#this is why Cel hates her

[zeewritez]

The Sailor and The Samurai - I

Mizu x Femme Shipmate/Pirate Reader

Hi my lovelies! I haven't updated in so long and I'm sorry but college has been kicking my ass. (Why tf am I studying biochemistry - because I hate myself). Anyways, I hope to update my other stories soon (I've had chapters for months now, they just need to be edited lol). So for now, here's a little BES fic because I'm in love with this show :)

(Notes: Reader's father is Irish in the fic but she will not be described physically except for having super long curly hair because I like projecting my hair goals onto stories, also I will be using he/him pronouns for Mizu since they are currently being perceived as a man.)

Part 2 now out

Y/n woke up with a splitting headache from the rum she had the previous night. She made a note to self to not attempt to out drink her father, even if he was pushing 60. Rolling out of her cot, she slipped on a blouse and trousers she had acquired from a crew mate at some point. They barely fit, but it was far better than the dresses and corsets she wore whenever they docked back home.

She walked onto the deck just in time to watch over the vast ocean as they approached the isolated island of Japan. She'd been there many times in her career but had only ever been to the ports to assist with loading goods when the crew needed it. Today, there was no need. Instead, she watched with mild curiosity from the crow's nest as crates were loaded onto The Banshee.

The cargo seemed standard: silks, swords, exotic fish. The things nobles in England dreweld over. Yet the passengers were anything but standard. Y/n could barely believe her eyes when the infamous Abijah Fowler was brought on board with guards on each side of him. He was brought to the detention cell, which would have otherwise been used when her father was tired of a crewmate's drunken antics.

Y/n was so taken aback by Fowler's presence she nearly missed the passenger behind him: a young man, a few years older than y/n herself, clad in Japanese garb and yellow glasses. It seemed odd to her, as it was rather overcast outside but she didn't give it a second thought. What she was truly curious about was why Abijah Fowler was on their vessel.

As the ship took sail, she climbed down from the nest and made her way to the detention cell with a curious, if not mischievous, grin.

"I never thought you'd be joining us for London," she teased as she stood outside of his cel, as though dangling her freedom like a carrot. She did not like Fowler one bit, but she found him almost as amusing as she found him vile. Entertainment was hard to come by at sea, so who could really blame her?

"Well I for one am always happy to see you," he said, grabbing her hand through the bars and kissing her knuckles. She rolled her eyes as she pulled her hand back from him.

"What brings you back to the isle?" she asked. "My father doesn't even enjoy England, and he's still in good standing, legally speaking."

"Perhaps he's a better Irishman then me," Fowler said with a shrug. "What does it matter to you?"

The girl looked up in faux innocence. "Oh, I'm just curious."

"Well, why don't you hunt down the samurai that's on board and he can let you know why I'm going back to London," Fowler finally told her. "You've picked up quite a bit of Japanese, haven't ya?"

"Alright, I'll see you around then," she said as she turned to leave.

"You have your mother's rear!" He shouted out, as though y/n had forgotten why she had disliked the man so much. She said a silent prayer thanking the heavens he wasn't roaming freely as she roamed the ship looking for the mysterious man with glasses, which was simple enough.

He stood on the poop deck, staring out onto the ocean, as anyone who has ever treaded water has. The waters had a way of commanding one's attention.

"Hello good sir," the young woman greeted she climbed the stairs, stopping to curtsey out of habit. She'd managed to have some resemblance of good manners despite being raised at sea by a captain with a drinking habit.

The young man stared at her, which was a common response from many men upon seeing her for the first time, regardless of national origin. In fact, Englishmen seemed most taken aback by her appearance. Her hair was long and unkempt, falling down her back in ringlets instead of being pinned into an updo of a proper lady. Her shirt nearly fell from her shoulders and around her neck was a long, beaded necklace that seemed to trail down between her breasts. Y/n giggled at the man's reaction, having expected nothing less.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he spoke casting his eyes away from her eyes out of embarrassment, then down to her strange necklace, then back up to her eyes.

"Don't worry about it," she said, leaning against the Banshee's railing. "It is lovely to make your acquaintance, may I ask your name?"

"Mizu," he answered, finally less taken aback by the strange woman. "And you are?*

"Y/n," she said, reaching out her hand limply, again out of habit more than anything else. Mizu looked at her with pure confusion, almost fear. Y/n giggled again, this time to hide her embarrassment. "It is expected to kiss a lady's hand where we're going."

Mizu nodded and cautiously took the girl's hand, which was smaller then her own, and cool to the touch from the ocean winds. He kissed it with the gentleness most men she encountered lacked.

"You'll make a proper gentleman," y/n remarked as she retrieved her hand once again and placed it under her head. She scanned Mizu as had her. Admittedly he was rather dashing. So much so she'd forgotten what she was originally there to ask him. Fowler was the last thing on her mind. "What's with the spectacles?" she asked.

"My eyes are unnatural back home," he told her.

"Is that so?" Y/n asked rhetorically. Perhaps without thought for personal space, she leaned forward and took the yellow frames from the man's face. She was greeted with eyes that would put the sea herself to shame. "You needn't wear these anymore, your eyes are beautiful." The young sailor folded the glasses and handed them back to the blue eyed man.

A small smile graced Mizu's face at the first genuine compliment he'd heard in regard to his eyes. He looked over the beautiful yet foreign face of the woman in front of him. The journey to London was certainly something to look forward to now.

[therecordconnection]

Ranting and Raving: "Espresso" by Sabrina Carpenter

Have you ever just been out in the world, minding your business, only to hear a song out in the wild for the first time and it just grabs you in a chokehold? For me, “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter is one of those songs. It’s one of those pop songs that just makes you turn your ear towards a speaker and ask, “Oh. What is this?” I heard it for the first time in a store (rhymes with Schmarget) and then proceeded to listen to it about eighty more times after that. A great pop song will make you do that and this one is one of the best of the year so far. I mean it.

I knew who Sabrina Carpenter was before this song (I mostly live under a rock, but I still be knowing things from time to time) but I’m obviously not her target demographic and nothing she had done before really gripped me the way this has. Everything about “Espresso” is perfect and I’m ready to do what this series does best: annoy you with many MANY words about a song I love. If you want a silly review of this song in a TL;DR single sentence, I would say, “I don’t drink coffee... but this song must be what having a caffeine addiction feels like!”

The first thing that truly gripped me about this song is just how FUN it is! There’s so much magic packed into three and a half minutes and it serves as a perfect reminder of why I love and enjoy pop music when it gets it as right as a Starbucks barista who has my usual order down to a science. It’s upbeat, it’s catchy as hell, the lyrics are fun to sing along to. What more do you need? This isn’t a song that re-invents the wheel and that’s because it knows it doesn’t have to. Like her reference to Nintendo in the chorus (“Switch it up like Nintendo”) the primary concern is about whether the song is fun to listen to and if it’s something you’ll want to hear again and again and not get bored of. In a way, this song is like the Super Mario World of pop music; a song that provides comfort and fun and it doesn’t require a lot of knowledge and skill in order to enjoy. Anybody can pick it up, start playing, and have a good time with it.

Which means a lot these days.

At the time of this writing, everybody and their favorite wine aunt is currently dissecting Taylor Swift’s newest album, The Tortured Poets Department, searching for hidden meanings and clues and signs about her relationships between her and Matty Healy from The 1975 or British actor Joe Alwyn (take your pick). I didn’t hate TTPD, but the album also didn’t do much for me because it’s so deep within the Taylor Discographic Universe (the TDU) that unless you have a decade of lore explained to you, those songs lose a lot of appeal and power. It’s like watching Avengers: Infinity War when all I’ve ever watched is Iron Man. Taylor isn’t the only one that’s been suffering from this. Ariana Grande’s newest album Eternal Sunshine comes with the baggage of that whole thing that happened between her and that dude who played Spongebob on Broadway or something. The most I’ve ever heard about “The Boy Is Mine” in terms of discourse are all the jokes and memes about how she’s singing about a guy who weirdly looks exactly like her brother and spent years being an adult man playing Spongebob on stage. Even Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers,” the biggest song of last year, loses some of its impact if you’re like me and couldn’t give a shit about Liam Hemsworth or the emotional roller coaster story of her relationship with him. 

Granted, you can still listen to all of these things with their real world inspirations and contexts removed and get just as much, if not more, out of that, but there’s just something really refreshing about being able to enjoy a song without needing an entire “____ iceberg explained” video in order to truly “get it.” I got “Espresso” immediately and the only real world context I can gather is that she probably wrote this song about one or many dudes that have been “down bad” for her. I shudder to think which niche micro-celebrities with the over-inflated attitude that comes with the phrase “I have a post that got over 10,000 notes on Tumblr” have said or done while attempting to shoot their poorly aimed shot with her.

That’s a good place to start talking about the lyrics to the song, which are all about her being playful with a guy and basking in how he is absolutely obsessed and crazy with her. More important than the words themselves is how Sabrina delivers them. There’s a really great balancing act where it’s just the right level of confidence and the belief that you’re hot shit, without going overboard into arrogance. She maintains a constant level of playfulness throughout the entire song and it’s great! It starts as soon as the second line of the chorus hits at the beginning of the song: “Is it that sweet? I guess so.” 

There’s also the line that begins the second verse: “I'm working late 'cause I'm a singer.” I absolutely adore the way she says that line. Every. Single. Time. Again, it’s just the right amount of playful and sarcastic. I can picture the conversation that line would be featured in if anybody she’s dated within the last three years has foolishly asked her if she’s busy tonight.

“Wyd tonight, babe? 😜” “I’m working late.” “What?? Why? 🥺” “...‘cause I’m a singer.”

That line reads like she’s had to answer that question one too many times to one too many idiots. Whether it’s studio time or live performance, singers be working at night. Duh. It’s such a fun line and it gets stuck in your head. You wait for it each time you listen and I can’t imagine the feeling of being in a whole stadium full of people all singing that line together. It’s such a delicate tightrope being walked so damn well, especially since it can go sour so fast if you perform it the wrong way. The following line, “Oh, he looks so cute wrapped around my finger” keeps that playfulness while also making you feel a little bad for the guy. I say a little bad because it’s very obvious who has the power and control in this:

I can't relate to desperation My give-a-fucks are on vacation And I got this one boy and he won't stop calling When they act this way, I know I got 'em

We’ve all known someone who is casually seeing someone and they’re just way crazier about the person they’re seeing than the other is for them. That’s not to say she doesn’t sound invested in this guy during the song, but you get the feeling one of them knows it’s a fun little fling and the other is starting to get obsessed and isn’t seeing things that way. 

It’s not hard to see why he’s getting addicted. I’m hooked on this song the same way dude is hooked on Sabrina. This song has this utterly hypnotic quality to it and at the 1:09 mark when you start hearing “Yes” after every line it reflects getting that hit, that thing you want once you’re addicted and craving more. “Soft skin and I perfumed it for ya” (Yes). “I know I Mountain Dew it for ya” (Yes). “That morning coffee, brewed it for ya” (Yes). It’s a small detail, but I always try to stress that the small details matter and always add up to something bigger. The more you listen, the more you get hooked on her the same way the guy in the song is getting hooked.

Now that I’ve mentioned it, can we talk about that Mountain Dew line? I’m sure some people think it’s a stupid and bad line, but those people are absolutely wrong. It's silly on the surface but works well as a clever double entendre ("I mount and do it for ya"). There’s four lines in this song that I could see somebody writing off as “bad lyrics.” The list includes:

“That’s that me espresso” (A little clunky, but does what it needs to do in order to set up a good metaphor for being the thing someone is addicted to)

“Move it up, down, left, right, oh / Switch it up like Nintendo” (Sounds like a joke bar your friend would spit in the car while making a joke about bad rappers who think they’re geniuses)

“My honeybee, come and get this pollen” (This wouldn’t sound out of place if it was said at the end of a James Bond film)

“I know I Mountain Dew it for ya” (This has definitely been said by a man who thinks he’s a sex god but only lasts the amount of time it takes to microwave a Hot Pocket)

The reason I put all of these lines in an organized list is to show one other thing this song does right: This is a silly song and it basks in the fact that it’s a silly and fun little song.

