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camelliacats · 1 year

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The Weight of a Name

More on the Weasley fam bloodline, since Septimus needs to fill Cedrella in on some things. ;3

Fic: "The Weight of a Name" [FFN] [AO3]

Pairings/Characters: established!Septimus Weasley/Cedrella Weasley, Arthur's brothers, & an Arthur cameo in a way XD

Rating: K

Words: ~1,870

Additional info: romance, family, fluff, Maydayverse, pre-Marauder era, 3rd person POV

Summary: As their family continues to grow, Septimus enlightens Cedrella of the ups and downs of the Weasley bloodline.

When Septimus arrives outside his home with a POP!, the tension from a long day of haggling with customers who know better than to fall for sales tricks vanishes from his shoulders, and he eases into a smile. When he steps onto the path and takes the final step onto the welcome mat (a handmade wedding gift from Aunt Pea, well-worn beyond readability now but well-loved) in front of the door and hears children's thunderous footsteps on the other side, his smile stretches from ear to ear.

But, when he catches his wife's shushing the boys, Septimus can't help but stifle a laugh, even when the door swings open and his family catches him red-handed—er, red-faced, that is. "Er, hullo there."

"Welcome home," Cedrella says, though she purses her lips and raises one blond eyebrow, meaning she can see how entertained he is. "Rough day at work?"

"Easier I reckon than what you fared, luv," Septimus says, leaning across the threshold to peck that bemused smile.

And good thing he leans, too. He's not about to go anywhere with the two weights that anchor themselves to either of his legs in that moment, ignorant of their parents' stern looks.

"Ah, boys? Might I come in?"

The eldest, Cyril, has the Black family smirk down at the precocious age of six…plus he's getting to be a wee bit large for this show of affection, reedy though he might be. "Maybe," he says.

Bilius, four years old, mimics his brother, right down to the way he says, "Maybe," but the chubby-cheeked lad is too happy to keep the bit going. He bursts into a fit of giggles right after, which Cyril catches when their father walks into the house with them attached this way.

Cedrella rolls her eyes and shuts the door behind them. "Oh, good grief! It's been a ruckus in here all day long, Sep. You'd think Christmas was tomorrow, not weeks behind us."

Septimus just manages to shrug off his outer cloak with Cedrella's help. Then he gives each of his sons a long look. "Boys, is this true? You didn't let Mum have her peace and quiet?"

Cyril switches from rambunctious to guilty in a flash, his cheeks faintly colored red just like his hair (their firstborn is so equal parts them, Septimus thinks, from looks down to personality). He detaches himself from Septimus' left leg, clasps his hands behind his back, and bows his head to Cedrella. "…sorry, Mum."

Cedrella purses her lips again, but it's to stifle a chuckle, Septimus knows, especially when she locks eyes with her husband. She draws their oddly meek child to her middle and hugs him tight. "Oh, Cy… Thank you, dear. I appreciate it."

Partly to mimic Cyril, partly to behave, partly for the reward of Cedrella's warm hug, Bilius follows suit, springing up with an "I'm sorry, too!"

Now the parents do laugh, and Septimus tousles his boys' hair. "All right, all right… Why don't you two head upstairs and tidy up then? Give Mum some of that quiet time for a bit now."

"But supper—"

"Supper will be done shortly," Cedrella assures their growing boys. Her eyes follow them upstairs, but then she turns to Septimus with a haggard sigh, half collapsing in his arms. "…it will, but. Sep, I dunno how I can make it another month or so."

At that, Septimus steadies her with one arm and drops his free hand to her round belly. His touch doesn't linger long before he feels the kick. Internally, he heaves a sigh of relief as he leads Cedrella to the nearby armchair.

He doesn't doubt that they'll greet a new baby next month, when February brings new chills and the promises of spring around the corner. But he also wonders…

As if sensing his hesitation, Cedrella lifts her lolling head from the back of the chair and reaches for his hand, their fingertips brushing in her tiredness. "Septimus?"

He musters a smile for her. "Cedrella?"

She shoots him a look. All this time, and it'll never change, him replying with her name when she simply beckons with his. "Something on your mind?" She tugs on his ring finger and taps his wedding band for emphasis.

"Oh, not that worry again," he insists as he pulls up the ottoman to sit in front of her.

Cedrella lowers her voice. "I know it's not ideal, but. So my parents don't see me as their own anymore. And…Callidora and Charis stopped answering my owls years ago." She tries so desperately to feign strength, but her dark eyes drop to her lap (…well, to her belly) at talk of her immediate family. "But not everyone in the house of Black has the same opinion. There have been others before me who've gone against the family's unappealing 'ideals,' and I certainly won't be the last. So, if we're stumbling a bit right now, Sep, I know I can find some sort of support. True family helps true family."

He winces. He doesn't disagree, and it's a value she shares with his own father, funnily enough. But Septimus has done…all right to support them, on his own ability. A fifth mouth to feed will make things extra tight, yes, but they will manage, and without the charity of the family who excised his wife from their family tree. Still… "Cedrella…," Septimus starts with a sigh in his voice, "I…never told you the origin of my name, did I?"

The non sequitur takes Cedrella by surprise. "Sorry?"

Septimus smiles and pauses to let his eyes rove over her, tracing the subtle wave of her dark blond locks before the knot in her hair and sinking into the depth of her stone brown eyes ("Gray eyes run in the Black blood," she told him back in fifth year after their first kiss, "but mine don't quite want to be gray"). He muses on how she used to be sallow, too, like her sisters, their first few years in Hogwarts before she started rebelling and flying during her breaks and eventually befriending "that Weasley boy." But now? Now she spends time with her family outside and radiates warmth around the clock, as evidenced by her rosy cheeks, upon which his gaze rests now.

"…Sep…?"

"Ah, right. Sorry." Plucked from his appraisal, he cups her cheek in his hand and runs his thumb along her cheekbone, and the feel of her calms him. So, starting again, Septimus clears his throat. "My name normally would've gone to a seventh son."

Cedrella furrows her brow. Of course she's confused; they both know he's an only child.

"My parents never had or lost any before me… And I'm not the seventh Weasley generation."

"No, your family's older than mine, even."

"Yeah, color me surprised by that one." Septimus takes another breath and slides both of his hands into Cedrella's. "You…met my parents and all the assorted uncles and aunts and cousins at our wedding. My grandparents, too."

Cedrella chuckles here. "The Weasleys are a big but warm and welcoming bunch," she remarks.

"Cedrella, we weren't always that way. Actually—we aren't always that way. The big bit, not the warm and welcoming."

Once more, she furrows her brow, over his correction of tense, but it sinks so low over her dark eyes that it borders on glare (in this, she's almost the spitting image of her elder sister, who never lost a chance to scoff whenever Septimus passed them in the school's corridors). "Septimus," she warns.

He squeezes her fingers lightly but doesn't let go. "Look, it's. Sort of superstition, one might say?"

"'Superstition'? Was there magic involved?"

"Well, I know how you feel about Divination…"

Cedrella sighs. "If ever they nix a subject from the curriculum—" She squeezes her husband's hands in response. "Nevertheless, continue."

Septimus bites his bottom lip and offers her a consoling smile. "…it began generations ago, y'know. And they thought it was a fluke, at first. It wasn't until Great-Great-Granddad Trick that they believed in it for real."

"Believed in what, Sep?"

"Well…that, through a combination of Arithmancy, Divination, and moderately sound business advice…the Weasley family could, would be fruitful. Just. Never all at once."

"How?"

He sighs. "We've reserved numerical names for ages, and they've been the ones with large families."

Cedrella blinks in the quiet of the house. Off in the distance upstairs, they hear the boys shuffling about in their room.

Septimus knows his wife, though, because they've been together since their school days, so he knows when she needs just a little more information before she reacts. He swallows a lump in his throat and cautiously proceeds: "So Old Trick…er, Triconius, that is…had a handful of sons. They didn't all have families, but one of his sons had a single son of his own, Grandpa Quincy. Grandpa Quincy was an only child like Trick but had many sons, the second of which was my dad, who had…only me." He stops there and raises his eyebrows.

Some days she feigns ignorance on account of the hormones, and Septimus happily takes care of this and that around the house, because a first or third pregnancy can't be easy on Cedrella. But her eyes are sharp and clear right now as she pieces things together. "You mentioned Arithmancy."

He nods.

"So—these names aren't just a quirk of your family, like star names in mine?"

"Quirk? Somewhat. Done entirely on purpose with full intent? Yes."

Finally, her mouth pops open in a small "o." "Then…Cyril and Bilius and our new baby…"

"I want whatever size family you want, Ced. But the magic's in the family's favor, just so you know." His shoulders sag, unsure of what to expect next.

Cedrella frowns. But, after a beat, she ventures, "Well, you've told me before that it's been ages since a Weasley witch was born into the family, right?"

He perks up at that. "Yes. Loads of wizards for generations."

"Perhaps it's time to wish for a witch, then," Cedrella states with a small pat of her belly. "Although, I have a feeling it's a boy," she admits a second later.

Septimus quirks an eyebrow at her. "Then what now?"

Cedrella pecks his cheek and leans back in the armchair with a content sigh. "Then we do what we do best: We raise another healthy, happy boy. But, this time, Septimus, we'll warn him and his brothers about the family tradition…and perhaps we'll let them decide their own fates and families and names when the times come." She tugs his left hand and his ring finger once more, cracking one eye open and sharing some of her confidence with him with a secret smile.

…and, honestly? It works. Her expression and gesture convey what she won't say, that perhaps family tradition is something not quite keeping the Weasley family alive but bogging them down. And, if there's an expert on flying free of their family's musts, it's Cedrella (formerly Black) Weasley.

So Septimus shares in her smile. Because he's never been very good at flying, but he's always been prepared for something brand-new or terrifying so long as Cedrella's at his side.

Done for the If You Dare Challenge (for prompt #806: deep roots) in the HPFC forum on FFN. THESE. THESE ARE THE HCS I thought I could squeeze into "The Future of the Bloodline" and was so woefully wrong, *lol*. I long ago decided that Bilius was one of Arthur's two brothers, and I only recently gave a name to his other one; here, too, I wrote for the second time (first was ynusly ch79) that Arthur's their youngest, so that was fun. But just…egads. The idea of the Weasleys being a long, established, big family but how marinated in my brain for a long time and didn't properly form until my recent Septdrella (and some Prewett) hcs took shape. Now, me being a maths major, I enjoyed naming some Weasley forebears, since "Septimus" has the root for "seven," so does "Quincy" have the one for "five" and "Triconius" for "three" (all prime numbers, btw, altho "Triconius" is of my own making and mixes Greek and Latin, but we're gonna breeze over that XP). Whether the fam members in btwn are named for "four" and for "six," respectively…eh, couldn't decide. XD Anywho! Cedrella has been warned: They rly could've had a larger fam…but I like how her rebel streak gave Septimus some confidence that things don't have to be that way. The Black family has traditions that ought to be retired, so perhaps the Weasley family did, too! Final thoughts: The hc of the Weasleys being older than the Blacks is derived from the etymology of the surnames, and it's implied that the Weasley disdain for Divination is inherent (Ron got it from Grandma Cedrella XD).

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave an anon/unsigned review via the FFN link or comment via the AO3 link at the top of the post, especially if you enjoyed this!

~mew

#hp #harry potter #septdrella #septimus weasley #cedrella black #<2500 #romance #family #fluff #maydayverse #rated: G #older generations #3rd POV

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cobaltusami · 3 years

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Tropical Vacation pt. 2

Hey hi hello! This Is the last part for the day, I felt bad since the first one was so short and uneventful.

This one was funny to write, I liked writing Monokuma and Monomi's 'fight' scene xD

Characters In this part: Lee!Gundham, Lee!Kazuichi, Lee!Nagito, Ler!Nekomaru, Ler!Chiaki, Hajime, Fuyuhiko, Mahiru, Sonia, Hiyoko, Akane, Mikan, Peko

Words: 3,083

PT 1: [Click here], PT 2: [You are here.]

“KAZUICHI, I AM GOING TO DESTROY YOU!” Gundham yelled after his friend, chasing him down the beach in a full on sprint. The chase didn’t last very long though before Nekomaru quickly got In the middle of the two and held the breeder back.

“Easy Tanaka!” He barked. “What the hell Is going on?!”

“Yeah, Why are you so worked up? You guys sparrin’?” Akane asked..

“He’s trying to kill me!” Soda accused, pointing his finger at the angry boy in front of him.

“This fiend used some kind of powerful unseen force to send me flying into the water!” Gundham responded angrily. “You are lucky my Devas were not with me!”

Now that he mentioned It, Nekomaru did notice that Gundham was soaking wet.

“Easy dude! I was just playing around, I saw Sonia had your scarf and your zhu zhu pets!” Kazuichi retorted.

“THEY ARE NOT ZHU ZHU PETS!”

Nekomaru sighed in exasperation, why can’t It ever be something… normal with these two? “Y’know what, fine.” The larger student pushed both of them to the ground and proceeded to pin them both and tickle them. “If you’re gonna fight with each other… Then you’re gonna laugh with each other!”

Kazuichi shrieked as he felt his ribs being attacked, he cursed himself for not changing out of his swim attire back into his jumpsuit before launching Gundham into the water.

“NEHEHEHEKO NOHOHOHOHO!”

Gundham wasn’t much better off, Nekomaru was mercilessly tickling his exposed neck and collarbone. “FUAHAHAHAHAHA! F-FIEHEHEHEHEND STAHAHAHAP IHIHIT AT OHOHONCE!” He tried bringing his shoulders up to protect his neck but as soon as he would, Nekomaru would then attack his belly and hip, making his arms instinctively shoot back down to protect his body.

“Not until you two agree to stop fighting.”

“NOHOHOHO WAHAHAHAY! HEHEHE’S THE ONE WHO TRIHIHIHIED TO KILL ME!” Kazuichi cackled, flailing uselessly.

The Ultimate Team manager narrowed his eyes at the pinkette, he leaned down and blew a raspberry against his belly whilst vibrating his fingers into his ribcage.

Kazuichi exploded with screaming high pitched laughter, throwing his head back in the sand as he frantically shoved at Neko’s head and kicked at the sand.

He pulled back grinning then turned to Gundham, whose belly he was still tickling with his other hand. “Don’t think I forgot about you!” He teased, leaning down and blowing a raspberry against his neck.

Gundham burst into loud laughter, rivaling Kazuichi in volume. He tried to push Nekomaru away but this only seemed to encourage him, his other hand left Kazuichi giving him a chance to breathe and instead began poking at Gundham’s ribs and underarm teasingly.

He delivered another deadly raspberry to his sensitive neck, this time drawing a loud squeal followed by booming belly laughs. “GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NAHAHAHAHAHAHA PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE!”

“Do you agree to stop fighting with Kazuichi?” Nekomaru asked, after a moment of no response he gifted him yet another raspberry.

“EEEAHAHAHAHAHAHA! FUAHAHAHAHAHA!” Tears were in the Supreme Overlord’s eyes from laughing so hard already.

“I’ll ask again, Are you gonna stop fighting?” He repeated, speeding up his tickles.

This time he was met with frantic nods. Nekomaru stopped tickling Gundham and turned back to Kazuichi. “Now, Will you stop fighting with Gundham?”

“As long as he doesn’t fight with me…” Kazuichi said nervously, sitting up.

“I don’t think that’ll be an issue, If he does, He knows what will happen to him!” Nekomaru laughed in amusement.

Gundham shakily sat up. “D-Do you also… vow… not to… push me Into anymore… water?” He panted.

“I dunno man, That’s kind of a hard one. The look on your face was hilarious!” Kazuichi grinned.

