#the bridge kingdom fanfic

[kh-yumio]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Ventus (Kingdom Hearts), Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts) Additional Tags: Mentioned Lauriam (Kingdom Hearts), Mentioned Terra (Kingdom Hearts), Mentioned Aqua (Kingdom Hearts), Mentioned Kairi (Kingdom Hearts), Mentioned Elrena (Kingdom Hearts), Darkness is Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts), or not?, Post-Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence Summary:

Having returned from the realm of darkness and now joining forces with Lauriam and Elrena to remember their past, Ventus has a conversation with the darkness within his heart.

"I am you; I was separated from you, but at the same time, I am not you. So, what do you think I am?"

[thoughtfullyrainynightmare]

Yay your asks are open

Can I please get headcanons with Fuegoleon, William, and nozel with an s/o who sings beautifully and sings them a soft lullaby as he lays his head on their lap when he has a headache from overworking?

Yes they are!! ^^

Oh this was so cute that I just had to jump on it, and... I got a bit carried away ^^' Whoops. But I do hope that you like these ^^

Pairings: Fuegoleon x gn!reader, William x gn!reader, Nozel x gn!reader

Genre: Fluff

Fanfic type: Oneshots

Warnings: None

Total length: ~2.6k

Fuegoleon

Dusk was beginning to peek from behind the horizon and with it, just behind the treeline, you could see a veil of orange, red and gold, almost as if the warmth of your home was reflected in the world that opened before you from the window. Though, at times, you mused to yourself that it was only fitting to see such sunsets from the Crimson Lion Kings’ living quarters. It was a mere thought that tugged the corner of your lips up for a short while, in passing, whenever it occurred. But just as a summer breeze, in was soon swept away.

The door behind you opened, which made you turn around, only to see your husband return much earlier than anticipated. Not that you complained, oh no. In fact, it was much better this way, that he came home early every once in a while to get some rest.

But, just as soon as he stepped through the door, your expression turned into a frown, as the gentle loving smile you had grown to know, wasn’t there. Instead, he was pinching the bridge of his nose, and his head hung low; as low as it might hang when speaking about the king among lions.

His hair draped over his shoulders, and his cape was hanging from his left arm as he held it against his body, as if having shed some weight off of his shoulders.

Which in itself, perhaps, shouldn’t have been surprising. If anything, it was a wonder how he could carry the weight of his responsibilities with such elegance and poise to begin with. But, then again, he was special. He was strong and brilliant.

However, now, something was the matter, which is why you needed to ask about it.

“Is everything alright, my love?” You inquired, voice soft and gentle like silk to his ear, as in it there was also a welcome to home.

“Yes,” he replied as a faint smile appeared on his lips while hanging the cape away. “It’s just that… I think the last week has taken a toll on me, as I have a headache.” He admitted. And in the admission there was a hint of a … not quite shame, but perhaps apprehension. Because he knew that he ought to take good care of himself. After all, he was always telling you to get plenty of sleep, and remember to rest, while working ungodly hours himself.

“Then you should rest,” you said, speaking out a fact with a kind, understanding smile. Because you did understand him. You understood his drive, his motivations and wish to be the best version of himself while wanting nothing but the best for his knights and the kingdom. But he shouldn’t do it at the expense of his health.

Which he knew.

“Come one,” you urged with a near whisper while taking his hand and leading him towards the bed, with which he complied.

Of course he complied. Because though he might have had to retire early for the day, because of a headache, and simply not being able to process information, having you there made it all the more sweet; being home. Though, he had to wonder, if it would have felt like being at home in the first place without you being there. Because home was no longer a place for him, it was a person; you.

And as you laid together in bed, him placing his head onto your lap as you sat against the headboard, he could already feel some of the tension and dreariness off his body seeping away from him.

You sank your fingers into his hair and let the silken locks run through your fingers, gentle like a summer stream on a warm evening just washing over his body.

“Would it be easier if I removed my hair tie?” He inquired while looking at you with those eyes that were not quite royal purple and not quite lavender, but something else instead. A combination of silk and velvet that pulled you in time and time again.

“Maybe, if you like this that is,” you smirked, earning a chuckle from him as he lifted himself just enough to take off the hair tie and settle back down, head securely in your lap.

And just like that he closed his eyes, sinking into the sensation of your fingers brushing against his scalp, through the vermillion locks that bore the slightest scent of lavender. His chest rose as he took a deep inhale, and lowered back down with a steady, low, exhale that held the slightest hint of a hum.

With it, you begun humming a tune that had grown to be fond to you. A comforting melody of a lullaby that he had grown to know well too, and yet not quite well enough for his taste. A melody that he had only heard you hum, since you thought it to be, perhaps, strange to be singing a lullaby to him.

“Which song is that?” He thought to ask, this time, as he laid there, concentrating on the feeling of your touch.

“It’s a lullaby,” you answered with the faintest of senses of amusement in your tone.

“Oh,” he uttered, meaning nothing more with it. “Will you sing?”

There was a hint of absurdity in the request, but only a hint, a speck of dust on an open ocean. Because, he loved to listen to you sing.

“You wish to hear?”

He chuckled, only a little, and almost too quietly for you to hear. Almost, but not quite. “I love to hear you sing.”

And with it you, in turn, chuckled under your breath, before breathing in, and beginning to sing: “Golden slumbers kiss your eyes…”

His smile grew wider, more content, softer and more relaxed, as if all the burdens of the world couldn’t reach him anymore.

“Smiles await you when you rise…”

His breathing grew more calm and deep, speaking of how he was supposed to dose off out of exhaustion, the weariness in his bones. But he had more than earned a good rest. So, you sang, and let him drift away as you held him, with a wide, proud, loving smile on your lips.

William

Light cascaded in through the window, painting the entire room in various hues of golden light with the setting sun, as if creating a veil between the world that existed outside and the room itself. A welcomed state of being that allowed one to settle in for the night, for the evening, and to shed the burdens of life behind the bedroom door. Though, sometimes, it was easier than at other times, which was only natural.

And from the way William walked in through the door that evening, told you enough.

It’d be one of the days, when shedding that burden would be harder.

His eyes were down, and his chin was hanging low, but still he tried to give you a faint smile as a greeting.

And yet there was something in his demeanour that spoke of something else, an added sense of trouble.

“How was your day?” You asked with an innocent question as he put his cloak and mask away for the day.

His steps were heavy, nearly dragging. And the exhale, nearly a sigh, was almost defeated.

“Long,” he replied after a brief pause. “And I seem to have gotten a headache too,” he continued, almost as if an afterthought.

“Well… you do have a lot on your mind,” you told, with faint, careful amusement, to which he replied with a quiet chuckle.

“That I do,” he agreed as he sat onto the bed and took off his boots.

“You should rest, for the evening,” your voice was gentle, warm and loving, but beneath the layers there was a hidden sense of insisting. Because that was what he should do. He should rest, and take his mind off of work, for at least a short amount of time.

“I’ll try,” he sounded absent minded. He sounded like he knew that he should, while being simultaneously reluctant to do so, because of the age old dilemma of needing to think about it in order to think of a solution, and that allowing him to do something about it. Only that he had more of a habit of staying in thinking of even a better solution, as he had difficulties, at times, in settling for one.

But that was an observation that you had made, as his spouse, and it would stay as your observation.

“I know something that will make you feel better,” there was a hint of a tease in your tone, as if laced with a delicious smirk that he could hear.

And so, he turned his head, to look over his shoulder with a curious hum.

“Mhm,” you grinned while climbing onto the bed from the other side. “Come here,” you tapped the covers next to you, close to the head of the bed. “I’ll sing for you.”

His eyes fell again, but this time his lips were tugged up into a smile, as if burden was leaving him layer by layer, and relief took its place. “Like my beloved songbird,” he spoke out loud, but it sounded more like something he was thinking. Because you were his precious, beloved songbird; his nickname for you.

“Like your beloved songbird,” you teased as you settled against the head of the bed, and sat with your legs straight in front of you. “Come rest your weary head, and I’ll sing,” you repeated with a smile and a smirk. Something that was a bit of both, but was quite neither.

There was another, inaudible chuckle from him, as he crawled over the sheets to you and placed his head onto your lap.

“Is this alright?” He asked while settling down, because he didn’t want the weight of his head to cause discomfort to you.

“Yes, it’s alright,” you replied while running your fingers through his hair and over his scar. You could still remember the day when he had first shown it to you, and it had been clear from his eyes, his demeanour and the words he had said, that he was terrified to his bones of you leaving him.

But how could you have? He had trusted his insecurities onto you, and he was still as handsome as ever, perhaps even more handsome, because of it.

And now, as those deep purple eyes of his, like amethysts, closed and settled into the sensation of your fingers running over his skin, your smile was as wide as ever. The golden light of the setting sun cascaded onto his complexion as he took a deep breath, and sank further in into the moment.

“Now it’s time to say good night…”

The corner of his mouth tugged further up as the first notes left your lips.

“Good night, sleep tight…”

As if whatever headache would have been there had subsided into thin air with the sound of your voice.

“Now the sun turns out his light…”

And who knows, perhaps, it had.

“Good night, sleep tight…”

But what you did know, was that the man, the person you loved with all your hear, was drifting into sleep right there, in your arms, to the sound of your voice.

Nozel

Most would perhaps have said that the halls of the Silver Eagle base, or their part of the castle, was cold and hollow, as if painted with silver, snow and ice. But, for those who knew better, only one was true. For those walls might have bore the colour of silver here and there, and though you could understand why the cold of winter frost had howled through the halls, once upon a time, to you, here and now, the specks of silver glimmered in the light of the setting sun, and made it seem as if the star sky was right there on earth itself.

And it was there, under that glimmer of silver and light that the door to your bedroom opened, and revealed the frowning face of your beloved.

His eyes were down, and his chin was lowered, which wasn’t an unusual sight per se. Because there was a lot on his plate, and he wore his heart on his sleeve while at home. He didn’t hide his emotions from you.

“Rough day?” You asked with a compassionate smile and a gentle tone that flowed through the air like feathers caught in a breeze.

“It was,” he sighed while putting his cloak away. “All of it gave me a headache.”

“Hmm,” you hummed with a hint of a tease. “Or it was rough because you had a headache?” You suggested, making him glance to you.

“Does it matter?” He quirked on eyebrow.

“It matters if you haven’t remembered to drink enough water and eaten well,” you told him while reaching him.

And he still looked at you, but didn’t say a word. Which told you enough.

Your look told him enough. Because you had had this conversation before, and he assured you that he’d eat and drink and take care of himself. But it was sometimes difficult being in the position that he was.

So, you did also understand him.

“Have you eaten now?” You asked while brushing his hair back with your fingers.

“Yes, I ate right before coming here,” he replied, and there was no lie in his eyes or his tone, so you nodded.

“Then come on, let’s get some rest for that gorgeous head of yours,” you smirked while tugging his hand closer to the bed.

“Just my head?” He asked with tired eyes and a tender smile, and you laughed.

It was a short, and yet loud laugh that left your lungs. Because he didn’t joke often. Only once in a blue moon.

Most would have argued that he didn’t have a ‘fun bone’ in his body, but you knew better. He had a sense of humour too. He just didn’t show it. Because he wasn’t supposed to be funny. He wasn’t supposed to make people laugh.

But it didn’t mean that he wouldn’t have been able to make a joke, when he was comfortable in doing so.

“All of you,” you corrected with a slight laugh while climbing onto the bed and pulling him with you.

The sheets were soft, silken, perhaps far too comfortable, as if a silver cloud floating through the air as you crawled to the headboard and propped yourself against it.

“You can rest your head on my lap,” you told him while patting your thigh and smiling to him.

And again, he said nothing, but instead followed the suggestion and settled his head onto your lap.

His arms wrapped around your body, and his legs tangled together with yours as he closed his eyes, and breathed in your scent as it seemed he was ready to drift off into sleep.

“Somewhere over the rainbow…”

Your ran your fingers through his hair, which was thick and lush; silken much like the bedsheets under you.

“Way up high…”

The rising and falling of his chest grew more and more heavy, tranquil.

“There’s a land that I heard of…”

As if the melody, the sound of your voice was making his worries and troubles melt away and his pain subside like storm clouds.