There’s a quick moment at 2:16, where Sabrina just says the word “stupid” before the song launches into the chorus again. I imagine that’s at the expense of the guy in the song, but I also treat it as her wink-and-nod to me that she’s aware this whole song is just silly, innocent fun and that I too should treat it as such. It doesn’t take anything away from the song, not one bit. If anything, it keeps it light and enhances everything it does right. If Taylor had said “I know I Mountain Dew it for ya” at ANY point during TTPD’s runtime, the masses would’ve erupted with laughter, scorn, and enough posts that you’d never hear the end of it. It works for Sabrina because a lot of her music is more upbeat than Taylor’s recent stuff has been and silly lines like that are quickly becoming her bread and butter. One of the biggest charms about her biggest hit from last year (“Nonsense”) is that it ends with literal nonsense bars that have nothing to do with the rest of the song: “This song catchier than chickenpox is / I bet your house is where my other sock is / Woke up this morning, thought I’d write a pop hit, ha-ha / How quickly can you take your clothes off? Pop quiz.” She’s taken that joke further by making up different stupid and silly outros every night she performs it just to get a laugh out of the audience. My personal favorite one: "This crowd is giving me all the endorphins / I wish someone would rearrange my organs / Philly is the city I was born in". 

The last thing we need to talk about is the absolutely gorgeous and wonderful music video she made for this. It’s a rare Dave Meyers W in this day and age, as he’s responsible for two of the absolute worst videos I’ve seen this decade: Ed Sheeran's "Bad Habits" and the Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa collab "Sweetest Pie." That said, when he’s good, he’s GOOD and it makes you forget every bad video he’s ever made (which is more than just the two I mentioned...)

The cinematography is gorgeous, the choreography is great, Sabrina looks utterly stunning and living her summer beach movie fantasies. Those shots of her doing sixties dances on a surfboard are fantastic and look like they’re straight out of a beach movie from that decade. The whole video has a sixties beach movie look to it, from Sabrina’s outfits all the way to the overall look and glow of the setting. Everything you imagine about a perfect summer is captured beautifully in this video. It’s a fun video that reflects the song in all the best ways. If pop music is escapism and is something designed to take you to another world for a short time, this song and video do just that. We’re all better for it.

Pop songs can be totally serious works of art, but “Espresso” proves they don’t always have to be. Sometimes a song can just be light and fun. “Espresso” knows what it is and it’s excited to be that for you. If you want to start buying stock in songs that might get the illustrious and coveted “Song of the Summer” status, I’m telling you to invest and put all of your money in this song right now because we’re going to the moon and beyond with it. The video for the song ends with Sabrina getting arrested for stealing a guy’s credit card and throwing him overboard at the beginning, with the final shot being the cop car she’s in having a speaker on top playing a little snippet of what will supposedly be Sabrina’s next song. Whatever she ends up doing next, I’m here for it. “Espresso” made me a fan and I’m excited to see whatever else she’s got because this song is everything I love about pop music packed neatly into three and a half minutes. This image from Twitter (Formerly Twitter) user @___bodacious sums up my feelings on Miss. Carpenter really well:

[makesometime]

PROMPTS :D 85, 88, 89, or 93 for Azu & Zolf if you feel like any of them? 🥺 (right next to them is 84 which is. a VERY DIFFERENT VIBE but it made me cackle.)

88. “Maybe it’s best that we don’t go home.”

(endgame spoilers)

The necklace around her neck hasn’t glowed in days. There’s a stubbornness to her heart that says it will, but with everything in the world around them so very lacking in joy and sparkle, she’s not sure she can hold onto that hope forever.

The sound of squeaking metal sounds off to her right and she inhales sharply as she looks over, only to find Zolf approaching in the chair Cel fashioned for him out of things they found nearby.

It’s the first time she’s seen him without Wilde in days, and he looks worse off for it, like all of the demons snapping at their heels have found a foothold while he’s vulnerable.

“Hey, Zolf.” She says, and he does his best to smile at her, in the same way she attempts to smile at him.

“Hey.” He says, his voice weary. “How’s things?”

“They’ve been better.” She nods, the silence between them heavy as he settles beside her. She breaks it with a sigh, folding her hands together in her lap, over where her armour is a little tarnished. “Why does it feel so much like we failed, even though we won?”

Zolf’s lips curl up into a smirk at one side. “Been wondering that myself.”

Gods, she hates silence so much. Why is it so easy to fall into, now? She usually has so much to say.

“I don’t know what to do next. Before this, I couldn’t wait to go back to my village and share my adventures. Now, though?” She looks at him, sees his eyes full of understanding sympathy, and has to try not to cry. “Maybe it’s best that we don’t go home.”

The way he reaches out to her is a little stilted, but she can tell he’s trying. His hand settles cold on hers. “I think that’s exactly what you should do. No matter how long it takes.”

“It’s easy for you, Zolf. You’ve found your home.”

His smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yeah. Doesn’t make it easier though.” His voice goes quiet and he looks away from her, drawing his hand back. “Might make it worse, actually.”

Azu’s heart aches. For him, for herself, for all of their friends trying to make sense of the world they’ve created.

“Would you sit with me for a while, Zolf?”

He nods, moving himself next to the little bench she’s found to perch on. It doesn’t make things any better. But gods, it certainly doesn’t make them any worse.

And a bonus, just for you:

#84: “We shouldn’t. You’re married and I’m pregnant.” 

(endgame spoilers)

They’ve been drinking for a while now, all of them except for Azu of course. But Azu gets just as drunk as she ever did on love and life and friendship and doesn’t need to imbibe to be giddy and foolish just like the rest of them. 

The music that plays is some of his favourites and he’s got a kiss from when his husband tottered on unsteady legs to the bathroom lingering on his lips, so he can’t help but hold the hand she’s placed on the arm of his chair, squeezing it gently when she beams at him.

(Oscar tells him that he’s got a lot more handsy when he drinks, which he’s been assured with several eyebrow wiggles isn’t a problem in the slightest, but he can’t deny it now, her warm palm soft against his own.)

Carter says something that has her roaring with laughter, leaning backwards with a hand curved over her belly. Zolf smiles, bringing her hand to his mouth and pressing a kiss to the back of it, and she looks at him with such adoration that he can’t imagine ever not having her in his life.

Her eyes flick above his head and then back to him, her face turning playfully stricken, her free hand clutching at her chest.

“Zolf! We shouldn’t!” She gasps, leaning closer to him even as he feels a presence behind him. “You’re married, and I’m pregnant!”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Oscar says, a smile audible in his voice as he rests his forearms on Zolf’s shoulders and leans in close. “Do I get to watch?”

[sc0tters]

Celine had midterms and her doctor wasn’t available so Sidney was just waiting and waiting for her text for the appointment… did she plan it for it to be on a game day on purpose? no but she also didn’t care to research beforehand when he’d have an off day

Meanwhile I can see Celine being absolutely miserable with all day nausea and a lack of appetite

Celine called Sidney right after she finished puking her guts out as she groaned “Celine when the fuck is this-” “what’s the name of your doctor?” She hated that she was actually doing this but she couldn’t go on not being able to hold her food down.

He immediately went from annoyed to panicked “where are you? I’ll take you.” His game bag was already in the back of his car and before she could say no he was in his car “my room?” Celine thought it was the obvious answer as she gripped her fingers around the toilet bowl.

The boy rolled his eyes “Cel I can’t take you anywhere if I don’t know where your room is.”

And of course the moment he gets there and is all concerned why she is sick and is worried about the baby, all Celine wants to know is what kind of normal man just wears a suit on a Wednesday?

[amaskofmanyshades-archive]

~The Descent Down Below~

(A/N - Hopefully, this attempt sticks. This is actually attempt number 2 of writing this original fic, and we can actually see this one to the end. This was actually based upon a concept i had when i was younger to give another OC an attempt at a relationship; i decided that, "Yes. But it will not be easy for her. She shall go through Hell and back to get it"--and thus this was birthed.

Fair warning to you as well, the following fic will be containing a LOT of themes unsuitable for the faint of heart, varying from violence of varying kinds to gore and much, much worse. Trigger warnings will be placed in the beginning after the Author's Note.)

-Really, Cel? A ouija board? We’re not kids anymore; why’d you pull this old thing out?-

“Humor me, Josie. It was one’a th’ first things i played, growing as a witch in trainin’...an’ one of the first magically inclined tools i really ever played with as a fledgling. A ouija board can be quite fun an’ thrillin’ IF ye know all th’ stops.”, Celeste responded, straightening the cloth atop the dining room table.

The Valentina residence’s dining room was lit by only the light of candles, giving way to an almost romantic, comforting ambience. While Celeste set up for the ritual, with Josephine burning off white sage and rosemary, Lucinda watched skeptically as all of this took place. It wasn’t necessarily the first time she’d ever taken part in a ouija board ritual. It wasn’t so much that she minded being there…but something about the entire act felt so…tasteless. Tasteless, yet also so simple and quite honestly, a bore. It felt like something a teenager would do at a sleepover out of boredom and for a quick, cheap thrill. Still, she wasn’t about to question it, since—as much as she hated to admit it—Celeste was definitely right about one thing: with the correct experience and technique, a ouija board could actually quite interesting. 

Bringing the glass of wine to her dark red lips, blue eyes watched carefully as the middle oldest of the three brought out the board she was talking about. Something about the damn thing shot chills down her spine, which...said quite a lot, but also, raised questions.

“You...played with this thing...? I hope you know NOW that this thing is no toy, Celeste. The board has been the subject to those who fiddle with becoming a demon’s plaything for centuries. It is why whole slumber parties end up dead by daylight.”

“Well, of course. It took...one good time o’ summoning somethin’ i shouldn’t have t’ fully grasp the concept. I wouldn’t be havin’ Jo burn all this sage an’ rosemary IF i didn’t know, Lucy. Have faith.”

The woman scoffed, “Here is where the misunderstanding lies, dear. I have plenty of faith in you; after all, had I not, I would have been the one to lead and not you. I just don’t think this is a safe idea. Even with all the precautions you’re taking...don’t you see that even with all this, there’s a chance that something could still go wrong?”

“Maybe so...but give it a chance. If something goes wrong...all of us are capable of protecting ourselves.”

With that, they placed the last incense in its holder and Josephine took her seat at the table, along with the other two. Celeste sat at the center, between Lucinda and Josephine, staring down at the swarthy mahogany board. Despite how glossy and well-kept it looked, it was ancient, having been in Celeste’s possession for centuries.

A stiletto-tipped hand rested gently on the planchette, and all three pairs of hands were sitting there with hers. All was silent, waiting for Celeste’s lead. With a clarifying breath, she then spoke the following phrase in Latin —

“Intrate hoc sanctum, omnes spiritus de ultra. Rogamus loqui tecum.”

(Enter this sanctum, all ye spirits from beyond. We ask to speak with you.)

With that, the room shuddered and grew darker, leaving only but the lone gentle light of the candles as a guide for them to see. It was then it felt as if they were being watched by eyes they could not see, although from what direction, none were sure of. Once she was certain of the surrounding atmosphere, Celeste spoke once more.

“...Is anyone here? Speak now, or leave us in the dark forever more.”

As if responding, a fourth pair of hands joined theirs. While Celeste didn’t flinch, Josephine hissed in surprise while Lucinda gasped, growling curses in a demonic tongue. Then, with a light force, it moved their hands over to its response.

>YES.<

They were no longer alone, and so Celeste’s gaze remained straight ahead, focused on the empty seat where the force seemed to stem from. “Might i know your name, strange one? We mean you no harm. We only wish to talk. Nothing more than such.”, she replied politely, a smile curling at deep terracotta red lips.

A pause before the entity gave its answer. >ICARUS.<

-Oh, like the kid in Greek mythos...probably died because of his own damn hubris. Seen it before. I mean…man is known for the primary trait that caused the fall of The Morningstar straight to Hell. What else is new?-

Lucinda shot a scathing glance. If her eyes could kill, Josephine would’ve been dead 10 times over. “Josie--! That was quite rude!”

-Luce, you an’ i both know humans are some arrogant bastards. You’re surprised at this because...?-

“Both of you, HUSH. Now...Icarus, was it? Beautiful name, by th’ way...may i, if it isn’t too much...may i…inquire of when it was that ye passed...?”

A few more moments passed by, and then, slowly…the phrase was spelled out in front of them.

>1896. DIED BY BOARD.<

Board...