Nekomaru glanced at Gundham, upon seeing the somewhat downcast expression on his face he grabbed Kazuichi and held him down.

“ACK! Hey hey hey! What are you doing?!” He panicked.

“Promise you won’t throw him In anymore water.” He ordered.

“Okayokay! Jeez! I promise I won’t throw him In the water again!”

“And apologize to him.”

“What?!”

“You hurt his feelings, apologize for pushing him in the water.”

“No way! He didn’t apologize to me for chasing me!” Kazuichi fired back.

Nekomaru sighed. These damn kids never learn do they? “Gundham, C’mere.”

Gundham shuffled closer, looking questioningly at the larger student. “Yes?”

“There’s something I want you to do.” Nekomaru replied.

“What Is It, Fiend?”

“Hey, I don’t like where this is going…” Kazuichi squinted at Nekomaru, suspicious.

“Tickle him without mercy until he says he’s sorry.” The muscular student grinned at the horrified shriek that came from Kazuichi.

The Mechanic began frantically squirming, though he wasn’t able to move very much thanks to Nekomaru being freakishly strong. “Nononononono!” He didn’t much care for the dark look in Gundham’s eyes, nor the evil smile that followed.

Meanwhile further down the beach, the rest of the students were just chilling and enjoying the day. Or trying their best to.

“Are you sure we should not go check on Kazuichi and Gundham?” Sonia asked.

“Nah, I’m sure they’re fine.” Chiaki replied, building a sandcastle version of Princess Peach’s castle.

“Or one of them has finally killed the other and we’re going to have our first trial.” Hiyoko smirked. “I’m betting on Kazuichi being the dead person.”

Sonia looked horrified.

“Hiyoko!” Chiaki and Hajime chastised.

Mahiru approached the mischievous girl. “Okay, That’s a timeout.”

“What? But I--”

“Go sit on the steps!” she pointed to the steps leading to the beach, Hiyoko pouted and complied silently, crossing her arms as she sat down.

“Listen, I’m sure those two dumbasses are fine, Hiyoko’s just a bitch.” Hiko tried to reassure the blonde, Hajime tried not to laugh at that, but a chuckle slipped out. Mahiru wasn’t as amused.

“Hiko!”

“Where’s the lie?” Hajime whispered under his breath.

“Both of you get a timeout too.” Chiaki said as she stood up, she pointed to a second set of stairs. “Go sit until you can be nice.”

“Why? It’s--”

“I’m not going in fucking timeou--”

Chiaki squeezed Hajime’s side and poked at Fuyuhiko’s ribs, making them both immediately shut up. “Steps.”

They both complied, muttering under their breath as they sat down on the steps next to each other.

“You guys worried about Kazuichi and Gundham?” Akane asked, coming from the direction of said two students. “‘Cause they’re fine, Coach Nekomaru Is helpin’ them.”

Sonia let out a sigh of relief, her hand resting over her heart. “That Is good to hear, Gundham was quite mad when--”

She was cut off by a blood curdling scream that sounded vaguely like Kazuichi coming from the other side of the beach, followed by laughter. Sonia giggled. “I think I will go check on them anyway.” She said as she stood and walked off.

“Nekomaru Is wrecking them, Isn’t he?” Nagito asked amusedly.

“Oh totally.” Akane grinned. “I kinda forgot how vicious of a tickler he is, kind of makes me wanna challenge him to a tickle fight.”

“I think you’d lose.” Mahiru smiled in exasperation.

“For some reason, I get the impression that’s what she wants.” Hajime chuckled.

“Goodness! Whatever was that horrible scream?” Usami asked, appearing out of seemingly nowhere.

“Oh hey Usami.” Chiaki greeted the pink and white rabbit with a small smile. “It was the sound of Kazuichi getting tickled.”

Usami let out a small sigh of relief, then giggled. “Oh, That’s a relief. I am glad It was the sound of friendship, I thought for a moment that Monokuma had reappeared.”

“You rang?” Monokuma asked, suddenly next to her.

“Uwaaah! Where did you come from!?” Usami cried out in surprise.

“We could ask you the same thing…” Hajime said quietly.

“Wha? Has no one ever explained the bears and the bees to you?” Monokuma asked, tilting his head. “Alright I guess. Well, when two bears love each other very much--”

“Nooo! That is too mature for this audience!” Usami protested, putting her little hands on Monokuma to stop him.

“She does realize we’re not kids… Right?” Nagito whispered to Chiaki.

“For some reason, I don’t think she’s talking about us…” She whispered back.

Monokuma growled, his red eye flashing briefly before he shifted and threw all of his weight into his shoulder, promptly sending Usami flying from the force. “Keep your dirty pure hands to yourself, Monomi!”

“Uwaahh! It really hurts when you shoulder tackle me!” she cried, hitting the ground next to Chiaki.

“Anyways! I have an announcement for you Goody goody losers!” Monokuma said loudly as Nekomaru, Gundham, Kazuichi and Sonia all rejoined the group.

“Oh great, I get back just In time to listen to the homicidal tanuki.” Kazuichi frowned.

“For the last time, I am not a tanuki!” Monokuma snapped, raising his hand to threateningly show off his claws.

“He Is right, Children! Monokuma Is a bear, and--” Usami was cut off by Monokuma stomping over to kick her In the head.

“I don’t need your help!”

“Oogh! It hurts when you punt me too!” she sobbed, curling up in the sand. Chiaki got down on the ground next to her to comfort her.

Monokuma cleared his throat. “Now that Monomi Is done interrupting me, I have an announcement. As you know, I am the headmaster of Hope’s peak. That school, just like this island, Is currently full of students!”

“What?! There’s more than just us trapped by you?!” Kazuichi asked, shocked.

“Why are you telling us this?” Peko asked, crossing her arms.

“I’m glad you asked!” Monokuma bellowed. “Because, I think my students are starting to get depressed… So I think they might benefit from a change In scenery!”

“You don’t mean…” Hajime trailed off, nervous as to where this was going.

“Are you going to let those students out of the school??” Usami asked, surprised.

“Yup! Only for a while though, I wouldn’t want you all conspiring against me once you get acquainted with each other! I just hope those cold blooded killers can behave themselves for a few minutes...” Monokuma replied. “Puhuhu, Oops, did I say that out loud?”

“Acquainted with each other…?” Mahiru repeated. “You mean you’re…”

“You’re going to let them loose, Here!?” Kazuichi finished for her.

“You guessed It! Sharkboy Is today’s winner! Tell him what he’s won, Monomi!”

“W-What? What are you talking about n--”

Monokuma jumped into the air and elbow dropped the rabbit. “Nevermind! My joke Is ruined now, you’re so useless!”

“Uwah! It hurts when you elbow drop me!”

Hajime sighed at the scene before him. Is anything ever normal with these two?

After that, Monokuma left saying he had other business to attend to, After Usami had calmed down from getting a third strike from Monokuma she stood up and dusted herself off.

“What was he talking about? There aren’t really other students… Are there?” Mahiru asked apprehensively.

“No way, He’s clearly lying to us!” Kazuichi answered.

“There’s one way to find out…” Chiaki mumbled, looking at Usami. “Usami?”

“Y-Yes?”

“Was he telling the truth? Are there really more like us?” The pink haired girl asked softly.

Usami nervously looked away, stammering as she spoke. “W-Well, I don’t… i’m not…”

Chiaki frowned. “So It’s true. Is what he said about them true too?”

“N-No! I don’t… Think so…” Usami sighed softly, sitting on a beach towel. “Yes there Is more like you. I didn’t want to leave them, Please believe me! But I didn’t have time to grab any more of you before Monokuma showed up again.”

“Why didn’t you tell us before?!” Hajime snapped.

“Uwah!” Usami jumped In surprise, her ears drooping sadly. “I-I couldn’t! I felt too guilty and horrible for having to leave them behind! I can only imagine the horrors they’ve had to endure because of Monokuma.”

Chiaki gently petted the rabbit’s head. “It’s okay, It’s not your fault. It’s Monokuma’s fault.”

Usami sniffled, her ears perking back up. “Th-Thank you.” she cried. “But, I am at fault too. I should have fought him at that point, But I was scared and worried about what would happen to you all if I were to lose… I guess In the end It didn’t matter anyway.”

“So just to confirm, there’s a whole other group of students about to be released onto the island and we have no idea if they’re participating in the killing game or not...?” Mahiru asked quietly, fear prominent in her eyes.

Hiyoko got up and went over to her girlfriend, wrapping her arms around her to comfort her. “It’s okay, Mahiru! I won’t let them hurt you!”

Mahiru blushed. “I-I wasn’t scared!”

“I am afraid so.” Usami confirmed grimly, though the next moment… “However! This could be a very good thing too, Perhaps they are like you and refuse to play his game!” She suggested brightly.

Hajime felt a pit In his stomach, It took him a while to warm up to and trust the students trapped with him... he was definitely nervous and untrusting of this.

“Usami Is right!” Nagito spoke up. “We have to stay *Hopeful!”

Oh here we go…

“They are Hope’s peak academy students, after all! I’m sure they’re as reserved and strong willed as all of you Ultimate’s!” Nagito smiled, getting that look In his eyes again.

“Nagito…” Hajime said warningly, not wanting to listen to his speech again. “Remember what happened last time you droned on about Hope and Ultimates?”

“Oh, Right! Sorry, I guess even trash can be forgetful too, I’ll try to stop.” He smiled sympathetically at the Tsundere student.

“Stop calling yourself trash.” Chiaki frowned.

“But…” He stopped himself as Hajime and Chiaki both folded their arms and glared at him warningly. “O-Okay… Even though I am…--”

“Say It, and you’ll be sorry.” Chiaki puffed her cheeks in annoyance.

Nagito blinked, weighing his options. “Why are you so upset about me calling myself trash? I am trash. Do you get mad at everyone for speaking the truth?”

Unfortunately as he usually does, He chose incorrectly. Chiaki threw herself at the taller student, knocking him over into the sand. She then began squeezing his sides in rapid succession, avoiding his attempts to dislodge her hands quite easily.

“W-Wahahahahait! Chihihiaki!” Nagito squealed, trying to protect his sensitive sides from her merciless wrath.

“I warned you.” She deadpanned.

“Usami, Do you think we should be worried about these students?” Nekomaru asked over Nagito’s laughter.

“I don’t think so, I think we should welcome them with open arms! Who knows what horrors they’ve seen? We should treat them with kindness and love!” She answered.

“Then that’s good enough for me!” Neko grinned.

“Yes, I think It will be nice to make some new friends!” Sonia beamed, her eyes glittering happily.

“And who knows? Maybe there’ll be some cute girls In the class…” Teruteru said slyly.

“If you make any unsavory advancements towards the new mortals, I will put a curse so vile on you that even your future spawn will be cursed!” Gundham threatened, making Teruteru immediately shut up and shrink back with fear.

“I guess It doesn’t hurt to have some new friends…” Kazuichi reluctantly agreed with Sonia, no one was surprised.

“Ibuki thinks It’s a great idea! Maybe Ibuki will meet a musician to rock out with!” Ibuki’s eyes became starry at the prospect.

“Hey guys…?” Hajime spoke up hesitantly.

“Maybe there’ll be a gamer I can play with…” Chiaki smiled, still mercilessly tickling Nagito. “Or y’know… A therapist for Nagito…”

“Whyhyhy would a-ahahaha therapist wahahahaste their tihihime on sohohomeone lihihike mehehe?” Nagito laughed.

Chiaki narrowed her eyes at the Lucky student, attacking his belly with clawed hands. “You’re just asking for It, Aren’t you? Do you enjoy being tickled, Nagi?”

“NOHOHOHO!” he squealed, trying to curl In on himself.

“M-Maybe I-It won’t be s-so bad.” Mikan said hopefully. “I’m sure they a-are nice!”

Mahiru glared at Hiyoko, sensing she was about to say something unpleasant, The blonde girl immediately shut her mouth and snuggled more into Mahiru.

“Perhaps there will be someone who is knowledgeable with swords…” Wow, even Peko seemed enthusiastic about this-- well, as enthusiastic as Peko can be.

“Ooh! Maybe there’s someone strong I can fight with!” Akane’s face lit up excitedly.

“Guys? Aren’t you the least bit worried? What If they’re just like Monokuma said…?” Hajime asked.

“What’s to be worried about? If they step outta line, We can just beat ‘em up.” Akane grinned.

“We are NOT going to beat them up!” Nekomaru argued. “There are other ways of dealing with violent students than fighting!”

Akane put her hands on her hips and looked questioningly at Neko. “Oh yeah? Like what?”

Nekomaru glanced at Kazuichi and Gundham, who both seemed to blush at his gaze. “Things…” was his vague answer.

“I’m with Hajime on this one.” Fuyuhiko spoke up, standing up. “The thought of people we can’t trust coming on to the island makes me… kind of nervous.” he admitted.

Mahiru nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I agree too.”

“I’m kind of indifferent.” Hiyoko shrugged. “Maybe they won’t be as lame as you guys… but on the other hand, I don’t want Mahiru to be afraid.”

“I-I told you I’m not afraid!” The tsundere girl stuttered.

“It’ll be okay, guys.” Chiaki said softly, her tone contradicting her ruthless tickling. “As long as we stick together, We’ll be fine.”

“YEHEHEHEAH! WHAHAT SHE SAHAHAHAID!” Nagito cackled as she squeezed his hips. “YOUHUHU GUYS ARE ULTIMAHAHATES, THERE’S NOHOHOHOTHING YOU CAHAHAN’T HANDLE!”

“You’re an Ultimate too.” Chiaki reminded, pausing her ticklish attack. “And you’re valuable. Not trash.”

Nagito giggled tiredly as he caught his breath. “But compared to you guys… I’m not all that special…”

“Neko, He still hasn’t learned.” Chiaki called over her shoulder. Nekomaru sat down next to them and cracked his knuckles.

“I got this!” He chuckled, The next moment the air was filled with Nagito’s shrieking laughter as Chiaki and Neko proceeded to destroy the man with low self esteem.

Hajime was silent as he thought about the possibilities, It just wasn’t sitting right with him. But If Chiaki could look on the bright side… Maybe he was overreacting…?

He felt a hand rest on his back, looking to his left he saw Fuyu offer a brief reassuring smile, showing that he was just as nervous as Hajime but more worried about comforting him. Hajime faintly smiled back and put his arm around Fuyu’s shoulders, pulling the Yakuza into his side.

Mahiru gently punched Hajime’s shoulder affectionately. “It’ll be okay… We just gotta stick together like Chiaki said…”

Hajime sincerely hoped she was right about this…

#Danganronpa tickle #sdr2 tickle #goodbye despair tickle #tickle story #Lee!Gundham #Lee!Kazuichi #Lee!Nagito #Ler!Nekomaru #Ler!Chiaki #chiaki is still a scary ler #but Neko is ruthless--#okay but Fuyuhiko and Hajime and Mahiru being bros at the end #they're so pure #Yes this Is going to have Kuzuhina In It bc I can't stop myself--#oh well #Chiaki Is the friend who tells you she's gonna slap you if you don't stop being so hard on yourself #except she tickles instead of slaps #I totally made a victorious reference with the timeout bit--#i'm not sorry

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giant-sketches · 4 years

Text

A Place to Belong

Finally have a nice Short Sides story done for you all to enjoy! This one has been on the back burner for a long time. I believe the prompt for this one came from @iggyalfi2319 like forever ago. XD Disclaimer: Crying/Fighting/Panic

This story includes 2 sketches

Word Count: 2392

Patton was never born to be a warrior. He was big yes, but more of a big sweetheart on the inside. Instead of fighting like the other giants he enjoyed his time outside with the flowers and animals. Violence simply wasn’t part of his inner nature, therefore, he was exiled from his homeland and sent to wonder. Patton didn’t mind though as every new place he explored was an adventure, however it was a lonely one.