“Once in a lullaby…”

The word you would have used to describe him in that moment, would have been ‘adorable’, something that one wouldn’t have thought of the dashing captain of the Silver Eagles. But… he was, in fact, adorable. Behind closed doors.

[bettathanyou]

The Aftermath Of Being A Hero

Y/N x Cedric, Based on the fanfic "The Master Wand" by @shychick-52

A fanfic of a fanfic, y'all. Based off of @shychick-52 's A03 work, "The Master Wand", AN AMAZING FANFIC IF YOU HAVENT READ IT GO DO IT RIGHT NOW. It's still a work in progress, but after... Certain events, I needed to write something to comfort Cedric cuz my heart hurts too much.

Also, yes, I did spend a stupid amount of time researching 19th century/modern day rib fracture treatment. Also symptoms. For the sake of a fanfic of a fanfic. Sue me!

Anyways enjoy, shout-out to everyone else who read @shychick-52's work and deserves financial compensation.

Warnings: blood mentioned, alluding to injuries, implications of medicinal drug use

The days following Cedric's return back to Enchancia were... A blur, if he's being honest. It still felt surreal that he was back in his tower again, completely untouched from his absence as if it never happened to begin with.

Oh, how Cedric envied it.

Every breath was now a painful reminder of what he endured, and of the vile things he had to do for Sofia's survival. Every shadow felt like a trap waiting to be sprung on the sorcerer, dragging him back in chains that rendered him helpless.

Hell, he can't even look at himself without the evidence of those haunting events written in black and blue bruises across his eye and face.

The entire kingdom hailed him as a hero, again, and the newfound respect Cedric had been given these last few weeks is now "forever immortalized", as King Roland declared.

Cedruc glanced down at the specks of red against his fingers from another coughing fit, grimacing.

Respect was a hell of a price to pay, as he's come to know now.

Not that respect was the main fuel for his actions, anyways. Cedric had long since made peace with dying, if it meant Sofia was safely returned home without a scratch. Truthfully, he couldn't imagine a way to do that without laying down his life, but...

Now Cedric has to deal with the aftermath of being a hero, again, but this time didn't feel nearly as gratifying; if anything, Cedric felt like a fraud.

"...Am I really a hero after doing such awful, terrible things?" Cedric questioned himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. The lingering silence was his only response, of course. Cedric fidgets restlessly, the lack of an answer mirroring the uncertainty stirring in the sorcerer's heart.

Needy for a distraction from his thoughts, along with his broken rib, Cedric takes a drag on his pipe. Each inhale felt like both a blessing and a curse. He knew that smoking with a broken rib wasn't smart, given the breathlessness he's already experienced due to his injuries; but willow bark tea does little to nothing for his pain, and Cedric isn't going to accept whatever brain numbing nonsense, like opium, a doctor would prescribe.

May as well get some relief if I'm damned either way, Cedric thought to himself, shrugging as he takes another hit.

He sputters out the smoke with a fit of short, painful coughs that quickly give rise to wheezing. Cedric's coughing had only gotten worse as he returned home, the restrictive tugging on his chest growing by the day; equally, to the darkening of the bruises and swelling on his left side.

The sorcerer covers his mouth with his sleeve, feeling lightheaded from the struggle to just force oxygen back into his lungs. Tears began to build as he coughed, at first from the physical pain; the stabbing, radiating burn and soft clicking of broken bones felt as if Grimtrix was digging his foot into his side, over and over again.

But what really stole the breath from Cedric's lungs, was the foul tang of his own blood in the back of his throat. The sorcerer can't help but gag; he wasn't squeamish by any means, before the Order. But now, the taste, even the sight of blood was enough to make panic take control of his heart.

Cedric didn't really know when the coughing slowly started to dissolve into weak sobs, but the tears were falling, plip plip plip, as hot and heavy as his own blood from his lips.

His free hand scrambled to hold onto the workshop bench, leaning forward onto it for support until the cough spell faded.

Just as the lanky man was regaining his composure, a knock at his door made Cedric nearly jump out of his skin.

A strangled yelp catches in his throat, and if Cedric wasn't so pissed off at the sudden interruption, he would've been embarrassed by such a noise leaving him.

The sorcerer waves his hand with a soft curse towards the heavy oak door, not having the energy or care to bother greeting whoever it was. Cedric had it made up in his mind that he would just give them what they wanted, then swiftly kick them out again.

He turns to glare at his unwelcome visitor, honestly expecting one of the royal children or a castle staff member.

Before he gets the chance to speak, however, Cedric's mind immediately blanks when his caramel eyes meet yours.

"...I wasn't bothering you too much, I hope?" You offered with a nervous, apologetic smile. Cedric had made it clear that he felt fine enough to resume work like normal, and DIDN'T need any doctor's aid for his injuries, and you wanted to respect his wishes, of course.

Although your own anxiety had won out anyways, which has led you to knocking on the sorcerer's door.

"No, not at all."

Cedric replies with a tight smile, which makes your heart sink.

"I just- wanted to check up on you. I know you said you're fine, but, well... You know me."

You rub the back of your neck as you eye Cedric with a knowing look, which melts his stern face with a tiny smile in reply.

"I'd like to think so, my dear."

He replied back, suppressing the urge to cough as his breath waned. The sorcerer clears his throat, trying to downplay it. You notice how he doesn't really answer

And I know you too, Cedric. You think to yourself after a moment, your eyes leaving his to scan his body properly.

You saw how torn up the sorcerer was when he first returned- despite your pleas to help him, he insisted to be left alone, that he was fine.

Now, you weren't sure if he looked any better or worse since that day.

At least he wasn't covered in so much blood this time.

The dark circles usually under Cedric's eyes have somehow gotten more dark, making it appear like he has two black eyes instead of one. The gash on his forehead has been bandaged, at least, but the linen strips are already beginning to unravel. Your gaze settled over to his hands, wringing in a nervous habit, thick bandages surrounding the base of his knuckles and fingers.

You didn't glean any details from Cedric yet, but you heard enough from the rumors flying about the castle from what Sofia recounted. Cedric got beaten up, bad, and it showed.

I can't imagine what else he's hiding underneath that robe... You think to yourself, swallowing the dread as you step forward and approach Cedric.

The sorcerer watches you with wary eyes as you come closer, not really making a move to embrace you.

You pause for a moment, a tense silence filling the room from a million things left unspoken between you both. You look up at Cedric, eyes searching for... You don't even know, really. Confirmation, that he really is okay?

Or that he actually isn't, because who would be? How could you even begin to console him after such horrors?

You exhale through your nose, but shove your insecurities aside. Your hand rests on Cedric's arm, squeezing it gently. Your palms rub up and down in soothing motions, feeling how tense his body was underneath your touch.

"... Your bandage is starting to come undone." You whisper softly, lifting your hand away from cedric's arm to free the strands of silver hair sticking out from the gauze.

"I know."

The sorcerer sighs wearily, turning to rub his cheek and avoid the concern etched on your face. Cedric felt the dull ache of unshed tears behind his eyes, pent up from the thick wall of his defenses.

"I'll fix it later- you don't have to worry, darling." Cedric mutters, inhaling sharply in pain as another chunk of hair was unraveled from the loose linen wrappings. He squeezed his injured hand shut, resisting the urge to flinch and make his discomfort be known.

You frown in turn, exhaling softly in slight exasperation.

"I'm already worried, Cedric."

Bits of dried blood still clumped at the ends of his hair, the white locks stained a rust color. It was evident that the bandages were made in haste, and haven't been properly looked after since. You knew Cedric was a perfectionist to a fault, and the feeling of loose cloth rubbing against his forehead would've surely made him go crazy by now.

Something was definitely wrong here; your gut was right. Cedric wasn't taking care of himself at all- instead opting to isolate in his tower, until he can properly mask his own emotional disarray from others.

Cedric shrivels under your piercing gaze, knowing that the effort to pretend to be okay was ultimately fruitless. Yet he still does it, like a bad habit he still can't quite shake off. Guilt begins to gnaw at him, and he shifts in place restlessly.

You grab his hand, seeing his anxiety and offering him relief through your touch. Cedric intertwines your fingers together, his thumb caressing yours. The silence wasn't so dense, now.

If felt opposite, in fact- fragile, like one word would shatter the sorcerer into a million tiny pieces.

He takes in another painful breath.

You hear the slight wheeze in his following exhale, and it pricks your heart. Gently kissing his unbandaged fingertips, you try to impart love and care into his skin, to show that you're here, with him, and he can trust you.

"We need to change those bandages together... alright?"

Your gaze lifted upward towards the sorcerer, desperation and love swirling together alongside the welling tears in your eyes.

Cedric swallows, hard, trying to keep up the facade of composure. As if there was any more room within himself to stuff down the tears, or the lingering sense of doom and panic that keeps him up at night, or the inevitable feeling of his soul cracking and splitting in half, much like the broken rib lying in his chest.

Which is why, with only a quiet sob, Cedric says, "I know."

________

You gather the remaining ingredients and supplies necessary from Cedric's workshop into your arms before dutifully walking back to the washroom. Cedric was sitting on the floor, the cold tile pressing into his thighs grounding him still to reality. He heart was racing, the fear of your reaction making him almost regret agreeing to this at all.

But seeing you round the corner, supplies in tow with your arms barely balancing it all made a smile creep along his cheeks.

You huff, placing everything down haphazardly on the edge of the sink. Bandages, tinctures, a wound salve Cedric uses for everyday accidents, scissors, alcohol, a couple rags, and a small bucket were amongst the lineup of things you had prepped.

"Spared no expense, I see..." Cedric commented, trying to crack a joke to keep his fear in check.

You smile to yourself, then turn to Cedric.

"For you? Always."

That got Cedric to genuinely smile, his previous fear transforming into soft butterflies in his stomach.

After washing your hands thoroughly, You kneel down in front of him, scissors in your hand.

"I'm going to cut away the old wrappings first, okay?" You lightly touch Cedric's cheek, and he responds by giving your hand a quick kiss, followed by a nod.

You get to work cutting through the loose linen, your heart racing by the second as the cloth gets more stained with the rusty color of dried blood.

Carefully peeling away the old bandage from his forehead, you gasp at the clotted blood and hair sticking to the gash, a semblance of a scab forming at the edges. The skin around it was smeared with blackish brown blood, mixing with the bruises lingering on his brow.

"Cedric..." You whispered in anguish, your face falling.

The sorcerer hangs his head, and you tear your eyes away from the injury to grab a rag, dipping it into the warm water gathered in the bucket you brought in.

You wipe the mess on his forehead clean, Cedric wincing underneath you. The sound breaks your heart of course, but you knew you had to keep going. The wound could've easily gotten infected by now, and the idea of letting that happen to him made you angry- at him, for not letting you help in the first place; then, yourself, for not acting sooner regardless.

But that anger doesn't hold a candle to rage you felt towards the people responsible for this.

"...Are you alright, dear?" Cedric asks in a small voice, his finger touching your arm as it works on his head.

You sigh, heart breaking. Of course this sweet man would ask- always concerned about the needs and emotions of others around him, even with his head split open.

"I should be asking you that-," you reply, frustration seeping into your words more than you liked. You feel Cedric's sad eyes burn into you, not knowing how to reply.

You turn away, unable to bear those brown eyes that make your heart ache.

"I'm fine, love. Really, I... I just." You stop, unable to find the words to say that could explain yourself. You sigh loudly, leaving your sentence hanging midair as you turn to the sink to change the subject. This wasn't supposed to be about you, anyways.

"I don't know what to put on your gash... I kinda just grabbed stuff." You muttered, gesturing to the bottles you've seen Cedric grab a few times when accidents injured him.

Cedric doesn't even lift his head as he replies, "The yellow jar- with the mismatched lid."

You grab it, returning to his side. Cedric stares at the lid that squeaks in the way that always annoyed him, because he lost the damn lid due to an explosion, while patching up another, different injury.

He feels the familiar ointment be pressed into his skin, and a pained groan leaves him at the biting sting of it. Cedric leans further into the wall, and you cringe apologetically.

"I'm sorry- should I stop?"

"No, no- just, make it quick, please." He says through gritted teeth, and you quickly cover the rest. Grabbing the rag, you clean the dried bits of blood out of his silver bangs, until they get back to their soft white-grey color.

He exhales in a sigh of relief, but that triggered a coughing fit as his bones creaked in protest. He doubles over, the wheezing taking hold as his entire frame shakes with the force of his coughing.