Did he mean...a ouija board? It would’ve been made since the invention of the board was about 5, maybe even 6 years prior to the death of this poor man. Maybe he was trying to contact someone, and it went wrong? That was the only thing that Celeste could properly come up with that may have been the cause of death for the soul she was speaking to. It saddened her; just what made him consider using such a thing was a good idea?

...Should she even ask that?

“1896, hm...? And you say you died from the...board, was it? Do you mean...a ouija board, love? Can...can you be a bit more precise? How? I c’n think o’ quite a few ways one’s end might come wi’ ouija boards.”

>TRICKED. THEY LIED. POSSESSED.<

-GREAT! A demon-possessed man! Already off to a wonderful start, Cellie!-, Josephine sent sarcastically.

“Well...this is jus’ from what we’re able t’ get from th’ board. It’s like clipped textin’; y’ know how when an older person’s learnin’ t’ text an’ they can jus’ get a few words down at a time? ‘S like that for older spirits. I actually know a way t’ make speakin’ t’ Icarus easier...but ‘s a bit more complicated than some sage an’ incantation. This is where y’ gotta get a bit more...personal.”

With that, she reached from her left pocket a small athame: something she always used for when she needed blood for a ritual, should it call for it. And this night, it did...

“For this t’ work, i need th’ blood o’ the one who wants t’ see ‘im. Not much. Jus’ a pinch...there’s a reason they made this board of th’ material it’s made of. For purposes such as this...”, and with that explanation, Celeste stuck the tip of the blade into the tip of her right pointer finger and pressed until blood rushed from the small nick.

She then passed the blade to Josephine, who seemed more than eager to be doing something regarding the use of blood. She gladly took the knife and slid the blade across her own fingers to draw a fair bit of blood, before handing the somewhat dirty knife to Lucinda with a wide grin. Out of the two, Lucinda looked the slightest bit disturbed by the act. However, she didn’t want to be the only one to not be able to see the spirit they were speaking to, and so she followed.

Shakily, she took the knife and pressed the tip into her palm, letting the crimson red liquid trail down her fingers until it reached the very tips. There, she touched the board with the others, completing the circle of blood that pooled about the planchette glass. The piece glinted and emanated a soft light at first, and Celeste allowed her eyes to flutter shut as her entire body tingled. The feeling of static electricity filled the room, descending upon the other two who had resigned themselves to the act.

A drowsiness filled the both of them, until suddenly, there was a small lapse of consciousness.

Once it all came flooding back to them, it was then they could hear a voice. A man’s...it was soft-spoken and mild, but sweet and one neither woman expected to hear fill their ears. When Celeste’s eyes then opened again, she was greeted to the sight of a well-dressed man from what she assumed was the late Victorian era. With mousy brown hair and wide-open, unseeing white eyes that had the lightest tint of a powder blue, it was jarring to behold.

He definitely appeared the part of an undead ghost, with eyes that looked as if he’d seen things no man should have ever had to lay witness to, and a general look as if he’d not been sleeping well. He also looked fairly young, and if one had to guess, he appeared to be roughly younger than Celeste but also older than Josephine.

Something about this brought about the Mother Hen in both Celeste and Lucinda, but neither woman dared to show this. Instead, it manifested in sheer curiosity. Josephine only stared back, with only the opposite. Disinterest and even slight amusement in the other’s reactions...a smirk curled at the corner of her mouth.

He was cute, yes...but to her, ‘cute’ meant something she could tease with ease.

The man who called himself Icarus looked ahead, but something about those eyes held a key indicator that perhaps his sight was not the best. He knew there were three women sitting in front of him, which meant with this inference alone, he could look between the three individually. Nervousness and distrust were blatant in those large, doll-like eyes.

He finally, after the longest time, mustered up the courage to speak. His voice was tiny and shaky, but audible to the three. “You...you can...?”

“Yes, love. We c’n see you...perfectly, in fact. It’s...quite odd, really.”, Celeste laughed. “I’ve had that spell in th’ back o’ my mind for ages...but never ‘ad th’ right application for it. A ouija board is...a limited method of communication, but this...we c’n see you jus’ as if there was someone there before us...”

“And, by the Gods...it works. I truly forget that there’s a method to your madness, Cel...”

“Mmm...so you’re th’ one this board summoned, ah? I actually expected an older gentleman with that name...but i guess tis th’ con of assumin’, right? You...may i ask you another sensitive question, carino...?”

“You may. I assure you whatever it may be...i probably have heard it before. I don’t believe there is much that can truly frighten me...i lost all fear of the unknown long ago, my dear lady...”, he responded gently, a small smile curling at his mouth.

“Right...when you mentioned the ‘board’, which i guess was t’ mean th’ Ouija board...what did’ja mean by that? How was it tha’ this board ended your life?”

The smile on his lips then died to a spacy stare. He looked away, unsure of how to answer that question honestly without having the horrific memory tied to that response replay in his head. On one end, she was being so sincere and kind about her questioning that he felt compelled to continue answering, but on the other, how was he to answer something like that?

Icarus was torn between two evils: being dishonest with the woman or his own horrific trauma and death being relived again.

Fiddling with his hands, the act of toying with his fingers was enough to comfort him enough into not outright panicking before them. “I’d...i’d sooner not...answer that, ma’am. I...I can’t...not like...l-like...oh...”, he trailed off, mumbling into deafening silence.

It was then Celeste felt absolutely horrible for even asking him, if his shift in demeanor wasn’t much to go by. She felt as if she’d just kicked a puppy, and it took everything in her to not sever the circuit, keeping him visible and audible to all of them and embrace him. She looked over to Lucinda, who seemed to share in this grievance while Josephine’s impish expression softened.

-I mean...i s’ppose i would too if somethin’ came out from th’ board an’ used me as their personal lil joy-ride before killin’ my ass deader than a doornail—HEY!-, Josephine’s response was briefly cut short by a sharp punt to the ankle under the table. A low, agitated grunt left Lucinda at this.

“That’s ENOUGH! Haven’t you anything else better to say, or are you actively trying to start something with this poor man?! If you don’t want to be here, Josephine, simply say so!”

-...Ok, i could’ve phrased that better...but in my defense, you DID tell me t’ be honest. That’s all i was doing...an’ besides...yer acting as if that’s not pretty much what just happened. For God’s sake, LOOK. He even said it. The board killed him; what do you think that means? It means somethin’ looking t’ take advantage gave him th’ smoke an’ here he is!-

Both women glared her down , but it was Celeste who kept her eye on Icarus the entire time out of the corner of her peripherals, waiting for the phantom of the young man to go completely undone from grief and panic from the flooding memories of how his death came to be. 

But, no. Instead, he slumped over until his head was practically down on the table, shielding his face from view.

Her heart ached, and with her untethered hand, she reached out—stopping for a moment mid-way, as if reconsidering it—before finally then deciding to console him. Her fingertips barely grazed the back of his arm, ghosting over his sleeve. Even if he was dead, she could feel a warmth radiating from his skin.

Was it just an illusion...or was it a result of her magic trying to compensate and make him seem as real as possible?

She wasn’t sure...but she knew he was reactive to her consoling touch. He didn’t touch her back, but didn’t push her hand away.

“Pardon her...sometimes, i forget she’s overly mouthy, so feel free to ignore that...if you are uncomfortable by the questions, then by all means: you are not obligated to answer them.”

“I...I’m aware of this, but...she also speaks the truth. In my darkest hour, something…i couldn’t quite tell you nor explain…but something, with no intention of playing nice sought to take my life. I thought it was them—the one i lost...but t’was a horrible lie. My death was nothing more than a fluke, and so shall it be—”

“Maybe so...but it is the way of fate. Sometimes, she can be cruel...and other times, she can play cruel games...none of it is fair, nor was how you passed...and for that, i truly am sorry...”

A mournful hum, before he looked up at her once more with solemn, clouded over eyes. “...My time in your hold wanes, sadly...i must go...but if you ever wish to speak with me again. All you need to do is call my name...i assure you, miss...i will come. As one who is as well-versed in the art of specters as you, i can confirm it...to call the full name of the deceased soul will make them come to you, as you would if someone called for you.”, he spoke, his voice as quiet and reverent as a prayer.

Celeste blinked, but an understanding gleam filled those dark emerald eyes. He was right—while the spell was effective in keeping spirits visible and audible to those contacting them; it was never for too long. She could’ve begged him to stay, but alas, that was outside of his own control as a phantom. So, with a nod, she returned the same tone of voice.

“Alright...until next time, Mr. Icarus...goodbye.”

As soon as all three women’s hands let go of the planchette, the spell was broken and the world around them regained its natural lighting. Icarus was now no longer able to be seen or heard from, which only further confirmed the spell had dissipated to nothing, leaving the trio in both wonder and slight sadness for the man.

The one who seemed the most affected by this was, of course, the leader of the seance herself.

Her questions only left her with more questions, but mostly about the man she’d just spoken to; not only did his appearance leave her wanting to talk to him more, but what he had told her also struck her as fascinating. By how he talked about the dead and spirits, he was possibly a medium of some type, which only drew her into him more just by default.

Be that because of her own fascination with spirits and the afterlife (Hell, her closest companion and guardian was this!), or because of the longing of her own Elias...

Elias...

She remembered the night she learned about his demise by the man who had wanted her as his own bride and as a trophy. It made her glad that he’d taken her sight from her when he’d first had her locked within the dungeons of his manor; a world without Elias was a world she no longer wished to see. Even after she could restore her sight after finally being free of El Antiguo Mal, it made her wish after then that she hadn’t.

So...maybe he could tell her something about him?

Was that even possible?

...Would Icarus even want to do that...?

It sounded quite selfish for her to make him use a gift that he’d been given, likely to bring closure to the bereaved and the dead. It was a gift meant for everyone, not just her. She then felt ashamed for even considering that as a possibility, but...it was a possibility.

A small one, but not an asinine one.

She had to see him again...

She HAD to see Icarus again...

-...I know that look in yer eyes, Cel...what is it?-

“...Nothin’. It’s...it’s nothin’. Really, Josie. Come on, let’s...let’s get this mess cleaned up, yes? Who’s on for a movie and a bottle o’ Sauvignon? After that, i’m sure you both ‘ave ‘ad enough o’ th’ smoke an’ mirrors routine...”

Both Lucinda and Josephine looked at one another. Something didn’t feel right about this; the dazed expression and current countenance didn’t suit Celeste, and they knew it. Something about the experience had set something off for the woman, and being ever the brave soul, she was trying to repress it.

Be that with other activities or alcohol, as if the act of offering a bottle of wine didn’t say it all.

Still...was it wise to make her talk about it? Both knew that once Celeste was dead-set on something, there was no stopping the draconian woman...so what made it any different here...?

[celeana-gueshoon]

Put it on Repeat

Summary: Astarion learns about one of Celeana's insecurities

Warnings: Cel is anxious, otherwise just fluff

AO3

Astarion sat perched atop his stool, reading a recent find as he listened to Celeana play as she lounged in a pile of pillows. It was a new composition of hers, light and airy as she quietly vocalized along with it. Astarion appreciated his partner's gentle tunes, after some time the pale elf found himself humming along. He blinked after a moment, realizing she'd been playing the same tune over and over.

“My Sunlight?” he broke the gentle atmosphere, looking up from the page he'd been on.

“Yes My Star?” She didn't miss a beat, cracking an eye open to gaze at him.

“Whyever are you repeating your song?” He asked in gentle confusion “not that it isn't beautiful, but you have so many compositions.”

Celeana visibly flushed as she fumbled with her lyre, her tune stopping. Her mismatched eyes stuck on him before looking away avoidantly.

“So I remember it…” she mumbled softly.

“So you remember- why not write it down?” He inquired innocently.

Hot shame twisted through her body, her tail tightly wrapping around her ankle. “.... I-...” She huffed “I can't read or write.”

“You can't read or write?” Surprise colored his tone, shock settling on his features. He's seen the beautiful maps she could make, but he'd never dwelled on the fact that they were never labeled.

Misunderstanding his tone, tears began to well in her eyes, fearful he'd cast her aside. “I-I’m sorry.” She hurried out, scrambling to get out of the comfortable pile that now felt suffocating.

“Whoa, whoa-” he quickly settled her back down, kneeling beside her and brushing the stray tear from her flushed cheek. “Whatever for?”

“T-that I'm not smart enough to read or write Common…” she mumbled, leaning into his hand.