A month passed without encountering a single soul, which might be for the best as Pat stood at a towering 200 feet tall. If anyone did see him they would most likely flee in fear. That would be so heartbreaking to witness! Yet, destiny seemed to have other plans when Patton did in fact run into a village that was almost completely secluded inside the forest he had currently been traversing. He hid himself in the shrubbery to watch the tiny people going about their day.

“Oh wow. Look at all of them!” Patton had never seen humans before. His eyes were filled with wonder. However, the shout of a guard who had spotted him through the thicket threw him into a full blown panic! “GIANT!!!”

Oh no! The surprised giant fled for his life, trying his best to not cause the ground to shake. Sure, he was in no real danger, the humans were much smaller than him; however, he didn’t wish to scare them by staying. Eventually, he came to a fluorescent cave, big enough to house him as he caught his breath. I haven’t been followed right? He looked around and sighed after confirming there was no one but him and the flora. What was he to do now though? Patton laid down, curling up on the cool cavern floor whimpering. Those humans looked so scared, even though he was just watching.

His heart ached at the creeping realization that there truly was nowhere he belonged in this world. “Why was I born like this? It’s not fair! I just wanted to be friends and help if I could.” He began to softly sob, unaware that he was being tracked by a mysterious hooded figure.

“He’s taken shelter here it seems.” The skulking figure glided his way into the cavern, not making a sound as the sound of sobbing echoed off the walls. Gingerly, he peeked out from one of the tunnel entrances and saw the giant he had been following on the floor in tears. It was...uncomfortable. Should he reveal himself now, or let the giant get it all out first. The mysterious man was not good with socializing, but he needed to be brave. Taking in a deep breath he took a step out of the shadows and spoke, “H-hello.”

His voice was no louder than a whisper, however Patton heard him clearly as he twisted his body up to a sitting position. The weeping giant stared at the figure, curious as to why they had revealed themselves, but also fearful of their intent. Was this a human from the village? Why were they here and how? Had he been followed and were there more hidden? Pat curled up a bit trying to look smaller, despite his enormous size.

“Ah, wait, i-it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you a-and it’s just me. I promise.” The figure raised his hands to show he was unarmed and took a few steps closer.

“Why are you here then? I-I didn’t mean any harm to the village or the people living there, I swear! I-I just wanted...I didn’t want to be alone any more.” Patton cried out as he pressed his knees to his chest and hugged them.

“I know. With your size you could have done whatever you wanted to us, but instead you ran away. You’re not like other giants are you?”

Patton nodded, starting to calm down and wipe his tears away. “I...I don’t want to hurt others. I just want to help and find some place I can live in peace. So please, please don’t be scared.” He whimpered into his hands.

The hooded figure, now close enough to rest his hand on Pat’s leg. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m not scared. If I was I wouldn’t have followed you here and revealed myself.” Patton giggled a bit, “I suppose that’s true. Still, why are you here little one?” “I wanted to talk to you. I’m also...different.” “Different?” The man hesitated for a moment, but then lowered his hood to reveal a pair of pointed ears, along with his unusual purple locks. Patton’s eyes went wide with how beautiful the stranger was and blushed. “You...are you a half-breed?”

“Yeah, I’m a half-elf to be exact. My appearance is a mix of both and so I’m seen as abnormal among my fellow humans. They aren’t bad people, they just aren’t very open-minded sadly. Usually, I can get by with just wearing this hood to hide my features, but the thing they really can’t stand is my use of mag-”

“YOU CAN USE MAGIC!?” Suddenly, the man had been picked up by Patton and brought closer to his face. Pat, all the while with sparkles in his eyes. The stranger smiled as he made an orb of light appear and float around him. It was the most amazing thing the lonely giant had ever seen. “Wow.”

“I’m Virgil by the way.” “What? Oh you’re name! You can call me Patton.” Virgil blushed, this was nice. Being appreciated for his talent for once.

“It’s nice to meet you Virgil. Thank you for coming here and talking to me. I feel a lot better now.”

“I’m glad. You don’t deserve to be alone like this. I of all people know what that feels like.” His eyes lowered in melancholy thoughts of the past.

A past of losing his parents in the fire, being ostracized by the village, and having to hide his true self. It was painful and many times he thought of running away, but where could he go? Just then Virgil felt a large and soft surface pressed up against him. It was Patton’s finger rubbing up against his side to comfort him. “I can tell you’ve had a hard time, being different from everyone around you.” He went silent in his thoughts, gazing between Virgil in his hands and his current surroundings. “Y-you’re not scared right?” Virgil chuckled, “You’re asking me that now?” “I...just need to be sure.” Patton blushed, feeling embarrassed and closing his eyes. That’s when the sensation of tiny hands wrapping around his thumb made him focus. “Don’t worry. I won’t leave unless you want me to.” Pat’s face must have turned into a tomato as he simply nodded and gently brought his new little friend to his chest for what could only be interpreted as a hug. “Thank you.”

Patton was warm, like really warm as Virgil snuggled into his shirt a bit. The moment was pure bliss as the two felt so at home with one another. Yet, events outside were now coming to end their tender moment together. A large shockwave rumbled from above them.

“W-what was that?!” Pat exclaimed, now guarding Virgil in his hands and crawling out of the cave to take a look. “I don’t know. Do you see anything?” He looked around quickly and froze at what he saw. “The village! It’s being attacked by a dragon!” “WHAT?! Are you kidding me? What is a dragon doing all the way out here?” “I-I don’t know, but we need to do something. There’s no way they have anyone strong enough to fend it off.” “Can you fend it off?” Patton wasn’t sure really. Again, his combat experience was miniscule, but he was still a giant. Even though the dragon was big, he was bigger! “I can try, will you help me?” Virgil smiled, “Of course Patton. What do you need?” What did he need? “Buffs, can you cast any buffs on me?” The tiny sorcerer did know a few spells for buffing, but there was one he found when exploring an abandoned house a long time ago that might be just what they needed right now. “Yeah! You go get it’s attention and all start casting. Drop me off at that cliffside real quick. I have to be able to see you to cast it.” “Alright!”

With a plan in motion, Virgil was left to draw out the casting circle as he watched Patton tackle the monster away from the village, slamming it into the foot of the mountain. He had a good 50 feet on the beast, but the difference in height didn’t scare it away. It could sense how much of an amateur Pat was as it lunged to take a bite. Luckily, Patton was quite agile and could dodge the attacks, for now at least. Each second was a battle of survival. The friendly giant calling out to the cowering people to get to higher ground and keep in groups as they made their way into the forest to hide. Not too far where they couldn’t still watch to see who would be the victor though.

“The circles done! Now to start the chant.” Virgil took his position in the center of the circle and began casting. “Nascuntur, crescunt maior quam. Imbui possent immensa” Three times he said this as a light glow began to cover Patton’s body.

It tingled as he felt more and more power enter into him. It wasn’t long until he noticed he was growing bigger and bigger. He gave a heavy gasp when it was all done and his body relaxed. Patton felt stronger now! Quickly, he looked around to find the dragon...but it was gone?

“Below you!” Came a familiar voice. It was Virgil! What did he mean by below though?

Curious, Pat looked down to find a now very tiny dragon quivering at his feet. What in the world!? Freaked out, Patton tripped over himself and landed on the mountain, taking out half of it with his now enlarged body. He was HUGE! “What? What happened to me?!” He was scared and confused.

“Patton! It’s okay, it’s just the spell. It increased your size and strength by ten fold.” TEN FOLD?!?! Wait...that meant he was ten times his usual size. He gulped, “Then, d-doesn’t that mean I’m now 2000 feet tall?” Virgil went silent, but nodded. Oh boy. Patton turned his attention to the dragon once more. The poor thing was now too terrified to even move. “You poor thing. Hey, it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” It was strange looking at the creature in a tender manner now after that fierce battle.

The dragon titled it’s head, but could tell Pat didn’t mean any harm as it bounced up his body and started nuzzling into his neck like a kitten. It was adorable! Still, what was he going to do now? This spell wasn’t permanent was it? In his worrying, the titan hadn’t even noticed the village people returning and coming over to him. Virgil did though, as he hurried over using some wind magic to help him glide down. He landed perfectly on Patton’s knee and took a moment to take the giant’s new size all in. He truly was enormous!

Pat felt something land on him as he looked up to see Virgil sitting on him. “Virgil! Are you alright? I know doing high level spells can tire someone out.” His concern was really cute. “Yeah, I’m alright, but what about you?” “Well...I defeated the dragon, or more so made it my pet I guess.” He giggled, though still uneasy. “Virgil, um, this isn’t permanent is it?”

There was the question he was waiting on, but really didn’t want to answer. “Yes and no. There is a reversal spell, I just don’t know it.” Virgil mumbled out sheepishly. Meanwhile, Patton’s blood ran cold as images of his new reality flashed before his mind. A monster beyond belief! He started to shake and choke on his sobs. In a panic Virgil slid down the giant’s pant leg and started climbing up his shirt.

“Pat, no, please don’t cry. It’s going to be okay I promise. I’m so sorry I did this to you!” He pleaded constantly as he climbed. Patton hiccupped as he wiped his eyes to see his tiny friend’s frantic face. “It’s not your fault. You were just doing what I asked.”

Gently, he pinched Virgil up and placed him on the bridge of his nose. “At least you’re still here with me Virgil. I’m so afraid of never being welcomed anywhere because of my size, but at least I have one person who accepts me.” “That’s right. No matter what size you are, I know you’re a very kind and warm person Patton.”

Virgil leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Patton and began rubbing the bridge of the nose to soothe the giant. Pat blushed and let himself enjoy Virgil’s touch. Then more tiny hands reached out towards him. It was the villagers, petting his hand. “Thank you! Thank you so much for saving us!” “We would have died without your help!” “You’re not hurt anywhere right?” “We’re so sorry for chasing you away before.”

Continued praise and concern left their mouths as they kissed his hand and rubbed it in circling motions. Patton was stunned that they had all come so close to him and even more thanked him for his help. “You all...y-you’re not afraid of me? Even though I’m so much bigger than before?” “Of course not! You're our savior along with Virgil. We know now you never meant us any harm and we apologize greatly for our poor behavior towards you.” “Same with you Virgil. We realize how we’ve been treating you for the past years was unacceptable. Could we start again?”

Virgil huffed a bit, but floated down nonetheless. He looked at the people and their worried faces, but then extended a hand out to them. “If you’re willing to change and accept us both, I suppose I can’t say no.” The villagers rejoiced! They sang and cheered for their heroes! Finally, after his long journey, Patton had somewhere he belonged and someone who loved him.

The End

@thought-u-said-dragon-queen @sanderssidestrash27 @nomynameisanon @crystalk17 @notkolaidoscop

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sl-walker · 3 years

Photo

All right, since I’m in the middle of a flare and have to work manual labor for the next four days despite it, I figured I would make myself -- and hopefully other people -- laugh by talking about one of my favorite OG Captain Marvel stories. Namely, from Whiz #50, with a cover date of January, 1944, meaning it was probably produced sometime in late 1943.

I want to share it because why not, this is some absurdly charming stuff.

I’ll get more into why it’s one of my favorites as we go, in the form of running commentary. So, full story (with said commentary) under the cut. If you wanna just read the story without my commentary, stick to the pictures. XD

First, let me say that the cover and splash page definitely live up to the story, though the cover’s a bit more sensationalized. But the premise is pretty damn simple: Our intrepid hero and his newsboy alter ego are on vacation. Cap decides to go swimming. It goes hilariously wrong and thus ensues a bit of a madcap adventure, no puns intended.

Second, the fact that Cap and Billy are depicted as essentially different entities makes what Billy does next the ultimate trolling:

Gee, airing out the stolen laundry on the radio? Really? I’ll leave it up to you, gentle reader, whether Billy actually was trolling his own alter-ego for ratings or whether he was just innocently sharing the story while his other-self winced quietly in whatever ether-space he exists in when not front-and-center.

Either way, I love it.

Continuing on...

I get a kick out of the fact that Billy’s monologue is that he’s no dare-devil. One, because that’s so obviously not true in any way -- (that kid is awesomely, sometimes recklessly brave on the regular even without Cap) -- but two, because the bridge is actually named Dare-Devil Bridge. We aren’t given any reason why this dangerous potential death-trap is there, hanging without so much as a gate or a warning sign or anything, because we don’t need one. It’s there specifically for what happens next.

Which, of course, is Billy calling in Captain Marvel, who does some light complaining about the situation Billy left him in. There’s no bite to it, which I find adorable -- Cap actually does get frustrated once or twice in other issues with Billy calling on him for mundane stuff, though he’s never mean about it -- but there is a bit of the sense of being put-upon there that’s just-- I dunno, cute. It’s something I miss a lot in the various post-crisis takes on the character: That duality, that difference in personality, and the way each of them responds to different situations. Often, they’re on the same page, but notably, sometimes, they aren’t.

Someday, I promise, I need to sit down and write how I think that works between those two without being a truly frightening mental illness manifested, what with them being the same person but not the same person. Because I have so many ideas, and I’ve only had since the early-2000s to percolate them. LOL! But until then, just enjoy this.

Here is another reason why I love the Golden Age Captain Marvel books and why I love this specific story: This is an absolutely normal, mundane thing to do. It’s the human thing to do. These aren’t the actions of some super-serious superdude. These are the actions of a pretty shockingly normal guy doing something mundane. And a whole story is built around that normalcy.

It’s cute. It’s funny. It’s the reader already knowing that he’s getting himself into a situation that he absolutely could have avoided, but also completely understanding how it happened anyway. It’s pretty brilliant writing: I say this as a pretty damned good writer myself.

So much of the reason why, I think, Cap was so endearing as a hero is that humanity. He’s got pretty much god-tier power in the Golden Age, once his powerset is established. He’s utterly invulnerable to all physical harm while powered up. But-- he’s human. He knows he’s human. He acts like it, and decides, “You know what? I’m going skinny-dipping.”

He and Billy are both characters it’s so easy to empathize with.

Also, a reminder that the art under Chief Artist C.C. Beck is really, really good. (He had a whole stable of artists to help produce this stuff!) Ignoring registration issues on the printing press, the actual line art is amazingly good; proportion and perspective and consistency.

But anyway--Cap does get to enjoy his swim. But, then, oh no.

I love the idea of a world where the prime hero -- and he definitely is in that world -- can take off his suit and go swimming, and where someone else is bold enough to steal the damn suit off of him. The first time I read this, I started laughing here. Not at him, but at the situation he’s found himself in. At the idea that some random passer-by saw Captain Marvel’s costume and went yoink!

Another thing I love about this particular story is how much Cap and Billy have to work together, just by necessity. Like-- it’s just really good. But anyway, thank everything Billy Batson is on the ball, coming to the rescue.

Sheer bad luck via the weather keeps this story rolling along in hilarious misdirections. Realistically, that uniform probably wouldn’t be all buttoned together (we see Cap take off pieces of it aside the pants in other issues, including socks!), but who cares? The point of the story is that giant bear rug on the floor’s gonna get put to use.

Man, when have you ever seen Superman creeping naked through some stranger’s house wearing nothing but a random polar bear because he went skinny dipping? No wonder these comics sold so well. This next panel is when I start wheezing, though, and pretty much keep wheezing.

“A lady, too! I’ve got to get away from here!”

I’m dying at this point. That’s such a characteristic response, and yet, I think that’s why it’s funny.

Anyway, because this is an excellent story (I mean this without an ounce of irony, too), our dynamic duo stumbles across a plot in play to rob the hotel they’re staying at.