"Cedric-?!" You cried in concern, staring helplessly as the sorcerer continued to struggle to inhale. The pain stabbing in his lung felt like his side was on fire, and his hands scrambled to grab the rag on the floor to cough into- tasting the metallic tang already climbing up his throat.

You see the blotches of red staining the cloth, the air in your lungs stolen.

"Cedric..? You-"

"I know, it's bad." He grimaced, cutting you off as he groaned.

Seeing your skin blanch, he's quick to console you.

"It can't be helped- broken ribs sort of do that, I suppose!" His voice cracked like his rib as he forced out a laugh, hoping you would crack a smile.

You didn't.

"If you knew it was bad, why did you say you were fine! You can't just hide a broken bone from me, Cedric!" Your voice hardens, brow furrowed deeply as your gaze holds on the fresh red specks on the rag.

"....I know- I'm sorry, (y/n)." Cedric shoulders droop, his arm cradling his inflamed side as well as his wounded heart. The guilt cut clean through him, and there was nowhere to hide from your piercing eyes that always stripped him down to his most vulnerable.

Cedric cuts through the silence first, tracing the grout between the tiles of the washroom floor.

"I know I should've said something. I know I should've- asked for help..." Cedric sighs, painfully.

"I just... I couldn't. I couldn't keep looking at it- the bruises, the cuts, the- the blood..." Each word makes the sorcerer tremble further, cringing at the rag in his hand. Another piece of evidence damning him to that same night, where he was beaten half to death.

"Everything since that day has reminded me of it, somehow. I just- I don't know, I didn't want to see you, or anyone else, to see me like this. Broken."

Your frown deepens, then your eyes, soften as you process what Cedric said. Your own tears start to form, and you regret snapping on the man. He was already hurting enough, and now instead of helping, you were making it worse.

"Or, having to see the way you're looking at me right now." Cedric added, lifting your chin away from the rag, your eyes crashing into his sweet caramel brown irises.

You hold each other's stare, until you break the silence next.

"How am I looking at you, Cedric?" You ask, voice soft and apologetic. You trace the curves of his cheeks with your hands.

"Like you blame yourself..." Cedric replies in a melancholy tone, his sad eyes locking with yours.

You swallow the urge to apologize on instinct, but a small "I'm sorry," leaves you anyways, turning your face away to take your eyes off him.

"Don't apologize, (y/n)." Cedric catches your face in his hands, turning you back to him.

"I thought I wanted things to just go back to normal- you know. Before, everything happened..." Cedric's eyes darken, but he presses on.

"But it seems like no matter how much I want to avoid it, I can't. Don't have much choice, really." His flicker down to the bloodied rag, damning him once again.

Your eyes track his, biting your lip in a concerned pout.

"You don't have to do it alone." You offer gently, resting your hands on his shoulders, giving it an encouraging squeeze.

Cedric smiles, grasping your hands in his and squeezing them back.

"I know; I'm sor-"

Cedric gasps as his sentence is swiftly cut off by your warm lips. He melts into the kiss, his hands cupping your face. For a brief moment, it was like all the pain and tension bound to his body faded with each brush of your lips together. Cedric can't find the strength to pull away, needing every passing second to last longer.

You feel him finally relax, and you kiss him a few seconds longer before you have to part for air.

Cedric cough slightly trying to catch his breath, the pain making him flinch a little while he hugs his side.

You noticed, playing with the seams of his robe.

"Let me see?" You coaxed nervously.

"It's not pretty, darling..." He replies with a sigh.

"It's you, so that's clearly not true." You retort without missing a beat.

That got Cedric to relax a little, a small smile spreading across his cheeks.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Cedric smirks, but his eyes still are wary.

You kiss his cheek, shrugging off his robe.

"Don't worry about it. I'm here to help." You reassured him, stripping him down slowly and apologizing every time he winced from the crack of his ribs.

Shirtless, you lift Cedric's arm out of the way. You can't stop the gasp of shock that leaves your mouth; purple and green splotches lined up Cedric's side, as well as in clusters all over his chest and arms. It makes your eyes sting, and your heart prick, looking at the extent of the damage.

"Oh, Cedric..." You breathed out, your hands barely brush against his bare skin, afraid to even touch him.

"Told you so." He replied, chuckling awkwardly.

"...I'm not going anywhere. We need to ice this." You speak firmly, steeling yourself to treat Cedric further.

"Allow me, then." Cedric straightens up slightly, eager to flaunt his magic. He mumbles the magic words, an ice pack manifesting in your hand.

"...Thank you, love." You reply, pressing the cold pack against Cedric's angry looking bruises.

Cedric groans instantly from the contact, and you aren't sure if it's in pain or relief. His body seizes up a bit, and before you can pull the ice away from him, he rests his gloved hand on your arm.

"I should be telling you that..." Cedric mused, rubbing soft circles into the crook of your elbow.

"You don't need to. It's what I want to do- by making sure you're okay."

You smile, kissing the tip of Cedric's nose.

"...I will be, as long as I'm with you." Cedric sighs, feeling content for the first time since he returned to Enchancia.

He pulls you into his lap, then shortly into another kiss. It was sweet, and soft, and perfect.

"I think I feel better already, love." Cedric eyes you with a flirty smile, and you laugh, a sound that lights Cedric up from the inside out.

Yeah.

He was going to be alright.

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #1196: Date Night With a Handsome Ex-King (Super Smash Bros Ultimate X Darkstalkers)

8:21 p.m. at Crimsonettê Dining Restaurant........

Dedede: (Burst Out Laughing Wearing a Snazzy Blue Tuxedo, Sitting on One Side of the Table) Oho man! (Wipes a Tear From his Eye) Ain't no way that happened.

Morrigan: (Giggles Softly Wearing a Glamorous Black Green Dress with the Back of her Hair Tied Up in a Bun, Sitting on the Other Side) It's the honest truth! One strong kick to the sacred jewels and his eyes started to pop out of it's own. A harsh, painful treatment for sure, that's the price he pays for trying to mess with my sister and the other women behind my back.

Dedede: (Nodded in Agreement) Yeah, Karma's a mean one, I'll tell ya what. (Smiles Softly) Good on your sister for looking out for you and the ladies.

Morrigan: (Happily Clasps her Hands Together) Yes!~ She has grown up into a divine young lady these days. I can never be more proud to be her doting big sister~ (Turns Back to her Date) Do you have siblings of your own, my dear?

Dedede: Nah. I'm an only child. The closest things i have to ones are the folks back home at the mansion nd my boi, Escargoon. (Hears his Phone Ringing on the Table as He Looks Down to See his Best Friend's Calling Him) Speaking of which....(Looks Up at Morrigan) Wanna meet him?

Morrigan: (Happily Nodded) Yes, please~

Dedede: You got it! (Answers the Phone in a Video Call) Dedede's speaking!

Escargoon: (Happily Greets Dedede on his Phone Screen) Hello!~

Dedede: (Smiles Back) 'Ey, man! How you been?

Escargoon: Pretty good so far! (Smiles Sheepishly While Rubbing the Back of his Head Back and Forth on Screen) Sorry I haven't got the chance to see or speak to you again as of late. My schedule has gotten a little more busier this new year around.

Dedede: Nah, don't worry about it. I've been busy myself trying to find me a brand new Wheelie to replace.

Escargoon: (Raises an Eyebrow) Already? What happened to your old one?

Dedede: Guess.

Escargoon: It broke down again, didn't it?

Dedede: Yeah, in the MIDDLE of the damn road! And it got towed again shortly after.

Escargoon: (Eyes Widened a Bit) In one day? Talk about unlucky.......

Dedede: (Sighs While Pinching the Bridge of his Nose) It's more irritating if anything.....(Went Back to Smiling) On the bright side, I got me a girlfriend along the way.

Escargoon: (Forms a Sly Smirk on his Face On Screen) Ahhh!~ So that's why you're all dressed up tonight?~ Looking pretty sharp if you do say so myself, De.

Dedede: (Playfully Bows at Escargoon) Why, thank ya, thank ya! It ain't my best fit in the globe, but I gotta look my very best for the pretty, gorgeous lady sitting right in front of me as we speak~

Morrigan: (Giggles Softly)

Dedede: Oh yeah, speaking of which......(Turns his Phone Around Tiwards his Date) Escar, this my date, Morrigan Aensland. Morrigan, my best friend, Escargoon.

Morrigan: (Smiles Softly at the Screen) A pleasure to meet you at last, Mr. Escargoon~

Escargoon: (Chuckles Lightly) Likewise. But please, just call me Escar. Mr Escargoon is my father's name oddy enough- (Suddebly Felt a Hand Poking Him) Hm? (Turns to See a Waddle Dee Standing Nextvto Him On Screen) What's up?

The Waddle Dee is telling Escargoon something on screen.

Escargoon: (Eyes Widened at the Waddle Dee) Wait. Right now!? I thought it starts in an hour or two! (Watches the Waddle Shaking his Head and Explaing Everything to Him Before Sighing in Defeat on Screen) Well, alright, get the choir ready. I'll join you all there in a minute.

Waddle Dee salutes to Escargoon before sprinting away on screen.

Dedede: Y'all having a show tonight or something?

Escargoon: Yeah, it's part of this tribute show we're been putting together for the new king of Dreamland. (Starts Rolling his Eyes a Bit) Guess he's tired of waiting.

Dedede: (Rolls his Eyes in a Bit of Annoyance) New king, huh? How he's running the kingdom so far?

Escargoon: (Shrugs) Decently. He can be a a real pompous jerk at times, but he does the job fine enough I guess. Some of the people there has been asking about you though, even that Tiff girl we were beefing with in the past.

Dedede: Does she now? And here I thought she still hated my guts.

Escargoon: (Shakes his Hand Around a Bit) Eh. She says she does, but I can tell she has some ounce of care for you whether she wants to admit it or not.

Dedede: ('Heh') Knowing her, I bet she would try and run across the entire mountain before she ever try to do that!

Escargoon: (Chuckles a Bit)Yeah, same. But anyways I better get going before crowd starts getting moody again. (Happily Waves Goodbye at the Couple) Hope you two have fun on your tonight!~ And Morrigan, would you mind keeping De out of trouble for me while you're at? Thanks

Dedede: (Glares at Escargoon a Bit) The hell man!? I can take care if myself just fin-

Morrigan: (Giggles Softly) He's already in good hands, my friend~ Don't worry.

Dedede: Morrigan, don't encourage him!-

Morrigan: (Happily Waves Back at the Slug Man) Best of luck to you at tonight's performance, Escar!~

Escargoon: Thanks, again! See ya!

'Call End'

Morrigan: (Turns Back to Dedede with a Smile) I like your friend. He seems nice.

Dedede: (Rolls his Eyes) Yeah, when he jot trying to be a smartass. 'Already have enough of that back home.

Morrigan: (Nodded in Agreement) I feel your pain. There's never been a day in the world where my little sister didn't give me any smart remarks. It's annoying really.

Dedede: Amen to that.

????: Well, whaddya we have here?

Dedede turns around to see the leader of Star Wolf, Wolf O' Donell standing behind the chair he's sitting on.

Dedede: Yo, Wolf! How you been? (Gets Himself Up From his Seat and Dab Wolf Up) I didn't take you for a fancy dinner fan.

Wolf: ('Heh') Far from it. I'm actually here on a double date with Izzy, Panther and his lady for tonight. See?

Wolf shows Dedede his table in mid-close distance where his girlfriend, Isabelle, laughing and socializing with Panther and his date, a yellow feline dressed in a royal Egyptian like fashion.

Dedede: Huh. (Points Wolf to Panther's Date in Question) That's Panther's date over there? An Egyptian Queen?

Wolf: Yeah, 'least that's what she claims herself to be. We met her back at Horizon Island a while back and her and lover boy here have been almost inseparable ever since.

Dedede: (Eyes Widened in Genuine Surprise) Damn, really? I never took that boy for the commitment type.

Wolf: Neither did I. Hell, I'm surprised they're lasting longer than I thought they would. (Notices Dedede's Date Sitting on His Table) Anyways, who's your new date this time?

Dedede: Morrigan Aensland. (Forms a Proud Grin on his Face) The most gorgeous succubus you'll ever met~

Morrigan: (Happily Waves Hello to Wolf) Hello!~

Wolf: You're dating a succubus.