“Oh, my Moon.” He murmured gently, kissing her forehead. “Common isn't your mother tongue.” He soothed “You make the most beautiful songs and maps, and you've read the scars on my skin. Why not use Infernal?”

Celeana balked at his suggestion. “What if someone sees it, or-or what if you need something translated and I'm not there-”

“Celi, my love.” He chuckled, gently holding her face. “Who cares if you notate in Infernal? Oh no, they'll find out you're a Tiefling?” He gave her a gentle crooked smile, it widened when she gave a watery laugh.

“Yeah, no one can know, it's a secret.” She warbled quietly.

“And as for us reading when you're not available, while I'd hate to part from you for long, you forget that Karlach knows Infernal as well, little love.” He gently pressed his forehead to hers. “If it makes you feel better, you can teach me Infernal , and I can teach you Common.”

Celeana moved to gently hold his hand as she leaned into his cool touch, giving him a small nod. “...okay… if you're sure.” She mumbled softly, turning to kiss his palm.

“Of course I am, love. It's not a problem at all.” Astarion soothed her, kissing her forehead. “Now, let me hold you.”

Celeana giggled quietly, shifting to nuzzle into his neck.

“Thank you, Stari.”

[gi-nathlam-hi]

“completely had to rework my entire understanding/headcannons around their relationship and i don't mind” okay I’m so curious - what was your understanding/headcanons about Elrond and Galadriel’s relationship before TROP?

Oh! Thank you for the ask omg. I'm so sorry it took me this long to get back to you because this is such a fun question!

TLDR: I headcannoned them as being basically coworkers who mutually respect that the other person is really wise and levelheaded and knows what they're doing, and have a LOT of issues with each other but they've called a mutual truce for Cel and the kids' benefits. And when things are calm/good they're generally fond of each other and amicable. But I just never imagined them being close or familial the way they are in the show at all.

LONG ASS post under the cut because I can't be normal about trying to explain my own thoughts on things and I ended up clipping parts of my fanfics to hopefully illustrate what I mean lol. **Includes references to kidnap fam, fair warning. So if that's not your thing just be warned that this is VAGUELY pro kidnap-fam (but not like...out and loud kidnap fam apologist material at all. They're just mentioned a lot as a motive for why I see Elrond and Gal's relationship the way that I do).

I just never got the impression that they were ever close in the way that Rings of Power portrays them. I think my thoughts are more easily summed up with some of these snippets:

Elrond never knew quite how to feel when Lady Galadriel visited Imladris. The fact that he was a Fëanorian fosterling and didn’t seem to openly hate either Maedhros or Maglor had always been a point of tension between the two of them-- begrudgingly softened at first by his service to Gil-Galad in Lindon (she had regarded him with marked suspicion then), softened further by long years of strictly political interactions which gradually morphed into a form of friendship, and then at last that friendship had turned familial when he had married Celebrían. But familial relationships could often be far more fraught with unbearable awkwardness than friendships, and so it had, in some ways, been a step backward for the two of them.

-

A hand closed around that notion the way an eagle might snatch a mouse. Elrond sucked in a breath and shut his mind before the inquiry could actually grasp hold. They had reached the council chamber. Lady Galadriel was already there in her white gown standing at the overlook, staring up at the rising moon and pointedly ignoring him as if she had not just reached for his thoughts the way a small child might reach for an especially enticing piece of candy.  Elrond paid her a respectful bow. “My apologies for rushing out so abruptly and for keeping you waiting, my lady.” He stuck with Sindarin, no matter how many times Galadriel always tried to coax him into Quenya. He had a lingering Fëanorian lisp that he had absorbed from his fathers as a child and had never quite been able to rid himself of, much to the amusement of his wife and the chagrin of her parents. She turned to look at him with a nod. The corners of her mouth curled up. “The child?” The question was in Quenya, naturally. He never would understand why, if she disliked his accent so much, she insisted on trying to get him to speak it. 

-

So, basically things aren't necessarily tense between them but they aren't great, either. But they for sure have never disliked each other in my head. There is just a whole lot of baggage. Galadriel still considers him part of her family and loves him and likes to tease him in her own way! Case in point:

Thranduil had hardly spared him a glance through most of breakfast, but now Elrond felt him studying him, squinting. He caught the king’s eye and frowned. “What?” “Are you aware that your ears are bruising? Rather impressive bite mark, I must say.” Elrond flushed red. “I hadn’t noticed.” Thranduil hummed into his teacup. “Blush as prettily as you like. It doesn’t help them blend in any better. You may wish to consider wearing your hair a bit...differently. Though I suppose your wife rather likes the look of her handiwork. No--” he put a hand on Elrond’s arm. “Do not rush out, mellon nín. T’would draw far too much attention. Celebrían!”  Celebrían looked up from mid conversation with her mother. Elrond shielded his very pink face in one hand.  “You must be more careful with your poor husband. Peredhel skin bruises more easily, I think.”  Elrond could just fade from shame. He felt sure Galadriel was hiding a choked laugh in her cup. Celebrían shot Thranduil a knife-sharp glare. Thranduil reclined in his chair with a smug smirk and gave one of Elrond’s uniquely-shaped ears a fond tug.  “Oh, stop turning so pink, Peredhel,” Galadriel said. She nudged Celebrían in the shoulder. “You have always liked his ears.”  Celebrían let out a cry of pure outrage. “ Amya! Please!”  “It was all she could talk about during your betrothal.” When Lindir came running up to the dais with some announcement, Elrond had never been more glad to see him.

But there is still some underlying tension and I kind of have it in my head that they have a sort of...agree to disagree dynamic when it comes to Maedhros and Maglor, which leads to a LOT of simmering conflict that can bubble up in times of stress. I do like the whole concept of kidnap fam but my feelings on them are really complex...and that's a post for another day. But basically long story short: I think Elrond does consider Mae and Mags to be his dads (more than Earendil. I know that's uh...a VERY contentious headcannon but I stick by it). Galadriel understandably hates this and in my head it's just this GIANT source of conflict for them.

And I think rather than me muddling through trying to explain how I carry this headcannon out when writing their relationship it's better again if I just show you lol:

A commotion buzzed through the corridor outside and Galadriel stormed into the room the very next second, eyes gleaming with fury. Elrond shot to his feet and stepped between her and the lump on the bed. “Stand aside,” she said coldly.  “I will not,” Elrond replied, trying to sound much more calm than he felt, drawing himself up to full height. “I apologize, mother-of-my-beloved, but if you would do him harm, you must strike me first.”  War waged in her green eyes.  Elrond held his breath, and then quietly pleaded: “Please, my lady. He is your kin.”  “That mattered little to him or his Oath,” she snarled back. “Or have you forgotten, Eärendilion? Is your memory so short?”   The patronym made him flinch. Still, he would not move. “I have forgotten nothing.” “It would not be kinslaying,” she said, stepping to the left. Elrond matched her, still barring her way. She glared at him. “It would be justice.” Despite himself, he felt tears brimming in his eyes. “Look at him!” he hissed. “Look at him and tell me justice has not been paid a thousand times over!”  Her gaze passed over Elrond’s head to Maglor, to where he lay broken, bloodied, and very small on the bed, gripped in a sleep that bordered perilously on death. Her expression did not soften. She made another step for him and Elrond barred her way yet again, bowing his head. “I will not fight you,” he murmured. Truly, in his state he could not. “But neither will I let you take his life. We stopped killing our kin a long time ago, please do not start again. Not here. Not in my house. Not now. Please-- look to the future as you have always done. Stop this madness. Let it end.” He could feel her glaring down with him with eyes that burned. The air lay thick between them. Every muscle in his body was tense, ready to throw himself over Maglor if need be-- but Galadriel didn’t move. It felt like hours passed.  Galadriel lifted her sword and he half-sprung into action, but she simply slammed it back into its sheath. “You are beloved-of-my-daughter, and I have grown very fond of you. But should evil befall your city, my daughter, or my grandchildren on account of the Fëanorian it will be on your head, and your fate will be the same as his.”

So before TROP, this is kind of what their relationship at its core boils down to. They have a LOT of issues with each other that they have learned to set aside/work past due to a) being coworkers for the greater good of middle earth (bearers of the Three) b) Celebrian's benefit c) Arwen, Elladan, and Elrohir's benefit Like, they're fond of each other now. They know each other really well now. But I just never had it in my head that they were at all super chill with each other during the Second Age. It's really funny actually?? TROP's dynamic between Galadriel and Elrond looks a LOT more like how I imagined Gil-Galad and Elrond's relationship before seeing the show! And vice-versa. Just take show!Gil and Elrond's dynamic and apply it to Elrond and Galadriel and that's pretty much how I viewed their dynamic during the Second Age (and during times when they're uh...fighting....for some reason in the Third Age re: the above snippets lol).

That isn't to say that Galadriel necessarily disliked/hated Elrond in my head. She just didn't trust him due to his connection with and unwillingness to let go of Maedhros and Maglor.

If her daughter must be wed, it would be to no one less than the Peredhel. Galadriel had originally envisioned Gil-Galad (queen of the Noldor was Celebrían’s birthright, if Galadriel had anything to say of it—she was just as Noldorin as she was Sindarin, and the granddaughter of Arafinwë and great granddaughter of Finwë, no less), but Gil-Galad was not available. The Peredhel was descended from Melian the Maia and Galadhon on his mother’s side, and could have had the crown himself if he so wished—being descended from Ñolofinwë several generations back. Beyond that he was clever, a strategist, a politician, and in possession of his own realm. He would be able to give Celebrían the standard of living she was accustomed to. The life she deserved. He was pleasant to look at, too (on some days he gave Galadriel goosebumps, for how in the right light beneath certain trees it seemed Lúthien— perhaps even Melian herself—was incarnated before her eyes).  And he was kind and gentle, which never hurt. It was almost a waste: he hadn’t a shred of ambition for all his cunning and claim. Then again, neither did Celebrían. Perhaps that was for the best. Ambition had thus far been rather ruinous for the Noldor. It seemed the younger generations had managed to learn from their predecessors’ mistakes. 

so....yeah...

I do really LOVE what they've done with them in the show though!! So I've sort of adopted it as a secondary viewpoint because I'm so fond of it. So many of the show's interpretations of characters (especially GIL-GALAD) are WILDLY different to how I view them that I kind of have a seperate box in my head now of Rings of Power 'verse as opposed to my usual "canon" 'verse that I tend to keep consistent throughout my work.

Whew! That was a WAY longer answer than I'm sure you wanted lol. Don't ask me questions like this. I can go for hours and hours about my own thoughts on things lol.

[slashingdisneypasta]

I have a fic that I haven't updated in a while but the weasels were going to appear in it (redrawn obvs because they died laughing/got dipped! 😂) and there was this girl/young woman in it who's like the opposite of Eddie Valiant where she doesn't trust people so much but she loves toons and she basically just keeps showing the patrol little acts of kindness (they're on the good side in this, but still big meanies who hate humans and ToonTown and really just want to get paid and she's not always the nicest person, prone to confrontation and high emotions) until they start breaking. She's like "You were drawn to be evil just because you're weasels? Don't you just hate that?" and takes out a paintbrush like "Hold still you've got a blank cel." And in general just kind of has sympathy for these rude, rambunctious weird feral little creatures who smoke, cackle like hyenas, perv and get themselves in trouble. But they're toons and they were drawn in the forties, they can't help it, or can they? They don't really care. Except when Psycho imprints on her like a cat or dog. Or when Greasy shows off hoping she's watching. Or when Wheezy doesn't smoke in her face. Or when Stupid is extra polite to her. Or when Smartass gets almost personally offended that someone might be bothering her or worse. He cares the least. Totally. That's why when she's grown up and has a kid of her own he totally doesn't track down the kid when she gets lost in ToonTown. Because he doesn't care. No way.

Anon- Anon-

This Is Stupendous.

Ahhhh! Smarty you softy!! Just imagining this mean old 40's gangster weasel tracking you down when you're lost in weirdo toon-town, says he knows your mum so come on, and then helping you out!! Taking you to a bar where he can keep an eye on you til your mum can come get you or you figure out directions!! Buying you a sandwich!!

Imagine that the other weasels see you too! Greasy asks you how your mum is going *nudge nudge*, Wheezy and Stupid say you look like her, and Psycho keeps growling at anyone who comes close- protecting you while your Parent is not here.