Here’s a big part of why this is such a good tale: Everything fits. Even when it isn’t explained, like Dare-Devil Bridge, it still fits. Why is the tree down? Because there was just a thunder storm, the same one that blew Cap’s suit into the room with the gangsters.

I don’t know if this is Otto Binder’s story, but I wouldn’t be surprised in the least. It’s a complete story told in relatively few pages that accomplishes everything it’s meant to.

Anyway, using foliage as cover, Cap gets to be heroic----then Billy gets to get back to the business of trying to stop the robbery of the hotel and get his heroic alter-ego dressed again. Which leads to a rather adorable and funny scene of Billy not only trying to describe what Captain Marvel wears, but what size it would need to be tailored in.

(Cap is supposedly a 44 for a suit coat, we find in some earlier appearance, which would refer to his chest size. So, an XL for shirts and suit-coats. He’s a big guy, but he’s actually not a hulking huge guy. But more on that later.)

I love the fact Billy tries to like-- use himself as a model. Maybe in another ten years, kiddo. Billy’s actually pretty buff for like a 12-14 year old, he’s not a scrawny kid at this point, but yeah, no. LOL!

Another thing I also really, really love about this style, though, is that they draw Captain Marvel as being strong, as having a powerful build-- but not as a dehydrated body-builder with deep cuts. He’s got human proportions, regardless of his strength; he’s got a human build, not a superhuman one.

C.C. Beck had a lot of things to say about superheroes who were just muscles on top of muscles, all clearly defined, and he didn’t like it. As someone who first got into comics in the early 90s with Jim Lee’s X-Men--

I do get Beck’s point. I not only get it, but I really highly approve of it. He maintained to the end that he drew (and oversaw) the Marvel family to look like high school and college athletes, and I can see that. I think the one person who’s gotten it right in the modern era is Evan “Doc” Shaner, who did Convergence: Shazam! He not only nailed that strong-but-not-hulking build for Cap, but also how young he looked. College-age, in fact.

But anyway, enough digression into art and why I like this better than most modern takes on the character. Also, that’s just a cute set of panels.

I also like that there wasn’t an easy fix there. Cap’s still in his not-birthday suit, and Billy’s still stuck running around trying to solve the issues at hand. Next comes some other really good panels:

-snorts- He’s locked in. Yeah, that’ll hold him.

Anyway, what I really liked here was again that tandem working; Billy can’t punch through a wall, but Cap can. Cap can’t crawl out while he’s au natural -- well, he could, but he’d probably rather die first -- but Billy’s got no such issue. It’s just fun when you get to see them doing something like that. You have to really think for a minute about the trust each of them must have in their alter-ego.

ANYWAY, we get the rare treat then--

--of Captain Marvel not only yoinking a dude into a dark room, but then stealing his clothes. Except, not his underwear. Because that’s nasty. LOL!

I love that in this series, you do actually get to see him wear other stuff. Go incognito. Get his red suit messed up enough to take it to a dry cleaner’s, wherein he ends up dressed like a musketeer after. Jerry Ordway’s series is, I think, the only other time we see Cap not wearing his famous suit, but it happened enough in the Golden Age that it wasn’t a shock.

Like, I hate to be the one to say this, but I do think DC drops the ball often on just how much you can do with Captain Marvel (or Shazam, depending on timeline, but that’s the wizard’s name to me so mostly I’ll stick with the original name) if you unbend enough to. It’s not just the costume change, or the duality of him and Billy being the same but not, but also his inherent, essential humanity.

But I am digressing again, sorry. XD I just feel strongly enough about these versions of these characters to spend hours writing this.

Anyway, only a single panel later:

And that’s that! Billy Batson has just outed his own alter-ego’s most embarrassing moment to whomever’s listening to WHIZ radio -- thank everything podcasts and the internet weren’t available then, ha! -- and we get to see a recounting of a very fun story.

Like I said earlier, I love this one for its essential humanity. The hero got himself into this mess, he and Billy got him out of this mess, and stopping the criminals was actually just kind of a lucky stroke thrown in there. But even though Cap got himself into this, the story never treats him like he’s stupid. It never treats him like he’s some kind of idiot. You’re laughing, but-- not in a mean way.

I love how human it is. How complete it is. How genuinely funny it is. It’s a thousand times more funny when you genuinely love and respect Captain Marvel and Billy Batson, too.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this dissertation on a skinny-dipping hero. LOL! I enjoyed sharing it with you.

#dc captain marvel #billy batson #shazam #whiz comics

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the-blind-geisha · 3 years

Note

Hey. I just wanted to say I was one of those old readers from your YuYu Hakusho stories. While I've moved on to many other fandoms I won't forget all of them. The Worthless Humans and Wind Knoll's Curse out of the many you did. I did enjoy Diary of a Demon's Slave till you had to stop it. Wasn't sure what happened but I am glad to know you are okay. I didn't know you had continued on to other fandoms so I'm glad your okay. I just wanted to say a few things about them. All good. Promise! (1)

Oh, geez...whenever someone tells me they read or remember me from all that old junk, I always get shocked. lol But I am flattered to hear it all the same, anon. ♥♥

Yeah, I wrote a lot of rando stories back in the day online. Sadly, when I endured a really heavy emotional hit, I stopped writing and even drawing a bit all together. I jumped more into gaming (MMOs). I didn't think I had much of a reason to keep folks updated on where I was or where I was going since I had little to no following as it was at the time.

I didn't begin writing openly again till about Assassin's Creed, though I wrote a few other things on my old ff.net account before just deciding not to return there. lol If I ever do back to ff.net, I'll probably leave that one as my archive name and make a new one. However, writing as much porn and dark stuff I do, I dunno if that site is a fit for me. xD; But hey, it's an easy find. lol

I am glad that you are happy I am writing the story again. I got nervous to touch it, as it is such a time capsule. I feel if anybody wants to see my amateur writing, they can look up that fossil and see it. Hell, thief wasn't even spelled right in the description! I had to change it when I went in to tell people I was revising it heavily, or I would never forgive myself. I found more than 5 errors in chapter 1 alone. XD

But given the many people who told me they used it as something to lean on and enjoy? Yeah... I wanted to revisit it again. Try to write something far better with the same idea behind it. ♥

While I don't know when I'll return for the next chapter, I am happy to be working on it. Thanks for the lovely words, anon. They mean a lot. Q_Q

#much love dear #inspiration #mod answers #anon

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phoenixiancrystallist · 2 years

Text

Day 123 (boy I hope I'm not repeating numbers or accidentally skipping days or anything), and thanks to @lithiel I designed my own personal Keyblade!

I've been trying to get down a design idea for it for years, but something just clicked while we were talking about Keyblades for art related reasons today, and I finally finally finally hit on a design that works! Details below the cut; much like my username there's a lot more going into it than first meets the eye :D

There were a handful of main things that I wanted to incorporate, because to they represent large aspects of how I see myself:

My Eastern Zodiac, year of the dragon

My Western Zodiac, Pisces the twin fish

Shiva and her ice

Phoenix and her fire

My birthstone, amethyst

My sexuality, ace

My gender identity, genderfae/genderfluid

Gold accents bc I love gold (and when I do the final rendering there may or may not be some kintsugi elements for, uh, personal reasons >.>)

Most of this Keyblade is supposed to be translucent: the water, the crystalline elements, and the fire to be specific. For the fire end of it, I took inspiration from Lea's Bond of Flame Flame Liberator (I know Keyblade names, I promise!). For the water, I wanted the translucency of the water elements in Destiny's Embrace, with ace-flag-colored koi leaping out of the waves. The general shape of it is vaguely reminiscent of Diamond Dust—and I mean vaguely—which as those of you who've played any given Final Fantasy game know is Shiva's signature move. Shiva holds a special place in my heart because of Heartfelt Adventure, that RP I was in that helped shape who I am today. The transition from water/ice to fire is not only super pretty, imo, but it also represents when I changed my summon in the RP from Shiva to Phoenix, which in and of itself was representative of how I've grown and changed as a person over the years.

The hilt was almost inspired by Oathkeeper, only as fairy wings (for genderfae), except that I hadn't added anything for my dragon zodiac at that point, so I decided to do a Loong-inspired dragon to wrap around the guard. I chose a Loong rather than a European dragon not just for aesthetics, but also because I felt it was more appropriate for an Eastern dragon to represent my Eastern Zodiac. I did incorporate a more European styled head for the dragon, because a) that's what I'm more comfortable drawing, b) I drew the head before I decided on the body even though I should know better, and c) I decided to keep it that way because I am of European descent, and my interpretation of the Zodiac is through a Western lens rather than an Eastern one, so by combining the two designs I feel like I'm honoring the origins of the Zodiac as well as my own origins.

The genderfae keychain was an afterthought; originally I was going to make the water-to-fire transition in genderfluid colors, and you can still see some of that in there, but they wound up getting covered by the water and fire. When I realized I'd accidentally covered the segment I was going to use to reflect my gender, I decided I liked that a lot better and... well, I just slapped the keychain on there XD I was going for fairy wings, but I think they look more like flower petals, so I might adjust the design to a flower later. Now, do I go with my favorite flower (rose), my birth flower (options of violet, primrose, or iris), or whatever this is supposed to be? Guess we'll find out~ XD

#the great artscapade of 2022 #bobbi's being weird again #art #my art #kingdom hearts fanart #keyblade design #Lithiel tried to make me choose what Keyblade I wanted for myself #I went through eight in ten seconds and then whined that choosing is hard XD #and then like half an hour after that my brain caught up with the rest of me and went ''we're an artist we can just make our own''#IN MY DEFENSE I was at work and doing worky work work XD

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5hadow-alpha · 4 years

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A Rambly New Year’s Message for the Thunderfam

So it’s almost a new year, and that means taking a bit of time to look back on the last twelve months and everything that has happened. Admittedly 2020 has been, to put it bluntly, awful. But there is one thing that has made it bearable.

You guys. The Thunderfam.

I’ve been on Tumblr for about five months now, and like every newbie I’ve seen on here, have been welcomed with open arms into an incredible family of people I am so, so proud to be a part of. It’s almost contradictory to feel so close to a group of people I have never even met.

I’ve always been wary of social media, and the few apps I do have are used for messaging friends - I don’t post or react to anything. Yet somehow you guys have given me the confidence to put up drawings and even a story, and like and reblog and comment and still feel safe. Occasionally it’s still hard to pluck up the courage to interact, and sometimes I can’t comment because I’m so amazed by what I’ve seen someone create that I can’t find any words that would justify it, so a like or a reblog has to do. I’ve gone from laughing until my stomach hurts, to literally sitting on the edge of my seat, to crying my eyes out a couple of minutes later, all because of the incredible talent I see on my feed every day.

I’ve also lurked in the shadows of a few fandoms over the years, and have watched them slowly die once the shows have ended. It’s heart-breaking to see, but even though TAG is over (for now! We can always hope) we’re still thriving. My biggest regret is not discovering Tumblr five years ago because I would have loved to watch this fandom grow and blossom into what it is today.

I wish there was some way to let everyone who worked on the show, or even any part of the Thunderbirds franchise, to see what an amazing community of people we’ve built here. Because then they would be able to see what an incredible thing they’ve done by bringing us all together. You lot are a fantastic group of people who just personify everything that International Rescue and the Thunderbirds stand for. You’re there to catch people when they’re falling and put them back on their feet, and there’s so much kindness and love here that is almost impossible to find out there in the big wide world.

To quote a certain dark-haired pilot we all know and love, “when you send out an SOS, you deserve to know there’s someone out there. Listening.”

That is completely and totally you guys.

I’ve seen the SOS posts on my feed and I’ve felt awful because I haven’t been able to do much for you aside from a fairly feeble attempt at support in the form of a few words. I don’t have any screenshots and there aren’t enough hours in the day to draw or write something for you even though each and every one of you completely deserve it.

I’ve been there, I’ve struggled. This year has hit us all hard, and we’ve all dealt with our challenges. I’ve been struggling through a sudden loss in November that really knocked me off my feet after everything else that has gone wrong this year. I’m slowly getting back up now, but you guys need to know that is was the people on here that gave me a lifeline when I needed it most, and you didn’t even have to try.

And for the people out there still struggling, believe me when I say it won’t last forever. I can’t promise 2021 will be magically perfect, but we’re slowly but surely getting there. It might take while, but things will get easier. And if you ever want to talk, I’m only a message away. One of my favourite quotes has always been ‘things will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay it’s not the end.’ So keep going, you’ll make it to where you want to be!

Do you guys realise how amazing you all are? I was catching up on all of your posts the other day and suddenly realised I had this little smile on my face just from seeing all of your incredible drawings and stories and videos and photo edits and screenshots (there were so many and they are so good that the app crashed XD). And I have a hard time believing that I am the only one who realises that scrolling through those posts leaves you in a much better place than it did before. There is always something there to brighten your day.

It’s mindboggling to think that so many of you are at the opposite end of the country, in completely different continents, or even on the other side of the planet. But it makes absolutely no difference where we are in the world, because you all contribute so much to this community and give so much to people who need it.

I feel like for all of the hours of work and effort that you put into what you do whilst still managing to live real life, all the appreciation in the world wouldn’t be enough to express how fabulous you all are. So this is my attempt at stringing a few words together to make up for the fact that I can’t always do justice to the amazing things I’ve seen and the breath-taking people on this site. The imagination, kindness, and talent here is endless!

I know I’m not a big account, and I don’t know how many people will see this post. But I hope it gets a lot of reblogs, because every single member of this fandom should read it and realise how much you mean to me and all the others here.

I’m so grateful to have found you, and when I look back on 2020 I won’t remember it as the ‘Year the Pandemic Happened’, but as the ‘Year of the Thunderfam’.

So thank you Thunderfam, from the bottom of my heart, for being the highlight of my year and a ray of sunshine during some really tricky and horrible times. Here’s hoping 2021 will take us onwards and upwards!

So many tags, and I know I don’t have everyone! @psychoseal @seathesilverlinings @misssquidtracy @gentlebluelizard @dragonoffantasyandreality @olliepig @weirdburketeer @tsarisfanfiction @rachfielden-xo @angelofbenignmalevolence @lenna-z @gumnut-logic @gordonthegreatesttracy @drileyf @ak47stylegirl @thunderskybird @scarlett3drag0n @photowizard17 @weathergirl8 @inertplanetary @1bluesilvertracy @thunderbird-one-ai @soniabigcheese @neuroticphysiologist @singmetothesun @hironojp @louthestarspeaker @eirabach @mrseviltedi @i-am-chidorixblossom @the-lady-razorsharp @bonsaiiiiiii @fictivekaleidoscope @thundergeek59 @janetm74 @myladykayo @willow-salix @incorrect-thunderbirds-quotes @fearlesstracy @hedwigstalons @tinglingsquidsense @thunderbirds-are-fab @lenle-g @vegetacide @godsliltippy @misstb2 @gordoncoopertracy @sonatanotwo @flyboytracy @tag-rewatch

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds fandom #thunderfam #new year #goodbye 2020 #gratitude for some amazing people #love you guys

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bloody-bee-tea · 4 years

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BeeTober 2020 Day 1

Cliff - Mid-Autumn Festival

It’s October and you all know what that means! Another writing event, where I will post a fic every day. Since the Untamed Fall Fest is happening at the same time, I combined the prompts! There’s a series on my AO3 where you can read all of these as well, if that suits you better.

This first fic is Mingcheng, and it will probably change everything, plot-wise, but like always, don’t ask me about it XD

I hope you enjoy this event with me!

Jiang Cheng has a bad feeling about this conference. Despite what everyone thinks, he is in fact able to read a room and what he reads spells trouble.

And going by the looks Jin Guangshan keeps throwing him it will come from him.