Dedede: That's what I just sa- (Notices Wolf Staring at Him with Deadpinned Look in his Eyes) Oh come on! Don't look at me like that! I can take care of myself just fine.

Wolf: (Raises an Eyebrow) Really. Need I remind about the time I had to save your ass from some witch that tried to kidnap you?

Flashback

The briefly beautiful Witch Gruntilda continues to howl in evil laughter with Dedede as her poorly tied up capture until a Wolfen suddenly swoops in and knocking both her and the Ex-King out towards the night skies.

End of Flashback

Dedede: (Rolls his Eyes) Riiight. How can I ever forget the time you sent us flying across the stars?

Wolf: (Facepalms Himself While Sighing) How many times do I have to apologize for that? Leon caught you afterwards!

Dedede: Yeah! No thanks to you!

Wolf: (Shrugs) Hey, a save's a save. I consider that a worthy accomplishment.

Dedede: Accomplishment my- ('Groans') Whatevah. The point is that Morrigan ain't like that witch or any other crazy nutjobs I dated in the past!

Wolf: You sure? Cause I believe anything can happen in a like this, especially when one of your disastrous dates gets involved.

Dedede: I'm as sure as I am close to knockin' you upside the head if y'all don't stop worrying ove-

'Ahem'

The duo turns back towards Morrigan, giving her a much needed attention.

Morrigan: Excuse me, Mr. Wolfman?

Wolf: ('Ugh') Wolfman sounds like my grandpa's nickname. Just Wolf O' Donell is fine, lady.

Morrigan: Ooh~ Lovely name. (Quickly Clears her Throat Before Going Back on Topic) Anyways, I understand your concerns completely, but please let me assure you and everyone else in the Smash Family that I will do everything in my power to keep my sweet, darling king safe and happy from this day forward. As well as giving him some much needed love and affection, of course~ (Winks at her King)

Wolf: (Whispers to an Already Flustered Dedede) Sweet, Darling King, huh?

Dedede: (Comes Back to Reality Before Rolling his Eyes at Wolf Again) She already knows I'm Ex-Royalty, don't even start. (Forms a Teasing Smirk) Besides, it's leagues better than being called Wolfie-Kins 24/7.

Wolf: (Starts Glaring at Dedede) Don't you fucking eve-

Isabelle: (In the Distance) Wolfie!~

Dedede: Speak of the devil~

Morrigan: Is that ypur date for the event?

Wolf: ('Sigh') Yeah, I better get back to my Tae before she starts getting worried again. (Starts Walking Away) Have fun in your date or whatever.

Morrigan: (Happily Waves Goodbye to Wolf) Likewise!~

Dedede: Y'all don't do anything I wouldn't do over there, Wolfie-Boi! (Laughs Wholeheartedly)

Wolf gives Dedede the middle finger as he continues walking off.

Dedede: ('Sigh') That boi is still as soft as ever, I'll tell ya what.

Morrigan: (Starts Frowning a Bit) Dedede dear, do you mind if I ask you question for the evening?

Dedede: (Happily Shakes his Head at Morrigan as He Sits Back Down in his Down) Not at all. Whatcha wanna ask me?

Morrigan: Your previous dates. Were they....really as disastrous as Wolf said

Dedede: I.....(Smiles Awkwardly as He Starts Rubbing The Back of his Head Back and Forth) Wouldn't exactly call all of them a....completely disastrous or anything! (Let's Out an Awkward Chuckle) Unless you wanna count all the kidnappings, the stood ups, the debit card bankruptcies that happened the day after, or that one time I used as a surgery test dummy by some creepy looking nurse lady.

Morrigan: (Eyes Widened in Complete Shock) What!? Why would she do such a thing?

Dedede: (Shrugs) Your guess is as hella good as mine, girl. B-But it's fine! Not great, but it's a lot better than getting possess most of the time by dark matter-Why the hell did I say that out loud?

Morrigan: (Starts Getting Worried) Darling......

Dedede: ('Sigh') Listen, I know it ain't an easy ride for me along the way, but that's all behind me now, especially all the trouble I caused that got into being former king to begin with. I ain't shit.

Morrigan: Maybe to some. (Gently plave her Hand on Top of her Date) But you're shit to me. (Smiles Softly)

Dedede: (Stares at Morrigan Forba Brief Second Before....) Pffft Hehehehehehehehehehh!!!

Morrigan: (Immediately Places on a Playful Pouty Look on her Face) Dedede! How dare you? We were having a sincere moment here!!

Dedede: (Tries Calming his Laughing Down) Sorry, sorry. Your word delivery just threw me off for a second here.

Morrigan: (Shrugs While Letting Out a Sigh) I suppose....But seriously though, I meant every word I said in case you were wondering. And believe me when I say that I wasn't any better of person myself. (Looks Down at her Glass of Wine) I've done things that were selfish and thoughtless, most of which I regretted to this very day.

Dedede: (Forms a Reassuring Smile) Hey, that's cool. It happens to the most of us at times. (Gently Grav Hold of Morrigan's Hand) We just gotta try to better ourselves and keep pushing forward the best we can, you know?

Morrigan: (Stares at Dedede Smile For a Few Seconds Before Smiling Back) Yes. I agree. And...if you don't mind, I would like continue to push forward....,(Gently Squeezes Dedede's Hand) With you by my side.

Dedede: (Smiles Brightly) Sounds good to me!

An Hour or Two Dinner and a Wheelie Ride Around the Town Later.......

Dedede: (Parking his Wheelie in Front of the Smash Mansion's Entrance) Here we are! (Takes hus Helmet Off of his Face Before Taking a Deep Breath) Home sweet home! (Politeky Bows to his Date) After you, m'lady~

Morrigan: (Giggles Softly as She Steps Out of the Front of the Ride) Such a gentleman~ I appericate you giving me a tour around the town this evening. (Wraps her Arm Around Dedede's as the Two Make Their Way to the Front Entrance) It was very fun experience.

Dedede: No problem. What kind of escort i would be for I didn't give you a nice little joyride in a night like this? Now, are you sure you don't wanna come inside here for a little while? We can watch some TV to pass up the time.

Morrigan: That would also be lovely. ('Sigh') But atlas!~ I must get my beauty sleep for the rest of the Nighy. I have a busy schedule ahead of me tomorrow I'm afraid.

Dedede: (Frowns a Bit) Oh.....

Morrigan: (Places her Hands onto Both of Dedede's Cheeks and Wiggles hus Face From Side to Side a Bit) But don't you worry your cute, handsome face~ I'll be sure to call and text you first thing in the morning. So please.....(Gives Dedede a Nice, Loving Kiss on the Lips Before Pulling Herself Away) Wait for me until then, okay?~

Dedede: (Already Lovestrucked) Y-Yeah~ Sure thing, my queen~ (Immediately Comes Back to Reality Once He Realized What he Just Said) I-I mean, Morrigan! S-Sire thing, Morrigan. That's what I...er meant to say.

Morrigan: (Giggles Some More) about are such a silly man!~ I love it~ (Gives Dedede a Kiss om the Cheek) Have a good night's rest, my dear king. (Summons her Group of Bats to Form a Seat for a Sit On, Waving Goodbye to her Date as They Fly Her Off to the Night Skies) Hope to see you soon!~

Dedede: Likewise. (Waves Back at Morrigan) See ya! (Let's Out a Rekaxed, Satisfied Sigh)

?????: Awwwwwwww!~

Dedede: What the- (Quickly Turns Around to See his Group of Friends and Family Smiling and Smirking at Him Before Facepalming Himself) You gitta be fucking- (Glares at the Gang) Have y'all been spy on us this entire time!!?

Cloud: We won't confirm nor deny that clam.

Dedede: Don't get smart with me, boy.

Luigi: ('Sigh') We're sorry, your majesty. We couldn't help ourselves.

Chun-Li: You two look so cute together in the pictures you sent us earlier that we couldn't help but to spy.

Samus: And now that you two finally parted ways for the night, we are need of every bit of detail you got for us right about now~

Dedede: (Puts on a Deadpinned Look on his Face) Y'all won't leave me alone till I cave in, will you?

Daisy: Yep!~ Especially considering how persistent most of us are.

Samus: Ladies, Weegie, if you will please~

Tifa/Luigi/Chun-Li: (Gives Dedede Six Sets of Puppy Dog Eyes) Pleease tell us about date night, Dedede~ Pleeeeeease?~

Dedede: ('Groans in Defeat') Alright, alright, I'll tell y'all the details! Just quit it with the adorable eyes of yours already, will ya?

Tifa: (Smiles Brightly) Sure!~

Luigi/Chun-Li: Pleasure doing business with you!~

Dedede: (Sighs While Rolling his Eyes Yet Again) Whatevah. (Makes his Way Inside With Everyone Following Behind Him) I swear, each and everyone of y'all are impossible sometimes......

Cloud: Wevcan say the same about you as well, De.

Samus: Doesn't stop us from loving ya though.

Dedede: Yeah, yeah, I love y'all too.

'Door Closed'

As Morrigan continues to fly off within the multiple upon multiple bright stars in the sky, she looks down and scroll to every picture she and her darling King Dedede took together on her phone before she happily hugs it close to her chest, adoring ever moment she spent together with him, hoping to do so again in the very near future.

@ma-lemons

@cyber-wildcat

@albion-93

@tampire

@bestpony666

@boriswolf4423

@italian-love-cake

[dangerously-human]

I was tagged by @alyss-mainwarning for a song shuffle game (I always enjoy these!). Putting in a separate post instead of reblogging because I'm old-fashioned, and I think it's just easier to navigate.

rules: shuffle your “on repeat” playlist and post the first 10 tracks, then tag 10 people

I think we're probably not surprised at this point that it's pretty much all stuff off Ghostbustin' With the Buds, right?

Fairlies - Grian Chatten: Contribution from @womaninwinter's sickos playlist and it's a great THB sound from LW's self-denial POV, especially "Do you miss the days before hope knocked on your door? But you went and fell in love, and into love you fell, and it made you feel unwell, oh well" (Ah. Ow.)

House a Habit - We Are the Guests: I can't remember whose playlist I got this off of, but wow, VERY Lucy leaving vibes, especially the way the narration goes back and forth between the man and woman singing in the second verse. But seriously, this is just painfully on the nose, with lines like "I don't know if I should stay or should I go, he told me this house would always be our home… Everyone tells me to just stay the same, but it's not like that, no it's not like that, oh, tell me someone's out there listening to me 'cause I wanna know that like I wanna know you, oh, stay with me… Everyone tells me you're fine, don't be in love, let's make this house a habit… Oh please don't imagine a life without me, at least not yet, this house is a habit and it's lovely to live in it… This head is a hospital, someone please tend to it" (!!!)

Waking Up - We the Kingdom: I've talked about this one before multiple times, the victorious declaration of returning from the Other Side ("I am alive in the land of the living") as well as something that captures my own healing after the depression years.

Summerland - half•alive: Captures the temporary elation of the warmer months in a way I think vibes well with how Lucy describes that season for the Portland Row trio, the way it's the cycle of it all that even makes it meaningful, and the hope of it all in the ups and downs! "Whatever ain't golden now will only come back around." I'm particularly attached to this for the unseen summer between TCS and TEG. (Also this has been stuck in my head for at least the last week.)

Hot Tea - half•alive: Freaking cute Locklyle vibes! Especially fitting considering all the waxing eloquent about the comforts of good hot tea in these books. "Hold you in my hands like hot tea, knowing I'm safe 'cause you want me," the adopted feral cat energy, it's perfect.

Tip Toes - half•alive: Okay well, I guess this answers the question of what artist is most represented in my L&Co playlist. 😆 (They're actually in second place for that distinction, it's just that I'm also new to their music and so least likely to skip.) This song is SO Lockwood coded, especially the way his desire to make his family name immortal can blur the lines into pride, even the misplaced sacrificial nature and the way he needs to frequently reassess his priorities as a leader. "I'm on my tiptoes, trying to see past my ego, reaching for something more than this feeling of being important, leaving my hear behind is bleeding, but still my pride is screaming, my future will listen to me, will I always know this divide, living most of this war inside, take the ghost of me with the tide to die and release my heart to come alive" - like!!!