[runawaymun]

Is Elrond in your art only loosely based on Hugo? Bc obviously Hugo isn’t a POC. This isn’t hate btw, I’m just genuinely curious! I love the way you draw him & your Celrond pieces especially are my personal brand of serotonin.

Thank you!!! I'm really glad you like him! Drawing Elrond and drawing all my Celrond pieces are MY personal brand of serotonin too!! <3

My Elrond design has been through a LOT of mutations over the past two (? i think?) years of drawing him. Facially he's VERY based on Hugo. I've kept the shapes the same (except I've sort of adjusted Hugo's crazy eyebrows a bit, lol) but I started experimenting about a year ago with making him brown because, chiefly: why not have brown Elrond! :D It took me a while to pick a tone I like, but now I feel like I've settled into one.

Other artistic reasons: I love putting stars in his eyes (you can always see them if you zoom!) & having them glow, which has become a permanent fixture in the design now, and it just lends a nice contrast when he has a darker skintone. Also, I really like the contrast of Elrond being very warm-toned and brown-skinned against Cel being very peachy/cool toned with her light hair and freckles :)

The hair I use volleys around depending on how detailed or lazy I'm feeling. Usually I'll keep it a really dark black-brown with red highlights but y'know, when I'm doodling or tired I just pick a really nice deep black for it.

[theselfshippingwitch]

i literally just wrote this heyyy

ray/violet, some janine/egon, some ocs i have literally never mentioned before now, guaranteed diabetes at the ending, barely any proofreading

-

"This week is a nightmare."

"When this week is over, I'm buying you the biggest stuffed animal."

Violet and Ray walked up the driveway to their house. She practically dragged her feet across the pavement. It was just one of those days when nothing goes right. Deadlines were sneaking up on her, editor's notes were getting on her nerves, everything made her feel like the world was ganging up on her and the week would never end. Worst of all, she had barely any time to see Ray. This brief walk home with him was the reason why she declined a ride from her driver though she was completely exhausted. The only thing she held onto was once this week was over, the next had Valentine's Day.

She smiled at him. "You mean it, Ray?"

"I won't be able to fit it through your front door."

She giggled, reaching for his arm and leaning her head on his shoulder. "I can't wait."

-

That next Monday was the day before Valentine's Day. Violet sat in a downtown Manhattan restaurant at the top of a high rise with her personal assistant (and close friend) Steffi, Janine, and Layla, who had been hired by the Ghostbusters almost a year back. She, Violet, Janine, and Louis Tully made up what Violet and only Violet referred to as the "B-squad". Within that year, Layla had gone from the spoiled rich hotel heiress forced by her parents to get a job at her new accountant's second place of employment to being engaged to that accountant and estranged from her parents.

All of them had had an eventful year. For Violet, it ended with Ray finally proposing to her, right at midnight on New Year's Eve. For Janine, it saw the beginning of a suddenly fast-moving relationship with Egon, which now saw her planning a trip to Vegas that may or may not cumulate with her wedding. For Layla, it included discovering her parents are cult leaders. As for Steffi, she continued to refuse to be tied down to any woman, career first as always. However, tracking Violet's exploits as a famous best-selling author was eventful enough. Now, they raised their mimosas to the best year of their lives, and to things only getting better from here on in.

Meanwhile, Ray was frantically driving from store to store. Just his luck that the weekend had been incredibly busy and he had no time to shop for Violet's gifts until the day before Valentine's Day. He had promised Violet a giant teddy bear, and he hated to disappoint her, especially when he knew she deserved it after such a rough week. But, every store he went to was sold out or too expensive. It certainly didn't help that he was running short on cash, all the money he had earned that weekend going into repairs on Ecto-1, which was in rough shape after all the stress put on her. He managed to get all the other essential gifts - purple roses, a box of Violet's favorite chocolates, and a necklace with a heart-shaped stone of Onyx (a gem he knew meant protection, calming, and release of negative energies, three things he knew Violet needed lately). He settled finally on a regular size teddy bear, though reluctantly. He just hoped Violet wouldn't be too disappointed.

-

The next day, both Violet and Ray were busy once again. But, they had the evening free to be alone together. They agreed they wanted to stay home, so Ray cooked salmon for dinner, exchanged gifts (Violet got him a framed cel from Murray the Mantis, one of Ray's favorite cartoons, signed by the animator, who she met at a con) and they settled in to watch Cinderella (Violet's favorite "romantic" movie). As they cuddled on the couch, Ray turned to her. "Are you happy now, my moon goddess?"

Violet blushed at her pet name. "Of course I am. You're here."

"I'm only sorry I couldn't bring you a bigger teddy bear."

"You silly. You brought me the biggest, cuddliest, sweetest teddy bear in the whole world. My favorite teddy bear."

"I did?"

"Yeah," She nodded, and poked her finger into the center of the chest she was curled up into. "He's right here."

His face turned bright red, and he smiled so bashfully she couldn't help but kiss him.

[damndaehyung]

once upon a time ↳ pan

Pan frowned watching as the rest of the lost boys gathered around the new prisoners, Slightly boasting about how he stole them right under Hook’s nose.  “Attacking like its hard to beat Hook,” Pan muttered to Tinkerbell whose alarmed chirps grew louder with each flutter of her wings. Pan shook his head, “We are going to let them go, “ he said with a roll of his eyes. “Lets go check them out,” he said before flying down, gesturing for Tinkerbell to follow. 

Usually when Pan graced his lost boys with his presences they all stopped what they were doing, shut up and starred at him with the awe he so rightly deserved but today the whispers continued. Not even whispers if he were been honest, they chatted loudly with no shame. 

“Shut up,” He yelled out, smirking as the chattering died down. Slightly let out a huff, an unimpressed look on his face. He could be unimpressed, Pan didn’t care, he never liked Slightly anyway. Always talking about what the real world was like, telling Pan that Pan wasn’t his name. Ofcourse it was. Who would ever want to be called Daniel? That was a stupid name. 

“What do we have here?” Pan said eyes jumping from prisoner to prisoner. What a strange bunch, no wonder Slightly managed to steal them from Hook. Hook probably didn’t want them anyway, stupid Slightly. 3 boys, one of them wearing a strange hat that Pan wanted to rip off his stupid head, a pretty boy lying completely still - dead? Already? What a waste. Another boy sat on the ground grabbing at his head muttering about how much it hurt? Thinking? Pan supposed it did hurt to think, he always hated to think about the past but this was pathetic. And lastly a girl, ofcourse Slightly would bring a girl back - no a mermaid, Pan’s eyes widened as a grin broke out onto his face. Mermaid were rare in these parts and he caught one. 

He was about to boast when Tinkerbell fluttered past checking on the boy who was hurting. “Tink, i already told you -”

“Cel-” the boy said causing Pan turn and look at him. Tinkerbell chirped happily, darting around the boy talking as if they were old friends. They couldn’t be, Tinkerbell was his fairy, she only existed because he exists. Hell Neverland only exists because of him.

“Tinkerbell, get away from them,” Pan growled stomping over as the pair ignored him. Ignoring him infront of his followers. He was the leader, how dare they?/

“Do I know you?” The guy asked. 

“Didn’t you say you were from the real world?” the man with the ugly hate said. The real world, Pan hated hearing about the real world. Bad things happened in the real world. 

“How old are you?’ Pan asked moving where Tinkerbell and other prisoner were. “All of you - expect for the dead one, how old are you?” he asked. They could be adults - disgusting.

“Don’t know time is different in Wonderland,” The hat boy shrugged. Wonderland? He has never heard of Wonderland.

“Twenty,” the other boy said as Pan’s eyes widened. An adult. 

“Kill him,” Pan said without a moment's hesitation. “Best if we kill them both, that way they can join their friend,” he added, nudging towards the pretty one. None of the lost boys moved causing Pan to growl, why weren’t they listening to him.  Even Tinkerbell was hovering protectively near the old one. Even the mermaid was trying to get out her pond, spouting whatever gibberish mermaids talked.

“He isn’t dead, “ the hat one said. 

“He isn’t breathing though,”  Tootles points out. “Pretty sure that means he is dead.” he continued.  Pan nodded in agreement, he seen plenty of dead bodies and none of them were breathing.

“Wonderland magic, The queen of hearts stole his heart,” Hat continued.  Pan raised an eyebrow, so he is very much dead and again with this Wonderland nonsense, there was Neverland and Hook’s ocean nothing else. If Pan didn’t know about it then no one does.  “And why is that one,” Hat boy nudged to Pan, “calling for our deaths?”

“Your adults, “ One of the twins called out. “Anyone over 18 is an adult “ the other added. 

“He looks older than me,” Hat boy called out. Pan huffed - idiot. Older than him, ha!

“No one is murdering anyone,” the other boy who was still very much alive for some reason called out. “Look i think there has been a misunderstanding,” he said.

“I don’t misunderstand anything, I am Pan, and i know everything” he said matter o’factly because that is the truth of the world. Neverland told him so. There was Pan and Neverland nothing else.

[bueckersstrap]

“i don’t even like that man” is so realllll like i don’t want you but that doesn’t mean i wanna see you with anyone else 🙄 honestly just don’t give a fuck & act nonchalant when you see him otherwise it’ll feed into his ego... think of all the shjt he put you through and jus think about how the new girl is probably going through the same shit as you ya know… that helps me

but i just finished work & feel like i missed so much!!! AHHH 🍻 private face reveal!!! oh i just KNOWWW she’s fineeee 🙂‍↕️ also you better be asleep rn cel 🫵🏼

- 3️⃣

LITERALLY. i don’t want him but why did he want her literally weeks after we ended things tf….. ??? no i hate that man i thought i was gonna seduce him and allat but i HATE HIM im just gonna be so nonchalant yall dont even knowwwww.

i hope work was good lovey!!! ugh she infact is very fine 😩😩 and um…. 😴😴

[xaviernottheprofessor]

May-December An Xavier selfie A/N: Self-reflections for a year.

The second time we broke up, you didn't mind messing around in the back of the limo. In the most smug of ways, you looked over to me and told me "See, X this is why we work." I tried to drown you out by messing with the top button on my dress shirt. I hate that shirt now. If I had it my way, I would have burned it. It was your favorite. It was almost like my money was good on only your terms. Good for limo rides, good for shopping sprees

You never liked my friends. You hated Riley. You'd tell me you weren't jealous of him but it was obvious. There was fire in your eyes every time you saw the two of us talking even though we're brothers and he was obviously so head over heels over Aldrich. Every event, every gala, every wedding, we had an argument. I couldn't be fully happy for anyone because you'd shut that down with a quickness. And forget about spoiling my nieces and nephews and friends. You'd constantly remind me that no one liked a show-off. No one liked it when I flaunted my money even though I'd tell you how that wasn't what I was doing.

When I took you to London, you complained for seven days. We were there for eight. Clayton tried to make you feel a part of the family but you made it impossible and when we got back to the States, you abruptly murmured in the middle of the airport that I wasn't taking you there again.

In that bathroom at my karaoke party, you got drunk and reminded me that my outfit was loud and stupid and that you should have never signed up for Ship Wrecked. I told you where the door was and you laughed at me. You reminded me everything else was too good to throw away and we'd BOTH get over this hump. I had nothing to get over. Celeste was waiting patiently for our duet that I had promised her for hours. Thomas eyed you the entire night because they were convinced you'd ruin the night. That knock on the door was Cel and she knew you already had ruined it. There was no way she didn't overhear. I should have seen the flags then. You didn't want me near anyone that would make me see them.

The third time we broke up, I was already one foot out of the door. I was at the height of my career and had been chosen to host the Academy Awards. You groaned about rubbing elbows with the elite and how this would be yet another boring event. You couldn't be happy. Not for me. You told me to decline. I told you that wasn't going to happen.

In hindsight, I'm unsure why you went. My therapist tells me you lived for the drama. You wanted to cause a scene. You wanted to embarrass me. I should have been relieved you decided to leave, Jeremy but you killed my high that night and the worst was yet to come. You tried to make me look like the worst person in the world. DJ had to work overtime to shut you up.

The third time we broke up, you took everything, you claimed emotional disturbance and I was the bad guy. You tried to defame my character and you made my life hell. The third time we broke up, it was thankfully, the last.