The conference is just drawing to a close and Jiang Cheng finally allows himself to relax—if only a little bit—when Jin Guangshan turns his eyes on him.

Jiang Cheng immediately stiffens again.

“There is one more matter to address,” Jin Guangshan says and Jiang Cheng feels relieved to see that he’s not the only one who suppresses a sigh.

“And what would that be?” Lan Xichen asks, when Jin Guangshan falls silent, clearly waiting for someone to inquire after that mysterious matter, and a cold shudder runs down Jiang Cheng’s back when Jin Guangshan smiles at him.

“The matter of the Jiang Sect,” Jin Guangshan sweetly replies and everyone in the hall falls silent.

“What is the matter with my Sect?” Jiang Cheng asks with a slight bow and when Jin Guangshan looks at him like one might look at a particularly stupid child Jiang Cheng has to fight the urge to throw himself off a cliff.

Or maybe he’ll just throw Jin Guangshan off one, that should solve almost the same amount of problems for Jiang Cheng.

“You’re recruiting, and heavily at that,” Jin Guangshan says, just as Jin Guangyao nods in agreement. “One has to wonder if there’s a hidden reason behind that.”

Jiang Cheng works his jaw, before he gets up and bows low to Jin Guangshan, aware that all eyes are on him. And not all of them are friendly.

Jiang Cheng never did deal well with attention like this.

“There is no hidden agenda,” Jiang Cheng promises and then his petty streak makes an appearance. “I know Lanling Jin didn’t suffer the same losses, but Yunmeng Jiang nearly got destroyed when Lotus Pier was burned. I barely have any disciples as it is. I’m just trying to fill the ranks again.”

“And for what purpose?” Jin Guangyao asks him, clearly picking up on Jin Guangshan’s thread of thought.

“Yunmeng Jiang is one of the Great Sects. There is nothing Great about Yunmeng right now, and I’m just trying to rebuild it,” Jiang Cheng says through clenched teeth.

“Recruiting at this point of time seems suspicious. One could think you’re trying to replace Qishan When,” Jin Guangyao says, a polite smile on his face and Jiang Cheng wants to do nothing more than wipe it off.

Preferably with Zidian.

“I am not actively recruiting, though,” Jiang Cheng forces himself to say, because he can guess where this is going. “People come to me to pledge loyalty. I am in no position to send them away.”

“Even when they already have a Sect they belong to?” Jin Guangyao wants to know and of course this is the whole problem.

“I don’t question where my people come from,” Jiang Cheng admits. “If they are willing to be loyal, then I am willing to let them wear purple.”

“How can they be loyal if they already betrayed one Sect?” Jin Guangshan says and Jiang Cheng suppresses a sigh.

“What do you mean?” Nie Mingjue suddenly chimes in and when Jin Guangyao looks at him with much the same look Jin Guangshan just gave Jiang Cheng, Jiang Cheng feels his skin itch.

“People are falling over themselves to join Yunmeng Jiang. Even disciples who already pledged their loyalty to one Sect.”

“Ah, I see,” Lan Xichen says and stands up. “I don’t think that is much of a problem,” he goes on and Jiang Cheng inwardly shakes his head.

Of course he won’t think of this as a problem. Barely any Lan disciples came to Jiang Cheng after all. But his Sect is overflowing with Jin disciples and Jiang Cheng is honestly not surprised about that.

“Er-ge,” Jin Guangyao gently chides him and Jiang Cheng sees how Nie Mingjue works his jaw at the patronizing tone.

“I don’t see a problem with that, either,” Nie Mingjue says after a moment and Jiang Cheng is honestly surprised he is speaking up for him.

“But you should,” Jin Guangyao says. “I heard some Nie disciples defected as well.”

“As they should, if they can’t serve under me,” Nie Mingjue gives back without a beat and for once Jin Guangyao falls silent.

Jiang Cheng sees a dangerous glint in his eyes, and he thinks it might be better if someone interferes.

“Sect Leader Jin, I apologize if I offended you in any way,” Jiang Cheng says with a low bow. “But I am not actively recruiting and I am not doing background checks on my disciples at this time. Anyone who wants to serve me is welcome. I hope you understand the need to rebuild what was lost in this gruesome war.”

Jiang Cheng bitterly thinks back to his burned home, while Jinlingtai stands strong and perfect as ever and he wants to shake Jin Guangshan until his head falls off.

Besides, it’s not his fault that Jin Guangshan is such a shitty leader that his disciples are coming to Jiang Cheng in flocks. At this point, there are probably more Jin disciples in purple than any actual Yunmeng people.

Jin Guangshan narrows his eyes at Jiang Cheng, who keeps his bow low and respectful, even though he feels anything but, and eventually he waves his hand.

“Just see to it that your actions cannot be mistaken for anything but rebuilding,” Jin Guangshan warns him and Jiang Cheng suddenly understands that Jin Guangshan is afraid of him.

Jiang Cheng lost everything; his parents, his home, most of his Sect. His sister will marry into the Jin Sect and only the gods know what Wei Wuxian is up to these days and yet Jin Guangshan feels threatened by him.

It’s honestly a better feeling than Jiang Cheng has expected.

~*~*~

Jiang Cheng is on his way back to his quarters when Nie Mingjue stops him.

“Do you have a moment?�� he wants to know and Jiang Cheng nods, despite how uneasy he feels.

Nie Mingjue had seemed okay with the fact that a few of his people decided to serve under Jiang Cheng, but Jiang Cheng knows better than to trust it.

“Of course,” Jiang Cheng stiffly replies and when Nie Mingjue steps closer, Jiang Cheng is acutely aware of the fact that Nie Mingjue is a very imposing man and that Baxia is a very huge saber.

“Is it true? Did some of my people join your Sect?” Nie Mingjue asks and Jiang Cheng squares his shoulders.

These people came to him in hopes of finding a new home, and he will not sell them out to their previous Sect Leaders.

“And what of it?” Jiang Cheng snaps but Nie Mingjue only smiles slightly at him.

“Nothing,” he easily replies. “I meant what I told Jin Guangshan. If they found someone more worthy to follow than me, then I am fine with that. I only wish the best for my people and if I am not it, then I would always encourage them to go find it.” Nie Mingjue tilts his head slightly before he adds, “Unlike some other people.”

“I see,” Jiang Cheng replies, because he doesn’t quite dare to trust this.

It is still very fresh in his mind that the other three Great Sects now have a sworn brotherhood, while Jiang Cheng and Yunmeng Jiang are standing all on their own.

“I am looking for seven disciples,” Nie Mingjue says and holds out a small scroll to Jiang Cheng. “Those are their names. I try my best to give the families of my disciples an account of what happened to them during a fight, but I can’t find these seven. Maybe they are with you?”

“I will not sell them out to you,” Jiang Cheng hisses and Nie Mingjue seems honestly taken aback by the venom in his voice.

“I am not asking you to. If they are with you, then that’s okay with me. I just want to know if I have to tell their families that they are dead or not.”

Jiang Cheng mulls that over for a few moments before he snatches the scroll out of Nie Mingjue’s hand.

He quickly unrolls it and scans the names, before he rolls it up again and puts it inside his own robe.

“I recognize four of them,” he finally tells Nie Mingjue. “They are alive and well.”

“And the other three?” Nie Mingjue lowly asks and Jiang Cheng shrugs.

“I haven’t heard their names. I’ll have to ask around.”

“Would you?” Nie Mingjue asks and Jiang Cheng scoffs.

“Do I have a choice?” he bites out and he almost—almost—softens at the surprised look on Nie Mingjue’s face.

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“I might be a newly appointed Sect Leader but I am well aware of the consequences refusing you would bring for me. Especially with the support you have in your back.”

“You have nothing to fear from me,” Nie Mingjue says with a small frown. “You have support as well.”

“Oh, yeah, I forgot,” Jiang Cheng sarcastically says. “I have your support, of course. Is that the reason you and your two sworn brothers decided to forget about me?” he can’t help but ask and Nie Mingjue rears back as if Jiang Cheng had hit him with Zidian.

“We didn’t mean to—,” Nie Mingjue starts but Jiang Cheng doesn’t let him finish.

“It doesn’t matter, it is done after all,” Jiang Cheng bitterly mutters. “I will see if I can find your missing disciples, Sect Leader Nie,” he then says with a mocking bow. “And please be lenient with me in the future.”

“Jiang Wanyin, we didn’t mean to.”

“And yet you did,” Jiang Cheng gives back. “You isolated me and now I am without support. Jin Guangshan must really love this. No wonder he comes after my disciples now. Thanks to you, they are the only support I have left. Now, if you would please excuse me,” Jiang Cheng finishes, before Nie Mingjue can find his words again, and he simply turns around and leaves.

He can’t even find it in him to care that he was rude. They don’t respect him anyway, one bow more or less won’t change that.

~*~*~

Jiang Cheng is in the middle of the preparations for the mid-autumn festival, when a disciple finds him.

“Sect Leader Jiang, Sect Leader Nie is requesting to see you,” he politely says and Jiang Cheng let’s out a frustrated sigh.

This is the first major holiday since Lotus Pier burned, since Jiang Cheng lost everything. He had planned to spend it with the only remaining family he has left, had hoped to spend it with his disciples who will hopefully turn into a new family for him, and he was not prepared to have this all interrupted.

“Fine,” he still sighs. “Send him in,” he instructs the disciple, not even caring that it is incredibly rude that he didn’t go out to greet Nie Mingjue himself.

Well, better the other Sect Leaders learn to manage their expectations early when it comes to Jiang Cheng.

“Jiang Wanyin,” Nie Mingjue greets him when he enters Jiang Cheng’s study, and Jiang Cheng narrows his eyes at him.

“Sect Leader Nie,” he gives back, but Nie Mingjue waves him off.

“None of that, please.”

Jiang Cheng frowns but he doesn’t argue with Nie Mingjue.

“What brings you here,” he asks when it doesn’t seem like Nie Mingjue is going to talk, his gaze wandering around the study, and Jiang Cheng has a quick second to regret meeting him here.

But then remembers that this is Nie Mingjue, who is righteous and steadfast in a way not a lot of the other Sect Leaders are, and he reassures himself that he has nothing to fear from Nie Mingjue.

He would know it if Nie Mingjue wanted to harm him and his Sect, Jiang Cheng is sure of that.

“I have a proposal,” Nie Mingjue thoughtfully says but then stops himself. “But first I wanted to ask if you had any luck finding the other three disciples.”

“I did,” Jiang Cheng nods and gets the scroll. “Two of them are dead. I’m sorry. They died wearing my colours, which is probably why you didn’t find them. The third one is with me as well, and she is alive and healthy.”

Nie Mingjue scans the names and Jiang Cheng sees honest sorrow when he reads the names of the two deceased ones.

Jiang Cheng knows the names of all his disciples, makes it a point to learn them, even though due to the recent influx of them he is a little bit behind, but he didn’t think anyway else bothered to.

Jin Guangshan certainly doesn’t seem the type, and neither does Lan Xichen, if he’s being honest.

“Thank you for finding them,” Nie Mingjue softly says and then quickly puts the scroll away.

“Don’t mention it,” Jiang Cheng gives back, more threatening than he actually means to, but this is making him uncomfortable now.

He shouldn’t be thanked for simply being a decent human being.

“Now, what’s the proposal?” he gruffly asks, desperate to change the topic and Nie Mingjue straightens up.

“We were wrong to leave you out of our sworn brotherhood,” Nie Mingjue starts with and Jiang Cheng already wants this conversation to end.

He doesn’t need to be reminded that despite whatever Nie Mingjue is saying right now, they did leave him out of it.

“And I know we can’t make up for it, because it’s already done, but I have an idea.”

Jiang Cheng hesitates for a moment, but then his curiosity wins out. He wonders what Nie Mingjue thinks he can do, given that he is already sworn brothers with Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao and a brotherhood of four is bad luck.

“Speak,” Jiang Cheng orders when Nie Mingjue falls silent again.

“You can swear brotherhood with Lan Wangji and Jin Zixuan,” Nie Mingjue proposes and Jiang Cheng shakes his head, because what?

“I know it’s not the same, since neither of them are Sect Leaders, though Jin Zixuan is the heir. But it would still strengthen your standing. It would also help you to protect Wei Wuxian, because I have seen the greedy look on Jin Guangshan’s face when it comes to the Stygian Tiger amulet, but I have also seen how Lan Wangji looks at your brother. I doubt he would let anything happen to him, if he’s given a chance.”

Jiang Cheng has to admit that Nie Mingjue is right about that—he had noticed it as well—but he still can’t help the bitter huff he lets out.

“And you get out of this without any bonds,” Jiang Cheng bitterly says, because it didn’t escape his notice that there was no mention of the Nie Sect in any of this.

“I wouldn’t,” Nie Mingjue gives back and puts a box on the table.

“What is this?” Jiang Cheng wants to know, eyeing the box with suspicion.

“A courtship gift,” Nie Mingjue easily replies and Jiang Cheng freezes.

“What? Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I am not. A sworn brotherhood can only get you that far, especially since you can’t swear with any other Sect Leaders. So I am proposing a marriage.”

“Between me and—?” Jiang Cheng wants to know, because he can’t quite believe that Nie Mingjue would sell Nie Huaisang like this, but on the other hand he can’t see Nie Mingjue accepting a spouse either.

“Me,” Nie Mingjue says, much to the surprise of Jiang Cheng and then chuckles. “I wouldn’t sell Huaisang. If I was proposing a marriage with him, he would be here.”

Jiang Cheng gapes at Nie Mingjue because this is so far from anything Jiang Cheng had imagined that he can barely wrap his head around it.

“You must be joking,” he finally manages to say, but Nie Mingjue shakes his head.

“I assure you, I am not.”

Jiang Cheng allows himself to imagine it for a few moments; not only the support this would bring to him, but also the marriage in itself. He can see himself falling in love with Nie Mingjue—he’s a catch, really, if you don’t mention the qi deviations—but Jiang Cheng knows better than to expect the same in turn.

“I will not enter into a loveless marriage,” Jiang Cheng declares, thinking back to his own parents, but Nie Mingjue shrugs.

“You are a very attractive man, Jiang Wanyin. And I admire your strength, your resilience and your biting tongue, and how you all use it to hide the fact that you love your family and people. I can see myself falling in love with you, but that is what the courtship is for, is it not?” Nie Mingjue gives back and effectively renders Jiang Cheng speechless. “And even if it doesn’t work out, I doubt I’m going to live to old age. You’d be free of me sooner rather than later.”

“You actually mean it,” Jiang Cheng finally chokes out, deciding to ignore the last part for now, and Nie Mingjue pushes the box towards him.

“Of course I do. I do not have the time for lies and deception.”

“Yeah,” Jiang Cheng agrees, because that he actually noticed before.

Nie Mingjue is the most no-nonsense person Jiang Cheng has ever encountered, and he knows Lan Wangji.

Jiang Cheng reaches out for the box with shaking hands, and he lets out a startled laugh when he opens it.

It’s full of nails.

“I thought you could need some funds to rebuild Lotus Pier. This was the easiest to carry with me,” Nie Mingjue sheepishly admits and Jiang Cheng chuckles again.

“You’re not actually wrong,” he admits and closes the box again. “If we’re doing this, there will be a proper courtship, Mingjue,” Jiang Cheng dares to say, figures if this is really happening then they better get used to this sooner rather than later, and Nie Mingjue nods.

“I wouldn’t want anything else,” Nie Mingjue replies with a smile and Jiang Cheng is startled to see dimples appear on his face.

He didn’t know about that. It could be a problem.

“Stay for the mid-autumn festival,” Jiang Cheng finds himself saying and is taken off guard when the smile grows in its intensity.

“With pleasure.”

~*~*~

When Nie Mingjue insists that they send a lantern off together, Jiang Cheng is not as surprised as he would have been a week ago.