Dancing in the Minefields - Andrew Peterson: Used very recently for fanfic title purposes (That's What the Promise Is For), this one just screams Locklyle, married young and facing life's challenges together and helping each other remember the light in the world when the dark closes in. Literally could quote the entire thing for them and struggled not to when I posted the fic, so to choose something I didn't put there, can we just all shriek about that third verse/bridge, especially "So there's nothing left to fear, so I'll walk with you in the shadowlands till the shadows disappear, 'cause he promised not to leave us and his promises are true, so in the face of all this chaos, baby I can dance with you," together?

still feel - half•alive: At any given time having exclamation point variety thoughts about these lyrics, especially as applied to Lockwood, or Kipps, or tbh just broadly across this series. "To realize the hand of life is reaching out, to rid me of my pride I call allegiance to myself… Oh I am not a slave, can't be contained, so pick me from the dark and pull me from the grave, 'cause I still feel alive, when it's hopeless, I start to notice, oh, and I still feel alive" I AM FEELING THINGS!!

Out of the Dark - Tritonal, EMME: I've had this one on repeat while driving a lot lately, it's a great sound, and also a very fun Locklyle song post-THB. Obviously "I know you're scared of diving deep, afraid of what's just out of reach… Sometimes the weight's too much to carry, when it gets heavy, feels like everything's falling apart, so unsteady, you'll be the light to get out of the dark" is delightful imagery for our beloved burdened ghostbusting duo, but also the dual meaning of "There's an end in sight, just hold on tight, you'll make it to the other side" is chef's kiss, they're going to make it to their hash-it-out conversation on the Other Side in TCS and also make it to the other side of the dark in terms of emotional context and setting. Obsessed.

Twenty Something - Nightly: I've already said a few times this is my best inspiration for writing introspective angst lately, used for a Fringe WIP in addition to being on repeat for the writing of Living With the Ghost of You, especially the Lockwood POV chapter. The lyrics are only right at a slant but the vibe is perfect.

I just did one of these so I'm not going to tag anyone this round, but if you happen across this and want to join in, please do say I tagged you!

[ladyniniane]

FE OC WEEK DAY 3: Backstory

A story of sisterhood and unwavering will

After Maeve's introduction and relationships, let's delve into her past, see how her family ended up in Faerghus, how she met her friends and what happened to her during Azure Moon.

You can read the fanfic version here!

@fe-oc-week

TW: Mentions of domestic violence

Maeve was raised by her mother Philomena and her aunt, Nemain. Both came from a well-to-do family of the Alliance. Nemain, who was around a decade older than her sister, had a gift for weaponry and served house Daphnel as a spy and assassin alongside more legal activities. 

A nobleman of the Empire courted Philomena and convinced her to marry him and follow him to Enbarr. Charming and gentle at first, he revealed his true face when the honeymoon ended: that of a violent and abusive man.

Meanwhile, Nemain decided to leave for the Kingdom to start a new life away from political intrigues. She visited her sister, quickly understood what was going on, and offered to take her away from there. Philomena wanted to save her daughter and Nemain’s presence gave her the courage to escape. 

The two women made it out of Adrestia safely. Maeve was just a baby at that time and thus has no memories of the city where she was born. While she was in Enbarr, Nemain had taken with her an orphan girl, Enid, who joined the family. She and Maeve became like sisters. 

The two women started a new business, Nemain’s financial assets allowing them to live comfortably. Growing up, Maeve received a good education and learned manners and etiquette. Her mother taught her to sing, play the lute and hired a private tutor to teach her magic. 

Maeve knew that she was born in Enbarr and that her father was an imperial noble, but she never learned his true name. Even though Philomena never taught her what happened, Maeve read the signs and understood the truth. 

Enid became more and more distant. One day, Maeve heard her argue with Nemain. Her sister was distressed and spoke of something that had been done to her. Enid left without a word soon after. Maeve was 15 and it was one year before the war.

When the war broke up, troops sent by Cornelia attacked the place where Maeve lived. Nemain fought and stayed behind. Philomena tried to rescue her sister, even though she only knew basic spells. Both sisters died that day and Maeve escaped with one of Nemain’s aides who had been trained to fight. 

The two made it to Fraldarius territory with other refugees. Maeve and her guardian stopped at the territory of house Eilyn. Maeve entered the service of the lord’s daughter, Gladys, who had been left in charge of the house. She became her lady-in-waiting as well as the apprentice of the castle’s magician. There, Maeve also met Vigdis, a dancer turned soldier, who also became her friend.

At first, Maeve was supposed to stay behind and guard the castle and this was the case for a year or two. As soon as she was ready to fight, she asked to accompany her friends on their missions. Gladys was keen on maintaining order on her lands and fighting bandits and pillagers. 

Both hardened fighters, Maeve’s friends wondered if she could stomach it. The beginning was indeed difficult. Maeve hesitated and made mistakes and Gladys’ mother, Amalia, tried to convince her to stay behind. But Maeve remembered why she was fighting thus she turned herself into a true soldier.

Gladys’ father died and his daughter inherited the title. She left home with her friends to take a more active role in the fight against the Empire. When Rodrigue learned that Dimitri was still alive and came to his help, Maeve followed her lady. 

Though Maeve was worried about Dimitri’s mental state, she took part in all the subsequent battles. She helped kill a demonic beast at Myrdinn bridge. At Gronder, she hand her unit protected the heavy armored soldiers from the imperial mages.

While the army was recovering at Garreg Mach after Gronder, Maeve met Dedue in the greenhouse. She approached him without hostility and was amazed by the beauty of his flowers.

Maeve fought to retake Fhirdiad. During the battle, she killed a dark mage to save Vigdis who had been badly injured. Under their lady’s command, Gladys’ troops defeated a Titanus and Maeve was among them.

After a victory, a surprise awaited Maeve. Enid had been fighting in the army for all this time and the two sisters where reunited. Though Maeve was at first angry at her disappearance, she listened to Enid’s explanations. Her older sister told her the truth: she had been experimented on by the Agarthans as a child. Deeply hurt and traumatized, Enid was determined to find the truth and stop them. Maeve now understood who her sister truly was: a damaged woman who was still fighting to help the others. She forgave Enid, telling her that she didn’t want to be parted from her again. Enid swore to always stay by her side. During her stay at the capital, Maeve also studied alongside Annette and Sylvain at the school of sorcery under the tutelage of Felix’s cousin, Aoife.

In the meantime, Maeve and Dedue grew closer, spending time and gardening together. She sang for him and he cooked for her. They supported each other through thick and thin. Maeve admired him for his many skills and kindness and her presence delighted him, making Dedue consider a new path for himself and the future, a life where he would listen to his desires. They ultimately confessed their feelings in a moonlit garden in Derdriu. The pair fought side by side at Merceus, their strengths and weaknesses complimenting themselves perfectly.

It was now time for Maeve to go back to Enbarr, though she never imagined that she would enter the city in such circumstances. Maeve fought until the end of the war. After the empress’s defeat, she passed by some imperial nobles who had been made prisoners. They had actively collaborated in all of the war’s atrocities and even helped Those Who Slither in the Dark. A trial and a harsh sentence awaited them. Among them was her father.

Seeing in Maeve the living image of her mother, he immediately understood who she was. He called for her, told her that he was her father and begged her to save him, promising that he would make her a rich woman. When Maeve refused, he tried to guilt-trip her, insisting on the fact that he had given her life. Maeve stayed unmoved. She told him that blood ties meant nothing on their own and that love and respect were earned. She added that he should have thought better before abusing her mother and that his predicament was just the consequence of his actions. She concluded by telling him to use the time he had left to reflect on his behavior. Indifferent to her father’s pleas and insults, she abandoned him to his demise. 

With peace now restored, Maeve could now go back to Faerghus and leave the army. A new life awaited her with Dedue by her side. 

[onaliiiiim]

What makes extroverts introverts

this is a linked universe fanfiction i made in the span of about 5 hours. Also about halfswy through i ended up taking a class on writing so i think thatll help with my fanfics :) I almost cried making this fic tbh

It was a hot and sunny day, I guess that isn’t a surprise considering it was the middle of summer… The Chain had ended up in Champion’s time, left in the middle of a plain, the castle in the distance, there was a bunch of construction all around, it looked like they were making villages or… reforming them….

“Why the fuck is there so much… construction” Legend blurts

“They are… still rebuilding Hyrule after the calamity” Wild answers, avoiding eye contact with the others.

“Yeah no shit, but does there really need to be that much.” Legend answers, looking around at the sight

“I think you might be underestimating just how much this kingdom was destroyed” Time says, which causes Legend to stutter, thinking of a way to fight back.

“….Fuck you….” He says after a moment of thought.

“Anyway…” Twilight says “where to first?” He asks

Wild pauses and looks around, as if deciding where to go first.

“I'm thinking we should head to Castle Town. It looks like since we last saw her, Flora has gotten to work on rebuilding this Hyrule, hiring construction workers… we should check up on her” Wild answers.

The chain had met Flora the last time they were in Wild’s Hyrule, she had blonde hair, about the same length as Wild’s, half of it was braided back with a light blue ribbon the same color as wild’s tunic. She also wore clothes the same shade as the ribbon and had full, green eyes.

It didn’t take too long for them to get to Castle Town, as it was in sight from where they teleported. When they got to Castle Town, they saw a number of people, it looked as if this place had already been finished, they could see many people setting up shop, running around frantically, and chatting loudly. It reminded Twilight of his Castle Town, always busy, only at rest during nighttime, and right at the start of dawn, it was busy again.

“Woah! Cool! I've never seen a place so populated!” Wind yells, running between each shop, bumping into residents in the process. Wild chased after him in an attempt to catch him. He dogged most of the residents before colliding with another traveler, the two hitting each other head first.

Wild hissed and drew back, pinching the bridge of his nose, he mumbles something before looking up at the traveler, the traveler seemed un phased by the impact, but he was staring in shock at Wild, he was just frozen, staring at him.

“I-i sorry sir…” Wild said, trying to free this stranger of the frozen stasis he was in. He was about to get back to chasing down the sailor when the stranger spoke up.

“You… you’re the Hylian Champion… aren’t you…?” the man asked.

Now Wild was frozen. How did this…stranger possibly know who he was?!

“Where could they have possibly gone!?! They could be anywhere!?!” Four says, trying to see above the crowd.

“They can't have wandered far… they’ll be fine…” Time said.

“How can you be so sure, they could’ve been kidnaped for all we know!” Four answered, obviously worried about the two, before taking off through the crowd, ducking down and staying undetected as he ran in the direction of the castle, looking up they saw Sailor, waving the group down. Before the rest of the group took off towards him, everyone but Twilight, as he had caught sight of something else, something he felt was more important…

“I… what..?” Wild said slowly looking up at the traveler.

“You’re the hero, aren’t you?” He said “the blue you’re wearing… is a royal blue, the same blue the champions wear. It's far too rare for just anyone to wear, also your sword and slate are a big giveaway.” He said in such a sure voice, he knew. He knew and Wild couldn’t do anything about it.

“He’s what!?!” A girl squealed excitedly “I never…. Thought id ever meet the hero” someone jumped in. Next thing he knew Champion was surrounded by almost everyone in town.

Wild was panicking at this point, he hated attention and was never used to it. When he tried to run he would be blocked off by more people. It was too much, and it was difficult to hide his emotions when they were THIS strong. Then again, no one seemed to notice his fear, no one seemed to care.

He panicked more when people started trying to touch him, grabbing his hand, trying to touch his sword and slate, and some pulling him towards themself. Wild hated being touched, he hardly even allowed the chain to touch him and had been insanely touch-starved. 

The commotion was way too much for him to handle. when he’d try to get away he would be surrounded with even more people. He wanted more than anything to just curl up into a ball and cry, cry from all the stress, and cry like no one's watching. But he couldn’t, not with so many people watching. 

He put his arms up over his face as if that could get them away, when suddenly he felt the touch of the strangers leave him. He slowly opened his eyes to see a familiar face. Standing in front of the champion, glaring down the crowd, trying to mimic Time’s death glare.

It was Twilight.

“Get away from him! Gosh you guys have no manners!” Twilight yells, and the crowd goes silent. “Do any of you even realize what you’re doing!?” He said, scanning the crowd, he looked towards the castle to see the other seven, they were watching the commotion from afar, half of them looked shocked, while the other half looked to be cheering the two on. Then he looked at Champion, he looked shocked and like he was on the brink of tears. He chose to ignore the other 8 and keep on with his yelling.