[bluetomorrows]

My Extensive Thoughts on Sailor Moon SuperS

Something I don't do a lot is extensively talk about things I dislike. There are plenty of things I dislike and I'll mock and complain about them, but when I write long essay-like reviews, it's usually for something that I really like. I don't usually have the energy or passion to write about things I hate. Even if, just for example, it was a sequel/new entry in a series I love. Beneath the Planet of the Apes is one of my least favourite movies in large part because it's an atrocious follow-up to a movie that's very dear to me. But I don't think I could make a big write-up about how much I hate it. I can't bring myself to care that much about it. Which is what makes me feel weird about this, because I did not care for Sailor Moon SuperS, and by God I have a lot I want to say about it.

Maybe it's because it's bad in a unique way. Maybe it's cause it's a 39-episode season and not a 90-minute movie. Maybe I'm just in the mood to be a hater. I don't know why I want to write this, but I really do. This time it's cathartic. 

Let me just start with what I actually did like. The animation is still on par with the previous seasons and seems to be of somewhat more consistent quality (some stuff like Sailor Moon S jump around with the quality). The watercolours are still beautiful, all the colours still really pop both in the backgrounds and the cels. One thing I really liked about this season was the music. It might be the best in the series so far, it’s at the very least on par with the previous seasons. The outro theme is super catchy J-Pop and some of the battle music, specifically in the last few episodes is really spectacular. I’d recommend checking out some tracks.

Alright, enough cushy praise let’s get straight to disappointment. I thought about structuring this review by going from what I thought were the smallest to the biggest flaws, but I think it’s necessary we start with the biggest flaw of this season right out of the gate because almost every other issue stems out of this one major problem:

Sailor Moon is not the main character of Sailor Moon Super S.

Usagi Tsukino is not even remotely the main character of this season, the protagonist is her time-displaced daughter Chibi Usa. This is a point I don’t think even this season’s most adamant fans would argue with. It’s hard for me to really hammer this home as much as I can as someone reading this may think I’m exaggerating. I’m not. If you don’t believe me simply read the episode descriptions of the season. Chibi Usa is at the center of every plot, and as such the show closely follows her. The protagonist we have followed for the last 3 seasons, really is nothing more than a side character for this entire story. Since this is my biggest sticking point with the season I want to try to approach it from a place of good faith. I want to try to understand why this is the way that it is. I want to see why this decision was made, what the creative team hoped to gain from it, and why I think it doesn’t work.

I want to talk about Chibi-Usa as a character. In the 30th century when the whole world was at peace and everyone could live forever in a utopia, Usagi and Mamoru had Chibi-Usa. She’s a little girl (in the manga she’s actually very old but not physically aging, an aspect I’m actually glad they changed for the anime) who for plot reasons has to go to the past and get the sailor guardians help in the second major arc of Sailor Moon. Chibi Usa initially bumps heads with the guardians (ESPECIALLY Usagi who she has to live with under the guise of a cousin) but eventually comes to appreciate and respect them, as they grow fond of her. Eventually, they defeat the big bad and Chibi Usa is able to go back to the future and reunite with her future family. In Sailor Moon S she shows up yet again, returning to the 90s so she can train to be a sailor guardian, this is kind of a flimsy stupid reason but I won’t harp on it. She continues to fight with Usagi but her prominent role is in befriending Hotaru, and her kindness to her ultimately being what saves the world. 

Chibi Usa consistently ranked high if not outright first in Sailor Moon popularity polls at the time but if you were to ask Sailor Moon fans how they feel about her you’re most likely going to get incredibly negative responses. If I were to compare her to another fictional character I would choose Scrappy Doo. They’re both essentially child versions of the most marketable character in their series, introduced partway into its run, who most people believe disrupted the original beloved group dynamic and shoved the other characters to the side so more focus could be put on them. And they’re annoying. Similar to Scrappy Doo, I think the hate for Chibi Usa is pretty overblown in online circles. Not to say I don’t think any of the criticisms against them are valid (Unlike Chibi Usa, Scrappy pushing the other characters out for the sake of focusing on him is objectively true. Fred and Velma just straight up stopped being in the show), I just think people just have a lot of blind hatred to things aimed at children, and also mostly get their opinions from other people online rather than forming their own. 

I think Chibi Usa can be an effective foil to Usagi when she is allowed to respect her. I believe what they were going for is the idea that Chibi Usa is a faster learner and generally more capable with tasks, but Usagi is more emotionally intelligent, secure in herself, and mature (at least where it’s important). That dynamic challenges both of them and exposes their strengths and weaknesses. Where the show usually goes wrong is downplaying Usagi’s strengths and portraying Chibi Usa as an all-around better person who does not and has no reason to respect or admire Usagi. In SuperS specifically she gets really overly mean to her but I’m getting ahead of myself.

What bothers me about the use of Chibi Usa in the show is that she is rarely actually part of the group dynamic. She’s almost always sectioned off in the plot to go do her own thing. I don’t really understand the point because they never tell interesting stories with her. She doesn’t have unique allies to bounce off of. She doesn’t have any interesting internal struggle to overcome. She doesn’t have any of the traits that make someone like Usagi a great protagonist. 

There’s no point in using Chibi Usa to tell a story about a young inexperienced girl trying to grapple with being a Sailor Guardian and grow stronger because that’s what the show was already about before she was introduced. What’s the point in trying to pass on the torch when Usagi is like, 16 years old? Chibi Usa just wasn’t made to be a protagonist. She was designed as a supporting character and that’s fine! Let her grow in that role. If you’re going to make her the protagonist at least expand her character and personality. I think it’s possible that the creative team was scared of altering her in a meaningful way in the event it upset her fanbase. Chibi Usa is an empty character and it overall makes for a show that lacks interesting conflict and growth.

But to be fair to SuperS, they do have someone for Chibi-Usa to bounce off of, and receive her love and respect; that being the new character Pegasus. If I were to describe Pegasus in a single word it would be creepy. He’s like a grown-up horse man and he and Chibi-Usa clearly have a thing for each other. Later when we see his human form it’s clear that he’s closer in age to Chibi-Usa but still looks too old for me to be comfortable. He’s also just a wet blanket of a character. He and Chibi-Usa rarely have any conflict (and when they do it’s forced and irritating) and get along perfectly which kind of just leaves their relationship pretty boring despite how much emphasis the show puts on it. I just struggle so much to describe any of Pegasus’ personality traits aside from “He’s nice” which just doesn’t make for an interesting and well-rounded character.

I’m getting a bit irritated right now because Pegasus is such a big part of the show and such a big part of why I find it so boring and frustrating yet despite that I’m struggling to write much about him. He’s just a completely nothing character. He isn’t even bad in an interesting way he’s just so damn bland. I just want to make clear that he’s a very important character to the narrative and story I just can’t bring myself to write anything more to him. The bad guys want to kill him and take his MacGuffin. Like that’s the whole conceit of the season.

I suppose I should also talk about those bad guys. The Dead Moon Circus are the antagonists this season and they’re… okay. The individual members actually have a lot of personality even if I don’t think they’re all amazing characters. Everything is circus-themed and it leads to some really great designs, with the caveat that it feels like they ran out of ideas after the third monster of the week (Some of those guys are REALLY stretching the theme but it’s unintentionally pretty funny). My biggest problem with them is that they do feel underdeveloped despite some interesting personalities and their motivations aren’t even clear until the last few episodes (It’s not an exciting twist. It’s not a twist at all really). They have the potential to be interesting but the show drags its feet in giving me any reason to really care about any of it. 

Sailor Moon is a show about hope and love. Sailor Moon SuperS is a show with no Sailor Moon that’s about nothing. I’m sure they thought it was still about those things, they certainly try to push that in Chibi Usa and Pegasus’ creepy relationship, but the show is ultimately more focused on making Chibi Usa seem cool or cute than telling any interesting stories. When the previous seasons focused on lighter material, it still served to explore and develop the relationships among the sailor guardians. In SuperS they’re just not allowed to do that because anyone other than Chibi Usa is a non-entity who is undeserving of the audience’s care or attention. This isn’t even mentioning cutting the outer senshi out of the show which was a move so obviously terrible that they immediately walked it back for the next season (Chibi Usa and Sailor Pluto’s relationship still has so much more you can add to it! It could have been great if she was here!).

At the end of it all I just feel empty. It’s an incredibly empty show with incredibly empty characters. It doesn’t make me feel anything other than apathy now. It’s a bad season of TV and I’m glad to be done with it.

[evansencezz]

ミ★ミ★-BASH IT INTO A MIRROR—Ace Evergarden x Yandere Kacey—ミ★ミ★

Notes: jesus christ, i didn’t even wanna write more about Kacey’s bitchass but u bitches wanted it, yandere, kidnapping, threatening, degrading and praising, Godess!Ace, Ace is a wind godess, magic, fighting, blood, obessive behavior, knives, bottles, cocaine, i hate kacey, insane kacey bro fuck outta here, mentions towards past murder, bondage, non-con kissing, non-con touching, no, its not groping stop, stalker, pervy kacey bitchass get out bro, mentions towards past trauma, ace has abadonment issues, threats of dying, slight sucidical tendeices??, mentally ill people need to be locked up fr!!/j, ace is nice to kacey for the first half, they become friends, kace mainuplation, ramblings and my nerd knowledge about greek mythology.

TW; i am NOT aiming to romantincze anything kacey does in this prompt/ book. they are clearly FUCKED in a whole other level. no person should act like this in real life!

“I’m sorry, Ace.” The girl infront of her apologized.

The shorter of the two only mustered up a smile, sure enough to prove she was okay.

“Oh please, it’s fine. You know I’m good for it, Cel’.” She waved it off.

The black-nette only whined a little knowingly. She felt bad.

“Hey, why don’t we hit up a icecream place nearby?” She offered.

The other girl only blinked a few times before laughing nervously. Hadn’t she told her??

“Ah sorry, I must’ve not told you, I’m lactose intolerant..” She answered, grinning smallely.

The green eyed girl paused before sweat-dropping.

“Ah! I’m sorry! Erm..I’ll just leave you alone then, see you!” The girl apologized before spilting off.

Ace watched the girl leave before shaking her head. She was getting ready to head back to the main village but flinched when she heard a twig break and someone curss.

“Fuck!” They whispered.

God, they were so clumsy. Couldn’t they just observe their beloved in peace?! Well, it was too late now, she probably heard them.

“Hello?..” The non-mortal asked, making her way to the tree they were hiding behind.

They tensed slightly when she put a hand around the tree slightly and glanced at them. She immeditally reeled back and smiled nervously.

“Ah, hello there!…Uhm..can I help you?” She greeted before looking away.

She caught a good glance of the former. She had semi-short brown hair that seemed messy and hadn’t been brushed in a couple days. She also had a pair of bright red eyes with odd shaped pupils, almost the shape of hearts.

“Hello..?” She called to her, noticing she was only staring and not speaking.

The brunette flinched slightly and automatically apologized.

“Sorry, Sorry! Uhm..I was just looking around..” He nervously said, rather akwardly.

In his mind, it was better to pretend to be mentally sane then confess his undying love on the spot. After all, it would be best if she fell for him too.

The former only hummed, narrowing her eyes slightly.

“Oh yeah? I haven’t seen you around here, and I know almost every villager..what’s your name??” She asked.

He tensed even more. There was no way he could just blurt out his name, the villagers never shut up about him.

“Um itssss..” She trailed off, eyes darting around.

Ace merly raised an eyebrow, confused. How long did it take to give your name to someone?

“It’s Riean! Just uh, Riean..!” She finally got out.

Ace only hummed and nodded. She didn’t completly believe them, but good enough, right?

“Hey, hey, uh..Your Ace Evergarden right??” They questioned, leaning close to the girl.

The blue-nette only manged a lopsided smile and leaned back slightly. Honestly, she didn’t like the vibe of them. Best to just play it off, though.

“Yep! That’s me!” She answered simply.

The other only grinned slightly and leaned back, stummbling slightly. She was atleast trying to act normal, and that’s what mattered, right?

“Say, I know your probably exhausted, so why not come with me for dinner?” She smoothly offered.

The non-human only blinked a few times. Offering already for something like a dinner?? Couldn’t that be classifed as a ‘move’, as you would say?

“Oh? Aren’t you smooth?” She questioned, even though it seemed more like a point.

Kacey only grinned and winked slightly.

“I like to believe so, yes..”

The shorter of the two only sighed slightly and tilted her head up slightly. She didn’t like the feeling of this, but yet again, did she really have a choice?