Nie Mingjue stayed the whole week in Lotus Pier, helping with the rebuilding, but also actively courting Jiang Cheng, and Jiang Cheng has to admit that he didn’t think Nie Mingjue even had one romantic bone in his body.

He had been wrong.

Sending off a lantern together, like only lovers would do, does not actually come as a surprise.

When the lantern drifts off, taking Jiang Cheng’s wish with it, he can’t help but to look over at Nie Mingjue.

The other man is already looking at him, and there’s something so soft in his look that it makes Jiang Cheng’s knees weak.

Jiang Cheng fights the instinct to run away and hide from that look—if this is going where Jiang Cheng finds himself hoping it will go he will have to get used to this, he’s sure of that—and instead he leans up on his toes to press a kiss to Nie Mingjue’s cheek.

Nie Mingjue freezes in surprise, Jiang Cheng can feel it, but he also puts a hand to Jiang Cheng’s waist, keeping him close and Jiang Cheng finds himself enjoying that more than he maybe should.

“I didn’t think my wish would be fulfilled this quickly,” Nie Mingjue mutters, much to Jiang Cheng’s embarrassment and he hides his face in Nie Mingjue’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m not used to getting what I wish for either,” he gives back and then feels how Nie Mingjue presses a kiss to the top of his head.

“Well, then it’s something we can get used to together,” Nie Mingjue decides and Jiang Cheng nods.

He’s actually looking forward to it.

Link to my ko-fi on my sidebar.

#bt writes #beetober2020 #untamed fall fest #mingcheng #the untamed #mdzs #canon divergence #hurt/comfort #marriage proposal #courtship #sworn brotherhood #jc is a good sect leader #and nmj knows to appreciate him for it

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subbe93 · 3 years

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Day 1: The Roulette of Destiny part 1.

Rating: For everyone

Prompt: First meeting

Genre: Arranged marriage AU

A/N: I planned to write a one-shot about arranged marriage, but sadly I and one-shots don't always see eye to eye, so... it became a much bigger project D: I have pretty much written it already (and the ending which I love), but let's see if I get out more than this xD

Still, I hope you enjoy :3

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She stared at her teacup without really seeing anything. Morning’s first sun rays made Tokyo so beautiful, so fresh, and even though she knew that beautiful scenario from the hotel’s highest restaurant should make her morning better, somehow, she couldn’t care. Today it didn't impress her. She started to doubt if her plan to make herself in a better mood would even succeed. Gorgeous breakfast on the first-rate restaurant and some shopping was her plan to forget the bomb her parents dropped last night, but at this point, it hasn't worked out, and somehow she wondered if even shopping would make difference.

Yet Ran didn’t want to go home. Not yet. Right now, she was so angry with her parents, and even thinking of them made her mood drop more even though she was sure that it couldn’t be even possible. She wasn’t ready to forgive them, not yet. Okay, the reasonable side of her knew that she was the only one who was in this war and she knew she couldn’t win it. She had lost this fight as soon as she has started it. She should just accept her faith. Yet the hotheaded side of her made sure that she would do everything much harder for her parents than it should be. It would be her silent rebellion against them.

Ran leaned with her elbows on the table and hid her face in her hands. God, if her best friend would have been home… Ran would have called her, told her everything and maybe stayed there night or two. Maybe things would have been better soon. But no. Sonoko was visiting her boyfriend's place which was… was… Hah, Ran couldn’t even remember where Makoto-kun lived. And like she even cared. At least not now.

Ran felt how her eyes started to make tears. God, she was so envious! Sonoko got to choose who to date, who to marry…

Why God hated her so much? What she has done wrong to deserve this?

“Excuse me… Can I join?”

Ran raised her head. Beside the table stood a young man who was dressed in a white blouse, blue tie, which was a little slack, and dark grey trousers. He has dark brown hair, serious blue eyes, and a gently little smile on his lips. He held a coffee cup in his right hand and in his armpit, he held a rolled newspaper. Or that what it’s looked like to Ran. On his other hand, he held a dark grey jacket.

Somehow Ran felt like she has seen that man somewhere before, yet she couldn’t remember, where or who he would be. Maybe it was her imagination?

“Oh”, she said after realising that this man was still waiting for her answer. She glanced at her teacup and breakfast which she hasn’t touched. “Mm, actually, I… I…”

“Please?” the man interrupted her. Ran raised her gaze to him and saw how that man glanced to the restaurant’s doorway. Ran almost looked that way herself, but the man turned to her before she did. “I promise, I won’t bother you.”

Ran looked at the man who just showed her a bright smile like trying to convince her that she should let him. Ran wasn’t sure what was going on, because she was pretty sure that usually random people wouldn’t join other’s tables, not when there were still free tables. And if it was for a view of the city, this wasn’t the only table close to the windows.

But why would she care?

“Well, if you want to”, she said and sway her hand towards the free spot in front of her. “Be my guest, I guess.”

“Thank you”, he answered. Ran followed how that young man put his coffee cup and newspaper on the table before setting his grey suit jacket on the chair’s back. Then he sat down. He met her gaze and smiled before took his newspaper and opened it in front of him to read it.

Ran sloped her head a little. She found it a little amused that someone still read the newspaper, at least someone who looked young enough to have a smartphone. Or at least to her, he didn’t look much older than her, but at the same time, she knew that sometimes people age differently. Maybe he was just a lucky one and looked younger than he really was?

Somewhere behind her she heard loud voices.

“Are you sure he isn’t here?”

Ran turned her head. She saw two young women standing in the restaurant’s doorway talking to the waitress. Another one looked around like searching for something or someone when the other just looked desperate and almost prayed to the waitress to tell her something. “Come on, he’s Kudo-sama! I’m pretty sure he came here!”

Kudo-sama?

“Like I said before, he’s not here”, the waitress said loud and clear, and Ran saw how she has enough of those two. “And now, if you two excuse me, if you’re not going to eat here, could you leave, please? You have disturbed our customers enough.”

“But we need to meet him…”

“And I’m going to call guards if you’re not leaving now.”

Two women looked at the waitress like she had offended them, but they left, though making sure that everyone would hear how the waitress hadn’t been respected them at all. Ran shook her head. She couldn’t believe how some people could behave like that. And who is this Kudo-sama? Probably some kind of celebrity, was her guess.

She turned around and saw how the young man in front of her has lowered his newspaper enough to see over it what was going on. His gaze met hers. He showed to her a little smile.

“Do you know what that was about?” she asked out of curiosity. “Who is this Kudo-sama?”

Those blue eyes stared at her for a moment, like measuring her for something. Ran wasn’t sure why though. Then man just shrugged his shoulders before severed on the left side of the newspaper to get his coffee cup. “I have no idea”, he answered and took a sip of his coffee. After putting the cup back on the table, he continued: “Probably some wannabe celebrity or something.”

Ran smiled. “You almost make it sound like you are jealous.”

The man laughed dryly and looked at her. “And be chased by women who would be selfish enough not to care who they disturb or hurt to get their idol’s attention?” He glanced in the doorway before raised his newspaper to continue to read it. “No thank you.”

Ran smiled shortly, yet she didn’t take her gaze away from the man who has hidden behind the newspaper. Well, he has just said the truth. Even though Ran sometimes dreamed that she would be a celebrity, she wouldn’t want any of her admirers to be rude to others. But maybe that was one thing that can’t evade. Every people were different, and like that man had said, some people would be selfish enough to do anything just to get their idol’s attention. It was sad but true.

But truth to be told, when Ran looked at that man who was so interested to know what happens in the world, she could imagine that that man could be something bigger than he told her. He was handsome and nice. He has manners. And if his words were true and not just something that he decided to say just to make an impression, he would be fair. Or she could be totally wrong about him...

But then, how many celebrities would come to the hotel’s restaurant to eat breakfast in the suit? She wouldn’t. If she would be a big name, she would try to get dressed like anyone else. Suits are something better and would draw attention. They would be recognized sooner or later. So maybe he was just some businessman. Maybe he was here to make some contracts or having meetings. That was the only reason why anyone would dress in the suit in the mornings.

“Can’t take your eyes off me?”

Ran blushed and leaned backward. The man lowered his newspaper enough to met her gaze. He smiled and his eyes glimmered mischievously.

She wasn’t sure if she liked him or not.

“Pretty full of yourself”, she answered trying to hide her shame of getting caught for staring. “How can you tell from behind that newspaper that I stared at you and not someone behind you?”

The man smiled and closed his newspaper. “Oh, don’t we all feel it when someone is staring at us?” he asked while folding the newspaper and lied it on the table. Then he gave to her his full attention. “And how much you want to bet that behind me is no one?”

Ran let her gaze wandering behind him even though she knew better than him that there was no one.

“Fine”, she said in the end. “Are you some kind of mind-reader?”

He laughed. “Not at all”, he answered. “I just happen to pay attention to my surrounding.”

“Why?” she asked. “Are you hiding from someone?”

The man shook his head and took his coffee cup. Somehow his cheerfulness melted a little when he looked at his cup. “Well, not exactly someone… Maybe more like something. Though it’s useless”, he answered and took a sip on his cup. Ran stared at how he put down his cup and leaned against the table. “But enough of me, miss. How about you?”

“About me?”

“Yup”, he answered. Blue eyes wandered to her plate and teacup. “Your tea is cooled down because it doesn’t steam anymore. And you haven’t eaten anything from your plate. It seems like it's your first, though it’s a different story if you took a new plate after first was empty, still, you haven’t touched that, so…” He looked at her eyes. “I believe there is something bothering you.”

Ran felt impressed, yet a little annoyed. Why that random man was so curious? It wasn’t his problem what Ran did or didn’t, and any of this wasn’t his business!

“What is this? Some kind of interrogation?” she asked defensively.

“No”, he answered and leaned backward. “Usually, people don’t have an appetite when something bothers them.”

“Really?” she asked dryly and looked at his cup. “Then why haven’t you got anything to eat? You are here to eat breakfast like other of us, right?”

The man looked at the buffet. “Well, I’m not hungry”, he said and showed a gloomy smile to her. “Like I said, I’m here to trying to hide from my problems. And because of them, I’m not hungry.” He lowered his gaze at his cup. “Well, I thought I would feel better after a cup of coffee, but truth to be told, either this coffee is terrible or it’s just me why it doesn’t taste as good as I hoped.”

Ran felt pretty bad for being mean to the man. Something bothered him, and she was just annoying… And yet, it wasn’t his fault that Ran has a bad day.

“I’m sorry”, she said and lowered her gaze back to the teacup. “I shouldn’t have…”

“No, it’s okay”, a man answered lightly. “I shouldn’t have tried to pry.”

He moved and Ran raised her eyes to see that man was about to leave. She felt something squeeze her throat. Was he leaving because she was mean to him?

“I just… I just have a bad day”, she said fast. The man stopped and looked at her. “I mean…” Ran moved her eyes off him and looked at the city from the window. “My parents, they decided without me that I should marry someone. I mean…. like…” She kept a little break, trying not to start cry again. “They arranged my marriage.”

There, she has said it. Out loud. To someone else… And to someone who she didn’t even know.

“I mean… I… I have always dreamed that I find someone who would love me and go on dates and we would move together, he would propose to me, we would get married and all that…” Ran was happy that she couldn’t see her reflection from the window. Must be a pitiful sight. “But now, instead, my parents have decided without me that I need to get married as soon as possible! I mean… Why didn’t they say anything about it earlier? I… I… I don’t know if I could have done anything differently, but at least I would have had more time to be okay with this. Or really tried to find someone in my life! All this time I thought that I can decide who I marry, plan my own weddings and all but out of nowhere they just took that liberty from me! Why? Because this is best for me! I’m at my best age to make family and all. So what?!” She felt anger and frustration came back to her. “I’m just twenty! I have still plenty of time! Why my happiness isn’t important to them? Do they think I can’t ever find anyone? Do they think I’m going to be happy with someone who I don’t even know? And how they can know if that person is kind to me? He can be a monster, who just want to use me, and…”

Out of nowhere, she realized that she has ranted all this time and hasn’t got any answer. She turned her eyes back where the man has stood a moment ago. He was still here. Blue eyes stared at her and… He smiled cheerfully?

“What?!” she shouted before giving any other thoughts of anything. Why she even thought that man could understand her distress? It seemed that it would have been better if she would have let him go away earlier. “Yeah, I know, I’m pitiful and childish, selfish person who just has dreams and I wanted to make them true, but instead someone took them from me without asking, and you dare to laugh?”

“Hey, I’m not laughing, just smiling…”

“Yeah, and why is that? Because I’m just childish? Because I don’t want to get married to some random guy…”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Then what it is?!” Ran shouted. She stared at his eyes feeling angry. Oh, how much she just wanted to stand up and kick that man’s sorry ass for laughing at her, for…

“Oh, come on, don’t cry.”

“What?” she asked just before she felt something soft on her cheek. Tears. She hasn’t even noticed that she was crying… A white handkerchief appears in her sight. The man was offering it to her.

She looked at him for a second before took a handkerchief from him, though a little ruder than she maybe should have.

“I wasn’t smiling for your misery”, he said, and she heard him moving something, but she didn’t look. She just took a napkin and dried her eyes and cheeks. “I can understand how you feel…”

Ran laughed dryly and turned to him. He had moved his chair closer to her. “Well, it didn’t look like it”, she said with a cold voice. “I wouldn’t laugh at someone about this if I would know how it feels.”

The man glared at her. “Are you going to let me explain before judging?”

She snorted. “Not sure if I want to hear your explanations.”

“Well, wanted or not, I smiled because I’m in the same situation.”

Ran stopped everything. Then she laid down the napkin and met his serious gaze.

“I smiled because I listened to you and…” It was his turn to let out a dry laugh. “Well, I have been thinking some of those things since yesterday evening. I have been angry and disappointed of my parents that I also forgot that in the end, it isn’t so uncommon that parents arrange their children’s marriage.”

“It isn’t?” Ran asked with a little confusion. “I haven’t heard…”

Man smiled. “Well, were you ready to tell happily to everyone that your parents chose your future husband without asking your opinion?”

“Well, I wasn’t…”

“In my line of work, I have heard too many people to being together because of arranged marriage. And it’s coming out only if it’s the ultimate must. So, I believe no one wants to tell anyone if they don’t have to, and that’s the reason why many people think they are only ones.”

“But… why?”

Man shrugged. “My guesses are as good as yours”, he answered and leaned with his left arm on the table. Ran felt his warm skin against her hand. “Because parents have been friends and decided a long time ago that if their children haven’t married at a certain age, they can have each other. Because some parents don’t have enough money to provide for their child and they want them to marry someone who can. Because of making sure they got wealthy spouses. Because of some opportunities.” He shook his head. “There are too many reasons, and since it’s not illegal…”

“Though I think it should be”, Ran snorted.

“Well, I think so too.”

They changed smiles. Ran wasn’t sure what to think of this all. Well, even though her parents have said that it was best for her, she believed that money was the reason. Even though she has believed that they got enough money to survive, it could be possible that they didn’t. Maybe that was the reason why they decided that Ran should marry someone.

“So… What was your reason?”

Man didn’t raise his gaze on her. “Because of my parents... No, because my mother is impatient”, he answered. “After high school, she just asked why I don’t have a girlfriend, and I just said that I haven’t found anyone interesting. So, I was all by myself, mostly working. Then my parents came to visit some weeks ago and she was still so confused that I didn’t have anyone, so without asking from me, I believe she took reins on her hands.”

Ran laughed. “Pretty hard to believe that you don’t have a girlfriend already.”

He met her eyes, looking a little confused. “Why?”

