretty eyes," Alistair defends himself in a pout.  

"You do." 

"Mhm," Violet agrees. "You do." 

Alistair resumes his shamed posture,  head in hands. 

"But yes, as he said, it was quite a romantic little scene." 

Violet is shaking her head in disbelief. She gives Alistair’s hunched back a gentle pat. "Alistair…" 

"I’m sorry!" He lifts his head, "I was just, I was so nervous." 

Violet is chuckling lightly. "That is the most adorable thing I have ever heard," she says. She appraises Alistair with affection in her gaze, and he smiles meekly under it. 

"And it worked out well, yes?" Zevran declares, "no nosebleeds. You’re welcome." 

Alistair drinks deeply from his new tankard of ale. Violet's eyes flash up to Zevran's, and he has known her too well not to know what she is thinking. 

"Well, my turn, right?" She smiles deviously. "Zevran, truth or dare?" 

"Dare." 

"Do it again."

[recurring-polynya]

Writing/Art Update 4/18/2023

I said I was gonna do it and I did it: I finished chapter 4, which as predicted, ended up being chapters 4 and 5. (I really don't know how I thought it could be otherwise...even after the split, Chapter 4 ended up being the longest chapter in the whole thing, nearly twice as long as most of the other ones). Yesterday, I re-read Chapters 1-6. I had to kinda steel myself, because I was honestly terrified it was going to be Terrible, but it's Not Too Bad, Actually! I sent Chapters 2 and 3 off to the beta. I want to let 4 and 5 simmer a little longer before I do a little more minor editing on them, but it shouldn't be much. I definitely thought Ch 6 was going to Tonally Off, but it's actually ok, too.

It's really hard to emphasize the mess this thing was as recently as two weeks ago. I honestly cannot believe I have pulled it into the shape that it's in. I mean, I'm not gonna claim this is my magnum opus or anything, but it's sort of a very personal accomplishment. Part of that is because it's easy to write nice romance stories where they kiss at the end, or straightforward angst, but writing a prequel about a weird time in someone's life where they go through a really uncomfortable transition is not easy and it's sort of fundamentally unsatisfying. Of course it is, because it's a building block of a relationship that's going to take another 40 years before it starts looing up again. I don't particularly know if it's something people want to read, but it's what I wanted to write and I did.

Anyway, I am feeling very high on my horse today, but I do still have one chapter left to go. It's got three scenes. I have not looked at them lately, but two of them are Mostly Okay, but need endings. The third one really was Tonally Wrong and also I pillaged it for dialogue in another scene, so that will take some work, but overall, it's a lot less than I had to do last week and feels very doable.

After that, it'll still need some minor edits and polish (plus there's always the chance my beta is going to be like Polynya, this is gibberish, not that she ever has, but it'll happen one of these days) but maybe you'll get to see it soon! Believe it!!

I have been really off my art game and it's primarily because this fanfic has been eating my brain. I might do a little sketch requests thingie? For a treat? After I'm done, obvs. I am also going to work on that smut I started weeks ago. I didn't lose interest in it or anything, I just got really wrapped up in this one.

Anyway, because I love you and you have all been very, very patient with me, you can have a lil baby excerpt this week.

from Chapter 3

Rukia isn’t sure what she expected to see when she enters the dojo, but it certainly isn’t Renji sitting on the floor, poring over a large book. “Where’s Mr. Mochida?” she asks.

“Not up yet, probably. I don’t know,” Renji says, flipping a few pages.

Rukia narrows her eyes at him. “I thought you said it was time for training.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“But Mr. Mochida is in charge of training.”

“Well, yeah, but I found this book yesterday, you see, and I really want to try some of the stuff in it.”

“So when you said ‘training’, what you meant was ‘Renji bullshit.’”

“Sure, okay, but you wouldn’t get out of bed if I told you it was Renji bullshit.”

Rukia levels a death glare at him, but it is deflected by the protective layer of Renji bullshit hovering around him. She tries a different tack. “Renji, look at my yukata. Look at it, Renji. It’s got bunnies on it. Little itty bitty bunnies.”

Renji looks up, stares at her for exactly ten seconds, and then jabs a finger at his book. “Body weight exercises, Rukia! They require no equipment, so you can do them anywhere! This book has them all broken out by which muscle groups they make stronger!”