“Fine. You gotta’ place in mind?” She sighed before asking.

On the other hand, they were over the FUCKING moon. Who knew it would actually work?! Of course, their beloved wasn’t stupid, and they knew she was probably suspious by now.

A massive blush wanted to overcome their face, but they manged to settle it down. God, they could just imagine all her cute reactions once she found out what they really were!~

Would she hate her?? Would she finally end her suffering and strangle her or slice her down with her sword?! She wanted to know so badly.

“Riean..Riean?” Ace called out, gaining her attention.

Her eyebrows were furrowed in confusion as she looked at her. Her brown eyes shifted back and forth.

“Ah-Sorry, Ace..I know a place, c’mon!~” She snapped out of it and apologized before making a follow me motion.

The pair has eventually found a resturant. Oddly enough, Ace had never seen or even eaten here before. She tilted her head when the food the two ordered appeared infront of them.

She had simply ordered a glass of mango tea and a medium rare steak. Riean ordered something simaliar, but they way they ordered it..

“Oh, I’ll get the same steak! Just uh-make it so like it’s almost raw and bloody, k?” They said, smiling at the waiter.

The blue haired girl flinched and turned towards them, concerned. She ment, who liked a almost raw steak?!

“Alr..alright..that’ll be out for you two then..” He merly penned it down and left nervously.

“A bloody steak?? Are you sure?” The girl asked, eyes wandering towards her drink.

The short haired girl only smiled, slightly eerily.

“Course’ I’m sure! I like it raw, it gives it that feeling and extra texture and flavor, y’know?~” She causally answered.

‘NO, I DON’T KNOW, WERIDO!!’ Ace’s thoughts screamed at her. But she only placed a crooked smile on her face and laughed slightly.

“Right, ahaha..! Of course..” She said back.

The brown eyed girl only poked at her steak as she watched as they cut straight into theirs. They had red muck seeping out of it and she grimnaced, immeditally looking away.

“So, I know your like super well known and praised for being well..strong..but I have a few questions!~” They started, eyes mainly focused on their food.

The non-mortal only nodded and hummed.

“Well? I’m pretty much open to anything you could ask.” She merly said.

Meanwhile, Kacey took a piece of the meat and put it in her mouth. She didn’t want to look at Ace. If she did, she would probably more then not blurt out something.

“Just exactly..for how long have you been doing this sort of thing? Y’know, like helping townsfolk and expelling demons?” She asked.

The former hummed and finally took a few bits of her food. The meat was nice and tender, and had a slight burnt and smokey flavor to it.

“I would say atleast three years?? I mainly picked it up because people found out about me saving a whole town from a rogue mage.” She answered.

The red eyed female only nodded and the red on her plate colored the white purity of it more.

“Say, do you have any family? Like, siblings, mother, father?” She asked another question.

Ace only flinched slightly at the question. Oh no, her parents were long gone, or were they?? She didn’t know, considering she hadn’t seen them in so long. But she had Violet, and that was what mattered.

“I..I uhm..I have a sister..a younger one, obviously..” She answered, seeming more hesiatant.

Kacey picked up on this and immeditally put the fork she had a piece of meat on and comforted the blue haired girl. They also decided to be bold and place a hand on hers.

The other girl seemed to tense at this action. As her eyes darted towards the hand and then back towards Kacey.

“Hey, I’m sorry if I pushed too much..I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” They tried to comfort.

The other girl only tensed and smiled nervously and smallely. Kace thought it was cute.

“No-I..I just uh..” She tried to find an excuse, eyes staring at the half-eaten steak infront of her.

The marooned eyed male only hummed and said,

“Take your time, love. It’s my fault for making you panic anyway.”

The long haired girl resisted the urge to recoil at the name. He was already calling her names?? Wasn’t that a bit too fast?

She really should have said something, but he wouldn’t have listened. He enjoyed how she tried to have more mudane and muffled reactions instead of lashing out.

“I..I just don’t get asked a ton about myself..” She looked away and scratched her cheek.

The brunette only hummed and when Ace looked back, she noticed that they had already finished their food. The redness seeped on the plate, but their was no meat.

“Are you finished with your food, dear?” Kacey asked, sucessfully calling her yet another nickname.

She didn’t like it. But she couldn’t do much about it, sure she could say it made her uncomfortable but..

“Ah yes, I’ll pay then!” The caramel eyed girl jolted before digging in her pocket and pulling out a sack of coins.

The slightly taller girl only jolted and shook her head.

“Oh please, no need to pay. I’ll pay for it, plus, I was the one who dragged you here, right?” She protested, slightly touching the other again as she made her pushed her money away.

The other female only tensed slightly. Honestly, this girl was odd. It was like she would go out of her way to do stuff to ‘please’ Ace.

“You didn’t drag me here..I agreed, didn’t I?” The blue/nette asked a question of her own, but it was too late.

Kace had already placed her money near the reciept. A brown sack of coins, not too much. The food was good sure, but the prices were kind of worth it??

“Come on, let’s get out of here.” The short haired person brought the girls attention back to them and she only silently nodded.

The two looked around the area once they left the place. Ace tried to scoot away to make distance.

“Well, you probably have to go back to your house to take care of Violet, right?” Kacey asked.

The shorter girl immeditally jolted violently at the mention of her siblings name. She whipped around and stopped walking, eyes shakily looking at them.

The ladder tried to bit back the smile that threatened to form on their face.

“What?..” She whispered.

“What’s wrong, Evergarden? Did I say something?” She innocently asked back.

The long haired girl tensed and looked away nervously. She rubbed her eyes before grimnacing. She didn’t want to mention it, but she knew her younger sisters name?! It just didn’t make sense!

No one else in the village knew her younger sister by name! She turned towards the other and plastered a very shaky smile on her face.

“No, it’s nothing. I probably just heard wrong. Bye, Riean.” She reassured, probably more to herself.

She immeditally turned back around towards the opposite direction and started walking off. She didn’t even bother to look back, no way.

Meanwhile, the red eyed girl’s eyes followed her as she walked away. After a while, the reality hit her. Her face bathed in red and she cheered. Her heart’s rythm was extremely fast and her hands were shaky.

She had pulled it off!! She really had pretended to be sane around Ace and it worked!! Now, there was no way the girl wasn’t suspious about her, but still!!~

God, he remebered the pale or reeling back of her expressions. Espically when he mentioned that stupid younger sister of hers.

He was going to get his way. He was going to mainuplate Ace Evergarden into becoming his clostest friend. And then, he would let everything come crashing down, tell her his real name.

That he was Kacey, and there was nothing that should could do to stop him from having her.

Over the course of the next week, Kace and Ace were called ‘friends.’ Kace was overjoyed to been called that. but the godess on the other hand. Kace called her nicknames, got a little touchy with her, and even tried to ask more questions about Violer and her.

“Ace, hey, goodmorning!” Speak of the devil and they shall apear.

The brunette only grinned and waved at her. The said person was actually waiting on Ace, after all, they usually talked alot.

But..

“Yeah, goodmorning, Riean.” She simply greeted back before walking straight past them.

They blinked a couple times, hand slightly dropping. They side-glanced behind them and the shorter kept walking. They immeditally snapped out of it and followed after her.

“Ace?? Are you okay??” She inquried, walking now at the same pace as her.

The long haired girl didn’t reply as she kept walking. Kacey scowled and asked again.

“Ace! Hey, are you okay??” She said louder.

The said girl snapped out of it and boredly shifted her eyes over to the other. Her lips were pressed into a firm line and she didn’t look pleased.

“Yeah I’m fine. I’m just very busy and I need to be somewhere quickly.”

“No!-I..I mean, are you sure?? Are..are you really that busy..?” Kace blurted before correcting herself.

The blue-nette only flinched slightly at the sudden clingness of them. She moved back and looked at them with slightly wide eyes.

“Yes, I am that busy..what’s your problem, Riean? You’ve never acted like this before.” The girl only frowned and asked, shrinking away.

For a spilt second, a scowl of annoyance formed on their face but they didn’t say anything. Speaking of them, they had a jumbled thought process.

‘God this is fucking annoying. Why can’t you just work with me here?!’ They thought.

The long haired girl only sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Almost like the younger was giving her a headache.

“Look, I’m sorry I can’t put all my time on you. But you should know I am a very busy person. Not one person can have me all to themself.” She coldly said.

Kacey watched her as she spared them a passing glance before leaving. They scowled, annoyed.

“God damnit Ace..” They mummbled under their breath.

In all honesty, it was getting harder and harder to not let the facade slip. You know, that they were insanely in love with her?! It was getting harder and harder for them to restrain.

In all honesty, what did it matter anymore? Ace didn’t care about them, she never did. That was just the way she was. So she couldn’t hate them for calling her a dense bitch then, right??

Whatever, Kacey was done. It was suposed to be different. They were suposed to make the girl fall in love with them. But she was just too FUCKING stubborn!! Whatever, fuck!!

“Enough, enough!! I’m doing it, I can’t take it anymore!!” The obessive person yelled, stummbling in the opposite direction like a drunk person and trying to calm their thoughts.

Villagers gave them a scared look, of course they would. They knew who she was, and that she was labeled as ‘fucking nuts’. Whatever, they should all die anyway.

Kacey would get her fucking way, no matter who got hurt this time.

“No mercy, Kacey.” She told herself, laughing weakly afterwards.

No matter how much the godess hated it, she was slightly worided for Riean. Her gut turned with a bad feeling inside of it and she hated it. She hated how she helped people carry suppiles, patch peoples wounds up, and searched for monsters.

Speaking of, she currently pulled her trusty sword out of the defeated creatures body and sighed. It’s body dissapered like smoke and she selthed her sword again.

“A sudden infasation of these demons, Empusas desciendents. Not good, not good at all.” She mummbled, a grimnace covering her face.

Untheless, she shook her head and walked back to the main village. She entered the village and immeditally a familar girl with short black hair with dull purple eyes grabbed her by the arm. She flinched slightly but relaxed slightly but not all the way when she saw who it was.

“Hiraeith?? What’s the matter?” She questioned, noticing the girl’s stare.

“What’s the matter?! You didn’t tell me you were hanging out with Kacey!” She snapped.

Ace blinked a few times, obviously confused. The same heighted girl also blinked back a few more times, before furrowing her eyebrows.

“Please don’t tell me you don’t know who I’m talking about.” She frimly said.

“I don’t know who your talking about..?” The blue-nette smiled tensly and hestiatnly asked.

The other empowered girl sweat-dropped and stressily combed a hand through her hair. She almost face palmed before finally responding.

“The brunette with werid maroon eyes and heart pupils you’ve been hanging around with. What’s her name?” She asked.

The brown eyed girl only screnched up her face before replying.

“Riean?? Why??” She confusingly asked.

Hiraeith breathed out a scoff-laugh and looked at Ace like she was stupid.

“Oh yeah? I hate to break it to you, but it’s Kacey. She lied to you, Evergarden. She’s been lying to you this entire time.” She sarcastically mocked before poking the others chest.

The brown eyed girl was taken aback from this information. She looked away and pressed her lips into a firm line. For some reason, a gag reflex was building up in her throat, a sick churing almost.

“Look, you aren’t the first person they’ve taken an intrest in, and defentily not the last. But look at me, they are INSANE..and not the cute verison you see, the murdeous type of insane.” She gently grabbed the others face, making her have eye contact again before stuffing her hands in her pockets while explaning.

“There’s no way you didn’t notice it. The little slips and concering moments here and there?? Yeah, that’s the real them.” Hiraeith contuined.

The godess only just listened before unclogging her suddenly thick throat. It took effort for her to even speak.

“How do you know so much about this..?” She mummbled, eyes flicking everywhere.

Now, Ace Evergarden rarely got nervous. But it reminded her so much of…

Nevermind.

“Because she had a intrest in me once. Luckily, it was as bad as some of the ones I’ve heard of, just a small one. I’ve heard she’s killed people that she can’t have eventually, or maybe even eaten them alive!! Wait no, that’s not funny-..” The purple eyed girl shurgged before spooking out, and then cutting herself off.

The traveller only smiled stiffly and came a little closer to the other. Speaking of the ladder, her facial expression changed into one of confusion.

“Thank you for telling me about this, Hira’. I’ll be safe, and I can handle it on my own.” She reassured before pulling away and walking away.