“If you guys cant control yourself you need to fuck off and do your own shit, not terrorize people!?!”

“But he’s the hero!” someone yells. Others nod in agreement

“So what if he’s the hero!?!? Doesn’t mean you should treat him any differently!! He’s a human just like the rest of you, the only difference is he cares about this land! About the people of this land! Do ya? Did any of ya stop to think how he felt, how he was reacting to y’all’s attention!” He yelled, and stared into the audience, no one spoke up, so Twi repeated himself. 

“Well? Anyone!?!” He said.

Someone spoke up “W-well no but-“

“Then there you go! Leave! And maybe once you’ve changed, once you're ready, you can try again! But I doubt that’ll ever happen any time soon, after the shit you just pulled, you may not even be accepted to get to talk to him, but what do I know?” He says adding extra emphasis on the I.

“Scram! Now!” He yelled as the others ran back to do their business.

Once the commotion died down, Twi turned to Wild and looked at him with deep concern. Wild looked back at him, he looked shocked, afraid, and there were tears pooling under his eyes.

“Are you ok?” Twilight said soothingly as he got down to Wild’s height.

“You… you just did that.. for…me….” Wild said, voice shaky, looking up at Twilight.

“Of course I did! I couldn’t just let them do that to you!” He answered, putting his hands on Champion's shoulders.

They make eye contact, and seconds later Champion embraces Twilight, crying into his shoulder, desperately trying to muffle it as Twi strokes Wilds hair, remembering how his late mother would do so with him.

“Thank you…” he heard Wild say through his tears.

“No problem” Twilight says as he lays his head on top of Wild’s.

[finitevoid]

I was tagged by @sparrowmoth to share the first few lines of my last 10 fanfics. i dont post half of what I write so to save my sanity from boosting exclusively the relatively old stuff on my ao3 account im just going to include WIPs in progress

Hummingbird Heartbeat

WHAT REMAINS OF CENTRAL CITY, A REACH LABOR CAMP, SPRING 2056 “Did you get it?” Nathaniel frets, clenching and unclenching his fists. “Yeah,” Bart replies, pulling the aforementioned piece of tech from it’s hiding spot tucked into his shoe. It’s small, so it fit against his skinny ankle— long and thin and light.

Warchild (HH's sequel)

GATEWAY CITY, OCTOBER 3RD, 2001, 10 AM He’s looking at her, Helena can tell. She can feel it on the back of her neck. His gaze is heavy, and it almost— burns. When she turns to look back at him, his eyes are scarlet.

Blueberry Bruises

She feels the explosion. Of course she feels the explosion; everyone does. The ground had been wracked with tremors for a good half an hour, but that shaking was paltry compared to the devastating, cacophonous shaking caused by the explosion. She felt it in her teeth, in her bones, in her eyes, and most of all, in her magic. 

Strawberry Split Lip

There is not, actually, zero contact between the Isle of the Lost and the United Kingdoms of Auradon. Both sides may act like there is— the put-upon ignorance of the royals, the cursory sneers of the villains— but the Isle and Auradon are linked; you can’t have one without the other.

From a doc only titled 'SHAME'

Ruggie scratches the pen against notebook paper, filling out a packet of calculations for his Magical Runes class. It’s due in about— he checks his phone—five hours. The test, too, is in about five hours. And Ruggie doesn’t intend to get any sleep between now and then; he gets all his best test scores after an all-nighter spent cramming. 

Diasomnia Fairytale

The boy, Lilia comes to understand, is human. He had seemed unreal, when he found him; not so much a human as something out of a faded, and yet glittering dream. Tiny eyes squeezed shut, pale cheeks and small hands clenched into equally small fists. Pale skin like metallic ichor with hair as light as spun spider-silk.

From a doc that's a pun on the ship name "Ikesoren" and the word "eyesore"

Ike watches as his blood stains the bathwater pink. It sloughs from his skin where the water kisses his sides, lapping gently. The cuts sting, but he can’t bring himself to mind.

A fic I am writing at an irl friend's behest due to his utter glee at my ability to mimic bad ao3 smut

Alhaitham pinches the bridge of his nose, sighs harshly through his mouth, and watches as Kaveh explodes through their front door and into their home. He slams the door behind him with a violence; it rattles in its hinges.

Ruggie Bucchi's Unwitting Foray into Rest and Relaxation

“You work too hard,” Leona’d said, as if he wasn’t lounging, half-dressed, on his unmade, king-sized bed. “It exhausts me just watching you. You should take some time off.”

Prince Kingscholar's Unwitting Foray into Community Outreach

Leona Kingscholar’s life gets significantly weirder after he finally graduates Night Raven College at the ripe age of twenty-two. Well— it doesn’t get weird at first. At first it gets, in retrospect, extremely boring.

i tag uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh myself from the mirror dimension

[bigfrozenfan-fanfics]

About tough decisions to use the right music track to a specific scene

Not all readers of "The Broken Bridge" listen to the hand-selected music tracks for my scenes(*), but I want to go into a little more detail in this particular post so you can see how much effort can go into just one scene.

As you may know, HeinrichVSA, my beta reader and friend, and I work closely together to select certain music tracks. I write and he finds the music tracks that I end up choosing to use. It's not always easy, because on the one hand the length has to fit the scene and on the other hand it has to support the mood as perfectly as possible. I listen to the music while I read the scene at the same time, checking whether the dynamics match certain actions precisely and then I determine the sentence in the story where exactly the music should start. A perfect result would be if the track stops exactly at the end of the scene and the dynamics in it can emphasise certain actions. This doesn't always work, but sometimes it is desirable for the music to cover several scenes.

I can't use many titles simply because they involve singing or speaking, or because there is clapping from the audience at the end. This distracts from reading. So far I've only used two songs with vocals in "The Broken Bridge", but only as bonus tracks at the end of the chapters. With the exception of titles where the vocals are untranslatable and part of the music (Sámi Joik, for example). Watch a film and see how the score is used in certain scenes to heighten the drama, then you'll understand what I mean.

In the last chapter, "Corona", I wanted you not only to read about Fabian's joy at being back home and reliving a childhood memory, but to literally feel his emotions. Everyone knows the scene in Tangled where Rapunzel dances with joy in the square in front of the church and draws other people around her into it. In my opinion, it's one of the best scenes in the film and I love this song.

My only problem with it was how to integrate the relatively short song into the already written scene in such a way that it both emphasises Fabian's thoughts and feelings on the way through the town and ends exactly when the dance is over. The increasing speed of the dance also had to fit in as closely as possible with what had already been written. So I started looking for alternatives over the next few days after finishing the chapter. Some YouTubers extended the song, but either it lost its original dynamics, or you could hear too clearly where the song was edited or it was simply extended in the wrong place. There were also two very well-made remakes from fans to choose from, but either just as short as the original (2 min 20) or unfortunately with adverts at the end. In the end, I decided in favour of an extremely well-made extended version that met all my criteria.

(*) Many Frozen fans on Tumblr don't read fanfics on a computer, but on their smartphone. Tumblr unfortunately has the stupid habit of simply stopping embedded songs in posts when you read with the app. This doesn't happen if you read my chapters in the blog on a laptop, for example.

Here are the songs from Tangled Fans that I sorted out, but which are still great:

Heinrich's 1st choice, the Tavern Edition:

My find, as a violin duet, unfortunately with adverts for more of their videos at the end:

My previous favourite to use song in the chapter, 16 seconds longer than the original, but still extended in the wrong place:

And an alternative track that would have worked in theory, but was unfortunately too long and had applause at the end:

The remaining alternatives with edited originals are only given here as links:

youtube.com/watch?v=d6o9u0a3GJ8 (Kingdom dance (extended, doubled and tripled chorus)) youtube.com/watch?v=81GocqvwTMg (Kingdom Dance crossover with "How To Train Your Dragon" at the end) Someone even came up with the idea of editing this track for a real dance with a length of 4:02, but the dynamics are totally lost in the process: youtube.com/watch?v=cGnhmA3BNbI

The following were also up for selection:

youtube.com/watch?v=VI-JynUarrs (Rapunzel's Exordium by Frostudio Chambersonic) youtube.com/watch?v=sMCwW0TcBYk (Reels, irish dance music, good but far too long) youtube.com/watch?v=u9veEEnax-k (Reels traditional, by Katie Grennan, same as above) youtube.com/watch?v=tIQjHeMYBfg (Slip Jigs, by Katie Grennan, too long, wrong instruments for the scene) and a few others This one is funny for the dance performance starting at 4:19 (Apollo's Fire - O'Carolan Dance scene), but too long as well, laughing in the audience plus applause and too slow over all: youtube.com/watch?v=1OD4jAOp5So youtube.com/watch?v=givlwY9d9UQ (animated movie excerpt, but sadly with spoken words in it)

Last find for the Tangled fans here, a video with animated Corona scenes for relaxing Tangled music to study & relax, with a length of nearly one hour!

[oddmawd]

THE GRASP OF GILDED STRINGS - Chapter 12 [A Doflamingo/OC Fanfic]

SYNOPSIS: Through violence and bloodshed, Donquixote Doflamingo carved out a world of his own making. Now someone is mending the broken toys of Dressrosa with gold — and they did not ask the king of the island for permission. In a land he rules with an iron fist, this small act of rebellion cannot go unchallenged...but for all his schemes and plans, Doflamingo was unprepared to meet the woman behind the gold. Through dogged determination, Saffron engineered a quiet place for herself in the kingdom of Dressrosa. She is content in her self-imposed isolation, because solitude means safety when you have an ability like hers. Too bad she’s been noticed by the one man who could destroy her hard-won way of life. Mending broken toys seemed an act of mercy. Now Saffron can only hope the king of Dressrosa will show her the same. (Doflamingo/OC. Unhealthy relationship. Doffy corrupts. This is not a redemption story.)

TAGS & WARNINGS

PAIRINGS: Doflamingo x OC

RATING: E[xplicit]

WORD COUNT: Chapter 12 is 8.3k

GENRE: Dark Romance, Drama

FANDOM: One Piece

CHARACTERS: Donquixote Doflamingo, Original Characters, Baby 5, Monet, Diamante, Thunder Soldier

TAGS & WARNINGS: Doflamingo is his own warning, coercion, manipulation,

CHAPTER 12 - Excerpt

Saffron woke to a basket of food on her doorstep. A layer of red and white gingham covered simple fare: bread and cheese, smoked fish wrapped in wax paper, and a jar of cherry preserves. She had no doubt who’d sent her the modest basket. Some toy or another had come before Dressrosa’s curfew lifted to pay Ms. Mend-It for past services rendered. Food was expected payment from the toys. So was food of this type. It was food she’d eaten her entire life — common food. Typical food. Mundane food, as plain as it was satiating. And normally Saffron would be happy to receive it, to take it gratefully into her home to sustain her until her next job, without a second thought.

That morning, she picked up the basket and placed it on her hip. Gloved fingers flipped the gingham back, gold-on-silver eyes contemplating the food for a moment before she returned indoors. Inside, she looked around, pinched the bridge of her nose, and sighed.

“Not exactly a normal day though, is it?” Saffron muttered.

There was food everywhere: sweet breads and fruit heaped in baskets, icebox packed to the brim with meats and soft cheeses, and a crate of vegetables with skin so perfect and shiny she could see her face reflected in the side of a tomato. A cake studded with glazed strawberries under a glass dome sat on her workbench amid her tools like a misplaced crown. The berries glimmered like gems, expensive and mouthwatering, frosting as white and pure as fresh snow.

“How am I supposed to finish all of this before it goes bad?” Saffron said to herself. She held the basket out before her like like it might bite. “And what do I do with this?”

Unlike the fresh vegetables, gorgeous cake and ripe fruit, at least the cherry preserves and smoked fish from the toys would keep for a while. But with so much food from the palace, she didn’t exactly need this basket to sustain herself. Could she give it away to someone? She found herself wondering if Baby 5 might like to come over for a tea party. But at the very least, she’d have to tell the toys to focus on non-food items as payment for the time being.

Provided any of them intended to pay her for her services in the next week or two, that is. She never quite knew when one would show up to deliver payment. The toys had...complicated schedules, to put it mildly.