She shrugged. “Well, handsome man like you…” Then she stopped with horror. Did she really say that out loud? She looked at the man who first looked more confused before he started to smile. "No, I mean... I... You know... I didn't mean it... like... that, you know?" she tried to save herself.

"Do I?" he asked.

"Well, you know, I mean that..." The man started to laugh and Ran stopped and looked at him with confusion before she realised that he was just making fun of her. "You idiot, forget what I said earlier! I understand pretty good why no one wants you!" Yet a smile came to her lips too. Somehow she felt a little lighter than earlier even though she wasn't ready to forgive her parents. But still, this was better than nothing. Maybe this was all she needed? To talk to someone who would understand.

Then her phone started to ring. She took it out and felt how her good mood was fading away. It was her mother.

“Not going to answer?”

“It’s mom”, she answered and put the phone on the table, just muting it. “I… I just don’t want to talk to her yet.” She sighed. “Though I know I should probably go back to home and live with this miserable faith, but… I don’t want to.”

The man leaned back and crossed his arms. “Then, what would you like to do?”

Ran gazed out of the window. The day was beautiful, yet the sight of Tokyo made her somehow feel… sad? She knew she has two months before weddings, yet she told herself that the time would go too fast for her. Would she learn to live with this? Could she ever walk the street of the city without feeling anxious, sad, lonely? Could she go anywhere in Tokyo without counting days at the weddings?

She felt like she would love to go somewhere. Somewhere where she could just forget everything and enjoy her life. Yet she didn’t know where. She wouldn't have enough money to travel too far, nor have any friends whose place she could stay overnight.

“I don’t know”, she answered honestly. “I just thought that I would love to leave Tokyo for a day or two. Going somewhere where I don’t have to remember these problems. Run away from everything.”

He didn’t say anything, and maybe Ran didn’t even wait for an answer. What could he say in this situation anyway?

Her phone started to ring again. Her mother. She probably should just face the reality and answer her.

“Before you answer”, his voice interrupted Ran who was just taking her phone in her hand, “what about we run away together?”

“What?” Ran asked and looked at him like she hasn't heard him right. Well, she was sure that she had heard it wrong, but he looked at her so seriously that she doubted it.

“Let’s run away together”, he repeated and smiled. “Why not? We both wanted to go somewhere else. So why not go together?”

Ran just stared at him. What was he suggesting? There were so many problems with that idea, and she wasn’t even sure where to start.

So, she laughed. “As much I like the idea, do you know how many problems there are?” She shook her head. “That’s not going to happen.”

“Humour me”, he said as he fixed his posture on the chair. Ran couldn’t believe how carefree that man could be.

“Why would you want to go with me?” she asked. “You just don’t know me.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” he answered. Then he shrugged. “Maybe I want to know you.”

“I’m going to be married.”

“As do I.”

Ran shook her head. This didn't go anywhere. “But I don’t know who you are or anything else”, she said. “I don’t even know your name…”

“I’m Shinichi.”

“Ran.” Only then Ran realized what she has done, and almost immediately she just wanted to slap herself on the cheek. Idiot! She was too easy.

“Ran”, he said like tasting her name. “I like it.”

“It doesn’t matter if you like it or not”, she protested even though she felt her cheeks to say otherwise. “Why should I trust you to go anywhere with you? How do I know if you just… if you… What do you really want from me? Why me?”

Shinichi smiled. “Ah, you’re a woman of reason. I like it”, he said. “Well, you are right. I could just try to get you somewhere and do bad things. But… well, I can’t give anything else than my word of it that I’m not here to hurt you or do anything else to you.” He kept a little break like thinking what to say next. “I’m just… We are in the same situation, aren’t we? I don’t want to go home yet, though I don’t know where else to go. I don’t have many friends, and even if I would, I’m not sure if I want to be with them, because I don’t believe they could understand what I’m going through right now.”

“But you said earlier that anyone could be in the same situation, they just don’t say it out loud…” She shrugged. “Maybe they can understand.”

He looked away and for a moment Ran thought it was it. That he had given up.

“Do you have… someone?” He looked at her again. “Someone who you want to talk about this and who would understand?”

“Yes, I… I…” Ran has thought that answer would have been clear. Sonoko. She was her best friend, she could tell her everything and she would understand. And yet, right now Sonoko was the one who had a boyfriend, who enjoyed her life and was going to marry him one day. So even if Sonoko would understand her, how about Ran? Ran knew she shouldn’t, yet she was jealous of Sonoko. She got something Ran didn’t, and even though she was happy for her best friend, could she still not be chagrined because of it?

“You…?”

“But still, I can’t go with you”, she continued skipping his question. “I have to go back, because… I… I don’t dare to leave my parents in a bad situation because of me.”

“I didn’t say we are going to stay anywhere for a long time”, he said. “Maybe day or two? Just some take off from everything, nothing more.”

“And…” Ran felt like she wouldn’t like to say it out loud, but if that would be key to decline this, then so be it. “And I don’t actually have money for traveling.” She laughed nervously and looked around her. “For me eating breakfast here is a luxury, and I can’t do things like this too often…”

“Don’t worry about it”, he said. “I can pay for this trip.”

“No, you can’t”, Ran laughed, but seeing how serious Shinichi was, she let her smile fade. “You can’t have enough money for both of us…”

He shrugged. “I have done work too long and not really having anything where to spend them, so… why not?”

“But you’re going to get married and have a family”, Ran objected. “Shouldn’t you save for it?”

Shinichi raised his eyebrow. “Well, I would still be working, so I don’t see any problem here.”

Ran just stared at him. “Sorry for being bold, but what on earth are you doing for a living?”

“Let’s just say I’m kinda entrepreneur.”

“Entrepreneur?” Ran repeated still trying to understand how. “Is that some family business or…”

“Just me”, he answered. Shinichi started to smile when he saw Ran’s suspicious gaze. “And no, I’m not selling drugs or anything like that. Actually, I’m kinda working against things like that.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty.”

“Then how…”

“I just started to make a name for myself in high school”, he answered. “So, when I started, people knew me. That’s it.” And before Ran had time to ask more, he leaned forward. “So, how about a trip, you and me? I’ll pay. You just keep me company and enjoy.”

Ran stared at those blue eyes which glimmered with enthusiasm. As nice as the offer sounded, she knew she shouldn’t accept it. And even though it was the right thing to do, it made her feel bad already. Though she wasn’t sure why. It felt like she should say yes, go with this stranger…

“I’m sorry, I can’t”, she said finally and turned her gaze away. "I just... can't."

Yeah, this was the right thing to do.

He didn’t answer right away, and Ran didn’t dare to look at him. Maybe she was afraid that he would be sad about her answer. Or maybe angry?

“Well, it’s okay”, he answered quietly. Then she heard how he stood up and moved the chair in its own place on the other side of the table. Only then Ran raised her gaze to follow how he took his jacket on his arm and then turned to her. He smiled, though it wasn’t as bright it has been. Somehow it made Ran’s heart sink a little.

“Thank you for the company”, he said and bowed for her. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Ran.”

Ran wanted to answer him. She wanted to apologize that she couldn’t accept his offer. She wanted to say that she was happy to meet him too, that he had made her day a little better, yet nothing came out of her mouth. In the end, she just smiled at him with a sad expression and let him go without saying anything.

It’s all right, she told herself. He was a stranger. Even though he was nice, who knew what he would have done to her after they were left. Even though he has good intentions, who knew where it would have led her. And even if he just wanted company for his trip, maybe he could ask one of his friends…

But if it was okay, why she felt so terrible? Why she was sad about doing the right thing? Why…

Her phone started to ring again. Third time. The caller was the same as before. She took the phone in her hand, yet she didn’t answer it. She knew she should, but she couldn’t. She didn’t want to face reality, not yet.

She looked out of the window. Maybe she could send her mom a message, saying that she wasn’t ready to talk to her or her father. That she would come home later, after some shopping. Yeah, shopping sounded good. Maybe she would feel better after walking from shop to shop, seeing all the beautiful clothes, make-ups, and everything, buying something nice for herself…

Why doesn’t it made her feel any better?

She stood up, took her handbag, and walked as fast as she could out of the restaurant. She called an elevator, but since both of them were too slow for her, she decided to take the stairs. And she moved as fast as she could, floor after another. And then she got to the first floor, and for a moment she scolded herself for being an idiot before she saw him. He stood at the reception, and Ran’s guess was that he was paying, though she didn't know that he had stayed here. Well, it didn’t matter to her.

So, she walked towards him.

“Thank you for staying, hope we see you again!”

“Thank you”, Shinichi answered and turned around to leave. Then he froze in front of her.

She smiled carefully while squeezing her handbag’s strap nervously. “Hey.”

He answered her smile. “Hey.”

Ran felt how her heart was racing in her chest. “I wonder… Is your offer still available?”

Chapter 2

#Shinranweek2021 #ShinRan #Day 1: First Meeting #Arranged Marriage Au #First part #Maybe also a last xD #Shinichi Kudo #Ran Mouri #Detective Conan

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m-i-r · 4 years

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NaLu 2020 hints compilation -Part 2-

You can find part one here

So now that the year's pretty much come to its end (finally) and there's no new content to add (unless Mashima gets really generous on us in the final stretch, but I doubt xD), I decided to make a part two with all the new stuff that we got since part one~

Just like part 1, let's start with twitter doodles:

Mashima has now participated in NaLu day for the third year in a row! And this time he has drawn us two doodles, one is set in some AU where Natsu's smart enough to be Lucy's tutor (lol), and the other one's more IC but it's left for the fans to color~ I believe that the first one was inspired by the FT x QQ collab that was going on in the FT game around that time.It's cute to see Lucy blush so intensely at tutor!Natsu, she truly has it bad for this dork in each and every universe. xD This also makes me wonder if Natsu could’ve been smart if he was raised by his human parents normally. His older brother's kind of a genius after all, so the right genes are there lol.

As for the second doodle, I absolutely love how close and comfortable they are w/ e/o, and the way Natsu's precious scarf is intentionally put around Lucy too is adorable♥

Now, onto Live Autograph Session hints!

Mashima was asked to draw NaLu twice during this session:

And he told us throughout it that's he aware of NaLu's popularity and likes them himself. He also said that they're fun to draw, and are being drawn in a "more than friends" fashion in the manga rn (which he likes). He also eluded that you need to read 100YQ to see their development. Hopefully he lives up to his promises lol.

Now onto the manga!

On the bright side: They finally reunited and their daughter even got canonized in a sense!

On the not-so-bright side: They're separated again and Mashima's still not developing Natsu orz

But let's take it step by step:

In chapter 61, we got this lovely moment where Lucy’s more worried about Natsu than herself.

Her special and unique feelings for this dork are made more and more apparent. She's the only character who's truly, canonically in love with him.

In chapter 62, we got another moment:

This one I believe is easy to connect to the moment from the movie "Dragon Cry". (In it Natsu partly becomes a dragon, but the transformation isn't complete and it's reversed. At the end though, Natsu asks Lucy what he looks like to her - feeling obviously conflicted at not being completely human - but Lucy responds that he just looks like Natsu to her. That immediately relieves him (which is better illustrated in Mashima's sketches for the movie) and he later passes out in her arms.)

In this moment, Natsu’s flat out called a dragon and a demon, but it doesn't even make him flinch, because it's no longer a subject that he's conflicted about (like in the movie), and that's all thanks to Lucy - which is why I believe she’s the only one illustrated despite him generally talking about friends and people who believe in him. Lucy has a particular, special and deep impact on Natsu, and I believe he’ll be made to realize it more and more as the sequel progresses.

In chapter 63, Natsu and Lucy are finally reunited, and the cover illustrates their reunion:

I think it's important to note that while they're not the only ones that got "reunited", their reunion took the spotlight, and Juvia's face says it all heh.

In chapter 64, we got some classic NaLu shenanigans:

I liked seeing Natsu seriously set out to help his smol waifu get back to normal.

The boy even stopped himself from childishly taking advantage of her situation (which he obviously wanted to do for a sec) in favor of helping her lol lol:

and we got to see Lucy wearing his coat in the end:

In chapter 65, we went back to Edolas!

And we saw that Edolas!NaLu are now married and w/ a baby:

Nasha's officially canon! She's not exactly the Nasha that we wanted, but she's the only Nasha that we have for the time being (but she’s absolutely precious nonetheless). XD We even got to know where and how she was made lol:

But what I feel is most important:

1) Ashley assured Lucy that since her relationship with Dragion progressed and is doing well, hers and Natsu's will too:

And what’s even more important to remember is that while Ashley’s the one who’s saying those words, Mashima is the one who’s writing them.

2) Natsu taking a huge liking to Nasha, he even wanted to take her back to Earthland with him:

He may not know how babies are made yet, but he sure seems receptive to the idea of having one already lol. Would be fitting if that’s how the sequel ended, no? (after all the necessary... explanations and realizations ofc)

And last, but not least... Well actually it *is* the least likeable one in here but I think it’s important to mention it:

Chapter 71, Natsu’s pseudo-harem:

Now this one explains a lot about how Mashima perceives Natsu’s character. I remember him once saying that he wanted Natsu to have a love triangle w/ Lucy and Lisanna, but to avoid fandom drama he scratched that idea and made Natsu uninterested in romance instead... Now I see that he took that decision so seriously, Natsu can only feel friendship now lol. But I guess establishing/acknowledging something is the first step towards changing/developing it? This proves to us that Lucy had the right idea about Natsu all those chapters ago. And it explains NaLu’s stagnation even more: Natsu’s completely clueless in the romantic department, while as Lucy’s in love but aware of Natsu’s clueless-ness so she has no courage to start anything, as she’s not the “offensive” type anyways.

So all the cards are on the table now, but the waiting game for what seriously moves things forward continues... Will it be something that makes Lucy more open and offensive? Or will it be something that finally teaches Natsu how human reproduction works the meaning and beauty of romance? We’ll see. Now that Gruvia and JErza’s developments are pretty much complete, I think NaLu’s turn is not that far off.

Hopefully 2021 will be good to them and doesn’t give us any more questionable moments lol

#NaLu

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rhys-ravenfeather · 2 years

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About Myth City, Weird World, and my AHIT AU:

So, I believe I’ve mentioned before that Myth City might likely end up being a lot shorter than I was originally intending (fun fact: I’d actually originally planned for MC to last 10 volumes. Past Rhys, what were you thinking -___-)

Well, last night at work, I had an epiphany. I’d always planned for Myth City to basically just be a starter of sorts for me, in putting myself and my work out there before I got started on a bigger, and hopefully better story. Heck, I started the webcomic with the promise to myself that I was doing so partly for art practice. And I had a LOT more free time back then...enough to do two pages a week some weeks. But now, several years later, I have a solid job. Only part-time for right now, but I’m hoping to change jobs soon, and hopefully get a full-time job...hey, I’ve got bills to pay, after all (seriously though, being an adult hecking SUCKS TAT)

Fact of the matter is, Myth City just isn’t the passion project it once was for me. Honestly? Maybe, really looking back at it, it never really was. I LOVE myths and legends, heck, Gravity Falls is still my favorite cartoon, after all, but I basically only decided to do a story about reincarnated gods because I got into the Percy Jackson series which in turn I only got into because of the mediocre live-action film. I have long since fallen off the bandwagon, and am just not into Greek gods or whatever as I once was (though ironically, I started reading ‘Tristan Strong Punches A Hole in the Sky’...which is from ‘Rick Riordan presents’). Anyway, as time has passed, I’ve developed more and more of a heart for my future story, Weird World, as I come up with ideas for the characters and stories, and work on drafts for that story. And like...I’m just ONE person, doing these stories all on my own. I don’t want to spend years working on a series I’m not even really into anymore, then finally finish it up when I’m like sixty and my carpal tunnel is so bad I can’t even use art programs anymore.