The short haired girl was left in silence for a few moments before tensing and reaching a hand out to where Ace’s back was turned.

“Wait!! Evergarden, I-!!” She tried to call out but the said girl only kept walking, not even sparing a glance.

Hiraeith put her hand that she had up down slowly and frowned. If the blue haired girl doesn’t keep an eye over her shoulder at all times, she could get hurt.

“Even if she is immortal..” She whispered.

Meanwhile, with the traveller girl. She was walking through a familar forest again when a breeze blew past her. She whipped around but saw no one, it was like the wind was pushing her. Then she heard whispers and knew who it was.

“Anamais? What are you doing?” She called out to her wind spirted friend.

A small creature apeared, it had a floating body and light blue and white colors. It had a striped and diamond patterned body/ or clothes. It also had a black face with no mouth but beedy big yellow colored eyes, almost like a cats. And finally, a small leaf hat.

It zoomed around Ace, pushing her in a certain direction. She smiled slightly and held her hands out. The creature flew into them with no resistence.

“I haven’t seen you in a while, huh? Well, you seem to be in a happy mood, either way.” She asked before smiling more, changing it into a grin.

Her spirt friend only jumped happily in her hands.

“Say buddy, do you have any clue why there is a sudden increase in the monsters around this town??” She asked her friend.

All of a sudden, the wind creature started shaking ans aniamatic tears formed in its eyes. She startled at this and worriedly asked,

“Anmais?? What’s the matter?” She questioned.

She got a response from the poor thing. Only..the voice didn’t come from them. Instead..

“I might have a clue why your little friend there is so scared.” A familar voice answered.

Ace immeditally whipped around and was awfully close to Kacey. His brown hair which was always dishelved, was neat and combed. And his maroon eyes were still mostly calm, but with a tinge of distrubance this time.

“You..” Was all the godess got out, moving back a few steps.

Her suddenly cold hands clutched the shivering wind element in her hands harder. What was going on??

“Yes, me, your beloved Riean!~ Tell me, how’s your chores going?” The male only leaned back and grinned.

The blue-nette only harshly glared and pressed her lips into a firm line.

“I know who you are, Kacey.” Was all she said.

And oh, did this trigger a response! The male’s red eyes widened and his smile faded away. He blinked a couple times before plastering a much more faded grin on his face.

“What do you mean? Whose Kace-!!” They started playing innocent but Ace wasn’t having any of it.

“Don’t fuck with me! You know exactly what I’m fucking talking about. Drop the act.” She snapped.

The brunette’s smile completly dropped and her head hanged low. The non-mortal stared, waiting for something to happen until..

Kacey burst out in laughter, just pure laughter. The brown eyed girl flinched and immeditally clentched her spirt friend closer to her.

“Oh please!! Honestly..honestly, I was stupid to think my plan would work in the first place!” She shakily said, laughing still.

The former only narrowed her eyes and didn’t speak.

“Ah Ace, you know, your not that smart for a godess. I would’ve thought you would’ve caught on by now!~” She mocked, eyes glinting.

This offically bothered the other and she spoke up.

“Are you calling me stupid?” She bluntly asked.

The ladder only finally stopped laughing, but an amused grin rested on her face. Meanwhile, Ace couldn’t figure out what she was thinking!? She knew she was insane, but this was just werid..

“Oh no, darling. I would never dream to call my savior stupid!~ After all, If I insulted you that would just make you hate me more, but you probably already do, right?” She clarrifed before inquiring.

The long haired girl only tilted her head up slightly and glared down at her.

“Ahaha! You know, I’m surprised you haven’t started running or haven’t tried to end me right here, honestly.” She smiled at the ground, eyes drifting.

Ace finally let go of Animias and they flew away in the opposite direction almost immeditally. The red eyes and brown eyes both followed after it.

“What is your probelm?? I’ve heard that you’ve hurt people before, why?!”The caramel eyed one snapped, hands drifting towards her sword.

Kacey’s attention was brought back to her, not that it wasn’t always on her. He scoffed slightly before taking a quick steps closer, and leaning towards her. His one hand grabbing at her face extremely lightly and the other behind his back.

“Pleasee’, don’t pretend like you don’t want me, Evergarden..” He boredly said, mouth pressed sideways.

That was it.

The said girl swiftlt unshlethed her weapon and cut off a few strands of his hair. The males eyes widened as he moved back slightly and she mocked him, holding her weapon infront of her.

“What’s the matter? Plus, why would I ever enjoy that? Your some sick creep who can’t leave people alone, and insanely obessive is a major turn off.” She hissed.

The brunette blinked a few times before breathing out a short laugh. The long haired girl only scowled harder.

“Are you gonna’ kill me?! Please do! i wanna’ die, and to die at the hands of you would be an honer!” He held steady eye contact, eyes big and still shaky.

The godess made a digusted noise and pulled her sword away, not all the way back though.

“Are you insane?-Actually no, I know you are..why are you so fucking obessed with me?!” She started but changed her direction.

Kacey only tilted his head and squinted his eyes, as if he was thinking. She couldn’t understand him. Even if his movements were simaliar to..HIM.

“Because, I’ve read all about you..and you were just so..strong and pretty and self-giving. And then out of the blue, a traveller shows up and just starts helping people? Too convient.” They started explaining.

“So I watched you for a good while, nothing linked you to the wind godess, at least not yet! And then I saw it, you had your beloved sword out and stabbee it into a demon. Your pretty brown eyes had changed color and wind swirlled around you, not to mention your sword also glowed.” They laughed at the end of their final sentence.

“You’ve been stalking me?! W-How much do you know about me?! You can’t possibly know everything about me! You just can’t.” The blue haired girl startled before glaring again.

The slightly taller person only grinned unsettingly, it seemed almost like their eyes were glowing.

“No? Tell me, how do you feel about Oriean? You know, your precious fian-!” They started but where cut off by Ace grabbing them and shoving them to the ground.

The girl planted her sword right below the side of their head and she wrapped one of her hands around their neck. Kacey’s face immeditally switched and bathed in red.

“Oh! Are you going..ngh!-!” She couldn’t even mange a setence out because Ace squeezed her neck tight.

“Kill you? Yeah..I’m thinking about it. Now answer me, how the FUCK do you know about..HIM?!” She breathed out before tightening her hold on the others neck.

The short haired girl only breathed hoarsely. She had a small grin on her face and her eyes were bulging, probably from the loss of air.

Untheless, Ace let loose her hold on the pinned down one’s neck regretablly.

“As I said before, I read sooo much about..ha..you, my love…why..why can’t you just see that I love you..?” She panted before grunting out.

The godess had one of her hands on the top of her sword and rolled her wrist aganist it. Her other hand was planted besides Kacey’s head.

“Is that seriously what this is about?! Love?!” She disbeliving asked.

The other stummbled around and held her side slightly. Her eyes with those stupid, fucking heart pupils seemed to grow. She smiled, but more gently this time. It still didn’t set her unease.

“Yes, of course. I love you, I love you so much, Ace!! If you would just believe that I’m nothing like him!-!” She was cut off by the other shaking her head.

“No, your exactly like him. You sound exactly like him. Just go, go away before you force me to do something I won’t regret.” She angrily snapped before waving her off.

The brunette’s smile wavered, before dropping completly. And then, it happened. Ace felt a presence behind her but it was too late, the thing had already wrapped a hand around her throat and squeezed.

“Ack!!-Stop..! Stop stop..!” She winced before wheezing out.

Kacey only watched as the member she had inscurted to come along with her at the right time choked out her beloved. She didn’t want to hurt her beloved, she really didn’t. But Ace was just so fucking stubborn!

Speaking of, the godesses vision became dark, spots bleeding in. She weakly raised a hand and almost reached for her sword but the mortal kicked it away.

“Ah, just go to sleep, Darling. Your just making it worse by struggling.~” The now fully relaxed Kacey whispered, watching as the others eyes rolled back before falling unconcious.

The person who had choked her out still had a firm hold on her neck and was still choking out air. This made the maroon eyed person glare at them harshly.

“Fuck! Let her go already, dipshit!” They harshly said, immeditally ripping their beloved from the others arms.

The guard merly bowed slightly and Kacey scoffed. They hugged the girl’s body closer and pressed their lips into a firm line.

“Come on, let’s get out of here. We are going back to my main house, also, make sure she’s restrained well.” They bluntly explained before lifting Ace’s body bridal style and carrying her.

The guard remained unmoving for a few seconds before following after them. Was their master totally insane, oh, defentitly. But if they manged to get their way, what couldn’t they do?

The solider only shook their head, their helement making a clunky sound in protest.

The next time Ace awoke, she was in some sort of large room. The room had a chair, sitting across from her and alot of space actually. The walls were a bleak grey color and scribbled on with small notes and messages.

There were also stacks of books littered around the chair and some behind it. When she squinted her eyes, she could make out that some of them mentioned greek mythology. Her hands were tied behind her back.

“Fuck..fuckfuckfuck..! Not good..fuck how did you lose, Evergarden..?” She mummbled to herself harshly.

Her eyes also grew slightly distrubed when they landed on a specfic area, on the wall. It was a complete almost memorial or statue of the girl. There were tons of photos and even some things she owned that she thought at first she had lost, like a coin she held in her hand, or a hairtie.

The godesses wrists actually burned when she tried to yank on the ropes that tied them together. And when she tried summoning some wind magic to bring something close, or knock over the chair, it felt like something was squeezing around her heart.

After a while of this cycle, she grew exhausted. She only grew more alert when she heard the door to the room, which was on the other side, open.

“Ah, good morning, my love!~” A familar voice greeted warmly.

But whatever filled Ace when she heard that voice was anything but warm. Kacey walked into the room, looking simaliar to their regular apperance. Only now, she noticed how big their pupils were. Of course, those stupid heart pupils were always big, but now it looked like they were on something.

“Are you on something?” Was all she manged to ask.

The big eyed person only manged a bigger grin. They already a lovesick expression on their face, and it was just modiffied.

“Just my love for you, Ace.” Was all they said.

‘What a load of shit.’ was what she thought to that.

They walked over to the opposite chair, leaning aganist it as they sat.

“Did you try and escape?? Actually no, don’t answer that! I know you did, I saw you on the cameras! Cute, really.” They asked before answering it untheless.

The non-mortal was disgusted. In return actually, they were worried for Violet. Sure, they hadn’t talked much, but how would she surivive without Ace?!

“What’s with that look on your face? Are you worried about your beloved sister?” Kacey asked yet another question.

Ace only scowled at him and raised her head slightly.

“Where is she?!” She snapped, face twisted in displeasure.

The ladder only sighed, a puff of air coming out. Before, he rested his cheek in his hand and gazed at her with a lazy grin.

“I didn’t do anything to her, at least, if your good nothing will happen. I’ll send out people to check up on her and tend to her.” He brushed off her concern.

The caramel eyed other squinted her eyes at him. She didn’t like it, she didn’t like it at all. She hated being treated as if she was naive.

“What do you hope to gain in all of this?! I hope you know that I will never love you!!” She questioned, voice almost dripping with rotten intentions.

Kace only raised his expression in fake surprise. She hated the way he mocked her.

“Of course, I know that. I’m not trapping you here for love. I just don’t want anyone else to see you, or touch you, no one but me. If I can’t have you, then no one else can.” He truthfully answered.

Ace made a disgusted expression. The short haired girl took this as a sign to grab her forearm and lean a little closer.

“See? You better get used to it!~ After all, you’ll stay here until I die, because I’m a human!~” She exampled before pointing out the obvious.

“Your sick.” Was the response she got.

The marooned eyed girl actually seemed bothered by this. Her eyes darkened and she leaned even closer. Her smile faded completly.

“I’m the sick one?? No, there’s worse then me out there. Like Oriean, which one of us is better? You tell me, Ace.” She hissed.

But before the said girl could reply, Kacey had connected their lips. When the blue haired girls head went to go jolt back to break it, the others hand tugged her hair, litterally ripping a few strands out.

Her eyes were wide and her face was pale stricken. A drop of sweat rolled down her cheek and her mind was trying to make sense of what was happening.

When the other did pull away, she leaned back in her chair completly. A sickening grin rested on her face while Ace looked at her in shock and horror.

“So, which one of us is the better kisser, Evergarden?”

END

[bittybattybunny]

She'd make a wonderful puppet

She has the strings pre installed!

Had this idea at work and drew it up and colored with sharpie