Rukia gives up, and hunkers down beside him. “Oh! It has pictures.” “They aren’t pictures, they’re diagrams,” Renji informs her pompously. “I want to do this one. It’s called push-ups. It will make our arms really strong!”

[crypticcodexcreations]

No Wrong Heroes: Michael Falls

So, I usually do not write out of order for any reason, but I just couldn't get this scene for my newest WIP out of my head the other night and it came out in a way I'm really proud of, so I'm gonna share it. I didn't have it in me to make the formatting any nicer than it is at the moment, so some of the dialogue may be confusing, sorry in advance. It is also about 1,800 words according to Scrivener so also long.

“Stupid pretentious asshole angel runn- OW!” Thor glared as Apollo tightened the bandage on his arm harshly, glaring right back. “I don’t blame Michael for leaving with you two meat heads! Do you have any idea how sick and tired I am of having to patch you two back together after you run head first into whatever enemies you see just because you’ll wake up without a scratch in a few hours?! You two don’t use an ounce of thought and expect us to just put up with it?! Michael and I aren’t your sidekicks! If you had treated him like an equal-“ Hercules snarled, his hands curling into fists. “News flash you little shrimp, he’s the one that had the nerve to act like he was better than us when he left! If you think he’s SO great, you’re welcome to follow him and put HIM back together instead!” Apollo froze, tensing slightly and staring past the other two. Thor groaned. “Great, you made him go space cadet again.” Hercules huffed. “Like any of us know what the hell sets this off you jackass.” Apollo snapped back, shaking his head with tears in his eyes. “We have to go find him!” The other two shook their heads. “Absolutely not.” They both sat firmly on the dirt. Apollo looked between them for a moment before snarling. “Fine! Then fix your own wounds! I won’t let him die!” Apollo took off in a sprint. “Hey! Get back here you fuckhead!” Thor yelled after him, but Hercules snorted. “Let him go. We don’t need him either.” The two ignored the cries of the ravens in the distance.

In all honesty, Apollo didn’t know what he was going to do as he tore through the forest. He wasn’t sure where Michael had gone and he hadn’t figured out any sort of combat abilities. But he knew he had to do something. He finally understood what these visions were. They were the future. He couldn’t ignore Michael’s face on that news report. It had to be him and if he did nothing, that meant Michael would die. He had tuned out the cries of the ravens for the most part, but he recognized the deeper voice of the larger albino one that had kept showing up and his eyes were drawn to the branch it rested on. It called to him once more before taking off. With no hesitation, he ran after it, just hoping that it knew something he didn’t.

Luke was the first to pause. “Wait. Something is wrong.” As soon as he pointed it out, they all looked to the sky, spotting the ravens that circled overhead. Narcissus had never heard any of the animals in this world sound so frantic. As the group came to a stop, the ravens only seemed to sound louder and more desperate. Suddenly, a large white one burst from the trees with Apollo gasping for breath behind it. Luke glared at Apollo. “What do you want with us?” Fenrir put a gentle hand on Luke’s shoulder. “He’s upset. Give him a moment to catch his breath at least.” Apollo shook his head. “No time! Michael! He-“ Apollo could barely speak and Medusa stepped forward. “You have gotta get your breath back.” Apollo looked up at her. “He’ll die!” The group went silent at that. They had all been operating under the assumption that death, much like their wounds, would be undone upon waking. Luke pulled away from Fenrir and pushed past Medusa, standing in Apollo’s face. “You’re sure that it’ll be permanent?” Apollo nodded. “I have… Visions… Of the future. I saw it, I’m sure he’s in danger…” He was slowly getting his breath back. “I saw his death being reported on TV.” Narcissus looked to Medusa and Fenrir. They both looked as worried as he felt. Luke, however, stared Apollo down. “What about Hercules and Thor?” Apollo shook his head. “He left us so they won’t help.” Luke snorted. “And why should we help?” Medusa gasped. “Luke! What the-“ Luke glared at her. “Let him answer.” Apollo shook slightly under Luke’s stare. “I- He doesn’t know. He thinks he’ll come back. I know he’s been nasty to all of you. He- He’s been nasty to us too. But it wouldn’t be right to just leave him to his fate! He deserves to at least know what he’s getting into! If-“ Apollo swallowed. “If you won’t help me, then- Then I’ll do it myself!” Luke snorted. “You would die with him.” Apollo glared. “Better to die with him trying to do the right thing than leave him to die just because I haven’t gotten along with him! I’m in the position to decide whether he lives or dies and I’ve decided I’d rather save him! This isn’t a reasonable consequence for his actions!” Apollo and Luke stared at each other for a few moments before Luke nodded. “We’ll help you.” Apollo swallowed, staring wide-eyed. “Th-thank you. I don’t know how to find him though.” The albino raven cawed from its branch. Luke inclined his head towards it. “Seems she might.” Fenrir scooped Apollo up. “You need rest. I’ll carry you.” Narcissus swallowed nervously. “How do we know we’re not just all going to die now?” Luke turned to him “Because we’re not going to fight a battle we can’t win, just bring that self-righteous prick back long enough that he’ll know what the consequences of his actions will be. After that, I’m not helping him anymore.” Narcissus nodded. “Fair enough. I’m not exactly ready to get killed for the guy who punched me in the face when we first met.” The raven led the way, the five of them hurrying after it. It brought them to the entrance to a cave, the mouth of it swirling in blackness. It cawed frantically but refused to go in. Luke paused. “Alright, we need a plan because we have to all make it out of this, got it? They all nodded in agreement.