Which is why I’ve decided to end Myth City after it’s next chapter.

Well, the main comic anyway...I’m thinking of leaving the ‘full/official’ series itself at eight chapters, hopefully giving all of the main characters enough of a chance to shine, and then just do like, little mini-comics with the characters in-between Weird World, and other stuff.

Because yeah, at this point I’m really just trying to end the story I told...but I also still love Shay, Helena, Maverick and the others too much to drop them completely. Hopefully I can actually manage to fit in some references to the original mythologies, and more stuff about the city and its laws in said mini-comics...

As for Weird World, like I mentioned, I’ve just...been more and more inspired to get into the story, or at least draw the main cast, and get a chance to introduce you guys to them...enough to scrap my ORIGINAL planned short story, ‘In-Between’. As time has passed and the story has gotten time to develop, it’s just become more and more in line with my interests, new and old: shapeshifting, cryptids, science fantasy, adventure, found family. Not to mention pretty much the entire main cast are retooled versions of my former and current muses from my roleplay blog and AUs :P Not sure when exactly I’ll start doing profile sheets for the characters, so you guys can get a feel for them, but I DO plan to give you guys a sneak peek of at least two later this year. Until then, I’m going to keep working on the story drafts...hopefully with this one I’ll actually be able to get a good chunk of it done before starting the actual comic, so, unlike with Myth City, I don’t just basically go into it half-cocked.

Oh yeah, also, thanks to people like @majormeilani and @gracebeth3604 / @askamnesiamoonjumper my creative juices for my own AHIT AU have kind of been reinvigorated...*looks at my fanfic* well, even more than they already were, anyway XD I still want to try working on other stuff...like, as mentioned, previews of the Weird World characters, but I HAVE come up with a few new ideas for drawings for my AU...one of which I plan to work on some time after coming back from my Easter break in a couple weeks; basically as an ‘intro’ of sorts for the uninitiated?

So yeah, look forward to that...among other things, in the not-too-distant future ;)

#rhys-ravenfeather signing in #long post #about my art #my original stories #p.s. one of the main characters in weird world is in fact based off a CERTAIN character in ahit #one reason i want to do some more stuff for my ahit au...

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franeridart · 4 years

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Anon said: i dont know what blue lock is but that art you just posted is making me interested lol

AHHHHH please getting people interested in it is all my life is about lately hahahaha it’s a sports manga about soccer! Kind of!! Definitely has all the good sides of sports manga, but it’s also different enough from the usual sports manga that I know people who aren’t huge sports manga fan who loved every second of it, please do give it a try if you find yourself with the time for it! It’s such a cool manga!!!

Anon said: I don't even like BNHA anymore, haven't for more than a year, but your blog still has me shipping the characters somehow. I live for your KiriBaku content (and your KamiJirou stuff, when you post it!)

Gosh, I’m glad I can make you like them still!! It’s such a compliment, honestly ;A; <3

Anon said: so i was looking through your art and stuff and was wondering "hey i wonder if theyve ever drawn voltron stuff" and tbh, i didnt expect you to have

To be fair, if you checked it means that at least a little you thought it was possible lol I haven’t watched anything past s1 of it though, so the chances of me ever picking it up again are less than zero

Anon said: You... are one of the loves of my life... and also the main reason I check tumblr everyday lol.

Anon!!! You’re gonna make me blush here!!!!! ;;;; thank you so much!

Anon said: i started reading bluelock because of u and now im obsessed soooo,,,,, thanks!❤️😭

SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT!!!!!

Anon said: Hii, do you have a Spotify account? If you do, can you share it? I really like the songs u use on your arts, and I would love to see your Playlists Sorry if it's already on your FAQ, I didn't find it And sorry for my bad English ps. I LOVE YOUR KIRIBAKU ARTS THANK YOU

I don’t! I listen to all my music from youtube, because I’m that kind of person lmao happy to hear we share music tastes, though! And thank you so much!!! <3

Anon said: What's your favorite arc of ToG both story wise and art wise?

SCREAMS I don’t know!!!! I’ve been thinking about this ask since getting it I have genuinely zero clue I love all arcs so much for so many different reasons!!!!! The first that comes to mind when I think about it is the workshop battle arc, because I love Viole with everything I have and the whole arc (plus the build up to it too!!) hurts in the most wonderful way, but then I keep thinking about it and I realize there’s so many character I live for that don’t appear in it - I love the floor of death arc SO MUCH cause for one, there’s nearly all my favorite characters in it, and also because it’s such a good, dynamic arc?? everything that happens is so much fun and interesting?? also Hockney is there, and Urek is there, and Garam is there, and the Hell Train gang is all there, so!! AH and the hell train as a whole is so damn good (the dallar show???? my whole soul rests in there, Khun’s trust in Bam!! the coin flip with rachel!! Bam’s whole everything!!!!!!!! GAH) but my fav part of it has to be the hidden floor?? because!!!!!! it’s perfect from start to end, everyone in it is wonderful, Bam’s growth in it!!! GODS! My favorite scene in the whole webtoon is in the hidden floor arc, it’s how much I love it - THEN THERE’S YAMA and the whole arc there is so so SO good too, and the latest arc!! how good is the latest arc!!!!!

so yeah I can’t pick - art wise I think it goes without saying that SIU’s art has only gotten better, so the closest to the newest update you go the more I like the art.... though, my favorite Bam is still the short haired one from the Hell Train arc haha

Anon said: Oh, wow, how stupid of me. Like 2 months ago, I sent you a message telling you how much I loved your work... and I didn’t see it on your page, or anywhere else. Finally today, I discovered I had an inbox where you answered me... 🤦‍♀️... I still love your work, by the way...

AHHH yeah I always answer off-anon asks privately! And thank you so much for still liking my things!!

Anon said: Have you read the last haikyuu chapter? How did you feel about it?

I’ve reread it at least twenty times and then I went and reread the whole of the last game again and it’s been three weeks and I’m still thinking about it more or less constantly and feeling giddy happy about everything that manga has ended up being, genuinely one of the best manga I’ve ever had the pleasure of following till the very end - that’s how I feel about it <3

Anon said: I really like looking at your art it’s so therapeutic it’s wonderful please keep drawing I want to support you on Kofi and patreon and yet I am broke please just know I love u very much ok bye

Ahhhh it’s okay anon! I try to keep as little completely unavailable for my followers as I can, and I’ll do my best to keep drawing! Can’t promise the fandoms will always be stuff you care about though haha

Anon said: This is my FAVORITE art blog. Is blog even a word that ppl use anymore?? Idk but anyways your kiribaku gives me life and cures my depression so ily and thank u

I’m so so happy to hear that! Thank you so much!!! TTATT <3

Anon said: just now realizing your oc looks like the human version of kamakiri

To be fair the only thing they have in common is the green mohawk, but I get where you’re coming from! I was very happy when Kamakiri’s official colors came out exactly cause he makes me think about my boy, after all xD my love for Kamakiri is definitely biased, in that sense haha

Anon said: Just wanted to let u know im very gay for ur oc giulia that is all thanks

Anon I’m gonna cry I’m so glad you like her!!!!!!!!!! She’s one of my oldest OCs out of that group, it’s always so thrilling to know people like her ;A; <3

Anon said: I really like how you draw kirishima’s hair

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!! I have a lot of fun with it, though it does mean it ends up being kinda off canon more often than not haha

Anon said: hi! just a random question but how’d you come up with your name?

Fran is my name! Erid comes from Eridan from homestuck! Art is what I try to do! And that’s the incredibly interesting story behind my screen name haha

Anon said: Heya, so i sent the ask about the person who i suspect either heavily referenced or traced your art (i sent another ask about this tho im not sure if it went through) anyway, it was posted by ****************** you'll know it when you see it i think

Ahhhhhh sorry for how long this took me to answer, I went to check and it’s!!! fine, I mean, would have preferred if they had credited but I don’t think it was completely traced so I don’t mind too much, I used to copy art of people I liked too back when I was first starting, after all haha

#fran answers #many chattering tonight #anyway yes please do go check blue lock out I assure everyone it's a cool af manga #long post #also spoilers for tog in one of the answers #i went off there hahaha

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redstainedsocks · 4 years

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Baby It’s Cold Outside Inside

Fill for the @whump-advent-calendar! These are still sort-of chronological for the series, but don’t follow on exactly from where I’m posting with the rest, just other fun (for us, not for them xD) things I imagine happening. Think of them as random snapshots of their time in captivity ;)

Warnings: Hypothermia, cuddling for warmth (creepy style!), forced to strip, forced nudity, ice bath, waterboarding, begging, torture, hurt as punishment, defiant whumpee, conditioned whumpee, pet names, creepy whumper, lady whumper.

“Strip.”

The order is simple enough but it still makes Alex’s mental gears grind to a halt. He knew he wasn’t going to get out of this lightly, but being cornered in the bathroom while Adria has a look of absolute glee on her face, is making his heart beat painfully hard.

“Why? What are you gonna do?”

“Me? Darling boy I’m not going to do anything, you made it quite clear how much you don’t want my touch.”

Which is true. He’s pulled away one too many times, hissed in pain and disgust, flinched, shrugged off her hands… he doesn’t know how Jasper does it, just puts up with the scalding heat of her touch. He eyes the full bathtub, the water cool--no fire beneath to warm it like there usually is. He gulps. He could try to fight this, shove and push and run, but there’s not really anywhere to go and as soon as she catches him it will be worse. He’ll just make it worse. Slowly he lifts the hem of his jumper and pulls his t-shirt off with it.

So far he’s kept a little of his dignity here, some small amount of privacy. He’s changed in the bathroom, and never been naked. They’ve seen his skin injured and bared, but they’ve never seen him stripped bare, not like this.

She watches him like he’s a treat to savour, and he waits to see if she’ll lick her lips like a cat, or bat him around like a mouse between her paws.

He covers himself once he’s naked, and her eyes alight, her smile widens. “In you get.”

He glances at the full tub and grits his teeth. Steels himself. It can’t be that bad, can it? He can do this. He climbs in, wincing at the cool wash of water over toes, ankles, calves, knees. Lowers down into it until he sits with his legs drawn up and his arms wrapped around them.

“Now what?”

She shrugs, cocks her head to the side. He listens too, hears the sound of Jasper tap-tap-tapping in the room next door. The cold room. Several feet lower down, there’s a flight of steps down into the room. The tapping is an ice pick. It’s Jasper chipping away buckets full of ice from the large behemoth blocks that keep the room cold.

Alex shivers just knowing what’s coming.

Jasper comes huffing and puffing into the room, nose and cheeks red, but his body warmed by exertion. “All of it?” he asks, accent thick with worry.

Adria kisses him on the cheek and gestures him passed her, where she stands guard in the doorway. “All of it, pet.”

The ice hits the water in a haphazard series of clunks, clattering down and splashing Alex with the tepid, room temperature water that he’s already sitting in. The ice hits his toes, his shins, and it only takes a few seconds for the first bucketful to lower the temperature. His bare skin feels the shift and he cries out, moving instinctually to get up, get out, not thinking only reacting.

“Do. Not. Get. Out.” Adria’s voice cuts through his clouded senses and he stops halfway out of the water.

Glaring, not willing to back down, he lowers back into the water. Three more buckets of ice follow.

There’s a hand on his head, fingers wrapped into his hair, and it’s holding him under. Ice in his lungs, freezing water squeezing every muscle, constricting his ribs and his stomach, and he can’t draw breath and his eyes sting in the cold. He thrashes, weaker now than before, desperate for air and release and warmth and--

The hand hauls him up and he coughs, bitter cold acid in his throat and he chokes as his teeth chatter. Jasper’s hand loosens, pets shakely at the back of his head. Alex watches with wide eyes, as Jasper looks anywhere but at his face.

“Thank you, pet, that will do.”

“Yes Mistress.”

Jasper is all hollowed out, his eyes empty, and it makes Alex feel even more alone. Jasper just… goes away, and Alex doesn’t know how he does it, but he becomes a vessel and tool for her hurt. He shivers harder, sending little ripples across the surface, as Jasper stands and leaves.

“H-how much longer?” Alex asks, between the clashing of his teeth.

“Until you beg for my warmth and mean it.” Adria crosses her arms and leans against the door frame. Drinking in his suffering. Her red hair and creamy skin look so warm and inviting, but the look on her face is utterly devoid of anything human, any compassion.

Still, he opens his mouth to speak, willing to say the words right now if it gets him out of this. One swift raise of her hand stops him.

“Not until you mean it, or I’ll come over there and boil you alive.” Adria snaps her fingers, and he flinches.

He wonders if he lays very still if he’ll notice the water level rise as the ice begins to melt. He won’t try getting up again, or lifting more of his body above the waterline. Being held under by Jasper over and over was enough to learn that lesson, the threat of her touch turning the ice water to searing steam is enough to make him wait it out, too.

--- --- ---

His skin has paled, and he’s mesmerized by his palms, so much lighter than usual. His jaw aches, deep into his skull and bringing on a headache the likes of which he’s never known, all from his teeth clattering. Jasper has reloaded the tub twice, and Alex can’t even tell if he’s crying, or if his face is just wet from the rising water, and the way he keeps slipping below the surface.

He hears them talking about someone who will get them more ice, and they can use as much as it takes for him to submit, and he can’t make sense of any of it--except for the idea that he has to do something to put an end to this.

His eyes skim around the room, landing on her face and skittering away again. She won’t let him die, will she? He groans, as more muscles seize and ache, his back arching against the pain. Then he flops back into water and another round of violent shivering. He bites his lip and listens to his own heartbeat thudding in his ears.

“Please, it hurts. H-h-hurts, let-let me out.” he looks to her, cries out, and bites his own tongue as his body clenches. Metallic liquid floods his mouth and his hands fly out to the sides of the tub. His fingertips are ashen grey. “Please, my queen, please.”

She waves one hand, “Continue.”

He can beg now? It's time? The words tumble from his mouth, asking for warmth, begging for touch, agreeing not to pull away again, to be--if not good, at least better. He hopes he isn’t making promises he can’t keep. He probably is, but he’s too far gone to care.

--- --- ---

Jasper helps him get dry, and into a pair of loose sweatpants, and Alex clings to his warmth. He’s still shaking, and he flinches as Adria approaches. He hopes it doesn’t look like more than a violent tremble.

She has a blanket and pulls him close, folds his arms over his chest and wraps the blanket tightly around him. He is pliant, even as his limbs ache and won’t loosen. The blanket pulls tightly around and around, wrapping between one arm and over the other until he’s swaddled so completely he can barely move his upper body.

“There, now, would you like to sit with me by the fire?”

He nods, even as he tests the hold of the restriction.

“Words, Alex.”

“Please… umm, please take me to the fire. I, I would like to sit with you, near you.”

She smiles, teeth glinting, and leads him to the main cavern where a fire is roaring in the pit and cushions are piled on the seating around it. It takes both Adria and Jasper to keep him on his shaking feet.

She pushes him to the ground, between her knees, and he folds up there caught in the hold of her swaddling--trapped in the room of her making, and the punishment of her choosing. She cards fingers through his damp hair, strokes the sides of his face. He aches, even as the warmth seeps into his bones.

She tells him it’s better when he’s good and he nods, even though he doesn’t believe it. She tells him it’s easy to give in, and he watches Jasper’s face twitch, and then grow distant all over again.

And later, when she slips a burning hand below the folds of the blanket to touch the skin of his shoulder and his neck, she lets him turn his face into the soft swell of her thigh, and scream.

[Taglist: @lonesome--hunter, @whumpthisway, @slaintetowhump @untilthepainstarts @sneeze-queen @muddy-swamp-princess @i-contain-multitud-s @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi]

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