That morning, as the sun rose higher and the light in her converted barn began to brighten, Saffron stared at the toys’ basket while eating a slice of the soft, sweet bread the king had given her. She was due back at the palace later that morning, and many mornings thereafter. She’d need to tell the toys her schedule so they didn’t come calling while she was away. Saffron did not normally spend quite so much time away from home; the toys would be confused to find her home empty so many days of the week. She’d been forced to skip her most recent Tuesday and Friday trips to town, too, leaving the toys none the wiser to her new routine.

Yes, she decided as she finished the bread and dusted her fingers on a handkerchief. At her next opportunity, she would take the trip into town and sit in the square to make herself available for the toys, as was her custom. She also had not visited her favored craftsmen for a supply run recently. As soon as she could, Saffron resolved to do both.

Not that she knew when she would next have a chance. Her schedule at the palace was packed to the gills. Perhaps the king would let her negotiate a day’s respite? She needed time to perform her normal Ms. Mend-It work, after all. King Doflamingo couldn’t realistically expect her to simply abandon her routine to fit his schedule, could he?

Looking at the gigantic couch in the corner did not give her much hope, sadly.

But it was no matter. Her toy-mending and other odd jobs could all wait. It wasn’t as if she was in some great need of additional work. The food spread throughout her home was evidence of how well King Doflamingo paid her, and this was just the leftovers from a lunch she’d eyed a bit too obviously. The lavish cake and expensive fruits were just a token from his coffers, and little more. So was the sumptuous rope of pearls concealed in a box beneath her bed. The actual payment he’d grant her was much, much greater — great enough that her mending work no longer represented such a dire need. Before, Saffron had needed to mend as much as she could to afford to live. But now that Saffron was in bed with a king —

Her cheeks colored at the metaphor. She was in business with the king, she mentally amended. And that meant her need to repair toys had diminished. Their need for her, conversely, remained the same. The toys would suffer without her helping, golden hands to repair them, but...

She looked at the food in the basket. The food on the tables. The cake like a crown on her workbench.

...but much as they needed her, she didn’t exactly need them. Not anymore. It wasn’t like she’d need their help to make ends meet after the king gave her her payment. Even more-so once word of her abilities spread through high society. Tending to the toys now that she had connections would be more like...charity work.

Charity. She’d never been in a position to provide it. She’d taken whatever repayment the toys could scrounge up for her, compensation not limited to money, but her work was never free. Now, though, she may never need to work again. It was difficult to imagine a life luxurious enough for charity.

But isn’t that what the toys had given her when she first arrived, friendless and destitute, in Dressrosa? And didn’t that mean she was obligated to repay them in kind?

Saffron shivered. She took a loaf of hearty grain from the toys’ basket and smeared it with the cherry preserves. Closing her eyes, she ate in slow bites, letting the tart cherry and coarse bread soothe her palate with simple flavors and familiar comfort.

But she was still hungry after she finished, so she smeared a slice of the king’s soft, white bread with churned butter and whipped honey, topping it all with shavings of pear and ribbons of thinly sliced prosciutto, salty and sweet blending beautifully on the tongue.

Saffron was no longer hungry.

KEEP READING ON AO3

[moonlight-goose]

Spoiled Xie Lian

Taking some time to read tgcf fanfiction and I noticed, when depicting Xie Lian's early life, how many fanfics don't really portray him as spoiled out of fear of damaging his character and now I'm here to advocate for more spoiled, pampered Xie Lian. I understand no one wants to think of our kind, humble Xie Lian in a negative way but I'm here to say that 17 year old prince Xie Lian clearly had some negative traits/flaws from his pampering.

A quick disclaimer before I dive in: I adore Xie Lian. He's one of my favorite characters. I'm just here to say you can have negative traits and still be an open, loving, and caring individual. Amazing people, like Xie Lian, are still human and humans have flaws. What makes Xie Lian such a wonderful, well written character, is that he isn't perfect and he knows and understands this about himself. He works everyday to find the best in situations. I'm just advocating that people try to push the envelope more in fanfics and find comfort in knowing they aren't ruining his character in doing so. His negative traits aren't overwhelming and they aren't his whole personality, they just happen to be there is all. Fanfics that are modern AUs, age regressions, or maybe even fics flashing back to Xie Lian when he was a prince could benefit from a little bit of fun (or angst if you prefer).

Now, on to his negative traits from his princely life😌 (be warned there may be spoilers) I'm just going to list traits that I can think of and try to provide some context for where this may have come from (please note that I'm referencing from the original web publication and not the Seven Seas published books, so if things seem out of place, this may be why):

1. Xie Lian's never really been outside of the kingdom Capitol. He started his travels but he soon found the ghost on the bridge, defeated him and then ascended within the year. From there he focused on prayers from the kingdom's Capitol. I mean, that's one reason why he didn't know of the drought. Why he didn't know that some of his temples were exclusive to the rich. He never traveled. In the amnesia arc his main goal was to find a way back to the kingdom Capitol and, while he certainly isn't helpless, he sort of hangs around waiting for someone to do the work of bringing him back. His time in his 2nd banishment allows him to explore the world thoroughly and he sees the trues ups and downs of life and his place in the world. While Bai Wuxiang works to take down Xie Lian from the very beginning, we can see, when Xie Lian personally steps in, that the prince's way of thinking is very black and white. He didn't know the choices that a king had to make because he didn't have to be in that position. With his cultivation training, he didn't even have to fully be a prince! Now that he's seen the world, he understands the choices people make and how he can and cannot help.

2. Xie Lian, I noticed in book 2, never really remembers people outside of the palace very well. It's understandable, he doesn't need to, he's a prince but he doesn't seem to notice people IN the palace either unless they make him interested (like Mu Qing). I'm bringing this up as a flaw only because it caught my attention in a rather humorous way: he encounters young Hong-er numerous times (before and after becoming a god) but forgets each time. The others remember him but Xie Lian just can't recall. During their first meeting Xie Lian even grows bored of him when he doesn't answer his gentle questions because "he's got stuff to do". Xie Lian cares and looks after him each time because he is a thoughtful, kind man but it's rather funny that he saves Hong-er from falling, wipes his face, has a one-sided conversation with him and then can't remember who he was when he was saving him, again, from his cousin until he's reminded by his friend. The many times he meets him as a soldier, he can't fully recall him either. I understand that in the grand scheme of things, it's completely reasonable to forget a small child from the streets but, from what I remember, I feel like he forgets other characters as well (though in his 2nd banishment this is due to him wanting to focus on the happier thoughts).

3. He never thanked Feng Xin or Mu Qing for their service until it was too late. He considered them friends and he knew they served him but he never really thought of what they did for him. We really see this a lot during the 4th book. During his 1st banishment he still puts chores on Mu Qing and he doesn't really realize this until Mu Qing departs and he finds his mother, the queen, attempting to do laundry. When he was with Feng Xin watching a servant go against his master, Xie Lian felt fear over the fact that the situation they were observing must reflect the current situation between him and Feng Xin and he gave Feng Xin one of his golden belts out of guilt but it was much too late. To be fair, Feng Xin was loyal and didn't express ever wanting to leave Xie Lian's side but Mu Qing leaving, Feng Xin leaving for long periods (to spend time with Jian Lan), and his just overall declining mental health was causing him to see his own faults and how they could actually damage his relationships, relationships he thought were unbreakable.

4. A small thing I thought was funny was he also never checked the price of anything when he was out. He's a prince so, yeah, I understand. I think this was stated in the amnesia extra arc and in book 4 when he's counting his loose change.

5. He's prideful and likes things a certain way. He'll refuse foods if it's not exactly right. He likes to be in comfortable clothes and beds. He refuses to be made fun of or tricked. These things can be seen in the amnesia arc, the Yuanxiao festival extra, book 2 and book 4. His mother complains that Xie Lian was always a picky eater. We see a flashback of Xie Lian disliking yuanxiao because he was picky. When he looses his memory and reverts to his princely self we see that he dislikes his scratchy robes, he can't drink tea because there was a spot on his cup, and he hates that Hua Cheng bit off of some mantou he was going to try (a far cry from the scrap god who would eat off the floor). When he was first banished, while he doesn't complain due to the circumstance, he dislikes the straw mats they sleep on even though he has the best one and he grows more and more frustrated with their living situation as time goes on (though this could be because he was feeling extremely stressed from White-No Face). As a prince, he knows how lower class live but, even though he wants to help, he doesn't understand because he hasn't lived it until his first banishment.

Once again, Xie Lian is very wonderful. I just wanted to ramble present some examples of his negative traits that people could perhaps incorporate into their stories when depicting rich boy Xie Lian to add a bit of spice or even humor. Like in a modern AU, Xie Lian the heir to his father's company is loving, understanding, caring but will definitely refuse to go to a cheap ramen restaurant because he swore he saw "an absolutely filthy bug right outside the entrance" 😂 or Xie Lian is comforting someone and going "there there. I'm here to help. What's your name" and them going "we met three days ago😐" and Xie Lian taking a pause to look at Feng Xin for help in remembering only to start nervously sweating when he can't make out the name Feng Xin is trying to mouth to him. Xie Lian is a good boy. Bratty, spoiled Xie Lian is also a very good boy.

[seyoonlgc]

Okay, so I can't really explain @lgcichika

It was a bright sunny day, and Seyoon had found himself a nice dry patch of grass to lie down on. He rolled onto his stomach, his expression perfectly neutral as he scrolled through six pages of self-indulgent depravity. Christ, he thought as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Some fans went hard, and for what.

Anyway, Seyoon wasn't here to judge, he was supposed to be providing helpful commentary. This was only difficult because he was going against his usual CP, and his friend made Ichika top. He guessed it made sense for this ship though, because Soyoun just gave such pillow princess vibes.

"It's okay," he sent the voice note. "But you can get more descriptive. What I mean is...you spend a lot of time talking about the walls and decor stuff, but for this type of fanfic, in order to get the...desired effect..." That was about as cleanly as he could put it. "You may want to focus the lens on the actual girls. What shade of red is Astrid's lipstick? What kind of white dress is she wearing? People will need to be able to visualize."

"I like how you tried to use scent to build suspense. Maybe don't give away the exact perfume immediately, like, you can write how from a distance, she could only detect the top note which was the pear. Then, only when Ichika is close enough, she can recognize the actual perfume due on the patchouli of the base note and realize the one she has to marry to save her kingdom wasn't an enemy but her childhood friend all along." He closed his eyes and re-visualized. Yes, that was better. In fact, so much so that he could swear he actually detected hints of English Pear & Freesia in the air-

Wait a second.

Seyoon slowly turned his head toward the waft of Jo Malone and...dear god. Was that the real Ichika, peeking over his shoulder at his phone screen? Did she see? Oh shit, oh shit! Should he explain? Get down on his knees and beg Ichika nee-sama for forgiveness? Should he shut his phone and just pretend nothing was happening? Would seppuku even save his honor at this point or nah?

Goddamn it.

Here's the thing, there were lots of trainees in this company, and he didn't exactly stand out in his baggy practice outfit. Perhaps the best option here would be to flee and hope she forget what he look like by next morning. Seyoon was a fast runner and the stamina king, so there was no way she would be able to catch up to him, right?

So he booked it, and everything was working according to plan until he heard a quiet thud. That couldn't have been his phone, could it?

[humaudrey]

OH WAIT you have fics? what do you like to write about? do you have any characters?

Yes...in theory lmao.

On FF.Net, I have two fics. One I haven't worked on since 2012 (which I'm surprised I still have that one up), it's a Camp Rock and Lemonade Mouth crossover (stfu, I was 14 lmao). The other, is my Descendants OC insert which I haven't touched since 2017. I've also deleted a few like Kingdom Hearts, Glee, The Franchise That Shall Not Be Named, etc.

And then there's the unpublished works lmao.

Tbh, it just depends on how I'm feeling and whatever comes to me. Like yeah, I have a Descendants fic or two (or several) up my sleeve, but I also like writing horror, and thriller, and action too.

I have many OCs but the only ones with any content about them are in Water Under the Bridge (the Descendants fanfic). The main ones are Uriana, Aria, Lyric, Nigel, and Estella.