As he crashed into the ground, Michael screamed as he felt all of the bones in his left wing snap. He struggled to his feet, glaring at the writhing mass of darkness he could tell was just toying with him. This wasn’t fair! He was a holy angel of the Lord! Why couldn’t he defeat this darkness with ease? He stumbled, trying to account for the way his wing hung limp and useless behind him, trying to keep the blood from trickling into his eyes as well. He found his footing, gripping his word. “I am holy! I will be the hero of this land!” He charged forward with an angry screech. He had to find some way to hurt it, but so far everything he had tried seemed to leave it completely unphased. One of its thrashing limbs slammed into his broken wing, sending him toppling to the ground as he shrieked in pain. It’s tentacle like appendage grabbed his leg and he cried out at the feeling of it crushing the bone beneath the skin. “I will be back as many times as it takes to defeat you!” It lifted him by the leg, a flaming orange eye the size of his entire body materializing from the darkness. The voice that spoke came from everywhere and nowhere at once. “Oh, puny child. Do you not realize meeting your end here means there is no next time? You will not see tomorrow.” He felt his heart freeze for a moment before he was flung into the wall farthest from where he had entered. He scrambled, desperate now to escape, to run, to at least make it out alive. He hadn’t managed to crawl very far when he saw the portal shift and Apollo appeared through it. “No! Leave, you’ll-“ Michael cut off as he felt his own sword pierce through his beaten, battered, and exhausted body. He thought he heard Apollo shout before he collapsed and the cave and all inside it disappeared into blackness.

Suddenly, the blackness faded away and Michael found himself among the softest clouds he had ever seen in his life, his injuries all gone. He paused, coming to grips with the fact that he must have died slowly. And then the sunlight gleamed off of the white marble stairs among the clouds and a sense of peace washed over him. He took a cautious step forward, part of him expecting this to be a trick, for that creature to materialize from nowhere and start tormenting him again. Instead, there was nothing but him and a slow climb up the stairs. At the top, that sense of peace solidified itself as he spotted the huge, practically glowing Gates, just as his family had always told him they would look. He felt tears well up in his eyes as relief washed over him. He had died, but clearly he had done everything right! Heaven was so close! He hurried forward to the Gates, pausing a moment, expecting them to open. When nothing happened, he slowly reached out a hand to grab them. He pulled gently and they didn’t budge. It only took a few moments for him to become frantic, pulling desperately. “Please! Tell me what I did wrong, my Lord! I’ve followed everything I was told!” As the realization that the Gates would not open sank in, he slid to the ground, sobbing on his knees. “Please… I don’t know what I did, but if I am given another chance, I will do everything I can to figure it out… I want to be good… Was it when I was a child?” He rambled about everything he could think of that could have been a sin, sobbing harshly. After a few moments, he realized his tears weren’t the only moisture on his face. The temperature was rising rapidly. “No! Please! I want to be good! Please let me have another chance, Lord!” He sobbed harder, hearing no answer. Suddenly, he felt no sense of ground beneath him and the gates were no longer in his grasp, pulling away from him higher and higher.