[fiadorable]

81 Great Things in The Elysian Kingdom

Strange New Worlds season one, episode eight... sounds like a hell of a story 👑

Strange New Worlds | Children of the Comet | Ghosts of Illyria Part 1 & Part 2 | Memento Mori | Spock Amok | Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach | Serene Squall | The Elysian Kingdom | All Those Who Wander | A Quality of Mercy

Rukiya is adorable. Did you see that please face?

Rukiya asking to have a certain part read and then pronouncing that she hates that part is peak small child

Rukiya: budding fanfic author trying to change the ending

"When I'm better can I see your quarters?" "I'll take you to see the whole ship!"

Watching M'Benga try to find a cure for Rukiya's illness is absolutely heartbreaking as a parent - especially when his concoction blows up in his face because he's so tired he's not thinking straight

Automatic forcefield around toxic chemical

Number One is compassionate and supportive of M'Benga while still doing her job, which includes making sure he gets the rest he needs to do his job. This is what good management looks like.

M'Benga calls her Una! They are besties now!

This episode starts out very low-key (which helps with how zany it becomes later) and it's nice to see how things operate when the Enterprise isn't in crisis

"Why Mr. Spock, I never took you for the superstitious type."

Pike and Ortegas Bridge Banter I

"Mitchell, what's going on with my ship?"

Sassy!Spock accusing Pike of jinxing their good fortune

Bridge Troubleshooting!

M'Benga is dead on his feet when he gets into the turbolift to go treat Ortegas on the bridge - no wonder he thinks he's hallucinating

The set design on the bridge for the Elysian Kingdom is phenomenal

King Ridley's costume is amazing

Pike's hair jfc 🤣

"What the hell"

The bickering between Adya and Rauth is superb, Navia and Mount do a great job

Ortegas the is (one of) the prankster(s) on the ship - which lines up with what we saw in the Children of the Comet

Rauth and Adya Bickering I

"Computer?" "He obviously means The Oracle"

Rauth and Adya Bickering II and III

Fireflies in the corridor! 😍 The greenery is such a cool change from the stark white

Chapel the mystic 😂

PRINCESS THALIA oh my god that dress

M'Benga doing his best to not bust out laughing at seeing serious, straight-laced La'An sweep into sickbay with a tiny dog in the most ridiculous dress

"What are her dopamine levels?"

Oh my god Hemmer being dragged down the hallway by Mitchell and her guards 😂

Mitchell's scar on her face is badass

Christina Chong did not have to go this hard with Princess Thalia, but she did, and it's amazing

Flying through space screen saver on the ready room screen behind Pike and Ortegas

Rauth and Adya Bickering IV

"Starfall is thirsty." 😂

M'Benga somehow does not lose it when La'An gives them a preview of her epic song of mourning

La'An is a lying liar who lies about her singing ability (see: Children of the Comet)

M'Benga just being like "Great" after La'An finishes her song 😂

Spock as Pollux is a treat… he's still very even keeled like Spock, but he shows very tempered, quiet emotions that have a spooky, creepy edge

Uhura's Queen Neve naaaaails! Oh. My. God. She is so fabulous. Her dress. Her makeup. Her headpiece. Those shoulder embellishments 😍

Rauth stamping his foot like a five year old

Irony of the dungeon being the transporter pad

Dungeon Troubleshooting!

"It felt like my brain was being squeezed out my nose" "I did that to a man once"

Science IS magic

Hemmer is that guy who shows up to play D&D begrudgingly because someone else made him, but when he gets there he has ten pages of backstory for his character, a special voice, and never once during the session does he break character

"I am a wizard"

"Not bad… wizard. I think this… science." And Hemmer just smiling at her because when you boil this episode down, it's just two dudes trying to solve a problem while their coworkers and friends have a spontaneous LARP day at the office

Gooding does unhinged Queen Neve so well - she is fantastic in the scene after the jailbreak where she threatens Mitchell

"I have armed myself" 😂

Z'ymira and Adya 😍 "A raven would be too much trouble?"

Engineering Troubleshooting! Although none of it is terribly helpful until M'Benga realizes he's not in the Elysian Kingdom, he's in Rukiya's Kingdom

Hemmer trying to mediate Adya and Z'ymira's lover's spat 🤣

Hemmer is 5000% done with this episode

Hemmer is also 5000% with M'Benga when he learns who Rukiya is and why she's on the ship

The shot of Rauth kneeling to Neve with her symbol haloing her is great - one of my favorite shots in the episode

There is so much happening in sickbay - Z'ymira and Adya parting, Chapel cooking up something in a gigantic cauldron, Hemmer putzing around, and M'Benga trying to find Rukiya (there's got to be a deleted scene from this)

Hemmer comforting M'Benga for not seeing Rauth's betrayal coming

Adya stomping her foot at Rauth

"YOU SHALL NOT TOUCH MY DAUGHTER OR I SHALL BRING THE MIGHT OF MY KINGDOM DOWN UPON YOUR HEADS"

Hemmer sending Queen Neve's forces to the Event Horizon 😂

"ABRA-CADABRA!" good god this crew is so extra i love it

Hemmer has the transporters on speed dial

Rukiya in her princess dress 😭😭😭😭😭😭 she's so beautiful and so happy

"I've been watching you, Daddy. You did such a good job!" 😭

Hemmer offering to be a conduit with the entity even though there's a good chance it would accidentally kill him (I think he's tied with Sam Kirk on almost deaths this season)

Hemmer's antennae move!

"She was lonely. Like me." 😭😭😭 the rest of this will just be me bawling ignore me

M'Benga has to make the same choice as King Ridley - full circle narrative

And this choice is… really, really heavy and this episode does not get enough time and space to really expound upon it or the consequences of the action he takes… and not to get too personal but as a parent myself if I had to choose between my child dying a presumably horrific death (he describes it as "withering away" in Ghosts of Illyira although we don't actually get to see it because Star Trek is afraid of sick people 🙄) or never seeing her again, never able to hold her in my arms, never able to see her grow up, but knowing she is alive… I mean… I'm not having to make that choice and so I can't say with certainty, but I don't think I would have made a different decision than M'Benga here.

Rukiya and M'Benga hugging before her transformation 😭😭😭😭

Debra is beautiful!

"It tickles, Daddy!" 😭

M'Benga dealing with the sudden, expected yet un-expected loss of his daughter, reaching for where she stood

Grown up Rukiya 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

What's Rukiya's AO3 pseud?

Rukiya's farewell to her father is beautiful. With the exception of him fly-fishing on Starbase 1 back during Spok Amok, we only ever see M'Benga working or looking for a cure for Rukiya. His entire life has been consumed by trying to save his daughter, to his own detriment. Now, Rukiya is at peace. She is safe. She is happy. And M'Benga can begin to live for himself.

Hemmer waking up with a migraine level hangover in M'Benga's quarters with absolutely no idea how he got there 😂

M'Benga's first name is Joseph!

Una coming to check on her friend to make sure his secret daughter came through the missing five hours okay

This last moment of Number One and M'Benga connecting is great. These two characters have/had incredibly heavy secrets they were/are carrying around with them, and being able to confide in each other and form a friendship outside their working relationship is such beautiful character growth for them both

[glapplebloom]

Requisition me a beat.

It is the first time in a long time that the Convocation of the Creatures is happening and it seems every creature has a representative going to Mount Metazoa for it. We got the Seapony/Hippogriff  Queen Nova, Princess Cadance, Dragon Lord Ember, Prince Rutherford and others ranging from unique species like Giraffes, Bat Ponies and Parrots to the Buffalo, the Breezies and Comic Exclusive Species Deer and Cats. 

And for some reason this jerk.

But we’re not focusing on them. As Twilight takes a tour of the Mountain to relax after greeting every creature, she of course finds the Library. There, she once again meets Raven Inkwell as well as other creatures updating the Paper Archives for their representing species. We got We got Yak Historian Horwitz (who graduated from Oxenford, so he doesn't have the accent), Dragon Archivist Blacktip, Griffon Archivist Glenda (because she's the only one interested in working on the papers) and important to me Changeling Librarian Urtica.

As you can probably guess, since I made her Head Researcher for the Changeling Kingdom, the story isn’t going to be 100% accurate… Yet. But now that I got Twilight back, I could always remake this story in the future. Of course, that would require making more sprites. But I’ll cross that bridge in the future. Either way, Twilight is among her people: creatures who are actually interested in the paper work.

So the next day, with Raven thinking there are only two aspects for this trip: Paperwork and Speeches, Twilight invites them all to the Cultural Festival part of the Convocation of the Creatures. They’re all having a great time, enjoying each other’s company and all the cultures they’ve found. After a fun time, Glenda sadly is forced to bring a plot into this two parter and it ends with us finding out Griffonstone is supposed to get back a huge chunk of land, including Canterlot.

Next issue begins with our heroes sadly bringing up the news. While Lord Gestal is more friendly, he’s one voice in a group and they want something out of it. Either land or gold. In fact, gold seems to be the option people are open to but one of them happens to suggest not just the original agreed upon price but interest. That would bankrupt the Equestrian Treasury 7 times over. So land it is. And funny enough, Lord Goldstone, the Griffon that suggested the interest, will have his personal holdings increased if they get this land.

Luckily he’s trying to hide is schemy nature so he and the rest of the Griffon Lords give them time to prepare a speech about this move. In the meantime our Bureaucrats have to find something, anything, to at least delay this move. And it's thanks to Urtica who found the solution. She pointed out that there are three signatures and the Yaks have a different calendar from Ponies so they find the proof that the land was paid for in full. Proper archival saves the day!

But Goldstone decides to change from legal villain to actual villain by ordering the guards to capture them and destroy the paper. Shenanigans later, which is a fun callback to the previous issue, and Raven delivers the papers to Gestal and Celestia, as Goldstone gets arrested for Treason. Raven enjoyed her time and was glad to make new friends from the people she only worked with before but will prefer to stay in the background.

Overall, a great set of comics. The build up of these characters and their understanding of others cultures in the first issue and all that coming back for the second. Sadly, it won’t be canon… Yet. But one day, I will make a storyline or even a short fanfic adapting this to GLAB.

[camelottree638]

Eleteo Proposal - Paper Rings (for Laura Schiller)

This video is a tribute to Laura Schiller’s adorable Eleteo proposal fanfic "You're important too": https://archiveofourown.org/works/36634786

I did exchange Val for Chloe, though, but this was already discussed with her. Thank you to @magicwithineleteo for the Olaball clip.

PLOT:

Mateo watches in horror as Prince Alonso stages an elaborate political marriage proposal to Elena on her birthday ball. He remembers the past year when their friendship quickly shifted to romance after Elena’s coronation.

 They are happy to be lovers, but Mateo still doubts that the relationship will last once the court pressures Elena into a rank-appropriate marriage. Unaware that Elena herself is waiting for him to propose, thinking of marriage while she watches him sleeping next to her.

 Elena smiles brilliantly at Alonso’s diamond ring and thanks him grandly in front of the whole court but does not give a straight answer. A hurt Mateo sees Alonso and Elena happily talking to each other and turns away. Elena spots her lover across the room, remembering all the happy kisses they shared and is determined to share the next dance with him, while Alonso dances with Chloe.

To her surprise, Mateo turns her down, with a biting comment about her new fiancé. This only confuses Elena: she did not say yes. Mateo argues back that she did not say no either and they start to fight about their different backgrounds. Elena waves off her vague reply as a normal unspoken court rule, to which Mateo snaps back that as a commoner he cannot know. Trying to calm down, Elena drags him outside to talk. 

She wonders aloud if Mateo actually wants her to marry Alonso and he finally opens up about his self-doubt. The court is gossiping about their relationship, and he starts to wonder if they are right and that the Queen deserves someone who can actually give her money, a palace and a crown.

But Elena is quick to remind her wizard that she IS a Queen in her own right and already has all the material status a marriage could offer. The alliance with Cordoba is strong with a shared bridge and trade relations, so she does not need a marriage for the political bond between the kingdoms. All she wants is someone to share her life with, the good and the bad times.

 This leads to an improvised proposal that she nervously stumbles through. A far cry from the glittering smile to Alonso’s staged performance, it is perfect for her true love.

Stunned at first, Mateo happily accepts and Elena apologizes that she has no ring for him. But her emotion magic takes care of her desire, as the butterfly conjured by her happiness lands on Mateo’s finger and transforms in a simple golden ring.