“NO!” Michael sat up suddenly, gasping in pain and feeling some of his wounds start to bleed again. Tears spilled as Apollo gently pushed him back onto the bed. “Lay still. I’m doing my best, but your wounds are severe…” Michael looked at him, realizing the bags under his companion’s eyes had deepened. He flinched as Apollo worked to stop his bleeding again. “You’ve exhausted yourself? For me?” Apollo nodded at the question. “Why?” Apollo sighed, pausing a moment. “Because I had a vision of your death. And I realized that no matter how you’ve treated me, I couldn’t stand to have your death on my conscience. If you run off on-“ Michael grabbed his hand, starting to cry. “Thank you, Apollo… I think…” He coughed at the pain throughout his body. Apollo’s face softened for a moment. “You can thank me by resting quietly so I don’t have to use my healing powers too much.” Michael nodded, falling silent. He could do that for the one who would be his salvation.

[flowersdaggersviolasandblood]

Assassin with a Heart of Gold

Name: Admaer Daeneiros (He/Him)

Race: High Elf

Class: Rogue (Assassin)

Background: Criminal

WARNING, SPOILERS AHEAD

The final one on the roaster is Admaer as we speedrun to get Halsin out. I mentioned this before, but initally, Admaer didn't care about helping the Tieflings and their quarrel against the Goblins. While the idea of getting Halsin out was on his mind, going to the Githyanki Creche sounded more reasonable than looking for a Druid who may or may not help them. However, when he finally unlocked his tadpole powers, Admaer decided that going after Halsin will help him do a test run with his powers. So far, only he and Astarion are enjoying these new powers.

This time, I didn't fuck up with saving the peeps at Waukeen's Rest and intentionally left it to burn as Astarion isn't holding his neck out for those people. He does learn about Wyll's father and while he's a pessimist about his fathers chance of survival, if they just so happen to run into the guy during their travels...Well, shit, it's the Duke of Baller Gate, so why not save him so that he gives us compensation for saving his life if he's worth that much to the cesspool city.

After fucking with the Zhentarim because Admaer despises them; not so much because he hates their business, but they played a large part in his life of enslavement as he worked and killed for them time and time again. So any chance he gets to fuck up their own little business, he'll take it. But after dealing with them and helping a artist get free, I decided to pay Auntie Ethel a visit. Unlike the other four who went to save Mayrinna, Admaer could give a rats ass since whatever she and the Hag got going on is none of his business. He did refuse to sacrifice his eye for the chance of being cured by the old lady.

After doing those final side missions, I finally went to go and kill the Goblin leaders as quick and quietly as possible. Just to fit into Admaer's whole assassin deal. After freeing Halsin, Admaer only asked the questions relevant to getting the tadpole out of his head, immune to the buddy daddy vibes of the Elf Druid. During the party, Admaer finally got to lay Astarion and discover his tattoos. Admaer was able to deduce that it was written in Infernal, but he avoids asking about the language and mostly ask if Astarion even knows how to read it. Admaer also learned about Shadowhearts whole deal with the Shar worshipers...TBH, homie doesn't care that much lol. Though was able able to sus out that when the Shar worshippers found her, she was in the middle of doing a Selunite coming-of-age ritual

Because Admaer was going above ground, I decided to take a peek behind the veil and see what the mountain pass looked like and OMG IT'S BEAUTIFUL! I was so at awe with the place! It's so beautiful that I couldn't help but take every opportunity to take screenshots. Looking for the Gith Creche, it led us to the ruined Monk monastery dedicated to Lathandar. While getting there, we met a elderly woman who wanted to take a Gith egg from the Githyanki. After using up MOST of my inspiration points, I was able to convince the woman to pay up first THEN she'll get the egg.

:)

That bitch is never seeing that egg lol! That depends tho, Admaer might change his mind. While resting here, Admaer met his dream Guardian again and if I was able to add a free dialogue option for my lil guy, Admaer would ask the Guardian why they chose the likeness of Alex, a past flame Admaer knew. Admaer tried to get information about the tadpole and learn what could be done about it. Going forward, I was able to get inside the monastery and met a room full of little guys...It wasn't fun.